The Alpha's Hunger (15 page)

At the same time, she heard a car pull into the driveway.

She followed Ben, watching as he shifted gracefully back into human form, his naked body riddled with bullet wounds that only bled slightly, his cock jutting out at full mast.

“Ben,” she cried, emotion flooding her. She ran and threw herself at him.

He looked surprised, but wrapped her up in his arms and pressed his lips to her hair. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded against his chest. “Are you?”

“Yes.” He pulled away to look at her, holding the back of her head, looking down at her with an intensity that made her shift in place. “Ashley, you disobeyed me.”

The word
disobeyed,
combined with the burn of his dark gaze, made butterflies take flight in her stomach. The emotional turmoil of the entire meeting came flooding back. Pressure built behind her face, tears threatening. No words came to her lips.

“We’ll talk about it later,” he said meaningfully.

She gulped. Did that mean a spanking? Her pussy clenched even as fear turned her hands clammy.

“Where did you find your sister?”

She gathered her wits. “She called me as I was driving away from the bus station. She said Jeremy helped her escape. I haven’t heard the full story yet.”

“All right, let’s get it now,” he said, turning away and yanking on his jeans over his still enormous erection.

“Does that always happen when you shift?” she asked, eyeing his cock.

“No,” he muttered. “Just around you.”

She bit her lip to hide her smile.

Ben pulled on a t-shirt as the sound of the front door opening reached them. “Come on,” he said, leading her back to the kitchen where she found Zolla drawing a gun on Jeremy. Apparently, he had the same instincts as Ben.

Jeremy’s hands shot in the air. “Whoa, take it easy, man. We’re with Ashley.”

Zolla tipped the muzzle in Melissa’s direction. “
She’s
with Ashley. Who are you?”

“Are you Ben Stone?” Melissa squeaked.

“No, I am,” Ben said, pushing through from behind Zolla to stand in front of Jeremy. “Who are you?”

* * *

Ashley’s sister’s face crumpled and she started to cry and he regretted his lack of finesse. The punk named Jeremy reached for her, drawing her against his side and Ben relaxed by a small measure. The two had clearly forged a genuine connection, whatever had happened between them.

“It’s okay, Melissa,” he said. “Why don’t you come into the living room, sit down, and tell us your story?”

“I’ll bring the food in,” Ashley said, pushing through the crowded doorway to where she had some kind of food preparation going on the counter.

“Yeah, all right,” Melissa said.

The group stepped into the living room, and Melissa told her story about being picked up by Jeremy and his friend, and delivered to some other thugs. It seemed Jeremy hadn’t known what was going on, and when he realized and tried to get her out of it, he became as much of a prisoner as she. They spent three nights in an old barn out between Denver and Colorado Springs. According to Jeremy, his friend was given the order to kill him that afternoon, but had set him free instead, and he had circled back to save Melissa before they took her into Denver for the meetup. The two had hitchhiked into the city.

He and Zolla questioned them for over an hour until Ashley touched his shoulder. “Ben, please. I think they’ve told you everything they know. I’m sure Melissa could use a hot shower and a comfortable bed right now.”

“They can stay here,” Zolla offered, “if you think he’s okay,” he said, nodding toward Jeremy.

Ben glowered at Jeremy, but eventually lifted his shoulders. “He did the right thing in the end, I guess.”

“The couch is a pull-out bed, and you two can have my bed,” Zolla said, looking at Ben. “I can sleep on the floor.”

He knew Ashley probably wanted to be with her sister, but after the fear of losing her that night, he just needed to hold her. “Ashley and I will get a motel nearby. Melissa and Jeremy can stay here on the sofa bed—just until we get the rest of this cleared up and we know it’s safe for Ashley and Melissa to go to their homes.”

Ashley stood up without a protest.

Zolla shrugged. “Of course. My place is yours for as long as you need it.”

“Thank you,” he said. He didn’t understand why the wolf seemed so inclined to help him, but he wasn’t in a position to argue with it. He needed all the help he could get.

* * *

Ben sat on the edge of the motel bed, resting his forearms on his knees and his head in his hands. He’d taken off his belt and laid it beside him, but he wasn’t sure he would actually go through with punishing Ashley. She was human, after all. It wasn’t part of her culture to resolve things in a physical manner. Still, if she was to be his mate…

But she couldn’t be, could she?

And even though she seemed to enjoy a little dominance from him, that didn’t mean she would stand for a full-on spanking. Hell, he didn’t even know if he could stand giving her one—the thought of hurting her made his stomach turn to lead. How did male wolves actually discipline their mates? Wasn’t it their role to protect?

But it was exactly for that reason—because her disobedience made it harder to protect her—that he needed to be sure she learned this lesson.

She came out of the bathroom and stopped, looking over at him. “What are you thinking about?”

He sighed. “You and I have some unfinished business to discuss.”

She drew a slow breath, obviously expecting this. She stood where she was, looking at him warily.

“I specifically told you to go straight to the car and drive away. Did you obey me?”

“I—” She stopped, as if realizing excuses or defenses were fruitless. “No, sir,” she said softly.

Her use of the word
sir
gave him confidence to go on—she accepted his authority. “Because you were in danger, I could think of nothing but protecting you. I lost my game and some of them got away with the laptop.”

She sucked in her breath. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes flitted to his belt on the bed beside him. “Are you going to use that on me?”

“I haven’t decided yet. What do you think I should do, Ashley?” He wanted her compliance.

She lifted her slender shoulders. “You’re the boss,” she whispered.

He figured that was as much consent as he would get. She wasn’t going to ask him to spank her. He was the alpha; it was his duty to take charge. “Take off your clothes,” he said, putting the edge of command into his voice.

Her cheeks colored, but she began to undress almost immediately, unzipping the wrinkled skirt and letting it drop to a puddle at her feet. She pulled the t-shirt over her head, then opened the back clasp of her bra, her breasts springing free. They were perfectly shaped, round and lifted, pale with peach nipples, which jutted out in eager points. An angry bruise stood out over her sternum, where a bullet had hit her vest. He tensed at the sight of it, his body ready to shift and fight to protect her. But the mark underlined the need for this discussion.

His jeans became too tight in the crotch area. He kept his face impassive. “Panties, too,” he said, clearing his voice.

She hooked her thumbs in the waistband and lowered them over her thighs, bending to remove them.

When she straightened, fully naked, he suppressed a growl.

She slid her hands up and down her thighs, and then, as if suddenly aware of what she was doing, shook her hands out, but not before he caught the tremble in her fingers.

“Come here,” he said.

She took a few steps toward him, but stopped, out of reach. He smelled the metallic scent of fear, mingled with the heady perfume of her arousal.

“Ashley,” he said with a steely note of warning. “Come here.”

She swallowed but did not move, her eyes darting to the belt on the bed once more.

“I know you’re scared. Do you trust me to punish you?”

She caught his gaze, her blue eyes searching his. He knew she had no reason to trust him, but he held his breath for her answer.

She licked her lips and nodded, closing the distance between them.

The warmth of her trust spread through his body. Opening his knees, he grasped her hips and pulled her to stand between them. Her lips parted, her sternum rose and fell rapidly.

The conflict within him tore at his chest.
His to protect.
What if she cried?
Would he be able to go on? He doubted it.
He grit his teeth. Better to deal with this situation directly and have it over with. He pulled her face down over one knee and clamped his other leg over hers to keep her from kicking. Lifting his palm, he brought it down on one cheek, then the other. She gasped at first, but otherwise made no sound or protest. He spanked her with enough force to leave hand prints on her creamy flesh. She offered up her submission as easily as she’d given her whole self to him—placing herself in his hands with a trust he didn’t deserve.

He continued with the punishment, slapping her cheeks until they turned rosy.

She had begun to wriggle and make little cries with each loud smack, but she still hadn’t offered any resistance. As he paddled, her bottom bounced, cheeks flattening and springing back. Her pussy glistened between her legs, dewy with moisture. He wanted to stop spanking and drag his thumb over her glossy slit. He wanted to pleasure her with his fingers and his tongue.

But, no. Punishment first. And even if her body did respond to his dominance, that didn’t necessarily mean she would be in the mood after he had spanked her raw.

He stopped and ran his hand over her heated buttocks. He hadn’t expected her to take the spanking so well. He lifted her from his knees and stood with her, his body tight against hers.

She brought her hands to his chest.

Not yet.

“Go stand in the corner.”

She lifted her startled gaze to meet his eyes. Obviously, she had thought the punishment was over.

“This is a lesson I’m serious about you learning, baby,” he said. “Show me obedience,” he said, lifting his chin toward the corner.

“Yes, sir,” she said, blushing and dropping her gaze.

As he watched her walk to the corner, the evidence of his dominance standing out red against her pale skin, he felt a surge of some strong emotion. Love, maybe. Pride, that she had submitted to him, a desire to protect and care for her, yes, still the need to claim her, but for once, that took a back seat to the rest.

She faced the wall as he had directed, her pretty bottom painted red, her head bowed, juices leaking onto her inner thighs. He left her standing for no more than two minutes before he called her back.

“Come,” he said.

She turned, looking more vulnerable than he’d seen her look before and his heart surged again to protect her. She walked over to him.

“Bend over, Ash,” he said, pointing at the bed.

She looked over, her gaze flitting across his face, the line between her brows creased. He waited. Slowly, she folded her torso over the bed.

“Good girl.”

He wrapped the buckle end of the belt around his hand until only about eighteen inches of length remained. Picking up her wrists, he pinned them at her low back with one of his hands. “I require your obedience at all times, Ashley,” he said and swung the belt. The whoosh of displaced air sounded the moment before the leather struck her bare skin.

She yelped.

He stopped, trying to judge if it had been too hard or soft.

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she squeaked.

“Thank you for your apology,” he said, bringing the belt down again, and then a third time. She gasped with each blow, but did not protest. He whipped her, slowly and deliberately, setting a cadence of slaps and silences, punctuated by her little cries that grew louder with each stroke. Ashley buried her face in the covers.

He laid down five more and then dropped the belt, releasing her wrists.

When she jumped to her feet, he thought she was going to hightail it away from him, but instead she danced around, rubbing her bottom with a pained wince.

It was so cute, he had to bite back a smile and when she caught it, she flung herself at him. Her arms looped around his neck, her lips crushed against his.

He caught her up in surprise, pulling her body against his, squeezing the hot flesh of her ass. Kissing her back, he invaded her mouth with his tongue, claiming it. The animal in him roared to life, his cock swelling. Reason began to flee his mind.

Her fingers came to the hem of his shirt and she pulled it up, starting to peel it off him.

“What are you doing?” he croaked, trying to regain control.

She pulled back, frowning. “Don’t you dare push me away again, Ben Stone,” she said. “Not after everything that’s happened,” she said. The tears that hadn’t come during the spanking now popped into her eyes, causing his heart to constrict painfully.

Of course, she was right. How could he deny her the closeness she craved when she’d just surrendered to him, mind, body, and soul?

“Ashley,” he murmured, his body already painfully close to marking her. “Ashley…” He was trying to think of some words to explain why he couldn’t give her what she seemed to need, but his body had another idea entirely. He had already yanked her against him, her soft, naked form melding to his.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, her naked pussy hot against his belly. He walked her to the bed and laid her on her back where he bit and sucked his way down her neck to her left breast.

“Fuck me, Ben,” she begged in a guttural tone.

“I can’t,” he managed to croak, crawling down between her thighs. He spread her knees up and licked into her.

The taste of her arousal hit him like a bolt of lightning, a shock shuddering through his body, screaming at him to claim her.

Mark her. Mark her now.

Her fingers twined in his hair, pulling it roughly as she rolled her pelvis up and down, sliding her slit over his tongue.

She yanked his hair. “Why won’t you fuck me?”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ash,” he managed to say, sliding two fingers inside her to distract her.