Wicked Days with a Lone Wolf (5 page)

Jett’s hand brushed the skin above one of the bandages and every muscle in Kyle’s body squeezed, making him ache. Making him want to press closer as bad as he wanted to push away. He swallowed hard, and reached for his shirt. “Pack dispute. You know how it goes.”

“I know it’s not right, you getting stuck in the middle.” Jett stepped back again, but the barest pressure of fingertips lingered on Kyle’s chest.

Kyle tried not to look, but couldn’t help it. Jett’s—dammit,
Detective Hughes’s
—short hair was a little messy, and the way his top button was undone with his tie missing made him look ready to lose control. The overgrown stubble on his face should have made him seem tired and overworked. Instead, he looked ready to fall into bed in a way that made Kyle want to help him undress.

Damn his burns. Damn everything. One of these days, Kyle would stop thinking this stuff. It only served to fuck with his head.

“Hey, man. Ready to roll?”

Jett’s fingertips pulled away.

The newest member of Los Lobos Muertos, Pete Ruiz, strode up. Kyle let out a breath of relief. Maybe he wasn’t in that much trouble after all. They wouldn’t send the new guy if he was gonna get capped for fucking up. Or maybe they would. Some kind of initiation thing.

Shit.
Too much time thinking about death.

Kyle cleared his throat, dragging his eyes away from Jett’s burning, curious stare, over to Pete’s. “Waiting on a prescription. Then I’m good.”

Pete gave a curt nod. He crossed his arms over his front, aiming a glare at Jett before he turned back around. “I’ll be over here.”

Jett’s stare pinged from Pete to Kyle and back again. “I guess I’m gonna head out. Take care of yourself.” With one more brush of his finger on Kyle’s cheek, Jett turned to go. “Stay safe, Kyle.”

Kyle tried not to watch him walk away. Didn’t work.

A
sh rolled to face Sherri on the bed. “That was Jett. Zoe’s still not awake. He’ll call again if there’s a change.”

“I hope she’s okay.” The smooth glide of Sherri’s palm along his ribs slowed his breath and helped anchor him. She stopped too soon, pulling back so they could make eye contact. “I hope she wasn’t involved in that murder.”

“It would be a shame.” Ash ignored the clench in his chest. Tried not to think of the consequences his widowed sister-in-law might face.

He curled a strand of Sherri’s hair around his finger, focusing on the way her green eyes glittered in the low lights flanking his bed. Her dark, pink lips parted to let out a heavy, shuddering breath. “Yes.”

Her chest rose and fell with the effort of each shallow, labored breath. They’d been half-dressed and ready to make love when Jett called. Now everything seemed different. Tentative, and awkward. In only a month, things had changed. Subtly, but they had.

Call it the tricks of the full moon or call it premonition, but as Ash stared at Sherri, he feared more with each passing second that if he allowed her to leave, she wouldn’t come back.

He fought the rising urge to order her to stay.
No. You may not go. You’re mine, and I have to keep you safe.

Ignoring the possibility that she would be safer away from him and his family’s feuding, he didn’t own her that way. Still, he could lose himself in her while they both had the opportunity.

“So listen,” he murmured as his lips brushed hers. “We have some time since I don’t have to go to the hospital yet. Your flight doesn’t leave until the morning.”

“I should pack. And don’t you need to go for a run?” She squirmed as he moved down the bed. His lips brushed high on her stomach and then lower on her thigh before moving to her calf. Sherri jerked against him. Her pulse fluttered under his mouth. “Ash...”

“Sherri...” He made his way between her legs. With each nudge of his knee and brush of his lips inside her thigh he could smell the rising scent of her arousal. The smell and feel of her intoxicated him¸ drove him wild. A desperate energy filled his blood and his brain.

“Hmm.” Her eyes drifted closed and a quiet moan escaped her lips.

Sherri writhed under the stroke of his fingers, so fucking sexy he could hardly breathe. God, this woman. So gorgeous. Smart. Funny. Strong. He wanted her to come back to him. He needed her to.

He needed her to.

His fingers spanned her stomach. He loved the look of his skin—a few shades darker—against hers. The feel of her breast filling his palm. So firm, smooth, and soft. Touching her made him wish he had a dozen hands so he could feel her everywhere at once.

Gently, he blanketed her body with his. “I’m worried about this trip. The pack might take action if they hear Zoe’s turned up. I also don’t like the idea of you going anywhere without me. If you need me, I’ll come.”

Her cheek brushed his. “No. You should stay and deal with your pack. Ex-pack.”

He puffed out a breath. “Jett can handle the pack.”

Sherri silenced him by putting her lips to his. “I love how much you worry about me, but really. Do your thing. I’ll be home before you can howl.”

Ash laughed. His hand slid underneath her, pushing away the sheet that had bunched under her ass. “I intend...” He licked along her lower lip... her jaw... her collarbone. “... to say goodbye one more time before you go. At least one more.”

She moaned into his mouth, and he not so secretly loved the feel of her tongue against his. He slid his hands under her and lifted so their bodies met flush together, thigh to thigh and chest to chest

He grinned. “I want to be the place you run to, Sherri.” He nipped at her shoulder, then her jaw, as he pulled her on top of him. “You must come back to me.”

She gasped as he slid inside her. It hadn’t been long since the last time, but she always felt hot and exciting, like arriving at an exotic destination.

“Of course. Of course I’ll come back.”

A rose-colored flush crept up her chest and neck. Ash’s vision sharpened, zeroing in on that lovely blush, the long column of her throat, exposed as she threw her head back in ecstasy. Her lips dropped open as her breathing deepened, as she whispered his name and made him thrust harder.

They rose and fell together, breath heavy and strained. Raspy. Ash gripped Sherri’s hair, his jaw clenched tight against the heavy thrum of blood between his ears.

“Ash, is something wrong?” Her expression turned to one of concern. Still... He couldn’t stop himself. “Ash?”

Another growl, a snarl, a pinch of his fingers on her nipple hard enough that she gasped out loud. “Perfect. Fucking perfect.” He thrust hard and then pulled her off his lap, laying her back on the bed. His chest heaved and jerked with the effort of his breath. “Turn over for me. Please. I have to... I need...”

He wasn’t even sure he could say it aloud. Her. He needed to claim her.
Sherri.

Sherri looked as if she thought she should start keeping a tranq gun by the bed, but she turned over anyway. Ash’s skin felt alive with energy and tension. He’d never hurt her. He wouldn’t start now. He just had to do this. It was insane how much he did.

Pulling her hips back, Ash thrust inside. Firm. Hard. His hand came down with slap, like they’d done before. More. Harder. Playful bites turned fierce, sinking into her shoulder. He growled to himself, knowing they would leave his mark.

“God, Sherri. You’re amazing. I can’t get enough of you.” He panted in her hair.

Her breath stuttered and shook. She went down on her elbows when Ash reached between her legs to make circles around her clit. “Ash... I’m going...
Oh, God!
”

“Sherri, I’m sorry. I have to— I’m sorry.” He couldn’t hold back. Ash’s teeth sank into the spot where Sherri’s neck met her shoulder. Hard. So hard.

He had to mark her.

She might have asked
what in God’s name
he was doing, but seconds later her orgasm rang out. God willing, she was too overcome to care.

Snarling like the animal he was, Ash came moments later. Fingertips digging into her sides, he buried himself inside her like his life depended on it. In another place and time, it might have.

Fuck. That was amazing. And if he was lucky, she wouldn’t kill him.

Carefully, he released her shoulder from between his teeth. They melted together into the bed, panting. Ash’s forehead rested against the back of her neck, his chest still struggling with effort to get more oxygen.

“God, I’m sorry, baby. It’s the full moon, and you leaving. I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Um.” She wiggled her hand up to touch her neck. “Am I bleeding?”

“No.” He rolled off her. “God no.”
Asshole
. He could act offended at the suggestion all he wanted, but he’d come pretty fucking close.

Sherri sighed and rolled over to face him. “Hey. It’s all right. We’ve had rough sex before. You had me worried though. You’ve said the full moon makes you emotional but that wasn’t simply emotional. That was more like something took you over.”

Her words told him everything was fine, but Ash wondered. Concern and something like doubt lingered on her face.

He rubbed her arm, feeling unusually out of his depth. “It’s hard to explain.” He shook his head and looked up to the ceiling with a long, hard sigh. “I had this uncontrollable urge to... Well, if you were a
were
, I would have been claiming you. Bonding to you...”

“You mean...”

“I mean, only a month together and I feel like you belong to me. I wanted to make you mine, Sherri.”

***

L
ane was sitting by Zoe’s bed, catching up on notes when she woke. Boy, it was nothing like in the movies with the gentle blinking and looking around to ask what had happened. One second she’d been sleeping soundly, the next... Hide Your Children.

A primal scream erupted from Zoe’s cracked lips.

Lane grabbed her arms, gentle but firm. Her wrists were cuffed, but he didn’t want to see the metal cut her as she struggled. “Zoe. Hey. It’s me. Lane. Detective Parker. You remember?”

More screaming. Grunting. “I have to go. Let me the hell out of here.” She pulled her arms, railing against the restraints. “Why am I cuffed? You said the charges were dropped.”

Had something happened to her memory? She must have thought she was still in custody from before—from shooting her ex. Lucky for her the dickwad’s final breath had left his body before Zoe fired, even though he hadn’t stopped twitching so she hadn’t realized he was dead.

“Zoe. Stop. Hey. Do you remember seeing me this morning? Jett? Ash? Sherri? Anyone? A man was killed this morning. Sherri found the body. I followed you from the crime scene.” He swiped his thumb across the blossoming bruise under her cheekbone. Touching it, touching
her,
made his pulse do funny things. “Did he hurt you?”

For a moment, she settled. Her eyes focused and he thought he had her. The anxious working of her throat calmed. Then, the storm raged again. “I need to get out of here. You have to let me go!”

A nurse came in to check her, and a doctor followed. Lane’s muscles tightened, his pulse climbing with increased urgency. If he couldn’t calm her down soon, they’d sedate her. They’d make him leave. He needed information, and he didn’t want to leave her.

“Zoe. Please. Shh.” Lane let his fingers slip through her hair. The long, black strands felt cool and soft between his fingers. Calming, not that he should be the one looking for comfort.

For the moment though, he let himself indulge. He gave himself permission to touch her, because it seemed to give them both something they needed. Whatever that thing was, he welcomed the excuse.

He knelt down so they could see each other eye to eye and reached over the railing so he could keep stroking her hair. For a minute he didn’t say anything more—he only looked at her and let her look at him. Touching gently, greedily, and breathing. Trying to sync his breath with hers.

He touched her so clearly in a way a detective ought not touch a suspect. All he could hope was that nobody else came in. “You need to quiet down, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Or they’ll drug you. They’ll make me go. Do you want me to leave? I could go call Jett. Or Ash. Would you feel better with family here?”

Slowly, silently, she shook her head. No. She didn’t want him to leave. That shouldn’t feel so fucking great.

Lane glanced over his shoulder. “Okay. Then I need you to help me.” He licked his lips, and tried not to look at hers. Tried to forget he knew the heat and softness of them against his skin.

He still remembered the way she’d grabbed his tie and pulled him forward. The fit of her hips against his. All these weeks later, it still rocked him how a woman who’d seemed so beaten could have so much fire left inside.

He couldn’t help but want to see that fire kept alive.

She could be a murderer.

No. He refused to pass judgment until he knew more. She’d done some things under duress, but Zoe was no cold-blooded animal.

She’s part animal.

Lane told his judgmental half to fuck off.

“Detective.” The doctor came in and leaned over Zoe, flashing a light in her eyes. “We’re going to need to run more tests, so I need you to ask your questions quickly.”

“Okay. Zoe. Listen...” He squeezed her hand, ignoring the uptick in his pulse when she squeezed back. I need you to remember back to this morning. Can you?”

She nodded. Yes.

“Okay. Good. Did you see Sherri at that bakery?”

Another nod. “What about Jett?”

A nod. Yes.

“Me?”

This time a careful swallow, tongue sliding over the stitches on her lower lip. “Yes.”

Okay. Time to work earlier. “What about before? There was a body by the trash bin. Did you see that?”

She turned her gaze up to the ceiling. “I did.”

“Okay. Good.” Lane’s thumb slipped over one of her knuckles and then the next, with little thought. “Now I’ll help you as much as I can, but I need you to tell me what happened to that guy if you can.”

She turned back, her brown eyes deep and wide. “I... didn’t...”

“Did you find him that way?”

“No.” She tried to turn her body toward him but then realized her arms were restrained.