Chapter 23
brOOKE
I smiled up at Roy, raised my hand, and stroked his soft hair. I loved him like this: rough and growly and possessive. He was a hot fantasy straight out of a juicy romance novel.
He searched my face for a moment then delivered a searing kiss. “I already love you,” he said when he’d left me breathless. “Does it freak you out to hear that?”
I blinked. Swallowed. He loved me?
“Um…a little.” Except I thought of how I’d felt when I knew he was suffering in that jail cell. How I felt knowing he’d sacrificed himself for my safety.
He eased out of me and disposed of the condom, returning with a warm washcloth. He nudged open my knees and lightly brushed my folds with the cloth. It was somehow more intimate than the sex we’d just had and just as hot.
“Well, get used to it because that’s the way it is. You’re mine, and I love you.”
I bit my lip, so I didn’t laugh at how he said such soft words with his growly tone.
I stared at the big burly mountain man who was actually a werewolf, drinking in his broad shoulders. The chiseled muscles of his chest, dusted with silky dark curls. The washboard abs that decorated the narrow taper of his waist.
I was crazy. I had to be. Orgasm drunk. Dick dazzled. Something. Because it wasn’t every day you found out the guy you fucked could somehow turn into a wolf.
He seemed too magnificent to be true. Or there was something wrong with me. But what? A guy who was kind, protective, talented with his tongue, fingers and dick, who knew where a clit was had to be too good to be true.
Except he wasn’t.
I could hear the voice of Casey in my head though. If he seems too good to be true, he is. Don’t get played by a player.
Was he a player?
All Roy had done since I fell into his arms was give, give, give.
He couldn’t be one. A player might have pulled me into his hotel room and had sex with me, especially since I initiated, but he’d have kicked me out the door soon after.
Roy had done no such thing. Except… he changed into a wolf, and I wasn’t freaking out, so maybe I was crazy.
Especially since I’d already fallen for this man.
Hard. In one day.
I couldn’t admit how I felt about him now. Not yet, at least. I needed to know more, and I didn’t know where to start when it came to wolves and humans turning into them. Sharing your heart with a normal guy was hard enough. A wolf/man? There was more I needed to know.
“Wolf shifters can play around when they’re young.” Roy settled on his side next to me, his head propped on a giant hand. As if he couldn’t stop touching me, his other hand settled on my stomach. Warm, gentle and proprietary.
Whoa. Was he a mind reader, too? I had so many questions.
“There’s a lot of full moon sex when the pack gets together for a run or for shifter games.”
My heart started beating a little faster. What was he trying to tell me? That he had tons of sex? That he’d be going back to more of it? At shifter games? What were they? How–
“But every wolf has one true mate,” he continued, cutting off my thoughts. “Not every wolf finds her, but they say you’ll know her by scent. Your wolf will recognize her on a deep biological level.”
The pounding against my ribs grew more frantic. I tried to keep my expression neutral. Was he saying that I was–
His gaze held mine as he said, “I knew you were mine the moment you ran into me in the hotel.”
Oh. My. God!
Um, wow.
This was so much to take in. I blinked. And again.
“I’m your… what?”
“My mate.” He said it clearly and proudly, and I couldn’t miss the way his mouth turned up, and his gaze shifted to something like reverence.
I forced some words out. “So, that’s why you helped me?”
His eyes turned fierce and determined. “Yes. Of course. I mean, I would’ve helped any female in distress–that’s how I’m wired–but it felt like some kind of miracle. My mate–the one female Fate put on earth as my perfect match–ran straight into my hotel room.”
He let out a shocked chuckle. “Fuck, sugar. I almost didn’t come to Denver. I hate cities–they trigger my wolf, as you now know.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “To think I might have missed out on you.” He cradled my cheek in his palm. “That thought scares the shit out of me.”
I smiled.
“What about all this sex you had with other women?” I couldn’t hide the bitter tone from my question. The thought of Roy being with other women made me jealous. And angry because while he kept saying I was his, I wanted him to be mine and mine alone.
“Shifter females. It’s biological to have sex after running on a full moon. There’s no emotion. It’s a need that’s met. With a mate, with you, it’s different. Everything is different. There’s no one else ever again. Your scent, your taste is in me.”
Okay, wow.
This was a man who faced down four armed drug dealers without a blink. A male who probably wasn’t afraid of anything other than small spaces. Not bad guys or guns or being shot. Apparently, one of his biggest fears was the possibility of missing out on meeting me.
I spent a lifetime trying to curate a controlled, safe environment because my mom moved me from stepdad to stepdad, and here I was with a man who literally changed into a wolf. Who had no problem killing with his bare hands. Who knew I was “the one” the moment he smelled me.
Everything felt incredibly out of control, but in the best kind of way. Like when you’re on a rollercoaster, and can’t wait for the next dip or turn because with complete total certainty that you were safe.
We were alone in a small cabin in the woods. No distractions. No dangers. Only the two of us.
And his wolf.
Roy made me feel totally protected. I’d trusted him with my body–many, many times, but letting him into my heart, trusting him not to hurt me.
To feel like I could possibly depend on someone for the first time in my life–it was all encompassing.
My chest was warm and full. My body was aglow with the incredible orgasms, and nothing felt better than snuggling skin to skin with the man who believed Fate sent me to him.
Did this make me crazy?
Possibly.
I didn’t care.
“I know it’s probably a lot to take in,” he continued. “My brother mated a human, and she already knew of our existence, and she still wanted to run fast and hard to get away from him when he told her she was the one.”
I laughed softly, bit my lip. “What’s your brother’s name?” I suddenly felt the need to know every detail about Roy’s life.
“I have two–Boone and Ace. Boone’s my oldest brother. He’s the one who mated a human. Her name is Summer, and she’s a country singer. She got a recording deal this winter.”
“Do they live in Montana, too?”
Roy nodded. “We all live up on the mountain outside a small town called Cooper Valley. Ace has a tree farm, and Boone is a retired investor turned lumberjack. There’s a whole pack of us there in Cooper Valley.
Wolves are pack animals, so we live near each other.
” He was watching me carefully. “Would you ever, ah” –he scrubbed a hand over his stubbled chin– “consider moving away from Denver?”
My heart thudded again.
“I mean–I’m not asking for a decision. I didn’t mean to press you on this. Maybe I could bring you to visit, and you could see what you think?”
Oh God. Poor Roy. This was the most nervous I’d seen the man look.
It made sense. Cities weren’t his thing. His wolf needed to run, and confinement triggered his PTSD. But he believed I was the one. That was quite a conflict.
I ran my fingertips over the hard rise of his pectorals. “I’d, um, I’d consider it.” I didn’t know why I suddenly felt so shy. “I don’t even know if I still have a job anymore. Or want it. I definitely don’t want to live in my house after what happened there.”
Roy’s boyish smile lit up his face even though I’d just admitted my life had pretty much blown up. “I can’t wait to show you. Maybe we could drive back together. I mean, once we know Lazano’s been taken care of, and it’s safe for you.”
“You want to take me to Montana with you?”
“Of course. You’re mine.”
I belonged to him. Casey would say it was a warning sign of a controlling asshole.
It wasn’t like that, though, with Roy.
“Okay.”
Wow. Was I really agreeing to this? It felt so wild and crazy.
But also right. “You, um… drove down from Montana for the home show?”
He nodded.
That fit. He wouldn’t want to fly in an airplane with his issue with small spaces. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if he had to use that tiny restroom!
“So…everyone in your town… are they all werewolves?” I wondered.
Roy’s lips twitched. “Wolf shifters. We don’t hunt humans when the moon is full like in the movies.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “And not everyone in Cooper Valley. We’re good about keeping it a secret. Hopefully, you will, too.”
I smiled. “Like anyone would believe me.”
“True.” He leaned down, kissed me gently. “Just so you know, I’d hunt you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re just humans who turn into wolves?”
“I don’t know if I would say just .” Roy grinned.
“We’re super strong. We heal fast.” He showed me the place where he’d been shot, and I gasped because all that was left of his wound was slightly pink skin.
It made sense now why he hadn’t been concerned about the wound.
Why he hadn’t complained about it hurting him. “We have an excellent sense of smell.”
I slid my hand over his abs. “Do all wolves pack this much muscle?”
He picked up my hand and brought my fingers to his lips to kiss. “Yeah. But you won’t need to look at other wolves,” he growled. “I’m man enough for you, sugar. I promise.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “So, I take it Agent Ruhl is a wolf then?”
Roy nodded. “My alpha called in a favor with the local pack after I made the mess at your place.”
Mess as in two dead bodies.
“We’re lucky they had someone in law enforcement,” he added.
“Super lucky.” I pushed him onto his back and climbed over him. He was so big, my knees barely touched the bed as I straddled him. My pussy had direct contact with his washboard abs.
“You weren’t happy he wanted me to go to my office alone. You… I mean, your wolf… didn’t like it.”
“Not at all,” he all but growled and squeezed my hips.
“I guess I should be thankful to Mark.”
He frowned. “Not that thankful, mate.”
“I should thank you for protecting me.” I looked down at him and grinned.
Something about his declaration freed all my inhibitions. It was like I knew I couldn’t do anything wrong with this man now. Not only that, but I had the sense that he belonged to me, just like he’d declared I belonged to him. His body was mine to explore.
And what a body.
It was an incredible bond. The most intimacy I’d had with anyone.
Still, I needed to be sure this really was safe for me. That I wasn’t just thinking with my vagina. That I wasn’t looking for a man to take care of me, like my mother, or missing the red flags that I usually did.
“What happens if I don’t want to ‘mate’ with a wolf? Do you find another?”