SWNOVELS Alpha’s Sun: Chapter 3
Titus
I nearly shift right there in the street.
Somehow, I know the crash involved Sunny. I sprint at top speed to the intersection as a wrecked silver Volvo tears off down a side street.
And there, in the middle of the intersection, is Sunny’s bus, smashed on the side like she got T-boned, and spun around facing the sidewalk.
“Sunny!” I shout, leaping over the wall separating me from the road and nearly tearing her door off its hinges.
There’s no airbag, nothing soft for her delicate human face to hit. Sunny’s forehead rests on the steering wheel and the smell of her blood makes my vision dome. I’m ready to shift to defend her, but there’s no one left to fight. The assholes took off after smashing into my lovely human.
“Sunny. Fuck, Sunny.” I want to tear the bus apart to make space for her crumpled body. I draw in a deep breath to calm the fuck down.
Christ, she’s just a human. A delicate, breakable human.
And such a slender, frail one at that.
I caused this. I left her limp and dazed. She was in no condition to drive—although this accident clearly wasn’t her fault. Still, she might have been more aware of her surroundings if she hadn’t just been fucked out of her mind.
To my relief, Sunny groans and lifts her head.
“Sunny. Don’t move, baby. I’ll call an ambulance.”
“No, no.” She attempts to unbuckle her seatbelt and sucks in a sharp breath. Her arm is hanging at a funny angle. She reaches with the other arm. “I’m all right.”
Total liar.
She slides out of the bus.
Before her feet can hit the ground, I scoop her straight into my arms. “You’re clearly not.” Her arm’s broken, a large egg has already formed on her forehead and the laceration across her neck and shoulder from the seatbelt makes me want to howl.
Sirens sound close by. A cop car pulls up with the lights spinning.
“Put me down,” she mutters.
“No fucking way. I need to get you to a hospital.”
“Titus, I’m fine. Put me down.”
“What happened?” One of the cops demands as his partner calls for an ambulance.
“She got T-boned by a silver Volvo,” I tell them. “It took off down that side street there.”
“You get a license number?”
I shake my head. I’d been too focused on getting to Sunny to memorize it. “It was a New Mexico plate. I think it had a J and an 8 in it, but I don’t remember the rest.”
“Were you in the vehicle when the accident happened?”
“No, I heard the crash from the plaza and came running.”
The guy eyes Sunny’s perch in my arms dubiously. “You never move a victim. Always wait for emergency services. She could have a broken neck, and moving her could leave her paralyzed.”
Jesus.
My stomach drops to my shoes.
“I don’t have a broken neck,” Sunny insists, but she holds up the wrecked arm. “Just a broken arm. And he’s putting me down right now. Aren’t you, Titus?”
It’s only because she sounds out of breath and in pain that I comply. Fuck, maybe she has broken ribs and I’m hurting her more. I gently tip her to her feet and keep a solid arm around her waist to support her. She leans into me, trembling like a flower.
The ambulance arrives and the EMTs take over. Sunny tries to argue about not going in an ambulance, but I cut across her protests. “Don’t listen to her. She’s going with you, end of story.”
Apparently they agree because they get her down on a gurney and put her in the back of the ambulance. “I’ll follow in the bus, baby. Everything’s gonna be all right.”
She blinks at me with that cat-like gaze of hers. I see no fear. No angst. Only uncanny assessment.
It should reassure me that she’s unafraid, but it doesn’t. The female’s so out-of-this-world, she might not even realize how hurt she is. She might not recognize when she needs help. I’m sure as shit she wouldn’t ask for it. She strikes me as the type who’s been taking care of herself her whole life.
Crazy, dangerous woman.
I go to the bus, which is blocking traffic, and am relieved to find it still runs. The bent metal isn’t restricting the movement of the tires or engine.
Heart still in my throat, I follow the ambulance to Holy Cross Hospital and head into the waiting area to call my son.
“Hey, Dad.” Tank’s deep rumble comes through the earpiece. Another surge of guilt ripples through me.
I stab my fingers through my hair. “Hey, uh I called to tell you something. There’s been an accident.”
“What?” I hear a crunch and I know my son just cracked his phone. He’s always had trouble managing his strength.
“It’s Foxfire’s mom. Sunny’s bus was hit by a car. They took her to the hospital for an eval.”
“Sunny?” I hear the shocked disbelief in Tank’s voice and then Foxfire’s frightened one comes on the line.
“What happened to my mom?”
“She was in a car accident but she walked away. I mean, she was on her feet before they put her in the ambulance. Her arm was definitely broken, though.”
“Oh my goddess. Are you in Taos with her?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, Foxfire. I’ll take care of her.” The words come out before I can stop them, but I know they’re true. As much as it kills me, the mission from my alpha just slid to second priority.
Sunny’s hurt and I’m partly responsible. Even if I wasn’t, there’s no way I’d walk away from her. She’s fragile as glass and doesn’t even have the advantage of youth to help her rebound from this. She may be laid up for days—even weeks.
And she’s utterly alone up here. No pack—family—whatever humans call it. Who knows how reliable these friends of hers are?
“Thanks, Titus. I’m glad you were there.” Foxfire’s voice sounds shaky. After a pause, she says, “Why are you there?”
“I’m on pack business.” I rub my forehead.
Or I’m supposed to be.
Why are humans so damn fragile?
“Do I need to come up there? When are you leaving? How badly is she hurt?”
“Okay, slow down, rainbow,” I say, referring to the color—or rather, colors—of her hair. “I don’t have answers for you yet. I’ll let you know after she’s been seen by the doctors.”
Foxfire sighs. “Okay. Okay, thanks. Really. I appreciate you being there, Titus. I know you’ll take good care of my mom.”
Something uncomfortable shifts in my chest. Now I have two females depending on me. Not a good place for me to be.
I mutter my acknowledgement and promise to call back when I know more. Then I take up a position pacing the hallways of the small hospital.
Sunny
I’m trapped in a room with a giant wolf-man and no hope of escape.
Seriously, it’s that bad.
Titus insisted on bringing me to the little cottage he airbnb’ed. My car is parked out front, but I haven’t been allowed to see the damage. It was too dark when we got here last night, and Titus won’t let me out of bed today.
He’s standing in the bedroom doorway now, doing his best to intimidate me into climbing back under the covers.
Unfortunately, I find his form of intimidation lethally attractive.
“The doctor said I’m fine,” I insist. Just some lacerations and bruising. A stiff neck from whiplash. And the broken arm. Which still throbs, even inside the cast.
“I’m gonna call bullshit on that one. Get back in bed before I put you there.”
Despite my aches and pains, my pulse picks up at the threat. I don’t mind the idea of Titus manhandling me a little. He may be a rough lover, but I enjoyed every second of it.
But the sting of how quickly he took off after sex yesterday is still too fresh. This guy’s heart is still marked unavailable.
Too bad he’s so damn attractive. Fresh from the shower, he’s walking around with his shirt off, without any care about what the sight of his washboard abs is doing to me. I swear, my hormones are stronger in my fifties than they ever were in the years when I was trying to start a family. Nature’s sick irony, I guess.
I haven’t felt this attracted to a man since Johnny, Foxfire’s dad, and even then, I wasn’t this horned up.
But there’s a similar energy. The wild animal type of man. Johnny’s was more furtive, he had a wild spirit he tried to hide. Titus is right out there with his. Riding the Harley, sporting the leather jacket.
“You don’t have to to this, Titus.” My stomach swoops a little, because if I’m honest, I don’t want him to stop. I don’t want him to let me leave. But I also don’t want him to be here out of guilt or obligation, and I know that’s what this is.
Titus walks forward until his ribs hit my breasts. I think he expected me to back up, but when I don’t, he reaches down and scoops my ass up under his forearm, lifting me to straddle his waist.
“Titus.” I go breathless. My heartbeat taps at the surface, right against his bare skin.
“I told you to stay in that bed,” he grumbles. “You’re gonna stay there, even if I have to tie you to the headboard.”
Sweet goddess above, he didn’t just say that.
He’s infinitely gentle as he settles me on the bed and when he steps back and examines me, I see genuine concern on his features.
I indulge in the warmth that floods my chest for just a moment. “Thanks, Titus.” I grab his hand and squeeze it. “This is really sweet of you.”
He brushes my hair back from my bruised forehead, frowning at the bump. “You got that wrong. I’m not sweet. I’m just doing what anyone would do.”
Oh.
Right.
And just like that, the warmth evaporates. It must show on my face, because he takes a step back and pushes his hand through his salt and pepper hair.
He opens his mouth, then closes it again. “You hungry? I can go pick up some donuts or something across the way.” He points toward the main drag.
“I’m gluten free,” I inform him, knowing he’s going to roll his eyes.
He does.
“There’s an easy solution,” I taunt. “You can let me go. I have food in my RV and I’ll be fine on my own.”
“No, no. You’re not going anywhere. And stop making this so fucking hard.” He pins me with a stern glower that makes my pussy clench. “I have shit to do in Taos, but I can’t get it done if I’m worried you’re going to jump in your bus and run off the second I walk out.”
I blink at him.
He leans over me, planting a huge fist on either side of the mattress beside me. “So here’s how it’s going to go. You’re going to tell me what you want for breakfast, and I’m going to get it. Then you’re going to curl up on this bed or on the couch out there and rest while I take care of business. And when I get back, you’ll be right where I left you. Or there will be consequences. Understand?”
A laugh escapes my lips. I don’t know why I love this bossy side of him, but I do. “We’ll see.”
He growls. It’s a real animal growl. A wolf growl.
I get totally wet and my muscles go slack, like my body’s just surrendering itself up to him.
His nostrils flare and a ripple of shock runs across his face right before his eyes change from gray to a clearer light blue.
I go from propped up on the bed to flat on my back in a flash, Titus straddling my waist and pinning my good wrist beside my head. “You like trouble, don’t you, lady?”
I push against his chest with the casted arm. “Don’t call me lady.”
He leans down and nips my neck, his beard tickling the side of my face. “You don’t like that, huh?”
“No.” All the pain in my head and arm are forgotten as I roll my hips beneath him.
“What do you like, sunshine?” His voice is gravelly. He moves down and bites my shoulder. His cock settles between my legs, right where I need it, and I lift my hips to rub over it.
“I-I don’t know. Sunshine is nice.”
“Okay, tell me what it’s going to take, sunshine. You need a threat of punishment, or a promise of reward? What’s going to keep you here?”
I pretty much melt into a puddle at that.
I lick my lips. “Um… both?”
He nods and lifts his torso. He unbuckles his belt and draws it slowly out of the loops.
Tingles run across my skin. I forget to breathe.
He captures my good arm and loops the leather around the wrist, pulling it taut. I’m suddenly his prisoner when he attaches it to the headboard. “You’re gonna stay here while I get breakfast. Now what do you want?”
I sulk. “I want to go with you.”
“Nope. You need rest. Tell me.”
I consider him for a moment. Think about where we are on the main drag and what’s nearby. “Huevos rancheros. Green chile, corn tortillas. You can get them at the diner right across the main drag there.”
He nods, apparently satisfied and all business. “I’ll be back in a few. Don’t move.”
I tug on the bound wrist. I’m sure if I wanted to, I could extricate myself, but it would take some work and the use of the fingers on my broken arm, which I don’t feel much like jostling.
“Be a good girl, and I’ll think about a reward.” His gaze drops to my beaded nips and I squirm.
“It had better be a good one,” I throw back at him, and he lets out a pained laugh.
“We’ll see.” He’s giving off that angry vibe again, which I think means he’s sexually frustrated. Actually, I think it’s more complicated than that. He wants me but doesn’t want to want me.
I know the feeling, buddy.
He casts one more glower down the length of my body and adjusts his cock in his pants before he stalks out and I hear the front door slam.
Titus
I disconnect one of the wires to Sunny’s alternator, just in case she’s serious about leaving. I don’t think she will, but the woman is pretty stubbornly independent.
And it wouldn’t be the first time she’s run off on me.
I rub my forehead as the testier part of me grumbles that I should let her leave if she wants to leave. I’m not looking to get tangled up with her again anyway. But there’s no way I can let her fend for herself like this.
A few days until she’s out of pain and I can get her bus repaired. Then we can part ways before things get intense again.
It’s the only decent thing I can do.
I walk over to the diner and pick up three orders of the huevos rancheros (two for me, because I have a wolf’s appetite), and I get a couple giant bear claw pastries too.
My wolf gets cheerful on the walk back, like the idea of providing for a female makes him frisky.
She’s not our female. Definitely not our mate, I tell him, but he doesn’t give a shit. In fact, he was ready to mark her this morning the moment I caught the scent of her arousal. Which doesn’t make sense. I never even marked Barbara, Titus Junior’s mother. Just never had the urge. She wasn’t my true mate.
In retrospect, I don’t even know why I took her as a mate. I think it was because she wanted it from me.
I got sucked into her world.
Or maybe because I wanted a kid.
I did want Titus Junior, even though it sucked raising him without a mother or a pack. He’s the only thing that ever made sense in my life.
Fates know females never did.
I open the door, and sniff the air.
She’s still here.
I’m surprised at how relieved I am. This woman gets under my skin far too quickly.
I bring the food into the bedroom, and I’m instantly hit by her scent. She’s still aroused. Moreso, even, than when I left.
What turned her on? Being tied up? Anticipation of a reward? I vow to get to the bottom of it, but after I feed her.
“Were you good while I was gone?”
“Nope,” she says immediately. “I was definitely not.” She squirms around on the bed.
Fuck. She’s so hot like that.
I set her free and help her sit up, then place the food in her lap.
“Thank you,” she purrs. “This smells amazing.” Because she’s Sunny, I know she means every bit of the glow of appreciation she infuses into her words.
My wolf preens.
I get us forks from the kitchen and perch on the side of the bed to eat with her. I don’t know why—I could just as easily leave the food with her and eat mine at the table, but it’s like I have to watch her eat the food I brought home.
For one moment, I imagine how it would’ve been to have Sunny as the mother of my pup instead of Barbara.
I somehow know she would’ve cried over the pup, never would’ve wanted to let him out of her arms. Not like Barbara, who barely bonded with our son.
“Are you thinking about babies?” Sunny asks with that uncanny habit she has of reading minds.
I screw my face up into a grumpy mask. “What are you talking about, woman?”
“You want grandbabies, too, don’t you? I seriously can’t wait.”
I throw her a dubious look. “Why? What’s the rush?”
Her tongue darts out to lick a speck of salsa from her lips and my dick gets hard. “I love babies. I can’t wait to be a grandma, although I’m not going to let them call me that, of course.”
“Them?” I chuckle. “You have this all planned, don’t you?”
She shrugs.
“Why did you only have one kid, if you love babies so much? Couldn’t fit any more into that RV of yours?”
Like a light bulb on a dimmer switch, I see the light around her face diminish.
Damn. I’m such an asshole.
“I tried.” The two words drop and sink between us like blocks of concrete into a lake. She shrugs, her gaze taking on a remote look, like she needs the distance to speak them. “Five miscarriages. Foxfire is the only baby I brought to term.”
A chill runs across my skin.
“Shit.” I can’t imagine. I remember the anticipation of Tank’s birth. If the pregnancy had ended in tragedy, I don’t know how I would’ve gone on. “I’m sorry. That sucks.”
“Yeah, well, I got Foxfire.” Her voice is falsely cheerful. She’s a terrible actress.
“Were they all… with the same guy? With Foxfire’s dad?”
Half-breeds are weaker species, maybe that was why. Or maybe Foxfire was the only one who took because she is half shifter.
A shutter slams down over her features. “No. Didn’t you have work to do today? Private business or something?”
Wow. Okay. Touchy subject.
And she’s right. I have shit to do.
I shouldn’t feel offended at being shut out by an overly-emotional woman I didn’t want to get involved with, anyway.
I can’t stop the sympathy swimming through me, though. Sunny comes off as chirpy cheerful, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t suffered, just like the rest of us.
“I do need to head out. You’re going to stay here and heal. Right?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Do not leave this place. If you need something, text me. Understand?”
“Yeah, yeah. Got it.” She waves me away.
I don’t like the way it feels. My wolf wants her to accept my protection. To receive what I’m offering.
But that’s stupid.
I can’t offer her anything.
I pick up the empty cartons from breakfast and stand. “Need anything before I go?” I’m disturbed that I have the urge to lean down and kiss her goodbye.
Not my mate. Not. My. Mate.
“No, thank you, Titus. I’ll be fine.”
I nod and leave, both relieved and disappointed to leave her.
Titus
I head into town, not even sure how I’m going to go about finding Buzz. Taos is a small town, but I know instinctively that asking around will yield nothing. Buzz is the kind of guy who wouldn’t want people asking or talking about him. Anyone who’s friends with him would know that and; therefore, wouldn’t give out information.
I’m better off just sniffing around. Letting my instincts guide me. I had a good feeling out at the gorge, maybe I should start there.
That was because of her, my wolf says.
Shut up.
Yeah, I’m talking to myself now.
I get on my bike and head out for the high bridge, but keep riding until I reach the Carson area. My skin prickles with warning.
I drive out to a convergence of towns, an area called Three Points, and there, at a corner, I see the goddamn vehicle that ran into Sunny last night.
“Hey!” I shout.
The guy looks at me through the windshield, and then he guns it, taking off at top speed.
Rage rushes through me hot and fierce.
This guy hurt Sunny. I am going to pound him into a pulp. I zip after him, the bike roaring beneath me. We hit seventy miles an hour. Eighty. Ninety.
If this asshole thinks he can outrun my Harley, he’s out of his mind.
He skids around a turn and I gain on him, but he’s approaching some kind of settlement.
There’s not a better word. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, but several acres of land are pocked with shacks, RVs, buses and other temporary housing units. Cars are parked everywhere in traveling circus meets Deliverance.
The car skids to a stop and mangy men emerge from everywhere. The hair stands up on the back of my neck as my instincts scream danger. Two dozen or more of them, all coming out to see what the commotion is.
I pull up and park the bike, getting off and going to them before they come to me.
I’m aware that I’m grossly outnumbered.
The scent of shifter hits me hard, and I realize now the extent of danger I’m in. With my strength and resiliency, I could’ve handled a big group of humans. Not true of shifters. They will know how to take me down.
I lift my nose to the air, trying to identify their species. They’re too mangy for wolves.
As they advance, it hits me: coyotes.
Fucking coyotes.
“Can I help you?” the asshole driving the car that hit Sunny asks.
Ignoring the danger, I go alpha on him. I stalk around the car and plow my fist into his face. Bone crunches under my fist and his body flies back and dents his car door.
The rest of the pack surge forward, making a tight circle around me, but no one touches me.
Yet.
Pack laws must be similar. Direct challenges are generally honored among shifters. Settling things physically has always been our way. And if they haven’t caught my scent yet, they’ll know by the way I handled this asshole that I’m not human.
The guy must pick up that I have a personal beef because he swipes at the blood coming from his nose. “What’s your problem?”
I point at the smashed in front of his car. “Hit and fucking run is my problem. You nearly killed a human I care about.” I swing again and he ducks and swings back. His fist hits my ribs but doesn’t make much of an impact.
I slam him into the car with a chokehold around his neck. Now that I look at him closer, the guy looks twitchy to me—small pupils. Sweaty. Like he’s on drugs. Great, just what I need. A tweaked out coy dog.
Growls start up all around me when he turns purple and his eyes bulge.
I release him and land a couple more punches.
“That’s enough.” I recognize the alpha command and take a step back. I’m not crazy enough to know they couldn’t easily take me down. A skinny, bearded man steps into my space. “Who are you?” he demands.
“I’m Titus. And I demand restitution.”
I don’t know if this is gonna get me anywhere. Some packs follow strict codes of conduct, others are more loosely governed.
“Wolf.” The coyote alpha spits. “Haven’t seen you around before.”
“Well, I’m here now. Demanding restitution.”
The alpha considers me for a moment. Then turns to the driver of the car. “This true? You hit a human with your car?”
The guy shrugs. “I hit a VW bus.”
“With a human female inside. She’s injured and the vehicle needs repair. You’re going to fucking pay for it.” I jab a finger in his face and the pack growls around me.
I wait two breaths before I drop my finger. I’m not gonna show submission to a pack of coyotes, even if they could rip me apart.
“The human’s alive?” the alpha asks after a beat.
“Yeah. Broken arm. Lacerations.”
He considers me for a long moment. “She can bring the bus here. We’ll repair it for her.” He jerks a thumb in the direction of one of the falling down buildings. It looks like an old gas station.
Fuck. Is he telling me they’re mechanics? I’m torn between not trusting Sunny’s vehicle with these guys, and wanting justice.
“No chance in hell I’m sending her here. He can come pick it up. And deliver it in perfect condition. And pay the hospital bill.”
“We’ll fix the vehicle. Hospital is your problem.”
I whirl and face the alpha fully, fingers curling into fists. Growls start up again. I’m ready to throw down over the hospital bill, but it occurs to me that you can’t bleed a turnip. These guys don’t look like they’re swimming in dough.
Looks like another shit pie is getting served up.
It also occurs to me that I’m here to do a job for my pack. One I seem to have completely forgotten.
“Picked up and delivered,” I insist.
“Fine.” The alpha waves a hand at me.
I force my fists to unclench and try to relax the scowl from my face. “Permission to speak to you about some unrelated business.”
The alpha’s brows shoot up. “What is it?”
“You know anything about a lab out this way? Or shifter disappearances in these parts?”
The guy snorts. “You’d know more about that shit than I would.” He turns on his heel and walks off.
What does that mean?
“Hold up,” I call out, but the coyotes close ranks behind him, blocking my path.
Fuck.
I snarl directions to the hit-and-run asshole and get back on my bike. As I ride away, I breathe in the smell of hot sage to take the coyote stench out of my nose.
Sunny
I’m up, showered, and sitting on the couch reading on my Kindle app when Titus returns.
“I found the guy who hit you.”
A car pulls into the drive and a scrawny guy with a t-shirt stained with blood tumbles out of the passenger side.
“Titus… what did you do to him?”
“I busted his nose,” Titus answers like it was the only logical action he could’ve taken. “And I told him he’d better fucking fix your bus. So he’s here to take it. Toss me the keys.”
My mouth drops open. I’m not sure what I think. Whether Titus is a hero or someone I really should distance myself from. Violence isn’t something I condone.
I do appreciate him arranging to have my VW fixed, though.
I pull out my keys and then hesitate. “What if he steals it?” I mean the guy looks totally sketchy. Definitely a tweaker. That’s probably why he left the scene of the accident. He was under the influence and knew he’d get busted.
“Then I’ll kill him,” Titus says loud enough for the guy standing outside to hear.
A shiver runs down my spine, because I can’t tell how serious he is. Still, I trust him to handle this. I toss the keys.
He catches them in his huge hand and heads outside.
Sexy, capable man. I’m long past experiencing the biological urge to find a worthy provider, but my hormones don’t seem to know that. I swear my ovaries just dropped three fresh eggs.
When Titus returns, he catches sight of the flower arrangement I made with a jar out of the recycling bin out back and the flowers growing around the cottage.
“Who brought those?” he demands.
“I picked them outside.”
“Huh.” He looks at the jar for a long moment, then at me.
I’m expecting him to rant about me leaving the bed, but instead he cocks his head like he can’t understand why I would do such a thing.
“You like flowers?”
I laugh. “Of course. Who doesn’t? I love flowers.”
“Huh,” he says again, like he thinks it’s the weirdest thing. “I guess that’s what artists do, right?”
“What?”
“Bring beauty to our world.”
I laugh, deflecting the compliment. “The beauty was already in our world, I just brought it inside.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He turns the jar around like it’s the most curious thing he’s ever seen.
Maybe it is weird—I don’t know. It’s just what I’ve always done. A surface without a jar of flowers always looks bare to me. “That’s the major downside about living in an Airstream. I don’t get to plant my own cutting garden.” I climb off the sofa. I haven’t taken the pain meds they gave me—I didn’t even want to fill the prescription but Titus insisted. My head throbs, and I stop my forward motion for a moment.
“Why are you off that couch, little lady?”
I hide my wince at the spinning room and throw a hand out to catch myself against the door. “Don’t call me lady.”
“Right. Yeah.” Titus frowns at me, glaring at the bump on my head. “I shoulda broken that guy’s arm before I left,” he mutters.
“Titus, no. I don’t want violence enacted on my behalf. I appreciate your help, but please. No more.”
The room tilts and I’m suddenly in his arms. “I think I told you to stay resting.” The deep rumble of his voice enters my chest and heats me from the inside out.
“I don’t like staying in one place for too long.”
He carries me to the bedroom. His beard tickles my cheek.
“Besides, I’m hungry. Let’s go get some lunch, Titus. I’ll buy.”
“You need to stay put.” He lowers me gently to the bed. “I’ll get lunch.”
“Titus—”
“Hush or I’ll tie you to that bed again.”
“That would sound hotter if you weren’t so cranky. Last time was a supreme disappointment, I’ll have you know. I thought something fun was going to happen.”
Titus’ head snaps up, his gray eyes lock with mine.
Oops. I probably shouldn’t reveal how turned on I was this morning. But seriously. The guy tied me to the bed with his belt. I don’t know how kinky he is, but I sure as hell thought something more was going to happen than him setting me free when he returned with breakfast.
He growls, stalking back to the edge of the bed. “Now you’re just begging for trouble.”
Excitement zings through me at the gruff growl of his voice. My lady parts perk up. Is it wrong to want to have sex with him even when I know he’s not into getting involved with me?
Maybe.
I could end up with a broken heart, here. But only if I put my heart in play. And I don’t have to. I can just look at this as a chance to indulge in a little pleasure. Something I haven’t had enough of, frankly.
Especially from a man who gives it the way I like it—wild and rough.
Titus grabs my hips and drags me down on the bed. He rolls my hips to the side and slaps my ass. “A supreme disappointment, huh?”
I smile up at him, heart picking up speed. “Supreme.”
He glowers at me but I notice his cock’s at full mast, bulging in his worn jeans. “You’re just hours out of the hospital, with a busted arm and a bruise the size of my fist on your head. Did you really think you were up for sex with me? I would break you in two, little girl.”
I let out a chuff, because it’s true. I’m still sore from the pounding he gave me before the accident. In many places. But I don’t back down. “I’m not hurt below the waist.” I reach between my legs and run my middle finger over the crotch of my yoga pants, stopping at my clit and rubbing.
He stiffens, eyes locked on my movements. “Babydoll, you’re asking for way more trouble than you can handle.”
“So you keep saying.”
He lunges.
Rips down my yoga pants and pushes my two knees to one side. “You don’t know when to let up, do you?” He slaps my ass four times, hard.
I yelp and squeal, attempting to wriggle, but he has me pinned. My body floods with endorphins—the pain of the spanks instantly morphing to pleasure. Heat building in my pelvis.
His breath is ragged, movements jerky. He slaps me twice more, then peels my knees open.
I moan an invitation.
He slides his hands under my buttocks and cups my smarting cheeks, squeezes and kneads them as he lowers his head between my legs.
For one tortuous moment, he just inhales, like he enjoys the scent of my musk. Then he licks into me.
I warble my approval—somewhere between a gasp and a cry. My pussy contracts, flames of desire burn brighter.
Titus’ beard tickles my inner thighs, chafes my labia. His tongue is magnificent. Big and strong and hot like the rest of him. And he knows how to use it. He teases and tortures me, circling my inner lips, flicking my clit. He stiffens his tongue and penetrates me with it, all the while using his nose to grind over my clit.
I writhe beneath him, coils of lust twisting tighter and tighter. Need winding up.
“I want you in me,” I tell him. I’m past the point of pretending I don’t know what I want in bed. Besides, I don’t have it in me to reciprocate with oral today and I want him satisfied, too.
He growls. His eyes are bright blue. He rises up on his knees, peels off his shirt and unbuckles that belt again. Damn, it’s sexy.
I sit up to help, but he flattens me on the bed with a hot kiss. “You gotta tell me if it hurts,” he breathes against my lips. “I’m not good at gentle.”
I lift my hips to meet his cock, run it through the tunnel of inner thighs and wet pussy. His erection grows even longer. “I’ll use the stoplights.” I nip his lower lip. When he backs away and frowns, I laugh. “Green means go. Yellow is caution. Red is stop. It’s a BDSM thing.”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he mutters, but I’m beyond caring because he’s dragging the head of his cock through my juices.
“Green, green, green,” I chatter, undulating my hips to rub back.
He barks a curse and spears me with a single thrust.
I cry out when my head hits the headboard.
“Fuck.” He pulls out.
“No, no, no, no. Don’t stop, Titus. Please. I need this. It will help me heal.”
I would say anything right now to get him back inside me, but it probably will. I believe in orgasms as a method of improving all kinds of things, including world peace, sexual healing and saving the planet.
“You sure? I don’t think this is a good idea.”
I reach for his cock and pull him back between my legs.
“Fuck.” He drags me down the bed and shoves in again, this time pinning a fist above my shoulder to keep me from sliding up. He shakes his head as he rocks into me. “You are the strangest female I’ve ever met.”
I’m used to this.
Believe me, I’m used to it.
But it’s not exactly what I want to hear during coitus. Call me old-fashioned.
He must see it on my face, because he changes to short, upward thrusts and lowers his head to my breast. “Sorry, sunshine. I didn’t mean that like it sounded.” He bites my nipples over my shirt, then shoves the fabric up and swirls his tongue over them.
I forgive him because—yeah—it feels great. I tilt my pelvis to take him deeper, squeeze my muscles around his cock.
“Fates, woman, you learned that trick in yoga, too?”
“Uh huh. I can lift my leg above my head. Want to see?”
“Fuck yes. But next time.” His knuckles brush my cheek. “Don’t want to jar your arm.”
I grip his shoulder with my good hand to feel the steel of his muscles as he picks up speed.
“What color?” he rasps. His eyes are such a bright shade of blue. I see his spirit animal so clearly now, shimmering beneath the surface.
A beautiful silver wolf.
“Green. Still green. Don’t stall, Titus.”
He lets out a snarl. I almost don’t see his human face anymore, just the wolf glimmering in my third eye. This is some kind of wild mating dance to the wolf. He’s a predator. I’m the prey. The sex is the chase and he’s so close to catching me…
“Sunny…” He pounds into me with brutal force, his face twisted with unspent desire.
I realize he’s waiting for me. “I’m ready to come,” I gasp. “Give it to me, Titus.”
He roars and bucks even harder.
My eyes roll back. I hear the plaster of the wall busting under the force of the bed slamming against it.
Titus comes.
I follow, my body perfectly synchronized to his. My internal muscles squeeze and milk his cock.
The wolf bares its fangs.
I scream when his head descends to my neck, eyes gleaming, teeth unnaturally sharp.
“Titus!” I shove him away with both hands and pain shoots through my broken arm. “Red,” I yelp. “Ow, fuck.”
Titus rears back, all the way off the bed. His tongue touches his teeth and his eyes fly wide. “Shit.”
I’m shaking all over. “Wh-what was that?”
“Nothing,” he says quickly, turning his back as he gets dressed. “I’m sorry I got too rough.”
Too rough.
That wasn’t it.
It was more like the veils between dimensions blurred for a moment there. Something from the spirit world tried to cross over.
And bite me.
But that doesn’t make sense.
That doesn’t happen.
I just had a very realistic vision, that’s all.
“I-I saw your spirit animal,” I try to explain. “It was so real it scared me.”
Titus stabs his fingers through his hair. “Oh yeah? What animal?”
“Wolf. I’ve told you that before. A silver wolf with…” I look sharply at his eyes, but they aren’t the bright blue of the vision, they are slate gray, like usual.
“With what?” he looks wary.
“Nothing. Nevermind. Sorry. I’m just being… strange again.”
Like he needed more evidence of my whack-o-ness.
Titus
Fates. I can’t believe I just tried to mark Sunny.
A human.
That doesn’t happen. That shouldn’t happen. Something’s seriously off with my wolf if he’s picking a human to try to mate with. After all these years, after him never choosing to mark Barbara, the mate I chose.
It’s insanity.
The worst of it is Sunny somehow knew. I don’t know what she sensed, but she screamed right when I was about to sink my serum-coated teeth into her flesh to forever mark her with my scent.
A bite that could be fatal on a human.
Fuck.
And now she’s scared.
And possibly hurt.
“You’re not strange,” I lie. My rational mind tells me not to get within ten feet of her, but the scent of confusion and pain fills the room, and there’s no way I can heed my own warning system.
She touches the goose egg on her forehead. “You know, I think I’m just hungry.” Her words come out shaky, but I don’t call her on the lie.
I’m not up for unpacking the whole shifter thing with her right now. Especially not the fact that I almost marked her.
Something is seriously off with my wolf.
“I’ll get you some food.”
“No.” She swings her legs off the bed and pulls on her clothing. “I can’t stand being cooped up so long. I’ll go with you.”
Of course. I knew she was flighty as hell. I can’t even keep the woman resting for half a day.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fine. A short outing. What are you in the mood for?” I seriously hope it’s not some kind of vegan shit.
“I could go for a big, juicy burger.”
Be still my heart. Maybe she isn’t so weird after all.
“Me, too, sunshine. Let’s go.”