Unfortunately, none of it relieved the pain of losing the family he’d yearned for for so long.
He made a decision and grabbed the phone from her.
“Hey!” She grabbed for his hand, but he gently swatted her away and put his ear to the phone.
“I’ll bring her back tomorrow.”
“If you’ve hurt her—”
“I haven’t hurt her, nor will I.” Sherry’s sister obviously loved her, and he couldn’t fault her for that. “She’ll be back by sundown tomorrow.” He clicked the phone off before she could respond and tossed it onto the nightstand.
“Did you mean it?” Sherry sat with her mouth open, staring at him.
“I don’t lie.” He was already regretting the decision to return her. He needed her and would never willingly let her disappear from his life, but he cared for her enough to try to do the whole relationship routine. He wanted to do right by her.
She was young and innocent and he…wasn’t. When he claimed her, he wouldn’t do so like a gentle, unschooled boy. His instincts would win out, and he would possess her. He would never hurt her, but he doubted the restraint he’d be able to apply the first time he took her. He needed her to trust him, to know he wouldn’t harm her no matter how out of control he got.
Maybe he should just walk away from her. She was too small, too delicate. He’d never be what she needed. Anger scorched him, and he fought the urge to put his fist through the wall.
“Why are you letting me go?”
“Because I can admit when I’ve made a mistake.”
“So you believe me about what happened with your brother?”
“Let’s just say that now that I’ve gotten two sides of the story, I’m coming to some different, however difficult, conclusions.”
“I can’t imagine what it was like to lose your brother. If something happened to Janine, I’d be devastated, especially after losing our parents.”
“I didn’t even know him.” He shook his head. “I had just hoped—”
“Hoped what?”
“Nothing. Just forget it. In fact, by this time tomorrow, you can forget all of this ever happened.”
“Piers, I—”
He held his hand up to stop her words. He wasn’t ready for this conversation. He’d just realized how wrong he’d probably been about his brother, and he didn’t want to wallow in self pity or cry like a woman. He was a man, and he would suck it up and move on.
“I’m taking a shower.” He wasn’t afraid she’d run again. He had the keys to the Jeep and she had no idea where they were. Besides, if she did, he’d have no trouble tracking her down.
He closed the door after entering the small but clean bathroom. He pulled his clothes off, folded them, and laid them on the counter. Thankfully, the shower was decent and the water was hot. Once he stepped into the steamy stall, he realized he should have made it cold. One thought of their kiss in the forest made his cock rock hard. He could still feel her hesitation as his mouth had taken hers, and then her blissful surrender when she’d melted against him.
He circled his shaft and brought himself to quick, unsatisfying relief. He hoped to God he could make it through the night without taking her. All he could think about was thrusting into her hot, wet flesh, of how she’d close around him as he sank into her. He cursed under his breath and shut off the water. He dried and wrapped the towel around his hips before opening the bathroom door.
She gasped when he walked back into the room, and he grunted. “Sorry.
I didn’t exactly bring anything to sleep in as I wasn’t expecting to stay overnight anywhere.” It wouldn’t have mattered anyway since his usual sleep attire was nothing but his skin.
He was on edge, and his dick was getting hard again as he watched her eyes roam over his body. He turned his back to her, trying to block the insanity of black need threatening to wipe out his willpower.
“Oh my! You have a tattoo.”
“Mm hm.” He nodded as he stared out the window. The wind had picked up and the trees that lined the back of the parking lot were swaying back and forth.
Good Lord. The man was a tank, and his back was a breathtaking spectacle. She hadn’t understood the appeal of tattoos in the past, but the black wolf splayed across his back was exquisite. Its head was ensconced between his shoulder blades, and its body ran the entire length of his back, ending just before it dipped under the towel wrapped around his hips. Its eyes were the same golden brown color as Piers’ and held the same eerie glow his had in the woods. And even though she was aware the tattoo was not alive, it watched her as if it were stalking her and waiting for the precise moment she let her guard down to pounce.
For some reason, maybe because of the way the wolf appeared to move over the play of muscle on Piers’ back, she was drawn to it. Whoever inked him was one talented artist. She didn’t think a wolf in the wild could look any more lifelike. Without thinking, she slid off the bed and moved closer to him.
When her fingers touched his skin, he sucked in a sharp breath and she snatched her hand back, letting it hover a scant inch from the tantalizing beast. When she looked up, the intensity of Piers’ gaze burned back at her from the reflection of the glass in the window. His muscles bunched, but otherwise, he remained perfectly still. Her hand trembled, but she couldn’t help but continue her exploration of the wolf.
“This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen,” she whispered in awe as she stroked fur that looked so real she was sure it would tickle her fingers.
Her mouth went dry as she traced along the sculpted muscles that ran the length of Piers’ back. What was it about this man that made her want to touch him? Why did she not find some of the stronger traits he possessed displeasing? In the past they had been big turn-offs in other men she’d met.
The dominance that radiated off him like a second skin, his six and a half foot intimidating frame, the intense, predatory, and unashamed way he watched her, and his obvious ease with nature. For some reason, in this particular man, every one of those things sparked a flame of curiosity inside her that burned brighter with each passing minute she spent with him.
Her brain and body were locked in a silent battle. One warned her to avoid him at all cost and the other longed for him to touch her again. Her fingers traced the edge of the towel that rode low over his tight butt, while her naughty side—a side that rarely showed itself until now—urged her to continue downward. She resisted the journey her fingers begged to take, but couldn’t deny that he truly was remarkable.
The top of her head barely came to the bottom of his thick shoulder blades, but she wasn’t intimidated. In fact, she felt utterly feminine around him and peculiarly safe. He’d said he wouldn’t hurt her, and while, at first, she hadn’t been sure if she could believe him or not, he had promised to return her to her sister tomorrow. Not to mention that she had a hard time denying the truth of the words he spoke in the woods after he’d caught her.
If he was going to harm her, he’d had plenty of opportunities to do so. She realized something else. She wasn’t feeling her usual anxiety from being so far away from Janine. It was as if nothing in the world could possibly harm her or her loved ones while he was near. But why?
His scent was intoxicating and drew her as honey drew bees, and she leaned closer. If she followed the urge and allowed herself to get closer to him, would she end up the innocent lamb led to slaughter? His skin radiated heat, and the longing pulsing through her that begged she kiss his back blocked out all images of lambs, slaughter, and wolves.
“Piers?”
“Sherry, if you don’t stop touching me, I’m going to toss you on that bed and make love to you until we both pass out from exhaustion.” His voice came low and laced with promise.