I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. She said she enjoyed looking in the mirror and seeing the marks her lover left on her body, remembering the pleasure. Well, I made damn sure that she wouldn’t forget me any time soon.
“God, I’m thirsty.” Her voice was husky.
“Hang on.” Somehow, I managed to roll off the bed and stand up without falling. I went to the dresser and opened the mini fridge door, pulling out two bottles of cold water.
When I handed one to her, she smiled and said, “My hero.”
She sat up in bed, not bothering to pull the sheet up. I liked how comfortable she seemed with her nudity. The few humans I’d been around were modest, especially the women. Ricki wore her skin the same way a female shifter would, confidently and casually.
I cracked open my bottle and settled next to her on the bed, leaning against the padded headboard. We drank our water in silence.
This was a new experience for me. Usually, after fucking, female and male wolves would dress and go their separate ways. Females going into heat would sometimes have multiple partners in one night. It was the only way to keep them from going feral. While in heat they craved sex, needed it. Without it, their hunger would shift from a sexual one to the need to feed. Females denied sex would shift and hunt any and all prey that crossed their path, including the human kind.
Finally, I broke the silence. “I want to see you again, Ricki.”
She fidgeted with her half-empty bottle. “See me, as in have sex, or see me as in a date?”
I may not have had a lot of experience with human women, but I recognized when I should watch my words carefully. “Both. Either. I don’t care as long as I can see you again.”
Shit, I was fucking this up. Running a hand through my hair, I turned toward her, trying to figure out what I should say. Instead of looking pissed off or upset, she was smiling at me.
“Really?” she asked. “You just want to see me again? I could tell you I wanted to go to a yoga class, no sex, and you’d go?”
While yoga wasn’t how I liked to get my exercise, only a dumbass would refuse to go. Women in tight or skimpy clothing, bending over and twisting themselves into elaborate poses? It sounded fucking hot.
I nodded. “Absolutely. Though I’d probably drag you out of there after the first downward facing dog and fuck you in the closest bathroom.”
She snorted with laughter. “Okay, so yoga’s out.” Eyeing me speculatively, she asked, “But you would still want to see me, even if we weren’t going to have sex?”
I met her gaze levelly. “Yes.”
Her smile widened. She opened her mouth as though she were going to say something, but someone with a death wish chose that exact moment to pound on the door. I saw the knob jiggle and jumped up, shoving my legs into my jeans, and leaving them unbuttoned.
“If you open that door, I will rip your throat out!” I yelled.
There was a moment of silence, then, “We have trouble.”
Shit. Fuck. Shit. I should have known this would happen. The first time in years that weres and vamps were together, something was bound to go wrong.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ricki shrugging into my shirt. It covered her from neck to mid-thigh and I knew her skin would smell like me for the rest of the night. I liked that idea.
Whoever was outside chose that moment to knock again.
“Ricki, do you mind going into the bathroom for a few minutes?” A hurt look crossed her face and made me feel like a complete ass. “Do you want to stay in here with a strange man, wearing only my shirt?”
Her eyes grew big and she shook her head. “I, uh, I’ll just…” she trailed off and scurried into the bathroom.
Goddammit. I would have to talk to her later, make her understand that I didn’t want her gone, I just didn’t want my packmates leering at her.
Jerking open the door, I snarled, “This better be fucking important.”
Brian, one of the younger pack members, stared at me with wide, frightened eyes. There was a bruise on his cheek and blood rimming one of his nostrils.
“Kyle got into it with a wolf from the Austin pack,” he said quickly. “I can’t find Lachlan or Conner and things are getting nasty.”
Jesus fucking Christ. Kyle was hot-tempered and slow-witted, not a good combination. I’d noticed him throwing back the booze earlier, but had gotten too distracted by Ricki to tell him to lay off or head home.
I looked at Brian. “Call Lachlan. Text him. Leave a fucking message, I don’t care. Just be sure you do everything in your power to get in touch with him. I have a good idea where Conner is, so I’ll grab him and meet you downstairs. Do the best you can to keep the pack members calm. Tell them to stand down or they’ll deal with me.”
Orders shot out of my mouth as I went to my duffel bag and yanked out a t-shirt. I pulled it over my head and noticed Brian was still standing in the doorway.
“Go. I’m right behind you.”
He nodded once and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
I went to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. It opened immediately, a sign Ricki had been listening to whatever was being said.
“I have to go. There’s trouble and our alpha has disappeared, which means I’m in charge.”
Her expression gave away nothing of her thoughts. “I understand.”
I needed to hurry, so I decided to go the blunt route. Stepping into her space, I used her hair to tug her head back so that she looked into my eyes. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I want you here when I come back.”
Something flashed in her eyes, a mixture of defiance and an emotion I didn’t recognize. “You can’t-”
I kissed her hard then, nipping her bottom lip sharply. When I lifted my head, she didn’t try to speak. “Please.”
Her only response was a nod.
Releasing her, I moved to the edge of the bed and pulled socks and boots onto my feet. Her eyes stayed on me the entire time. I went to the door, opened it, and paused. Facing her, I said, “Try to sleep, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I didn’t wait for her response. I stepped out, shutting the door behind me, and took off down the hall toward the staircase. If I had known what I would find when I returned later, I wouldn’t have left that fucking room, even if the house was burning down around me.
Chapter Eleven- Ricki
After Calder left, I took a long, hot bath in the huge tub. As I dried off, I glanced in the mirror and froze, my mouth falling open. I knew Calder had been rough with me, in fact, I’d gloried in it, climaxed because of it. However, I wasn’t prepared for the marks that covered my body. I had beard burn, love bites, a few small bruises, and TWO hickeys. I turned slightly to see if there were many more and giggled when I saw ten little bruises where his fingertips had dug into my ass.
A thrill ran through me. He was the first man I’d been so open with about what I wanted and needed. It surprised me how comfortable I was with Calder though I barely knew him. Somehow, we just seemed to be in sync.
My lips twitched when my thoughts about syncing led to me hearing Bye Bye Bye on a loop in my head. Feeling silly, I wrapped the huge bath sheet around my body, dried my hair, and went back into the bedroom. I felt tired and deliciously sore. I decided to take Calder at his word and sleep in his bed.
I hesitated at the dresser, not wanting to invade his privacy, but also not wanting to sleep naked in case someone came looking for him in the middle of the night. The house was full of vamps, weres, and witches and I really didn’t want to be in my birthday suit if someone showed up.
Deciding that I’d rather be clothed and risk annoying Calder than flashing an unsuspecting stranger, I yanked open a couple of drawers until I found a neatly folded stack of t-shirts. I shook one out and pulled it over my head.