Unconditional

“Don’t go at all.” He kissed her fists until she relaxed and unclenched. He hissed when he saw the half-moon wounds. He kissed them too. “I know it’s not just me. You feel it too. This connection between us.”

  “I don’t know what I feel.”

  He locked his gaze with hers. “Liar. You’re too brave to be such a liar, Michelle.”

  “Okay, to be honest, I don’t know all the words for all I feel. Yes, there is a connection. But I have a life in Roseburg. I can’t just walk away.”

  “Why not? Since I’ve been gone have you and your mom gotten close?”

  She snorted. “No.”

  “Your boss is a bigot. What happens when he finds out you’re a witch? You and I both know the coming out of witches and Vampires is only a matter of time. You can’t hide it. Not anymore. I’m shocked it hasn’t happened before now.”

  She blew out a breath. In truth, though she loved being a cop, she didn’t love her workplace because of Dexter. Sure he liked her now, but once he found out…well Josh was right. And it was toxic to deal with his ranty views all the time.

  “He’ll leave one day. My boss I mean. The next person could be better.”

  He shook his head. “I want you here. With me. There’s a police department here and several in the surrounding suburbs. You’re smart and Pam has friends all over the place. Be with me.”

  “This is so sudden. I don’t know!”

  “You’re a witch.” He laughed, kissing her wrists. “You can move stuff with power you draw from the earth. How is this thing, which isn’t sudden by the way, I’ve known you longer than anyone else I’m not related to, less real because you feel it after reconnecting with me a few days ago? We are beings of magick.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I know things. I accept things. Some things just are, and the way I feel about you is what it is. I know you, Michelle. I can see your passion and your strength. Your determination to find your friend. I admire you a great deal. You’ve always been beautiful. But Michelle as a woman is a far more alluring creature. Give us a chance. You have nothing in Roseburg. A shitty boss. A job that you can do here. Be here. With me.”

  He was right. She just knew things sometimes. Despite her cautious nature when it came to making big leaps of faith, this connection she had with Josh was real. Immense. And it could be something amazing and forever.

  “We both grew up in the human world. I understand that you’re hesitant. But my wolf is my magick. I can feel the threads to you, between us. My wolf knew it immediately. I loved you back then, of course. But I was a kid. I had a lot of growing up to do. I’m a better person now. The thought of you going back to Roseburg drives me nuts. I understand it’s your home. But…I’m asking you to try to make one here. With me. For us. There are Others here. Witches who you can bond with and get to know. Understand your gifts in a whole new way. My pack, which is my family, they’d accept you, open their door to you. You deserve that. Not some asshole who would throw away a young woman who’d been kidnapped because she might be or have been involved with Others.”

  She licked her lips. The allure of everything he offered was overwhelming. She’d been lonely a long time. Yes, she had Allie, but that was pretty much it. If she pretended to be human, she could have more. But she wasn’t. And the older she got, the more she understood that. And the more that understanding left her empty, aching for something else. Connection. Community.

  She’d known him since she’d been a child. He’d been part of her life pretty much every day, and then he’d been gone and for over a decade that had defined part of her too. But maybe his absence had steeled her for what they could have if she accepted what she knew as true even though common sense said this was too fast.

  “I’ll think about it. I’m not going back to Roseburg before I find her. I have vacation time. A lot of it. I’ll call in and use that. I need to focus on Allie right now. Do you understand?”

  He nodded. “I’ll do everything I can, offer all the assistance in my power to help.”

  “Is Tracy still here?”

  He shook his head and stood, pulling her up with him. “She left a few minutes ago. Let’s go get this cleaned up.” He indicated the nail gouges on her palms.

  “I need to call Pam first. I want to speak to Charlie.”

  Josh sighed. “I’d tell you that you already spoke to him and that he’s not going to tell you anything else. But I can see that would be a waste of time.”

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

  “First let me deal with your palms. Okay?”

  She followed him into his bathroom, and he pulled out a first aid kit while she washed her hands. “It’s not that big a deal. Just some scratches. It’s not life threatening.”

  He made a growl, picking her up and putting her on the counter, stepping between her thighs. She allowed him to dry her hands gently and pour antiseptic on them, patting them dry once more.

  “Why do you have a first aid kit anyway? I mean you guys heal pretty fast.”

  He grinned. “Pretty fast isn’t instant. My job is bloody. Not always, but frequent enough that it’s good to have supplies on hand.”

  “Are you seeing anyone?” She blurted this out and felt the heat on her face.

  “No. Well.” He gave her that smile that did things to all her pink parts. “I am, but that’s you. So you don’t have to be jealous of yourself.” He kept working until he’d lightly bandaged her wounds and let go, leaning close to kiss her.

  He’d actually only meant to kiss her quickly but she responded, that delicious rush of her magick enveloping him. Wrapping around his cock like a fist. He stepped closer, she wrapped her legs around him, holding him there as he took her mouth. Drowned in her taste. Wallowed in it until his cock throbbed in time with his thundering pulse.

  He broke away, sucking in air as he pulled her hair from the ponytail, running his fingers through it. He hadn’t intended to ask her to stay. He’d been trying very hard to take it slow, at a human pace. But her jealous reaction when she’d come out and seen Tracy’s hand on his arm had roused his wolf. His wolf didn’t give one fuck about waiting. He wanted Michelle.

  And her upset at her boss’s behavior and talk of going back to Roseburg had been more than he could process without saying at least something.

  He knew she’d heard him. Agreed even. Knew too, that she was processing and felt it too fast. But fuck fast. He knew what he knew and this woman was his. Had been his all along.

  He pulled her shirt up and off, tossing it to the floor, her bra following. She arched with a gasp into his hands as he found her nipples, tugging them between thumb and forefinger. He groaned when he caught sight of his marks on them.

  Driven to claim, to pleasure and taste, one handed, he pulled her pants open and down.

  Her heartbeat sped, her pupils enlarged, her skin flushed—she was with him all the way. Thank God.

  “Your smell,” he growled as he slid his fingers through her pussy, wet and hot. Ready for him. “Makes me want to shove my face into your cunt and lap you up for hours. I want it on my face and my hands, wrapped around my cock. You’re delicious.”

  Her breath came out in a stutter, and that scent bloomed as the hot scald of that honey coated his fingertips.

  “Fuck me,” she whispered.

  “Oh, I will. First you need to come. Then I’ll fuck you. Your pleasure is my job. Lean back against the mirror behind you.”

  She did as he turned his hand, sliding two fingers into her and rubbing the pad of his thumb against her clit over and over.

  “Don’t undo all my work on your hands, beautiful. You can scratch me up later.”

  She started to laugh, but it ended on a snarled plea as he pressed a little harder on her clit.

  “You want to come? Hm?”

  “Yes!”

  He leaned in, licking and biting her nipples as he sped the fingers thrusting into her cunt, his thumb pressing over her clit in time with the suck and pull until she
exploded in a rush of honey and magick.

  He wanted her so much he barely even remembered the condom as she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, pulling his cock out.

  “Hands back or I’m gonna lose it.”

  He rolled the condom on and was fully seated in a breath, then moved to utter stillness as she clutched and fluttered all around his cock.

  He did note a bit of discomfort on her face when he first started fucking her. “Sore?”

  “A little. It’s been…” She laughed. “I’m not used to that much fucking in one night.”

  “Should I stop? I don’t want to—”

  His sentence died as she used the legs wrapped around him to haul him back in deep. “No. I’ll have to maim you if you stop. The hurt is gone. Now it’s all…” She hummed and it slid over his skin. “It’s all pleasure now. I promise.”

  Chapter Eight

  She took a long, hot shower after their impromptu sex on his bathroom counter. She should have been embarrassed, but really, what was the point in denying it? She wanted him. Like, a lot. When they’d been together before, they’d had this same sort of intense physical connection, but they hadn’t had the opportunity to rut like rabbits. No place to be alone that often.

  Clearly they still had it, which made her a little more at ease with their earlier discussion. Her attraction to him wasn’t sudden. It had always been there. Only now they had doors to lock and get naked behind.

  He knocked on the bathroom door and came in as she was turning the water off.

  “Two things. Damon just brought over all your stuff from the hotel. I’ll leave the bag in here so you can change into clean stuff. I have a washer and dryer if you have things you need to wash. And two, Pam called and said you could come by in an hour to interview the prisoner.”

  “He brought all my stuff?” She got out and took the towel he handed her way.

  “And checked you out. You’ll stay here. It’s safest and I like it.”

  She arched a brow. “He checked me out of my hotel room. Without asking me?”

  Josh’s features changed and he put his hands up. “It’s safest here. Surely you can’t argue with that.”

  “Well I certainly can’t if no one even bothers to ask me about it.”

  She wrapped the towel around her body and riffled through her bag until she found clean underwear and pulled them on, finding her bra, which he’d picked up from the floor and folded on the counter. He watched as she got dressed.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t ask. There’s something you should know. While I’m not an alpha at Tracy, Nick and Gabe’s level, I am an alpha wolf in general. My job, the place I hold in the pack, is one of protection. It’s hardwired into me. I do things to protect the people I care about. You’re one of those people. I act and forget about the permission part.”

  That was a bald truth. She looked him up and down, and her body came to life again. She knew he knew because his nostrils flared and he got that face. Oh he was going to be such a handful if she went forward with any sort of relationship with him.

  Which seemed a given. Because she liked him. And maybe the protective, bossy thing he had. Though it would not do to give him even an inch. A man like him would run right over a woman in the name of protecting her if she didn’t push him back when he stepped over the line.

  “Here’s the deal, Joshua. No one makes my decisions but me. As it happens, I agree it’s probably safer here than in a hotel. Given our…relationship status, it seems stupid for me to go to the expense of a hotel when I sleep here anyway. But that does not mean you can make my choices. I am not down with that, no matter how good you are at making me come. You got me?”

  He moved to her, pulling the towel from her hands and drying her hair. He bent to kiss her shoulder. “I got you. Thank you.”

  “How long will it take to get to the jail where I’ll be interviewing Charlie? I’ll have to check in and turn over my weapon and all that stuff so add time to the travel for that.”

  “We should leave in about twenty minutes. Can you be ready?”

  “Yes. But you can’t be in here or I’ll get distracted.”

  “I’ll shower while you get ready.” He peeled his clothes off, and she made herself stop looking and get dressed.

  On the drive over, she watched the city out the window as she thought. She realized he’d yet again used a condom. She knew her body pretty well, and she was pretty sure she wasn’t fertile. How did you broach that in a conversation though? He’d begged her to stay in Portland to be with him so it wasn’t that he was grossed out by her.

  A shiver went through her as she remembered what he’d said about her scent.

  He made a sound next to her as he drove, and she looked over. One corner of his mouth was turned up as supremely male satisfaction was stamped on his features.

  “I love that I can scent when you’re turned on. You’re an incredibly sexual woman. I like that.”

  He kept his eyes on the road, and she was glad because she blushed down to her toes.

  “What if I was thinking about Daniel Craig or something? You’re pretty ballsy to assume you’re who I was thinking about.” She hmpfed and he laughed, reaching out to tangle his fingers with hers.

  “Ah, but you aren’t thinking of Daniel Craig. You’re thinking about me. Just like I’m thinking about you. Remembering the way you felt around me this morning as I fucked you.”

  “If I stay in Portland, how am I ever going to get any work done if you get me hot and bothered all the time?” she mumbled.

  “It’s my pleasure to get you hot and bothered. But I assume you’d get a job and I won’t be with you every moment so hopefully there’ll be no horny pussy when I’m not there. I don’t share.”

  There was a pause just then. Not a spoken one. But she felt it in his demeanor.

  “What?”

  “Huh?” He turned down a street. “The jail is this way. Pam said to call her when we parked so can you do that now? She’ll be waiting so she can escort us through.”

  She let it go and grabbed her phone, making the call. Pam, true to her word, met them, escorting Michelle through.

  “Josh, you need to wait here,” Pam said quietly.

  He grimaced and his wolf showed. “No, I can’t. I need to be with Michelle.”

  “You’re not a cop. We’re in cop central, it’s not like anything is going to happen to me.” Michelle probably should have been annoyed by his bossiness, but she must have been crazy because it worked for him and she was flattered and touched more than annoyed.

  Pam nodded. “Wait here. We’ll be out when we finish. Or go to Pacific and do your work, and I’ll bring her over when I finish.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He turned to Michelle. “You will be careful.”

  “I’ll do my best. Me being all helpless and stuff.”

  Pam fought a smile but managed to hold it back.

  Josh snorted. “I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  It was hard to remain flustered when he was so adorable so she let it go, telling herself she’d have to continue to get used to how protective he was.

  They followed him to a group of chairs in the lobby, preparing to leave him there until they’d finished with Charlie. Michelle pulled her cop all around herself like armor and turned to Pam. “I’m ready.”

  But all hell broke loose before they could get on the elevators.

  Cops rushed past and she felt it. Dark, ugly magic was being worked.

  Michelle turned to Pam. “Shit. Get me to where he is. Now.”

  “There’s a lockdown. I can’t override it.”

  “They’re here. The mages. Something ugly is being worked.” She gagged, and Josh was at her side, touching her.

  “What is happening?”

  “Get Charlie safe. They’re here for him.”

  Josh took her upper arms in his hands and shook, once, to get her attention. “What if they’re he
re for you? Have you thought of that?”

  A blast of something very dark sent her to her knees. She heard shouts about a prisoner being down, and she knew. Josh pulled her out of the way of the traffic, shielding her with his body. Pam had rushed off to get information.

  “What? Should I call Gina? Damn it, Michelle are you all right? Answer me!”

  “Charlie is dead. Or close to it. I…my skills aren’t that good, but I can tell that much.”

  He patted her all over. “Are you all right? Did it hurt you?”

  She pushed his hands back. She was a cop on the floor for God’s sake. “I need to stand up, and you need to back off or get kicked in the sac.”

  He relaxed a little, standing and letting her do so without his assistance. “If you’re threatening to kick me in the junk, you must be all right.”

  Pam hustled over. “Another prisoner killed Charlie. They were walking him to an interview room. He was in cuffs and with two guards and another prisoner walked up and snapped his neck. The other prisoner is dead too. He’d been shot several times because he wouldn’t stop. They didn’t injure anyone else. I…this is beyond my skill level.”

  Hers too.

  He led her to his office at Pacific. She was still pale, and his wolf noted the remnants of whatever spell that’d knocked her to the ground. Her scent was slightly off. A little dirty. And not the good kind of dirty.

  “Michelle, I’d like you to meet someone.”

  She looked up from where she’d been studying her phone. “Sorry. I was texting with Gage. They’re going to get in contact with Gina, and she’s going to call me when they get all that figured out.”

  “No need to be sorry.” Gabe stepped into the office and the room seemed to shrink around them. “I’m Gabe Murphy. Tracy said she met you earlier. I wanted to stop in and introduce myself and extend our offer of help. Are you well?”

  He took Michelle’s hand, and before Josh knew what he was doing, he’d put himself in Gabe’s path, showing his teeth.

  His back was to her so she wouldn’t have seen anything, but Gabe sure did. But rather than be upset or offended, he had to wrestle back a grin. Josh narrowed his eyes, promising retribution, friend to friend, if he got any teasing about this.