Lure of Oblivion

  The Beta pair headed up the porch steps, promising to take off their wet boots before entering the house. Zander remained where he was, and now he was looking at her with such intensity that her stomach twisted.

  “What are you thinking about that has you staring at me like that?” she asked.

  “Baby, you’re standing there wet in a tank top and shorts. What do you think is going through my head?”

  She rolled her eyes. “One-track mind.”

  “And you just noticed?”

  The front door swung open, and Yvonne leaned out. “Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. If you need to shower, go now!”

  With Zander’s help, Gwen quickly finished washing her truck and then took a shower. He joined her, of course. Conserving water was important. The brief bout of sex was just a bonus.

  After dinner, they settled on Zander’s balcony with her sitting on his lap. At her request, he called Dawn to ask about Andie. Gwen had called Andie a few times herself, and though the cougar claimed to be okay, Gwen wanted to be sure. According to Dawn, Andie had settled in fine and was spending a lot of time with Heath—the male she’d met on the first day.

  “I’m relieved she’s doing okay. And I’m super glad she left here before Rory showed up. He might have seen and hurt her.”

  Zander skimmed his hand up and down her leg. “Probably. He’s an asshole that way.”

  She sifted her fingers through his hair. “He never did even one thing good for you in his life?” she asked, sad at the idea. Even Hanna, neglectful and selfish though she was, had done the occasional good thing for her.

  “He gave me a kidney, but my parents had to bribe him to do it.”

  “Bribe him?”

  He nodded. “He also tried to make me feel bad about it afterward. He still says I stole his kidney. He even said it in the attorney’s office.” Zander almost smiled when she leaned farther into him, giving him comfort. “You know, when he told me he’d take from me what’s mine, I dismissed the threat. At the time, I had nothing for him to take.”

  She frowned. “You have your pack and your home.”

  “Yeah, but they’re not something that’s mine and only mine. You are. In a sense, he’ll see you as an impostor.”

  “Impostor?”

  “He’s the same way with Jesse and Bracken. See, in some fucked-up way, Rory sees me as belonging to him. He doesn’t care about me. Doesn’t want me in his life. But he doesn’t want others to care about me—not even our sister—and he really doesn’t want me caring about others. He was always jealous of my friendships with Jesse and Bracken, and he’ll be jealous of what I have with you.”

  “Tough,” she snapped.

  Zander smiled. “Yeah, tough.”

  “Tell me more about your sister. You’ve never really talked about her much.”

  “Remember I told you that I know someone who’d once needed someone to stand up for them the way you’re standing up for Andie? I was talking about Shelby.”

  Gwen gaped in horror as he told her about the shootings and how the witnesses had been bullied into silence. “No wonder you and Bracken offered to help me. You’re doing it for Shelby.”

  Zander skimmed his fingers down her face. “No. I’m doing it for you. I told myself it was for Shelby. But it wasn’t. Not then, not now.”

  She swallowed. “Thank you.”

  “No thanks needed.” Zander reached back and yanked the tie out of her hair. He gently unraveled the intricate braid, unsurprised by her exasperated sigh.

  “You need to stop taking out my braid.”

  “I love your hair. Playing with it relaxes me.” With a firm grip on her hair, he tugged her head back and kissed along her neck.

  Gwen let her eyes drift closed as he used his lips, tongue, and teeth to devastate her neck. “This relaxes you too?” It fired up her libido big-time.

  “This makes me hard as a rock.” He swiped his tongue over the mark on her throat. “It also makes you wet.” He could smell it.

  Hearing a familiar chiming coming from inside Zander’s room, she rasped, “That’s my phone.” She’d left it inside.

  “Ignore it.”

  She did, but it just kept on ringing. “Let me answer it. It could be Andie or Julie.” He reluctantly let her go and gave her a firm spank on the ass as she passed. “Hey!” She fished out her phone, but didn’t recognize the number. A little cautiously, she answered, “Hello?”

  “Miss Miller, it’s Ezra.”

  Her grip tightened around the phone as irritation blasted through her. She was about to ask how the hell he’d gotten her number, but then she supposed it couldn’t have been too hard for him, given he had people who’d electronically messed with her life.

  “Rowan told me what Brandt did today. I wanted to apologize—”

  “Aren’t you tired of apologizing for him, Moore?”

  He sighed, sounding . . . weary. “It won’t happen again.”

  “It better not.” She paused as Zander strolled into the room. “Brandt almost let the cat out of the bag earlier right in front of the shifters.”

  Ezra whispered a curse. “Like I said, it won’t happen again.”

  “Glad to hear it.” She ended the call. “That was Ezra, apologizing for Brandt.”

  “I suspected he might contact you.”

  She placed her phone on the dresser. “I don’t like that he called my cell.”

  Zander crossed to her. “I don’t like that he called you at all.”

  “Hopefully he’ll find a way to keep Brandt on a leash. It’s a vain hope, though.”

  Softly, Zander brushed his mouth over hers. “Don’t let them mess with your mood.”

  “Hard not to.”

  “Forget about them.” He grazed her lower lip with his teeth. “I don’t want to talk about them.”

  “Really?”

  He snaked his hand around her throat and gave it a gentle squeeze that made her pupils dilate. “Really. Know what I do want?” He kissed his way up her neck, along her jaw, and over to her ear. “I want to play with my baby.”

  She shivered as he sucked on her earlobe. “Then play with me.” He kissed, no, he feasted on her mouth—barely even stopping as he stripped off her vest and bra. A big believer in fair play, Gwen gathered his T-shirt in her hands and slid it upward. He helped her whip it off, and then she smoothed her hands over his warm chest. Damn, he was amazing. Solid. Edible. Perfect.

  Driven by an urge she was too turned on to overthink, she grazed his chest with her teeth. He growled and fisted her hair, pushing her head closer. She bit. Hard. Sucked to leave a mark.

  Gripping her hair tighter, Zander snatched her head back and kissed her as he clutched and squeezed her breast. She was the softest, sweetest, most perfect fucking thing. And when her hand cupped his cock over the denim of his jeans, he groaned. She was looking down, watching as she rubbed the heel of her hand over his dick. “Something you want, Gwen?”

  Well, now that he’d mentioned it . . . Gwen sat on the bed, putting her head level with the cock that was rock hard within the confines of his jeans. She deftly tackled his fly, and his cock sprang out—long, thick, and ready. Her pussy fluttered. Her hands tingled with the urge to fist him tight and pump hard. But she found herself simply staring at him.

  “Well, go on, then.”

  Gwen slithered her tongue up from base to tip, and then swept it over the head. There was no way she’d be able to take all of him in her mouth, but she was happy to try. Not yet, though. First, she wanted to tease him. Wanted to hear him groan as she pushed him to the edge. Zander was always so attentive, so damned determined to make sure she got off that Gwen wanted to return the favor. So, well, she went to work on his cock.

  Zander watched in sheer fucking awe as his mate went down on him. She licked and stroked and played, like he was something to explore and savor. Every now and then, her eyes would flick to his—eyes glittering with need. He felt that look in his balls. Balls she cupped and
rubbed and licked.

  “Baby, take me in your mouth.” She didn’t. The little witch kept on playing and teasing and generally driving him out of his mind. “Gwen.” She blew a cool breath on the head of his cock while lightly grazing his thighs with her nails. He bit out a curse. “Gwen, if you don’t quit fucking around . . .” She fisted his cock and took him into her mouth. “That’s it. Good girl.”

  Zander sank his fingers in her hair, groaning as she sucked him hard and fast, like she was trying to drain the come from his balls. Nails dug into his ass, pulling him forward as she took him deeper. Her throat contracted around his cock as she swallowed, taking even more of him. Fuck.

  Seeing her there, lips wrapped around his cock, cheeks hollowed and flushed, her breasts and hard little nipples bared . . . Zander knew he was gone. “Swallow it all, Gwen.” His orgasm pulled him under, sending pleasure spiraling through him. He gripped her hair tighter as he exploded inside her mouth, shooting jets of come down her throat.

  “Jesus, Gwen.” As he stood there trying to find his composure, his dick still in her mouth, her eyes snapped to his, expectant, waiting for direction. He liked that a fuck of a lot. “I think you deserve a reward for that.”

  In complete agreement, Gwen slowly slid him out of her mouth, kind of pleased with herself. How he was still half-hard, she didn’t know, but she sure did appreciate his excellent recovery time. He didn’t move. Just raked his gaze over her, like he was taking a moment to appreciate a view that was his. “Something you want, Zander?” she asked, throwing his earlier words back at him.

  “I have what I want right here. Stand up.” She did, and Zander slid down her shorts and panties while she kicked off her shoes. “I can smell how wet you are,” he growled. The scent of her need made his dick throb. His wolf inhaled it with a contented growl.

  “I do hope you’re going to do something about it,” said Gwen. He tossed her on the bed, and a laugh bubbled up. She blinked, bracing herself on her elbows . . . just in time to watch the show as he made quick work of his clothes. Damn, the guy was a delicious sight to behold.

  “Spread your legs, Gwen.” Holding his gaze, she did as he asked. “My baby’s being a good girl for me. I like that.” He knelt on the bed and spread the folds of her pussy with his thumbs. “Slick. Plump.” He sank a finger inside her. “I bet you like to play with yourself, don’t you?”

  “Don’t need to. I have a vibrator to do the work.”

  Zander stilled as all kinds of graphic images exploded in his mind. “Watching you fuck yourself with a vibrator has its appeal. But . . . I find I don’t like the idea of anything being in this pussy but me.” He added another finger, smiling at her sharp gasp.

  “The vibrator doesn’t make me come as hard as you do,” she said, surprised she could speak while his fingers were thrusting in and out of her, hitting her most sensitive zones with unerring accuracy. “But it also doesn’t make me do things I don’t want to do.”

  “What do I make you do that you don’t want to do?”

  “You make me say I’m yours.”

  “You are.” He thrust his fingers deep to punctuate his point.

  “I don’t like to say it.”

  She didn’t like to admit it, Zander thought. There was a distinct difference. “Why? Is it because you worry I’ll one day give you back?”

  Gwen shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.”

  He withdrew his fingers. “Baby . . . I couldn’t give you up even if I wanted to.” He tilted her hips toward him, hooked her legs over his shoulders, and swiped his tongue between her slick folds. Her taste blasted through him, and he groaned. “I love going down on you.”

  Zander ate at her pussy, licking and suckling while she bucked and moaned. He growled each time he was rewarded with more of her cream. She tasted so fucking good, smelled so fucking good. As her moans turned into curses because he wouldn’t let her come, he scooped up some cream with his finger and slipped it into her ass.

  Gwen’s back bowed a little. “Jesus, Zander, you need to give a girl some warning before you go shoving things up her—” She cut off as he lightly suckled on her clit. “Fuck. Don’t stop.” But of course he stopped, the jerk.

  “I want to be in you when you come.” Zander lowered her legs, satisfied when she locked them around his waist. He curled his tongue around her nipple just because, and her fingers delved into his hair. Those fingers tugged hard when he plucked the taut bud with his teeth.

  “No biting,” she hissed.

  So he bit her. Right on the swell of her breast. “You like it when I bite you.” His wolf fucking loved it. Zander grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, staring into blue eyes that were hazy with need. The sight made his balls ache. “I’m going to hold you down.”

  Gwen swallowed, totally mesmerized by the stamp of feral possessiveness on his face.

  “No struggling. Just take it.” Zander slowly sank into her, gritting his teeth as her pussy squeezed his cock. Fuck, she was so damn tight. Yet, he always slid smoothly inside . . . because she was made to take him. Once he’d buried every inch of himself inside her, he groaned into her ear. “Gonna make my baby come long and hard, until she can’t even breathe.”

  “I am totally up for that, just in case there was any doubt.”

  His lips curved as he reared back. “Good.” Zander slammed home, driving himself deep. Heels dug into his ass, and her pussy rippled around him. Grunting into her neck, he pumped his cock in and out of her body. Every stroke was hard, wild, possessive. She didn’t struggle against his hold on her wrists. She took what he gave her, and that sent his pleasure soaring.

  “Do you have any idea how hot you looked with my dick in your mouth? Any idea how hot it was when I came right down your throat and you swallowed every drop I gave you?” He bit her earlobe. “Know what else you’ll do one day? You’ll take my cock up your ass.”

  Gwen shook her head, even though she knew she’d let him do it. Hell, she’d let him do just about anything as long as he made her come.

  He lifted his head to pin her gaze. “You will, Gwen. And you’ll love it. If I wasn’t so possessive of this pussy, I might have considered sticking your vibrator in it while I take your ass.” He plunged harder, drove deeper, took everything she had to give. Every moan spurred him on. Every flutter of her pussy pushed him closer to coming. And he was so close now . . .

  He kept on slamming into her, until her pussy became so tight and hot that it was almost too much. He knew she was hanging on that same edge, knew exactly what would throw her over. Because as much as she pissed and moaned about him biting her, she fucking loved it.

  Zander sank into his teeth into her throat, growling as her pussy clamped down on him and she came with a choked scream—back arching, heels digging into his lower back. He rammed his cock deep again and again until, spine locking, he exploded inside his mate.

  As always, a sense of peace crept over him. He might not have claimed her yet, might not have the bond, but she still got to him in a way that no one and nothing else ever could. There was no doubt in his mind that she was his mate. He just needed to find a way to make sure there was no doubt in hers.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jaw clenched, Zander drew in a breath through his nose, seeking calm. “I asked her to stay inside.”

  An amused Marlon bit his lip as he wiped down the kitchen counter. “But did she say that she would?”

  No, she hadn’t. Gwen had done that thing where she nodded her head, and made an mm-hmm sound. It was a sound that usually meant she was going to do whatever the hell she wanted, which was exactly why he’d pushed her to agree to remain inside until he got back from his morning patrol. Her response had been, “If you need me to stay inside, I’ll stay inside.” Yet, she was gone.

  “To be fair, she hasn’t exactly gone shopping or anything,” added Marlon. “And there was no way she was ever going to sit around relaxing when she knows she has the hearing tomorrow. She’s actually bee
n pretty calm this past week, all things considered. Plus, she has Ally with her. They only left, like, a minute ago. You could probably catch up with them.”

  “Where are they headed?” asked Derren.

  “To see Donnie at the outdoor shooting range.”

  Zander had seen the range during his patrols. It was a pretty sweet setup. Donnie had constructed a simple outbuilding with a short row of shooting benches on the firing line. Various homemade targets had been set up at different ranges. The closest was approximately twenty-five yards away, and the farthest was more than one hundred yards away. At the back of the range was a wall of rubber tires to stop projectiles.

  Zander gave Marlon a curt nod and then strode out of the house, with Derren and Bracken close behind him. As they approached the range, his wolf snorted at the scents of gunpowder, hot metal, and lead. They were faint, which suggested no one had shot anything recently. Apparently, Donnie hadn’t yet begun.

  Rounding a cluster of trees, Zander saw the two females crouched near a huge black case, which Gwen was looking through like it was a treasure trove.

  When his mate pulled out a whopper of a gun, Zander growled, “What are you doing?”

  Chewing gum, she gave him a cursory look, then focused on the weapon. “Flossing my teeth. What does it look like I’m doing?”

  Even from there, he could smell the gum on her breath—it was strawberry flavored. “Put that down before the damn thing goes off. I thought you were inside the house.”

  She sighed. “This again?”

  “Gwen.”

  “I can’t talk. I’m introverting right now. You’re disturbing me. That’s not good, because I’m already pretty disturbed.”

  “Gwen.”

  “Stop being snippy.” She eyed him, dubious. “You’ve been moody lately.”

  He had. It was wearing on both him and his wolf that they hadn’t yet claimed her. Especially because they knew she would be safer with the bond. Zander would be able to sense her and feed her energy if need be. “You said that you’d stay inside.”

  “No, I said that if you needed me to stay inside, then I’d stay. But you didn’t need me to; you just wanted me to—there’s a difference.”