Lunar Mates Volume Two: Books 4-6 Read online

  She didn’t miss Wyatt. Not ever. But she often found herself daydreaming about last year, when she spent hours waiting for Billy to appear in the diner. She did miss that. Closing her eyes, she sighed and acknowledged the truth. She missed him. She had to get out of the crowd and go home, where she could examine this new revelation and decide what to do with it. She made up an excuse about not feeling well and said her goodbyes to make her way back across the clearing to her car.

  It wasn’t a long drive to her place, which sat on a small rise with a stream meandering alongside it, in the development owned by the pack. The builder hadn’t bothered to construct the driveway across the water, instead opting to fashion a small parking area with a footbridge over the stream to allow access the house. She pulled into the slot and parked next to a familiar black SUV. She looked up at the house, her hands convulsing on the steering wheel, and saw Billy waiting on the front porch.

  He sat in the glider, leaning over with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. She considered leaving, and that thought dredged up a well of anger. This was her house, damn it. It was the first place she’d felt safe since she left her father’s home. She exited the car and stalked across the bridge, ready to give him a piece of her mind. She wanted to see him, yes, but on her own terms and not in the place that was her refuge. Not yet. By the time she reached the porch, she was good and mad and he stood straight as an arrow, watching her. His first glance took the wind out of her sails.

  “I’m sorry for surprising you like this,” he said quietly. “But I had to see you somewhere I knew you couldn’t run and hide.”

  “Well, shit,” she muttered, aggravated that he knew her so well.

  He hid a smile behind a cough and she glared back. He certainly had her figured out. Yet her irritation faded fast and she drank him in. He looked tired, with fatigue etched around his eyes and new lines appearing around his mouth. His eyes—those intense, laser blue pools that always seemed to see straight to her thoughts—were full of longing. She felt her own eyes welling up again and silently cursed Wyatt for destroying her ability to trust.

  She unlocked the door and waved him inside. Wariness warred with excitement. She wanted to know what he’d been up to, how he was doing. They’d talked on the phone, but she saw now how much he’d concealed from her in those mostly casual conversations. He hadn’t been able to hide his emotions from her at the diner, even when she tried to be unresponsive and brush him off. It had surprised her when she’d first moved to this forest—so different from her own—how much she missed that wary companionship. But even expecting it, his presence made her nervous too. She was ready to take a step, not a leap, and werewolves didn’t tend to operate that way.

  Three

  Billy wandered around her living room, taking it all in before sitting on the long leather couch. She stood just inside the doorway, her body language a tangle of confusion. He saw nervousness in her hands, fear and interest in her eyes, and caught a faint scent of arousal on her skin. The wolf in him wanted to pounce on her and take her to the floor where she stood, fuck her, and mark her as his. He forced himself to sit still.

  He’d come to the council meeting with one mission, despite everything else going on. Somehow he had to convince her to accept his bond and come home with him. He couldn’t take much more of the distance she’d put between them. For at least the ten thousandth time, he wished Wyatt was alive for him to kill all over again. It wouldn’t make him any more dead, but it would give Billy a great deal of satisfaction. The werewolf had stolen his mate and even in death kept them apart. He took a deep breath, willing his hammering heart to slow and reaching for the calm for which he was so well known.

  “Why don’t you sit down?” he asked Chloe.

  She stepped into the sunken living room and dropped her bag on a side table. Then she surprised him by perching on the far end of the couch, when he’d expected her to choose one of the chairs out of his reach. Her hands fisted in her lap and she looked down at them.

  “How have you been?” he asked.

  Her head jerked up. He was glad he had her attention, but he wasn’t sure if he could take the wary look in her eyes. Thank god it was replaced by a hint of amusement then polite interest. He didn’t like that much.

  “You talked to me a few days ago. I’m fine. What about you?”

  “I’m good.” He shook his head. “No. That’s a lie. I’m miserable and irritable and apparently such a nightmare to be around that Jackson keeps threatening to…well, never mind.”

  She stared at him like he’d grown an extra head and stood, the movement abrupt and jerky.

  “I can’t do this,” she muttered, attempting to pass him.

  He couldn’t let her escape so easy and grabbed her hand. “Chloe. Wait.”

  She looked down at him and tried to tug free of his grasp, her eyes brimming with tears. Ah, hell. He wished more than anything that she’d let him pull her down onto his lap and kiss them away. He sighed. Another time. He would get her that comfortable with him; he’d never give up.

  “Give me some space, Billy. Please,” she whispered.

  The word please, her tone, hurt and scared, almost killed him, almost made him give in. Before he could talk himself into it, he shook his head. Gage had warned him she was still fragile, had made him promise to go carefully but that didn’t mean he would leave her. He knew she was stronger than she realized.

  “I can’t and you know it,” he answered softly. “I can’t stand to see you upset like this. You know I’d never hurt you.”

  She snorted a laugh, but quit trying to pull away. “Knowing something, or believing it, intellectually is not the same. You’ll want me to submit and I’m not sure if I can.”

  He couldn’t deny he wanted that. Wanted to dominate, wanted her under his control. More than anything he wanted her to trust him to take care of her needs as well as his own.

  “I would never hurt you, but I also can’t pretend to be something I’m not.”

  He took a deep breath, biding his time, unsure how to convince her to give them a chance. He could tell her how much he loved her, but he didn’t think she would believe him. So he might as well fall back on the physical needs of his species. On the attraction, the connection that linked them. That she understood, and since he could already smell desire on her skin, the scent soft but definitely there, he thought it might be his best shot. He gave into temptation, tugged her down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She felt so good there he almost forgot he needed a plan.

  “Give me this week,” he demanded, meeting her startled gaze. “Everything I want. Stand at my side and work with me like my mate should, and I give you my word I won’t bind you to me. Not unless you ask me to.”

  Gasping, she stiffened and tried to move off his lap, but he held on tight. Then she laughed.

  “You’re crazy,” she said. “You don’t have that kind of control.”

  He arched an eyebrow.

  “Well, you don’t.” She swallowed hard and he liked that bit of nerves.

  “I’ve managed to restrain myself for a year, babe.”

  “Not like this. Like you’re talking about. Once a week at the diner was one thing. On the phone when you were five hundred miles away. It isn’t the same as being in the same house. Being around each other all the time.”

  He smiled. “I can handle it. But maybe you can’t. Or maybe you’re going to latch onto that as an excuse to keep living in fear.”

  She was openly disbelieving, and then her eyes narrowed and flashed as her anger sparked, and some of the weight lifted from his heart. He’d drag her into his life by keeping her pissed off if that’s what worked.

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  He grinned. “No, I don’t think you are.”

  She cocked her head to one side. “You did that on purpose. You’re trying to make me angry?”

  “Maybe. I’m not letting you go. I gave you as much time as I could, and now
I’m asking you to give me time. Let me show you how good we can be together.”

  “Just for this week?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you won’t bite me?”

  He paused. This was the tricky part. “This week I won’t bite you.” After that all bets were off.

  “So you’re saying that you want to have sex with me this week, and you want me to do the whole social circuit with you, and you’re strong enough to control your urge to bind me to you, but after that, I’m fair game?”

  He laughed. Leave it to Chloe. She’d gone straight to the point. God, he loved this woman. “I’m saying that I’ll wait as long as I can, and I won’t bite you this week. Unless you ask me to.”

  She snorted. “That isn’t going to happen.”

  Her words were like a gauntlet tossed at his feet, and he silently vowed that she would. She grew quiet, thinking it over, and he studied her face. The bruises and cuts from the last time he saw her had long since healed, but there was a faint scar next to her right eye. He wondered where her other physical scars were as he gently traced it with his fingertip. Meeting her gaze as he did so, he was thrilled to see a desire growing in her eyes. She may be afraid or reluctant to begin their relationship, but she did want him.

  “I missed you,” he said. He watched her expectantly, wondering what she might admit in exchange.

  “I might have missed you. Just a little,” she finally answered, giving him a tiny smile.

  His heart soared at the confession, at the softening in her eyes. This was going to work. Somehow, he’d make it work. She shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position, and bumped against his erection. She froze, and her eyes flew to his face. He met her gaze, forcing a calm into his limbs and the expression on his face that he sure as hell didn’t feel. He couldn’t help what she did to him. His cock had been hard since he’d first caught her scent at the clearing. Now she smelled of lust and fear.

  “Please let me go,” she said. “I’m not kicking you out, but I need some space.”

  He let her up and watched as she practically jumped across the room. The wolf part of him wanted to stalk her and it was damned difficult to control. They had to reach some kind of arrangement soon, because even he had limits.

  “What’s it going to be Chloe?” His voice came out harsher than he intended.

  She winced.

  Four

  “What the hell am I doing?” Chloe whispered.

  Damn it. She hadn’t meant to voice the insecurity and resisted the urge to clamp her hands over her out of control mouth. She lifted her chin, feeling confused but determined, and met his gaze. She was a mess. Better he know that right from the start.

  He kept surprising her though. He smiled, came to his feet, and walked slowly toward her, as if afraid she might bolt. She thought about it, instead ordered her feet not to move, but acknowledged that wasn’t what held her still. She did so because of something in his eyes which shocked her into immobility. Was it tenderness? Admiration? Or respect?

  He stopped in front of her and cupped her face with his palms. Tracing her cheekbones with his thumbs, he met her eyes without bothering to conceal his emotions. She’d always thought his were icy blue, but now they were hot enough to burn. Butterflies took flight in her stomach and her knees went weak.

  In the past, she’d always made it a point not to notice Billy as man, or had tried to at least. Being bonded to Wyatt had made him completely out of her reach, and the experience of that bond had convinced her she didn’t want to ever be in that position again. She’d been at Wyatt’s mercy, and he was not a merciful man. Neither was Billy. Logically she knew that most werewolves’ mates were treasured, and that Billy would fall in with the majority. Emotionally it was a leap she wasn’t sure she was ready for. Yet…

  The gentleness of his hands on her face and the feel of his big, solid body so close to hers were stirring old feelings within her, though. Wyatt shouldn’t have been her mate, had bound her to him anyway and the chemical mix had accomplished its goal. She may have hated his guts, but she had craved his body—and loathed herself for it. Billy may not have bitten her yet, but he was her true mate and she felt a rush of lust in response to his close proximity.

  She slipped free of his hold and walked to the large window overlooking the backyard. Her arms crossed over her chest and she stared out into the night, trying to come to grips with both the past and the future. She closed her eyes and remembered.

  She and Billy had grown up in the same pack, but he was five years older so they’d never moved in the same circles. By the time she was a teenager, she was certain he was the one for her, but he was being trained for a beta position even then and he never noticed her. She’d gone off to college and had a blast, convincing herself her attraction to him was all in her head in the process. She spent her breaks with friends, and never saw him on the rare occasions she made it home. After graduation, she’d decided to travel a bit but soon grew restless. She had felt like something major was missing in her life. So eventually she went home, where she found the pack in turmoil over Brant’s harsh leadership and lack of a clear heir, and a plotting Wyatt spotted her.

  Suddenly, she was overcome by despair and anger. She should have sought Billy out right away instead of spending weeks trying to get her bearings and to figure out how to best get his attention. Instead she’d delayed and Wyatt stole a piece of her life. She was damned lucky to be free of him, but how long was she going to let him continue to rule her?

  Billy came up behind her and she almost smiled at the rustling sound he made, certain he’d done it on purpose to avoid spooking her. Not that it mattered. When his hands settled on her shoulders, she jumped anyway.

  “Shh,” he murmured.

  His body heat sunk into her as he kneaded the knotted muscles in her neck and shoulders. His touch was slow and careful. Tender. She relaxed against him with a soft moan.

  “I knew when I was a teenager, you know.” There was an edge of accusation in her voice as some of her anger from the last few months settled on him. “But you never once noticed me.”

  His fingers, those magic fingers, stilled for a moment. Even though he was touching her through the thin cotton of her shirt, they fanned the growing heat of her arousal. She wanted to feel him skin to skin, to see what else they could do.

  “I wouldn’t have touched you when you were a teenager. I would have left if I had to,” he said seriously. No doubt he had been thinking about the age difference. “I would have come back when you were a few years older.”

  “When I was in college? That would have been a successful return,” she said.

  “Nolan would have told me where you were.” His voice carried a smile. “The only reason I’ve stayed away so long was because of—”

  He left Wyatt’s name unsaid, although it hung in the air between them. Anger and tension again coiled within Chloe’s body.

  “We’ll have to talk about him eventually,” she said.

  “Yes, we will, but not right now. I have a much better idea.”

  He ran his hands up and down her arms, then leaned down and kissed her throat. She felt a jolt from where his lips pressed to her pussy, which clenched in response. She was wet just like that. Needy. With his superior senses, there was no way he’d miss it. He spun her around. She expected to see a triumphant grin on his face, but instead found him watching her, his eyes serious.

  “What’s it going to be, Chloe? I’ve given you the best offer I can.”

  She remembered the couples at the party with an intense yearning. She wanted her life back, including the future she should have had with Billy.

  She took a deep breath, and answered him, “We’ll give it a try this week, but no biting. And I’m not making any promises about after that.”

  He exhaled a deep sigh and muttered “thank God” under his breath. Then his eyes narrowed on her face, giving her the impression that she’d just made a deal with the big bad wolf. She too
k an involuntary step back.

  He pulled his shirt off over his head, and she thought her eyes might bug out. The words oh my God and ripped flitted through her mind. His broad shoulders narrowed down to a slim, chiseled stomach. Her mouth watered, but nerves made her sarcastic.

  “Just want to jump right to it, huh?” she asked.

  He laughed and caught her hand, pulling her close but leaving a few inches between them. “God. I need you, so yes. I need you to touch me, Chloe. I need to feel your hands on me.”

  The hunger in his eyes was intense and raw. She couldn’t deny her body’s response, but she’d hoped he would give her mind time to catch up. She wanted to touch him however, to discover how all that masculine perfection felt, so she reached up with her other hand. To her surprise, he caught her fingers and her gaze rose to meet his.

  “Touch or not?” she asked.

  “Don’t you have a bedroom?”

  Five

  She hesitated, and Billy thought she was going to back out. If she tried to he’d bring up the bargain but he didn’t want to. He wanted her, needed her, to come to him willingly. Eagerly would be even better. Hell, he’d probably resort to begging, but as he watched the hesitation in her eyes changed to resolve and she turned, leading him down a short hall.

  Her ass swung in an unconscious siren’s call and his wolf side growled its approval. She opened a door, and he followed her in. She shifted nervously at the end of the bed, a vision that made his cock impossibly hard. She had the kind of body most men would kill for and most women hated to have. A perfectly rounded butt and full high breasts. She looked like an old fashioned pin-up. Voluptuous. Her black curly hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he wanted to see it hanging free over her shoulders.

  “Take down your hair,” he said, somehow keeping the growl out of his voice.

  She pulled out the elastic and pushed her hair away from her face as it fell free. Beautiful.

  “Now, take off your clothes,” he ordered. She hesitated so long he thought she might refuse. His heart stopped. Fuck no. He couldn’t have got this far for that to happen. “You did agree, Chloe. Anything I ask for.”