Craved By The Alpha Wolf (Firefighter Wolves Shifters Book 2) Page 6
“I know that losing Jack was hard for you. But you can’t keep pushing people away because you’re afraid of being hurt again. But if you continue doing that, you’re going to end up alone.” The look on Lana’s face softened. “I don’t know anything about a blood feud. What happened to Josh was unfortunate but I doubt anything like that will happen to him again.”
Harper nodded and ended the conversation. She still wasn’t sure she believed Lana but it seemed pointless to press her. She went back to what she was doing, putting out the new stock and trying to forget what she heard.
But the more she tried to put it from her mind, the more it was there. There was something strange going on in this town. And if there were people who were out to get the residents of the Shadowbrook estate, that meant that Josh could be a target. Did she want to risk continuing to see him if there was a possibility that he might find himself on the wrong end of a gun?
She didn’t know the answer and the more she turned it over in her head, the more confused she got. She likes Josh, was deeply attracted to him and that frightened her. It would be so easy to grow closer to him, to fall in love with him. And if the danger that had stalked him before came back for him, she didn’t think she’d ever be able to come back from the devastation of losing him. She’d barely survived going through something like that once. There was no way she wanted to do it again.
12
Josh
It was three days since Josh had gone out for dinner with Harper, and thus far she seemed to be avoiding his calls. He had tried not to make a nuisance of himself, had only called her a couple of times. His calls had gone straight to her voicemail and she hadn’t returned the message he’d left for her.
Had he fucked up somehow? He didn’t think so. She’d seemed open to his kiss, had willingly returned it. Who knows what would have happened if she hadn't gotten that phone call. She’d changed as soon as she’d looked at the screen to see who it was.
Could it have been another man? He didn’t think so, since Harper didn’t seem to be the type to run around with multiple men. And Lana certainly hadn’t warned him about anyone else in Harper’s life when he’d talked to her about it.
He went downstairs, debating on if he should try calling her again or if he should go into town to see her. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, Derek was on his way to the great room.
“Alpha has called a meeting with me and Tyler.” Was all he said as he walked away from the stairs.
Great. Another meeting. Josh was getting tired of the tension in the house since Ben had dropped the bomb about Lana’s pregnancy. The pack had been quiet and subdued since, and there was a tension running through the members. Josh knew that it was only a matter of time before there was an explosion of emotions among them. And if he was honest with himself he was getting tired of the drama that existed inside the house. The only time he didn’t feel like that was when he was with Harper. Being with her calmed him and he had a feeling he knew why.
Considering that his brother had gone through the same thing when he’d met Lana, told Josh that there was more between him and Harper than just attraction. It might be too early to tell, but there was a possibility that she was his mate, or at least the one that fate had intended for him.
He wouldn't think about that now. Harper wasn’t even returning his calls, and that was a hurdle he had to get over before he thought about anything serious happening between them.
To Josh’s surprise, only Tyler was in the great room with Ben. His face was grim and there was venom in his eyes when Josh walked into the room.
“What’s going on?” Josh was cautious as he moved further into the room
“I’ll tell you what’s going on. My sister is missing and it is all your fault.” Tyler took a menacing step toward him and Ben grabbed his arm.
“I know this is difficult for you but aggression toward Josh will not help anyone, especially not Eloise. I only informed you of this so you would know what is going on. Eloise will be found. I suggest you go for a run or whatever else it is you need to do to help you deal with this.” The firm thread of authority was in Ben’s voice and Tyler gave Josh one last look before he ripped his arm out of Ben’s grasp and stalked out of the room.
“What do you need me to do?” Derek turned to face Ben, and Ben sighed.
“I need you to go out and look for her. You might have an idea where she went to start her search for the Canergies. Keep in contact with me, and be careful. Having one missing pack member is more than enough.”
Derek nodded and walked away, leaving Ben and Josh standing in the middle of the room.
“Is there anything I can do?” Guilt pierced Josh. Was it his fault that Eloise was now missing? Had there been a way for him to let her down easy without hurting her and driving her away from Shadowbrook?
Ben shook his head. “One going out after her is enough for now. I don’t want the pack to be alarmed by this. It could be that she’s fine and just hasn’t had the opportunity to get back to us.”
Josh could see doubt in Ben’s eyes and further guilt swamped him. The feeling of it pressing down on him was almost claustrophobic and he had to get away from the house. He needed to see Harper, to feel something other than the sense of dread that something had happened to Eloise and it was all his fault.
“I’m going out for a while.”
Josh turned and went toward the door.
“It’s not true, what Tyler says.” Ben’s voice stopped him before he could get all the way out of the room. Josh turned to look at him. “I don’t know what went on between you and Eloise but I can guess. She is a strong wolf capable of making up her own mind. She volunteered to go for the sake of the pack. Tyler had let his worry for her get the better of him.”
Josh nodded but didn’t say anything. As he left the room he wanted to believe that what his brother said was true, but deep down he couldn’t rid himself of the nagging guilt. He just had to hold on to the hope that Eloise was fine and would be pissed when Tyler and Derek went to her “rescue.”
He went to the front door and pulled on his coat. He wanted to be out of here before Tyler and Derek left. Another confrontation with Tyler over what his friend saw as his doing was not something he wanted to subject himself to right now. It would do nothing to soothe the guilt that was sitting inside him.
As if he’d been pulled by an invisible force, Josh found himself drawn into town and to Harper’s apartment. He sat in his truck for a long time, staring up at the building toward the light coming from the window on the second floor. Harper was there and only she could calm the turmoil churning in his guts.
He gave a bitter laugh. If he knocked on her door, would she let him in? Or would she turn him away? He had no idea. All he knew was that she wasn’t returning his calls and yet he still couldn’t keep himself away from her. He wanted her and right now with his guilt and worry over Eloise churning his guts he needed her.
As he got out of the truck, he turned over in his head what he would say to her. Any slick, seductive lines flew out of his head. He needed to be honest with her, to lay his cards on the table. If she rejected him for it, then at least he’d know.
He pressed the intercom button beside the door and waited.
“Yes?” Harper’s voice came over the speaker and some of the tension eased out of him at just hearing it.
“It’s Josh. Can I come in?”
There was a long pause and just when Josh thought that she was not going to let him in, he heard a buzzing sound that told him that she had at least unlocked the door. One hurdle down.
He yanked open the door and took the stairs two at a time. When he got to the top he saw her standing framed in the doorway.
She didn’t say a word as she stepped aside and he walked through the door to the apartment. When he turned to face her, she looked at him with a serious look on her face.
“Josh, what is this about?”
“I promised myself that I would go slow with
you. That I would give you all the time you need to get to know me. But I find I can’t do that tonight. I want you and if you don’t want me in return, tell me to go and I’ll go. I won’t bother you, you won’t see me and I will stay away. All I’m asking is that you are honest with me. Am I a fool to think there is something happening between us?”
13
Harper
Harper looked at him and saw the vulnerability in his eyes. He was giving her a chance to do what her head was telling her. To get him out of her life so that she could go back to her bubble of safety where nothing could touch her, where nothing could hurt her. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that he was mistaken, that at least for her part there was nothing between them.
But as she looked into his stormy gray eyes, she couldn’t do it. Something had disturbed him tonight and he’d come to her because of it. She couldn’t lie to him, couldn’t tell him that there was nothing happening between them. The truth was that there was something there, and now that he was here standing in front of her, she couldn't turn him away.
“I would be lying if I told you that there isn’t something between us. But I’m scared of it.” Her words hung in the air for a moment and he moved toward it.
“What are you afraid of?” He reached up to cup her face and it made her realize that whenever he touched her, that fear clamoring inside her went away. The desire she felt for him whenever he put his hands on her left no room for anything else.
“I’m afraid of being hurt.” It was all she could tell him as she rested her cheek against his warm palm.
“I promise you that I would never do anything to hurt you.” He looked into her eyes and she could see the sincerity there. She knew that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her on purpose, but what about something that was beyond his control? He must have seen that question in her eyes because he ran a soothing hand down her cheek and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I can’t see into the future but what I can see is that I want you and I need you. Is that enough? If it isn’t, tell me now and I’ll go.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that it would be for the best but she found that she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t think about what would happen tomorrow, all she seemed to be able to focus on the here and now. He was the center of her world at the moment and she couldn’t make him go.
“I don’t want you to go.”
It appeared to be all he needed to hear as a relieved smile crossed his face. He leaned forward and melded his mouth with hers. His scent surrounded her as she clung to him. The feeling of the rightness of this settled inside and it shoved aside all her fears, all her doubts. The only thing in her head now was how good his lips felt against hers and how much she wanted to go further than kisses with him tonight. But first, she needed to get him out of his heavy coat so that she could feel his strong body pressed against her.
She pulled back from him and there was a question in his eyes. She smiled up at him as she tugged on the zipper holding his heavy down coat closed. Excitement lit his eyes when he realized that she had not changed her mind.
She took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom. She stood facing him and looked up into his eyes.
“Are you sure about this?” He made no move to touch her, and if she had any doubts about being with him, his words would have eliminated them. From the first moment that she’d met him, she wondered what it would be like to be with him.
“I’m sure.” She stepped toward him and relief flooded his face.
“Thank God.” He pulled her to him, so her body was pressed tight against his and he kissed her with all the passion that he’d been holding back so far. She clung to him as her desire for him slammed through her and she knew that she’d made the right decision to take what he was offering her.
Soon kissing was not enough and he pulled back from her. His hands trembled as he reached for the buttons on her blouse. She stood very still while he undid them, and parted the fabric so he could caress her skin while he slid the blouse off her body. She didn’t know if she was going to have the patience for him to undress her as slowly as he seemed intent on doing. She took a step back and reached behind her back for her bra.
“I don’t want to draw this out. I want to know what your naked body feels like against mine and I don't want to wait.”
His eyes flared with desire and with hurried movements they quickly stripped the clothes from their bodies. Once they were nude, she moved toward him and he put his arms around her waist and she snaked her arms around his neck. His body was so hard, his skin so smooth and he felt so good pressed against her. It was like the softness of her body was perfectly made to match the hardness of his.
He kissed her deeply as he slowly moved her back toward the bed. The edge of the mattress hit the back of her knees and she pulled her mouth away so she could sink on it. She laid back and held her hand out to him. He joined her on the bed and she trembled as he caressed her skin.
A tiny moan escaped her as he tested the weight of her breast. Her nipple tightened into a hardened peak, which begged for his mouth. He obliged her by lowering his head and taking her aroused flesh into his mouth.
Oh God, his touch felt so good and she never wanted this moment between them to end. It had been building between them from the moment she’d first laid eyes on him, and a part of her could hardly believe that this moment had finally come. How had she thought that she could ignore what was between them, that she could pretend it didn't exist?
He switched his attention to her other breast as his hand slowly traversed the skin on her belly, making his way slowly down to the source of her desire. Her legs fell open as he invited his touch. She felt so wet where he stroked her and her head tossed on the pillow as he played her body like a well-tuned instrument. Her need for him climbed higher and higher until she wanted to be filled by him so that she didn’t know where she ended and he began.
The skin was pulled taut across his cheekbones, and she knew that his need was as great as hers, but that he seemed determined to drag this out. She reached down between them, wrapping her hand around his hardened shaft and his breath hissed in through his teeth as he closed his eyes for a second. She could see him struggling not to give in to the desire that was evident in every line of his body, and so she spoke so that he could put both of them out of their aroused misery.
“I want you, Josh. I want to be as close to you as possible. It’s time.”
Her words were like magic, breaking the spell over him. He moved with a swiftness that surprised her, moving his body between her legs. She looked at him as he knelt there, the overhead light in the bedroom showing every line of his hard, muscular body to perfection. He was a magnificent male animal, and at least for tonight, he was all hers.
She reached down and took him in her hand, guiding him to the entrance of her body. With one smooth thrust, he pushed himself inside her, filling her. He was so big that her breath caught for a moment, and he settled further on top of her as he held himself still so she could adjust to him.
She put her arms around him and he leaned down to kiss her tenderly. His touch brought her higher and she longed for him to move inside her. She rocked her hips against him, and it was all he needed to take over. He pulled back and thrust back inside her.
She clung to him as she rode the wave of their passion for each other. Her arousal climbed as tension coiled deep inside her. She was close, could feel the pressure for release building inside her. Then orgasm slammed through her and she was helpless to do anything other than call his name.
As each pulse of pleasure went through her, she couldn't remember ever feeling this good in the arms of a man. His release soon followed hers and she held onto him as she collapsed on top of her.
Once their breathing slowed, their pulses even out and he rolled to his side to pull her against him, she couldn't bring herself to regret doing this with him. She didn’t know what the future held for them, but there was no way she could wish
that something that had felt this good had not happened.
14
Josh
The mood inside Shadowbrook was sober, and Josh struggled to keep his joy at finally being with Harper to himself. He didn’t want to cause any more tension within the pack. The other members wouldn't understand how he could be so drawn to a human woman and frankly he didn’t want to have to justify his feelings for her.
When she’d allowed him into her apartment, she had not turned him away when he told her how much he’d wanted her, he’d felt complete in a way that he hadn’t felt before. How could he explain that to the people he lived with when they saw humans as the enemy.
He’d just finished his shift and was making his way toward the door of the fire station when Tyler walked in the door to start his shift. Ben had arranged the schedule so that he and Tyler were no longer on shifts together. This thing with Eloise had driven a wedge between them, and for a moment Josh wished it hadn’t happened. He and Tyler had been best friends since they were kids and he regretted the words that had been spoken between them. He couldn’t see a way for them to come back from this.
He’d been lucky enough to avoid him in the couple of days that had followed his night with Harper, but he could see that he was no longer going to be so lucky.
Tyler’s lip curled up in a snarl as Josh went past him toward the door. Despite his temptation to say something to his friend, he knew that any words he chose to speak would fall on deaf ears. Fear for his sister had made Tyler angry and he was looking for a target to take that anger out on.