Abducting His Mate_Wolf Shifter Romance Page 8

  Resuming his cleansing, James hastily finished washing his mate, her skin glowing beneath his hands. Quickly he soaped himself, rinsed them both, and lifted her from the tub to set her on the bathroom rug.

  As soon as he grabbed two fluffy towels from the rack, he hastily patted her shaking body down and wrapped her in a cocoon of warmth. “Are you cold, babe?” She kept shivering.

  “I don’t think so.” Tangled masses of hair hung down her back and curled around her face.

  “You need to sit.” He angled her out of the room and over toward a chair, where he pressed her into the seat and began to comb through her glorious curls.

  “I can do that.”

  “Of course you can, but you don’t have to ’cause I’m doing it this time.” He let the silky length slip repeatedly between his fingers as he worked.

  “What happens next? To me, I mean?”

  “Now that you’ve shifted, you’ll learn to control when and where you want to shift. As soon as we can, we’ll find a place to run free in the woods so you can change a few times and get the hang of it. And as for your sexual appetite,” he smiled, “it’ll get stronger over the next few days while your body demands mine. It’s all part of the process. Under normal circumstances, we don’t usually see a mating couple for several days. It’s a private affair.”

  “Oh, right. I guess that makes sense. I’m certainly glad someone else hasn’t been with us for the last day. It’s bad enough you’ve seen me at my…most interesting.” She shuddered.

  James dropped the comb on the desk and turned the chair to bring her face to face with him. “I wouldn’t have been anywhere else. And you’re a beautiful woman, and wolf. I’m beyond proud fate brought us together like this and we shared such a wonderful experience together, the first of the rest of our lives. I mean it when I say I love you. I know this is all strange to you right now, but it’ll get easier, I promise.”

  Tears hung onto the corners of her eyes. If he hadn’t been able to climb into her head and sense they were a product of joy, he would have shot himself to think he’d caused her pain.

  “We have to get going. I think you’re…stable.”

  “Leave? Now?”

  “We have a lot of miles to cover. It’s a long way to Seattle. Your parents…they, um, won’t know why we’ve stopped like this. I’m sorry.”

  “Wait, can’t we just call them? Tell them they don’t have to worry anymore about whoever this Gerald guy is? He can’t have me now, right? If you and I…”

  James was already shaking his head. “Believe me, the idea is tempting, and I’ve certainly thought of it, but I can’t do that to your father. Until yesterday, I was his right-hand man. He trusted me to retrieve you and bring you home safe and sound. In fact, he already had a mate in mind for you. He told me so. He isn’t going to be happy about this, and I’m not about to tell him over the phone.”

  “You have a point. Do you really think I’m in any danger?”

  “Not sure. Depends on Gerald’s motives. If he spotted you as an infant and truly believed he was meant to claim you, then no. He will know you’re already taken and back off as soon as he gets near you.”

  Hannah exhaled, a small smile crossing her lips.

  “However, I have a hard time believing it’s that simple. Why would a man in his forties feel the need to claim a young child? Not to mention he’d be sixty by now. I’m not saying it never happens, but it’s rare, and this particular situation has always reeked of sleaziness to me. It doesn’t add up.”

  “What could he want?”

  “A position in your family, money, status, any number of things.” James stood and pulled Hannah up with him. “Come on. Let’s get dressed and get moving. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get to stop again for the night and I get to peel back your clothes and worship your beautiful body again.” He grinned at her.

  “Is that all you think about?” The little tease dropped her towel and sauntered catlike away from him, leaning over every few steps to pick up discarded clothing.

  He ought to spank that sexy globe of flesh taunting him.

  Two can play this game. Thankful he had more ability to block his thoughts from his mate, he too dropped his towel and proceeded to ignore her as he grabbed their duffels, tossed them on the bed, and dug around in his for clean clothes.

  Hannah sidled up next to him and did the same, hands shaking, her body’s aroma filling the room with her arousal. How long would it take before she stopped needing sex twenty-four seven? Hell, he did not want that day to come.

  James gritted his teeth and jerked his clothes on. They could have sex all day and it wouldn’t change anything. He needed to get them on the road again.

  As it was, the tight confines of the little sports car would fill rapidly with her scent. He’d have to roll the window down to breathe without steering off the road.

  Chapter Six

  “Are we…somewhere yet?” Hannah lifted her head from where she’d been napping nearly all day.

  “Getting there. I was thinking of stopping for the night. I have friends living not far from here. Their place is out of the way enough we could go for a run.”

  “Are you crazy? A run? Why the hell would I want to go for a run?” Hannah glanced down at her jeans, thought about her few clean T-shirts. Her sneakers weren’t even fit for such a thing. Hannah was not a jogger.

  James laughed, a deep sound making her glare at him. “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. You misunderstood. When I say ‘run’, I don’t mean a leisurely human jog, I mean in wolf form. We do it all the time. It’s fantastic. Freeing. You’re going to love it.”

  “Oh.” Stupid.

  “You aren’t stupid. Just inexperienced. I’m sorry, really.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed reassuringly.

  “I talked to your mom while you were dead to the world over there.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “You needed your sleep. Obviously it was a deep sleep—you didn’t even hear the phone ring or me talking. Anyway, your mom is already in Seattle with your dad. She filled me in on what we’re up against. Apparently your family’s been keeping an eye on Gerald and his people for all these years, making sure he never found you.

  “His pack lives a few hours away, but he’s never been satisfied he couldn’t have you, even after sixteen years. When the investigator let your dad know several members of his family have been missing for about a week and were thought to be hanging around in the Boston area, your father decided it was time to bring you home. He didn’t want to risk waiting any longer. That’s when he sent me.”

  “Why didn’t he just call my mom and we could have flown there?”

  “At first he didn’t want to worry your mom unnecessarily until he was sure there was a real threat. They had agreed to wait a few more years. Until you got older.”

  “What does age have to do with it?”

  James cleared his throat. “Hannah, they have, or at least had, someone in mind for you to mate with. They wanted you to have more time before being faced with such responsibility. The plan was to keep you from Gerald until you mated someone else.”

  “Oh… So, why was it necessary to, um, kidnap me like you did?”

  James smirked. “You liked it and you know it. But seriously, I was watching you, making sure you were safe, for a few days. When your dad decided it wasn’t prudent to wait any longer and he couldn’t reach your mom, he sent me in.”

  “You could have been more civil about it.” She tried not to be pouty about it, but seriously.

  “Riiight. That would have worked splendidly. Hi, Hannah. My name’s James. I’m a wolf, oh, and so are you. Would you come with me to Seattle to meet your not-dead father and live happily ever after?”

  “Okay, okay, you have a point.” She looked away for a moment. Then changed the subject.

  “Did my mom mention where Gerald’s people are now?”

  “No, so we’re sticking to the plan. Even though I’ve
claimed you, he doesn’t know that, and neither do your parents. I don’t want to get caught somewhere having to defend you against God knows how many of them with no backup.”

  “What if they’re following us?”

  “It doesn’t seem they had quite located you yet in Boston, if that’s even what they were doing there. So hopefully they’re still chasing their tails around.”

  “Literally.”

  “Exactly.”

  She processed this for a few minutes before continuing. “Why do you suppose my dad sent you specifically?”

  “I’ve been working for him for years. Our families have always been close. I’ve done jobs for him all over the country.”

  “What do you do, exactly?”

  “I have a finance degree. Your father buys and sells properties, usually businesses, fixes them up, and flips them. I fly in to supervise, make sure everything goes smoothly with the closing.”

  “Will he be mad? About us, I mean? What’s he like?”

  “He is a stern man, but fair. I’m not worried about him screaming and yelling, if that’s what you’re thinking, but he may be very disappointed. This certainly isn’t what he had in mind when he sent me. I’m more worried about whoever your father had in mind for you to mate. That’s the guy that should be pissed.”

  “If nature brought you and me together, how could someone else have ‘claimed’ me, as you say?”

  “Oh, plenty of wolves mate for life without such a monumental claiming. Not everyone meets their perfect mate. Just like humans. When it happens, it’s wonderful. When it doesn’t, mates almost always grow to love, depend on, and even need each other as much as they would have otherwise. It just isn’t always quite so…obvious, I guess you could say. Besides, once a couple is mated, their pheromones change. If there had been someone else for them, they’d never know it.”

  “Maybe we could keep it to ourselves for a while?”

  “Fat chance.” James snorted and shot a glance her way. “Babe, you reek of me, and I of you. We have extremely sensitive senses. You’ll soon realize it yourself. Not only will your parents know we had sex before we walk through the door, but they’ll know I’ve claimed you as my own. No one can break that bond,” he added.

  “I see… James?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What if I’m pregnant? We had unprotected sex…I don’t know how many times.” Hannah wrung her hands as she let this thought filter back through her mind. I’m so young. We just met.

  “You aren’t.”

  “How the hell do you know?” He could be so cocky.

  “Hey, don’t get testy on me now.” He smiled at her and grabbed her fingers, stilling her nervousness.

  “And what about STDs? How could we be so careless?” She yanked her hand away from his attempt to sooth her.

  “Hannah, shifters can’t catch, carry, or spread STDs. As for pregnancy, I would never consider keeping you from carrying a child of mine. It’s just the way we’re wired. My inner male screams to impregnate you.”

  When she gasped, he continued, “However, I would and will know when you’re pregnant. Everyone will in fact. We can scent it like everything else. Nature buys us some time together. Even though you’re technically in heat right now, it’s just nature’s way of drawing us together, like magnets. Your pheromones and mine are totally in sync. But you aren’t ovulating yet. I’ll know. Your scent will change. So will your sex drive.”

  “Are you saying one day I’m going to want to have sex even more than I do right now?” Hannah sat up straight and glared daggers at this crazy man beside her whose body was already sending hers into overdrive with the need to be filled by him again. Just the mention of the word sex pebbled her nipples and made her squeeze her knees together.

  Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself tight as she slumped back into the comfortable bucket seat again to stare out the window.

  James hadn’t responded to her. It didn’t matter. It had been rhetorical anyway.

  He noticeably didn’t reach for her either. She wasn’t even sure if she was pleased or pissed about that.

  “Just trying my damndest to give you some time…space. If you would prefer, I’ll pull over right now and fuck you senseless.”

  Hannah didn’t glance his way. Without moving her face from the outdoor scenery, she could avoid knowing whether his look was mocking or serious. Even though he’d spoken into her mind many times already, she knew she hadn’t perfected the art of understanding tiny nuances in the words.

  Comfortable silence enveloped them for a while before James finally pulled off the highway.

  “James?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you mind if we just keep going?” she implored. “As much as I’d love to stop and make love at every highway exit along the way, I’d also really like to get to Seattle as soon as possible, see my mother, meet my father, and get some answers.”

  “I totally understand.” He pulled into a fast food joint and stopped the engine. Turning toward her, he continued. “I have the rest of my life with you. If we drive all night, we should be able to get to you father’s by about midday tomorrow. Let’s grab a bite to eat and keep moving.”

  “Thank you.” She hoped her feelings for him showed in her eyes. She truly felt extremely connected to James already and hoped he understood her unease and her need to get to Seattle.

  If he read her thoughts, he didn’t say anything, just climbed out of the car, a smile on his face.

  Chapter Seven

  When the sun was high in the sky the following day, and just when Hannah didn’t think she could possibly sit one more minute in that small space, James finally announced, “We’re home.”

  Hannah stared out the window at the sprawling ranch James had referred to as home.

  “Well, not technically, I guess. I have my own place down the road. Yours now too. But this is your father’s house.”

  Nerves shook Hannah’s hands uncontrollably as her focus shifted from hours of needing to pull over and fuck to the house in front of her and all it represented.

  James stepped out of the car and casually rounded the front to let her out. When he grasped her fingers, she wondered if he was as nervous as she was.

  The front door burst open when they approached and Hannah’s mom ran down the few steps to the sidewalk, straight toward Hannah, whom she grabbed in a tight embrace. James took only a few scant steps to the side to give her space.

  “Baby. I’ve missed you so much,” her mother began, taking her face between her palms. “Are you okay? I was so worried.”

  “I’m fine, Mom. Tired, but fine.”

  “James…” Meredith Stone took a step back and turned to him while Hannah held her breath. “It’s been so long. How are you? You’re all grown up.”

  He smiled at her warmly.

  She faced Hannah again. “Let’s go inside. Sit. Talk. I’m sure you have about ten-thousand questions for me…and your father.”

  When Hannah’s mother turned toward the open front door, Hannah exchanged a look with James, trying to convey her confusion.

  “I have no idea what to say, babe. Let’s just go inside.”

  “She said nothing. She doesn’t know. You said she’d smell it on us.”

  “Oh, she knows, honey. The rest I can’t explain.” James put his arm around Hannah and squeezed her shoulders.

  “Are you trying to provide support for me or hold yourself up?” Hannah chuckled in her head.

  As soon as they reached the front door, a large, burly man appeared to greet them.

  “Hannah? Oh my God. Look at you. You’re so beautiful.”

  He clasped her hands in his and stepped back to survey his daughter. There was no doubt this man was her father.

  James never left her side or removed his grasp around her, though it slipped to her waist.

  She didn’t know what to say. The father she’d thought dead stood before her now with love in his eyes.


  Hannah’s own mother, thought to have been a hermit for Hannah’s entire memorable past, grasped this large man around his arm and hugged herself against him tightly.

  Hannah had never once seen her mother exude such emotion…happiness. The reason for her self-imposed celibate life was clear now.

  “Let’s sit in the parlor.” Meredith tugged the silent group around the corner to a large room Hannah would describe as anything but a parlor. Inviting, warm, perhaps masculine, but not the stuffy definition she’d give to a parlor.

  Chocolate-colored fluffy furniture filled the room. Lush rugs. The walls were painted muted earth tones that invited one to sink into one of the sofas and relax.

  Maxwell headed straight for one such couch and pulled Meredith down alongside him. His arm wrapped around her waist, and he kissed her sensuously on the lips before speaking again. “I can tell you’ve done a wonderful job raising our daughter, and I love you so much for it.”

  Glancing up, her father motioned for Hannah and James to take a seat on the couch across from them. “Please,” he implored of her, “make yourself at home. This is as much your home and your mother’s as it is mine.”

  “Why is he skirting around the issue?” Hannah communicated into James mind.

  James ignored her, his gaze never leaving her father. “Sir, might we please address the elephant in the room first?”

  Maxwell chuckled and squeezed his wife closer. “What elephant, son?”

  James cleared his throat. “Sir, I mated with your daughter, claimed her as my own two days ago. Is it not obvious?”

  Maxwell laughed louder this time. “I know that, James. I’ve always known. Why do you think I sent you to get my daughter?”

  His smile was mocking.

  Hannah gasped. “You knew?” Her mouth hung open, and she squeezed James’s leg beside her while she glanced back and forth between her parents. “Why didn’t you tell us? Tell me?”