Jessica Coulter Smith Read online

  A cold nose against her neck and soft whine made her eyes fly open again. She looked at him in shock. He was rescuing her! Maybe he was a tame wolf, someone’s pet. Tentatively she reached out and ran her hand along his neck. The fur was thick and coarse; he smelled musty and wild.

  “Thank you for saving me.” Brianna felt slightly ridiculous for talking to an animal in an alley after being attacked by a madman. Maybe she was in shock.

  The wolf licked her cheek and cocked his head, as if waiting for her to do or say something.

  Brianna unsteadily climbed to her feet, bracing herself against the wall. She reached down for her purse, making sure nothing had spilled out, and then patted the wolf on the head. She slowly walked out of the alley to head back to her apartment. Her appetite was long gone, and she needed to get cleaned up. Looking down at herself, she realized her clothes were stained and only hoped they weren’t ruined. Her face was sore and felt swollen on the side where she had been struck.

  It only took her a moment to realize that she was being followed. She looked over her shoulder and noticed the wolf trailed behind her like a lost puppy or maybe more like a guardian considering he'd just saved her life.

  “If you’re going to come along, you might as well walk beside me,” she told him.

  The wolf loped closer to Brianna, slowing his pace when he reached her side. Glancing up at her, he almost looked concerned. She quickly shook the ridiculous thought from her mind. When they reached the door to her apartment, she unlocked it and let the wolf go in first. Once they were inside, Brianna locked it again. Everything seemed smaller with the large beast standing in the middle of the living room. He took up so much space!

  “Make yourself at home,” she told him, heading for her bathroom.

  Stripping out of her clothes, Brianna turned on the shower. When she looked in the mirror, she groaned. She had a bruise forming on her right cheek, and the whole area was swollen. She’d be lucky if she didn’t have a black eye by the morning!

  After testing the water, she stepped under the warm spray and scrubbed her body, trying to wash the horrid man from the alley off her skin. Suddenly everything hit home, and she started shaking. Brianna sank to the bottom of the tub, letting the water run over her skin as she sobbed.

  Suddenly the shower curtain moved. Brianna startled and screamed. The wolf poked his head around the curtain, clearly checking on her. She gave him a small smile and reached out to pet his head. “I’m okay, just shaken up."

  He licked her hand and lay down on the floor by the tub.

  Brianna finished washing and turned off the water. Reaching for her towel, she wrapped it around her body. The wolf might just be an animal, but it still felt odd to be naked around him. The more she thought about it, the more she realized he must be a hybrid of some sort. After all, the only wolves in the area were at the zoo, and she hadn’t heard of any escaping. He didn’t have on a collar, but he wasn’t thin like most strays.

  “I bet your owner is looking for you,” she told him, looking into his dark brown eyes.

  The wolf cocked his head as if he understood her and padded out of the bathroom. He promptly jumped onto the end of her bed and waited for her. Brianna walked into her bedroom and grabbed a nightgown. Eyeing the wolf, she walked back into the bathroom and closed the door. It was just too weird to get dressed in front of him.

  Once she'd changed, she walked back out to the bedroom. It was after nine o’clock. Normally she was editing, reading, or watching TV at this time of night, but after her ordeal, her body was more tired than usual. Pulling back the covers, she crawled into bed. The wolf walked up to the head of the bed and burrowed under the covers, his head emerging a moment later. He plopped his head down onto his paws and watched her.

  Brianna reached over and draped an arm over him as she snuggled down into her pillow. Before long, her eyes drifted shut and she fell into the best dream she’d ever had.

  ***

  Logan pulled her nightgown over her head and dropped it to the floor. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her, delving his tongue between her lips, teasing her. Skin to skin, she could feel his hard body pressed against hers. Her hands moved to his shoulders, feeling their strength. Feeling his hard cock between her legs, she rubbed herself against him. She’d never wanted anyone as much as she wanted him. As his hands caressed her, she pressed closer to him.

  “Logan, please,” she begged, wanting to feel him inside of her.

  With one thrust, Logan joined the two of them together. Sliding in and out of her moist heat, he drove her to a frenzy. His cock plunged into her harder and faster, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him in further. When she cried out her release, he let himself go, finding his pleasure in her body.

  Their sweat slicked bodies intertwined, they fell asleep.

  Brianna woke with a start. The first thing that registered in her sleep-fogged brain was the fact that she was immensely turned on. Next, she realized that she was naked and she wasn’t alone. Turning, her jaw dropped when she spotted Logan in her bed. A naked Logan! What the hell was going on? Where had he come from? She didn’t remember letting him in. What had happened? Had her dream been true? A dozen questions swirled through her mind as she watched him sleep.

  When he rolled to his side and threw his arm over her waist, she felt his erection pressing against her stomach. Heat stole across her cheeks as she realized that she’d had hot, sweaty sex with a man she didn’t know, a man she didn’t remember letting into her apartment. What the hell is wrong with me?

  When Logan reached down to pull her leg over his hip, she moaned as the tip of his cock brushed against her hot pussy. Regardless of how long she’d known him, she wanted him – again. She’d never had such an intense reaction to a man before.

  “Brianna,” he whispered as he thrust into her.

  Brianna gasped and arched her back, pressing her hips against Logan’s, drawing him deeper inside. Whatever questions she had would have to wait until later. Much later. “Logan, you feel so good.”

  Logan opened his eyes and watched her expressions as he thrust in and out of her. As his cock plunged deeper and harder, her nails clawed at his back, trying to draw him closer. Her breasts brushed against his chest, and her nipples pebbled. He kissed her, his mouth ravaging, claiming her as his, and she surrendered to him completely.

  He knew she was close to her release when her whole body flushed a light pink. Driving into her over and over, he pushed her over the brink and felt her pussy convulse around his cock. Just as she started to relax, he plunged deeper inside of her, exploding in his own orgasm. Afterward, they both lay panting in each other’s arms.

  “It’s not that I’m complaining because the sex was great, but when did you get into my bed?” she asked between gasps for air.

  He grinned. “You let me in after I saved you."

  Her brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? I let a wolf in after he saved me, but…”

  She trailed off as she stared into his chocolate eyes, the same eyes she’d looked into last night when the wolf had come to her in the shower. It wasn’t possible! There was no way that werewolves existed! They were make-believe for god’s sake! True, she’d read her fair share of werewolf romances, but still… they didn’t exist! Right? “Are you trying to tell me you’re a werewolf?”

  He shrugged. “That’s the only term I know for what I am.”

  Brianna stared at him in stunned amazement. She wasn’t sure if she should believe him or call a psychiatrist to come pick him up for evaluation. A quick look around the room confirmed that the wolf was gone, but the animal could have slipped out when Logan came in. That didn’t prove anything.

  Logan sighed. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but I hoped that you'd believe me.”

  “Why? Why me?” she asked.

  “Because you’re my mate,” he answered.

  Brianna gave him a dumbfounded look. “Your mat
e?”

  He nodded. “Did you not feel the heat between us yesterday? Don’t deny that you didn’t want me because I felt your eyes on me the whole time I was there.”

  Brianna blushed and ducked her head; so much for her being inconspicuous. “You noticed that, huh?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I noticed. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off you as well.”

  “But that doesn’t mean I’m your mate. I mean, aren’t mates a kind of forever thing? And we just met so…”

  He cut her off. “It doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve known each other, the fact remains that you’re my mate – and yes, it’s a forever kind of thing."

  Flinging off the covers, Brianna got out of the bed and began pacing, forgetting that she was naked. Logan watched her with hungry eyes. He began to grow hard again, just thinking about her legs wrapped around him. Getting out of the bed, he walked over to her, using his body to press her up against the wall.

  Logan bent his head and kissed her. Lifting her legs, he put them around his waist as he thrust into her.

  “Again?” she asked in surprise.

  He smiled. “Yeah, again. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

  Forgetting for a moment his wild claims of being a werewolf, she smiled and buried her fingers in his thick, short hair, deciding to go along for the ride. They could discuss the insanity of werewolves and mates later.

  Chapter Three

  An hour later, Brianna came to the horrible realization that she was going to be late for work again. Glancing at the bed beside her, she saw that Logan was sound asleep. She slipped out from under the covers and hurried into the bathroom. While the shower water warmed up, she brushed her teeth. Her reflection almost caused her to shriek. There was a blue bruise across her cheek, and it was still a little swollen from the previous night. Hopefully some make-up would cover it.

  As she climbed under the warm spray, she sighed. Her body ached in places she had forgotten existed, but it was a good ache. Then again, since a werewolf had been the cause of her blissful, achy state, maybe it was a crazy ache. Werewolves? She still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it.

  Quickly washing her hair, she rinsed off and got out of the shower with a towel around her body. When she entered the bedroom, she noticed that Logan was missing. A quick look around her apartment told her that he was nowhere to be seen, but there was a note on her kitchen table.

  Brianna,

  I’m sorry to have sprung all of this on you so suddenly. You’re my mate and I will come back for you, but right now, I think you need some time to digest everything. I’ll stop by your store next week, and we can talk, assuming you want to talk to me.

  Yours, Logan

  Leaving the note on the table, she went back to her bedroom to get dressed. Brianna pulled on a black skirt and lavender top. Heading back into the bathroom, she pulled her hair in a twist and put on a little make-up. She stepped into her black heeled sandals and grabbed her purse. It was time to start another day.

  ***

  At the end of the day, Brianna pulled the money from the drawer and took it into the back room. She’d had a very profitable day for a Wednesday, making well over three-thousand dollars. Wednesdays and Thursdays were usually her slowest days.

  Putting the money into the safe, she went through her daily ritual for closing down the store and prepping it for the next day. At eight-thirty, she turned off the lights, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door. Locking up, she promptly went to her apartment. The night before was still fresh in her mind, and she wasn’t about to tempt fate. Whether she liked it or not, it was a frozen dinner night for her.

  Brianna slowly climbed the stairs to her apartment and sat her purse down on the kitchen table. Pulling out her laptop, she decided to check her email and catch up with her friends. She’d been working so hard lately that she hadn’t gone out on the town with them in a while.

  Brianna booted up the laptop and opened her email. She had over one-hundred unread messages. She shook her head, wondering how they could've piled up so quickly. She’d just checked it… well she was fairly sure she'd checked it last week.

  One in particular caught her eye. “Enjoy an evening in the woods! Guided tours through Mercy Woods, nine o’clock to midnight every night this week!”

  Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was almost nine o’clock. If she hurried, she could just make it. While it probably be more romantic if she had someone, like Logan for instance, with her, she bet the woods were beautiful at night. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard about the tours, but she’d never been able to go before. Maybe what she really needed was to get out of the apartment for a little bit. Despite her scare the other night, a moonlit walk sounded like just the thing.

  Running into the bedroom, she changed into a pair of jeans and some tennis shoes before dashing out the door. After locking the apartment door behind her, she hurried down to her car. She quickly drove down the street, trying to get to Mercy Woods before nine o’clock.

  Chapter Four

  Brianna pulled into the parking lot on the edge of Mercy Woods at precisely nine o’clock. Stepping out of her car, she locked it and walked toward the crowd gathered on the grass a few feet away.

  “Hi, are all of you here for the guided tour?” Brianna asked, stepping up to the group.

  “You bet,” answered a guy who looked to be in his late teens. “I’ve already been on this tour twice before, but it’s worth seeing again and again.”

  “Really? What do you see out there?”

  “Oh, all kinds of night creatures, plus you can hear the crickets and frogs. It’s really peaceful. And the full moon tonight should make it even more spectacular!”

  Two large men walked over to the group. The larger of the two addressed them. “Thank you for joining me this evening. Are we ready to begin?”

  Brianna hadn’t seen a man as big as this one. He was easily six-and-one-half feet tall and looked like he weighed about two-hundred-seventy-five pounds. He wasn’t fat, just heavily muscled. He made Brianna think of the strong man from the circus.

  “My name is Wade and I’m in charge of the guided tour through Mercy Woods. This,” he said motioning to the man beside him, “is my partner, Trent. Everyone should stick together during our walk. The wooded paths are only lit by moonlight, and there are wild animals. Keeping that in mind, we ask that you please turn off your cell phones and refrain from flash photography."

  The teen leaned closer to Brianna. “Want to be partners for the walk?”

  “Oh, um, sure…” she said, not wanting to offend him. “I’m Brianna by the way.”

  “Stephen,” he replied, sticking out a hand. Brianna shook hands with him.

  The crowd started moving forward, and Brianna and Stephen fell in line. As the group headed into the woods, Brianna reached into her pocket and turned off her cell phone. She hadn’t thought to bring a camera so she didn’t have to worry about the flash photography part of Wade’s speech.

  As the group meandered through the woods, Brianna stayed at the back of the crowd. The woods were beautiful at night. The full moon hung heavy in the night sky with the twinkling stars surrounding it, shining brightly. Just as Stephen had said, you could hear the crickets and the frogs.

  Brianna stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. She breathed in deep, loving the scent of the foliage. Smiling contentedly to herself, she opened her eyes and discovered that the group had left her behind; she must have closed her eyes longer than she'd thought. She hurried down the path, but soon came to a fork. Which way did they go?

  A rustling sound behind her made Brianna turn around. At first, she thought it was a sweet little bunny or something, but the large bush that was moving indicated a much larger animal.

  “Hello? Is anyone there?” She hoped it was someone from her group.

  A low growl came from within the bush, elevating Brianna’s hea
rt rate. She gasped and took off down the path on the right, hoping it was the right one. As she ran, she tripped over the root of a tree. Landing on her knees, she looked behind her, terrified of what she might see. She had no clue where she was. Just when she thought she was safe, there was a rustling beside her. Peering into the bushes, she could only make out a shadowy shape – a large shadowy shape.

  Taking off once more, she ran for all she was worth. Her lungs ached with every breath, and her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. Sprinting through the woods, she prayed as she never had before. Please God, let me make it out of this alive! Don’t let that thing catch me!

  Brianna felt a sharp pain in her left side and knew she couldn’t run much further. Sweat dripped from her body; her limbs shook. Stopping, she dropped to her hands and knees. She couldn’t run another step. As she gasped for air, she heard the beast growl behind her again. She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. Looking over her shoulder, she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. It stood like a man, but was covered in fur and had the head and feet of a wolf. If she hadn’t seen Logan in wolf form the other night, she'd have sworn she was seeing a werewolf. But how could there be two kinds?

  A whimper escaped before she could stop it. She scrambled to her feet, but knew that running was futile. As she backed up, the wolf-like creature advanced. Saliva dripped from his partially open jaws, his sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight. His eyes were cold and hard, the eyes of a killer. His brawny arms ended in paws that were tipped with razor sharp claws. Every move made his muscles ripple; giving Brianna no doubt that she was facing her death.

  Brianna backed into a tree and grasped the trunk for support. No matter what happened, she wouldn’t cower; she'd try her best to show no fear. Her throat convulsed as she tried to swallow down her screams. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.