Bound to the Pack (Bound to the Pack, #1) (2 page)

Maybe Kris was right, maybe I really
do
need a distraction. But Kristen’s idea of a distraction was hardly my own. I need to stop dwelling in the past is what I really need to do. I’ll start tomorrow.

Pausing for a moment, I shook my head. I’ve been thinking that on and off for months now... yet here I still am.

Sighing to myself I prepared to leave for the night. Coat, scarf, and gloves firmly in place I spared a moment to laugh at myself. Only a few years spent in D.C. and already the first hint of an October in New Hampshire has me bundled up like some tourist visiting to see the changing leaves of autumn in New England.

I grabbed my keys off the counter, shut the lights off, and steeled myself to enter the alarm code. With a full minute to reach the door a few feet away you’d think I wouldn’t need to rush, but there was something about that incessant beeping alert that always made me feel I had only
just
made it outside before triggering the alarm.

The door closed behind me with a solid fifty seconds to spare as I let out the breath I’d been holding. What is
wrong
with me? Locking the door with a satisfying clunk, I placed the keys in my purse and stood there for a moment feeling the cool fall air. I reveled in the last vestiges of heated store air being blown from around me, the breeze bringing with it all the wonderful scents of the season.

As I turned to leave I nearly jumped out of my skin, noticing a man standing barely an arms reach away from me and watching silently. I let out an awkward squeak as my heart skipped a beat and I felt my eyes widen, he was a giant. If we had stood toe to toe, his chin would clearly tower over my head.

“My apologies. I didn’t intend to startle you,” he said with a voice that was a low rumble, utterly masculine, and instantly comforting on some primal level. A twitch of his lips shouted that he was fighting
very
hard not to laugh at me.

It felt like an eternity before my heart began beating again. I calmed slightly more with each pulse as I took in his appearance.

Strong jaw, thickly muscled arms and chest hinted at even under a loose sweater, and short black hair that seemed intentionally unruly.  The five o’clock shadow that dusted his chin had a hint of grey mixed in with the black, it was hard to know for sure in the poor lighting, but it only served to make him seem more handsome and rugged. Rugged, apparently, was very much
my
thing. His deep brown eyes seemed to drink me in as he regarded me.

God, I could drown in those eyes and die happy.

Heart beat quickening for an entirely different reason now, I manage to blurt out, “I’m sorry, but we’re closed,” in a breathless whisper.

“Are you alright?” He stepped closer to me with a look of concern on his face that made my pulse thrum in my ears.

It shouldn’t be legal for a man to look this good. This wasn’t fighting fair. “I’m sorry, but we’re closed.” Wait, did I already say that? Fantasies about this man were already beginning to flit around in my mind tantalizingly, wanting to be played out.

“So I’ve heard,” he grinned. “Has Kristen left?” He peered over my shoulder, looking into the dark store. Reality came crashing back down around me. Of course he’s here for her, this was
exactly
the type of man that Kris usually dated. What I wouldn’t give to have a man like this come looking for
me
for a change. Sadly, all I seemed to get were the worthless cheats of the world.

“Yes, she left with her
boyfriend
.” I said with more bite than I had intended. A dark look passed over his face and even that did nothing to make him look less handsome. “Listen, I don’t know who you are but if you’re chasing after Kristen, she’s spoken for.”

“My apologies, my distraction is no excuse for rudeness. My name is Liam.” Taking my hand in his, I couldn’t help but notice the difference between him and Troy. His grip was somehow both firm and gentle, there was definitely nothing feminine about
him
. Why Kris would choose Troy over someone like this man was well beyond my comprehension. “I can see by the lack of reaction that Kris has never told you about me.”

“Sorry, no.” Is he for real? Who talks like this?

“She does like her secrets.” He said the comment offhandedly, as if he hadn’t realized the words had escaped his mind. “Though I suppose a life of keeping secrets won’t leave you easily, even when the need to keep those secrets does.” Pausing, he looked at me for a moment, as if just then remembering that I was standing in front of him. “And you are?” He smiled, showing off perfectly straight, pristine white teeth.

Realizing I’d just been standing there holding his hand and staring at him, I snatched my hand back as if burned and blurted, “I’m just Jen.” I cringed at my own word choice and cracking tone. No wonder I’m single, I can’t even get through an introduction without sounding like a fourteen year old and embarrassing myself.

“Well, ‘Just Jen,’ it was a pleasure to meet you.”

His smile sent another rush through my body and I felt myself blushing in spite of myself. “I’ve got to get home...”

“Perhaps I’ll see you tomorrow then?” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “I’ll come by earlier.”

A moment of bliss caught my breath before disappointment shattered the small bubble of hope that had built at his words. Kristen. Right. I need to leave before this emotional roller coaster breaks me apart. “Maybe.”

He gave me a sort of half bow –Who
is
this guy?—turned and walked off down one of the walkways. Fighting the urge to just stare at his retreating form, his
fine
retreating form, I pulled myself together and hurried off towards the parking lot and my car.

I was
definitely
going to need a long hot bath when I got home.

W
alking until I heard her turn and leave, I stepped into the early evening shadows and followed her. Her scent still filled my nose, distracting me, clouding my thoughts. The darkness easily concealed me and a lifetime spent stalking prey made sneaking up to observe her almost comically easy.

Why are human females so distracting? This one was more so than most and I felt compelled to discover why. Or did I? Is this why the clan had forbade me from coming? Coming hadn’t really been a question once I had heard the rumors, even if I was acting against the alpha’s will for the first time in all the years since I’d been born into this world.

I decided to just let her go, but my traitorous feet kept walking after her with a mind of their own.

If I’m caught, the blame will be on you, feet.

I stopped and shook my head. What? This woman had addled my brain. The desire to discover why this particular human was affecting me so strongly burned within my mind. Feeling that if I didn’t sate my curiosity, its claws would stay within my thoughts until I couldn’t think of anything else.

I realized with a start that I had closed the distance between us and slowed my pace. Better to just get this over with and move on once I know more.

A grin split my lips as I realized the ridiculousness of the situation. Not that I truly have much frame of reference to go on, having only met my first human yesterday.

Stopping before I entered the circles of light raining down from several tall poles above the area, I watched her as she reached a car and began fumbling with her keys. There was something endearing about the lack of easy coordination and nimbleness that came naturally to a shifter and I felt myself grinning again.

Backing deeper into the shadows I took one long intake of breath through my nose, pulling her scent to me from across the parking lot as she got into the car. The floral bloom of her perfume, the faint remnants of the soap she had bathed with some hours before, and underneath it all the scent of
her
. A bundle of jumbled emotions radiated from her that pulled at me enticingly.

I needed to talk sense into Kristen before I found myself entangled in some human nonsense. Moving to leave I had a feeling that I wouldn’t mind if it dragged out just a bit.

Forbidden fruit or not.

Jen

A
fter nearly an hour long soak in the tub I gave it up as a lost cause. My emotions were just as jumbled as ever. The closest I came to a revelation was when I had dried off my hair and wrapped it in a towel on my head.
I don’t want to be alone anymore, but I also don’t want to meet anyone, either.

Fat lot of good that does for me.

Fortunately, my recent obsession with cleaning helped, clearing my thoughts as I worked to scrub the already spotless apartment. It felt amazing to live in a totally clean space after the years I spent living with Mike and his slovenly ways. I paused at the lack of reaction I usually felt when his name crossed my mind.

The truth was that it was very difficult to focus on Mike when visions of Liam kept dancing through my head. I knew he was only there to see Kristen, but that couldn’t stop my mind from filling with very unrealistic fantasies.

It seemed like the perfect compromise though, so I let my imagination run off into another world. It was a wonderful world full of a Liam that was speechless in front of the gorgeous appearance my mind’s eye allowed me to have. I was sure of myself and he was laughing at my quick wit. Best of all he had come to the store to see
me
.

It was all there in my mind. He would have been unable to resist my flirting, my coy hints, my beautiful appearance. It drove him mad with desire, he would step forward to pin me against the store and press his lips to my neck before slowly kissing a trail to my chin. The passion and desire in the kiss would melt him as much as it did me, his hands would begin caressing my body before teasing my breasts...

The feel of a hand on my a
ctual
breast snapped me back to reality. It took longer to realize than it should have that I was feeling
myself
up.

What the fuck is going on with me? In the middle of the living room, duster in one hand, tit in the other?

I had tuned myself up to the point where I felt as if my pussy was on fire. I was also wet enough that any fire there would have been drowned. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been turned on, let alone
this
turned on. Usually any time I felt even the slightest desire I would find Mike’s face swimming before me, killing the mood instantly. Now it was only Liam.

“This is ridiculous.” I needed release,  unfortunately I’d only ever been able to bring myself to orgasm in perfect situations and my life was far from perfect right now. Attempting it would be pure torture, an endless tease with no payoff.

I should just go to bed and try to relax, maybe read a book.

Tragically the book I had been reading was too close to what I had just been fantasizing about and all I saw was Liam and I as the characters in the pages. Whatever peace I had hoped to find was nowhere to be found.

I was also going to have to change my panties. Reaching a hand down to see how wet they were I found myself moving under them instead. My fingers found the source of my distraction and began a slow tease, sliding up and down my slit and bringing me back to the peak of my fantasy with barely any effort.

Liam was above me, spreading me open just slightly with the tip of his straining cock. He needed release just as badly as I did and I was the only one who could give it to him.

I could feel him pushing further in, my fingers working my thoughts into reality. I was desperate for him to fill me, to stretch my pussy to its limit, to send me over the edge...

The heat inside me exploded, shivers and spasms wracked my body. My fingers, still deep in my wetness, were being crushed with the intensity of the orgasm that was tearing through me.

I was left gasping for breath, I had never come like that before, not on my own and
never
with anyone else. Now just the thought of a man I had met mere hours ago was enough to rock me to my toes.

Removing my now destroyed panties, I tossed them carelessly aside and rolled over, lost in the energy of the aftershocks still echoing through me. The pulsing of my body was slow to fade, but in a surprisingly short time I was asleep.

It was for the best that I would remember none of my dreams when I woke.

****

T
he next morning sped by in the usual manner and it felt like only a few minutes ago I was in bed as I walked into the store for my shift. Kristen was there and had already begun her morning routine of opening the register while sipping on her ever present morning coffee.

“Mornin' Jen,” she said absently, not looking up from the register as she counted it out.

“Hey Kris. How was your night?”

“Not what I expected,” she frowned. “But not bad either,” she finished with a grin and chuckle. “Yours?”

It was hard not to say ‘liberating.’ “The usual, mostly.”

Kristen looked up. “Mostly?”

“Yeah, someone came by after work looking for you. Liam?” I watched her face for a reaction and got more than I had expected.

The effect his name had on Kris was immediate and startling. “Liam. Are you sure? Tall, muscular...” There was a sharp intake of breath from her.

“Gorgeous.” The word slipped from my mouth, unbidden, and I blushed. My thoughts drifted back to how I had found release the night before.

“That’s him.” Kris looked towards me and hesitated. “Jen, stay away from him, he’s dangerous. You think you’re hurting from Mike? Liam will use you up and toss you aside without a second thought.”

“He was here for you Kris, not me.” There was barely a hint of bitterness in my voice. I was sure of it. “Is he an ex?”

Definitely no bitterness.

“We used to be close. We aren’t anymore. Too overprotective. Jen, I’m serious, he’s from a different world. I know I said you needed a distraction, but please,
stay away
. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

Kris’s concern was touching in a way, but unfounded. It wasn’t as if a man like Liam would find ‘Just Jen’ an object of desire. Even my name was average. He was so far out of my league he might as well have
been
from another world.