Abandoned (22 page)

Tarson Jones leaned against a large tree, trying to catch his breath while simultaneously tugging his boots on. He needed to get the hell out of the area fast. Thank God his car was still waiting just inside the tree line. He’d worried it might have been found and towed away while he’d been gone.

Without tying the laces, he bolted for the car, jumped inside, and started the engine. He glanced out the rearview mirror as he sped away. This mission had been far more dangerous the second time than he’d expected, and the information he’d gathered had not been what his superiors were hoping for.

That damn dude ranch was still harboring most of the women he had photos of. But worse than that, it was surrounded by members of NAR
,
who were maintaining a perimeter in wolf form. It was going to take some serious forces to break into that camp and recover those women
,
if that’s what the Romulus had in mind.

Tarson doubted it was worth it. He couldn’t imagine why the Romulus was so set on retrieving the damn women. They were just a bunch of weak females, after all. Who the fuck cared if they got away? Let them go it alone, as far as he was concerned.

He shook his head as he steadied his hands on the steering wheel and let up on the gas. The last thing he needed right now was to get pulled over for speeding.

When his cell rang, he hit the hands-free button and answered over the Bluetooth. “Tarson here.”

“Jones. Jesus, man. Where have you been?”

His immediate superior of course. The entire organization was set up like a pyramid. Every man answered to someone, but it seemed no man was privy to enough information about the Romulus to know just who they were dealing with.

Tarson glanced in his side mirror as a car passed him, going far too fast. His chest beat so hard he thought he’d have a heart attack, but the vehicle moved away as fast as it had approached.
Where the fuck do you think I’ve been?
He ignored the question. “The place is surrounded. You’re not going to get anyone out of there without a lot of manpower if that’s what you had in mind.”

Tarson had been in the woods traipsing around for two days. This was the first human contact he’d made. “I didn’t see the woman you were looking for specifically anywhere. The one named Allison. Never saw her this time.”

“She’s not there anymore.”

Whatever
. It wasn’t Tarson’s problem. Getting paid and doing his job was all he cared about.
But how the hell does he know that? Jesus, is the man psychic?
Tarson shivered. This bastard had way more intel than he was sharing with Tarson
,
whose life he was putting on the line.

“Did you see any of the others?”

“Yeah. All of them. And then some. There are at least fifteen women currently on the ranch. A few seemed to be members of the family
,
though. The rest have moved into some sort of bunkhouse now.”

“How many men are guarding the place?”

Tarson chuckled. “Men? Dude, these guys mean business. They were all in wolf form. At least a dozen of them. They trade off, canvassing the area thoroughly. They were military for sure. NAR.” Tarson hated NAR as much as he hated women.

The caller sighed. Tarson didn’t even know the man’s name. Only his voice.

It wasn’t particularly strange for the guards to be in wolf form. As long as they weren’t expecting an armed battle, it was far easier to track and scent anything out of the ordinary in their natural form. However, a dozen shifters milling about the ranch meant there were no humans on the premises. No way would they risk detection if there were.

“Okay. Return to the motel. I’ll inform you of your next step soon.” The caller disconnected, his deep voice still ringing in Tarson’s ear.
Fuck
. He hoped he wasn’t in trouble. He needed this job. It meant a steady paycheck. And for once he was on board with people he agreed with. In his experience, they were few and far between.

Daniel slipped into the room late that night, breathing a sigh of relief the day was finally over and he could climb into bed with his mate. Her scent filled the small space
,
and he had to stifle a groan to avoid waking her. Not that he intended for her to sleep right now, but he wanted to ease her into consciousness in his own way.

As he stripped, he stared down at her relaxed face. Golden curls hallowed her cheek. Her mouth was parted slightly. She squirmed against the sheets for a moment, snuggling deeper into the covers. God, she was so peaceful in sleep. His gut clenched imagining being without her for even one night if he had to leave Seattle to participate in any combat missions
.

Daniel rounded the bed and slid under the covers at her back. He wrapped his top arm around her and drew her against his chest, inhaling the scent of her shampoo that lingered on her damp curls. She must have showered in the evening.

She moaned. “You’re so late.”

He kissed her temple and splayed his hand over her bare stomach until his fingers grazed the underside of her soft breasts. “I know. I’m sorry. I missed you,” he murmured against her temple.

A whimper escaped her lips as he thumbed her nipple. The bud tightened and poked into the pad of his thumb as he stroked the sensitive skin.

He nestled his leg between hers, nudging them apart until his thigh pressed into her moist heat. “You’re already wet for me.”

“Mmm.” She ground herself on his leg, her delicious body squirming for more contact.

Daniel lowered his hand from her breast and gently caressed her clit.

She arched her neck and grabbed his wrist. “God, Daniel. You make me so horny so fast. When will it subside?”

“I’m hoping for never.” He chuckled. “I love how you respond to my touch.” He wiggled his fingers between her pussy and his thigh and pressed into her. She was so wet. And he felt her pulse increase immediately.

Under normal circumstances he couldn’t imagine a woman being this ready for him this fast. But since the claiming, normal had flown the coop. Allison never needed any coaxing or encouragement to have sex. Her body hummed when he touched her, shooting to the top of the peak in a heartbeat every time.

Daniel lifted her top leg with his knee, opening her pussy and filling his senses with her sweet smell. He closed his eyes and breathed her in for a moment, never wanting to forget her scent when she was aroused. Repositioning himself to nestle at her entrance, he thrust into her to the hilt.

Allison groaned so loud, he swept his hand up to cover her mouth. “Shhh, baby. You’re going to alert the neighbors,” he teased.

She breathed heavily. “I don’t give a shit about the neighbors. Please, Daniel, move.”

He grinned at her insistence and the way she grabbed his hand with hers and dug into his palm with her nails. He heeded her suggestion, setting up a rhythm that drew them both to the edge in minutes. He longed for the day he could fuck her for hours instead of minutes, enjoying the delicious sensations longer. But newly mated couples didn’t have that luxury.

Daniel lowered his hand from her lips to rest his palm over her breast. He toyed with her nipple, waiting for the moment when he knew she could take no more.

She stiffened, pressing herself onto his cock. Her mouth opened wider and her eyes slid shut.
Now
. He pinched her nipple hard, shocking her and pushing her over the edge. Her body writhed against him as she came, grasping his cock and forcing him to grit his teeth in order to watch her reaction before his own orgasm took over his senses.

His plan lasted seconds. And then pure bliss, a sensation he would never tire of that always accompanied his orgasms with her. As he came deep inside her, he seemed to separate from his body to float above them in the room. The euphoria was that intense. Every time.

When he was finally sated, at least temporarily, he held her for long minutes, his cock still buried in her sex. Finally, he eased out on a sigh and stood on wobbly legs to grab a washcloth for Allison.

He cleaned himself up and then returned to her side. She lay on her belly, her arms wrapped around the pillow above her head. She hadn’t moved to pull the covers back up. He admired her skin, so smooth—covered with the pink splotches that accompanied her orgasms.

Daniel climbed between her legs, nudging them apart and then wiping her pussy with gentle strokes. She squirmed in protest, but he wasn’t thwarted until he was satisfied.

Tossing the cloth aside, he straddled her ass. A tiny stream of light from the streetlights outside landed across her back. He brushed her hair away from her shoulders and neck and set his palms on her muscles to massage the tension from her body.

He grinned. She was anything but tense right now. More like a rag doll after the way he’d fucked her into ecstasy. But he knew her muscles would be tight underneath from the stress of weeks, months, hell a year of tension. Beginning with her lower back, he kneaded his way up her torso, making sure he addressed every knot along her spine and under her shoulder blades.

When he reached her neck, she tensed.

“So tight, baby. Relax.” He pressed his thumb into the rows of muscles until each one released its tension. And then he moved to the top of her spine, right under her hairline. “Where did you get this scar?” he asked as he worked the knot at the base of her skull.

“What scar?” she mumbled into the pillow.

“This one. Right here.” He stroked his finger over the tiny line running parallel to her spine.

She shrugged. “You must be seeing things. I’ve never had stitches anywhere.”

Daniel leaned in farther and narrowed his gaze, thankful for his wolf vision that allowed him to see even in the near darkness. She’d definitely had at least one stitch there. He could see the cross mark.

Gently, he probed the area.

“Ouch.” She flinched as the single word squeaked out.

“Sorry.” He didn’t touch that spot again. In fact he couldn’t continue. His hands were shaking
,
and it was all he could do to control his breathing so she wouldn’t be alerted to his fear.

What the fuck did they do to you, Allie?

Instead of sharing his thoughts, Daniel slinked down her body and pulled her into his chest. “Go back to sleep, baby.” He clenched his fist on the mattress in front of her to avoid trembling.

In moments Allison was peacefully oblivious. Daniel was going to experience a long night of chasing his fears as the clock ticked. There wasn’t anything he could do about whatever was under that scar tonight
,
anyway. It would have to wait until morning.

•●•

Allison blinked awake when she heard the shower running. The bathroom door was open a few inches and steam seeped through the gap. She stared at the ceiling, wondering what new shit would hit the fan today. Every day was full of surprises.

When the water turned off, she pulled herself from the bed and padded to the bathroom. She leaned in the doorway, watching her mate dry off, his head tucked as he toweled his hair.

He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “I could smell you as soon as you entered the room.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “We have an early appointment. I was just about to wake you.”

Allison’s smile faded. Could they not have one leisurely hour together? She tried not to protest outwardly. The seriousness of what they were dealing with outside the bedroom needed to outweigh her desire for sex. It was tough to chase away the call to his body most of the time, but they would have their whole lives together. This period of time would be a blip on the radar in the end.

Allison stepped into the shower and quickly washed. Before Daniel was completely dressed, she was back in the room, the towel wrapped around her middle.

He looked up. “The towels they have here are way too big.” He dragged his gaze from her feet to her neck. “Are you even under there?” he teased, buckling his watch.

“Ha ha. If we didn’t have to meet with so many people every hour of every day
,
I’d gladly forgo the towel for my birthday suit.” To make her point, she dropped the terry cloth on the floor and stepped over it, knowing what her nudity would do to him.