RaleighPointRescueSue (4 page)

He laid her gently down on the bed and curled her into him
tight. Rubbing his hand up and down her back, he feathered little kisses on her
face while he waited for her crying to ease. She was mumbling something to him,
and he caught a soft
sorry.

“Babes, don’t you dare apologize. This is my fault, not
yours. I didn’t think. I just wanted my family to see how beautiful you are. I’m
so sorry I put you in that situation. Here, water?”

Lisa focused as he held the water bottle out to her, and she
took a couple of sips.

“There, that better?” He smiled and tucked her into him
again.

Mac breathed slowly. He knew she was feeling the connection
between them, and when her fingers innocently brushed his skin, tiny needles
pierced him, and his eyes zeroed on those full lips. His whole body tightened
in response, and he let out a long breath, willing himself to calm down.

“Mac?”
The tremulous voice wobbled.
Lisa fixed her eyes on his shirt. “Mac, why am I here?”

Mac paused. He wanted to slap his head.
Duh!
He’d been so fixed on getting her safe and well, and with the
whole mate thing throwing him for a loop, he hadn’t given any thought to
answering her questions. He couldn’t exactly blurt out about her being a
shifter. She’d probably think they were all ready for locking up.

“Lisa, Raleigh Point is a group home. You’ve been in one of
those?”

She nodded hesitantly.

“Well, a doctor friend of ours visited the place you were in
and, thankfully, saw you.” He let out another long sigh, and Lisa shivered. He
tucked her in closer. “You shouldn’t have been there. You’re obviously too old
for a regular group home, but he thought this place would be good for you.”
Lame, Mac, so lame.

A soft knock had Riley appearing around the door. Lisa
immediately changed and nearly tried to climb inside him.

Mac looked at his brother, bewildered. She knew Riley, and
she hadn’t been this frightened of him earlier. What had changed?

“I just got off the phone with Brett.” Riley spoke quietly,
but made no move to come toward them. Lisa quieted slightly at the sound of
Riley’s voice. Mac knew he wanted to come closer as he needed touch to be able
to calm her down.

“Honey, let Riley check on you.
I’m
not going anywhere.” He continued to rub soothingly on her back, as Riley fully
came into the room.

“Hey, Lisa?
Don’t mind the kids.
They get a bit full of themselves.
Especially Alex, huh?”
Riley continued to talk nonsense, and Mac brushed a hair out of her eyes. She
blinked slowly. Mac studied the long lashes that fanned her cheek for a second
before they pulled up again. She would be stunning when the bruises were gone.
He lightly traced one finger along her cheekbone, carefully, gently. Her lashes
swept up again at his touch, but not all the way. He just caught her pupils
widen and her eyes glaze slightly. Her breaths slowed. Riley edged nearer.

All of a sudden, she sighed against Mac and shut her eyes.
His bear nudged at his insides, and a wild possessive urge flowed around him.
She was
his,
dammit. Nothing would
ever hurt her again. Mac murmured quietly to her as her body shuddered once and
then stilled. He wrapped his big arms around her and willed her to feel safe.

“She’s asleep, Mac.” Riley removed his outstretched hand and
sat on the chair next to the bed. “I don’t think she’s fallen asleep naturally
in a long time.”

“Well, yeah, but didn’t you do that?”

“No, I was just trying to calm her down. It kind of wasn’t
necessary.” Riley smiled. “Think you had it all under control. As soon as she
relaxed, her body decided it needed the rest.”

Riley moved to the chair. “I wanted to tell you what Brett
said.” Riley shook his head at Mac’s look.
“Nothing on the
nurse yet.”
He sighed. “Lisa’s mating cycle is complicating everything. Alpha
females are different to even female wolves.”

“And female bears,” Mac put in sardonically.

“Yeah, apparently even Brett had to make some calls as he
hasn’t been in a wolf pack for a long time.”

They both knew Brett’s story. Brett was a wolf shifter and
had grown up in a very traditional pack. He was in a bad car accident when he
was a kid, and because he was trapped for a long time before help got there,
unable to shift and heal himself, his leg was permanently damaged. The Alpha had
told him, in no uncertain terms, that he wasn’t welcome as he could no longer
hunt, and he had ended up at Raleigh Point. He got about okay, but he couldn’t
run. It was worse when he shifted. Every year, their mom and dad held a party
for shifters who had been brought up at Raleigh Point, and last year Brett met
Angie. They mated, but because Brett knew he wouldn’t be accepted into her pack
with his injury, Angie had agreed to live with him at Raleigh Point.

Riley grinned at Mac’s startled expression. “What do you
know of alpha female mating cycles?”

“Well, up to yesterday, I would have said I didn’t want to
know anything.” God, he could feel the blush starting in his neck. How old was
he, fifteen?

Riley laughed and stood up. “To give you the shortened version,
it lasts up to two weeks, comes every six months or so, and we don’t know when
she started. It’s magnified about fifty to one hundred times what other female
wolves go through. Apparently once she hit twenty, it would have gotten worse.”

“Why? What’s so special about being twenty?”

“It’s traditionally the age of maturity for female wolves.
Female alphas are in a constant state of err… arousal.” Riley blushed. “Apparently
it’s quite serious. I mean bad health wise. Err… you’ve seen the other effects.”

Mac glowered.

“Most females take painkillers when they get bad cramps, but
that’s the problem here. I don’t want any drugs in her system. Human
painkillers aren’t strong enough to have any effect anyway, and she’s still got
a lot of crap swirling around in there. We can’t give her anything else.”

“But you can help surely?”

“Actually no, not this time.” Mac watched in surprise as
Riley looked at the floor.

“Brett said the only way to help was to relieve her, and I
think you would have my balls if I so much as looked at her.”

Mac was dumbstruck. He was so surprised, his bear wasn’t
even territorial about the thought of Riley getting anywhere near her.

“Riley, I can’t, not when—”

“I don’t mean full penetration, idiot. Christ, Mac, you have
a girl usually on each arm, don’t tell me you can’t be inventive.”

Mate.

Mac’s face heated. He wanted to say so much to Riley, but
there was no way he was having this conversation. “I’ll figure something out.”
And he nearly growled at Riley’s delighted grin as he strode to the door.

“If it’s any consolation, her mind seemed pretty clear. I
don’t think you’ve got that to worry about.”

Riley stopped at the door. “It reduces dramatically once you
two mate.”

Well, hell.

Lisa chose that moment to rub herself up and down Mac in her
sleep like a little cat, and eased herself closer to him if that were even
possible.

Mac’s jaw hardened, and damn if his dick didn’t too.

Shit,
it was going
to be a long week.

Chapter Four

Mac read throughout the day while Lisa slept. He took a
phone call from Miranda, the F.B.I. agent he worked with, giving him an update
on a missing kid he’d helped find two weeks ago. He’d shuffled awkwardly at the
sound of her flirting with him down the phone during an uncomfortable
conversation. The woman was like a jellyfish on a piece of driftwood, all
suction and hard corners.

It was his fault though. Miranda had made good arm-candy at
first. When he’d realized, belatedly, the candy was an empty shell, he’d tried
to distance himself unsuccessfully. He’d even spoken to Daniel about getting a
new contact to work with. To be honest, he preferred to work with only Daniel.
It was sometimes difficult working with humans. Certain secrets needed to be
kept, but Daniel had a whole department to look after and couldn’t always find
the time for his smaller cases. At least, the kid was doing great. Mac left a
message with Daniel to give him a call.

Cassie came in a couple of times to help Lisa to the bathroom.
She just seemed groggy. Her temperature was higher, but Riley wasn’t worried,
so Mac wasn’t either. In fact, he was just thinking maybe they’d luck out, and
she was nearly through this. All he’d done was
hold
her tight and make her sip cool water.

Cassie had just been in with food for them both, and Mac had
tried to get Lisa to eat something, but Lisa turned her face away. Mac had
given it up for now.

He was managing to hold it together just. Lisa kept rubbing
herself up and down him. He stripped his T-shirt off as lying next to Lisa was
like sleeping beside a furnace. But that had made it harder. She seemed to want
to suckle him every time her lips met bare skin. His dick was so hard, he
thought it was
gonna
explode.

When she had calmed slightly, he slid out of bed carefully,
and headed for the shower. He couldn’t do what Riley said. What would he say if
she woke up and he was doing God knows what? Their relationship would be over
before it started. No, she would be fine, she seemed better already, and hell,
this was what showers were for, weren’t they?

Mac had an image of those pink lips around the straw on the
water bottle. Groaning, he caught his rock hard length in his fist as he
thought about those lips fastened on something else. Already leaking pre-cum
and wet from the shower, he worked his cock.

All it took was an image of Lisa kneeling in front of him
and burning shot down his spine and straight into his balls. Jets of cum hit
the shower
tiles,
and he leaned his head on the cool
tile in front of him, panting.

He stepped out and toweled himself quickly. He was just
pulling his shorts on, when a crash came from the bedroom. He got in there a
split second faster than Riley and bent to the prone figure on the floor.

“I was in the shower.” He gently picked a shaking Lisa up.
Smoothing hair from her face, he sat on the bed and held her while Riley
skimmed his hand over her arm.

Lisa’s eyes were open but unfocused, and Mac holding her didn’t
seem to quiet her shaking as it had done through the day. Each shudder seemed
to be getting worse, and her face was screwed up in pain. He could hear her
mumbling words. Even with shifter hearing, all he could make out was, “Sorry”
and then, “wicked.”

Riley’s eyes shot to his, and he lowered his arm.

Lisa wailed and grabbed for Mac.

“Mac, her temp’s too high, and she’s in a lot of pain. You
need to get over yourself and sort this out.”

Mac’s mouth
tightened,
and he
nodded as Riley left the room. Hell, there was nothing his body wanted more
than
to sort it out
as Riley had put
it. He was a total ass, getting off in the shower while she was in here burning
up.

Lisa gave a low moan, and Mac settled into her and pulled
her closer.

“Baby, I’m sorry it hurts.
Gonna
make it all better.” Mac grazed his hand over her side gently, shocked at the
dampness of the T-shirt and shorts she’d had changed into.

“Let’s get these off you and make you comfy.” Mac continued
to talk to her in his low easy voice, as he gently stripped the sodden clothing
off her flushed skin. Mac stroked her skin up and down near her belly,
desperately trying to not let his hand wander lower, but Lisa started thrashing
her head and giving little keening cries as she shook. Her hands snatched
desperately at him. Hazel eyes opened and fixed intently. One long breath and a
small tongue flicked out and disappeared. Teeth tugged at her bottom lip. Mac
felt them in his dick.

Stroking her wasn’t enough. Mac threw the sheet back and
knelt down between her legs grabbing each ankle gently. Murmuring softly, he
brought his hands up and down each leg. He bent his head and followed his hands
with little kisses. He found her instep, then her ankle. He kissed the tiny
pale freckles that dusted her knees, and pressed cool lips to the soft hot skin
on the inside of her thigh.

God, she was beautiful. He almost laughed. Even her stubby
fingernails were his.
All his.
His dick was pushing
against his shorts, hard and throbbing. He moved restlessly trying to get some
friction.

Lisa was gasping and writhing, frantically pushing her hips
into his hands. He caught both her hands in one of his and pinned them over her
head. She immediately stilled and fixed a desperate scorching gaze on him.

“Keep them there.”
Push.
Mac released a little of his alpha power to keep her still
.
Her pupils blew. He could feel her
answering lust pulsing back at him. She needed to be still. He needed her to be
still. She was
gonna
hurt herself.
Liar
.
He could feel the answering
heat of her and smell her arousal spike when he restrained her hands. He gazed
at a droplet of sweat that rolled down her neck and between her breasts.
Without thinking, he bent his head and followed it with his tongue.

“So, so hot.”
Lisa whined.

“I know, honey,
gonna
make it
good.” Mac bent and trailed kisses down her neck. He followed the side of her
breasts. He ached to taste them, but this was about her today. He quickly
lowered himself to where she writhed and pushed her hips. He thrust one finger
between hot, slick folds, and Lisa nearly shot off the bed, convulsing. She’d
clamped straight down on that finger, her cunt milking it for all she was
worth. He parted her folds some more with his other hand and inserted another
finger. Mac felt the contractions in his dick, and if he had a free hand, he’d
have thumped it,
hard
. He bent his head,
and her whole body stilled. Mac glanced up and was met with two deep pools that
seemed to burn right inside him. She licked her lips and moved frantically, her
body urging him lower.

“Need, I need—”

“I know what you need.” He bent his head, and she shrieked
at his first taste. Fuck, she tasted amazing. His dick was pulsing, but he
ignored it and focused on her. Over and over he licked and sucked, as she
squirmed and moaned. It seemed like they were both stuck on some precipice.
Finally his teeth nibbled on her clit, and they both launched of the cliff
together. A huge shudder locked her body down, and he sucked at the gush of
cream that followed.
Fucking amazing.
She tasted
fucking amazing.

He barely registered teenage-like embarrassment at the wet
patch in his shorts and shook at his body’s own reaction.

Lisa’s body stopped shaking, and a soft sigh eased out of
her. With one last gentle kiss on her curls, he eased himself up her body and
tucked her into his side. Eyes closed, she looked totally out of it, but her
breathing was steady, and her shaking had stilled. Smiling, he lowered her arms
and kissed each palm as he brought them down. Satisfied, he pulled a sheet over
her as he could feel her skin cooling. Head shaking and guilt pricking him, he
ignored his own need to clean up and brushed another satisfied kiss on her
head.

Mac lay quietly reveling in the sound of Lisa’s relaxed
breathing. He smiled contentedly to himself, his arms full of a soft, pliant
woman.
Definitely a
first.
Not
that he hadn’t had a satisfied woman fall asleep on him before.
Hell,
he’d had loads of satisfied dates.
But
I’ve always slept alone.
He’d never been one for more than casual hook-ups.
Kept it light.
Three dates maximum. He couldn’t
exactly introduce a casual date to his family.
Way too much
of a privacy issue.

The screen on his phone lit up. He’d had it on silent
deliberately. Easing out of Lisa’s arms slowly, he almost went straight back
when she whimpered. He tucked the pillow he’d been laying on into her, and she
quieted.

He looked at the screen.
Daniel.
Walking to the bathroom, he called him back, keeping his voice down.

“Mac?”
Daniel’s voice was always quiet,
and he relaxed some.

Mac quickly told him about Lisa and the orderly from the
hospital. Daniel agreed to do some digging and call him back. They exchanged a
few updates about the latest kid he’d found and satisfied there was nothing
urgent, he rang off. Mac would respond if there was an emergency with a missing
kid, but for now his mate needed his full attention. He took the fastest shower
he’d ever had and went back to Lisa, inordinately pleased when she immediately
sought him out. Satisfied, he shut his eyes.

Hours later, he’d been awake for some time, and his arm that
she rested on was numb, but there was no way he was
gonna
move and disturb her. He’d listened to her soft sighs through the night, and
could feel the contented rumbling from his bear as he held her close. Her temperature
was fine, and she had stopped her shaking a long time ago.

Feeling her stiffen and start to shuffle, he supposed she
probably wanted the bathroom. Opening his mouth to reassure her before she
freaked out, a soft finger touched his lips, and he glanced down.

“I don’t know you. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I know
you’re taking care of me.” She worried her bottom lip, obviously searching for
words. “I’ve been in a bad place for a long time, so if this is what you want,
then I’m okay with it.”

Mac stared at Lisa, dumbstruck.

His jaw hardened, he wanted to inflict bodily injury on the
ass-wipes that had her for so many years. God, where did he start? Mac clamped
down on his howling bear.

“Lisa, do you remember any of yesterday?”

Lisa’s eyes clouded, and she ducked her head. “I lost my
temper.”

Mac lifted her chin up gently with his finger. “There are a
lot of things going on that you don’t understand. You’ve been treated badly for
a long time, but that’s over now. I’m
gonna
take care
of you. Never worry about losing your temper. Everyone does sometimes, and I
have a feeling your fuse isn’t
gonna
be as short
anymore.” Mac
grinned,
he could live with his form of
anger management.

* * * *

But
why?
Why do you care?
She
desperately wanted to ask, but was afraid of the answer. No one had ever cared.
There was no way this gorgeous man didn’t have some ulterior motive for helping
her. She was a mess.
Ugly, stupid hair and an uglier body.
Wicked.
Tears sprang in her eyes, and she
squeezed them shut, so he couldn’t see.

She remembered being scared of the other guy when he’d
walked in. She’d had a flashback to the hospital. She always got punished for
losing her temper. Sudden images of heavy cruel hands that hurt crowded her
brain. They sometimes they even tied her down. That was the worst. At least
when they gave her drugs, she wasn’t aware.
Some choice.
Cautiously, she studied him surreptitiously. His blue eyes, quite startling
with his dark hair, watched her steadily, but they weren’t angry.

Taking a breath, she looked at him again. His black hair
flopped casually over his face, nearly covering one eye. Without thinking, she
lifted her hand to brush it away and stilled as her fingers tingled like when
the kids in the home said you were cool if you put your tongue on the end of a
battery. Her mouth parted in surprise.

She had to be careful. As soon as she figured out what he
wanted or gave him what he wanted, she would be sent back. There was no
way she could let that happen
again. She would bide her
time. Humor him. Let him think she was docile, and then, when she saw her
chance, she would go.

He leaned into her, and Lisa couldn’t help tracing his jaw
line with her finger. She took a calming breath. His deep blue eyes clouded
over at her touch and arms hardened underneath her, but she didn’t think he was
angry. Tight muscles were controlled. He leaned closer into her, and she
gasped. A very large, hard, mound pressed into her through his shorts, and she
knew exactly what he was controlling.

Panicking slightly, she pulled herself out of bed. She
needed to visit the bathroom. She stood up, but as her feet hit the floor, her
body nearly followed. Both of her knees gave way. Instantly, Mac was there.
He’d moved so fast he was a blur. She put a shaking hand to her head, thinking
she still had some drugs to work through her system.

“Steady, baby.”

Lisa gasped as Mac swung her up. Suddenly very conscious of
being naked and of her generous body, she turned her red face to his neck. “I’m
too heavy. I can walk.” Lisa stared, shocked as a soft growl reverberated
through him.