Dark Wolf Unbound (Heart of the Shifter #2) Page 10

  For a brief moment, nothing happened.

  Something thudded against the front door. Lucius?

  She did it again, breathing and scratching. And then a third time—

  The back of the closet slid to the side, opening to a pitch-black stairway.

  “Go!” Jace whispered.

  “I have to close it. You first.”

  Jace gestured for Drake and the female wolf. They raced through, hurtling down the stairs. Jace shut the exterior closet door, then grabbed Abby. They raced through the hidden door together. The front door of the cabin crashed open and she whirled around, frantically running her hands over the wood to find the smooth spot on the inside of the door to close it. With the closet door shut, it was pitch black, too dark to see. “I can’t find it!”

  “Here!” Jace grabbed her hand, and brought her fingers to a section of smooth wood.

  She leaned forward and blew on it, lightly scratching. One.

  Toenails scrabbled on the wood, in the front room.

  She breathed and scratched again. Two.

  The bedroom slammed open.

  Three.

  The secret door slid shut with silent, well-oiled perfection.

  Jace pulled her against his chest as it closed, both of them staring into the closet, waiting for the door to open. The first crack of light shone, and then the slider closed, sealing them in the darkness.

  She started to run, but Jace’s arm’s tightened around her, holding her in place. “Don’t move.” His lips brushed against her ear, so softly she could barely hear it.

  She froze, realizing that any sound would alert Lucius that they were there. He’d smell their scent, but he would see no way through the closet. If he heard them, however, he’d know they were there, and he’d do whatever it took to get through.

  She closed her eyes, pressing herself against Jace’s chest as she heard the snuffling of a wolf on the other side of the door. He was scenting her, trying to figure out where she was. Fear constricted her chest, and her heart began to hammer frantically. Lucius was only inches away from her. Inches. She had to run. She couldn’t stay there, just waiting for him to break through the door—

  Jace pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, his arms tightening around her. His chest was powerful and warm against her back, his arms heavily muscled as they crossed over her breasts. She had nowhere to go, completely trapped against him. She was his prisoner, but by being confined to his embrace, it meant she wasn’t alone.

  This deadly, powerful alpha was her protector, and his tight embrace was his reminder that she could count on him, to help her stay silent, to protect her if Lucius broke through, to do whatever it took.

  He rested his head against hers, his cheek warm, his whiskers rough.

  Abby took a shallow breath, trying to stay quiet as she focused on Jace, instead of the sounds of frantic scratching from the closet, as if Lucius was trying to dig through the floor. She concentrated on Jace’s scent, an earthy combination of male and something else, something warmer, something that seemed to ease through her and take the edge off her panic.

  He pressed another kiss to her neck, lower this time, almost at her collarbone. The kiss was longer this time, almost as if he were tasting her, or tempting her. Chills rippled down her spine, but they weren’t from fear. They were from a sudden awareness of the intimacy of their situation. His forearms were across her breasts, pressing into her nipples. His pelvis was against her bum, nestled intimately. His lips were a shivery whisper along her neck.

  A thud from the closet made her jump, but Jace tightened his arms around her, steadying her.

  She closed her eyes, focusing on Jace. She breathed in his woodsy, masculine scent. She concentrated on the heat of his body, on the solidity of his frame as he held her. His arms were tight around her, his breath sending goosebumps down her back as he feathered kisses along her neck and her collarbone.

  Desire fluttered in her belly, which was shocking given their situation, but she didn’t fight it. She allowed Jace’s presence to fill her completely, breaking through the fear tearing her down, and replacing it with a deep awareness of him as a man, of the energy sparking between them. Suddenly, her muscles didn’t feel frozen with terror. Energy poured into her, a searing strength that curled through her, unwrapping every cowering part of her.

  There was a thump from the bedroom, but she barely noticed it. Jace had captured her full attention, every nerve primed and waiting for his next touch.

  He lightly bit her ear, his arm moving slightly so that his forearm rested against the underside of her breasts. The kisses beside by the car had been intoxicating, but this was different. It was tightly contained desire that couldn’t be released. No sounds. No movement. Not even a whisper of response was allowed, with danger so close.

  And yet, despite the absolute stillness of their embrace, the desire snaking through her body was fierce and bold, commanding a response from her that she couldn’t give.

  Jace caught her chin and turned her head toward the side, giving him better access. He kissed along her jaw, butterfly kisses that were so faint that she had to strain to feel them. His lips caressed her skin, moving closer and closer to her lips, until he finally pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

  She fought the urge to inhale, to breathe in his presence, to turn in his arms and surrender to the desire he was stoking within her. Her nipples ached at the feel of his arm pressing against them, but when he splayed his other palm low across her belly, pulling her back against him, the intensity of the desire coiling within her became almost too much.

  He kissed the corner of her mouth again, a silent, sensual demand. Her heart started to pound, she turned her head further, just enough…

  He caught her mouth with his, a searing, claiming kiss that tore through her, making her belly pulse beneath his palm. Her hips moved involuntarily, pressing back against him as he kissed her, his tongue probing, demanding, caressing.

  Danger was so close, and yet, with the closet wall between them, they were safe…as long as they were silent. One step down the staircase, and Lucius and his crew would hear them. There was no way she should be kissing Jace right now, no way she should feel safe enough to actually respond. But she knew Jace was aware of every sound from Kiernan’s cabin, and he was tracking everything. Jace was simply too lethal to be distracted by a kiss—

  He slipped his fingers past the waistband of her jeans, his hand warm on her belly.

  She sucked in her breath, but he caught her gasp in a searing kiss, his forearm tightening over her breasts, trapping her against his body. What was he doing? This wasn’t the time for this—

  He slid his hand lower, his fingertips brushing against the waistband of her underwear. For a split second, she wished that she was the way she’d once been, wearing silk thongs and lacy bras just to feel sexy. Since the attack by Lucius, she’d hid behind cotton underwear and sports bras, refusing to allow herself to crave the touch of a man, unable to even imagine trusting a man enough to let him touch her intimately. But now, with Jace’s hand sliding over the cotton, she wished, oh, how she wished, she could be the woman she’d once been, to respond to him the way she wanted to.

  But she wasn’t.

  She was broken. Afraid. Damaged.

  Tears burned in her eyes as she caught his wrist, stopping him.

  He immediately moved his hand higher, back to her stomach. This time, however, he kept his hand beneath her shirt, so he was still touching her bare skin. He traced circles on her skin, tender, seductive caresses that made her belly tighten…until she realized he was tracing the scars on her stomach.

  Revulsion tore through her, and she grabbed his wrist again, trying to get his hand away from her. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to be exposed like this. She didn’t want to need a man’s touch like she needed Jace’s. She didn’t want to be hiding in the shadows being fondled by one shifter while another hunted her. This wasn’t who she wanted to be. She wa
nted to be outside, in the sunshine, running free, without fear, without constraint.

  But Jace didn’t let her move his hand. He kept it pressed to her belly, still tracing designs on her skin. She wanted to smack his hand. She wanted to wrench herself out of his arms and shout at him to leave her alone. But she was trapped by the threat of Lucius, unable to make a sound or any kind of movement that would make him aware that they were right on the other side of the wall.

  Tears trickling down her cheeks, she leaned her back against Jace’s shoulder, unable to run away from him or what he was making her feel. She gave up fighting, and tried to find that place she’d been living in for so long, the one where she shut down everything that made her heart hurt, everything that made her scared, everything that made her feel.

  She tried to make herself hard again, but Jace’s rhythmic touch on her belly kept distracting her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore him, but she couldn’t. His hand was warm and steady. It felt as though he were pouring heat into her belly, releasing the knots that had been there for so long. His body was relaxed, not tensed with revulsion at what he was touching. She tried to keep herself tense, preparing for when he’d decide he’d had enough and withdrew the touch that felt so good.

  Except, he didn’t stop. He didn’t try to move his hand lower again. He simply kept his hand on her belly, tracing light circles on her skin. Her skin was so scarred she shouldn’t have been able to feel him so well, but somehow, his touch was able to penetrate the deadened nerves. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to relax into his touch. It began to feel natural to have him touching her damaged body. Comforting. Reassuring.

  He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck again, and she closed her eyes, focusing on the sensation of being so close to him. They were touching in so many places. Her back against his chest. His lips on her neck. His forearm across her breasts. His hand on her stomach. So much physical contact breathing warmth and heat into her. It was surreal and beautiful, something she’d gone without for so long that she’d forgotten how much she needed it.

  Or maybe it wasn’t simply being touched. Maybe it was Jace’s touch that felt so good. He made her feel beautiful, not disfigured. He made her feel safe, not afraid. He made her feel alive, like a woman, like someone who wasn’t broken irretrievably.

  Slowly, hesitantly, almost afraid he wouldn’t be there, she turned her head to the side again, tipping her chin back over her shoulder toward him. His mouth found hers instantly, a searing hot kiss that sent electricity sparking through her body. The kiss was hot and demanding this time, and she didn’t know whether it was his need or hers that had escalated it.

  She shifted against him, trying to stay still, but unable to contain the need he was stoking inside her. His hand continued to stroke her belly, but he didn’t move it lower. She wanted him to try again. She wanted him to touch her. Just for a brief moment. Just to know what it felt like again.

  Without intending to, without making the decision, she found her fingers wrapping around his wrist again. His hand stilled, just as it had before. His mouth stilled on hers as well.

  No, no, no. That wasn’t what she’d meant. Nervously, almost afraid of what she wanted, and of whether he might reject her, she moved his hand lower, over her scarred belly, sliding their hands past the waistband of her jeans.

  For a moment, he didn’t respond. Heat flared in her cheeks. What had she been thinking? Mortified, she tugged on his wrist, but this time, for the first time, he ignored her silent request. Instead, he slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of her boring, cotton underwear and slid through her curls.

  She swallowed, suddenly nervous, but before she could think about it, he took her mouth in a devastating kiss of unilateral possession. She wanted to turn around in his arms and kiss him, but his forearm across her breasts kept her still, pinned against him, so all she could do was turn her head. His kiss was hot and demanding, no longer holding back, shattering all her defenses. She kissed him back, desperate for what he could give her, but as soon as she kissed him, he slipped his fingers between her damp folds.

  Again, he swallowed her gasp with his kiss, his fingers moving with skilled finesse, stirring up responses she hadn’t thought she was capable of anymore. Her body was slick beneath his fingers, responding to him, but he didn’t abate with his kisses, and his forearm pressed more tightly against her nipples.

  Every part of her body was on fire, an inferno setting her body ablaze. It had been so long, so unbearably long since she’d been with a man, since she’d trusted one enough to allow him to be close to her. She barely knew Jace, but at the same time, she knew so much about him. She understood his intense loyalty, his unflagging moral code, and the guilt that weighed him down every step he took. She knew that somehow he was standing there, holding her, when his injuries should have dragged him down. He was the courage she sought in her own life, the loyalty she tried to have to those who mattered to her, the strength she needed so badly.

  He deepened the kiss, turning it from passion into something deeper. Something more. A claiming. As he kissed her, his fingers slipped inside her, making her entire body clench with desire. He was merciless and unrelenting as he touched her, his kisses unending, his fingers moving with constant, delicate perfection. She shifted against him, her hips moving on their own. A small cry slipped from her lips, but he absorbed the sound with his kiss, moving his fingers across her most sensitive bud, harder and faster until—

  The orgasm hit her with shocking force. Her body shook, and her legs almost gave out as it rocked through her, seizing her with ruthless, searing fire. Jace held her up, never breaking the kiss, as she twisted against him, fighting to stay upright, trying to find a way to somehow hold in the screams tearing at her throat. He pressed the heel of his hand to her folds, prolonging the climax, and somehow giving her the strength to hold it inside her when all she wanted to do was succumb.

  It felt like forever until it finally eased, releasing her into his arms in an exhausted, depleted state. Abby rested her head against him, trying to catch her breath as Jace withdrew his hand from her pants, setting it back upon her stomach. Once again, he spread his fingers across her scars, as if he were trying to pour his own strength into her battered body.

  She closed her eyes, heat filling her cheeks as she listened to the sound of wolves searching Kiernan’s cabin. Had she really just done that? Let Jace give her an orgasm while standing on a dark stairway. On the other side of the door was a pack hunting them, and somewhere below them were a trio of shifters. It was so not her, but at the same time, there was something incredibly liberating about it.

  She’d broken every sensible rule, and she’d allowed Jace to touch her in a way she hadn’t let anyone in a long, long time. She’d trusted him enough to stop paying attention to the wolves, and to turn herself over to him completely. She’d trusted him enough to let him see what she was really like, to give him the chance to reject her…and he hadn’t.

  Jace pressed a kiss to the side of her neck again, eliciting a small smile from her. This moment was their secret, an intimacy in the silent darkness. Somehow, it felt less real in the dark, in the silence, without a word spoken. Maybe it should have felt more impersonal, but it had been the opposite. Intensely erotic, deeply powerful, a connection that hadn’t needed sight or sound to ignite it.

  She reached behind her and slid her hand through his silky soft hair. As she did, he turned his head into her arm and kissed the inside of her forearm, a tender, intimate kiss that made her heart turn over. Who kissed the inside of a woman’s forearm? It was so personal, so intimate, so…tender.

  “I think they’re gone.” Jace’s whisper in her ear made her jump. Belatedly, she realized that the sounds from the cabin had ceased. “Let’s head down.”

  A part of her wanted to refuse to move. She wanted to stay in the darkness with him, in a fantasy world where real life was replaced by intimacy and security, by a sense of connection that wasn’t distort
ed by the wounds of the past, or the uncertainty of the future.

  But when he took her hand to guide her down the steps, she didn’t resist. As much as she wanted to hide, she couldn’t. Real life actually existed, and Seth was out there somewhere, with less than forty hours left of his humanity, unless they found him first.

  Chapter 12

  Jace tightened his fingers around Abby’s hand as they reached the bottom of the stairs, drawing her slightly behind him. Drake had reassured him telepathically that they were safe, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  He was well aware of the trust that Abby had offered him in the stairwell when she’d allowed him to touch her scars. His heart had ached for her fear, and it had taken all his self-control not to open the sliding door and tear out into the room after Lucius.

  If he had, he would have exposed Abby to the vicious bastard who’d attacked her, and there was no fucking chance he was going to do that. So, he’d stayed still, focusing on Abby to distract himself from the fury raging through him that the bastard was roaming free.

  He’d kissed Abby’s neck to take away her fear, and to distract himself, but the minute he’d tasted her, every cell in his body had responded with need so intense that he’d almost lost control completely. He’d never craved a woman the way he wanted Abby. He wanted her, and his wolf burned for her.

  When she’d come apart in his arms, all he’d wanted to do was sink himself inside her and claim her as his, to declare to the world that she was his to protect and cherish.

  But he knew that was not a choice he could afford to make. He was still on the edge, a deadly weapon at the mercy of one song, a song she knew intimately. His body was a battlefield, barely able to stay vertical, and he was a murderer who’d stolen her own sister.

  He had no business touching her the way he had, but that was too damn bad. She was the light to his darkness, somehow trusting him with her body despite all he was. She fucking knew what he’d done, and yet she’d still welcomed his touch, accepting intimacy he was pretty sure she’d hid from since the attack by Lucius.