S. Yule - Lycan Vengeance

He stopped the truck, put it in park, and killed the engine. When he turned to look at Rose, she was staring back at him. Her skin was pale and the black smudges under her eyes gave away her tiredness. He wasn’t about to put up with the argument she looked to be gearing up to give him, and when she started to speak, he held his hand up.

“Do us both a favor, and let’s not do this tonight. You’re tired, hurt, and I’m still pissed at your little acrobatic-dive-turn-eating-the-pavement stunt.”

“You didn’t give me a choice.”

“Rose?” He reached for her and tucked a soft strand of hair behind her ear, then reluctantly retreated when she flinched at his touch. He refused to let her see just how bad that reaction cut him to the bone.

“What?”

“Have I hurt you once tonight?”

“No, but—”

“Have I given you any indication to believe that I am going to hurt you?”

She hesitated before answering. “You’re a lycan.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“No.” She said the words through clenched teeth, obviously not happy about admitting this to him.

“Then let’s let the arguments rest for tonight. You can go in, have a hot shower or bath, take some aspirin, and get a good night’s sleep.” He leaned close and sniffed. “If nothing else, please wash that horrible stench off.”

When she puffed out a breath of indignation, he laughed.

“Sorry, babe, but you don’t exactly smell like your name implies.”

She gave him one last seething glare, whipped the door open, and started for the house. He followed close behind in case she decided to bolt. This was going to be one hell of a ride. She wasn’t going to cut him one inch of slack. He looked down and couldn’t help but admiring her ass as it swayed in front of him. The black leather hugged it, outlining every delicious curve, and he barely kept a groan from escaping. He clenched his hands into tight fists to keep from reaching out to touch the perfectly showcased cheeks. Yep, one hell of a ride—one he planned to take for the rest of his life.

Rose’s head pounded as she stood under the hot spray of the shower. Since that horrible night Tammy was killed, her life had never been so out of control. How had she allowed herself to be caught by him? Knox

Slade. A monster. A lycan. The thing she hated most. And why in the blazes did he have to be so damned good-looking? She shook her head and instantly regretted the action when pain sliced through her temple.

Jumping out of a moving truck, no matter how slow it had been rolling, hadn’t been the wisest, best thought-out thing she’d ever done. Her head, shoulder, and knee ached like hell, but thankfully, the aspirin

Knox had given her after he’d brought her some clean towels and one of his T-shirts to wear took the edge off.

She had spare clothes in the truck, but she didn’t want to let him in on that because along with the clothes was a survival pack that she’d be able to use when she made her escape. So for now, she’d play the meek guest until an opportunity to run presented itself.

She rolled her shoulders under the warm jets of water pelting her and rubbed the shampoo out of her thick hair. She wanted to condition it, knew she should since it would be next to impossible to get a comb through the thick mass if she didn’t, but she couldn’t muster up enough energy to do it.

She turned the water off and stepped from the shower. While she toweled off, she looked around. She hadn’t really noticed much about the house when they’d come in because her head had been pounding so hard.

The bathroom wasn’t anything special, but it was clean, comfortable, and she liked it. With a few feminine touches, it would be quite cozy. She rolled her eyes. Why would she care about adding any touches to it at all?

She wouldn’t be here long. She slipped the T-shirt over her head, and it hung loosely, hitting just above the knees. She wrapped the towel around her head and looked for her clothes. She’d left them on the floor, but now they were nowhere to be found.

She would have probably thrown out the horrible-smelling outfit, but it kind of irked her that Knox had taken them, especially while she’d been showering, no less. He had some nerve, and yet through the indignation she felt from his actions, a small shiver of heat slithered through her at the thought of him being in the same room while she stood naked in the shower. She rolled her eyes again. This was so not the time to find out her hormones were still intact. She’d never willingly let a lycan touch her, but why did the thought of Knox’s hands on her not disgust her quite as much as she thought it should?

When she exited the bathroom, she found the bag that contained her clothes and survival kit lying on the big bed in the corner of the room. So much for keeping that a secret. She should have known that Knox would invade every aspect of her privacy. After all, he had come into the bathroom while she showered. She spun around at a noise behind her and tripped on her own tangled feet, but when she braced herself for the fall, big hands swept her upright before she made contact with the floor.

“Damn, you move fast.” She glared up at Knox. And damn, he was big. Thank God he’d changed his blood-soaked shirt. While she didn’t feel too guilty about shooting him, she didn’t like seeing all the blood.

“You already know I can move fast,” he mumbled. “Are you okay?” His brows drew down in obvious concern.

“Yes.” His hands were warm and eased over her skin. She caught herself before she did something stupid, like whimper, at how good his touch felt. “How dare you come into the bathroom while I was showering?”

“I didn’t peek.” He flashed a grin of straight white teeth. “Even though I wanted to.” His eyes slid down her body slowly, then back up until he was looking into her eyes. “I brought your bag in from the truck.

Figured you’d want it, although I think I like my shirt on you quite a bit—kind of reminds me of a song I once heard. Besides, I couldn’t wait one more minute to get rid of your reeking clothes. They were stinking up the whole place.”

She pulled away from him and looked around the bedroom. The bed, the dresser, the end tables were all masculine, but comfortable. She saw a couple of car magazines lying on the table beside the bed.

“Is this your room?”

“Yes, but it’s yours now. Unless you want to share?”

“Um, nooooo.”

“Your mouth says no, but why don’t I quite believe you?”

Anger shot through her, and when she realized he was playing around with her, she got even angrier.

“Don’t joke about things like that. I don’t find them funny. And, I would never, ever share a bed with you!”

His smiling lips suddenly clamped together into a thin line, and he took two long steps toward her, pushing her back until the backs of her thighs bumped the bed. He stood so close, towered over her, and in that second she realized how dangerous this man really was. He was a predator, a dominant animal, and she had insulted him in the worst way. The heat from his body rolled off him and hit her in waves.

“There’s no need for such insults, Rose.” He raised a hand toward her, and she flinched. His hand stopped inches from her cheek, and he sighed. “I told you I will never hurt you.” He rubbed his knuckles slowly down the side of her face, up to lightly skim the knot high on her forehead, and back down again.

She fought the urge to lean into his caress. The light dusting of hair on the back of his fingers tickled her skin, and she barely caught a moan from escaping. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her in kindness. She didn’t like to be touched. It was too personal, made her feel things she didn’t want to feel.

“So you’ve told me, but I still don’t understand why you think I’d believe you.”

“I could have easily hurt you, or worse, many times over by now. As you can see, we are alone here, and I don’t have any buddies here to pass you around among, as you so bluntly put it earlier. I won’t let any harm come to you.”

“It’s not in my nature to believe anything a lycan says. I’m sorry, but I don’t trust you.” She was sorry too.

Something inside her wished that he was just a normal man because even against her own nature, her own better judgment, she was drawn to him. She wanted to feel his caress, his lips on hers. She’d never been with a man. She’d dated a couple of boys before the incident with Russell, but after that, there hadn’t been time for a personal relationship. Up to this point, she hadn’t really thought much about it, or figured she’d missed out on anything, for that matter. Knox was making her feel differently, and while her mind screamed at her that it was wrong on so many levels, her body begged otherwise.

If she gave in to him, she’d never forgive herself. She’d betray her best friend’s memory and everything she’d fought for. She couldn’t welcome the enemy into her bed, yet her breath hitched in her lungs when his midnight blue eyes glowed down at her. Her heart stuttered, and all the reasons why she shouldn’t be doing this evaporated into thin air when his lips brushed hers. Fire shot straight between her legs, and a dull ache built low in her belly.

His lips caressed her gently, barely touching her, as if coaxing her to accept him. He pushed the towel off her head and tangled his fingers in the hair at her nape, tugging her closer. “I have to taste you.”

Before she could respond, he kissed her. His lips were firm but soft, and she moaned when his tongue danced along the seam of her mouth. He ignited an instant flame in her, and she strained toward him. When his tongue dipped inside and tangled with hers, fireworks shot off behind her eyelids, and she opened to his possession like a flower opening to the first rays of sun.

He tasted wild, erotic, dangerous . . . safe? He confused her. He excited her. He inflamed her, but when his other hand trailed along her bare thigh, she froze. Her eyes widened, and she pushed at his chest. Her breaths came in ragged gulps, and she pressed her hand to her wet, kiss-swollen lips when he didn’t budge against her insistent shoving.

“Stop thinking just for one minute, Rose, and feel. You responded to me. I felt it.” He wrapped his fingers around the hand she had pressed against her lips and brought it slowly to his mouth, where he licked and nipped gently at her palm.

Heat infused her once again, and she leaned toward him, mesmerized by how soft his lips felt. How could he make her feel this way? Had she deprived herself of sexual experiences to the point that her body was no longer willing to play by her brain’s rules? There was surely no other explanation for letting a lycan touch her.

He nipped her again, and when she gasped, his mouth shifted from her hand and fastened on her lips.

The floor dropped out from under her, and she began floating in a swirling fantasy of heat and desire only

Knox could show her. His tongue probed at her and slid deep before retreating and returning again. He expertly coaxed feelings from her she hadn’t known existed, a tempestuous yearning that had lain dormant within her, waiting for the right man to awaken it.

She now clutched the front of his shirt with no further thoughts of pushing him away, and the hand he didn’t have tangled in her hair slid down her back and cupped her rear. He dragged her against him as he insinuated his thigh between her legs. She cried out when a delicious pressure built against her core and a rush of desire drenched her sheath, instinctively readying itself for his possession. She tilted her hips toward him, and he kissed his way to her ear.

“That’s it. Take pleasure from me, sweetheart.”

Her head fell back, and she peered up into his face from under half-closed lids. His eyes glowed so bright she was mesmerized by their beauty for an instant before her mind jerked her back into reality. Her body screamed for her to let him continue touching, but her brain wouldn’t allow her to take pleasure from someone who was supposed to be her enemy.

She stiffened and could see by the look in his eyes that he was aware she was no longer welcoming his caresses. Her lip curled, and she practically snarled at him.

“Don’t ever touch me again, Knox, or I swear I will kill you.”

“You can’t deny the chemistry between us. It’s too strong.”

“There is nothing, nor will there ever be anything, between us. Please get out.”