Dark Wolf Running (Bloodrunners) Read online

  With his nostrils flaring and his jaw clenched, he said, “I can’t lose my focus here. It’s not safe. I will not put you in danger, no matter how badly I want you. You understand?”

  She nodded, relief sweeping through her system in a sweet, stunning rush. He hadn’t been rejecting her. He was simply worried about the location, which made perfect sense.

  But instead of moving away, he just stood there, staring down at her as if he wanted to eat her alive, until she finally forced out a tight laugh and gave him a push. “Stop trying to melt my circuits with that hungry look in your eyes. We’re leaving, remember?”

  “Right,” he grunted, looking very much as if he wanted to take her down to the floor and do things that would make her forget not only her name but also the name of every person she’d ever known. Then he jerked his chin toward the door and said, “Okay. Let’s go.”

  It took Elise only a moment to grab some of the things she wanted from the house, like her laptop, throw them into a backpack and slip it onto her shoulder. Then she set the alarm and locked the front door behind them as they left. She knew he wanted to drive his Jeep into the town center but suggested they walk instead. She wanted to show him that she was proud to have him by her side, to hell with what everyone else thought.

  But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still reeling.

  Jesus, Joseph and Mary...

  Now that she’d calmed down a bit, her heart rate returning to something closer to normal, she was stunned by what had almost happened between them. By the way she’d reacted to his touch and taste. Her thoughts were in chaos, same as her emotions, and she knew he could sense that she was pulling back in a way, trying to regroup. She also knew, by the hard set of his jaw, that he wasn’t happy about how she was feeling. Striving to ease the growing tension between them as they headed into the town center on foot, toward her office, she said, “Jillian’s house is just around the corner from here. Do you think she and Jeremy will ever spend any time there?”

  He kept his dark gaze focused ahead of them as he replied, “They intended to, before all hell started breaking loose. I like to think that when we weather this storm, the town will be a place they feel comfortable spending time in. Because Mase and the others are right. If the Silvercrest don’t learn to live without hate, then they won’t have to worry about bastards like the Whiteclaw. They’ll end up destroying themselves from the inside out. And as much as I don’t like it here, I would hate to see that happen.”

  She murmured her agreement, knowing he was right. And that her father had been responsible for so much of that hatred. He’d poisoned minds, and now it would take time to undo the mess he’d created.

  Curious about what kind of family Wyatt had come from, considering how messed up her own mother and father had been, she said, “You never talk about your parents. Where are they?”

  They turned left at the next corner, nearing the street where her office was located. Nearly a minute had passed since she’d asked her question, and she’d thought he just wasn’t going to answer, when he finally pulled in a deep breath and said, “My maternal grandmother was Sioux. I spent most of my childhood on a reservation with her family and my parents. We would come here to visit, but that was all. My mom passed away from cancer when I was eighteen. Made my old man promise to keep it together for my sake, and he did. When I became a Runner, he stayed near her family. But I visit him a few times a year and we’re still close.”

  “That’s why I never saw you, isn’t it? Because you didn’t grow up here.”

  He glanced over at her with one of his ridiculously sexy, crooked smirks. “Even if I had, our paths wouldn’t have crossed. I sure as hell wouldn’t have been part of the social structure here in town.”

  She looked away, biting her lower lip. “Still, it’s odd, isn’t it? The way we never met until the night of Max’s ceremony.”

  “I never have been one for town,” he murmured, then gave a quiet laugh. “Which is a serious understatement. The times I was here before becoming a Runner, I laid low, hanging at my parents’ cabin that sat on the outskirts of town. I spent my time with guys like Mason and Jeremy, swimming in the local lake and hanging out down in places like Wesley, along with a few of the other human towns. But Shadow Peak never held any appeal to me. Hell, I don’t know how Carla and most of the guys stomached it for as long as they did.”

  “Maybe it’s a good thing,” she admitted, tucking her windblown hair behind her ear. “If we had met, you would have hated me.”

  He turned his head toward her, his expression making it clear that he didn’t like what she’d said.

  “Don’t scowl. It’s true. If you think I’m a bitch now, you should have seen me then. I get embarrassed whenever I think about it. I had such a huge chip on my shoulder, I swear I went out of my way to be...awful to people.”

  “Yeah, well, I like to think I’d have been smart enough to see through the act.”

  Surprised, she lifted her brows. “What makes you think it was an act?”

  “Despite what you keep telling me, I do know you, El. You’ve had a shit life, thanks to things that were beyond your control, and you haven’t always handled it well. But you have a good heart. You’re a good person.”

  Oh, my God. She didn’t have any idea how to respond, his unexpected words hitting her low in her body, filling her with warmth. She wanted to tell him that he was amazing. That he was too good for someone like her. That even though she didn’t deserve it, she wanted to take a chance and—

  “Wyatt!” she suddenly screamed, reeling with pain as she clutched the side of her head and staggered into him.

  “Fuck!” he growled, his strong arms wrapping around her as he quickly pulled her between two buildings. “Jesus Christ, El. Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know,” she whispered, tilting her throbbing head back to look up at him. “What happened?”

  “Some bastard threw a goddamn rock at you and then took off running,” he said through his gritted teeth, gently inspecting the side of her head. When she asked how it looked, he told her that there was a small knot swelling up, as well as blood oozing from a shallow but painful-looking cut.

  “Oh. Well, considering he threw the rock at me and not at you, I guess we can say that the Lycans here are definitely more accepting of the Runners now. At least more than they are of me.” She forced a grin onto her lips, trying to lighten his mood. “You probably shouldn’t be seen here with me, Wyatt. Want to put a bag over my head?”

  “Don’t.” His voice was rough and guttural, with more of the beast in it than she’d ever heard before. “This isn’t the time for fucking jokes. That scared the hell out of me.”

  “Sorry. But I’m fine. Really. You don’t have to look so worried.”

  He gave a sharp nod, his nostrils flaring as he slowly released his breath. “We’re only a few doors down from your office,” he told her, a cold, deadly rage burning in his eyes. “I’ll cover you when we hit the street and walk you down. Then I want you to go inside and lock the door, okay?”

  Frowning, she asked, “Why? Where are you going to be?”

  Glaring at her bleeding scalp, he said, “I need to find the stupid asshole who did this to you and teach him a lesson.”

  “Wyatt, no!” she argued, clutching the hard bulge of his biceps. “I don’t want you to leave me. And I don’t want you wasting your time on some idiot.” Forcing a smile, she added, “If you found him and tried to kill him, he’d probably just whine about it.”

  “I’m not gonna kill him, El.” A muscle pulsed in the hard edge of his jaw, and his voice got lower. “But I wouldn’t mind making him sorry he was ever born.”

  “Well, considering he’s probably one of Farrow’s goons, I’m sure he’s already sorry. So let’s just get out of here. I...I want out of this place. I want to go home.”

  “Home?” he repeated, an arrested expression on his face that told her just how deeply her words had affected him.

  “
I want to be back in the Alley, where I feel safe,” she whispered. “Will you take me?”

  He nodded, keeping a close eye on her as they quickly grabbed what she needed from her office, then made their way back to the Jeep. They didn’t say much at first as he drove out of town, both lost in their thoughts...and she wondered if they were thinking about the same thing....

  Trying to figure out precisely when she’d started to think of the Alley as her home.

  Chapter 9

  They eventually struck up a conversation about music and movies, of all things, as they made the drive back to the Alley. Wyatt was friendly and funny, as well as a good listener. Elise always got the sense that he was taking in everything that she said, no matter how trivial, unlike so many of the other men she’d known. Her brothers had never been dismissive toward her like that, but her father had. And then there were the chauvinistic jerks she encountered at work and in the local business groups. But she had Wyatt’s complete focus, and she’d have been lying through her teeth if she’d said it wasn’t sexy as hell. And yet, despite the camaraderie between them, he showed the unmistakable signs of tension and fatigue.

  She could tell by the dark circles under his eyes that he hadn’t been sleeping well, and couldn’t help but wonder what secrets he was hiding. Considering how many she was holding close to her chest, Elise recognized the signs, and she wanted to know what haunted him. Had someone hurt him? It took her by surprise, the anger that spilled through her system when she thought of someone causing him pain, be it physical or emotional. She wanted to ask but knew better than to push. Knew that by doing so she could very well end up shoving him away, when there were too many parts of her at the moment that simply wanted to pull him a little closer.

  That night, they stayed in and ate dinner in his cabin, just the two of them, since she’d had to take some pain meds for her head. He cooked, which surprised the hell out of her—and even more surprising was the fact that he was damn good at it. But she should have realized he would be. Wyatt Pallaton was the kind of man who excelled at anything he put his mind to, whether it was Bloodrunning, cooking fettuccine Alfredo, or making her open her eyes and start looking at the world again, rather than avoiding it.

  And he was the man who’d somehow made her start thinking about sex again, when she hadn’t thought it would ever happen.

  She hadn’t been a virgin when her world had fallen apart three years ago. There had been a few before that night. Not many, contrary to what most in the pack probably believed. She’d had attitude, and they’d assumed she liked to sleep around. But the truth was that it’d never been all that easy for her to trust a man enough to enjoy herself with him. Sadly, the few times she’d engaged in sex, it’d been more about rebelling against her father than it’d been about finding pleasure. And to be honest, finding pleasure had never been all that important to her. Not when every day of her life was a constant battle to feel worthy and useful.

  But it was important to her now. To the woman she was becoming. And she’d finally admitted to herself today who she wanted to help her find it. Even knowing there wasn’t a chance in hell she could keep him, she still wanted to seize this moment and have it. Own it. As many of these moments as she could get, until it was too late and her secrets stood between them, keeping them apart.

  They’d finished dinner over an hour ago, just sitting and talking at the table until well after the sun had finally slipped beneath the horizon. Then they’d loaded the dishwasher together, she’d gone to take a shower, and Wyatt had headed to his bedroom. With her hair still damp and her body clad in nothing more than a skimpy bra-and-panties set, tank top and cropped pair of sweats, she walked to his closed bedroom door. She counted out ten heavy, painful heartbeats, then reached down and twisted the doorknob, walking into the room without even knocking. He looked over from where he was sprawled across a massive king-size bed in nothing but his jeans, watching a ball game on the TV. Elise could tell by the look on his face that she’d shocked the hell out of him by coming in here, and she quickly blurted, “I can’t sleep.”

  He muted the TV, and she watched his abs ripple as he sat up in the middle of the bed, the mouthwatering sight making her feel a little light-headed. “Nightmares?”

  When she finally forced her gaze back up to his face, she shook her head. “No. I, um, I haven’t actually tried to sleep yet. But I know I won’t be able to.”

  His hooded gaze did a swift pass down her body, lingering for a moment on her breasts, her nipples thick against the thin veils of lace and cotton, and then he seemed to shake himself a little, before lifting those dark eyes back to her face. His expression was etched with concern. “Why? Is it because of what happened in town today?”

  “No.” Determined not to panic and run, she forced herself to take a step toward the bed. “I just... I want to feel safe tonight.”

  “You feel safe with me?” he asked, and it was clear from his husky tone that she’d surprised him once again.

  She bit her lip. “Yes,” she said a little breathlessly. “I don’t...I don’t know why, but I do. And please don’t ask me to explain. I just want to be close to you.”

  Lying back down against the pillows, he shifted onto his side and said, “Then come here and I’ll hold you. Just hold you. Okay?”

  She nodded with a profound surge of relief, then swiftly went into his arms, her back to his front as she cuddled against him on the bed. She should have been terrified, choked with fear, the same way she’d been every time she’d thought about being this close to a man in the past three years. But she wasn’t. She didn’t. Instead, she felt as if she were exactly where she was meant to be. And, God, was that a mistake, considering everything that stood between them. Everything that would keep them apart.

  “I have to be honest with you,” she whispered into the heavy silence, feeling like an idiot but needing to make at least this one confession. “I didn’t come in here because I’m scared. I came in here because I wanted to feel like this with you. Breathless...excited. But I don’t know if I can go to the end with it, and that isn’t fair. Not to you. I’m just...just using you.”

  “Like hell you are,” he grunted, holding her a little tighter, his heart pounding hard and fast against her spine. “If you want pleasure, El, I’m more than happy to give you some. Or a lot. Do not feel bad about that or second-guess it. Just go with what feels right. We get to the point you want to stop, then we stop. No argument. You get me?”

  She nodded but didn’t say anything. Minutes ticked by slowly, and though she was enjoying the hell out of being in his arms, wrapped up in his intoxicating warmth, she couldn’t hold back the words that had started building inside her. Clutching his forearms, she said, “Wyatt, you’re hot as sin and a nice guy. You could choose any woman you wanted and she would be thrilled to go out with you.”

  He laughed quietly just above her ear, and she could hear the smile in his voice as he said, “But not you?”

  Instead of answering, she asked, “So why aren’t you out with one of them?” She rolled over so that she could see his face, her gaze remaining locked with his as he shifted to his back. When he raised one of his muscular arms and tucked his open hand behind his head, it was so freaking sexy she nearly forgot what she’d been saying. Voice a little huskier than before, she licked her lips, lifted up onto an elbow and finally managed to demand, “Why are you doing this? What the hell are you trying to achieve? Because you can’t fix me. And it’s not even your place to try.”

  His lashes lowered over the smoldering heat in his eyes, his chest rising with a deep, almost aggressive-sounding breath. “Whose place is it?”

  “No one’s, other than my own. And I’m fine with the way things are.”

  “Bullshit,” he muttered. “You can spout that ‘I’m a tough bitch and don’t need anyone’ crap to everyone else, but I’m not buying it, El. You’re lonely and you’re scared and you deserve a hell of a lot more than life has thrown at you.”


  She closed her eyes and bit her lip again, letting those harsh but incredible words wash through her, making her shiver. The old El would have gotten pissed and mouthed off—but he was right. At least about the lonely-and-scared part. When she lifted her lashes, she sat up and forced herself to say, “When you kissed me today, I felt... I didn’t think I would ever feel like that again. And I don’t know that I could ever have more than that now. I also know it isn’t fair...I mean, I don’t want you to think that I’m a tease. I just...”

  “You just want another kiss.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she answered him anyway. “Yeah.”

  His abs bunched beneath his tight skin as he sat up, moving the hand he’d had behind his head to her face and rubbing his thumb against the side of her mouth. “Christ, you are so beautiful.”

  “I’m not. I’m scarred, Wyatt. Inside and out.” His gaze flickered with irritation, but she cut him off before he could argue with her. “It’s the truth.”

  “I call bullshit again, El. Because you are beautiful. Gorgeous. The most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. But I will control myself. I want you, but I won’t push you into anything. I’m willing to wait for you to be ready, so don’t waste time worrying about what you think is fair and what isn’t.”

  Wrapping her hands around his wrist, she said, “Just tell me why, Wyatt. Why would you do this? I meant what I said. You’re... You could have any woman you wanted. Why me?”

  He leaned toward her and answered with the electrifying heat of his mouth, rubbing his lips against hers. Then he deepened the kiss, tongue to tongue, his rough hand gently cupping the side of her face. She got lost in the velvety dark heat of his mouth, the kiss flavored with the whiskey he’d drank after dinner. It was slow and sensual and heated, asking nothing of her except that she give in to the pleasure and not fight it. That she let it flow through her veins like a fine wine, the heavy beating of her heart telling her exactly how much her body liked the feeling.

  When he finally broke the kiss and lifted his head, he stared down at her through the thick weight of his ink-colored lashes. They were so decadent and long they left shadows just above his sharp cheekbones. “I can be patient because I think you’re worth waiting for,” he told her in that low, smoky voice that seemed to melt into her. “So don’t, for one second, think I don’t want you, because I do. I’m hard and hurting, but I can wait. I will wait.”