Arctic Winds

Chapter 4

When Samantha woke up, darkness had settled outside her window. She felt much better, but she still hadn’t fully regained her strength. The sound of her stomach grumbling reminded her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

She hadn’t even bothered getting underneath the covers or changing out of her clothes after Laurie left. She had curled up on the bed and immediately drifted off to sleep. Sometime during her sleep, she had stripped and shifted. The cracks and snaps that always came with a shift had filled the small room. Anyone listening would assume shifting was accompanied by torturous pain, but it was far from painful. To a shifter, the breaking and reforming of bones and muscles necessary to change forms was more of a reassuring ache. Shifting felt like a good stretch after a long nap.

Burrowing under the covers to block out the light, Samantha had curled up, tucked her nose under her tail and promptly fell back asleep. In the wild, her tail protected her face from the cold winds and created a blanket of sorts for her body. The protective pose wasn’t necessary in the warmth of the apartment but curling into herself gave her the comfort of familiarity. After weeks of hunting up her own food and sleeping as fox, it felt unnatural to sleep as human. She was in the same pose now.

Samantha quickly shifted and pulled on her day-old clothes. Swiping her keys from the counter, Samantha locked up and made her way downstairs. She needed to get her stuff from the car and see if she could find a grocery store.

The bookstore was dark as she passed it. It must be later than she thought. Laurie had mentioned the store closing at eight.

As she walked toward her car, she noticed a piece of paper underneath the wipers. She groaned out loud. She couldn’t afford a ticket right now. Hesitantly, she pulled the paper out and stared at it. It wasn’t a ticket.

Hey, Sam, I knocked on your door before I left for the night but didn’t get an answer. Figured you were either out cold or out exploring. If you need anything, give me a call on my cell. Laurie. A phone number was listed under the name.

Samantha stared at the note. Her throat felt tight, and tears blurred her vision. Samantha was moved Laurie had thought to check on her before leaving. No one had ever cared about her before.

She shook herself and straightened her shoulders. This, too, would pass. Best not to get used to it.

Samantha looked at the number Laurie had written on the note. Too bad she didn’t have a cellphone. It seemed she was on her own for searching out food.

Samantha pulled her keys out of her pocket and slid behind the wheel. Glancing briefly at the clock on the dashboard as she started the car, Samantha was amazed at how late it had gotten. It was almost ten o’clock! Luckily it was a Friday night. She was sure something would be open.

Where the hell is she? Jason thought for the six-hundredth time as he sat in his car and looked around the empty parking lot.

He’d been at the Wild Boar, the local pub, having a cold one with his brothers, when Laurie walked in and slid into the booth with them. She signaled the waiter to order a beer.

“Where have you been?” Ethan asked casually. “We expected you an hour ago.”

“Went home to take a shower and freshen up after closing.”

“Well?” Jason interrupted, not willing to wait around while they made small talk. “How is she?”

She looked at him innocently, reaching for the nachos sitting on the table. “Who?”

“Don’t play dumb, Laurie. It doesn’t look good on you.”

“Oh, Samantha? I don’t know, she didn’t answer the door when I went to check on her. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“She didn’t answer so you left?” Jason yelled, drawing the eyes of half the bar to their table. His siblings looked at him like he was insane.

“What’s your problem? She was probably sleeping. I left a note with my number. If she needs something, she’ll call.”

Shoving his way out of the booth, he left the bar, intent on checking on Samantha.

Only Samantha wasn’t at the bookstore. Her car was gone from the parking lot, and she hadn’t come to the apartment door when he knocked. He was overcome by fear. What if she had decided not to stick around and left town, left him, without a word?

The question ran through his mind over and over again. There was nothing he could do but wait. So he sat in his car and stared at her door, as if by staring at it she would magically appear.

Where the hell is she?

Headlights came around the corner of the store, and as he watched, Samantha’s midnight blue Taurus rounded the side of the building and pulled into a parking space. She stared at his car warily.

Knowing she would be able to see him even at night, Jason opened his car door and stepped out. He watched as she guardedly exited the car and waited for him to come to her.

“Is there a problem?” she asked him when he approached.

“Where the hell were you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Where the hell were you? Laurie said you didn’t answer your door. I was worried, so I came to check on you and you were gone. No note, no call, nothing.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had to check in with you. Do all your pack members have to notify you when they go to the grocery store, or is it just the new folks?”

“Grocery store?”

“Grocery store,” Samantha confirmed.

Jason rubbed his hands over his face, suddenly tired now that he realized she wasn’t leaving him. He wasn’t acting like himself. He hadn’t been able to think of anything besides Samantha all day long. Throughout the day he found himself rising from his desk, intent on coming over to check on her, before reason returned, stopping him in his tracks. He trusted Laurie to call him if anything was wrong.

A couple of times he caught Ethan or Danny watching him curiously after he rose, forcing him to refill his coffee cup in order to cover up his strange behavior. Ethan had been grinning like a fool by the end of the day, with Jason scowling right back. Danny looked at them both like they were crazy.

Samantha nervously wrung her hands. “Listen, I told you I wasn’t going to cause trouble, but if you don’t believe me, maybe I should just head out. I appreciate everything, and I’m feeling much better now…”

Samantha stopped talking as Jason backed her up against the side of her car. Towering over her, Jason drew her eyes to his. He had a wild, almost feral look in his eyes, and a wave of desire crashed through her. He gripped her hips as he pressed her against her car door with his body.

“I’m not worried you’re going to cause trouble,” he all but growled out.

Staring up into his eyes, altered from their mossy green color to a pale yellow that practically glowed, Samantha felt heat flood her core and she began to get wet.

“Then what are you worried about?” Samantha whispered, gripping his forearms. He didn’t answer, but his gaze lowered to her lips and he growled again, low and deep. From her position, pushed up against the car by his hard chest, Samantha didn’t hear the rumble so much as she felt it reverberate against her. With the car behind her and the equally unyielding chest in front of her, Samantha felt an unfamiliar spike in her desire as she realized there was no escape. She didn’t want one. She had no thoughts of running away from this man.

Jason slowly lowered his head and molded his lips to hers. The kiss was softer than she expected, barely exerting any pressure.

She stared into beastly eyes and knew the animal was on a short leash. Wanting his wolf set free, she ran her hands up his arms and locked them behind his neck. Deliberately arching her body into his, she tried to make him snap. She wanted his untamed passion–and she got exactly what she asked for.

He pushed her harder against the car as his tongue thrust into her mouth. It was exhilarating, and she moaned, closing her eyes as she moved restlessly against him.

This kiss was unlike the careless assaults she’d previously experienced. Jason’s kisses felt like he was claiming her mouth as his own.

She freely gave him everything he demanded and more. Samantha massaged his tongue with hers and let the world drift away. Only the two of them existed in this new world. She felt a gentle pressure on her hips, and realizing he had lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist. His lower body held her up against her car, completely supporting her. Being in his arms, depending on his strength to keep her from falling, only turned Samantha on more. She deepened the kiss and felt his fangs begin to extend. He lifted his hands from her hips and pushed them up under her sweater to cup her small breasts. He circled her stiff nipples through her lace bra with his thumbs, causing her to moan deeply against his lips.

This was by far the most exhilarating experience she’d ever had, and she moved her body against him. She couldn’t get close enough. She wanted to feel his naked flesh against hers. Samantha didn’t know what miracle had made this strong, beautiful and giving man desire her, but she wanted him, now, before he changed his mind.

“Wait.” He pulled his mouth away from hers and gripped her hips once again with his hands. Samantha groaned in frustration at the loss of contact. “Wait, this isn’t right. This isn’t why I came here.” He pressed his forehead against hers and took a deep, shuddering breath. He didn’t release her so she left her legs wrapped around his waist and let him support her.

She would’ve stripped right there and let him take her in the open against her car door if he hadn’t stopped. She couldn’t help but wonder why he had, and her old insecurities rose up to haunt her.

She didn’t have a large amount of experience. It wasn’t as though she’d never had sex before, but the few times she had weren’t exactly noteworthy.

Last year, she had felt lost in life and thought if she could feel desired and wanted for who she was, she would be able to dispel the demons of loneliness constantly dogging her. With that goal in mind, she started a relationship with one of the waiters at the restaurant where she had worked. After a week he pushed her to have sex with him, claiming he had spent enough money on meals so she should “put out.”

It had been one of the most awkward experiences of her life. She’d been told her first time would be painful, but it hadn’t been. She had barely felt the pressure as he pushed his way into her, but she hadn’t gotten any pleasure out of the act. Afterward, her loneliness returned tenfold when he immediately fell asleep, leaving no one for her to talk to. She tried to convince herself it would get better, that it was just awkward because it was her first time, but things hadn’t improved. He didn’t seem to care whether or not she got pleasure, and the two seconds of foreplay never got her in the mood.

After three weeks, Samantha’s patience had run out. She left town without a word, just packed up and left. She called work, told them she wouldn’t be back, and driven three states away. She’d never seen or heard from him again.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked when Jason didn’t open his eyes, just continued to lean against her. Slowly, his eyelids rose and he gazed into her eyes. He was close enough she could see little flecks of green in his pale yellow eyes as he attempted to change them back to human.

“You were perfect. You are perfect. But if we didn’t stop, I was going to do something I’d regret later. I’m not going to take you against the hood of your car. When we sleep together, it’s going to be in a bed…the first time at least.”

“Don’t bother.” Focusing on the word “regret”, Samantha pushed away from him. She didn’t need his pity. Too many people regretted her very existence. No one else would be joining their ranks if she could help it.

She saw the shock on his face as he lowered her until her feet hit the ground. “I wouldn’t want you to do something you’ll ‘regret later’.” Samantha used her fingers to quote him. She moved to open her door to get her groceries but once again found herself turned around and backed up against her car by a large hard body.

“Make no mistake, Samantha. I want you so much I can barely think straight.” Jason ground his hips against hers, and her eyes went wide as she felt the massive bulge of his erection pressing against her. “We will have sex and when we do, there will be no regrets on either side. But when I take you, it sure as hell won’t be out in the open where anyone can stumble upon us.”

Samantha looked around, suddenly realizing where they were. She had been so immersed in Jason and what he made her feel, she had forgotten they were outside in a parking lot. She took a deep breath and looked back up at Jason.

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. What was a girl supposed to say after the most handsome man she’d ever met kissed her senseless and then stated they would be having sex in the near future?

She was adorable, flushed with desire and anger. Jason had flustered her and he knew it. Her cheeks were still tinted a light pink, and her eyes glowed from the kiss. He liked flustering Samantha. Jason tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his finger trail down her cheek. Her skin felt like velvet. He wondered if she was soft all over.

“Come on, I’ll help you carry your groceries in,” Jason said, reluctantly backing away. He opened the car door to get her groceries and discovered only one bag in the backseat. “Are there more bags in the trunk?”

“Uh, no. I just bought a few necessities.”

Looking into the bag, he saw turkey slices, a bag of Swiss cheese, a box of chamomile tea and a loaf of sourdough bread. He looked over at her curiously. “This is all you bought?”

“So? I told you I just got necessities. I’ll go back if I need to.”

He shook his head and started walking toward her door. It took him a moment to realize she wasn’t following him. Jason looked back in time to see Samantha trying to pull a large suitcase out of her trunk.

“Samantha!” he cried and watched as she jumped, dropping the bag back into the trunk. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked over at him.

“What?”

“I thought you said this was it,” he exclaimed. Thrusting the bag of groceries into her hands, he strode past her, easily pulling her suitcase out of the trunk.

“No, I said there were no more groceries.”

He glanced at her as she grumbled. He tried to hold on to his frustration but burst out laughing at the petulant look on her face. God, she was adorable. Finally, she smiled at him.

“Okay, maybe I should’ve mentioned the luggage. It’ll be a whole lot easier for you to carry it up the stairs.”

Jason walked her up to the main door and waited while she unlocked it. He carried the luggage up the stairs, placing it inside her apartment doorway at the top.

“I don’t have any coffee or beer to offer you, but if you’d like, you can come in and warm up a bit.”

“I’d better not, but thanks.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek chastely. “See you later, Samantha.” Jason needed to get home and take a cold shower–a very cold shower.