Wolf Fever

Chapter 23

CAROL LIGHTLY RUBBED RYAN’S THIGH UP AND down, nearly touching his package on the upsweep. He was ready to pull the truck over and take her for his own before they even reached the hospital, but it was too dangerous with North and his men still unaccounted for.

“Hmm,” she murmured in a sultry way, “I dreamt you came dressed in your plaid to rescue me on a white steed. It was the night North and his men took me hostage. You yanked off your plaid, wearing only your shirt and boots, and wrapped the fabric around me. Then you carried me off to the castle.”

Prophetic that she should dream of him in that way? Or some deep-down Freudian desire to be with him that cast her into a fantasy world where he was her knight? He’d dreamed of her, too, only she was wearing the silky translucent gown that he’d seen her in when she had stood gazing out the window at him.

“Castle? I was the laird, no doubt.” And he would have been, had his family kept the drafty old keep. But sometime or another, they’d lost it to taxes and moved to Prince Edward Island first, and then eventually to North Carolina where many Scots ended up. Werewolf or otherwise. Some of his family settled in Colorado, and there they’d stayed.

“And your clansmen were glad to see you’d finally found a lady to tame your wild ways,” Carol said, her hand still stroking his thigh with a light touch.

“Sowing my wild oats, you mean.” He winked at her.

“Do that often?”

He laughed. She chuckled. “But I’m worried about being a MacDonald. What if the McKinleys had fought the MacDonalds?”

“In the old days, who knows? Now, it doesn’t matter. You know what this means?”

“What?” Her hand paused on his thigh.

“We’re moving the engagement date up.”

She stroked his leg some more, and he gritted his teeth against the rising tide of need. “If we have time before Doc and the other men arrive…” he said.

She stilled her hand on his lap. “What about Darien?”

“He’ll understand. Believe me. Know anyplace private where we can… sort things out?” He didn’t want to tell her that he had already made Jake aware Carol was his, that Silva would be the next to know, or that Darien already asked if he’d take her as a mate.

Chuckling, she squeezed his thigh. “You get right down to business, don’t you?”

“You saw me rescue you and whisk you away from the villains to the safety of yon castle, so it seems you had a premonition. Since you can’t change fate, we seem destined for this. So, is there any place private where we can go?” he asked again.

Smiling, she shook her head.

“I thought you were an adventurous sort. But more than that, I’ll barely be able to move in the direction of the hospital if you keep manhandling me.”

She laughed. “An exam table? Stirrups?”

“No hands examination?” He grinned. “Now that’s an idea.”

“The basement has a lounge area, a testing lab, a laundry room, and a snack room. Couches, clean laundry, snacks.”

“Getting better.”

“The nurses’ office and the doctor’s office have beds for when we have to stay on-call overnight.”

“Can we lock the basement facilities?”

“Yes, all of the rooms will lock. It just depends on what you’re in the mood for. When I was in training in Denver, I once found a nurse and a doctor fooling around in a linen closet. But linen closets have never appealed to me. Unless, of course, I got locked in one with a hunk of a guy and had to while away the time.”

“With just any guy?”

She patted his thigh. “Not with just anyone. Twice, I’ve also discovered patients having sex with lovers in their rooms. Once I’d even knocked, waited for a response, and figured the patient was asleep when no one answered.”

Ryan laughed. “So what did you do?”

“Turned around and muttered something about coming back later. I was embarrassed the first time I caught a middle-aged married couple at it. By the second time, I was getting the hang of it.”

“Sounds like the patients didn’t need to be in the hospital. Is an unoccupied patient’s bed another choice then?”

She shook her head. “Not unless I’m one of the patients and feeling frisky and the visitor looked a whole lot like you.”

“Sounds like you’re an adventurous sport after all.” But this meant a whole lot more to Ryan than the sex. Mating was the selfless commitment between a man and woman that promised a partnership through the rough times, and cherishing the good, a way to carry their genes forward through their offspring, a companion for life. No matter what, his being with her for the long term felt better than right.

He just hoped the problems she was having with transitioning could be resolved once they were mated.

When they arrived at the hospital, the place was quiet. Nurse Matthew met them in the waiting area, gave Ryan a hard look, and then said to Carol, “I bandaged Tom and the others that North and his men had attacked earlier. Sam dropped by to pick up Tom and take him to Darien’s house, and Silva’s gone with him to stay with Lelandi. The others had someone pick them up and take them home. We’ve got six guards around the outside of the hospital. The place is quiet with no overnight patients tonight.

“The three men who were shot are being transported here. Should be another hour before they arrive, though. They have to be carried to where a vehicle can reach them and then brought here.

“Doc’s sleeping in his room off his office, still in his wolf form. I took blood samples, and the medical technologist has performed routine and some highly specialized tests on them. He went home for the night, if you want to take a look at the results down in the lab.

“You’d know more about them than I would, since you were training in that area before you decided to become a nurse. With Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Webb both unable to look at them, I don’t know who else to send them to. I’m wiped out. Until the wounded men arrive to be patched up, I’m going to lie down in one of the staff rooms.”

“Thanks, Matthew. I’ll look at the blood samples in the basement. As soon as the wounded men arrive, I’ll be back up here to help you treat them. Just let me know when they’re here.”

Matthew nodded and headed for the nurses’ room.

Ryan followed Carol down the stairs to the basement, knowing he could never undo what he was about to do— and not regretting that in the least.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asked, just in case she wasn’t ready for a full commitment. As they reached the bottom step, he opened the door for her. He had to be certain she wanted this as much as he did.

“No last-minute change of mind?” He was afraid she’d settle for less than a mating again. Although getting hot with her like that again was appealing, he wanted more—to claim her, to make the commitment, to settle down with her.

She gave him a quick smile. “You have to ask? You’re not getting cold feet, are you? You promised to help me through what I’m going through. ‘Together,’ you said.” She raised a brow.

Just what he wanted to hear. He pulled her close and kissed her, ready to show her just how much he wanted her. Her fingers gripped him tight against her body, and her mouth softened against his kiss. Her body was stiff at first but then melted. His body felt tormented from her touch already, but he knew then that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

Her breathing shallow, she suddenly broke free from their kiss and motioned to the door. “Might want to lock it.”

Hating to break the spell of the raw sexual energy spiraling between them, he stalked over to the door and locked it with a click.

The water heater in the next room thrummed as warm heat filtered out of the vents above. Ryan turned off half the lights, cloaking the lounge in darkness. They could still see, but it was a lot more romantic, he thought.

She took his hand and pulled him close again. “You’re a romantic at heart, Ryan McKinley. But somehow I’d envisioned you being a little wilder than that.”

He couldn’t help smiling broadly at that.

She ran her fingers over his cheek as he rested his hands on her hips.

“You didn’t send me flowers like all the other men did.”

“See how well it worked?” he said, raising her face to his.

Her eyes were shadowed pools of blue, filled with anticipation, liquid with desire. Her lips parted, and he kissed the fullness, the softness that was all Carol, while feeling her arms go around his neck as she anchored her body against him.

“Besides,” he said, whispering the words against her lips, his hands shifting lower on her back, “I don’t follow trends.”

He reached for her waistband and slid her scrub pants down her legs, bending lower to slip them off completely, and kissing her belly down to her waistband. She pressed against the heel of her tennis shoe to remove it, but he crouched to take off that one and then the other. Then he slid his hands up her bare leg, kissing her on the inside of the knee.

She shivered.

“Cold?” he asked, rising, his hand sweeping up her thigh and touching her intimately between her legs. The only thing stopping him was her sheer silk panties, like a see-through chastity belt protecting the treasure. But not for long.

He slid the panties down her legs, pressing his mouth against the inside of her knees and pushing them apart to gain entrance. Then with her legs spread, he slipped his fingers into her wet hot cleft, and she immediately arched against him. Her body already screamed for release, the earlier unconsummated sex having been only the beginning.

“Hot,” he said, describing the way she looked and felt.

“Exquisitely hot.” She reached for his belt and struggled to unfasten it while he ran his hands up under her scrubs shirt and massaged her breasts, which were covered in the sheer silk bra without an ounce of padding. The pads of his thumbs stroked her erect nipples, and she closed her eyes, her fingers hesitating at his belt, her full lips parted in wonderment. She moaned softly and then quickly opened her eyes and jerked his belt open. After she slid his zipper down, she trailed her fingers along his rigid length, making it jump to her touch.

He pulled her scrubs top over her head, dropped it on the back of the couch, and then stared at her bra. It was better than lace or opaque material or anything else she might have worn. Her lingerie was sheer delight with her darkened nipples peaked against the fabric. He grasped her waist and licked the tantalizing peaks, first one through the silky fabric, and then the other as she speared her fingers through his hair, none too gently. Another soft moan from her lips stirred him on.

Fully aroused, he wanted her now before anything stopped him from taking her as his mate. She was playing with his buttons, so he quickly kicked off his shoes, his tongue still teasing a nipple. Then she had his shirt off and on the floor, and his trousers went the way of his shirt.

He attempted to unfasten her bra but couldn’t manage, so she grabbed for the fastener while he lifted her and carried her to the couch.

“Do you want to be on top or underneath?” he asked.

“The couch is scratchy. I have very delicate skin.”

“I’ll say.” Ryan nuzzled her soft cheek.

“Besides, I’m a take-charge kind of girl.”

He grinned broadly at that. She might think she was, but he had other plans.

Carol loved the way Ryan listened to her wants. With him, the ritual went so much deeper than mere sex. It was a commitment to cherish, to protect, to stand together forever—and forever was a very long time, given the lifespan of a werewolf.

She was ready for the commitment, to be with the man who would risk his neck for her, who embraced her psychic quirks and patiently understood her reluctance to shift. She knew he was the one for her. She only hoped she wouldn’t disappoint him as she struggled to accept the changes.

He set her next to the couch before he lay down on it. Naked, muscular, and ready, he smiled with lusty fascination. She crouched next to the sofa, brushing the light hair on his chest and moving lower, down the trail that led to his erection. The edge of her hand touched the velvet tip, already wet with anticipation and fully aroused. Now he shuddered with expectation as his erection pulsed with craving.

The smile still lit his face, although his eyes were dark with desire. She slipped her leg over his and moved until she was straddling his thigh. He placed his hands on her thighs, stroking and waiting to see what she’d do next.

She felt driven to take charge of her life. To choose Ryan for her own. For once in her life, she wanted to feel in control. Maybe not of her shape-shifting problems or her psychic abilities. But right now, she was in charge of a hunky alpha male that she’d be committed to for the rest of her life. And that felt good.

She moved her hand down his arousal, gliding over the stiff rod, memorizing the feel of every velvet ridge, and only stopping when his erection moved under her light touch. She reached her leg across his other one, spreading herself for him, her belly brushing gently against his heavy arousal.

He moaned. “Carol…” She swore that if he didn’t have such a husky, rushed voice, he might begin to beg. Begging was good.

Paused in a partial crouch, hovering over him with her hands planted on either side of his body against the soft couch, she held herself aloft, planning to sit and take hold of his sex and stroke until he was unable to stand the sheer pleasure another second. Until the back of his fingers swept up her inner thigh and she bit her lip, his touch sending a tremor of need through her. And then his fingers chafed against her thigh again, whisper soft, heating her core, and making her blood burn for him. His hand touched the short curly hairs at the juncture of her thighs and paused there.

She leaned against his hand, pressing her mound against his tormenting fingers. Her arms were giving out, so she decided to forgo stroking him and situated herself over his arousal to take the plunge. But she also wanted to draw out the experience, so she lowered herself against his hand again, stirring him into action. His fingers slipped into the wet folds, and she nearly died— a wonderfully exquisite death.

Every fiber of her being, wolf and human, craved having the alpha male. Nothing else mattered. She was beginning to move higher, to line herself up with his arousal, when his hands grasped her inner thighs, and she swallowed a gasp. He wasn’t going to let her take control.

He pulled her closer, his thumbs directed toward her woman’s core, and then reached up and began to stroke her. Her whole body felt like vanilla pudding in his hands, and she didn’t think she could stay like this for very long without collapsing on him. His smile said he knew it, too. His strokes became faster, bringing her to the edge and stirring her passion until… she felt the sun and moon collide—and she cried out at the first time she’d ever felt so wildly intoxicated, her body still quivering with the rush of adrenaline.

Ryan should have warned her that if she thought to entice him with her feminine wiles, she’d better be prepared to accept the consequences.

The smell of her sweet arousal and the way her legs straddled his, opening herself to him, were driving him mad. Holding onto his sanity, attempting control while she touched him, had to be the hardest thing he’d ever done. Hell, as soon as she climbed on top of him, leaving herself ripe for penetration? He’d wanted to take the plunge right then and there. He sighed. The little red wolf would be the death of him.

He released her thighs and reached up to take hold of her waist. She gasped as he lifted her away from him and switched places so that she was on her back, her sweetness bared to him. Alpha male on top, in control, he slid his hands up her arms, lifting them above her head so her breasts were ready again for his tongue.

She was beautiful and sweet in a spicy way, and all his.

She smiled at him and licked her lips with a slow slide meant to prime him. But he had been ready to finish this before they’d even shed one article of clothing. He slid his leg over hers and pinned her to the couch. Her lids lowered, and he gently touched her lips with his. He craved her more than he’d ever desired anyone.

As soon as he kissed her, she ran her hands over his arms, her touch tantalizingly sensual. Then she lifted her leg between his, gently pressing against his stiff erection. He groaned, and her lips twitched upward slightly. But he wouldn’t be pushed into a quick resolution.

He lowered his head and latched his mouth onto one of her nipples again, the bud puckered for his enjoyment. She moaned and ran her hands through his hair, her fingertips massaging his scalp with such finesse that he wanted to rest his head against her breast and give in to the sensual feel. He couldn’t decide which gave him more pleasure, hearing her light moans as his fingers stroked her swollen nub, or the way she caressed him— as if he was as precious to her as he felt she was to him.

With her orgasm still fluttering deep inside her, he slipped his erection into her and thrust again and again, deeper, harder, primal with wanting, as he claimed his mate forever.

“Ryan,” she cried out when he couldn’t hold onto the moment any longer and filled her with his seed.

He had meant to build up slowly, to make her enjoy the pleasure of him touching her last, but she arched against his fingers, her breathing shallow, her heartbeat pounding wildly, her eyes closed as her tongue wetted her lips, and he knew she couldn’t last much longer. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever been with—from the golden blonde hair framing her alabaster skin to nicely rounded breasts that made his mouth water for another taste, and nipples dusky pink and fully extended for his pleasure.

“Ah, Ryan,” she whispered, her heated little body arching one last time. She sighed and licked her lips again, the orgasm rippling through her in another cascade of waves.

No one had ever said his name with such eroticism, longing, and need.

For a minute, he lay snuggled together with Carol, loving the feel of her silky warmth, the vitality of her beating heart, the sweet scent that was unique to a red female, and even more special because of Carol’s alluring fragrance. He had spent five months obsessing over her, and now she truly was his.

Teaching her the way of the wolf was next on the agenda. That trial had only begun.