Unmasking the Wolf (9 page)

“What sort of drug?” Her dark eyebrows crinkled. “It must be very groundbreaking to cause a reaction like this.”

He didn’t confirm nor deny her suspicion. Instead, he stared at her, wishing he could see her hair. “In the morning, we’ll get some clothes. I need to contact a few people and see if it’s safe to return to Boston.”

“What if it’s not?”

He sighed. He really wished he didn’t have to go into this with her. “I’ll make sure you’re safe, and then I’ll handle it.”

“Is it dangerous?” Her gaze met his. “This drug you’re working on?”

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s a good thing. I promise. Now get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

•●•

Gina lay awake and listened to the even breaths of the man at her side. She’d dozed for a couple hours, but the unfamiliar bed made it hard for her to relax.

Squinting into the darkness, she checked the time. Two fifteen. She groaned and rolled to her side. Luke lay facing her, his arm outstretched along his pillow mere inches from her hand. He looked different with the casual clothing and a day’s worth of stubble, more virile and manly.

She ran her gaze down his body. The T-shirt was plastered to his lean body, hard muscles evident beneath the thin cotton. Faded jeans rode low on his hips, the bulge at the crotch making her blush the longer she stared. Thickly muscled thighs strained the denim. Even his bare feet were beautiful, nothing like her stubby toes and low arches.

She moved her gaze back to his face, startled to catch him awake. He gave her a sleepy smile and flexed his arms in a lazy stretch. “What time is it?”

“Early,” she whispered. The darkness crowded, surrounding them in a cocoon of warmth. “I couldn’t sleep.”

He put a hand against his belly and idly rubbed. The hem of his shirt rode up and exposed a strip of tanned skin. Her mouth went dry. Six feet plus of beautiful manhood in the bed with her and all she could do was gape at him like a beached fish.

Once again, an unfamiliar urge of desire struck her. She wanted to be with him, to feel his skin against hers, his body deep within hers. It would be glorious, no matter if it was her first time. This man called to her primitive senses, the wolf side. Had a shifter ever felt like this with a human? She’d heard of wolf and human pairings, but never knew they could be so . . . combustive, she supposed was the word.

“Do you want to talk?”

Her gaze flew to his. She colored under his intense perusal. Talk? What she really wanted to do was pin him to the bed and smother him with kisses. But that was out of the question.
Wasn’t it?
“What do you want to talk about?”

Luke adjusted the pillow beneath his head and propped his cheek on an upraised fist. “Tell me about your family. To hear Dominic tell it, the Moretti clan is quite colorful.”

She laughed. “He would be right.” The blanket was tangled about her legs. She kicked her limbs free and tossed the cover aside. “How much do you already know?”

Luke shrugged. “That your entire family is made up of wolves. He’s told me a bit of your family’s history, that you’re descended from Marius.”

“Wow. He told you all of that?” It was highly unusual for Dominic to be so loose-lipped. “My father is the alpha. Did he tell you that?”

“He mentioned it, yes.” No flicker of nervousness in his gaze. “I bet you had an interesting childhood.”

She plucked at a piece of lint on the light blue blanket between them. “My father means well, but he’s never resolved himself to the idea that I don’t utilize my wolf side very much.”

Luke seemed surprised. “You did the other night.”

“That was just to protect you.” She waved her hand blithely. “My father wants me to marry. I’m not inclined to be in such a rush.”

Luke looked as if he’d tasted something gone bad. “Have you met your mate?”

“Not yet. I left Clinton before my father could seriously pursue it. I wouldn’t put it past him to put out an ad in the newspaper.”

“Would it be so horrible to find your mate?” Luke pressed.

It was difficult to find the words to explain her true feelings. “No. I’m just not ready yet. All my life, I’ve been the overprotected daughter of Tony Moretti. All my decisions have been made for me since I was in the cradle. Just once, I wanted a chance to live life the way I wanted. Is that selfish of me?”

He reached across and touched her hand. “No, not at all.”

It was amazing how easily she responded to his touch. She threaded her fingers through his and held on tightly. He was practically a stranger, but her instincts told her Luke could be trusted. He’d done nothing to hurt her. In fact, he’d protected her. Taking a deep breath, she spoke the words inside her heart. “I like being with you. I don’t know why, but I feel
different
when I’m with you.”

He slid closer, his light green eyes darkening, cautious yet full of yearning. “How different?”

“Like I should know you.” His crisp male scent enveloped her. “Which is crazy. I don’t know you from Adam.”

He lay mere inches away, not quite touching, but close enough for her to feel the heat from his body. He lifted their linked hands and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. “Ask me anything and I’ll tell you.”

She wanted to ask him about the mysterious research he and Dominic were working on, but didn’t want to lose the tender moment. “Tell me about your life in Mississippi.”

Cloudy, troubled eyes met hers. “My childhood isn’t as pretty as yours.”

She sort of figured that. Tension radiated from him, his shoulders stiff and unyielding, but softness remained around his lips. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

He glanced away for a moment. “My sister and I grew up in Jackson.”

“Wait, you have a sister?”

His eyes grew darker still. “I had a sister.”

“Oh.” Sympathy made her want to hug him. “What happened?”

His grip on her fingers tightened. “She was murdered.”

“I’m sorry.” Words couldn’t express her sorrow.

He shook his head. “It’s fine. Anyway, Laura and I grew up dirt poor. Our parents died when I was seventeen. She was thirteen. None of our relatives wanted to take us in, so I quit school and got a job at my uncles’ lumber yard until I could save enough money to move us to Boston. Laura was smart. I’m talking genius-smart. She got a scholarship to MIT. That’s where she met Dominic. They were lab partners.”

Gina couldn’t imagine losing her parents so young, or being strong enough to survive without them. “I think Dominic mentioned Laura before, but he’d never told me she died.”

“He didn’t take her death well. Hell, none of us did.” A small smile played about his lips. “Laura was one of those girls who could light up a room just by being in it. She looked like our mother, long blond hair and blue eyes. I think Dominic was half in love with her. When she died, I hired him so he could continue the research she was so passionate about.”

“Is this the drug you’re developing?”

He gave her a wary look. “Yes.”

It was easy to put two-and-two together. “And you think she was murdered because of it?”

His mouth hardened into a tight line. “I’m beginning to think so. Someone knew and wanted to stop her research.”

“Just like they’re trying to stop yours,” Gina added. She touched his shoulder. “You need to go to the police.”

“And tell them what? They’ll never believe Laura’s death and the recent attacks are related. Besides no one knows about L-12 and I plan to keep it that way.”

“Obviously someone knows.” She gripped his shoulder, dragging his gaze to hers. “Is it worth risking your safety?”

He answered without hesitation. “Yes.” He released her hand and placed his arm around her waist, drawing her forward for a light hug. “But it’s not worth risking yours. I promise you’ll be safe with me.”

“Will I?” She lifted her eyes to his, daring him to deny the attraction between them.

“You don’t think so?”

Her pulse sped up, making it hard to catch her breath. She could easily slip out of his grip if she wanted to, but she relished his arm around her. “You . . . you intrigue me.”

His tone lowered to a sexy whisper. “How so?”

She buried her face in the pillow, reluctant to share more than she’d already had. Could he guess she was a virgin? Did it even matter?

“Gina, look at me.”

She shook her head, her face still buried in the pillow.

His lips touched the exposed skin of her neck. She sucked in a breath, the pillowcase sticking to her lips, as she struggled to bring oxygen into her starved lungs.

He pressed tiny kisses there before moving away. “You don’t have to be scared of me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She lifted her head, shocked to the core by the need reflected in his eyes. He’d been honest with her about his family. It was only fair she was honest with him. “I’ve never done this before.”

He swooped in for a kiss, nibbling at the edges of her lips. “Done what? Been with a human?”

“No.” She pulled away, needing him to see she was being serious. “With anyone. I’m a virgin.”

It was painfully obvious when he put the brakes on his seduction. Disbelief was mirrored in his gaze. Her words tumbled over one another as she struggled to get them out. “It’s not important. I just thought you should know.”

He touched her cheek softly. “It does matter. You’ve saved yourself for someone. Otherwise you wouldn’t have waited so long.”

“No!” She needed him to understand this was what she wanted. “I’ve just never found a man I wanted to be with before.” She echoed his gesture and put her palm against his cheek. “I want to be with you, Luke.”

“You said it yourself. You don’t know me.”

“I can get to know you.”

“
Before
sex, Gina,” he said with a light laugh.

“It feels
right
. Can’t that be enough?” she asked.

He closed his eyes, visibly struggling for control. When he reopened them, the green of his gaze glittered dangerously. “I . . . I can’t. I’m sorry.”

What was wrong with her? Surely, she was attractive enough to warrant having sex?

Gina kicked an empty soda can out of her way, satisfied by the loud sound the aluminum made as it slid across the pavement. She continued on her way to the snack machine, desperate for chocolate.

Luke was still asleep when she’d awakened. Getting dressed in a hurry, she’d slipped out of the room before he could tell her no. He’d probably be mad, but it was his own damned fault. If he’d given her some loving last night, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. She always ate when she was upset, courtesy of her Italian heritage.

It was cold that morning, the drizzle from the night before lingering in the misty air. The sun hadn’t yet peeped through the fog, but the yellow glow of the safety lights guided her way as she ducked into the alcove where the vending machines were located. She dug a few quarters out of her pocket and purchased a couple Snickers. She didn’t know if Luke liked chocolate, but it couldn’t hurt to share her stash. Chocolate was an aphrodisiac, right?

Grinning at the thought, she nearly missed the flash of movement reflected in the glass of the vending machine. With seconds to spare, she ducked, managing to miss the guy’s fist by mere inches.
What the fuck?

Dropping her cherished candy bars on the sidewalk, she came up, ready to fight. Her hands balled into fists and she smashed into the guy’s face with a crushing right upper cut. Despite the differences with her father, he’d taught her how to fight. She landed a quick blow with her left fist. Dropping down low, she twirled, extending her leg to knock the guy on his ass. She didn’t stick around to gloat. Scooping up her chocolate, she ran like hell back to their room.

It took several tries for her to get the key inserted. Once she had, she glanced over her shoulder, relieved to see the man wasn’t following her, and tumbled inside the room. Luke was pulling on his shoes, frowning at her sudden appearance. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Getting breakfast.” She tossed him a Snickers, which he caught mid-air. “No time to explain right now, but we need to get out of here.”

He got to his feet and gave her an intimidating glare. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” The adrenaline of the fight still poured through her veins. No matter how much she tried to deny her wolf nature, there was no hiding the enjoyment she got from a good fight. “I just got ambushed at the vending machine is all.”

Within a second, he was at her side. He took her in his arms, turning her face to the light to get a good look at her. “Were you hurt?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Do I look like I am?”

“No.” He was clearly confused. “What the fuck happened?”

“I protected myself. I told you I could.” She tossed him a cocky grin before bending and grabbing her cell phone from the table. She tossed him his keys. “We’d better go.”

She pulled open the door, but Luke was faster. He slammed his palm down on the wood, preventing her from exiting the room. His breath ruffled her hair as he exhaled heavily behind her. “From now on, you don’t go anywhere without me. You hear me?”

“Are you serious? Do I need to remind you that I have superhuman strength?”

“Gina,” he growled her name. “I don’t care if you’re the biggest badass in town, promise me.”

“You sounded like my father just now,” she muttered.

“Jesus fucking Christ! This isn’t a joke.”

Shocked he’d raised his voice, her amusement faded. It was replaced by desire so strong it nearly brought her to her knees. Alpha tendencies, as long as they weren’t her family’s, were pretty hot. “Chill out, okay? I promise.”

Luke left the room first, checking right and left to make sure it was safe, and motioned her forward. At his signal, she ran to the car after him. They climbed inside and squealed out of the parking lot as if the hounds of hell were on their tail. He checked the rearview mirror several times. “They don’t seem to be following.”

Feeling a bit shaky, and hoping it was just due to hunger, she unwrapped her Snickers and took a bite. “How do you think they found they found us?”