N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

His breathing was harsh in the quiet of the room. Both their bodies were covered in sweat as Alex continued to stroke him with her mouth and hand.

“I’m coming,” he gritted out from between clenched teeth. She felt him start to push her head away, wanting to give her a choice, but she was having none of that. She wanted all of him, wanted the whole experience.

He gave a hoarse cry as he came, jetting into her mouth. She swallowed and continued to suck. Joshua’s fingers tightened in her hair, making her scalp sting slightly as his shaft continued to spasm. Finally, he relaxed back onto the bed with a groan. “Enough.” His hand was gentle but firm as he pushed her away and carefully untangled his fingers from her hair.

Laying her head on his stomach, she wrapped her arm around him and held him. Neither one of them spoke. Joshua rested his hand on the top of her head and it slid down until he was cupping her cheek. His thumb absently caressed her skin. Alex was content to revel in the closeness that enveloped them even as she knew it couldn’t last.

Long before she was ready to relinquish the closeness between them, Joshua shifted beneath her and she reluctantly raised her head. His eyes were serious, but beyond that she couldn’t read any other emotions.

“Thank you.”

She shrugged. “You’re welcome.” The words were almost stilted, the comfortable silence of a few moments before slipping away. She became very aware of her nakedness and self-consciousness began to creep in.

Sighing, he sat up. “We’ve got to go.” He glanced down at his watch. “It’s getting late and I want to get on the road early.”

Alex rolled out of bed and grabbed the bedspread, wrapping it around her body. “I’ll just get a quick shower and get dressed.” Ignoring his searching gaze, she gathered her jeans, socks and the T-shirt he’d bought her and hurried to the bathroom. Only when the door was closed behind her did she let out the breath she’d been holding.

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was rosy and there were faint traces of beard burn on her jaw. Lowering the bedspread, she could see a few more light red patches near her breasts. Her skin tingled and low-level desire still thrummed within her. Partly due to her attraction to Joshua and partly due to the chemical changes she knew were taking place inside her body.

She dropped the bedspread, bolted into the shower and turned on the spray, not wanting to think about the fact her body would soon be out of her control. She shivered as the cold water hit her and quickly adjusted the temperature. Tipping her face up, she let the water cascade over her. Cowardly or not, she still wasn’t sure she was ready to deal with the whole werewolf thing.

It was strange that she so readily accepted it in Joshua, but was having a very hard time accepting it within herself. It seemed natural with him. But for her, it was a shift in thinking after a lifetime of believing certain things about herself. For twenty-two years she’d been human only to be told now that she was something else entirely.

She started to scrub, but had to lighten her touch. Her breasts were extremely sensitive and so was the area between her legs. Finishing quickly, she turned off the water and jumped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel and dried off. Thankfully, her panties and bra were dry and within moments she was dressed. She ignored her sweatshirt from the day before, instead opting to wear the T-shirt Joshua had bought for her.

She smeared some of the lotion he’d given her on her face, pleased to note the redness from the sun she’d gotten yesterday had pretty much faded. She brushed her teeth and picked up the bedspread. Ready or not, it was time to face Joshua.

Joshua watched Alex hurry to the bathroom, admiring the curve of her back as she disappeared into the other room. The sound of the water being turned on in the shower made him drop back on the bed and groan. He could well imagine her naked beneath the hot spray, her body soapy and smooth.

Cursing, he rolled off the bed and yanked his jeans up, quickly zipping and buttoning them. He hadn’t meant to let things get so out of hand between them, but he’d been unable to resist Alex. He was drawn to her, lured by her very essence.

He stilled. She was his Achilles’ heel. Because of his position within the pack and indeed the werewolf world, he kept his emotions buried, caring for nobody but his brothers. If his enemies ever found out how much Alex meant to him, they would use her to hurt him.

He stalked over to the window and carefully pulled back a corner of the drapes, peering out onto the parking lot. There was no movement. Everything was quiet. Maybe it wasn’t too late to back away from Alex. After all, she’d soon meet every eligible male from the pack. Perhaps she’d find one of them more to her liking. Someone who wasn’t as controlled as him. Someone who wasn’t as comfortable with killing as he was.

A growl started low in his chest and his fingers started to change, becoming long, sharp claws as they curled around the frame of the window, biting into the wooden frame. The thought of another man touching Alex, tasting her smooth skin, being the recipient of her smiles and her temper, made him feel vicious. She was his.

He swore again. Releasing his hold on the windowsill, he willed his wolf into submission. Ignoring the gouges in the wood, he turned away from the window. He took a deep breath and dragged a hand through his hair. If he had any kind of honor at all, he’d keep his distance from her. His only job was to deliver her safely to the pack. After that, he could leave, retreat to his home and lick his wounds in private. No one would ever have to know what had happened between them. That was probably for the best, he assured himself.

Then the bathroom door opened and Alex stepped out. He’d been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed the water stopping. She shot him a tentative, slightly nervous smile and everything he’d just told himself, everything he’d just decided was for the best, went out the window.

She looked hot and sexy and adorable all at the same time. He was primal enough to enjoy the fact she was wearing the T-shirt he’d bought for her. She put her head down and went to the nightstand, checking her knives and gun before strapping the weapons to her body. The action reminded him not only of how competent Alex was, but also of the danger surrounding them

Alex belonged with him.

He’d tried to bury his attraction, tried to pretend it didn’t really matter, reminded himself the honorable thing to do was to let her have a choice. He’d been lying to himself. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, it was as if a switch deep inside him had gone off and all his hormones had stood up and said, “ Mine! ”

He’d just have to do everything within his power to protect her. And until he got her home to the Wolf Creek compound, where he could keep her safe, he had to shove aside all the physical attraction and pay strict attention to her safety.

“I need to get a quick shower. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Okay.” There was no trace of emotion in her voice and that made Joshua unaccountably angry. He knew there was no time for emotional confessions. And even if there was time, he wasn’t the kind of man to make them. But damn, he hated sensing her withdrawal from him even if it was what was necessary. And if he was standing here thinking about such things when they needed to be on the road, he was further gone than he’d thought. Swearing under his breath, he stalked to the bathroom and closed the door with a solid thunk.

Stripping off his boots, socks and jeans, he stepped into the shower and turned the water on full. It took him about two minutes to lather from head to toe and rinse. Three more minutes and he was dried and dressed. He stared at himself in the mirror and rubbed his jaw. He needed a shave, but there was no time. He wondered if Alex had beard-burn on any parts of her body and grinned. It made him feel better to know she would have a reminder of him and what they’d done as she moved through her day.