N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

She opened her mouth to speak, but yawned instead. It wasn’t a lady-like yawn either, but a large, jaw-cracking one. Joshua lowered himself to the hard ground beside her, clad in his jeans and socks as well.

“What about your shoulder?”

“Don’t worry about it. The bleeding has stopped and a damp bandage won’t hurt it.” Gathering her into his arms, he lay back on the hard-packed ground using what was left of his T-shirt to cushion his head. Plucking the leather jacket off the ground, he draped it over her torso, making sure her shoulders were covered.

Alex relaxed immediately as the heat from his body began to seep into her chilled skin. She could feel his erection pressing into her stomach and lifted her head slightly so she could look at him. It was hard to see him in the dark, but she could just make out the outline of his face and the gleam of his dark eyes. “Why?”

There was no need for her to clarify further. He knew what she meant. His large hand pressed against her bottom, holding her close to him. “Don’t ever think I don’t want you.” She could hear the strain in his voice as his low, rasping tones made all the hair on her body stand on end. “But I won’t take you. Not yet.”

“Why not?”

His hand slid over the curves of her behind making her gasp with pleasure. “Because once I come inside you, mate with you, I’ll mark you with my scent. When we get to Wolf Creek, everyone would know that you were mine.”

She blinked hard, wishing she could see him better. “You’re serious. They’d be able to smell your scent on me?” That didn’t seem fair to her at all.

He nodded. She felt the slight movement of his head rather than saw it. “Very serious. It’s a way of letting all the single males know that a female has been claimed. Once we are mated, they know if they approach you they will have to deal with me.”

She drummed her fingers against his chest. “That seems to favor the males and not the females. I mean, you can have sex with whoever you want, but a female has sex with a male werewolf once and she’s marked for life.”

He trapped her hand with his, flattening her palm over his heart. “It is nature’s way of ensuring the survival of the race. Besides, if a female’s mate dies, she is free to sleep with whomever she wants and even mate again if she chooses.”

“Great.” Exasperation tinged her voice. “I should have experimented when I had the chance.”

The low, menacing growl startled her. She found herself flat on her back before she knew what was happening. Joshua loomed over her large and fierce as he clasped her face in his hands. “You are mine.”

Why she was teasing the already enraged beast, she didn’t quite know. But something inside her made her taunt him back. “I thought I had a choice.”

“You have made your choice.” He became very still above her. She could feel the tension rolling off him, filling the cave until it sucked almost all the air out of the confined space. “Or have you changed your mind?” His fingers tightened almost imperceptibly on her face. “Do you think that I cannot protect you?”

She was horrified at his misinterpretation of her words. “No, you big idiot. Of course I trust you to protect me.” Honestly, who could understand the workings of the male mind? “And, God only knows why not, but I haven’t changed my mind.”

He gave a bark of laughter and she could feel the tension slowly seeping from him. “You are the only person who dares to speak to me with such disrespect.”

“It’s not disrespect,” she protested. “But Joshua, sometimes you take way too much on yourself. You’re only human. Well, werewolf, anyway.” Her attempt at humor didn’t even make him crack a grin. She sighed. “You’re not all-knowing, all-seeing.” Reaching her hand upward until she found his jaw, she lovingly traced the hard line. “You were willing to die for me. What woman could ask for more?” Just thinking about his actions today made her insides melt. He hadn’t put into words what he felt about her, except in sexual terms, but she felt his actions spoke for him.

He lowered his head until their foreheads were touching. She could sense his hesitation and held her breath, hoping he’d tell her how much he’d come to care for her. Instead, he sighed and kissed the tip of her nose. “What am I going to do with you?”

She could think of quite a few things personally. “If you’ve got to ask,” she teased. Alex had a feeling nobody teased Joshua or made him laugh. He needed more of that in his life.

He shook his head, leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He hadn’t laughed, but she could tell he was smiling. That small sign made her extremely pleased with herself. Joshua definitely wouldn’t be an easy man to live with, but he was the one she wanted. She knew no other man would make her feel the way he did.

She opened her mouth to try to coax his tongue inside, but he pulled away. Rolling quickly, he returned to their original position so that she was draped across his body again. “Enough of that.” He coaxed her head down to his chest and she was tired enough to let him. “When I mate with you and claim you as mine, it will not be in some dark cave in the dirt.”

The possessiveness in his voice made her shiver. She knew he would be a demanding lover. Her core dampened and softened, the inner muscles rippling as she arched her hips against the bulge in his jeans. He opened his legs and trapped hers between them, holding them still, but keeping her locked close to him.

“Sleep,” he muttered gruffly. She smiled as she felt the leather jacket being tucked gently around her shoulders again. He sifted his hand through her hair, relaxing her further. She yawned again and nestled her cheek against his soft chest hair.

Lying in the dirt, bruised and battered and sore, she’d never felt more content. With the beat of Joshua’s heart against her ear, she drifted off to sleep.

James drove down the long, winding road, watching the sun slowly sink behind the mountains. He could feel the tension seeping into his muscles and rolled his shoulders, trying to relax.

He hadn’t been back this way in years, but it was all so familiar. He recognized landmarks and noted changes to the landscape as the car moved steadily forward. The steady hum of the tires on the pavement and his steady breathing were the only sounds he could hear. He hadn’t bothered with the radio, knowing any reception he got would be spotty at best.

He tried not to think about Alexandra, but it was no use. He wanted to know where his daughter was. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

After protecting her for so many years it was sheer torture to leave her in the hands of another man. Yet it was what he’d had to do, and he knew he’d do it again in a heartbeat. He’d seen the way Joshua had looked at Alex. The man wanted her.

And for the first time in her life, Alex had shown interest in a man. He’d seen the spark in her eye when she’d looked at young Striker. It would be a good match. One he could live with.

For right or wrong, he’d sent them off together to give their attraction time to grow. He’d wanted a different life for his daughter, but fate and genetics had overruled him. Alex was a werewolf, whether she wanted it or not. The best thing he could do for her was to encourage her to accept all aspects of herself, to show her she was the same person, only with a little something more.

He emitted a low growl as he thought about what might happen between Joshua and his daughter as they spent another night on the road. It wasn’t something a father wanted to think about, yet it was why he’d sent them off together in the first place.