Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(41)

Perhaps as staggered as he was by the sheer force of their attraction, Nicole tilted back her head, her pale blue eyes dazed with desire.

“What are you doing?”

“We can talk, or I can get naked,” he growled. “Your choice.”

Her hands lifted to press against his chest. “Are you threatening me with sex?”

“We both know it’s not a threat.” Lowering his head, he pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the base of her throat. Her pulse thundered beneath his lips, and he allowed his fangs to lengthen to press against her tender flesh. Instantly, the air was scented with the tantalizing musk of her wolf. “I can smell your arousal,” he murmured, his voice thick with passion.

She shivered, her tongue reaching out to touch her lips that were swollen from his kisses.

“This is crazy.”

His hands rubbed up and down her back, savoring the satiny softness of her skin. At the same time, he nibbled a path of kisses along the top of her shoulder. His bear rumbled in approval, deciding this female was the one he’d been waiting to discover.

Christ.

“How can you taste so sweet when you’re such a pain in the ass?” He spoke his confusion out loud.

A low whine was wrenched from her throat as she arched her neck, silently pleading for more.

Tucker didn’t hesitate. If she wanted more, then by God, he was going to give her more.

Cupping her ass in his big hands, he hoisted her against the potent length of his arousal, his mouth moving over the upper curve of her breast before sucking her nipple between his lips.

Her claws dug into the flesh of his chest, her eyes squeezing shut in blatant pleasure.

Tucker gave a low rumble of satisfaction, his body clenching with the mounting need to toss this woman over his shoulder and head into his bedroom. Or maybe I’ll take her here first, his addled brain decided, easily visualizing her across the kitchen table while he stood between her legs.

Before he could put his thoughts into action, however, Nicole was abruptly jerking away, panic darkening her eyes.

“Wait,” she rasped, a flush staining her cheeks. “I’ll tell you.”

Tucker moved forward, wrapping her in his arms again. “I changed my mind,” he informed her, his hand moving to tug away the scrunchie thing that was holding her hair in a ponytail. Instantly, her locks fell to her shoulders in a mass of rich, tawny curls. Beautiful. Lowering his head, he buried his face in the glorious mass. “I don’t want to talk.”

He could feel her heart give a leap of excitement. “Tucker.”

“Nicole.”

For a timeless moment, they remained locked in the intimate embrace, both absorbing the new, unnervingly powerful bonds forming between them. Then, he could sense another wave of panic shaking through Nicole.

“I’m looking for the man who killed my son,” she abruptly announced.

“Shit.” Tucker froze. Her words were like a bucket of icy water, instantly destroying his desire.

Releasing his hold on her, Tucker silently moved through the cabin, entering his bedroom to collect a sweatshirt before returning to gently pull it over Nicole’s head. Even when she’d threaded her arms into the sleeves, it fell below her knees. But it would do.

Then, steering her toward the sofa, he pressed her onto the cushions and headed into the kitchen to grab a chilled bottle of wine and two glasses.

By the time he’d filled the glasses and settled on the sofa next to Nicole, he’d managed to regain control of his shaken nerves.

“Tell me what happened,” he urged, pressing one of the glasses into Nicole’s hand.

Absently she took a sip, her fingers unsteady and her expression brittle.

“Seven years ago, my son, Bowe, was playing near the fence of our compound.” Her voice was a deliberate monotone. As if the words were so big and painful she had to strip them of all emotion. “We’d had an early snowstorm, and I was helping to clear a path to our greenhouses.”

A dark sense of dread clenched his stomach. “How old was he?”

“Almost five.” She hunched her shoulders, looking ridiculously young in the oversized sweatshirt with her hair tumbled around her tiny face. Not nearly old enough to have buried a child. “I was distracted and didn’t pay attention when Bowe took off his collar. He was always scratching at it and complaining that it bothered him, but he’d never been able to undo the latch.”

His gaze lowered to the collar that circled her neck. He’d done his best to ignore the visible sign that she was treated as an animal by the SAU. Just the sight of it tightened something in his chest that made his bear want to go on a rampage.

“You couldn’t have known,” he said softly.

She flinched, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I should have paid more attention.”

He didn’t bother to say she shouldn’t beat herself up. She was clearly still working through her guilt.

Instead, he grimaced. “You don’t have to say any more, Nicole.”

“No.” She took a large gulp of her wine. “I want to finish so you’ll stop interfering,” she said in fierce tones.

He studied her tense profile, wise enough not to share the fact that her confession had made him even more determined to stop her from doing anything crazy.

“Go ahead,” he murmured.