And woman and wolf--all his.
* * *
Poseidon rose from the sea as a veritable hunk of a god, droplets of water clinging to him like translucent pearls, as if the clams had given up their claim to their hidden treasures for the god they adored. Poseidon was the seducer of women, just like his brother, Zeus, god of all the gods. It was the god of the sea who held her attention now, wove a spell of compliance over her, encouraged her to stay right where she was, standing next to the hemlocks.
Half-wanting to remain with him, half-wanting to leave before it was too late, she stood in awe. Eyes the color of the sea, green and expressive, gazed into hers as if reading every wickedly sinful thought she had--from the notion of licking each water droplet off his golden body to kissing his rigid nipples and his full lips born to seduce.
And she was... Artemis, goddess of the hunt and of the moon. The goddess was supposed to be chaste, but Cassie didn't feel the least bit innocent as she smiled a little at the sea god. Looking as though he couldn't wait another second to have her in his arms, he advanced on her, taking great strides through the water.
Suddenly, she, who was supposed to be the hunter, felt hunted and fought taking a step back. Go to him, a little voice goaded her. Show him how much you really want him. Be the one in charge.
Which suited her fine. In response, she moved toward him, not in a stalking way like he did, her stride shorter, but she walked with as much purpose, her gaze willing him to back down now. But, of course, he didn't. And in fact, his lips twitched upward, his eyes sparkling with mirth.
So much for her being in charge. He had her right where he wanted her. As far as she was concerned, she felt the same way about him.
Then before she knew what was happening, he was peeling her huntress clothes off her, the safari hat, her backpack, shirt, and tank top. She didn't remember the rest, only that he was lying naked beneath her as if she'd tackled him, his body heated and musky and masculine. Her own body naked against his felt sexy and aroused.
The hair of his chest tickled her breasts, his nipples standing at attention, waiting for her kisses, and his erection poked her in the belly. It was the way his hand stroked her back with a sensual caress and his other that rested on her buttock that really got her attention. Even now the heat and ache pervaded her loins, and she spread her legs, opening herself up to him, welcoming him in.
* * *
Unable to sleep just yet, Leidolf held Cassie in his arms and continued to lightly stroke her back, loving the feel of her silky skin, thinking about everything she'd said and done when he'd first met her. He still couldn't believe she'd been one of his kind all along, hiding the fact from him and everyone else.
No wonder she knew so much about wolves. He couldn't fathom why she'd be so attached to wolves of the lupus-only persuasion. That she'd work as a wolf biologist studying them and championing their cause. Yet the way she spoke about wolves and her obvious love of them endeared her to him.
He threaded his fingers through her satiny hair, recalling the conversation they'd had at the restaurant. She'd teased about attracting wolves if she howled, knowing full well the place was filled with their kind. He smiled at her deviousness. He understood why she kept her secret from them. She was in his territory, under his jurisdiction. Running around in her wolf form wasn't allowed unless he said so, or she was at risk for not doing so. He didn't believe for an instant that she'd been at risk until she'd become a wolf.
Shaking him loose of his thoughts, the vixen spread her legs in an open invitation to sex. Her scent was an aphrodisiac as it was, keeping him fully hard and wanting. She was awake and wanting him in return?
He stilled his hand on her back and opened his eyes. And frowned at the top of her head, her cheek resting soundly on his chest. She seemed to be fully asleep. Hell. What was he thinking? He'd hoped she was offering herself to him. That was what he was thinking. He sighed. Her pheromones were telling him a different story, and if he reached down and touched her between her legs, he was sure he'd find her wet and ready for his penetration. Was she dreaming of having sex with him?
When she was ready, he'd be all too willing to oblige. For now, he needed to spend time with her, show her what he was capable of, if she gave him half a chance. With the gentlest of touches, he caressed her back, hoping he'd help to fulfill her fantasies even if she was only dreaming.
His real hope was she would wake and want what he was willing to offer her: a pack to preside over, a family, but most of all--him.
Chapter 11
Cassie luxuriated in the feel of Poseidon, the way he touched her lower and lower down her backside, but then he suddenly stopped the sexy onslaught at the tip of her tailbone, his fingers poised as if ready to continue any second. Carry on, she wanted to command him.
"Cassie? Cassie, are you awake?" he whispered. His voice was rough and husky and pleasingly seductive.
She wanted to murmur her approval, but she couldn't summon the energy to respond.
"I imagine all of my bachelor males are wishing they were the pack leader about now," he said, his voice still hushed.
Pack leader? Poseidon?
She was still trying to sort his words out when he kissed the top of her head. She wanted to lift her face and kiss his lips, but she couldn't gather the strength to move her head. Then... she managed to skim her fingertips over the bare skin at his waist, and he sucked in his breath, his fingers renewing their softly sensuous strokes on her backside.
Hmm, she had power over the Mighty One. She liked his possessiveness, protectiveness, the way he was wary, yet desired her.
"Cassie," he said again, his voice tight with need.
He hesitated to speak any further for so long that she thought he'd changed his mind.He ground his teeth and let out his breath. "Cassie, if you're awake, I want you to know that we have a lot of eligible bachelors in the pack. Carver is one, and his daughters are lovely girls and could use a mother." His hand stilled on Cassie's back.
He was giving her up, just like that?
"What I mean to say is that since you don't have a pack, we'd love for you to join ours. No strings attached. And if you have a friend you left behind in the woods, she can join us also."
How did he know she didn't have a pack? And what friend was he referring to?
She snuggled closer to him, slipped her hand around his waist, and sighed. He was hers, and she wasn't going to be any other man's... conquest. Well, not... not...
She lifted her head slightly and looked into his eyes. Leidolf. In the flesh. She wasn't dreaming after all.
He gave her a worried smile, and she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest again. "Hmm, not interested in anyone else in your pack," she mumbled, unbelievably tired. "Anyone," she amended. "In your pack."
He resumed stroking her back, sending delicious spikes of interest through her willing body. Her mind wasn't falling for the deal.
"I meant to say the other bachelor males might be interested in the other woman, and the both of you could join our pack." He gathered her tighter into his embrace as if claiming her for his very own. No matter what her groggy mind thought of the situation, she felt right at home with the wicked hunk of a lupus garou.
Why couldn't he be just a cute human good for a quick fling? He was so much more, and that's what scared her.
"I assume you figured out that I'm the pack leader in Portland and the surrounding areas. So why didn't you let me in on your little secret that you were one of us? Did you think I'd bite?" He sighed deeply, and for an instant, she felt badly she'd kept her true nature hidden. Except that she had a job to do, and she was sure Leidolf wouldn't let her do it. "Who is the other woman, Cassie?"
"A female red wolf," she whispered and then licked her dry lips, so, so tired.
"A lupus garou, you mean?"
"No."
He renewed his gentle, sweeping caress. "She's not one of my pack. You have to realize the danger she's in while wearing her wolf coat and running through the woods."
"I've never seen her before." Cassie yawned.
"Sorry, Cassie. You must be pretty tired still. I'm used to coaxing answers from my pack members, mistreated under an earlier lupus garou's leadership."
"Mistreated," she whispered, the thought of hunters killing wolves coming to mind. She couldn't imagine a werewolf pack mistreating each other. Maybe because the only one she'd ever truly known was her extended family's.
"Badly mistreated, yes. So you spotted a red wolf in our woods around here, lectured at the town hall about wolves and their importance, and then went to the forest to locate her? Why go alone? Why not tell me about it? You recognized I was a lupus garou. That I'd have to look into the matter. If she's another lupus garou, she--"
"Needs to know who's boss?"
He smiled.
Cassie closed her eyes. "She's a wolf. Not one of us."
His hand stilled on her back. "Why are you so interested in the wolf kind? If she's just a wolf and not one of us, you put yourself at risk for what reason?"
"They... they killed them. All. No more killing. I... I have to... to educate people about them."
"Who killed whom?"
Hunters. Slaughtered wolves. Gunfire. Pop! Pop! Pop! Whimpers and groans and death. Her adopted family. No more.
Leidolf didn't ask any more questions. He began to stroke her hair as if he was comforting her, and he was. He knew all the right touches, the kind that could make her melt against him and want everything he was offering... for the moment. As soon as she was more alert, she'd be off doing what she knew best how to do. Not be a pack leader's mate, not live with a pack, but continue to go it alone, helping those who needed her.
His hands slipped down to rest on her back, and she waited for him to begin stroking her again... until he softly snored.
Snored? She shook her head against his broad chest and sighed deeply, vaguely thinking she needed to leave, to return to the forest, to renew her search for the she-wolf and her pups until everything--the hard contours of his muscles, his once rigid erection, the warmth of his body, the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around her in a lover's embrace--faded completely away.