Chapter Five

  Abby shuttered her eyes from him, casting her gaze toward the window with a half-laugh. “I was just disoriented.”

  She had no clue that Gabriel’s wolf senses had alerted him to her distress. He’d picked up her erratic heartbeat a few seconds after the power failed and he instantly flew up the stairs to the bathroom. Up until that point, his mind had been fighting his body’s physical response to Abby and the idea of a human as his mate, but the way he’d automatically responded to her fear, the moment he sensed it, obliterated every mental doubt. This woman was undeniably his mate. By the time he’d opened the bathroom door, she’d managed to turn off the water, but her pulse rate had skyrocketed and deep fear coated every droplet of steam, permeating the entire room.

  All Gabriel’s Lupreda instincts told him to yank her from the shower and pull her into his arms, but he didn’t know how she would react to a wolf’s natural response to protect his mate. Instead, he’d clenched his jaw and held a rigid, quiet stance, waiting for her to ask for help.

  When she whispered his name, the pleading in her voice undid him. He’d never moved so fast in his life, nearly ripping the curtain rod off the wall. Abby’s hunched, trembling shoulders tore at his heart. Tears filled her gorgeous green eyes while she opened and closed her mouth in silent screams. The look of sheer terror on her face etched in his mind, burned into his memory.

  Once he’d helped her out of the shower and draped the towel around her shaking body, it took every ounce of willpower not to wrap himself around her and offer his warmth and words of reassurance that he’d never let anything happen to her. Abby had no idea what he’d seen or how deeply instinctive his feelings ran.

  And now she laid on the lounge, trying to downplay her reaction. Cupping her jaw, he turned her face toward his and frowned slightly. “You were really shaking.”

  “I was cold.”

  Heart-wrenching vulnerability lurked in her eyes as she stared at him in the semi-darkness. She opened her mouth as if she were going to say something more, then her lips curled into a tremulous smile.

  Lifting her fingers to his eyebrow, she gently brushed his piercing. “Where did you get that scar?”

  Gabriel felt his eyebrow being raised under her fingers. “Quid pro quo?”

  Abby bit her lip and tilted her head, then nodded. “I’ll share if you do.”

  Gently tugging one of the ends of the towel from her hand, he ran the soft terry cloth’s corner along her throat, drying the water droplets. “A long time ago, I got into a long, drawn-out fight with a guy who’d made it his self-assigned goal to torment me. I guess you could say I considered him my deadliest enemy.”

  “Your deadliest enemy? Those are some pretty harsh words. Were you just a kid when this guy bullied you?”

  He paused his movements with the towel and concentrated so he wouldn’t growl his response. “I was fairly young and this bastard was definitely a bully.” Gabriel thought about the Sanguinas vampire who’d given him the scar on his eyebrow—as well as various mental ones that didn’t show—and long-suppressed anger surfaced anew. Since the vampires had created the Lupreda wolf race to hunt as prey, and the only reason vampires existed in the first place was because the humans’ secret government genetic project, known as Scions, had failed, Gabriel had—unjustly or not—always lumped the humans in with the vampires. He knew that only a small group of humans was responsible for creating the vampires via genetic testing on humans, and that those vampires had broken free and terrorized the rest of the human race for the atrocities that happened to them in the Scions labs…well, until the humans’ blood started making the vampires sick. Once the Sanguinas withdrew from the human world, leaving their Lupreda prey behind, Gabriel had relished his freedom for the past twenty-five years. But he continued to despise all vampires and had never gotten over his aversion to humans. Humans were a means to earn a living, nothing more. From his perspective, just like the vampires, humans couldn’t be trusted.

  And yet, here was this human woman, tugging at his heart and making him want to ease fears. His human mate, whom he trusted without question. Ironic much? Hell, yeah!

  Abby slid her fingers along his biceps, a small smile playing at her lips. “I can’t imagine anyone trying to bully or intimidate you.”

  Gabriel slowly ran the towel’s corner down the center of her chest and stopped where her cleavage began. The swell of her breasts pushed against the edge of the towel, making his mouth water. He wanted to run his tongue along her sweet skin, to delve between her breasts and brand her with nips and kisses, to inhale her unique scent. His heart thumped and his cock swelled painfully against his jeans. “Your turn,” he rasped.

  Abby shrugged. “It’s just an embarrassing phobia of the dark carried over from childhood. I was taken by surprise, that’s all.”

  Gabriel studied her expression, listened to her heart rate. He knew there was more to it. It was incredibly frustrating experiencing the mating bond’s pull with Abby, only to have her shut him out. How could he convince her to trust her secrets with him? “I’d like to help.”

  She studied him for a couple seconds, her expression contemplative, as if she were considering sharing. Then a seductive smile tilted her lips and she opened the other end of the towel, baring her naked body. “You can help me finish drying off.”

  Gabriel’s fingers clenched the edge of the towel and he swept his gaze over her beautiful body; gently sloping shoulders, lush full breasts, nicely muscled abs and a waist he could encircle with his hands. When she nibbled at her bottom lip and lifted her leg slightly, resting it against his side, his gaze dropped to the bit of dark hair between her thighs, her pink skin glistening in the darkness, and his inner wolf howled with need. He scented the intoxicating smell of her arousal, even as he pictured those well-muscled thighs locked around his hips while he thrust deep. Gabriel’s groin instantly tightened at the same time all four of his canines rammed through his gums in a painful rush of possessive desire. Mine! No one else’s.

  Pulling his end of the towel back over her body, he stood up, his words gruff. “See you downstairs. I’m going to look for a flashlight or some candles.”

  The confused and hurt look on her face burrowed into his psyche as he walked away. Clenching his fists, Gabriel forced his feet to keep moving, despite his wolf’s growl of outrage. Her aroused scent is literally begging you to sink into her warmth and you’re saying no? He’d never walked away from a willing woman before, but Abby had just tried to distract him so she wouldn’t have to share more about herself. Just like she’d done earlier in the kitchen. No doubt, her desire for him was very real, but she only wanted him on her terms—at a safe distance. Wolves disliked distance.

  Gabriel wanted her to trust him before he claimed her as his mate. It was obvious that Abby didn’t give her trust easily. Watching her eyes turn murky and close down when he asked her a probing question bothered him.

  He knew that the moment they touched intimately, there would be no going back for him. His wolf would demand he sink his teeth into her sweet flesh and make her his forever, but Gabriel wanted her to be ready, to completely put her faith in the man who planned to claim her heart, body and soul.

  He expelled a self-deprecating snort as he jogged down the stairs. Over the course of an evening, the tables on his steadfast beliefs had been completely turned, and now this cynical Lupreda had to figure out how to earn a human’s trust.

  Chapter Six

  Abby blinked as Gabriel retreated, her face flaming with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe it. She’d laid her body out there like a smorgasbord and he’d turned her down cold, leaving the bedroom as if completely disinterested. There’s no way she misread his signals earlier.

  Gathering the towel around herself, she rolled onto her side and was surprised when a hot tear trickled across the bridge of her nose. Brushing the wetness away with an angry swipe, she wondered if Gabriel was the kind of guy who got off on the thrill of the chase more than winning the actual prize.

  Then a thought suddenly occurred to her. Maybe it was all in how the prize was presented. She sat up quickly and straightened her spine with determination. Remembering the man’s T-shirt she’d seen crumpled on the counter in the bathroom, a sly smile tilted her lips. Let’s find out just how perceptive you are, Gabriel Hawthorne.

  After she towel-dried her hair, Abby slipped into Gabriel’s white V-neck T-shirt. She couldn’t help but inhale his appealing masculine scent while she smoothed her hands down the shirt. The soft cotton clung suggestively to her full breasts and fell just a few inches below the top of her thighs.

  Squaring her shoulders to boost of confidence, she made her way down the stairs and followed the low glow of light coming from the office. Gabriel sat on the corner of the desk, his leg dangling as he pressed a plastic casing around the security panel laying on his thigh until the front snapped into place. He’d pulled the band from his hair and the thick dark mass fell around his face, shrouding his expression as he worked.

  “I see you at least found a candle,” Abby commented when he didn’t look up. A tea candle burned in a dish on the desk beside him.

  He briefly glanced up, then did a double take when he realized she was wearing his T-shirt. The heated look in his eyes, as they slowly moved over her body, made her nipples harden and her stomach flutter with nerves. This was the kind of reaction she’d expected from him earlier. Abby picked at the cotton material. “I hope you don’t mind, but my clothes are wet.”

  He stared at her intently for several seconds. “Be my guest. Though, you have it on inside out.”

  Mortified, her face flamed and she saw that she did indeed have the shirt on inside out. “Urn, well, that’s what happens when you get dressed in the dark…” she trailed off when she saw his lips quirking slightly.

  She amused him, did she? Did he laugh at her earlier, too? Abby’s humiliation quickly turned to annoyance. “I guess I should fix it then.”

  He raised a hand. “It’s fine—”

  But she’d already whipped off the shirt. Abby didn’t look at him as she flipped it right side out. Internally she was laughing her ass off as she settled the shirt back over her body. That’ll teach him to laugh at me. He had to have gotten an eyeful before the shirt blocked him out. “There, all done. Look better?” She cast an innocent gaze his way.

  Banked tension created deep brackets around Gabriel’s mouth and his dark brows pushed together in an expression of edgy hunger. Even in the dim candlelight, his light blue eyes were startling, but they’d taken on a gorgeous teal hue. Was the candlelight making her see things? She didn’t think he had any green in his eyes.

  When she noticed him gripping the edge of the desk, as if he were holding himself back, Abby realized that diffusing the tension between them might be best. She’d only meant to get him back, but apparently she’d pissed him off. Brilliant move, Ab!

  Clearing her throat, she nodded toward the security system equipment at her feet. “You said your business has picked up in town. Why are you suddenly so busy?”

  Gabriel exhaled and closed his eyes. Rolling his head from one shoulder to the other, his bunched muscles relaxed. When he finally met her gaze, dark amusement flickered in the striking blue depths. Had she imagined the teal hue?

  “Reports of the vampires’ bodies found burned in the city have increased my business. People are worried they will return.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Your business thrives on people’s fear?”

  “Everyone has the right to feel safe, Abby.”

  He was right about that. No one knew that better than she did. “Agreed. I wonder if they are back,” she mused aloud as she approached the bookshelf to study the wolf and werewolf research books Kaitlyn’s father had collected over the years. She found it interesting that there wasn’t a single book about vampires on the shelves. Now that both Kaitlyn’s parents had passed on, Abby wondered why her friend hadn’t finally packed all these books away. Nostalgia perhaps?

  “You don’t sound concerned.”

  Gabriel’s deep voice came from directly behind her, making her skin prickle. Abby turned to face him and leaned back against the bookshelf “Bring on a vampire!”

  A disbelieving scowl creased his forehead. “You aren’t afraid?”

  “Nah, the way I figure it, there’s got to be at least one good vampire in the bunch. I like to believe everyone can be redeemed.” I’m the number one poster child for that theory.

  His eyebrow piercing shot up and he put his hand on the shelf above her, leaning in close. “What’s so intriguing about a vampire?”

  Abby was surprised by the way he said “vampire.” It sounded like a competitive sneer. He stood so close she could feel the delicious warmth radiating off his hard body. The darkly interested expression on his face set her heart hammering against her chest, while his sexual dominance made her throb everywhere at once. She wanted him to kiss her again. Desperately. But she wasn’t making the first move. Not this time.

  “It’s the bite, baby. I mean, not that I’m willing to punch my blood donor card 24-7 for anyone, but what if there was that one good vampire who didn’t want to hurt or maim? Imagine how primal it would be to have a lover with the ability to bite you, all while sharing something between you both that’s fundamentally necessary yet thoroughly sexual?”

  Gabriel’s sudden grip on her chin made her pulse jump. “I’d be more than happy to bite you, sweetness.” His firm hold loosened slightly and his thumb swept a leisurely caress along her bottom lip, his hooded gaze tracking its path. “Just show me where.”

  The man aroused her on many levels. With very little effort, he oozed provocative temptation. She tilted her head and skimmed her fingers down the side of her neck. Gabriel’s hand fell to the small of her back. He gently massaged the indentation before he pulled her against his hard frame and bent his dark head to the soft skin on her throat. Tingles of excitement scattered to every pulse point in her body when his teeth grazed the column of her throat, slowly followed her fingers’ path then ended with a definite nip.

  He met her gaze once more and waited.

  Attraction arced between them, making her lightheaded with need. Abby was afraid to speak, afraid if she touched him she’d break the masterful spell that was spinning its sticky, seductive silk around them, cocooning them in heat and sexual promise. She barely breathed as she moved her fingers lower, touching her collarbone.

  Gabriel gave a knowing smile and dipped his head, biting her once more, but on his way back up, he took a detour and growled before he bit the spot between her shoulder and throat, not too hard, but with more purposeful strength than the other playful nips.

  Abby gasped in sheer pleasure. Her stomach clenched and she began to ache and throb, turning damp with arousal.

  Gabriel brushed a kiss along her throat, his voice harsher and full of gravel. “Where else, sweetness?”

  “Lower,” she said, doing her best not to pant. She cupped the back of his neck and his skin felt so hot, much hotter than she expected. God, she wanted this man. Her body shook so fiercely her legs were barely holding her up.

  Strong, warm hands gripped her waist tight underneath the T-shirt, and he slowly kissed a heated path along her skin, following the V cut in the material—driving her crazy. Her breasts swelled, the skin tightening, pulling her nipples taut. She wanted to feel his mouth on her, teasing her body, arousing her even more. Biting her with sexy intent.

  Gabriel pressed a kiss to the round swell of her breast and Abby clamped her thighs together. She’d never been more enthralled by another. Digging her fingers into his neck, her breathing changed to choppy gusts when his breath heated the cotton fabric covering her breast.

  “Is this what you want, my sweet?” he said right before he captured her nipple between his teeth.

  Abby knees nearly buckled. Concentrating on remaining upright, she finally managed to speak the words screaming in her head. “Hard—harder.”

  Grunting with male satisfaction, he wrapped his lips around her nipple and sucked hard at the same time he palmed her bare butt, his fingers digging possessively deep into her flesh.

  Abby moaned and slid her fingers into his hair, pressing him closer. “More,” she demanded.

  Gabriel moved his head and bit hard at the inside curve of her other breast before he captured its nipple with an aggressive groan of his own. When he swirled his tongue around the hard tip, this time she felt the ball of his piercing sliding around her. Abby couldn’t hold back her moan.

  She reveled in the physical pleasure reeling through her body. All she could think about was feeling his mouth and that enticing piercing teasing her sex to a feverish throb until she couldn’t take it any more. She wanted him so much her stomach had begun to knot and cramp in anticipation.

  But Gabriel was way ahead of her. He’d lowered himself to one knee and was pressing his mouth against her thigh at the same time he lifted her other leg.

  Abby allowed him to drape her leg over his shoulder. She didn’t care that the shelves were digging into her spine. All she cared about was Gabriel’s lips trailing steamy kisses up her inner thigh, while his hand cupped her other leg, his fingers massaging and moving in a slow, tantalizing slide toward her aching sex. Her mind counted the inches and debated which would get there first…his fingers or his mouth?

  She wanted both!

  Gabriel nipped at the soft skin on her upper thigh, his teeth biting into the sensitive flesh. She groaned and he ran his tongue along the spot he’d bitten. “Where do you want it, sweetness?” he asked, his voice thick with lust.

  Her thighs began to tremble and she hoped like hell her leg didn’t give out on her. “Anywhere! Just touch me,” she begged, ready for him to relieve the painful buildup of pressure gnawing away at her. Her body felt like it would fly apart at any moment.