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  Chapter Two

  They’d finished their third drink and Kajakti noticed Jaren wasn’t exactly sober anymore. When she spoke, her words slurred one into the other. And she didn’t look as sad as she had when he’d first seen her.

  Thinking of the reason why his mate had been feeling that way had Kajakti ready to hunt down this Matt and make him pay for what he’d done to Jaren. The only good thing about it all was the fact Kajakti didn’t have to find the woman meant for him already in a relationship with another. That would have been almost intolerable.

  He watched Jaren finish the third vanilla vodka he’d ordered for her. He took a big swallow of his beer. He was on the same number of drinks as her, but wasn’t affected by the alcohol. As a werewolf, it would take a great deal more than a few bottles of beer for him to even feel it. He figured Jaren had had more than enough.

  “How about I call one of my friends to come pick us up and we can go to my place?” he asked. “After the day you’ve had I’m sure you want to relax.”

  “You don’t have a car?”

  “I don’t know how to drive.”

  “Really? Most guys wouldn’t own up to that.” Jaren’s words came out even more slurred.

  “Well, I’m not like most guys.”

  Kajakti took his cell phone out of his front jeans pocket and sent a text message to Cassidy, asking her to pick him up. A few seconds later, she replied, saying Carson would be at the front of the hotel shortly.

  He put away his phone and looked at Jaren. “Our ride is on his way. I’ll finish my beer, then we can wait for him outside.”

  Once he downed the rest of his drink, Kajakti paid their bill. He stood and picked up Jaren’s suitcase while she none-too-steadily rose to her feet. She took a few weaving steps before he put his free arm around her waist to keep her walking in a straight line.

  They made it out to the sidewalk at the front of the hotel to wait for Carson to arrive. Kajakti hoped his newest wolf brother wouldn’t take too long. The more time that passed, the more the alcohol Jaren drank seemed to hit her. She weaved in place as she watched the people who walked by.

  Jaren turned to face Kajakti and gave him a big smile. “You know, you’re pretty cute.”

  He grinned. “Thanks.”

  “No, really,” she slurred. “You’re way better-looking than Matt.” Jaren placed a hand on his chest. “How would you like to be my new boyfriend? You’re my knight in shining armor, rescuing me when I needed help the most.”

  Kajakti chuckled. “And I think you’re a little too drunk for me to answer that question. You might not want me like that once you’re sober.”

  She shook her head, then had to grab a fistful of his t-shirt to keep herself from falling over. “Oh, that won’t happen. Just looking at you turns me on.”

  Jaren trailed her hand down his chest to his stomach and would have kept going to his crotch if Kajakti hadn’t grabbed hold of her hand. His cock was already hard from her admission and he didn’t need her to feel the evidence of what her words had done to him, especially in such a public place.

  “That’s good to know,” he said. “But I still think we should carry on this conversation later once the alcohol has worn off.”

  Jaren walked the fingers of her other hand up his chest. “I have to disagree. Once I’m sober, I’ll lose my courage. This way it’ll speed things up and maybe you’ll take me back to your place and make love to me until I forget all about my shitty ex.”

  Kajakti had to bite back a growl as a surge of need pulsed through him. The idea of taking Jaren to his bed for hours and erasing all of the intimate memories she had of her ex-boyfriend was something he wanted to jump at, but there would be no doing that. First of all, Jaren was too drunk for it, and secondly, fully making love to her would have to wait until he told her what he was and what she meant to him. And again, she was far from sober enough to understand what he’d tell her.

  “A very tempting offer,” he said. “But—”

  He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Jaren rose on tiptoe, cupped the back of his neck, brought his lips down to hers and sealed them tight. She’d done it so quickly Kajakti didn’t have time to pull away. He opened his mouth to suggest they wait to try this again later, but his mate used the opportunity to push her tongue inside and stroke his with it.

  The taste of Jaren zipped through him, making his cock jerk inside his jeans. Combining that with her enticing scent, which filled his nose with each breath he took, had him holding her tighter against him as he deepened their kiss, taking the control from her.

  He soon forgot where they were and plundered Jaren’s mouth, enjoying the sound of the small moans she made. It wasn’t until there was a loud blare of a car horn did Kajakti jerk back to his surroundings.

  “Kajakti, do you want a ride or what? Unless you’d rather stand on the sidewalk and continue to make out like a horny teenager,” Carson shouted from his SUV, which was pulled up to the curb.

  Kajakti dragged in a deep breath as he pushed back his mating urge. He turned his head and looked at his wolf brother. “Of course I still want a ride.” He picked up Jaren’s suitcase, then steadied her with one arm as he walked her over to the vehicle.

  “You’re taking her with you?” Carson asked. “I thought that might have been a goodbye kiss.”

  “Yes, I’m taking her home with me.”

  “I thought you were only looking for a little fun, nothing permanent. That’s what Eryn said.”

  Kajakti put down the suitcase and let out a low growl before he ran his index finger across his throat twice. A quick look at Jaren showed she hadn’t noticed what he’d done. She was too busy staring at Carson.

  “That changed after I met Jaren, if you know what I mean?” Kajakti gave Carson a meaningful look.

  “Well, damn. You guys are dropping like flies.”

  Kajakti opened the back door of the SUV and helped Jaren slide onto the seat. He then picked up her suitcase and put it in the very back before he climbed in next to his mate. Once he shut the door, Carson pulled away from the curb and merged with the traffic.

  “It smells like a distillery back there,” Carson said with a chuckle. “What did you do, Kajakti? Did you have to get her drunk to convince her to come home with you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “But she’s trashed all the same.” Carson met Kajakti’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “She’s also passed out on you and looks to be sleeping like a baby. Well, a drunk one, anyway.”

  He turned his head in Jaren’s direction and saw Carson was right. Her head was against the headrest and her eyes were closed as she breathed in even breaths. Kajakti reached across the seat and brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. She didn’t even move.

  Kajakti watched his mate sleep the rest of the drive home. Once they arrived, he carefully lifted Jaren out of the SUV and carried her into the house while Carson brought her suitcase. He planned to take Jaren straight up to his room and put her to bed, but stopped when the women of the household confronted him after he stepped through the front door.

  “Who do you have there?” Cassidy asked.

  “This is Jaren,” he replied.

  Eryn gave him a quizzical look. “What happened to you just wanting to get laid and nothing more?”

  He was glad Jaren was asleep and couldn’t hear what Eryn had asked. He didn’t want his mate to think he only wanted her for one night of sex. “Would I have brought Jaren home if that were the case?”

  It didn’t take long for Cassidy, Haven and Eryn to catch on to what he meant. They smiled and congratulated him. Then Haven asked, “How long is she staying? Did you already tell her everything?”

  “I’m hoping forever, and no, I haven’t told her anything yet.”

  “Either you’re a fast worker to get Jaren convinced to stay here with you after only knowing you for a few hours, or you had to get her drunk to accomplish it,” Eryn said. Of course her brother laughed since it was the s
ame thing Carson had asked Kajakti in the car.

  “No, I did not set out to get her drunk. We had a few drinks at the bar after I found her standing outside the hotel, looking lost. She’s from Canada. She came to Alaska with her now ex-boyfriend. They fought and he abandoned her this morning, taking all their money and her passport with him. He also checked them out of the hotel so Jaren had been left with nowhere else to go and no way to pay for another room.”

  “So you came to her rescue,” Cassidy said with a smile. “I take it she and her ex didn’t have much of a solid relationship if he did something that shitty to her. The guy sounds like a real asshole.”

  “From what she said, I don’t think so. They were having problems even before they arrived in Juneau.”

  Carson clapped Kajakti on the shoulder. “Which has worked out for you, considering she’s your mate. Now you don’t have to worry about stealing her from another man.”

  Even if Jaren had still been with Matt, Kajakti didn’t think he would have had to work very hard to get her to leave the other man. If she’d been perfectly happy being with her ex, he doubted she would have set off his mating urge. It didn’t work that way, at least as far as he knew, it didn’t.

  Jaren sighed in her sleep. Kajakti kissed her forehead. “I’m going to put her to bed and let her sleep off the alcohol.”

  “Good idea,” Cassidy said. “Hopefully she doesn’t wake up with a hangover.”

  Kajakti carried Jaren up the stairs while Carson followed him with her suitcase. Once his wolf brother set it on the floor near the dresser, he walked out the bedroom door and shut it behind him.

  He carried his mate to the bed and gently laid her on the mattress. Kajakti straightened and stared down at Jaren. She murmured something unintelligible and rolled to her side toward him. He ran his gaze over her, soaking her up. The restlessness that had plagued him had evaporated once he’d found Jaren. He now had a future to look forward to with her in it. If he could convince her of that.

  Kajakti took off Jaren’s shoes and managed to pull the covers out from under her enough to tug them over her. At least he didn’t have to worry about convincing her to move in with him. Now he only had the hard part of revealing what he truly was and finding a way to have her accept him as her mate. Contrary to what she’d said about wanting him as her new boyfriend, once she was sober, she might rethink that, especially after just ending a bad relationship. What he wanted from her would seem too quick in anyone’s eyes.

  * * * * *

  Jaren continued to sleep well into the night. Kajakti stripped down to his boxer-briefs and slipped into the bed next to her once it became late enough. The floor held no appeal, and he figured Jaren wouldn’t awaken until morning, anyway.

  There was also the fact he’d be able to get some rest if he slept beside her. Now that his mating urge had been brought to life, Kajakti would more than likely have erotic dreams about his mate. It was inevitable, and they wouldn’t go away until he claimed her. Much like the semi-aroused state he’d been walking around in half the time since meeting Jaren.

  It was difficult, but eventually Kajakti managed to fall into a deep sleep. And as expected, he dreamed about the woman who slumbered next to him. It very quickly turned erotic. He held Jaren in his arms as he kissed her with all the passion that had built up inside him. She moaned into his mouth, her hands lifting to sink into his hair and to hold him where she wanted him. He dropped his hands to her bottom and hauled her closer, grinding his fully engorged cock against her.

  Then the dream took a dramatic shift. He suddenly was naked on his back as Jaren, who was as unclothed as he, rested at his side, running her hands over his body. She reached his dick and wrapped her fingers around it, stroking him in a tight grip. He grew harder, and he couldn’t stop from lifting his hips to push himself into her hand. Pre-cum leaked out of the head of his cock, and Jaren rubbed it along his skin, slicking him up. Kajakti fisted his hands in the sheet under him as he let her keep the control. He was more than willing to let her take this where it went.

  Panting, aching to be inside her, he watched her climb on top of him. He didn’t try to stop her since he knew this was only his dream. She rubbed her pussy along his shaft, wetting him with her juices. A low growl rumbled out of him. The scent of his mate’s arousal only heightened his.

  Jaren angled her hips just so, then slowly impaled herself on his erect cock. The feel of her pussy closing around his shaft, squeezing it tight with her inner muscles, had Kajakti groaning and growling at the same time. He grew even harder as she rode him up and down.

  But a new sensation that felt all too real dragged him out of his sleep and he opened his eyes. It had been no dream. Jaren moved on top of him, taking all of his cock deep inside her pussy. Her eyes were closed as she lifted, then sank down onto him.

  Kajakti took hold of her hips, thinking to stop her, but it was already too late for that. The feel of a piece of his soul brushing up against hers was what had awakened him. It did it again and this time a bit of Jaren’s met it and the two became one. The mating bond snapped into place between them. His orgasm tore through him, his cock pulsing inside his mate’s body as her pussy clutched then released him while in the throes of her own climax.

  Once it was over, Jaren collapsed onto his chest and chuckled. “That was good. Now if only you could make the room stop spinning.” Two seconds later, she relaxed completely against him and her breathing evened out.

  He put his arms around her and looked at Jaren. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted as she breathed. She’d fallen back to sleep, and from what she’d said, she was also still drunk.

  Kajakti pulled out of her and shifted her until she lay at his side with her head pillowed on his chest. His cock remained hard, but he ignored it. He’d claimed his mate without explaining anything, and given her condition, she probably wouldn’t remember what they’d done in the morning. Obviously, sleeping next to her only in his underwear hadn’t been a great idea. The undergarment was around his knees where Jaren must have tugged it down.

  He couldn’t undo the result of their intimacies. He’d tied Jaren to him, and a big part of him was glad. The rest he knew he’d have to work fast to have his mate accept what he was. Kajakti hoped her bad experience with her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t have her trying to keep him at arm’s length once she was sober. Now that she was his, he wouldn’t be able to let her go.

  Chapter Three

  Jaren slowly came awake and swallowed. Her tongue felt like sandpaper while her mouth tasted as if something had crawled inside it and died. She desperately needed a drink of water. She kept her eyes closed and swallowed again. Her head ached and her stomach wasn’t quite up to par. She’d learned her lesson to not drink on an empty stomach.

  A masculine snore sounded from the spot next to her. Jaren’s eyes snapped open and she turned her head in that direction. Kajakti lay fast asleep beside her with his long, black hair spread out on his pillow. The covers were over them both but far enough down for her to see his shoulders and chest were bare. A quick look under the sheet confirmed they were both naked.

  Jaren groaned to herself. Vague images of the night flitted through her mind. She silently groaned again. What had she done? In her drunken state she’d taken advantage of Kajakti while he’d been sleeping. She’d ridden him as if he were her favorite amusement park ride. And the bad thing about it was it had been the best sex she’d ever had. How pathetic was that?

  Kajakti shifted beside her, and Jaren focused on his face. His eyes blinked open, then he smiled. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

  “I’d say a little hung over.”

  He rolled onto his side toward her. “Do you…remember much of last night?”

  Jaren felt her cheeks heat. “Enough to know there is a reason why we’re both naked.”

  “I didn’t take advantage of you while you were not yourself, just in case you wondered. I would never do that. I only thought to sleep beside y
ou.”

  Her face heated even more. “I know you didn’t. I remember I was the one who attacked you while you were sleeping.”

  Kajakti chuckled. “You can attack me like that any time. I normally sleep naked, but I thought leaving my underwear on would be safe enough, considering I left you in your clothes.”

  “I told you alcohol makes me braver than I’d normally be any other time.” Jaren held the covers over her chest with one hand as she pushed herself into a sitting position. She put her free hand to her forehead and moaned. “Boy am I paying for yesterday.”

  Kajakti sat up, his side of the covers pooling at his waist. “You can blame that on me if you want. I should have stopped buying you drinks after your second one.”

  “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I knew better not to drink on an empty stomach.”

  “I never thought to ask if you’d had your dinner or not.”

  She gave him a sheepish smile. “Actually, I hadn’t eaten all day. No money meant I couldn’t buy any food.”

  “Now I feel like an idiot,” Kajakti said. “Of course you wouldn’t have eaten anything. Well, we’ll have to fix that. What would you like?”

  Her stomach churned at the thought of food but Jaren knew she had to put something into it to soak up the rest of the alcohol. “Some toast would be good. I don’t think I can handle anything more than that right now.”

  “Okay. Would you like to take a shower before we go downstairs to eat or do you want to take it later?”

  “Shower first.”

  “Your suitcase is over by the dresser. Get what you need, then I’ll show you where you can find the bathroom.”

  Kajakti flipped back the covers and slipped off the bed. Jaren couldn’t tear her gaze away as she watched him walk over to a pair of jeans that were in a pile on the floor. She stared at his wide back, which tapered to a narrow waist and landed on his muscular ass. It looked hard, and her fingers itched to grab it, especially when he bent to pick up his pants.

  But he turned around and she would have drooled if she had any excess saliva. The front of Kajakti was even better than the back. Her gaze skimmed across his well-defined chest before it arrowed down his washboard abs straight to his cock, which was semi-erect. That changed, though. The longer she stared at it, the bigger it became.