31She found herself cradled in Bodie’s arms a moment later, and he held her gently, though he hugged her with fervor. She clung to him, ignoring the pain in her side and her leg as he lifted her to her feet. “Did you get the school emptied in time?”He didn’t answer. He spent a second kissing her and staring at her as though reassuring himself she was still alive. Finally, he nodded. “I pressed the fire alarm, and the kids are used to fire drills. They left in an orderly fashion, and we were able to get them safely out of the blast zone. Most of them are currently in the baseball diamond with the teachers, and they’re all trying to figure out what’s going on.”“You didn’t tell them?”“I told a couple of people, but then I sensed you were in trouble. I took off running, and I guess I attracted enough attention to build up a slight entourage, because as I started digging frantically through the rubble after discovering where you were, I soon had plenty of help.”She looked over his sho
32When Bodie stepped outside, the nurse he recognized from before from speaking with Mr. Yates was waiting in the hallway. She gave him an understanding smile. “You’ve been quite busy today visiting us.”“Not voluntarily,” he said with a hint of sourness. “Where is Mr. Yates?”She chuckled. “He’s a stubborn old coot, and when he heard about the bombing and the likelihood we might have several casualties, he insisted on checking himself out and going home.”Bodie frowned. “Are there that many casualties?”“So far, only two, but there are quite a number of injuries, and Dr. Lin thought Mr. Yates was probably safe enough to go home. We were only keeping him as a precaution and a way to force him to rest.”“I’m glad he’s okay.”“Yes.” She nodded to the waiting room. “Your parents are here.”He smothered a groan as he thanked her and headed that direction, though he didn’t want to be too far from Claire. He’d planned to linger outside her room and listen in case she called for him, but th
33She seemed shocked for an instant, but she didn’t try to persuade him he was being ridiculous or over-the-top with his emotions. Instead, she put her hand to his cheek and caressed lightly. “I was sure I’d never see you again either, so I did my best to tell you how I felt about you in the last few seconds.”“I didn’t sense that, but I knew you were reaching out to me. I started running to you even before the building had finished collapsing.” He tightened his grip on her hands, bringing them against his chest. “There’s nothing in the world more important to me than you. I’ll happily walk away from being Alpha and even leave the Northstar pack entirely if need be. I’d rather be alone or a rogue wolf with you by my side than give you up just to appease other people.”A tear sparkled on her lashes for just a moment, but she blinked, and it slid down her cheek. That appeared to be the last tear, because then she smiled. A moment later, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly. He was
34The moon was full and bright overhead, which was required for a mating ceremony. They’d had a much smaller wedding at the Caliper Courthouse earlier in the day. A few of their friends had joined them, though they were mostly Bodie’s friends. No one in his inner circle had repudiated Claire, except for perhaps his parents, who were still stiff with her. They’d remained true to their word though, and they hadn’t said anything against the match when it was announced to their people and word filtered through the pack in the weeks following the bombing.She shivered as she recalled the first moment when she’d realized everyone knew. She’d been working at Saul’s place when a couple of citizens she recognized from Northstar, though she didn’t know their names, had sat down. Saul had been shorthanded that day, and he’d asked her to step in to do some serving, so she’d been taking care of tables. The couple had been cold to her from the start, and when the female half deliberately spilled h
35His mouth moved lower, changing from nuzzling her neck to nipping downward until he reached one of her breasts. He drew it to him and sucked on the plump, unscarred nipple, making her moan and writhe. His other hand lifted to cup her left breast, tugging very lightly at the overly sensitive nipple and in opposition to the rhythm his mouth set. It was maddening but exciting, and she shifted restlessly under him as he worshiped her breasts. When his mouth went lower, she held her breath, feeling just a hint of anxiety at allowing him in such an intimate place when he was more shifter than human tonight, but she quelled any tension at the thought when he started licking her.He wasn’t at all gentle. He was rough and frantic, swiping her with his tongue so quickly it almost seemed like he couldn’t get enough and was afraid someone would take away his treat before he finished. She almost laughed at the idea, but she was incapable of sustaining amusement for long, so consumed by emotions
The little human woman seemed to prefer silence, so he left her to it. From the corner of his gaze, he appraised her. She was curvy in the right places, and she had a long fall of dark hair that obscured the scarred side of her face, which would be facing him otherwise. He winced again, recalling the first sight of it. It must’ve hurt her greatly, whatever injury had inflicted it. It made him feel protective, and he had the urge to demand to know how it happened so he could rectify it. It was an irrational response, as was his strong reaction to her, but he couldn’t deny she stirred something in him. That had to be why he’d made the insane offer to a complete stranger to allow her to stay in his home for the night. That, and there was an air of vulnerability about her. She was so lost and seemed broken, and it had to go far deeper than the scars that marred her skin. There was a fragility about her spirit that made him want to help her, to support her as she put herself back together
Claire Dalton bit back a moan of disgust as the three men who’d spent the last two hours harassing her off and on in The Honey Trap, the bar where she mostly worked in the kitchen but occasionally couldn’t get out of cleaning or serving table when they were busy, appeared behind the business. She was throwing out the trash and heading home for the night and steeled herself for another moment of torment. She didn’t feel truly afraid. They just seemed cruelly fascinated with the scars down one side of her face and neck. “Hey, cutie,” said the biggest one with a snicker. He must’ve thought he was clever and witty. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them. “I’m off shift, so leave me alone.” “You don’t have to be so touchy,” said the second one. He looked similar to the first, though a slightly smaller copy. She suspected the dark-haired men were related in some way. “I do, because you’ve done nothing but harass me for the last two hours when I was forced to wait on your
3Claire was too keyed up from the kiss to even think about falling asleep or using the guestroom. Instead, she occupied herself with her phone until she figured enough time had passed that Bodie would be asleep in his own room. She didn’t want to be rude, but there was no reason for her to spend the night here.Before leaving, she used the Uber app to order a ride. Even in their backwater, there were a few drivers available, and she was relieved for it though she didn’t really want to get into a car again. It wasn’t like she could walk twenty miles on foot, and since she couldn’t shift into a wolf to run them either, she was stuck with that option.She waited until the app alerted her that the driver was almost there before tiptoeing out of his house. She thought about leaving a thank-you note or something, but she decided it was better to cut and run. The less time he had to think about her, the better. She still cringed at the idea of him recognizing her as Gracie’s little sister o