Down & Dirty 1: Wild Card

Chapter One

Those bastards had cut her fence again.

Virginia Howard cursed, kicked a clump of grass at her feet and eyed the damaged span of fence before her. Large sections of it lay bare and broken, the barbed wire that had stretched between the posts sliced clean through. It curled around the posts, shiny and mocking.

“Brand new God damned fence.” And God knew how many cattle lost. She’d never get them all rounded up before dark, even if they all bore the Lazy H brand. But some were still clean skinned, new calves or additions to her stock that weren’t due for branding until the fall.

She cursed again, though the epithet morphed into a growl. That those cowardly asses would pull such a stunt this close to the full moon only proved their real purpose. Driving her out of business would be good, but what they really wanted was to drive her down. Make her submit like a good little lady.

Some of them didn’t like independence in a woman, especially one who’d already refused a few of them. They obviously meant to make her an example.

“Well, fuck that,” Ginny muttered. A click of her tongue brought her horse, Lightning Bug, trotting over. She’d held out on her own, just the way she liked it, for as long as she could. Now she had no choice.

She needed the alpha’s help.

* * *

Jack Owens had an office next to the mayor’s in the run-down old City Hall building, but the only people who visited it were humans. When werewolves needed to speak with the alpha of the Lonely River Pack they went to his home, a sprawling ranch house on the edge of town that bordered on a large private forest. Humans never strayed in the woods that belonged to the pack, making it a safe place to run for all wolves.

And they needed that now more than ever. More than fifty years had passed since the last Great War, when biomechanical warfare had been introduced by both sides. No one knew how it started, how the nanotechnology meant to incapacitate enemy soldiers had corrupted and begun infecting civilians.

Had begun killing.

The remaining humans had reacted to the War the only way they’d known, by shunning technology and essentially setting themselves back into the nineteenth century. All computers and complex machines had been destroyed. Vehicles sat, abandoned, on cracked asphalt roads grown over with vegetation. Most cleanup had been done in the cities, where space was at a premium. In places like Greenbriar, people tended to let the now-useless machinery stand. It was easier to work around it than to move it.

Werewolves, once hidden, had been immune to the Plague. And, as the numbers of humans thinned, the wolves had been able to come out of hiding to build societies for themselves. The humans left had no choice but to accept them, though many hated them. Were frightened of them.

That was dangerous, and made it important that wolves have a place of their own, away from humans, where all were welcome.

Even Ginny. Jack had extended the invitation more than once, always with that quiet smile that clashed with the look in his eyes. Patient. Predatory. The alpha never pushed her, but he was always there, letting her know with a look or a touch that he was biding his time.

It would have been easy enough to ignore, if only she didn’t want to answer the sensual challenge in his eyes. The wolf inside her yearned for him, for the strength and power she knew mirrored her own. And the woman wanted something else entirely.

He was so damn handsome, with thick blond hair and eyes the color of the sky on a clear winter morning. And he was tall, broad through the shoulders, leanly muscled in a way that made her want to press her hands against him, to test the resilience of the hard planes of his body.

But she couldn’t. A man -- a wolf -- like Jack Owens wouldn’t let her walk away after a night of hot sex. He’d lay claim to her, keep her.

Ginny had to force down the panic that rose. She belonged to no one. She was free to say and do anything she wanted.

Except that now she had to knock on the door and go inside.

The soft light of a kerosene lamp still burned in a window downstairs. “Quit stalling, Ginny.” She dropped from Lightning Bug’s back and lashed him to the post between the house and the barn before making her way slowly to the porch.

It occurred to her that her heart was pounding more loudly than her fist on the door, but she didn’t have time to berate herself for her own foolishness. The door opened, and Jack greeted her with that damn smile that made her crazy. “Virginia.” He stepped back and pulled the door open wide. “Please, come in.”

“Jack.” He’d discarded his vest and rolled up his shirtsleeves, and the slightly rumpled look was sexier than anything she could recall seeing in recent years. “Thank you.”

She tugged off her hat and walked past him, resolute and determined. She could ignore the pull of his body calling to hers, if only she didn’t have to look into his eyes. “I’m afraid I’m having a little bit of trouble, and I didn’t --” The words hung in her burning throat like glass shards. She forced them out anyway. “I need your help.”

The sudden tension in the room was palpable. “What did they do this time?” Jack demanded, his low voice filled with enough anger to make her fight a flinch.

She steeled herself and turned to face him. “Cut the fence in the south pasture. The one Ollie Russell helped me string last week.”

Rage flooded his features for a single heartbeat before he regained his control. “Did you recognize any scent at the scene, or had too much time passed?”

“I didn’t come here to get you riled up and out for blood,” Ginny protested. “I just want it to stop.”

He crossed the space between them in two steps, stopping so close she could feel the heat from his body as he leaned down until scant inches separated them. “We’ve passed the point of pretty words and asking nicely. You came here for my help, Virginia. You may not take it back.”

“My name is Ginny.” She instantly regretted the correction. The last thing she needed was to invite more of Jack’s familiarity, especially when she’d just put herself under his protection. And that’s the first step, isn’t it? First his protection, then his authority. “I only want you to talk to them. I mean, it isn’t as if I’m part of your pack, not like they are. I know that. But I don’t know how else to keep things from sliding toward bloodshed.”

The anger flashed in his eyes again, and this time he didn’t pull it back. His magic, the power that gave him his strength and authority as a wolf, crackled through the air as he growled. “You think I haven’t talked to them already? You think I’ve watched them torment you and done nothing?”

“No. I don’t know.” She looked away, her teeth digging into her lower lip as she fought a whimper. Everything in her demanded that she placate him with a soothing apology. That she offer him her submission. “I know I’ve flouted your authority.” She barely heard her own voice over the blood rushing in her ears. “I wouldn’t blame you if you’d left it alone. I wouldn’t blame you if you chose to do so now.”

Strong fingers slid along her jaw and forced her to look at him. “Every wolf in my territory is my responsibility. I warned Dawson and the others that there would be repercussions for bothering you again. Which means they intend to make sure you’re not around to lodge a complaint.”

Ginny fought not to drop her head back and offer him her throat. She barely succeeded. “I suppose they don’t care that I didn’t do anything to them. I’m a woman alone. An oddity.”

“An oddity,” he agreed quietly. “You and Charlotte certainly make my life interesting, don’t you?”

“If you told Lottie to do something, she would. She’s not interested in reminding you that you don’t own her.” She lifted her chin even more and watched his eyes. “I am, though. All I want is to be left alone. I like it that way, Jack.”

His hand dropped away. “You’re nearly out of options, Ginny. You came to me, and that makes you mine. Mine to protect, anyway.” He smiled, small and bitter, before turning his back on her abruptly and striding to the table. “Don’t worry yourself too much. When you’re safe, I’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you want.”

“Will you?” He couldn’t mean it, not with the way he’d been watching her for months.

Jack picked up a heavy leather gun belt and buckled it around his waist. “If that’s what you want.”

Of course it is. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but what came out was, “You’re not riding out to Dawson’s spread now, are you? Alone?”

“No.” He tightened the belt and reached for his coat. “I’m going home with you.”

She stared at the back of his head in disbelief. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m going home with you. You’ll need help rounding up your stock, and you’re not going to be out there alone until I’ve dealt with them. So you stay here, or I go there. Your choice.”

He’d be in her home. It was the one place she knew she could escape from everything, everyone, and Jack would be there. “But --” She looked at the tense set of his shoulders and swallowed the rest of her protest. “I don’t have a spare bedroom. You’ll have to bunk down in the parlor.” She couldn’t help the challenge that crept into her voice.

He just sounded amused when he answered. “Bunked down in worse places.”

Ginny wanted him in her bed. The knowledge should have shocked her, but it had been a long time since she’d slept any way but alone. Hard up and horny, she thought dourly. Might fuck anything with two legs and a pulse at this point. Doesn’t mean anything. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Jack pulled his horse to a stop at the fence that surrounded Ginny’s property and closed his eyes, letting the scents and sounds of the night come to him. The moon hung low in the sky tonight, nearly full, and the call of it tickled at the edges of his senses as he reached out with his power.

He sensed Ginny first, a strong, vibrant presence just behind him, and the wolf inside him paused. The wolf always perked up when Ginny was around, always rode him hard and demanded he lay claim to her. He was alpha, the leader, and it was fitting that such a female should belong to him and no other.

Maybe if it had happened to him before, Jack would know how to quiet the animal. But single women were a scarce commodity these days, and available female wolves even more so. Of the dozen or so in his pack, only two had the sort of strength that tempted his wolf. Neither had interested the man.

Ginny interested every damn part of him. The man, the wolf… My cock. The scent of her was enough to make him uncomfortably hard, but the feeling of her power brushing against his, so close he could reach out and touch her…

No. He’d been patient thus far. Ginny was a wild creature. If he spooked her, she’d run so far and fast he’d never catch her. And now that she’d finally come to him, he could hardly afford to frighten her away for lack of a little care.

Even if it meant sleeping on her couch and wishing himself dead.

She pulled her mount alongside his and sighed. “I only got them all back last time because they ranged down to the corner of Ollie’s property, where the creek cuts through. Doesn’t matter though.” She drew up the reins on her horse and led Jack through a damaged section of fence. “I think maybe you were right. I think they’re through with warnings.”

“Ollie will help you round them up in the morning,” Jack murmured, his eyes still half shut. He could sense someone in the woods, one of his wolves. One of his pack. Ignoring Ginny, he urged his horse around and faced the line of the forest that marked the end of her property. In the moonlight it would be impossible not to recognize him, but he let his energy roll out anyway, a warning to anyone in the area. Mine.

His sensitive ears caught the faintest sound, a startled noise followed by a rustle of leaves. That’s right. Run away.

She didn’t move, just stared down at her gloved hands. “Dawson, you figure?”

“Probably.” Jack had to struggle to regain his calm expression before turning back to her. “Whoever it is, they won’t be bothering us tonight. Tomorrow we’ll ride to Oliver’s and ask him to help you while I pay Dawson a visit.” And as long as she was with Oliver, Jack wouldn’t have to worry about her safety. If Oliver had been the least bit interested in politics, he would have been the second or third strongest wolf in the pack. Ginny’s troublemakers wouldn’t dare cause mischief in front of him.

Her eyes were inscrutable in the darkness. “Thank you.”

She rode on.

When they reached her house, Ginny turned straight for the barn. She must have known better than to suggest he go inside and wait for her to stable the horses, so they did it together. They worked side-by-side, in silence, bedding the horses for the night. The tension arcing off her was palpable, recognizable.

She wanted him.

“I have a blueberry pie,” she told him when they finished, her gloves and hat clutched in one hand. “Don’t worry, though. I didn’t make it. Lottie did.”

Jack smiled and followed her from the barn. “As long as it wasn’t Hazel. Lottie may have given that girl a passing acquaintance with manners, but she doesn’t seem too fond of baking.”

“She makes a good rum cake.”

“She is fond of the booze.” He glanced up at the stars and fought the urge to ask Ginny’s advice on dealing with Hazel and the trouble that surrounded her in the pack. That her answer would be succinct and to the point just made it harder. He wanted to ask Ginny’s advice. He wanted to talk to her about pack problems, to seek her counsel and ask for her help. He wanted her as a partner almost more than he wanted her as a lover, though her proximity was sheer torture on his self-control.

Of course, judging by the strength of the arousal drifting off her, he’d have no problem getting an invitation to her bed. And if that was all he wanted…

But it wasn’t. And something told him Ginny would welcome him as a lover long before she considered him for a mate.

Jack opened the door for her and let his gaze drift over the curves of her body as she preceded him into the house. Maybe sex wasn’t the most important thing he wanted from her, but he’d be a liar and a fool to pretend that wasn’t part of it. So make the sex part of the hunt.

He rather liked the irony of using sex to seduce her into considering love.

She paused at a table by the door and lit a lamp. “Do you want any of the pie, or some coffee? Tea?” Her voice dropped an octave. “I have a bottle of whiskey. Not the finest, but smooth enough.”

If he went to her bed, he wanted them both sober. “Coffee would be nice.”

A flash of irritation quirked her brow, and he knew he’d been right. She’d have drank just enough for the alcohol to shoulder the blame when she woke beside him, naked. “It’ll take a few minutes,” she murmured as she moved past him toward the kitchen.

He reached out and caught her arm, curling his fingers tight enough to hold but not trap her. She tensed under his touch, and he rubbed his thumb along her skin in a soothing gesture without thinking about it. “I wouldn’t want to put you out, Virginia. If you’d rather go to sleep, I can see to my own coffee.”

“I can do it.” She didn’t move for a moment. “I want to, Jack.” It sounded like a confession, and she pulled out of his grasp and walked into the kitchen.

He heard her stirring up the coal stove and the rattle of the coffee pan. Then she took a single long breath and leaned against the open doorway. Watching him. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here tonight.”

The opening presented itself, and Jack maneuvered the conversation in the direction he wanted as deftly as any hunter. “I don’t mind. But maybe you could pay me back with a little bit of insight.”

“Insight about what?” She rubbed her left calf with the toe of her right boot.

That wasn’t a no. Jack crossed the room and leaned against the wall a few feet away from her. “Hazel. She’s already past due for her first mating. The young wolves in town are losing their grip on their common sense, but Hazel ignores every reasonable, safe option that Lottie and I have put before her. If she hasn’t chosen a mate by the time she goes into heat…” There was no reason to finish. Ginny knew as well as he the sort of chaos that was likely to cause. “You’re friendly with the girl. What is going on in her head?”

She started grinning halfway through his speech. When he finished, she threw back her head and laughed. “Reasonable and safe. Sounds like what you know about women could fit in your coffee cup with room to spare, Jack.” The accusation was saved from being harsh by the low, honeyed tone of her voice. “‘Reasonable’ doesn’t make our hearts seize up. ‘Safe’ doesn’t make us dream about you.”

He moved before he had time to consider the wisdom of his actions. Two steps and he had her trapped against the doorframe, his body pressed along hers. He braced his hand above her head and leaned down until his lips almost touched hers. “You don’t need to be a dangerous fool to know how to make a woman pant for you. To make her beg for your touch until her voice goes hoarse and she’s come so many times she can’t stand it anymore.”

“That’s one thing I never doubted about you, Jack.” Lust darkened her eyes. “You could make me see stars, I bet. The question is what comes after that.”

A lifetime. He eased his knee between her legs and rocked against her. “We do it again?”

Her hands slid up his chest, and she ground down on his thigh with a harsh moan. Then she pushed him away and took his hand. “Come to my bed.”

Anticipation raced through him as he lifted her hand to his lips. He bit the inside of her wrist lightly and smiled when she shivered. “Yes, Ginny. A bed is a good idea.”

Chapter Two

Ginny paused in the doorway of her bedroom. Moonlight shone through the curtains, splashing over the faded quilt on her bed, and she shuddered. Though she wasn’t celibate, not by a long shot, she’d never invited a man into her bedroom before.

So why now? Why Jack?

Her hand pulled free of his, and she crossed to the bed to remove her boots. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Jack pulled off his boots and set them next to her door in silence. When he straightened, he lifted his fingers to his belt. “Are you comfortable?”

His hands hovered over the buckle, and Ginny caught herself staring. She tore her gaze away and rose, dragging her shirt from her pants. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m the alpha, Ginny. You can’t fool me.” He dropped his hands and crossed the room, stopping in front of her. His hands covered hers and his knuckles brushed her stomach, a light touch that gave her a taste of the restrained energy inside of him.

Heat blazed through her, and she started unbuttoning her shirt under his hands. “I didn’t plan on this, that’s all.” Which was true enough.

He moved with such speed that she didn’t realize he’d spun her until her back hit his chest. One hand gathered her hair and held it away from her ear as the other splayed across her bare stomach. “Do you plan everything?”

His breath blew hot over her skin, but she didn’t hesitate before answering. “Yes. Always.”

“Too bad.” He teased at the shell of her ear with his tongue and bit the lobe with a soft growl. “No plans tonight.”

Making plans would involve thinking, and Jack had stripped her of that ability already. “No plans,” Ginny agreed breathlessly. She trembled and bared the side of her throat to him in silent invitation.

His breath skated over her, but he didn’t accept the invitation to mark her. Instead, the hand on her stomach eased up until he found the curve of her breast. Strong, callused fingers teased over sensitive skin, tracing tiny circles that moved closer and closer to her nipple without touching it.

Frustration drew a growl from her throat. “You’re a tease.” She needed to test herself against his strength, to revel in it. She bent a little, curving her back as she leaned forward and rubbed her ass against him. Ignore that, Jack Owens.

He moaned, a quiet noise that rumbled up from the depths of his chest and vibrated against her. His cock was hard already, and he rocked into her movement, pressing himself tight to her ass. “You’re a bad, bad little wolf,” he whispered, then caught her aching nipple between his thumb and forefinger as his teeth closed on her neck.

Ginny couldn’t hold back her whimper. Everything about him confused her, and she struggled with her own conflicting desires. Part of her wanted to draw out every touch for hours, but the rest of her needed him inside her. “Fast now, Jack.” She barely recognized the desperate tone of her own voice. “And then slow.”

The hand in her hair loosened and slid down her body to work at her belt while the other continued to tease at her breast. “How long has it been, Ginny? How long, since you had a man strong enough to take you the way you want to be taken?” Nimble fingers worked the buckle of her belt free and he tugged at the top button on her pants. “The way you need to be taken?” He smiled and eased her pants over her hips.

She didn’t even know. “There aren’t a lot of men around here who could.” She dragged her shirt over her head and turned in his arms. Her eyes locked with his as she reached for his shirt and slipped each button free. “That’s why you want me, isn’t it? The challenge?”

“Is that what you think?” He moved his hands back to his belt. “So you’re not in possession of a mirror, then. That is a pity.”

“I have a mirror. But you --” You’re beautiful. She bit her lip and pushed his shirt to the floor before smoothing her hands up his chest to frame his face. Her height kept her from having to stretch too far as she kissed him. It was soft and it was slow, and she shook with the need to drive her tongue past his lips and taste him.

But the wolf held her back. She needed something different, something more, from him. So she whispered against his mouth, “Take me.”

He lifted one hand and clasped hers, drawing it down to his open belt. “Undress me,” he commanded.

Ginny’s pulse quickened, and she unbuttoned his pants. She bent as she coaxed them down, skimming her mouth lightly over his chest and belly. His underwear followed, and her knees hit the floor as his cock sprang free, thick and erect. She could barely breathe as she looked up at him, waiting.

The corner of his mouth kicked up as he reached down to thread his fingers through the loose strands of her hair. “Wrap your lips around my cock.”

Her nipples tightened. She wet her lips carefully and closed one hand around his shaft. Her tongue just barely touched the blunt head, tracing delicately. A moan escaped as she obeyed and drew him into her mouth.

His head fell back, baring the strong line of his throat as he let out a low, rumbling growl of approval. For several heartbeats he did nothing else, letting her work her tongue over him in silence.

When he finally spoke, his words were low and hoarse. “Spread your knees apart, but don’t stop.”

Ginny moved her knees apart and kept sucking his cock, though she dropped her free hand between her thighs to stroke her pussy. She imagined Jack’s fingers or tongue instead, and a thrill of pleasure wrung a shudder from her, along with another moan that vibrated around his shaft.

His fingers tightened in her hair and he laughed low in his throat. “Did I say you could touch yourself?”

“Mmm.” She released his cock but coiled her tongue slowly around the head before answering. “If you were doing it, I wouldn’t have to.”

“A valid point.” His hand guided her lips back to his cock. “Touch yourself. One finger only, and go nice and slow. If you do anything else, I’ll turn you over my knee.”

The temptation was too great. She sucked him between her lips again, then pushed two fingers inside her pussy and whimpered.

His laughter filled the room as he pulled back, snatched her up and tossed her onto the bed. Her stomach hit the quilt, but a moment later Jack dragged her body over his muscular legs until she lay sprawled across his lap with her ass in the air.

He traced his hand slowly over her hip and down, dipping between her legs. His fingers slipped between her wet folds and he growled in approval. “Someone likes the idea of being spanked.”

The intimacy of his touch sparked through her like an electric shock, and Ginny jerked and cried out. “I like the idea of you fucking me. If you ever get around to it.”

Jack slid his hand away from her body and slapped her ass.

She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out again. “Jack.”

His fingers slid between her legs again, rubbing teasing circles over her clit. “Oh, yes. You want this, don’t you?”

Ginny bucked into his touch and gritted her teeth. What did he want? “Stop it.”

“Is that what you want?” He pulled his hand away and smoothed it over her lower back. “I’ll stop touching you, if you don’t want it.”

That was the last thing she wanted. Trouble was, she couldn’t quite figure out what was bothering her. She twisted on his lap until her eyes met his. “I don’t like it when people play games with me.”

His eyes glinted in the light from the lantern, a glimmer of gold proving that the wolf hovered close to the surface. “Sex is play, Ginny. It’s the most enjoyable game there is.” His hand rubbed in slow circles, inching higher until his fingers curled in her hair again. “You want me to throw you on your knees and ride you so hard you can’t remember your name. I’ll do it if you come for me first.”

Control. Realization hit her along with a fresh wave of arousal. She wanted him to have control of her… but not of himself. She wanted him to need her. “All right.” Ginny wiggled, rubbing her bare skin over his. “Make me come.”

The world tumbled end over end as he rose and dropped her to the bed. She landed on her back, and his hands hit the bed a moment later on either side of her head. For an endless moment he hovered there, broad chest inches above hers as he stared down at her. There was nothing controlled about the look in his eyes or the way he panted for breath, and his body shook with barely leashed power.

And that was what she needed. Ginny shuddered and lifted her arms to thread her fingers through his hair. “Please, Jack.”

He crushed his mouth to hers, sweeping past her lips to kiss her hard and deep. He growled against her mouth as his tongue clashed with hers, demanding surrender and submission.

She gave it to him with every breath, every heartbeat. His kiss left her weak but exultant, insensate to anything but him. The world had collapsed, drawn so close that nothing existed but their mating.

And it was mating. Ginny had tried to deny it, had lied even to herself, but the primal need that drove her to arch under him could be nothing less. It burned in her, a wildfire that swept away everything, and she didn’t care.

He slipped away from her, pausing to nip at her jaw before he blazed a trail of hot, wet kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. He worked his way lower, sliding down until he’d wedged his torso between her knees. One hand curled around her hip and tugged her ass to the edge of the bed as he lifted his head and stared up at her. “Are you ready to see what a safe, reasonable man can do with his tongue and a little bit of imagination?”

Ginny laughed, lightheaded. “Don’t kid yourself, Jack Owens. You’re the furthest thing from ‘safe’ I’ve ever seen.” She tucked an arm behind her head and raised one foot to stroke his side. “But tell me more about this imagination of yours.”

Strong hands curled around her thighs and coaxed them apart before he settled his broad shoulders between her legs. His smile grew almost dangerous as he teased at her clit with the tip of one finger. “Put your fingers here. Let me see how you touch yourself.”

“Like this.” Her hand bumped his, and the dual touch of their fingers on her clit made her hiss in a breath. “Slow and easy.” She showed him the rhythm she preferred and choked back a moan when fire streaked through her.

He groaned and thrust two fingers into her. “Change of plans, sweetheart. That’s pretty much the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, so you keep it up.”

“Whatever you say.” Ginny slid her free hand down to her breast and watched Jack while she pinched and tugged her nipple. The combination of sensations almost drove her off the bed, and she bucked against his hand with a harsh curse.

Jack growled this time, and he turned his head to bite the inside of her thigh. “Tell me you’re close,” he whispered as his fingers twisted inside her. “I’m not feeling as reasonable as I was a few minutes ago…”

The promise inherent in the words sent her spiraling. “I am, I’m close --” The words melted into a sharp cry as the pleasure wound up tight. She tensed and panted his name, over and over, and then everything exploded in a hot rush that forced a frantic scream from her throat.

“That’s it…” He coaxed her through release with clever fingers and hoarse murmurs of encouragement. She’d barely settled when he lunged onto the bed and over her, strong hands urging her onto her stomach. “Tell me, Ginny.”

“I need you.” She braced her elbows on the bed and clenched her fingers around the quilt. Her body moved without thought, arching into the solid wall of his chest, seeking the heat of his body. “I need you so much, Jack.”

He responded by biting her shoulder and thrusting into her in one long, powerful stroke. Another orgasm took her, and she tossed her head back against his shoulder with a whimpering cry.

Perfect. Everything she thought was wrong seemed so right with Jack inside her, with his mark on her shoulder. He braced his arms on either side of her body, leaving her surrounded by lean muscle and hot skin. There was nothing slow or tentative about the pace he set, just hard, powerful advances that filled her again and again.

Ginny pushed into each thrust with a moan, yearning for something beyond her reach. Beyond pleasure. She echoed his words with a tight, breathless plea. “Tell me.”

The word rolled out of him on a dizzying burst of power, the power that made him the strongest werewolf in the town, maybe even in the territory. “Mine.”

Yes. As much as Ginny wanted to remain free, the wolf inside her had grown tired of being alone. Jack’s claim touched a part of her unconcerned with independence and tumbled her past the boundaries of sanity.

Mine.

When she screamed this time he echoed her, his growling moan tearing through the room as he thrust into her one last time. His hips drove hers into the bed, and she writhed under him, lost. Her hands found his curled into the quilt, and she slid her fingers over his. She’d give him anything -- her body, her soul, anything.

He moved to one side and collapsed, dragging her back until she was tucked tight against his chest. His panting breaths blew against her neck as he rubbed his hand over her hip. “You’re beautiful.”

“So are you.” Ginny twined her fingers with his and laughed. “I never answered your question.”

“I asked a question?” He nudged her hair away from the back of her neck and she felt the teasing brush of his lips. “I don’t recall.”

“About Hazel.” She shivered and turned her face toward Jack. “She’s in love with Ollie Russell. Has been forever. That’s why she’s waiting.”

Jack lifted his head and gave her a look of utter disbelief. “Hazel is in love with Oliver? Hazel?”

Ginny smiled. “Which part do you find unbelievable -- the Hazel part or the Ollie part?”

He snorted and dropped his head back to her shoulder. “Hazel is the most shameless flirt this town is ever likely to see. Sort of hard to believe she’s in love.”

“Misdirection, Jack,” she reminded him. “Besides, everyone knows Ollie’s a loner. She can’t just ask him.”

“Well, that does complicate the situation a little. He hasn’t been interested in a new mate since his wife died, so I don’t see as waiting will do her any good.”

For someone so smart, he didn’t seem to be all that well-acquainted with the inner workings of women’s minds. “Jack, honey, that doesn’t matter. She isn’t waiting for him to come around. She’s waiting because she wants him to be her first. It’s not quite the same thing.”

“Mmm, but that’s not the part that worries me.” His thumb swept along her hip in an absentminded caress. “It’s going to happen, whether she wants it to or not. The young pups in town will tear each other up over a female in heat, and whoever wins won’t be in any state to go gentle.”

Ginny growled and sat up. “Then whoever ‘wins’ won’t be around long to enjoy his victory.”

“Hey.” Jack’s hand caught her and coaxed her back down. “It’s not going to come to that. I’m not going to let it. I can forbid them all to lay a hand on her, and they’ll obey, but someone still has to do it.”

She had to choke back another growl. “Someone like… the alpha.”

His fingers tightened on her hip. “No. Not unless her life is in danger. And we’re nowhere near that point.”

It wasn’t right to punish him for the responsibilities of his position. “You have to do what you have to do. Though I’m fairly certain Hazel would die of embarrassment every time she had to see you afterwards.”

“She wouldn’t be the only one,” he muttered. Then he sighed. “Help me find a way, Ginny. Please.”

“I’ll talk to her, don’t worry.” Ginny rolled over and propped her chin on Jack’s chest. “When faced with the possibility of mating with you, she might just go ahead and pick one of those nice, safe boys you mentioned.” She didn’t bother to hide her amusement.

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “If I weren’t so relieved, I’d be a tad bit offended by that.”

“Would you, now?” She dropped her head and scraped her teeth over his chest. “That doesn’t seem right.”

Jack lifted his hand and caught a lock of her hair around his finger. “You’re probably going to have to soothe my ego now, sweetheart. You just beat on it pretty hard.”

Her eyes met his, and she flashed him a wicked grin. “And soothing your bruised ego would involve what, precisely?”

He gave her hair a teasing tug. “Come on, cowgirl. I want to see how well you ride.”

“You’re a demanding cuss, you know that?” But Ginny moved over him anyway, pressing her knees into the bed on either side of his body. She sat up, stretched her arms over her head and teased him with a slow roll of her hips.

Jack made a low, rumbling sound of approval and slid his hands to her thighs. “You like me like this. And in case you haven’t noticed, I like you like this.”

His stiffening cock left no doubt about that. “Slow and easy?”

“For now…” His thumb swept out to tease gently at her clit. “If you can take it.”

Her laugh cut off with a hiss, and a quick flex of her thighs brought him inside her. “You wanted me, Jack Owens,” she murmured, fascinated. “But can you handle me?”

The hot, dangerous look in his eyes answered her question far more honestly than his murmured, “We’ll see.”

He counted on it, arrogantly expecting that Ginny would be putty in his hands. Admittedly, at the moment, she couldn’t fault him for the assumption. “You’re cocky.”

“You noticed.” He tightened his grip on her thighs and pushed his hips up. “Is it a shock?”

Thought fled, and she let her head fall back as she dug her nails into his stomach. “Again.”

She felt the hard muscles tense under her hands, and he thrust up into her hard enough to bring her knees off the bed. “You like it?”

“Y-Yes.” Then Ginny moved, rocking her hips over his in a gentle rhythm. “Or this…” It was like nothing she’d imagined with Jack, this easy pleasure that built slowly and made her shake. She’d expected the frantic, explosive need… but not this.

His hands were warm as they slid higher, one curling possessively around the flare of her hip. He slid his fingers between her legs and brushed her clit lightly before rocking up again. “Ride me,” he commanded in a hoarse whisper. “Until you can’t come any more.”

Another sharp thrust forced a choked cry from her, and she leaned down until her mouth met his. She moaned with every undulating movement, the sounds lost to his mouth. Her hands traveled over his body, everywhere she could reach, until she had to clench her fists around the covers and dig her teeth into his neck.

Jack groaned loudly, and the hand trapped between them shifted until his fingers found her clit again. He proved he’d been paying attention earlier as he found the perfect rhythm, rubbing in maddening counterpoint to the movement of her hips.

The tense spiral of pleasure twisted unbearably. Ginny’s mouth hovered over his ear, and she breathed, “Please, Jack.” But before he could do or say anything, the spiral shattered, catapulting her into ecstasy.

He rolled them over, and she ended up on her back with Jack propped above her on one hand, the other continuing its wicked little caress as he plunged into her again. The sharp blue of his eyes bled to amber as a growl worked its way out of his chest. “Again.”

She wrapped a hand around his arm and arched off the bed with a helpless cry. “Jack, fuck --”

“Again,” he repeated, voice hoarse. He angled his hips and plunged into her again, harder and a little out of control. “Come. Now.”

The harsh command unraveled her last thread of control. An orgasm ripped through her, intense and maddening and followed immediately by another. Ginny heard her own voice, babbling, begging, and Jack dropped his lips to her neck and marked her again as her body clenched around his cock.

And still he was hard inside her, though the growl that tore free of him this time sounded more like a shout. His lips found her ear, and he panted dirty words in between hard thrusts. “You feel so fucking good… so fucking tight… so hot when you come…”

She shrieked, and her pleas melted into sobs as she dug her heels and her nails into his back. It didn’t stop, the rise and fall of tension and release, and every sharp stroke of his cock set her off again, until there was nothing left but searing, unending pleasure.

He roared when he came, his hips snapping forward in one final thrust. When he collapsed it was half on top of her. “Jesus Christ.”

The world spun, and Ginny squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to center herself. Tears streamed down her temples and dampened her hair, and she relaxed, letting go of Jack. She tried to speak, but no words would come, so she took a deep, shaky breath instead.

She felt his nose against her cheek, nuzzling gently as he shifted to the side. “Are you all right?”

She must have been scaring the shit out of him. Ginny forced her eyes open and laughed quietly. “I’m fine. Something… better than fine.”

“You’re hot is what you are.” He smiled against her cheek, and his hand skated up to rest on her belly. “Unbelievably fucking hot.”

Hot. “Shit.” Ginny sprang up and grabbed her robe. “The coffee.”

Jack rose easily from the bed and strode past her. “Sit down. I’ll take care of it.”

It was just as well, because her legs wouldn’t hold her. She sank back to the edge of the bed and snorted. “Terrific. How am I supposed to ride all over creation tomorrow, fetching my lost stock?”

He just grinned smugly and disappeared through the door, apparently unconcerned with his lack of clothing.

Ginny dropped her robe at the foot of the bed and climbed up under the covers naked. “I’m not bothering with a nightgown,” she called out. “So you’ll have to keep me warm.”

His chuckle floated back up to her. “I thought you wanted to be able to sit a horse tomorrow.”

It suddenly seemed less important than spending the night with Jack’s naked body pressed against hers. “What’s a few head of cattle here and there?”

She heard another laugh, followed by the quiet sounds of him moving about in her small kitchen.

She knew exactly when he came to the door, but he said nothing and didn’t cross the room. Finally, she raised her head. “Will you quit staring and come to bed?”

“What can I say?” He smiled as he stepped over the threshold. “The view was nice, even with all the blankets.”

Ginny drew back the covers and grinned as she admired him. “If you want to sleep tonight, stop wandering around my house buck naked.”

His smile shifted to a wicked grin as he obeyed and slipped into the bed next to her. One arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her firmly back against him. “You think being naked in your bed is liable to make me more sleepy?”

She snuggled against him and reached back with one hand to stroke his thigh. “I think it could, if we keep our hands to ourselves.”

He smacked her hip lightly. “You want to be so sore that Ollie has to ask why you’re riding funny tomorrow?”

“We both heal quickly.” After rolling to face Jack, Ginny bit his chin. “I’m a little more worried about exhaustion.”

“As well you should be. And not just yours. I’m not twenty anymore, woman.”

“Mmm, me neither.” Her face nestled against his neck and her limbs tangled with his, and sleep beckoned. “’Night, Jack.”

The last thing she felt were his strong fingers drifting through her hair as he held her close to him. “Good night, Ginny.”

Chapter Three

Jack awoke the next morning alone in Ginny’s bed. He could hear her downstairs, along with the clatter of the cast-iron stove. He rose with a smile and sought out his clothes, amused to find them folded neatly on a chair next to the bed.

He listened to her move about as he pulled on his clothing, opting to carry his gun belt in his hand as he started down the stairs. “I hope there’s coffee this morning,” he called as he reached the bottom step. “You wore me out.”

“Yes, there’s coffee,” Ginny laughed and pointed to an insulated carafe on the sideboard. “You like omelets?” She poked at a half-cooked one in a skillet and shot him a questioning look.

“Sure. Sounds good.” He dropped his belt over the back of the chair and crossed the kitchen to stand at her back. Her hip felt good under his hand, the wicked flare a reminder of the night before and how well it had fit his fingers as he’d pulled her into every thrust. The memory made his voice a little lower than usual as he leaned down to kiss the side of her neck. “Good morning.”

She lifted one hand to his face, then turned her head and smiled. “Good morning, Jack.”

He nuzzled his nose against her ear. “You must have been quiet.”

“Uh-huh.” She laughed again. “I wanted to let you sleep. I wore you out, right?”

His fingers tightened on her hip, and he tugged her back until her ass pressed tight against his cock, which had hardened the moment he’d touched her. “Obviously not enough.”

Ginny sucked in a sharp breath and arched to rub against him. “Your breakfast is going to burn.”

“I burn my breakfast half the time anyway. I’m used to it.”

She moved the skillet to the back of the stove and turned in his arms. “I’m not, but… I could get used to it.” The words were almost shy, and his chest felt tight.

He lifted her up and turned to drop her carefully on the table. “If I was feeding you, sweetheart, I wouldn’t burn the eggs.”

“Mmm, I wasn’t talking about the eggs.” Ginny’s mouth trailed from his jaw to his ear.

It was exactly what he wanted to hear, but Ginny had been running shy far too long for him to get careless. He reached for the belt on her robe as he snuck his tongue around her earlobe. “I could get used to you getting used to this.”

She gasped and wrapped her long legs around his hips. “I like the way you think.”

She fumbled with his shirt. The belt on her robe fell open, and he paused to move her hands away. He didn’t bother with the buttons, just dragged his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. When he looked back at her, he found her watching him hungrily.

She caught his gaze and smiled slowly as she shrugged out of her robe. The silk fabric fluttered to the table, and she lay back, stretching out on top of it. “Good morning.”

The view was so entrancing he couldn’t quite believe his luck. His hand looked large and rough against the soft skin of her stomach. He brushed his fingers in a lazy circle around her belly button and fought the urge to howl his triumph. After all the years of watching and waiting, he had Ginny under his hands.

And he didn’t feel like letting her go anytime soon. “You going to be heartbroken if I take my time figuring out just how good my morning can get?”

She laughed. “I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jack. You take your time.”

It was hard deciding where to start, but her lips were too tempting to resist. He braced his hands on either side of her head and leaned down until his lips hovered over hers. “Anything I want?”

Ginny’s sigh feathered over his mouth. “Anything you want.”

“Anything?” He bit her lower lip before giving in to the temptation to kiss her, swallowing any answer she might have given. He didn’t need words when he felt her enthusiasm in the touch of her body, in the way she arched into him, as though she couldn’t bear not to have his skin against hers.

She moaned into his mouth and bit him back. “Anything, Jack.”

His belt still lay over the back of a nearby chair, easily within reach. Jack pushed himself upright and watched her face as he reached out and caught the roughened leather. “Hold up your hands.”

Her breath hitched, but she complied wordlessly.

Jack slid the gun holsters from the belt and left them on the chair. Then he wrapped the leather around her wrists and tightened it just enough to hold them trapped together without being uncomfortable. “Put your hands over your head and leave them there. If you move, I’m going to find something to tie you to.”

Ginny made a soft noise and rubbed her hips against him. She kept her eyes fixed on his as she stretched her arms out over her head. “What do I do?”

“Hopefully? You come so hard you forget your name.”

* * *

Ginny began to ache as Jack stared down at her, talking about orgasms and looking at her like she was a juicy plum he was about to bite into. “And I can’t move my hands?”

“No.” The corner of his mouth ticked up as his palm came to rest on the curve of her hip. “Though maybe I shouldn’t be trusting you to listen. I saw how well that went last night.”

“Last night? Your punishments weren’t very discouraging.” Her skin heated at the memories. “If anything, you were forcing me to behave badly.”

He shrugged and reached up to tease around her nipple with a barely-there touch. “What can I say? I love a woman who behaves badly.”

“I must be a dream, then,” she murmured, smiling as she trembled.

His fingers caught her nipple without warning, pinching it as his other hand dipped between her thighs to rub once against her clit.

Ginny cried out and shot halfway into a sitting position. After a few heartbeats, she shuddered and relaxed, dropping her hands back to the table above her head. “Sorry.”

“Mmm, sure you are.” He dropped a hand to the table above her head and pinned her hands down, his grin widening. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were just begging to get spanked again.”

“I am begging,” she whispered, twisting under him. The gentle ache sharpened until she almost hurt. “Jack…”

His fingers slipped over her clit again before sliding lower. He eased one inside and groaned, his eyes never leaving her face. “You’re so wet. Tell me what you want, Ginny. Say it.”

“I want you to fuck me with your fingers.” Her whole body tensed, and she fought the urge to free her hands and grab him. “I want you to watch me come.”

Jack groaned again, then leaned down and claimed her mouth. His tongue plunged past her lips, hot and every bit as demanding as the finger stroking inside her. Ginny forgot everything but the fire burning inside her, and the fact that the man above her could ease the ache, make her scream. She tried to raise her arms, but his grip on her wrists was unyielding.

He lifted his head and watched her face as he eased a second finger into her. “Wiggle all you want, darling. You’re not going anywhere.”

Her heels dug into the backs of his thighs, and she panted. “If you let me go, I could touch you.” God, she wanted to touch him.

“You want to get free?” His thumb swept up before she could answer, narrowing in on her clit as he worked her body with an intimate knowledge which should have taken months to learn. His fingers slicked in and out of her at the perfect angle for several moments, then froze. His smile turned arrogant. “No getting loose until you come, Ginny. And no coming until you beg.”

Begging would mean letting go of control, even more than she had the night before. Ginny bit her lip and stared up at the hard set of Jack’s jaw for a long moment, then rocked her hips against his hand, moving his fingers inside her. She moaned when the friction sent another stab of pleasure through her.

His breath caught, and he let out a hoarse laugh. “You can try that, sweetheart, but I bet I could make it feel a lot nicer.” He moved his fingers again, curling them inside her until her back arched off the table and she cursed sharply. “Just tell me you need it.”

She’d opened herself to him in the quiet darkness of her bedroom, but she wasn’t sure she could do that now, with sunlight spilling through the kitchen windows. It seemed more real somehow. More dangerous. “Jack.”

“Ginny.” His eyes softened, and his fingers fell into a gentle thrusting rhythm. “It’s okay, darling. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

“No.” Her own voice was a harsh rasp she barely recognized. “I told you last night, honey. You’re the furthest thing from ‘safe’ I’ve ever seen.”

He stilled again, pulling his hand away from her body this time. “If you don’t feel safe with me, this ends now.”

She should have been physically frustrated by the loss of his touch. Instead, her chest ached, and she closed her eyes against the hurt she glimpsed in his eyes. “That isn’t what I meant. I don’t feel safe with myself.” She forced her eyes open again and sought his. “Don’t stop, Jack. Please.”

“Shh…” He kissed her and pulled her upright, upending the world as he dragged her from the table. He sank back into a chair and settled her in his lap with her back tight against his chest. Strong hands curled around her thighs and coaxed her legs apart until she was straddling him.

Even with his rock hard cock rubbing against her ass, his movements were slow. Gentle. “Lift your arms,” he whispered, the words falling against her ears. “Put your hands behind my head.”

She did, the movement stretching her back and shoulders. Her toes brushed the floor, and she shuddered in the circle of his arms. “Like this?”

“Mmm.” Both hands shifted to span her stomach, his palms warm and a little rough against her skin. “You’re safe with me. Even from yourself. I wouldn’t let either of us hurt you, Ginny.”

He couldn’t stop that sort of thing, no matter how strong or determined he was. But she only said, “I know that. I trust you.” The admission made a thrill of panic well inside her, and she tamped it down.

“Trust me.” His lips closed on her earlobe and he ran one hand up her body to cup her breast while the other returned to stroke between her legs again. “Let go of everything.”

Need crashed in on her, and she bucked against his hand and whimpered. “Yes.” Everything.

He didn’t bother to tease her this time, just rubbed at her clit in slow, firm circles that altered to match the rhythm of her bucking hips. Warm breath fell against her neck, and he bit her a moment later, overwhelming her with sensation when his fingers closed around her nipple at the same moment.

Ginny tensed and screamed as an orgasm flashed through her like fire, fast and unstoppable. She turned her face instinctively to Jack’s and kissed him fiercely as aftershocks of pleasure shook her. He groaned against her mouth, his fingers starting over. It twisted the trembling threads of fading pleasure into another growing swell.

He tore his mouth from hers and panted against her ear. “Come again. Come again, and then I want to be inside you. I want to feel you ride me, feel you come around my cock so hard I can’t do anything but follow you.”

His words made it impossible to hold back or deny him, and she growled as another dizzying wave broke over her. Her arms tightened around his neck, and she nearly bucked off his lap. “Jack! Jack, I need you --”

The world tilted again as he rose and lifted her hands again. For several breathless seconds he held her trapped, her hands high over her head and her body still shaking with pleasure. “Tell me. In my lap, or over the table.”

“Y-Your lap.” She needed to kiss him, feel his heart beating near hers.

The rasp of a zipper filled her ears, and he turned her and dragged her back into his lap, this time facing him. His cock was trapped between them, and he pressed one hand to the small of her back and ground against her with a hoarse moan. “God, you’re so damn hot, Ginny.”

“Shh.” She dropped her arms around his neck again and lifted her body until the head of his cock brushed her pussy. “I want to make you come, too. Let me make you come.”

His jaw tightened as he grasped her hips. “You can do whatever you damn well please to me.”

Ginny held her breath and slid down his shaft slowly, relishing the hard thrust of his body into hers. When every inch of him was buried inside her, she rocked gently. “What now?” she whispered and closed her teeth on his stubbled jaw. “Tell me.”

“Ride me, sweetheart. Like you did last night.”

“You feel so good.” She nestled her face into Jack’s neck and nipped at the warm skin there. Her hips rolled over his in a slow, torturous rhythm that sparked the tension inside her again. “You’re beautiful.”

He smoothed his fingers up her back and tangled them in her hair. “Kiss me. Kiss me and come with me.”

Ginny jerked his mouth to hers and drove her tongue past his lips as she moved faster. He needed her release just as she needed his, so she angled her hips so that her clit rubbed the base of his cock. She came suddenly, clenching around his cock, and Jack threw back his head and roared his release. It seemed to go on forever, and she moaned into the damp skin of his shoulder until the pulses of pleasure had mostly faded.

She didn’t dare meet his eyes. He kept pulling when she wanted to push, making her open up to him. No, that wasn’t fair. She chose to let him see the things he sought, but only because the damned man had somehow managed -- in less than a day -- to be something she didn’t want to lose.

* * *

A wise man knew when to retreat, and Jack had always fancied himself a wise man. The flare of panic in Ginny’s eyes drove him to the bathroom, where he could hide long enough to give her some space.

Some space. He’d always known she’d be hard to hold, but now that he had his hands on her, he wasn’t letting go completely. So he took his time washing up and getting dressed, and only emerged when he heard Ginny moving about the kitchen again.

He found her at the stove, dressed and poking at his half-cooked, congealed omelet. “Guess I’m starting over,” she said ruefully, her voice light.

“Guess so.” He offered her a smile. “Want some help?”

“Could you fetch me a few more eggs from the larder while I chop more vegetables?”

“Sure, I could --” A noise tickled his ears, and he stopped and tilted his head as it resolved into hoof beats, approaching fast.

A moment later she heard it, too. “I’m expecting Roy,” she told him quickly. “He’s going to handle the chores while Ollie and I round up the strays.”

Jack tried to relax, but a night in Ginny’s bed had hardly predisposed him to feeling reasonable. He took a step back and tilted his head toward the door. “I’ll go and make sure.”

She slid the skillet off to one side of the stove eye and reached for the rifle by the back door. “I’ll come with you.”

The growl escaped him before he could stop it, but asking Ginny to hide in the kitchen while he protected her would be futile -- and probably piss her off. And this is the reason you want her, he reminded himself as he strode to the door with her close by his side. Because she’s strong enough to help you protect the pack.

When they stepped out onto the front porch, it wasn’t Roy riding up. It was Hazel, on one of Lottie’s best bay mares. Ginny raised a hand in greeting, her cheeks turning pink.

Hazel raised a hand in return, but her eyes were all for Jack, as was, he suspected, that tiny, amused smile. “Well. This is a surprise.”

“Is it?” Ginny turned to Jack, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Hey, maybe after breakfast Hazel could ride over to Ollie’s place with you. I’m sure she’d like that.”

Ginny’s blush had nothing on how pink Hazel’s cheeks could turn. Jack shot his new lover a quelling look before he stepped off the porch and strode forward to catch the mare’s bridle. “Why don’t you hop down and have breakfast with us, Hazel?”

The girl would be every bit as dominant as Ginny once she’d grown up a little, but for now she followed his suggestion, sliding easily from the horse’s saddle. She was tiny, the top of her head barely coming even with his shoulder, which was probably why he kept forgetting how old she was. “Here,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’ll put the horse in the stable and come along in a few minutes.”

Ginny had already gone back inside when he turned toward the porch. He found her in the kitchen, transferring an omelet to a stoneware plate. “Ready for breakfast?” she asked brightly.

Jack glared at her. “What in holy hell, woman? I am not dragging that girl over to Oliver’s ranch with me, for about five hundred reasons you can probably figure out.”

“I know.” She handed him a steaming mug of coffee and kissed him gently. “But she deserved it. Sit down and eat before it gets cold. I’m not making another batch.”

He set the mug on the table with a soft thud and reached out to grab her arm. He dragged her back against his chest with a growl that turned into a moan when his lips found hers. She was impossible… and he loved it.

She kissed him hard and bit his lip, then wiggled out of his arms with a wicked smile. “Breakfast now. More kissing later.”

“Fine.” He dropped into the chair as he heard Hazel’s footsteps on the porch. “Do me a favor, Ginny. Stick close to home and your rifle today, except when you’re out with Oliver. None of those assholes are going to risk pissing him off, but if some of them slip by me, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

She cracked an egg into a bowl and arched an eyebrow at him. “Fair warning, Jack. I’m shooting the first son of a bitch who tries to start something with me.”

He hadn’t expected anything less, but it wouldn’t help if they came at her as a group. Which they would, the sorry bastards. “That’d be great if they were going to line up and wait for you to shoot them.”

She waved her cheese grater at him. “Don’t start with that. I’m not some helpless little flower.”

“She’s not,” Hazel supplied not-at-all helpfully from the kitchen doorway. “She shoots pretty damn good, too.”

Jack ground his teeth. “How well she shoots is not the question, Hazel. It’s how many people she can stop.”

Ginny pointed to the table. “Omelet, Hazel.” Her gaze slid back to Jack. “Would it make you feel better if I got my stock settled and spent the rest of the day in town at Lottie’s?”

Even if Hazel hadn’t nearly tripped over her chair in shock, Jack would have recognized what a large concession she’d just made to his protective instincts. “That would make me feel considerably better.” And considering the conversation he was planning on having with Oliver… He shot Ginny a sly look. “Especially if you’d let Oliver accompany you and Hazel on your ride over.”

Her eyes twinkled, and she nodded solemnly. “I think that would be wise, Jack.”

In retrospect it was hard to understand how he’d never noticed Hazel’s crush before this. Her cheeks flushed again at the mere mention of Oliver’s name, and she dropped into her chair with a little annoyed noise. “You told him,” she accused Ginny. “That’s not very nice.”

She snorted. “He couldn’t figure why none of his and Lottie’s machinations could persuade you to fuck some nice little boy in town. Trust me, I did you a favor.”

The color in Hazel’s cheeks deepened and she scowled. “Who says I haven’t fucked some nice little boy in town?”

Jack froze, his gaze darting back to Ginny as his eyebrows climbed high enough he imagined they were about to collide with his hairline.

But Ginny ignored his stunned look as she passed Hazel a mug. “I’m not talking about some human you’re amusing yourself with, though I’d wager a year’s profits there haven’t been any of those, either.”

“There are some,” she retorted, but Jack could smell the lie. She knew it, too. She wrapped her fingers around the mug and sank lower in the chair. “There was one. I still don’t see what makes humans so different.”

There were plenty of reasons having sex with a human was nothing like sex with another werewolf, but Jack wasn’t sure he was up to listening to a recitation of them over breakfast. “This sounds like the sort of thing you ladies can talk about without me.”

“We’ll save it for later,” Ginny offered. “Eat and get out to Ollie’s. Roy should be here any minute.”

Twenty minutes ago he never would have believed he’d be anxious to escape Ginny’s house, but there were some things even an alpha retreated gracefully from. Frank discussions about sex with twenty-year-old near-virginal werewolves were somewhere near the top of that list.

But he couldn’t help the fleeting thought that came to him as he saddled up his horse. If Ginny were my mate, I’d never have to worry about this shit again.

Chapter Four

Ginny listened to Jack’s horse follow the trail south toward Ollie’s spread and turned a sharp eye on Hazel. “Go ahead. I know it’s killing you.”

“Well, it was before you decided to bring up my sexual history in front of the damned alpha.” Hazel stabbed at her omelet with her fork but didn’t take a bite. “Just because you apparently like discussing sex with him doesn’t mean the rest of us want to.”

“You think you’re mortified now?” Ginny sat down in the chair Jack had vacated, her hands wrapped around her own mug. “If you wait too long to mate, take a wild guess who’ll have to be in your bed instead of mine.”

All the blood drained from Hazel’s face as her gaze darted toward the door. “That’s stupid. Why would he -- there’s no reason for that. He doesn’t have to do anything.”

“He’s the alpha, Hazel. It’s his job.” She stared down at the dark brew in her mug and tried to contain her irrational jealousy. “If you can’t find a suitable mate before your heat cycle peaks, then it’s the alpha’s responsibility to bed you.”

Hazel scoffed. “He wouldn’t have to. One of the boys in town could just take care of it, if it came to that. Besides, with the way Jack was looking at you, I really doubt sleeping with me is anywhere on his to-do list.”

“I didn’t say he’d want to, Hazel. I said he’d do it.” She obviously wasn’t understanding Ginny’s point. “The boys in town are going to circle more and more, honey, the closer you get. By the time the situation turns dire, they’ll have torn each other up over you. Jack can’t let that happen.”

“Oh.” She looked a little queasy at that. “So… I just have to pick one, I guess.”

Ginny reached across the table and squeezed Hazel’s hand. “You have to get right with the fact that Oliver Russell isn’t gonna do it, sweetie. He hasn’t taken a mate, even a temporary one, since his wife died.”

“I don’t want any other wolf,” Hazel whispered, her fingers tightening. “I try, Ginny. I keep trying, but she won’t have anything to do with them. And I know Ollie’s not interested, so I just figured… I figured if she got desperate enough she wouldn’t care anymore, and at least it’d be over with.”

Ginny’s own first mating had been unremarkable and something of a relief. Then again, she hadn’t been in love with a man she couldn’t have. “I’m sorry. The whole thing just sucks, and I don’t know what to tell you.”

Oddly enough, Hazel managed a smile. “Hey, you told me what I needed to know. Lottie’s been talking circles around me for a month now, but she never got around to the indelicate stuff.”

Ginny finished her coffee. “One good thing about it is that mating doesn’t have to be a commitment. Sometimes, the wolves inside us just need it.” She felt her cheeks heat. “I mean, why do you think Jack spent the night here?”

“Uh, because he’s been dumb for you for years and you finally let him?”

She ignored the flash of pleasure the words brought. “Because he was feeling protective and I was feeling… lonely. That’s all.”

Hazel laughed. “Uh-huh. Sure. You keep telling yourself that while we’re being escorted to Lottie’s.”

Ginny rose and began clearing the table. “We’re being escorted to the saloon because Dawson and his cronies have been at it again. They cut my south fence yesterday.”

“Shit. Do you need some help fixing it?”

“I’ll get around to it. The more pressing problem is what bit of harassment those bastards are planning next.”

Hazel seemed unconcerned. “Probably nothing, once the alpha’s done with them. If he even leaves enough of them to make plans.”

His anger the night before notwithstanding, Jack had seemed calm enough that morning. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

“He’s the alpha, Ginny. And he isn’t a big fan of people who put his pack in danger. Especially the women.”

“Mm-hmm.” She flashed Hazel an amused look. “Except I’m not part of his pack.”

Hazel tilted her head to the side, her gaze dropping to Ginny’s neck. “Yeah. You keep telling yourself that, Gin. I’m going to go pull weeds for a while. Calvin’s been driving me crazy for the last few days, so I don’t feel like going back to town yet.”

“Ollie will probably be here before too long,” Ginny warned. “Though you could always ask him to take care of your persistent little suitor.”

“No.” Hazel jumped to her feet and shoved her chair back under the table with enough haste to show her agitation. “And don’t you say anything to him about it, either. If I have to convince myself to go pick one of those men, the last thing I need is Oliver crashing around playing hero and scaring them all off.”

Ginny kept her tone breezy. “Hey, protective instincts put Jack in my bed last night. Who’s to say it couldn’t work for you and Ollie, too?”

“Oh, Jesus, Ginny. Quit kidding yourself.” Hazel stopped at the door to the hallway and turned around to give Ginny a serious look, one at odds with the girl’s usual carefree demeanor. “Everyone in this town knows he’s been waiting for you forever. He’s in your bed because he’s half in love with you, and if you haven’t got that figured out, then do him a damn favor and kick him back out.”

She disappeared down the hall, leaving Ginny staring down into the sink. If Hazel was right, then Jack would never understand that, her fondness for him aside, the last twelve hours hadn’t changed her mind. She still couldn’t be his -- or anyone’s -- mate. It wasn’t in her nature, and trying would only leave him disappointed and her…

Heartbroken. Ginny ruthlessly shoved the thought away. Nothing had changed. Nothing.

Now she just had to make Jack understand that.

* * *

In spite of the early hour, Jack knew Oliver would be done with most of his chores by the time he reached the nondescript two-story farmhouse the man called home. A yearling calf grazed near the front porch, and half a dozen chickens pecked at dried corn strewn near the henhouse.

He found Oliver in front of the recently painted barn. “Morning, Oliver.”

The man tipped back his hat with his thumb. “‘Morning, Jack.”

“I know you’re probably busy, but I need your help. Dawson and his group have been giving Ginny grief again, and I mean to put a stop to it today.”

Oliver kept rubbing neatsfoot oil into the saddle in front of him, and Jack almost missed the quick flare of the man’s nostrils. “Want me to ride shotgun or keep an eye on Ginny?”

“Ginny needs help rounding up her stock. And Hazel’s over there with her now, which’ll complicate issues if someone slips past me to cause trouble.”

“Cut the fence again, huh?” Oliver shook his head and wiped his hands on a rag. “They ain’t got nothing better to do, I guess.”

“Well, they will when I’m done with them.” Jack’s horse shifted nervously, and he realized his tension was beginning to spill outward. Might as well get this over with. “I’ve got something else to ask you. It’s intrusive as hell, but I can’t afford to be delicate about it.”

Oliver arched an eyebrow and waited.

Any attempt at phrasing it tactfully would be wasted on Oliver, so Jack didn’t bother. “Hazel’s going through her first mating soon, and the young men in town are getting ready to tear each other up because she hasn’t picked one of them yet. I’m told it’s because she’s harboring some pretty serious feelings for you.”

“That so?” Oliver glanced around the yard and tugged off his hat. “And you want me to take her on?”

Jack had to bite his tongue to keep from agreeing outright. “While I appreciate the offer, I can’t say as I think that would be good for her. She needs to find someone who cares about her and will take care with her. Maybe if you could just let her down easy, she’d give someone else a chance. We’ve got some decent young men in the pack.”

The man’s dark eyes were inscrutable, but he nodded and promised, “First chance I get.”

Which could mean that afternoon or when Hazel turned thirty. Oliver had many talents, but verbose communication was not one of them. Of course, like all dominant wolves, the man had weaknesses, too -- weaknesses Jack knew how to exploit, considering he shared them. “Sooner would be better. It’s getting hard to keep her protected. I’ve already had to step on a few of the boys pretty hard to convince them to keep their hands to themselves.”

Oliver’s hands clenched into fists. “Don’t think she’d want me bringing it up in front of Ginny, but I’ll talk to her. First chance I get.”

Interesting. “Good. I’m headed over to deal with Dawson now. Would you mind escorting Ginny and Hazel back to town when you’re done? I’d feel better if they were tucked up with Lottie instead of out there on their own, until I know everything’s taken care of.”

“I’ll ride over as soon as my chores are done.”

He’d already gotten more words out of the man than he usually heard in a week. Jack nodded once and turned his horse around. “Thanks, Oliver.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Dawson met him with a rifle and three strapping men who might have been a threat if they hadn’t all been morons. He spit over the railing of his porch and into the dirt near Jack’s horse. “Surprised to see you up and about so early, Owens.”

“Dawson.” Jack ignored the sign of disrespect and slid off his horse. The mare was well-trained, but even the calmest horse got edgy when werewolves started playing dominance games. And flat on my back is not where I need to be. “You’ve been busy.”

The man’s lecherous grin was chilling. “Could say the same about you, sir.” His tone made the term an insult.

Jack hadn’t even considered the fact that he was covered in Ginny’s scent. “I told you not to bother her again. I made it pretty clear there would be consequences.”

Dawson made a rude noise, and the men on the porch fidgeted nervously. “I’d ask what claim she has on your protection, but I guess you done answered that.”

“I guess I did.” Jack hooked his thumbs in his belt and let the power inside him off its leash to fill the space around him. “But even if that weren’t the case, every wolf in this territory is mine. That includes you and your thick skull, Dawson, which means I don’t particularly want to hurt you. Doesn’t mean I won’t, though.”

Dawson returned his look with a glare. “Ginny Howard runs around, making a big fuss about how she isn’t part of your pack. That she doesn’t belong to you. But here you are. Makes a man wonder, Owens, why in hell he’d want to bother toeing the line.”

“Virginia Howard minds her own business and doesn’t damage anyone else’s livelihood. That’s the line you need to start toeing.”

The three men flanking him lowered their eyes, but Dawson kept staring. “I don’t think I’m much in the mood. So you do what you’ve got to do, but make sure it doesn’t include telling me what I’ve got to.”

And there it was, the challenge he hadn’t wanted.

So much for words. He didn’t want to think too closely about the thrill of satisfaction that claimed him as he gathered the magic that made him the strongest -- that made him the alpha.

When he moved, it was too fast for Dawson to stop him. He cleared the space to the porch in three strides and had his fingers curled around Dawson’s rifle before the man had done more than raise it up. One hard jerk, and Jack curled his other hand in the man’s shirt and hauled him over the railing.

Dawson swung, a hard punch that clipped Jack on the jaw. From the corner of his eye, he saw the other three wolves back away, knowing instinctively they had no place in this fight.

Not that it turned out to be much of one. Dawson was plenty brave with a rifle and a gang, but one-on-one he couldn’t keep up with Jack. He kicked the gun out of the way before wrenching the man’s arm nearly out of his socket. One sharp kick to the back of the leg and Dawson hit the ground with Jack on his back, one knee positioned at the base of his spine.

Jack pulled Dawson’s arm behind him and leaned down. “Give me a compelling reason why I shouldn’t snap your spine right now and save myself a world of headaches later on.”

Dawson made a valiant effort to throw Jack off of him, but he couldn’t muster the leverage. “You don’t deserve to be alpha,” he muttered angrily. He snatched a knife from his belt and slashed it across Jack’s forearm.

It hurt like hell, but Jack didn’t release his grip. He grabbed Dawson’s wrist with his free hand and used the strength he usually kept so carefully in check. Bones gave way beneath his fingers with a grind and a sickening crunch. Dawson screamed a curse and jerked his injured wrist away. Then, insanely, the man began to laugh.

Jack’s blood chilled. “What?”

His laughter died with a wheeze. “You think those three idiots up there helped me cut the fence? You’re stupider than you look.” He snorted. “I sent the rest of them out to her place already to take care of things.”

With the blood pounding in his ears, he didn’t hear Dawson’s spine snap. A furious growl tore free from him as he rose to his feet, leaving the limp body on the ground as he shifted his gaze to the three men on the porch. “This is your only warning.”

None of them lifted their eyes, and all of them murmured their understanding.

Fury rode him hard, and it was impossible to get within five feet of his horse. He tore his clothing free instead and channeled that rage into the change. As soon as his paws hit the ground he launched himself in the direction of Ginny’s property and prayed.

Chapter Five

“Hazel, where are the rest of those .30-30s from the hall closet?” Ginny swore and worked the lever on her rifle, sparing Oliver a quick glance. “You’re bleeding.”

Oliver rose up on one knee as he stuck his rifle through a shattered pane of her front window and fired. “It’ll stop soon.”

“Here.” Hazel appeared around the corner with her arms full of boxes. “I think these are all of them --”

Oliver made it halfway across the floor and dragged Hazel down before Ginny could even speak. “Stay down,” he hissed. “Unless we’re covering you with fire, you keep your ass below window level, got it?”

The tension in the room twisted into something hot and feral as Hazel let out a low snarl. Her shallow, quick breaths were audible even over the gunfire from the front yard. For a moment, Ginny was afraid the girl was going to lose it then and there, in the middle of a firefight.

Hazel rolled away in the next instant, coming to her hands and knees a few feet from Oliver. “Ginny.” Her voice sounded high and frightened -- a lot more frightened than it had a few seconds ago. “Where can I go?”

“Get to the washroom in the back hall.” Ginny caught the boxes that Oliver kicked her way and tore one open with one hand. “Stay there until I come get you.”

The girl scurried away, and Ginny made a face at Oliver as she reloaded her rifle. “Nice, Ollie.”

His own chest heaved, and he growled at her as he made his way back to the window. “Cut me a little slack, Ginny? I’ve been shot.”

“Not a lot of time for slack, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

She could have sworn he smirked. “Again, shot.”

She blew her hair out of her eyes and peered out the window. “Only four left. Not bad.” We won’t wonder how many Jack ran into over at Dawson’s, will we, Ginny? “Unless someone flanked the house and is about to bust through the back door.”

“Doubtful.” His dark eyes studied the front yard. “I think they planned on numbers and surprise.”

“And catching me and Jack with our pants down.”

He made a small, choked noise. “I wasn’t going to say that.”

“You were thinking it.” It was Ginny’s turn to growl. “What the hell are they waiting for?”

“Bet they’re almost dry.” He slid the barrel of his rifle slowly through the window. “Doubt they carry much extra ammunition when they’re going to fuck somebody up. Your average posse depends on brute force and numbers.”

Leave it to Oliver to get downright loquacious when talking about the strategy involved with successful vigilantism. “They can’t sit out there all day.”

“They won’t.” He sounded sure. “They’ll either come up with another plan, or they’ll bum rush us.”

The third option announced itself with a furious howl. A wolf barreled into one of the men, his powerful jaws closing on the back of the man’s neck. A furious surge of power roared through the house, leaving no doubt that the wolf who had joined the fight was the alpha.

And he was pissed.

God damn it. “Jack.” Ginny snatched up her revolvers and scrambled to her feet.

Oliver caught her arm. “If I let you go out there, Jack’ll skin me alive.”

Only the knowledge that he was trying to do what Jack wanted kept her from tearing his arm out of its socket to get away. “I like you, Ollie. Now turn me loose.”

“All right.” He did, only to yank his own revolvers out of their twin holsters. “But I’m going first.”

They made it out into the yard a moment before one of the remaining men fired at Jack. The wolf rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the bullet that dug into the ground an inch from his body.

Rage gripped Ginny, and she emptied both of her pistols into the man. Oliver yelled something, but she couldn’t understand him through the blood rushing in her ears. More gunfire exploded around her, and a hard hand wrapped around her arm like a vise.

The last shooter, a rough man named Keller, jerked her to him, her back to his chest, and the hot steel of a blade bit into her throat. “Drop the guns and back away.”

Being used as a shield, as a means for escape, only made her angrier. He thought she was weak, that he could use her to leave Oliver and Jack helpless.

Ginny smashed the heel of her boot back into Keller’s shin and twisted the arm around her chest, unmindful of the knife scoring her flesh. She spun, grasped his face between her hands, and whispered, “I’m not a weapon.” A quick wrench of her hands snapped his neck.

“Ginny.” It was Jack’s voice, hoarse and tired. “Are you all right?”

She stepped over Keller’s legs and hurried to Jack’s side. Blood slicked his bare skin, and his eyes were red-rimmed and exhausted. “I’m okay.” She propped him up with his arm draped over her shoulders. “Ollie.”

He nodded. “I’ll make sure that’s everyone.”

Jack’s body stiffened as he glanced around. “Where’s Hazel?”

“Hiding inside.” Ginny urged him toward the house. “We’ll send --” Shit. She couldn’t send Hazel back to town with Oliver, not after the way she’d almost lost control and ravished him earlier. “We’ll send Ollie to fetch Thomas and Lottie. Thomas can deal with Dawson’s crew, and Lottie will take care of Hazel.”

“That would be a good solution.” He stopped and turned to look at Oliver. “Did you catch that?”

“Got it.” Oliver holstered his revolvers. “Need anything else?”

Jack’s gaze flickered to Oliver’s arm. “How badly you hurt?”

“Already almost healed up.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Ginny fought the urge to gnash her teeth impatiently as they made their way up the steps and to the door. She knew Oliver would take care of the gunmen and be on his way as quickly as possible, so she focused her attention on Jack. “Can you manage the stairs?”

He shot her a tired but indulgent look. “It’s my arm, Ginny. I bled a lot, but I’m not going to die. If I hadn’t run on it, it’d already be knitting shut.”

“You shouldn’t have.” Fear sharpened her tone. “We were doing fine, and you could have been killed.”

“I had no way of knowing if Oliver had gotten over here yet,” Jack countered. “You’re good, Ginny, but you’re only one person.”

“I could --” She bit her tongue. Her arguments were naïve and silly, and all they really boiled down to was that she didn’t want Jack in danger, no matter what that meant for her. “Just… sit down and let me look at it, all right?”

The soft sound of Hazel’s footsteps drifted down the hallway, and Jack turned his head to follow the noise. “Check on Hazel first.”

Ginny headed her off at the end of the hallway. “Everything’s fine. Jack’s a little scratched up, that’s all.”

Hazel still looked flushed and nervous. “I don’t feel so good, Ginny. I feel -- not right.”

“Hazel.” Jack’s low voice filled the room, vibrating with the power of an alpha. Hazel’s body went tense as he continued. “Can you get me a couple of towels from the bathroom while Ginny checks my arm?”

The rush of magic wasn’t meant for Ginny, but she felt it brush past her as it found its target. Hazel’s face relaxed as the energy wrapped around her, an aura of pack and safety tinged with the protective strength that Jack lived and breathed. The girl’s eyes fluttered shut and she sighed as the tight tension bled away. “Okay, Jack.”

Ginny watched her go and then closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Jack. I’m -- I’m bad at dealing with things like this.”

“Come here, Ginny.”

She couldn’t let him comfort her while he was bleeding. “Jack.”

“Ginny, please. Don’t make me come over there and drip blood on your floor.”

She avoided his gaze, keeping hers on his feet as she made her way back to the table. “I don’t care about the floor.”

His uninjured arm curled around her shoulders and tugged her against his chest. “I just need to know you’re okay,” he whispered, his breath warm on her neck.

The rest of the world faded as she touched him. Her hands moved gingerly at first, and then clutched at his back. She breathed in his scent, nestled her face against his shoulder, and tried not to cry. “I’m okay, Jack. I’m not even hurt.”

The faintest sound of shoes on the wood floor heralded Hazel’s arrival. “The towels are on the table,” she whispered. “Is it okay if I go get some air?”

Jack answered before Ginny could. “Don’t go farther than the front porch before Lottie and Thomas get here, and if anyone else shows up, come back inside.”

“Okay.”

When she was gone Jack’s fingers tightened on Ginny’s lower back. “You’re not bad at dealing with things like this.” He laughed, the sound tired enough to make her chest ache. “I can barely manage Hazel on the best of days, and I doubt that’ll last much longer in any case.”

“Special circumstances.” She pulled away and picked up a towel. “Will you sit down, already? Let me look at you.”

He wrapped the second towel around his hips and sat without protest. “I promise I’m going to be okay.”

Ginny bent to look, and only the fact that he’d already stopped bleeding kept her from dissolving into tears. “Think I need to stitch it up?” she whispered, prodding gently at the wound. “It looks deep.”

Jack glanced at the wound and shook his head. “No, I heal fast. I just need a bath and some sleep, really. And some food.” He smiled at her. “And for Thomas to go get me some clothes, since I don’t think I’m squeezing my shoulders into anything you own.”

She kissed him, hard and fast, because she had to, and rested her forehead against his. “Bath. Do you need help, or can I go talk to Hazel?”

“I’ll be fine. Just… figure out how bad it is, would you? I know she’s on edge, but I can’t tell how close.”

“I will.” She didn’t tell him about the scene during the standoff, just straightened and nodded down the hall. “You know where it is.” The need to help him nearly overwhelmed her, but she forced herself to walk toward the front door. “Yell if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Ginny.”

Ginny found Hazel shivering on the front porch even in the warm early-morning sun, her arms wrapped tight around her legs as she stared at nothing.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Ginny whispered as she slid down to sit next to her. “I didn’t know Ollie would grab you like that. I don’t think he really planned on it.”

“I was being stupid.” Hazel’s voice sounded flat. “He didn’t mean anything by it. And I know it. I know it. But she wants him so much it scrambles my brains.”

“I know.” And she did. Even now, with Hazel’s physical well-being confirmed, the animal inside Ginny demanded that she go in search of Jack. “That’s the hell of it, sweetie. He probably feels the same, but we’re not just the wolves. And Ollie --” She broke off and scooted closer to Hazel. “Ollie’s been hurt inside. And I don’t know if he’ll ever get over it.”

Even scared and confused, Hazel had no problem seeing to the heart of the matter. “You talking about Oliver, or you?”

“Maybe both of us,” she admitted. “I know what it’s like to not be sure if you want to risk it.” She had to swallow past the lump in her throat, and her voice still sounded ragged. “It’s no secret my parents weren’t happy. My mother never got over the War and everything she lost, but my father… He loved her, Hazel. More than anything, he loved her. He always said she’d get better, but she never did. And when she died, he gave up.”

Memories assailed her, and Ginny closed her eyes and leaned back against the house, folding her hands in her lap to hide their shaking. “I don’t know what I’m more afraid of, really. Loving someone as much as he loved her, or -- or disappointing someone as much as Mom did him.”

Hazel leaned into her side. “It was the War, Gin. It fucked everyone up. Things may be harder now than they were before, but Thomas says they’re a lot simpler, too. And you know what else he says?”

She drew in a calming breath and glanced at Hazel. “No, what?”

“That werewolves aren’t meant to be alone, and trying to live that way is like trying to make water run uphill.”

“Thomas is a smart man.” Ginny wrapped her arm around Hazel’s shoulders. “I don’t think we were meant to be alone, either. But I think some of us have to be.”

“And I think you’re full of shit.” She could almost hear the smile in Hazel’s voice. “I still like you, though. I just can’t ever get within twenty feet of Oliver ever again, so you might need to help me with that.”

“I’ll think of something.”

Ginny heard Jack moving around inside, his soft footfalls climbing the stairs, and she knew he’d head straight for the bed. The kind of healing he’d done -- and still had to do -- required enormous reserves of energy, and he probably wouldn’t wake up until hunger drove him from the bed.

She and Hazel sat in silence until they heard hoof beats, and several riders appeared in the distance. Ginny recognized Oliver and Lottie, as well as Thomas, the tall beta who served as Jack’s second-in-command.

Hazel’s nervous energy returned, magnified a hundredfold as the girl’s gaze fixed on Oliver. A soft whimper escaped her throat and her fingers tightened painfully on Ginny’s arm. “Is it supposed to feel like this?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’ll send him out to Dawson’s place, sweetie. He won’t be around for long, all right?”

“Okay.”

The newcomers were still twenty yards out when Thomas held up his hand and said something too soft for Ginny to hear. Lottie nodded, and Oliver tugged off his hat and glanced toward the porch. They both pulled up their mounts and stayed put.

Thomas approached on his own, stopping just short of the porch. His booted feet hit the ground with a soft thud and he took the porch steps two at a time. “Ginny?” He spoke to her, but his worried gaze was fixed on Hazel. “What’s going on?”

She stroked one hand through Hazel’s hair. “Jack’s upstairs, and he’ll probably sleep all afternoon. Hazel? Can you go check out my cupboards and see what I can throw in a pot for dinner?”

“Okay.” Hazel rose to her feet and scurried inside without so much as a glance at Thomas, who watched her go with a distant, worried look.

When she was gone, he transferred that calm, measured gaze to Ginny. “Do you know how long she’s been fighting it for?”

“Too long.” Ginny rose and shoved her hands in her back pockets. “Today almost broke her, though. I’m trying to talk her past the waiting, but I don’t know how much good it’ll do.”

“Shit.” Thomas pulled off his hat and ran his fingers through his short hair. “She’s young for it, so I hadn’t really noticed how bad it had gotten.” He hesitated, then glanced at Ginny and asked the last question she would have expected. “What do you need us to do?”

She wanted to protest, ask him why he was asking her, but her answer came automatically. “Take Ollie and head out to Dawson’s spread. Make sure anyone who has ideas about making trouble knows what happened, and tell them to come fetch their friends’ bodies before nightfall. Lottie can stay here and help me with Hazel. All things considered, I think it’d be smarter for you to escort them back to town instead of Ollie.”

Thomas studied her for just a moment too long, and she got the oddest feeling he’d been testing her. The corner of his mouth ticked up and he nodded to her. “Can’t argue with your logic, Ginny. You’ll look after Jack?”

Her own smile was rueful. “He’s in good hands. I hope Ollie told you he’d need something to wear.”

“Ah, yes.” Thomas hopped back off the porch without bothering with the steps and moved to his horse to unbuckle a saddlebag. “I brought some things from my house. They may not be a perfect fit, but they’ll do.”

“Thanks.” She took the bag and waved to Oliver and Lottie, both of whom raised hands in greeting. “Send Lottie over. Maybe, together, we can talk some kind of sense into Hazel.”

Thomas snorted. “Good luck with that,” he murmured as he followed her gaze. “Can’t talk sense into a werewolf in love.”

Which meant Lottie was still skirting his courting with careful deliberation. “I suppose you can’t. Be careful, Thomas.”

“Mmm. You too, Ginny.” Thomas shot her a serious look. “Take care of the alpha.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

He smiled as if he found the comment amusing and swung back up onto his horse. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, you will.” She walked inside as he rode away.

Hazel was in the kitchen, making more noise than progress as she banged through the cupboards without focusing on anything long enough to even see it. “Is he gone?” she asked without turning around.

“Headed out with Thomas to take care of a few things.” Ginny opened her vegetable bin and gathered some potatoes. “Can you peel these for me? Lottie will be in any minute now.”

“Okay.” But she didn’t move toward the table, just kept pacing nervously until the door finally opened to reveal Lottie. Hazel jerked to a stop and turned. “Pick one,” she blurted.

Charlotte Daniel hardly ever looked nonplussed, but she blinked at Hazel. “Pick one what?”

“One of those boys,” Hazel replied, her tone agitated. “Just… pick one. And I’ll do it. And this can all be done with.”

Lottie shot Ginny a confused look. “What happened?”

She sighed. “Oliver Russell is apparently very hot in the middle of a gunfight.”

“Oh.” The shorter blonde woman blushed a little. “I, uh… suppose he would be.”

Hazel’s snarl tore through the room. “Oliver fucking Russell can go fuck himself, with his fucking hands and his fucking growling orders and all of his fucking hotness.” And with that completely incoherent statement out of the way, the girl burst into hysterical tears.

Chapter Six

Ginny’s bedroom was dark when Jack awoke for the second time that day. His boots stood beside her bed, but the neatly folded clothes on the chair belonged to Thomas.

He sat up and took slow, careful inventory of his aches and pains. He was sore and exhausted, but the wound on his arm had knit shut. The most persistent discomfort was hunger, but the smell wafting up from the kitchen would cure that.

Jack rose from the bed and pulled on the pants. He buttoned them as he moved toward the stairs, too hungry to bother with a shirt. And too worried. He’d half expected to wake up with Ginny curled around him, and her absence had been almost as uncomfortable as the rumbling of his stomach.

She was in the sitting room, a book in her lap. She looked up and marked her place when he stopped in the doorway. “You must be starving.”

His heart jumped, and he had to fight to keep his tone casual. “I am.”

“I made stew,” she murmured, rising, and she didn’t look at him as she brushed past and headed for the kitchen.

He followed her to the kitchen, refusing to acknowledge the dread uncurling in the pit of his stomach. “What happened after Thomas got here?”

Ginny ladled the hearty-looking stew into a bowl. “He and Oliver rode out to Dawson’s to make sure things were settled.” She set the bowl at the end of the table next to a platter of rolls. “And Lottie’s going to find a mate for Hazel.”

It almost distracted him from the food. Almost. He tugged out the chair and dropped into it. “How on earth did you manage that?”

“She can’t wait any longer.” Ginny poured two mugs of coffee and slid one in front of Jack as she sat down at the table. “I think today’s close call with Ollie really scared her.”

He tried to quiet his growling stomach with one of the rolls and washed it down with half of the coffee before replying. “You never told me what happened.”

“To Hazel?” She shrugged as he began to eat. “During the firefight, she was fetching more ammunition for us, and she didn’t stay down. Ollie lost it a little bit, and all the protective growling sent her spinning.”

Jack sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “It’s too much some days, Ginny. It’s too damn much for one man to handle.”

“I know, Jack. I wish --” She broke off and stared down at her hands. “I wish you didn’t have to do it alone.”

She sounded guilty, and the dread seized him. “I don’t have to, Ginny.”

“No. I suppose you don’t.” Her eyes met his, and the gentle regret in their hazel depths stole his breath. “But it can’t be me, Jack. I can’t help you.”

There was only one question to ask. “Why?”

Ginny trembled. “Because I’m selfish and scared and I can’t handle it.” She stood abruptly, almost knocking her chair back. “I can’t handle the way you look at me, like you see something more than what I am. And I’m not good at the alpha thing. Not like you are, Jack. Not enough to do it all the time.”

He had to curl his fingers around the table to keep from rising to his feet. “And if I weren’t the alpha?”

She stopped and stared at him. “What kind of question is that?”

“The kind a man asks when he’s hearing a lot of excuses.”

Her eyes went dark. When she spoke again, her voice was flat. “You’re right. I don’t need excuses. You said you’d leave me alone if I wanted.”

She didn’t want it. But even knowing that, even being sure…

No, he couldn’t give her up. So he told her the truth. All of it. “I’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you want. I’ll do anything you want. Anything that makes you happy, Ginny. Because I love you, and I need you to be happy.”

“No.” She barely managed the word before tears spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Jack, you don’t -- You can’t. Not me.”

He was on his feet and crossing the distance between them before he realized he’d moved. He stopped just short of wrapping his arms around her, telling himself it wouldn’t be fair. Not to either of them. “You deserved the truth, so I gave it to you. What you do with it is your call, Ginny. Just… don’t cry. Jesus, please don’t cry.”

“I’m not,” she insisted through her tears, still shaking. “I -- Christ, Jack. I don’t deserve it. I’m bitter and I don’t deserve it, and I love you, too.”

She threw her arms around his neck, and he buried his face in her hair and tried not to clutch at her too tightly. “If you don’t want to do the alpha shit, you don’t have to. Even if you just talked to me sometimes about it, it’d be more than I have now.”

“I’d do it,” she whispered in his ear. “For the pack.”

“And you’d be amazing.” He pulled back and threaded his fingers through her hair. “You would make my life so much easier. But I could probably take life being hard if it meant I had you.”

Ginny sniffled and laughed even as she kissed him. “I’m going to make it hard enough, so I’d better help you with everything else.”

Honor demanded he tell her she didn’t have to decide that night. That he’d give her time to think. The wolf demanded he accept what she was offering. Now.

In the end, he settled for a compromise. He nipped her lower lip. “Be my mate for now. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

“Yes.” She laid her hand on his cheek and kissed him again, slowly, her tongue sneaking out to touch his. He groaned and pulled her closer, and the kiss was just getting interesting when his stomach let out an angry grumble.

He pulled back and kissed her forehead. “I suppose I should eat before I let you distract me.”

Ginny laughed and bit her lip. “I should go away, then. I’ll be upstairs… in the bedroom.” She brushed one last kiss over his cheek and walked out.

Jack polished off the food she’d put on the table and a second serving from the pot before the edge of his hunger had eased. In any other circumstance he would have collapsed again into much needed sleep, but the thought of Ginny waiting for him in bed made sleep the least appealing prospect ever.

After a brief stop in the bathroom to clean up, Jack climbed the stairs and stopped in the doorway. Ginny sat on the bed, propped against a pile of pillows, reading the same book she’d had downstairs. Now, though, her red hair tumbled in a wild cloud around her mostly bare shoulders, and she wore a thin gown of green, lace-edged silk.

“Wow.” He leaned against the doorjamb and smiled. “This is a sight I could get used to.”

“Not in the least.” She tossed the book on the floor and rolled to her knees, her expression playful. A slit in the gown bared her leg to the top of her thigh. “I mostly sleep naked.”

The things he could do to her… His cock hardened as he stepped over the threshold and let a slow, wicked smile curl his lips. “Well, where’s the fun in that?”

“You seemed to like it well enough last night.”

“That?” He was glad he hadn’t bothered with a shirt. The borrowed pants hit the floor and he stepped out of them before curling his fingers around his cock. “Oh, honey, that was just getting to know you.”

Ginny’s gaze dropped to his hand, and she whimpered and fidgeted on the bed. “You already knew me.”

“Not as well as I wanted to.” He fixed his gaze on hers again. “Turn around and brace your hands against the headboard.”

She didn’t move at first, just twirled a lock of hair around one finger and licked her lips. Finally, she turned away and crawled up the bed until she reached the iron headboard. Her hands curled around it slowly, and she glanced back at him over her shoulder. “Like this?”

He stepped forward and ran his hand down her back and over the green silk, rubbing it against her skin. “Just like that.”

Her back arched, and she hissed in a breath. “Jack.”

The bed dipped as he set his knee on the edge, then knelt behind her. He indulged himself with a slow caress, feeling the curves of her body beneath expensive silk as he traced over her hips and squeezed her ass. When she whimpered again and rocked back toward him, he smiled and began to inch the fabric up. “Don’t move your hands.”

Her knees moved, though, sliding farther apart. “Not even to help?” she teased.

“If you want me to spank you, just ask, baby.”

“No.” She laughed, a husky, aroused sound. “But maybe you should tie my hands to the bed. Just to be sure I don’t move them.”

It was an excellent idea, but he wasn’t in the mood to be distracted. He eased her gown higher, until her thighs were bare and it was obvious she had decided to forego underwear. “Maybe I’ll tie you up when I’m done being amazed by how fucking gorgeous you are.”

Even her shoulders blushed. “Nothing compared to you, honey,” she whispered. “I still remember the first time I saw you.”

So did he. “You were seventeen,” he murmured as he leaned over her and curled his hands around the iron on either side of hers. “You were wild. And I’d just taken over my father’s place as alpha. I was young and full of myself back then.”

“I wanted you.” Ginny turned her head and her hair slipped away from the curve of her neck. “And you scared the hell out of me.”

He brushed his lips over her pulse. “Why?”

“I wasn’t ready for you,” she admitted. “Not by a long shot.”

“And now?”

“Now?” She arched again and rubbed her face against his. “I love you. I’m ready.”

He’d planned hours of teasing foreplay, of tormenting her and making her beg, making her his. Instead he thrust into her with one powerful stroke, burying himself in the heat of her body and driving a choked cry from her throat. Teasing could come later, after he’d made one thing clear. “Now you’re mine.”

“I already was.” Ginny’s head hit his shoulder, and she moaned and bucked. “Just like you belonged to me.”

“For longer than you know.” He slid one hand along her arm, savoring the smooth warmth of her skin as he trailed his fingers down to her shoulder, then around to cup her breast. He caught the tight nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “Five years’ worth of fantasies, Ginny. Imagining the things I’d do to you. The things you’d do to me.”

Her gasp tickled deliciously along his nerve endings. “Mmm, me too. Want to hear what I came up with?”

He pinched her nipple harder, just to hear that noise again. “Tell me.”

“R-Rainstorm last fall,” she panted. “You came into Lottie’s wet to the skin. And it was a cold rain, so you steamed when you went and stood next to the heater.” She tightened around his cock as a shiver ran through her. “I fantasized about your skin warming up under my tongue.”

The temptation to move was powerful, but he loved the way she squirmed beneath him. He slid his hand lower, dipped between her legs and brushed against her clit. “Did you touch yourself when you thought about it?”

She jerked. “I damn near did right in front of you. And when I got home… God, Jack, I was so wound up I couldn’t think until I made myself come.”

He rewarded them both with one sharp thrust before he straightened up. Her nightgown still hung around her waist, so he dragged it up over her head. It was long enough to slip easily through and around the ironwork on the headboard until her wrists were bound. “I’m sure this is plenty expensive, so don’t go ripping it up.”

“Lottie gave it to me months ago and told me to wear it for you.” Her whole body trembled, and she gripped the headboard tighter.

“Maybe I’ll thank her.” He leaned down again and bit the back of her neck. “Later.”

“Uh-huh.” Her pussy squeezed tight around him again. “Later. Right now, I need you.”

“I know.” He smoothed his hand down her back and rubbed his thumb over the curve of her ass before drawing back. He could hear her heart pounding as he hovered, teasing her with his cock barely inside her. “Say it again.”

“Need you.” The silk strained as she fidgeted and stretched, trying to take him deeper. “Jack, please --”

He gripped her hips and surged forward, and the wolf howled satisfaction inside him. She was his, finally his, and by the time he let her out of this bed their scents would be so entwined no one would ever question it again.

Ginny shrieked, and the silk binding her ripped a little. “Fuck!”

He panted for breath as he thrust again. “That’s the idea, honey.”

She tossed her head and moved as much as she could, rocking her hips back in a desperate grind. “I told you -- one of my fantasies.” Her voice broke when he drove into her again. “Tell me one of yours.”

Maybe he should have found one of his dirtiest fantasies. One of the wicked ones he dreamt about at night, or the illicit thoughts he had when he jerked off in his bed alone.

Instead he leaned over her again, pressing his chest to her back as he settled into a grinding rock he knew would push her over the edge. “Just like this, but I’m your husband.”

He couldn’t tell at first whether her sharp, indrawn breath was due to shock or pleasure. Then she tensed and convulsed around him with a low wail. “Yes,” she rasped. “Yes, God, I love you…”

Any hope of control dissolved at the words. Pleasure rushed through him as he sank into her again and again, fucking her through the first orgasm and into the second before he gave himself permission to let go.

He bit the back of her shoulder as he came, muffling the tortured groan as he found release in the hot depths of her body. She was still writhing beneath him, whimpering and rocking into his slowing thrusts, when he lifted his head and found her ear with his lips. “I love you, Virginia Howard.”

She’d torn free of the ruined nightgown, and she raised a shaking hand to his face. “Ginny Owens.” Her lips met his in a tender kiss. “I like the sound of it.”

Exhausted, he collapsed to his side and dragged her tight to his body. “As long as I can move in with you, baby. My place isn’t exactly ranch material.”

She grinned against his shoulder and warned, “I’ll have you doing chores before sunup.”

Better chores with the woman he loved than one more lonely night in front of his fireplace. “I’ll hold you to it.”

Ginny kissed him again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry you had to wait for me. I was… scared of disappointing you.” She smiled ruefully. “Still am, I suppose.”

“Impossible.” And it was true. Just her presence, her scent and the comforting press of her power, mingling with his, soothed him so much it was hard to keep his eyes open. “As long as you love me, it’s more than enough.”

“That,” she murmured against his temple, “is a sure bet, honey.”

Lulled by the warmth of her body, he was almost asleep when one last thought occurred to him. “Wait, I lied. You do have one job from now on.”

“Typical. What is it?”

“Starting tomorrow, all of the hormonal young female wolves in the pack are having their awkward sex talks with you.”

She laughed sleepily. “Deal.”