Ann H Read online

  Reed jerked Jennifer closer. She stood in front of him, one of his hands fisting in her hair, moving her head to the side. “Then by all means, let’s do this the right way, shall we. I hate for you to misunderstand what I’m doing here.” Her shirt and robe were pulled to the side and before she even digested what he might do, his mouth closed over her shoulder and sank his teeth in.

  Jennifer cried out, eyes wide open in shock, staring at her father. His face drained of all color, confirming everything that just happened to her. A legitimate claim just was placed on her with a mark, sealing her fate to a strange male she had met just hours ago.

  When he let go she reached up to the spot and shivered, her eyes still locked with her father’s.

  “Now it’s sealed,” Reed said behind her.

  With a jerk, he yanked her outside, walked her to his truck and shoved her into the front seat between him and another male.

  “Brent, my mate, Jennifer,” Reed said. He started the truck, and as her father came outside, he pulled away, taking her from her home and her father, just like that.

  Chapter Two

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Reed pondered that question long before he tracked her down and took her from her home. It was late, a rare red moon started in the sky, and the most unexpected thing that ever happened to him happened. He’d found his mate. Now what will he do with her?

  Hadn’t he heard through others that sometimes your mate lands in your lap whether you’re ready for it or not? Finding his brother gone after coming home—hell seeing with his own damn eyes what happened to his home left him feeling like he had a hole in his chest. Someone burned it all, killed his parents and took his brother. Finding him has been his only priority. Even when he lost their home, his parents killed in the fire thanks to her, the idea of a mate hadn’t been on his mind. Only Brent has been. He needed to get his brother back before he ended up like the others. Dead or broken beyond repair. What she did to them he had no idea, but he was going to find out. Brent had only been with that bitch for a month.

  Now that he had his brother back, he planned to get the much-needed answers, and then a small snag to his plan—a mate. Guess fate does have a sense of humor after all.

  “That is a good question,” Brent said. “Where are we going?”

  Instead of answering him, Reed cast his brother a dirty look. That shut him up instantly. He kept on driving, going where he had no fucking clue. For the past months, he’d been living in the truck at campsites trying to find Brent. Cash in the bank kept that search going and when he came into contact with Isaac Dowell who had information he needed—well Reed got what he was after and so much more.

  With a growl, Reed slammed on the breaks sending his two passengers forward. He stopped, put the truck into park, and growled at to his brother, “Get lost for a few.”

  Brent didn’t ask why or question him. He opened the door, slipped out, and closed it just as Jennifer scooted to the side to follow him. Reed grabbed hold of the back of her neck and some hair. She flinched, her shoulders went up and, like a cat, she stilled, waiting for him to do whatever it was he might do. What are you going to do?

  Bringing her close, he ducked his head down and kissed her deep. She stiffened, her hands pressed against his chest, pushing at him. It only made his animal surface even more. With a growl into the kiss, he somehow got her up onto his lap, still holding her by the back of her neck. With a free hand, he pulled some of her robe off her shoulder, moved down her chest, and squeezed one breast. She whimpered and tried to pull away, but he held her tight. Down farther to her belly and then to a bare leg and up under the shorts to her bare ass. His cock throbbed, pressed against the jeans, and Reed pressed her tighter to that throbbing pressure.

  She broke the kiss, her head going back and she pushed harder on his chest. Reed didn’t let her go. He took hold of her thick, golden hair and pulled it back, exposing her throat and holding her still. Kissing and nipping on her neck, moving his way to the new mark he left on her shoulder.

  “Stop,” she breathed out right before he closed his lips on the mark and sucked.

  She moaned and the cab of his truck filled up with her sweet scent. He could smell the wetness and moved her hips so she grinded herself along his cock. Opening his eyes, he saw the outline of the red moon. In two days, it would be full and the need with the red moon would be ten times the normal heat on a regular full moon. What would it do to her? How would his brother handle it being alone? From the story his grandfather told him, about his own experience of the full red moon, shifters did all kinds of crazy things. One of the craziest of them all was sharing. Normally, a shifter didn’t share, so for Reed to hear that once a century a shifter might share his mate, or the mate might share him, well it struck him as something he couldn’t see happening.

  “Please stop,” she breathed out again. “Please.”

  Removing his hand from under her shorts and going right under the shirt to a breast, he squeezed her mound gently. She gasped, wide blue eyes locked on to his. “I’ll stop for now, but once we’re alone your mine,” he exhaled.

  She swallowed hard and if he wasn’t mistaken, she shook a little in his arms. With great difficulty, he let her go and she slid from his lap back onto the seat, fixing her clothes. Reed watched her as he licked his lips, and pressed on the horn to let Brent know he could come back.

  Brent didn’t say a word. He got back into the truck, kept his mouth shut and eyes forward while Reed put it back into gear and took off.

  Some time passed before Brent turned towards Reed. “Tell me you have a plan for this strange moon.”

  “I don’t.” Reed caught Jennifer looking from him to Brent with a questionable look on her face.

  “Then we need to come up with one,” Brent went on.

  “I know.”

  Brent leaned forward, looking up from the windshield. “By tomorrow night we should start to feel it.”

  “Yep.”

  “Reed—”

  “I know!” Reed snapped. “I’m thinking about it.”

  “Are the stories true?” Jennifer asked.

  Reed didn’t answer her; he tried to concentrate on driving and finding a place for them to stay for a few nights while he thought about where they were going next. He didn’t have anything really planned beyond finding his brother and that bitch who took him.

  How long he drove he couldn’t say. When he turned his head, he saw that both Brent and Jennifer were fast asleep, head bouncing on the seat behind them. Without a doubt, it had been a long day and night. He was also tired, but thankfully, the pounding of his damn dick kept him awake.

  Reed didn’t want to tell Brent that he was already feeling the need of the red moon. It started when he discovered this female hunched in the shadows, watching through a dirty window as Brent was strung up like a damn piece of meat.

  He fought it then. Fought the need to claim her and that hit him like a punch to the gut. He wanted to put her on all fours and take her like the dog he felt like then, but didn’t and the temptation sure as shit was there. Not once in his whole life did he want to rip a female’s clothes off and take her where she stood, or in this case kneeled.

  Also, he’d felt so fucked when she took off. A fleeing woman always draws a male to his knees, bringing out the animal, whether he wants it or not. When he took her down and looked into her eyes, he knew then she was the one. Now that she figured out how to escape him, that one caught him off guard. Lucky enough, he had her scent and was able to follow her home. However, discovering that she was the daughter of the man who helped him find his brother—um, that one he hadn’t decided yet if it was a bonus or not. Either way, he had her now and had to stop and think of what the next step was going to be. They had no home, thanks to the fire that bitch set. He knew that she had hoped he would’ve died with his parents. That only told Reed that the woman was more dangerous than what he first thought. Guess that old saying you never under estimate
a woman was true after all.

  The first ray of light and he found a place they could stay. It was one of several little one-bedroom cabins that you could rent by the night or by the week. In a strange way, they reminded Reed of cabins they rented when Brent and he were little and their parents took them to the lake for weekend trips.

  He pulled in and got out of the truck as quietly as he could. He didn’t want to wake them up until he knew for sure if they could get one of the tiny cabins or not.

  It was quiet, peaceful, just how he wanted it in order to think. Not many cars were parked, indicating to him that there was a good chance they both would be able to have a cabin for themselves, giving Reed the alone time he’d need with his new mate to get to know her.

  “Can I help you?” A man came out from a back room once Reed walked into the lobby. He wasn’t anything special and from the scent all-human. That still didn’t mean he could trust him. At the moment, Reed trusted no one.

  The lobby was just that, a lobby with a small microwave, coffee pot, a rack with postcards and the long counter that served as the check in desk. Reed looked the place over before giving his full attention to the man. He didn’t feel anything about him that screamed danger. He wore a pair of jeans, blue t-shirt, he had short salt, and pepper hair and he held what smelled like a pepper and egg sandwich in his hand.

  “I need a couple rooms,” Reed said, strolling up to the counter. “Preferably way in the back.”

  “You’re in luck,” he said, putting his sandwich down and wiping his hands on his pants. “Some guests just checked out yesterday and we have three available.” He brought out a thick book, flipping it open and turning it around for Reed to check in. Without a doubt, this place still ran by the old ways where you wrote a name and had the old fashion keys. “You want one bedroom or two?”

  “I need two cabins with one room each.”

  The man nodded, turned, and grabbed two keys from a hook. “The cabins are around the back. They both have kitchens, one bathroom, one queen size bed and a nice view of the lake behind us.”

  “Great.”

  “How long will you be staying?”

  “Let’s go for three days and see if I need them longer.”

  He nodded and wrote up the total. “You traveling?”

  “Something like that. How much?”

  “Three nights for two, that will be four hundred.”

  Reed reached into his pocket and brought out a thick wad of cash. He counted out the total then took the keys. “You have any place close to get food and maybe some clothing? We lost everything when the house caught on fire.”

  “Ah, understand that,” he nodded, taking the money. “Up the road about two miles is a small outlet mall. Should have everything you need.”

  “Thanks,” Reed nodded, as he turned, and left the lobby. Back in the truck, the two were still sleeping. Reed got in as quietly as he could then he slammed the door shut, waking his brother. “Have a nice nap?”

  “Where are we?” Brent asked first.

  Reed started the truck back up, putting it in gear; he pulled away from the main building, and headed for the cabins. “To our new home for the next couple of days.”

  He found the cabins, pulled up to one, and got out, taking hold of Jennifer’s wrists to pull her out. They were very small. Brent followed him up to one. Reed unlocked the door, opened it, and sort of gave Jennifer a shove inside.

  The place gave him the feeling that they were in a damn hotel instead of a cabin near a lake. Everything was done in wood—the walls, furniture, and everything. Even the dishes that were resting in an open space under the sink had the rustic cabin look and feel to them. There were tin dishes and cooking utensils along with tin pots and pans. The queen size bed sat at the far end of the open space, frame built out of wood. At the foot of it was a small table with two chairs and across from that a sofa and small television set. The bathroom was modern, but the floor and walls were still made from wood.

  “Take a seat,” Reed told Jennifer.

  She backed away from him towards the sofa where she took a seat, but she didn’t take her eyes off him.

  “You got a plan then?” Brent asked.

  Reed tore his eyes from Jennifer and gave his brother all his attention. “No, not really. We’re going to stay here for a couple days. I want you to head up the road and find this outlet mall. Get some food and her some clothes. What size are you?” he asked her.

  “Ten jean, large shirt,” she answered.

  “Jeans and shirts for her,” Reed said. “What about shoe size?”

  “Seven.”

  “Get her some shoes also. You’re going to need more clothes as well.” Reed brought out more cash, handing it to Brent. He also gave him two different sets of keys. “I want the truck keys brought back to me. The other is for your house next door. When you get back we’re going to talk.”

  “Got it and I’ll cook.” Brent smiled. He gave Jennifer a quick glance before going back out the door, leaving Reed alone with her. The second the door closed, she was up on her feet.

  “Okay what the hell is going on?” she demanded. “Why’d you take me from my home and mark me?”

  “Because you’re my mate.”

  “Bullshit!”

  He raised one eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”

  “No, I don’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest and instantly his eyes followed her movement. Hunger hit him, his cock pressed hard against the zipper of his jeans. “I think you just kidnapped me.”

  “Then I guess I’m going to have to show you that this is for life, baby.”

  “I don’t even know you,” she huffed. “How the hell can you say something like that to a person you don’t even know.”

  “Because in the next couple of days, sweetheart, we’re going to get to know each other very well.”

  “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, well…um, forget it!”

  Reed smiled. His instincts were screaming at him that something hidden was about to become known. Something that his new mate didn’t want him to find out.

  “What are you afraid of?” He also crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes on her but keeping the smile in place. “What little secret do you have?”

  Her face colored. “I don’t have anything to tell you and I’m not afraid of you. You just keep those damn paws to yourself.”

  “And if I don’t?” he smirked.

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her face however did get redder and for a split second, he felt sorry for her and her predicament.

  “Why don’t you try to get a little rest,” he said. “It might be a while before Brent comes back and I’m about to drop.”

  “Then why don’t you go to sleep then and leave me the hell alone.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so.” He shook his head and began to advance on her. Jennifer backed up. When he reached for her, she slapped at his hands. “You’re going to make this difficult aren’t you?” he sighed.

  “Leave me alone!”

  He got a hold of her, turned her around, and picked her up. She kicked at him as he made his way back to the bed. With a little struggle, the robe came off and with it the tie around her waist. Reed used it to tie her wrists together, not tight enough to cut off circulation, but enough to keep her still. He then tied the other end of the tie to his own wrist and he jerked her close.

  “Now we both can take a small nap,” he said. “After that we can deal with this rare moon together.”

  “Forget it. You’re not touching me in that way.”

  Again, Reed smiled, this time very big. “Oh I think I know what that secret is now. And I must say I’m going to know tonight.”

  She yanked on the tie, but didn’t get it out of his hand. “There isn’t going to be a tonight. Nothing is going to happen between us.”

  He yanked back on it, brought her close once more. “Guess we’ll see, sweetheart.” He dropped to the bed, ta
king her with him and she fell on top of him. “Oh and I will tell you that you being on top is my favorite position.”

  She growled and pushed away, moving as far from him on the bed as the tie that connected them would let her. Reed chuckled, raised one arm up under his head, and closed his eyes for a short nap. He was without a doubt going to need it, especially if what he was feeling had anything to do with that damn red moon. An early heat was something he wasn’t expecting but would deal with it with great pleasure.

  Chapter Three

  Chili, cornbread, and roasted potatoes filled Jennifer’s plate at the table in the small cabin next door to the one that she and Reed shared. Reed slept for a few hours before Brent came pounding on the door. A wink from him right before he untied her to let his brother in, then she got to sit on the sofa and watch him cook up a meal. She had to admit, he could cook.

  She watched both brothers eat and make small talk. The food was good, she just didn’t have much of an appetite, mostly because she feared what Reed might do once they were alone again. Okay that wasn’t completely true. She wasn’t afraid of him, but worried about his intentions. After all, they didn’t know each other so why the hell would he take her for mate. It wasn’t as if they were at a Gathering. If so, then she could understand this, but they weren’t so she didn’t.

  “Not hungry?” Reed asked, jolting her out of her thoughts.

  “Maybe it’s the company,” she smarted back crossing her arms over her chest, giving him what she thought was her disgusted expression.

  Reed smiled, wiped his mouth, and then chuckled before sitting back in his chair. “You know, I have this strong feeling that your father has never seen this side of you before.”

  “I want to go home.” Jennifer stood up quickly from the table, knocking the chair she was sitting in over. She went to the bags of new clothes that Brent bought her, snatched one up, and headed for the bathroom. “Right now!” she yelled right before slamming the door closed.

  On instinct, she locked the door then quickly dug into the bag looking for the new shoes he bought. The clothes be damned! She had no intention of wearing them or staying long enough to use them.