Wolf (The Henchmen MC 3)

With nothing else to do, though knowing I was done with sleep, I climbed into the bed and turned my attention to the TV. I patted the bed and watched one of the dogs tilt his head at me like he was trying to figure out if I was gesturing for him or not.

"Do they have names?" I yelled over the TV, not bothering to turn my attention to the grumpy giant.

"Harley and Chopper," he answered, not needing to raise his voice because the depth in it carried even in the loudest of situations.

Unable to help myself, I turned, a ridiculous grin on my face. "Seriously?" How cliche was that? A biker who named his dogs after bikes? I mean... come on. To that I got a brow raise. "You're ridiculous," I concluded, patting the bed again. "Come on, Harley," I called to the dog staring me down. But he stood still and the bed depressed from behind me and the other hell beast climbed up with me. "So you're Harley," I said, tentatively reaching out to touch his back. "Come on, Chopper," I called to the other dog who bounded at me when he finally got the invitation he needed.

With their two huge forms sprawled out, the bed no longer seemed as massive and empty. I put a hand on each dog and gave them scratches, leaning forward as if confiding a secret and declaring, "I am going to win you guys over and then you are going to help bust me outta this joint."

"Don't count on it," Wolf's voice said and my head snapped up to find him sitting in his chair, eyes closed. How he had even heard was completely beyond my comprehension.

"Don't listen to him. He's just a grumpy giant. A day with me, you'll be begging to change your alliances, right? I bet he doesn't even let you sleep in the bed with him."

"Wouldn't all fit."

"No one is talking to you," I called, not bothering to look up. "We're having a private conversation, prisoner to jailers. The warden can go get bent."

I wasn't certain, but I was pretty sure I heard actual genuine laughter coming from behind me.SIXJanieAs predicted, I didn't sleep. Wolf, however, did. As did my hell beasts. I sat up watching infomercials and wondering if I tried to sneak out of the cabin if I would get very far. I decided on not and around sunup, I hauled it into the bathroom and took the longest shower in recorded history just to waste some time.

When I finally got out, Wolf was sitting on the bed, watching the door as if he had been waiting for me to emerge. My hell beasts were gone, leaving me to wonder if they hunted their own food or something. Wolf seemed like the kind of owner who might encourage that.

I immediately regretted the fact that I hadn't fished around for a new tee to slip into before I went into the bathroom. While, unlike Wolf, I was slight and the towel had plenty of give and covered a huge chunk of flesh, I still felt naked when his eyes slid a little too slowly up my body. "Arm?" he asked, jerking his chin at the appendage in question.

"It's fine," I shrugged, fighting the urge to check the knot to the side of my chest.

To that, I got a very long-suffering sigh as Wolf unfolded from the bed and walked toward me. "Arm," he said and I took that to mean: show me your arm. When I didn't immediately move to show it to him, he grabbed it at the wrist and hauled it up. He inspected it for a minute as his thumb stroked over my pulse point on my wrist, leaving me to wonder if he was doing it deliberately or subconsciously. Either way, it was distracting. In the same way it had been distracting when his forehead was on mine, and when his hands were cupping my face, and when he wrapped my arm, and when he asked if I was alright after my nightmare, and pretty much any time his gaze was focused on me.

Jeez.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I needed to get a grip.

"Wolf..." I heard myself say, the sound a quiet whisper.

But he heard and his gaze rose to mine. His hand pulled my arm down to my side, but his fingers stayed around my wrist. His other hand rose, hovering in the air near my clavicle for a second before moving forward and brushing the droplets of water from my wet hair off my skin. My entire body shuddered hard at the sensation and his eyes flew to my face.

"Janie," he said, his voice rougher than usual and I had the sneaking suspicion it was that way because of desire.

That realization sent a matching current of arousal through my body, foreign but familiar like a long-forgotten memory hazily resurfacing. My name sounded strange on his lips, intimate, like a secret. I liked it a little bit too much. And that was absolutely terrifying.

Wolf's eyes closed tightly, staying that way for a long moment before he opened them on an exhale. His hand dropped and he flew away from me like I burned him. He rummaged around in the closet then threw himself into the bathroom. The water came on while I was still frozen in the same spot, heart pounding, skin feeling electric, not sure what the heck was happening. I turned toward the bathroom door, watching as if it had answers for me.

Behind it, I heard a sound, something deep and guttural that I didn't have to know to know. It was accompanied by a slamming sound, like his fist hitting the shower wall. And I knew what he was doing. And I knew he had just reached completion. And I also knew I had something to do with that. That knowledge brought a strange surge of both confidence and desire. Wet pooled between my legs, shocking me enough to snap out of my strange little fog.