Chapter Four

Max couldn’t believe what was happening. The man was a god damned werewolf and had a whopper of an erection tenting the front of his sweatpants. Yet, here she was, calmly letting him carry her off to the shower! Maybe she was crazy, or maybe she was drunk on pheromones. But she wanted this. She wanted him. More than anything she’d ever wanted in her life.

Inside the bathroom he set her on her feet and stripped her, tearing her panties in the process.

“Hey!” Max gasped. “What am I supposed to wear later?”

“Nothing.” He dropped to his knees and buried his face against her abdomen, breathing deep, and making Max want to run. “I love the way you smell.”

Max tried to think of some sort of comeback to that, but it was impossible. And then he sat back on his heels and slowly let his heated gaze roam up her body. She wanted to snatch the towel off the rack and cover her body, shield it from him. She’d never been happy with her body, but when his gaze slowly moved upward and connected with hers, and she saw the blatant hunger in his eyes, she felt truly beautiful for the first time in her life.

“You take my breath away. You’re perfect, in every way.”

When her attention fell on the ever-enlarging bulge in the front of his sweatpants, unease blossomed in her gut. God, how big was it going to get?

Max swallowed around the lump in her throat and slowly lifted her eyes to his. “Caleb, you do know that I’m human, with a human-sized you-know-what?”

He laughed softly, clearly reading her fears. “It’ll fit, baby. Just leave everything to me.” He stood then and took her by the arm, intent on pulling her into the shower, but Max resisted.

“Wait,” she squeaked, trying to pull away from him. “Can we talk?”

“Later.” He lifted her against his chest, knocking the air from her lungs, and stepped into the shower. “We’ve got a fire to douse, and the longer we wait, the bigger it’s going to get.”

Max didn’t like the sound of that. It was already plenty big. She wanted the big guy—no scratch that, want was too tame a word. She craved the big guy. But she wasn’t suicidal.

Max tried to wiggle out of his arms, but he held her firmly against him with one hand as he adjusted the shower knob with the other.

“That feels good, doesn’t it?” he asked as a lukewarm spray of water washed over them. “We both needed to cool down a bit.”

“Especially you,” Max said, giving him a cheeky grin. “For a while there I thought you were trying to grow a third leg.”

“I can’t help what you do to me.” He bent his head and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Just try and relax.”

“Okay, but I still don’t think it’s going to fit.”

Caleb closed his eyes and groaned. “Baby, your mate is holding on to his self control by a thread. Talk like that doesn’t help.”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault you’re hung like a horse?” Max mocked. She pushed against his chest, and he released her. “And don’t start that stuff again.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow in question and snagged a bar of soap off the shower caddy. “Start what stuff again?” he asked, soaping his hands. “My mind’s a little muddled right now. Can’t expect a man to think clearly when the woman of his dreams is flashing her goodies at him.”

Max wasn’t buying his innocent act, and when he reached for her, she slapped his hand away. “I mean it. Don’t start that mate stuff again. Sex is, well, sex. We’re going to have sex. I want it. You want it. We’ll deal with all that other stuff later. And stop that.” She slapped his big hand away again, this time as he reached for her breast. “I can wash myself.” She pointed a finger at his massive erection. “Your job is to get that down to human size.”

Caleb grunted. “I’m not sure what you think human size is, but you were made for me. Whatever I’m packing, you can handle.” He reached for her again, and a wave of pheromones hit her nostrils. She dropped all pretenses of resistance and melted into his arms.

“That’s it,” he murmured, running his soapy hands over her body. “Let me take care of you. You don’t have to do a thing.” His hands left her back and moved lower to wash her bottom, cupping and kneading until Max had to lock her knees to remain standing.

“You have a beautiful ass.” He palmed a butt cheek in each of his hands. “So soft and just the right size for a man to hold on to when he’s deep inside you. And these little beauties…” He slid his hands around to cup her breast. “…are just begging for attention.”

Max closed her eyes and arched into his touch. “Caleb, I…need—”

“I know what you need.” He moved a soaped hand down to cup her mons. “I know exactly what you need.”

Caleb’s calloused finger eased into her slick folds, and she bit down hard to keep from moaning with pleasure, but she couldn’t stop from moving desperately against his hand, seeking and finding a measure of relief. Yet it wasn’t enough. She needed more, and when he pulled his hand away to draw her into his arms, she cried out in frustration.

“I knew the moment I saw you it would be like this,” he rasped against her ear. “So much passion in such a small package.”

He rained hot kisses over her face and neck, and Max rubbed her body against his, shameless in her need.

“Touch me, baby. Show me how much you want me.”

Wanting to give him a measure of the pleasure he had given her, Max smiled and ran her hand boldly over the front of his soaked sweats, slowly measuring the length and width of him with her fingers, secretly pleased at the fierce evidence of his need for her.

With a knowing little smile, Max gripped the waistband of his sweatpants and tugged them downward, freeing his thick erection. His cock sprang free, rising from a nest of crisp dark hair to arch upward against washboard abs. It was a mouth-watering display of potent masculinity, and it was all hers.

Christmas in July. And it was the best gift she’d ever gotten!

Caleb guided her hands, his expression harsh with need. “Touch me. No place is off limits.”

Max took him at his word and moved one hand down to gently squeeze his sac, while her other hand caressed the pulsing vein running along its length. A dewy drop of pre-cum formed on the glistening head, and Max looked up, allowing him to see the wicked little smile playing about her lips.

“God help me,” Caleb groaned. “She’s found her woman’s power, and I’m in for it now.” He cupped the side of her face. “Just tell me you want this as badly as I do. Say it, baby. I need to hear it.”

“You know I do,” Max admitted, embarrassed by her need but determined to be honest. “I barely know you, but nothing has ever felt so right.”

Caleb smiled, clearly pleased by her admission, before he turned her swiftly, and embracing her from behind, pulled her body back against his. “Put your hands against the wall,” he commanded. “Yes, like that,” he encouraged as Max obeyed him. “Now lift your leg onto the rim of the tub.” When Max did as he asked, he pulled her lower body tighter into his, tucking her bottom against his groin. “Spread your thighs wider. Open for me, baby. Let me show you how good we can be together.”

He moved a hand over her mons, slowly trailing his fingers repeatedly through the crisp hairs at the junction of her thighs. Max twisted against him, frustrated that he didn’t do more, and he chuckled against her ear.

“You’re a demanding little thing.” He pushed the tip of his finger inside her, and her body clenched tightly. “Sloppy wet and so tight. Soon—very soon—I’m going to spread those pretty brown thighs and lap up every drop of your sweet cream. Would you like that? To have my mouth on you?”

Max closed her eyes and moaned, and he chuckled.

“I think that’s a yes.”

“Could you just shut up and give me what I want?” Max grumbled. “I’m burning up!”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “But you’re not going to call the shots. We’re going to take it slow and easy. I won’t risk hurting you.”

Desperate with need, Max reached between her legs and, before he could stop her, took hold of his cock. She attempted to impale herself on him, but her aim was slightly off. She got the reaction she sought, however, when his length slid between her slick folds.

He roared, pumping his hips against her buttocks as his fingers stroked and squeezed her clit.

Max pushed down against his hand, grinding against him, but it wasn’t enough. She tried again to take him into her body, but he easily evaded her hand. Max was embarrassingly close to begging him to take her, when he flicked his thumb over her clit and sent her careening over the edge. A second later Caleb roared again as he found his release.

When she finally floated back to earth, Caleb’s arms were wrapped around her, her head resting against his chest, and the cooling spray from the shower raining down over her body.

“Damn it, babe,” Caleb moaned, reaching around her to turn off the shower. “You damn near drove me to my knees. Thank God the next full moon is only hours away, because I don’t think I’ll be able to resist you much longer.” He pulled a towel off the rack and rubbed her down, spending so much time drying between her legs that Max snatched the towel out of his hand and rolled her eyes at him.

“Just thought I’d lend a hand by helping you dry those hard-to-reach places,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “I want you to know I’m not going to be one of those guys who have problems helping around the house.”

“Looks like you’re doing more to help yourself.” She flicked her gaze at his groin, indicating his once again growing erection. “Does it have an Off switch?”

He grinned and pulled her into his arms. “One of the perks of being were, babe. Recovery time is short. And since we still have several hours before the moon is in the right position for mating, we might as well spend it—”

“Driving each other crazy with need?” Max said dryly.

“I know it sucks, babe.” He placed a soft kiss in the palm of her hand before guiding it to his groin. “And since it’s all my fault, I deserve to be punished.”

Max arched an eyebrow at him in feigned innocence. “Caleb, are you asking me to…uh…spank the monkey…again?”

Caleb groaned dramatically and pressed her hand against his cock. “God, I love a woman who knows how to talk dirty. You were definitely made for me.”

Max shook her head in denial but closed her fingers around him. “You’re bad, Caleb. Really bad. You leave me no choice but to beat the bad out of you. And then I’ll have to lick you clean, just to make sure I get all the bad out.”

Caleb looked as if he wanted to rub his hands in glee, and Max couldn’t keep the grin from her face as she stroked his cock, enjoying the feel of his hard body and the sight of his muscular thighs tensed with need.

“Harder,” he growled, thrusting his hips in time to her strokes. She quickened her pace, using both hands.

“That’s it. Just like that,” he rasped, watching her. “So good.”

Captivated by the fierce evidence of his desire, Max watched as his hips bucked, his movements becoming less coordinated as he pushed himself into her hand. She had never seen anything so arousing, and as her own need rippled through her body, she lowered her head and drew him into her mouth.

The moment her lips touched him, Caleb stiffened, his muscles bulging, and a second later, he jerked his hips back, spewing his seed across the wall of the shower in a series of hot spurts. Max continued to hold him, thinking she had never seen anything more beautiful. Caleb was unashamed of his need and totally mesmerizing.

Whether she stayed with him or found the strength to move on, she knew she would never forget him.

After a while, his breathing eased into a normal pattern, and he kissed her briefly on the lips before pulling her from the shower. He shucked his soaked sweats onto the floor and then took her hand and led her out of the bathroom.

“I’m a horny bastard, and I don’t deserve you,” he said, tucking her into one of his shirts. “My intention was to give you ease, not the other way around.” He gave her a quick kiss by way of an apology. “Why don’t you get back in bed, and I’ll fix you something to eat.”

Max took a seat on the edge of the bed and watched as he moved about the small kitchen, quickly preparing a simple snack of bread and cheese. His naked body fascinated her. He was a big man, yet his movements were efficient and smoothly coordinated.

He set a plate, with enough food for two, on the bed next to her. “Eat up, babe. I’m going to put some steaks on.”

Max ate silently, but after a few bites, she put her plate aside. “Caleb, we need to talk.”

He turned to face her, a spatula in hand. “We can talk all you want, but it won’t change matters. What we did in the shower was just the beginning. The next full moon is only hours away. Once we mate, things will settle into place.”

“I want to be with you, Caleb, in every way. But I don’t want there to be any misconceptions between us. I might not have a job waiting for me in Salinas anymore, but I am going to teach. If not in Salinas, then somewhere else. This thing between us is not going to rule my life.”

Caleb sprawled in the chair next to the bed, and Max looked pointedly in the direction of his lap. “Do you mind?”

“What?” he asked, pretending not to understand, then looked down and shrugged. “It’s only natural. And anyway, it’s your fault. If you weren’t so beautiful, I wouldn’t keep getting this way around you.”

Max wasn’t beautiful. Her face was okay, but her breasts were too small, and she needed to drop a few pounds. Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, because he looked at her and then pointedly down at his crotch as if challenging her to deny the effect she had on him.

“You are beautiful, Max, and extremely desirable. I don’t know what you see when you look in the mirror, but what I see makes me want to howl at the moon with joy. We’ve got everything going for us. This relationship is going to work.”

Max tossed a pillow from the bed onto his lap. “Just because I give you a massive hard-on doesn’t mean squat. You can’t build a relationship on sex.”

“Maybe humans can’t, but weres know their mates by smell, touch, and the unrelenting erections we get when we’re near them. Once we find our mate, we stay in a continuous state of arousal until we claim her. After that, things pretty much settle into place and we lead fairly normal lives, working and contributing to society just like anybody else. You…” He pointed a finger at her. “…are just pissed because you’ve had wet panties from the minute you met me. You want nothing to do with my world, and the fact you can’t keep your hands off me scares the hell out of you. Well, get used to it. I can stoke the embers smoldering in you into a firestorm in a nanosecond, and I’m going to keep it up until you admit you’re mine.”

“You conceited Neanderthal!” His words struck home, but she didn’t have to admit it. “Do you think because of this thing between us I’m going to do whatever you want, whenever you want it?”

He grinned. “No, but I’d like to find out.” He pushed the pillow off his lap and crooked a finger at her. “Why don’t we put it to a little test? Come over here. I think it’s about time I tasted that honey I’ve been smelling.”

Max shook her head and willed her traitorous body to stay right where it was. “Back off, Caleb. I’m not denying my attraction to you, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She waved her hand toward his lower body. “And cover that up, please. It’s hard to have a conversation with it standing between us.”

Caleb placed one of his hands over his groin, which did little to conceal his considerable assets when he continued to lounge comfortably, legs spread in a masculine pose. “Will that do?”

“Very funny,” Max said dryly and tossed another pillow onto his lap. “Can we talk like adults now?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, giving her another wicked grin. “If you’re certain talking is what you want to do.”

“It is,” Max lied. “Tell me about your people. Mama Willie told me werewolves live undetected among humans.”

“We do. One could be living right next door to you and you’d never know it. Largely because most of our ancestors were human, but at least one came from beyond the stars and had the ability to shift form. Humans called them Watchers, noting their arrival in the Bible around 1000 B.C. Their descendents—Rephaims we call ourselves—consider Earth home.”

Max nodded in understanding. “I remember now. Mama Willie said your people were hunted, nearly annihilated, hundreds of years ago because humans feared your abilities.”

“Many were killed merely because they were different. But many more, with the help of their human families, went into hiding and learned to mask their abilities. In time, they reemerged and taught mankind much to advance them socially and technologically.”

“Could all of them change shape?”

“No. The Rephaims were varied in their abilities. Some were giants, others were no larger than most men of the time but said to be able to move huge objects with their minds. And still others could foresee the future. Hercules, Nostradamus, Michelangelo all descended from Rephaims. There are few of us left with the full gifts of our ancestors, yet we survive and thrive on all the continents of the earth. For the most part, we use our abilities for the good of all. But some, like the dark mage who attacked us, go rogue and have to be neutralized.”

“Neutralized?” Max grimaced. “Is that a nice way of saying they have to be killed? Can’t the issue be resolved some other way?”

“Most of the time it is. But Michael Tremont has already done several things that hamper my people’s ability to continue their existence undetected.” Caleb’s eyes hardened. “He’s a threat to the peaceful co-existence between humans and Rephaims. He has to be stopped.”

“Tell me you’re not going after him alone,” Max demanded, her heart racing with fear. “Because he doesn’t sound like an easy guy to take down.”

“Neither am I,” he returned with a slightly affronted look. “But I’ve taken steps to ensure your safety. As long as you stay inside the cabin, he can’t touch you.”

“I’m not worried about my safety, and I don’t doubt your ability to do your job. Just don’t do anything rash because of what he did today.”

“Have a little faith, baby,” he murmured and pulled her across his lap. “But I like the fact you’re worried about me. You’re already acting like a mate.” He captured her lips with his, and after a token show of resistance, Max swiftly succumbed to his heated kisses.

Caleb didn’t just kiss her, his lips devoured her, and when he suddenly tensed, his head snapping up, Max looked at him, dazed and confused. .

“We’re about to have company.” He deposited her on the bed with an apologetic kiss on her forehead. Sorry, baby, but this won't wait. I have to go out to meet someone.”

Max watched him take a black T-shirt and jeans from a small cabinet and quickly pull them on. That he didn’t bother with underwear didn’t surprise her in the least. Caleb was a no frills kind of guy; going commando wouldn’t faze him in the least.

“Here,” he said, tossing a pair of gray sweats and a matching top onto the bed. “These are too big, but they’ll have to do. Your sneakers are under the bed. Take them and anything else you might need to the bathroom and get dressed.”

When Max made no effort to move, he paused in pulling on his boots and looked up at her. “Problem?”

“A little information would be appreciated here.” She climbed off the bed to stand across from him. “Like, who this person is you’re going to meet? When you’ll be back? What I’m supposed to do if you don’t come back.” The fear in her voice almost made her wince. What was the matter with her? She was acting like a wife, for God’s sake. If she didn’t get a grip, the big guy would have her barefoot and pregnant in no time flat.

Max shook her head in disgust and turned away from him. But before she could take a step, Caleb grabbed her from behind and buried his face in the curve of her neck.

“I’m meeting Stefan,” he said gruffly, nuzzling along the side of her throat. “He’s one of my oldest friends. I’ll be back within the hour, and if I’m not, Stefan will come for you.” He released her and then slapped her firmly on the bottom. “Questions answered, mate. Now move.”

Max tossed a dark look over her shoulder, pretending to be annoyed as she snatched up the clothes he’d tossed on the bed. “No need for police brutality, Sheriff McCain. I was moving.”

“But not fast enough to suit me,” Caleb shot back. “When I say move, woman, I mean move, or you’re going to feel the sting of my hand on that kissable little ass of yours.”

Max lifted her hand, flipping him off, and Caleb moaned.

“You gotta stop doing things like that, baby. It makes me hot as hell. Now I’ve got to meet my friend with a hard-on big enough to poke him in the eye. He’ll never let me live it down.”

Max rolled her eyes. “I’m beginning to think just about anything makes you hot as hell. You’ve probably spent half your life taking cold showers.”

Satisfied at having the last word, Max closed the bathroom door, intent on dressing, when she realized she had no idea what Stefan looked like. “Hey,” she called out, “if you send Stefan to get me, how am I supposed to recognize him? I mean, anyone could turn up claiming to be your friend.”

“Easy enough,” he shot back. “Stefan is a vampire.”

“Ha, ha very funny,” Max said jerking open the bathroom door to poke her head out. But the room was empty.

Max frowned. He was joking, right?