Running in Fear Escaped Read online

  Frustrated, he lowered his head and took control of her mouth. A strong tongue pushed at hers, scanning every nook and cranny available to it. It was one of the hottest kisses she'd ever had. She savored his unique taste. He finally broke the kiss and stared into her eyes.

  “You're mine now. I've marked you.” One of his hands traced his marks on her neck. “No one else will dare touch you. Get a robe on, honey, that t-shirt doesn't cover anything. I don't want anyone looking at your body.”

  Hot with desire, she watched him walk out of the room and close the door. Jaycee ran to the dresser and grabbed her jeans, throwing them on. A sweater followed. She stared at the window and quietly gathered her stuff. The only man she ever dreamed of being with, and now she had to run from him. Tears trickled down her face, and she grabbed the truck keys that lay on the dresser. She knew it was time to get to Gaston. He would have things ready for her. He always did. Jaycee lifted the window and threw her bag out, then jumped out herself. She forced herself not to look back.

  She might be attracted to this man, but she didn't know anything about the mating process. Her father and mother had never explained that part of the process. He would be better off without her, anyway. She had too much baggage. The truck was close enough that she didn't have to run. Jaycee jumped into the truck and started the engine. The front door yanked open as the car noisily roared to life. She pushed the accelerator to the floor and prayed to get out of there before he could come out the door. The old truck lurched forward and stalled.

  “Damn, damn, damn!” She hit the steering wheel, and driver side door flew open. Dane blocked her exit. His eyes were red, and his chest heaved. Others ran out, watched and waited. He pulled her out of the truck, threw her over his shoulder, and grabbed her bag. From her view slung over his body, Jaycee couldn't help glancing at Dane's ass.

  Not bad.

  Ugh! Shut the hormones off, Jaycee, now is not the time.

  Jaycee listened as Dane barked out orders while he stomped back to the cabin.

  “Mark, grab the keys and hide the stupid truck. Jack, go and tell everyone we'll meet down here for now. It seems I can't leave my mate alone.” He laid her down on the couch, then followed suit. Dane grabbed her chin and held it, glaring down at her.

  “You'll not try that again. I'll only say this once. I'm going to protect you, and I expect you to listen to what I say. Do you understand?” he barked, without moving an inch, and waited for a satisfactory answer.

  He held her as she strained her head around to look for Shelly. “He's dangerous. You don't understand. I can't…no, I won't endanger everyone's lives.” She yanked her head away.

  He rose from the couch and pulled her with him. They walked towards the bedroom. “We'll see about that! I wanted to wait, but it seems I have to stake my claim now. Shelly, tell everyone I'll be out in a few minutes, and don't disturb us,” he demanded and slammed the bedroom door, locking it. Jaycee backed away from him as soon as he lowered her to the floor. She watched him unbuckle his leather pants, push them down his body, and step out of them. He wore nothing underneath.

  Jaycee became acutely aware of her own body, marred with scars and bruises from her recent stint in the hospital. As if reading her mind, Dane pinned her to the bed in one swift motion. “Do you see these scars on my chest?” He pointed to each one.

  Her gaze fixed onto the blemishes. She knew they'd been painful, and to think he risked his life scared the shit out of her.

  “These are from my tour of duty in Iraq. I was part of a special operations team.” His hand traced up her t-shirt and cupped one full breast. “My squad was called in when nothing else worked. We destroyed any threat to our forces, and were trained in every kind of weaponry— and we're all werewolves.” A growl escaped his mouth. “There isn't anything so ugly that I haven't seen before,” he stated and pulled her top off. His eyes glanced down, and he unsnapped her bra from the front. His breath caught.

  Disfigured skin covered her entire chest. His gaze quickly turned from passion to hot, molten rage. He jumped off the bed and howled. It echoed through the room, rattling the windows. He turned toward the door and ran, almost breaking the door off its hinges, trying to open the lock with his clawed hand. A moment later, he was gone.

  Jaycee shrank back and listened to another furious howl. The loud cry blasted the quiet of the night. She had seen his face shift right before he'd left. One moment a handsome man, and the next a werewolf. A legendary creature had stood over seven and half feet tall at the foot of her bed. She heard his feet pound the floor, storming out of the room, and then he began to bark out orders. She could hear him run through the house, forgetting all about her. The front door banged closed as he dashed outside.

  Hurt like she'd never known crushed her chest. Even the pain from her beatings had never hurt her as much as this rejection did. She gathered her sweater and bra and pulled them back on. Tears rolled down her face. Even her father's rejection of her had been nothing compared to this. All the men she'd loved had run from her. She wasn't good enough for anyone. Jaycee curled up into a ball on the bed, knowing there was no escape at that moment. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it. With her eyes closed and her body numb, she fell into a troubled sleep filled with nightmares.

  Chapter Two

  The beast in him ran like his life depended on it. He'd seen her in the hospital, knew she'd been abused, but what he'd just seen was plain torture. Furious didn't even begin to cover his feelings. There was no way he could stay in the same room as her. Anger burned out of every pore in his body as he ran.

  “Damn it, Dane, slow down! What the hell is wrong with you?” Mark, his brother, yelled as he fought to keep up with him.

  “God, the bastard burned the word “slut” across her breasts!” Dane screamed and picked up speed.

  “And you left her? You just stormed out of the house without a word?” Mark stopped and stood still. Dane glanced back and saw the disgust on his brother's face. “Are you fucking nuts? What do you think she is going to think now? Shelly told you she was scarred.” Mark demanded.

  Dane stopped and turned towards him. His brother was right. Dane threw his head back and howled. God I'm so stupid!

  “I couldn't stay there. She didn't need to see me like this. I wasn't thinking!” He pushed his hand through his hair. “What have I done?” He groaned and turned back towards the house, running as fast as he could. He had a lot to make up for, if she was still there. Shit, she has no guard!

  * * * *

  Shelly opened the bedroom door to find Jaycee curled up into a ball. Wet tears stained her face and the pillow. She tossed and moaned in her sleep. She'd hoped her brother would help erase Jaycee's regular nightmares, but the jackass had only hurt her more.

  The front door burst open, and she jumped to see her brother stalk back into the cabin. Shelly slowly closed the door, not wanting to wake her friend.

  “What the hell do you want? Haven't you done enough? You rejected her after you saw what that bastard did to her!” She hit his chest with her fist. “Why? Didn't I tell you she had scars, didn't I tell you not to hurt her?” She fumed between clenched teeth and glared up at him.

  “I didn't want her to see the beast. It rose so fast, I had to leave.” Annoyed, he pushed her out of the way.

  “Don't go in there. She's asleep. Her nightmares are back, thanks to you.”

  “What are you, a psychiatrist?” He opened the door in irritation and walked into the bedroom. He tried to close the door softly, so as not to wake her.

  Tears glistened on Jaycee's cheeks. He slipped into bed and pulled her body close to his naked form. He kissed her cheeks and neck, his hands trailing up and under her sweater to her bra. It snapped open and released her breasts to his roaming hands. The scarred burn marks made contact with his fingers and the anger rose again, but this time he kept it at bay. She needed to see his acceptance.

  * * * *

  Jaycee moaned and tried to roll over. “I'll
never drink again!” she moaned. She opened her eyes and lay still while she scanned her unfamiliar surroundings. Unknown hands roamed up her arms and cupped each breast.

  “Good morning, wife. Let me take care of that headache with some loving. My long cock will take away any pain you have.”

  Jaycee jumped up and stared at the man in bed with her. She tried to pull the blanket to cover her body, but he held fast onto her.

  “Who the hell are you, and where the hell am I?” Jaycee tried to yell, but her head wouldn't let her.

  “This is your new home. We got married last night. I'm James Black, your husband. I flew us to Las Vegas, and then back here where we could celebrate in private.” He patted the empty spot next to him. “Now, come here. I'm not finished with you, yet.”

  Jaycee tossed in her sleep as the images of her dream changed.

  “James, let me up!” she screamed. How the hell had he gotten into her apartment to bring her here? She'd told him it was over between them. The first time, when he punched her and shoved her into the dresser, had been the last time. She'd looked up and saw him open the door, his best friend standing next to him. Jaycee shook with anger. How dare he let someone into her home without her permission?

  “You're mine. To prove that, I've decided to teach you a lesson, and my men are going to help. You see, no one leaves me, Jaycee, no one. So spread your legs, baby. You're going to get a workout.” James smirked and turned, walking out of the room. Three naked men from his special opps team came into the bedroom. They stroked their cocks and stared at her naked body.

  “No, not again!” The scream echoed through the room. She awoke trembling, sweat dripping down her face along with fresh tears.

  Another nightmare! When will they stop! She flopped back onto the bed and curled back up with the pillow. God, I can't believe I took that asshole's word that we were married. Four years, wasted.

  She felt big hands rubbing and playing with her breasts. This had to be a good dream. No man would want to touch her. She didn't want to wake up. Jaycee rolled over onto her back and peeked out of one eye. Dane stared down at her with anguished eyes.

  “I'm sorry, my Psuchegyne.” he said as he kissed her forehead. “I didn't want to scare you when I turned. No one except my group and family has seen my beast.” He sighed. “When I saw what he did to you, the creature took control,” he whispered and tried to pull her shirt back off.

  She stared up at him and held onto her shirt, afraid to see the reaction in his eyes again. “What did you call me?” she asked and tried to stall him.

  “Psuchegyne. It's an ancient word for, well—it's hard into put in words.” He stared into her eyes. “One half means woman, the other half means soul, but when you put them together they mean the woman is the heart and soul of the man.” He halted his movement, clearly waiting for her to make the next move. Jaycee scooted up. She leaned against the headboard and wished she had a glass of wine to calm her nerves.

  Dane got up, unlocked the door, and Shelly handed him a glass of wine. He locked the door, and climbed back into the bed, handing her the glass. She just stared.

  He can read minds, too.

  A grin spread across his handsome face, and he laughed. He leaned back on the headboard and surrounded her with his arms. “It's okay. Mates are supposed to be able to read each other's thoughts.”

  “Well, I can't read yours. That's so not fair.” She squeaked when he pulled on one nipple through her sweater, choking on a gulp of wine.

  He shook his head and slapped her on the back. “You'll be able to read my thoughts when I bond with you, changing you.”

  Jaycee stopped and looked up at his face. “Wait, what did you say?”

  “When I take you tonight. And I'm going to take you this time.” He ran his finger over her exposed skin. “When my seed enters your body, it will alter you to what we are and bind us together for life.” He grabbed her wine glass before it could fall to the bed.

  She froze. “No one said anything about changing me. Were you going to even tell me?” she demanded. Her gaze burned into his eyes.

  His gaze held hers, but he didn't say a word. She knew the answer to her question already.

  “I didn't want you to run away again. You're mine, and I won't let you go, Jaycee,” Dane finally said. “I have always taken care of everyone, and now I have you. I'm not about to lose you. I need you,” he stated quietly.

  She sat there on the bed, stunned, contemplating the enormity of what he'd just said. Then she balled her hand into a fist and hit him, hard.

  “You need me! Of all the low down—” she screeched and hit him again. Jaycee jumped off the bed.

  “Shelly told you what a softie I am, didn't she? That's why you said that. No one would need or want me!” She waved the pillow at him. “Hell, I scared you away when you saw my body. Don't deny it. I saw it in your eyes.” She threw the pillow at him and ran for the bathroom door. He leaped over the bed and came to stand in front of her.

  “That's cheating!” she yelled as his steel arms wrapped around her and pulled her body to his, caging her in.

  “I don't play fair when I want something this badly. Don't you know, I'm the big bad wolf?” He bared his teeth and smiled. “You're my Goldilocks, and I plan to eat you, my dear!” He growled and bit her neck, then held her still while he unzipped her pants.

  Jaycee knew he would smell and feel the juices that slipped down her leg.

  He pushed her pants down, along with her thong, and grabbed onto her ass. As he lifted her feet off the ground, her jeans fell to the floor, and he inhaled her scent.

  She became wrapped up in the sensations that he created and didn't realize what he was doing until her body hit the bed. Before she could think clearly, he'd pulled her top off in one deft move, leaving her no time to react.

  She looked up at his face, waiting to see disgust, but there was only passion and heat in his eyes. He cupped her breasts in his huge hands, and she closed her eyes as a moan slipped between her lips.

  “No, open your eyes. I want you to watch me take you,” He lowered his head to her breast, and his mouth sucked on one of her nipples. His free hand played with the other.

  Her back arched, and she pushed her breast into his mouth further, seeking more. Dane rubbed his cock against her leg, and she knew her eyes grew wide.

  Dane took his mouth from her breast to reply to her unspoken thought. “It will fit, my Psuchegyne. You're made for me.” His long tongue licked at the scars that crossed her breasts, and he slowly proceeded to move down her body, licking as he went. He brought her legs up over his shoulders and cupped her bottom. Scooting her closer to his face, his gaze watched every movement she made. He lowered his lips to her mound and separated her tender folds with his thumbs.

  He blew cool air on her clit and took her nub into his mouth. She would have flown off the bed, but he held her tight and worked the most sensitive part of her feminine mound.

  Dane sucked and bit it, knowing what she needed. God, no man has ever touched me this way!

  And none ever will! You're mine! One lone finger slipped into her, and she moaned. Two more fingers joined the lone one. He played and tortured her, making love to her with his hand and mouth.

  “Cum for me, baby. I want to watch you cum while I suck your juices,” he murmured, his mouth still surrounding her clit. His voice sent little vibrations through her body.

  She tossed and turned her head. He bit down on her nub. Jaycee's body arched back up, and her toes curled while she clutched onto the blanket under her. A contraction of pleasure raced through her body.

  “Oh, my God!”

  * * * *

  Jaycee lay on the bed, stunned. So this was what she'd been missing.

  It's always like this when mated, baby, and it only gets better as the years go on. He laughed in her head.

  The predator in him moved up her body, kissed and licked soft skin as he went, sucker bites left in his wake. Then she felt it, his sh
aft at her gate, as it waited to enter. She sucked in a breath his face hovered over hers.

  “It's time,” he purred. His mouth assaulted hers at the same time his shaft pushed through the tight, hot muscles, and buried itself deep into her abdomen. Tongues collided together while his shaft pushed all the way in. It stretched her to the point where she didn't think he would fit.

  Jaycee groaned into his mouth, and he devoured it. Gradually his shaft pulled out, inch by inch, only to ram back into her and rub her enlarged clit on the way back inside.

  He broke the kiss, and she screamed, “Yes!” She wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her feet together to take his entire shaft into her. Their bodies pressed flush against one another, his hard muscles against her soft skin.

  Moans filled the room while he pushed in deeper. He grabbed her arms and held them above her head. Dane raised his body and thrust in and out of her. His hooded gaze watched his shaft go in and out of her pussy.

  “Gorgeous. You're gorgeous everywhere.” He moaned and slammed into her again. He raised his head to stare into her eyes. She could feel the blush on her cheeks spread. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

  “Leave your arms up there, and don't move.” His large hands grabbed hold of her ass and brought her up closer to his shaft. Dane's muscular legs stood on the floor while she lay on the edge of the bed. He brought her legs back up to his shoulders and slammed into her.

  She tried to hang onto the bed. Her hands clenched the blanket underneath her. He shoved in so hard the bed rocked back and forth, banging against the floor.

  “Harder” she screamed as the bed broke and her second orgasm hit. His howl signaled his release as she lay sated, half-on and half-off the bed.

  She turned her head and looked into the mirror. Their reflection was hilarious, and she couldn't contain the laugh that poured out of her mouth. She laughed so hard, she didn't even hear the gunshots until she was pulled from the bed to the floor. Dane lay on top of her and growled. She could feel the fur growing on his skin as he changed into his beast form.