Surrounded by Woods Read online

  His eyes gleamed. She could tell he liked the idea of her being playful. “And why not? Do you have no faith in my abilities to charm them off you?” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and she shuddered lightly, unable to control her body’s reaction to him. But she was an attorney; she knew how to turn a situation around to suit her. She could still be flirtatious but maintain the upper hand.

  “No. I’m not wearing any.” She turned and walked to the table, but not before hearing his small gasp. Good.

  She took the seat next to Toby; Josh took the seat next to Thomas who was sitting at the head of the table. It looked like the boys staged across from each other based on age. Josh and Jack sat across from each other with Rob sitting next to Josh and Toby next to Jack. With Mikaela sitting next to Toby, she was diagonal from Josh with a couple of people in the way. At least at meals she wouldn’t have to worry about her reaction to him sitting right next to her.

  Jeffery brought out the food, and everything smelled wonderful. She really was famished. She glanced up from the table, and her eyes immediately landed on Josh. He was staring at her, and she could feel the heat of his gaze from across the table. Apparently, where he sat wouldn’t matter. It was going to be difficult for her to be in any room with him. She forced her gaze to the other men—all of them were looking down at their food—before turning her attention back to Josh. She didn’t want to, but she could feel his eyes on her still. It was a reflex reaction to look again, she told herself. She raised her eyebrows in question, hoping for some kind of change in his stare. If she wasn’t mistaken, he had a possessive, feral aura about him. And even with her staring back, he still didn’t move, didn’t change his posture. She cleared her throat and forced her attention to her dinner. Once she started eating, she chanced a quick look at Josh. He was eating now too. Had he just been waiting for her to start eating before he started? She shrugged off that thought. The less she focused on him, the better off she’d be.

  “So Mikaela, where did you attend law school?” Thomas asked from the head of the table.

  She already felt uncomfortable under Josh’s scrutiny, but this kind of attention was preferable. It would give her the opportunity to hide behind her attorney persona to woo her client and his family. It was a role she was much more comfortable portraying than that of a regular woman. “Loyola. I got a one seventy-five on the LSAT, went under scholarship, made law review, and clerked for the state supreme court. I usually focus on corporate law, but our firm handles all areas for our clients.”

  “That’s good for us.” Thomas chuckled.

  “Yes, sir.” She smiled.

  They spent the rest of dinner asking about her job and her family, and every time she tried to put the attention on one of the guys at the table, they’d find a way to put it back on her. It was an exhausting exchange, not because she wasn’t used to the attention, but because Josh refused to take his eyes off her. She felt like he was critiquing her every word, her every gesture, but she couldn’t fathom why if he was just some guy coming on to her. By the time she finished her meal, she wanted to escape. She was too stubborn to admit that escaping everyone was the same thing as running from Josh, but she was smart enough to know that if she stuck around, she’d be running to him and not from him.

  Mikaela knew she wasn’t ready for that.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m ready to turn in.” She stood, and every man at the table shot up in response.

  “Breakfast is at six,” Thomas said with a smile.

  “Six?” Her voice cracked. As in a.m.? Who ate breakfast at the butt crack of dawn?

  Thomas’s smile became more pronounced. “Is that a problem?”

  “No, no. Er, I just usually exercise before eating.”

  “You are welcome to wear your workout attire to breakfast. We only cleanup for dinner,” Thomas reassured her.

  There was that. “All right. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  Josh hurried around the table. “I’ll see her to her room.”

  So much for escaping. He placed his hand on the small of her back without a response from her. She glanced at the other men at the table, and all of his brothers seemed to be glowering at him. Was he trying to stake his claim? For all they knew, she was unavailable.

  He escorted her out of the dining room and up the stairs.

  “Um, your brothers are nice,” she said to make small talk as a reason to distract herself from his very warm, very gentle caress. She thought his gaze was hard to ignore. That was nothing compared to his touch.

  He made a low noise that sounded like a disgusted groan, maybe even a growl. Apparently, that wasn’t an appropriate topic for small talk, but Mikaela struggled to think of something else to say. His hand continued to rub soothing circles on her back, but with each circuit, he went lower and lower still.

  Josh leaned toward her ear, his lips almost touching her skin. “You look lovely tonight. I’m sorry I didn’t say it any sooner.”

  His breath made her shiver, and when his hand found her waist with a gentle squeeze, her heartbeat quickened.

  “Thanks,” she said a little too breathlessly. What was it about this man that got to her? She knew she shouldn’t be flirting with him, but she couldn’t stop herself from doing so at dinner. She enjoyed her responses as much as the ones she’d coaxed out of him. She surmised that a little flirting was harmless, but that still didn’t explain her body’s reaction to him.

  He reached for her door, opened it, and turned on the light before shutting the door—with him inside her room. Just because she flirted a little and found him utterly delicious didn’t mean she was going to jump into bed with him! Just last month she was engaged to another man. It surprised her that she hadn’t really considered that fact earlier. The engagement was obviously a huge mistake, but until she came here, she hadn’t really thought about moving on. Not that she still loved that jackass, but she just hadn’t allowed herself to think about the future. Maybe there was more to Josh than she was willing to admit.

  And Mikaela didn’t want to admit anything right now, so she just glared at him for his presumptuous behavior.

  “Goodnight,” she said curtly. Regardless of what she was thinking, who’d he think was? God’s gift to her? If so, thank you, Jesus! She felt she’d betrayed herself with that errant thought. Her brain and her body were definitely not in agreement. She was all over the place! But she was a smart woman who made a lot of money off her brain, so she forced her brain to prevail now.

  He took a step toward her, and she stood her ground; she was not backing away from him like she had earlier.

  “You’re a strong woman. I like that. A lot.” He suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her against him.

  She gasped and put her hands on his chest in a defensive maneuver, though now she could feel his erection through his thin slacks, which made her brain foggy. So much for her brain prevailing and her being a smart woman. She couldn’t focus on anything but his touch. “What are you doing?” she breathed.

  He bent his head and sniffed along her neck to her ear, making her tremble, and she knew Josh could feel it. “Taking you in.” His hands slipped down to cup her ass, and he groaned. “You’re not wearing any panties.”

  “I told you I wasn’t.” She wondered—again—why she’d let that little bit of info slip out earlier.

  “I thought you were just saying that to make me hard.” He rubbed himself against her, and it took everything she had not to return the favor. “I have been ever since you said that.”

  He nibbled on her ear, and she moaned. God, he felt so good. Why hadn’t she found the willpower to push him away? This was nuts! He was her client’s son for crying out loud.

  Josh wrenched himself from her ear and crushed his lips to hers. She gasped, giving him the open access he sought, and what little willpower she mustered in the last moment crumbled. Tasting faintly of scotch, his tongue plundered, stroking her tongue like he was fucking her mouth. Heat
shot between her legs, and her pussy flooded with her juices. He felt so good, so confident, so strong, she didn’t want him to stop.

  She slid her hands into his hair and forced him to deepen the kiss. Groaning in satisfaction, he gave her what she wanted while grinding his cock against her belly. They kissed so frantically, nipping and sucking tongues, lips, that she wasn’t sure how she remained standing. Then he grabbed her hips and slowly gathered her dress up on both sides.

  “Are you wet for me?” he asked as he shoved her dress up around her waist, holding it with one hand, and sliding his other hand to cup her. He nipped and kissed her neck while he stroked her nether lips. “Oh, God, you don’t have any hair.”

  His finger delved in, stroking her lightly but ignoring her clit, knowing it’d drive her crazy.

  “Josh,” she breathed.

  “Yes, kitten. You’re wet. You’re so fucking wet.” He slid two fingers inside her pussy and covered her mouth with his to capture her squeal. He pumped his fingers in and out while he groaned into her mouth.

  He moved his thumb over her clit lightly enough to pleasure her, but too light to throw her over the rapturous edge she dangled on. His hands. God, his hands were more skilled than any other that had touched her before.

  She clawed at his hair, pulling his head away so she could catch her breath, and he immediately kissed and nipped at her ear. This was too much, too good, but too much. She was suspended, trapped, and wanted release, needed it harder, faster. “Oh, God, stop teasing me, please.”

  He chuckled seductively. “I like it when you beg, kitten. Tell me what you want.”

  Mikaela groaned and got wetter just from the idea of telling him anything like that. She’d never been vocal during any sexual encounter. Sure, she’d moan and verbally enjoy what she experienced, but she’d never said anything she wanted. But she found that she liked the idea very much. “Faster,” she barely breathed.

  He pulled his face away from the crook of her neck and smiled at her, his eyes filled with lust and white-hot need. Some part of him must’ve realized and really liked the fact that this was new territory for her, making her vulnerable, considering she was such a strong woman. “Like this?” He moved faster, but didn’t increase the pressure. He watched her face as she enjoyed the feel of his fingers in her pussy and on her clit.

  “Yeah.” She groaned. “Harder.”

  He yanked her up against the length of him, still holding her dress in one skillful hand. He shoved his fingers in and out of her pussy harder, faster while he rubbed her clit with the same assault. “Come for me, kitten. I want to feel your pussy squeezing my fingers.”

  “Josh!” Oh, God, he felt incredible. She was almost there, just a few more moments of his deft touch and she would be flying over that precipice into nirvana. She knew this was wrong, but she couldn’t bring herself to care right now. All that mattered was his touch. Nothing else did.

  The knock on the door jolted her out of her abandon. Josh stopped his ministrations, and they both looked toward the door, air billowing out of their lungs.

  “Mikaela, sorry to disturb. Is Josh with you?”

  It was Thomas.

  “Shit,” Josh whispered. “Yeah, I’m still here, Dad.”

  “Can I see you out in the hall?” It was a question, but it sounded like an order.

  Josh slid his fingers slowly out of her, her pussy clenching around them in protestation, and she whimpered. “Sorry,” he whispered. “We’ll have to pick this up later.” He licked his fingers with relish and groaned before dashing to the bathroom and washing up.

  He opened the door within ten seconds. He nodded to his father and glanced at Mikaela. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” she said to him. “And goodnight, Thomas,” she said a little louder with a clear voice devoid any of any guilt or other emotion she shouldn’t be displaying right after his son left her room.

  “Goodnight, Mikaela,” he called from the hall as Josh closed the door.

  Thomas didn’t sound convinced. He knew what they were up to. She just knew it, and he was under the impression that she was an engaged woman. She’d have to come clean with him. Granted, he was still her client and may consider any activity with his son inappropriate, but at least he wouldn’t think she was some slut who’d fool around on her fiancé. Regardless, what happened tonight with Josh had been a mistake. It was very hot, but very wrong. With him gone, the fog in her brain cleared. She was here to do a job, not screw the hot son. What happened tonight wouldn’t happen again.

  She’d make sure of it.

  Chapter Four

  “What the hell are you doing?” Thomas barked at Josh as they walked down the hall, heading outside. “She’s taken.”

  “She doesn’t act like she’s taken. Besides, I didn’t do anything.” At least he didn’t get to finish anything. He’d wanted to rip her dress off, throw her on the bed, and shove his cock in every hole she had. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn’t have been doing anything with her, but she was so damned responsive. There was just something about her, something inside him that wanted to give her whatever she wanted. He’d love nothing more than to feel her come. He’d had every intention of making her come many times before he was finished, before he thrust his cock inside her and sought his own release in that very tight pussy of hers.

  “Don’t give me that shit, Josh. I can smell her on you. It’s underneath the soap you used to try and cover up where your hands were, but my senses are much stronger than you give me credit for.”

  “Look, Dad—”

  “No, you look, Josh. It stops right now. Right fucking now! You know damn well how dangerous this is. If you get too close to her, make her second guess her status with her fiancé, it could push you over the edge, make you want to claim her.”

  He did want to claim her. He’d wanted to the moment he first smelled her. The man wanted to make love to her; the animal wanted to subjugate and claim. But he wasn’t about to confess that to his father. “I’m a lot stronger than Eric was.”

  “Eric thought he was a lot stronger than he turned out to be too. And where is he now? Dead. Along with the mate he claimed against her will.”

  There was no reasoning with him because, deep down, Josh knew his father was right. Just because he knew he was right, though, didn’t mean he wanted to face that fact, so he dropped it entirely and asked where his brothers were. He wanted to hunt, and hunting would help him forget all about what he wanted from Mikaela.

  “They’re already out. They got tired of waiting for you.”

  Josh started for the door. “You coming?”

  “Yes. I could use some fresh air.”

  Thomas and Josh went out back and stripped before shifting into their feline forms. They both sniffed the air and ground before heading out.

  Josh looked at his dad. This way, he said telepathically. It was the only power his feline family had that could be considered supernatural besides the obvious ability to shift.

  I know. Quit underestimating my sense of smell.

  Josh growled at his father’s stubbornness and at his own for knowing his father was right. He didn’t want his father to be right, though. He wanted to be strong enough to claim Mikaela after she agreed to it. But that was the kicker, the reason he knew his father was right. When his kind was around an untaken female, the feral side was too dominant to control. If the mating was not consensual, the female attacked afterward. It was a black widow effect. She’d kill her mate out of spite, to gain a sense of control after that control was taken away through a forced mating, but she wasn’t truly in control herself. Because the mating was too new in that type of situation, the male protected itself by attacking back. Injuries were usually too great to overcome, resulting in the death of both lions.

  Each of them wanted a mate for life, but in order to mate, they needed an untaken woman. But when an untaken woman was around, all logic disappeared and the need to mate drove all instincts. Forcing
a mating satisfied the initial desire for a lifelong mate, but it drastically reduced the lifespan to mere hours at best. It was a vicious cycle. One that had to be carefully played to ensure a successful mating. Thomas had done it years ago with their mother, so Josh knew it was possible. He always knew he’d figure out a way to make it happen, but now with Mikaela in the picture, he wanted to make it happen without a threat to either of their lives. He couldn’t explain how he knew, but he could already tell that she had the potential to mean the world to him one day.

  What’s up, brother? Jack asked as Josh rounded the corner and found his brothers.

  Nothing. Find anything?

  We have some turkey over the hill.

  Josh was grateful Jack wasn’t pushing his buttons like their father was. Good. Let’s go.

  They all raced over and made their kill, feasting on the wild turkey. Such a primitive instinct, to kill. Josh knew that the animal within understood its priorities: food, shelter, mate. And these priorities would be met at all cost. But the animal within was not the man without. As a man, Josh understood the delicate circumstances surrounding claiming a mate.

  Understanding didn’t make things any easier.

  After eating their fill, their languid catlike selves became too much to ignore. If they didn’t get back, they’d end up sleeping in the woods. They trotted back to the house, shifted, and dressed before going their separate ways. Josh started to pass Mikaela’s door on the way to his room, but stopped, tracing his hand along the rustic wooden door, his thoughts in a snarl. If he wanted to ensure her safety, there was only one thing he could do. On a sigh, he turned away and headed to his room. After crawling into bed, he fought sleep, searching for any other answer than the one he knew was right. When he accepted the fact that he’d have to let her go before even having her, darkness finally found him.