Chapter 8

Jayna leaned over Eric’s bare, muscular chest, trying not to be sick as she dug a bullet out. It was hard—there was blood everywhere. She’d never done anything like this in her life, and she never wanted to do it again. But when she’d walked into Eric’s apartment to find him sitting on the floor with his back to the bed, about to root around in his own chest with a flipping pair of needle-nose pliers while Megan held up a small mirror for him, she knew she had to do something. Thank goodness the blood was covering his SWAT tattoo or she’d have to worry about explaining that too.

The mere thought that Eric might actually die freaked her out so much that her canines and claws extended all on their own and she had to pull away for a second to get them to retract. She purposely hadn’t let herself think about what was developing between her and Eric. She knew she liked him. She just hadn’t realized how much. And now here he was, bleeding out all over the floor. This couldn’t be happening.

Eric took her shaking hand in his big one. “Jayna, look at me.” She did. “Calm down¸ okay? I’m not going to die. I just need you to get the bullet out. Once you do, the bleeding will stop and my body will start to heal. I promise. Just relax, and everything will be fine.”

Jayna didn’t know how that could be possible—he was bleeding so much—but the complete and total conviction in his words made her believe him. She nodded and took a deep breath, letting Eric guide her hand as she slipped the tip of the pliers into the tear in his pec again.

“What the heck happened out there?” she asked, more to distract herself than because she really wanted to know.

“He got shot protecting me,” Megan said softly.

That didn’t surprise Jayna.

“It was supposed to be easy,” Megan added, referring to the recon mission she, Chris, and Eric had gone out on after lunch. “We were just supposed to slip into the Union Pacific secure intermodal terminal and figure out where they park their trucks with all the high-value items. But a security guard saw us and instead of acting cool, the Albanians and omegas started shooting at everything in sight—including each other—and Chris and I ended up getting stuck in the crossfire. I don’t understand what’s gotten into them. They should have been trying to get away from the security guards, not trying to kill each other.”

Jayna had a pretty good idea why the Albanians and omegas weren’t exactly besties at the moment, but she pushed those thoughts aside as Eric guided the long jaws of the pliers she held deeper into his chest.

Megan continued her story, something about how Eric had dodged a hail of gunfire twice to get her and Chris to safety.

Jayna stopped listening when she hit something solid and Eric grunted in pain. She froze in panic, sure she’d damaged something critically important in there. “Oh God. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head as he helped her manipulate the pliers even deeper. “Keep going.”

How can he think so clearly in the middle of something like this?

“I’d be dead if it weren’t for Eric,” Megan said. “And Chris would probably be in jail.”

Jayna felt the tip of the pliers contact something that felt distinctly metallic. She slowly pulled out the pliers, sighing in relief when she saw the smashed-up bullet held securely in its jaws. More blood came out with the bullet, but almost immediately, the flow slowed, and she could tell from the way the tension left Eric’s body that the pain had subsided drastically.

“See, I told you I’d be fine,” Eric said with a smile that made her stomach start to flutter for a completely different reason. “You did great. You’re a natural at this.”

Jayna definitely didn’t agree with that. But she didn’t say anything as she set the pliers on the floor and picked up the towel so she could clean the blood off his chest. Megan leaned forward and kissed Eric on the cheek.

“This is for watching out for Chris,” she said, then kissed his cheek again. “And this is for watching out for me.”

Eric smiled. “Anytime.”

Jayna felt her heart squeeze. A few days ago, Megan had thought Eric was just another crazy omega, but Jayna could tell from the way her pack mates treated him now that they didn’t see him that way anymore. In every way that mattered, Eric had become the pack’s new alpha. He was the one watching out for them and keeping them safe. The only person who hadn’t figured that out was Liam. But then, he’d been so busy bending over backward trying to stay in the Albanians’ good graces, he didn’t see much of anything anymore.

Liam had come to her yesterday bemoaning the fact that two of “his” omegas had up and left. He thought Kos had chased them off because they were more loyal to Liam than to the Albanian underboss. “It’s all falling apart,” Liam had said softly, and for a moment, Jayna had almost felt bad for him. Until Liam had told her that he needed Moe and the rest of her pack mates to pick up the slack and go out on even more jobs. “That’ll show Kos he needs to keep me around.”

That was when Jayna decided she didn’t feel bad about Liam losing his pack at all. As Eric had said about his own alpha, a werewolf became a pack leader by showing he cared more about his pack than he did himself. It definitely wasn’t how anyone would describe Liam anymore. But it was how they’d describe Eric.

“I’m going back to the room,” Megan said, giving Jayna a smile—and a pretty pointed look. “I’ll see you later.”

Jayna felt her face color. Could Megan be any more obvious? Yesterday, she’d asked Jayna when she was going to make a move on Eric. According to Megan, it was obvious to everyone that Eric had a thing for her. Jayna admitted she had a thing for him too but said it never seemed to be the right time. Megan must have thought now was the right time since Eric was lying half-naked on the floor in a very appreciative mood.

Jayna wasn’t so sure about that, but she did want to talk to him about a few things while they had a little privacy. So after Megan left, she told Eric to stay put while she cleaned off the rest of the blood.

“This is becoming a habit,” he murmured.

She smiled. “I hope digging bullets out of you doesn’t become a habit. I’m a werewolf, not a doctor.”

He let out a low, sexy growl as the towel slipped a bit too low. “Okay, tell me you didn’t just steal a line from Star Trek.”

Jayna laughed. “I guess I did. I feel like such a nerd.”

He flashed her a grin. “That’s okay. I think nerds are sexy.”

By the time she got the worst of the mess off, the bleeding had completely stopped and the wound looked measurably better. She was amazed at how fast he healed. None of the werewolves in her pack could have knit up so fast, not even Liam.

She rinsed out the towel, then gently rubbed it over his chest and abs again, in case there were any scratches or cuts she hadn’t noticed the first time.

“So, now Megan loves you too, huh?” she said.

Eric’s mouth twitched. “Too?”

Jayna smirked right back at him. “I’m talking about Moe. He told me all about what you did at the drug lab the two of you went out to raid with Kos this morning, how you let those gang members go after Kos ordered you to kill them, then burned the place down so no one would know. Moe was pretty worked up, so I didn’t get all the details out of him, but I can tell you one thing for sure: as far as he’s concerned, you pretty much walk on water.”

Eric snorted. “I’m far from that perfect. Those guys I cut loose this morning were hardcore gangbangers. Making meth is the least of their crimes. I told them to get out of town or end up on a slab in the morgue. They chose the first option. I have no way of knowing if they’ll leave though. If they show up on the Albanians’ radar, I’m screwed. But what else could I do? It wasn’t like I could just kill them in cold blood.”

Jayna leaned over to wipe up some blood that had gotten on the inside of one of his bulging biceps. The move brought her T-shirt-covered breasts extremely close to his well-muscled chest, and she swore she could feel the heat pouring off him. She cleaned off the blood, then sat back as quickly as she could. While she enjoyed the sensation of being so close to him, she wasn’t sure if she liked where that sensation might lead.

There was no denying the attraction between her and Eric, even if the loft wasn’t the best place to pursue it. He never pushed, which Jayna appreciated, but she’d have to be blind not to notice the gold that flared in his eyes any time they got close. Even now, after having a bullet dug out of him, she could see the desire burning like molten sunlight.

Her breath hitched, and she had to work to calm her pulse and her breathing, knowing part of Eric’s excitement was due to the arousal pheromones that probably poured off her whenever she was this close to him.

“Moe thinks you did the right thing, and so do I,” she said. “What did you tell Frasheri when you got back?”

Eric laughed, making his abs tense and flex in the most mesmerizing way. She seriously loved those abs.

“I was going to lie and tell him that Kos was skimming money, but I didn’t have to. It turns out Kos told Frasheri we only got fifty grand and a couple bags of meth from the drug lab. All I did was tell Frasheri the truth—that it was more like a hundred grand and fifty baggies of junk.”

Jayna’s jaw dropped. “You mean that Kos really is ripping off his uncle?”

“It looks like it. Frasheri’s heart rate went through the roof. A few minutes later, he gave me another one of those big manila envelopes full of cash and asked me to take it to the self-storage locker.”

Jayna couldn’t believe it. When she and Eric had started Operation Distrust three days ago, they’d had no idea it would work this well. Last night, Frasheri had told Eric that two of his most trusted soldiers had disappeared in the last week and that he believed Kos had killed them. Then Frasheri gave Eric a piece of paper with the address of a nearby self-storage place, the combination to the lock on the door, and a duffel bag full of money and guns to stash there if Kostandin made a move against him. At this rate, war could break out between the two factions by the end of the week. That could be very good for her and her pack.

Jayna was about to say as much to Eric, but as she gazed at him, she forgot about the Albanians. Eric’s eyes were molten gold as they burned into hers, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him right then.

“This is for taking care of Chris, Megan, and the rest of my pack,” she whispered as she closed the last few inches between them.

Jayna meant for it to be a simple thank-you kiss, but the moment her lips touched his, her entire body tingled from the contact, and she knew there wasn’t going to be anything simple about it. One kiss definitely wasn’t going to be enough.

But if she didn’t stop to take a breath, she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. She lifted her head with a soft growl to find Eric regarding her with eyes so gold they almost glowed. He was just as excited as she was. He made no move to pull her close and pick up where they’d left off though. Instead, he caught a tendril of her long hair and curled it around his finger, the corners of his mouth curving up in a smile that was both playful and flirty.

“So, was that a simple thank-you-for-helping-my-pack kiss?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she answered, knowing it had been about a whole lot more. “But this next kiss is all for me.”

Giving him a smile, she slowly threw her leg over his and straddled his lap, then put her hands on his shoulders and leaned in to cover his mouth with hers. The move was so bold and unlike her, but it felt right too, and she just about lost herself in how amazing kissing Eric was. But as it always did, that little voice in the back of her head that came out whenever she got close to a guy popped up again to tell her she was making a serious mistake. She tried to ignore it, but the voice only got louder until it was practically shouting at her to slow down and get control of herself.

Eric must have picked up on the struggle going on inside her, because this time, he was the one who broke the kiss. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded and gave him a small smile, then leaned in for another kiss, but he stopped her with a frown. She sat back on his thighs and covered her face with her hands. Eric may have been the one guy she could finally open herself up to, and she was going to ruin her chance because she was so screwed up.

Eric’s big, strong hands took hold of hers and gently lowered them from her face. “Jayna, what’s wrong? If I pushed too hard, I’m sorry. But please, talk to me.”

Jayna couldn’t look at him, so she stared down at their intertwined hands through eyes welling with tears. “It’s not that, I swear. But it’s complicated. And a long story.”

“Well, with you sitting on me, it’s not like I’m going anywhere, so you might as well tell me.”

She would have climbed off his lap, but his hands settled on her thighs, keeping her seated firmly right where she was—straddling his hips in a position that made it impossible to ignore how much he enjoyed having her there, even with all the drama going on.

Jayna looked down at her hands. “I went through my change when I was seventeen…the night my stepfather tried to rape me.” Eric let out a soft growl but didn’t say anything. “Since then, I’ve had a hard time getting physical with guys, and when I do, it tends not to work out too well for the guy or me because I’m basically a mess.”

Jayna held her breath, waiting for him to ease her off his lap and pull away from her, but he didn’t. He didn’t say anything either. Oh crap. This was bad.

She slowly lifted her head, afraid of what she’d see on his face and praying it wouldn’t be pity. She’d be off his lap and running with all the speed her werewolf legs possessed if he gave her one second of pity.

But when she met his gaze, there was no pity to be seen. Just understanding.

“Thank you for telling me that. It explains a lot.” He gave her a small smile. “But I’m still here. If you feel like telling me the full version of the story, I mean.”

She stared at him, speechless. She’d just told him that she was messed up in the head and unlikely to be a good roll in the hay for a really long time to come. Yet here he was, waiting for the rest of the story. And the most amazing part? She was ready to tell him. It was a story that no one but Megan knew in full, and she was ready to tell a guy who wasn’t even in her pack, a guy she’d known for less than a week.

So Jayna sat there, straddling his lap, and told him everything, starting with how her real dad had died when she was young, how her mom had turned to drugs first, then crappy guys to get through the day, how Darren had attacked her, and how she’d stabbed him, then walked away without ever looking back. After that, she told him how Liam, Chris, and Joseph had found her practically freezing to death on the streets of Detroit and taken her in. She even told him about sleeping with other guys over the years because she had this crazy notion that if she acted normal, she’d be normal.

“But it never worked,” she finished quietly. She had a feeling it would be different with Eric though—if he was patient enough to put up with her while she worked out her issues. She gave him a sheepish look. “Sorry I dumped all that on you at once.”

His mouth curved into that smile she loved so much. “You didn’t dump anything on me. I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me.”

Jayna was glad too, and for the first time in forever, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It felt good.

“Did you ever go back to find out what happened to your mom?” Eric asked. “Or see if your stepfather lived?”

She shook her head. “My face never showed up on any wanted posters, so he must have been okay. As for my mom, well, I didn’t think there was any reason to bother. The pack became my family, and I moved on.”

Even though Jayna was pretty sure she’d killed the mood after a conversation like that, she couldn’t stop from leaning in to press a tender kiss to Eric’s lips.

“Thank you,” she said. “For listening.”

He grinned. “Anytime.”

It occurred to her that she should probably get off his lap, but she didn’t want to. Despite everything, Eric was still excited. His hard cock, trapped between them as she sat astride his thighs, told her that in no uncertain terms. That hardness felt good…and scary at the same time. She might have slept with guys, but none of them had ever made her feel anything like this.

She looked at him from beneath her lashes. “Maybe we could try and see how things work out with us? I think it would be different with you.”

He cupped her face in his hand. “I think it would be different too. But I’d rather find the right place and time to ease into this slowly. I don’t like the idea of Kos or Liam or Frasheri walking in here when we’re in the middle of something good. So why don’t we leave this pot on to simmer for a while?”

She hadn’t even thought about someone walking in on them. Eric was right. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t disappointed.

Eric weaved his fingers into her long hair and pulled her close to give her a long, lingering kiss that left her wanting more. And soon.

If she didn’t leave now, she might not have the strength to.

She reluctantly got to her feet, then offered him a hand. He took it and walked with her to the door.

“I’ll see you later?” she asked.

He grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. “Count on it.”

Jayna went up on her toes to give him another kiss, then slipped out of his room and hurried downstairs. Megan must have heard her coming because her friend opened the door before Jayna could even knock.

“Well?” Megan asked with a grin that would make the Cheshire cat proud. “Did you have fun?”

Jayna laughed. Considering that Megan wasn’t much more experienced with guys than Jayna, she was certainly interested in her and Eric hooking up.

“Yes, I had fun,” Jayna said. “But all we did was talk.”

Megan frowned. “You mean you two didn’t…you know?”

Jayna shook her head. “No. We got close, but we both decided the loft isn’t exactly the best place to…” She smiled. “You know.”

Megan considered that. “Then maybe you and Eric should get out of here for a couple hours and go somewhere you can have privacy.”

As much as Jayna loved that idea, she couldn’t. “There’s no way I’m leaving you and the guys alone for that long.”

“That’s silly,” Megan protested. “We’ll be fine. And if we need you, we’ll call you and Eric.”

Jayna didn’t answer as she walked over to the small fridge in the apartment’s kitchenette and took out two bottles of water. She handed one to Megan. Her friend took the bottle but didn’t open it.

“Jayna, Eric’s a really great guy. My mom always said that great guys don’t come around that often, and that if you find one, you should hang on to him. And you deserve a great guy like him.” Megan smiled. “I’m not saying you have to do anything if you don’t want to, but at least get away for a few hours together. If anyone asks, we’ll say you went out for coffee or something.”

Jayna chewed on her lip. Spending time with Eric away from the loft and all the drama would be nice. Like Megan said, it would only be for a few hours.