“Hi.”
She stepped from behind the door and his breath left his lungs with a whoosh. Someone had given her more of his clothing to wear. What the hell was up with that? Didn’t any of the other pack members have clothing they could loan her? His wolf growled low and long at the thought of her wearing another male’s clothing and he realized that wouldn’t have been such a good idea. But still, he had fucking women in his pack and they should have made sure she had something to wear. The way his t-shirts hugged her breasts he realized she didn’t have on a bra and was instantly sporting a woody. He had to shift his stance as his cock grew behind the zipper of his jeans.
Damn but he wanted her.
Janet took an involuntary step backwards when Liam smiled down at her. She was already nervous about spending the evening with him. After her training session, she’d spent the afternoon with the other women who had been rescued and later with Kim. Some of the women had already left, their families having rushed to Liam’s pack as soon as they’d been told the whereabouts of their missing loved ones.
Some, like Janet, had no pack. Like her they had either been sold, or the crazy lion had tricked them into joining his pride with the promise of belonging. Janet know how enticing that would have been.
A place to belong. Something she’d always wanted.
“You ready, baby?”
The endearments threw her off balance. No one had ever been kind to her. But it wasn’t just the words, it was also his voice. It was deep and low and made her that much more susceptible to his considerable charms, even if she knew the smile and the warm words were automatic. He probably called all the females in the pack, baby. He’d probably slept with them all too, if he was anything like her old alpha. She shivered thinking about what would have happened to her if the bastard hadn’t sold her to the lion. Thinking back, she realized she’d probably gotten off easier than if he had kept her. Despite the ridicule and humiliation she’d suffered at the hands of both the female and male members of her pack, she’d seen the flare of lust in the alpha’s eyes. When he looked at her, he’d wanted her to know he was going to have her in his bed. Despite the fact that she was curvy and he’d had never hidden his disdain for her extra pounds.
Another devastating smile from Liam distracted her from those dark memories. She wondered, not for the first time that evening, what he really wanted. He’d sent a message through Gary, the pack beta, that he wanted her to have dinner with him tonight. Janet had been taking her meals in her room or eating in the dining room with Kim when she knew Liam would not be home.
He smiled yet again. Damn, the man. Did he know what the sight of those amazing white teeth and full bottom lip did to a woman? Seeing the knowing glint in the big wolf’s devastating brown eyes, Janet knew he knew exactly what that smile did to a woman.
Made her knees buckle and her pussy weep.
She stepped out of the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her. Privacy was one of the things she valued most. She’d never had a room to herself when she was growing up. She’d been shuffled from family to family until she was fifteen. Then, she’d found a small abandoned cabin in the woods and made it her home. No one had protested the fact that a fifteen-year-old female was living on her own. No one had cared.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Liam frowned at Janet’s words. They were an odd combination of sarcasm, hurt, and fear. A combination he didn’t like. Especially since he’d sensed another emotion as she’d stood there, looking at him as she’d gotten lost in her thoughts. He’d smelled her arousal. A fragrance he’d never forget and that had his wolf panting in anticipation. Then, just like shutting off the water with a faucet, the enticing aroma had disappeared.
He moved aside, allowing her to go first down the hallway. His house was huge. He’d razed the former alpha’s to the ground and built this one. The pack had built it. He’d seen the project as a way to bring everyone together. Plus, most of the males hadn’t held a decent job in years, too busy doing the dirty work the alpha had assigned them. Extortion, drugs, even some arms dealing. He’s hired them, paying top wages and helping them rebuild their pride.
He’d had to rebuild the trust within the pack and within the community. It had taken time, but he had brought them back together. Now, a pack once filled with wolves on the verge of going rogue, had mated couples, children, and infants. Families.