Taming the Alpha Read online

  But this was different, really different. She drew in a sharp breath, her dance coming to an abrupt stop. His eyes were locked with Jax’s, her heart thudding in her chest. Different, and dangerous. And it was everything she wanted.

  Without thinking Nikki leaned forward, lips parted. Jax slowly ran his hands up her arms, his fingers leaving behind a trail of goose bumps on her skin.

  “I…” Her voice was barely a whisper, tinged dark with lust.

  “Shhhh...” He sat forward; his lips so close to hers she could feel his breath, smell his masculine scent. His eyes drew her closer, held her enthralled, captive.

  When his lips brushed against hers, it sent a wave of heat through her body. She shuddered, closing her eyes, letting him claim her lips with his, moaning against the sensual feel of his mouth against hers.

  The tip of his tongue traced along her lower lip, and she gave herself over to the kiss, opening her mouth, meeting his tongue with hers. She settled her body against him, arching her back as his hands moved from her arms to slide up her torso.

  He held her easily, his hands spanning the curves of her body, resting just beneath her breasts. It felt as if she were weightless, suspended against him as he slid further down in the chair, as her body rested against his. She was aware of his growing erection pressing against her stomach, hard and hot, and she wiggled in his grasp, seeking more contact. Jax flexed his hips upward, pressing himself against her, moaning against her mouth.

  Time seemed to stand still, the kiss deepening, intensifying, sending frissons of pleasure through her body. It could have been minutes or hours, but when Jax finally sat up, gently setting her feet on the floor, she was weak and breathless.

  “Oh…well.” Nikki opened her eyes. Jax was smiling at her, his eyes almost glowing in the dim light of the small room.

  “I broke your rule.” His voice was low and there was no hint of guilt and certainly no apology.

  “You did.”

  He was still smiling at her as his hands slid up her torso as he gently pushed her away from him, before rising from the chair. Nikki looked up at him, confused.

  “Wait. Are you…are we finished?” She’d never had any man leave before she was finished with her dance. But then again, she’d never let one go so far with her as she’d let Jax. Her mind was a swirl of confused emotions. But her body was a swirl of arousal and passion, no confusion there at all.

  “I think I should leave.” Jax leaned forward, kissing her forehead. “I’m not sure I’m good for you…or you’re good for me.”

  “But…wait. Are you coming back?” She was standing in front of him now, hands on her hips, blocking the doorway. No one walked out on Nikki, without good reason. And not if she hadn’t kicked them out first.

  Jax looked down at her, an amused smile playing around his lips. “Do you want me to come back? You don’t even know me. For all you know, I could be the big bad wolf.” He leaned forward, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I could be all kinds of wrong for you, Nikki.”

  “I think I should be the one to decide that, don’t you?” She stepped forward, running her hands up his chest as his arms slid back down her body. “I could be all kinds of right for you.”

  She caught the beat of the music from the club, dancing against Jax. “Besides, I notice that I have some kind of effect on you.”

  Nikki rubbed against Jax, her hips swaying, her breasts against his chest. She heard him moan low, something that almost sounded like a growl. His hands slid down further, cupping her ass briefly before finding their resting place on her hips. Nikki looked up at him from beneath her thick, dark lashes.

  “So…you’ll be back, right?” She tilted her face to his again and his lips were on hers, harsh and primal. She felt his growl against her mouth and it set off a deep thud of arousal low in her belly. No man had ever gotten her so hot so fast, with just a kiss.

  Jax finally broke away with a gasp. “I really have to go. But…” He pulled her hard against him for a moment. His erection pressed against her stomach, undeniably hard.

  “I’ll be back. How can I resist?”

  “You can’t.” He pulled away, ducking through the curtain. Nikki followed, pouting.

  She watched Jax walk out of the club before turning back to the throng of men, the loud music and the smell of the promise of sex. Mack tried to keep the girls in line and Nikki knew there was a lot more than just promises being sold in the private rooms. She sighed, moving back behind the curtain for their drinks, draining hers in one long swallow. Jax’s glass was half full and she looked at it briefly, before draining it. Nothing left to go to waste, except the promise of a night with Jax.

  Chapter Two

  Jax stepped out of the club, turning blindly down the sidewalk, out of the glare of the neon light of the club’s sign, relentlessly flashing overhead. The night closed around him as he walked down the gritty broken sidewalk. There weren’t many who’d walk down these streets alone, but then Jax wasn’t just anyone. Being a werewolf, even when the moon wasn’t full, gave him confidence and strength that no mortal would ever possess.

  But it didn’t always give him common sense. He’d come this close to taking that girl with him, back to his house, to his den. Taking her almost any place where he could have torn off her clothes and taken her. His body still ached, his erection slow to fade from her touch, her kiss, her incredible scent.

  But he hadn’t. He stopped at the corner, leaning against an abandoned and shuttered building, the bricks rough against his arm, wondering just what the hell he was playing with. She wasn’t the one, couldn’t be the one, not the girl he wanted for his mate, and definitely not the kind of girl the alpha male would bring back to the pack.

  He ran a hand across his face, suddenly tired. Tired of the search for a mate, tired of the pack’s restlessness, of their waiting for him to take control. And that was no attitude for an alpha male to have. And certainly not one to show to his pack.

  The moon was two nights from full and he could already sense its pull, its control over him. The restless feeling was there, as if the skin on his body was too small to contain his muscles and bones, as if they were already shifting into the creature that he became each full moon.

  And with that, the desire to mate was almost uncontrollable. While Nikki had danced and gyrated against him, it had taken all his control not to throw her down on the floor and take her right there.

  Jax pushed angrily away from the building, jamming his hands in his pockets, striding down the dark street. Coming to the club in the first place had been on a dare from Bec, goading him into looking for a mate in a place full of women. He’d said if he couldn’t find a mate there, he’d never find one.

  Bec. His rival, his greatest critic, his younger brother. Always at him, after him, pushing him, biting at his heels. And now, that Jax had become alpha male, Bec had become absolutely relentless.

  “You’re not ready, Jax. You’re not mated. You’re not blooded… you haven’t even made a kill since you’ve been alpha. You’re not what this pack needs. You’re not alpha male material.”

  Jax had rounded on his brother, lashing out, raking his nails across Bec’s face. They were alone, and it was all Jax could do not to tear Bec’s throat out.

  “I am the alpha male of this pack, Bec. There’s nothing you can do about it. Either accept it, or move on.”

  Bec had touched his fingers to his face, pulling them back, looking down at his blood on them, as a snarl curled his lips. “Don’t think I won’t, brother. Blood’s not enough to keep me here. There are others, too, that don’t think you’re the right one to lead us.”

  Jax knew talk like this was dangerous. Any pack member who spoke against the alpha male…any pack member who wasn’t his brother…would have found himself with a slashed throat, bleeding on the ground, left to die.

  But, as always, because Bec was his younger brother, his only remaining family, Jax held back. Because he knew Bec was right. He needed to
make a kill as alpha. And he needed a mate. Desperately.

  And now here he was, wandering around in a seedy neighborhood in Philly, the scent of a woman all over him, rubbed into his clothes, on his hands. And as much as he tried to tell himself, to make himself believe she wasn’t the one for him, every time he took a breath, his body told him otherwise.

  He sighed, turning down an alley, breaking into a lope, heading for home.

  *

  For Nikki, the rest of the night passed in a blur of thumping music and sweaty men. And for the first time that she could remember, she was distracted, more than ready to call it a night. Most nights got tedious at the end of her shift, doing the same old bump and grind, the same lap dance, only with a different guy pinned to the chair. But tonight she found herself wandering around in a daze, mechanically taking men to and from the private rooms, turning them on and taking their money.

  It wasn’t until almost closing time that she had a chance to take a break in the back room. Lori was there, dressed in casual street clothes, or what passed for street clothes for her. Her top revealed just as much cleavage as her working outfit. The only piece of clothing that was any different were the jeans and those were practically painted onto her long legs, hugging her firm ass.

  “You headed out early?” Nikki flopped down on the couch, dropping her feet onto an old plastic chair. Her feet were killing her, always did. Fuck me pumps were great for the show, but for a night of being on her feet, they were hell.

  “Yeah. Mack said I could. I’ve got a date, wanted to at least get there before that bar closed, maybe get a little drunk on someone else’s dime.” Mack’s rule of one free drink per shift put a damper on Lori’s enjoyment. She’d claimed she danced better drunk, but Mack firmly held by his rule. He said he was tired of picking her up off the floor as the night went on.

  “Someone I know or someone new?” Nikki was never sure who Lori was seeing these days. She seemed to have a string of boyfriends, none of whom lasted more than a few weeks.

  “Dunno. Does the name Mark ring a bell?” Lori frowned, pursing her lips.

  Nikki shook her head, leaning back and closing her eyes. “Did you see the new girl? I missed her set. And Neon? What’s up with the name?”

  “You didn’t see her set? You really missed something then. She’s got these crazy ass tattoos that only show up under black light. Mack put in special lighting, just for her. Some trippy looking shit, if you ask me.”

  “Wonder how long before she trips off the stage in the dark.” Nikki laughed softly, to herself.

  “Hey, I saw you with your mystery man. Got to give him a private show. How was it? You get a good tip?” Lori sat down at the lighted mirror, touching up her make-up.

  “Oh, shit. I never got paid!” Nikki thumped her head against the wall in frustration.

  Lori turned around to look at Nikki for a long moment. “Wow. Must have been some guy, if you forgot to ask for the cash. That’s a real newbie mistake, Nikki, not something you would do. Hope you made enough in tips to cover with Mack.”

  “Yeah. I did.” Nikki shook her head. She’d been stupid, so engrossed in the guy she totally forgot he was a paying customer. And she’d never even got to finish the dance.

  But what had happened with Jax was still playing through her mind. She could still feel his lips beneath hers…still feel the sense of barely controlled passion or power or whatever the hell that was lurking under that calm exterior. Besides the obvious sexual arousal that came off of him in waves, he’d radiated pure animal magnetism.

  Lori’s laugh interrupted her thoughts. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” She’d turned around, facing Nikki, lighting a cigarette. She blew out a puff of blue smoke, flicking the match into an overflowing ashtray.

  “I haven’t seen you this out of it since that guy….what was his name? The guy from France or Germany or some place? He had an accent and I swear, the minute he said your name, you turned into a big puddle of mush. He was such a prick to you. And he smelled bad, smelled like those horrible little black cigarettes he smoked all the time.” She waved her own cigarette, suddenly animated.

  “And you even said the sex was horrible! Remember? I said he was like…”

  Nikki raised her hand. “Yeah…Lori, I remember. I was there, it was me that had sex with him. I don’t need a blow-by-blow recount of my own sex life.” Nikki pushed herself up from the couch.

  “Listen, have a good time on your date. And be careful in the alley. Eden said she saw some guy hanging out by the dumpster, that he said some pretty rude things to her.”

  “Yeah. I know. It’s China’s druggy ex-boyfriend. He’s stalking her or something again. I’ll be careful…always am.” And then she was gone, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

  *

  Jax rolled over, his arm across his face. The sun was high and he was reluctant to leave his bed. He’d managed to slip into the house without Bec noticing and he wanted to avoid his brother for as long as possible.

  The girl from last night…Nikki. Nikki haunted him. He’d taken a shower but her scent still clung to him. There was something deeply satisfying—and very arousing—about it and he shifted in bed, her scent and memory having a definite physical effect on his body this morning.

  But no matter how arousing, that scent and those memories were attached the wrong girl. There was no way the pack—and especially Bec—would accept a stripper as alpha female. Right now, pride wouldn’t let him bring her home, pride in his pack, in their history and heritage.

  Jax and Bec had had that heritage drilled into them for as long as he could remember. They were the first pack of the New World, their ancestors stowing away on ships that crossed the Atlantic, with the doomed Roanoke Colony in North Carolina.

  He knew the truth the history books didn’t. The colonists didn’t starve that first winter or seek refuge with native tribes. They were the first kills made by his ancestors, the first on this new land to be blooded into the pack.

  From there, they’d spread out across the country, splitting, creating new packs as the old ones grew too large or fighting led a group to strike out on their own. Jax and Bec’s pack had been in the Philadelphia area for well over two hundred years, before this country even existed.

  They were proud of their heritage and, if truth be known and had become somewhat elitist over the years in who they chose to add to their pack. Jax wasn’t sure how that had happened, but it was the fact of the matter that, right now, bringing back a stripper would never be accepted by the pack, even if he chose her as his mate.

  Pack numbers were dwindling because of this attitude, combined with more awareness of their numbers by mortals. They’d always been reclusive, but now were almost driven underground. Jax knew it would be up to him to break with tradition, but he knew also that could divide his family, and possibly cost him his life.

  “Still in bed? Rough night?” Bec was in the doorway of Jax’s room, arms folded across his massive chest.

  Jax slid out of bed, planting his feet firmly on the floor. “Bec, I’m not in the mood right now for your comments. If you haven’t got anything positive to say, then just shut up.”

  “So the search for a mate didn’t go so well?” Bec took a step into the room, sniffing loudly.

  “I smell her…and she smells like sex.” Bec looked at his brother. “Are you taking them for a test ride now?”

  Jax was instantly on his feet instantly, hands balled into fists. “Bec, out. Out of my room. And while you’re at it, out of the pack. I’ve had enough of your insolence. If you’re so sure of what it takes to be alpha, by all means, go be one.”

  Bec snorted. “You really mean it this time? Or is this more posturing?”

  Jax took a step closer to Bec. “With all my heart. I mean it. Out.”

  “You realize you’re splitting the pack. I’ll take with me those that want to go. And there are more than you think.”

  Jax blew out a breath. “You seem to forget I�
�m splitting the family as well, Bec. Or does that not factor into your plans?”

  Bec frowned. “You’d really let me go?”

  “Really. I’m alpha now, Bec. And I get that it’s hard for you, that you think by some means it should have been you. But it’s not. You can fight me for it, and I’ll win. You know it, and I know it.”

  “You’d really fight your own brother?” Bec’s frown turned to a look of disbelief.

  “Bec, what do you want from me? You’re not happy I’m alpha. You’ve let everyone know how you feel. I give you the chance to go…hell, I tell you to go, but you stay. I tell you I’ll fight, you don’t believe me. Just what the hell do you want from me?”

  Bec shook his head. “If you don’t know, then I guess it really is time to leave.” He turned, pausing in the doorway. He spoke without looking back.

  “You’re not going to make it alone, Jax. You need us, as a pack.”

  “I don’t need anyone. Close the door on your way out, Bec.”

  The door slammed, the sound echoing in the room. Jax sat wearily on the bed, head in his hands. This was so much harder than his father had made it look. But his father hadn’t had a little brother dogging his every move. He found himself lost in a sea of memories for a long time, finally rising, pulling on jeans and a t-shirt before padding downstairs to see exactly what he had left with for a pack, knowing he was now left without a family.

  Chapter Three

  Nikki usually had Wednesday nights off, but by early evening she’d found herself either restlessly wandering around her apartment, or just as restlessly flicking through television channels. She was distracted and irritable, and annoyed with herself. With a frustrated sigh, she tossed down the remote, grabbed her bag and headed to the club.