Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Read online

  Determined to pretend it had never happened, she ran a bath and washed the memory from her mind. She sat in the bathtub and replayed the moments over and over again. Not only was she now scared of those woods, but her dog was lost in them. Knowing there were wolves in there made her want to go back out and find Tiny, but even the thought of stepping over the threshold filled her with dread. A loud knock interrupted her thoughts. Someone was at the front door. Wondering who could possibly be visiting her, she threw on her robe and quietly crept down the stairs. Peeking from the window she saw that it was her handsome neighbor, Nate. She opened the door, but with the chain lock firmly in place.

  “Hello.” She said.

  “Hi, I brought something for you.” Nate whistled sharply into the air.

  Tiny came running from the yard and onto the porch.

  “Oh my God, you found him!” She unlocked the chain let the door swing open. “Tiny!”

  Tiny came rushing in and licked her face. She embraced him and held her arms tight around the soaking animal. When she finally let go, he just ran off into the kitchen to his bowl, as though nothing had happened.

  “Thank you so much.” Allison said. “He got away from me again and I couldn’t find him. I was afraid I’d lost him forever.” She didn’t mention the part about the wolves in the woods.

  “You’re welcome. I saw him out in the rain and thought you’d be worried.” Nate told her.

  “Well, thank you again. He has never been this way. I guess it is the new area and all the wildlife. Who knows, but I am thankful to have a neighbor like you. I promise I will do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Allison smiled at him. “Would you like to come in for a minute? Have a drink… or I could fix us something to eat? It is the least I could do for bringing you out in a storm like this.”

  “No, that isn’t necessary, but thank you. Maybe some other time. I have some business to take care of at home.” He nodded to her. “Have a good day and stay safe. I hear the storm is only going to get worse.”

  Nate turned to leave and as he did Allison caught a flash of something that had been hidden under his jacket.

  “Wait.” She called out to him. “Come here.”

  Allison stepped out onto the porch and reached up to Nate. She moved the collar of his jacket aside to reveal a white bandage taped to his neck.

  “What happened to you?” She looked up into his face looking for an answer.

  “It was nothing.” Nate said as he pulled the jacket back over his neck.

  “Nate.” Allison stared deep into his hazel eyes, the golden shade startled her, it was familiar and as she took a step back she knew exactly who it was that had saved her in those woods. “You? Wait, but… how is this possible?”

  “Allison…” Nate whispered her name, his golden eyes looking into hers, revealing what he couldn’t say.

  “You are the wolf… the one that saved me!” Yet even as the words left her lips she questioned the statement, the insanity of it, but inside her heart she knew the truth. Nate was a werewolf.

  Chapter 4

  Damn it. How did he let this happen? Nate had always been the cautious one, the one that made every decision thinking three steps ahead. Now here he was, knee deep in trouble. As Allison said the words out loud he knew it was too late. She’d seen his eyes, both in his wolf and human form, and she was obviously way too smart to convince otherwise. He couldn’t get her out of this one. He wasn’t worried about himself, he could survive, but she was now in mortal danger. If other werewolves found out that this human woman knew their secret they would hunt her down and kill her.

  Their secret was precious and sacred. Of course people like his father did not care if a human saw them or figured them out because those of his kind like his father had no problem murdering them. Nate on the other hand, valued humans and found no joy in killing them. He took great care to keep to himself and to stay in his land, just so he would not run into issues like this. Not to say that he had always been so innocent, but he was different now, and for seven years he had done nothing but stay away from trouble. This was all Brett’s fault, and when he found him he was probably going to tear his throat open.

  “Say something.” Allison’s sweet voice said. “Talk to me,”

  “What do you want me to say?” He looked down at his feet, unable to look into her eyes, as felt he had now endangered her life just as much as Brett had.

  “Maybe you should rethink my invitation inside. Maybe you should go ahead and come inside to talk.” She said.

  Nate brought his eyes from his feet to her face.

  “You find out that I am a dangerous werewolf and you invite me into your house alone with you?” He asked, surprised at how this fascinating woman thought.

  “I know you won’t hurt me.” She stepped aside and motioned for him to come in. “But you will offend me if you decline my invitation for a second time.”

  Intrigued by her bravery and presence, he stepped into her home and watched as she closed the door and locked it. She was locking the door as though there was something more dangerous than a werewolf outside.

  “Do you want something to drink; coffee, tea, water, beer?” She asked as he followed her into the kitchen.

  “No thanks.” He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, not knowing what to do next.

  “Relax.” Allison told him as she smiled. “I won’t bite.”

  It was not her bite that he worried about as he smelled her delicious scent.

  “Why are you not afraid of me?” He blurted out.

  “I’m just not.” She opened the refrigerator and poured herself a cold tea.

  “You should be.” He leaned back against the wall. “Just looking at you makes me want to taste you.”

  Allison sat her drink down on the counter and looked at him.

  “Taste me like… eat my flesh, or taste me like… kiss my mouth?” She looked so beautiful as she spoke.

  “Either.”

  “But you wouldn’t hurt me.” She said it like it was a fact.

  “No, I won’t hurt you.” He would sooner die than hurt her.

  “Okay, well… then kiss me.”

  “What?” He was always surprised at this woman, she was so unpredictable.

  “I said kiss me already.” Allison stepped towards him and dropped her robe to the floor, her scent filled his nose and her gorgeous body was too much to handle.

  Nate reached for her face and brought her lips to his. Her tongue was as lovely as he thought it would be and her mouth tasted like summer strawberries. Allison pulled him closer and pressed her breasts up against his chest.

  “My bedroom is upstairs.” She whispered to him.

  Before she could say another word, he picked her up and carried her up the steps and into the bedroom. Laying her down softly on the bed, he dropped to his knees and parted her legs with his hands. Not wanting to wait another minute, he put his head between her thighs and tasted her opening. She gasped and moaned, clasping onto his hair as she begged for more. Her body tasted just as good as he imagined and he wanted more and more of her on his tongue. His tongue flicked and lapped her as he devoured her sweetness. Spiraling and curling his tongue inside of her, he enjoyed each second of her slit. Her legs began to tremble and she called out his name as her orgasm landed upon his tongue.

  “More!” Allison begged. “I want all of you!”

  Nate brought his head out from between her legs and replaced his mouth with his erection. He rubbed and teased her opening with it before finally giving her exactly what she wanted. As he entered her, Allison cried out in pleasure, each inch slowly stretching its way into her. He wanted to take it easy and slow, but she pulled him in deeper with her legs wrapped around his hips and pleaded for him to go harder.

  Wanting nothing but to satisfy her, he plunged deep into her and pumped in and out. She moaned and scratched down his back, turning him one even more. Each second inside of her was paradise and he wished to be there f
orever. He had never known such pleasure and bliss. Her mouth found his neck and she scraped her teeth across his skin, teasing him with her soft bite.

  “You like that, huh?” She asked him as he hammered into her.

  “I like your mouth anywhere on me.” He told her as he used his own mouth to suck on her breast.

  He began to feel her tighten around him again, and it was so sensational that he found himself going over the edge as well. The two of them climaxed together, quivering and shaking in each other’s arms. When they had finally finished he laid beside her, staring at the ceiling, unable to think of the right words to say.

  “Now you have tasted me and I am unharmed.” Allison said. “See, I have no reason to fear you.”

  “You have every reason to fear me. Now I know just how good you taste.” He turned to his side to see her beautiful naked body next him.

  “Are you trying to scare me because it won’t work?” She pulled the blankets over her bare skin.

  “Do you really want to get involved with someone like me?”

  “I think it is a little too late to change my mind now.” She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his arm. “Besides, maybe you should be the one asking if you really want to get involved with a girl like me.”

  He smiled even though she couldn’t see his face. The woman had spunk and he admired her bravery, but he couldn’t help but fear it may get her hurt.

  “Just promise you won’t repeat this to anyone, I am serious. No one can know that you know about me.” He couldn’t believe he was even having this conversation with her.

  “I promise.” She put her hand in his. “Now, I think you may need to stay in my bed with me all night, just in case. Safety is best.”

  “But it is not even the evening yet.”

  “Well, I guess we will just have to think of ways to occupy our time until night.” She kissed his chest and looked up at him.

  “You have the appetite of a beast.” He told her. “Lucky for you I am still hungry.”

  Nate kissed her lips again. He knew that he should go home, he knew that he should leave this woman and never look back, but after tasting her he would never be the same. Instead of doing what his instincts screamed at him to do, he stayed with her all evening and deep into the night.

  Chapter 5

  When morning came Nate was gone, but Allison had felt his arms around her all night. She could not believe how seductive she had been in her kitchen the day before. It was not like her to be so forward, never mind invite a man into her house. She was a cautious and untrusting woman; especially after all she had been through in the past few years of her life.

  When Allison saw Nate’s hazel eyes and knew exactly what he was, something inside of her ignited, like a flame was lit solely for him. She wanted him bad and it was an urge too strong to resist. It was insane. She must have gone mad. Werewolves were real? Not only had she found out that these beasts of folklore were genuine, actually existed, but she had slept with one of them, a man she knew could and did turn into a wolf. Had she imagined or dreamt it all? It was too unreal to be true, yet she could still taste his presence on her tongue and feel his warmth in her bed. He had been there, and every bit of him was as legendary as one would imagine.

  Needing to distract her mind from the craziness that had consumed her world, she jumped out of bed and decided to do something productive. First, she took Tiny out to play in the grass for a few minutes and then she got dressed and fixed her hair. She was going to run to town for a few things when she looked around her new dusty home. As much as she would rather take a drive to the bakery, or run into the hardware store for some supplies, she started working on the house instead.

  The house was not run-down, far from it, but it was in need of a good cleaning and a whole lot of sprucing up. When she had decided to move away from the city, a trusted friend had suggested this town. The friend, Sarah, said she knew the property agents and would be able to help her get into a house. This was a huge relief because Allison had a shadowy past that she feared would keep her from being able to get somewhere to stay. When her friend talked to the property agents they sent pictures of the very house she was in right now and said they were desperate to get a tenant and willing to work with her. It seemed like a perfect solution to her living situation.

  As she scrubbed the walls and mopped the floors, she couldn’t help but think about her past and how her cleaning had never been enough for her husband. She would scrub for hours, but he would still find something wrong, but that was the same with everything in all of their homes.

  Her cooking was too cold or bland, the laundry was never folded perfectly, and even the way she made the bed was ridiculed. Nothing was ever good enough for that angry man. Thinking about her ex-husband began to overwhelm her. The pain from her past started to fill her with panic as she stared down at the wet floors. Dropping the mop, she ran upstairs to her bathroom and slammed the door, locking it behind her. Her image in the mirror was different than the woman she had left behind. Her brown hair was now blonde and the man that had forbidden her from wearing makeup was gone, so the lipstick and mascara she now wore would never have been allowed, but the most significant thing that differentiated her from that image of the past was that in her reflection she was now a happy woman. She would be just fine, but she decided to go outside for a breath of fresh air before starting to clean again. Since she needed to get some paint and supplies, she grabbed her car keys and took a drive into town.

  Bill’s Hardware Store was definitely not the huge franchise store she was used to shopping in, but it had enough colors to choose from and all the supplies she needed. Plus, the man working there was very helpful and friendly. Sometimes a smile has more of an effect than anyone realizes, and today she needed all the smiles she could get.

  “You must be new to town. I have never seen you before.” His name tag read Joe.

  “Yes, I have only been here a few days, but this town seems like a place I might stay for a while in.” Allison thought about her night before with Nate and blushed a little. “Everyone is so nice.”

  “Where did you move?” Joe asked her, but she didn’t answer as she looked up at him reluctant to answer. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. Stranger danger. I get it.”

  He laughed nervously, like he had wished he hadn’t asked. It made Allison feel bad for overreacting and fearing the conversation. She wasn’t used to living in a small town where people knew where everyone lived and didn’t fear their neighbors.

  “No, that’s fine. I am staying on Jupiter Pike, in a house that needs some painting, hence the supplies.” She smiled as she held up the paint she was purchasing.

  “Jupiter?” He asked. “Just be careful in those woods. There have been a lot of animal attacks lately. A couple of different farmers have reported their livestock missing or killed. I think it’s coyotes, but some have been saying wolves.”

  “Wolves? I don’t think there are any in these parts, are there?” She thought about Nate and his golden eyes. “But I will be careful. Thank you for the info and the paint.”

  She left the store before he could speak any more about wolves in her backyard. The daylight was warm, but the air through the window was cool on her skin. The drive home was enjoyable as she thought about her rendezvous with the beast from next door. She barely knew Nate, other than every inch of his body and the fact that he was a werewolf, yet she couldn’t help but feel connected to him. It was as though she had known him forever, or perhaps she was just telling herself that to validate her sexual encounter with him. It was so unlike her to sleep with someone she barely knew. She was not a promiscuous girl. Hell, she had only dated two other men before meeting her husband, and she had never been as forward as she was with Nate the night before. She couldn’t help herself. He was so attractive and irresistible. The way he looked at her turned her arousal all the way up to max. He made her feel sexy, and that was something she had never really felt before.<
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  She parked her car and took the keys from the ignition. When she lived in the city she never had a driveway and sometimes had to park streets away from her townhouse, so she was still getting used to the comfort of pulling right up to her porch and being actually home. As she walked up the front steps, she saw something move from the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look beside her, where she thought she had seen someone, no one was there. It must have been a bird or squirrel, maybe some other animal. After all, she was living in the country now and not in the city, but when she turned back to her door there was something strange sitting there. A single pink rose was lying in front of the door. Her hands began to shake as she looked around for signs of who might have left it. There was no one, but that did nothing to calm her fears. Someone had been there and that pink rose was there to taunt her.

  Her mind flashed back to her marriage and the nights her husband used to beat her mercilessly, they had always been followed by mornings of apologizes and two dozen pink roses. No, that pink rose was not a coincidence, it had been left there for a purpose. She suddenly heard a noise. The very fear she had run so far to escape was now catching up to her. She fumbled with her keys, her hands were like jelly, slipping and trembling, as she rushed to unlock the front door.

  “Hello.” A man said from behind her.

  She screamed and dropped her keys as she feared what would come next.

  “Allison, calm down. It’s okay. It’s me, Nate.” He told her.

  “Nate?” She turned around to see the man who’d held her all night standing tall, yet ten feet away, and she wished he’d embrace her more now than ever.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice was gentle and she finally let out a deep breath, relieved to see him instead of someone that may be there to harm her. She leaned back onto her door and attempted to gather her composure. “What’s wrong? Are you alright? Do you want me to go?”