I couldn't see the difference and said as much.
She snorted. "That's because you're a wolf, and everyone knows wolves have no morals."
I raised my eyebrows. "So what's so moral about fighting and fucking for money?"
"Perhaps not a lot, but there are lines some of us won't cross. Werewolves don't seem to have any lines."
"And you've had how many years experience with werewolves?"
She looked away and mumbled, "None."
I snorted. "One good thing about wolves is that they prefer to judge a person by their actions." I stripped off my knickers and dumped them with the rest of my clothes. "I'm off to explore."
Neither woman commented or offered to come along, for which I was extremely grateful. Not only did I plan to scout the house and grounds, but I also wanted to find me a stallion. And maybe even catch a little riding action.
The main house seemed a whole lot bigger in life than it had on the plans and, as Dia had warned, there were cameras everywhere. If the halls weren't darkened at night, then moving through them without being seen was going to be next to impossible.
After touring the rooms that were accessible, I glanced at my watch and was relieved to see I still had nearly two hours before I had to be back. I found a door that led outside and followed the white pebbled driveway around to the paddocks that housed the barns and the horses. There were several women out riding—some of them naked, some not—and men in dark uniforms hanging over the fence, wolf-whistling and throwing lewd suggestions at the women. Like that was attractive or something. I guess some men simply never grew up.
A crinkled, weather-worn man who had to be at least eighty came out of the barn as I approached. "You here to ride?"
I nodded and looked past him, searching the shadows for Kade. I couldn't see him immediately, but the barn was huge and he could be anywhere.
"You know the rules?"
Again I nodded. "We're allowed to ride anywhere, aren't we?"
"As long as you do your half hour in the front paddock for the boys, you can go where you like on the estate. Within the boundaries already outlined, of course."
Which meant we weren't likely to raise suspicions when we nicked off into the forest. Excellent. "And are we at least allowed a saddle blanket? Horse hair and nether regions are never a pleasant combination." And I knew that from experience.
He gave a short, sharp laugh. "You got that right, girlie." He reached behind the door, then handed me a blanket, girth, and halter. "Any one of them bad boys is yours."
I raised my eyebrows. "They're all stallions?"
"Mostly. The boss does sometimes bring in a mare in heat, just to watch the boys fight."
"Nasty."
He shrugged. "It's nature at its finest."
Or madness at its finest. "Thanks."
He nodded. "Just remember—you get hurt, we aren't responsible."
"Has anyone ever got hurt?" I asked, curious.
"Yes."
"So what happened to them?"
He shrugged. "Isn't my problem."
I very much suspected they weren't Starr's problem, either. Not after he'd tended to them in a less than conventional way. Like burying them. Dead people don't talk—unless, of course, they were vamps, and Starr was the type to stake first, ask questions later.
I flung the girth and blanket over my shoulder and walked into the shadowed barn. A careful study of the upper spaces of the barn didn't reveal any cameras or microphones. Maybe they figured nothing of interest would happen in the barn and hadn't bothered—and for that I was extremely grateful. It at least meant I could sneak in here after hours and not worry about anyone spotting me.
The air was rich with the scents of horse, hay, and shit, and as I moved down the aisle, heads swung my way, dark eyes gleaming intently in the muted light. They were all tall and strong looking, most of them chestnut or bay. And all of them reacted to my presence, either snorting in fear or backing away. Horses and wolves were never a good combination. Kade, a magnificent mahogany bay, was down the far end.
"Hey, big boy," I said, for the benefit of the stable hand cleaning the stall opposite. "Want to go for a ride?"
He stomped a foot and snorted, his velvet brown eyes seeming to gleam with anticipation. I grinned and opened the stall door, not bothering to lock it again because Kade wasn't going anywhere. I looped the halter over his nose and ears, threw the reins over his head, then tossed the blanket across his back. And noticed, when I was bending down to cinch up the girth, his erection.
"Someone's pleased to see me," I murmured, and had my rump nipped for my trouble. I chuckled, and hauled myself onto his back.
Kade was moving before I was fully settled, trotting back down the aisle and breaking into a canter once we'd reached the paddock. I moved in rhythm with his stride, enjoying the whip of wind across my skin and through my hair as much as the sensation of being a part of so much contained power. The bouncing boobs weren't so enjoyable—actually, they were downright painful—but I doubted the wolf whistlers hanging off the fences would care either way.
We did our allotted half hour, then cantered around the lake's shoreline before into the trees, not stopping until we'd reached a small stream deep within the shadowed, green darkness.
I slid off his back and stepped back as the golden shimmer of shapeshifting appeared on his nose and quickly spread across the rest of his body. He was just as magnificent in human form as he was in horse, his mahogany skin, black hair, and velvet brown eyes a truly striking combination. And it wasn't only his coloring that was magnificent. He was built like a thoroughbred—broad shoulders, powerful chest, slim hips, and long, strong legs. I knew the power of those legs. Knew how hard and strong they could hold a person as he drove himself deep.
I wanted to reel that again.
Badly.
He stepped free of the blanket and girth, his gaze holding mine as he pulled the halter away from his neck.
"Do you know," he said, his voice deep and somewhat husky, "how long it has been since I've had a woman?"
I let my gaze slide down to the tent pole he had happening. "A while by the look of that."
"Three weeks," he murmured, as he moved toward me. "Three horrible, torturous weeks in which heaven was so close, and yet so far."
I grinned as he pressed a hand against my shoulder and pushed me backward, until my spine was pressed up against a tree. "I gather we're talking about the naked women riding you?"
There was only inches between us. The heat of him burned across my skin, and the air was deliciously filled with his musky odor and the rich scent of desire. It had me melting in an instant, and wanting him more than I'd wanted anyone for a while. Well, for at least the last twenty-four hours, and for wolf, that was a long time.
He raised a hand and brushed wispy strands of hair from my cheek. "I missed you."
His fingers trailed heat where they touched, and the longing already trembling inside became a symphony. I touched his chest and let my fingers explore the well-defined ridge of muscles that ran down his stomach. This man was hot in so many ways. "And I you."
The smile that tugged his lips went beyond sexy, and my hormones did an excited little jig. Of course, my hormones never needed much prompting.
His touch moved gently down my neck, and sent my pulse tripping. Between his caress, the way his breath teased my lips, and the desire that singed my senses, I was pretty much in danger of internally combusting. But he didn't get on with it, just said, "You realize this first time will be fast. I need you too badly for it to be anything else."
"Fast is good." Right now, even I didn't want slow.