by Eve Langlais
She dug her nails into his shoulders, holding him in her grip while rocking her hips over his cock. A smile curled her lips when she gazed into his golden eyes. He licked his lips and pulled the dress slowly up over her hips, belly, breasts, and finally off altogether.
“You take my breath away. My wolf demanded I claim you the moment I saw you. It’s been hell fighting that instinct. Tonight you become mine forever.” He motioned for her to stand and once she’d complied he pulled her lacy black thong down her legs, placing kisses along her thighs as he went. Afterward he kissed his way back up to her stomach. She groaned and stood in place. He licked circles on her stomach and around her belly button. He caressed her breasts, down the sides of her breasts to her waist, and squeezed the flare of her hips.
She took a choppy breath. He fluttered his fingertips down from her hips toward her core, and she bit her lip to keep from moaning. When he massaged her thighs, she was ready to beg him to touch her. Before she had a chance to, he moved a hand between her legs and dipped his fingers between her waxed pussy lips.
He groaned. “Fuck, Shawna. You’re so hot and wet. Is that for me, baby?”
“God, yes. Just for you.” She moaned. Each dip of his fingers into her wet sex made her whimper louder. He stood, and she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye. His eyes were sexy, stormy. He put his arms around her waist and held her tightly to him. Their hearts beat in a furious, identical gallop. He switched their positions and pushed her to lie on the bed. Her legs ended up spread-eagled, showing off her dripping cunt. Possession filled his eyes when he glanced over her naked form.
“Fucking gorgeous. Seeing you earlier like that in bed, so wet and wanting, made me believe that good things do come to those who wait. But now this. This is heaven. This sight will be one I burn into my memory forever.”
Her whimpers and moans made it hard for her to catch her breath. “Hawke, please.”
Kneeling at the edge of the bed, he leaned his body between her legs. His gaze locked on her swollen folds. “I have to taste you.”
She was going to explode and he probably wouldn’t have to touch her. He pushed her legs wide open with his massive shoulders, and her ass came off the bed. He curled his arms around her legs and gripped her hips with his hands. Arousal flashed through her when he licked a lazy trail around her wet pussy lips. He raised his eyes to look at her and licked his lips.
“Mmm. Delicious.” Harsh pants coming from her own lungs were all she heard while she watched the erotic vision of him licking at her cunt. He stroked his tongue around her entrance until she was ready to tear at her skin. After multiple quick flicks, he used his tongue to pierce her sex and fuck her.
She groaned and rocked her hips under his face. “Oh yes, yes, yes.”
Moans tore from her dry throat while he circled her swollen clit with his warm, wet tongue. With her arousal worked up to an uncontrollable inferno, she clawed at the bed. He wrapped his lips on her needy clit and then brushed his tongue mercilessly over it. Her muscles tensed and shook. She screamed when she came. Her head lifted, slammed back down on the cushion, and thrashed from side to side. Pleasure thundered and washed through her. His hot, muscled flesh grazed her body when he moved up on the bed.
Their gazes met, and she smiled. Satisfaction still hummed in her veins. She curled her hands into his dark hair and pulled him up. He kissed her with hunger and passion, ramping up her desire once again. She was still shaking from coming so hard. She held her legs wide open and peered down to watch while he slid his hard cock across her dripping pussy, coating it with her juices. She grabbed his thick length and guided him to her entrance.
“Fuck, Shawna, I don’t want to hurt you.” The sound of his gravelly voice sent pricks of lust down to her clit. She was slick enough for him to slide his big dick in without causing pain. Her legs curled around his waist. When he glided his cock down into her pussy, she lifted her hips off the bed and helped him impale her until he was balls deep in her cunt.
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned into her shoulder.
At the same time, she moaned at the amazing fullness inside her. “Oh my God.”
“Goddamn. You feel fucking incredible.” He pulled back and plunged in a fast thrust that fanned the flames inside her body.
“Yes, yes, yes. More!” The words left her throat in a garbled mess of pleas. She rocked her hips trying to get him to move faster. One minute he was taking his sweet time driving her crazy, and the next he turned into her very own sex machine. He fucked her with faster, harsher drives. Pummeling her pussy with his stiff cock, he had her so far gone she was ready to beg for more. The scent of sex and passion filled the humid air.
* * *
He circled his tongue over the shell of her ear and bit down on the lobe. Then he whispered in that deep voice that made her nipples tighten and her pussy flutter, “You’re going to come for me. I won’t stop fucking you until you do. Want me to fuck you until you come?”
“Yes, yes. I want to come. Please make me come.” Digging her nails into his shoulders, she clung to him. He drilled her in harder slaps of skin on skin, and she moaned louder at the delicious friction inside her pussy. She wanted to feel his chest on hers and pulled him into her, raking his arms and back with her nails in the heat of the moment. Tension gathered inside her, heightening her need for more. She tilted her hips, and he hit her G-spot with so much force she trembled. Everything cracked inside her. Her back bowed, and she screamed his name. Air rushed out of her lungs, and bliss rushed through her. He continued to drive his cock into her body, her pussy contracting around his cock until he’d wrung every shudder out of her body.
“We’re not done, babe.” Shawna bit her lip in confusion as he pulled out and flipped her over. “Up on your knees, baby. I need to claim you.” She shivered at the thick layer of lust that infused his words. She glanced over her shoulder to meet his eyes and saw the raw hunger he was fighting to keep in check for her sake. His wolf was close to the surface.
“I’m yours always.” She’d barely finished speaking before she was impaled on his cock. Her slick channel squeezed at his shaft repeatedly. Shawna was on fire, her whole body was on fire, she wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Hawke felt bigger this time. Like he’d expanded inside her somehow.
“Hold on, baby. I won’t be able to last long,” he panted as he began thrusting. She could feel his fingers as they dug into her hips as he pulled her back to meet him. Shawna had never felt so full in her life. Shudders began to wrack her body, stronger than before. She gasped as she felt him lean over her back, changing the angle of each thrust.
“I love you, baby,” he whispered right before he sank his teeth into her shoulder and began to shake. He slowed his thrusts until he held himself immobile above her and groaned into her shoulder. His cock jerked inside her and warm semen filled her womb. With their bodies still twined tightly together, he lifted his head and kissed her, a slow, languorous stroking of his lips over hers.
EPILOGUE
“It’s only your mother and brothers. You don’t have to be nervous, babe!” Hawke called as he stepped into the bathroom and gave her a droll stare. “What is taking you so long?”
“Hush, now. I’m just nervous. It’s been so long. I never thought I’d see them again and now they’re here.”
Hawke smiled and pulled her gently into his arms. “Didn’t I tell you we’d find them and bring them home? It took some time, I’ll admit, but it was for their safety.”
Shawna nodded. “I know. And I was able to talk to them, so that helped, but it’s been six months since they were rescued. So much has happened since then.”
“Yes, it has. But just think: It’s finally over. The trial is done, they’re all going away for a long time, and your family is safe. They don’t even have to hide anymore. Nathaniel pulled a lot of strings to make that happen.”
Shawna smiled and pulled out of his arms. “I know, and I will be forever grateful. You and our friend
s have done the impossible. They have a new life thanks to all of you. I wouldn’t have been able to pull any of this off.”
Hawke winked. “Come on, we’re late.”
She rolled her eyes but let her mate pull her out of the bathroom and down the hall. She’d moved into Hawke’s house the day after he’d confessed they were mates. Six months and she was still overwhelmed at the amount of space and rooms this place had. One of her greatest joys was teasing him by calling it the Hawke Manor. “House” just seemed so inadequate.
“You’re fixating again, aren’t you? I told you it’s just a house, and in a few more weeks it won’t be that quiet here anymore.”
“Shhh,” Shawna scolded as they turned the corner in the living room where all the guests were waiting for what she was told was a welcome home party for her family.
“Surprise!” a chorus of voices screamed at once.
“What?” she exclaimed as she took in the faces of her friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. “What’s going on?”
“We’re shifters, remember? We knew probably before you did!” Keir called with a wink. “Congrats, lil mama.”
Shawna couldn’t contain the tears as she saw her mother standing a few feet away wiping at her own cheeks. She looked tired and a bit older but healthy. “You’re really here?” Shawna asked as she took a step closer, almost as if she was afraid her mom would disappear as soon as Shawna got too close.
“I’m here, baby girl. I’ve missed you so much,” her mother replied before she rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug. “I love you, sweetie.”
Xander walked over to where Hawke was watching from his place in the doorway. “She hadn’t a clue?”
Hawke smiled. “Nope, she’s been too focused on the reunion to notice anything else. Everything all set?”
“You doubt me?” Xander scoffed. “Yes, it’s all good. Keir gave them an apartment in the building he owns. Ally’s mom, Arlene, is their neighbor, actually. It’s rent-free for as long as they want to live there.”
“It’s true!” Keir called as he stopped beside them. “Besides, it helps me out too. Arlene could use someone close by to help out sometimes. Ally is getting exhausted; I’m about ready to tie her to the bed.”
“Do you really need to tell us about your kinky sex life at my baby shower?”
Xander laughed at Hawke’s dry tone. “Still think it’s pretty amazing all our mates are pregnant so close to each other.”
“I’d like to think you’d know how that happened, but you are shifters, so who knows if things work different with you all.”
Hawke smirked as he turned to face the newcomer and offered his hand. “Robbie, it’s wonderful to see you. How are you?”
“Gettin’ better every day. Thanks to you all. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for all you’ve done for me.”
“Don’t thank me. You saved my mate. The least I could do was help you. Besides, you did me a favor by taking that job. Henry has been a lifesaver for Shawna. Business has skyrocketed and my employees’ morale has improved by almost double everywhere.”
“I kept meaning to ask, but what exactly is old Henry doing anyway to help Shawna?” Xander questioned. “I mean, when I think of Henry I really don’t think matchmaking, you know.”
Hawke laughed. “No, but he’s got an uncanny ability to read people and get them to open up to him. Shawna has him set up to meet the new clients and welcome them. He talks to them and learns things that end up helping her tweak the clients’ profiles so that they are matched right the first time. When he’s not working with her, he’s playing spy and reporting back to Rebecca and me anything that’s going on anywhere in the organization that needs attention.”
“Like last week, right?” Robbie interjected, grinning.
“Yes, exactly,” Hawke replied. “Henry overheard one of the data analysts talking about how she was struggling to find a babysitter for her sick child. Henry brought it to our attention and we decided to implement a new policy. The analyst checked out a laptop and is working from home until the child can go back to school. She didn’t lose her paid time off and doesn’t have to put money out she may not be able to afford.”
Keir looked stunned. “Can I hire Henry away? I could use someone like him.”
They made small talk until Shawna made her way over with her mother in tow. Hawke wrapped his arms around his mate and winked at her. “You okay, love?”
“I am now. I’ve got my whole world here in this room together finally.”
THE WITCH, THE WEREWOLF, AND THE WAITRESS
Kate Baxter
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Kevin Courtney, for helping me in my research of all things Lowman, Idaho. Also, a huge thanks to my amazing agent, Natanya Wheeler, and everyone at NYLA, my kick-ass editor, Monique Patterson, as well as Alexandra Sehulster, and the amazing cover artists, copyeditors, and marketing team at St. Martin’s Press. You guys rock!
CHAPTER 1
“I hereby call this meeting of the Lowman Liars Club to order.”
The six old men at the table chortled at their weekly Sunday-morning greeting as Ellie Curtis filled their mugs with coffee. The Lowman Liars Club, as they called themselves, never missed a Sunday morning at the Sourdough, and they were hunkered down and fully prepared to whittle the morning away, laughing, arguing, and telling tall tales, until the conversation inevitably wandered to politics, which usually started a fight or two and sent everyone home.
Ellie wasn’t about to complain. Sundays were usually slow and her shift at the little restaurant and general store had a tendency to crawl by on broken legs. At least the ornery old farts hanging around this morning would offer her a little entertainment. God knew she needed a distraction. Immortality could be so boring.
“Hey there, sweetie, can I get my cinnamon roll?”
Ellie shook herself from her reverie to find Frank Burns looking up at her expectantly. His grin was part charming octogenarian, part dirty old man. He never missed an opportunity to try to flirt with her. Though in Frank’s case, he thought flirting equated to giving her antiquated nicknames like “sweetie,” “toots,” “honey,” “girlie,” “sweet cheeks” … The list went on and on. Ellie had heard them all in the forties and fifties when they’d actually been popular. The patriarchy still thrived among the members of the Lowman Liars Club. She doubted they even knew what feminism was.
“I dunno, Frank.” Ellie gave him a sweet smile. “I talked to Marge yesterday and she said you’re not supposed to be eating too much sugar.”
Frank harrumphed. “What Marge doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” he grumbled. “Now get on to the kitchen and grab me a cinnamon roll. Extra icing.”
Ellie pursed her lips and cut him a look. “You’re lucky I like you, Frank.” She ducked behind the counter and poked her head through the kitchen service window. “Hey, John, Frank wants his cinnamon roll. Extra icing.”
John, the owner of the Sourdough and one of the fifty or so full-time residents of Lowman, Idaho, grabbed a spatula and scooped a platter-sized cinnamon roll from a large cookie sheet and slapped it on a plate. He baked them fresh every Sunday and they were Ellie’s only weakness. Warm, soft, gooey, and oh, so cinnamony. And the homemade cream cheese icing was the stuff of legends. Before the day was over, she’d serve up at least a dozen of these babies. Every Sunday, Frank made sure to order the first one fresh out of the pan. If he didn’t get the first one, there was always hell to pay.
“Here you go.” Ellie set the plate in front of Frank. She pulled a notepad from her apron and addressed the table at large. “Okay, gentlemen, what are we having?”
One by one, the five remaining men placed their orders. Ellie didn’t know why she even bothered to ask anymore. They ordered the same thing every Sunday, never deviating from their routines. If she’d been thinking, she would’ve had John start everyone’s food beforehand so she could have it waiting on the table for them when they got there.
“You got a crush on Frank or something, Ellie?” Tom McKenzie asked. He never wasted an opportunity to give her a hard time. “Why does he get his food before the rest of us?”
“You know why, Tom,” Ellie said with a grin. “If I don’t give Frank that very first cinnamon roll, he’ll ruin all of our day.”
Her reply earned her a round of laughter from everyone at the table, including Frank.
“You’ve got her trained good, Frank,” Tom teased.
Ellie rolled her eyes. She wasn’t about to get these guys into a discussion on why it might behoove them to join the twenty-first century in regards to their attitude toward women. Instead, Ellie humored them, knowing their time on this earth was short. Human lives passed in the blink of an eye. She’d seen too many of them come and go. Their fragility earned them a pass every now and then.
Ellie busied herself around the restaurant, filling salt and pepper shakers and ketchup bottles and folding napkins around silverware while she listened to the table of elderly men ramble on about nothing and everything. The sounds of their voices became white noise in the back of her mind as her thoughts wandered. In two centuries, not much had changed. Then again, in a place as small and isolated, how could it? Very few people were interested in carving out a life in this little corner of the world. Even by Idaho standards, Lowman was nothing more than a blip. The sort of place you drove through on your way to somewhere else.
The area hadn’t even been called Lowman when Ellie’s family had settled here. The town got its name a little over a hundred years ago when Nathaniel Winfield Lowman breezed into the area and homesteaded here. He’d claimed discovery over an area that had been populated by both Native American tribes and trappers and explorers for ages. But until Mr. Lowman had seen fit to set up a post office, no one had cared.
Ellie’s family had settled in this area long before any of that. When the wilderness was still truly wild and those who inhabited it lived in tandem with one another and nature. It hadn’t been the easiest life back then, but it had been a good life. Until a vindictive witch decided Ellie needed to be punished for something she’d had no control over, changing her life forever.