by Jade Alters
“How lucky you are? Ahh, Stone—”
I arched hard as his cock moved deep inside me, shuddering around the spark of the sensation, and muffled my cries against his shoulder. All this waiting and dreaming and desperation, and it had finally come to this moment, more blissful than I’d hoped. I felt his heart beating in time with mine, hard and rapid inside his chest.
Before long, I felt his thrusts get a little more frantic — felt the desperation as he tipped his head back to find my lips and kiss me again through his shuddering, heavy orgasm. Soft and sweet no longer. Hand slipping down between us to rub at my clitoris with careful consistency, he made sure I followed not long after, kissing my sharp-edged cries of pleasure into muffled ones.
He couldn’t stay all night. In fact, he didn’t dare to stay for more than an hour; he didn’t want to alarm Blake in case the alpha awoke to find Stone missing from his bed.
“He’s pretty serious about stuff,” he said, flashing me a lopsided grin of apology. “I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
There was a flirtatious flicker in his eyes that pulled a tight knot in my stomach, making me wonder whether he already knew about my similarly wonderful trysts with Preston and Blake. If it was, he didn’t say so, and kissed me a moment longer before crawling off the bed.
My heart was still pounding minutes after he’d left, long after it had slowed from the flurry of my orgasm. Living here felt like losing my mind one man at a time — and now that I’d slept with Stone too, that only left Hale lagging behind.
As I closed my eyes, feeling a wave of inexhaustible lust wash through me, I had already made up my mind.
I’d come this far. I wanted all four of them. If he’d have me, I needed to be with Hale too.
Hale
Having sensed Stone’s animal glow as he came back from duty, I figured it must have happened for him. He finally had his moment with Jess. Wanting her like I did, I couldn’t even bring myself to tease him about it. Instead, I just shot him a grin and patted his shoulder as I passed by. Saying something wasn’t in my best interest, anyway. I knew I’d have the same light in my eyes the second I was lucky enough to take my turn, and then he’d be firing the same barbs right back at me.
If she really was the One Mate, of course.
It wasn’t that I doubted it, per se. I knew how I felt when she blushed and looked away, too shy to hold my gaze; I knew the feeling of deep satisfaction that settled all over me whenever I helped her out in some small way. All the signs were strong — and maybe that was why I didn’t dare to be sure. The idea that we’d found a One Mate at all was dizzying. For it to be Jess, and for it to feel like this?
Shit. I’d be crazy to let myself hope for it. If it didn’t pan out, the disappointment would crush me.
Of course, I could try and think logically about all I wanted. Actually, resisting those feelings would be a different battle entirely. The second I stepped into the kitchen, hearing the door close on Blake and Stone behind me, I was caught up in the hourglass shape of her as she watched them walk away, and the unsteady rhythm her fingers drummed out on the counter-top.
I tapped her shoulder, stepping quickly to the other side before she could catch me there. Her smile was flustered, but sincere. She blushed right across the bridge of her nose, and tucked imaginary out-of-place hairs behind her ears.
“You’re a born nuisance,” she said, without any force or irritation whatsoever. Far from it. The quirk in the corner of her lips was full of warmth and light — despite the shyness. “Good morning, Hale.”
“Morning, Jess. You sleep well?”
She turned her body away from the window now, leaning back against the kitchen counter. I was well-practiced at ignoring the swells of lust I felt around her now but seeing her hips arch forward a little against the surface drove me wild. I forced myself not to look directly, instead focusing on setting the coffee brewing.
“I did,” she said. “For some reason I was extra-comfy last night. Like I was exactly where the universe wanted me to be right then. Is that weird?”
I swallowed. Lucky I was good at holding my composure. “Maybe?” I said, trying to sound casual. “But if it is, it’s a good weird.”
“I guess so.”
Even now, she struggled to meet my eyes. I could see the blush had spread all the way down to her collarbone, and couldn’t help but grin at her. “Aw, man. I still scare you after all this time?”
Jess tutted. “You don’t scare me. I’m just… distracted, I guess. I have a lot to do today.”
“Oh, right. Yeah.” I smirked. As the coffee started brewing, I stepped back from the counter to give her a full look. No matter what she said, I could see that pretty glow of embarrassment on her. I figured I ought to take pity. “Well, don’t let me keep you. I’m gonna head into the shower.”
“Oh. Okay.” I didn’t know why this should be a surprise to her in the morning, but it sounded that way. Jess gave me a faint smile, shrugging her shoulders and turning back to the sink. “Well, you enjoy. I’ll be right here.”
I bit back a flirtatious invitation. She’d come to me on her own time, or not at all. Being playful and a little intimidating was one thing, but I absolutely did not want to risk making her feel pressured or uncomfortable. Whether she was our One Mate or not, I’d never treat her that way.
In my bathroom, I set the shower running. Preston was already awake and out training in the fresh air, so I didn’t have to worry about being too loud; I could turn my speaker on and play the kind of high-energy music I needed to wake up properly. As the mirror began to steam up, I dropped my clothes in an unceremonious pile and stepped with an audible sigh into the water. With the combination of the intense pressure and heat of the shower and the background buzz of my music, I felt like I was coming back to life — and I hadn’t even been too worn out to begin with.
For a military man, I had always been a little too prone to losing myself in showers. In ordinary service, I’d never get away with it. Here, in our little special ops cabin with our two shifts, it didn’t matter so much that I closed my eyes and forgot how long I’d been under the spray. It didn’t matter that I forgot about almost everything except Jess’ warm smile and the curve of her ass until I heard a knock at the bathroom door.
“Yeah, come in,” I called. I assumed it was Preston, needing something from the bathroom — but when the door opened it was Jess that appeared there, forcing herself to hold my gaze with a shy, brave smile.
“Hey.”
“Well, hi.” I couldn’t contain my surprise, but I certainly wasn’t embarrassed. She couldn’t see anything immediately private thanks to the frosted glass at waist-height, and I sure didn’t have a figure to be ashamed of. She seemed to like what she saw — but that didn’t answer any of my questions. “You okay? You need something?”
“I, uh.”
She cleared her throat. Only when she caught her bottom lip between her teeth did I realize that this wasn’t a practical visit, and in a heartbeat our roles reversed. My jaw dropped a little, staring with unabashed intensity at the grin on her face.
“So, um. You want company?”
“You fucking bet I do.”
I stepped closer to the glass, one hand up against the pane to get a better look at her. That blush was still present across the bridge of her nose, but she was working through the shyness. She even seemed to be enjoying it as she pulled her t-shirt up from the hem, revealing the smooth plane of her stomach inch by agonizing inch — then, as she lifted it high enough to reveal her soft, round breasts, I pressed closer to the glass with a quiet groan, feeling its pressure against the already-hard length of my cock.
Her eyes darted down, and her smile widened. “Oh. Hi.”
I grinned. “Yeah. Hi.”
Maybe such an obvious sign of attraction helped her uncertainty to melt away. Maybe it was the confirmation she needed. Either way, when Jess’ eyes met mine again, I saw only excitement in her face — not nerves.
“I should hurry up and get in there, huh?”
“Uh-huh. Water’s real nice.”
Her fingers dipped below the waistband of her yoga pants, peeling them slowly down until she could step neatly out. Now only the thin black cotton of her panties remained, but she didn’t move to take them off just yet. Instead, she sank down into the bathroom chair, legs parted, and traced her fingertips over her stomach.
“Or maybe I’ll make you wait a little longer.”
I groaned, slipping a hand around the base of my cock for a few slow strokes, eyes rooted on her fingertips as they trailed an indeterminate path over her skin. Finally, finally, they made their way down inside her panties, and I swallowed hard as I heard her gasp.
“Fuck, Jess.”
“Still think I scare you?” Her voice was already pitched up at the sharpness of her pleasure, and her laugh sounded breathy as I shook my head in silence. “You are intimidating. But it kind of makes me want to rise to the challenge.”
“You’re incredible,” I told her, lifting a hand to wipe away the steam on the inside of the shower. I wanted a better look. Needed a better look. “So fucking beautiful.”
Jess flicked a thumb over her nipple, and I watched as it peaked to a nub within a matter of seconds. That hand in her panties sped up a little; beneath the thin fabric, I could see her fingers teasing away in a circling motion.
“You’ve got to get in here,” I pleaded. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“In a minute,” she teased. “I want to be so ready for you.”
I groaned, giving my cock a few more desperate strokes. “Yeah? You want me that bad?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Her head tipped back as her breath shuddered, and I mapped out the spread of that beautiful blush of hers all the way down her chest — watched her toes curling, and the dampness of her skin in the humid heat.
When she stood up, I was so enraptured in watching her that it jolted me back into my senses. The water pounded down on my back as I kept my eyes rooted on her, drinking in the sight of her sex as she finally dropped her panties.
I opened the door, and watched her eyes fall straight to the unhindered sight of my cock. I groaned, pulling her close to me under the water for a deep, rough kiss.
“I can’t wait,” she said, fastening her arms around my neck. “God, please-”
“Fuck. C’mere.”
I lifted her with the ease my military training gave me, and pressed her carefully up against the smooth tiles of the shower wall. The sensation of her nipples against my chest drove me wild, but she told me what she needed. I wasn’t about to draw this out.
I reached down to my cock, aligned myself carefully with the joy-slick wetness of her sex, and pushed carefully inside.
Her shuddering groan spurred me on, her fingernails digging into the base of my neck and feet locked around me. Here in the shower, we didn’t have much room, but neither did we need it. As I fucked her up against the wall, intimate and close, I kept a tight and steady rhythm that worked for both of us — me, deep inside her and surrounded by her heat, and she arched with pleasure at the feeling of fullness, and the careful pressure of my thumb on her clit.
“Oh, Hale. God.”
I buried my face in her neck, kissing and nipping wildly at the smooth, clean skin I found there. She smelled so good, with layers of hormones and personal scent, that I thought I’d lose my mind. Every cell in my body was celebrating this moment that I found her, and that I first had her.
I felt her toes curling and uncurling behind me, and the way she clenched around my cock in time with my thrusts. Her nails clawed down my back, stopping only when she spared a hand to cup my face and kiss me, deep and long. I could feel her moans vibrating against my lips as we kissed, and reveled in the thought of giving her all that pleasure. It wasn’t long before those quiet moans turned into much sharper and more desperate cries.
“Hale, don’t stop. Don’t – ahh…”
The intensity of her orgasm gripped me, tugging me down over the edge with her. I came hard inside her, my thumb still circling a much gentler rhythm around her clit as she came down, breathing heavy and her forehead flopped against my shoulder.
“Wow.”
“That good, huh?” I grinned, lifting a hand to smooth her bangs out of her eyes. The bun she’d tied it up in had gotten loose in the wetness, and it was good to see her face unobscured again — the deep, satisfied blue of her eyes.
“Mm.” As I set her carefully down, keeping one arm loosely around her waist to hold her upright, I watched her place a hand carefully over my heart. Could she feel it racing still? I leaned down to kiss the top of her head, as happy to be close and soft with her in the shower as I had to see her naked body for the first time.
Oh, yeah. No doubt about it. This was the One Mate, alright.
We relaxed in comfortable silence, occasionally turning to help one another wash a different part of our bodies. It felt like we’d been together forever — not that we’d only just shared our first time in this tight-pressing space. Even me, notorious for never taking things seriously, couldn’t ignore the welling happiness inside me.
This was our future now. Forever.
As we shut the water off and stepped out, sharing the comforting warmth of my hot, fluffy towel, it felt so natural to know that she’d be a part of whatever lay ahead of me.
I could hardly wait.
Preston
Time usually dragged out like crazy on these long-term missions — but this time, with Jess’ glow to anchor and encourage us, it felt like the days had never passed more quickly. Before long, a whole month had flown by, and we had enough of the area scouted out that Blake predicted we’d find and contain our men within one more month.
This was good news, of course. We were doing important work that would keep our country safe — but despite this miniature victory in our mission, none of us felt all that triumphant. Although we were absolutely sure now that Jess was our One Mate, we still hadn’t found adequate time to sit down all together and have a discussion about it. On top of that, Jess hadn’t been quite herself for the past week or so, to the degree that Stone had insisted on calling in a doctor.
As she conducted the examination in Jess’ private room, Hale and I sat in concerned stiffness at the dining room table.
“I don’t know what to think,” I admitted. “Obviously Stone didn’t find anything, and I don’t want there to be anything physically wrong with her — but what’s the alternative?”
Hale shook his head, uncharacteristically serious. “Not good. The only other thing I can think of is that she found out we all know… you know. About all of us.” He folded his hands together. “Maybe it upset her. Maybe she figured it was some kind of set-up. That it’s the only reason we brought her here.”
My chest ached at the mere thought of it, and I could see Hale struggling with it too.
“Nobody would’ve told her,” I reasoned. “We agreed on that much. How else would she have found out?”
The question went unanswered. We fell back into silence until we heard the sound of Jess’ bedroom door clicking open, and both her and the doctor’s footsteps down the hallway.
“…Vitamin D, which will be sent along with the next supply shipment. Okay?”
“Sure. Thank you.”
Hale and I stood from the table as they entered the room. I could feel his nervous energy echoing mine, and maybe Jess could too; she gave us both a weak smile as she caught our eye, and stood aside to let Doctor Gray pass.
“I’ll let Jessica discuss it all with you,” she said. “But there’s nothing to be immediately concerned about.”
“Thank you, Doc,” said Hale. “We appreciate you coming down here.”
“Hell of a drive,” she admitted, adjusting her uniform collar. Even military doctors were used to being perfectly turned-out. “But you’re doing good work here. I don’t have details, but I’ve been told to inform you that your
progress is better than anticipated. Least we can do is give you the support you need.” She turned to Jess, giving her a soft smile. “Even if we don’t have all the answers.”
Ever the gentleman, Hale swept out an arm to lead her to the door. I stayed behind with Jess, fighting a growing feeling of unease. She looked so uncomfortable right now. The smile on her face was so forced and unhappy, and she wasn’t looking up to meet my eyes.
“You okay?” I asked, voice low.
“Sure,” she said. “I’m fine. Just… under the weather, I guess.”
If anybody deserved not to be under the weather, it was Jess. Most of the time, she shined out like our own private sun; she lifted each of us up just by looking at us. It hurt to see her like this, even more so because I couldn’t reach out and comfort the woman I knew was our One Mate. After all, she didn’t know it yet.
“You’d tell us, right? If there was anything we could do for you?”
She nodded. “Of course. It’s okay, Preston, honestly. I’m sure I’ll be fine once these supplements arrive, like Dr. Gray said.”
I wish I could believe it. Maybe the concern read too obviously on my face; her eyes dipped again as soon as she saw me, and she motioned towards the doorway with a weak smile. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I think I’m gonna go lay down for a while. Laundry is already running and I don’t need to start preparing dinner yet, so…”
“Hey, you don’t need to justify yourself to me,” I promised. “Please. Go lay down. Feel better.”
I watched her go, taking a piece of my happiness with her. It seemed like nothing much was cheering her up right now. When Hale returned, I nodded in the direction of the bedroom.
“She okay?” he said, forming the words with unusual quietness and restraint.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “She says so, but she seems real worn out.”
“I doubt both Stone and Dr. Gray are missing something big,” Hale reasoned. “They’re both very competent.” He paused. “Don’t tell him I said that, obviously.”