We made a beeline for the woods through the loose section of fencing at the back of his building. Once our hindquarters had passed through the fence, I relished in the feeling of being so free with him. The woods felt like ours. I was aware of every owl in the trees, every chipmunk scurrying under the roots, and could even hear the wriggling of a worm in the dirt. After shifting, our jogging became a swift bounding. Decker's wolf was right beside me all the way. Since my nose had shifted, I got to take in the minutia of his scent for the first time since we’d bonded and it was intoxicating. I rubbed up against him as we ran and he nuzzled me back.
I noticed Deck's scent was present on a few trees we passed, in various stages of dispersal. I could tell he had run this track many times before and I suddenly felt special that he was sharing it with me, that our scents were now mixing on those same trees. I picked up my pace and nipped him in the haunches. He turned around and jumped on my back and we tussled in the dirt for a while, our scents mixing with the leaf litter as we huffed out clouds of condensation. Then we took off again.
I howled and jerked my head to the side to nip at his neck. He barked at me and kicked his legs in the air then leaped victoriously over a fallen tree. The rhythm of all eight of our paws on the dirt together felt like an ancient rhythm, bringing us home. We raced through the trees, dodging trunks left and right, as a hawk screeched overhead. We came to the creek and stopped to drink.
Balancing with my paws on the rocks, I lapped at the cool, fresh water, then cleaned off my chops with my long tongue as I watched Decker's wolf drinking. It was the picture of peace. He looked strong and centered, in his element. Everything felt right for a moment. I hoped our lives together would continue like this. Once he finished drinking, our eyes locked. Then he turned abruptly and I took off after him.
We kept weaving our way along the trail, stopping to mark the trees with our scents and, finally, we made it back to the fence and shifted back.
Pulling on my jeans, I told Decker, laughing, “Looks like your wolf was just as needy as I was.”
“That makes two of us. I'm still needy for you,” Decker says, laughing harder and grabbing me again. He kissed my cheek, squeezed my ass in his hand, and I swooned slightly. Not just because my legs were tired from fucking and running.
We hadn't even finished getting dressed, still had some dirt and leaves stuck to us, and as soon as we got back to his apartment, he was already tackling me to the kitchen floor. Grappling with him naked was making my dick semi-hard again, much to my surprise. It seemed like I really couldn't get enough of him. My stamina never waned when he was anywhere nearby.
Trying to force me down to the floor, Deck must have forgotten about my martial arts training. I wiggled my way into his armpit and wrapped my arm around the back of his neck, spinning him around and forcing him onto his back. He lay down and his hands found their way to my ass. I felt something hard pressing against me and instinctively rubbed against it. Feeling a sudden need to take him again, I reached in my pocket for a condom as he pulled his jeans off again. Once the condom was on and I had done away with my pants too, Decker stroked his dick and spat on it. I sat down on it and rode him like a thoroughbred right there on the kitchen floor.
The next day, I squirmed side to side in my seat on the couch while we waited for Decker's parents to show up, after he’d given his mother a call and asked her to come over “to chat”. I typed out some emails on my phone, negotiating with companies who were threatening to pull their ads from my social sites if I didn’t post more content soon. It was scary to lose that kind of revenue, but for some reason I felt cool as a cucumber. I was still pleasantly sore from the night before. I loved the ache that Decker left within me. We ended up spending an entire day in bed after our wolf run. Decker showed me just how much he believed I was enough for him. He chose me over and over again. I was spent and more smitten than ever.
When we heard the door latch open, Deck squeezed my hand. Charlotte walked in with her usual villainous fake smile painted on until she saw that I was there too.
“What is he doing here? Decker! What happened with Jamison?”
“Have a seat, mother,” Decker said.
She sat down and Dylan sat next to her, although he was glaring sternly in her direction.
“Decker, will you please tell me what's going on? Why are we here? I mean, clearly you haven't taken my advice...” she motioned toward me with her hand. I gave her the smile of a lion about to eat its prey.
Decker didn’t hesitate. He started to explain, “I'm done with you intervening in my life. In fact, I'm done with you being a part of my life at all. You have clearly shown me that you only want to destroy my happiness. You have shown no desire to actually help or support me. So I'm drawing a line.”
Charlotte started laughing.
“Decker, you're being ridiculous,” she said in mocking sing-song.
No one else laughed.
“I'm being dead serious, mother,” Decker assured her. “You crossed a line when you deliberately hurt Tripp. I don't want to keep living my life with you constantly trying to undercut all my decisions. So it's time for you to go. I'm done.”
At that, Dylan spoke up. “I didn't know about any of this until it was too late. I've already said my piece to Charlotte about it. Decker, I think you know where I stand.”
Charlotte stared at her husband with her mouth wide open in shock.
Decker nodded. “I appreciate that, Dad. I do want to stay in touch with you. But I need to ask you for one thing.”
Dylan nodded. “What can I do?”
“I need you to take her far away from Blackwater.”
“I'm sorry, Tripp,” Dylan said, looking at me this time. I smiled at him and placed my hands together at my heart.
“Namaste, Dylan,” I whispered, doing my best to show my flawless humility.
“Well, I'm not going anywhere!” Charlotte declared, crossing her arms over her chest. “In fact, I quite like it here. You can't tell me what to do. I'm your mother, for God's sake. I'll live where I want to live.”
“You're right,” Decker said calmly. “But if you see me on the street, I'll treat you like a stranger.”
“You wouldn't dare,” he hissed.
“I would and I will. It would really be better if you just left. But of course I can't stop you from living wherever you want to. Just know... When I say I'm done, I mean it.”
“Stop being ridiculous, Decker,” she demanded.
“I'm done,” Decker said gravely, and stood up. I rose to stand by his side and grasped his hand. I was so proud of him for asserting himself and drawing a clear boundary. I wanted to dance and shout and my wolf wanted to snap and snarl. But I held it all inside.
“Tripp is my fated mate,” Decker added, getting more agitated now as he defended our relationship, “I've claimed him and I am never letting him go. You can suck it up and accept the facts of the situation. Or you can stay the fuck out of my life.”
He turned toward his father as he opened the door for them to leave.
Charlotte huffed as she turned toward the door. “This is not the end of this conversation.”
“It is,” Decker repeated.
“You cannot kick your mother out of your life.”
They were on the threshold now.
“I can and I am. I'll speak to you soon, Dad.”
“Talk to you soon, son,” Dylan said with a pained, polite smile.
Later that night, Deck came over to my place and I greeted him with a long, warm hug at the door. With the drama of Charlotte's intervention behind us, it felt like we had all the time in the world now and I savored every second. I loved being wrapped up in Decker's arms. He felt solid. Like a man who knew what he wanted and knew how to get it. I felt cozy and snug, and strong in my own right. He leaned into my smaller frame and sighed.
“I love you,” he said, his mouth slightly muffled by virtue of being buried in my hair.
“I love you, too
. Thanks for sticking up for us today,” I sighed.
“Of course. I'd do it a hundred times over if necessary.”
“God, I hope that doesn't happen a hundred more times.”
He chuckled. “Me too. I hope it never happens again.”
“Well, same here,” I giggled. “But thanks anyway.”
Words didn't seem adequate to show him how appreciative I was of him defending our fledgling love, fated as it may have been. I stripped him down right there in the entryway and took him in my mouth, sucked him dry, and fucked him all around the house.
19
Decker
The weather was officially getting cold in mid-fall, and as far as Tripp was concerned, it was already sweater weather, and he looked adorable in every single outfit he wore. As far as I was concerned, it was still warm enough in the height of the day for a barbeque at Nash and Holden's house, so long as you sat in the sun.
We rang the bell on their house and heard the heavy totter of the two twins rumbling down the hall towards us. I watched as Tripp's face lit up when he heard them squealing and banging on the other side of the door.
“They're trying to let us in!” he cooed, and then shouted through the door, “Hello in there! Let us in!”
The twins howled and banged harder, until we heard adult steps banging closer and a disgruntled Holden lamenting, “Who needs a guard wolf when I've got you two?”
The door opened and the kids immediately went quiet and sprung back to hide behind Holden's legs.
“Hey, Decker,” Holden said, looking as tired as he had since the twins were born a year and a half ago. “Glad you could come.”
He gave me a sleepy hug.
“Hey, thanks for inviting us,” I said, and gave him a supportive pat on the back before pulling back. “Have you met Tripp?”
“I think we've seen each other around,” he smiled, and brought Tripp into a big hug.
“Oh! Hi!” Tripp said, giving him a tight squeeze.
“And these are Nathaniel and Nicholas,” Holden said, shuffling back so that the kids were
They took one look at Tripp and squealed, then went running.
“Something I said?” Tripp feigned offense.
“Believe it or not, that means they like you,” Holden chuckled. “Come on in, guys, Nash is out the back, getting his”
I reached out to take Tripp's sweater-covered hand as we walked down the hallway and he interlaced his fingers with mine as we followed Holden through the house.
Their backyard had been recently renovated and the sun shone down through leafy trees, leaving a dappled pattern of light glowing on the patio. The kids tumbled around on the grass together, already wrestling like sworn enemies and calling truces like best friends.
“Hey, boys!” Nash said from the grill. “Hope you like your burgers extra charred!”
“Oh!” Tripp said, then bit his bottom lip.
“He's just fucking around,” I grumbled. “Veggie burgers, right, Nash?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, rolling his eyes and flipping a veggie patty.
“Should I have brought my own food? I don't want to be a bother,” Tripp whispered.
Holden heard as he set the patio table, and shook his head, “Giving Nash something new to cook keeps him out of my hair. Here, sit down, drink something.”
We made ourselves comfortable, drank Holden's signature sangria, and got tucked into Nash's veggie burgers which were surprisingly good. Soon enough the kids were tangling themselves around Tripp's legs. Nathaniel begged for Holden to pick him up into his lap, and then immediately clambered over to Tripp's legs.
“Hello, Nathaniel!” Tripp cooed, and bopped the baby on his tiny button nose. I watched as he scooped the eighteen-month-old into his arms and quickly settled him in his lap, then played with him like it was nothing at all. I was halfway through a bite of burger when my wolf woke up inside me, and started pawing. I tried to listen for what it wanted, but this was like nothing I'd ever felt before. It wasn't lust or love, it was just a silly
Later, Tripp was pulled into the grassy yard by the kids where he chased them and they growled back and forth at each other.
“Uh, can you bring him over, like, every day?” Holden asked, taking a long drink of sangria.
“He's really good with kids, huh?” I said as I watched him scoop up Nathan and threaten to gobble him up.
“Thinking about having some of your own?” Nash nudged me back to reality.
“God, I don't know. Maybe one day,” I shrugged. “I'm just enjoying life with Tripp right now. We can add in some chaos later.”
Tripp seemed to have another idea. He was tumbling around on the ground with the toddlers on top of him when he looked up and squealed at me, “Deck! I want a kid! They're too much fun! I need you to give me one!”
Nash broke out laughing and I groaned, putting my head in my hands.
“Looks like you spoke too soon,” Holden smirked.
“I should have known,” I looked at him from between my fingers. “Your kids are too cute. I should have known he'd fall in love with them.”
“How's everything going, since your parents left?” Nash asked, pouring himself another drink.
“Frankly, I'm so happy that they're gone,” I said, rubbing my face. “I could use a little less stress from here on out.”
“Right,” Nash agreed. “Thus, you know, not wanting kids right this second.”
“How'd you leave things with your parents?” Holden asked.
“I mean... On one hand, we left things pretty badly. I basically disowned my mother. But on the other hand... It's just going back to the way it always has been, really. Nona, me, and now Tripp... That's my family,” I smiled as I looked out at him wrestling the kids.
“And maybe someone else soon...” Holden wiggled his eyebrows. “You want to take one of ours? We're giving them away at a good price.”
“I wonder if they'll disown us one day,” Nash wondered wistfully as he looked out at the kids beating on Tripp with their tiny fists.
“You're really selling me on the parenting thing, guys,” I laughed.
“Ah, it's easy to talk shit about it but it's actually amazing. I wouldn't change anything.”
That night, Tripp collapsed face-down in my bed with a heavy thud. He'd played with the kids all afternoon and gotten them so tired that they were practically passing out on their feet.
“I can't thank you enough,” Holden had said, scooping up Nathaniel, who was like a lead weight in his arms. “This is going to be the best night's sleep we've had in a long time.”
“In about eighteen months, I'd say,” Nash guessed, gathering Nicholas up.
“It was seriously my pleasure,” Tripp had said, reaching over and ruffling Nicholas's hair. The little scamp gave a happy grunt and his eyelids drooped shut. “I'd be happy to babysit, anytime.”
“Uh, we are absolutely taking you up on that offer,” Holden said.
Now that we were in bed, Tripp was on the edge of passing out just as heavily as the kids had.
“Are you regretting your offer to babysit yet?” I asked, scooting down into the bed and running my hand over his smooth skin.
“No way,” he drawled. “Best day of my life.”
“You've got tiny Nicholas-sized bruises all over your shoulders,” I laughed, poking the tiny bruises with my thumb.
“Ouch!” he squealed. “That kid is mean! And so are you!”
I laughed and replaced my thumb with my lips, planting soft kisses on the bruised flesh.
“What about the other thing you said today?” I asked cautiously.
“Mm? That the burgers needed more pickles?” he smirked. “No regrets. I was right. Nash is way too skimpy on the pickles.”
I chuckled, and almost wanted to let the topic go, but a nudge from my wolf told me that I needed a real answer.
“I mean,” I said. “About wanting to have a kid.”
Tripp looked up at me with heavy l
ids. “Are you freaked out at the idea?”
There was no malice in his voice, but it felt like a really heavy question. “No, I'm just curious,” I said honestly. “I just want to know if we're on the same page.”
“Sure. So, what page are you on?” he asked, pulling himself upright and sitting facing me with his legs crossed.
I lost my words for a moment as I took him in, his hair bunched up in a messy bun at the back of his head, tendrils framing his jaw, and his legs clad in cozy track pants. My heart raced as I looked him over.
“Uh, what page?” I asked, trying to get my bearings.
“I mean... Do you want kids?” he clarified.
“One day,” I nodded. “I want to have kids with you one day. If that's something you... want.”
“I absolutely want to have kids with you. Can you imagine the genetic blessings we would give them? We'll be up to our ears in model contracts!” he giggled.
I laughed, but a thrill of excitement was growing in my chest. My wolf felt like it was prancing with excitement, and nudging up against Tripp's. I reached out and took his hands as I scooted closer to him.
“But not yet?” I asked.
“No, not yet –” he said, hesitating. “Actually... A big part of me does want one right now. I want to have had your babies ten times over already. But we have so much time, right?”
Claimed By My Pretend Boyfriend: Blackwater Pack Book Six Page 15