Wolf's Wager (Northbane Shifters)

by Isabella Hunt

Then we were sitting up, and her hands were sliding down my stomach and into my boxers. I hissed and broke away as she stroked up my length, then tugged on my shorts. I helped her slide them off and grinned as Reagan’s eyes went wide.

  Before I could get a comment in, she’d curled up and taken me in her mouth.

  “Reagan,” I groaned and tipped my head back. One hand was fisted in her hair, while the other gripped the blankets. “God, that…” She was good at this, sending bolts of heat through my body and causing the pressure to switch over to dangerous levels of pleasure. “Yes.”

  Her head bobbed faster, each slide of her tongue driving me further over the edge.

  A growl tore free of me, and she hummed, the vibration going straight to the base of my spine and then up. I hit the peak then, going straight over the edge, and white stars seemed to swim in front of my eyes. Panting, I let go of Reagan and sat back, trying to get a grip.

  “How was that?” Reagan asked, her voice both sly and shy.

  “Let me return the favor,” I said, grasping her waist and tossing her up among the pillows.

  We kissed and kissed, our bodies pressing and sliding together. My length was hard and pressing into her leg, while Reagan whimpered into my mouth and arched against me.

  Pulling back, I looked at her and brushed the hair out of her face. “You want this?”

  Reagan nodded and caught my hand, brushing her finger against my ring.

  “I want you,” she said in a low and husky voice. “I want to be with you. I love you.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Reagan

  “I love you,” Luke murmured and kissed me.

  Our bodies pressed closer. I wasn’t sure I could take another second of waiting, and I arched up into him. Not breaking the kiss, Luke slid his hands down, grasping one of my knees and pulling it to the side. He locked it there as he rose up, kneeling between my legs.

  I gasped as his hard length brushed against me. My hips bucked, trying to meet him even as Luke broke away. His eyes searched mine, and it was hard to believe there’d ever been any wall between us. The look on his face was so open, tender, and wanting.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

  Luke was huge, thick and hard, with a lot more inches than I’d ever handled before.

  I shook my head and looped my arms around his neck. “I want this.”

  With a huff of air, Luke nudged the tip in, and bliss danced down my body. Toes curling, I enjoyed every slow and steady inch of him filling me. It went on and on, with small twists, until there was nothing between us. A sigh exuded from me, and I wriggled against him.

  A hiss of air escaped Luke. “Reagan, you’re perfect.”

  His arms wrapped around me as he began to move, a steady, perfect pace, savoring every slip and slide of our bodies. Shivers raced across my skin. Soon I was crying out his name, begging for more as he drove me into endless pleasure. Luke’s breathing was loud, punctuated by my name and harsh, masculine groans.

  I lost track of time. Moments were measured by Luke’s movements. His length inside of me. Pulling back, filling. As time blurred, so did my sense of space, narrowing down to only Luke.

  His bliss rising and meeting my bliss, the sense of harmony between us.

  This was something real and indefinable, something between mates.

  “Mate,” I murmured out loud.

  “Mate,” Luke said, expelling a hard breath and thrusting harder.

  The fire between us burned hotter and hotter, edging into a wildness I wanted to lose myself in. Pleasure rippled up, driving harder and harder through me, just as Luke was. It filled my every cell and lit up my body.

  I raked my hands across Luke’s back as we got closer. Every second was so indulgent and delicious, I wanted to hold on to it, but I was starting to tip. I was close, so close—

  I shattered underneath him, hard and long, riding wave after wave of body-shaking bliss.

  Luke came moments later. I heard my name and felt a final thrust, then he was pressing me more deeply into the bed. When we came apart, the room seemed to spin, and I shook my head. Luke was lying on his back, half-hard again, and smiling.

  I sat up and hugged my knees, the cool air from the open window washing over me, smelling of rain and spring. Neither of us said anything. We looked at each other and smiled.

  My mind flicked back over everything we'd been through. Now, it was easy to see how I’d fallen for him. The way we’d found a safe haven in each other.

  And what we’d both wagered.

  “This how you’re going to wake me up every morning?” I asked.

  Luke sat up, kissing my shoulder and giving me a wicked, smoldering look. “If you want.”

  “Good way to build up that endurance,” I said. My breath caught as Luke brushed back my hair and kissed the back of my neck. “But we should talk about what might happen as a result.”

  “What do you mean?” Luke asked, and I raised my eyebrows at him. “Oh. Oh." I thought he would look alarmed, that it would give him another thing to worry about, but instead, his eyes danced with boyish excitement. "I wouldn't mind trying to make a baby right now."

  “Luke,” I said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around my stomach. “I’m serious.”

  “So am I,” he growled. “If it’s half-Grace, half-Swiftlore, that kid will be tough as hell.”

  I turned my face to him and snuggled back. I’d never thought about kids before, but I’d never been in the circle of my mate’s arms before. The thought of it didn’t scare me at all.

  Instead, it brought me a sense of peace. Of hope.

  After the Rift, I thought everything had ended.

  Now I’d found my way. I had purpose, a beautiful home, friends and family, and Luke. I could plan for the future. I could dream. We could have a family.

  “I thought it might be reckless, but now it seems like we’re doing what humans have always done,” I said, and Luke lifted a brow. “Found a way. The first generation of Winfyre.”

  “I like the sound of that,” he replied. "For so long, we've been focused on the day-to-day. We should start looking to our future.”

  “Winfyre is doing better in the self-sustaining aspect,” I said. “Every day, it’s a bit more.”

  “But it’s been slow and—” Luke suddenly started to laugh. “Way to kill the mood, Grace.”

  “What? No, I’m just being practical,” I said, and Luke nodded, his lips on my jaw and his hands stroking up and down my thighs, then to my stomach and breasts. I arched back. “I’m—”

  “Reagan,” Luke said. “There’s plenty of time to talk about all of this.”

  “But don’t you have to leave soon?” I asked, biting my lip and gripping his biceps. “Ah, oh.”

  He laughed in my ear. “I took the day off.”

  My lips parted, then I twisted around and tackled him, kissing that beautiful man. He laughed even harder, his chest heaving underneath me, and his hands catching my waist.

  “I’ve got you for the whole day?” I asked.

  Luke flipped us over and pinned my hands over my head. “Who has whom now?”

  “Didn’t you say something about ravishing, Mr. Honor Code—” Luke’s lips seared to mine.

  Lost in those kisses, his hands roaming up and down my sides, I felt calluses scraping over tender skin. I was reduced to a blaze of sparks under his touch, my brain reduced to tactile senses alone. I’d never been taken over like this, giving all of myself, losing all of myself.

  A solid and stiff length pressed between my legs. I moaned, breaking off the kiss. Gasping, I met Luke's eyes and saw the hunger in his eyes. A delicious quiver went over me.

  His hands grasped me, and suddenly I was flipped over. “On your knees.”

  Trembling a little, I did so, nearly at the brink of sanity from needing him. Big hands smoothed over my ass and cupped it. I pressed back, unable to take it anymore.

  But suddenly, his lips were ghosting up t
he back of my thigh. I gasped and fell forward a little, hands gripping the sheets and raising my ass higher in the air. When his tongue laved into my warmth, splintering my shreds of sanity, I cried out as though I’d shattered.

  Luke was merciless, and I dissolved under his touch. My entire body was shaking, and I was struggling to keep myself upright. He didn’t stop—he teased me to the edge, over and over, until I was begging for release. When it came, I collapsed onto the bed, every muscle awash in heat.

  “There’ll come a day where I might just have to do that all day long,” Luke said, and I trembled at the thought of that. Suddenly, he picked up a foot and began to massage it. My breath became ragged as his thumbs worked the arch. “I like how surprised you sounded.”

  “I did not,” I murmured and tried to twist over, but Luke wouldn’t let me.

  “I’m an Alpha wolf shifter and your mate,” he said in a low, intense voice, with a trace of amusement in it. “You’ve never dreamed of what I can do to you. What I will do to you, love.”

  His fingers were magic, now working the other foot, and I had to bite back a whimper.

  “I have,” I said. “I thought about you all the time, Luke.”

  "Like this?" he asked in a wicked voice, and I could picture his smirk. Suddenly, his lips pressed against my ankle, and my entire body jumped. "Mm, see, and I'm just scratching the tip of learning how your body works. Imagine, in time, how it'll get better and better."

  “I mean, eventually the novelty will wear off,” I said, just to annoy him.

  There was a resounding slap on my ass, and I jerked my foot free, rolling over, gaping at him.

  Luke had that infuriating smirk on his face. That look when he knew he had you exactly where he wanted you. “You wanna make a wager on that?” Sitting up, I went to say something, when Luke pulled me towards him, and his hardness nudged against me. Lips parting in a moan, I gasped as he grasped my hips in one hand and trailed his other hand up my neck. “I’d know you’d want to lose that one, though.”

  Gripping his thighs, I pushed against him and said, “You didn’t let me say—ah.” Luke had nudged the tip in. “I was gonna say that I know better than to make a wager with you.”

  As he thrust all the way in, my back arched, and he chuckled in my ear. “Still fun, though.”

  I nodded, unable to speak, as I held on more tightly. He brushed against that deep nub of pleasure with such precision. Turning my head, his lips found mine as the pace between us began to pick up.

  This time was an explosion of heat, one that pressed us more and more tightly together as we rode it. We shattered at the same time, his pleasure rumbling through my back as he murmured my name and held me against him, as though trying to soak up mine as well.

  That day, time was lost in a circle of bliss, bringing our bodies together again and again.

  From explosive heat to sensual, slow love-making. Heartbeats marking these moments together. And Luke was right—I would have lost that wager.

  It did get better every time.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Luke

  “No sign of the vryke,” I said, shaking the water out of my hair as I dripped in front of the door. Behind me, the trees creaked and whipped in the storm. The bay was nothing but whitecaps, and the road was a muddy slip-’n-slide. Peeling off my jacket, I hung it up and then took off my boots. I sighed, shaking my head at how long it was going to take for them to dry out. “We need to get a good cobbler or somethin’.”

  “What did you say?” Reagan asked, padding into the living room. She was wearing a pair of sweats and a loose sweater. “Close the door—it’s freezing out.”

  “Yeah, crazy weather,” I said as I shut the door. “I was surprised it’d been dry so long. Last year, there was a lot of rain. The roofs in town were jungles.” Reagan nodded and held out a towel, standing away from me. I took it, grinning a little as I wiped my face. “What are you doing?”

  "Luke, we are not having a repeat of yesterday," Reagan said and backed up a step as I grinned. I'd been soaked to the bone yesterday and had snuck up behind her, engulfing her in a hug. "I don't have a lot of clean, dry clothes left."

  “Yeah, that’s really changing my mind,” I said dryly, and she hugged herself, trying not to smile. “So, what, I have to wait until I take a shower?”

  “And after dinner,” Reagan said and began to walk away. I shot forward and caught her wrist. “Luke, no, I don’t—”

  I cut her off, wrapping her into me, kissing her, and her feeble protests stopped. Instead, her arms went around my neck, and a leg hooked around my waist. Walking her backward, I pushed her against a wall and slid my cold hands against her warm skin.

  A gasp escaped her, and I delved deeper into her mouth, tasting her sweetness. Then she gasped again as I slid my hands into her sweats and cupped her bare ass. Instantly, I went hard as I realized she wasn’t wearing any panties. My fingers slipped up, and Reagan moaned.

  She growled when I pulled my hand away, sliding down her pants and fumbling with my own. Her hands helped, but also hindered as she palmed the bulge in my boxers.

  “Reagan,” I groaned, catching her hands, and she laughed. “You want to go upstairs?”

  She hooked her leg more tightly around my waist and shook her head. “Here.”

  A smirk flitted across my face as I seized her hips, lifting her so that her other leg went around my waist. Adjusting myself, I positioned my length at her entrance and met her eyes.

  Her eyes were bright and feverish, her hunger as consuming as mine. We'd spent every moment we could together like this for the past two weeks, and it was never enough.

  I thrust in and watched her eyes flutter closed, her lips forming a perfect O. Watching her as I filled her was like a fever dream. It was why I’d fallen to my knees and proposed.

  “I can’t live without you,” I gasped out.

  Reagan’s lips found mine. “Me neither,” she whispered between kisses. Her fingers gripped my wet hair, and she squirmed in my arms. “Oh, oh, Luke.”

  Rising together, we crashed into that bone-shaking release together.

  My breath was ragged, and I held her close, breathing in her scent. I couldn’t believe she was mine. The Alpha in me hummed with contentment at being one with my mate.

  “I’m sorry I got you all wet,” I said as I slid out and set her down, fixing my pants as she fixed hers. Her shirt was soaked, her nipples poking through, and even her hair was damp. “Again.”

  “Now I have to take a shower,” she sighed, and I grinned.

  In one fluid motion, I had Reagan over my shoulder and was running upstairs. She barely had time to catch her breath before I had the bathroom door closed and was tearing off her clothes. I didn’t even bother taking off my own as I kissed her. She tugged me backward, and I followed.

  Then water gushed over me, and I shook my head, looking through the spray at her.

  “I was already soaked,” I said and held her against the wall. “You’re funny.”

  “I know.”

  I bent my head down.

  “You’re also gonna pay for that.”

  Sitting in the Grace living room was now as familiar as sitting in my own. There was always a warm smell of baking in the air, as Jemma experimented with different recipes. I even had my own spot on the couch, where Bix, Gabriel, and Drue could climb up and hang off me.

  Today, the three of them had been practicing shifting, and now three cubs were napping next to me. Bix, a fox shifter, was on his back with his paws moving in the air. Drue, a lion, was curled up to my right, while Gabriel, a brown bear, lay to my left. Collette was on my lap and kept trying to grab her brother's ears.

  Rett would have loved this, I thought. Out loud, I said, “So, everything is all set? You sure you don’t need anything from me?”

  “We’re all set, Luke, don’t worry,” Mrs. Grace said, bustling over and taking Collette as I clumsily kept her from making another grab.

 
; She handed her to Risa, who smiled at me. “You’re not worried, are you?”

  I ducked my head, but I was kind of pleased they knew me well enough to tease me about something like that. “I just want everything to go well. I’ve never done something like this.”

  “It will,” Mr. Grace said. “It’ll be a nice way to kick off the summer, too.”

  “Hope the weather turns around,” Shelby said, glancing out the window at the fog and rain. “We got spoiled with all that sunshine.”

  “It will,” I said. I’d checked in with the Coven and found out when the weather was going to turn around. “All right.” I extricated myself from the couch, and Gabriel rolled over onto his back, shifting back. “Thanks for everything. I’ll see you all soon.”

  After saying goodbye and accepting a plate of muffins from Jemma, I left and headed out the front door. At the bottom of the steps, I pulled up short. Cassidy was walking towards me.

  Instead of avoiding my gaze and mumbling some kind of greeting, she kept her eyes on me. Out of surprise more than courtesy, I waited for her to approach.

  “Thank you,” she said and stuck her hands in her jeans. “You’ve done a lot for my family.” Cassidy scowled as I gaped at her. “What? Both of us know it was overdue.”

  “Yeah, I mean, you’re welcome,” I said. “For what, exactly, though?”

  “Saving my life, taking care of my dad, and for Reagan,” Cassidy said, looking down and hugging herself. “I’ve never seen her this happy. And we’re going to be family, I guess.”

  “I appreciate that,” I said. “Cassidy, if you ever need anything, you can always ask.”

  She looked up and gave me a smile. “I know. Thanks. You know, I always wanted a big brother.”

  “What, one overbearing elder sibling wasn’t enough?” I asked, and to my surprise, Cassidy laughed. “I’m not sure I can handle a brat sister, but I can try.” I smiled, lingering for a moment because it seemed like she wanted to say something else. “All right, well, have a good night.”

  As I went past her, she asked, “Hey, Luke?”