by Renee Rose
The screen door banged behind Levi. I shook his hand and Clint’s.
“The storm flooded a creek on county road ninety-three. Had to spend the night in Tremont.”
Boyd looked me over. This morning, I’d tossed on the same clothes as the day before in my rush to go after my mate. “What did you do, sleep in your truck? You look like you barely slept.”
My wolf preened at our prowess, then whined because we’d lost her. Her. What the fuck was her name? Why did I not make it my number one priority to know every detail about her? I’d gotten cocky, thinking I had her. Thinking I’d take it slow and not scare her off. And then she fucking left. Where the fuck was she?
“Yeah, found some trouble.”
In the form of a five-foot-two she-devil who soothed my wolf, emptied my balls and sated my dick. Then bolted like a pissed off bull out of a chute.
Boyd smirked.
“Problem?” Rob asked, one brow raised. He was alpha now, but he’d come into the role when he was only eighteen. Still, he had it down, barely showing any emotion below his signature gruffness.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” I’d find her and light her ass up for leaving me. Then I’d fuck her and maybe that ass, reminding her who was in fucking charge. It wasn’t her.
“We were thinking you liked a big sandbox instead of home,” Levi commented.
I thought of the tour I’d finished in Afghanistan. The desert climate did shit for me. I couldn’t shift and run. Hot as fuck, especially under fur.
“Had to keep my fellow soldiers safe,” I replied. It was true. I had better hearing, eyesight, sense of smell. I couldn’t die very easily. All of that was why I’d climbed quickly through the ranks, but it didn’t always keep my soldiers alive. And lately, with the fucking moon madness, I had to question my own abilities on the job. I didn’t want to be a danger to my team, and I felt I was more of a liability than an asset these days.
“You’re getting fucking old. Maybe it’s time to let someone else save the world?” Levi continued.
I thought of my men and at first was pissed Levi thought I’d abandon them, but he was right. It was my job to lead them, regardless of our orders. But when I hit thirty, I’d become restless for more. My wolf let me know it was time to focus on finding a mate and claiming her. He wanted to protect a mate. Pups.
I wasn’t at retirement age yet, but maybe it was time for someone else to save the world, just as Levi said. No one else on base had a wolf inside them.
“Maybe,” I replied, not ready to tell him I was thinking the same thing. It was time to decide to re-up, but it seemed my wolf had made the decision for me. Same went for the woman from last night. My fucking mystery mate.
“Why the fuck are we standing here? Time you met my woman,” Boyd said, then turned to lead us all toward the kitchen.
The scent of vanilla and sugary cake got stronger as we cut down the hallway to the back of the house. Mom had wanted a huge kitchen, and Dad had given her one. A big central counter, huge rustic farm table and chairs to seat the five of us along with the shifters living at the ranch. It even had a fireplace for the cold Montana winters.
Mom and Dad had been gone now over fifteen years, so it’d been a while since I’d smelled scents like these in the house. Not that Rob didn’t cook, but he didn’t fucking bake.
“Darlin’, Colton finally got here.”
Boyd went over to a woman and dropped a kiss on her lips. I didn’t know if she had blonde hair or two heads or had fairy wings because all I saw was the other woman standing at the counter with a metal spatula in her hand.
Her.
My mate’s scent hit me now. Clearly, it had been masked by the baked goods on the counter and in the oven, but no wonder I’d gotten hard when I’d come in the front door. She’d been here frosting a fucking cake while I’d been roaming the streets for her.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I growled.
Everyone froze and stared.
“Hi,” she said, her voice a breathy whisper. My wolf howled. My hands clenched. It was a good thing the counter was between us.
“Ha, I knew it,” Boyd said on a laugh.
“How the fuck did you know?” I asked him.
He sniffed the air.
I raised my hand to shut him up, in case he felt like sticking his damned nose… literally none of his fucking business. I didn’t look his way, didn’t break eye contact with her. Marina.
My mate was Audrey’s little fucking sister. Which meant…
“You knew who I was,” I said to her.
I was beyond pissed.
She nodded and bit her lip. She had on the same clothes as the night before, just like me. Her hair was up in a bun, and her cheeks flushed from the heat in the kitchen. She looked perfect. Whole. Here.
And yet I was so angry at her.
“Surprise!” She faked a smile and raised her shoulders in a funny shrug.
“Um, you two know each other?” Rob asked from behind me.
“She’s my fucking ma—,” I stopped because I didn’t know if Marina even knew what we were. Audrey did, but it was against pack law to reveal to humans. The existence of shifters was a closely-guarded secret. Audrey knew since my brother fucking bit her neck and claimed her. Marina would need to know before I claimed her as well, but Boyd and Audrey shouldn’t have told her. “She’s my fucking…”
Boyd laughed and exchanged an incredulous glance at Rob. “Wow.”
“Your what?” Marina demanded, hands on hips.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were, little girl?” I tried to change the subject.
She lifted her chin. “I wasn’t sure if you had some rule against screwing little sisters.”
“Uh—” Rob began.
Audrey gasped.
Marina blushed. “I thought a one-night stand would sit better with you.”
“You think I usually fuck strangers in motel rooms?” I snarled, even though she had no idea why I actually brought her there.
“I’m sure you’ve done something like that before,” she countered.
“You knew who I was.” It dawned on me that she really had been the one doing the seducing. She might have been young and inexperienced, but she’d known what she was doing last night. Part of me was relieved that she wouldn’t have slept with a stranger, the other part was furious at being used.
For sex.
By my own mate.
My very human who didn’t know she was my mate.
“Guys—” Rob tried to cut in.
“You slept with me without even knowing my name,” she added.
“You slept with Colton?” Audrey asked, but neither of us looked her way.
“I told you last night it wasn’t necessary,” I said to Marina.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she added, “Total one-night stand move.”
“It’s not just one night. You’re—”
“Guys!” Rob said, stepping around the counter, so he stood between us. “She’s the trouble you ran into last night?”
Marina sputtered. “I’m trouble?”
“Little girl, you’re nothing but. Let me explain all the ways.” I stalked around the counter toward her, and Rob smartly moved out of my way. I didn’t slow, only bent down and tossed her over my shoulder. It felt good to have her in my arms. Fuck, did she push my buttons. But I was relieved to know where she was, that she was safe. Whole.
Now that I did, I could take care of her. Smack her cute ass for putting me through that shit. Satisfy her. And soon, I would tell her she’s my mate. Explain it all.
It would be easier for her to swallow than I feared last night, since her sister had already been marked and brought into the pack.
As I left the kitchen and went up the back stairs, I called out, “I’m stealing your little sister, Audrey. I’ll take good care of her, though. I promise. Take care of that cake, will you?”
I heard smothered laughter from the group.
“Yo
u upset my future little sister, I’m gonna have to kill you!” Boyd called after me, but there was a chortle in his voice, too.
7
MARINA
* * *
“Colton!” I kicked my legs as my giant sexy Green Beret carried me up the stairs and down a hall. “What are you doing?”
“You thought I’d have a problem with screwing little sisters, huh?” A heavy palm fell on my ass, and I squealed.
“Ow!”
“Little girl, I’m gonna smack that ass until it’s rosy. Last night was not a one-night stand for me. And I did not appreciate you running off.”
My heartbeat kicked up in speed, but I wasn’t afraid. I never expected this level of reaction from him, and frankly, it thrilled me. I’d made it easy for him. Gave him an out. I’d thought it might be a little awkward when he found me here. Thought we’d keep it our secret, and he might chew me out in private later for tricking him into sex with a person he thought was a stranger. With a person who he might consider too young for him. Or off-limits.
But this? This was freaking exciting. He hadn’t been ashamed about what we’d done. He’d admitted it in front of everyone. Very loudly. Very clearly. Now he wanted me alone in, I assumed, his room. I was in dangerous territory here because he was only here for a week. He might want more from me sexually, but he’d be gone before the leftover wedding cake was even finished.
He kicked open a door, stepped in and shut it behind us. The second he dropped my feet to the floor, he tugged my t-shirt off over my head. My nipples pebbled up, eager for his attention.
Mmm. Yes, please. I’d take more of Colton Wolf’s attention any day.
I looked around. Definitely his bedroom. The walls were tan but had posters on them. A shelf over a desk in the corner had trophies.
He sat on his bed and pulled me between his knees, his hands stroking up and down my hips, squeezing my ass. It was like he couldn’t get enough of me, an intoxicating feeling. Since I never wore a bra, I was bare from the waist up. My nipples were hard from being exposed to the cool air. Who was I kidding? They got hard over his caveman behavior.
“S-so you don’t have a problem with screwing little sisters?” My voice came out breathless and small.
“Not this little sister.” His words came out as a dark rumble as his gaze roved over me, honing in on my breasts. “But you are in so much trouble with me, little girl.”
He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. I remembered this action from the night before, as if he were trying to breathe me in. A thrill of excitement shot up my spine, and my panties grew damp.
“So you said,” I purred, feigning more confidence than I had. But he had enough confidence and experience for the both of us. Who marched in, threw a girl he only had sex with once—make that twice—over his shoulder and carried her to his room?
I guessed he knew I was receptive.
And he was possessive. I loved that.
He hooked his thumbs in my yoga pants and dragged them down my thighs. Wow. Okay, I guessed we were doing this. He wasted no time in getting right to it. I kicked off my shoes, so I could step out of the pants. I was in nothing but my G-string, and Colton growled like a wild animal, stroking his hands up and down my legs like he couldn’t get enough of me.
But then he pulled my torso down over one thigh and onto the bed and gave my ass three hard spanks. I bucked.
“Eek! Ow! Oh my God!” I wriggled, a little scared, a little offended. A lot turned on.
“That’s not going to work.” He was already rubbing away the sting, his big palm squeezing and massaging my smarting cheeks. “That’s gonna be way too loud, isn’t it, little girl? Marina,” he added, like he wanted to get used to saying my name. “We wouldn’t want the whole ranch to hear you get your spanking.”
Oh Jesus. Why did that make my belly flip and fresh arousal seep between my legs?
He kept me in that position, though, squeezing and massaging my ass, rubbing his fingers through my wetness. “I have to admit, I’m glad you knew who I was.”
“I’m glad you don’t have a problem with little sisters.”
His hand circling my ass went still. “Exactly how little are we talking?” He sounded slightly choked.
Oh crap. I didn’t want this to stop. Would he think twenty-one was too young? He had to be ten years older than I was.
“I’m legal, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I said tartly.
He gave me two more spanks that made me squeal. “I asked you a question, sweetness.” He massaged my ass again, and my core turned molten. “I expect an answer.”
“Twenty-one.”
“Twenty-one,” he repeated, and I swore I heard disappointment in his tone. “And still in college. How many years left?”
“One.”
“Fuck,” he muttered and lifted me from his thigh.
“What?” I sat on his opposite knee and eyed him, suddenly feeling exposed. I was completely naked, and he had all his clothes on. And he’d stopped our fun time. Was he changing his mind about having sex now? “It’s not like you’re that old.”
Please, no. Don’t shut this down. I needed this. My body needed this. My spirit needed this.
He shook his head, cupping my breast. I bit my lip and rocked on his lap to keep from moaning wantonly. He already had me burning everywhere for him. “Older than you. Not just in years, but in life. The shit I’ve seen… ” He sounded like he was convincing himself.
I thought of the nightmare he had the night before, knew he’d been deployed. He was right, I’d barely lived in comparison. So while I was riled, I couldn’t be mad at him for serving our country while I was in elementary school. “I know you’re going back to your base. You’ve made that very clear.”
“And you’re going back to college. You're young. It’s all right. I can work with it.”
Ha. I knew I had been right to keep my identity a secret last night. He did have qualms but was eager for more as much as me.
I moved to straddle him, ready to move this thing forward, but his lips tipped up, and he gripped my waist. “Uh uh. You are not in charge here, Marina. And I believe punishment is still in order.”
Lordy. Every time he said punishment my pussy clenched. “What’s my punishment?” I sounded out of breath.
“Hmm.” He lifted me off his knee and followed me to stand. “Spanking’s too loud. I think you might need to be tied up and eaten.”
Everything clenched. Pussy. Anus. Diaphragm. Yes, please, Mr. Wolf.
“Oh my God. I’m going to be eaten by the big, bad Wolf.”
Colton smirked. “You have no idea, little girl.” He picked me up by the waist like dead-lifting a hundred and ten pounds was a total cinch and tossed me on my back on the bed. I sat up and scooted back, a nervous laugh escaping my lips as he loomed over me, then grabbed my ankles and tugged them wide. “Don’t move. You stay right where I put you.” He walked to the dresser and pulled open a drawer. “Hmm. What will I tie you with?” He shut the top drawer and opened the next one, using one hand to scoot things around as he peered in. “Uh huh.” He pulled out a wrinkled navy blue tie and tossed it on the bed. Then a red one. Then silver.
Were they his? “It’s hard to picture you in a tie,” I confessed, watching his every move. Even though he wore the same clothes as the night before, he was gorgeous. Rumpled looked damned good on him. I could imagine him in uniform, and that would probably ruin me.
He picked one up and snapped it between two hands, like it was a threat. “Yeah, that’s why they’re in my dresser,” he said. “I think some asshole gave them to me for graduation. Since I enlisted a week later, they’re still sitting here.”
He got busy tying my right ankle to the leg of the bed, then the left. “I’ll have to be sure to send a thank you note. Who knew they’d be put to such… good use?”
Being so exposed—spread wide for him and tied down did crazy things to my body. I trembled visibly, my inner thighs shaking, my
belly shuddering in with each breath. Colton dropped a hand on my ankle and stroked slowly up. “You okay, sweetness? Are you scared?”
I shook my head.
“Excited, then.” His gaze was on my pussy where he could see the truth. I was wet. No one had gotten me like this before, my eagerness coating even my thighs.
My heart pounded as I nodded. I couldn’t lie.
“Use your words, sweetness.” He knelt between my legs, set his big palms on my inner thighs and took a long swipe of his tongue between my legs.
I warbled out an answering cry, my hips bucking.
“You could say, Yes, sir. Or even, Yes, Daddy.” He winked up at me from my pussy.
I picked up the pillow by my head and hurled it at him, giggling. “I’m not calling you, Daddy. The last thing I want to do is think of my dad when I’m with you.”
“Sir will do, then.” He grinned back. “Especially when you’re tied up and at my mercy.” He knelt up, looped the fill-in rope around my throat, the crisscross in the back. He tied each of my wrists with an end.
I tested his work. If I moved my arms, it tightened the slack around my neck. A thrill shot through me. Wild. Intense.
“I don’t think this is the knot work the Boys Scouts had in mind,” I replied, my tone sarcastic. The idea, though, that I wasn’t actually tied down but couldn’t do anything with my hands sent a shiver through me. I had to keep my palms against my neck, or I’d tighten the tie myself.
Oh. My. God. I’d never been tied up before, never knew it was even hot. He didn’t need to pin me down to keep me in place.
He grinned. “Maybe I should take a picture and send it to the Scoutmaster.”
Pulling his cell from his back pocket of his cargo pants, I stilled. “You wouldn’t.”
“I think you tied up and at my mercy might give Mr. O’Roarke a heart attack.” He lifted his cell and aimed it at me, then winked. “This one’s just for me to remember how naughty my little girl can be.”
I licked my lips and realized he hadn’t taken the picture. He was waiting for me. I was naked, spread eagle and tied up. At his mercy. He was clothed, but far from unaffected. I couldn’t miss the way his dick tented the front of his pants. He was as into this as I was.