He laid her down on the bed and covered her body with his. Trailing kisses along her jaw and down her neck, he gently nipped her shoulder.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked.
“If you want me half as much as I want you, then I have an idea.”
He grinned and kissed her again, his lips caressing hers, gently stroking and teasing. The kiss turned hotter and his mouth seared hers as he claimed her body and soul. He felt her hands grip his shoulders, felt her nails sink into his skin, and he growled low in his throat, wanting to mark every inch of her so that everyone would know she was his.
Releasing her lips, he kissed and licked his way down her body to her beautiful breasts. Claiming first one and then the other, he licked and sucked her nipples until she arched against him, begging for more. As his tongue caressed the hardened peaks, his hand caressed her body, sending shivers of delight through her. When he reached the juncture of her thighs, he caressed her pussy, groaning when he felt how hot and wet she was.
“God, Harper, I want you so much.”
“Then take me.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her. Settling his hips between her thighs, he entered her with one thrust, drawing a gasp from her sweet lips. Looking into her eyes, he rocked his hips against hers. Using long, gentle strokes, he brought her to climax almost immediately, but he held back. Harper wrapped her legs around his waist, taking him in deeper and he lost his inner battle. He thrust into her harder and faster, losing himself in the scent and feel of her. And just when he thought he couldn’t hold on a moment longer, he came inside of her.
Harper released him and cuddled up against him.
“That ended a lot sooner than I had planned,” he said.
“I’m not complaining.”
“If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”
She kissed him. “I’m always happy when I’m with you.”
Holding her tight, he kissed her back. He might not have lasted long the first time around, but who said they couldn’t go for round two?
Chapter Fourteen
The doorbell rang pulling Ramsey from sleep. He glanced at the clock and realized it was only eight o’clock. He couldn’t believe they’d fallen asleep. Getting out of bed, he pulled on his boxers and a pair of jeans. Quietly walking out of the room, he went to answer the door. He was more than a little surprised to find Connor standing on his front porch.
“I didn’t realize you were coming by.”
Connor shrugged. “I’ve been talking with Gabriel most of the day. Instead of calling, I decided to drop by on my way home.”
“Well, come in.”
Ramsey stood back and allowed Connor to enter his home. Closing the door, he gestured for the alpha to have a seat in the living room.
“Can I get you something to drink? Water? Soda? Beer?”
Connor grinned. “No, I’m good. I won’t be here long. I liked your suggestions for the issue with Trent and Luna. Have you dealt with something similar before?”
“No. It just seemed like the best solution.”
Connor nodded. “You’re used to doling out punishment. I knew who you were when you showed up in Ashton Grove. I just didn’t say anything because… well, I figured if you wanted anyone to know, you’d say something. We have a small pack and haven’t had a need for an enforcer here. But it seems that things may be changing as we grow.”
“Your point?”
“I spoke with Gabriel at length. First, we’re going to use your suggestions. He’s going to force Luna and Trent to be mated to one another. Then he’s going to make them leave. So if you really don’t mind calling Denver, I think that might be our best option.”
“I’ll call them after you leave,” Ramsey said. “I’ll let you know their answer tonight.”
Connor nodded. “Good. Now for the other business. We debated back and forth quite a bit over this part, but we both decided it was for the good of the pack.”
“What is?”
“To make you our enforcer.”
Ramsey was more than a little stunned. “Why would you do that? After everything I’ve done…”
“You did it for love. Otherwise, you’ve been a model citizen and were instrumental in saving Kiera from that vampire. I have no doubt that if you’d been around when Marin was in trouble, that would have been handled a lot quicker, too.”
“And Gabriel agrees with this?”
Connor grinned. “At first he wasn’t sure, but by the time we finished talking about it he did.”
“Then I guess I accept.”
“We’ll call a pack meeting tomorrow after Trent’s and Luna’s mating ceremony. We can make the announcement then and let them know exactly what your position will entail. Some of them may not have had a pack enforcer before.”
“Hell, Connor. Even I don’t know what my position is going to entail. This pack is a lot smaller than the one in Denver.”
“True, and you know Gabriel. He isn’t going to give up control easily so you won’t have as much free rein as you did in Denver. But we can go over details later.”
“While you’re here, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. When you have time, would you mind taking a look at the house for the possibility of adding a nursery to the master bedroom? Harper is a little anxious about having the baby upstairs.”
“Sure. I can probably swing by after work one day next week. That should give us plenty of time to get things settled with the pack. How is Harper, by the way?”
“She’s fine. She’s resting at the moment.”
“I’m sure Aislinn will be by for a visit soon. She seemed to like her. She’s friends with Marin and Chloe and Kiera, but she hasn’t really had a chance to get to know anyone else in town. It will be good for her to make a new friend.”
“She’s welcome here anytime. I know Harper wants to feel like she belongs not only in the pack but in Ashton Grove. She seems to have hit it off with Marin, but for obvious reasons she hasn’t gotten to know Chloe very well. And Kiera was cold toward her in the beginning.”
Connor gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure things will work themselves out where Chloe is concerned. I know it’s going to be awkward at first, but eventually it will get better.”
“I know. I just hope it’s a short journey.”
“I’m sure everything will work out for the best. Anyway, I need to get home before Aislinn sends out a search party for me. She worries when I’m out late.”
Ramsey grinned. “It just means she cares about you.”
“Yeah, I know. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Connor nodded. “I’ll call as soon as I know when we’re having the pack meeting.”
Ramsey walked him to the door. “Let me know how things go with Trent and Luna, too, if you don’t mind.”
“Will do. Good night, Ramsey.”
“Night.”
He closed the door behind the alpha and locked up for the night. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was nearly nine o’clock and he knew he should wake Harper. If she kept sleeping, she’d be awake in the wee hours of the morning. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he grabbed a snack and sat in the living room. Flipping through channels, he finally found a movie to watch.
Trent and Luna’s ceremony went off smoothly. When Ramsey saw them at the pack meeting, they looked miserable. He couldn’t find it within himself to feel sorry for them, not after the trouble they had caused for him and Harper. If they would just open themselves up to one another and to the idea of being together, he figured they could make a good match out of it. But they were both too stubborn for that to happen. Each wanted what they couldn’t have and had decided to be miserable instead of settling for what could make them happy. He only hoped that one day they would realize their mistake, for their child’s sake.
He looked around at the gathered wolves and wondered how they would tak
e the news of his new position. While it was true their pack was growing, he still wasn’t convinced an enforcer was necessary. So far, other than himself, Trent and Luna were the only ones to break pack laws or the alpha’s command. He doubted there would be much use for his new position, but he wasn’t going to argue with Connor and Gabriel. If they wanted him to be the enforcer, that’s what he would do. He was still a hazy on what that was going to entail. Back in Denver, he’d had more power than he should have had. The alpha had allowed him to not only dole out the punishment for the offenders, but he came up with the punishments as well. He kept an eye on the pack and watched for any offenders and acted accordingly. He doubted the same would happen here.
He noticed Trent watching Harper and he growled. He didn’t like the wolf’s attention on his mate. If the alphas didn’t send Trent away soon, Ramsey was going to personally escort him out of Ashton Grove.
Connor called everyone’s attention.
“First, I’d like to say that congratulations are in order. Some of you may know that Ramsey took Harper as his mate. What you don’t know is that they’re expecting their first child. Also, Trent and Luna were mated this morning and are also expecting a child.
“But the main reason you were called here has to do with the dynamics of the pack. As you’ve noticed, we’re constantly growing, and because of that we’ve decided to add another position of leadership. Starting immediately, we’re going to have a pack enforcer. Now, some of you may not know what that is having come from small packs like this one. Basically, it means that someone is going to make sure all pack laws and alpha orders are followed. If they aren’t, they will be the one to see to the punishment. We’re lucky to have someone who has experience in this position. Ramsey held that title in the Denver pack, which boasts nearly two hundred wolves.
“That doesn’t mean you’ll be taking orders from him. You’ll still be getting orders from me or Gabriel, that won’t change. But if something happens and an infraction occurs, the three of us will sit down and discuss the proper punishment. Once something is decided, Ramsey will be the one to see that it’s carried out.”
Connor looked around the group, meeting the gaze of each wolf. “Are there any questions? Any concerns?”
James, a transfer from the Chicago pack, raised his hand. “What if we don’t like the changes? What if we feel the person should have been voted in?”
Connor smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. “If you don’t like the way things are being run here, you’re free to find another pack. Essentially, get in line or get out.”
James nodded.
Sean, a transfer from the Las Vegas pack, raised his hand. “Are there going to be other leadership positions?”
“Not at this time,” Connor answered. “As we grow, it’s possible that some will be added. But for now, it will just be the three of us.” He looked around at everyone. “Anything else?”
When no one answered, he said, “Good. Meeting adjourned. Trent, Luna… I need to speak with you so stick around. Ramsey, why don’t you take Harper in the house? I’ll be in after I speak with these two.”
Ramsey nodded and put his arm around Harper’s waist. As they walked past Luna and Trent, he glared at the other wolf, daring him to look at his mate. Trent apparently had at least some self-preservation skills because he kept his gaze averted.
When they reached the house, Ramsey ushered Harper inside and closed the door behind them. They walked toward the front of the house and found Kiera in the kitchen baking cookies.
“Want one?” Kiera asked as they sat down at the table.
Harper licked her lips. “No way am I passing up a fresh chocolate chip cookie.”
Kiera laughed. “Yep, you’re definitely pregnant. Here, have two. Ramsey?”
He shook his head. “Where’s Gabriel?”
“He had an emergency at the garage. Connor is handling everything today.”
“He’s talking with Luna and Trent now. I’m guessing he’s letting them know about the transfer,” Ramsey said.
“Probably. I know that Gabriel didn’t say anything after the ceremony this morning. I think he wanted them to have an hour or two to get adjusted to being mates. Not that an hour is long enough for something like that, but he didn’t want to spring two major life events on them at the same time.”
“As long as they’re gone, I don’t care when they’re told or who tells them. I don’t trust Trent, mated or not. You didn’t see the way he was staring at Harper during the meeting. I don’t like him.”
“Connor is going to give them a few days to pack their things and make arrangements to move. They should be out of here by Saturday. Think you can hang on until then?”
“It’s not me I’m worried about.”
Harper reached across the table and took his hand. “You shouldn’t worry about me so much. I’ve been fine so far.”
“Yes, but he’s about to become desperate. Before, he thought he had all the time in the world. Now he’s only going to have a few days before he leaves Ashton Grove forever. Like I said, I don’t trust him. You have to promise me that you won’t go anywhere alone.”
Harper nodded.
“I think that’s a smart idea,” Kiera said.
Connor walked in with a frown on his face. “They weren’t happy with the news, but that’s to be expected. It won’t take Luna more than a day to pack, but Trent was dragging his feet. He said it would take two or three days to get his affairs in order before he could leave.”
“And you don’t believe him?” Ramsey asked.
“No, I don’t.”
“I told Harper not to go anywhere by herself,” he said.
Connor nodded. “I noticed that he was watching her. You’d think a man newly mated would be able to keep his eyes on his own woman. Then again, Luna was doing her fair share of looking, and it wasn’t at Trent.”
“I’ll be glad when they’re gone,” Harper said with a sigh. “Maybe life will get back to normal then. Whatever that is.”
“Maybe we can all get together on Saturday, after Trent and Luna leave. We can all use a good time,” Kiera suggested.
“A pack party?” Connor asked.
Kiera shook her head. “I was thinking just family with a few other select people, like Ramsey and Harper, and maybe Austin and Hunter.”
“Sounds good to me. You just have to sell your husband on the idea.”
Kiera grinned. “No problem.”
Ramsey chuckled. “Yeah, she has him wrapped around her finger. Much like Aislinn has you wrapped around hers, I’m sure.”
Connor grinned. “Yeah, she does. Her and Alisdair both.”
“Alisdair?” Harper asked.
“My adopted son. He wandered up to my construction site as a wolf pup and Aislinn took him in, recognizing him as a werewolf right away. He was injured and was hiding from his pack. We changed his name and made him ours,” Connor explained.
“He’s lucky to have found you,” she said with a smile.
“You have no idea,” Kiera said. “They spoil him rotten.”
Connor narrowed his eyes at her. “Look who’s talking! I seem to remember a certain baby having more than it could ever need or want long before it was born.”
She blushed. “Okay, so I’m just as guilty.”
Harper placed a hand over her own stomach. Would she be the same way? She was already anxious to set up the nursery, but would she spoil her child like these two obviously had? She glanced at Ramsey and found him watching her intently. His eyes gave nothing away so she had no clue as to what he was thinking, but she wondered if he too was thinking about their unborn child.
“Now, for the reason I asked you to stay,” Connor said, addressing Ramsey. “You already heard your job description. Do you have any questions or concerns? Anything you didn’t want to say in front of everyone?”
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