by Dena Christy
“I may not have slept with anyone before, but even I know that the sex between us was amazing. I don’t know how it would be possible for you to make it any better than it was already.” She rolled so that her slippery body was facing him and she propped her head up so that she could look at him. “In a way, I’m glad that you didn’t know. I didn’t want you to treat me like I was too fragile to let yourself go with. I wanted you tonight, and I know I’m going to want you again. You are the man I chose to give myself to. So get over it.”
She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss on his mouth. Her declaration filled him with pride. Thank God her first time had been good for her. He hadn’t gone into her arms a virgin, and he knew that she was right. The sex between them had been mind-blowing and he wanted more of it, but there was one more thing he wanted to know.
“I’m not saying this to make you mad, but why haven’t you slept with anyone before? You are hot and I’ve seen the way wolves look at you.”As much as he hated those looks, he was positive they didn’t start when he declared her his mate. He was pretty certain that she’d been getting those looks for years. “I’m sure you would have plenty of opportunities.”
She sighed as she rolled over again and settled back against him. “I was never sure if some of the men who approached me weren’t doing it because I am descended from Eden Creek’s alpha line. And with the ones that I was sure wanted me for me had an insurmountable obstacle that they couldn’t get over.”
“What obstacle was that?” He stroked his hands over her arms and she settled deeper into his arms.
“Quinn. He didn’t want anyone messing with his baby sister and he never seemed to realize that I’d grown up. And to be frank, I didn’t want any man who wasn’t willing to take him on, so I stayed a virgin.”
“But you aren’t a virgin anymore.” And being this close to her was making him want her again. He kissed the side of her neck and she shivered. “Are you sore or do you think you could take some more?”
Her answer was to take his hand and glide it down her belly to put it between her legs. It was answer enough for him, and with gentle fingers he stroked her. She gave a tiny moan and relaxed against him. He played with her in the tub until her breath was coming in swift pants and her body tightened against him.
She called out his name as she came and sent possessiveness coursing through his veins. She was his mate, his woman and the sweetest sound he’d ever heard was the sound of his name on her lips as he brought her satisfaction.
He eased his hand away from her and shifted in the tub. He was so hard right now and wanted nothing more than to be inside her. But he couldn’t take her here in the tub when his protection was in his bedroom.
“Do you think you can move?” God, he hoped so, since he didn’t know how much longer he could hold off being inside her. Especially when she wiggled back against him, rubbing her body against his cock.
“I’ll give it a shot.” She stood up and water slid down her naked flesh, which only made his need to have her that much stronger. She stepped out of the tub and reached for a towel. He got out behind her and gave his body a perfunctory drying with a towel. It dropped to the floor, forgotten when she moved closer to him and pressed her warm, naked body against him.
He leaned down and kissed her. His lips were soft on hers, despite his need for her. It felt so right holding her here in his arms, and he thought he could hold her and kiss her forever. But soon his body was demanding more, so he put his hands on her waist and lifted her off her feet.
She gave a startled gasp which broke the contact of their mouths and she tightened her arms around his neck as she hung on to him. He carried her to his bedroom and set her on her feet beside the bed. He sat down on the edge and quickly dealt with what was necessary to protect her. He eased back on the bed and held his hand out to her. She came to him and he pulled her down on top of him.
The weight of her body against him made the desire in his blood rise higher. He wanted to put her on her back and slam into her, but he was cognizant of the fact that she had to be sore. He wouldn’t hurt her, no matter how much his body clamored with need.
She eased up so she was straddling him, and there was a hesitancy in her eyes for a second. He ran his hands up and down her thighs, trying to be patient with her. He closed his eyes for a second when she grasped him with gentle hands. He opened them again, just in time to see her shift up and put him at the entrance of her body. It took every ounce of his control to fight the urge to thrust upward so he was buried inside her.
She eased down on him with an agonizing slowness that was pure torture, and as he looked at her astride him with his body fully seated inside her, he thought he’d never seen anyone so beautiful.
“Take your hair down.” It was a growled command and she obeyed him instantly, pulling out the elastic that held her hair up. Her deep red hair cascaded around her, falling to her waist and he was so turned on by the sight of it that he put his hands on her hips and moved them.
Her untutored movements were slow as if she was unsure of what she should be doing. As she gained confidence her movements picked up speed and Rafe’s body tightened and he knew that very soon he wouldn’t be able to hold back. But he wanted her with him when he found his release, and he reached between her legs to stroke her clit with his thumb.
Their bodies moved together in his darkened bedroom, and soon her excitement spiraled out of control. She called out his name when she found her release and his answering response was to let himself go. His body exploded with pleasure and he pulled her body down so that she was resting against him as his orgasm ripped through his body.
The weight of her body against him, the smell of her hair and the smoothness of her skin lulled him. He didn’t want to let her go, not just at this moment, but going forward. She was his mate now, in every sense of the word. Would it be so wrong if he kept it that way?
10
Honor watched the sun reach its light above the horizon and took a sip of the coffee in her hand. It was chilly out on the front porch, but the heavy cardigan she wore over her long t-shirt and lounge pants kept her warm enough. Sleep had been on the elusive side, and she’d woken and fallen back to sleep too many times to count. Finally, she’d given up and come out here to sit in the solitary chair.
Part of the reason for her restless night was the man in the bed beside her. Sleeping in a bed with someone was something she had never experienced, but she’d been reluctant to go back to her bed in the guest room. She and Rafe were mated, and her place was by his side, especially now that their relationship was no longer in name only.
She sighed and took another sip of her coffee as she tried to sort out how she felt about what had happened between them last night. Making love with Rafe had been the subject of her teenage dreams, and the reality far outstripped any of her girlish fantasies. To say he’d blown her mind was an understatement. But for however good the sex was, she wasn’t sure their relationship had progressed any further than where it had been before they’d slept together.
She didn’t expect that he would declare his undying love and ask her to stay with him forever just because they’d spent one night together. Everything was so new between them and she knew that things had to proceed between them at a slow pace, considering that Rafe had been adamant that this mating was temporary, and that he wasn’t in the market for a relationship. Could that be why the fact that she’d been a virgin bothered him so much? Did he think it suddenly made things serious between them? That because she’d never slept with anyone before that she was somehow different from a woman with more experience?
Another sip of her coffee didn’t provide any answers and she didn’t want to sit here and stew about what was happening between her and Rafe. She would take things one day at a time with him, and what would happen would happen. She had other considerations. Ones that she didn’t want to put off while she waited in limbo here in Cold Bay.
The house she’d shared with Quinn
was sitting empty and she needed to decide what she was going to do about it. She couldn’t move back at the moment and didn’t know if she would ever call Eden Creek home again. There was also Quinn’s things that needed to be dealt with, but how was she going to do that when it was too dangerous for her to step foot in Eden Creek? If anyone other than Barrett was alpha she would simply ask for permission to enter his territory to clean out Quinn’s things. Of course, if anyone other than Barrett was alpha, she wouldn’t be sitting in Cold Bay mated to Rafe.
She pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her cardigan and looked at the time. It was early, but Mercy should be up since she was an early riser. She opened her contacts and selected Mercy’s number, holding the phone to her ear as she listened to it ring.
“Well hello, stranger. How’s mated life treating you?” Mercy’s cheerful voice came on over the phone, and a pang went through Honor. She needed her friend now more than ever, but unfortunately, they would have to settle for phone calls. They belonged to two different wolf packs now. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but she was fairly certain that Barrett would not permit Mercy to come to Cold Bay, and she certainly wasn’t going to step foot in Eden Creek any time soon.
“So you heard about that? That I’m mated to Rafe?”
“The whole pack heard about what happened. Did Rafe really hit Barrett?”
“Yes. The pack knows about that too?” Honor had been worried that what happened between Rafe and Barrett wouldn’t be kept between the wolves that had been present at the time. Looks like she’d been right to worry. “How are things within the pack?”
Mercy let out a sigh that told Honor things weren’t particularly good in Eden Creek right now. “Let’s just say that things are not the same now that Quinn’s gone. Even if Rafe hadn’t made Barrett look weak, he’s not alpha material. There was a reason he lost to Quinn in the first place.”
“Then why did the pack pick him?” That’s something that had been puzzling Honor. Surely the pack had been able to see, before the incident with Rafe, that Barrett was a poor choice for alpha.
“I honestly don’t know how he did it. The contest was over by the time I got back from the funeral. I know that some members felt pressured to choose him, and no one challenged him, so there is that. Things are getting worse. The more thuggish members are in Barrett’s pocket and he is using them all as enforcers. And the stuff he is enforcing is petty. A few members have spoken against him, and within a couple of days they were seen around town looking like they had a fight with a two by four.”
Honor closed her eyes for a second. Frustration bubbled up inside her because she knew there was nothing she could do to help her pack.
“So he’s using intimidation. That’s great.”
“We are living in interesting times. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about that. What is going on with you and that man? Why didn’t you tell me when I saw you at the funeral that you and Rafe were mated?”
“Maybe because we weren’t. He saw Barrett grab me and something inside him snapped, or so he says. It was as much a surprise to me as to everyone else in the room that he declared that I was his mate.”
“Now that’s interesting.” There was a speculative note in Mercy’s voice and Honor didn’t bother to take the bait. She’d spent more than enough time wondering why a man who said he didn’t want to be mated, would spontaneously declare it to a room full of people. It would eventually drive her nuts trying to figure out the answer, and she didn’t want to be disappointed when she found out that what Rafe had told her turned out to be true.
“He said it was to keep me out of Barrett’s hands. And that the mating between us isn’t real. Once things settle, we’ll go our separate ways.” And that was something that Honor wasn’t looking forward to. Being here in this house every day only made her want to stay. Especially now that she and Rafe had slept together.
“So the mating is in name only? That’s a shame.” There was disappointment in Mercy’s voice.
“Well, actually it isn’t in name only. At least, not anymore.” Honor felt a blush heat her cheeks, and she rolled her eyes. It wasn’t like Mercy could see her and she needed to get over her lingering hang-ups about talking frankly about sex. She wasn’t a virgin anymore and there was no need for blushes, especially not when she was talking to her best friend. And she needed to talk to someone about everything that had happened with Rafe.
“Oh, do tell.” Mercy’s voice perked up and Honor laughed.
“It only just happened last night. I went into heat, and I’m sure you can appreciate what happened when Rafe came home.”
“I can only imagine. And how was it? As good as you always dreamed it would be?”
“It was better, actually. My naïve, girlish fantasy was no match for reality. Of course, he was a little freaked that I was a virgin.” And if Honor was honest, it was the one thing that had spoiled the night for her a little. “I don’t understand why he would be upset that he was the first man to sleep with me.”
She had her suspicions, that he didn’t think she should have given her virginity to him because this mating wasn’t going to last long. While she kept telling herself that when it was over it was over, deep down she wanted to spend her life with Rafe.
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Some men get a little weird about a woman’s virginity, particularly with someone in your situation, who happens to be older. He will either deal with it or he won’t, and no amount of worry about it on your part is going to help. If you act like it’s no big deal, he’ll eventually get the message.”
Honor sighed. Maybe Mercy was right, she just needed to act like what had happened between her and Rafe was no big deal. He was bound to think that because of her innocence she was going to want to push for something more permanent with him. She did want more permanence in her relationship with him, but she had to be patient, particularly with Rafe. He was commitment phobic with a capital “c” and his instinct would be to push her away if she came on too strong with what she wanted. She would have to be patient and let him come to her.
“I’ve talked enough about me. How was your trip to Ridgeport? You didn’t really get a chance to tell me about it at the funeral.” Honor wanted a few minutes where she didn’t have to think about her and Rafe. And Mercy was usually pretty good at providing a distraction.
“Funny you should mention that because I was going to tell you something that happened while I was there. I met someone.”
“As in a man someone?” Caution for her friend rose inside her. The last few relationships that Mercy hadn’t exactly been good for her, and while Honor wanted to be happy for her friend, she did seem to attract the wrong sort of men. “What’s he like?”
“He’s not like my usual picks if that’s what you mean. He’s very clean cut and has no sign of a criminal record. He’s really very sweet.”
“I hope that he is all he seems to be, for your sake. You could use a win in the romance department.” Considering that her last boyfriend had hit her, Mercy was definitely due for a nice guy. “Just be careful, okay?”
“I will. We’re taking it slow. Besides, it’s a bit of a long distance relationship at the moment, since he lives in Ridgeport and is part of their pack. So I’m sure you can appreciate that the logistics aren’t that great, but it does give us time to get to know each other. He’s coming down to see me next weekend.”
“And Barrett is going to allow that?” Most alphas were fine with other wolves in their territory as long as they were asked first, but Barrett wasn’t like most alphas.
“Barrett doesn’t know. It’s not like he can stand at the Eden Creek border and monitor who comes in and leaves. Nathan isn’t coming into town until late Friday night, so he should be able to slip in under the radar. And I don’t intend to see the outside of my house for a while if you know what I mean.”
“I get it. Just be careful. I did call you for a reason. Since it’s obvious that I won’t be coming back to Eden Cr
eek anytime soon, I need help with clearing out Quinn’s things. If you could pack his clothes up for me and donate them to the thrift store, that would be a big help to me.”
“I can do that, no problem. I still have a key to your place. Is there anything that you need? I can try to gather some things for you and make a stealth trip over the border to get them to you.”
“And risk incurring Barrett’s wrath? There is no need for you to try to get across the border.” It was too bad because her hurried flight to Rafe’s place on the night that Quinn had died had meant that she had to pack light. But maybe there was a way around the issue of getting her stuff to her. “I need some more clothes, and there are some photo albums with pictures of Quinn that I would like. If you could get those for me, I’ll come to where Cold Bay butts up against Eden Creek and I’ll take them from you.”
“Okay, that works. Anything else?”
“No. And there’s no rush on getting my things. Just pick away at it as you get time, and let me know when I can come to get them.”
She and Mercy chatted for a few more minutes, and when the call ended Honor was no closer to knowing what she was going to do about her growing feelings for Rafe. Maybe she should relax and see where things took her. Just because Rafe was shy of commitment now didn’t mean that he would always be that way.
Rafe rolled onto his back and stretched. His body had the relaxed sated feeling that only a night of good sex could give. He kept his eyes closed as he savored the feeling of being in his own bed, with a woman close beside him. This was unusual for him since normally he slept with his lady friends at their home and inevitably left in the middle of the night, not wanting to linger until morning. There was something to be said about waking in the morning with a woman within easy reaching distance.
His hand moved out across the sheets, wanting to reach for Honor and pull her close. All that greeted him was cold, empty sheets and his eyes flew open. The light barely coming through the bedroom told him that it was still very early, and yet his mate was not in bed with him where she should be.