Dark Moon Falls: Cade

by Melanie James

  “I don’t want to open my eyes. I like it here, where it’s nice, warm and safe.”

  “I’m sure you do, but we’ve got shit to do, and a long drive back to Dark Moon Falls,” Cade explained.

  “No! Not that. I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here. My life is here. My friends are here.”

  “Ivy.”

  “Cade. Dammit, this is my dream. I get to make the rules. And I say dream Cade is supposed to be sweet and supportive, and unable to keep his hands off of me. What he isn’t supposed to be is all grouchy and bossy like the real Cade. Now, keep it up and I’m going to have to find some other smoking hot guy to dream about and fulfill my wildest fantasies.”

  “Come on, princess. You need to wake up or I’m going to have to do something drastic to wake you up,” Cade warned.

  She should have taken the warning to heart, but she didn’t. Again, it was her damn dream and he needed to get the fuck on board with what she wanted. And that was some naughty fun she’d remember for the next few weeks. Enough that she would blush the first few times she saw him when she got home.

  “You hush and get over here and give me what I really want.”

  Bold and honest. That’s the path she continued on, knowing damn well she could never, would never even consider being so wanton in real life. Dreams, well, that was a whole different game.

  The heat from his body seeped through her blankets and into her skin as he pressed against her backside.

  “Mmmm. That’s nice,” she cooed.

  “Ivy.” Cade’s voice was more of a growl than anything else.

  She wanted to see him toss his head back and growl her name mid-climax. Call it part of her bucket list. Things to do before she died. She was almost ashamed to admit that was at the tippy top of her list.

  Almost ashamed.

  4

  Cade had always known Ivy would fit next to him perfectly. Each of her soft curves pressed against him in all the right places. Even with a mound of blankets between them, the fit was still one hundred percent perfect, and it pissed him right the fuck off.

  He didn’t want to want her.

  He never had. She was his best friend’s little sister and far too good for him—even before he’d lost his damn leg. Deep down, part of him knew she was his mate long before he’d walked into her apartment and her scent had washed over him. The soft, feminine scent of lilacs and sugar that was uniquely hers drifted to his nose.

  He inhaled.

  His wolf inhaled.

  They nearly lost their collective mind to need. The need to claim their mate. His wolf pushed to the forefront of his mind, begging to take over—to do what needed to be done.

  Cade pushed back against his wolf. If he were to allow his animal to take control and mark Ivy as his mate, it would be a disaster for both of them. Never in the history of mates had there been a worse pairing by the fates.

  He stared down at her sleeping form. It had been years since he’d laid his eyes upon her. She’d transformed from the gangly young girl he’d once known into the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Her long blonde tresses hung in messy ringlets around her face.

  Cade gently brushed them out of the way, amazed by the softness of the lustrous curls.

  “Gods, you are so beautiful,” he whispered.

  Ivy mumbled in her sleep. Something about dream Cade being better than the real Cade. He smiled, wishing he knew what the hell was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

  Oh, how he wanted to kiss each of the tiny freckles dusted gently across her nose and cheeks. The urge to make Ivy his, rode him harder than he could have ever thought possible. Like an impending train wreck, he couldn’t look away from. He was helpless to stop it.

  The only saving grace was the fact that she absolutely loathed him. Remembering how he’d treated her the last time he saw her still made him sick to his stomach. It all made sense now. Somehow, his wolf had known all along Ivy was his mate. It was the only explanation for what he’d done to her all those years ago.

  His reaction to a seemingly innocent scenario left him baffled for quite a while. Cade had never been the aggressive type until that day. Seeing Ivy joking around and laughing with another male had caused his mind to go all kinds of crazy. His reaction had been overblown, but he couldn’t take any of it back. It was what it was. He couldn’t change the past or her hate for him.

  “You smell just like I remember. All hot and sexy,” Ivy mumbled in her sleep.

  Cade’s heart stopped.

  There was no way in hell she could be talking about him.

  Or could she?

  There was only one way to find out. He had no business interrogating Ivy in her sleep, yet he was about to do the unthinkable.

  “And here, I was afraid you’d forgotten all about me.”

  His heart stopped once again, waiting for her reply. For all he knew, she could be talking about some boyfriend who she’d met at college. She’d made it absolutely clear that she couldn’t care less if he were to fall off the face of the earth.

  “How could I ever forget about the only boy I ever really loved?”

  Oh. Fuck.

  That was not what he had expected to hear. His heart filled with an unexpected joy he’d never known. Never thought could be his to feel. As the years passed, and no potential mate anywhere to be found, Cade had assumed he would spend his life alone.

  “I can’t claim her,” he whispered.

  All the joy he’d felt moments ago vanished, leaving behind nothing but a cold and empty space. For the second time in as many minutes, he found himself pissed off once again. Pissed off that his decisions in life had led him to this point.

  “Ivy, wake up.” He gently shook her, hoping her eyes would pop open.

  They didn’t.

  He glanced around her messy room. His eyes landed on the empty bottle of whiskey next to her bed. Cade drew in a deep breath. The smell of alcohol hit him immediately. Having been too preoccupied with her scent, he hadn’t even noticed it when he’d first walked in.

  Cade didn’t want to play this game, nor did he have time for it. By the looks of her room, she still had a bunch of stuff to pack, and they needed to be on the road twenty minutes ago. What did he expect though? Nothing was ever easy with Ivy.

  “I don’t want to wake up. My bed is so comfortable, and I love my pillows,” she mumbled.

  Frustration started to set in. Every second he spent next to her, the need to claim her as his mate hit him harder and harder.

  It was going to be one long ass drive back to Dark Moon Falls. He’d have to put all of the windows down just to keep from being overwhelmed by her scent and doing something stupid.

  “Ivy. Wake up or I’m going to have to take drastic measures,” he warned.

  “I love you, but go away.” She pushed him away and hid under her blankets.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Cade yanked the covers back and scooped Ivy up into his arms.

  Her eyes instantly popped open.

  Gods, he wanted to get lost in those beautiful golden eyes of hers. The need to feel his lips pressed against hers tore through him. He leaned in closer, her scent washing over him once again, damn near bringing him to his knees.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Cade snapped out of the fog he had been in as soon as the words had left her mouth.

  “Do it! Kiss her! Now! You must claim our mate before someone else does,” his wolf urged him on.

  “We need to get going, and you seem to have a hard time getting motivated today. So, I figured I’d help out with that.”

  Cade set her down, then quickly picked her back up. This time, he lifted her over his shoulder so he wouldn’t have to stare into those mesmerizing eyes of hers.

  “Cade! What the hell are you doing?” She pounded on his back, trying to escape.

  Her struggles were useless. He had her right where he wanted her.

  “What better way to wak
e up than with a nice cold shower?” He slapped her ass. His hand lingered a little longer than necessary. It took all of his strength and will power to keep his hand from diving deep under her ridiculously tiny shorts.

  He wasn’t sure if it was a moan that had escaped her mouth when his hand landed on her ass for a second time or not. Either way, his cock stood at attention.

  Fuck.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Panic laced Ivy’s voice.

  “Watch me.”

  “Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?”

  “It’s time you learned a lesson or two about life. When people take time out of their day to do something for you, you need to learn how to be appreciative and have your shit together. I show up to find you hungover and nowhere near ready.”

  “Oh, she’d been ready all right.”

  “You are not making this any easier,” he said to his wolf.

  “That’s what this is about? The fact that I had a few drinks last night?”

  “You smell like a fucking distillery. I think it’s safe to say you had more than a few drinks last night.”

  “Fuck you!” Ivy screamed.

  “Gee, princess. I’m glad to see you learned some new vocabulary at college.” Cade slapped her ass again. He just couldn’t seem to stop himself from doing it.

  Another small moan left her mouth.

  His cock twitched in his jeans. Suddenly, they felt five sizes too small.

  Ivy renewed the vigor of her fight against his barbaric tactics. “Put me down, you overgrown mutt!”

  “Your wish is my command.” Cade dumped Ivy into the shower and turned the water on high, aiming it right at her.

  She screeched, trying to jump out of the ice-cold spray. It was no use. He blocked her escape with one arm. Her tiny fists pounded against his chest. She snarled at him. Apparently her wolf didn’t like cold showers either.

  It was far too cute of a snarl for him to feel even remotely threatened by her.

  Cade didn’t miss the fact that her nipples hardened instantly. Her flimsy tank top did nothing to conceal her body’s natural response to the cold water. His gaze was glued to the tiny rosy buds, with the thought of sucking them into his mouth filling his head. He wanted to palm her breasts and caress them. He wanted to know if she tasted as good as he’d imagined.

  5

  “Two can play this fucking game!” Ivy grabbed the shower head and turned it on Cade, surprising him. The long hose allowed her to douse every single inch of his body, as he had done with her. Peals of laughter sprang from her throat as she soaked his tight white t-shirt, showcasing his drool-worthy chest.

  The look Cade had in his eyes scared the bejesus out of her. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss her or throttle her.

  Her wolf howled in the back of her mind, pushing her to kiss him. The animal had never urged Ivy to kiss anyone. She’d never shown interest in a single man who Ivy had showed affection for. Was it simply because Cade was familiar to them, or the fact that he was another shifter? Or was her wolf’s interest something more?

  Either way, she wasn’t waiting to find out. Before she could talk herself out of it, or Cade decided to stop playing whatever game they had going on, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him into the shower with her. Her lips crashed against his. Her arms wound around his neck as their kiss deepened. His tongue seeking out hers, gliding back and forth. Tempting, teasing one another.

  Cade pulled back for a second, staring into her eyes as he flipped the lever on the shower to turn the warm water on. His eyes flickered from brown to blue and back as she saw his wolf trying to surge forward.

  Oh, yeah.

  He wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

  Uncertainty spread over his face.

  No. No. No. That wouldn’t do.

  This was something she’d wanted for years. Had literally dreamed about a million times over. She was living her goddamn fantasy for fuck’s sake! Not to mention, no one she’d ever kissed had tasted so damn good. His kiss tasted like she’d found her way home. Like she had bypassed all the bullshit and found the person she was meant to spend the rest of her life with.

  “I need more—want more.” Ivy pulled him closer. She moaned in delight as his lips crashed over hers again, this time with more force than she’d expected.

  Another moan flew from her mouth when he palmed her ass. The heat from his hand seeped through her tiny boy shorts.

  His touch was exactly as she’d always dreamed.

  Hot.

  Demanding.

  “Ivy, we need to stop,” Cade said as his hand slipped under her tank top and found her breasts. She tossed her head back when he squeezed and caressed each with his calloused hands before running his thumb over her hardened nipples.

  Her hands made their way to his jeans, slowly opening each of the buttons straining to contain his cock. He let out a soft moan as her fingertips brushed against the tip. Encouraged by his reaction, she pushed his jeans and boxers down his hips and wrapped her fingers as far as she could around the base of his cock. When her fingers failed to close around it, a tremor of worry passed through her. He was by far larger than any man she’d ever been with.

  “So beautiful,” she murmured as she bent over and swiped her tongue over the tip.

  “Fuck!” Cade shouted.

  “I’ll take that to mean, ‘Oh God, Ivy. That feels so good. Please don’t stop’.” Maybe there was something to the dirty talk her friends were talking about. She’d never been so bold with a lover, but for whatever reason, she felt differently with Cade—like she could tell him anything.

  All Cade could do was nod in agreement.

  One taste of his sweet yet salty flavor was enough for her wolf to surge forward.

  “Mine!” she shouted in her mind.

  Well, that was quite unexpected.

  Even though Ivy had always wanted Cade, she’d thought her feelings for him were nothing more than a childhood crush—a schoolgirl fantasy, longing for her brother’s best friend. Possibly even a rebellious period because her mother had always warned her to stay away from him. That it wasn’t proper for a good girl like her to be mixed up with a boy like him.

  Guess the fates thought otherwise.

  Her head rose and fell as she sucked his cock with an uninhibitedness that surprised her. For the first time in her life, it was something she would beg to do. She’d never really been into giving blowjobs before and had certainly never felt like it was something she just had to do, but one glance at his stiff length was all it took for Ivy to realize exactly what she wanted to do.

  To taste him. To please him.

  The sudden and wicked desire had been so fierce, she couldn’t have stopped if she’d wanted to. And trust a girl. She had no desire to stop what she was doing. Not even a smidgen.

  Each moan and groan that sprung from Cade’s mouth offered the encouragement she needed to know he loved every single movement she made and added fuel to the already scorching hot fire.

  * * *

  He should stop her. He really should. But fuck! Since the moment he’d walked into her apartment and her scent had washed over him, having her was all he’d thought about. His plan to toss her in the shower and walk away had backfired on him.

  Big time.

  The heat between them had escalated so quickly, he’d meant to stop it before it got to this point—really, he did.

  The lust in her eyes when she looked up at him almost made him come instantly. The way she wrapped her lips around his cock—so fucking hot. Her hand tightened around his length, leaving him begging for more.

  “God, princess. You are straight up killing me.” His fingers twisted through her hair, inching his cock deeper into her mouth.

  His legs trembled with each swipe of her tongue over his cock. If she kept this up, he wouldn’t last much longer, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to embarrass himself like that. All the while, he had to fight his wolf for control. The beast inside of
him wanted his mate, to mark her, to claim her, by fair means or foul. To him, it made no difference—so long as it was done.

  Pleasure surged through his body. His balls tightened.

  “Princess, you’ve gotta stop.”

  “Am I doing something wrong?” Ivy asked with a sassy smirk on that pretty little face of hers.

  “Not at all. In fact, it’s perfect—you’re perfect, but I’m going to finish before we even get started if you keep it up.” He was close—so close to losing it, and there was so much more he wanted to do.

  Cade pulled Ivy to a standing position. He quickly spun her around to face the wall. Making quick work of the itty-bitty boy shorts that barely covered her ass, he paused for a brief second to admire her perfectly round ass.

  So fucking hot.

  So perfect.

  She was made for him and him alone.

  Ivy bent slightly, offering herself to him.

  “Fuck yes!”

  How could he refuse such a beautiful offering?

  Cade palmed his cock, brushing the head against her silken lips and moaned as the heat from her core teased him. Never had Cade had such a raw, primal urge to be with a woman.

  “Cade, please! I need to feel you.” Ivy pushed back against him.

  His mind told him to stop this craziness before it went any further while every fiber of his being urged him on to give his mate what she begged for—what she craved.

  He aligned the head of his cock with her entrance, rubbing it slowly around, he sucked in a deep breath, knowing he was far past the point of no return.

  He slammed home.

  “So deep,” Ivy panted.

  “So tight,” Cade groaned, holding completely still. His mate was hot, wet, and tight—the perfect combination that left him fighting for control and biting his tongue to stave off the need to claim her.

  “I need more, Cade! Now!”

  Ivy’s soft plea urged him on. He’d had every intention starting off nice and slow, making her beg for more, but instinct got the best of him. He pulled his cock out to the tip, then slammed home. Her body shook under the force of his thrusts. In and out, a hard-rhythmic pounding he couldn’t slow even if he wanted to.