by L. P. Maxa
“Yeah well, I do know that you guys are wasting time arguing right now.” Jace held the screen out. “Franklin tossed a rabid fox onto the compound.”
“What?” Dom took the screen from his hands, bringing it closer. “Why would he do that?”
“My guess? He saw us leave on a run, which means he found the compound.” Jace crossed his arms over his chest. “Either he wanted it to go after one of us, or he wanted the girls to go outside and investigate why the power went out.”
“He did that too?” Keller’s face was a mask of disbelief. “How?”
“Drove a truck into the power line down the mountain.”
Linc narrowed his eyes. “Why are you smiling right now? He knows where we’re staying, he tried to give us all rabies, and he destroyed our power lines. None of this is good news.”
Jace tossed his head back, laughing, which was oddly out of character for him. “Are you kidding? This is fucking excellent news.” He took the iPad back. “We always knew he’d find the house eventually. But he couldn’t get onto the property, and he couldn’t shut down our security. Right now he is losing his cool, and he’s acting out. Two things I’ve never seen him do. Ever.”
“Man-bun was right?” Linc questioned the group.
Jace nodded, still smiling. “Man-bun was right.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Penelope
Power was back on, and Jace had redirected the power grid for the house. Pen had no idea how he did it, but she was glad he had. No matter how hard she tried to clear the image, she kept thinking about the damn clown Madden had invented, watching from the shadows. The guys had stayed in the basement, discussing Franklin and drones and a bunch of other stuff she didn’t feel like talking about. So she’d come to their room and taken the longest bath she’d taken in a while. She’d even found bubble bath under the sink. It had been amazing, and it’d gone a long way in relieving some of the stress from the night.
Baze had never talked to her like he had when he’d found them in the basement. He’d never raised his voice, he’d never gotten angry. And she didn’t fucking like it one bit. Now she understood what the girls had meant yesterday. A protective mate was no fucking joke. But she’d be damned if she let stuff like that fly.
“Hey.”
She cut her gaze to the side, watching as Baze walked into their room and tossed his cell on the dresser. He emptied his pockets like he did every night and then perched on the edge of the bed. She put her book on the nightstand, giving him her attention. “Hey yourself.”
“I yelled at you earlier.”
“Yes, I was there.” She crossed her arms over her chest, glad that her sweater was hiding the way her traitorous nipples were behaving. “I didn’t enjoy it.”
“I didn’t either.” He moved closer to her, resting his hand on her leg. “When I heard you scream, my stomach dropped. In the thirty seconds it took for me to get down to you, a million terrible thoughts went through my head.”
“We all screamed. No one else’s mate yelled at them.”
His eyebrows rose. “Did you just call me your mate?”
Had she? She shrugged, changing the subject to something safer. “I’d get on with your apology if I were you.”
He studied her for a few moments, a smile playing on his lips. “I only heard your scream, Pen, only yours. You matter more to me than anything else in this world, and when I found out you’d put yourself in harm’s way, I lost it.”
“And?” She kept her arms crossed and her expression neutral.
“And I’m sorry.” When her face didn’t change, he kept going. “I’m sorry that I talked to you like that. I shouldn’t have, and I’ll try hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I forgive you.” She’d forgiven him the moment he’d walked into their room looking like a sad puppy. “Is everything okay down there?” She pointed to the ground, encompassing the house and all the other people who were currently living in it.
“Yeah. Jace got all the intel he could. And as far as he can tell, all his security systems did their jobs. The backup generator kicked on immediately, like it should. And the locks and gates codes, all of it kept Franklin from actually getting onto the property.”
“But he found us.” That had been the first selling point of the house, right? The fact that Franklin didn’t know where it was.
Baze sighed, rubbing her leg over the blankets. “He did find us. Jace said he knew that it would happen eventually, and since we are planning on luring him to his death in a few days anyway…”
“I can’t believe that this is a normal conversation for us to have before bed.” When they were younger, they’d discussed movies and books, classmates. They talked about their future and what their life would be like in college. But never murder; they’d never discussed murder.
“Well, how about we change the subject?”
“Mmmm, I like the sound of that.” She grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head, leaving her in only her tank top.
Baze stood, his spine rigid. “Good. What was that look you and Jace shared back in the basement?”
Oh. That wasn’t really the subject change she thought they were going for. They’d had a little fight, and now it was time to make up, right? “Do we really need to talk about Jace right now? I was kind of planning on taking off all my clothes.”
“And distracting me from the question I asked?” He raised on dark eyebrow.
“I presume that Jace’s little side-eye was because he’s been doing his due diligence on the alpha/beta pack dynamic.” She more than presumed; she’d given him the titles of a few books he could use for research. And that combined with Linc’s comment about him having no idea what life was like with a mate? She knew exactly what the side-eye was about.
“I tried to find more information about it online and couldn’t really find anything.”
“Of course you couldn’t.” She snorted out a quiet laugh. “Why would shifters put that stuff where anyone could stumble upon it? I gave Jace a few books to start with.”
“And what do you think he found? Presumably.”
She didn’t want to get into this with him, not right now. She wanted him to hold her and put his mouth on her body. She was cold and hornier than she’d been in about a decade. “Presumably, he found the section on mate sharing.”
“What?” Baze leaned forward, his chocolate-colored eyes narrowing in confusion. And maybe a little in anger.
“Mate sharing.” She licked her lips and sat up straighter in bed. “It’s not what you’re thinking, not really. Until Jace finds his mate, all his protective instincts and possessive characteristics will kind of come my way.” She was the pack alpha’s mate, mostly, so that meant that the beta also looked out for her.
“Possessive? Are you telling me that Jace wants to—”
“No.” She stopped him before he could travel down an unnecessary rabbit hole. “No, it’s not sexual. He doesn’t want to claim me. It’s more of like I’m an outlet for those few traits that plague a bonded male. Living in the pack, being the beta, it’s almost like he’s older in shifter years than he is in his human life.”
“Will he get jealous? Of me?”
She shook her head. “No, he shouldn’t. Like I said, I don’t really think it’s sexual.”
“You don’t think? Is it possible?”
She shrugged one shoulder as she got to her feet. “It’s been years since I read those books. I don’t remember every detail.” She didn’t recall anything about it being sexual, or betas going after their alphas’ mates. It was simply his shifter side growing stronger for the good of the pack. And there had to be somewhere for all that bonded male behavior to go. “You should be happy. I’ll be double protected.”
She stepped past him, heading into the bathroom, when he grabbed her arm, halting her movements. He wasn’t hurting her, but his hold was firm. When she turned back to look at him, his eyes were closed. His jaw wa
s clenched and his breathing was shallow.
“Baze? Are you okay?”
She watched as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple working harder than it should. “I, um, I’m having a hard time…” He cracked his neck and then seemed to shake off a chill. “I can’t…the thought of you and Jace…”
“But there is no me and Jace. I told you, it isn’t like that.” Baze’s behavior was exactly why she never wanted to bring it up, never wanted to mention it in the first place. She shouldn’t have given Jace the name of that dumb book.
He used his grip on her arm to move her backward, and eventually her back hit the wall. “Come outside with me.” It wasn’t a question; his tone was demanding.
“I’m allowed to go outside now?” She didn’t know why she felt the need to push him right now, but she did.
He didn’t say another word, he moved his hand down to take hold of hers and then he led her down the hall, down the stairs, and out the back door to the deck. She thought maybe they were going to sit and chat on the porch, not that she understood why. But instead they took a left, stepping into the cool green grass and even cooler night air. They turned a corner and Pen stopped short.
There was a pallet on the ground, more pillows and blankets then she could even count. There was a portable speaker, playing music so soft and low that she could barely make it out. And candles…there were small votives lit and scattered around the space. “Baze?”
“I knew you were going to push us to go for a run. I heard Madden and Molly talking about it earlier this evening.” He was standing behind her, his hands resting on her hips. “You care about me, you care about my pack. You’re already planning a life here in Haxton. I’ve heard you talk about teaching more than once now.” He smiled. “I know you think you need time, but you don’t. You love me, Pen, but you’re scared.”
“I am scared.” She swallowed past a lump in her throat. “I’m scared that something will happen to you and I’ll be alone again. Or worse, something will happen to me and you’ll die.”
“That’s life, bumblebee. Isn’t that what you told me last night?” He cupped her face in his warm palms. “There is always a chance that something terrible is waiting around the corner. But choosing to be happy and in love in the meantime? That’s how we survive.”
She turned around, tears in her eyes. “Why did you do this for me?”
“I did this for us.” He threaded his fingers through her long hair. “I know that our love story hasn’t been perfect. We’ve been hurt, and we’ve been separated. But we’re together now, and that’s all that matters to me. All that’s ever mattered to me is you.” He kissed her deeply, leaving her breathless. “You’ve always been mine. Let me make it official.”
She nodded, words getting stuck in her throat after his declaration. He picked her up, her mouth crashing onto his as he laid them down on the pallet. Everything about the space he’d created for them reminded her of their first time, ten years ago.
Once again the stars were overhead, and soft blankets were at her back. The man she loved was covering her body, raining kisses down her torso. She grabbed his shirt, stopping him. “Make me yours.” She laughed lightly. “Now.” She’d waited for this man her whole life, and she wasn’t about to let one more thing come between them and their forever.
Baze pulled off her pants, tossing them over this shoulder somewhere in the yard. Her hands pushed his shorts down enough to free his hard cock. His hand slipped between, a satisfied growl in this throat when he found her ready for him. “Don’t close your eyes, okay?”
They were both smiling, remembering their past. “I won’t, I promise.”
Baze loomed over her, covering her whole body with his, keeping her warm in the cool night air. He slid into her, purposefully. She bit her lip, trying hard not to let a moan escape. He was stretching her, the sensation bordering on painful. Once he was buried all the way to the hilt, he stilled.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
He was staring down at her, his eyes almost watery. “This is all I’ve wanted since I was sixteen years old. You are all I’ve ever wanted. I guess part of me can’t believe that this is really happening.”
“It’s real, we’re real.” She put her hands on his lower back, digging her nails in to make him start to move inside her. “Now make me yours.”
He bit his bottom lip, the muscles in his arms working as he pushed into her. He reached down and grabbed one thigh, making more room for himself. “So fucking tight, so fucking perfect.” His rhythm picked up, his movements growing wilder as she started to meet him thrust for thrust. Through it all, his eyes stayed trained on hers.
This was more than sex; it was the shifter equivalent of an engagement and wedding all rolled into one. This was two people agreeing to spend the rest of their lives together. And the fact that his every move sent shock waves of pleasure coursing through her whole body? That was icing on the cake. “Baze, oh god, don’t stop.”
“You feel so fucking good, Pen.” His thrusts were speeding up. “Fuck, baby, are you ready?”
She nodded, her gaze locked on his. She was so close, but it wasn’t until she felt him start to pulse inside her and shimmer before her eyes that she came. His cock was pulsing so hard that he triggered her own release. After what seemed like minutes he finally stilled, his cock twitching.
She smiled, reaching up to cup his handsome scruffy face. “I love you, Baze Carter.”
He kissed her palm. “I love you, bumblebee.” He reached down and grabbed a blanket, pulling it over them. He slipped from her body, his eyes trained between them. “Are you okay? Are you sore? I should have been more careful, but—”
“I’m fine.” She fisted her hand in his hair. “It was perfect. I wouldn’t have wanted you any other way.”
Wild and hungry for each other, that’s how she’d always dreamed it would be.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Baze
“How do you think your pack would react if they knew how incredibly romantic you were?”
“Our pack.” Baze spoke against Pen’s back, his lips brushing her skin. After they’d finally mated, he’d carried his girl into the house. It was October in Colorado and the temperatures were plummeting. “And I can tell you exactly how they would react because Keller and Riley helped me set that up for us.”
“They make fun of you?”
“Incessantly.” Which was saying something because he thought Kel and Riley were the two most compassionate members of the pack.
“What happens next?” Pen scooted closer to him, her tight little ass now flush with his quickly hardening cock.
He couldn’t help it; the thing was insatiable at the moment. It was as if it expected him to make up for ten years of lost time all in one night. He’d been an early bloomer, hooking up with all the cheerleaders from the time he was a freshman. But after Pen had been taken from him, he’d never had sex again. He assumed that he’d be almost nervous when, and if, he ever tried again. But he wasn’t. He felt sure of every move, felt like he could fuck her all night and never get tired.
“Baze?”
He groaned when she wiggled again. “If you keep that up, I’m not going to be able to answer any of your questions.” She giggled but, mercifully, stayed still. “Next we kill Franklin.”
“And then?”
“And then we move out of Jace’s incredible house and into my exceptionally average apartment.” Baze wasn’t a materialistic person by any means. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t going to miss this place.
“We could buy a house.” She turned to face him. “We could buy a house in in the mountains, farther away from campus.”
Baze almost wanted to pinch himself. He couldn’t believe that Pen was in his arms, fully his and talking about their future. It was every dream he’d ever had come to fruition. “We could.”
“And then fill it with kids.”
He pulled back, his eyes wide. “You want kids? Like, now? Yo
u’re ready for kids?” He’d always thought he’d have kids with Pen one day. As a teenager he’d thought more of the process it would take to make those babies, but now that he was older his thoughts were a little different. Instead he thought of the way she’d look when she started to show. The way she’d rock their children, the way she’d love them.
“We’ve already waited ten years, why wait any longer?”
He hadn’t asked her if she was on birth control, but he figured she didn’t have a reason to be. And now, she’d basically given him the green light to get her pregnant. He wasn’t about to argue with that.
He grabbed her thigh, hiking it over his hip and opening her to him. “We better keep going then, huh?” He slipped inside her, rougher than he meant to. He stilled when she winced. “I’m sorry, baby.” He placed his hand on the back of her neck, his fingers in her hair. He drew her close, kissing her lips until he felt her body start to relax in his arms.
He kept his mouth on hers, moving into her, ever so slowly. It was hard to hold back; his shifter side was feeling almost primal tonight. But he’d be damned if he hurt her, if she ever felt anything but mind-numbing pleasure when they came together like this.
“I’m okay,” she whispered against his lip, angling her body farther away. She smiled at him, his favorite wicked little grin. “I want more.”
His fingers tightened in her hair, bringing her head back and exposing her throat. He rolled them over, hovering on top of her before dipping down to nip at her flesh. “Be careful what you ask for, baby.”
He stopped holding back, hammering into her the way he’d wanted to for the last decade. He watched his girl’s face, looking for signs that he was hurting her. But her lips were parted, her breaths coming out in little moans of pleasure. Her nails were digging into his back. “Baze…”
His name on her lips like that was the best sound he’d ever heard. He wanted to hear it again, over and over, every night for as long he lived. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her. He moved his mouth to her chest, taking her nipple in his mouth. He sucked hard, and her hand went to his hair.