by Alisa Woods
And she was still just a human.
“I would love to carry you to your room, Ms. Jones,” Noah said, his not-smile getting even more mischievous.
“My room?” she asked, frowning and throwing a glance at Mama River.
“Ah, well,” Mama River sighed. “It’s a good thing I fueled you up, my dear.” She rose from the table and started gathering up the dishes.
Emily had no idea what she meant. “I’m fine, really, Noah. I can go back to the city now, I just need a ride—”
“Absolutely not.” Noah stepped closer, took her by the elbow, and ushered her out of the kitchen.
“The extra pancakes will be in the fridge!” Mama River called after them.
“I really don’t need a room,” Emily protested as Noah led her through the great room of the estate and toward the stairs by the front door. “I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.”
“The very last thing you are is an inconvenience,” he said quietly in her ear.
There were several shifters gathered in the great room, and their stares followed Emily and Noah across the room. Her rescuers, Daniel and Owen, were among them, but also the River brothers, Jaxson, Jace, and Jared. To a one, they were all ridiculously sexy, each in their own way. With them all together, Emily could see how Noah, even with his rippling shifter muscles and broad shoulders, was still the fresh-faced baby of the bunch.
Being in the presence of all that male hotness had her head swimming.
Noah made a very soft sound that was almost a growl, and his grip on her elbow tightened a little as he directed her up the stairs. “I’ve got a room ready for you,” he said quietly, but his voice definitely carried over the hush of the room. “You can stay as long as you like, but you really do need to stay for a day or two, at least until we’re sure it’s okay for you to return to the city. Not to mention the office.” By the time he finished speaking, they’d made it to the top of the stairs, and out of view of their onlookers below. Noah stopped her in the empty hallway. “Please don’t fight me on this, Emily,” he said even more quietly. “Please say you’ll stay, at least for a little while.” He was beseeching her with his eyes as if he thought she might actually say no.
“Of course,” she said. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble.”
He pulled back a little. “Your room is this way.” His hand was back on her elbow as he directed her down the hall. He seemed to be doing that a lot since they left the motel, touching her elbow or her face or the small of her back, staying physically close to her like he was reassuring himself that she was still there. She had to reassure herself, too, every once in a while, stopping for a moment to actually look around and acknowledge that she’d survived. She had been so ready to die, it was still a shock to her that she hadn’t.
And she had yet to properly thank Noah for saving her life.
When he swung open the door to her room, she was utterly charmed by it. The entire estate was decorated in a very rustic style—rough-hewn log walls, sturdy furniture that seemed carved from the forest surrounding it, and warm colors of orange and brown and a clear white that made everything feel cozy yet elegant. Her room had a slightly feminine touch with a snow-white comforter and small lace trimmings on the curtains, but otherwise, it had that same home-spun feel as the rest of the house.
She turned to face Noah just as he closed the door behind him.
“Emily,” he began, “I wanted to tell you something—”
She cut him off by stepping forward and sliding her hands up around his neck. “And I wanted to tell you something, too.” But instead of saying her thank you, she lifted up on her tip-toes to reach his lips and kiss him. She had planned to just give him a light kiss on the lips, then pull back and tell him how amazingly grateful she was to have him in her life, even if for just a short time, but once she was there… Noah’s hands found her back and pressed her body against his rock-hard chest. She couldn’t help melting against him as his lips consumed hers, his tongue probing gently into her mouth, then more urgently as she opened for him and kissed him back. His hands bunched in her hair and pressed her closer, and suddenly her heart was racing, wanting more than it should from him.
After a moment, he broke the kiss, breathing hard and not going far from her lips. “I like your something much better than mine,” he said, breathlessly.
She swallowed, trying to catch her breath, but he was still holding her so intimately, it was impossible. “I just wanted to thank you for saving my life.”
“Oh,” he said. “Right.” His hold on her loosened, and she instantly missed it. Then he touched her again, just a finger running along her hair and tucking it behind her ear. “I just can’t help myself around you, Em. And with all these other shifters staring at you… I told you before, you bring out my alpha. And I can’t help wanting you all to myself.”
Her heart swelled with that, and it threatened to break her. Didn’t he know the effect those words would have on her? “You risked your life to save mine. You came for me when I thought everything was lost. Noah, there’s only one wolf in this house I could ever want to be with.”
He closed his eyes briefly, like her words were causing him pain, which she didn’t understand at all. She touched her fingers to his cheek, and he opened his eyes again.
“Except I’m not a wolf, am I?” he whispered.
She frowned. “Tell me about what happened back there. In the motel room.”
He nodded and stepped back, but didn’t go far. He led her over to the bed, and they sat down together. It seemed to take a moment for him to find the right words.
“My biological grandfather was a white wolf,” he said, not meeting her gaze. “It’s the family scandal because he was the beta of my grandfather’s pack, and he was sleeping with the alpha’s mate.”
Emily leaned back. “I thought mates had a magical bond…” She swallowed. Was everything she knew about shifters wrong? “Doesn’t the mating bond prevent that?”
He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Normally, yes. The magic in the mating bond ties the mated wolves together for life, and generally speaking, nothing can interfere with that. But my biological grandfather, the white wolf, wasn’t a wolf at all. He was a witch. And apparently his magic was so powerful, he could defeat the mating bond, steal my grandfather’s mate, and impregnate her with his child… all without the alpha knowing.” Noah gritted his teeth for a moment. “He was a real stand-up guy. So you can understand why being related to him isn’t exactly something I was happy to discover.”
Emily shook her head, confused. “You didn’t always know this?”
“No.” Noah sighed. “Before the experiments, I thought the only asshole in my lineage was my own father. I was an ordinary shifter—my wolf was brown-coated with normal claws and no insane magical powers. But the serums triggered something in me, brought out some kind of recessive side. The experiments were what turned me into a white wolf and exposed who I really am.” He took a breath. “And as you saw this morning, I’ve got this… magic… inside me. My white wolf isn’t a wolf at all. I’m a witch, Emily.” He seemed horribly distraught by this, as if it was the worst thing that could possibly happen to him… which completely perplexed her.
“And this is bad?” she asked gently.
“Yes, this is bad,” he said, angry, but it wasn’t directed at her, not really. “My brother is horrified—I haven’t even talked about it with him yet. The pack doesn’t know what to do with me. And I’m pretty sure I just permanently freaked out every wolf I know.” He hesitated, and then his voice softened. “And I’ll understand if you don’t want anything to do with me now. I’m not the wolf you thought I was.”
She peered at him, amazed, and wondering if he was really serious with this. “You’re not the wolf I thought you were?”
“I know you thought all wolves were something special—”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Now she was angry… and at him, although not really. Just at this silly pa
rt of him that thought this amazing ability was something to be ashamed of.
He looked confused. “No, I’m not kidding—”
“All right, you need to shut up right now and listen to me.” She scowled at him to let him know she was serious.
He pressed his lips together and just looked at her like she was crazy. Which she probably was, but that was beside the point. She was not going to let him think he was anything less than magnificent in her eyes.
Emily got up on her knees on the bed and held Noah’s cheeks gently in her hands so she could stare straight into his eyes. “Noah Wilding, you are the most amazing and brave man I have ever met. You are selfless and good. I don’t care who your grandfather was or what he did. I don’t care what kind of magical creature you are, although for the record, your white wolf form is brilliant and gorgeous, and I think you’re entirely wolf in all the ways that count. And your human form is so insanely hot, I can barely keep my hands off you. If you’ve got some magical power beyond that—this ability to shoot freaking blue fire from your fingertips—the only thing I need to know is that you used your magic to save me from the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. And that includes when my uncle raped me five years ago.” Tears were welling up in her eyes, and raw emotion was sweeping through her at the expression on Noah’s face—a mixture of awe and wonder that made her want to weep—but she pressed on. Because she had to get it all out before she dissolved into a puddle of tears. “You’re everything I thought wolves would be and so much more. And you’ve changed my life, just as I knew you would.”
Noah reached for her and pulled her into the sweetest, most tender kiss she’d ever felt. “Emily, I want you so badly, I can hardly stand it.”
Tears threatened to leak from her eyes with those words. “If you don’t make love to me right now, I think I might actually cry.”
He pulled her down into his lap and kissed her again and again. His hands held her tight, like he thought she might accidentally slip away.
Then he pulled back and gently touched his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as he spoke. “Once isn’t enough for me. Or twice. I want you forever, Em.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she struggled to speak. “Forever?”
He opened his eyes, and they were blazing at her. “I want to claim you for my own. For always. It’s entirely selfish, but I can’t stand the thought of anyone else having you. I can’t stand the idea of not having you always in my life.”
“But I…” Her mind was reeling. He knew she was human. What was he saying? “You deserve someone who’s a shifter. A true mate. I mean, I didn’t think humans and wolves could even…” She ran out of words because the possibility was blanking out all her thoughts.
He touched her cheek. “They can. And they do. But I shouldn’t ask this of you. It’s not fair. The magic would only be one way—my magic in your blood, binding you to me. You don’t have the magic to make the bond work both ways. I shouldn’t ask you to even consider it, but I’m just stupid lucky to have found someone as amazing as you, and I can’t let you go without at least trying. There’s no woman on this earth I want more, Emily. If we mated, you would always be magically bound to me. All I can offer in return is my promise to honor that bond and do everything in my power to love you and keep you safe all the days of my life.”
“You really…” She was entirely choked up. “You really want this? With me?”
“God, yes… if you’ll have me.” His eyes were pleading with her again.
She threw her arms around him. “Yes. Yes!”
He growled and pulled her into another kiss, pivoting them down into the soft puff of the comforter so that his deliciously hot body was on top of hers. “Say it again.”
“Yes!” She grinned up at him.
“Say you want me.” His eyes were blazing again.
She tamed her smile and gave him a dead-serious look that was equal to the pledge that was bursting in her heart. “I want to be your mate, Noah Wilding.”
His growl this time was deep in his chest as he dove into kissing her. His hands were everywhere on her, squeezing and caressing and powerfully possessive, like he wanted to grab hold of every part of her and stake his claim. It turned her on like nothing she’d ever felt.
Noah Wilding wanted her for a mate.
The idea was still ricocheting around in her head, causing awe and mayhem wherever it hit. She had no idea what it really meant, and it felt like flinging herself off a high cliff into some unknown heaven below, but there was absolutely no way she would say no to any of it.
“Clothes. Off. Now.” Noah growled in her ear as he tugged at her shirt and jeans.
She helped him slide them off. When she was down to her panties and bra, she grabbed at his clothes to insist he play fair. He pulled his shirt off for her, but then his hands were busy on her again. He shifted one finger into a sharp blade, just like when he cut her bindings free in the motel, only now he sliced her bra free from her body.
“I hope you weren’t fond of that one,” he whispered in her ear before sliding down to take one of her rock-hard nipples into his mouth. His now-human hand slid into her panties, quickly finding the wetness pooling there. He groaned, and she arched up from the bed. He was already pleasuring her so intensely, just with this hot mouth and strong fingers, that her body was literally aching for him.
Her hands dug into his hair as he kissed a line across her belly, slicing her panties free and dipping his head between her legs. “Oh, God, Noah.” She bucked into him, but he held her hips to the bed, nudging her legs apart and using his tongue in a way that was making stars swarm in front of her eyes. With one hand on his head, encouraging him, and the other clawing at the comforter, she came hard and fast, rocking against him and the insane pleasure he was giving her.
She was pretty sure she was hyperventilating.
He came up grinning. “Did you like that?”
“No,” she gasped, barely able to breathe. “It was terrible. Please do it again. Immediately.”
He chuckled, but it quickly dissolved into a moan as he slid his hot body, skin-on-skin against hers. He still had his jeans on.
“Pants. Off. Now,” Emily commanded.
Noah quickly worked his way out of them, springing his cock free. She’d seen it before, of course, not to mention felt all of him plunging deep inside her, but she was still amazed how much the sight of it made her mouth water… and how much she craved having him inside her again.
Noah didn’t waste any time. He slid her up further on the comforter, lifted one of her legs over his hip, and thrust inside. Her back arched again, and she cried out against the sudden fullness of having all of him.
“You are so tight,” he breathed into her neck, his voice hoarse. He slid out and thrust in again. “So hot. My sweet Emily.” He thrust again and again, whispering hot words on her skin, holding her tight against the pounding rhythm of his body possessing hers, and making such sweet love that Emily’s heart soared with each muttered breath.
She kept bucking against him, meeting him with each thrust. Her pleasure soared so high she was sure the crash back down would shatter her.
She clawed at his back. “Noah,” she whispered as she crept closer and closer to the edge. “Oh, God, Noah. Yes!”
“Come for me, my love,” he said, his voice hoarse. His pace picked up, and he pounded harder and harder. When her climax finally tipped over the edge, it crashed like an avalanche, burying her in wave after wave of pleasure. She cried out again and again, and dug her fingers into him, holding on for the ride. Eventually, when the waves subsided, she slowed her frantic clawing, but Noah kept moving, slowly, in and out. He was still hard inside her, still pleasuring her by filling her again and again.
“Tell me you really want me,” he said, voice strained. He had pulled back to peer into her eyes but was still slowly thrusting in and out, stoking the pleasure engine inside her with a slow, steady thrumming.
Couldn’t
he tell? “I really want you.”
“We can just do this,” he said, thrusting a little harder for emphasis. “We can just make love.”
She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and up to his gorgeous face. “I want you forever, Noah Wilding.”
His eyes closed briefly, then opened. “I have to bite you, Em. Take you from behind and sink my teeth into your sweet, sweet neck. Then my magic will be inside you… forever. You’ll be mine. Forever. Are you sure?”
She held his cheeks as he made love to her. “This is a dream I didn’t even dare to have. Take me, Noah. I’m already yours.”
Then he growled that deep, rumbling, possessive sound again, pulled out from her, and commanded, “Turn over.”
Emily’s sweet body was spread before him.
Noah could hardly believe she wanted this—that she wanted him—with all she knew about him and all she’d been through. But he meant every word of his promise. If she would have him, if she would take his bite and his love, he would care for and love her for the rest of his days. He wasn’t entirely wolf, and she wasn’t wolf at all, but he knew in his heart this was what true mates were—bound by not just magic, but by love.
Even better, he knew what the bond would mean on her side—that she would always feel loved, always cared for, always safe. Even if she didn’t have magic of her own, he could give her his magic, and that she would carry with her every minute of every day, enveloping her in a very real manifestation of the love he had for her.
Emily had turned over, just as he asked, and now she was perched on hands and knees on the comforter, waiting for him to take her. Her entire body was flushed with the two orgasms he’d given her so far, and he was dying to bury himself in her again and complete the act… but he had to be sure.