“You didn’t have to do this,” Lana said, giving them both hugs. Each of Lana’s visitors took a seat on separate sides of the bed. He leaned against the wall, knowing he should leave but not wanting to. There was something kind of fascinating about watching females and the ways in which they interacted. This particular scene brought to mind the years he’d lived under the same roof with his mom and sisters. He hadn’t realized he’d missed it until now.
“Of course we did, honey.” Kat smiled. “We didn’t have a scratch but we can’t say the same for you. We just went over and said our goodbyes to Savannah. She’s awfully feisty considering her ordeal.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave.”
Sara reached out and took her hand. Mad realized the women had really gotten close. That was good. Lana needed friends. “Me too, but Quinn’s going to need us once the baby arrives. We just wanted to pay our respects to the guys who were lost and see you before we headed out.”
Lana’s eyes filled but she smiled through the tears. “I don’t know what we would have done without you and Sara. May I say you possess some wicked ninja fighting skills?”
Sara grinned. “That’s what they say. I’m glad I could help.”
“And you.” Lana reached for Kat’s hand. “You are just plain spooky.”
Kat shrugged. “I can live with that as long as everybody else is okay with it.”
“More than okay. The next time I see a flying obstacle, I’ll think of you.”
Sara stood and looked at Lana. “So what are you going to do now?”
Besides consummating the union with her mate?
He was anxious to hear the answer to that question himself. Lana squinted then gave him a look. “Well, I haven’t even talked with Mad about this in any kind of detail but I’ve been seriously thinking about college. Dad didn’t agree with educating women.” She shook her head as if chastising herself. “Antiquated ideas, I know. I want to do this. I think for a start, I’ll sign up for online classes. I’m not sure what I want to study but I’ll get an idea about that soon enough.”
“That’s a fantastic idea, honey,” Kat said. “And maybe between all this studying, you can find some time to come out to West Texas for a visit. We’d love that.”
After a few minutes, the ladies stood and made their ways to the door. Sara paused and looked back with a smile. “Moon? Sam Rainwater is downstairs and he wants to speak with you.”
Lana smiled when he glanced at her. “Go on, Mad. I’m not an invalid. I’m fine. See our guests off and we’ll talk later.”
Heading downstairs, he found Sam Rainwater sitting in a chair in his office. Sam stood instantly when he walked into the room, clutching his straw summer cowboy hat in his left hand. He reached out with his right and they shook hands.
“Good to see you, brother. Are you getting ready to head out with the others?” Instead of sitting behind his desk, Mad took a chair next to the one Sam had abandoned. “Sit.”
Sam reclaimed his seat. “Yes, I’ll be leaving but before I go I want to discuss something important with you.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“I’m a man of few words.”
Moon laughed. “Yeah, I think I get that.”
Sam graced him with a rare smile then went serious again. “First off, I want you to know that I’m in no way disloyal to the Wolf Creek pack. They have done their best to make me feel at home in West Texas. They are good people and Joe McKinnon accepted me as one of their own since the moment I showed up at the ranch with my hat in my hand.”
“I think I heard something about that. Your sister Julie was kidnapped near the University of Texas campus, if memory serves.”
A muscle worked in the wolf’s jaw. “That’s right. Like Kat and Sara, she is gifted. Psychic.”
“Like you,” Mad said quietly.
Sam nodded sharply. “Yes. I fought my gift for a long time and encouraged Julie to do the same. She is my life and heart and the only family I have left. I wanted her safe and knew that if word got out, she’d be vulnerable to those who would use her. I couldn’t abide that.” He blew out a breath and Mad suspected this might have been the longest speech the silent lycan had ever made. “Joe and the others helped me save my sister from kidnappers and I’ll always be beholden to them for that.”
“Yet you refused to join their pack?”
Sam’s eyes widened slightly. “You know about that?”
“Ringo told me. He said you keep to yourself out at an old line shack and participate as little as possible in pack business.”
“Doesn’t pay a man to get too close to folks.”
Moon sensed a story there but didn’t pry. “So how can I help you?”
Sam stood and walked to the windows to look outside, obviously gathering his thoughts. The noise of chatter and truck doors shutting sounded in the distance and Moon knew his Wolf Creek brothers and sisters were loading up to leave. “Guess I’ll come straight to the point. I’m wondering if the Texas Rogues might have a place for me.”
“Are you saying you want to join my pack? Does this have anything to do with Savannah?”
Rainwater turned to Mad, his dark eyes swimming with emotion. “It has everything to do with Savannah.”
* * * * *
The house was so damn quiet since the others had left. Too quiet. After soaking in a long, hot bath, Lana donned one of Mad’s big tee shirts and slid between cool, crisp sheets. Since the night she had been taken by her father and Anton and had been hurt, Mad had been avoiding her. It was only his overprotective tendencies kicking in but she didn’t like the way he avoided touching her. It just made her feel sad, weird and yes, lonely. Every night after falling asleep, she’d feel his presence in the bed next to her but by the next morning, he was always long gone.
She needed more of him now, not less. Why didn’t he get it? Lana wasn’t a china doll needing to be wrapped in cotton and set on a shelf for protection. She’d escaped with basically nothing but the clothes on her back, faced down the Snow Wolves and lived to tell the tale. And yes, she’d had help but she had earned her freedom from a life of tyranny. It should be enough. Her dad had treated her like a mindless thing to be bartered away and now Mad treated her as if she might break.
Closing her eyes, she waited for sleep to come but it eluded her. Over and over she replayed in her mind the battle that went down with the Snow Wolves. She thought of how Savannah had been hurt and marveled over the paranormal abilities of her new friends from the Wolf Creek pack. She thought of Quinn McKinnon, a woman she’d never met, and imagined her happiness about the new baby she was bringing into the world. Lana’s mind raced, no single thought tied to another and she wanted to scream. Her eyes closed as she struggled to shut off her brain.
The bedroom door creaked open and she heard Mad move around the room before he disappeared into the bathroom. Lying utterly still, expectantly, she listened to the sounds of the shower and then finally he slipped into the bed beside her. The clean, fresh scent of him filled her head as he gingerly wrapped an arm around her and curled against her back. His careful manner both thrilled her and pissed her off.
Mad moved his head onto her pillow, his breath moving over her hair and she ached for him so badly, she wanted to cry. “Mad?”
“Why are you awake?” His voice was low and husky, his cock hard as it pressed to her butt.
“Because I’m upset, that’s why. Why are you ignoring me?”
“I’m not ignoring you, damn it. I’m trying to give you time to heal.” He came up on an elbow and leaned over her. The stark features of his face were shadowed by the mix of light and darkness in the room. So beautiful. Her body responded to his nearness and the raw, animal heat he exuded.
“I’m trying to protect you and be considerate. Do you think for one single second that I don’t want to fuck you until you come for me? Can you imagine how it felt to come so close to losing you? Damn it, woman.”
Lana blew out a frustrate
d breath. “I’ve told you a million times that I’m okay.”
“Fuck!” Mad sat up and when he flicked on the bedside lamp, Lana blinked against the glare. “Sit up.”
Doing as he instructed, she let him pull the tee shirt from her body. Wearing only her panties now, she lay back in the bed and looked at him. His face grim, he gently turned her onto her side again until her back was exposed. She heard a low curse and closed her eyes. Since the night Anton had beaten her, she had refused to look at herself but it must be awful.
“It can’t be that bad anymore. Is it?”
Mad lay beside her and tenderly traced his finger over the lines where she’d been struck. There was no pain but he was so intent at his task, she knew there must still be visible marks. “I can’t believe he marred your beautiful skin.”
“Shh. It doesn’t hurt.”
“Bullshit.”
“I swear. The only thing that hurts is that you won’t touch me,” she whispered. Mad groaned and continued to stroke her but when he replaced his finger with his lips, she sighed, her eyes tearing helplessly. He was tender, gentle. She’d never known such a thing in her life. “Keep touching me. Don’t stop.”
He didn’t.
Sliding closer, he pressed open-mouthed kisses to her back and between her shoulder blades, sliding his hand restlessly over her side. He drew his touch over her belly then dipped his fingers into the front of her panties. His thumb brushed over her clit, which was already swollen, aching, then inched lower until he stroked her needy flesh. “You’re wet for me, darlin’.”
“Yes. I lie here every night waiting for you but you won’t touch me. Don’t do it anymore. Okay?”
“Damn but you’re stubborn.” He continued to drag his fingers over the seam of her pussy, parting the labia and plying her sensitive flesh until all thoughts of arguing scampered from her brain. Restlessly she moved against his touch, her breath quickening until it soughed from her lips in quick little bursts.
“More.”
Mad made a sound of frustration and hunger, snagging the edge of her panties with his thumb and dragging them past her hips until she could kick them to the foot of the bed. Naked now, open to anything, everything, Lana waited to see what he would do next. He gripped her thigh and pushed her knee toward her belly, further opening her body to his explorations.
Easy access. Yesss.
Mad inserted one finger then two, pushing them high into her pussy, fucking her slowly, manipulating her until she frantically bucked against his hand, searching for a closer touch. She turned her face hard into her pillow as his mouth settled in the sensitive notch between her neck and shoulder. His tongue traced the spot then nipped as he teased with his teeth. “You’re creaming for me, darlin’.”
“Then fuck me. Do it. I’m ready.”
“All right then. Come up here. Tonight you’re gonna ride.”
Mad’s hands moved to her waist and with his help, she straddled his torso. It was hard to believe this man belonged to her. She’d dreamed of falling in love, of finding her mate, but she’d never imagined a man like him. Leaning forward a little, sending her fingers on an exploration of his belly, she started to lower her hips but his hands stopped her. “Stay on your knees.”
They’d had lots of sex in many positions so she wondered what was up but then he slid down, down, down, until his mouth was mere inches from her pussy. “Let me taste you, baby.” He filled his hands with her ass and lifted his head. His hot breath bathed her skin, his tongue tracing the seam of her pussy, parting her, licking.
Ohhh yess.
Lana moved against his mouth and the hot lash of his tongue, loving the way he circled her clit then sucked it gently. His fingers found her opening and traced it before sliding deep. Again and again she rolled her body against his mouth, restlessly moving her torso. Her hands found her hair and held on before sliding lower to brush her thumbs over her own nipples, finding them swollen and tight. Quick bursts of shattering pleasure wound through her core, tighter and tighter, the sense of urgency building until she trembled from the force. Mad’s fingers pumped harder as he sucked her clit once more and she cried out from the power of her orgasm.
He brought her down gently with a slow, steady brush of his tongue, then she moved down his body until her pussy hovered over his thick cock. The heavy head rubbed and pressed against her drenched flesh, even more intoxicating when Mad gripped the base and drew his erection repeatedly against her. It pressed her still-pulsing clit and deep inside her body, the walls of her vagina clenched.
“Ride me. Now.” Mad’s roughly spoken words propelled her into action as she slid slowly down his cock. Finally seated to the hilt, she paused to absorb the sensational feel of his possession, the way his cock filled every bit of her in spectacular fashion. Holding still for long wasn’t an option though, as the urge to move over him swept her. Slowly, slowly she moved up before sliding down, gripping his heavy length with slick inner muscles. Beneath her, Mad pushed up high and hard, his face a mask of tortured pleasure as he fucked her, meeting each downward drive toward completion.
His hands palmed her ass, fingers flexing there, but then he moved one hand to her clit. Fingers stroked and pressed as she moved faster and faster. Her thighs trembled until she couldn’t hold herself up anymore. Lycan strength didn’t matter in that moment. Nearly spent, she dropped over him, meeting his lips with a kiss that she hoped relayed the love in her heart. Writhing sinuously against him, inflamed by lust and need and the complex pleasure of fucking him, loving him, she absorbed each shocking thrust with a whimper. Desire streaked heavily through her veins and her mind emptied of all thought but him and this moment after the ordeal they’d faced together.
Pleasure whipped hard once more, shattering her composure into a million fragments as orgasm hit her. Lana opened her mouth over his chest and cried out against his skin. When he blasted into her one final time, shaking with his own climax, they held each other, quivering, and she was so very thankful they were here, in this place. Together.
Chapter Twelve
Ynez knocked softly on the bedroom door before poking her head inside. “Señor Moon, I have set the table, lit candles and put the big, green bottle into the ice bucket for you.”
“Thanks.” Moon reached into a top dresser drawer, plucked out a fat black box and turned to her. “Come in for a minute, will you?”
Ynez eyed the box then gave him a wide-eyed look. Her fingers went up over her mouth in an attempt to hide her grin. The woman had served his family for years and had been especially close to his mom. “Is this what I think?”
“Sí.” He flipped the lid on the box, held it out to Ynez, and tears filled the housekeeper’s eyes the second she saw it.
“I know this diamond,” she breathed. “It’s the big one from—”
He pulled the ring from its velvet nest. “Yeah, Mom’s diamond. It’s the one Dad gave her when they got married at the Methodist Church in front of the humans, right before they consummated in the ways of our people. I’m going to give it to Lana tonight. I took it into Park Jewelry about a week ago and asked Henry to update the ring some. It was kind of dated but the center stone is the same. Do you think Mom would have liked the changes I made to it?”
Moon had asked the jeweler to set baguette stones around the big square diamond and put it in a diamond-covered double-banded platinum ring. He’d also bought a matching wedding band that would nestle perfectly into place against it. Never considering himself a particularly sentimental man, he was kind of surprised to realize that Ynez’s opinion really mattered. She had known his mother better than almost anyone.
“Oh yes, she would approve. She wanted only your happiness, and to find a natural mate is wonderful, a good omen for your lives together.” Her big brown eyes glistened with tears but she continued to smile. Ynez placed her hand on his arm. “I am happy for you. Your mama would be so proud. Your father too.”
He knew they would be. Lana was a wonderful w
oman and the mate of his heart. Who could want more for their son or daughter than that? Smiling at Ynez, he started to tuck the box into the front pocket of his jeans but damn it, there was an obvious bump. Ynez laughed and held out her hand. “You give it to me and I will hide it beneath the napkin beside your plate at the table.”
Ynez usually had an answer for everything. He handed the box over knowing she would tuck it away nice and tight. “Okay. Thanks. I can’t believe I’m so nervous.”
She laughed. “Ah, this is nothing compared to how you will feel on your consummation night. Miss Lana will fall into your arms tonight and say yes, yes, yes to anything you ask.”
Moon grinned. “You think so, do you?”
“I know so. She is over the moon for you.”
“Are you making a little play on my name?”
Ynez nodded and practically skipped from the room. “I will hide the ring and leave you to enjoy your evening.”
“Ynez?”
She turned. “Sí?”
“Thank you.”
Figuring it was time to see what Ynez had fixed for dinner, he went downstairs and stepped into the dining room. He seldom used the room, especially since he’d lived alone here for some time, but he’d always imagined that one day he and his mate, whomever she might be, would have a few kids and would celebrate special occasions here.
Tonight was certainly that.
Ynez had really outdone herself. Fresh flowers served as a centerpiece and his mom’s favorite silver had been placed at the two place settings. Moon peeked under the napkin that sat on his plate. The housekeeper had folded it really fancy and it kind of bumped up at the top, giving her a perfect place to stuff the ring box inside. Champagne iced in a silver bucket.
He’d just flipped a switch on the wall allowing soft music to flow into the room when he heard Lana’s car pull up in the garage. This afternoon she’d gone into town to visit Savannah, who was working in her shop again, and her absence had worked in his favor, giving him and Ynez plenty of time to set this whole shindig up.
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