Craving Tori

by J. J. Marstead

  “What are your plans today, my little mate?” I ask, rinsing off the last plate then placing it in the drying rack. I turn around and hold Tori in my arms. She smiles up at me before replying.

  “Elizabeth wanted me to go with her and her mother shopping for some baby stuff,” she grins.

  I remember the day Tori came bouncing inside the house. She told me that Elizabeth asked her to be the Godmother of the little bundle of joy. Tori, was so excited she squealed and screamed for a good five minutes. And to my surprise, Caleb asked me to be one of the Godfathers. That’s right, the pup will have two Godfathers. Samuel’s friend, Sedgwick, and myself. They couldn’t decide on just one of us, so they asked us both.

  I look over to my mother who’s still sitting at the table, finishing up her second cup of coffee. “Mother, what are your plans?” I ask curiously, but I’m sure I already know the answer. There’s no way they’re going shopping for the baby and my mother not being there.

  My mother perks up and gives a bright smile.

  “Oh, I’m going shopping with the girls, of course,” she replies happily. My mother is over the moon happy about this baby. It’s kind of nuts to think that I’ll be an uncle soon.

  “Well, is Caleb home today?” I ask her. My mother shakes her head while her eyes move to my father.

  “Caleb will be coming with me to deal with some pack stuff with the bears,” my father grumbles with his mouth full. My mother glares at him and he just shrugs his shoulders, mouthing ‘what’ at her. My mother shakes her head. I bite back the chuckle that tries to escape.

  Well, it looks like I’m all alone today. What am I going to do to kill the time before my mate comes back?

  “What are you going to do while we’re gone?” Tori wonders.

  I shrug my shoulders, not too sure what I’m going to do yet, but I say the first thing that pops into my head. “I’m probably going to go for a quick run, then work out a little,” I mention. She nods her head with a blush on her cheeks. Knowing my little mate, she’s probably thinking of me without a shirt on. She bites her lip, probably thinking of naughty things. I try to hold back a groan that’s desperately trying to escape from my throat.

  A run was exactly what I needed. Malakai needed to feel the soil under his paws. He’s been a little on edge with Tori not wearing our mark. He won’t let how Tori was feeling at the restaurant go either. I can’t put my finger on it, but she seems to think someone was watching us, well her, and that puts me on edge.

  I’m in the back out of the house outside doing pushups when I hear a car pulling up. A few minutes later, Noah comes walking around the corner and waves. I get up off the ground and wipe my hands on my shorts. I nod my head in his direction.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, thinking he would be with Kelly.

  “Kelly was invited to head out with the girls. I thought I would come over and see what you were up too. Caleb mentioned that he was going with Uncle Darren to talk to Issac, and it wouldn’t have been a good idea if I tagged along,” he grunts. Fuck, that wouldn’t have been a clever idea.

  I could see Issac going all bear mode and trying to tear Noah apart.

  “I’m just doing my workout. If you want to join in, you can. Seeing as you're losing your body mass,” I joke. Noah’s fit and he knows it, he’s tall and bulky for a wolf. I’m sure he could hold his own against Issac.

  Noah smirks. “Sure,” he chuckles. “It seems like it’s been forever since we’ve worked out together, are you sure you’ll be able to keep up with me?”

  I chuckle, flipping him the finger.

  “I’m sure I’ll be able to keep up, don’t worry about me.”

  Noah and I are close, just like brothers. But then again, I did live with them for a year.

  Chapter Three

  I see her plain as day, shopping with that friend of hers. But there’s others with her as well. Mostly female wolves. She looks the same as always, just a little older. Her beautiful blondish hair. I just want to run my fingers through it.

  She just walked into a baby store with the women she’s with. I won’t be able to get close to her with them around her. I’ll give her a day or two before I approach her.

  I don’t want her to be surrounded by people when I see her. I can’t wait to look into her beautiful eyes. I should’ve acted sooner. I hear she supposedly is a mate to some wolf boy, but by the look of her neck, he hasn’t claimed her yet.

  He won’t get the chance either, if I have anything to do about it.

  She’s mine.

  She always was and always will be mine!

  Soon, baby. You’ll be in my arms.

  Just as we’re about to walk into the baby store, I can’t help but feel like somebody's watching me again. What the hell is going on? I shake my head but Elizabeth notices something's off. She walks over to me and puts her hand on my shoulder with a concerned look on her face.

  “What’s wrong, Tori?”

  I can see the worry on her face. It’s her day to go shopping for the baby and here I am ruining it for her.

  I shake my head. “Nothing. I’m fine.” I give her a smile, hoping she drops it. “You ready for baby shopping?” I ask excitedly.

  Elizabeth releases a groan. “My feet are already killing me and we haven’t even walked through the store yet,” she whines. I can’t help but chuckle. Will I be like this when I’m pregnant? I think to myself. Well, you need to have sex first, Tori. The little voice inside my head taunts.

  I link my arm with hers and walk inside. Elizabeth gasps, looking around at all the baby things. Oh, my God. The clothes are so cute, and so small. My mind drifts to Ryan.

  If we ended up having a baby, would the baby be a wolf shifter or will the baby be human? Will he still love me if the baby couldn’t shift? I shake my head, it’s not the time to think about all that. It wouldn’t matter anyways. He’s told me he loves me, and I’m sure he wouldn’t care just as long as the baby is healthy.

  I see the cutest little outfit hanging on a hanger and run over to it, taking it off the rack. I hold it up to Elizabeth. “Oh, look at this. It’s perfect, I’m going to get it for the baby,” I squeal. Elizabeth chuckles at my excitement.

  I continue to look for more items for the baby when I notice Kelly staring off into la-la land. I walk over to her and put my hand on her shoulder.

  “Are you alright?” I whisper. She releases a tiny sigh.

  “Sorry,” she mumbles. “I’ve been distracted today, I have a lot on my mind,” she mentions.

  Well, now she needs to tell me what’s going on, I’m in suspense.

  “Want to talk about it?” I ask cautiously. She turns her head and looks at me, her eyes warm with friendship. I’ve gotten close to Kelly too, so has Elizabeth, which was kind of weird at first because Kelly was with Caleb, ready to get mated before Caleb called it off when he met Elizabeth.

  “Noah and I have been getting closer lately. We’ve been talking about... claiming each other,” she whispers. The blush touching her cheeks.

  “Wow,” I say in shock. “You guys must really like each other then?” I ask and she nods, biting her lip to try hiding the fact she’s smiling.

  “We do. He doesn’t have a mate because she died when they were younger and mine could care less about me. It seems like the right decision,” she replies. “He treats me like a mate should and our wolves get along. What more could I want?” I nod my head, not sure what advice to give her because I’m not in her shoes. I don’t know how it is for a shifter to be rejected the way she has, but I’m sure it’s along the lines of your heart getting ripped out.

  “If you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.”

  Kelly smiles. “I am, even if we aren’t fated. My feelings for him are getting stronger each day.”

  Thankfully, Noah has been there for her. She doesn’t deserve what happened to her. First Caleb finding Elizabeth, and now her true mate, Issac, rejecting her in front of his den and some of the pack
. She’s been through so much.

  She’s stronger than any of us, she’ll get through this. I hope she does.

  Elizabeth comes wobbling over to us.

  “God, I want to go home,” she groans, leaning her body against me.

  Kelly and I both look at each other, then chuckle. The joys of being pregnant. Her belly is a fair size for only being five months along. Elizabeth told me that shifter pregnancies are different than human ones. Shifters are only pregnant for seven months. That’s insane. Will it only be seven months for me? Will my body allow the baby to grow? There’s so many things running through my mind right now. I’m worried I won’t be able to get pregnant.

  A few minutes later, we’re finally out the door and ready to head home. Elizabeth complaining about her feet the whole ride. I can’t wait to get home, I have a date later with my mate, and he’s going to be teaching me some self-defense moves.

  God, I’ll be drooling over Ryan without a shirt.

  Supper should be ready soon. The smell of ham drifting through the house makes my stomach growl. After all the shopping and running around this morning, I’m starving. We had a light lunch, but it didn’t fill me up like I thought it would. And I love ham, my mouth begins to water just thinking of the juiciness of it. I head to the kitchen to see if Mary needs any help with anything. When I enter, Mary’s head tilts up and she smiles.

  “Can I help with anything?”

  “You can cut the ham, if you’d like. The potatoes are already done up. The gravy is almost finished simmering,” she mentions.

  I walk around the counter and grab the knife out from the block. I take the carving fork and push it into the ham, holding it in place as the knife slices through the ham easily. I cut most of the ham. Once I’m done I turn around to see if Mary needs anything else to be done.

  “All done, anything else?” I ask.

  “If you could let Darren and Ryan know that supper is ready and for them to sit in the dining room that would be great.,” she replies.

  I nod my head.

  “Sure.” I give a smile before leaving the kitchen. I make my way to the living room, where I’m sure Ryan and his father are. As I get closer to the living room, I hear the TV playing, indicating that I was right. I turn the corner and see Ryan spread out on the couch. Darren is on his lazy boy with his legs up.

  A smile creeps up the corners of my lips as I stare at my mate. It’s like he knows I’m there, his eyes snap over to me and he smiles.

  “Supper is ready. Mary told me to tell you both to take a sit in the dining room.” Ryan nods and gets up from the couch, stretching before making his way over to me. He wraps his arms securely around my waist.

  Each day, I fall a little deeper for him.

  Darren only grunts in reply while closing the lazy boy. He stands and stretches. “Damn, when did I get this old?” he jokes when his back cracks. Ryan chuckles softly against me as I snicker behind my hand.

  We exit the living room and make our way to the dining room. The table is all set and ready for us to take our seats. Darren looks lovingly at his mate. “This looks amazing, Mary,” Darren exclaims.

  Mary blushes. “Oh, this, it was nothing. It’s just ham and potatoes,” she mutters under her breath.

  A giant smile spreads across my face. That’ll be Ryan and me someday. Flutters begin in my stomach just thinking about it. Darren and Ryan’s stomachs decide to growl loudly as they take their seats. Mary and I look at each other and we break out laughing at them.

  “Dig in while it’s hot,” Mary mentions.

  “Don’t have to tell me twice,” Darren replies, filling his plate.

  We all get our plates filled with ham and potatoes and dig in.

  A few minutes after stuffing our faces with food, Darren looks up from his half empty plate to Ryan, then to me. “How are things going with you two?” Ryan tenses a little beside me. I put my hand on Ryan’s, he looks up at me and I smile at him. I know his father is wondering how things are moving for us, if we’ll be mated soon. I know enough about shifters to know how dangerous it is for a couple to be together and not mated.

  I give Darren a smile as I answer him before Ryan can. “Things are going very well for us. And the mating will be very soon,” I mention. Ryan starts choking on his food slightly, and I pat his back a little before he turns his head my way, his eyes wide with shock.

  “Are you sure?” he asks, swallowing roughly. I nod my head with a blush on my cheeks.

  He’s my mate and I’m ready to pledge myself to him for the rest of our lives.

  Darren perks up, excited about the news. “That’s great news, right Mary?”

  Mary nods her head with a huge smile on her face. “Yes, it is. I’m getting another daughter,” she says softly. Mary looks over at me with love in her eyes, a love a mother would have for a daughter.

  Supper turned out great, the food was amazing. The ham was delicious. Mary keeps spoiling me with these meals. I just pray that I can live up to Mary’s cooking for Ryan. I don’t want to make something for him that’s awful. I haven’t done much cooking, but since living in the Jackson house, I’ve been helping with the cooking where I can in order to learn.

  These past five months have been amazing. It doesn’t even feel like it’s been that long.

  Ryan mentioned that he’s going to have a surprise for me. I’m giddy, like a little kid in a candy shop, wondering what it could be. I have a feeling deep in my bones that it has something to do with a house after we’re mated.

  Crazy to think that I, a plain Jane, will have a mate and my own house to run. Elizabeth does amazing, cooking and cleaning, but I’m worried I won’t live up to his expectations. I can only do the best I can and hope that’s enough.

  I’m a sweaty mess, my hair has fallen out of my ponytail and is now sticking to the side of my face. I’m breathing roughly as I watch Ryan in front of me. He’s going to make his move to pin me to the ground, again. Newsflash, that’s not going to happen. He comes at me and gets a hold of me. I turn quickly and grab his arm, throwing my weight into it and throw him over my back, pinning him to the ground.

  He looks up at me in surprise.

  “Wow,” he mutters in shock. I finally got him on his back.

  I grin down at him, staring at his lip. I don’t know what comes over me, but I lean down and touch his lips with my own. My lips lightly touching his at first, then I apply more pressure to the kiss. He groans, fisting my hair with one hand with his other hand on my hip. I can’t help myself and grind into him. He breaks the kiss, breathing roughly. He stares up at me with lust-filled his eyes.

  “Don’t start something, Tori. I can only take so much right now.” He roughly pants.

  I bite my bottom lip between my teeth as I stare down at him.

  “I want to start something... Ryan, I want you.” My voice breathless. His eyes widen, he licks his now dry lips.

  “Are you sure?” I nod my head. I’m a hundred percent ready for him. I want him so badly, I ache.

  I lean my head down and kiss him again. He shifts and leans us forwards. Without breaking the kiss, he lifts us both off the ground and walks towards the house. God, he’s so strong. My insides melt. He breaks the kiss once we’re standing in front of the back door. He looks down at me with a grin.

  “Can you turn the handle?” he asks.

  I bite my lip the nod my head. I reach down and turn the handle, pushing the door lightly with my hand. He walks inside and closes the door with his foot. He stops and you can see him listening to see if anyone is home. Wolf hearing must rock. He grins down at me.

  “My parents aren’t home,” he whispers, brushing his nose against mine.

  My insides flutter knowing we’re here all alone. He heads toward the stairs and climbs up them with me still nestled in his arms. Once we’re upstairs, he marches over to his door, entering his room with a smile. He places me down on the bed and jumps over to his door, closing it and locking it. We’re both swe
aty right now and I could care less. I want him as much as he wants me, if not more right now. I crave his touch just as he’s craving mine.

  I shyly look up at Ryan standing beside the bed. His eyes glowing, his wolf close to the surface. It’s hot as hell, seeing his eyes glow with such need for me. I want him to strip down, I want to see his body in all its glory. It’s almost like he can read my mind. He whips off his shirt and throws it on the floor before moving to his shorts. His arms lean forward, taking them down his legs. He steps out of them and stands tall. My mouth drops open taking in the sheer size of him. Holy crap! How is that supposed to fit inside of me?

  He can sense my hesitation. He gives a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, love, it’ll fit. You’re made for me. I’ll go slow and make you feel amazing,” he growls.

  My body vibrates with need. He stocks closer and leans down, kissing my lips softly before releasing them. He leans away from me with a sheepish smile on his face while his eyes roam over me. “Well, it seems you’re overdressed,” he rumbles. My insides heat up even further. My eyes trained on his delicious body. I lick my dry lips, which causes him to groan.

  He gets on the bed and his hands touch the sides of my shorts. He brings them down my legs and lightly growls when he sees my lace panties.

  “Damn,” he grunts.

  My cheeks flush while his eyes devour my body, hungrily. He lifts me up in a sitting position and takes off my shirt. Then he reaches around me and unties my bra, removing it and causing my breasts bounce free. He groans before leaning down, taking one nipple into his mouth as he cups my other breast with his hand. The sensation of his tongue lapping around my nipple is enough to drive me insane.

  “Oh my God,” I moan heavily. My body trying to grind against him, craving more.

  He releases my nipple, the popping sound from his mouth is heard around the room. He tilts his head up and smirks at me before diving to my other breast. He latches on and sucks hard.