by Moira Rogers
"Brat." The word held as much affection as frustration. "Wrap those sweet lips around me already."
"These lips?" She licked them again, half-drunk on the strength of his response.
He snapped, lunging toward her without warning. His hands tangled in her hair, dragging her up for a rough, hungry kiss.
She sank into it, every cell of her being focused on his hard grip in her hair. Vaguely, she felt Jud urging her legs open, wide enough to accommodate his broad shoulders, then the sensual scrape of his beard on her inner thigh.
She gasped, but Blake drank in the sound along with every bit of her breath. Her head was spinning by the time he released her, only to have Jud haul her down onto his mouth.
Blake stared at her, his gaze so magnetic that she couldn't look away, couldn't close her eyes, couldn't blink, not even when Jud thrust his tongue into her, and a sudden surge of pleasure overwhelmed her.
"Open your mouth," Blake commanded quietly.
Ashley obeyed without thinking.
Blake smiled and stroked her cheek before gripping his shaft. "This is always what I want. So trusting. So open. You're learning so fast."
His other hand flexed at the back of her head, pushing her down until the head of his cock rested on her lower lip.
It wasn't just her head spinning anymore. Ashley closed her mouth around him, intensely grateful for the way they anchored her even as they stripped away her control. Blake's hand in her hair, and Jud's hands gripping her ass, forcing her to shudder through every clever lash of his tongue.
Blake groaned, pushing her head lower, until her lips brushed the fingers curled around the base of his erection. Just shy of choking her, but he still filled her senses, his musky scent and sharp taste, and the sound he made as he pulled her back up. Low. Intent.
Starving.
"Tongue," he bit out, twisting her hair more tightly in his grip. "I want to watch you lick me."
The words flowed over her like honey. She had to shift back a little to position her tongue at the base of his shaft, and the movement rocked her hips over Jud's mouth, gliding his tongue over her clit. It was filthy, obscene, and Ashley's nipples tightened to painful peaks.
She was the key here. Every gesture, every flow of her body affected all three of them. It was a quieter power, but no less heady or poignant, one she relished as she licked her way to the tip of Blake's cock.
His chest heaved as he held her in place. "Make her come."
Jud groaned his understanding, clutched her ass, and sucked her clit between his lips. The sensation was electric, coursing through her, leaving tingles in its wake. Her pussy clenched--unbearably, unacceptably empty.
She tried to move her arms, but all she could do was flex her hands. "More," she panted. "It's not enough--"
And then Jud's fingers were there, shoving into her as he lashed her clit with his tongue.
Ashley cried out, lurching into Blake's arms. Wood screeched across wood as he shoved the chair out of the way and spilled to his knees. He hauled her head back, arching her over her bound arms until she was balanced so precariously it was like she was cut off from gravity.
They were the only thing holding her in place. Jud's tongue and thrusting fingers. Blake's fierce grip in her hair, and the mouth that closed over one nipple, sucking hard enough to blur her vision.
She cried out for release, and they gave it to her, urging her over the edge into an orgasm so intense that the world went white around the edges. The terrible ache tightened, relaxed, over and over, until the only thing left was the vague, hollow whisper of need, the one that never truly went away.
Voices murmured. The world swung sideways. Her knees met the floor again and her body came to rest across something solid and soft, something that supported her from her hips to just below her breasts.
Warm hands stroked her back. Her hips. Her cheeks. She forced open her eyes and lifted her head to find Jud kneeling in front of her, his dick almost level with her mouth. She was bent over one of the footstools, her arms still bound behind her back and her knees spread wide--
Blake skated his hands up the insides of her trembling thighs. "Fingers aren't enough, are they?"
"It feels good," she whispered, dazed. "But it doesn't stop the ache."
The broad head of his cock pushed against her. Pushed inside her. "This does."
The delicious stretch only ignited her body all over again. "Not until you come," she murmured between hitching breaths. "That's when--when everything goes quiet. When I feel at peace."
He rocked deeper, with less patience than ever before.
It was as if her demand had given him permission to show her the sharper side of his need, and she grasped at it, clamping her muscles tight around him. "Faster."
Blake groaned and slid his hands up and over her shoulders, bracing her for his first powerful thrust. He plunged into her, so big and thick he rubbed over every over-stimulated nerve inside her.
His hips smacked against her ass. He held her there, stretched wide and exquisitely full, and ground deeper still. "Maybe you should take pity on Jud, sweetheart, because tonight?" He withdrew slowly, forcing her to feel the throbbing ache of being empty before he filled her again with a possessive snarl. "Tonight this pussy is mine."
There it was again, just like in the clearing in the woods--a thread of pure longing, even wrapped around such filthy words. She looked up at Jud, and she knew at once that he'd heard it, too.
But he didn't seem upset. He slipped a gentle hand under her chin and pressed his thumb to her lips. "Are you going to take pity on me, wicked girl?"
His cock was tantalizingly close, the flared head already slick. Ashley could already taste him, and she swallowed hard. Her mouth caressed his thumb as she spoke. "No one has come in my mouth yet."
"That's a shame," Jud murmured, pushing his thumb between her lips to brush her tongue. "It's such a sweet mouth."
Blake rolled his hips in another blissful circle, taunting her with a quick pulse of pleasure. "Give it to her, Jud. No more teasing."
Silently, Jud slid his hand to the back of her head and moved closer. She licked him first, capturing the drops of desire pearled on the tip of his cock. His hips jerked, thrusting the head between her lips just as Blake slammed into her again.
Caught between them again, Ashley moaned. This time was better, because she was full, so full, with nothing denied to her. All the careful control Blake had held on to before vanished, peeled away by her submission.
And when she was sure she couldn't take any more, Blake withdrew all the way, leaving her to whimper her protest around Jud's cock. Blake stroked his thumb into her pussy, pumping back and forth before gliding up to press against her ass. "Relax for me, sweetheart."
Ashley tossed her head back. "Blake--"
The pressure burned, but he made tight, coaxing circles with his thumb. "You can," he said soothingly. "You'll like it."
There was no part of her she didn't yearn for him to touch, nothing she wouldn't let him do. She groaned and pushed back, frantic to have him inside her again. "Please."
The tip of his thumb eased into her, and he rewarded her by giving her what she wanted--his cock, sinking deep. Jud tugged her head back down, nearly choking her as he drove into her mouth.
The scents of sex filled the room--male musk and feminine arousal. So did the sounds, wet and slick, of Blake fucking her pussy and Jud fucking her mouth. It was rough, almost brutal, and she wanted to howl her approval at the sheer carnality.
A wave of excruciating heat flashed in her core, sharp and tight, then lapped outward, curling up her spine and out to her fingers and toes. She floated there, suspended for what seemed like an eternity until the currents of heat merged into one snapping, shuddering swell of pleasure.
Blake snarled his encouragement, sinking deep and staying there while she spasmed around him. He drew out the sensation with short, nerve-twisting rolls of his hips. "Take care of Jud, sweetheart. I don't want
you distracted when I'm coming inside you."
Ashley whimpered, helpless to do anything but suck harder as Jud let his head fall back and clenched his fists in her hair. "Fuck, yes. Just like that, honey. Moan around my cock."
She did it again, lower, lingering over the sound until Blake flexed his hips again, cutting off her breath with a streak of ecstasy. Then it was Jud cutting off her breath, thrusting deep with quick, ragged movements.
He groaned as he came, flooding her mouth. She swallowed instinctively, over and over, taking his cock and his seed into her throat until he stilled with a shudder, one hand dropping to stroke her cheek. "Delicious."
She pulled back, but any possible reply dissolved as the shifting pressure between Blake's dick in her pussy and his thumb in her ass sparked a fresh cascade of blinding sensation.
"Delicious," Blake agreed, scratching his nails lightly down her back. His other hand twisted, working his thumb even deeper into her ass.
He didn't ask if she was ready this time. He didn't ask if she wanted it, or make her beg.
He took.
Intense, rough. Relentless, slamming her against the footstool even when Jud braced her with his hands and his solid body. Trapped between them again, and nothing had ever been better than this moment of absolute, utter abandon.
Then the thrusts picked up speed, force. Ashley cried out, the sound muffled against Jud's chest as Blake pounded her. He dragged her higher, until her knees were off the floor, and the next thrust obliterated rational thought, sent her spinning headlong into another dizzy spiral of trembling, contracting release.
So good, and still eclipsed by the next moment. He grunted and fucked deep, and the heat of his orgasm slid beneath her skin with a dizzy satisfaction that made her want to sing, to scream. To open herself to him in ways she barely knew existed, much less understood.
Ashley felt herself hovering on the edge of a revelation, but it whirled away in the next heartbeat, slipping through her fingers like sand as she sobbed in sheer, unadulterated relief.
Blake's big body shuddered. And then he hauled her up so her arms were trapped between them and her head thumped against his shoulder. His fingers settled on her clit, coaxing the last pulses of pleasure from her shaking body as his lips found her ear. "Are you worn out enough to sleep yet?"
Sleep? She was still quivering, trying to draw air into her burning lungs.
Blake pressed a soothing kiss to her temple as his hand stilled, coming to rest possessively over her pussy. "Want us to sleep with you tonight?"
Ashley managed a nod. She wasn't worried about the fever waking her up again, but the allure of spending the rest of the night cradled between them was undeniable.
They didn't speak as they freed her from Jud's belt. Blake lifted her to his chest, but instead of carrying her to his bed, he strode out into the hall and back to her room. Jud eased her door shut behind them all as Blake laid her onto the mattress. "I'll be right back."
Blake vanished in the direction of the bathroom, and the mattress dipped as Jud slipped onto it. "He wouldn't sleep well with me in his bed," Jud murmured, sliding an arm around her. "Blake can be territorial."
"Is he usually like this, or is it just me?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"He's..." Jud trailed off and shrugged. "You're going to change things. That's good. We need it."
Change was inevitable, especially if finding a potential mate was as rare and anticipated as Blake and Lucas had made it seem. "As long as I don't cause problems."
Jud rubbed her hip soothingly. "We do that all on our own, honey."
"Do what?" Blake demanded, stalking toward the bed.
"Get into trouble," Jud answered.
Blake grunted and climbed into bed. He draped an arm across her body and nuzzled her hair, inhaling deeply as his muscles began to relax. "No trouble tonight. Just rest."
She rolled onto her side and lifted her hand to his face. In spite of his obvious satisfaction and contentment, a tension remained around his eyes. "You haven't slept much."
"I'm okay." He leaned into her touch. "I'll sleep well tonight."
"So will I." She kissed him softly, then reached back and ran her fingers through Jud's hair. "Good night."
"Sleep, sweetheart." As she closed her eyes, Blake's murmur tickled her forehead. "You've got another big day tomorrow."
She was already drifting, and she heard the words as if they were coming from far away. "Why's that?"
"Connor's been waiting to see you."
Connor. Ashley smiled faintly. "He called me adorable."
Blake huffed and gave her ear a warning nip. "Because you are. Now hush."
Behind her, Jud had already started snoring quietly. The sound lulled her, and she sank deeper into the welcoming darkness. Tomorrow, she'd meet Connor properly. Maybe go for another run.
Whatever waited, Blake would be there.
Chapter Six
Blake hadn't wanted to throttle his alpha this badly in years.
Choking back temper, his curled his fingers into fists and waited to speak until it wouldn't come out as a straight-up challenge. "Lucas--"
"It's not up for debate," he interrupted, his voice implacable. "Someone has to go."
"Mac and Connor can go. Or Jud."
"Jud is going. With you." Lucas straightened to his full height and threw his leather gloves across the work table. "You need the time, Blake. The space, too."
The anxiety that had been twisting him up since Lucas had called him out to the barn solidified. Leaving Ashley in the kitchen with Mac had been hard enough. Leaving her in the house with him while he drove his ass all the way back to that crowded, miserable city--
It would take all day to go back to that house and make sure nothing left behind could lead to anyone in the pack. Longer if they had to dodge nosy neighbors and gather up her belongings. Jud would make it easier--he knew how to get in and out of human places without being noticed--but the mating urge wasn't likely to leave Ashley in peace until they managed to get back.
And if it struck while he was gone...
A growl rumbled through his chest and fought its way free. "She needs me."
"She needs someone," Lucas corrected. "Man, how's she supposed to know whether that someone is you if you're always there? And don't try to tell me you haven't been."
He ground his teeth together and said nothing.
"That's what I thought." Setting aside the ax head he'd just sharpened, Lucas sighed. "I warned you, all of you. Don't get too attached, not until you know."
Blake's pride prickled. "It's not about being attached."
"So you'd be fine if she mated Mac or Jud?" Lucas lifted an eyebrow. "If she mated me?"
He couldn't even force out the lie. It was one thing to reconcile himself to the idea of the rest of the pack touching her. That was tolerable, especially when it enhanced her pleasure. She was blooming, growing into her skin before his eyes, and he could let Mac and Jud and even Lucas be a part of that.
Mating was different. It was intense, permanent. Ashley would never need anyone else, and her mate would have to fight back territorial instincts every time another male came near her.
Blake would lose the right to touch her, and the possibility sharpened his temper. "I'm not the only one who wants to mate her. We'll all have to deal with whatever happens."
"You're not the only one who wants a mate," Lucas agreed.
Except--maybe it wasn't agreement. Because Lucas hadn't said they all wanted to mate her. And Blake couldn't conjure another image now even if he tried. Demure or fiery, blonde or redhead, any potential mate he could dream up turned into Ashley, naked and wide-eyed, her soft thighs spread open as she offered him everything and challenged him to take it.
Arguing was stubborn, futile. Such a human thing to do, grasping at rationalizations and near-lies instead of facing the truth. "I don't want to leave her."
"You have to. You have to give her a ch
ance, Blake."
The magic words. The only thing less tolerable than leaving her in Mac's hands was staying, only to find himself being overbearing and intrusive. Especially when he'd told her the truth--his control wasn't good around her. It would be so easy to simply...lean on her. Not even on purpose, but strength was power, and he had both. Enough to trap her in a corner if he wasn't careful.
"Fine," he grumbled, relenting. "We'll get her stuff and clean up the house."
"Good." Lucas hesitated, then reached for his gloves and continued, his tone bland and casual. "Take the opportunity to buy her something. A gift."
Something she wanted. Something to compete with Jud's crepes and whatever Mac--most likely with Connor's assistance--would unleash on her. Connor could type a few words into his damn computer and make anything appear. Blake just had...
The books. Her books, the ones she hadn't wanted to leave behind. "I know what to do."
"Does it have a hope in hell of beating Jud's I was a bad-boy gentleman thief routine?"
Was that a thing that appealed to human women? How was he supposed to know this shit when he rarely spent any time around them? "How the fuck should I know?"
Lucas scrubbed a hand over his face. "Good luck. You need it."
It wasn't exactly a vote of confidence, which only strengthened Blake's resolve. Whatever happened while he was gone didn't matter. He'd give Ashley the space Lucas thought she needed, and wait for her to come back to him. If she did--when she did--
Woo the woman. Ravish the wolf. This time, he'd do both.
Chapter Seven
It was tempting to grab Blake and hide in her room--and in her bed--after breakfast, but Ashley was determined that not another day would pass without at least a proper conversation with the last, enigmatic member of her new pack.
So she loaded some plates, tried to ignore Mac's amused but indulgent smile, and headed up the stairs. She balanced the tray on one knee, almost spilling the coffee as she knocked on Connor's door.
The answer that came was muffled and sleepy. "Come in."
She turned the knob, then grabbed the edge of the tray as she pushed the door open with her hip. "Connor?"