Elizabeth was moaning, panting, and encouraging him with her little gasps. She moved her leg so that he could settle even deeper into the cradle of her thighs. With whatever purchase she found with her foot she lifted her hips higher and the horn blew – loudly. The sound split the night and had him lifting away from her fast in his surprise, only to encounter the low clearance of his truck roof, and hitting his head hard.
Elizabeth let out a squeak of dismay. They stared at each other in the interior light for a moment, equal looks of dread on their faces. Then they heard it, “Mom? Conner? Is everything all right?”
Elizabeth’s voice sounded a bit ragged as she yelled. “Everything is fine, honey. I’ll be in in a minute.”
She looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before she burst out laughing. Conner chuckled as well and laid his head against hers. “Well, that was a mood killer.” He said once her laughter wound down.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered laying a sweet kiss on his lips. “I need to go in now. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Conner nodded and lifted himself off of her to push out of the truck and help her down. “Tomorrow.” He said, dropping a kiss on her forehead and then her nose. He held onto her hand as she walked away until their fingertips finally separated and she shot him a smile over her shoulder.
Once she was in the house, he got into his truck and ran a hand through his hair. He filled his lungs with air and then blew it out slowly. “Tomorrow and always, Elizabeth Larkin.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Elizabeth woke with an orgasm still pulsing between her legs. She had had the most erotic dream about Conner. She laid there for a moment, savoring the sensation. It had been so long since she’d been held, touched, pleasured. And last night, before the horn had blown and interrupted things, had been incredible. Everything had felt so good, so right, and she wanted more – badly.
She and Conner wanted the same things, she’d made sure of that last night. She was moving to the area, Jeremy already loved him, and she was extremely attracted to him. She could absolutely picture a future with him. Everything was lining up perfectly.
Elizabeth stared up at the dark wood of the ceiling and grinned, a giddy flurry of butterflies making her lower belly clench. She and Conner were totally going to have sex and it was going to be awesome. She should get condoms. Conner seemed like the type that probably kept one in his wallet, but she should probably still buy a box, it had been so long since she had had sex, once probably wouldn’t be enough… unless the sex was bad. That thought had her frowning. No, she shouldn’t think like that – worst case scenario, she may have to talk him through it, but that could be fun too.
With that in mind, she rolled off the air mattress and checked in on Jeremy. He was lying on his air mattress, eyes shut, ear buds in. She’d think he was sleeping except she could see his foot was moving to the beat under the sheet. Touching that foot to get his attention he opened his eyes and pulled the ear buds out. “How about we get dressed and go into town for breakfast?”
Once they got into town, Elizabeth pulled into the parking lot of the small grocery store and left Jeremy listening to music in the air conditioned car while she ran in. She was standing in the health and beauty aisle, looking over the selection of condoms when it occurred to her, she’d never actually bought condoms before. How did one choose a proper condom? Were they like pantyhose but instead of height and weight you needed to know length and girth? Grabbing a box with a brand name she recognized, she turned it to read the back.
As she was scanning the information, she caught a flash of red from the corner of her eye and looked up. An older woman with long black hair, dressed professionally in a red pantsuit, grabbed a box of tampons off the shelf. The woman began to turn away but then looked at Elizabeth more closely and smiled. She walked over with her hand extended and smiled. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Sherry Pierce. Are you staying at the bed and breakfast here in town?”
Elizabeth quickly set the box of condoms down and returned the woman’s smile as she took the other woman’s hand for a shake. “Elizabeth Larkin,” she said. “My son and I are staying at our camp on Bingo Road for the summer. Are you related to Conner Pierce?”
The woman’s smile dimmed by degrees, her eyes turning positively frosty as she looked from the condoms that Elizabeth had been perusing and then back to her face. “Conner’s my son.” She said, her voice coming out a bit gruff, almost a growl.
Elizabeth suddenly felt like a naughty teenager caught with her pants down. How embarrassing. His mother? She looked way too young to have a son Conner’s age. And what a first impression to make on your new boyfriend’s mom. She was about to attempt a compliment, anything to ease the tension when the woman looked her up and down from head to toe and then nodded as if she’d come to some conclusion or other – and judging by the rather tightly compressed lips on the other woman’s face – it was not complimentary to Elizabeth. “Enjoy the summer, Miss Larkin.” She said, and then turned on her heel and power walked out of the aisle.
Well, that was a disaster, Elizabeth thought as she grabbed the box of condoms and headed for the checkout. When she saw that Sherry Pierce was checking out as well, she decided to hang back and wait until the other woman left. She didn’t think of herself as a coward, but best not to antagonize the dragon lady with visual proof that she intended to have sex with the woman’s son.
Elizabeth had pretty much lost her appetite after that unexpected meeting, but she had promised Jeremy breakfast so she drove over to the diner and parked in one of the few spots left. The place was a lot busier than she had expected, and surprisingly full of men. She looked around again. Only two other women in the place and both of them worked there. How odd. Her presence also seemed to be attracting too much attention. Conversation actually seemed to stop as her and Jeremy stepped further into the diner. She glanced around nervously for a moment as men stared at her and then hustled Jeremy into a booth toward the back that was empty. Elizabeth found the situation a bit creepy, but luckily, Jeremy seemed oblivious.
The waitress who came over to take their order was supermodel gorgeous and made Elizabeth feel a bit dowdy. Had Conner ever dated this woman with the willow thin body, bright green eyes, and long blonde hair? Elizabeth didn’t even notice the group of diagonal scars that marred the woman’s cheek at first, the woman’s presence was so captivating. She introduced herself as Lily and smiled fondly at Jeremy as she took his order for pancakes. Elizabeth just ordered coffee, her appetite further diminished with thoughts of Conner making love to this woman. Elizabeth was okay with her body, but it definitely had flaws, and while she might consider her stretch marks a badge of honor, Conner might look at them with disgust if he was used to women like this Lily.
“Now he’s definitely a werewolf.” Jeremy whispered behind his hand as a man with long white hair pulled back into a ponytail at his nape and a long white beard, walked past their table to head to the restroom.
Elizabeth grinned, her mood lightened by Jeremy’s observation. “I thought he looked more like Santa Clause. What made you think werewolf?” she asked.
Jeremy leaned forward as if he was imparting some great knowledge. “He was wearing an Ozzy Osbourne T-Shirt. Definitely werewolf.”
Conversation in the diner had resumed not long after Elizabeth and Jeremy were seated, it even got a bit louder when Conner Pierce walked through the door as many of the patrons called out a greeting. But when Conner spotted them and approached their booth with a large smile, and he leaned down to kiss Elizabeth squarely on the mouth, well, you could have heard a pin drop.
She pushed over to make room for him and she noticed Conner shooting glares at the other men in the diner before sitting and smiling at both of them. Conversation once again resumed, and Elizabeth relaxed slightly. What an odd little place this was. Lily returned with a plate of pancakes that was so large, Jeremy’s eyes bulged and both Elizabeth and Conner laughed. When Conner introduced h
er to Lily as his girlfriend, she felt a bit giddy. Then the waitress, who was apparently Conner’s best friend, ruined it when she said, “You and Conner? Wow, I’m… surprised.”
Well, that was insulting. Her face must have shown some sign of what she was thinking when Lily said, “Don’t take offense, you are waaaay better than the type he usually goes for. Conner usually has lousy taste.”
“Hey!” Conner protested with a frown. “Let’s not be giving any wrong ideas here.”
“Conner’s great!” Jeremy piped up, and Conner grinned at his champion.
Another new arrival came through the door, and while this person didn’t elicit a pause in the conversation, she did, however make both Elizabeth and Conner groan. Sherry Pierce was bearing down on their table and Elizabeth could practically hear the theme from Jaws playing in her head. She quickly whispered, “I met your mother at the grocery store this morning. I did not make a good impression.”
Conner picked her hand up off the table to drop a kiss to the palm and then laced his fingers with hers. He smiled at his mother. “Hey, Mom. Have you met Elizabeth and J.T?”
Sherry Pierce looked at Elizabeth for a moment and then smiled at Jeremy and nodded before turning back to Conner. Her eyes kept moving to their joined hands and she grimaced. “I’d like you to come to dinner tonight,” she glanced at Elizabeth briefly before her eyes went back to Conner, “just you and your brothers. There’s some family things we need to discuss.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Conner went and played some ball with J.T that afternoon, but after the night before, he’d been looking forward to some alone time with Elizabeth before he had to go out on his patrol. Instead, he was having dinner with his mother and he knew what was coming. He was not looking forward to it.
His father was already aware of the situation, so having Tarvahl on his side would be a help. Jacob and Zack, on the other hand, had no idea that he’d felt the mating bond with Elizabeth. How would they react when they heard? Because it was a definite that this particular cat was coming out of the bag tonight. Would they be happy for him or shocked and appalled?
His mother seemed to have wrapped herself in a blanket of calm control as she cut her meat and placed a bite in her mouth. She looked to each of the men who sat at the table as she calmly chewed and swallowed and then dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “I reached out today to my old pack and called in some favors. They’ve arranged for a group of eligible females to come for an extended visit.”
Conner groaned, Tarvahl looked amused, while Jacob seemed to find his plate fascinating. Zack was the only one that actually seemed excited. “Cool,” the youngest brother said, “I hope some of them are pretty.”
Sherry stared meaningfully at Conner. “They’ll be of age and they’ll be wolves, that’s what’s important.”
Conner leaned back in his chair with a frown. “I would think your children’s happiness would be important.”
His mother stared at him for a moment before picking up her utensils and cutting her meat. “She’s human Conner. A human could never make you happy.” Sherry said, still eerily calm. “You’ll meet the wolves I invited and if none of them excite you then we’ll contact some other packs. Obviously you’ve decided it’s time to take a mate and I am perfectly willing to help you.”
“I’m well aware of what Elizabeth is, Mom, believe me. But my wolf chose her and so do I.”
Conner was glad his mom hadn’t put any more food in her mouth as she seemed to choke on her own tongue for a moment. “Your wolf…” she gasped out.
“Chose her.” Conner finished with a nod.
Jacob grinned widely and stood up to come around and grip Conner in a headlock. “Why didn’t you say? Congratulations, Bro!”
“Elizabeth Larkin?” Zack added and then turned to his mother, “She’s great, Mom, and her son J.T is awesome.”
Sherry Pierce banged her hands down hard on the table making the dishes rattle and the brothers went silent. “She’s human! My son does not mate a human!” Sherry screeched, her control finally snapping. She stood up from the table and left the room.
The silence stretched for a few long beats before Tarvahl stood up with a sigh. “I’ll go talk to her. Eat.”
Conner, Jacob, and Zack turned their attentions back to their dinner, the quiet of the house interrupted with occasional snarls, a few growls, and a frustrated scream before his parents returned and his father sat down to resume eating. His mother was once again wrapped in calm as she studied him. “You realize any children you have with this human probably won’t be able to shift.”
Conner nodded. “I can accept that, and her name is Elizabeth.”
Sherry drew air in deeply through her nose and then nodded. She turned her attention on Jacob and Zack. “I’ll not rescind my invitation. At least two of my sons might still be willing to find an acceptable mate.”
Conner grit his teeth together but held his tongue. His mother would come around – eventually.
As soon as dinner was finished, Conner jumped on the excuse of having to relieve Bernie who was manning the bar, and got the hell out of there. The Stag wasn’t busy, just a few old timers retelling the usual stories of their glory days. He was even able to lock up early and get some much needed paperwork finished before he had to head out on patrol.
Walking the border of pack territory at night was generally pretty boring. With the exception of a few nocturnal animals rounding up their dinner, there wasn’t much to see. So Conner was indulging in a rather vivid fantasy of Elizabeth’s long bare legs wrapped around him and squeezing him when he smelled feline. With a low growl, Conner braced for impact. Despite the fact that the cat only weighed about one hundred twenty pounds maximum, she was still able to take him easily to the ground when she leapt from the trees. Damn sneaky little hell cat.
Lily hooted with laughter and patted his shoulder before lifting her body off his. She shook her head and offered him a hand up. “You were way too distracted, Conner. If I had been an enemy, you’d be dead.”
Conner brushed a hand over his backside. “I was humoring you.”
“Mmhm,” she murmured, eyeing him as she fell into step beside him. “So, was today’s public display of affection at the diner meant to shock the pack and set tongues wagging, or were you just trying to piss off your mom?”
Honestly, he hadn’t had any ulterior motive. He had just wanted to kiss his mate, and at that moment he hadn’t cared who was watching or what anyone thought about it. It was for the best, though. Elizabeth was his and it was time the pack knew.
Before he could say anything Lily was shaking her head and sighing. “I hope you’re not being an asshole and playing with her. Her kid already thinks you hung the moon.”
Conner couldn’t help but feel a bit insulted. “I’m not playing.” He growled. “She’s my mate.”
That stopped Lily in her tracks and she gawked at him, mouth open for a moment before she snapped it shut. “Does she know?”
“She’s human, so in her eyes, we’re dating, but it’s a start.” Conner said with a shrug as he resumed walking.
Lily grabbed his arm hard to stop him again. “Does she know what you are, Conner?”
Conner blew out a hard breath and shook his head. “Not yet.”
Lily once again fell into step beside him. “Wow, I’m glad I’m not in your shoes. That’s going to suck. How do you plan to tell her?”
Good question. Conner didn’t really have a plan. “I guess once I know that she’s happy with me and settled I’ll just explain things to her and show her. My sister didn’t know anything about us before she came here and she took it pretty well.”
“Your sister’s reaction may not be such a good example. She isn’t human, and despite being raised believing she was one, there was probably something deep inside that she always sensed was different. I’d be willing to bet, Tara finding out why she was different, came as a relief. This lady, your human, is probably not going
to react the same way at all. Be careful Conner, or your mate may run away screaming.” Lily added, her feline eyes tracking something moving in the underbrush.
And that’s what Conner was afraid of, and why he was in no rush to tell her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The weather for the Fourth of July barbecue was perfect. Sunny, and a bit hot, but with enough of a breeze to keep the humidity down. Elizabeth was surprised to find out that for celebrations like this, the whole town shut down so that everyone could enjoy the day. How great was that? Jeremy was bubbling over with excitement as he carried his new baseball mitt, but Elizabeth was looking forward to spending the entire day with Conner.
It had been as if she had jinxed herself as soon as she bought the condoms. He had been able to come over in the afternoons to play a bit of ball with Jeremy, and they’d even gone swimming again, but aside from a few heated kisses, they hadn’t had a moment alone to indulge in anything more. Conner had had to work. He had already pawned off his duties too many times of late. Not that she could complain about that. After all, she was the queen of having to stay late to make a deadline. So, without Conner’s company she and Jeremy had done some hiking and fishing, they’d perused the extremely limited real estate listings, and had even set up an appointment to tour Jeremy’s new school. When Jeremy was sleeping she’d occupied herself with her new work project. Ideas filling her head and keeping her excitement high.
But right now her excitement was high for a different reason. The main street of Malsum Pass was filled with people. Tables of food had been set up, decorated with American flags and red, white, and blue streamers. Areas had been sectioned off for different games and events, while country music played over a PA system.
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