by Alana Hart
My legs were straining, trembling beneath him, and I slid a hand down, my only thought to remove the thin barrier between us. I wanted to feel him thrusting inside of me, filling me. My hand wriggled between us and grazed up against his cock, the head sticky with his arousal. Rubbing my thumb over the head, I coated my fingers and slid them down the steel ridge, the skin velvet soft in my palm, sliding up and down in time with his thrusts. My hand barely fit around him, and my stomach clenched at the thought of him filling me, stretching me.
His hands were still kneading and caressing my breasts, rolling my nipples and teasing the sensitive buds, each pull shooting straight to my core. Tilting my hips, I pressed him against me, my other hand scrabbling to yank down my panties.
Then, with one last stroke against my bundle of sensitive nerves, I tipped over the edge, my orgasm roaring up out of nowhere, shudders wracking my body as I tensed, biting my lip in an effort to not scream.
As I floated back down to earth, I felt him he nip at my neck, kissing the skin tenderly and laving it with his tongue.
Awareness of where we were, what we were doing, hit me. My eyes flew open and shot to the other bed.
“He hasn’t moved, not an inch.”
At least one of us had been aware. Ryan shifted against me, still painfully aroused. My eyes flicked back to Luke. Now that I wasn’t floating on a cloud of lust…
“I can wait. It’ll be worth it. You’re worth it,” Ryan said with a strained chuckle, his lips claiming mine in a swift kiss full of promise. He groaned, muffling the sound on my shoulder. “Just don’t make me wait too long. I think I’ve got blue balls already!”
Luke stirred in the other bed, an arm sticking out of the covers and stretching toward the ceiling. “Part and parcel of having a kid,” I whispered, shoving at Ryan to roll off me.
He grinned, not seeming in any rush to move. Kissing the tip of my nose he answered, “We’re going to need a babysitter. Or a bigger place. Either works for me. I just want you to know, I’m in—all the way in. You, kids. I’m in.”
He’d said kids, plural.
“Don’t think on it too hard, sweetheart. It’s not something you have to figure out. Luke’s a great kid, why wouldn’t I accept him? And I’ve always wanted kids.” Then he rolled off, grabbing the robe off the chair next to the bed. Pushing the covers back, he stood, pulling it on. Before he was completely hidden from view, my gaze greedily wandered over his firm backside, the muscles from his back wrapping around and forming dimples above his cheeks. I’d been right! Two sets of dimples!
Then he turned slightly, and my mouth went dry at the sight of his cock jutting out from a neatly trimmed thatch of blond curls. It hadn’t been my imagination, he really was that impressive, the head thick and grazing his stomach as he tucked himself into the robe. My thighs clenched at the thought of—
He coughed pointedly, and I caught him smirking at me.
“I’m going to grab a shower. I, uh, have something I need to take care of.” And with that, he sauntered off into the other room.
I gulped, wondering just how he was going to take care of it. I eyed the now closed bathroom door. And if I had any chance of joining him. Then, with that natural timing kids seemed to be born with, Luke’s head popped out from under the covers, his hands rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Breakfast?” he croaked, looking at me hopefully. The shower switched on in the next room and Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “Ryan’s still here?”
I nodded, wondering what the hell I was going to say.
“Sweet! I like Ryan. I wonder if he’ll take me out today, show me that place that he…”
I tuned Luke’s voice out as he rambled on about all the cool stuff Ryan was going to show him, and how Ryan was the best at everything. I didn’t have to worry about Luke liking Ryan. More like I had to worry about how to prevent Luke from getting too attached. Because we might have to move again.
If Will found us, we would have to run.
***
Ryan
I could hear Amy and Luke moving around in the next room, my shifter hearing allowing me to clearly hear their voices through the water that sluiced over my head.
It had been touch and go back there, whether I’d be able to back away. My bear had roared inside my head, tearing at my skin, demanding that I take our mate and seal the deal. And the human part of me? Yeah, I’d wanted to rip away those infuriating panties and thrust deep inside of her, to feel her moist and tight, wrapped around my throbbing cock, pressing and squeezing. My hand fisted my cock tight, head falling back against the cool tiles, eyes closed as I imagined what she would feel like.
And what she would look like when I stripped her bare, her breasts spilling free, a bounty for my tongue and teeth. Her nipples would be tawny brown, I decided, imagining lapping the distended peaks with my tongue, circling and flicking.
My hand sped up, sliding up and down.
When I entered her, her eyes would roll back, the lids flickering closed as pleasure danced through her. Then I would move, and she would feel all of me lodged deep inside, stroking and sliding across her nerve endings, and her eyes would fly open, wordlessly shouting at me to go faster, harder.
Groaning, I blindly grabbed the curtain rail with my spare hand, the other pumping harder, faster, following the imagined command.
A moan would spill from her lips, and I would drink the sound, our flesh sliding together, sticky with sweat, heated with passion. She would wrap her legs around my hips, tilting, accepting everything I had to give, her pussy now wet and greedy, sucking at my cock.
My balls started to tighten, the tendrils of orgasm snaking up my legs, across my spine.
I would wet my thumb, then circle her clit, teasing and rubbing, until she was frantic, thrashing under me, clenching around me as she came, screaming into the air.
I tensed as boiling heat thundered through me, thrusting frantically into my water slicked hand, coming in long, hard jerks.
Shuddering, I kept my eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold onto the image of Amy, soft and sated in my arms. Her eyes full of love and affection. For me.
The image faded, leaving behind determination. She wasn’t going to accept us, me, until her ex was out of the way, and Luke was safe.
She reminded me of a momma bear looking out for her cub.
And dammit, rather than a cold shower, that just made her hot as hell!
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ryan
I’d quickly made my excuses and hot-tailed it out of the motel room, much to Luke’s disappointment. I couldn’t tell if Amy was disappointed or relieved, her face a mask since I’d come out of the shower. She had blushed, a cute shade of red, and I wondered if she’d been imagining what I’d gotten up to under the hot water. I had shouted a little loudly when I’d come, but at least it hadn’t been a roar. That would have been a little hard to explain.
I’d told the kid I would come back later and take him out on his first lesson. And I meant it, I just had a little detecting to do first.
The snowstorm had stopped, the morning sky a crystal clear blue, the air crisp and still. The weather was like that around here, unpredictable, especially in winter. Storms could blow in off the mountain range in a matter of hours, and if you weren’t used to them, they could be deadly.
I made a mental note in my head to teach Luke how to read the weather. The kid would need to take precautions out here, being human, and all.
The snow nearly came up to my knees in places, but the roads were clear, packed down from the snow truck that must have been out at the crack of dawn. Walking down Main Street, I waved at people who were opening up shop, going about their business as usual. They were used to it out here. A little snow wouldn’t stop the Craggstone townspeople from going about their business as usual.
Spying movement in Ralph’s, I ducked under an ominous looking snow-clad canopy and shoved the door open. Stamping the snow off my feet, I strode over to where Ralph hunched ove
r the bar, a coffee cup clasped tight in his hand.
“Hey, bro!” I made no effort to keep my voice down, despite him obviously having a hangover, and slapped him ruthlessly on the back.
He flinched, but didn’t raise his head off the bar.
Making my way around to the coffee machine, I jabbed a few buttons, then lifted a steaming cup to my lips. Blowing the steam away, I took a grateful slurp, then prodded Ralph with a finger.
“G’away,” he muttered, batting at my hand.
“Man up, bro. I need to talk to you.”
“Talk later,” he grumbled under his breath, but raised his head a fraction and gulped down some coffee. Making a face of disgust, he shoved the cup at me, pointing wordlessly at the machine.
Filling it up, I pushed the cup back into his hand, and he took a cautious sip.
“Why does that machine make coffee like this for you, and shit for me? I own the damn thing.”
“Because you never bothered to learn how to use the machine?” I pulled up a stool and sat down.
“It’s meant to make coffee. How hard can that be?”
“Did you read the instructions?”
“Did you?”
He had me there. Why the hell he had a fancy coffee machine, with his track record with technology, sure beat me.
He sighed loudly, scratching at his chin. “So, what do you want?”
“Shit, bro. Great social skills there! Just how much did you put away last night?”
Ralph grimaced, replying with a wince, “Enough that I’m not drinking again, anytime soon.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it. Need to share—”
“No!”
I held my hands up in surrender. Whatever was going on with him, he’d tell me eventually. Or Mom would get it out of him. I had bigger things to be worrying about at the moment.
“I need to borrow your phone. My cell’s dead, and I don’t want to use the one in the station.”
Ralph waved at the phone, wincing at the sudden movement. “Sure, but why didn’t you use your home phone?”
“Because I haven’t been home yet,” I replied, pulling the old-fashioned corded phone over the bar. Yup, still stuck in the eighties.
“You get snowed in?” Ralph took another grateful sip of coffee, his eyes closing in bliss.
“Yeah, kind of.” I quickly dialed Jack’s cell number, eying Ralph’s raised eyebrows.
“It’s a long— Hey, Jack, it’s Ryan. Yeah, I’m good. Uh huh, yep, they’re all fine. Listen, I’ve got a favor to ask you, any chance you could come down to Craggstone for a visit sometime soon? I’ve got someone I’d like you to have a look at. Uh huh, yeah, that sounds good. You sure? Great. See you soon.”
I laid the receiver back in its cradle.
“That sounded cryptic?” Ralph was alert now, eyeing me suspiciously. “Who’s the patient?”
“A young boy called Luke.” I decided to make him work for the information, payback for being an ass so far this morning.
“And he needs Jack because?”
“He has a mangled hand, and I thought Jack might be able to have a look, maybe fix it. He’s coming straight down, was already on his way.” And that was something I would have to remember to ask Jack about later.
“And you care because? Fuck, this is like pulling teeth!” He gripped his head in his hands, pulling a pained face.
I laughed, grinning at him, and decided to have pity. “Luke is the son of my mate, my true mate.” I stopped, and waited.
Ralph’s mouth dropped open, his eyes widening in shock. Then his lips spread in a shit-eating grin. “Motherfucker!” he exclaimed, clasping my arm, then dragging me into a back-slapping hug, hangover temporarily forgotten. Releasing me, he narrowed his eyes. “Where? Who? How?” he demanded, sitting back in his stool.
“Here, at the bakery. Amy. Her scent, it hit me, and I just knew.”
“For real?”
I nodded, matching his shit-eating grin with one of my own.
“You felt the bond yet?”
Shit! I had completely forgotten about the bond. It would have started by now, from the moment we touched. I closed my eyes and reached for where I thought the bond should be. My bear lurched up from his slumber, nosing around inside my head, searching. Then I saw it, a tendril of essence, clear in my mind’s eye, reaching out and disappearing… My bear rubbed against the wisp of light, and it vibrated with reflected emotions. Amy!
I opened my eyes, meeting Ralph’s envious stare. “It’s there! We’re connected, soul to soul. Obviously, it’s not very strong because we haven’t completed the—”
“Whoa! Not completed? Why the hell not?”
“Because her son was in the room. And…a couple of other things.”
“Ah, yeah, her son. What’s the story there?”
I briefly filled him in on what Amy had told me, and his expression darkened with anger, his eyes spitting with bronze flecks as his bear surged to the surface.
“So, bro. What are you going to do about that motherfucking ass-wipe that assaulted your mate?” he growled, flexing his knuckles.
“I’m going to find him, and make him certain he never wants to lay eyes on either Amy or Luke again,” I growled back, anger filling me. Just repeating the story for Ralph had infuriated me. The strong should protect the weak, and this Will had abused his power. It was only right that I taught him a lesson.
“Until Amy is safe, and by safe, I mean, she feels Luke is safe, she won’t accept me. Not fully. And I can’t have that sociopath threatening my family.”
“So, Luke’s family?”
Without thought, I nodded. “He feels like family, like Amy. I don’t know how to explain it. When I saw him, recognized Amy in him…my bear accepted him as one of our own. He’s my cub, plain and simple.”
“That’s great, and all. But he’s not. He’ll grow old, while you and Amy—”
I glared at him. “Don’t! I’ll find a way.” Damn him for voicing my hidden fears. There had to be a way. Maybe Mom or Pa knew.
I jumped to my feet. “I’m going to see Mom, you coming with?”
Ralph shook his head. “I’ll stay here and make a few phone calls, see if I can track down this Will of yours. I have a few contacts from back when I was in the city.”
I clasped his shoulder gratefully. Ralph had been a highly sought after chef in the city before his lack of aging had forced his move back to Craggstone. He had moved in influential circles, rubbing shoulders with the powerful and elite. If anyone could find out who Amy’s ex was, it was Ralph. “Thanks, bro. I owe you one. Stay under the radar, okay?”
“Damn straight! And I’ll put it on your tab,” Ralph grumbled in jest, shoving me toward the door. “I’ll call you at Mom’s when I hear something, and send Jack there, too?”
I nodded, heading back out into the snow.
***
Amy
I finished bundling Luke up in his winter clothes, pulling his hat down tight over his ears. “You be careful walking to school, okay?”
“Mom! I’ll be fine! Can’t believe I still have to go with all the snow outside.” He looked longingly out of the window, and I had to admit, I’d been shocked, too, when I’d seen the businesses opening up, people going about as normal, despite the heavy snowfall.
“Suck it up, kid,” I said, patting the top of his head. “I’ve got to go to work, too. I’ll see you at home, later.”
“This isn’t home.” Luke scowled, looking around the room.
I bit back a sigh, knowing he didn’t mean to make me feel bad. I was trying, but I had to do better. “It is for the moment, but don’t worry, I’ll sort something better out for us soon, with your own room. I promise.” I snuck a quick kiss onto his cheek, before he had chance to dart away.
“I bet Ryan’s place is nice, and big enough for all of us,” Luke said flippantly on his way out of the door, but I could see the longing in his eyes. Ryan had shown Luke real affection, something
the kid was starved of, at least from a father figure.
“I’m sure it is nice, but we’ll be getting our own place,” I called after him, rushing to slip my boots on and zip my jacket up. Grabbing my bag, I shot out of the door after him, but he was long gone, loping up the street in big strides.
Releasing the earlier pent-up sigh, I locked the door carefully, then followed him up the street, crossing over to the bakery. Connie waved at me from the window, a welcoming smile on her face.
“Not much of a welcome to Craggstone last night, was it?” she greeted me as I walked through the door, her arms full of stock for the shelves in the window.
Hurrying to dump my bag and drag off my jacket, I grabbed a few of the more precariously balanced items off the top, placing them gently in the waiting baskets. “It wasn’t too bad. We were warm enough in the motel.”
“Uh huh,” she replied, winking at me knowingly. “Warm, eh?”
I glanced at her, wondering if I was reading too much into her words, but I caught the look in her eye. The one that said she knew.
She placed the last bread roll in a basket and turned to face me, hand on hip. “Honey, Craggstone is a small town. Not much happens that everyone doesn’t know about. And Ryan Everson is one of the most eligible bachelors in town, not that anyone’s ever made it anywhere with him. If they have, it’s a well-kept secret, and there’s not many of those around here either!” She chuckled at my panicked expression. “Good for you!”
“How? What?”
She pointed out of the window. “The motel is only over there, and most folks live in town, or near. A lot were watching the storm out of their windows last night…”
“Nothing happened!”
“Well, that’s a damn shame, honey. But, then again, you had Luke with you?”
Wow! Word did travel fast around here. “You know about Luke?”
Connie nodded, her expression softening. “The offer still stands. If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
I tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. Everyone was being so nice to me here, complete strangers taking the time out of their busy lives to be kind. I didn’t want to ever leave, but I would if it meant keeping Luke safe. “I can’t. Not yet. But maybe one day I will, if that’s okay?”