Patient Mates: (Book 7 Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas)

by Price, E A

  Hunter’s father Carter took over the stables six months ago and forced his somewhat wild son Hunter to work there. Whenever Gabe saw the pup he was complaining about having to work there and muck out the stables. But today in front of Kira he was acting like he was a freaking horse whisperer!

  Hunter attached a saddle to Missy and helped Kira climb up. His hand lingered at her waist for far too long in Gabe’s opinion.

  Gabe growled lowly as his beast went wild. The younger wolf straightened up a little and reluctantly dragged his eyes from Kira. He mumbled something and disappeared.

  Kira encouraged Missy and started trotting round the yard. “This is wonderful!”

  Gabe beamed encouragingly before paling at seeing the monster Hunter was leading toward him. The jet black horse was almost twice as big as Missy. He could swear the thing was snorting derisively at him. It looked like a creature one of the four horsemen would be comfortable riding!

  “And here’s your horse!” Said Hunter smugly. “His name’s Beelzebub.”

  Gabe’s eyes bulged a little as his wolf snarled. Horses and wolves weren’t generally a good fit. “Beelzebub?!”

  “Course if you don’t think you can handle him I can get you one of the ponies we use for the kid’s riding lessons. We have a nice little pony called Old Glue if you’d prefer…”

  Kira looked at him expectantly. “This one will be fine.” Gabe ground out through gritted teeth.

  Warily Gabe gave the horse a wide berth before gingerly grabbing the saddle and quickly hauling himself on top. He hoped that just getting on the horse was the hard part. Beelzebub huffed but didn’t try to buck him off, that was something at least.

  “Well you two have fun.” Hunter slapped Beelzebub on the rump. The animal whinnied and set off at a thunderous pace down the wooded trail with Gabe hanging on for dear life.

  “Wait for me!” Called Kira spurring Missy to follow.

  Gabe groaned as the trees whizzed by and he rocked in the saddle, feeling every lump and bump. Kira marveled at how fast he was going, she’d assumed Gabe didn’t have much experience but damn he was speeding away!

  Gabe fumbled trying to hold the reins and let out a stream of curses as he saw they were approaching a fallen log. The horse would just jump over right?! He braced himself and closed his eyes as the horse whinnied loudly and screeched to a halt, throwing Gabe clear over his head. The wolf hit the ground in front of the log with a resounding thump.

  “Gabe!” Screamed Kira.

  She pulled Missy to a stop and dismounted, quickly running over to Gabe who was squirming on the ground. “Oh my god! Are you hurt?”

  He smiled wryly as his wolf whined pathetically. “Just my pride.” He tried to stand and groaned slumping back to the ground. “No scratch that, my arms, legs, back and neck are also hurt.”

  “Oh poor baby.”

  She helped pull him over to the side of the trail and leant him against a tree. She then went to secure both horses.

  “He did that on purpose!” Said Gabe bitterly. His beast agreed whole heartedly. Sneaky horse.

  “He’s just an animal, it was an accident.”

  Beelzebub was neighing and chuffing at Kira whilst giving him the stink eye. Gabe could swear the damn horse was laughing at him!

  Kira came back and dropped down next to him, softly threading her fingers through his hair. “Have you ever ridden before?”

  “Erm no… I assumed I could.”

  Kira started giggling and before long she was letting out shoulder shaking guffaws. “Awww you’re so funny.”

  Gabe harrumphed. “Yeah I got that thanks.” The aches and pains were slowly fading. Thank god he hadn’t broken anything.

  “Where does it hurt?” She asked a little huskily.

  Wordlessly Gabe pointed to his forehead. Kira planted a delicate kiss there. He moved his finger to his eyebrow and she repeated the action. He touched his ear, his other eyebrow, his nose and his chin before finally reaching his mouth.

  Gently Kira pressed her mouth to his. He nibbled her bottom lip asking permission to enter. She parted her lips and his tongue darted in her mouth eagerly twirling with hers. She moaned into his mouth and pressed herself against him with more urgency. The twin orbs of her breasts pushed against him and he groaned as his arousal urgently grew.

  Breaking the kiss she panted lightly. She was supposed to be taking things slowly. Her wolf however was practically purring and begging for attention from the male wolf. Kira inwardly huffed. Tramp.

  Gabe took the opportunity to kiss her neck and nip at her silky skin. His hands roamed over her luscious body and he maneuvered her round his body so she was straddling him. She arched her back, crushing her breasts against him as she delighted in the feel of his mouth on her skin.

  Gabe trailed feathery kisses down her chest. His fingers sought her shirt buttons and opened them. He waited to see if she would object between each button but she was lost in the delicious sensations his mouth was creating. She could feel her sex moistening and ground herself down on him.

  Finally freed he gazed in awe at the beautiful swells of her breasts. Her mocha skin was shimmering with a thin gleam of sweat and her dark brown nipples were pebbled and begging for attention. Gabe sucked one and then the other into his mouth. She grasped his shoulders tightly as she wriggled her hips against him, her nether lips rubbing against her drenched panties.

  Gabe swirled his tongue over her soft skin before pinching her nipple and it was enough to send her over the edge. Kira cried out as electricity shot straight to her sex. She clutched his head to her and when he bit down on her nipple she yelled his name as an orgasm tore through her.

  Gabe held her tightly as her body shuddered in his arms. Kira sobbed a little as his feelings of joy and lust assailed her. She’d had orgasms before but only under her own steam and never had they reached that intensity. He let go of her breast and nuzzled her neck.

  “Easy baby I got you.”

  They embraced as Kira came back down to earth. Gabe smiled as he tangled his fingers in her blonde curls. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m sorry I’m just not very experienced. I’ve never had an orgasm with another person. I had no idea I’d feel all your emotions at the same time. I was a little overwhelmed.”

  Gabe pulled her face back to look at her in concern. “I’m sorry I had no idea…”

  “Don’t be sorry it was incredible! Better than anything I could have imagined.”

  His wolf preened both at her compliments and that he was the first man to ever make her come.

  “Maybe if Carly had advertised this side effect of being an Omega I’d have been a bit keener to learn.” She muttered. “But wait you didn’t… ummm you know.”

  Gabe chuckled. “No this was just about you.”

  He wanted more than anything to come in his mate. But he wanted her to be more comfortable about sex, rightly so he had guessed she wasn’t very experienced. He didn’t want to just pounce on her! Also he wanted to be at his best when he took her, not lying at the side of a horse trail battered and bruised.

  After holding each other for a little while longer halfheartedly Gabe told her they should probably go. The last thing he wanted was Hunter coming along the trail to find them.

  Kira righted her clothes and helped Gabe to his feet. They decided to walk the horses back to the stable. He winced in pain but proudly refused help to walk. She said it was his loss, as he could have put his arm round her for the journey home. He soon changed his mind.

  Hunter sniggered when he saw Gabe covered in dirt but soon quietened when he took in Kira’s flushed appearance, and the fact that the buttons on her shirt were now out of synch. Gabe didn’t say a word. Let the smug pup draw his own conclusions.

  Gabe drove her home and gave her a thorough kiss goodbye. He asked her out on another date and blushing she agreed.

  As he drove back through town he whistled to himself. Today could not have gone better. Well he w
ould have preferred not to have fallen off the horse. And honestly he would have preferred their sexual escapades to have gone a little further. But they were hardly real complaints.

  Gabe frowned as he spotted the same rusty Cadillac from the other night drive past him. He spied the same man in the driver’s seat and three other bulkier men in the passenger seats. He couldn’t say for certain that they were shifters, but they were big guys…

  He immediately thought about Kira and Lilah’s old pack. His wolf whined uncertainly. Doing a U turn he headed in the direction of the Sheriff’s station. He should run that license plate now. Just in case.

  Chapter Nine

  30th November

  Gabe glanced over at Kira. She was picking at the blindfold he insisted she wore. She had been resistant at first, even more so when Jolene and Lilah started laughing at her but he told her it would all be worth it. She looked at him doubtfully but had relented and worn it. She warned him it better be the best surprise in the world.

  “How much further my eyes are itching!”

  Gabe chuckled. “I swear just a few minutes.”

  “You can’t tell right now but I’m rolling my eyes.”

  “Well I appreciate you telling me, and by the way I’m smiling right now.”

  Kira grinned. “Glad to hear it.”

  Finally Gabe stopped the car and within a few seconds he was helping her out the passenger seat. She felt a rush of heat as his hands settled at her waist. She mewled as he removed his hands but soon quit as he took her hand and securely laced his fingers with hers.

  As he led her she sniffed the air. Apart from Gabe’s lovely citrus scent she could smell freshly cut grass. Her feet tested out the ground, yep definitely grass. She couldn’t hear any traffic or people.

  “Wow! You appear to have brought me to a field... in the middle of nowhere.” She tried to eye him speculatively. Impossible in a blindfold. “If you’re an axe murderer if you have to tell me you know.”

  “Nah if I was an axe murderer I wouldn’t have picked you up in front of your sister and Jolene. I would have made you to come to me, and I would have given you a fake name.”

  Kira smiled wryly. “I can see you’ve thought about this.”

  Gabe squeezed her hand. “I’m nothing if not thorough. Come on we’re almost there.”

  Gabe stopped moving and placing a gentle hand on her waist maneuvered her to the right. “Wait here.” He whispered in her ear. She shivered as his breath tickled her skin.

  The she-wolf flinched as a tinny rendition of ‘baa baa black sheep’ began to blare at her. It was followed by a lumbering, mechanical sound.

  Instantly Gabe was by her side carefully removing the blindfold. “You can look now.”

  Kira gasped. In front of her was an old fashioned carousel ride. The bright smiling horses bobbed up and down as they slowly made their way round and round. She spied a powder blue horse with bubblegum pink hair and her face lit up. It was beautiful! Just like the one she remembered. She spied a picnic basket in one of the chariots. He’d thought of everything!

  “I figured I wasn’t exactly cut out for real horses so I’d give mechanical ones a try.”

  She turned to Gabe practically bouncing up and down like a bunny rabbit. “How did you find it?”

  Gabe shot her a lopsided smile that sent warming jolts directly to her womb. The flickering lights of the carousel danced over his chiseled features. God he was beautiful!

  “I’d like to say I searched high and low but really I just got lucky. I ripped up a few parking tickets for the guy who owns it.” His brow creased. “Please don’t tell Alec.”

  Kira giggled before throwing her arms round him. “I won’t. It’s the loveliest thing anyone’s ever done for me. I love it! I love... it so much.” Heat suffused her cheeks and she buried her face into his hard chest. She was going to say ‘you’ but stopped herself. Her wolf had been all for it and was now extremely disgruntled.

  She felt that she loved him but it was too soon to say it. Right?

  Gabe felt a sharp twinge of disappointment but quickly shook it away, ignoring his love sick beast. Slow and steady. That’s what he kept telling himself. The time for ‘I love you’ would come later. Slow and steady. If only his wolf and his arousal would listen.

  He plastered a smile on his face and angled her away from his body. He didn’t really want to freak her out by just how turned on he was right now. “Well come on! Don’t you wanna take a ride?”

  Kira beamed. “Oh god yes! Race you!”

  Kira sprinted toward the carousel and leapt aboard weaving her way through the horses and carriages. Chuckling Gabe chased after her.

  She climbed onto the powder blue pony and laughed at seeing the big wolf tentatively walking toward her, steadying himself on each pole. His legs flailed a little.

  “What’s wrong? You look like Bambi taking his first steps!” It was freaking adorable!

  “I’m fine when the ground isn’t moving...” Gabe grumbled, none too happy about looking weak in front of her. His wolf snarled at him. Get it together!

  Kira hopped off her horse and glided toward him. Show off. She put her hands on his waist to steady him. The warmth of her soft touch seeped through his body, he almost groaned in satisfaction.

  Her deep brown eyes sparkled at him. “You’re just no good with horses of any kind are you Bambi?”

  Gabe relaxed his grip on the poles and tried to suppress a smirk. “How do you know it wasn’t my plan to get you to hold on to me?”

  Kira raised an eyebrow and dropped her hands. He immediately flapped his arms and she hooted with laughter before grabbing him again.

  She leaned up and unexpectedly placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Gabe sighed and licked his lips, delighting in her taste. Strawberries. The brief, tender touch subdued his wolf. Even the slightest affection from her was glorious.

  “You’re not that good of an actor.” She drawled huskily as her wolf simpered. “Now come on, I want a ride on that horse.”

  Carefully she led him to the horse next to hers and much to his chagrin she helped him climb on. His manly pride was taking a battering at the moment.

  Kira nimbly climbed on her horse and smiled affectionately. Gabe relaxed a little and focused on watching Kira enjoy herself. She was like a kid in a candy store.

  After what felt like seconds to Kira and hours to Gabe, timidly Kira reached over and tugged on his shirt collar. She pulled him toward her and swooped in for a kiss. It wasn’t easy to maintain the kiss with the motion of the horses lifting up and down but the briefest of touches virtually set them on fire.

  Gabe drew away. “How about we get something to eat?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Gratefully Gabe got down and hesitantly moved to the control panel and turned the motion and the music off. He spread a blanket over the floor of the largest chariot and they settled down to eat. He’d brought a few simple things, sandwiches, chips, strawberries and cupcakes. They dug in eagerly while Kira gushed about the carousel. Throughout the meal the looks between the two of them gradually heated.

  After they cleared up Gabe pulled her into his lap and kissed her. She sighed as her wolf yipped. Pulling away he rubbed his hands up and down her back sending tingles along her spine.

  He leaned his forehead against her. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  Kira smoothed her hands down his hard, muscled chest. “I know. I want this. I’ve been thinking about you ever since I first met you. I think… I think you’re my mate.”

  Gabe could have leapt up in joy as his wolf danced around like a pup. “Well that’s good news because I think you’re my mate too.”

  Kira frowned. “I want to be with you but I don’t know if I’m ready to bond yet. Does that bother you?”

  Gabe nipped her ear lobe and a ripple of pleasure coursed through her. “Not at all. There’s no rush.”

  “It’s not you it’s me…”

&n
bsp; He groaned.

  She slapped him lightly on the arm. “No really it is me. I’m just getting used to being an Omega again. I’ve heard bonding can be pretty passionate, I wouldn’t want to lose control and fry your brain in the middle of it.”

  “As much as it would be worth the risk like I said there’s no rush. Tonight I just want to taste you.”

  Gabe moved down her neck and nipped her shoulder where eventually he would place his bonding bite. Just not right now. She shivered at both his words and his ministrations.

  Carefully he lifted her slightly and laid her on the blanket on her back. He moved over her resting on all fours, caging her in. He dipped his head to kiss her and forcefully plunged his tongue into her mouth, groaning at her taste. Inciting him to taste her honey.

  Slowly Gabe crawled down her body. Taking time to nibble on her collarbone and push her shirt up to free her breasts and briefly suckle them. He laved her navel before bypassing her sex and settling back on his haunches between her legs.

  Kira could feel her juices flowing for him and whined at him. But he crooned at her to be patient. He took one foot and carefully pulled off her sneaker and sock, delicately kissing her ankle before doing the same to the other foot.

  Kira giggled and wiggled her foot as he sucked one of her toes into his mouth.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve got a foot fetish Bambi.”

  He grinned lasciviously. “I’d say it’s more of a Kira fetish.”

  Gabe unzipped her jeans and with breathtaking speed he slipped them off her body. Her skin goose pimpled at the cool evening breeze. He lifted her legs onto his shoulders and lovingly ran his hands up and down her exposed flesh immediately warming her.

  A needful whimper escaped her lips immediately exciting him. His claws and fangs sprung forward as his more primal instincts took over.

  Gabe ran a knuckle along her soaked slit, along her pretty yellow panties. He dragged it back and forth as she began moaning and pushing her hips against the slight touch. Unable to hold pack he sliced through the panties and tossed them away.