by Michelle Fox
“Oh, Gretchen.” He brought her close, crushing her against his chest. “Thanks for taking a chance.”
“Thanks for not giving up.”
They kissed, the contact starting out as light pressure and then deepening. Talon lifted the hem of her shirt over her head while she fumbled with the waistband of her jeans.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“More sure than I ever thought I would be. I don’t know what the future holds and I’m not making any promises, but after everything that’s happened, I can’t turn my back on you without hurting myself.” She ducked her head, suddenly shy. “Does that sound crazy?”
He shook his head. “No more crazy than being fated mates.”
She punched him in the arm and laughed. “I still don’t believe in that fated mates bullshit, you know.”
“Then how do you explain us?” His warm hands cupped her shoulders, thumbs grazing her collarbones.
“I’m a cook, not a biology expert, but I guess we like each other’s pheromones or something.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Or something. Yeah, that sounds about right.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “We can argue about this or…”
“Or what?” he asked, his voice going hoarse.
“Do more important things.” She leaned forward and grazed his chest with her breasts. Her wolf yowled with delight. “Your choice.”
“Well, if it’s important, we shouldn’t ignore it, right?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond and covered her mouth with his, tongue stroking hers. His hands skimmed over her shoulders and down her back to cup her backside. Squeezing her rear, he broke their kiss and said, “We’ve got to get these off you. Stand up.”
She stood, surprised to find her knees wobbly, and Talon inched her jeans and underwear off her, pausing to kiss the red areas that marked her wounds. “Another check in the ‘find voodoo priestess and kill Jeb several times over’ column.”
“Yeah,” she said. “But let’s worry about that later.”
He took her hands and pulled her down to him, keeping her back pressed into his chest and centering her hips in his lap. “Agreed.” Sweeping her hair aside, he nuzzled the nape of her neck and then gently pressed his teeth into her flesh. Her spine flexed against him as she straightened in surprise. He returned to nuzzling as his hands moved around to cup her breasts.
“You’re just as beautiful as I imagined you would be,” he murmured against her skin.
“You’ve been thinking about me naked a lot?” she asked with a soft gasp as his hands moved around her body to caress her breasts.
“Ever since I first smelled you. You’re unforgettable, Gretchen.” His hand wandered down to the cleft between her thighs.
“Speak for yourself.” She spread her legs open, rotating her hips around his fingers as they explored her body.
“You do feel the spark that we have between us, right?”
“I want you, Talon. I’m breaking all my rules for you. If that’s how you define a spark, then yes, I feel it. I guess I felt it when we first met, but I was too distracted by Axel and my dad and telling myself it wasn’t real to pay attention.”
“Ah, so that’s why you were so busy kicking me in the balls, biting me and head butting my face.” His fingers found the sweet spot at her core and teased it with quick but soft strokes.
“Or maybe it’s because you wouldn’t keep your hands to yourself,” she said, twisting around until her gaze met his.
“Should I keep my hands to myself now?” He went still.
“Don’t you dare stop now, Talon Garde.” She wiggled her hips, pushing against him.
“Oh, I’m just getting started. I’m going to make you mine for as long as you’ll have me, Gretchen Halbmond. That okay with you?”
She was silent for a moment but then nodded. “Urm, okay…probably.” That earned her a stern look from her wolf, but she ignored it, too caught up in Talon to argue with her other half.
He chuckled, his chest jostling her back as the sound boomed through his body. “I suspect that’s as close to yes as I’m going to get from you. I’ll take it.” His voice becoming more sober, he said, “I don’t mind taking it day-by-day. We don’t have to finish this race today, we just have to start it. For you, I would crawl on broken glass if that’s what it took.”
“I know. You kind of already have, actually,” she said, pulling away from him and turning around so she sat in his lap facing him. His hard shaft nudged her belly and she cupped the smooth skin that covered his cock as she leaned in for a kiss. Resting her nose on his, she said, “I want you, Talon. No regrets.”
“Promise?”
She nodded. “Pinkie swear.” She linked her pinkie with his and smiled.
He rocked forward onto his knees, catching her before she fell and gently set her on the ground. They kissed, tongues hot and wild, teeth rough and demanding. A fire smoldered in Gretchen’s belly and she reached for Talon’s hips, wanting to feed it, but he danced away from her.
“Not yet.” He caught her hands and held them pinned to her stomach as he leaned down and grazed her breasts with the stubble of his beard. His mouth followed, warm and wet over her nipple, tongue teasing all her nerve endings at once.
She twisted one of her hands free and clutched at his hair. “Talon.”
He lifted his head. “I sound good on your lips, say that again.” As encouragement, he laved her other nipple and then bit it, gently at first but with increasing pressure until she finally gasped and arched toward him.
“Talon,” she said again, half wanting him to stop, half wanting him to keep going. Both her hands were free now and she’d twisted her fingers into his hair like knots.
“Let’s see if it sounds just as good when you scream it.” He nuzzled his way down her belly, making her stomach quiver.
His hair slipped from her fingers as he moved lower and lower. She strained to reach him, missing the contact, but he was too far away. Thankfully, Talon resolved her problem by lifting her up by the thighs, bringing her core up to him while her knees draped over his shoulders and down his back. His hands gripped her thighs with a power that would not be denied and allowed her to grasp his fingers with hers.
Before she was ready, his head was between her legs, mouth seeking out her core while his gaze captured hers. Her wolf liked that and yipped, a shrill, high sound that soon gave way to silence as Talon slowly took over her body. His tongue moved fast, first this way, then that way, stroking followed by staccato flicks that made her moan.
Her body quickened with pleasure that pulsed and throbbed like thousands of little heartbeats trying to keep up with a marathon. “Talon,” she sighed.
“Mmm,” he mumbled into her body.
She gripped his fingers tight and arched her back off the ground, thrusting her entire being into him. “I can’t,” she said, shaking her head from side to side. “I can’t…hold on. Talon!” She screamed his name, her body bowing as the orgasm hit her. Everything was pleasure, she couldn’t feel anything else. It burned through her, striking like lightning and leaving her dazed. Her wolf howled, too, the sound full of satisfaction.
He gave her a moment’s reprieve from his wicked tongue. “Say it for me, baby. Just one more time.” Then he was at her core again, expertly toying with the aftershocks of her orgasm, coaxing forth a second that burst like a quiet rain shower.
“Oh,” she breathed. “Talon, what are you doing to me?”
“Making you mine.” Talon’s teeth nipped the swollen bud between her thighs and she almost sat up in shock at the sensation.
“Talon.” His name came out in a frantic shriek as pain gave way to pleasure. Her body flexed, taut with sensation and then relaxed, but not for long. In her mind’s eye, her wolf had collapsed, flat on her back, front legs up, back legs splayed wide in total surrender.
He turned his head and bit one inner thigh followed by the other, sucking until she knew there would be a hi
ckey later. Letting her legs fall off his shoulders, he kissed his way back up her body until his cock bumped her core.
“Yes,” she whispered, gripping his shoulders.
Talon entered her and groaned. “This is what I’ve been thinking about since that morning you came to my office.”
“Wasn’t that just yesterday?” she gasped.
“Yes, but it feels like a lifetime.” He dipped his head to kiss her as he finished filling her up.
Gretchen whimpered, overtaken by sensation. Talon was inside her, hot as a volcano on the verge of erupting. The curly hair on his chest tickled her breasts while his tongue and teeth had their way with her mouth. She was being consumed, eaten up by his passion.
Her heart convulsed in her chest and then stuttered as emotions mixed with pleasure swirled through her. She wanted to hold Talon like this forever, to never let him go. The way he made her feel was a precious gift after everything she’d been through with Jeb.
The human had made her feel dirty and tainted, but Talon’s touch washed away that shame, replacing it with a pleasure that joined her heart to his. There was no ignoring the connection now. Not anymore. They’d gone too far for that. She might not be ready to say it out loud, but in that moment, overtaken by her protector and her lover, she knew she was his and he was hers.
“Oh, Talon,” she managed to say, trying to give some words to at least some of her feelings.
He kissed her until she couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t care. Talon had become her oxygen. Air was just a poor substitute for the real thing. His hips moved faster and his mouth demanded more and more, finally leaving her lips to explore her neck and then clamp down on her breasts. He was marking her again, just like he had with her thighs.
“Yes,” she moaned, urging him on with her hands. The bites were rough but also full of exquisite sensation. Before she knew it, she was coming, howling wordlessly at the world. Talon’s bass howl soon joined hers as he reached his climax.
She closed her eyes and sank into an existence that consisted only of Talon’s strength wrapped around her body like armor, the scent of him—that mix of pine and musk she’d come to love—and the sound of his heartbeat. Nothing else mattered. She was complete. Her wolf gave her a knowing smirk, and for once, Gretchen didn’t even mind her sass, she was too consumed by Talon.
And then reality intruded, abrupt and disruptive as ice cold water.
“And here we were worried about you guys,” chirped a bright voice off to the side of their clearing.
Talon jumped to his feet, dumping a startled Gretchen to the ground. She rolled with the momentum of her fall and also sprang to her feet just a second or two behind the sheriff. The woods filled with shifters and for a second, Gretchen thought they were in danger, but then she recognized Keira.
“Deputy,” Talon said, his voice gruff.
“We got your message and came as soon as we could. Ran into Huntsville’s alpha here on the way in.” She tipped her head toward Cal.
Cal looked at Gretchen and she resisted the urge to cover herself as he noted the bite marks on her skin. “You okay, Halbmond?”
“Yeah. Thanks to Talon.” She stepped forward and slipped her hand into the sheriff’s. She needed to be close to him, he gave her strength. Talon squeezed her hand and smiled at her. It was going to be all right.
“What happened?” Keira looked at them, her expression curious. “I mean,” she paused to clear her throat, “aside from the obvious.”
“Jeb kidnapped Gretchen,” Talon said. “Then he came after me, but I killed him.”
“Are you serious? The human monster hunter?” Keira’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“That dweeb?” asked Dixon.
“Yeah. Turns out he had a pretty dark side.” Gretchen gestured to the red marks left by the bullet and Jeb’s knife. She’d lost so much blood it had slowed down the healing process, leaving ample evidence of the human’s brutality.
“So we got a body to deal with. Anything else?” asked Keira.
“Make sure we destroy his phone and any equipment at his house. This guy was spying on us for I don’t know how long,” said Talon. “I’ll show you where the body is.” He turned to Gretchen. “I’ve got to deal with this. You going to be okay?”
She nodded. “I’ll go home and check on my dad.”
“Good. I’ll come up later when this is all over.” He gave her hand a little squeeze before letting go. To Cal he said, “Make sure she gets home okay.”
The alpha nodded. “Sure thing, sheriff.” He held out his hand to Gretchen. “I had someone drive your car back already, but I’d be happy to give you a ride home. Your dad’s been asking after you.”
“Is he okay?”
“Shaken up and a little bruised still.” He offered her his elbow. “Nothing that seeing you won’t set right.”
She linked her elbow with his. “What about Chief Mueller? Is he okay?”
Cal nodded as he led her back to his truck. “He’s fine. We found him out cold in the woods around the Moon Tap. He doesn’t remember much, but he thinks he fought off the shifters who drugged us.”
“I’m glad he’s okay.”
He smiled at her. “So am I. It seems we’re lucky enough to be able to say no one in our pack was permanently affected by Axel.”
Chapter Nineteen
~Gretchen~
“So you and the sheriff, eh?” Cal gave her the side-eye as he pulled out of the woods and onto the main road that would take them back to Huntsville.
“Uhm, yes? I guess?” Gretchen slouched in her seat and pulled the edges of the blanket Cal had given her tighter around her body. Nudity really wasn’t a big deal among shifters, but at the moment she felt raw and in need of some space to reflect on everything that had happened. She didn’t want to discuss Talon just yet, either. It was too new, too fragile and so not ready for gossip prime time. Her wolf was also sulking, not liking that they’d left Talon and her mood didn’t help Gretchen’s.
“He’s a good man. I approve.” Her alpha patted her on the knee. “Of course, it’s better to keep things in the pack, but what’s done is done. I won’t oppose it, if you were worried about that.”
“Urm, thanks?” She made a show of turning her head and staring out the window.
“I know your mom hurt both you and your father when she cut and ran. I looked for her, did you know that?”
That made Gretchen turn back to look at her alpha. “You did?”
“Yeah. It’s not right for anyone to leave their pup like that. Divorce isn’t unheard of but abandoning a baby? That’s not good for anyone. She hurt the pack too and I couldn’t leave that wound unanswered.”
“Did you find her?”
He shook his head. “No. I never did. I made a lot of calls, sent some of my seconds out to look, but she was gone.” He held up a finger. “But I want you to know it wasn’t your fault or your dad’s fault. Your momma howled a different tune. She ran wild and dark, and in the end, the shadows of her own wolf claimed her.”
Gretchen shivered. “What if that’s inside me?”
“No way,” he scoffed. “You have never run away in your life, Gretchen Halbmond. When your dad needed you, you came and you fought for him. That’s who you are and don’t you forget it. Talon is like that, too.”
“You’re right. He is like that,” she said quietly.
“You can rely on him. If he causes you any grief, he’ll have me to answer to.”
“Thanks.” She flushed, a little embarrassed by the whole conversation, but still managed a smile.
“So have you thought about a wedding date? If you want a winter wedding, the pack lodge will be ready. The remodel’s almost done.”
“Oh, I don’t think we’ve gotten that far,” she demurred, but that didn’t deter her alpha. He launched into an exhaustive list of potential spots for the ceremony as well as tips on décor and ceremony logistics. Gretchen let it all wash over her as just so much noise. She’
d only just decided to let Talon in, going from that straight to a wedding seemed a little much.
***
Her dad, when she saw him, looked much better. The ashen hue of his skin had turned into a healthier pink. There was a raw spot on his balding head where Axel had cracked his skull, but he appeared more healed than not. His hug was stronger too.
“Daddy,” she whispered, fighting tears. They’d both almost lost everything just because of one stupid stray.
He hugged her tight. “Hey, little pup. You okay?”
“Yeah.” She pulled back and looked at his face. “You look better.”
“And you look worse,” he said with a chuckle. “Why don’t you clean up and we’ll go into town for some pancakes at Moon Struck?”
Her stomach practically yowled with joy and even her sulking wolf perked up her ears at the mention of food. “Okay.”
So just like they’d done when she was little, they piled into her dad’s Ford pickup and puttered into town while doo-wop hummed on the radio. They sat at the counter where they each ordered a six stack and a matching number of bacon slices. They ate in silence and Gretchen soaked up the smells and the reassuring strength of the community around her.
Most of the pack had already heard what had happened, which meant there were a lot of pointed nods her way. Some of the women took her hand in theirs and gave it a warm squeeze. No one said anything, but the body language spoke volumes. They were glad she was okay and happy to see her home. Her father received a similar amount of attention.
It felt good. Like a hug from the whole pack all at once.
“What the hell happened?” her dad asked while they waited for their second order of pancakes. “I know my mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be, but I can’t seem to remember much of anything.”
“You were drugged, Dad.” Gretchen dumped more sugar in her coffee and stirred, hoping it would give her some energy until she could get some serious calories into her system. The ordeal of the last few days had taken its toll, leaving her weak and wilted as a flower without water.