“Tonight,” he said.
She bit her lip to keep from grinning like an idiot before she turned and left, no longer coddled little Maya. Now she was rebellious Maya, the fascinating wolf who snuck out to kiss forbidden males.
Chapter Five
Maya hadn’t been able to return to August that night, much to her frustration. An impromptu gathering of her parent’s friends at home had kept her busy and effectively trapped. When the last guest had wandered away, it was nearly two in the morning, and Maya was exhausted.
Now it was late in the afternoon the next day and her skin hummed with the anxious need to seek him out. He’d be gone the following morning, and she didn’t want to miss him. Every time she started to leave, however, something came up. Currently she was helping fold and pack up quilted blankets, a project her mother took upon herself every fall.
“The khaki stripes go to Miller,” Deanna instructed while folding a green paisley blanket against her chest.
Maya wrote his name down and pinned the label to the blanket. “He probably has an entire closet of blankets by now.” Nearly every pack member had gotten a blanket at some point. Each time the wind chilled, Deanna would get to work and churn out roughly a dozen blankets to distribute through the pack. “I bet one of the new couples would like one. What about Wyatt and Nancy?”
“Do that. It’s a fine idea,” her mother agreed. “I was making it for Laurent originally, but soon enough he’ll be travelling too much to make use of it.”
Maya changed the label and moved to the next folded blanket. “What about this purple one?”
“That’s for Cadence. She’s just been gifted one of the vacant homes. I think it’s Damon’s old place.”
“Really?”
“She’s turning nineteen in a few months and too rowdy to keep living with her parents.”
Maya created a label and pinned it to the soft fabric. “I thought I would get Damon’s home when he finished clearing it out.”
“You don’t want to live alone,” her mother said with a smile. “We need you here.”
“I’m getting older, though. No one else my age still lives at home.” A fact that became more frustrating as each year passed.
Deanna shrugged. “We always planned to keep you here until you found a mate. There’s no reason to move out, now.”
The unspoken words—that at this point, she wouldn't find a mate—hung in the air for a moment before descending on Maya with the usual burn of humiliation. Even her parents couldn’t imagine her finding a match. She dropped the folded, labeled blankets into a basket and rubbed her temple vigorously.
“My head is killing me,” she lied.
Her mother’s brow creased with concern. “Go take a nap. I’ll finish these and later we can go bring them to everyone.”
“I think I need fresh air, actually. Maybe a walk down to the stream?”
“You’ve been getting plenty of air lately,” her mother commented. “Take a jacket.”
Maya didn’t respond but grabbed her usual light jacket before heading out into the late afternoon sun. Tucking the jacket under her arm and shoving her hands into her pockets, she headed down the trail, not hiding just yet. She’d been tempted to reason with her mother and insist on moving out, but guilt had cut her off. She didn’t want to be ungrateful for their support.
They loved her in the way they best knew how. That’s how she’d reasoned her entire life. Even when their smothering overflowed onto the pack’s perception of her, she didn’t lash out. For the longest time, she believed that she was being mature. That telling them to stop babying her would be petulant.
Yet, it wouldn’t be. She was past the age where her actions would be seen as temper tantrums. She could argue for any number of reasons why she should move out without seeming childish. Why didn’t she?
She travelled as she navigated her thoughts and found herself at the stream, watching the water flow by, lost in how her own inability to move past the hurdle kept her down. Though she’d always tried to change how her pack saw her, she’d never bothered with her parents.
She rubbed her arms against the chill in the air and slipped on her jacket. August’s warmth invaded her memory, and need swelled within her, to hold him and talk to him. Her past dreams of finding a mate had always been such shallow things, her imagination leaning toward how he’d kiss her or make love to her. Now she added being a listener to that dream. Someone who could converse with her without making her feel small. Someone who wanted to hear what she had to say.
Lost in her thoughts, she’d forgotten the need to hide, and had to stop herself before she walked blindly into Leon and August’s campsite. Her sudden halt made her skid on a patch of damp leaves, but no one was around to see her narrowly miss landing on her ass. Thank the ancestors for small favors. She shook her head clear before taking to the dense canopy.
August’s scent came easily, rising over the earthy breeze to carry his masculine spice through her nostrils. The nearness of him eased the tension of her family problems but also wound her tight with craving for him.
She tracked him and ended up far from where he made camp, just outside the Bronze pack’s land claim. Blood wafted from his direction, not his, but of a rabbit. Her mouth watered and she dropped from her hiding spot as she came across him, shirtless and pants hanging low on his waist. A faint trail of black curls pointed down into the denim, as if the sharp cut of his vee wasn’t enough to draw her eyes to the bulge. She swallowed, no longer enticed by the fresh kill.
“You missed the show,” he commented as he zipped his jeans.
His dark eyes told her that he’d seen her gaze and where it had drifted. Heat flooded her face, but she ignored it. He was right, the casual, friendly nudity of the pack had left her unprepared for seeing a potential mate without clothing. Instead of being immune, her brain ran in circles. Was she supposed to ignore it to be polite, as she would with her pack? Was she supposed to give a brief look and smile to display appreciation? Her response seemed stuck on stare and drool.
Trying for a cool response, she said, “I’ve seen the show.”
He laughed, and it wasn’t the restrained chuckle she’d gotten from him in the past. It was rich and content. “Way to chop down my pride. Said so easily, like the one time was more than enough.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Shh.” He clicked his tongue at her. “I get the feeling if you try to backtrack, you’ll make it worse.”
She rolled her eyes and walked closer, spying a skinned rabbit resting on a split log. All lupine could hunt—one of the perks of having a wolf form, after all—but not all lupine knew how to skin the catch. Not because they were lazy, but because wolves didn’t have to do such a thing. “You didn’t just eat it?”
“I wanted stew.” He approached her and pulled her close, his hands taking a possessive, familiar hold on her waist. “I missed you. I assume something dire happened that kept you away?”
“My parents sort of had a party.”
August’s expression grew serious. “The most dire of circumstances.”
He kissed her forehead and took a deep breath, inhaling her scent blatantly. She melted inside. Then a muffled sound between a growl and a purr escaped his throat and her knees grew weak. He enjoyed her scent, and it drove her wild to witness his reaction.
“Quite dire,” she said, mind blanking from his hold on her.
“You always have to attend your parent’s parties?”
“One of the many drawbacks of living with them,” she admitted. She could have hidden the fact, as she had before, but she needed to know what he’d say for some reason. “I’m the oldest lupine that still lives with her parents.”
She expected teasing, but his eyes only softened, and he appraised her. His fingertips dug into her skin and his hands slid to her lower back, massaging her and easing out the breath she’d held while she awaited his reaction.
“Well?” she asked. “Don’t you have somet
hing to say about that?”
“What I could say about it, I’m certain you’ve thought to yourself again and again.”
She looked down, meaning to escape his eyes but relegating herself to instead stare at his chest. “I wanted your insight.”
“I assume there’s a reason. A good one, otherwise someone would have stepped in and got you moved out. Your alpha shouldn’t want you to be so… hindered.”
She’d never considered what Reid thought of it. “He probably would’ve said something, had I asked. I never did.”
“Why not?”
The truth stared at her. Sharing it with August would be embarrassing, but even if he disagreed with her reason, she didn’t imagine him passing judgement. “At first I because I believed what everyone else did. That I couldn’t take care of myself.”
He scoffed. “And now?”
“I think in the last few years, even though I craved independence, fear won out. Not fear that I couldn’t live on my own, exactly. Fear that I’d always be alone. Fear that if I was by myself, I’d remain that way forever.”
“Some of us are meant to be alone. And even though it sounds crazy, each of us is strong enough for it. Pairing off isn’t for everyone, and the pack will always be there.”
“I know that. But I don’t want to be alone.”
He took a step back, his hands lingering for a moment before sliding from her hips. “You aren’t.”
“Yeah. I’ve got the pack,” she murmured, twisting away from him. “My pack doesn’t treat me like lupine, though. You do. Only you.”
“I think that’s going to change.”
“I don’t.”
He shuffled behind her, and Maya looked back over her shoulder to see him pulling on his socks and boots. Once he straightened, he snatched up his shirt. Holding it balled up in his hands he asked, “Why wouldn’t it? Why can’t you ask for it?”
“I don’t know how to explain,” she said. “I could ignore the coddling if…” She shook her head.
“How do I treat you?” He stood behind her.
“Like I’m mature. Now you’re leaving and I’m going to miss this. I’ve always wanted to be treated like this. And more. Like when a female wants a male, and that male wants her, too. So much more.” She scrunched her eyes and rambled through her embarrassment, each word clunky and foreign. “When they really want each other. And it gets wild. It’ll never reach that point for me, will it?”
August’s soft “hmm” drifted over her, but she didn’t look back. She waited for him to do something or say anything, but after a moment he turned away and was wrapping his catch into his shirt.
Rejection wasn’t new to her. Neither was humiliation. This hurt more than anything in her past, however. He’d kissed her, and he’d teased her, but that didn’t mean he truly wanted her. There was no crime against innocent flirting, and she’d tried to keep herself detached from his, yet she’d failed.
She walked away, not bothering to say a farewell and risk further embarrassing herself. Her mother would probably be looking for her anyways. She’d want to deliver the blankets before dinner.
The tips of her fingers became claws, the trick to climbing the base of a tree. She started up, and though the action was quick, her ascent was interrupted when something wrapped her ankle and tugged. She fell unceremoniously to the ground, half-covered by August’s body as he tackled her. She startled, and a squeak left her lips as her heart pounded from the sudden scare.
He loomed over her, eyes further darkened with desire. The look stirred her blood. He leaned toward her chest and inhaled her scent as he lifted his head to her face. A low snarl rumbled from him. “I didn’t tell you to leave.”
“What are you doing?” Maya gasped.
“Wanting you,” he replied with a wicked grin. “And taking you, it seems.”
She shook her head, words escaping her as she fidgeted below him. She’d lost her partial shift with the fall, and her hands trembled as she pushed against the ground to lift up. August blocked her, scenting her once again and following it with a lick along her jawline and a nibble on her earlobe.
Her vision blurred as feverish need coursed through her and crashed over her thoughts.
“You are fascinating, little squirrel. Infuriating, as well,” he murmured against her neck, tickling her with his warm breath.
“In-infuriating?”
“Do you think I treat all females this way?”
“Yes?” The moment she spoke, she felt his body tense.
He growled and rose up on his arms. His eyes met hers, and she found herself trapped in the gaze. “No. Perhaps this will help you understand.”
He bent down and kissed her, his tongue pushing into her mouth to invade and taste. Her blood rushed and heat pooled at her center. The sensation of being trapped beneath him, of being caught, was a heavy thrumming that fed her baser needs. If her legs weren’t shaking against the ground, she’d make him chase her and prolong the moment.
He kissed her until she moaned and tugged at him, wanting his entire body pressed against her. His hips dropped to nestle between her open thighs, and she whimpered at the sensation of him there. She’d only ever imagined the way it could be, and the reality was overwhelming. He was hard and pressed against her soft center, perfect.
“I want to devour you,” he said with a ragged breath. “I’ve been craving your taste.”
She tried to respond but nothing left her surprised mouth. Within the next few seconds, he’d pushed her shirt up and yanked her pants down. The zipper broke and the fabric brushed harsh against her thighs in the action, but she didn’t care. Then he pulled her underwear aside and sank two fingers into her, and she fell apart.
“Is this wild enough?” he asked.
“Yes, gods, yes!”
He shoved into her, curling his fingers against her inner walls and making her arch off the ground at the pure bliss of it. Again and again they plunged into her, and when she thought she’d break, he withdrew them and placed his wet fingertips on her clit. They rubbed a slick circle over her as she shuddered. She covered her mouth to hold in her moans, surprised at how her sharp cries echoed easily against the trees.
Pressure built low in her core, but he teased her, slowing his touch when she began to pant.
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded.
He slid down her body, his fingers sliding to stroke her folds.
“August…”
He licked her center, his tongue lapping at her arousal as his fingers held her open. A rumble left his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her hip to yank her closer to him. He held her pinned as he licked and sucked and tormented her. Sounds of feral pleasure escaped him, music to her ears that drew her closer to her climax.
Her mind swirled as she felt swallowed whole by the moment. She touched the arm he’d wrapped around her and marveled at the taut muscle and the heat radiating from him. Her thighs trembled and he tightened his hold possessively. The pressure of him holding her, combined with his tongue flicking her sensitive bud, sent her over the edge, and she bit her wrist to keep from shouting his name as she came.
His tongue flattened and licked up her center again and again as she writhed in bliss, until sweet numbness crept through her. Exhaustion descended, as if she’d used every ounce of energy in her climax. August kissed her inner thigh and crawled back up her body, nestling his erection between her legs once more.
When he kissed her, he tasted of her, and it sent a jolt of ownership through her, foolish as it seemed. She loved her scent on him, loved her taste on him. He rocked against her, grinding the coarse fabric of his jeans against her sensitive parts. She whimpered when it became too intense, and though he stopped, he chuckled.
“Delicious,” he whispered.
If she had the energy, she’d blush, but her entire body remained in a tingly, worn-out state.
He rubbed his cheek against hers. “I’m sorry.”
“For?” She sighed and looked at him
with drooping eyelids.
“I’ve ruined your scent. You’re going to have to sneak home and bathe. You smell so…” He made a content sound in his throat. “Edible. There’s no hiding it.”
She scrubbed her hands down her face and shivered as the magic of their encounter faded quickly. “I have to go.”
“You do,” he agreed with a note of sadness.
She stared up past him, her eyes tracking the breeze through the forest. “Leon’s going to know.”
“I can clean off too, but I suspect he heard, wherever he was.”
“Damnit.” As the swear left her tongue, it felt empty. She didn’t regret what they’d done. She wasn’t entirely sure she should care that their secret would be discovered, at least by Leon. This moment was proof that she was a desirable wolf. Was it wrong that she wanted that rumor to get out?
August rolled to her side before sitting back on his knees. She stood on shaky legs and pulled her clothing back into place, the haze of lust clearing the more she reasoned through their actions.
What they’d done wasn’t exactly against pack law, excluding the part where they weren’t supposed to be anywhere near each other. She’d been told not to come to this part of the forest. Not to be in contact with this lupine. It had gotten out of hand, and she’d wanted it every step of the way.
“I can’t come back tonight,” she mused aloud.
“No. You shouldn’t. Leon’s going to be furious. I don’t know… I think I can keep him from reporting it. Only if you don’t return.” He rubbed her shoulders before pulling her into a hug. “It was irresponsible of me. I didn’t think—”
“Don’t apologize. Don’t take all the responsibility. It was what it was.”
“Which was good, right?”
She laughed. “Good? No. Magnificent. Breathtaking.”
“Hmm. I was aiming for life-affirming,” he said seriously. “I’ll have to do better next time.”
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 84