Roxie smiled up at him sweetly. “And how do you intend to stop me?”
In one smooth move, Beowulf got out of his chair and had Roxie thrown over his shoulder before she knew what he was going to do. As Beowulf walked out of the kitchen, he caught Wade’s attention. “Tell her. Don’t make the same mistake I did with Roxie.”
Once they were gone, Taryn looked at Wade questioningly. “Are they normally like this?”
“Yes, sorry to say. Believe me it hasn’t been fun having to live in the same house as those two while being single.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Now that I have you, I don’t mind it as much.”
Taryn was finding it hard to think. Even though Wade hadn’t said it outright, she knew what Beowulf and Roxie were doing right now upstairs. The way Wade was looking at her said he would like nothing more than to haul her over his shoulder and take her to bed as well. “What … what did Beowulf mean? What do you have to tell me?”
“It’s nothing to worry about, and now is not the time. Let’s eat and then we can head back to the winery. Or we can go back upstairs.” Wade’s eyes drifted down to her mouth meaningfully.
“I have to get back to the winery.”
“Are you sure? There is no way I can get you to change your mind?”
It would be all too easy to say the hell with it and let Wade take her back to bed. But her responsibilities won out. She shook her head. “No. I will say though, the faster I get back to the winery, the sooner I’ll get the work done that I have to do. After that, there will be plenty of time for fun and games.”
Wade shoved her plate closer to her. “Then eat up. I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes.”
Taryn bit back a smile as Wade all but inhaled his food. He then hurriedly left the kitchen to collect her things from his bedroom. A few minutes later she heard him come back down the stairs. When he came to stand in the kitchen doorway, Taryn ate one last forkful of eggs before she pushed her plate away. Judging by how many times Wade had looked at the stove clock in the short time he had been standing there, she decided it would be best to forgo the rest of her meal. She had a feeling if she took any longer Wade would have no qualms about dragging her out to his car.
* * * *
The trip back to The Pines hadn’t taken very long at all. Taryn knew it was mostly because Wade had sped most of the way there. When they arrived at the house, Taryn found herself pushed in the direction of the vineyard after she had unlocked the house. Before shutting the front door behind her, Wade told her not to take any longer than she needed to. Shaking her head, Taryn headed for her office.
She spent the first hour going through paperwork. Several times she caught herself thinking about Wade. She even had the urge to forget the work that needed to be done and return to the house to see him. It was foolish she knew, but she was missing him, which was ridiculous since he was only a short distance away. With grim determination she ignored the urge and managed to finish the paperwork.
Taryn next moved outside to the vineyard. As the winemaker at The Pines, it was her job to taste the grapes every day once they started to ripen. By doing this, she could tell exactly when the grapes were at their ripest, and when the harvesting should begin.
She tested the red Zinfandel grapes first. They were definitely ready for harvesting. She hoped Beowulf could get the eight men he had promised her. She had to start getting the grapes harvested the next day, or run the risk of their being over ripe if she waited any longer. It would take at least five or six weeks of hard work just to harvest them all.
As she moved on to test the Merlot grapes, Taryn found it hard to concentrate on what she was doing. Thoughts of Wade filled her head. The urge to be with him, to touch him, grew stronger. Looking down at her watch, she realized not even two hours had gone by since she had last seen Wade. She felt as if she was obsessed with him, and not in a sane way. She hadn’t felt like this before. Making love to Wade had changed something inside her, made her want to be around him. The separation was not a pleasant feeling.
Beginning to feel desperate now, Taryn hurriedly moved on to test the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. A few of her permanent crew who were working in that part of the vineyard shouted a greeting to her. She waved back at them, but didn’t take the time to go over and talk. She did what she had to do and then quickly made her way out of the vineyard. When the house came into sight, Taryn was practically running toward it.
She arrived at the front yard and was brought up short at the sight of Wade pacing up and down the length of the porch. Sensing her there, he stopped and looked at her with desire etched in the hard lines of his face. Her body instantly responded. An ache began to build between her legs. Turned on, Taryn closed the distance between them and threw herself into Wade’s arms. He hauled her close and picked her up. Taryn wrapped her legs around his waist and took his mouth in a searing kiss as she rubbed herself against him. The feel of his cock, already hard and straining against the zipper of his jeans, caused her pussy to grow wet.
Wade managed to open the door and get them both inside the house. He kicked it shut with his foot. In between kisses, Taryn somehow managed to tell him what she was feeling. “I missed you. How can I miss you this much? Am I going crazy?”
Heading for the stairs, Wade swirled his tongue around the shell of her ear, making her shiver. “I missed you, too. This is normal, Taryn. I have to explain some things to you, but not now. God, I want you.”
Taryn snaked her fingers through Wade’s hair and dragged his mouth back to hers. Only with Wade did she want to have her fingers tunneled through his thick hair, holding him to her, as she kissed him until he couldn’t think straight.
Barely making it to her bedroom, Wade put Taryn back down on her feet before him and started to pull off her clothes. Needing to feel his naked skin against hers, Taryn tugged at his shirt. Once they stood naked facing each other, Taryn looked down and found his cock fully engorged. It jumped as she dragged a finger down his full length. She circled the head of it with her fingertip. Wade moaned.
Moving closer, Taryn pressed her lips to Wade’s chest. She licked and kissed a trail across it. On her way down, she licked each male nipple and gently blew on them causing them to tighten into little nubbins. Continuing downward, she made a path across his washboard stomach. The muscles there quivered beneath her lips. Now on her knees, Taryn focused her attention on the object of her desire.
Wade’s musky male scent overwhelmed her as she bent forward to drag her tongue along the length of his cock, from base to tip. She circled the large head with the tip of her tongue. Wade’s hips jerked in response. Peering up at him, she found him staring down at her. His eyes were glowing as they had the last time they had made love. In the back of her mind, Taryn knew she shouldn’t be so accepting of it, that she should be more than a little concerned about what it could mean. But his glowing eyes had the opposite effect. They made her want him more.
Looking away, Taryn leaned forward and took as much of his thick cock as she could into her mouth. Wade made a sound that was half growl, half groan as he threaded his fingers through her hair, holding her to him. With a firm hold on the base of his shaft, she alternated between sucking on him and swirling her tongue around the head of his cock. As he grew harder inside her mouth, Taryn felt wetness leaking down the inside of her thighs.
Wade let her pleasure him this way for a few more minutes before he pulled her back up on her feet. With a growl, he frantically kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and backed up until the back of his legs hit the mattress of her bed. Keeping his hold on her, he fell onto the bed with her on top of him. He shifted until he had them lying in the middle of the mattress. The way she ended up sprawled atop him, the head of his cock was nestled between her legs. No longer able to wait to have him inside her, Taryn shifted so the head of his cock pushed past the lips of her pussy and touched her hot, slick opening. With a moan, Taryn pushed down on him, sheathing his full length deep insid
e her.
Relishing the feel of his cock filling her, stretching her, Taryn sat up. In this position, she could feel his hard shaft pressed against her sensitive clit. Resting her hands on the mattress on either side of Wade’s head, Taryn slowly started to ride him. She rocked her hips against him. He was in so deep, the head of his cock hit her womb with each stroke in. With her bottom lip between her teeth, she increased the pace. Wade lifted his hips, matching her strokes.
All too soon, she felt her orgasm building. She squeezed her inner muscles around his shaft angling her hips so it rubbed her clit with each stroke. Sensing she was close to her release, Wade lifted his upper body off the mattress and sucked one of her nipples deep inside his mouth. Taryn closed her eyes and moaned as an intense orgasm tore through her.
Before the last wave of pleasure hit her, Wade took hold of her hips and pushed up, ramming inside her. Squeezing down on him, Taryn felt his cock swell even more. Wade groaned and arched his hips up into her, almost lifting her off the mattress when he reached his release. She felt his cock pulsing as he emptied himself inside her. With her heart still racing, Taryn collapsed onto Wade’s chest. She vaguely noted that his cock was still hard as she tried to catch her breath.
After her breathing evened out, Taryn lifted her head to look down at Wade. “How are you able to do it?” To emphasize her words, she squeezed her inner muscles around his still hard manhood. “I’ve never been with a man who could keep an erection after ejaculating.” She gave his cock another squeeze.
Wade sucked in a breath. “Just another one of my many talents.”
Taryn didn’t get a chance to respond to that comment before the sound of a wolf howling outside near the house reached them. Wade suddenly stiffened beneath her. “That must be the wolf I saw the other night.”
“I don’t know about that.” Wade gently disengaged himself from her body and went to look out the bedroom window. “I can’t see anything from here. I’m going to take a look outside. Stay here.”
She was about to remind Wade that it was still the middle of the day and that there were people working out in the vineyard, but he walked out of the room before she could say anything.
* * * *
Wade stepped out the backdoor and quickly changed into wolf form. Keeping to the shaded areas, he stealthily made his way past the vineyard and headed for the nearby slope dotted with pine trees. Once he reached the trees, he stopped and lifted his head to smell the breeze, trying to locate where the wolf call could have come from. Knowing it wasn’t the same werewolf Taryn had seen, since that wolf had been him, Wade felt his hackles rise at the thought of another male werewolf being so close to his mate.
Catching a scent when the wind changed direction, Wade ran through the trees, keeping an eye out for the one he sought. When he caught a glimpse of silver grey fur directly in front of him, he slowed his pace. Having now caught Wade’s scent, the other werewolf stepped out from behind a tree to face him.
Wade didn’t recognize the werewolf who stood glaring at him a few feet away. Being the youngest of his pack, at three hundred years old, he didn’t know many werewolves outside his pack. Their numbers had decreased over the years and many packs had broken apart. Feeling this male could be a threat to his mate, Wade pulled back his upper lip, baring his sharp teeth.
The grey wolf’s form began to shimmer as the werewolf took on his human form. He held his hands out with his palms facing Wade. “Relax. I’m not here to fight. I didn’t realize there was another one of our kind in the area.”
In a matter of seconds, Wade made the change back to his human form. As he did so he willed clothes onto his body. He looked the other man up and down. The man was a stranger to him. He had silver grey hair that fell to the middle of his neck. Dark brown eyes stared piercingly back at him. He wasn’t as tall as Wade, only slightly over six foot. By werewolf standards he would be considered short. Even though he had spoken civilly to him, Wade felt there was something off about him. It made him uneasy.
“If you didn’t know another werewolf was here, why were you lurking around the property?”
“You could say I have a vested interest in this winery.”
“In what way?”
Ignoring the question, the other man instead asked, “What is your name, boy?”
Wade bristled at being called a boy, but he bit his tongue. “Wade Thorsson.”
“Thorsson. I do believe I’ve encountered your brother, Beowulf, a few times. The illustrious leader of your pack. My name is Lars. I’m sure your brother will recognize the name. Since you have asked it of me, I’ll do the same. What are you doing here?”
“That is none of your business. But I’m going to ask you to get off the property.”
Lars shook his head and chuckled. There was nothing amusing about the sound. “Don’t threaten me, boy. Such protectiveness over a lone human female.”
Wade snapped his teeth in warning at Lars. “The human female is my mate. I protect what is mine.”
“She’s your mate? My, my, how low werewolf kind as sunk, taking humans for mates.” Lars began to back away. “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
Wade resisted the urge to follow Lars as he once again took wolf form and ran deeper into the trees. Lars’ presence didn’t bode well. He’d have to keep a watchful eye on Taryn. Wade was glad that tomorrow eight other werewolves from his pack would be arriving at the winery. Wade couldn’t shake the feeling that Lars would be back all too soon, and it would more than likely spell trouble for Taryn.
Chapter Eight
When Wade was gone longer than the few minutes she had expected him to be, Taryn got out of bed and got dressed. She felt foolish lying in bed naked waiting for him to return. For another thing, she was pretty sure some kind of commotion would erupt out in the vineyard if Wade decided to go look for the wolf there in the nude. He hadn’t seemed to care about not wearing any clothes when he left.
The minutes ticked by and still Wade didn’t return to the house. Taryn went downstairs to see if she could find him. She was halfway to the front door when Wade opened it and stepped inside. She did a double take at seeing him fully clothed.
“You’re dressed? You rushed out of the room so fast I thought you had gone outside naked.”
An emotion she almost couldn’t name quickly flitted across Wade’s face. Taryn could have sworn it was a look someone made when they were caught red-handed doing something they didn’t want others to know about. She couldn’t be sure though, because it had only been there for a matter of seconds before he shot her a seductive smile.
He crossed the distance between them and pulled her close. “I managed to grab some clothes from my room before I went outside. And here I thought you would be upstairs naked waiting for my return.”
“You took so long I decided to come looking for you.” Taryn knew Wade wasn’t telling the truth about going to his room first. Her house wasn’t so large that she wouldn’t have been able to hear him moving about in the room across the hall from hers. Why he felt he had to lie about something as trivial as finding clothes to wear, she didn’t understand.
“Well then I had better make it up to you.” Wade cupped her bottom and held her against the hard bulge in his pants. “In a way both of us will enjoy.”
Taryn couldn’t believe how fast her body became aroused. One touch from Wade was all it took, and it didn’t even matter that they had made love only a few minutes before. She craved his touch. Falling under the seductive spell Wade was wrapping around her, Taryn leaned in to kiss him. Before their lips could make contact, the doorbell rang.
Wade shook his head. “Don’t answer it. Maybe if we ignore them, they’ll go away.”
“I can’t. It’s more than likely one of the workers from the vineyard. I’m not expecting anyone today.” Seeing Wade’s look of disappointment, she gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll make it up to you later. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
&nb
sp; Opening the front door, Taryn was surprised to find Braedan standing on the other side of the screen door. She pushed it open and moved back so he could step inside. “Braedan, what a surprise. I didn’t think you were coming until tomorrow when the others showed up.”
“I thought I would come and get first dibs on the accommodations.” Looking over Taryn’s shoulder at Wade, Braedan smiled at him. “I hope I wasn’t intruding on anything.”
Wade glared at him. “No, of course you aren’t.”
Taryn couldn’t quite hold back a grin. It was obvious Braedan knew exactly what he had interrupted. And that he was only doing it to get a rise out of Wade, in a good natured sort of way. “Since you are the first to arrive, you can have the last spare room in the house.”
Wade put a proprietary arm around her shoulders and said, “You mean he can have one of the two spare rooms upstairs. I’ll be moving my things into your room.”
“I stand corrected.” Taryn could see Braedan was finding Wade’s territorial marking amusing. He smiled at her knowingly.
“Whichever room you want to give me, Taryn, will suit me just fine. I’ll just grab my suitcase out of the car.”
Once the door closed behind Braedan, Taryn turned to look at Wade. She could tell he was far from thrilled that his friend had arrived earlier than planned. “I wasn’t going to turn him away, Wade. We’ll still have the nights alone in bed together.”
“Yes, but I had hoped to at least have you all to myself for the rest of the day.”
“There will be other days. Starting tomorrow we’ll all be so tired from harvesting, you won’t even care Braedan is in the house. All you’ll be thinking about is sleeping.”
Taryn’s Wolf Page 6