Time seemed to fade away as we moved together, experiencing one another in the most intimate way. His mouth never moved too far from my neck, his teeth and tongue very gently nipping and teasing. When his arm braced across my chest, I turned my head and grazed his neck with my teeth using the slightest pressure. It spurred him. Each nip to my neck lasted a little longer and was a little harder. It was a dangerous dance.
Sweat dripped from our bodies as we moved frantically against each other. My moans and pants filled the cave, as did his grunts and growls. Nothing else existed.
When his fingers traced over my clit again, I came apart with a wild, feral scream. Alec growled with his mouth clenched over my shoulder as he came in pulses inside me.
He was still throbbing as he removed his teeth and covered the spot with his lips. “I want to mark you.”
I inhaled deeply, one last splurge of indulgence that I probably couldn’t afford, but I never wanted to forget the smell of him after our encounter.
Then I pulled away and ran.
9
Carter
I flew through the back door of my house and slammed it shut like the devil himself was chasing me. I leaned against it for a couple breaths, and then pushed off. I had to get away from it so I wouldn’t be tempted to fling myself back out there and run after him. Alec. His name was Alec. I hurried through the living room, closing windows and the blinds.
I was an absolute fool. I flopped into my favorite chair, wrapped the fur throw around my shoulders and covered my face in my hands. I couldn’t sit still, though. I jumped right back up and hurried into the kitchen. I pulled down my flour canister and a mixing bowl and I dumped them on the counter before going to the fridge and grabbing butter.
Before I knew what I was doing, I had a cake batter base prepared and was stirring it with one hand while I held my phone in my other hand. It was ringing. I waited for it to connect to Muddy. I thought about hanging up, but I desperately needed to talk to someone about the mess I’d just stepped into.
“What’s wrong?”
I choked out a laugh and dropped my mixing spoon on the floor. “I did something so stupid.”
“You called me at three in the morning?” She yawned. “Don’t worry, we can both forget it.”
I bumped my head on the counter while bending down to grab the spoon. “Oof! I slept with the man from today. Not slept. Had sex with. Really great sex. Awesome sex. Shit. Help me?”
She screeched in my ear and then the line went dead. A few seconds later, it rang and she was there again. “Whaaa….Holy shit. You didn’t.”
“I did.”
“I’ll be over in five.”
It was only then that I realized I was still naked. My clothes were back at Helen’s rock where I’d left them after the St. Anon meeting. I ran to throw on a T-shirt and some old boxers.
As I waited for Muddy, I selected spices and started adding things to the batter. Cinnamon, ground cloves, grated orange peel, a dash of cardamom. When I tasted it, I was momentarily stupefied. I’d made a cake batter that tasted almost identical to the way that Alec smelled. I wanted to hurl it against the wall. Instead, I shoved a spoonful into my mouth and moaned at the delicious flavor. I was lost.
Fewer than five minutes had passed when Muddy rapped on the back door. Her house was just a street over and it was easy to cross through a few backyards to get to mine.
As soon as she spotted me, her eyes widened and she burst out laughing. Loud enough to raise the dead in the cemetery across town. I dragged her inside and slapped her arm.
“Shut up!” I led her into the kitchen and was drawn to the batter. I thought about pouring it into a pan and baking it, but I found myself scooping my spoon back in for another mouthful.
“You look like you went for the ride of your life, girl. You okay?”
I frowned. I was better than okay. Which meant I wasn’t okay. I couldn’t afford to be feeling all floaty and giddy. I didn’t even know the man. “I had sex with a stranger.”
She just grinned at me and dug her own spoon out of my silverware drawer. Dunking it into the batter, she tested a big bite and gave a hearty moan of her own. “What is that?”
“Mate cake.” I rolled my eyes and sank to the floor, just beside the fridge and across from the oven. I took the batter with me.
Muddy followed the batter. “What is mate cake? You always make these fancy cakes and pastries that I’ve never heard of. Where’s this one from?”
I frowned and waved my spoon at her. “The errant universe. It tastes like my mate. Mate cake.”
She nodded and I could tell she hadn’t processed what I’d said. “Your mate tastes like heaven with a side of deliciousness.”
I remained silent and let my head thump the cabinet behind me. She’d catch up eventually.
“Wait. Whoa, hold up a minute there.” She dropped her spoon in the bowl and grabbed my knee. “You’re serious? Mr. Patterson? He’s your mate?”
I nodded. “He’s my mate.”
“He’s your mate.”
“He’s my mate.” I thumped my head again. “Take this away from me.”
She pried the bowl of batter from my clinging arms and shoved one more spoonful into her mouth before making a face. I could tell she was fighting a laugh.
“It’s not funny. I don’t want a mate!”
She set the bowl onto the counter above her head and wagged her finger at me. “That’s it. You protested too much. The universe always sends mates to the ones who protest first. At least, that’s how I’ve seen it happen. I knew it would happen to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You rejected the idea of snuggling up to a man too hard. We all suspected this would be the outcome. We were just waiting on it. I didn’t expect it to be that sexy hunk of tasty cake batter, though. That took me by surprise.”
“Why not? Do you think something’s wrong with him?” I rushed out a breath and then kept talking. “I mean, besides the fact that he had some woman sticking her tongue down his throat this morning.”
“That’s his fiancée. He’s engaged.”
I felt my stomach lurch. Eating raw cake batter suddenly seemed like a very bad idea. “Like, to be married?”
She laughed, her eyes watering. “Yes, to be married!”
I fell over and laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling. “Son of a bitch.”
“Yeah. It won’t matter, though. You’re his mate. You’re who he’s going to want. No way he’ll be interested in any other woman. Not after finding you. Where did you have sex at, by the way? You smell all kinds of interesting.”
“I don’t want a mate. Seriously. I can’t have a mate. I’m not ready for one and I’m not at a place in my life where I can deal with one. He’s…he’s engaged? Really? I slept with someone’s fiancé.”
“You slept with your mate.”
I shook my head and groaned. “I need a few days off. How soon until he leaves? I need to take some sick days until after he’s gone.”
She grabbed the batter and then laid out beside me. “Sorry, honey. We’re looking at a full house this week. I need you there.”
“Call in someone else. I can’t face him and his…ugh… fiancée.” Just the idea had my insides twisting in knots.
“If he’s your mate, I’m sure she won’t be around for much longer.” She waved a spoonful of batter at me and sighed. “Besides, I need you. Everyone is busy. You’ll be fine. Just think of those hot orgasms he gave you and maybe that’ll knock some sense into your head when you’re dealing with him, because I don’t think you can just choose to ignore your mate.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, no? You don’t know who you’re talking to.”
She sighed. “Point taken. Either way, this ought to be entertaining.”
10
Alec
Sleep was a joke that night. I ended up catching no more than a few minutes of shut eye on and off in a chair in the corner of our room. I couldn�
��t bring myself to even lay on top of the covers next to Chelsie after being with Carter. Carter. My mate. The mere thought of her made my dick harden again painfully. She was hot. Hotter than hot. She made me crazy.
I’d been more animal than man when I took her against the cave wall. I’d been rough and hard and she’d loved every second of it. Her body spoke to mine. I could still smell her sweet arousal on me.
Every time I was almost asleep, visions of her would play through my mind and I’d be wide awake. It would start with the mental picture of me fucking her and bleed into the mental picture of her running away from me. It was inevitable that every time I closed my eyes, I ended up seeing her naked backside as she fled from the cave.
She’d been too fast for me to catch. By the time I’d gotten out of the cave, she was gone. I could’ve followed her scent. Wolves had one of the best senses of smell of any shifter, but I got the impression that she didn’t want me to follow her, so I let her go.
I wanted to talk to her, get to know her better. Discuss the situation. For whatever reason, she was freaked out and needed space. I wanted to know why, but first I would allow her to have her space without bothering her. Until morning. I couldn’t promise to give her any more time than that. My wolf longed for her. I longed for her.
In the meantime, I’d work at finding a diplomatic solution to ending the engagement with Chelsie. I couldn’t even force myself to glance over at her sleeping form. I didn’t want to see her in bed. I wanted my mate.
I would figure something out. I was good at negotiations. I’d spent years in a world where everything was about the deal and I’d had to be ruthless to make a name for myself in the corporate world. And, I was. I was very good at what I did. So good, that I’d taken our small family handmade furniture business and turned it into a multi-million-dollar corporation.
Now, I was facing the deal of a lifetime. Dames was one of the biggest chain retailers in the world. The merger had the potential of quadrupling revenue. Patterson Furniture was already in the big leagues. This merger would be like winning the pennant.
There had to be a way to extricate myself from Chelsie and this damned engagement delicately, without killing the deal. It wouldn’t be easy. Chelsie was determined. She wanted to follow in the steps of her sorority sisters, and get married.
Correction, she wanted a wedding, a wedding dress, a wedding shower, an engagement, engagement parties, and a fucking engagement trip. A year of festivities all centered around her. Why had Chelsie’s motivations not been clear until now?
To be fair, I’d never paid attention to them before because, well, I supposed I hadn’t cared. She’d wanted to marry me, the marriage would help secure a billion-dollar deal, that was good enough for me.
How was I supposed to know I’d find a mate who would turn my life upside down with her sweet cupcake scent… and her cute button nose…. and her plump, round ass…Fuck!
I finally gave up on sleep just before the sun rose, and regretfully took a hot shower, rinsing Carter from my body. I dressed and headed down to the dining room before Chelsie woke up, setting up at the broken table at the side of the room.
I stared at my laptop. The same information I’d poured over and analyzed for months was displayed on the screen. Normally, I’d get into it and easily focus, but not that morning. All I could think about was the night before. I wanted to run through the woods again. I wanted to chase Carter.
After years of ignoring my wolf’s base desires, suddenly I was in a unique position where my own desires aligned with his. I found myself staring out the window beside me, watching nature come alive.
Helen’s Corner was tranquil and beautiful. So much different from the city. Being here inspired me to want to work with my hands. I hadn’t been involved in the hands-on, creative part of my business in years, but suddenly I had an urge find a block of wood and saw and plane and carve it into something beautiful. I closed my laptop and sighed.
I remembered times when I was a child, when my dad and I would work on custom pieces together in his shop. He’d wrap his large hand around my small fist and together we would router grooves, and sand rough edges. He taught me the way his father taught him. I’d known all my life that I would continue in the family business. I was a Patterson; it was in my blood. Geez, I hadn’t relived those memories in years.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the time. Early, but he’d be up. He woke up before the sun every day. I scrolled through my recent calls, thinking I’d find his name that way, but he wasn’t anywhere near the top. The farther I down scrolled, the worse I felt. It’d been a couple of weeks since I’d called him.
The asshole in me wanted to put the phone away and ignore the niggling guilt. It’d been too long, though.
I dialed his number as I watched a couple of squirrels playing outside.
“Son?” My dad’s strong voice blared into my ear, reminding me of the slight headache I’d earned from not sleeping much the night before.
“Hey, Dad. How’s it going?”
“What’s going on, Alec?” He said something to someone in the background and then cleared his throat. “Hold on, son.”
I made a face. Apparently, my dad had been in bed with someone.
“Sorry about that. Now, tell me what’s wrong.”
I laughed. “Nothing’s wrong, Dad. I just realized I hadn’t called in a while. I wanted to catch up with you. Sounds like you’ve got something going on there.”
“Mind your own business.” He laughed, always the easy-going man. “You sound different. What’s going on? And don’t be secretive like me.”
“Nothing. Nothing’s going on. Not yet, anyway.”
“Business or pleasure?”
“A nasty mix of both.”
He grunted. “That’s never good. Why don’t you talk to your old man about it?”
“I’m not ready just yet, Dad. Soon, though.”
“I’m always here.” He cleared his throat again and I could hear him grinning. “I’ve got some ideas of new designs I was thinking of running past you. While I’ve got you, I may as well bother you with them.”
I grabbed a pad of paper and my favorite pen from my briefcase. Dad’s ideas were gold. “I’m ready to start production in a week.”
He laughed, pride clear in his voice. “Okay, let me tell you about them first.”
A smile stretched across my face as, just like that, talking to my dad cleared my head, eased my problems, and brought my feet firmly back on the ground.
11
Carter
Grunting in annoyance, I splashed the glass mixing bowl into the soapy water in the sink and glowered over my shoulder at Muddy. “You’re making me work under inhumane conditions.”
“Most women would be happy to run into their mate at work.” She rolled her eyes and pulled my batch of cupcakes from the oven. “So, you run into him a time or two? What’s the big deal?”
I spun around and waved a whisk at her. “What’s the big deal? The big deal is that he was inside me last night and I’m avoiding him today!”
I’d been hiding in the kitchen since arriving. I’d had to pass through the dining room, but I’d done it like a coward because even though I’d arrived extra early to avoid him, Alec was already in there.
I’d waited outside for a half hour to squeeze in behind the delivery guy. I wasn’t proud of my actions, and I know Alec scented me. Not sure if he saw me though, and I didn’t know what else to do.
“You’re a hot mess.” She sniffed the cupcakes and grimaced. “Ugh… What are these?”
I snatched a cupcake and sniffed it. They smelled strange. That could be a problem. I bit my lip as I unwrapped it, then I took a nibble. Overwhelmingly bitter. I immediately spit it into the trash. “Baking soda. What the hell?”
Muddy raised her eyebrows. “Girl, you’ve got to figure your shit out. You’re becoming me in the kitchen.”
I winced. That wasn’t good. I threw the ruined cup
cakes into the trash one at a time, each throw a little more forceful than the last. I’d completely lost my baking mojo since Alec had arrived. “I must have used baking soda instead of flour.”
“It seems to me that you’re sexually frustrated and can’t bake while your mate is near.” Her eyes trailed to my neck. “It’s going to be like that until you do something with that man. Like get his claiming mark on you.”
I shook my head. “No! No, no, no! I’ve got enough going on.”
“Like what?”
“Jellybean, Cannon and Matt, being new in town. Just to name a few.”
“I’m calling bullshit. Jellybean isn’t here right now and when she does get back, she would love to have a male figure around. Besides, the girl never met a stranger. Cannon and Matt don’t need you worrying about them. They’re happy and going to be starting their own family soon. And you’re not new in town, anymore. Your shine wore off, baby.”
“Hey!”
She laughed. “Okay, you’re still shiny, but you’re one of us, not an outsider. You’re just making excuses, Carter.”
“It doesn’t matter. I feel like I have too much going on and that’s what counts.”
She heard a commotion in the dining room and moved that way. “You’re going to be miserable as long as you’re fighting it. Is that what you want? Misery and disgusting baked goods?”
I didn’t get to answer as she swept her way into the dining room to see what the noise was all about. I stared at the door that swung closed behind her, part of me wishing I could see through it so I could spy on Alec. I wanted to know what he was doing, what he was thinking. Would he even want to see me? Not that it mattered.
Muddy swept back in with an armful of plates. Frustration was clear on her face. “That twat Mr. Manus is causing a stir.”
I looked at the plates and noticed that they were still full of the batch of croissants I’d put out that morning. I’d never had a croissant returned. “What did he do?”
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