by Cara Morgan
“Now, we decide if this will work between us.” He smiled a quick, crooked smile. “Or more accurately, you decide if you want me.”
“Before the heat passes?”
“Before the heat passes.”
That was a few days at most, and there were three other members of the pack she had yet to meet. “It’s not enough time.”
“It’s enough time.” He hesitated as if carefully choosing his next words. It had been easier with Eli who was open and said exactly what was on his mind. Case kept his cards close to his chest, and she couldn’t tell what he thought about all this. Releasing one of her wrists, he lifted a hand to her face. He touched his knuckles to her cheek and slid them down to her jaw line. “It’s usually best to let the wolf guide your steps in this sort of thing. Left to her own devices, the wolf might have led you to us years ago. You keep such a tight rein on her.”
She’d grown up among humans. She’d always had to keep a tight rein on her wolf. “Why do you think she’d have led me to you and not some other pack?”
Amusement glittered in his eyes. “I think so because we’re together here now. The wolves are drawn to form packs with those they’re most compatible with.”
“You’re saying we’re soul mates?”
“Something like that.” His hand drifted lower, curving around the base of her throat. “Tell me you don’t feel it.”
She couldn’t do that. She didn’t know if it was a magical mating beacon, but she definitely felt something. The heat—she could feel that rising again. The aching need in her womb. Pure and uncomplicated desire surging through her blood. She could feel her wolf pacing below the surface of her mind, growling softly with impatience. But she couldn’t shake the wistful sense of loss that this should be about more than just sex.
“You don’t even like me.”
“I like you as much as I can for having met you less than an hour ago. And our wolves wouldn’t have brought us here like this if there wasn’t the possibility for more. Trust in your wolf, Maggie. Even if you can’t trust me yet.”
“I don’t know how.”
Taking a deep breath, he laid his hand on the collar of her robe. “Let me see you?”
Her mouth dried, and she hesitated for a long moment.
“I’m naked as the day I was born,” he said. “It only seems fair to level the playing field.”
Looking into his eyes, Maggie saw that Case knew exactly what he was doing. She’d told him she was afraid of heights and, instead of letting her back away, he led her right up to the edge of the cliff and dared her to jump. It was a challenge and her wolf rose up to accept it. Before she lost her courage, she reached for the belt of her robe. One tug and the flannel gapped loose in the front. A shrug of her shoulders and the fabric slithered to the floor around her feet.
For a moment, Case didn’t react at all. He didn’t even seem to breathe as he stared at her. When he did exhale, his breath sounded shaky and thin. It was the first sign she’d had from him that he wasn’t as completely in control of himself as he’d have her believe.
Taking a step back, he drank her in. Her nipples pebbled in the cold air, and moisture gathered between her legs. The distance let her get another look at him too, specifically at the erection she’d tried so hard to ignore earlier. He had a mouth-watering cock, the hard flesh jutting straight out from a nest of dark hair. He walked around her, and it took every ounce of willpower to not turn with him.
The heat of his body touched her back a moment before his skin pressed against hers. He swept her hair aside and kissed the side of her neck. “You’re beautiful.”
A shiver ran down her spine at the dark caress of his voice even as a pang of guilt struck at her heart. “Maybe I should go find Eli before this goes any further.”
“He’ll come back when he’s ready.”
“It doesn’t seem right to do this now when he’s upset.”
“Do what?”
His teeth bracketed the tendon on the side of her neck, and she bit back a moan. “Don’t play dumb.”
Case licked the skin above her hammering pulse and then kissed his way up her neck to the sensitive hollow behind her ear. His hands settled on her hips, and she instinctively pressed back against him. His grip tightened, keeping her from rubbing against his cock, and her lips parted on a soft growl of frustration.
She could feel Case’s smile against her skin. “I meant that we’re not doing anything wrong, honey. Eli will be happy that we’re getting to know one another. It’s why he left us here alone. You know that as well as I do.”
Eli wanted her to claim all of the members of his pack as her mates. He’d said that outright and of course he would know what that involved. He was the one who’d explained mating to her in the first place. Case was right. This wasn’t a betrayal.
“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“I know,” Case murmured. “He’ll realize that too. You can make it up to him later.”
Case’s warm hands moved up to cup her breasts, and the heat threatened to consume her completely. Trust her wolf. She’d spent a lifetime denying her instincts. It was time to let go of fear and tear down the walls she’d built inside herself. The half-life she’d been living wasn’t good enough anymore, and if she wanted more then she was going to have to take some risks. She was going to have to let the wolf out.
She reached back to touch Case’s thighs, and his hands flexed on her breasts. As if sensing her decision, he buried his face in the side of her neck and groaned. Arching her back, she pressed her breasts into his palms. He squeezed her, molding her breasts together and then catching her nipples to roll them between his fingers.
“Maggie?”
She knew what he was asking, and she turned around to face him. She wanted to look him in the eye as she staked her claim. “I want you, Case. I claim you as my mate.”
The wolflight in his eyes flared brighter, and he reached for her again. His fingers sank into her hair, and he angled her face up to accept his kiss. His tongue drove between her parted lips to sink inside her mouth. He claimed her right back, daring her to respond to him in kind. She did, all of her reticence giving away. She poured years worth of pent up longing and desire into that kiss.
When Case pulled away, his eyes locked on hers with an intensity that pinned her in place. “I claim you as my mate,” he said solemnly. “Man to woman and wolf to wolf, you are mine as I am yours. My body I give to your protection and pleasure. My life to your service. My seed to our future. We are pack.”
Her fingers dug into his hips, trying to draw him closer, but Case had other plans. Curling his hands around the backs of her thighs, he lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the table and sat her down on the edge.
He was trembling. She hadn’t felt it until their bodies were pressed so tightly together. There was a shiver of energy running below his skin. He was much closer to the edge than she’d suspected.
Raising his hands, he brushed her hair back from her face. His cock brushed against her thigh, and Case closed his eyes briefly, struggling for control.
“This is hard for you,” she said wonderingly.
His fingers tightened in her hair, tipping her head back. “Did you doubt it? My wolf is as hungry as yours. Maybe more. It’s been so long for me and, if I’m not mistaken, you spent most of last night fucking Eli. That had to take the edge off at least a little bit.”
It had, but she could feel the ache of it again, rising inside her. “You were holding yourself back?”
“With every ounce of willpower at my disposal.”
She smiled and gave in to the temptation of reaching for him. Her hands stroked down the sides of his strong ribcage. When her fingertips reached the raised edge of his scar, she paused, and then traced it down to his hip. He was all lean, compact strength, every ounce of him wrapped in muscle. “If that was you being nice, I’d hate to see you angry.”
&nbs
p; He brushed his lips to the skin at the corner of her eye and then rubbed his cheek against hers.
“That was restraint not anger. You have to know lust when you see it.”
She shook her head. “Eli is the only man I’ve ever known. At least, like this. And then there’s you.”
A shudder ran the length of his body. Taking her by the shoulders, he lay her down on the table and then knelt between her spread legs. His thumbs slid between her damp folds, splitting her open, parting her to his view.
“You’re so glossy and pink.” He nuzzled at her gently, and she moaned. “Eli was hard on you.”
“No,” she said, her voice harsh. “He tried to be careful.”
“But you were a virgin.”
He licked at her soothingly. Her bones started to melt, and then a thought occurred.
“Case! Eli just… He…” She didn’t know how to say this, but surely he wouldn’t want to taste her now.
“Eli came inside you,” Case finished for her. “I know. If it doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t bother you.”
“But…”
His mouth closed over her clit and the words died before she could form them. Every thought dissolved beneath the slow sweep of his tongue. He explored every part of her, sliding the tip of his tongue through her folds, dipping inside and then flattening his tongue to lick back up to her clit. There, he was gentle, taking her flesh between his lips, rubbing at the sensitive flesh in soft tantalizing circles. He worked his way back down, nuzzling at her damp flesh, tasting and tugging at her. When she wriggled to get closer, he placed his palms on her thighs to spread her wide and hooked her knees on either side of the narrow table. Her feet dangled against the rough wooden legs.
Case stroked the inside of her thighs, smoothed his hands down her calves and then gripped her ankles. “I wish I had something to tie you with.” Her womb clenched at the thought and, somehow sensing her response, Case laughed. “You like that idea? I’m sure Declan will be able to indulge you.”
She shivered as he released her legs. She felt his breath steam against her skin a moment before his mouth touched her. This time, he stroked her with his fingers as well. She was wet, so wet she was embarrassed by the strength of her response. Case didn’t seem to mind. He hummed with approval as she relaxed, letting him take control. When he finally pressed his fingers inside, her body instinctively tightened around him. He moaned, the vibration of his tongue against her clit nearly lifting her into an orgasm right then.
She threaded her fingers through his hair and dropped her head back onto the table. Spread, exposed, terribly vulnerable to this man who said he wanted her in the same breath that he admitted that his want had nothing to do with love. That wasn’t kind, but it was honest. She wanted a pack too, a strong pack that could withstand all the trouble and tragedy of the world. Case was strong. She might already have conceived Eli’s child, a shifter baby, and she was going to make damn sure that child would never have to face the world alone.
Case’s fingers pushed deeper, and her hips moved, pulling back and then pressing forward to meet him. Case’s tongue lapped at her clit as his fingers explored every warm crevice. When he curled his fingers, dragging them against her inner wall, she squirmed.
“Fuck, Maggie.” Case’s voice was a ragged growl. “You’re so tight.”
“I want you inside me.”
“We’ll get there.”
How could he be so calm? She knew he wanted her. She could scent it on his skin and hear it in his voice.
“You’re still holding back.”
“So are you, honey. Come for me.”
She couldn’t have disobeyed him if she’d tried. When he touched his mouth to her again, it was like setting a match to a powder keg. Her hips rocked against his hand, and her head fell back. She gripped the edge of the table hard, holding on to it as the world exploded. Case growled in approval, prolonging her orgasm with his mouth and the slow thrust of his fingers.
When she came back to herself, she lay panting on the wooden table, her heels pressed to the surface. She didn’t remember drawing her knees up like that. She didn’t remember scooting away from the edge.
Case pressed a soft kiss to her clit, and she jumped at the jolt of sensation. He eased her legs down and stood up, sliding his hands beneath her to cup her ass and draw her closer to the edge of the table again. His eyes burned as they looked at her. His expression was hard and intense. Completely locked down. So at odds with the gentle way he’d touched her, with the way he’d coaxed her to one of the most powerful orgasms of her life.
“You’re beautiful.”
“Is that Case-the-wolf-who-wants-a-mate talking or Case-the-man?”
He braced a hand beside her ribcage to support himself as he leaned over her. “Case the man has wanted a mate for a very long time.” He kissed her chin and then her mouth. She could taste herself on his tongue. She could taste Eli too. When Case lifted his head, he said, “I don’t usually think of my wolf as separate. We both wanted a mate, but neither of us had much hope that that dream would come true. You’re an unexpected gift.”
Tears sprung to her eyes, and he frowned. He kissed the corner of one eye and then the other. “What is it?”
“You.” She touched his cheek. “Eli, and the rest of the pack. You’re the gift. I didn’t even know there were other people like me in the world. You don’t know what that’s like.”
“No. But you’re not alone now. You won’t ever be.”
She wrapped her legs around his to pull him closer. She wanted to feel him skin to skin. He dropped to his elbow and thrust his hips in a smooth arc, sliding his cock between her legs, coating himself with her moisture.
“You’re not ready yet.”
She laughed. “If I was any more ready, I’d be a puddle.”
He nipped at her shoulder before nuzzling the side of her throat. “Do you want the bed?”
“You, Case. I want you. Right now.”
He smiled against her skin. “There’s my alpha female. It’ll be fun seeing who comes out on top between us.”
On top. Thinking he meant that as a challenge, she started to push herself upright. Immediately, she came up against the wall of Case’s hard body, unmoving and impossible for her to budge given her current position. He shook his head, forcing her back down. “Not now. That’ll keep until later.” Catching her hands, he put them above her head and curled her fingers around the edge of the table. “The only thing you need to do now is hold on.” He hesitated and a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. “That is, if you still want me. You’re sure? There’s no going back from this.”
She nodded and rocked her hips against him, running the arch of her foot along the back of his leg. A shudder passed through his body. The blunt head of his cock pressed against her, withdrew slightly and then slid neatly inside. He paused for a moment, giving her body a chance to adjust, and then he thrust again, slow and unhurried. Studying her responses, he adjusted the angle of his body so that his body pressed against her clit with every thrust.
It was almost unbearably intimate, the way he watched her, like he was cataloguing every expression. She’d thought Eli very controlled, but he had nothing on Case. Leaning forward, he placed his hands to either side of her waist and fell into a hard, demanding rhythm. Pressure built steadily inside her, but Case looked as composed as ever. She wanted to see him lose control.
Come with me, she wanted to beg. Be with me.
But even though he was inside her, Case remained just slightly out of reach. She released the edge of the table to touch him, but he caught her hands and pinned them down beside her head. “If you touch me now, it won’t last. I haven’t been with anyone in…Christ, a really long fucking time. Let me give you this.”
Without warning, the door swung open, letting in a swirling gust of cold air and drifting snow. A wedge of bright sunlight sliced across the room, landing on her and Case like a spotlight. When Maggie turned her head, she saw
Eli standing in the doorway, outlined by the blinding light. She couldn’t see his face, but he was frozen as completely as she was. Even Case stopped to look up.
“Whatever you decide to do,” Case said, “you need to close the door.”
Eli reached for the door as if he meant to leave.
“Don’t,” Maggie blurted out. “Don’t go.”
Eli stopped with his hand on the edge of the door. He looked at her for a long moment and then stepped inside the cabin, closing the door behind him.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“For this?” Eli stepped closer, and she could see his face. His eyes were shadowed with wolflight, but there was no sign of anger on his face. The tight feeling in her chest eased. No matter what Eli had said about the closeness of his pack and about his willingness to share her, she hadn’t completely believed it until this moment when he reached out to brush his cold knuckles against her cheek. “I’m happy you claimed Case, sweetheart. You know I am.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you earlier.”
When she reached for him, Case released her hands and straightened. He was still buried inside her, still hard as a rock. When he pulled her hips toward him, heat flared inside her and she gasped at the sensation. She caught Eli’s hand and squeezed it tight.
Eli groaned as Case began to fuck her again. “I should go. I can’t watch this without wanting you again.”
She looked up at his face and then at the bulge in the front of his jeans. Right at eye level, it was impossible to miss. “I don’t want you to leave.”
Eli hesitated and then looked at Case for direction.
“What do you want, Maggie?” Case asked. “Tell us and we’ll give it to you.”
For a moment, she didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She felt too ashamed to say what she really wanted. Every rule she’d been taught to live her life by told her she should be ashamed of the images flashing through her mind.