by Vivian Wood
“You can’t tease me today,” he hissed. “I’ll come in your hand.”
Maddie stroked him once, grinding against him. She rubbed her thumb against his tip, releasing a pulse of precum. The hungry look on Maddie’s face was the only thing that kept Jasper from being ashamed of his weakness, his utter need for her.
“Fuck me right now, Madd,” he growled. “I need to stretch you out.”
To his surprise, Maddie actually obeyed. Lifting herself up, she angled his cock so that he met her entrance.
“Don’t move,” she said. Jasper gritted his teeth, almost unable to stay still. He needed to thrust into her more than he’d ever needed anything.
Maddie pressed down onto him the slightest bit, letting his precum-slick head slide inside her for a moment before pulling back. She moaned, tilting her head back. Jasper watched her, knowing that she was not merely teasing him but also taking her own pleasure. That knowledge kept him still as she pressed down on him again, and again, in very slow increments.
When she’d finally taken him all in, she rocked against him gently. Jasper took this as his cue, gripping her hips and helping her to move up and down on his cock in deep, slow movements. He could feel Maddie growing wetter as she ground on him, and Jasper tilted her hips forward just a little to seek her g-spot.
She cried out, leaning into him and increasing her speed. Releasing her for the moment, Jasper took a deep breath to steady himself. He slid a hand between them, his thumb finding and circling her clit as she moved. Maddie faltered, and Jasper growled at her.
“Keep fucking me,” he commanded. “Don’t stop.”
Maddie started again, riding him harder. He rubbed her clit gently, knowing she wouldn’t need much. Not when she was this wet, when she was already whispering her name and riding his dick that deeply.
“Maddie. Maddie, you make me so hard,” he said, watching her full breasts bounce as she moved.
“I’m going to come, Jas,” she said. “Oh… oh, gods…”
Her inner muscles, already wrapped tight around him, tensed suddenly. Jasper pinched her clit as she started to come, and Maddie jolted violently. She shuddered around him, shaking and crying out. Jasper gripped her hips and pumped upward into her, fucking her hard as she came.
“I’m going to come,” he gritted out, pumping in and out as she surrounded him. “Fuck! I’m about to come.”
He began to pull her up, desperate to find a place to blow his load. To his shock, Maddie pushed his hands away and pressed down on him, her heat making his eyes roll back in his head. In half a second he was calling her name, pumping his hot seed deep inside her as she fucked him. Seconds passed, or hours, and she slowed until she was gently rolling her hips. Somehow he was still hard and she was still riding him. Jasper could barely think.
Pulling Maddie down, Jasper stopped her movements and held her in his arms. They were both breathless, wordless. His head was spinning; he’d just come so hard, and he’d come inside his beautiful mate, and it had been her idea… Jasper felt uncertain, suddenly.
“Madd…” he whispered, stroking her hair. Maddie didn’t move for a long time, her breathing evening out. Finally she sat up, clearing her throat.
“We’re going to be late to meet the pack,” she said, giving him a silencing look. Unsure how he should proceed, Jasper held his tongue. He knew he’d find out her motives sooner or later. Nothing stayed buried long with Maddie.
“Fine,” he said. She sat up, giving him a hurt look. Jasper sighed and pulled her back down for a kiss, then released her. She straightened her top, climbing out of the car to rearrange her dress. Jasper got out, zipped up his pants, and then walked around to the driver’s side. Reaching into the back seat, he grabbed her discarded panties and handed them to her when she got back in the car.
“You don’t want to talk about this?” he asked. “You sure?”
“We’re late,” she said, pressing her lips into a flat line of displeasure. What the hell had he done now?
Shaking his head, Jasper put the car into gear and released a breath. If she didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine. That didn’t stop Jasper from savoring it the rest of the day.
Grim smile on his face, Jasper reflected the whole way across town to the Shifter-owned pub where the meeting was set.
3
Chapter Three
“And that’s why we are here, trying to recruit as many packs as possible. Something is happening within the Legion, and although the buildup has been slow I think they’re gaining momentum for a big attack. When it happens, we need to have a system in place like the one I described. We need communication between packs,” Jasper explained, his knuckles rapping the slick wood of the pub table to punctuate his words. The whole bar was empty besides their little group of Shifters, probably an intentional step to keep prying human eyes and ears from coming across sensitive information.
“The Legion hasn’t attacked our pack in more than five years,” drawled a massive Shifter seated directly across the table from Jasper. Dark-haired despite seeming to be in his early fifties, the man was dressed simply in a gray plaid shirt, jeans, and heavy boots. So far he’d spoken little more than a blunt self-introduction, but it was obvious that he was the pack’s alpha. A sense of power, seeming almost heavy enough to touch, lay over Seamus Insgill like a blanket. Maddie recognized the signature of power from Jasper’s own days of being an alpha. And like Jas had been back then, Seamus was a tough customer. Skeptical would be a nice term for his behavior.
“-Just saying we need a way to contact each other. An emergency system,” Jasper was saying. Maddie slid her gaze back to her mate, admiring his level-headed tone. Jas could be every bit as fiery as Maddie was wont to be, but he generally held himself in check. With a male of Jasper’s considerable power and size, physical intimidation was almost a cop-out. The hard part for him was not letting other, less confident males goad him into a fight.
Luckily, Seamus was definitely not some immature male looking to prove something. Maddie looked back and forth between them as they debated, judging them a fairly even match despite Seamus having about fifteen years on Jasper. In Maddie’s experience, alphas usually had a boatload of tricks up their sleeve, which could more than make up for the age disadvantage.
Tilting her head, Maddie took in the five males seated behind Seamus. All bulky Shifters, clearly there as backup in case something went wrong in this meeting. None of them were participating in the discussion; if there was going to be a debate amongst the Edinburgh Shifters, it would happen far away from any outsiders. Maddie’s own New Orleans pack was just the same, so she understood completely.
“You look bored stiff. Fancy a drink?” came a feminine whisper in Maddie’s ear, causing her to jump. Turning her head, she found a sweet-faced middle aged woman only a few inches behind her. The woman was plump, dressed in a pale pink dress with a crocheted white lace neckline.
At Maddie’s startled expression, the woman winked and beckoned Maddie toward the bar. Maddie stood and followed her, taking a seat when the woman did.
“Sorry to startle you. I’m Magda, Seamus’ mate,” the woman said, extending a soft hand. Maddie shook it, clearing her throat.
“Madeline. Maddie,” she corrected herself.
“They’re probably almost done over there,” Magda said, eyeing the men. “I just thought you looked uncomfortable, like you needed to be proper and sit up straight and all that. The boys are hard, but they’re not so quick to judge.”
“Oh,” Maddie said, blushing. She had certainly been keenly aware of her appearance and posture, especially since she and Jas probably still smelled like their earlier menagé in the car.
“Seamus is going to need some time to think this over,” Magda said. “It’s his way. He always takes big decisions back to the pack, and makes sure they all have time to think everything through. A night, at least. Did you two get lodging?”
“We’re staying just down the street at the Hungry
Goat,” Maddie said, waving a hand in the direction of the inn.
“With old Harrold MacRee? Good luck to you then. He’s an odd one,” Magda said. “Honest, though, if I’m remembering right.”
“Well that’s good to know,” Maddie said, feeling silly. “So you think we’ll be here a few days, then?”
“I don’t know exactly. I think what you two are proposing makes a lot of sense, so it’ll probably be approved pretty quickly. One hopes, at least.”
“Ah. We didn’t plan any day trips or sightseeing for this part of the trip. We thought we’d just be here for the day,” Maddie admitted with a shrug.
“Ach. There’s plenty to see and do here. Our Den sits on a huge plot of land, with several nice hikes and even a fallen castle near the biggest loch.”
“That sounds great. It’s been two weeks since I’ve Shifted,” Maddie said, her heart lightening at the idea of getting to Shift and run free for a bit.
Magda’s brows shot up, disapproving.
“You’ve been two weeks without a Shift? That doesn’t sound very healthy,” the older woman said.
“It’s been nothing but airports and rental cars and big cities for the last couple of months. If I made a list of what I’ve been eating for the last week you’d be horrified. Fast food and hotel room service,” Maddie said, pulling a face.
“Well, there’s some decent pub food here in town, and you can get some staples from the corner store if you need. I can’t bring you to the Den, but I can at least make sure Seamus gives you permission to run free on our lands,” Magda clucked.
“I would love that,” Maddie said.
Magda reached over and patted Maddie’s hand, then pointed to the males.
“Looks like they’re done for the moment,” she said. “Let me see if I can grab a map of our lands while everyone says their goodbyes.”
Maddie and Magda returned to the group as the males were standing, the conversation having moved on to local sports. After a few minutes of milling around while everyone finished their drinks, Maddie and Jasper found themselves being shooed out of the bar so the Shifters could start readying it for the evening crowd.
True to her word, before they left Magda handed Maddie a sheet of paper with a photocopied map marked with the pack’s land boundaries and several places of interest.
“They’re going to need to sleep on it,” Jasper said as they stepped outside the pub.
“Magda said that would probably be the case,” Maddie said.
Jasper raised a brow, looking down at her.
“You made friends?” he asked.
“One,” she said with a shrug. “At least I think so.”
“Well, I for one am going to take advantage of tonight. Dinner at the inn, and then an early bedtime,” Jasper said. Maddie nearly opened her mouth to argue that they should go do something fun for once, but the sheer exhaustion in her mate’s tone stopped her. Neither of them had the energy to drive out to the pack’s land, much less go for a hike or Shift and run. Besides, they were losing the light now anyway.
“Madd?” Jasper asked, reaching out and touching her waist. She blinked, looking up at him.
“I think I’m more tired than I even know,” she said, tilting her head back. Jasper leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, and she sighed.
“So dinner and bed is okay? You won’t be too disappointed if we skip the bars tonight?” Jasper asked, pulling her close for another kiss. Maddie nodded as he took her hand, leading her toward the car.
“I think that’s exactly what we both need right now,” she conceded.
Jasper flashed her a smile, unlocking and opening the car door for her. Maddie slid in, and he closed the door for her before hopping in the driver’s side.
“We can sleep in tomorrow,” he said, waving his hands. “We can get breakfast in bed, and by the time that’s over maybe the pack will have their decision.”
“I can take a bath. A real bath,” Maddie said.
“Exactly. It’ll be relaxing.”
“By all means then, let’s head back.”
Maddie tried her best to keep her eyes open as they drove back, but even the prospect of dinner and a hot bath couldn’t keep her awake. Jet lag dragged her down into a sleep so deep that she didn’t even feel herself being lifted and carried up the stairs. She didn’t bat an eyelash as Jasper tucked her into the bed, or hear his heavy sigh as he sat down on the bed next to her. Maddie didn’t move the whole time he sat there, staring blankly out the window as he tried to settle his thoughts. When he finally kicked off his shoes, turned off the lamp, and lay down beside her Maddie was deep in a dream that carried her through the whole night.
4
Chapter Four
Jasper peeked at Maddie over the top of a newspaper during breakfast. She was preoccupied with cracking open a soft boiled egg, and Jasper found himself relieved that her sour expression was directed at the egg for the moment.
Maddie had woken up with that expression, it seemed. Jasper had already asked what was on her mind, and received nothing more than a silent eye roll. Bringing two loaded trays of food upstairs and setting them on the bed hadn’t swayed her foul mood in the least. The only thing that had excited her was the promise of a nice bath in the big claw-foot tub. Jasper had jokingly offered to join her, and he was still trying to thaw out from her frosty glare. That was when he’d snatched up and unfolded the local paper, giving himself a shield against her eye-narrowing and lip-pinching.
What the hell had he done now? The ever-present question when it came to Madeline Copeland.
Sneaking another glance at her, he gave a silent sigh. She was mercurial, but damn if she wasn’t just stunning. She’d just woken up, but her tousled hair and pink cheeks made his heart simultaneously melt and beat a little faster. Her moodiness was a part of her, and he’d made a promise to love her completely. The whole package. That meant these little pouting sessions were something he simply waited out until she was ready to be the sweet and loving mate that normally ruled his life.
“We’ll have to find something to do for today and tonight,” Jasper said, not lowering the paper. “Seamus called this morning and said he needs more time to decide.”
Instead of releasing the dramatic sigh he’d expected, Maddie was silent. Dropping one corner of the paper, he eyed her. Maddie looked at him and shrugged, then went back to nibbling at a rasher of bacon.
“It says here that there’s a cinema a few towns over. And I guess we could go tour Edinburgh today if we wanted…” Jasper offered, trying to entice her with an adventure.
“I want to go for a hike,” Maddie said, her voice flat.
“A hike,” Jasper repeated, surprised.
“Yes. Woods, walking, you know. That stuff.”
“O-kay…” Jasper said, looking suspicious. Maddie wasn’t much of an outdoors girl, despite being a Shifter.
“You know we can’t Shift here, right? We talked about this. We have to be way farther out,” Jasper said carefully.
“We have somewhere to go. Magda got us permission to run on pack land. It’s a short drive from here, but they are fanatical about keeping their land clear of humans. They run in wolf form there, and can’t take the risk that a human might stumble upon them.”
“I don’t know, Madd…” Jasper said, hesitant. They’d be on strange land, at the mercy of a strange pack. The offer was almost too good, making Jasper nervous.
“Jasper,” Maddie said, reaching out and pushing the paper down into his lap. “I need to shift, baby. Please.”
Her pleading tone caught him completely by surprise, dropping his guard. The words were out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying.
“Of course. Anything you want.”
“Thank you. Can we go right now?”
“What about your bath? You were all excited about it,” he hedged.
“I don’t need one if we’re just going to run around and get all filthy,” she said, giving him a pleading look.
“Fine,” Jasper sighed, pushing away the paper and their breakfast trays. He’d already consented, no use in delaying now.
“Let’s get a move on. We need to get some things together if we’re going to go all the way out there today,” Maddie said. She gave him a long look, intentionally letting her gaze drop from his face down his body. Jasper flushed a little at her frank appraisal, but her tone had him up and getting dressed faster than any pleading could have done. He didn’t know what she was up to, but if that look was any indication… Jasper definitely wanted to find out.
5
Chapter Five
Two hours and several errands later, Jasper pulled the rental car up outside the main gate of the compound. They’d taken a tiny two-lane highway most of the way here, and without GPS they would have been lost. This place sure wasn’t easy to find and if the front gate was any indication, Jasper was sure that the Edinburgh pack liked it that way.
PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO ADMITTANCE, read the signs posted to one side of the gate. On the other side was a large cardboard sign with neatly printed handwriting.
We don’t phone 999. Violators will be HUNTED and SHOT.
Checking the map again, Jasper tried to shake his nerves.
“Are you sure about this, Madd?” he asked, pointing at the sign.
“I’m sure. Magda said that the pack only patrols once a day or so, usually at dawn. We may not even see anyone.”
Jasper got out of the car, not bothering to lock it. He couldn’t take the keys with him, so he hid them in the wheel well. Maddie was already opening the gate to slip inside. He followed her into the thickening woods, walking about five minutes before she found a spot she liked.
“Ready?” Maddie asked, stopping and turning around to face him.
“Ready,” Jasper said. Her face lit up with a huge grin, and she kicked off her shoes. Maddie stripped in a matter of moments, but Jasper took his time. Watching his mate get buck naked was never anything short of spectacular, but in truth he wanted to see her wolf even more.