As promised, Chris and Grayson remained in front of Callan and Kate throughout the hike so she could always know where they were. Even when they ran off to give her some space—both physical and emotional—they remained within eyesight.
While they hiked, Callan continued working on exercises with Kate to help her build her shields, empathic as well as mental. He wasn’t as familiar with her empathic abilities, but the exercises he gave her seemed to work. She practiced on him, which was harder because of their bond, but it worked great when she practiced on their companion wolves.
Once they reached the top of one of the trails planned for the resort’s medium hiking adventure choice, it was later than they’d planned.
Callan held out the bottle of water for her to have some. “Do you mind if the guys change back so they can drink water with us? Or are you going to make them go scrounging around for a water source?”
“They can change.” Kate had been getting used to Callan doing the shifting thing. Sort of. She had to get used to seeing others change, too.
Before she could think twice, Chris and Grayson appeared as humans before her. “Wow.”
“I really am sorry I scared you earlier.” Grayson still had his head dipped down.
“It’s okay, Grayson. I know you were playing around with Callan. I’ll get used to all this. I will.”
“We need to get back down to base before it gets too dark up here,” Chris said.
Callan elbowed Chris. “Look at you. Already using the terminology and everything. Base.”
“Shut up. We’re running back. See if you and your eagle chasing girlfriend can keep up.”
“Hey! I resemble that remark.” Kate hiked more now than she ran so she was looking forward to a friendly challenge.
Although she rethought that challenge when Chris and Grayson changed back into their wolves, no, shifted into their wolf forms, on-the-fly as they ran.
“We better get going.” Callan grabbed her hand and they took off after them.
Kate ran as hard as she could, but she was no match for any of them. She felt nothing but relief when they finally made it back to the bottom of the trail.
And her lungs hated her. Big time.
She leaned over and rested her hands on her knees while she gasped in oxygen.
“You okay? It might be better if you stood up straight—”
“Hush,” she rasped out. She loved Callan, but he—
Wait. What?
She looked up at him and was in no way blocking her feelings for him because he flooded their link with those same feelings in return.
“Good night, guys,” she called out to the wolves still hanging around, and she grabbed Callan’s hand.
* * *
Callan looked over his shoulder and saw his two friends following them.
“You heard the woman, good night.”
The problem was that he and Kate both were giving off the scent of arousal, and those two jerks were trying to be pains in the ass.
Get lost, ya mangy mutts.
Their laughter in his head meant that not only were they being difficult on purpose, but they were going to continue doing so.
He swept Kate up into his arms and took off at a dead run to his cabin. The element of surprise and the added speed from being an alpha were the only things that allowed human him to get inside his house, with the door closed and locked, before one of the wolves made it inside. He would’ve hated to have had to hurt one of them.
Laughter echoed in his head as they took off to their own homes.
But now, now he had Katie all to himself.
She slapped his shoulder. “Where are you taking me? Put me down.”
He set her down in the master bathroom. “We’re sweaty and we need a shower. I’m just expediting the process.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Her T-shirt clung to her curves, her sweat having soaked it through until it hugged her all over. As he stared, her nipples beaded and her breathing picked up. He stripped his shirt off over his head.
Her eyes dilated as they focused on his chest.
He dropped his shirt to the floor then gave a quick flex of his pecs.
Katie snorted. She tugged at her shirt.
Callan slid his hands up her sides, along her rib cage until he snagged the edge of her top, pulled it off and dropped it on top of his. “I’m thankful every day you came into my life.”
She shivered and he ran his hands along her back until he came to her bra clasp. He unhooked it with one quick twist then slowly guided the straps down her arms. When the cups finally fell away, he sank to his knees and took each of her breasts in his hands, preparing them for his mouth.
“I’m all sweaty. You said so yourself.”
“I don’t care.” He swiped his tongue across one nipple while he ran his thumb across the other. Then he switched sides.
Katie dropped her head back and moaned. God he loved that sound.
Callan switched sides again, this time sucking the nipple between his teeth and biting just hard enough for her to jerk her hips toward him. With his hand on her other breast, he rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, tighter and tighter until he pinched together hard at the same time he bit down on her other nipple.
She cried out and jerked her hips forward rhythmically. He matched her rhythm with the timing of his pinches and bites.
“Oh my God. You’ve got to stop. I want you in me. Now.” She pushed his head away and began stripping the rest of her clothes off.
Before Callan could think clearly, Katie was naked, in the shower, with the water already streaming down her body. “I thought you wanted me in you.”
“I do. Now. Get naked and get in here.”
“Bossy.”
“You know it.”
He did as his woman said and got naked, then joined her in the shower. “Your nipples are incredibly red.”
“They’re quite sensitive.”
“Good.” He spun her around so her front pressed against the cold tile wall.
“Oh!”
“Maybe that’ll help some with that sensitivity.”
“I don’t think it will.” She pushed back with her hips, but he gave no quarter, and all that did was rub her ass against his cock.
He took both of her arms and placed them raised on the wall, curved above her head. Putting his lips next to her ear, he whispered, “Leave them there.”
When he was met with only a whimper, he knelt behind her and spread his hands across her ass cheeks. He followed her curves around to her hips and angled her pelvis slightly so that he had better access to her pussy.
Gently he pushed her legs apart with his torso, forcing her feet to span the width of the shower. He ran a finger through her curls and slickness greeted him.
“Love, you’re soaking wet down here.”
“I’m in a shower. Of course I’m soaking wet.”
He sank his teeth into the succulent flesh of her booty.
“Ow!”
“Naughty woman. Maybe I should stop now since you’re only wet because you’re in a shower?”
“God no. You’d better keep going.”
“That’s what I thought.” Callan licked the spot where he’d bitten her while gliding his hand up the inside of her leg. She shivered beneath his touch.
When he neared the junction of her thighs, he switched to the other leg, once again starting at her ankle.
“Please.”
When he reached her slick curls this time, he gathered up some of her arousal and spread it around her pussy lips, barely grazing her clit as he circled. Katie’s hips jerked and he bit her ass, this time on the other cheek, and not quite so hard, wanting it to be for pleasure instead of punishment.
He slid two fingers inside her, scooped up some more of her juices and applied them directly to her clit. Capturing it between his fingers, he squeezed with enough pressure to make her squirm, but not enough yet to make her orgasm.
“Dammit. I need to come. Either you can do it, or I will.”
Callan brushed her clit then slid his fingers between her lips and up the crease of her ass as he stood.
He reached around her, worked his fingers between the tile and her nipples, and pinched them while pressing her to the wall.
She shoved back against him, but he used his upper body to keep her in place. He bent his knees so he could line his erection up with her opening. He rubbed the tip forward and back along her swollen labia, enjoying her moans as he hit her clit each time.
“Quit playing around and just take me already.”
He pulled back and plunged to the hilt in one stroke.
Katie cried out.
He wrapped one arm around her hip and pressed his thumb against her hypersensitive clit. Entangling her hair in the fingers of his other hand, he gently pulled her head back until more of her neck was exposed to him. He ran his tongue along the water that dripped down her jaw to follow her neckline, then timed his bite to coincide with another plunge.
Applying steady pressure with his thumb, he sank into her again and again while sucking on the tender spot just below her ear as she squeezed his length and came around him for what seemed like minutes. When it felt like her orgasm let up some, he took her hips in his hands and pumped into her a final few times before letting himself fall over that edge with her.
“Dayum.”
He had to agree.
Chapter Eight
Kate couldn’t believe how well the distillery blended with the surrounding scenery. Part of the building disappeared into the rock of the mountain itself. And the rest of it used the trees surrounding it as camouflage.
“Wow.” She made the word into three syllables.
“Yeah?”
“One would almost think y’all were trying to hide from the law up here with this setup.”
“Keep in mind, we once were. When my dad decided to stop hiding and go legit, we were able to expand and ended up selling more than we ever imagined we could.”
“Aren’t you worried about the trees coming down on the roof and damaging everything?”
“The mountain protects us from the west, which is the direction most storm systems come at us from. We also have some protection from the south in case we get storms that way as well. Other than that, we have some roof re-enforcements that we can deploy during major storms, including ice and snow storms, so we won’t have trouble. We’ve tried to think of everything. Kevin went to NCSU for his engineering degree and I trust him to keep our livelihood protected with his innovations.”
“Wow.”
“You said that once already.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” The pride Callan felt for one of his extended family members was impressive. The complete trust and delegation of responsibility for this particular area was remarkable.
Callan swung his arm out to encompass the whole plant. “We’re hoping to incorporate the distillery as part of both the backpacking tour as well as the scenic tour. We know the golf carts can make it along the road. We’ve already tested that out, and we’re hoping if all goes well, we can add a few more carts to our fleet before too long.”
“Your fleet, eh.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “Sounds all fancy and junk.”
He scoffed. “Well, it’s not the Biltmore House and their winery, but we’re hoping to do okay. In fact, from the very beginning when their winery opened up, they’ve had a tasting room at the end of the tour. You can sample different Biltmore wines and pick the ones you want to purchase to take home with you. We want to add something small like that to our tour of the distillery.”
“All you’ll be doing is getting the tour members drunk on whiskey moonshine so they’ll fork out money for more.”
“Why, Katie Ballard. That sounds like a very deceivious business plan. Also a good one.”
She grabbed his hand. “Mmm-hmm. That’s what I thought.”
The front of the building could’ve been the frontage to almost any kind of small business, certainly not a distillery that was supporting a pack family of a couple hundred. And not just supporting but allowing them to thrive.
“On top of the drawings you’re doing and have done for the lodges, I’d love for you to check out the tasting area and see if you can class up the space with some of your artwork.”
“You know I’d love to.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He squeezed her hand and the electricity that always surrounded them bounced around in the area of her heart a few times.
“Come on. I’ll take you in through the warehouse first. I want you to see where we package up the Whiskey Shine bottles.”
“I’ve been wondering about that anyway. I was wondering how you get big trucks all the way up this mountain.”
“We don’t. I’ll show you how we’ve figured out transportation.”
Callan put his hand low on Kate’s back and the thrill of possession zinged through her. Not that he owned her. No. It was more just the feeling of someone saying, “She’s mine, guys. Back off.” Or, “I want to show the world that I claim her for myself.” She wanted to say the same things about him, but something was holding her back and she wasn’t sure what it was.
It certainly wasn’t their chemistry. He lit up her lady parts like no one ever had. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him. Everything about him screamed responsible adult. He was a caring leader who took care of the people he was responsible for. She’d listened in while he weighed the different options brought to him before he made a decision everyone followed without argument.
Kate didn’t have time to try to figure out the mystery any longer. Callan was introducing her to the woman behind the front desk.
“Katie, love. This is Cassie. She runs this place with an iron fist. Cassie, this is my Kate.”
Cassie stood and offered her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Kate. I’ve heard a lot about you already.” Her grip was firm, but not overly so.
“I just bet you have. I can only imagine what all you’ve heard.”
“All of it good. I promise. We just hope you won’t let this rapscallion corrupt you too badly.”
“Ignore everything Cassie says.”
“I thought you said she runs this place with an iron fist. And if I’m going to be doing some artwork for the—”
“Ignore her anyway.”
Cassie let out a hearty laugh indicating the two shared a great relationship. Cassie winked at her. “Let me know whatever you need when the time comes and I’ll make sure everything is set up for you.”
“Thanks. It was great meeting you.”
Callan laid his hand low on Kate’s back again and led her down a hallway to the left. “Stay away from her. I’m sure I can find someone else for you to work with,” he said loudly.
Cassie’s laughter followed them down the corridor.
Along the way to the warehouse, Callan pointed out different areas of the distillery that he found interesting. He pointed out rooms and viewing locations that were on the tour and private spots that they’d installed extra security for.
When they finally reached the entrance to the warehouse, Kate was already amazed by all she’d seen. “I want to say ‘wow’ again.”
“Not original enough. You need to come up with a new word.”
“Whoa?”
“Doesn’t convey the same sense of positive wonderment.”
“Golly.”
“Really?”
“Whoopee!”
“Never mind. You can repeat ‘wow’ a
s many times as you like.”
“Wow. Thank you!” She leaned up and gave him a smacking kiss on the lips. “Now please continue the tour, kind sir.”
“We’re coming from the offices side, whereas the door to and from the break room is the usual interior entrance. So this door here doesn’t get used much at all. All of the walls and doors between the warehouse and offices are soundproofed so the office areas can remain as quiet as possible. I tend to not use that break room entrance and have found this door blocked with boxes before. That was interesting. I scared the crap out of one poor guy that day. He was beginning to believe in ghosts. Heh.”
Kate snort-laughed.
Callan opened the heavy door, and just as he’d predicted, pallets of boxes mostly blocked the entrance. And those boxes were moving.
* * *
Callan seethed. Bobby and Billy, his and JT’s cousins many times removed, were opening boxes like there was no tomorrow. They wore the black pants, shirt and hat uniform of the warehouse workers, but their faces were turned toward the wall. In fact, that looked like the only thing they were hiding—their faces. Certainly not their actions. But why in the hell had no one stopped them from opening all those boxes?
Squeezing her hand, Callan sent as much love and warmth as he could to Kate through their bond while sounding a mental alarm to Grayson and Chris. He trusted them to alert warehouse security and staff.
Bobby’s and Billy’s complete focus on the task at hand, along with the warehouse noise, made Callan’s appearance a surprise. And not a nice one for them.
Callan’s chest grumbled as he growled, “What the fuck are you two doing?”
Not only did Bobby and Billy freeze, but activity across the warehouse stopped, too. Except for Kelli, the warehouse manager, and security, who were all heading straight toward them.
Bobby and Billy tossed open boxes into the middle of the space around them. Bottles slid out, breaking glass and spilling whiskey everywhere.
The fire hazard didn’t escape Callan’s notice. Because he was looking for it, he was already mid-leap by the time Billy pulled his lighter from his pocket. Without regret, Callan broke Billy’s fingers while removing the lighter. Billy was a wolf. He’d heal. And Callan wasn’t going to let his entire pack’s livelihood burn up because of this asshole.
Mated: A Paranormal Romance Shifter Anthology Page 25