Furious, Heck slammed his napkin to the table. When the dishes rattled, he turned to Carla. “I’m sorry, Carla. Thank you for dinner. It’d be best if I left now.”
“Don’t…” She immediately sealed her lips when Frank shot her a brooding stare. “Please be careful out there tonight.”
He nodded, grabbed his hat, said his farewells, and was out the door before anyone else tried to stop him.
“Are you happy now?” Carla asked, scooting away from the table.
“At least I won’t choke on my supper.”
“Frank, give her a break.”
“I have,” Frank said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his belly. “Ask Carla about it. I went easy on her late this afternoon. If I’d punished her the way she’d deserved, she’d still be tied to the bed or out there in the loft receiving the spanking she earned.”
“Well at least I would’ve been with good company.”
“I won’t argue there,” Frank said. “The asses in the barn need friends too, and birds of a feather—”
“That’s enough!” Jock slammed his fist against the table. He rarely went up against Frank, but he wouldn’t stand by and let him insult their shared mate just because of his wounded pride.
Carla had apparently heard enough, too. She grabbed her sweater from the coat rack and stuffed her arms in the sleeves. “Well don’t you worry about me, Frank Smith. I’ll go out to the barn loft where I belong. And don’t you follow me thinkin’ we’ll enjoy us a hog-killin’ good time. There won’t be any kissing and making up. I’m done with you for tonight. I’d like to be left alone.”
The door slammed a second later and Frank stilled. He narrowed his gaze on her vacated seat and took a few deep breaths, twisting his lips back and forth as if he were trying to decide what to say.
“I want you to hear me out,” Jock said, placing his elbows on the table and clasping his hands over his plate. “We got a problem brewing. We need to decide how to handle it.”
“Heck is not a problem,” Frank said.
“I’m not talking about Heck!” Jock’s temper flared. “I could feel Carla and the others in my thoughts. The pack knows about the bears. They’re shifters, Frank.”
“Grant just told you that shit because he knew you’d believe it. There’s never been a werebear sighting in Wyoming.”
Jock sensed some upheaval in his head. The pack members were upset with Heck and Jock didn’t wonder what had caused their discord. He’d bet a fresh loaf of baked bread that as soon as Carla left the cabin, Heck had been right on her heels.
Frank seemed agitated. He shifted in his seat. Rubbing his temple, he said, “Something has the pack upset.”
“Let it go, Frank.”
“I’m not sure if I can,” he admitted. “Can you?”
“I already have,” Jock said.
“So you’re ready to pack up and move, just believe what Grant told you about the werebear bounty hunters and—”
“We’re not talking about the bounty hunters right now and you know it.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” Frank rose to his feet and went to his rocking chair next to the fireplace. The late spring air left a nip in the air, but it wasn’t cold enough to fetch logs and build a fire. Frank moved back and forth, rocking with increased speed.
The wolves were still transmitting messages between them, and their disquiet annoyed him. Determined to discuss this issue with the only man who mattered in this particular situation, Jock said, “He loves her, Frank.”
“I reckon he needs to figure out how to deal with that. Don’t you?”
Jock grinned. “I reckon he does.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean exactly?” He thinned his lips, waiting for Frank’s reply.
It took a few rocks forward and back before he said, “I don’t know how to share her with anyone but you.”
“I guess we’ll learn.”
Frank studied on that possibility before he finally said, “I reckon so.”
* * * *
Carla heard Heck when he entered the barn. He had a different gait, a slow way of moving.
Every muscle she owned tightened with knowledge. This night she would meet him halfway. If he looked at her with that harnessed control, that hunger he refused to feed, she planned to tell him how she felt, too. She would ask him, or maybe even plead with him, to talk to Frank about what he was feeling.
She took the book of matches from her pocket and strolled around the loft, lighting the wide cake candles. Most folks used the tapered candles, but when Carla decided to make her own, she had a particular use in mind. She wondered if she would have the opportunity to show Heck why she had enjoyed working with wax and how she often used it for her own personal pleasure. With each strike of the match, she became more aware of the burning fire inside her womb.
“I knew you’d come.” When the last candle caught its small flame, she turned and faced him. His handsome face was aglow in the candlelight. Unlike Frank and Jock, lines didn’t mark his forehead accounting for his age. His smooth complexion was unblemished and his body was a perfect example of sex just waiting to happen.
“It isn’t safe for you to be out here, Carla.”
“That’s why you came here…to tell me it isn’t safe?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice. Maybe she’d expected a little more from him. Perhaps she’d wanted him to take long strides to reach her, gather her in his arms, and assault her mouth with a passionate kiss.
Heck cocked his head to the side. “Why do you think I followed you out here?”
“I think you’re tired,” she whispered in a raspy voice. “I think you’ve been tired for a long time.”
He took a step toward her, but he didn’t pursue. He paused and cocked his head again. She wondered if he and Frank were transmitting messages to one another. Was the pack master that Heck had always respected now calling him off like he had already sent away the wolves still howling their disapproval into the otherwise-quiet night?
Standing at just over five foot ten, Heck wasn’t as tall as Jock or Frank, but his muscular build made him stand as a symbol of strength. He was third in command and often accepted the responsibilities of the pack when Frank and Jock traveled to other territories. He had always taken pride in his position. He’d been loyal to his pack. Now, he was torn, and she sensed his angst.
“I don’t want you out here alone.”
“And I ask you again, is that why you came here?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “That’s not true. We both know it.”
His Adam’s apple jerked when he swallowed. “Why do you think I’m here?”
“Do you want to play games with me now, Heck?” She strolled around the far end of the loft, admiring the various trinkets she often used in a more explicit form of intimate play.
She dragged her fingers over a smooth granite stone, one that had brought her plenty of pleasure over the years. She then caressed the largest candle, stroking the smooth yellow wax as she imagined Heck pouring the hot liquid over her breasts and loving the way she came apart in his arms. Aware of him watching her, she spun around. “I can play, Heck. I can play the kind of games designed to wake snakes or make a whore blush.”
He cleared his throat, but he didn’t speak. Still, as he took another step, and then one more, Heck was very expressive without saying a word.
His maleness was hard and visible as he approached her. The lust in his hooded eyes and the defined angles and planes in his face took on a raw sex appeal, shaping the man, the lover he’d soon become.
Instead of going to her, he walked to the end of the loft. Standing before the stakes in the slab of wood, he asked, “What do you do when you’re here, Carla?”
“I think you know.”
“You let them tie you up.”
“Yes.”
“And you like it?”
“It’s more than just enjoyme
nt. It’s something I need.”
“Why?” He pursued her then like a man with one mission—ownership, true possession. “Do you enjoy sex with pain?”
“I like what follows after the pain.”
“And what if I want you without all this?” He waved his hand around the area. “What then?”
“You won’t,” she said, unbuttoning the top of her prairie dress.
He blushed as she stripped down to her pantaloons. At one point, he started to speak and she placed two fingers against his lips. “Not yet, Heck. I’ll do whatever you want, but first I want you to see me.”
She removed all her clothing and piled them on top of an old trunk. Then, she strolled to a nearby stack of blankets. Taking her time and reveling in the idea of Heck watching her every move, she spread a quilt over the plank floor before tossing another one over a couple of hay bales.
When she bent over to smooth the wrinkles out of the crumpled pattern, he gasped. “What the hell, Carla?”
Peering over her shoulder, she smiled as soon as she realized what had grabbed his attention. Rubbing her right cheek, she fluttered her eyelashes. “Love pats, Heck. That’s all they are.”
“And you like it when they spank you?”
“Yes,” she said, reaching for his hand. “And you’ll enjoy spanking me, too.”
Chapter Ten
Heck didn’t think he’d care too much for the whippings, but given the fact he could read Carla’s thoughts, he was pretty sure he’d take pleasure in everything else. She was an experienced woman and for some reason, she thought he wouldn’t be able to handle the likes of her.
On the contrary, he was pretty sure after waiting this long, Carla Cassidy wasn’t well prepared for the likes of him. Understanding precisely what she expected, he took the rope from her hand as soon as she handed it to him. He followed her to the staked board, unable to focus on anything except her round bottom. The welts on her buttocks proved she enjoyed pain, but he wondered how he’d feel about delivering a series of swats to her fair skin when she was already striped from one ass cheek to the next.
She faced the wall and grabbed hold of the stakes. Parting her legs, she bowed her head. “You should tie me up and spank me, Heck.”
“But I don’t want to spank you. I want to hold you. I want to—”
“Do what the woman tells you,” Frank said, entering the loft.
Heck nearly jumped out of his skin when Frank strode across the planked flooring. “She isn’t the kind of gal who likes to be kept waiting.” He glared at Heck in passing. Before he reached Carla, he handed off a paddle and belt. “Take your pick, but don’t just stand there. We ain’t gonna discuss this, Heck. You’ve already made your intentions known. Since my woman is butt-naked in front of you, I’m pretty sure she’s expressed hers as well.”
“I—”
“You’re what?” Frank rubbed his jaw. “You’re here in the loft with our mate. She’s naked and you’ve got a hard-on so bad for her it’s libel to rip your breeches if you don’t just go ahead and drop ’em.”
Noting the amusement in his tone, Heck cleared his throat. “I haven’t touched her.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Frank laughed. “Ah, hell, Heck. You’ve already fucked her a few hundred times in your blasted head. I figure you might as well enjoy her in the flesh, too.”
Carla shook her bottom. “Will one of you please spank me?”
Frank stood next to her. He ran his hand over her bottom and gave her a firm pat. She jerked and he grinned. “You’ll love spanking this ass. I do. Jock does. But trust me when I tell ya, nobody enjoys it more than Carla.”
He then gave her eight solid smacks. She whimpered with every strike and, to Heck’s surprise, she also begged for another. Each time Frank’s hand met her skin, a breathless plea for “one more” fell from her lips.
“Go on over there and try it,” Jock said, climbing up the ladder. “Frank won’t bite.”
“I’m not worried about Frank,” Heck admitted.
Frank glowered. “We’re all pretty clear on that much.”
“I was at one time,” Heck said. “Not anymore.”
Heck then approached Carla with a spirited step. She faced him with a priceless expression.
She cupped his cheeks with her hands. He framed hers with his. And for a breathtaking moment, no one else existed.
They were mates.
Heck had often suspected it would be like this, but as he imprinted on her, he realized he’d never known such devotion and love. As they stared at one another, he saw her past and their future. He was privy to the experiences she’d shared there in the loft with her other two mates. Images flashed in his mind’s eye, allowing him to catch a glimpse of her mother and father, past places she’d enjoyed as a child, and a clear depiction of Carla as a young woman.
Finally, a more mature Carla appeared, one with children. He could hear their laughter and see their beautiful mother enjoying various stages of their growth. He witnessed their time together as they progressed through the years and then he saw her in a great big bed surrounded by fancy pillows and her loving mates. His heart swelled with love as much as heartache as his aged Carla, his one love, took her last breath with her family beside her.
Tears formed in his eyes as he latched on to the gift he’d been given, a glimpse at the next fifty to sixty years. When the intensity of their connection subsided, he took her in his arms and held her close to his chest, stroking her head and whispering to her in a language full of sentiments and promises.
“I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
Carla tilted her chin to his and closed her eyes. He glanced at Jock, and then at Frank.
“Ah the devil!” Frank exclaimed. “Kiss her already, why don’t ya!”
“I plan to do a little more than kiss.” He lowered his head and took that first full-throttled plunge, sweeping into her mouth with a rapid thrust of tongue. And just when he thought their kiss was all he needed, his balls and cock strained with mate-lust, a desire so heavily ridden with painful yearning, he thought he might die if he didn’t lay her down and love her.
Without wasting a second, he stripped off his breeches and pushed up his shirt. Then, he picked up his mate and locked her legs behind his hips. While their first joining may not have been the most romantic moment of Carla’s life, their mating was perfect for them.
The first stroke cooled that raging burn, that unexplainable longing. He locked his cock deep inside her channel and lowered her to the ground, loving the way she squeezed his shaft as if she were afraid they’d lose their connection.
Once her back was against the floor, he pushed her arms high above her head and clasped her wrists in his hand while his mouth traveled from one full breast to the other. “You’re so beautiful.”
Carla stared down the length of her body as Heck rammed the weight of his length high inside her warm pussy. He was very much aware of the two men watching them. He was also aware of the audience beyond the barn, the pack members quietly awaiting his finish as they prodded his thoughts and invaded his head.
“Fuck it,” he breathed, cupping her breasts and raking his thumbs across her nipples. “You’re mine and I don’t care who hears about it.”
“I hope not,” Frank said from his left. “Cause that one there is a real screamer.”
Chapter Eleven
Carla had never known such tenderness. She’d known love and understood pleasure, but as Heck claimed her as his mate, she finally understood the true meaning behind making love.
As he filled her with his manhood, he framed her face and kissed her, making slow, rhythmic love to her mouth as much as her body. His penis strummed inside her, reaching for that tender spot, that special place that sent spectacular pleasure rushing through her like wild horses running across the open prairie. Seeing him love her was like watching beauty in motion. Sculpted muscles flexed as he pounded inside her with a hypnotic beat.
For a brief
moment, their moment, they were the only two people in the world. Even the pack stopped their exchange and the quiet only added to her enjoyment.
He entwined their fingers and lowered her arms to her sides. Their bodies were flush against one another for one incredible instant. Then, he rolled to his back, bringing her over him.
She took her rightful seat. Throwing her clasped hands behind her head, she squeezed his shaft as she rode him, enjoying the power he gave her, the freedom to move without restraint.
“That’s it, honey,” Frank said, grabbing a handful of her hair and jerking her head back.
She’d known Frank would be the one to intervene, the one to interrupt the brief intimacy she’d shared with Heck.
Smothering her lips with his, Frank reached behind him for a candle. Without pause, he dripped the hot wax over her chest. The warm coating only added to her sensitivity to touch. It was as if a million fingers roamed over her with a burning pinch. At the same time, Heck grabbed hold of her hips and plunged inside her harder, faster.
“So pretty,” Heck said, watching with gleaming eyes as Jock handed off another homemade candle, one with liquid wax pooling around the short wick.
She shivered in delight as the paraffin coat covered her skin. Planting her palms on Heck’s stomach, she squeezed her legs against his and released a heavy sigh.
Jock pinched her right nipple. Frank squeezed her left.
Now picking up his pace, Heck moistened his dry lips and released a throaty rasp. His guttural response sent her over the edge.
His back popped off the floor and he stretched his neck. His body jerked in wonderful spasm as his moans resounded like a lover’s song. “Ah God!”
She threw her head back and anticipated the coming release. Riding her new mate was like mounting a recently purchased stallion for the first time. He was unfamiliar, but obviously well trained. He’d been broke to ride, but taught to please. Now, thanks to the experience he’d gained, she would reap the rewards as he carried her to a pleasurable place at a pace they both enjoyed.
Bounty [Dominant Wolves, Submissive Mates 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5