“Huh? Found who?” Stacy still sounded like she was half-asleep.
If Gwen could have paced, she would have. But the miniscule bathroom barely had room to turn around, much less pace. And if she went out and walked the halls, she would be told, yet again, that cell phones were not permitted in the hospital. That would also leave Jax alone and unprotected with the door unlocked. So she was stuck. And since she did not want Jax to hear her conversation, she was really stuck.
“Get out of bed and wake the hell up,” she growled. “I need you.”
“Hang on a second,” Stacy mumbled. Gwen heard rustling of cloth and then silence before Stacy said, “Okay, I’m back. Now what’s going on?”
Knowing her friend would not judge, Gwen took a deep breath and started at the beginning. The only thing she left out was Jax’s shape-shifting abilities. Other than that she shared everything. Once she finished, she rolled her lips over her teeth and waited for Stacy’s verdict.
“Sounds like you’ve got yourself a wonderful man. And that your son has finally matured enough to see you as more than his mommy. So what’s the problem?”
As usual, Stacy asked the hard question. The question she had not even been able to ask herself. “I don’t know. I’m scared.”
“Scared of what, sweetie? That he’ll die on you?”
Gwen froze and could not answer. That was exactly what she had been afraid to admit to herself. The man fought fires for a living. How could she take on a man who willingly looked death in the eye every time he went to work?
Stacy began talking, sounding like the sensible woman she was. “Turn it around, Gwen. You could be in a car accident tomorrow, or next week, or ten years from now and die. But while you’re here, alive and well, I think you should take a deep breath and throw yourself off this cliff you’re peeking over. Love him and enjoy every minute you have with this man.”
Stacy’s words rang such truth in Gwen’s heart that she could not help by laugh. “I think you’re right. No one is guaranteed a long life, and if there’s one thing I learned from Patrick’s death, it was to live every day to the fullest. Thanks. You can go back to sleep now.”
“Yeah, okay, if you’re sure. But I think KJ has plans that don’t include sleep,” Stacy said.
Gwen hung up when her friend began to giggle and respond to a deep, growly voice in the background. She was just happy she could not hear was her friend was saying.
She jumped and squeaked when a soft knock sounded at the bathroom door. Opening it, she was amazed to find Jax there. He was leaning heavily against the wall, but looked much better than he had when she had come into the room several hours earlier.
“Sorry,” he said hoarsely, “but I need to pee.”
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that call would take so long. Do you need some help?” she said, stepping out of the bathroom.
He grunted and made a face as he entered the bathroom. She eased the door almost closed to give him some privacy, but waited just outside in case, breathlessly waiting in case he called for some help.
A few minutes later the door opened, and he stood wavering in the doorway. He looked pale and very, very tired. “I hate to ask this, but could you help me back to bed?”
Without a word, Gwen nodded. After dealing with Grant for the last six years, she understood a firefighter’s abhorrence of asking for help, especially from a mere woman. Stepping up to his side, only then did she notice he was naked and had peeled off all the stickers that had held the various monitored onto his body.
She slid an arm around his waist as he lifted his arm to her shoulder. They staggered to the bed, and she helped him back in. He immediately grabbed the bed controls that raised and lowered his back and legs and adjusted it until he was comfortable. “Put this back on,” she said, holding up the blue-and-white-striped hospital gown.
He stared at the gown with an expression that clearly stated I’m-too-macho-to-wear-a-dress. “Just get my boxers and T-shirt I was wearing earlier.”
Gwen tucked the sheet and blanket around him when he began to shiver then went to the closet. It was empty. Turning back, she could not keep herself from smiling even as tears began to run down her cheeks.
Jax had fallen asleep. Though he was weak, he was up and walking and appeared well on the mend after spending just a short time in his shifted form. Hopefully that healing would continue and she would be able to take him home soon. The only problem she would have then would be to keep from going into mothering mode like she did when anyone she knew was sick. Grant had stopped telling her when he was not feeling well for that very reason. With Jax, it took every ounce of willpower to keep herself from waking him up and demanding he find a safer job.
She could not do that. She could tell from the way he had looked when she got him talking about his career that he was a lifer, a man in it for the job and not the glory. When she told him he was a hero, he scoffed and said he was just doing his job. So no matter how much it might challenge her training, breeding, and beliefs, she would have to be strong and let him live his life. She would enjoy every moment they had together until there were no more moments.
Returning to the chair by the bed, she picked up his hand and brought it to her wet cheek. “As insane as it sounds, I love you, Jaxon Stanopolis.”
She startled when Jax replied softly, “I love you, too, mate. And I plan to continue loving you for a long, long, long time to come. Now get in this bed with me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I’m an injured man. I need to hold my mate and have her tell me how much she loves me while I heal.”
“All right, but no sexy stuff,” she said as she slipped off her shoes.
Jax shifted over with a grimace and small groan, but demanded she climb into bed anyway. She did so, and it took a very few minutes before they found a comfortable position with her wrapped in his arms. In less than a minute, he was asleep again.
It was then that she remembered the hall door remained locked. When she shifted in Jax’s arms to go and unlock it, he tightened his hold and murmured. So she relaxed, and though she tried to stay awake, Gwen soon followed her mate into sleep.
Chapter 11
Two days later, Gwen planted her hands on her hips and frowned at Jax. Her eyes narrowed slightly, like a gunslinger sizing up the competition, even as she fought to keep from laughing at the man’s childish behavior.
The nurses had given up on trying to keep him in bed and quiet the day before. They left it to her to try to make him see sense. She was able to keep him quiet by lying in the bed with him, something that was not approved by hospital policy though no one complained as it kept the patient in the bed where he belonged.
The doctor had been in earlier and agreed to discharge him if he took it easy for the next few days. Problem was, as a shape-shifter, he had healed completely and wanted to go back to work. Today.
When she said no, he had retreated and taken a shower. Now he stood just outside the bathroom, a very small towel slung around his hips, looking like a Greek statue come to life. He had just demanded Grant give him his uniform so he could go straight to the fire station from the hospital. Gwen had belayed that order, and Grant was caught in the middle between his mother and his friend.
Grabbing the duffle bag away from her son, Gwen motioned with her head for him to get out of the way. Things were going to get ugly, and she did not want him to be caught in the crossfire.
“You’re coming home with me or you’ll be walking to the station naked,” she threatened. “Unless you promise to come home with me and take it easy for the next three days, I’m leaving and taking them with me.”
He frowned at her then raised one eyebrow in disbelief. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Gwen smiled. He did not realize that she had been dealing with a stubborn, headstrong child for the last twenty-two years and still won nearly ninety percent of the time. The secret to her success was to never make threats she would not back up with action.
&
nbsp; “You might as well give in, buddy. She’s not bluffing,” Grant said from where he leaned against the hall door.
“I will not be treated like a baby,” Jax grumped, though she could see by the change in his stance that he was on the verge of giving up.
Gwen could not help giggling when Grant immediately shot back, “Then stop acting like one. You’ve been in the hospital. You’re lucky the chief is only making you take one shift off and not the full two weeks like the doctor wanted.”
Jax’s frown deepened as he looked from his friend back to her. “All right, but I want to swing by my place and pick up some things.”
“Not a problem,” she agreed. “And if you’re a very good boy, I might even let you play with some of my toys.” She knew her wink and grin had turned the relatively innocent offer into something much more arousing.
“Grant, get out,” he said, his gaze turning from petulant to speculative.
Once the other man closed the door behind him, Jax dropped his towel. Gwen gasped at the erection that flopped down and pointed straight at her. The head of his cock was deep red, and the long, thick length bobbed up and down with each step as he stalked across the room toward her.
In response, her body immediately heated up. Her nipples beaded to points so fast they hurt, and her pussy gushed cream, thoroughly soaking her panties.
“You’ll let me play with your toys, huh?” he asked as he stopped with his cock just an inch from her lower belly.
“Maybe. But you’ll have to be a good boy,” she said, sounding breathless to her own ears.
She sucked a breath when his fingers came between them and he began to scratch fingernails over the beads of her erect nipples. “All your toys?”
“Mmmm, we’ll see,” she whispered hoarsely, leaning forward in need of a firmer connection.
His finger continued to flick back and forth over her nipple as his eyes looked deep into hers. “And will you play with my toys?”
Feeling her smile turn sultry, she reached between them and wrapped her fingers around his cock. He pulled a sharp breath as her warm fingers began to slide up and down his hard length. “Only if you’re a very good boy,” she snarked.
“Oh, hell yeah,” he breathed as she swiped the pad of her thumb around the tip of his cock. His hips canted forward, driving his cock through her gentle hold. “I’ll be good, I promise.”
With a deep breath to strengthen her own shivering willpower, Gwen released his cock and stepped back two steps, completely breaking the connection between them. “We’ll just have to see about that. Now please get dressed before Grant begins to think we’re doing things we shouldn’t be.”
Jax’s burst of laughter as he turned to his duffle bag had Gwen’s face burning.
It only took a few minutes before Jax was dressed and ready to go. Grant saw them to Gwen’s car then kissed her cheek before taking his leave. He was to work Jax’s shift and would not be home until the next morning. They had the house to themselves for the whole day.
Jax lounged in the passenger’s seat on the ride home, looking to Gwen just like the big cat he had shifted to several times over the past days. He said each shift helped the healing process speed up. She did not mind. She found she liked cuddling with the big cat almost as she did with the man, which surprised her.
After stopping at Jax’s small apartment and helping him gather clothes, both clean and dirty, as well as a book he was reading and the cords for his computer and cell phone, Gwen drove them to her house. Once they had carried Jax’s things to her bedroom, he closed and locked the bedroom door.
When she threw him a curious look, he shrugged. “Just in case.”
He then went to the windows and angled the miniblinds so the sun could stream in, but anyone outside could not peek in on them. Feeling out of her element once again, Gwen just watched as he then toed off his sneakers, which he had worn without socks, then pulled off his T-shirt. Having watched him dress at the hospital, she knew that all he had left on were the well-worn jeans that lovingly hugged his hips, ass, and highlighted his iron rod of a cock as he pressed a hand against the soft cotton material.
Turning to her, he smirked. “For the next twenty-four hours, this is a no-clothing zone, and you’re wearing too much.”
“I was going to get a shower while you rested,” she said, suddenly unsure of her status. She had shifted into caretaker mode the instant Jax had been carried out of the building injured and was not sure how to switch back.
“How about I help?” he said, slowly closing the distance between them. “I’ll wash your back…and your front…and make sure all your toys are clean and in proper working order.”
His words, along with his lecherous expression, flipped Gwen out of caretaker mode and into that of horny woman in an instant. “I think I’d like that,” she purred.
She began to strip off her clothes as she slowly rounded the bed. Jax moved in behind her and hurried her along, his hands more sure and steady than her own as she dropped her bra before pushing her panties over her hips and down her legs.
She squealed when Jax held her in that bent-over position as he pushed his cock between her thighs. The protest turned to a moan as he pressed it between her puffy lower lips before sliding it back and forth, rubbing her just right in all the perfect places to arouse her and help her shed all hesitation.
“Fuck me, Jax,” she whimpered when he pulled his cock back.
“Shower first, sweetheart,” he said, bending and lifting her into his arms, once again impressing her with his strength.
* * * *
In the shower, they shared long, hard kisses and hot, arousing caresses as they thoroughly washed each other’s bodies from head to toe. Once they were squeaky clean and the hot water began to cool, Jax turned off the shower then grabbed a towel from the stack on the shelf beside the shower door. After swiping himself dry, he thoroughly dried his mate before combing her hair and, much to both their surprise, drying it using her blow dryer and his fingers.
“Mmmm, silky,” he said once he finished and ran both hands over the strands.
Turning her around, he pulled her close and began to kiss her neck and shoulders, reveling in the soft sounds she made as he brushed his mustache and goatee over her skin. His hard, demanding cock slipped once again between her legs to find her thighs were wet, though he had just dried them. At the same time, he covered her ass cheeks with his hands. His fingers slipped between to find the puckered star of her back hole.
“Has anyone ever taken you here?” he asked as the tip of his index finger stroked back and forth over the area in question.
He was not surprised when she shook her head in the negative.
“Would you be willing to try? We’ll take it slow and easy,” He licked at the bite mark at the base of her neck. She whined and pressed harder against his chest while pushing her ass harder into his hands. The tip of one finger pressed at her back hole just enough to have her gasping and clutching on it.
“Now?” she asked.
“Whatever my mate desires,” he murmured against the side of her neck as he lapped his way to her earlobe, which he pulled between his lips and suckled.
She did not respond, though her hands stroked up and down his back on either side of his spine. It was the same kind of petting she liked to do to his cougar when they had been in the hospital and she had been brooding.
“Maybe someday,” she breathed so softly that if it had not been for his superior shape-shifter hearing he would have missed it.
Though he would have bent her over the counter and taken her right there and then, he also knew he would have to spend some time preparing her. For now, it was enough that she expressed an interest.
“Someday it is,” he said gently.
Lifting her easily, he carried her into the bedroom. After setting her down and stripping the covers from the bed, he picked her up again. She wrapped her arms and legs tight around him while he crawled onto the bed then lay down so
they were face-to-face and resting on the mattress.
He frowned when fear passed across her expression. “Gwenalynn? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I just…what if…will you leave if I don’t ever want to…to…”
“Have anal sex?” he finished for her.
She nodded then wiggled on the bed and buried her face in his chest.
“Of course not. It is entirely up to you. And you never, ever have to worry about me leaving you, except to go to work. You are my mate, my reason to live, my reason for being. We are going to be together until we are both older than dirt, and then hopefully we’ll die together, wrapped in each other’s arms,” he assured her as he cuddled her closer and closer. “And we can get you a reserved sign for one of the barstools, and then we won’t have to be apart as much.”
Gwen did not answer verbally, but he inhaled sharply when she licked and nibbled at one nipple. When she pushed on his shoulder, trying to force him onto his back, he shifted and pushed her over instead then quickly moved to crouch above her.
After kissing her long and deep, he began to lap at her skin, slowly working his way down the center of her body. Crawling backward, he licked the line straight to the top of her slit. Pulling her legs apart, he pushed them up and back to expose her sex. Bending down, he licked from taint to entrance to clit before circling and heading south again.
“Mmmm, I do like your toys,” he said, glancing up at her arousal-pinked face.
When she tried to close her legs on him in what he could only think of as embarrassment, he pushed them farther apart and closer to her body, holding them easily as he traced the path again and again, hearing and feeling her climbing closer and closer to her peak. She seemed to reach a plateau as if fighting the orgasm. Shifting, he pushed his cock into her then leaned over her, holding her legs up and out of his way as he began to move in and out of her with strong, steady strokes.
After being hard and denied relief for days because she was afraid of hurting him, his own orgasm was close, too close to hold back for long. Needing her to come first, he slid one hand between their hips and pinched her clit between thumb and forefinger.
Cougar Desires [Cougarlicious 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7