by Lacey Thorn
“She bit him.”
I had to hold back a laugh again. She’d most likely been afraid her overprotective brother would try and stop them from mating. I didn’t blame her one bit. I’d done the same with Cecilia. I’d bitten her without explaining anything about what I was and what we were to each other. I’d only thought of starting the bond, so she couldn’t leave me. Yeah, I understood Bee completely.
“He’s her mate. I vividly recall the night you met your mate. It didn’t take you long to initiate the mating between the two of you. Do you really blame Bee?”
Bas sighed. “You’ve got a point,” he conceded. “Call me when you get there and give me your impression of his mom.”
“Will do.”
“And, Simon…”
“Yes?”
“Congratulations. From what Hannibal said about his sister, she sounds like quite a handful. Sounds like she’ll keep you on your toes.”
I grinned. She already was. “Seems like it.”
Bas disconnected, and I removed the earpiece, dropping it back in the console pocket.
“What happened the night your alpha met his mate?”
Cecilia’s voice had me glancing her way. She sat up, twisting her body while she worked out the kinks from falling asleep in the car.
“Did I wake you up?”
She shook her head. “Answer the question, Simon.”
“Bas’ mate didn’t like the idea of her pack offering her to Bas in exchange for the James Pack stepping in and absorbing the Rigton Pack.”
“Offered her to him? I don’t blame her. That’s archaic. Do wolf packs really do that?”
“Once upon a time but not so much anymore. The Rigton Pack lost their alpha in an accident. His truck overturned and caught fire. He didn’t make it out. He was Raina’s brother.”
Cecilia sat up, crossing one leg under her as she turned toward me. “Raina is your alpha’s mate.”
“Yes. She took exception to her pack’s decision and went to a bar to let off steam and decide whether or not to run. Her father called Bas, and we headed to the bar to make sure she stayed. You could have cut the sexual tension between those two with a knife. She basically told him to fuck off then shifted and ran into the woods.”
“And?” Cecilia prompted when I paused. She was completely enthralled with the story.
“And he followed. The next time I saw them, they were both naked. She was passed out in his arms. I held a blanket out for them. He wrapped her in it. They got in the car, and I drove them back to the house.”
“That was all it took? He chased her into the woods. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am, and she was fine?”
My mate looked disappointed.
“No such luck for him. She ran a second time. Whatever was holding her back from the mating was worked out when he found her again. Once again, they were naked when I showed up. I held up another blanket and drove them back to the house. She’s good for him. She doesn’t let him get away with anything. And she makes him happier than I’ve ever seen him.”
“They love each other.”
“Yes.” It was what I hoped would happen for us. I wanted Cecilia to love me. Hell, I was already halfway to being in love with her as it was. “Tell me more about you. You said your mom walked out one day. Did you ever try to find her?”
Cecilia glanced away, watching out the window as I drove. I wasn’t sure she was going to answer.
“No.”
One syllable but so much emotion conveyed in it. I reached over and took her hand with mine, twining our fingers together and giving hers a squeeze. She glanced over, flicked her gaze back out toward the passing scenery and kept talking in a voice so rife with pain, I was hard pressed not to pull over and take her in my arms, instead.
“When I think about having children, I can’t imagine a greater joy than carrying this little piece of me…” She paused as she glanced at me again. “Of me and you inside my body for forty weeks. Feeling this new life grow from a tiny seed to a tiny human, or I guess shifter in your case or our case. You know what I mean.”
“Have to admit the thought of you carrying our baby makes me eager to get you pregnant.”
She laughed. “We can talk about that later. My point was the emotion I feel when I think about it. The pure joy that fills me up inside. I’m not a mother, yet the thought of being one brings nothing but complete joy.”
“I want children, too. I think I’ll be a good dad.”
“I think you’ll be an amazing dad. Look at how you saved me.”
I squeezed her hand again. “I’ll always protect you. I know it’s too early for you to believe me, but I’m going to love you with all I am for the rest of my life. There will never be another woman for me.”
“I want that. I want the husband, the kids, the dog. Though, I guess in my case, the husband and the dog are all rolled into one.”
“What the hell, woman! I’m not a dog!”
“Dog. Wolf. Same species, right?”
I growled, and Cecilia’s giggle filled the car.
“Anyway, the point is, I want it all.”
“I’ll give you anything you want,” I vowed, but I thought I knew what she was getting to.
“I’ll get it all for myself, Simon.”
“We’ll get it,” I corrected.
She opened her mouth, probably to argue, then nodded instead.
“What if my mother had thoughts like that before she had me? What if she wanted it all then got it and found out she wasn’t cut out to be a mother?”
Meaning she worried she would decide she wasn’t cut out to be a mother, too.
“Your dad stayed,” I reminded her, and the worry on her face was replaced with a smile.
“Dad never seemed to miss a beat. He was a deputy sheriff, made sure I got to school on time and was there to pick me up. Hell, I spent as much time hanging out at the station as I did at our house. He went to every event I had in school. He was overprotective and at times overbearing. Still is, but he loves me unconditionally. He’ll like you.”
“I hope so.”
“Simon.”
“Yes?” I brought her hand to my mouth and brushed a kiss across her knuckles.
“Don’t let me leave.” Her voice was small and rife with fear. I turned off the highway and pulled into the first place we came to. I shoved my seat back, unclipped both our seatbelts, and tugged her across so I could hold her in my lap. I took her mouth, needing the taste of her on my tongue. I held her hip with one hand and stroked my other palm up and down her back. I only let her come up for air when she was moaning and wiggling against my erection.
“Do you really think you have to worry about me letting you leave?” I teased.
She smiled and shook her head. “Why am I so comfortable with you so quickly? I don’t really know you, but I feel like I do.”
“You’re my mate, and the bite I gave you is building a bond between us. It’s a connection unlike any other.”
“Does that make it real then? Or did your bite make me feel this way?”
It took me a minute to realize she wasn’t accusing me of anything but merely asking a question out of curiosity.
“I can’t make you feel things you don’t. I can’t force a connection that wasn’t meant to be. The reason you’re responding to it is because we’re mates. It’ll only get stronger between us.”
I dropped another kiss on her mouth. “Now, back to your original fear. Cecilia, your father never left, and you’re just as much a piece of him as you are your mother. Have you ever once thought of leaving him?”
“No, of course not.”
“There you go. You’re not a leaver. A runner, maybe,” I teased. “But that’s okay. I’ll chase you if that’s what you want.”
“See!” she exclaimed. “Just like a—”
“Don’t say it!” I commanded. “Don’t even think it.”
My mate giggled again. It was fast becoming one of my favorite sounds. She ran her
fingers up the back of my neck into my hair and tugged my lips down to hers. It wasn’t lost on me that it was the first time she’d initiated a kiss between us. I let her take the lead until my control snapped. Then I took her under, eating at her mouth until we were both gasping for air. I glanced around, desperate to find someplace I could take her. Someplace I could strip her naked and sate the hunger I had for her.
“Not yet,” she whispered, brushing her lips along my jaw. “The next time we make love, it’ll be in my bed.”
I groaned, dropping my head back against the headrest. I glanced at the GPS. We still had a couple of hours to drive. I might make it that long. Emphasis on might. I slapped her on the butt, making her squeal with surprise.
“Get in your seat, baby, and let’s get back on the road. Your house first,” I commanded. “Then, once I’m done with you, we’ll go see your dad and Leslie.”
Chapter Six
~Cici~
I grew more aroused the closer we got to my house until I was nearly taut with need as Simon pulled my Jeep into the garage. He’d barely put it into park before I was up and practically sprinting in through the adjoining door. My shirt was over my head and tossed somewhere in the kitchen as I beelined for the bedroom.
“Cici?”
I squealed as my dad’s voice sounded from my living room. I immediately started backpedaling, hoping to find my shirt as quickly as possible, but met a warm wall of hard flesh instead. A growling wall. Simon. I was lifted and placed firmly behind his wide body as the light flipped on and my dad stood there with lifted brow as he stared at us.
“I put your mail on the table and was leaving when I heard the garage. Thought I’d wait and see how things went. I see you brought company with you.”
My dad was obviously not going anywhere until he knew more. Usually, I didn’t mind his overbearing, protective mode. But right now, I was desperate to get the man in front of me stripped naked and do incredibly wicked things to him.
Simon growled again and took a step forward. I wrapped around his back, hands across his chest while my breasts pressed against the middle of his back.
“Simon, that’s my dad. Not exactly the way I wanted to introduce the two of you, but I’m adaptable. Dad, this is Simon. Now, I’d like to step in the other room and…” I paused, clearing my throat with embarrassment, “get my shirt. You’ll both wait until I’m back in this room to say anything. And stay in your respective corners.”
I knew it was too much to ask and wasn’t surprised when I heard my dad questioning Simon as I flipped on the kitchen light and found my shirt on the floor.
“Who are you, Simon? And why are you following my daughter into her house while she disrobes?”
Oh, God! Could this get any more embarrassing?
Simon laughed. “I’d think that would be apparent. You’re lucky I didn’t catch up to her when she tossed the shirt or you’d have been greeted with the sounds of the two of us—”
“Simon!” I squealed his name as I hurried back to them, tugging my shirt in place as I did. Without thought, I reached out and smacked him hard on the arm. “That’s my dad!”
“I know who he is,” Simon offered with a grunt before lifting my hand and inspecting it. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”
It was my turn to growl, and though I wasn’t a shifter, I thought I did a passable job of sounding like my mate. My mate.
“Simon’s my mate, Dad.”
My dad’s gaze sharpened, but he only nodded as if he’d already known that. Was it possible that he did?
“Did she have a choice, or did you force the mating?”
Simon growled again, and I was right there with him.
“What the hell, Dad!”
Simon spoke over me. “I initiated the mating before she understood what was going on.”
My dad took an aggressive step forward, and I knew I had to take control.
“Dad, knock it off. Simon, stop being so dramatic.” I stepped between them which was laughable. Even with my training, they were both so much larger than I was. They could easily move me out of the way. But I was determined it would take a lot of effort for them to do so.
“Dramatic?” my mate questioned, looking offended by my comment.
“Forced? Seriously? We were making out, and you bit me. Which, at the time, gave me the best orgasm of my life.”
“Jesus, Cici!” my dad groaned as he closed his eyes and shook his head.
“What?” I snapped. “You know what you interrupted, and yet, you’re still here, so you get what you get!”
Simon snickered. “Has she always been so headstrong and stubborn?”
“Always,” my dad agreed, and damn them, they appeared to be commiserating with one another now.
“Well, isn’t this nice?” I snapped and turned to stomp away.
Simon wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him, dropping a kiss on my lips when I glanced up at him with surprise.
“Stop that,” he ordered. “We’ll get to what we planned eventually.” He leaned close so he could whisper in my ear, “I promise to make it worth the wait.”
That purring tone skated down my spine and settled in my core, causing a flow of liquid need to coat my sex. Still, there was that little niggle of sanity that questioned how I could want a man I’d just met with such a devastating need. A need that skewed my focus to everything but him. I craved his touch as if I were starving without it.
“I think I’ll see myself out now,” my dad offered while trying to hide a smile. “I can see my girl’s in good hands. We’ll talk more tomorrow. Why don’t the two of you come over for breakfast? We’ll spend the day together.”
I stepped away from Simon and into my dad’s tight hug. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you.” He kissed the top of my head, and I felt him share a look with Simon. Wasn’t that a weird thought? How could I feel a look? Yet, I’d swear I did.
Dad stepped back, squeezing my shoulders before dropping his hands to his sides. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.” He paused in the process of turning toward the door. “One thing first. Is Hannibal on his way back, too?”
I glanced back at Simon as I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I knew my brother had found his mate, but he hadn’t said anything to me about when he was coming back here. Or if he was.
“Hannibal is mated to my alpha’s sister,” Simon answered. “If he comes back, I’m sure it will be temporary.”
My dad nodded. “Both of our kids finding mates in the same pack. Leslie will be ecstatic. I assume your alpha won’t be opposed to us visiting?”
“You’d both be welcomed,” Simon assured him.
Dad nodded again. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.” He cleared his throat as he crossed to the front door and opened it. “Have a good evening.”
He stepped out, pulling the door shut behind him as he did. Simon crossed the room, flipped the locks then turned to lean against the wall. “I wonder how much it cost him to wish us a good evening?”
I giggled. Then shrieked as Simon moved forward then tossed me over his shoulder, his hand landing a firm slap on my ass as he carried me toward the hall.
“Bedroom?” he demanded.
“End of the hall,” I answered, already anticipating the hours ahead.
Simon sat me on my feet inside the door then turned the light on, using the dimmer switch to keep the illumination soft.
“Now, where were we before your dad interrupted?”
I whipped my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. “Look familiar.”
“God, yes,” he crooned, reaching out and cupping me through the lace of my bra. His thumbs brushed back and forth over my nipples, and they ached for a firmer touch. Either his fingers or lips would do. I wasn’t picky at the moment.
“Simon,” I begged, and with a husky chuckle, he grasped my waist and lifted as he lowered his head and sucked me through the sheer material.
I clung to him, automatically w
rapping my legs around his waist and grinding over his erection. He dropped one palm to cup my ass and help me rub against him. The other hand gripped my hair tight, tilting my head back. I reached back and unclasped my bra, needing to feel him skin-to-skin. He lifted his mouth to my neck as I twisted and tossed my bra away. Then he found my lips, taking me under, getting me so lost in his taste and the promise of pleasure that I didn’t realize I was naked until his fingers slid between my naked thighs, zeroing in on my needy clitoris.
“You’re so wet,” he murmured at my ear.
“Yes,” I agreed, wanting more, needing more. “I need you. Inside me. Please.”
With a groan, he carried me to the bed, dropping me then staying on his feet long enough to shuck his jeans. He was quickly back between my thighs, powering deep with one hard thrust. My nails sunk into his biceps as I urged him to move faster. I lifted my legs to clasp his hips and moaned as the change in angle allowed him to sink even deeper.
“Fuck,” he growled.
“Yes. Fuck me. Hard. Fuck me hard.”
I arched my head back on the pillow, moans of pleasure spilling unhindered from my lips. Nothing had ever made me feel as amazing as sex with Simon did. Mates. We were mates, though I still wasn’t completely sure what all that meant. It didn’t matter though. Simon was mine.
“You won’t leave me?”
“Never,” he vowed, lifting his head from my neck to meet my gaze. “We belong together. Mating is forever. This bite.” He licked over the spot, sending shivers coursing through me. “It marks you as mine and only mine.”
“I can’t mark you,” I whispered, and that fact was really starting to bother me. “I’m human.”
“It doesn’t matter, Cecilia.”
But it did to me. I wasn’t sure if I could break his skin, but I knew I could mark him. Leaning up, I picked my spot on his chest and licked over it. Once the taste hit my tongue, I couldn’t stop. I found my way to his nipple and took it in my mouth, sucking on him the way he did me. The groan he gave, as well as the shudder that went through him, let me know he liked it. I went wild, grabbing and rolling with him so that I was atop. I sat up, increasing his depth, and my breath caught in my lungs.