He did nothing to help me as I pushed the material over his head. The only clues that he wasn’t as in control as he pretended was his heart. It beat rapidly in his chest and his breathing was labored.
With shaking hands I undid his belt and eased his jeans to the floor. He kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his jeans. Clad only in tight grey boxer briefs, there was no denying he was as attracted to me as I was to him.
“Am I supposed to do everything?” I asked, unsure of how to play.
He put his arms up and locked his fingers behind his head. “I can’t guarantee that I’ll stand still much longer…but for the moment, I find this interesting.” His voice was husky and it sent tingles to my dancing insides.
“Interesting?” I rolled my eyes and decided interesting was for textbooks, not seductions. I clearly needed to amp up the action.
I quickly grabbed the elastic of his boxer briefs and pushed them down. Coming face to face with one of my favorite parts of his body, I gave it a kiss and was rewarded with a harsh intake of breath. I refused to be interesting…
“Essie,” he warned. “I won’t promise to be gentle. I want you too badly.”
His arm muscles bulged and I could tell it took all he had to keep them locked behind his head. My heart pounded hard in my chest and I realized this was the first time I’d ever taken the lead and I liked it.
“I don’t want gentle,” I purred. “But if you move your hands, I’ll get dressed and leave.”
His eyes flashed. His wolf was so close to the surface, I almost took back my threat. However my inner wolf was so excited I borrowed her confidence and continued.
“Go to the couch and sit,” I instructed and waited to see what he’d do.
“Yes, ma’am.” His grin was so evilly sexy I almost knocked him to the floor and yelled “Game over.” But I held on and followed him.
He was such a beautiful man. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes roamed every inch of his body. I felt alive, sexy, naughty and very, very happy. Crawling on top of him, I straddled his legs carefully, making sure no lady parts touched any man parts. His moan unfurled a hot coil of lust low in my belly and I was unsure how much longer I could tease him.
Leaning forward, I traced his closed lips with the tip of my tongue. He tasted of man and sin. I coaxed his lips open and slowly explored his mouth. My eyes fluttered shut and my body clenched in anticipation of what I knew would happen…of what I wanted and needed to happen.
“No more,” he ground out as his strong arms trapped my body against his, crushing my breasts to his chest and my pelvis to his. “Open your eyes, Essie. See me. See what you do to me,” he demanded.
I opened my eyes and forgot how to breathe. His desire was overwhelming and matched the fire that was building inside of me. I had never wanted him more. His fingers found the spot that made speech impossible. I ground against his hand and whimpered my need. His lips captured my nipple and I arched, offering myself to him—mind, body and soul.
“I can’t wait,” he hissed as his fangs scraped my breast, sending chills rippling over my body.
“No waiting,” I gasped and I took him in my hand. He was perfect, so hard and as smooth as silk. His hands grasped my hips in an unbreakable hold as he moved me where he wanted me.
“Put me inside you,” he muttered hoarsely. His eyes were unfocused and he was close to snapping. The power I wielded over him made me bold and fearless. I guided him to me and eased my body onto his. My breath caught and I bit down on my lip as he stretched me to accommodate his girth. It was like coming home. The slight burn was painfully addictive and my body clenched in protest.
“Relax, baby,” he whispered in my ear. “Let me in.”
I teetered on the edge between pleasure and pain that excited me like nothing else and I slowly let my body accept his. Sheer excitement took the non-stop train through me as I hissed and cried out. The fit was so very tight and so very perfect. He was going to own my body and heart in the most intimate way.
The time for slow and easy had passed and his grip on my hips tightened as he moved my body up and down the thick length of him. Pleasure jolted through me as he took my nipple in his hot mouth. I contracted around his body and he swore, explaining in graphic detail what he wanted to do to me. The blood roaring in my ears made the sound of his voice a distant noise. A fullness overwhelmed me and I rocked in a sensual rhythm that was natural and age old.
“Oh my god,” I moaned. “Too much.” The sensitivity was intense and I didn’t know how much more I could handle before I detonated.
“You’re mine,” he insisted. “Say it.”
“You’re mine too,” I shot back.
“Say it, Essie,” he demanded as he increased the speed to something that would have killed a mere human. We made love like the animals that we were. The sound of our bodies rapidly joining almost sent me over the edge.
“Mine,” he growled. “Always.”
“I’m yours,” I screamed as colors ripped across my vision and my body gripped his like a vise. “Always.” Tremors shook me violently as he continued his assault.
Hank went crazy and branded my body with his need. He threw back his head and howled as he joined me in climax.
We’d had sex many times, but it had never been like this. I’d be damned if I could remember my name, much less what year it was. I shook like a leaf as I came down from the most intense orgasm of my life. He pressed soft kisses all over my face and neck as I held on to the man I loved for dear life.
It had been more than sex…we had combined who we were and became a different entity altogether. Was this what it felt like to mate? Was he my true mate?
Shockingly a need tore through me again, but it was different. My body was useless, but my desire to be even closer to him bordered on obsession.
“What’s happening to me?” I asked. I was lightheaded and my fangs had descended. All I could focus on was the tanned beautiful skin on his neck.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked as he held me at arm’s length. “There’s no going back.”
“Wait. What?”
“Essie.” He eased me off of him and walked in all his naked glory to the other side of the room. His body was taut and the veins in his muscles strained against his skin. “Our wolves want to mate. Is your human side willing to do that?” His gaze narrowed and I knew the internal battle he fought to have pushed me away. I felt it too.
He was asking me to become his. Forever. It was a silly question and I smiled. I had always wanted that. Maybe I hadn’t been ready until this moment, but there was no doubt in my mind or heart whatsoever.
“Will you be mine?” I questioned him.
“I already am,” he replied.
“I think I wanna bite you.” I grinned and held my arms out.
“Think?”
“I know. I know I wanna bite you. Sink my teeth into you and take you off the market for the rest of your ridiculously long life.”
He was on me so fast my head spun and I shrieked with laughter as he tickled me and held me close.
“I am so in love with you I can’t see straight,” he muttered against the skin on my neck.
“Me too. How do we do this? Will it hurt?”
“Considering I’ve never done it, I can’t really answer that one. Although the stories say it causes the most intense orgasm one can have.”
“Oh my hell,” I whispered as my exhausted body miraculously came back to life. “We might die from that.”
“True, but I’m willing to go down for such a noble cause.” He grinned and my tummy did a somersault.
“On three?” I said in an unsteady voice.
He nodded. His eyes were a silver blue and I knew mine matched. My body trembled and I was surprised to note his hands were shaky. I was scared, but had never felt so sure of anything in my life.
“One. Two. Three.”
He was right and then some. I shrieked at the invasion and came so hard I sobbed.
His body shook and he held me tight as we performed the ritual that bound us together for eternity. I was unsure of how much time had passed. It could have been hours or minutes. The closeness I now felt trumped what I had felt before and it awed me. Running my hands over his face and tangling my fingers in his thick hair I pulled his mouth to mine and I was complete. It was done. We lived through it…barely, and we now belonged to each other.
“Hank, what about my job and stuff? We kind of forgot to discuss the logistics.” Not that I really cared, but we should have some kind of plan.
“We’ll deal with that later. We have a mission here and the rest will work itself out,” he said as he lifted me and took me to our bed.
“I’m exhausted,” I muttered as I tried to keep my eyes open.
“Go to sleep,” he whispered in my ear. He wrapped his huge hard body around my smaller softer one and I smiled sleepily.
“Don’t leave me,” I pleaded as I slipped into sleep.
“I will never leave you, Essie. Never.”
Chapter 10
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Junior shouted joyfully from the door of our bedroom. “It’s about time.”
I shrieked and yanked the sheet up over my naked body. It was one thing to be naked for a shift with the pack. It was another thing altogether to be naked after a sex-a-thon in front of my mate’s brother.
“Out,” Hank bellowed. “And erase the image of Essie from your brain or I’ll beat it out of you.”
“No prob, baby bro-bro, but you need to get your mated asses out here. We have a situation.” He grinned, winked and left the room.
“How does he know we’re mated?” I asked as I grabbed my sundress and yanked it on.
“Scent. It’d be pretty hard to miss.” Hank smiled like a cat who’d eaten a canary and I punched him in the shoulder. “Ouch,” he grunted.
“That didn’t hurt.” I rolled my eyes and attempted to hold back my smile. “You are just full of yourself.”
“I am a very happy man.” He grabbed me and planted a big one on my willing lips. My head spun and I seriously considered making Junior wait while I exercised my new conjugal rights with my mate, but I knew he’d just barge back in.
“Come on, happy man, Junior’s got some intel.”
Hand in hand we went out to face the real world again.
The den was a wreck and Junior was taking it in with glee. My panties and bra were on the lamp and Hank’s boxer briefs were hanging off the ceiling fan… How did that happen? I quickly ran around the room and gathered all the incriminating evidence as Junior chuckled and Hank strutted around like a peacock.
“Okay,” I huffed in my professional voice and tried to pretend I hadn’t just shoved my panties in my purse. “What’s going on?”
“First of all, I want to say welcome to the family. I love you. Definitely not in the way Hank does, but like a sister. I am relieved to know that someone who could shoot my balls off while blindfolded is part of my family.”
“Um…thank you, I think,” I said as I shook my head and grinned.
Hank tossed me a bottle of water and we all sat down at the kitchen table.
“Spill it,” Hank told Junior. “Oh, and we have some prints to run on Puck Flame.”
“It’s the self tanner,” Junior said.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.
“The self tanner. I went to the agency to make sure Tina #1 wasn’t dead, which unfortunately she wasn’t, and I bought some of the stinky self tanner.” He stared at us like we should understand what he meant.
“What are you talking about?” Hank demanded.
“Oh right, I get ahead of myself,” Junior muttered. “The self tanner eliminates scent. It’s why we couldn’t track the girls who were abducted. It’s a compound with a combination of chemicals I don’t know.”
“That’s impossible,” Hank said.
“I thought so too, but I can’t identify them.”
“Junior, there is no way you are unable to identify a compound,” Hank argued. Junior shrugged and stared at the table.
“Color me confused, but why in the heck would you think Junior could discern a chemical compound? No offense, Junior,” I said.
“None taken,” he muttered.
“Do you wanna tell her?” Hank asked his brother.
“Nope.”
“Then I will,” he threatened.
“You promised,” Junior whined.
“Junior, Essie is my mate and soon to be my wife. She…”
“Wait. When did you ask me to marry you?” I demanded. “Did I miss something? Did you put a ring on my finger?”
“No.” Hank smacked his forehead and blew out an exasperated breath. “It’s common sense that we’ll get married. We live amongst humans and they’ll expect it before I knock you up.”
“Oh My God!” I screamed. “You just lost some major panty privileges. You need to ask me to marry you on your freakin’ knees and I want a big ring that’s not cubic zirconia. It needs to be romantic and it needs to be a surprise. Do you understand me?”
“Um…yes,” he said meekly. “I understand.”
“She’s gonna be one hell of an alpha partner.” Junior laughed and stood to leave.
“Sit,” Hank snapped. “You think I’d forget what we were talking about because I got my balls handed to me?”
“I was hoping so,” he mumbled.
“You tell her or I will.”
Junior sat silently and gave his brother the stink eye.
“Somebody tell me,” I insisted as I stood up. “Also, Mr. Wolfboy, we are not having kids any time soon.”
“Got it.” He grinned and slapped my ass.
Why the hell his Neanderthal behavior was a turn on was a mystery to me.
“My brother holds a masters in biochemical engineering, speaks four languages fluently and has a doctorate in engineering.”
I was stunned to silence. My voice literally wouldn’t work.
“This is exactly why I don’t want anyone knowing this,” Junior ground out angrily. “My stud factor drops dramatically when chicks find out I’m a nerd.”
“You’re brilliant?” I asked, still in shock.
“He’s off the charts for MENSA,” Hank added as Junior shot him a death glare.
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I yelled. “Junior, that is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard. Someone who looks like you with brains? Oh my god, the chicks will be begging you to mate with them. In fact, I hope you’re using condoms because once this gets out the entire pack of single gals plus all the Weres in the surrounding states are going to try to trap your butt into marriage.”
“Really?” he asked doubtfully.
Hank was looking a little put out at my excitement over his brother and I giggled. “Don’t worry, baby,” I cooed. “You have all the attributes I need.”
“You think this will help me get more babes?” Junior mulled this new information over.
For as brilliant as he apparently was, he was still a lazy, skirt-chasing good ‘ole boy.
“Yes, you will get more babes,” Hank added dryly. “Enough about that — get back to why you can’t figure the chemical compound out.”
“It flummoxed me. I recognize some of it, but it seems to have been mutated genetically. It’s quite brilliant and whoever is making it is loaded.”
“Do you think the Council is behind this?” I asked.
“Doubtful,” Hank answered. “Why would they be kidnapping their own? And what would they be doing with them?”
“One way to find out,” I muttered and pulled the offending bottle from my purse.
“I was wondering if you had any panties in your purse?” Junior asked as he laughed heartily at his own joke.
“That’s funny,” I shot back. “I was wondering if I could use your nuts for target practice.”
He shut up fast.
“I don’t like this, Essie,” Hank said tersely. “Not one bit.”
“D
on’t, Hank,” I warned. “I love you, but that doesn’t change what I do or who I am.”
He sat silently and fumed.
“Oh, two of those agency humans called and want a meeting with Hank at ten tomorrow,” Junior told us. “They want to meet in the sheriff’s office.”
“That’s when I’m supposed to be at the agency. Which ones want the meeting?” I asked.
“Peter Pyre and Paul Tinder.” All three of us snickered at the ridiculous names.
“They’re supposed to be off on assignment with some models. The timing is awfully convenient,” I muttered.
“The timing is planned,” Hank cut me off. “They’ll keep me busy while they try to take you.”
“Getting the alpha’s mate would be a coup,” Junior added.
“No one but you knows we’re mated,” I reasoned. “And why would it make any difference if they had the alpha’s mate? We don’t even know what they’re doing with the girls.”
“I can tell you this. If they’re smart enough to create that tanning compound that erases scent they aren’t just killing our girls. I would bet they’re alive and being experimented on.” Junior ran his hands through his hair and sighed unhappily.
My stomach roiled. Junior had a good point, but who was doing this? The three idiot humans?
Hank was pissed. He pulled a knife and a small transmitter out of a kitchen drawer. “Essie, this will hurt, but you’ll heal quickly. You can’t wear a wire or you’ll get busted so I’m going to put a device in your arm that will let us track you.”
“Where did you get that? We don’t have those at WTF.” It was tiny. I thought we had state of the art everything at WTF, but I was clearly mistaken.
Junior raised his hand bashfully. “I invented it. My litter of kittens kept running off and I was sick and tired of searching for them so I made it.”
I stopped short of commenting on the fact that Junior owned a litter of kittens. I was far too grateful that they would be able to track my movement.
Three Southern Beaches: A Summer Beach Read Box Set Page 27