by Brigit Aine
Kraig realized he was losing control. With a quick kiss to the naughty woman in front of him, he pulled his shoes on and went out the door.
Chapter Nine
As Kraig stepped outside of the house, he looked up and down the street for signs of anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t see, smell or hear anything that would make him suspicious and with his wolf so close, his senses were heightened enough so he would have noticed. As he walked to the bakery, he noted there was a car he didn’t recognize in the parking lot. That would be the private investigator Ethan had said would be joining them. Kraig recognized Deena’s car there too.
Walking in, Kraig scanned the bakery. He noticed even in the very short time he had been mated with Kat, he was more protective of everything, including his town. He didn’t like the fact there were strangers here, and liked even less there was trouble coming. Oh well, he supposed, better to know trouble was coming and be able to prepare for it then to get blindsided by it. He spotted Ethan, Jared and Deena with a man he didn’t know at the same table they had been at earlier. He went over and joined the group at the table, pulling up and empty chair. Shaking his head ruefully at Red who was at the counter with Cassie, the two of them not even pretending to be working.
“Kraig,” Ethan glanced up and acknowledged him. “This is Grayson, the private investigator hired by Kat’s dad. He isn’t overly fond of his employer and wishes to help us spring this trap. I think it has something to do with his own talent and not liking anyone being kept in a cage.” Ethan’s voice was low, but Kraig could hear the emphasis he was putting on the words. Grayson had something special about him, something maybe similar to what they had.
Kraig tilted his head and nodded it in Grayson’s direction. Although with the way that Grayson was watching Deena, Kraig wasn’t sure he noticed. Deena wasn’t part of Ethan’s pack but often worked with them. She wasn’t a wolf, but she was something. Computers just jumped when she was around and she could coax information out of them. Interesting that Grayson was watching her so closely. Kraig narrowed his eyes and inhaled delicately. Cat. Big cat, he thought to himself. Very curious, he thought. The man was still enough to be preparing to pounce on his prey. Deena had better watch herself.
“So what’s the plan? I want to get back to the house as soon as possible. Kat and I have some talking still to do,” Kraig said in a low voice. He saw Ethan look at him with a raised brow, but he just met his alpha’s stare and then lowered his eyes. He wanted to reassure Ethan things were fine, not challenge his alpha, especially with everything else going on. Besides, he already had hours of paperwork in front of him for his slip up earlier in the bakery.
“We are going to keep Kat at the back of the bakery, with you and Grayson. The rest of us will be scattered around the dining area. It is my understanding from Grayson that Christopher will be so focused on getting Kat, there won’t be any way he will notice an unusual amount of officers in his vicinity. I will have Red bake up some special pastries, and Cassie will be here because we want to keep the emotions to a minimum. Plus, Jared will be here and he isn’t affected by Cass, so if things for some reason are more heated then we expect, he will step in.”
“And once he is here? We have this all in place to accomplish what?”
“Well, between Red’s ‘you will leave her alone’ muffin and the chat we will have with him, we expect to never see him around here or around Kat again.”
“No.” Kraig was startled to hear Kat’s voice from behind him. He spun around in his chair and stood in one fluid movement.
“What are you doing here? You were supposed to call me if you were going to leave the house.” He knew his voice was harsh, but she had scared him to death.
* * * * *
“Calm down, you big dog,” Kat said. She wasn’t going to let him bully her. “I wasn’t going to let you plan how to ‘save’ me without being here. I have been running my own life, it felt weird to not be included in the plan to end the fear and start something wonderful.”
“Sit please.” Grayson stood up and offered Kat his chair.
“No, thank you. I’ll sit here with Kraig. I trust him. You, I don’t know.” She sat down next to Kraig in an empty chair someone had put at the table. “I know you’re here because they trust you,” she nodded toward Jared and Ethan, “but you have been chasing me for years, and I don’t want to get any closer to you then I have to.”
Kraig put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. She felt protected and she knew he would support any of her decisions. He whispered in her ear, “You should have called. I would have come and gotten you.” Then, just to re-emphasize his point, he nibbled and then blew lightly, sending shivers careening down her body.
“Behave,” she mumbled under her breath. He just smiled at her in return and turned his head toward where Jared, Ethan and Grayson were already planning.
“So now with the change in plans, let’s see what we can do to still make this come out peacefully and with the outcome we want,” Ethan was saying.
“I think we can still go with the same basic plan.” Grayson leaned forward, his eyes on Ethan, even though it was clear to everyone, he wanted to be watching Deena, since he had hardly taken them off of her since they had sat down. “It is just…Red can put ‘you will not harm her’ thoughts into what you serve him instead of ‘go away’ thoughts. With Red and Cassie, and all the muscle I know you will have here, we should be able to sit down and talk without incident.”
“Oh, that won’t be a problem,” Kat inserted. “Remember, he is a politician aiming for high things. He won’t make a stink. He may not like the outcome, but he won’t want to publically embarrass himself either.”
“Point in our favor then,” Jared broke in, “and Cassie and I will be sitting at the next table over, so he gets the full effect of her talent, just as a precaution.”
Kat turned to her friends. “I appreciate all you are doing for me. I need you to understand it is important I speak with him, and he understands I will not be a pawn and I am not weak. With all of you here, I know he will walk away.”
”Won’t be a problem. When you are done with him, his chair is going to zap him so he moves quicker,” a sultry voice said from the other end of the table. Kat glanced at the woman she presumed was Deena, their tech. “I am going to rig it up to help give him the incentive he might need to leave.” Kat could see the gleam in her eyes.
Leaning back into Kraig’s shoulder, she whispered, “What is her specialty?”
“She’s a technopath. She speaks to technology, and it gives her whatever she wants.”
“With a voice like hers, I might give her whatever she wants,” Kat said and shivered.
She heard Kraig chuckle under his breath. “Any time anyone meets Deena for the first time, what you are feeling happens. Her voice affects more than technology, but she has never used it for anything else, although the way Grayson is watching her, she may just change her mind.”
Kat felt Kraig’s hand as he trailed his fingers down and then back up Kat’s arm, tangling them in the silk of her hair at the base of her neck. He felt her sigh as he began to go up and down again.
“So,” Ethan said, “it is set and we will meet here in the morning. We will all get here at 9:30 so we are in place when he arrives at 10:00.”
Chapter Ten
The small group broke up after the meeting, taking their own plates to the counter so Red and Cassie didn’t have to wait on them. Kraig tugged on Kat’s hand and they walked out of the bakery and back toward the house. “So what do you think?”
“I think I am going to be just fine and I have never felt safer when dealing with my father. I can feel the good will everyone has, not just the five of you, but the whole town. Oh, and Grayson likes Deena, she might like him back, but she is reserving judgment and they are both thinking of moving back to town.”
“Nothing like knowing the scoop before it happens. You would like Red’s grandmother, Casey. She has
some of the same abilities you do. She doesn’t read cards though.” Kraig smiled down at Kat. “It would be good to have Deena back. She has been missed but needed to be away from all of us for a while. And Grayson would be an interesting person to have here. Tell me,” he said, as they entered the house, “what am I thinking right now?” He stood perfectly still and closed his eyes.
“You are so easy,” Kat replied, and then realized it was the truth, wondering if was because of the mating and promising to look into it at a later date, “you are thinking about how much you want to take me on the couch and push your cock deep inside of me, and…” she broke off. When he opened his eyes, he saw her frowning.
“Kat?”
“Claim me?”
“Oh yeah, before the sex we should probably talk about the wolf again. We did say we
would.”
“Let me get some wine for this. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”
While Kat went into the kitchen and poured two glasses of red wine, Kraig checked the
windows and doors, reassuring himself no one had been in the house. She came through the hallway with two glasses, walked over to the couch and set them on the table, “Come sit next to me; I know you don’t bite.” She said with a light tone. She didn’t need to be psychic to tell he was nervous about this.
“So remember we talked about the wolf and mating for life and how I love you?” Kraig knew he was nervous because it came out in a rush.
“Ummm… I remember the wolf and the mate part, but not the I love you part.”
“See, it’s like this. The wolf and the man aren’t really separable, so when the wolf said, ‘there is my mate’, the man said ‘I’m in love.’ Now the wolf wants to claim you. It’s a mark on the neck and shoulder only other shapeshifters can see so they know you’re mated. It’s sort of the wolves’ way of marrying.”
“Does it hurt?”
“I don’t think so. Why don’t you tell me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I sorta lost control of the wolf earlier in the day, and he marked you.” Kraig hung his head. He should have asked her first, but not having complete control when they were making love, the animal had taken the lead.
“Um… are you telling me we are married? At least in the eyes of the pack and your wolf?”
“I’m really sorry, Kat,” Kraig was rushing his words again and he knew it. “I didn’t mean to.”
Kat decided to take pity on Kraig. It was clear he knew she was mad. He was pacing, he hadn’t touched his wine and he wouldn’t look at her while he talked. “Come over here and sit next to me.” He tentatively approached her and sat on the couch. She scooted over until she was practically in his lap. “Let’s get the hard part out of the way. I am upset with you. This is like what Christopher did to me.” She held up her hand to forestall him jumping in. “You took advantage of me, and I want to be stronger than that now. I want to be a partner in this relationship and have some say in what happens. Even with the case being what it is, I think this is wonderful. I can’t imagine anyplace else I would want to be. The cards told me something great would happen and now I can see what an understatement that was. All we have to do is get through tomorrow morning and we can have a human ceremony and get a wedding band to match the mark.”
Kraig couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was okay with this. She wasn’t angry or upset. “I love you Kat. So much, you have no idea – and now about what I was thinking earlier.” He reached for her shoulders. He ran his fingertips lightly down her bare arms and up again, and she tilted her head up for a kiss. He lowered his head and his lips gently touched hers, just brushing them, his hands moving around to unbutton her blouse. He slowly slipped his hand inside her open shirt and first massaged one and then the other breast, perfect orbs in his hand. He brushed his palm across the tips and felt them tighten at his touch. She pushed harder into his mouth, her tongue coming out to plunge deep and play with his. She tasted like Kat, sweet and sexy all at once. His hand finished unbuttoning her shirt and he pushed it off her shoulders. He undid her sexy lace bra and let it fall to the floor. He broke the kiss, trailing his lips down her neck, feeling her shudder when he stopped to suck on the mark the wolf had placed there earlier. He felt her push into his lap, her hips moving forward. Leaning back on the couch, and bringing her with him, he moved his head lower. Latching onto a perfectly peaked nipple, he suckled at it like it was sweet honey. His hand moved to her skirt, pushing at the elastic at the waist. She moved against his fingers as they brushed at the hair on her mound. Anxious and ready, he could feel the heat rising from her. His wolf growled low, wanting a taste of the delicious scent. Moving to the other nipple, Kraig stopped and dipped his fingers into her warm core. She pushed against him, moaning and leaning back so he had better access. Just as he shoved his fingers into her, he sucked hard on the nipple he had in his mouth. She pulsed with the need he brought out in her, milking his fingers, showing him just how ready she was. He let go of her nipple.
“That was just the appetizer. Now for the main course.” He moved lower down her body, stopping to add licks and kisses across her stomach and abdomen.
“I can’t,” Kat pleaded weakly, exhausted by what she had just felt, sure she couldn’t cum again. But then she felt his mouth against her, licking up the juices she had already released. His mouth was soft and sweet, savoring each touch, and loving her with his mouth and tongue. Kraig positioned her until her head was on the arm of the sofa and one leg was over the back. He lowered himself between her thighs, nibbling gently on her clit, sucking it as he had her nipples.
“Touch yourself for me Kat,” he whispered against her. “Reach over and massage those beautiful breasts, tug on the nipples like I just did. Help me bring you pleasure.”
She was incapable of resisting as he plunged his tongue deep inside her, curling it up and hitting just the right spot, pulling it out and blowing gently where it had just been. Licking and sucking on all the right places, as she tugged on her nipples. Her whole world focused on him and then, just as he promised, he plunged his fingers into her and sucked on her clit. She came again, screaming his name. This time, he was close enough to lick the juices as they flowed out of her.
He let her lay there, his head on her stomach, while she recovered from two mindblowing orgasms. Just when she thought he may have fallen asleep, she felt him start to move up her body, his cock positioned at her opening.
“Look at me, honey,” Kraig said. “I’m going to go in hard and fast and you aren’t going to know where to go, but you just hold on tight and we’ll be fine.”
Kat nodded her head, wrapped her arms and legs around his body and waited for the ride he was going to take her on. She felt him go in all the way in one thrust. “Oh God, you feel so good,” he murmured against her neck. She trembled when she felt his breath on the mark he had made earlier. He pulled out and pushed in again.
“I’m not going to last long,” she said. She was ready to explode around the cock in her. He felt so good and she was so needy for him.
“Neither am I.” Kraig’s voice was strained from the effort of holding back. He wanted this time to be good for her too. Pushing deep, he felt her begin to quiver. He knew the next orgasm was for both of them. Pulling out almost all the way, he levered himself up on his elbows and looked down at her. He pushed in hard and fast while staring at her, the love he felt showing in his eyes. She shook around him, squeezing his cock tight and milking the cum out of it.
Exhausted, he lay there, turning on his side so he didn’t hurt her. Together on the couch, panting slightly, they fell asleep.
Chapter Eleven
Kat woke to the ringing of the phone. Getting up slowly and looking around, she could see she and Kraig had spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms on the couch. The sunlight was coming through the windows. Smiling, she stood up to answer the call.
“Yes?”
“Good morning,” Red said on the o
ther end. “I just wanted to give you an early wake up call since I figured you hadn’t set the alarm.”
Kat smiled, even though Red couldn’t see it. “No kidding. Sometime soon we will have to talk about what it really means to be the mate of a wolf, not just the part he wants me to know, but for now just know I am excited and happy to be a part of the family.”
Kat could almost feel Red’s relief over the phone. “Oh sister, we have way more to talk about. In the meantime, you have about forty-five minutes before you are supposed to be over here. Knowing our men the way I do, I would suggest separate showers.”
Laughing as she hung up, Kat glanced over to where Kraig sat. He was watching her talk and the look in his eyes said he was going to pounce on her soon.
“That was Red. We only have forty-five minutes, so whatever thought is going through your head, hold on to it and we’ll get to it later.”
Kraig chuckled. “Alright, I know you must be a little nervous to do this, so let’s get it over with so we can get on with our lives.”
Cocking her head to one side, Kat thought about what Kraig had just said. Was she nervous? She did a quick check. Smiling, she ran over and threw her arms around him.
“What is this for? Not that I am complaining, mind you,” Kraig said, as he closed his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair.
“You guys have made me feel so safe and secure in who I am and by accepting me, that I am not nervous about meeting with him. It is wonderful.”
Pulling out of his arms, she danced around the room. “I am going to go take a quick shower while you straighten up in here. Then you can clean up for the day.”
At 9:30, she and Kraig walked into the bakery. Everyone else was already there and talking quietly at a corner table. As Kat walked up to them, she could feel the excitement and protectiveness in the air. She also smelled something wonderful.
“What did you bake Red? It smells delicious. Even knowing I don’t want to eat it doesn’t turn me off.”
“Oh well, I made several things.” Blushing, Red looked down at the table.