by Rose, Dahlia
She felt Michael at her ass, already slick, to make his entrance easier. She felt his slow movement into her body and writhed against his cock, moving her hips in a seductive dance, enticing him to hurry and begin the pleasure again.
“Goddamn, baby, don’t move. You’re driving me crazy.” There was a plea in his voice.
“No, take me hard. I want it all now,” Portia said harshly. “I belong to all of you. I want it hot, sweaty, and I want to feel you come inside me.”
“Oh fuck, yes.” Brady’s words were said between gritted teeth.
He began to move again, and his cock pressed deep, making her cry out. Michael went deep and sent heat along the nerve endings and straight to her core. The rhythm was an intense one, causing a sheen of sweat to break out over her skin. Their bodies were slick, and Brady lifted her breasts to his mouth and took her nipples deep into his mouth, gorging himself on her full breasts like a hungry man. While one lover slid out, the other pounded inside her until they moved together, and she held on in the midst of the storm, pulsing deep aching thrusts that had her begging for release in between their wrenching moans of passion.
“Fall with me, please,” Portia begged.
She felt the familiar knot of her orgasm build deep within herself until she broke apart and came on a keening cry. Her release was quickly followed by both of them, and she swore that they howled in satisfaction. They stayed like that for minutes until Michael moved and went to the bathroom. She knew it was of course to get a warm cloth to soothe her body after lovemaking.
“Stay in bed, love. We’ve got to go bring in the horses. Then we can go to bed. We’ve got to be on base zero five hundred in the am,” Michael said when he returned.
Brady smacked a kiss on her lips before he rolled away to pull on his jeans. “I’ll bring you up a slice of chocolate cake to eat in bed.”
Portia settled back against the pillows and snuggled under the blankets. “Sounds yummy. You guys do burn the calories off a girl.”
Michael chuckled. “Is it no wonder why we love you, sweetheart?”
She watched them walk out and closed her eyes to bask in the afterglow of amazing lovemaking. The telephone rang, and she turned to the side of the bed to answer the cordless.
“Hello?” she said, her voice husky and relaxed.
“Hi, my darlin’ chocolate bunny, are you missing me yet because I sure miss you.” Colby’s voice was like honey whiskey on the other end of the line.
She leaned back with a huge smile on her face. “Hey, Wolfman, I do miss you. When are you coming home?”
“Soon, baby, soon,” he whispered.
Portia closed her eyes and had a conversation with the missing member of their pack. Michael and Brady had slipped silently in the room and lay next to her while she talked to Colby. Every now and then they cut in with a loud teasing comment or to ask a question to which she relayed the answer. She was their lifeline and conduit, and it made Portia feel wanted and loved. The bond between the four of them was forged forever. She wondered how she lived without them for so long.
Together in November
“You want to do what?” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the man standing in her apartment.
Malachi Gordon was big enough that he made her living room look smaller than it actually was. In the little town of Carlton River, Arizona, her house was a one level structure with two bedrooms and an airy living room. When she bought it, she knocked out the wall that led to the dining room and made it one big living space. Yet with Mal standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets, it looked like she needed to take out another wall to fit his size. He was so damn handsome even though he couldn’t see it, at least six feet four to her five five. He towered over her. The scar that cut a jagged swatch down over his right eye to his cheek was thin but still noticeable. It made him look dangerous even when is eyes were filled with kindness.
He had a mouth that could kiss her until her knees were weak, and it suited his square hard jaw perfectly. His dark hair was shaggy, and she always wondered how he was allowed to keep it that way even though he was in the military. There was a lot she didn’t know about his life, a lot she was hoping to learn. But now he stood in her house telling her he was saying goodbye. It made her heart hurt thinking about losing him before they actually had time to begin. In six months of dating when he was off duty or could come to town, she’d fallen for the big dumb ox in front of her. He was damn stupid if he thought she was giving up so easily.
He shrugged helplessly. “My job is so fucking off the wall, and there are things you don’t know about me….”
“So instead of giving me the opportunity to learn these things, you decide to come to town and break up with me?” Her voice held barely controlled anger. Mae clenched her fists at her sides.
Malachi pointed his finger and warned, “Mae, take a breath before you blow. I can see your temper rearing its head.”
“We’ve been seeing each other for six months now,” she said calmly, holding the tears back. “I’ve never asked you for more than you could give, haven’t slept with you because I felt like I needed to be more in your world before I give up the goods. But I’ve never thought of anyone else since you’ve been in my life. Hell, look at me.” She waved her hands over her body. “I’m not a proud woman by any means, but I’m damn fine, and there’ve been offers. It was all for you. Now you basically say hey no deal but it’s been fun though.”
“I didn’t say it like that. You know how I feel…” he began to say.
She looked at him shocked. “Do I really, Mal? Because I’m psychic all of a sudden or because you kiss me and I melt? You don’t let anyone behind that damn wall of yours. You want to know how I feel, Malachi Gordon? I fucking love you, you big idiot, and I refuse to let that be tossed aside.” He looked at her like she hit him with a brick. “Yeah, that’s right. That word makes you look like you’re going to throw up. This was all a game to you, huh? Play with the small town girl and then walk away.”
“Jesus, Mae, it was never like that. I don’t know how to….” Malachi’s eyes pleaded with her to understand. “I’ve been alone all my life until my unit in the military. That’s all I know. I feel things for you that I didn’t think were possible or that I deserved. But this life I can’t bring you in without you knowing.”
“Then tell me,’ she pleaded. “Don’t give up on something that can be so good.”
He gave a pained laugh. “You won’t feel the same when you know about me.”
“Freaking that’s it!” She picked up the first thing that came to her hand and threw it with precise aim. If Malachi didn’t duck he would have been clocked in the head with a ceramic vase. It shattered against the wall. “Don’t you dare tell me what I will feel. How do you know unless you give me a chance!”
“Jesus, Mae you almost hit me!” he said in astonishment.
“Well let me aim better,” she said darkly and let rage take over. “Tell me what I’m feeling now, Mal!” A lamp went flying across the room toward his head. “Get out, you son of bitch. I should have known when you came into town that you’d be trouble. So fine you want to end it go ahead. I hope it sticks in your throat each time you think of me. Because you’ll be alone and some other man will be holding what you could’ve had. Kissing, touching me like you used to, and you’ll wonder what you missed. I’ll put you out of my head forever, and I take back my love. You can’t have it any more. You don’t deserve it.”
She wanted to hurt him as much as her heart was aching right now. She saw her words pierce the wall he held up like a wrecking ball. She felt a small sense of satisfaction, but it did nothing to ease the ache in her chest. This was going to be the night when she let him take her to a new level of their relationship. She felt the lace of the lingerie against her skin like some big joke. She stood there watching him and trying to breathe past her anger. His eyes darkened and lips tightened before he turned and stormed out of her house. When the door closed, she san
k to the chair nearest to her and wept in her hands.
* * * *
Malachi pulled his black Hummer out of her driveway with a vicious turn of the steering wheel. It went terribly wrong. He gave a short laugh at his thoughts. How the hell did you expect it to go? Mae was an amazing woman, full figured and voluptuous. His mouth went dry when he stepped into the diner. She had all the right moves, the attitude that was full of spice, and he wanted her from that first meeting. Six months in they hadn’t taken a move toward a bedroom. She had explained firmly that jumping into bed with him was not an option she was willing to take. He had no problem going slow. Hell, the nights they fooled around were just as fulfilling as sex. She probably thinks I dumped her because she didn’t put out, the thought glumly. But that wasn’t the case and far from the truth. He let her go for the exact opposite. He found he’d fallen hard for Mae.
She was too good for him and that was the firm belief in his mind. His past was nothing but bad roads he took until he joined the military and Casey found him. Malachi pulled over to the side of the road and let the memories of his past assault like fists to his subconscious. He’d first shifted at seventeen. His mother screamed in terror and kicked him out. Nora Gordon called him a freak like his father. He still didn’t know who that was because she never spoke of the man other than to emotionally abuse him with teasing snippets of the man. His mother was a first class bitch, and he figured it out from an early age. She was quick to use her fist on him until he grew too big and she feared him enough not to raise her hands. But that didn’t stop her from cursing him back to the time he was planted in her womb. He heard it all. He was a botched abortion to a product of rape, so when she kicked him out calling him trash and an abomination, one thing struck him as funny. Nora Gordon actually knew a word that was bigger than her favorite four letter chant. He never even went back to find out who his father was. If the man had any decency as a parent, Malachi knew he would never have been raised by the woman he called mother.
Still, being on his own led him down the wrong side of the tracks, and the military saved him from a life of crime while the Army Beasts gave him a home. Most of the rest of them were panthers and tigers. Casey was a mountain lion while he was the only black bear. Sometimes he felt out of place. The others were sleek and fast while he felt as if he lumbered along. Still, he knew in bear form he was a formidable creature, and he was a key part to the unit who was now going private. As a human, a man in love, he couldn’t bear to see the look of terror in Mae’s eyes or disgust in her voice. So goodbye was best, even though it was killing him inside. On impulse he took his phone from the pocket of his coat and called one person who could probably understand his reasoning. The line rang once, and the growl on the other end of the line made his lips curve in a quick smile.
“What! This better be good.”
“Did I wake you, Zander? Awww so sorry,” Malachi said. The apology was of course not real. He loved busting Zander’s chops on occasion. He liked the friendship he’d formed with him. By far he was closer to him than the rest of the team even though he loved them all like brothers.
“Who is it?”
Malachi heard the sleepy voice of Zander’s wife Anya, and he grinned. He was fond of her too, and the crap she had to deal with since her change hadn’t broken her. In fact it seemed to strengthen her and the bond she shared with Zander. He envied all the men in his team who had now found mates, and it seemed he was destined to be the only one alone. That thought left a feeling of despair in his chest.
“It’s Mal, baby, go back to sleep. I’m going to step into the den,” Zander said to her and then spoke into the phone. “This better be good, Mal. Did you call me because you couldn’t sleep or something because I will hunt you down.”
“No…I broke it off with Mae,” he said.
“Shit she left you. Sorry, man,” Zander replied. “It’s a tough break. I know you had feelings for her.”
“You’re getting it wrong. I broke up with her,” Malachi explained.
There was silence before Zander spoke again. “Why’d you do a fucked up thing like that?”
“Because I love her,” he stated.
“Ok, let me get this straight. I’m hoping that my brain is intentionally losing the gist of this, or I’m still half asleep,” Zander said. “You love her therefore you left her, and you’re calling me to tell me about it.”
“That’s about right,” Mal said. “It’s tearing me up, man. If you saw her face… She threw things at me. It was brutal.”
“You wanna know why it’s bothering you?”
“Yeah why?”
“Cause you’re a moron!” Zander yelled into the phone and made him wince. “Why would you leave a woman who obviously cares for you, you big dumb buffoon!”
“Hey now, let’s not be calling me names. I will come kick your ass,” Malachi said. “I thought you’d understand.”
“Sure you can come try that and see who wins because I’d like to kick your ass right now too,” Zander snapped. “Why would you think I would understand this? Oh, you want me to say poor Mal, it was a hard road you had to walk, so I see why you left the woman who would freaking walk over coals for you. Forget that, buddy. You did the most idiotic thing ever. We all walked that road you are on. Hell, I think I was in way more trouble than you ever were. Get over the past and move the fuck on.”
Malachi listened to Zander’s harsh words dumbfounded. “You’re a fine one to talk, Zander. You were the poster boy of dysfunction a few months ago.”
“Hell yes I was, and I had to learn to let it go, and Anya was the key.” Zander sighed. “Shit, Mal, a woman’s love is a powerful thing, and each day I look at her and think of how lucky I am. I want to see you happy too, and Mae is the one. When you finally told me about her I could see it in your face that you loved her. Why would you take that away from either one of you?”
“I’m a bear shifter. Did you forget about that?” Malachi said harshly. “I show her the truth and she’ll run as fast as she can in the opposite direction away from me. Look at how my mother acted when she had me. I don’t ever want a kid of mine to feel that kind of hurt.”
Zander snorted. “And you think Mae is that kind of person? Malachi, I know you if she had a trace of hatefulness in her you’d have been gone a long time ago, and you wouldn’t be calling me. From what you’ve told me your mother was worse than a wolf mother who eats her young. You called me for my opinion, so here it is. Go back and grovel at Mae’s feet until she takes you back, and love the hell out of that woman. Bring her home to meet the rest of the wives and let her be a part of this family. You don’t have to be alone.”
“You think I should, huh?” Malachi asked quietly, contemplating everything Zander said.
“In the end it’s your choice, bro. But if you don’t, you’ll wonder for the rest of your life if she was the one who got away,” Zander was solemn when he spoke.
“She told me in no uncertain terms that some other guy would be doing things to her body that I hadn’t. I wanted to beat the unknown man with my bare hands,” Malachi admitted. “And she threw things at me.”
Zander laughed. “I like her already. If she takes you back then you can stop waking me up in the middle of the night and getting me out of bed with my hot wife.”
“Ok, first time it ever happened and you did the same to me when you had insomnia slash pre-wedding jitters. I got up and drove with you to some burger joint,” Malachi pointed out.
“You didn’t complain at the time and ate like twelve burgers,” Zander said.
“Four, and you hogged the fries,” Malachi shot back.
“Good times though.”
Malachi grinned. “Yeah, I’ll let you know how it turns out one way or the other.”
“Sounds like a plan, good luck.”
Malachi pressed the disconnect button on his touch screen phone and stuck it in the dashboard of the car. It was past seven, and the sun had gone down enough that the woods wer
e darkening with shadows. Mal knew this would not just a matter of telling her. Knowing Mae she would kick him out of the house before the words bear shifter were fully past his lips. He loved her quick wit, the way her full lips were always willing to smile or pout even though she denied that she did it. Her eyes were light brown which was a striking contrast to her ebony skin. She kept her dark hair up in a ponytail when she was working. With him it was always down around her shoulders. He knew she did it to look pretty for him. In his opinion, she never needed a dash of makeup or lipstick. Mae was perfect just as she was. Once he came to see her, and she had it in two pigtails on either side of her face. Recalling how sexy she looked and how much he wanted to ravish her made his temperature climb a few notches.
There were hiking trails in the woods, and he pulled his car into one of the gravel parking lots that the conservation reserve boasted for its patrons. Luckily, it was a small town and there wasn’t any security. The bliss of living like the horrors of the outside world could never take place was one of the reasons he liked coming to Carlton River. If she took him back after his stupidity maybe they could settle here. It was close enough that he could get to the unit in cases of emergencies or a mission. That was if she didn’t hit him with a bat. Zander was right. He would have to tell her the truth, show her his secrets and let the chips fall where they may. She’d asked him to give them a chance, and he had said no. Now it was time for the black bear to face his biggest foe—the wrath of Mae Thorne. Malachi found himself wishing for a bad guy behind a fifty-caliber gun instead of her icy stare. Mae would be brooding out in her yard sitting on the wooden swing she had. It was one of her rituals that he also liked, sitting outside after dinner and watching the stars come out in the sky.