by Sadie Carter
“Thank God,” he whispered before leaning down to kiss her lovingly. Then he placed the garish ring on her finger as tears escaped down her cheeks.
“Hey, no crying. The big, bad wolf is gone now. He can’t hurt you anymore.” He wiped her cheeks with his thumbs.
“It’s not that, I wouldn’t waste tears on him. These are happy tears.”
“Ahh.” He grinned. “Well, good.”
He took her mouth with his, his hands almost shaking as he began stripping her shirt off.
“Jay,” she whispered, trying to sound stern. She grabbed his hands. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He grinned, devilish glee filling his face. “Just taking what you offered before,” he whispered as he cupped her breasts. His thumbs circled her nipples until they strained against the lacy bra confining them.
She whimpered.
“Shh now, baby.”
She watched as he tugged his jeans and boxers down. Yum. It didn’t matter how often she saw him naked, he still had the power to leave her breathless and aching.
“Hmm, aching?”
She blushed, realizing she’d spoken aloud.
“Poor baby, shall I kiss it and make it all better?” He began kissing down her jaw.
“Uh-huh.”
“Does it hurt here?” He kissed the sensitive crease between her neck and shoulder.
“Umm,” she moaned as he reached down and cupped her mound, teasing her.
“What about here?” His mouth moved to her collarbone.
“Y-yes.”
“What about here? Are these hurting, my love?” His free hand cupped her left breast, holding it up so he could kiss her nipple through her bra. She whimpered as her other nipple received the same treatment.
“Hmm, these seem very sore, my love, let me kiss them all better.”
“Oh yes.”
He showered her breasts with attention as she bit her lip to hold in her cries.
Suddenly, she found herself turned, facing the wall. Jay pushed on her shoulders.
“Bend over. Place your hands on that crate.”
She did as he ordered, reaching down to rest her hands on the wooden crate before her. Jay moved her feet apart, splitting her legs wide.
“Hurry up, before someone comes looking for me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His legs brushed up against the back of her thighs before he entered her slowly, pushing inside her, filling her bit by delicious bit.
Once he was fully seated within her, he paused, letting them both get used to the heavenly delight. Then he moved.
Hard. Fast. Explosive.
He held her hips, keeping her still as he drove her higher with each deep plunge. She clenched her teeth, fighting back orgasm, trying to hold on to some semblance of control. But it was useless. He was never going to let her hold back from him. Ripples of release slammed through her, stealing her breath, robbing her mind.
Jay lifted her, so her feet were completely off the ground. She forgot where she was, forgot about remaining quiet as he drove into her again and again. Then Jay slammed into her, stiffening, letting out a low groan of satisfaction.
Breathless, Cassie would have collapsed if he weren’t still holding her up.
“Wow,” she panted.
“Yeah,” he replied, equally as breathless.
She wiggled in his hold until he set her down. Turning, she sat on the crate, yelping as the rough wood scraped the tender skin of her bottom. She jumped back up and tugged on her jeans.
“How loud were we?” she asked, blushing.
Jay chuckled. “I wasn’t loud at all. You were the one screaming.”
“Oh Lord.” She covered her face with her hands, mortified. “I can’t go back out there.”
He tugged her hands from her face before leaning in and kissing her. A leisurely, tender kiss that had her toes curling. She swayed as he let her go.
“You’re much braver than you give yourself credit for. Not many would stand up to my brother. If you can do that, then you can easily go back out there and finish your shift.”
She smiled at him. “I guess you’re right.”
“I know I am.” He turned and gave her a small push.
“Get moving, wench.”
Chapter Eleven
“Oh man, that was the longest shift ever,” Cassie complained as they climbed into bed that night. “Was it my imagination or was everyone staring at us?”
“Your imagination. Well, mostly.” He winked at her, and she blushed.
“Jay, what were you talking about when you told Reed about petitioning advisors?”
“I’d like to petition the pack advisors for you to be accepted as a full packmate. It means you’d truly be part of the pack, you would be included in everything, be allowed a voice, be able to contribute.”
“Who are these advisors? And why did you never mention this to me?”
“Well, we have a temporary setup at the moment, with the enforcers acting as the advisors, Laney too. When Cooper took over the pack, he got rid of any advisors Zachary used. They were corrupt.”
“Cooper doesn’t vote?”
“Well, yeah, he can have the final vote if necessary, but he generally only votes if there’s a tie.”
“Great, that’s great.”
“Don’t worry, everything will be all right. We’ll win, I know we will. I didn’t tell you because I had to check with Cooper first. I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case he said no. It’s up to you, though. We don’t have to go back to the pack at all. We can join another pack.”
When he’d declared that he was willing to leave the pack for her, she’d felt a weight shift from her. Despite his reassurances, she’d still been worried about living with the pack. She would never have made him choose.
But to know he’d choose her—it was everything.
He rolled onto his side, resting his head on his hand as he peered down at her.
“You have a family, Jay, a family who loves you. I’d kill to have that. I’m not going to let you simply throw that away. I trust you. I trust that you’ll always be there for me. If I’m miserable or unhappy, I know that we can work together to fix it. I haven’t changed my mind. I’d still like to try to live with your pack. Let’s petition the advisors and see where things go from there.”
“God, you’re amazing.”
She sighed. “If only there was some way you could change me into a werewolf, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
He gazed at her silently before leaning down and taking her mouth in a kiss so intense he almost swallowed her whole. When he pulled back, she leaned forward, trying to recapture the oblivion of that kiss. It took her a while to realize he was talking.
“That is…the most selfless thing anyone has ever offered to do for me. You amaze me, Cassie. Thank you.”
“I was serious. If I could, I would.” She stared at him, wondering why he couldn’t meet her eyes. “But there’s no way, is there? Werewolves can’t change humans.”
“Baby, even if I was allowed to change you, I would never put you through that.”
She frowned. “Wait, what do you mean, allowed? It’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“Not impossible, just dangerous and forbidden. See, when the packs came out, the Alphas all had to swear that they would never allow a human to be changed. It’s a law that is policed by the packs, and it means instant death for the werewolf who breaks it.” He swept his hand over her hair.
“Apparently, it’s very traumatic, with few successes. I wouldn’t risk your life to change you. There’s no reason for it. We can still do anything we desire with you as a human.” He placed a hand on her stomach. “Including having children.”
She took a deep breath.
“I never thought about having children.”
“I’ve thought of it,” he said huskily. “I’ve dreamed of you pregnant with our child. And none of our children will ever feel alone or abandoned or rejected or worried that they don
’t have their parents’ love.”
“How many kids are we talking about here?”
“Oh, half a dozen or so.” He grinned. “Much as my brothers annoyed me growing up, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Cassie bit at her lower lip. “Hmm, speaking of siblings, it turns out I may not be an only child.”
“What do you mean?”
“Are there other, umm, beings like you?”
“There’s no one like me.” He smacked a kiss on her lips, laughing as she took a fake swing at his head.
“I don’t mean that. I mean, are there other beings besides werewolves?”
He stilled. “Why would you ask that?”
“There’s something I haven’t told you.”
He didn’t speak, but his eyebrows rose.
“After my talk with Reed, this guy sort of, well, appeared. I’ve met him twice before. His name’s Brynn. He introduced himself when I first got here, but when Josh arrived, he disappeared. Josh never saw him, and I didn’t think I would see him again. Anyway, he turned up again after Reed had given me his little spiel about how I should leave you. It was really weird. He was giving me advice on what to do. He told me I had to stand up to Reed or your brother would walk all over me.”
“What did he look like?” Jay demanded.
She described him.
“And you think he’s your brother?”
“Well, he told me we had the same father. Weird huh?”
“What makes you think he’s not human?”
“He’s always just appearing and well, disappearing. And the way he moves, it doesn’t look right. It’s like he doesn’t walk, he glides. He was beside me one moment then two yards away the next, and I never saw him move. And he knew that you and Reed are werewolves, in fact, he seemed to know quite a bit about werewolves.”
“Really?” Jay’s voice was serious. “If he was a werewolf, I would have caught his scent on you.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he’s a werewolf either. His touch is really cold, I’m pretty sure if I was that cold, I’d be dead. If anything, you guys tend to run hot, not cold.”
“Can you think of anything else?”
She shook her head. “Not really, but sometimes I’ve had this feeling of being watched.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about him earlier?” he scolded.
“There was a lot going on,” she replied defensively.
He reached for his phone. Cassie sat up beside him, listening as he had a curt conversation with his brother.
“Reed doesn’t have any idea who or what he is,” Jay explained as he closed his phone. “But he said he’ll be on his guard.” He ran his hands through his hair, sending it into disarray. “We have to leave soon, and we’ll need to be careful he doesn’t follow us.”
“I don’t think he’s a threat to me. Why would he help me if he meant me any harm? And why would he claim to be my brother and then try to hurt me?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t like the fact that he’s been watching you. I can’t take any chances with your safety. Is there anyone who would remember your father? Is he listed on your birth certificate?”
She shook her head. “My mother would never answer any questions about him. Someone else in Landon might remember him. Mom lived there her whole life. It’s not exactly a large place. Everyone knows everyone else’s business.”
“Wouldn’t someone have told you about him, then? Spoke about him?”
She frowned. “You’re right, they would have. Still, I’ll ask around anyway. It’ll give the gossipers something to talk about, me trying to find my dad.” She sighed.
“How come you never left Landon?”
She shrugged. “I always wanted to. But then mom got sick in my last year of high school. I’d always worked in the school library, it seemed logical to move into a job at the public library. The money wasn’t great, but it was enough to take care of mom and myself. Then when she died, well, I guess I was too scared. I had nobody, at least in Landon I knew everyone. There are nice people who live there too.”
She tugged him down until he lay next to her, then wiped the frown lines from his forehead.
“Let’s worry about figuring this all out later, okay?” She dragged his hand to her breast, her nipple stiffening instantly.
His gaze was immediately drawn to her naked body.
“You’ll tell me straight away if you feel as though you’re being watched, or if you see him again.” It was more an order than a question, but she replied anyway.
“Uh-huh.” She thrust her chest up, pushing her breast against his hand.
“Insatiable little thing, aren’t you?” he murmured, his voice thick.
She reached down and lightly stroked his half-erect cock. “Is that a complaint?”
“Hell, no,” he gasped as she ran her thumb over the head of his cock, dipping slightly into his slit. She started to slide down his body, but he halted her, his hands holding her shoulders.
“Don’t you want me to?” She licked her lips.
“Oh yeah, I want. Roll onto your back, though.”
She rolled over, and he knelt over her, his cock above her mouth.
She leaned up and licked his balls. He moved back with a shout.
“Don’t move.” He stared at her sternly. She giggled unrepentantly.
“You let me do the moving, Cass, you just—”
“Lie here with my mouth and legs open? I think I can manage that.”
He grumbled, and she laughed again.
He guided his shaft down to her mouth, running the head over her lips until she opened them. He slid into her mouth.
She let him set the pace. Her hands cupped his balls, squeezing. Her thighs rubbed against one another, trying to alleviate some of her own arousal.
“Shit, shit, shit. That feels so good, Cassie, you wouldn’t believe.”
She used both hands to grab his ass, cupping, massaging.
He let out a guttural groan. “I’m gonna come.” She pulled him in closer as he came with a shout. She smiled, and as he withdrew, she grabbed the base of his shaft, holding him still so she could have a last, lingering lick of his, again, half-erect cock.
He rolled back onto the bed, breathing heavily, a light sheen of sweat covering his body. She rolled over and played her fingers over his nipples. He laid his large hand over hers, stilling her movements.
“Ahh, babe, I could die a happy man.” Leaning up, he took her mouth in a sweeping kiss.
“You’ve worn me out.” He closed his eyes and lay back. “I think I need a nap to recover.”
She whacked his shoulder. “Tease.”
His face remained expressionless, eyes still shut as he spoke. “You know how to take care of yourself, don’t you?”
She let out a startled bark of laughter. “Jerk.”
He rolled onto his side, moving her onto her back. “In fact,” he teased, grinning. “Why don’t you give me a little show?” He lifted her hips and placed two pillows beneath them, spreading her thighs. Then he lay on his side across the bottom of the bed, his head positioned for prime viewing between her legs.
“Don’t you want to come?” he asked her innocently when she didn’t move.
Jay lay there gazing at his gorgeous mate. Her skin gleamed. He ran his hand over her leg, loving the smooth feel of her against his calloused palm. In his world, he was frequently surrounded by danger, darkness, and intrigue. As an enforcer, he often saw the worst in others. But Cassie was sweet and good. She had fast become his shelter. When he was with her, he could relax and be himself.
She didn’t see herself as he did, didn’t see herself as beautiful. He was determined to work on that, though. Bit by bit he’d build up her self-esteem until she had no choice but to realize how much she meant to him.
He knew she thought herself lucky to have him, but he was the lucky one. She brought light, laughter, happiness. He simply could not live without her.
She was hesit
ating, and he thought she wasn’t going to comply. But she moved her hand slowly down to her slit and slipped two fingers inside her passage, coating the two digits before she held them up to him.
“Oh baby,” he murmured huskily, leaning in to lick her fingers clean of every drop of dew. He then dragged her fingers into his mouth and sucked them. He let them go reluctantly, riveted as she returned those same fingers to flick at her clit.
He could barely decide what he desired more, to watch her bring herself to orgasm or to replace her hand with his tongue, to lick up more of that delicious dew, to suck on that sensitive little nub.
He decided to hold back…this time.
“So beautiful. Keep going, that’s right, make yourself come.” He kept up his praise, letting her know how much he appreciated what she was doing, that she was letting him watch her reach fulfillment.
Her fingers sped up, her thighs quivered, and she let out a sharp cry as she came. He immediately moved, pushing her hand aside to suck hard on her clit, prolonging her orgasm. He couldn’t resist one long, sweet lick of her slick lips before he rose, pulling her into his arms to kiss her deep and long.
* * * * *
The next morning, they lazed in bed. She sat between his legs, her back resting against his chest. He was leaning back against the headboard, his magical hands massaging her shoulders. She felt lazy and content.
“Can I see you change?” she asked.
His hands stilled on her shoulders. “You sure?”
“Yes,” she replied firmly, knowing the reason behind his hesitation. “I’m not like Lia. Trust me.”
He moved, slipping out from behind her. He stood beside the bed, staring down at her until she thought he was going to change his mind. But then he sighed, running his thumb across her lips. Slipping her tongue out, she licked him.
“Don’t be afraid.”
“I won’t be,” she replied. She knew Lia’s reaction, her betrayal, had hurt him. She was determined to show him how amazing he was, wolf and all.
The change happened quicker than she’d imagined—a smooth movement of muscle and skin under a shimmering glow that disguised most of the transformation.