“You feel so good,” Knox growled, moving deep inside her. “So hot and wet. So tight.”
“Knox!” The pleasure was building quickly, and she was racing toward it. There was no holding back. She met him thrust for thrust, digging her nails into his chest.
“Come with me,” Knox ordered, groaning loudly as he pushed into her. “So close.”
“Yes,” she cried as her body tensed up, and then she came on him.
A loud roar ripped from his chest as Knox slammed into her one last time. He threw his head back, his teeth bared as he stared at the junction between her neck and shoulder, where he wanted to leave his mark. She tilted her head to the side, and waited for the inevitable, but it never came.
Breathing heavily, Emery collapsed against his chest, circling her arm up around his neck as she whispered, “You didn’t bite me.”
Knox was quiet for a moment, struggling to catch his breath, too. Running a hand gently down her back, he said, “You aren’t ready for that, Emery.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. When I make you mine, I want you all in. Until then, this works just fine.”
He was right, she wasn’t ready. But, she wanted to be. Swallowing hard, she decided to give him something, the way he had her, by waiting for her to make the choice on her own. “Knox?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“My name isn’t really Emery.”
Fifteen
Emery woke the next morning to the sound of laughter and smell of bacon. Raising her arms, she stretched, groaning softly at the subtle aches in her body. She and Knox had talked for a while after her revelation the night before, but he didn’t press her for answers, knowing she wasn’t ready to give them. Instead, he told her about his parents, and the car accident that took them over six months ago. It was obvious that he loved them very much, just as he did the rest of his family. As far as he knew, they were the last of the Channing bloodline. His father was raised with a sister and a brother, but the sister passed away over ten years ago, and the brother moved away when he was just eighteen. The news of his death had come just five years later.
Knox became the head of the family, and was now responsible for all of his siblings. Granted, they were adults, but it didn’t matter. They were unmated, and his to look out for. He took that seriously. She may have only met the man a week ago, but a part of her knew that she could trust him with her life. The thought of leaving Blue Creek was moving further and further from her mind, covered by ones of staying instead, and having a mate, along with a family who she could easily learn to love.
At the sound of Miracle’s laughter, Emery rose, searching for her jeans. Slipping them on, she decided to forego her own shirt, and found a new one of Knox’s in his dresser. She put it on, and then stood for a moment huddled in it, soaking in his scent. Closing her eyes, she sighed, wishing she could wake up like this every day.
The sound of more laughter, and her stomach growling, got Emery moving again. After making quick use of the bathroom, and the toothpaste she found in one of the drawers under the sink, she left Knox’s bedroom and made her way down to the kitchen.
Standing in the doorway, Emery watched Knox with his family, a strange warmth filling her at the sight of their happiness. She could be a part of this. When Knox looked up from where he sat at the head of the table and held out his arm to her, she realized she already was a part of it. She was his mate, even if they hadn’t completed the bond yet, which meant his family accepted her presence in his life, and in theirs.
Crossing the room, she ignored his brothers and sisters, and slipped into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Good morning.”
His eyes darkened, and he leaned close. “Morning, baby.” Sliding his hand up through her hair, he cupped the back of her head, holding her still as he captured her lips with his.
Emery sighed, leaning into his kiss, loving the feel of him holding her close. Knox nipped at her lower lip, soothing the sting with his tongue, before doing it again. A moan slipped free before she could stop it, and she felt the hard length of him pressing against her bottom.
“No one better say another word about me bringing women here after what we had to listen to last night,” Nolan said, placing a plate of bacon down on the table.
Knox growled low in warning, but Emery just laughed against his lips. Turning to look at his brother, she cocked an eyebrow and said, “From what it sounded like, you were doing more than making a little noise. Something about breaking things?”
“A little noise?” Briar piped up. “Is that what you call it?”
“Well, you have some great, pound-on-the-wall sex, and try to keep it down,”
“Pound-on-the-wall sex?” Miracle asked, looking around the room.
“Yeah, you know, the sex is so good that you have to pound on the wall while you are having it.”
The room was quiet as everyone stared at her, and then Brayden burst into laughter. “Is that what that was?”
“Shush, woman,” Knox said, nipping at her playfully as he chuckled.
The doorbell rang as Emery leaned in to give Knox a kiss. This was how it should be. She wanted this, all of it, for the rest of her life.
“There you are!” a female voice said, and Emery’s head snapped around as a woman walked into the room, her blue eyes twinkling, a huge smile on her face. She held a bright yellow gift bag in one hand, and she came around the table to set it down in front of them. “I’m so glad you’re both here! I’d heard a rumor that you found your mate, Knox Channing, and I wanted to drop by with a small present for the two of you.”
A present? Emery looked around the room in confusion, before bringing her gaze back to the woman. “I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ve met?’
“Not yet, my dear.” Holding out her hand, she smiled, “My name is Barbara Wolfe.”
“Oh! You’re Nathan’s mother!” She was also mated to Tristan Wolfe, the alpha of Blue Creek.
“Yes, I am. And, it is very nice to meet you. I’m so glad one of our bears has found his mate.” Her bears? Emery turned to look at Knox, but he just shook his head, watching Barbara in amusement. “Now, open your present before I leave. I’m running late. I’m supposed to watch the triplets today so Nathan and Karla can have some alone time. They don’t get that very often lately.”
“Of course,” Emery said, moving to get off Knox’s lap.
“Please, stay where you are. It makes my heart happy to see young love.”
Ignoring the remark about love, Emery shifted and pulled the bag closer. “If you’re sure?”
“Of course! Now, open it. I had so much fun picking your gifts out.”
As the woman’s eyes lit with excitement, and something else Emery couldn’t decipher, she untied the bow at the top and peered inside. Her cheeks darkened to a deep red, and she immediately slammed the bag shut again. “Um, thank you so much for the present, Mrs. Wolfe, but I think it would be better if Knox and I opened it alone.”
“Nonsense! I want to watch you! Now, come on, Emery,” she said, clapping her hands, “hurry up.”
“What is it?” Knox whispered in her ear.
Glancing over at him, she took a deep breath, and reached into the bag to pull out a hot pink lace teddy. Holding it up for him to see, she giggled when he grunted, “Oh…”
“Wow! That’s hot,” Nolan said, reaching over to touch it.
Knox slapped his hand away, grabbing the teddy himself. “Find your own damn mate, and then you can touch her under things,” he snarled.
“Under things?” Briar gasped, laughing so hard tears appeared. “Come on, big brother, you can say it. It’s a negligée.”
“A negla what?”
Miracle giggled, “A negligée. A teddy. A nightie.”
“Well, whatever the hell it is, no one needs to be touching it but me,” Knox snapped.
Shaking her head, Emery reached into the bag and pulled out a tube of lube, handing it to Knox, who frowned
in confusion. Then she pulled out…nipple clamps.
“Those can be a lot of fun, from what I hear,” Barbara said, reaching over to take them from her. “You just open them and hook them onto your…”
“I can figure it out,” Emery promised, interrupting the woman as her mate’s face turned a darker shade of red than her own.
“Damn! Can I borrow those later?” Nolan asked. “I bet Gina from the club would love them.”
“She already has a pair of her own,” Brayden said, taking a drink of his milk. “I saw them a couple of weeks ago.”
“Well, crap. Maybe Cindy would like them.”
“Nolan.” Knox growled his name in warning.
Emery looked over to where Barbara was watching her expectantly, and knew she better keep going so that she didn’t insult the woman. Taking a deep breath, she reached back into the bag, and pulled out a large, hot pink dildo. “It matched the teddy,” Barbara said in excitement. “I had to get it for you.”
Emery went through what was left in the bag, from flavored lotions to anal beads, wishing she could crawl into a hole somewhere and hide. Finally, she reached the last item. A pair of bright red edible underwear. Her face on fire, she stuttered out a thank you to Barbara while Noah choked on his laughter from where he stood by the counter.
“You are very welcome! Congratulations again on your mating, and if you ever need anything, you just let us know.”
“We will,” Emery promised, as she slowly placed each item back in the bag. “You have a good day with your grandbabies.”
As soon as Barbara was gone, Knox stood, lifting Emery in his arms. “Knox! What are you doing?”
“Grab the damn bag!” he ordered, waiting until she did, and then stalking from the room.
“Knox?”
He cleared the stairs in record time, and soon they were in his room, the door slamming shut behind him. His eyes glowed a bright brown as he growled, “You can’t expect me to sit down there with my brothers and sisters when I am hard as a fucking rock thinking about you in that pink thing, can you?”
Emery squealed when he tossed her onto the bed, immediately following behind her. Her breath left her when he crawled up and over her, a growl rumbling deep in his throat. “No,” she whispered, a low moan leaving her throat when he leaned down and sucked her nipple into his mouth, shirt and all.
“Good,” Knox muttered, rolling over onto his back, his arm behind his head. Reaching down, he undid the snap on his jeans, and pulled the zipper down, freeing his cock. Fisting it in his hand, he growled, “Now go put that nightie, teddy thing on and come ride me, woman.”
Emery scrambled off the bed, grabbing the bag and quickly finding the teddy. She was only too happy to oblige.
Sixteen
“I’m going to tell him.”
Aurora raised her eyes from the flowers she was busy planting and glanced over at her. “It affects more than just him.”
“I know.”
The last three weeks had gone by in a blur. When she wasn’t working, she was with Knox and his family. She insisted on living at Aurora’s, even though she kept coming home later and later each night. She had begun to wonder why she was fighting it so hard. A part of her was still afraid of what would happen when her brother and Alpha Ramsey found her, and there was no doubt in her mind that they would if she stayed in Blue Creek, but that fear wasn’t enough to make her leave. She was finding out that she had so much more to stay for.
Emery knelt beside the woman, smiling at her. Aurora had become more than just her savior since her rescue. She was her friend, and it was a friendship Emery did not take lightly. She wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her. She wouldn’t know what it was like to be free of her family, to make her own decisions, to have the chance to fall in love with a gruff, but adorable, grizzly bear. She also wouldn’t know what it was like to have someone she could confide in about her fears, like she knew she could with Aurora. “I’m going to tell them all. It’s the right thing to do.”
Setting the flower down that she held, Aurora reached over to grasp Emery’s hand in her own. “Does this mean you are staying in Blue Creek?”
Taking a deep breath, Emery nodded. “These past few weeks with Knox have been the best of my life, Aurora. He is everything to me, and his family treats me as if I am one of them.”
“Because you are,” Aurora whispered, squeezing her hand tightly. “As Knox’s mate, you are a part of their family.”
“We haven’t completed the mate bond,” Emery said, looking out over the farm. “He refuses to until I’m ready.”
“It looks to me like you are ready now.” Standing, Aurora tugged on her hand until Emery rose, too. “Let’s go.”
Emery’s eyes misted with tears as she looked at her friend. “You’re coming with me?”
“Of course.” A soft smile curved Aurora’s lips as she said, “I knew from the moment you arrived that there were two different paths you could follow on your journey, Emery. I was praying this was the one you would choose.”
Emery didn’t question the other woman. The gifts Aurora had were powerful, and after living with her for a couple of months now, she’d learned to just accept them. “Aurora, can you see what’s going to happen? I mean, have you seen me in the future…happy?”
Aurora hugged her tightly, and whispered, “All I can tell you, is that we are going to fight like hell to make sure you are.”
“We?”
Leaning back, Aurora’s green eyes sparkled with emotion as she whispered, “We are in this together, my friend. To the end.”
Knox brushed down the gelding’s coat, speaking softly to him. He’d just gotten back from a long ride, and was in a hurry to finish so he could shower and go pick up Emery. It was finally warming up, and they had plans for a picnic at their favorite spot. They’d been there several times since he first showed it to her, and he was even contemplating building a small cabin beside the pond, as a little getaway from the main house. He might even share it with his brothers and sisters, if they were lucky. As much as they loved each other, sometimes it was nice to get away for a while.
At the sound of a vehicle in the driveway, he glanced out the barn door to see a silver four-door car stop in front of the house. As he watched, a tall woman with long, red hair emerged from the driver’s side, and Emery from the passenger. The redhead said something to Emery, who nodded and then made her way to the house, while the other woman turned toward him.
Knox waited patiently for her to enter the barn, instinctively knowing who she was, even though they hadn’t officially met, yet. “Aurora.”
She nodded, a solemn look on her face. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Knox.”
“You’ve lived next to us for months, but never bothered to stop by. You didn’t even respond when my sisters left you an invitation for dinner. Twice. What are you doing here now?”
Sighing, Aurora ran her fingers through her hair and grimaced. “I apologize for my rudeness. I just know how this is all going to play out, so I’ve been putting our meeting off as long as possible.”
Raising his eyebrows, Knox asked, “Why do I get the feeling that you aren’t talking about you and me?”
“Because, I’m not.” Gesturing toward the gelding, she said, “Why don’t you put him away and come inside? Emery has something she wants to talk to you and your family about.”
“And you’re here for moral support?”
“I’m here because my friend needs me, Knox.”
Seventeen
Emery waited in the kitchen for Knox, listening idly to the way his brothers and sisters teased each other. As soon as she and Aurora arrived, she had gone into the house to get everyone together. They didn’t ask questions when she told them she needed to talk to them, just gathered around the kitchen table where they always preferred to talk as a group.
Everyone grew quiet when Knox entered the kitchen, followed by Aurora. Emery’s eyes widened in surprise when a low growl
filled the room, and her gaze swung to Knox’s brother. Noah stared at Aurora, his eyes darkening as he pushed his chair back from the table.
Aurora held up a hand, shaking her head. “Not now, fur ball. We have other things to worry about.”
“So, this is why you have been avoiding us,” Knox said dryly, crossing the room to take his place at the head of the table.
Ignoring him, Aurora came to stand beside Emery, slipping a hand into hers in encouragement. “Emery needs you all right now, so please, let’s make this about her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Emery whispered, pulling her gaze from Noah to look at her friend.
“Because, this is about you, Emery. Not me.”
“But, you said having a mate is a blessing.”
“It is.”
“You told me to fight for what I want. That if you had a mate…”
“Emery, stop. Please.”
“You’re my friend, Aurora. You could have talked to me.”
“And, I will. Just not right now.”
“Emery,” Knox interrupted, holding out his hand to her, “Aurora said you have something to tell us?”
Emery nodded, straightening her shoulders, but staying where she was. There was no way she could get through the story without crying if she went to her mate. “Yes, I do.”
The room fell quiet, even Noah’s growling was silenced, as the Channing family looked at her expectantly. She smiled at them one-by-one, before letting go of Aurora’s hand. Stepping forward, she raised her head high as she said, “First of all, I want to apologize to all of you.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Emery,” Aurora interjected. “None of this is your fault. You’ve done nothing wrong, and they will see that as soon as you explain.”
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