Wolf’s Heart

by Ruelle Channing

  “Rinse while I wash off.” She nodded, speechless for once and did as he instructed.

  It took him a bit longer to get all the blood off. Some had rinsed away, but much had dried, crusting on his skin. He hated she’d seen that part of him, but if she stayed with him, she had to realize his wolf was half of who he was. There was no denying that fact, and the sooner she could come to terms with it, the better.

  When they were both washed and rinsed, he pulled her out from under the spray and dried her wound gently with a towel.

  “Stand still, baby. Let me take care of this.” He felt her watching as he began nuzzling, cleaning the wound with his tongue before he bit down on his wrist, piercing the skin with his canines that had dropped down.

  While the blood flowed from his wrist, he let it drop down on to her belly, along the scar they had opened back up with all their cutting. Carlee looked down, watching as her wounds sealed back over, and smooth skin replaced it.

  The entire process took only seconds and then his wrist was closing up on its own. Before he could rinse away the blood, she took his wrist in her hand, and turned it over so she could see it. Her fingers wiped away the blood and saw the wound had closed completely.

  “See? All healed.” She looked up at him, amazed it had healed so fast. “Come on, let’s get you rinsed and out of here.”

  He pulled her back under the water, rinsing them both again and then turned the water off. JT preferred large towels and this bathroom was stocked with the same. She was wrapped up in one large towel that wound around her twice before it reached the end, and he grabbed one for himself.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The towel felt soft on Carlee’s hypersensitive skin. She turned and grabbed another towel to dry her hair, and gasped when she found Ryden standing right in front of her. His hair was wet and water droplets coalesced into small rivulets on his chest and arms. Even after all he’d been through getting her out of MedVision, there wasn’t a mark on him. She was enveloped in his clean, earthy scent. She bit her lip as her eyes drifted lower. The towel hung low on his hips, the fine downy hair leading down the happy trail to his thick length tenting against the fabric.

  Her mouth was instantly dry, her voice was almost raspy as she said, “I need to brush my hair.”

  She reached for the hairbrush, but Ryden was quicker as he snatched it off the counter. The half-ass grin on his face caused her to press her knees together as her core clenched with desire. She took a step back but was not fast enough. It almost seemed as if Ryden sensed her movements and with each step she took, he was there. He reached out and spun her around. The brush glided through in long strokes along with his fingers.

  “Damn, Buttercup, your hair is so soft, like fine silk running through my fingers. You cannot even imagine what just that touch does to me. I still prefer the yellow-blonde streak you had the first night we met. Buttercup Yellow…”

  He leaned down and placed a soft kiss to her bare shoulder, followed by another kiss on her neck. Her heart quickened. She knew what his fingers running through her hair was doing to her, and if it was the same for him, the quakes and heat of Mount Saint Helens eruption didn’t even compare. Holding her breath for a moment, she tried to calm her racing heart and raging hormones. Damn, she was falling for him…again…something she swore she’d never do. She felt her face flush. The last thing either of them needed was exactly what was happening.

  She spun around and grabbed the brush, trying her best to just blow this off as near-death hormone overload. “I can’t stop there, Peaches. You know the golden rule, a hundred strokes.”

  As fast as she went to turn away he stepped with her again. Now his eyes were burning into hers. He was leaving no doubt as to his intentions. “A hundred strokes are just about what I had in mind for a warm up. Now, it’s up to you, Buttercup. I can fuck you here against the bathroom wall, bend your ass over the counter, do it on the floor, or we can do this in a warm soft bed. You have about three seconds to choose before I decide to make a meal out of that sweet pussy of yours or just sink my cock into it instead. Whatever you pick, in about five minutes, you are going to be screaming my name.”

  He reached up and threaded his fingers through the hair at the side of her face. He lowered his head slowly bringing his lips down and brushing them across hers as he spoke. “What’s it going to be, Buttercup? Time’s up.”

  His words alone did things to her that no other man’s hands ever could. Just the look in his eyes could set her on fire. Ryden could easily become an addiction, and there would be no giving him up. Did he love her? Was she in love with him? At that moment, she didn’t care. All she knew was what she felt—the deep ache inside her only Ryden could soothe.

  Reaching up, she removed her towel and let it drop to the floor. “Take me to bed, Peaches. Floor burns suck.”

  His lips crushed down on hers in a hungry kiss as he scooped her up onto his arms. Her fingers tugged at his hair as their tongues battled for control of the kiss. Carlee tried to hold him to her as he placed her down on the bed, but her hands were not strong enough to keep him there. Her eyes followed him while he took a step back and dropped his towel. She licked her lips at the initial sight of his erection. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to taste him. He obviously had other plans.

  “I’m gonna eat you, Buttercup. Every sweet drop, and when I’m done, I will fuck you so hard and so good you won’t ever think about leaving my side.”

  Carlee moaned as Ryden crawled onto the bed, raising one of her legs then the other and draping them over his shoulders exposing her core to him. His voice was raspy with desire as his eyes traveled down her body.

  “Damn, you’re so beautiful.”

  One finger slipped inside her, and her back arched as Ryden positioned his face between her legs. His breath was cool as he blew against her warm, wet folds. “Oh shit, Peaches, you’re going to torture me, aren’t you?”

  His eyes locked on her as his tongue swept slowly across her swollen clit. “No Buttercup, not torture. I’m gonna love you every way that I know how.”

  She reached down to feel him, to press his head towards her aching clit. He had taken up residence in her heart, slipping in somewhere between finding her almost dead in the motel and bringing her back to life, and now. She inhaled slowly, relaxing and let herself go, just enjoying his touch. This was the old Ryden and Carlee, teasing, playful.

  “Peaches, I don’t deserve you, but since we’re here, why don’t you show me you haven’t forgotten how to put that mouth of yours to better use.”

  He growled softly as he suckled her swollen clit, and then spread her thighs, opening her even more as he moved his tongue to stroke between the wet lips of her pussy before he dove deep into the depths of her core.

  “Please, Ryden, more.”

  “Squeeze your nipples, baby. I want to watch you tug and pull at them as you come.”

  His voice was a harsh rasp; she could feel the need and desire Ryden held back. At the sound of his voice, she looked to his eyes, Ryden was there but so was the wolf. She realized she was being loved by the man and claimed by the wolf.

  Her hand slid slowly up her stomach, over the mounds of her breasts, and she did as he commanded. She caressed and kneaded her breasts before taking a nipple between her fingers and squeezing and tugging each one. She was arching her back as she felt one finger slip inside her for only a moment.

  “Ryden, please!”

  Ryden brought his hand to her face, his finger coated with her juices brought to her lips. “Open, baby. Taste and see how fucking sweet you are, why I will never be able to get enough of you.”

  His eyes damn near sparkled as her mouth opened and he slid the finger inside. Closing her lips around it, tasting her own essence, she licked his finger before drawing it into her mouth. Ryden groaned, and she felt the tension of his muscles as he tried to keep his control before he placed his mouth back over her clit.

  “You’re going to com
e from me now, baby. I am going to drink every drop of that sweet cream. Then, before you stop shaking, I will be inside you.”

  It seemed like it only took seconds, his teeth raking across her clit, one finger then two inside her before she could feel the tremor begin in what felt like her very soul. She struggled to breathe, her body arching to him.

  “Ryden!”

  The invasion of one finger into the tight ring of her ass sent her spiraling out of control as her release rocketed through her and, as he predicted, she was screaming his name.

  Violent shudders wracked Carlee’s body as her orgasm hit in what Ryden planned would be the first of many before the night was over. He lapped up every drop, and just as he had promised, he was looming over her, his cock throbbing as he pushed inside her tight channel. He could feel her still-quivering pussy, each pulse of her body around his cock like a vice.

  “God, baby, shit, don’t move.”

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling at him, wanting more. He hadn’t even filled her completely, and he was desperately trying to get control of his body.

  She rocked against him, moaning and biting at his neck. “Please, Carlee, I don’t want to hurt you.” She was having none of his protests, but instead, pulled hard against his ass and raised her hips so that he slid deeper inside. “Damn...” He couldn’t hold out any longer. With a forceful thrust, he was balls-deep, his breathing ragged.

  “Fuck...”

  He wanted to go slow, to ease inside her, to make sure she was satisfied before his release. He wanted her to come again while he was deep inside her, feeling her body hold him like a well-fitted glove, but his cock had other ideas.

  Angling his hips, he pulled out and thrust back in, the head of his cock rubbing against her sweet spot just right. She gasped out in pleasure, her head thrown back, mouth open and eyes nearly shut as she looked up at him. Their bodies moved in perfect rhythm as he set the pace. Her full, ripe breasts were beautiful, the nipples high and tight where she’d pulled at them. With one hand beneath her back, he pulled her up so he could suckle each tight bud. His tongue laved over first one and then the other, biting, pulling and teasing them while her hands gripped his hair.

  His balls drew up, his release so close. Gritting his teeth, he was determined to delay his release until she climaxed again. His hips rocketed faster, slamming into her. Her legs tightened around his waist, squeezing him and he knew she was nearly there.

  “That’s it, baby. Come for me.” With a gush, her cream poured from her body, bursting forth while her walls clenched around him, convulsing. With one final thrust, he spilled his seed into her core, filling her with his heat.

  Neither of them could get their breath and he nearly collapsed on top of her, his arms barely bracing him. He trailed kisses across her shoulders while her hands caressed down his back, making their way to his ass. When he could finally speak, he rolled over, taking her with him while he was still deep inside her.

  “Carlee...”

  She gazed at him, her eyes still filled with passion. “Hmmm?” She tried to rise, to ride him, but he held her against his chest.

  “Wait, please. I’ve got something I want to say.”

  She stilled, sensing how serious he was. “You’re being bossy again, but alright, Peach.”

  “Carlee, I love you.” She opened her mouth again, he knew she wanted to protest but he stopped her by placing his finger over her lips. “No, hear me out.” He took a deep breath and began again. “I love you. I know this seems sudden, and it’s certainly unexpected, but it’s true. This isn’t some fly-by, one night stand, or friends with benefits relationship for me. It never was, but I couldn’t risk hurting you if my wolf went out of control.” He kept going while he had the nerve and she was quiet. “My wolf, he’s a part of me, half of who I am. For him, this is serious. You’re his mate, my mate, the one that we were destined to be with from the moment he became part of me, maybe even before then. Sometimes, I don’t know where I stop, and he begins, but we’re both asking you....”

  Shit, what am I doing?

  He was laying here in bed, still rock hard and deep inside her body while she straddled him. There were no candles, mood music or even dinner for two. Not the most romantic of situations, but what was he to do? There was nothing to do but take the plunge.

  He placed a hand on each side of her face, brushing her hair back and tucking it behind her ears. “This isn’t what I’d call the best setting for this kind of question. I’d rather give you a candlelight dinner, champagne and a...well.” He took a deep breath and got the words past his lips. “Carlee, I love you, and I want to take care of you forever, be with you from now to always. Will you marry me?”

  Carlee’s world had just been rocked to its foundation by just the connection of their bodies. All she wanted to do was to lie across his chest and catch her breath before round two began. She wanted to let his strong arms wrap around her as she fell asleep. She breathed in deep as he rocked inside her. She didn’t bother opening her eyes, she just smiled. God he felt so good, so right.

  Her eyes popped open when he started talking about love again. She said nothing and watched him as he spoke…until…

  “Marry you? You’re serious, aren’t you? Peaches, I think that all the blood rushed from this head,” reaching down and caressing his cheek and smiling, “to the head down south.”

  She saw the tic in his jaw as he gave her ‘the-cut-the-shit look.’ She chewed on the corner of her lip. “Peaches, you and me? You have no clue what you’re asking for. You know I can be extremely annoying. I bounce out of bed in the morning. I drink three pots of coffee a day. I don’t eat meat, I hate doing laundry, and I have to have a schedule. Oh, and don’t even think about going near my Hersey with Almonds during that time of the month or you could lose a hand.”

  Her babbling was getting her nowhere, and she knew it. There were a lot of things he didn’t know, things she never told anyone. “Ryden, you don’t get it. You don’t know me. This is us, great sex and walk away. You are a dream guy. I’m not the want-to-marry kind. You don’t know my family, how I was raised, where I came from. We never got around to that part before.”

  “I would have known about your family if you’d ever told me. I tried to get you to open up, but every time your parents were mentioned, you shut me down.” He reached out and took her hand and placed it on his chest. She could feel the strong beating of his heart. His voice was soft, “Carlee, you feel that? It beats for you now. I know everything I need to. I know. I love the way you chew your lip when you’re nervous, the way you are doing right now.” His lips curved into a sexy grin. “The way you babble incessantly most of the time, with or without the coffee. I don’t need a damn maid. I can do my own laundry and pick up after myself just fine.” He rotated his hips, pressing himself deeper inside her, causing her eyes to nearly roll back in her head at the feel of him. “Buttercup, I know that I can’t live without you now. Anything else you have to dish out, I’m sure I can handle it.”

  All she could do was look at him as he brought her down to his lips, brushing across them from side to side. Her brain was on a fast rewind of their past. She was remembering the way it felt when she was with him. She remembered what life was without him. How even in the past during his brief in-town visits, the loss and loneliness she felt when he was gone, called out again to some remote desert, doing his best to protect and serve.

  He tilted her chin with his finger to gaze into her eyes. “Stop analyzing it, Carlee. Stop looking for an excuse. Stop hiding from me and stop hiding from yourself. This is right, and you know it.”

  She rested her head back down against his chest as his hands moved softly over her back.

  “When I left the hotel, I looked back at you from the cab.” Her voice was soft, sad. “I felt lost and alone again. I hadn’t realized how much being with you made me feel not just safe, but happy despite the fact of why we were there. It was like I was where I belonged for the
first time in a really long time.” She didn’t add that the last time was when he’d been home before he made the call ending things between them. Did she love him? She wondered to herself if she’d ever stopped. Her breath hitched, and she swore to herself she was not going to cry. Her eyes had other plans and filled with tears. “I think I kinda, sorta, definitely love you, too.”

  She felt his smile in the kiss he placed on her forehead and heard the growl that resonated deep in his chest. She guessed maybe his wolf was happy with her answer, too. He rocked his hips once more.

  “Beautiful words, Buttercup, but you still didn’t answer the question. You are mine either way. You are as much a part of me as my wolf. We belong together. Marry me, Carlee.”

  This time, it wasn’t a question but a command, and Carlee couldn’t believe that she was actually going to go through with it. But a life without Ryden wasn’t something she was willing to consider.

  “Yeah, I think I will. You just better hurry in case I change my mind.”

  She laughed until she snorted as he growled. Then his lips came to hers. The kiss was no longer teasing, it was possessive. As his fingers twined and twisted in her hair, pressing her to him, she realized, he was correct. She was right where she belonged.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  JT left the “doctor” standing in his den while he made coffee. This female had trouble written all over her and having her in his home made him want to rip something apart. He had never felt like this before. It wasn’t the wolf that was angry, it was the man. He paced back and forth while the coffee dripped in the pot, eager to get that first cup of the strong, black liquid, and hoping it would calm his nerves.

  Lou walked in the kitchen and began making herself at home, digging through cabinets and drawers. JT suppressed a growl and walked over to her.