by Gina Kincade
I stopped. “Who?”
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, the back of my blouse was drenched in sweat. My hair had matted to my head.
A van sat just outside the emergency exit door.
“Get in,” Reese said as he reached for the door.
“What? Why? What is this?”
Inside, three stern faces were staring back at me. Two wore jackets with the FBI insignia scrawled on the front breast pocket.
“Are we good?” Reese asked. “Is he in custody yet?”
I slumped onto the floor of the van, bewildered by the cacophony of police radios, scanners, and urgent speak around me.
“Ma’am?” One of them gestured for Reese to get my attention as he spoke. “We’re here to protect you and to save Reese. You’re going to be okay. We have everything under control.”
I had no words. What happened next didn’t seem real. I was like an outsider looking in. Tires screeched. Guns were drawn. Bullets flew. Sirens blared. All the while, I remained frozen in place. An outsider in my own life.
When the van came to its final stop, someone -- maybe, Reese -- lifted me up and carried me to an awaiting gurney.
“She wasn’t hit. I think she’s in shock. Check her out, will you?” Reese’s voice sounded so distant.
“Delilah? Oh my God, what happened?” I recognized Amber’s voice right away.
Tears welled in my eyes. I could barely make her out. “I don’t know.”
I watched the ceiling panels flash before my eyes. Some were dim. Others bright as the sun. The chatter around me was familiar. Amber shouted orders. Tina asked relevant questions.
“Do you know where you are, Delilah?”
“Are you in any pain?” another nurse asked.
Amber did her assessment. Slowly. Methodically. “You’re okay. You weren’t hurt. I’m going to give you a little Ativan to calm you down.”
I don’t remember if I nodded my consent. I don’t know if I said a word at all. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a private hospital room.
“Hi, there, beautiful,” Reese said, reaching for my hand. “I told you I’d take care of you.”
My throat was dry. It hurt to speak, but I pushed through. “What happened?”
“We got them. It’s over.”
Chapter Eleven – Reese
Part of me felt like an intruder. Another part felt like this was where I was meant to be. This was home. Lying here, next to her did more for my soul than anything I’d ever done in my life. I swore to myself I’d do anything to ensure I never had to leave her side.
She stirred, her eyes opening into tiny slits against the sunlight shining in through the windows. “You’re up early,” she whispered.
I smiled. “You have no idea.”
A low hum escaped her throat. “Oh, are you flirting with me so early in the morning?”
I nodded. “Damn right I am.”
She stretched, arching her back like a kitten. “I’ll tell you what, if you promise to be here again tomorrow morning, I’ll make it worth your while.”
She didn’t have to convince me. I was on board from the moment I first laid eyes on her. “I’m going to kiss you.”
“I wish you would, my hero.” She wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I’m no hero. You’re the one who saved me.”
“How’s that?”
“I gave it up. I hung up my badge. You saved me from myself.” I hoped she’d understand what I meant.
“I saved hunky bad-ass FBI agent Reese? I don’t get it. You left your job? What are you going to do now?” She propped herself up on her elbows. “I thought you loved your job.”
She was right. I did love my job, but Isaac’s death changed everything. “I did. I thought I did, but I think it’s time to do something else. Who knows, maybe I’ll open a security firm or something. I might even hook your building up with a guard or two.”
Again, she wrapped her arms around me, sighing. “I’m so glad. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle you’re working such a dangerous job.”
I didn’t know where this relationship was going, but for now, it seemed to be heading in the right direction. One day at a time, I told myself. Take it one precious minute at a time.
“Can I kiss you here?” I kissed her neck.
She hummed.
“How about here?” I moved my lips down to right above her full breasts. “And, here?” I tapped the space between her legs.
She fell back. “Kiss me wherever you like. I’m all yours.”
I sank down on my knees, resting my head between her legs. She moved readily to my touch as my hands skimmed her body, resting at her breastbone to admire her soft, silken body. I couldn’t control my hips. They had to have constant contact with her skin. I slid my hands down to her navel. She opened herself up to me. I pressed my heat against her, moving in a slow grind.
“You’re mine?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“Yours,” she whispered in my ear.
Sliding up, I took a nipple in my mouth as I continued my slow, calculated grind of her wetness. She slipped her legs around my hips, pulling me to her. Wrapped together, we moved in unison. Up and down, up and down, grinding against each other. My erection sliding against her juices. My fullness begged for release. My knees buckled under the pressure. I placed my body flush against hers and slid back down, licking my lips in anticipation. When I reached her lower lips, I slid my tongue against her folds, sucking in every ounce of her. She arched her back, her neck horizontal to the ceiling. I reached back up with one hand, cupping a breast, taking her nipple between my thumb and forefinger as I slid my tongue in and out of her of sweet, luscious juices.
Her body quivered. My fullness pulsated with the beat of my heart. She arched her back more, bellowing with such force, I could feel it vibrate through my body. I didn’t want to lose the moment. I pulled back, preparing for entry. She cried out with pleasure as I entered her.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered as I fought to pace myself, wanting to make this pleasure last forever.
“Never,” I whispered.
“We should stop,” she said without much conviction in her voice. “What if someone walks in?
I lifted my face. “I’ll ask them to leave.”
She sat up, pulling away from me. “I’m serious. I work here. I don’t want the whole building talking about me any more than they already are.”
Reluctantly, I stood up, my body throbbing. “I’ll lock the door.”
She grinned. “This is a hospital. There’s no locks on the doors.”
My body was begging me to finish what I’d started. I did the only thing I knew to do to make this right. I walked over, lifted her off the mattress, and carried her into the small bathroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked as I stood her in the tiny shower stall.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” I asked as I shut the door behind me. “You wanted privacy; I’m giving us privacy. Now, turn the shower on before I explode.”
She looked up at me, her hazel eyes filled with desire and a hint of surprise. “Here?”
“Here,” I said as I reached around her to turn the water on. “Now.”
She hesitated for a moment before realizing I was serious and rested her head against my chest. “This might be the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”
“It also might be the best thing you’ve ever done.” I pulled her to me with one arm and tugged at the string holding her flimsy hospital gown in place. Loosened, it slid down over her shoulders and onto the shower floor.
She closed her eyes, tilting her head back to let the warm water hit her face. Free, natural, soaking wet, she was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever met.
I removed my wet clothes and cast them aside. “Turn around.”
She shook her head, a sly grin on her face. “Not yet.” She slid down, planting sweet, tender kisses on my body as she moved slowly, grasping my erection in her s
mall, soft hands. “I want to taste you,” she whispered.
How could I refuse that?
The second her soft, full lips made contact with my hardness, I feared I’d explode.
She used slow, deliberate back and forth motions, teasing me with her warm tongue. The warm water hitting us, sliding down our nude bodies, it was all I could do to not scream at the top of my lungs. As much as I wanted to take her, I couldn’t. The pleasure was too much. Watching her take all of me into her mouth was as close to heaven as I’d ever get. As she slid her lips back and forth, I braced myself up against the wall, letting the sensation ripple through my entire body.
Just as I was about to explode, a knock at the door pulled us out of the moment.
“Are you in there, Delilah?”
I couldn’t breathe.
Delilah leaned back, licking her lips. In a breathless voice, she said, “Not now, Amber. Go away!”
I watched the shadow under the door. After a soft chuckle, the shadow disappeared. Delilah and I locked eyes, both of us breathless. She turned around and bent forward, inviting me in.
How could I refuse?
THE END
Reclaiming His Mate Rebekah R. Ganiere
CHAPTER ONE
Dakota stumbled from her bed. The smoke alarm blared in her ears over powering Bowgie's barking and disorienting her. She coughed and tried to suck in breath, but only managed to gulp down a cloud of smoke. She held her hand to her mouth and nose trying to block out the acrid smell. Heat poured through the bedroom wall making the paint blistered and peeled.
She had to get out of her apartment.
Bowgie pulled on her pant leg with his teeth and she dug her fingers into his fur. Smoke burned her eyes and tears blurred her vision. She fumbled blindly toward the door. One hand on Bowgie, one holding the sweatshirt, she moved cautiously toward the hallway. Bowgie whined and took off for the door. She coughed and swiped at her eyes. Reaching down again she couldn't feel Bowgie.
"Bowgie, heel!" She couldn't even hear her own voice over the sounds of the fire alarms. The building was equipped with sprinklers, where the hell were they?
Her heart raced. She couldn't lose Bowgie.
"Bowgie," she cried again.
A loud bark came from the hallway.
She swung her arm in front of her searching for the doorframe. Her knuckles collided with the hard wood and she headed into the hallway. Thick smoke poured back from the front of her apartment. Yellow and orange tinted haze enveloped the right side of the hall. Smoke burrowed in her lungs and she fought to breathe. She just had to make it to the door. Forty steps, maybe a few more. That was it.
She hurried forward and tripped over something near the kitchen. Flames licked up the walls of her living room. The curtains she'd spent months searching for were no more than charred ash on the floor. The wall unit looked moments from collapsing. Her heart sank; she was going to lose everything.
A loud groan sounded from the other side of the living room wall and the floor shook as something fell in the neighboring apartment. She looked to the kitchen and found Bowgie lying on the floor panting.
"Bowgie." She coughed and her voice came out croaky. She tried again but only sucked in a lungful of smoke. Her head fuzzed over and she reached for the counter for support.
Her hand slipped. She pitched forward and her head struck the tile countertop. Her vision blurred as she crumbled to the floor. Bowgie crawled toward her and licked her face. She coughed and grabbed onto him, as everything grew dark.
"Griffin."
***
Griffin dried off and then walked naked across his bedroom to grab some boxers. Medical textbooks lay strewn across his mattress like confetti. He stared at them for a minute, trying to decide if he should clean up, in case Cassie came over after dinner.
They'd been dating for almost three months but still hadn't had sex. Cuddling, making out, falling asleep in each other's arms, yes. But actual sex had been put on hold until he could get his crap in order. He and Dakota may be separated but he wasn't about to defile their vows the way she had. His gut clenched at the thought of her and his wolf grumbled. He still missed her.
He slipped on his boxers and headed to the closet, glancing at the divorce papers on his nightstand, waiting to be sent back to his attorney, and Dakota's face floated into his mind. He swallowed hard. It'd been almost two whole days since he'd thought about her. That was probably a record.
He'd signed the papers over a year ago, but somehow he hadn't gotten around to sending them in. He had made it clear to Cassie from the beginning– there would be no sex, until he was divorced. Mostly because just the thought of being with someone else still didn't sit right with him. He hated what Dakota had done to both herself and to him…
The soul bonding of two wolves went deeper than anything could be explained in words. Their souls became intertwined in such a way that everything ran deeper. The love, the lust, the betrayal.
He blew out a breath and flipped on the light in his closet but kept his gaze trained on the left side. He'd watched betrayal ruin his grandmother. His grandfather's philandering ways had literally broken her heart and killed her. Griffin had been forced to look on as her once plump, smiley face grew thinner and ashen. The light dimmed in her eyes and she lost interest in everything and everyone she loved until she refused to leave her bed and eventually succumbed to despair.
He'd sworn he'd never allow that to happen to him. He refused to be broken. And yet…
Running his hand over the perfectly straight hangers, he picked out a pair of crisp jeans and a button down, royal blue shirt. He yanked on the jeans, continuing to keep his eyes off the small mess that cluttered the other side of the closet. Miscellaneous shoes, t-shirts, a wedding dress, and several sweaters stared at him accusingly. Part of him wanted to throw them out. Another part wanted to clean them up. Neither wanted to actually touch the items though. Her items.
A year and a half. That's how long he'd been back from Afghanistan and separated from Dakota. He walked out of the closet and looked at the divorce papers again. It was time. He needed to move on. He deserved a chance at happiness again.
Griffin pulled into Cassie's driveway and hopped out of the car. His personal cell rang as he jogged to the front door. He pulled it from his pocket to see a private number on the screen.
Cassie stepped outside and smiled. Her sandy brown hair hung in a loose ponytail, the same way Dakota used to wear it. He cleared his throat and pushed the memory away. Cassie wore a conservative yellow, floral summer dress that still exposed her long, slender neck and peachy arms. Though she was several years his senior, the smattering of freckles and bright apricot colored hair gave her the youthfulness of a woman in her early twenties.
He ran his finger across the screen of his phone, rejecting the call, and shoved it back in his pocket.
"You ready to go?"
She nodded. "Just got off an hour ago."
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "If you're too exhausted we could stay in," he offered. He was finally getting used to the smell of her shampoo and soap.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you kidding me? I'm starving and you promised me a big salad."
His wolf grumbled in his chest. Salad. "That I did."
She laughed. "We can go somewhere else if you want."
"Why would I want to?"
"Because the mere mention of eating something green makes you break out in hives."
He took her arm in his and escorted her to the car. "I don't mind a salad. As long as it's covered in a bunch of delicious stuff like bacon, beef, chicken, venison, salad dressing… more salad dressing. Anything so I don't have to taste it."
She shook her head and he opened the door for her. Back home, in Wolf River, they'd hunted their own food; sometimes as wolves, sometimes as humans. He loved the feel of taking down prey and eating it fresh. There was nothing like it.
He looked up at the evening sky. Only a week and a half
until the full moon. The one time a month he drove up north to see his parents, his brothers, and his pack. To connect, bond, and run free.
He threw Cassie a tight smile. She'd never experience any of those things with him. And if they stayed together long enough to have children… neither would they.
He walked around the back of his Jeep and his phone rang a second time. He pulled it out and again it read, Private Number.
He hopped into the driver's seat and stared at the phone.
"Who's that?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Probably a sales call." He set his phone down and buckled up. "All right. Let's go get you some rabbit food."
Cassie covered her mouth as she chuckled and her cheeks reddened. Griffin loved the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed and wished she wouldn't cover her mouth. It was as if she was embarrassed to let people see her have fun.
"So what did you do?" She reached for her glass of wine.
"I told him, thank you for the kiss sir, but I'm not your wife."
She laughed again and had to set down her drink to keep from spilling it. He picked up his beer and took a deep swallow.
Cassie gulped in several deep breaths and wiped tears from her eyes. "I don't know how you do it Griffin, I really don't."
"What you do isn't much different," he said. "I just happen to get to them first."
She shook her head. "Naw. I could never be a paramedic. Seeing the scene. How things happened. Being right there in the moment. That is way too intense for me. I like working at the hospital, having people brought to me. I know where everything is and how to get it all done."
"You learn to adapt."
"Did the Navy teach you that?"
He nodded.
She stared at him for a moment. Her hazel eyes full of compassion. "How's your friend doing? Uhm… Noah? The one you went to go see a few months back."
Griffin dropped his gaze to his beer bottle and slowly rotated it on the table. "He's good. Getting better. Stronger."
"He lost his leg, right?"
"Yup."
Cassie reached across and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."