"Do you think it'll be visible if I change into a wolf?" she asked quietly as he washed her back. She'd drawn her knees up, resting her chin between them and wrapping her arms around her thighs.
"I don't know." He pulled her closer to him and began washing down her arms, untangling them from her legs to wash them completely. "We can ask Anna. She may know." He added more soap to the washcloth and lathered it up. "Turn around." He leaned back to give her room to move and pulled her closer again when she was done, moving her legs to drape over his. He washed her neck, making slow circles over her skin with the cloth, smiling as she sighed. "You like this?" he said softly.
"Yes." He moved his hand down her chest, washing around her breasts, but not touching them, before moving to her abdomen and hips. She became pliant in his hands, allowing him to manipulate her limbs as he saw fit. "Feels wonderful," she sighed, closing her eyes and tensing slightly as he neared her sex. But he avoided that, too, moving instead to her left foot and lifting it out of the water. She opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly, but he just gave her a sly smile as he washed her foot and slowly made his way up her leg with the cloth. She leaned back on her hands and closed her eyes again as he reached the juncture of her thigh and hip, biting her tongue against a plea when he withdrew his hand and lowered her leg.
"Did you like it when my wolf licked your foot?" he asked, lifting her right leg and washing her foot gently. She nodded at him, her breathing getting heavier. "I didn't hear you, Charlie." He scooped some water from the tub and rinsed her foot before running his tongue along the cut, making her gasp.
"Yes." She was aching, his teasing avoidance making her sex throb with need.
"Yes." He began washing up her right leg, watching her chest rise and fall rapidly as her breathing increased. Her nipples were hard, peeking out just above the water and seeming to beg for his mouth. "It made you wet." He lowered her right leg and dropped the cloth in the water, easing himself closer to her and lathering up his hands.
"Yes." Barely a breath.
He reached out and fondled her breasts, squeezing and lathering them up. She opened her eyes and looked down, watching his hands as they plumped her soapy breasts. Damien slid his hands to her nipples and pulled at them, causing Charlie to tilt her head back again and arch into his reach. "Did you like it when my wolf licked your pussy?" he asked, his voice low.
"Please," she whimpered as he pinched her left then right nipple, repeating over and over, an erotic cadence he played on her breasts. She could feel herself getting wet in spite of the bath.
"That's not an answer." He slid closer to her again, rubbing his cock against her slit and moving his hands to cup her breasts. "Tell me." He squeezed her left breast as he sucked her nipple into his mouth, gently biting it.
"Damien. Please." Her head was back, her hair floating in the water behind her. He let her nipple pop out of his mouth as he raised his head.
"Tell me, Charlotte. Did you like it?" He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, watching the blush spread from her cheeks down to her breasts.
"Yes," she moaned. "I liked it." Damien slid his right hand down her body to cup her sex, pressing gently. "Oh god, Damien. I loved it. I didn't want it to stop." He slid two fingers inside her and she moaned, raising her hips against his hand.
"Then I will pick up where my wolf left off," he whispered, snaking his left arm around her waist and pulling her to him. He lifted her out of the tub and carried her to the bed, not bothering to dry either of them off before dropping her on it and climbing on top of her.
"Damien," she breathed as he took her nipple between his teeth and began gnawing it gently.
"Didn't I promise you I would give you so much pleasure tonight you wouldn't be able to see straight?" He raised his head, looking at her with an impish smile. She nodded, unable to speak past the knot of excitement growing in her chest. He spread her legs and lowered himself between them, kissing her thighs and running his tongue along the juncture of her legs and hips.
"Damien. Please," she moaned.
"That's a start, my love." He dipped his head down, flicking his tongue on the very tip of her clit, making her shudder and gasp. "But I will have you screaming my name in ecstasy before I stop again."
It took almost the whole night, but he made good on his promise.
Damien stood at the side of the bed, watching Charlie sleep. She was on her stomach, arms tucked beneath her, the top sheet draping across her lower back and covering her legs. His eyes traveled along her spine from her waist to her shoulders, partially covered by her hair, and he remembered dragging his tongue along that same route the night before. He closed his eyes, remembering the taste of her skin as she writhed beneath him, and felt himself get hard. He grabbed the edge of the sheet covering her and began slowly pulling it down.
Charlie gave a small sound that was half-sigh and half-snore and shifted slightly, bringing her left knee up and bending it. Damien finished pulling the sheet off of her and just stared for a moment, arguing with himself. He'd asked his brother to give them a few days, but that wasn't going to be possible. He sighed, thinking he would have to put off their seclusion until after the ceremony.
They had a lot to do today and it was already just past noon. He should wake her up so they can get started on their day, he knew that, but all he wanted to do as he looked at her was slide inside her again, make her moan his name in that shivery way she did when he filled her. He tried to reason with himself, thinking of all they needed to do to plan and prepare for the ceremony. She needed to spend time with Grayson and Zeke learning about pack history. She needed to spend time learning about fighting as a werewolf in case she is challenged. She needed to spend time with Eva learning what her job would be. And she needed to spend time with him learning how to be mated. He smiled to himself at that, she seems to have a pretty decent grasp of at least one aspect of being mated, he thought. The memory, created last night, of her sucking his cock to the back of her throat while he fingered her flashed in his mind, and he couldn't fight it anymore.
"Preparation is overrated," he mumbled to himself, taking off his clothes. He gently spread her legs open before climbing on to the bed and kneeling between her ankles. He leaned down and ran his tongue along the back of her left knee, thinking back to the first day he met her and how he wanted to do that right there on the side of the road. It pays to be patient, he chuckled to himself as he began nibbling his way up her left thigh.
He ran his tongue along the crease where her left leg and ass met, starting on the outside and moving down to the inside of her thigh. She sighed and shifted, straddling the line between sleeping and awake, and Damien smiled. He shifted slowly, trying not to jostle her too much, and licked the crease of her right leg, his tongue traveling from her hip down to her inner thigh. He buried his nose in the shadows at the 'V' of her legs and breathed deeply, the smells of their lovemaking the night before mixing with the scent of her wetness to create a perfume that was thick and intoxicatingly heady. He dropped his head lower and dipped his tongue inside her, wriggling it about.
"Mmmm," she moaned, tilting her hips. She was closer to wakefulness but not quite there. Damien removed his tongue and smiled, slipping his right hand underneath her and lightly playing with her clit. She started to jerk her hips a bit as he moved his fingers, and he watched as her ass flexed. He propped himself up on his right elbow and used his left hand to probe inside her pussy, his right hand still teasing her clit. Charlie gave a breathy little yawn, and he knew she was about to wake up. Smiling, he started dragging his now slick fingers from her pussy upward through the trough of her ass, circling her tight little asshole before dragging them back to her pussy.
Charlie whimpered and stiffened up, the muscles in her legs and ass tensing as Damien continued the teasing path with his left hand and the torturous massage with his right. She turned her head and began mumbling into her pillow, her words completely unintelligible to him. She began to shake and Damien
smiled, moving his middle finger to her ass and pressing for entry.
"You like this, Charlie?" he asked, his voice low. Shocked when an acrid, ozone-like scent hit him.
"No!" she screamed, jumping away from him.
Before he knew what was happening he was on his back, her knees pinning his shoulders as her right hand gripped his throat. Damien's eyes were wide looking up at her as she stared at him unseeing, tears streaming down her cheeks. He could feel them dropping on his face.
"Dolcezza? My love?" he said quietly, caressing her forearm. He could easily flip her, and knew there was little she could do to actually hurt him, but he didn't want to startle her any more. He could still smell her fear clearly, and his heart ached to think that she would be afraid of him.
"Damien?" she whispered, blinking at him. "Oh my god, Damien. I'm so sorry." She scrambled off him and sat at the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around herself as she rocked back and forth, weeping.
He moved to sit next to her, pulling her onto his lap and holding her against him. He tucked her head on his shoulder and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. Her crying slowly stopped and they sat in silence for a while.
"You know, I haven't cried in years. Years. Then I meet you and turn in to Weepy Mc Weeperson," she sighed.
"I don't mind," he said, wrapping her tightly in his arms and resting his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry I scared you, Charlie."
"I'm sorry, Damien. I didn't mean to be so...so...psychotic."
"Hush," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. They were quiet for a few more moments. "I'm so sorry, my love. I wasn't...I didn't think about..." Damien stammered, unwilling to bring up anything that would cause her more pain.
"It was...it was Keith. When he...that last time...he...he," she stammered, closing her eyes and burying her face against his neck. He could feel the heat from her cheeks against his skin.
"Shhh," he said, rubbing her back gently. They sat that way, taking silent comfort from each other, for a while. "I'm so sorry."
"You didn't know, Damien." She sat up to look at him. "I thought I was totally over it, too. I really did. I thought I was having a...a sexy dream," she said, her cheeks pink, "and it was about you, but then it wasn't." She shuddered, nestling herself back into his chest. "It changed and I was bleeding again in a shitty apartment in Whittier."
"I wish I could take all those bad memories away for you, my love."
"You can't," she sighed. "You can only help me make good memories to replace them." She twisted in his lap and slipped her arms around him. "And didn't that sound like the cheesiest line ever?"
"Yes. But it's true." She chuckled at that and kissed his chest. "We should get going, my love," Damien said, glancing at the clock.
"Get going?"
"As much as I wanted to lay about here with you for months, it can't be. We have a lot to do today."
She sat up and arched her back in a stretch. Damien wasn't sure it did anything for her muscles, but he wasn't going to complain at the way it pushed her breasts out. "More than just sitting around naked?" she asked, noting where his attention was locked to.
"Unfortunately, yes," he set her on her feet. "And it's almost 1."
"Ugh. I can't believe it's so late."
"Go ahead and get ready and come down for a quick bite."
"Alright," she said, padding to her suitcase and grabbing some clothes before heading to the bathroom.
"I'll be in the kitchen," he said, grabbing socks and sneakers and heading out of the bedroom. He made his way to the kitchen and put a cup of coffee, glass of juice, and a plate with a buttered bagel on it on the breakfast bar. He took the stool next to hers and sat to put on his socks and shoes. He cocked his head at hearing her light footsteps above him stop for a moment before starting up again a little louder after she put on her shoes. He bent over to put on his socks and shoes, smiling at her as she came into the kitchen and took the seat next to him.
"What's on the agenda?" she asked, picking up the juice and taking a sip. "Mmmm...mango pineapple."
"Your favorite."
"It is." She looked at him and flashed a smile. "I'm impressed you remembered something so trivial."
"There is nothing trivial where you are concerned," he said reproachfully.
"So what are we doing today?" she said, dropping her eyes and blushing a bit.
"Well, first we need to get your car from Tony's. He's meeting us there at two so we can pick it up."
"Oh. Right." She took a bite of her bagel and nodded for him to continue.
"Then I figure we can get your stuff unpacked here," he smiled at that, and Charlie was touched by the utter happiness she saw in his smile. "We'll need to meet with Darian and Eva to plan the ceremony. I've already called my parents to let them know and they'll be here in a few days-"
"Wha-what?" she asked, her throat suddenly dry.
"For the ceremony. My parents are coming early to spend some time here with us and the pack. And my sister Darlene and her mate Garrett are coming, but they won't be here until a few days prior to. I figure we can have the ceremony on the next new moon."
"Your parents? Here?"
"I told you they would be coming."
"Yeah. I know." She sighed and took a long drink of her juice. "I guess I just kind of made myself forget about that bit."
"Don't worry, my love. They will accept you as my mate."
"I know. Sorry." She smiled at him and he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Anything else for today?"
"I thought we could take that ride tonight. Pack a picnic dinner and find someplace secluded."
"That sounds wonderful," she said quietly, finishing her bagel.
"Then we should get our move on, dolcezza," he said, standing up and clearing her plate and glass.
"Alright." She picked up her coffee cup and followed him to the sink. She started slowly washing the dishes by hand, suddenly loathe to leave his apartment.
"Charlie?"
"Hmmm?" she said, swirling the soap and water in the sink to bring up the lather.
"You can leave that. It will be taken care of."
"What? Oh." She looked at him and shrugged. "I don't mind."
"I know, but we have stuff to do."
"You're right," she said with a heavy sigh.
"What is it, dolcezza?" Damien asked, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her, pressing her head to his chest.
"It's just...a lot, you know? The ceremony. Your parents. And it all seems to be happening so fast." She took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling his chest.
"Do you not want to?" he asked quietly.
"No. I do. I want to be with you, Damien, with everything that entails" She squeezed him. "Can I just reserve the right to a slight moment of panic every now and then?"
"Of course." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.
"Thank you." They stood like that for another moment before Charlie leaned her head back. "Kiss me, cowboy."
"Gladly," he smiled, bending down to acquiesce and kissing her slowly. The kiss was sweet, full of the promise of affection more than passion, and he felt her relax into it. "Better?" he asked when he broke the kiss.
"Much," she sighed. "Sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for." He squeezed her briefly before putting his hands on her shoulders and forcing space between them. "Okay?" She nodded and he grabbed her hand, leading her out.
Charlie noticed the other people milling about turning or bowing their heads slightly to them before turning back to sniff the air as they passed. She glanced at Damien as they made their way, but he didn't seem to notice. He tugged her hand as they reached the bottom floor, pulling her a little closer to him. He let her hand go to put his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her to him.
"Good to see you've made such a complete recovery," a familiar voice called out from behind them.
"Anna," Damien said, turning them around to greet
her. She was in scrubs again, and a lab coat. A stethoscope hung around her neck. "How could I not with such a devoted caretaker?"
"Hi Anna," Charlie said, her cheeks warming for some reason.
"Hi Charlie. He's not giving you any trouble, is he?"
"Nothing I can't handle." She smiled warmly. She liked Anna a lot, and wanted them to become friends.
"And your foot? He took care of that for you?"
"Huh? Oh. Right. Yes. Yes it's fine," she said, blushing furiously and dropping her eyes.
'Oh my. What else did you heal?' Anna teased.
'Anna...'
'Sorry. I couldn't help it.'
APPETITE Page 28