by Sophie Stern
But while the fantasy version of myself seems to know exactly what to make, the truth of the matter is that I still have no idea what I’m going to cook Brandon for dinner.
And then he kisses me.
And I forget to worry.
Chapter 8
Brandon
After another twenty minutes or so of playing in the water, Rebecca and I go our separate ways. She left her clothes on one side of the woods and I left mine on another, so we kiss and promise to meet at her place around seven.
And I have no idea what I’m going to bring to dinner.
I have a little skip in my step as I make my way back to the office and I have Rebecca to thank for that.
Today couldn’t have gone more perfectly. I know that things between us aren’t going to be easy or simple, but today she showed me that she’s willing to try. She’s willing to give it a shot. She’s willing to give us a shot and that’s the important thing about falling in love.
Relationships aren’t easy.
Being an Alpha’s mate isn’t going to be easy.
Rebecca can do it, though. She’s got this. She can handle this. Together, we can make it through anything. We can make it through the darkness. We can make it through any issue or problem the pack might encounter and we’ll do it together.
And then I get back to my office.
And all hell breaks loose.
“Where have you been?” One of my wolves screams at me. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“You didn’t tell anyone where you were going,” another says.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
Everything is in chaos.
I was gone a little over an hour and everything is in chaos.
Everyone is screaming.
Everyone is shouting.
And this is not the way an Alpha lets his pack behave.
“Enough!” I growl at the top of my lungs. Instantly, the wolves stop moving around and stand perfectly still and look at me. They’re each quiet.
As they fucking should be.
“You,” I point to a young wolf. He’s probably around 20. Jared. “What seems to be the problem here?”
“Well, um, sir, um, Alpha,” he stutters, looking helplessly at the other wolves in the office. None of them seem to be in a rush to help out Jared. “There’s a cub missing, sir, and we can’t seem to, um, locate her.”
Of course this would happen on the day I’m supposed to have dinner with my mate. I’m supposed to have dinner with Rebecca and make love to her. I’m supposed to cherish her and care for her tonight. I’m supposed to woo her with my body and with my love, but that can’t happen anymore.
Now I have to be the Alpha my pack needs.
Now I have to be the leader.
And Rebecca?
She’s going to be okay.
We’re going to be okay.
We’re strong enough to get through this.
It’s not the first time a cub has gone missing from the pack. Wolves tend to let their cubs run around town because it’s a very safe place and we all know each other. No one is going to let any harm befall a little cub. We all look out for each other. Still, sometimes a cub does wander off or get lost or forget to go home on time.
“How long has she been gone?” I ask.
“Her mother came in half an hour ago,” Abigail says. “She was last seen at the playground. Mrs. Thomann was talking with her girlfriend and when she turned back to check on Jemma, the girl was gone.”
“Wait,” I say. “This is Jemma Thomann?”
“She’s nine years old,” Abigail looks at a piece of paper in front of her. “Brown hair. One green eye and one orange one.”
“I know who she is,” I say. “Where’s her mother now?”
“Mrs. Thomann left after she notified us that the girl was missing,” Jared says. “We tried to find you, but couldn’t locate you. We dispatched four groups of wolves to start searching the surrounding area for her: one group in each direction. Mrs. Thomann dropped off a couple of Jemma’s shirts so we could catch her scent.”
He points to a pile of clothes on the desk. It’s standard procedure when a cub goes missing. It only makes sense that we would catch the missing little one’s scent ourselves and find them. We’re wolves, for dragon’s sake. We’re excellent hunters. We’re incredible.
And we can find anyone.
I don’t panic. Jemma loves to wander, but she knows Wolfe City. I can’t imagine she would have gone far.
“Where have you searched so far?” I ask, and Frederick, a middle-aged wolf, points to a map on my desk.
“Here,” he points to the northern fields. “Three wolves are checking the fields. Two have gone to the western woods. Four went to the eastern side of town and three went south.”
“What about in town?” But Frederick shakes his head.
“The playground is in the center of town, but Mrs. Thomann insists her daughter wanted to go to a new place. She said that all morning, Jemma kept talking about traveling and exploring. When she couldn’t find her at the playground, she came right here, insisting that Jemma must have decided to go on a trip by herself.”
I look at the map in front of me.
I look at where the playground is.
I look at each area the wolves are searching and run my finger over the map. Jemma is curious, to be sure. Most cubs are. She’s not reckless, though. I’m sure her mother is worried. I’m sure she’s completely freaking out. I’m sure she’s wondering where her precious cub could have possibly wandered off to.
Jemma wants to explore.
She wants an adventure.
She’s a quiet cub, but she’s a good cub.
And then it hits me.
It was there the whole time, right in front of my face.
“Call off the search,” I tell my wolves. “I know where to find her.”
I motion for Jared and Abigail to come with me and we head off down the street.
“Um, should we be shifting?” Abigail asks, looking around. “Shouldn’t we change forms so we’ll be faster?”
“No need,” I tell her. “We’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Call Jemma’s mother,” I tell Jared. “Have her meet us at the bookstore.”
“The bookstore?” Abigail raises an eyebrow.
“Absolutely.”
I don’t speak again as we make our way quickly to The Dusty Shelf. The front of the shop still shows a Closed sign. I’m guessing Rebecca went to pick up some lunch before she returning to the store.
“It’s closed,” Abigail points out the obvious. “Why do you think Jemma is here?”
“She loves to read. She comes here all the time. There’s no better adventure than losing yourself in a book. There’s no better way to travel than experiencing another world right in the pages of a story. She’s here.” I pull on the door, but it’s locked. “Check the back door,” I tell Abigail. Jared is nearby on the phone, chattering quickly. I assume he got in contact with Jemma’s mother. Good.
I pull my keys from my pocket and unlock the front door of The Dusty Shelf.
“Jemma?” I call out when I walk inside. “Jemma Thomann? Are you in here, cub?” I walk into the shop and flip the lights on, but I don’t see her.
“Back door was ajar,” Abigail confirms, coming in from the back of the shop. “Rebecca must have forgotten to lock it when she went for lunch.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I point to a little pile in the corner of the children’s section. “We found her.” I smile. “We found her.” I kneel beside the sleeping cub. She’s curled up with a copy of The Boxcar Children. She must have sneaked in the back of the shop and then fallen asleep reading.
We found her.
And she’s safe.
And everything is going to be okay.
“What time is it?” Jemma wakes up and stretches lazily, sleepily. Then her eyes pop open. “Oh no! What time is it? My mom is going to worry! I
didn’t tell her! I have to get back to the park.”
Suddenly, Jemma seems to notice that Abigail and I are squatting next to her and her mouth goes wide.
“Oh, um, hi Alpha,” she squeaks out. “What brings you here?”
I look at the little cub and let her sweat it out for a second.
“My mom freaked out, didn’t she?” Jemma asks.
“You gave us all quite a scare, little cub.”
“I’m sorry I sneaked off,” she whispers. “I didn’t mean to make anyone worry. It’s just that Mom was talking so much with her friend. I was going to ask her, but I didn’t want to interrupt. I didn’t think they’d notice I was gone. And the shop was closed, but I remembered the back door is sometimes open, so I just came in. I wasn’t going to steal any books. I promise.”
“I know you weren’t, cub. I know.” I offer Jemma a hug, wrapping her up in my arms.
“Jemma Thomann!” I hear a voice at the front of the shop and I smile.
“Looks like your mother is here, kiddo. Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Jemma groans. “I’m gonna need it.”
Chapter 9
Rebecca
I return from lunch a little bit late, only to find my store completely filled with wolves. Abigail quickly fills me in on the excitement of the day and once Jemma’s mother is reassured that her daughter is going to be fine, the group disperses. Soon, it’s only me and Brandon alone in the bookstore, but he looks tired.
He looks completely exhausted.
“Forget about dinner,” I say on impulse, and he looks at me in surprise. “I don’t know what to make, anyway,” I confess. “I’m a good cook, but I get nervous, and then I seem to forget how to do it. That’s not the point,” I shake my head.
“What is the point, sweetie?” He asks quietly, but doesn’t come over to me.
“I think you could use a drink,” I say. “I think we both could.”
He nods, and I make sure that both the front and back doors of the shop are locked.
“Don’t worry about losing sales,” I tell him. “We’ll have a special next week or something to make up for this afternoon.”
“I’m not worried. I trust you, Rebecca. Completely. You should know this by now.”
I take his hand and guide him up the stairs to my apartment.
“I know,” I tell him, and then we go inside. My apartment is small, but comfortable. Cozy. I’ve done my best to make it seem less like a studio apartment I’m renting and more like a home.
Moving through the room, I pour two glasses of whiskey. When I turn back around, Brandon has made himself comfortable sitting on my bed. I don’t have a couch. The bed really is the only place to sit, aside from a single chair at a small kitchen table. I join him on the bed and hand him a glass.
“To us,” I say, holding mine up.
“To you,” he offers in response.
“To me?”
“The most beautiful girl in the world.”
Blushing, I down my whiskey and he downs his. Then we set the glasses on the nightstand.
“Today was long,” Brandon says. “I loved spending time with you, but coming back to work was difficult. That’s the thing about leading a wolf pack, you know. I never know when someone is going to need me. I never know when something big is going to happen.”
I place my hand on his. “You’re giving me a chance, Brandon. Even though I’m damaged and scared and worried, you’re giving me a chance. I’ll give you one, too.” It takes all of my courage, all of my bravery, all of my energy to say how I feel, but you know what?
Chris would want me to be happy.
I loved him with my whole heart, but I think Brandon is right.
I think my heart really is big enough for two.
I grab Brandon’s shirt and pull him close to me, kissing him. I kiss him to show him that everything is going to be okay. I kiss him to show him that it’s going to be just fine. I kiss him to show him that I love him, that I want to be his mate, that I want to be his bride.
I kiss him to show him I’m going to be there for him.
He pulls away after a minute and strokes my cheek, looking at me. I lean into his touch, enjoying the way this moment makes me feel like a princess. When he looks at me like this, I feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. I feel like everything is going to be okay.
I just want him to keep looking at me like this.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he says. “But that’s not why I love you. I love you because you’re sweet. I love you because you’re kind. I love you because there’s no one like you in the whole damn world, Rebecca. There’s no one but you. You’re incredible.”
“I feel the same way about you, Brandon.”
“Tell me something.”
“Anything.”
“Will you be my mate, Rebecca? It won’t be easy. There will be nights I’m gone late. There will be times I’m gone for a week at a time. There will be times when I’m so stressed, so tired from pack business that I won’t be able to sleep. There will be times when I’ll have to lean on you, but baby, you can lean on me, too. I will always be here for you. Always. So, please, will you make me the happiest wolf in the world?”
“Of course,” I whisper, tearing up. “I love you, Brandon. I love you.”
He grabs me then and kisses me, only this time, it’s not the soft, innocent kissing we shared earlier. This time, he’s kissing me to tell me something.
This time, he’s kissing me because he wants me.
Because he needs me.
Because he can’t quite get enough of me.
Brandon kisses me like he needs my tongue to survive. He kisses me like nothing is as important as tasting me. He kisses me like he’s dying and I’m the only thing that can save him.
He kisses me like I’m a fucking tigress.
He makes me feel wild.
I pull his shirt off and he pulls mine off. Together we fumble, stripping each other down. It’s not pristine. It’s not smooth. This isn’t like some well-rehearsed pornographic movie.
This is real life, but it’s me and it’s him and in my mind, it’s perfect.
Soon we’re naked in front of each other. It’s not the first time we’ve seen each other naked: that was earlier. Still, it’s the first time it’s going to lead somewhere, and I’m very aware of that. I’m very aware of the fact that in just a few minutes, Brandon is going to make love to me. In just a few minutes, he’s going to mark me.
Suddenly, I feel very hot and very cold and very excited.
Every inch of my body sparks with arousal as he gazes at me, taking me in.
“You’re so beautiful, Rebecca,” he whispers. He reaches for me, strokes my breast gently. My nipples are already hard, but the touch makes them even harder, even more pointy. I have goose bumps everywhere and I’m going to explode if he doesn’t keep touching me.
“Please,” I whisper.
“What is it, princess?”
“Don’t stop touching me,” I whisper, begging.
Brandon leans in close to my ear and whispers, “I’ll never stop touching you, princess. Do you understand? Never. I’ll never stop wanting you, needing you, loving you. And I will never, never, never stop touching you.”
He leans down and sucks one of my breasts into his mouth. I grab his hair, biting my bottom lip and moaning as he plays with my body. Everything about this moment is incredible.
I’ve had plenty of sex since Chris passed away. I’ve been with plenty of people. None of it meant anything, and suddenly, I’m reminded of what I’ve been missing. Suddenly, I’m reminded that when someone loves you, truly loves you, sex can be an out-of-body experience.
Sex can be fantastic.
Sex can be life-changing.
“You taste amazing,” he growls, nipping at my breast. He switches to the other one and kisses me there before nipping that one, too.
“Then I guess you better keep tasting me.”
“Oh, I plan to,” he murmurs, licking and sucking on me. I run my hands over his arms and shoulders, squeezing his muscles. I trace his skin with my fingers and move back up to his hair. Then I run my hands through it once more.
“You’re hair is incredible,” I murmur. “So soft.”
“That’s what you like about me?” He looks up at me with a mischievous grin. “My hair? Baby, look at me.” He motions to his abs. “I’m incredible. There’s much more to me than beautiful locks.”
I laugh and kiss him. Then we roll back onto the bed. He’s over me, kissing my mouth. He licks my neck and kisses me there before moving back down to my breasts.
“You have incredible tits,” he says. “They’re perfect.” He bounces each of them in turn.
“You don’t think they’re too big?” I ask. They’re full. I’m a tiger, after all. I’ve got curves. I’m no slender fox, no lanky wolf woman. I’m bigger than most of the girls in Wolfe City, but that doesn’t seem to bother Brandon.
Not in the least.
“I think they’re fucking gorgeous,” he says, and kisses them in response.
I lean back against the pillow as he touches me, playing with my body. He caresses every inch of me and once more, I feel swept up in the emotions of the day. I’m the luckiest damn tiger in the world.
I feel like a fucking princess.
Brandon moves lower, kissing my belly.
“Your skin is perfect,” he says. “Soft.” He grips my thighs as he kisses me. For a second, I’m nervous that I might giggle or laugh. I’m incredibly ticklish, and not in a sexy way, but I don’t.
“Keep going,” I murmur, knowing exactly what he has in mind. “Please, just don’t stop.”
“I wouldn’t torture you that way, princess,” he says. “The only torture I want to give you is too many orgasms.”
“Is that even possible?” I laugh, but then he licks between my legs and I lose my train of thought. He licks me and everything goes blank. He licks me and I lose my damn mind because this feels incredible.
“Let’s find out,” he says.
Chapter 10