A Mate's Redeeming Touch

by Merryn Dexter

  Rising from the bed, he entered the en suite bathroom to rinse his hands clean. The room was a palace compared to the tiny stall in his trailer. What the fuck am I doing pretending I’m good enough for Caitlyn Burrows? The remembrance of her naked skin covered in dancing stars drove his doubts to the back of his mind. He paused to bind his hair in a thick tail before hastening to his mate’s side.

  Crouching over her body on the bed, he blew cool air across her nipples and she shuddered at the contrast between hot and cold on her skin. He crawled down the bed and placed his hands on the waistband of her shorts, keeping them still until she gave a sharp nod of consent.

  “Lift your hips, Little Red,” he instructed as he tugged the material down. He groaned as she complied and the shorts came free, baring her sweet pussy to his hungry gaze. He dropped the clothing over the side of the bed and palmed her thighs, using the gentlest of pressure until she responded, allowing him to spread her legs wide.

  Lowering himself flat on the bed, he used his thumbs to spread her open until every inch of her pussy was revealed to him. Her dusky pink flesh, darker than her nipples, shone with a hint of slickness. A light dusting of red curls framed his prize and although he liked her natural state, he vowed he would shave her clean one day soon so he could devour every inch of her.

  His face pressed deep into her pussy as he drew a deep breath, hands braced on her thighs, keeping her open to him when she tried to close her legs in embarrassment. The wolf howled within and his eyes rolled back in his head as the full impact of her arousal smashed into his senses.

  Unable to wait a moment longer, he slid his tongue deep inside her tight pussy, thrusting hard to penetrate his mate and capture the taste he craved above all things. Her hips rocked up into his face and she keened softly, causing him to freeze.

  “Cover your mouth, Little Red. Can you do that for me? I love to hear the noises you make, but I don’t want to risk us being interrupted. I intend to eat this beautiful pussy of yours for hours so you need to try and be quiet, okay?”

  Caitlyn’s eyes were huge in her face as she nodded and raised her hand, placing it over her mouth. He stared up the length of her body, watching the blue stars from the globe dance across her pale skin. The sight of her open and willing beneath him, mesmerized him.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful, Caitlyn. You take my breath away,” he growled before lowering his head to capture her clit between his lips.

  He drew on the bundle of nerves, rubbing the flat of his tongue over it as he slid his hands beneath her ass, lifting her pussy up closer to his mouth, giving him complete access. She rocked against him and he used his wide shoulders to nudge her thighs until she draped her legs over his back.

  He sucked hard on her clit before releasing it, sliding his tongue through the entire length of her slit. Turing his head, he nipped the soft flesh of her ass, sucking hard until he left a mark. She whimpered into the palm of her hand and he growled low as he rimmed the entrance to her pussy with his tongue. He circled the tight ring of muscle again and again until she grabbed a handful of his hair and urged him closer.

  Swift to reward his little wolf’s boldness, he buried his tongue deep, fucking in and out of her pussy with long strokes, wishing it was his cock slamming into her. He rubbed his hips against the bed, seeking to ease the pressure in his dick as he worked his mate into a frenzy. She panted hard now, her head thrashing against the pillows as she moaned and muttered into her hand.

  Juices flowed over his tongue to coat the lower part of his face and he drank them down greedily. She tasted so good, he wanted to bury his face and never come up for air. Reluctantly, he eased his tongue from her pussy and quickly replaced it with one finger, keeping her open as his mouth sought her clit again.

  He flicked over her clit with the tip of his tongue as he thrust his finger deep, bathing in her wet heat. Adding a second finger, he eased his way until he felt her pussy stretch to accommodate it. He curled his fingers upward, rubbing over and over against the upper wall of her pussy as he bit down gently on her clit.

  Her hips rocketed off the bed, heels digging hard into his shoulders as she threw her other hand over her face to keep her cries contained. She quaked and shuddered through her orgasm, heels drumming against his shoulders.

  He kept up the pressure on her clit, pushing her higher as he fucked her pussy with thick, long fingers. Ignoring the blinding pain in his cock, he focused on his task, determined to wring every second of pleasure from her body he could.

  Her legs collapsed against his back as her hands fell away from her face to rest limp against the covers. He gentled his touch, stroking and petting now, tongue sliding to gather her essence as she panted and gasped for air. He withdrew his fingers from her pussy and stuck them in his mouth, licking them clean of her cream.

  Crawling up the bed, he braced over her as she stared blindly at the ceiling. He stroked her cheek, bringing her eyes into focus as he pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.

  “All right, Little Red?” he whispered and she nodded dumbly. “I’ll be one minute.” He kissed her again and lifted from the bed to enter the bathroom.

  Lowering his jeans around his erection took some effort and he gasped as the thick, hot flesh sprang free of its confines. He grabbed a washcloth, stroking his cock rapidly until he grunted and came into the soft cotton material. His knees went weak before he braced himself against the sink and shrugged it off; tonight wasn’t about him.

  Washing himself clean, he rinsed the cloth before returning to where Caitlyn still sprawled across the covers. Using gentle hands, he lifted and rolled her, pulling the covers free before he slid them both under the sheet.

  He tugged her closer until she settled hard against his chest, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. She sighed and snuggled against him, tugging his leg across hers until she was cocooned in his embrace.

  “Go to sleep, Caitlyn, I’ve got you,” he murmured, curling his arms tighter around her.

  “Thank you, Ven. I had no idea it could feel so good.” Her words were hardly a whisper as she drifted off. He waited until her deep even breaths told him she slept before he pressed a kiss to her temple.

  “I love you, Little Red.” Blue stars danced and swirled across the room, the only witnesses to his heartfelt confession. “I love you, which is why this is the first and last time I will ever touch you.”

  Chapter Six

  Caitlyn examined her reflection in the mirror, frowning when she caught herself chewing on her bottom lip again. It was a habit she wanted to break, no easy task given the frustrations of the past few weeks. Her family had been passing through the house like extras from a zombie flick, everyone so tired from the efforts to get two big projects completed to tight deadlines.

  Caleb and Hannah had been the last to shuffle through the kitchen earlier. The pregnant woman was feeling the heat and Caitlyn had insisted they spend an extra hour in bed while she dealt with Jessie and took her to school. The washing machine had been on a permanent cycle, either work clothes for everyone or the new linens which would grace the tables in the restaurant when it opened the next week.

  The crisp stacks of colored cloth were pressed and stowed in the airing cupboard with a few sprigs of lavender to keep them fresh. It had pleased her to help Bridie by taking care of them. She had enough on her plate, and it gave Caitlyn a chance to contribute something toward the work effort. Her father and Connor had finished at the gas station and had returned to the restaurant for the final big push to get everything prepared.

  The gas station.

  The reason she once again studied her outfit in the mirror, trying to control the queasy feeling in her stomach. The gas station and its stubborn, gorgeous, infuriating asshole of an owner who had touched her in ways she had never believed possible and then vanished from her life.

  Bastard.

  She’d lain there each night with the window open, nerves jangling, body
on fire at the thought of what they might do next as she waited for Ven to appear.

  But he never did.

  Tentative questioning of her father had revealed Ven was working crazy hours to get the gas station open. Stefan had remarked on the apparent change of heart considering he had never seemed enamored of the project. Apparently he was either working at the station or chugging beer at Gee’s like a man trying to drown himself from the inside out.

  Three weeks of waiting and Caitlyn had drawn her line in the sand. She might be omega but she was tired of being a pushover and waiting for life to come to her. Her reflection winced at his likely reaction to her plan. Tough shit. They were mates and he needed to accept it.

  With wafer-thin bravado, she ran downstairs and grabbed her purse, keys, and the latest steamy paperback she’d been reading and scampered from the house. The encounter with Ven had switched up her book selection from sweet romance to panty melting as she tried to recapture the sensations he had introduced her to.

  The parking lot behind the station had been mowed and weeded, she noted as she climbed down from the truck, gathering her belongings. There had been lots of cosmetic changes, including a fresh coat of paint and the new sign which proclaimed Thorne’s Fuel and Essentials in bold black script.

  His surname is apt, prickly bastard. The thought twisted her lips in a wry grin as he glared in disbelief across the forecourt at her arrival. He turned his head in response to a question posed by the owner of the minivan he was currently refueling. Taking advantage of his distraction, Caitlyn quickened her step toward the station store and service area.

  The shelves adorning the walls had the distinctive look of her father’s craftsmanship. Maps, guidebooks, and a few tourist trinkets littered the shelves together with auto essentials such as oil and windshield washer fluid. A large upright refrigerator stuffed with soft drinks and water stood close to the simple, solid counter serving as the cash desk. She unlatched the divider in the counter and slipped into the backroom to drop off her purse before she settled on the stool behind the counter.

  The bell over the door jangled as Ven slammed into the store, the scowl on his broad face shattering into a look of abject disbelief at the sight of her perched there. He opened his mouth to say something before snapping it closed as the owner of the van followed him in.

  Storming to the counter, he flung the divider up and she darted out under his raised arm to engage the customer with a smile. She could feel his temper boiling behind her. Dark amber and wood swirled through the small space, making her heady.

  Just as well humans have such a poor sense of smell. She chattered away to the customer about sightseeing in the Black Hills, using a map to point him in the direction of a beautiful campground well away from Tao Pack territory.

  The customer paid for his fuel and departed with a wave and a handful of maps and soft drinks and Caitlyn busied herself with tidying the display shelves. It didn’t take long before the heat of her mate radiated against her back as he loomed over her.

  “Want to tell me what you think you are doing, Caitlyn?” His low growl made her sway, the urge to lean against him and rub up against his hot hard-muscled chest almost too much to resist.

  “I’m working, Ven. I thought that would be obvious.” Keeping her voice light, she ducked around him, heading into the stockroom to gather paper towels and plastic gloves to refill the boxes out by the pumps.

  When she came out with her hands loaded, he stood in the middle of the store, forearms crossed over his chest. His biceps strained the cotton of his plain black T-shirt and her body went liquid at the magnificent display. Her mate was a fine looking man, all hard planes and thick muscle. She could stare at him all day.

  He snapped his fingers under her nose and heat stained her cheeks, startled from her reverie. The hungry look she missed so much shone in his black eyes, contrasting with the stern expression on his face.

  “How can you be working when I never offered you a job?” The ticcing in his jaw belied the steady calm of his voice and she gulped a little. She preferred it when he yelled at her, his default method of communication. Preferred it even more when he spoke in the soft smoky tone he used when he laid siege to her body.

  The sight and scent of him was intoxicating and her nipples peaked beneath her bra, the soft lace scratching and increasing their sensitivity. His nostrils flared in reaction and he swiped his lush lower lip with his tongue. His clever, wicked tongue she missed so much.

  “It’s what mates do,” she whispered. Stiffening her spine, she stepped toward him. “Mates help each other. They work together and I wanted to prove to you what a good mate I am.”

  Not waiting for him to respond, fearing rejection, she hurried out of the store and made herself busy with stocking the bins by the pumps.

  Taking her time to get to know the place, she walked the plot of the gas station, mentally noting touches she wanted to add. A few tubs of flowers would brighten the place up no end, maybe a couple of hanging baskets, too. Imagining the look on Ven’s face when she installed pots of roses and shrubs, she laughed.

  She would ask Caress Galveston for some ideas when she went to collect Jessie later. The young woman was a marvel with plants and assisted at the school. Caitlyn longed to return the tentative overtures of friendship she had been offered by both Caress and Adrie, the teacher who ran the little schoolhouse. Jessie adored them both, always full of chatter about the fun she had with them during her classes.

  A large, heavy-bristled broom rested against the side of the station building so she grabbed it and began to sweep over the forecourt, her brain full of plans for the future. She glanced over at the large trailer situated in the shade of the trees about a hundred yards from the station itself. Not her idea of home, exactly, but if the bed was big enough and she had her mate to keep her warm then Caitlyn could make something of it until such time as they built something more substantial.

  He snatched the broom from her grasp. Ven growled at her and took over the task of sweeping up.

  “Go home, Caitlyn!” he snapped.

  Shrugging, she strolled away from the lot toward the trailer. She might be pushing Ven to his limits, but she needed to make him understand he would not be permitted to ghost in and out of her life as he pleased.

  “Don’t you fucking dare.” His guttural words made her shiver with fear and desire. “I swear, Little Red, if you set one foot closer to that shithole trailer, you’ll be sorry. I can’t bear the thought of you anywhere near it.” The shame in his voice softened any blow she might feel at him not wanting her in his space. Oh, Ven.

  Changing direction without hesitation, she moved instead toward the gas station building. His use of the nickname he’d given her gave her hope. Resuming her perch on the stool behind the counter, she started to read her book, glancing over the top every now and then to watch him scour the gas station lot with the broom.

  The bell over the door jangled, making her jump. At some point, she had gotten lost in the story before her. The Regency duke thrust vigorously into his heroine in a stable block, her fancy gown gathered around her waist. Caitlyn liked the idea of wearing a ball gown and corsets but wasn’t altogether sure about the practicalities when it came to romping in the hay.

  She peeked over the edge of the cover and eyed Ven. Jeans and T-shirt over coppery skin appealed a lot more than ruffled shirts and breeches. The sides of his raven hair were bound back in slender braids today, the rest flowing past his shoulders. She loved his hair, the way the ends tickled across her skin as he bent to kiss his way across her breasts and down her stomach. She moaned at the memory.

  “Get your ass in the stockroom, Little Red,” he ordered, flicking the closed sign. He locked the door then prowled across the small space toward her. Heart racing, she popped off the stool and fled into the rear. It was dark and cool in there and she felt her skin prickle at the change in temperature and with her own excitement.

  �
��Put your hands on the wall and spread your legs a little.” His weight pressed against her. His voice a husky whisper, hot breath teasing her ear. She’d worn thin cotton pants and a matching blouse, practical but smartly casual, and the heat of his hand burned through the material as he palmed her ass before nudging her legs a little farther apart.

  “What are you playing at, Little Red? Parading around here like you own the place. Reading your naughty book, getting yourself all hot and bothered. I can smell it on you. Smell your arousal like hot honey melting on freshly baked bread.”

  She moaned at his words and wiggled her ass, desperate to make body contact, but he arched away from her.

  “Is this what you’ve been doing every night alone in your bed? Reading sexy stories and getting yourself all revved up without me there to take care of you? Is it?” A sharp tug stung her scalp as he fisted her hair. She cried out as his tongue swiped the side of her neck. Her clit throbbed, beating in time with her racing pulse, and she longed to close her legs and rub them together but his knee planted between them, made it impossible.

  “Do you touch yourself, Sweet? Do you rub your hot clit and play with your slick little pussy? Do you?” His words flowed over her like silk and sin. She tried to nod her head, but he still held her hair too tightly for her to move it much.

  “How does it feel, Little Red? How does it feel when you dip your fingers down? Is it as good as when I touch you?” His dick pressed, thick and rock hard against her ass as his weight pressed her closer toward the wall.

  “No,” she croaked out. “It’s not the same, not as good. Touch me, Ven, I’m begging you. Please!” Frantic now, her fingers scrabbled against the cold wall as she writhed against him. She gasped in relief as his strong hands reached for her waistband, unbuttoning her pants, dragging them and her panties down to mid thigh in one hard jerk.