by Bianca D’Arc
When Joe’s head lifted and moved, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to find his lips with hers. The first touch of their lips jolted through them both, sending ripples of awareness throughout Enid’s body. She kissed him with all she had, needing the connection, needing the closeness. It had been so long since she’d been held by a man who seemed to need her so desperately.
His mouth demanded, and she complied. His dominance was a beautiful thing that completely seduced her free will. She wanted nothing more than to submit, to give him everything he wanted. Everything he needed.
A healing of the soul. A healing of the body. A benediction given and received in the most basic way possible.
When he lowered her to the couch, she went willingly, pushing at his clothing, wanting nothing between them. She didn’t care about tomorrow, or even the next minute. What she wanted now, was him. Just him. An exchange of caring and an expression of pleasure in the real world. Something tangible.
It didn’t have to mean forever. With him, she knew it couldn’t. He’d had his one chance at forever, and Tess had been taken from him. That made her incredibly sad, but she could at least offer comfort, and take a little for herself, at the same time. This beautiful man with the gentle dominant traits needed her, she believed, as much as she needed him, right now.
Decision made, she pushed at his shirt, glad when he broke their kiss long enough to tug the offending fabric over his head. He tossed it on the floor and went right back to kissing her. Only this time, his hands were busy removing her shirt and bra. She helped where she could. She wanted nothing more at this moment than to feel her skin against his. She wanted that connection and the sensations that would accompany it.
He freed her breasts, slipping her shirt down her arms, followed by her bra. When she would have pressed herself against him, he used his big hands to cup her breasts, bringing new sensations to her starved senses.
His mouth returned to hers, and time seemed to stand still as they kissed and kissed. Thought fled as his hands kept working on ridding them both of the fabric still between them. Before she knew what was happening, she was completely bare…and so was he.
Without thought, she opened for him, and he joined with her. Senses overwhelmed by his dominant, yet gentle possession, she gave up to the sensations and just let nature take its course. Joe was as potent as a force of nature, claiming her and giving back in equal measure. Her pleasure spiked, again and again, as he brought them both to the precipice multiple times before letting them both tumble over the edge into blissful oblivion.
Enid wasn’t sure of time or space as she floated on a cloud of desire. Then, she really did feel like she was floating as Joe’s strong arms cradled her, lifting her off the couch and carrying her as if she weighed no more than a feather. He found her bedroom without being told and lay her down on the wide bed. Enid was never more grateful that her little house had come equipped with a queen-sized bed. They both fit nicely, and when Joe started to make love to her all over again, Enid was more than ready to join him in the amazing pleasure he’d shown her.
Never before had Enid reached such heights, and she feared, now that she’d been with Joe, she would never know bliss like this with any other man. He’d ruined her for all others, but at the moment, she couldn’t seem to work up the energy to care. It was all she could do to keep up with the demands of his passion, but it was well worth the effort. He gave her more in those stolen hours, where words were unnecessary and all their communication was done skin-to-skin, than she had ever known.
She decided that, when the Mother of All had made this man, She had outdone herself. Joe was one in a million. Maybe, in a trillion. And, at least for tonight, he was all Enid’s. She was going to take what he offered and enjoy it. Tomorrow would take care of itself.
Chapter Five
Joe woke, confused. He was in a strange bed…with someone…
Enid. Sweet Mother of All. He’d had sex with Enid last night on the couch. Then, he’d taken her to bed, and they’d done it again. And again. And again.
What insane impulse had overtaken him? He hadn’t had sex since he’d lost his mate. Sure, there had been offers from well-meaning Packmates who weren’t looking for anything permanent, but he’d never taken anyone up on those offers. He’d thanked them kindly and sent them on their way. His heart—his body and soul—had been given to Tess long ago, and it hadn’t felt right to be with anyone else.
Why then, did this situation with Enid feel…not wrong? Not like he expected. He didn’t feel like he’d betrayed his mate’s memory. He just felt…at peace. For the first time in a very long time, he felt peace in his soul.
He had no idea how or why. By all rights, he should be suffering debilitating guilt, but as he lay there, listening to her soft breathing, he couldn’t find any guilt inside him. There was only confusion about what he had expected to feel if something like this ever happened and what he was really feeling. Though, to be honest, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling at the moment, anyway, besides the overall confusion.
Not liking uncertainty, his inner wolf wanted action. Rising silently from the bed, Joe stalked out into the living room to find his clothing. He collected all the pieces of fabric and neatly folded Enid’s clothes, placing them on the arm of the couch with another touch of that confused feeling he couldn’t identify. He took his clothes with him into the powder room at the front of the small house and tidied up as best he could before dressing. There were things to do and people to talk to. A solid goal would help clear the fog from his mind and might help him find his feet again.
Also, there was the Alpha pair of this Pack to look after. As a senior Alpha, Joe felt a driving need to look after the younger pair, even though they hadn’t sworn allegiance to him yet. He wanted to show them the caliber of his care for those who chose to follow him, and that started now. He was in their territory. He had to prove he was an Alpha worthy of being followed if he wanted to attract this very young Pack to the Big Wolf fold.
When he came out of the powder room, he was surprised to find Enid already up and dressed, and waiting for him in the kitchen. She had eggs frying on the stove, and coffee was just starting to drip out of the coffee maker on the countertop.
“I’m going to the hospital right after breakfast,” she told him without even turning around. “You’re welcome to come with me.”
Joe paused in the doorway, thrown a bit by her matter-of-fact behavior. Had last night meant so little to her that she thought nothing of his presence? Or was she playing it cool because she was as confused as he was? He had no idea, and right now, he wasn’t going to question anything too closely.
“I’d appreciate the lift,” Joe told her, moving to take the two mugs off the countertop and fill them with steaming coffee for them both. He placed them on the table and went back to the counter to get silverware for them both. “Anything I can do to help with breakfast?” he asked politely.
“Get the condiments out of the fridge, if you want any. There’s also orange juice, if you’d like some,” she told him, plating up a heap of scrambled eggs. She added bacon to the pan and then brought the eggs over to the table. “Start on that while I let this cook. We hit the ground running in this outfit,” she quipped. “I want to get on the road to the hospital as soon as possible.”
That sounded right to Joe, so he didn’t argue. He’d built up quite an appetite the night before, so the eggs were welcome. Enid had given him a shifter-sized portion, making a plate for herself with considerably less. He appreciated her thoughtfulness. She really was a genuinely nice person. He supposed that came with the job. He’d rarely met a priestess who didn’t have a heart of gold at the base of her personality.
Some were tougher than others, of course. They were all individuals, with individual ideas about how to do things, but the overriding commonality was their dedication to the side of Light and the Goddess they served. Still, he’d never bedded a priestess before, so he couldn’t
really be sure of anything where they were concerned.
An awful thought occurred to him. Had she had sex with him out of some kind of sympathy? Was it her way of ministering to someone she perceived as part of her flock? Or was it gratitude for his help yesterday? Either idea left a bad taste in his mouth that had nothing to do with the quality of the food. He put down his fork as she joined him at the table.
Enid dumped about a dozen cooked strips of bacon on his plate, keeping only two for herself. He waited for her to be seated, then asked what was uppermost in his mind.
“About last night…” he began, but she cut him off.
“I understand,” she told him, confusing him more. What, exactly, did she think she understood? He wished he knew. “We were both in need of comfort. At least, I hope that was the case. I’d hate to think I took advantage of you,” she went on, astounding him with her words.
“You took advantage of me?” he repeated, incredulous. “I rather thought it might be the other way around,” he clarified. “Or that you were giving me some kind of sympathy prize or thank you gift.”
Her eyes went round with surprise. At least they had that in common. He truly believed, seeing her reaction, that either motivation had been far from her mind. Thank the Goddess.
“I…” She shook her head and tried again. “I wouldn’t do that. If I’d wanted to thank you, I would have just said it, and you certainly aren’t the kind of man who needs anybody’s pity.”
“Well, thanks for that, at least.” Why was he growling? He didn’t understand it himself.
“I thought…um…I thought you felt a bit like I did. Like things just swept me away, and I gave into a need that was bigger than myself,” she said in a more tentative tone that somehow appeased his inner wolf.
He thought about her words, measuring his reply. “That sounds about right,” he told her finally. “I wasn’t really thinking at all last night. I was just feeling…and everything about what we did felt right at the time.”
“It doesn’t now?” Her expression closed, and he felt guilty for putting that hurt look on her face.
“That’s the strange part,” he replied honestly, wanting only truth between them. “I expected that, if anything like this ever happened, I’d feel horrible, but…I don’t.” He met her gaze, glad to be able to discuss his feelings openly.
“Forgive me,” she said quietly, almost reverently. “You’ve never run into this situation before?”
“I haven’t had sex with anyone since my mate died,” he told her. He wanted her to know the truth, though the topic was one he’d never discussed with anyone else.
Enid’s face went from shock to awe to something like envy and then compassion. “I always knew the bond between mated shifters was strong, but I never really understood how deep it ran until this moment. I’m sorry. I had no intention of making you break your vow.”
“It wasn’t a vow,” he told her. “It was a choice, on my part. As you probably know, many of us who lose our mates don’t survive long, if at all. But I had my Pack and my pups. They needed me, so I…held on. I stayed for them, when I would have rather gone on to join Tess. It’s not uncommon for widowed shifters to seek physical solace with another, though there can never be a second true mating. Still, not all of us are blessed to actually find our true mates, so there are usually some singles around at any given time who are happy to share intimacies. I’ve had offers over the years, but I never felt inclined to accept any of them.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what changed. I don’t know why it felt so…okay…to do what we did, but…” He trailed off, words failing him, finally.
She looked at him, her wide eyes full of warmth. “It felt okay to me, too. More than okay, actually. It felt good and right. And, I want to be clear, I don’t jump into bed with every sexy wolf who comes along. It had been a while for me, as well.”
He resumed eating, and she followed suit. He was glad to have the air clear between them, but there was just one more point he had to make, to be certain she understood.
“There can only be one true mate for every shifter,” he told her, brutally honest, his voice low. “I don’t know what it is we have here, but it can’t ever be a mating.”
She paused, looking up at him. “I know.” Her voice sounded resigned and a little disappointed. He was surprised to feel a wave of that same disappointment come over him. “Let’s just enjoy what we have here, do our jobs, and still be friends. That works for me.”
“Friends,” Joe repeated, testing out the word. His head tilted to one side as man and wolf considered the female before them. “I can do that,” he finally decided, glad to have a word to cover what he was feeling, even if it wasn’t entirely adequate.
Enid’s smile lit him up from within. “I’m glad. I’ve never had an Alpha as scary as you for a friend before.”
Her chuckle made him answer in kind. She was teasing him, and it felt… Well, it made his heart feel lighter than it had in ages.
When they got to the hospital, Enid saw Henri and his sister, Helene, hugging each other in the hallway just outside the critical care unit, where Lucinda was recovering from the long surgery. Enid’s heart dropped, and she went straight to them.
“Is she okay?” Enid asked in a quiet voice, concerned by the tight hug the siblings were sharing. She knew shifters were very tactile, so touching and hugging was the rule rather than the exception, but they looked so emotional, she feared something had gone horribly wrong.
They broke apart, and though there were tears on Helene’s face, she was also smiling. So was Henri. He wrapped his free arm around Enid and tugged her close for a quick hug.
“She’s awake,” he said, his voice filled with joy. “She’s awake, and the doctors are claiming victory. The last of them just left to get some sleep,” Henri told her. “I was sitting with her until a moment ago, but the nurse came in to check her and shooed me out. She can have one visitor at a time, for now.”
It was good news, then. Enid felt relief fill her heart. For one terrible moment, she’d been so afraid.
Henri let her go and lifted his gaze to Joe, who stood just behind her. She couldn’t see him, but she felt his presence. He had the kind of aura that made itself known to others. A stronger Alpha, she had never met.
“If you want to slip in for a moment and take a look, I’ll wait,” Henri told Enid.
“If you don’t mind, it would help if I could just take a quick look and see what we have to work with later,” she said in a low voice. “I won’t stay long. Just a few minutes.”
Henri nodded at her. “Thanks.” A world of relief was in that single word. “It was a blessing to have you here and a miracle that you knew how to fly, and were willing to undertake the mission. We’ll never be able to thank you enough, Enid.”
She nodded, just once. “I go where I’m needed, and thankfully, I was here when you needed me.”
A nurse opened the door and signaled to Henri at that moment, and he pointed to Enid. The nurse nodded and held the door for her as she went in to see how Lucinda was faring.
Chapter Six
Joe watched Enid disappear into the hospital ward with the nurse. When the door closed, he realized he was left with the young Alpha and his sister, whom Joe hadn’t met. He stepped forward and offered his hand.
“I’m Joe Villalobos from Big Wolf,” he said quietly.
“Helene LaCroix,” the young woman replied, shaking Joe’s hand with confidence. She carried a strong female wolf spirit, much like her brother’s. “My brother told me how you saved the day by using your own jet to get Enid and her cargo the rest of the way here in time. Thank you.”
“I’m glad I was able to help,” Joe said, aware they were in a hospital with humans all around. The corridor they were in was quiet at the moment, and there was a waiting area off to one side with some vending machines. “Maybe we should sit for a bit? Looks like there’s a coffee machine in there.”
“Sure is,” Henri put in, m
oving toward the open door of the empty waiting room. “I’ve been patronizing that particular machine all night,” he added with a grin. It seemed the relief of knowing his mate was awake and recovering had helped buoy his mood.
“I bet you have,” Joe put in as they moved as a group toward the corner with the coffee and snack machines.
Helen opted for a bottle of juice while the men got coffee. They were alone in the waiting room, so it seemed all right to talk about sensitive topics, as long as they kept to vague terms rather than specifics.
“Are you returning to Texas today?” Henri asked bluntly.
“That’s the plan,” Joe replied, not taking offense. “I have a large…uh…town to run in addition to the businesses. I don’t often leave my territory, but this was important. You probably don’t know much about me, but I lost my wife a decade ago in a commercial plane crash. Since then, I’ve devoted my energy to making sure that any of my people who want to learn how to fly get the best training possible. I also built up my own airport and the town around it.”
“We’ve heard a bit about your town,” Helen put in, her gaze steady, though Joe could see the respect in her eyes. He liked her attitude. Not cowed by his presence, as some shifters were, but respectful. That was a healthy reaction to a stronger, older Alpha, in his opinion. “All good things, actually, which is rare. But now, having met you, I see it wasn’t just a good PR job. Our parents taught us that the person in charge sets the tone for the rest of the group, and you seem like a steady, good-hearted sort of man.”
“That you came all this way to help Lucinda is something I won’t ever forget,” Henri added, deep emotion clear in his tone.
“I know how important it is when a mate’s life is on the line. It hits very close to home for me, and there really was nothing else I could do, than help. I’m glad everything seems to be working out for you all, and I am also happy to help in future, should you decide to ally yourselves more closely with me and my people,” he added. He wanted the young Alpha to start thinking about future cooperation, now that his mate’s situation had improved.