by Tl Reeve
He could kick his own ass at the moment.
Bodhi yanked his shirt off as he took off for the house. He had to prove to Emma none of what happened to them had been a fluke of nature. He’d been hers from the moment he laid his eyes on the curvaceous bear who took his breath away. He caught the wooden screen door as she opened it.
“Where do you think you’re going, pinky?” He kept his palm against the door frame, pinning her in place.
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with stick? She’s more your type than a fat cow.” Emma turned her face away from him, dipping her chin. He didn’t have to see her. He could scent her pain, and taste her tears. It tore him apart. “Are you here to gloat?”
“I’m going to let you have that one,” he growled. “You’re hurting. But, you should choose your words a little more carefully.”
Her body tensed as she turned a menacing glare in his direction. “I can’t compete with a she-wolf in heat. She’d cut me off at the knees.”
A low growl emanated from him. “Run.”
She pulled a face. “Excuse me?”
“Goddammit, pinky, if you don’t run now, I’m fucking you right here. I’m holding on by a thread.” He snatched her up in his arms and palmed her ass, so he could grind against her. “You got me aching, mate. You’re mine. All fucking mine, and I’m going to prove it. Now, run.” Bodhi buried his face in her neck then scored her neck with his rapidly growing canines. Her soft moan accompanied the sweet scent of her arousal.
“Where?”
“Back the way we came. Be a bear, pinky. Run with me,” he pleaded.
“What if everyone sees me?” she whispered.
He nuzzled her jaw. “Full moon, baby. Pretty soon, all the kids will be sent to the community center, and everyone who is mated will fuck. All night. Everywhere. No one is going to be paying attention to you, but me.”
“Seriously?” She blinked and glanced up at him.
“I have so much to show you.” Bodhi kissed her forehead.
“Wait, Cassidy.” She grabbed his forearms.
“Taken care of. She’ll be with Loraine and my dads. They’ll watch over her while Nic and Aiden are at the community building.”
“You thought of everything didn’t you?”
He kissed her, pinning her to the door, tired of talking. Damn it, he warned her. “I’m desperate.” He pressed kisses to her jaw then down her neck. “You need to get a move on.”
From the left of where they stood, howls and whistles filled the air. Bodhi groaned. He could hear the not so subtle taunting of his uncles along with his sister, telling him to get a room. Heat filled his cheeks. He gathered Emma in his arms and smirked. “Jealous, all of you. I got the prettiest bear in the world, and you don’t.”
Kal growled at him. “Watch it, boy.”
“Yeah, yeah. See you guys in the morning. I have more important things to deal with.” He eased her away from the house, back toward the trail leading to the clearing where his uncle had taken Keeley years ago to claim her as his mate.
When they were away from prying eyes, he kicked off his shoes then reached for the tab of his jeans. Emma hadn’t moved a muscle. He glanced up at her and saw the indecision in her eyes. Shit. He had his work cut out for him when it came to her. “Want me to undress you?” Already his control had been torn to shreds, getting her naked would push him past his limits. However, he’d do it if it made her feel better.
“N-no, I can.” Her fingers fumbled a few times with her pants, then she was pushing them off.
Those sinfully creamy thighs of hers made his mouth water. Add in the fact she bent over to finish pulling them off ... His wolf pushed against his skin, and he groaned. His groin tightened, as he fell to his knees. He tried to hold it back, wait for her, but the longer he scented her creamy need, the wilder he grew.
“Bodhi,” she gasped.
“Don’t,” he grunted. “You touch me, and I’m mounting you. In this state, I don’t want to hurt you. Shift, Emma. Have a little pity on me here.” He cried out as his wolf forced more of the shift.
With the last article of her clothing dropped on their combined stack, she went to her knees. Like him, brilliant white light surrounded her. Finally, Bodhi surrendered to his wolf and sighed as his body realigned to his beast. He howled as pleasure overcame him. When he glanced over at Emma, she stood where she’d been. She blinked at him, and he allowed his animal the chance to scent what belonged to him.
Bodhi circled her. He buried his face in her fur and inhaled. The delicate, forest scent along with honey, and mate in heat grabbed him by the balls. Bodhi yipped at her to move. He had to prove himself tonight, and he couldn't do it standing there. Emma glanced over her shoulder and a noise crossed between a grumble and a roar came from her. It fit her perfectly. He took off up the trail, hoping she'd follow.
Emma did. She plodded along behind Bodhi as they climbed the path. Instead of going toward the boulders overlooking Window Rock, he took the Y at the road and headed deeper into the small wooded area. Emma nudged his flank jerking him to the right a bit. If he could have laughed, he would have.
Finally, they had a carefree moment. A time when they could just be. Nothing else mattered than them. As they came to the clearing, his wolf allowed him to take control once more. He leaped, landing on the ground in front of Emma. She stopped abruptly and stared at him. Her little, bear mouth gaped. She took a tentative step backward. Bodhi advanced.
“Don’t do it,” he growled.
The air around him rippled with energy as she shifted back. “B-Bodhi, what are you doing?”
“Claiming what’s mine.” He sauntered over to her. His gaze stayed locked with hers.
Her chest rose and fell at a rapid pace. Her pupils were dilated with lust. Oh, she wanted this as much as he did, if not more so. The glow of the moon caught a hint of her pink tongue as she moistened her bottom lip. Did she even realize how much she tempted him?
Probably not.
Fuck, she was too sweet for a ragamuffin boy, who ran the desert as a kid, and got into all kinds of mischief. How the hell had Bodhi been so lucky to get a mate like Emma? He took her hand in his. He didn’t say anything. They’d said enough already. He urged her to put her arm around his neck before cupping her cheek. Her pulse hammered. Her excitement drew him to her like moth to flame. He’d never get enough of her.
“Bodhi?”
“Scared, bear?” The corner of his mouth lifted.
“A little,” she admitted.
“Don't be.” Bodhi guided her over to the fresh bedding. “We've already done this.” He winked.
She gave a nervous chortle. “Yeah, we have.”
“Not the same as being woken to me between your thighs, huh?” He eased her down to the ground. “If it makes you feel better, I can do it again, and you can pretend to be asleep.” He wiggled his brows as he positioned himself closer to her.
Her eyes took on a glassy quality with each word he spoke. Emma, for all her insecurities, understood who her mate was. He hoped, eventually, her heart and mind would agree on one thing, Bodhi's word would always be his bond.
“We’ll go as slow or as fast as you want.” He trailed his fingers along her hip and thigh. “You tell me what you need, and I’ll give it to you.”
She let out a breath. “Sex. Hard, obnoxious, sex.”
Bodhi growled. “How hard, pinky? Want me to fuck you like an animal?”
She gasped.
Interest. Piqued.
“Take you from behind.” He rolled her to her knees and leaned over her back. “Like this mate? I like you like this.” He rubbed the length of his erection along the seam of her ass and groaned. “Tell me, pinky.”
Instead of saying anything, she lowered herself, pushing her ass higher. The sight of her glistening sex and tempting rear drove Bodhi insane. For the first time since he'd been a randy fourteen-year-old, he didn't know where to begin. He ran his fingers through his hair and prayed
for control and patience.
First a taste. Bodhi leaned in and lick her slit. The hint of honey along with her musky spice sparked his senses. His body tensed as he let out a low groan. Like a creamy cupcake. He palmed her ass, then settled his mouth right over her. Bodhi lapped at her entrance to gather more of her supple taste. He drank her down with every lick, wanting more. Her muffled moans shot straight to his groin, and he swore it only made him harder and his balls throb.
Emma gasped his name as he drew her clit into his mouth and sucked. The hard point pulse against his tongue. So good. He could get lost in her. Spend days discovering what turned her on, what made her scream. He squeezed and teased the soft flesh of her ample rear and groaned when he was rewarded with more of her cream. Her thighs clenched around him and her whimpered pleas set him on fire. He should give them both what they needed, yet he continued to torture her.
“Please,” she whined as her knees gave out.
He gave a rough chuckle as he helped her back into position then moved as well. Bodhi, like Emma, couldn't wait any longer. He lined himself up with her entrance and pushed forward, taking her in one stroke. Warm, wet heat encased him. A harsh grunt fell from him. He sucked in air through his clenched teeth as she rippled and massaged his engorged cock.
“Fuck, Emma. One in a million ...” He placed his forehead on the middle of her back while working her clit. She jerked and shook in his arms. The searing heat of her release coupled with the rhythmic pulse of her muscles, had him holding on for dear life. Nothing would ever compare to this. Nothing would ever top this.
As soon as she began to relax around him, he started moving. He meant to start slow and build up, but the pressure in his balls along with the sweet way she came all over him, destroyed his control. He retreated then slammed home again. He gave a harsh curse as his head fell back on his shoulders. “Not gonna last, pinky. Waited too long for this.”
His movements were jerky at best. He alternated between long and short strokes, enjoying the feeling of her pussy caressing his tip. He shivered at the intensity of the pleasure. And, the sounds he made, surprised him. The pleasure-filled, yet pained sounds only amped up his arousal, along with the sounds Emma made. Shit, no wonder everyone looks forward to this.
He could stay in Emma like this all night. Every day. Hell, why couldn’t the full moon come every night?
Emma clamped down on him hard, and the throb of her approaching climax fluttered around his tip. He gripped her hips, probably a little tighter than he meant to, but he actually liked the idea of her wearing more than one of his marks. His pace stuttered. He wanted to slow down to savor her orgasm. Instead, it ramped him up. He’d been so close to the edge as well, the minute she started coming, so did he.
Like last time, he swelled within her, making it impossible to move while she milked the come from him. Bodhi wrapped his arm around her, pulling her up to him as they rode out their releases and bit her neck. Emma went wild against him, bucking and shaking, setting him off again. He held her to him as they tried to gather their breath, and think coherently.
“I love you, Emma. Only you. Only ever you.” He turned her face, so he could kiss her. “My mate.”
Her bottom lip trembled. “I love you too, Bodhi.”
“I know you do, sweet girl.” He kissed her again. “We’ll get this right, eventually. We have all the time in the world.”
She nodded. “Yes, we do. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
He sighed. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I didn’t realize the kind of girl Gwen was until right before I left with Hayden. She only sees one thing, Alpha potential; who can make her top dog, so to speak, within the pack.” He pressed his forehead to Emma’s temple. “She’s an orphan, too. One of the wild ones Mrs. Martin couldn’t keep in hand.”
Emma frowned.
“Now, don't go feeling bad for her. She chose her path. She had all the same opportunities Nico and I and others were afforded; she decided not to take them. She'd rather bring everyone else down to her level, than rise above her childhood and her status.”
“It's still sad,” Emma murmured, while Bodhi eased them into a better position. He had a feeling they wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. “I understand what it's like to be abandoned by everyone and everything because people don't like you.”
Bodhi didn’t deserve such a tenderhearted bear. “We aren’t like her, pinky. At all. We didn’t let what happen to us, dictate what we’d do with ourselves. She does.”
“True,” she replied. “She’s so nasty.”
Bodhi chuckled then groaned as Emma clenched around him. “Okay ... that’s a little intense.”
Emma grinned. “It is.”
“Can we not talk about her anymore? This is our first mated bed of our first full moon.”
Emma narrowed her eyes in a playful manner. “Oh, and what would you like to do instead?”
“I have a few ideas. Come here, mate. Give me a little sugar,” he growled.
Emma and Bodhi returned to the house early the next morning, hand in hand. The mark at her neck throbbed, but in a good way—a reminder of what they’d experienced during the full moon. When they walked up onto the porch, the house was eerily quiet. Was it always like this?
Bodhi guided her inside, the downstairs was empty, but the sounds of soft moans filtered into the living room. Her mate—God, she liked saying that—smothered a chuckle and led her into the kitchen. She probably looked a mess. Her body ached in places she didn’t know could and dirt marred her skin. She needed a shower, pronto.
“I doubt much will get done today,” Bodhi murmured. “Full moon kind of takes the slack out of things.”
She could understand why. “It’s okay. I think I want a nice, hot shower and to just relax.”
He growled. “A shower, huh?” Bodhi grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. “We should conserve water.” He nuzzled her mark, letting out a sigh of contentment.
“No necking in my kitchen,” Kalkin grumbled.
Emma stayed in Bodhi’s arms. “Mate privilege.” She smirked.
Kalkin hooked his thumb at her. “You going to let her talk to me like that, boy?”
A slow smile filled Bodhi’s features, stealing Emma’s breath. “Of course, she is, after all, part of the family.”
“Damn pups. No respect,” Kalkin muttered.
“Bear,” she replied softly. “I’m a bear.”
Kalkin stared at her for a moment then started laughing. “Damn right, you are. Bout time you stood up for yourself, girl.”
“So, hungry?” Bodhi rubbed her arm. In an instant, things were normal. Like, they hadn’t heard him and Keeley. Or, as though he didn’t know what she and Bodhi had done all night, and before they started home.
“Starving, but I’d like a shower first.”
“Last one to the spray, gets a spanking.” Bodhi smacked her butt, before heading towards the staircase.
“Show some respect, heathens!” Kalkin bellowed with a laugh as he stepped out onto the porch.
It would seem Emma was in for a spanking. Like you’re totally not looking forward to it.
Breakfast consisted of toast and juice. By the time they emerged from the shower, then the bedroom she’d called home since arriving, everyone had appeared from wherever they’d gotten off to the night before. A sense of peace fell over Emma. An acceptance. Almost like she made it. She belonged. She had the mark to prove it.
“I still think we should go to Robyn’s,” Terri said, placing her cup in the dishwasher. She wore a magenta scarf around her neck, which didn’t fit her personality, but it’d been cute too.
“A spa day?” Hayden scrunched up her nose, her voice pitched upward in an unsure kind of way.
“Yes!” Joy giggled. “We could get manicures and pedicures. Talk about boys.” She wiggled her brows as she practically bounced with excited energy.
“Jackson will cover the cost,” Bell added. “Come on, Hayden, let us do
this for you before the big day.”
“You don’t want to miss me getting a manicure, do you?” Zoe cocked a brow.
“Well ... I guess it might be pretty awesome to see,” Hayden agreed.
“Then it’s settled,” Emma added. “Let’s get going.”
As they filed out of the house, Bodhi appeared at Emma’s side. “Loraine is keeping Cassidy at the house today to help her get the pups’ room together. I’m going with the guys to run. If anything should happen, go to the sheriff’s department, they’ll find us.”
What he didn’t say, she’d been grateful for. If Gwen should bother her ... Emma brushed off the thought. “Don’t even worry about it. We’ll be fine. Besides, Hayden and Zoe will be with us. Between the two of them, I’m sure we can send the little skank on her way.”
Bodhi chuckled. “There’s my bear.” He kissed her forehead. “Have fun.”
She grinned. “You, too.”
Lucky for them, the spa had been relatively empty when they arrived. They occupied the open chairs, while Shelly asked a million questions about the nail polish which she called “lacquer.” Bless the manicurist who took the time to explain everything to her. Emma wondered briefly if the girl even came from this time period. But, then she shook it off as Shelly being her quirky self and engaged in the conversation surrounding her.
“So, I see your mark,” Hayden teased. “Did you finally do it?”
Heat filled Emma's cheeks. “Yes. Last night ...” She tried to pick the right words to explain how she felt, however, nothing seemed appropriate. “I needed it.”
Bell grinned. “Christoph and Jackson put on a fabulous show for me. I’m not sure how they’re able to walk around today.”
Unlike canine shifters, felines produced an aphrodisiac during the full moon which caused them to go into a hyper-heat state. From what Emma learned through Bodhi, it made full moons excruciating for feline males. They didn’t get any relief until pregnancy occurred or the full moon cycle passed.
She elbowed Terri. Her scent had been off since she arrived at the house for breakfast, but Emma couldn’t put it together. Add in the scarf, and she’d been worried. “What did you get into last night?”
