Kiss of the Winter Moon

by Amanda LeMay

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  ONCE THE SMELL OF THE pack blew away with the night breeze and left me surrounded by the scent I loved most: clean skin, soft cotton blankets and sweet alfalfa, I felt relatively normal again...that, and the world’s shortest shower.

  Nevertheless, I was still ready to jump Dain’s bones the second he woke up. The anticipation of making love to my mate kept my crazy, lusting wolf hormones excited, but in check. The primitive, basic need to breed had turned to a beautiful, dark desire I no doubt Dain would fulfill with great enthusiasm.

  Dad had stopped in with a plate of roasted lamb with all the trimmings, and I enjoyed every bite while he did a final once-over on Dain.

  “Maygan and I will be in the storm cellar. You and your mate need to spend this night alone,” he said before heading off to enjoy the long night with Maygan.

  The full moon had risen and shined in all her radiant glory, when Dain stirred and let out a faint groan. In the next breath, I had a hold of his hand.

  “I’m here.”

  “Jessy...my Jessy,” he murmured into the pillow.

  “Are you thirsty? Hungry?”

  Not waiting for his reply, I jumped up and dashed around the bed to grab a glass of water. By the time I turned back around, he was sitting up, dragging his fingers through his loose, thick black hair. He rolled his shoulders back and forth as he craned his neck from side to side. His eyes closed as he lifted his chin and inhaled one deep breath after another. His chest rose and fell but he didn’t seem to be in pain any longer.

  A long, low sigh left his mouth. “That shit was rough.” He looked at me and smiled as he motioned with his fingers. “C’mere.”

  If I hadn’t been holding a glass full of water and afraid I might hurt him after he’d just recovered, I would’ve launched myself across the room and tackled him to the bed, carpet, whatever.

  But, no, I took slow, careful steps, handed him the drink, and watched as he slowly swallowed it down.

  “That shit was rough on me, too.” I took the glass and stepped back. “More?”

  He shook his head and rose from the bed. The white sheet slipped off his body like tissue paper falling from a present. I looked him up and down—not only to examine him in a clinical way, making sure he was truly healed, but also to appreciate all there was of him. My gaze slid down from his dark eyes, his straight nose and sharp cheek bones, his soft, full lips, his neck and big, broad tanned shoulders, past all those perfectly toned muscles that ran like rolling hills down his torso, to his abs and deeply dimpled hips, to what stood out hard and heavy and long between muscular his legs.

  My perfect gift.

  Oh, yeah. My desire, my need, for this male, my mate, was nearly overwhelming.

  “Damn, sweetheart, feels so good when you look at me like that.” His voice held a deep huskiness that sent electric shocks throughout my body.

  I dragged my gaze back up to his eyes. The male standing in front of me had changed over the last week. He stood proud, bare-ass naked and fully erect. The beautiful, shy pink blush that had filled his cheeks was nowhere to be found. It was replaced by a half-lidded, tight-jawed look of steely confidence, a look that said, I went through hell to keep you safe and would do it again in a heartbeat.

  And as tears began to burn my eyes, a deep understanding hit me straight in the chest—I would go through hell and back for him, too.

  “Jessy?”

  I blinked frantically, trying to hold back a flood not only of tears but of all the emotions that I’d been holding such a tight rein on.

  “More water?” I croaked out as I held up his glass.

  “Sakana.” His rugged, sexy voice softened. “It’s done.” He closed the small space separating us and took me into his arms. “Everything’s okay...oh...damn...” His eyes rolled around in a sexy, sleepy way the second his erection brushed up against me, like it was too much on his sensitive skin. Each little kiss wiped away my tears and sent sizzling waves of desire coursing through my blood.

  “I’m not thirsty.” He licked his lips as he took the glass from my hand and set it down. “But I am hungry.”

  I waved my hand toward the cooler on the carpet and sucked in a breath. “There’s ham and—”

  His mouth was on mine, cutting off my words with his lips and tongue and I melted into his arms. I pushed aside all the irrational emotions that had no place in my heart. I let go and concentrated on the sensation of Dain’s warm, strong body, the scent of his skin pressed to my nose, the soft prickling of his whiskers, and the taste of his mouth.

  His lips moved across my cheek to my neck, up to my ear where he whispered, “I’m hungry, sakana,” again, before pulling the T-shirt up over my head.

  He cupped my breasts in his big hands and then his mouth was on me, licking and teasing. He suckled first one, then the other as his fingers caressed every inch of my skin. Running my hands through his silky hair, I pressed his head closer as I moaned, encouraging him with my body to take more, suck deeper, bite harder. I watched as his warm, wet mouth and sharp teeth tasted my flesh. Each lick of his tongue and little nip of his teeth shot pulses of fire straight between my legs, setting off a lightning bolt of pleasure that spiked through my every nerve-ending.

  “Sweet heavens...” I gripped his shoulders and gasped as I swayed on my toes.

  He lifted me and laid me out on the bed. His lips brushed mine lightly, gently, as our tongues did a slow dance together. He stood, gazing down at me. I parted my legs to welcome him in and when his eyes locked on to what lay between my thighs, a dark, aching desire swept through my body—my desire or his, I wasn’t sure, and it didn’t matter because we were both about to spontaneously combust. I caught his wrist, and when he turned back to glance at me, a restless, ravenous wolf burned in his eyes.

  His next words came out on a low, rumbling growl. “Want to eat you up, Jess.”

  Gooseflesh broke out over my entire body as I followed the sweet, lingering slide of his tongue over long canines that hungered to take what was his, to feast on his mate.

  And for once, the two voices in my head were in absolute agreement.

  Yessss....feast on me. But...

  My heart raced in anticipation as I inhaled a shuddering breath. “I’m hungry, too.”

  Where only a few days before, a rosy blush would have colored his cheeks at the mere idea of what I suggested, now his dark eyes smoldered as his mouth curved into a wicked grin, displaying his deep, playful dimples.

  His mouth took possession of me as mine took possession of him, and as lips and teeth and tongues caressed and bit and licked, we surrendered to taste and touch and scent, as time seemed to stand still while the full moon stayed steady on her path across the starry sky. What started out gentle and tender and easy became passionate and urgent and demanding.

  Kissing. Touching. Licking. Devouring.

  His whiskers brushed against my sensitive flesh while his tongue stroked and his mouth sucked at me in ways I had never experienced before. And with each climax he gifted me, I took him to the edge and let him hang there until every muscle in his body went taut as he held on, a breath away from splintering apart.

  But now, I wanted to take him all the way, give him...everything.

  Arching my back and tilting my head, I took him in deeper, sucking harder.

  “No...wait...don’t...” His mouth begged, though his still-thrusting body said something else entirely.

  With one hand around his waist, I slid other my hand around his thigh, and up his wonderfully muscular ass. His entire body stilled when I touched him.

  I waited for an objection and when he offered none, I slowly slipped my finger inside and gently slid it in and out with the renewed rhythm of his hips. His hands gripped my thighs, his fingers digging in hard as he moaned.

  “Oh, Jess...oh...yeah...”

  Trembling as his hips moved on their own, his muscles clenching and quivering as he grew thicker and harder, and before the rushing
pulses of his release beat against the roof of my mouth, I took him deeper down my throat. His lips left my body as he buried his face in the mattress and howled when he exploded in hot, pulsing waves, and I drank him down as if I were dying of thirst.

  WE LAY SIDE BY SIDE, facing each other, embracing, caressing and kissing. His eyes had that sleepy look although he was far from finished. What lay against my thigh, hot and hard and heavy, throbbed with the need to release. Again.

  The stories were definitely true. Even when we left the bed to shower, his body was inside of mine in one way or another. This was the first time in hours Dain had given my body a rest and only to grab some food to refuel for the next round of lovemaking. And, damn, if I hadn’t been so freaking stubborn, we would’ve spent the last two years making love like this, every full moon. Since I was the one who’d kept us apart, I had a hell of a lot of time to make up for.

  And, dang, wasn’t that a burden?

  “Love you, Jessy.” Dain’s fingers smoothed back my hair. “Been saying that to you in my dreams for the last two years.”

  “And you’ve known this since the moment you first saw me?”

  “No. Not the first moment, I didn’t. I knew something was...different. Like I was...full and...empty, and happy and...miserable, all at the same time. On the way back from the Moon Dance celebration, Mom asked me if I’d been with someone, because my scent was different.”

  “Your scent changed from seeing me?” When males met their sakana, their scent automatically adjusted to incorporate a particular nuance of their mate’s scent, but I always assumed they actually had to come in contact with each other, not simply catch a glimpse across a crowded cavern, room, whatever.

  “Not fully, but enough that Mom noticed it. I suppose all I needed was to catch a hint of your scent.” His fingertips stroked my cheek. “My scent didn’t fully change until Mom and Dad’s mating ceremony, when your essence was all I could smell.” He drew in a long breath. “Clean and sweet, like meadow flowers and alfalfa.”

  And that was why he was so freaking irresistible to me—when our scents mingled, it was like ambrosia for our olfactory senses and inhaling deeper only intensified the need and desire for one another.

  “During the party the next day, Dad came up and made some comment about how I shouldn’t worry—you’d figure it out and wouldn’t be able to stay away. But two years, Jess? Damn, sweetheart, you were killing me.”

  His dimples appeared as he teased and eased the guilt I already felt for staying away for so long.

  “Did you ever think about maybe going to San Francisco to find me?” I traced his strong jaw with my fingertip. “The road goes both ways, you know.”

  “Every damned day.” His gaze roamed all over my face as his fingers smoothed back my hair again. “The first full moon after Mom and Dad’s mating ceremony, I never made it to the caverns. Once my wolf took over, I ran for miles and miles, searching for you. When the sun came up, I was in the middle-of-nowhere-Texas and had to backtrack all the way home. I didn’t have a phone or any clothes or anything else, so it took me hours to get back. Mom was upset, but your dad understood. He said he’d fly me up there whenever I wanted to go, but I didn’t want you to think I was some love-sick stalker, because that’s what I would’ve been. And what if I’d seen you out with some other male? Well, it wouldn’t have been pretty. So Dad and I expanded the storm cellar and I stopped going out to the caverns.” His brows bunched up as he looked into my eyes. “When I say ‘I love you’, those words don’t seem strong enough, or full enough, to explain everything I feel.”

  “Well, considering I never dreamed I’d hear you say those words, it means everything to me.” I swallowed hard. Dain, my sakana, the only male I would ever love, was more important than any job commitment I might ever make. “I’ve decided...there’s no way...”

  My throat tightened as I choked on the words.

  “Sweetheart,” he murmured as his fingers touched my cheek.

  “I’m going to call the Downs tomorrow and tell them I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Jessy...” He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

  “I can’t live without you, Dain. I really, really can’t.” I laid my forehead against his chest. “I never want to go through what I did these last two years. No way. I will not spend one more day without you.”

  “Sweetheart.”

  Pressing my lips to his skin, I kissed my way around his chest as I spoke. “I know it’s not our usual custom, but I want a wedding. Something small. Here in Comfort, so we can invite all your friends and celebrate.” My lips found his taut nipple and I nibbled at him with my teeth as he hissed.

  “And a ring?” He moaned as I licked my way back up his neck.

  I smiled. “Yes, you will definitely have to wear a wedding ring.” I gave him a little shove and kissed my way to his other nipple. “I want every female who lays eyes on you to know you are married. Mated. Completely and permanently unavailable. Forever.”

  He chuckled and gently stroked my hair as my tongue flicked over his flesh.

  “So, does that mean you have some feelings for me?” he asked quietly.

  “Oh, yeah, I have quite a few feelings for you.”

  His mouth curved up in a slight smile, but it wasn’t enough.

  Sweet heavens. He needed to hear those three little words that caused my heart to flutter whenever he said them to me. Those three little words that meant everything.

  “I love you, Dain Louvel. I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you and I will always, always love you.”

  “Jessy, sweetheart.” He shook his head, his gorgeous face glowing, his beautiful eyes sparkling. “I’ll give you anything you want. I’ll wear a ring if you want, but...you are not calling the Downs.”

  He wanted me to go? I looked up at him. “But...but...” I stammered. My heart picked up speed and banged away nervously on the inside of my ribcage.

  We were mated. I wouldn’t leave him.

  I swallowed hard and fumbled with the sheet that lay tangled between us as I desperately searched for the words to convince him I really couldn’t live without him.

  “I tried to tell you before. I’ve already checked into UNM and I can take everything I need right there.” His face lit up with a huge grin. “It’s not Texas A&M but, it’ll do.”

  I sat up and stared at him, not really believing I’d heard what I thought he said. My throat tightened when he gave me a slight nod of his head.

  “So...you’re saying...you’re coming with me?”

  “Well, there is no way in hell I would let you go alone.” Even though he was smiling, everything else about him was serious.

  I wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time, but instead, I poked him in the chest. “That was your plan all along and you didn’t tell me?”

  He leaned up on his elbow and pulled me back down to the bed. “No, it wasn’t my plan until you showed up here all excited to start your new job. You have no idea how many different tactics I had devised to keep you here with me. That first time you kissed me, it hit me—if I thought my life had been rough without you before, it would be a living hell if I ever let you get away. And there was no way I was gonna wait around here.” His fingers lifted my chin. “We’re mated for life, Jessy. I’ll go wherever you go.”

  “Do you have any idea how torn apart I was over having to leave you here?” At some point tears had leaked out and I was sniffling. “Hell, all I could think about was if you would wait for me. If you would mind a long-distance relationship for just long enough that I could resign gracefully and come back to you here at the ranch.” Dain’s face lit up again, his dimples making an appearance as if each word I had said was the best news he’d ever heard. “And dammit, even when you asked me to mate with you, I thought it would be months away, not the very next night!”

  His black brows bunched up in question and I smoothed the lines with my fingers.

  “I’m not complaining. I am
absolutely thrilled we’re mated. And I’m not blaming you for the hell I put myself through—”

  His lips touched mine and whatever else I planned to say floated away as his scent and taste flooded me again.

  “Go ahead, blame me.” His mouth moved to my neck as his hand slipped around my waist, to the small of my back. “It’s nice to know you were having a hard time thinking about leaving me. It was sure hell for me, wondering whether or not you’d want me with you.”

  His muscles tightened under my fingertips. Clenching his jaw, he growled as he pulled me closer. His erection pulsed hot and hard against my thigh and I shifted to press my body full against his, ready and willing to take whatever he needed to give.

  “Jessy, I’d do anything to keep you by my side. Anything.”

  A dark wildness flashed in his eyes before he closed them and pressed his forehead against mine. I could imagine he was reliving the last few nights—the screaming, the tearing flesh and broken bones, the blood—not only Bobby and GW’s, but also his punishment and the challenge.

  He’d done those things for me. He’d gone through all of that for me.

  My breath hitched as I fought to keep from sobbing. And it was odd—I wasn’t sad or scared or unsure about my future. Overwhelmed was more like it. I sucked in a shaking breath.

  “I never want to see you hurt again—not for any reason, but especially not because you were forced to fight for me.”

  “Sweetheart.” His lips touched mine. “Don’t let the past in here...no ghosts are allowed between us. Ever. Just you and me.” Our tongues danced together slowly, sweetly, before he gazed into my eyes. “You and me.”

  Wrapping my arms around him, I pulled him closer. Our lips whispered together, “love you, love you, love you” as we rolled on the bed. I spread my legs as he knelt in front of me, smoothing his hands up over my belly and cupping my breasts before going around my waist, and lifting me up. Wrapping my legs around his body and my arms around his neck, I slid down his full, hard, glorious, length until he was buried all the way inside me.