“Please don’t cover yourself up,” he said on a low rumble. “You’re too beautiful.”
“So are you,” she replied, her words barely audible over the pounding of her heart in her ears. She took her time looking him over. His muscular arms and chest were strong and sure, his abdominals sharp. He had been working his body hard at the gym for the last three weeks. She looked at his cock, at how he touched himself, at how he pleasured himself, and she realized she wanted to touch him like that. To make his head kick back and truly relax.
“Princess, you look at me like that any longer, and I’m likely to give you whatever you want. But—” He looked down at his hand, then squeezed. The muscles in his neck corded as he breathed through the sensations. “But there’s this need to mark you on the inside. I feel like if I don’t, I’m going to lose my mind.”
Casey blinked at him. She’d heard how mated males behaved. Hell, she’d seen it with Hunter, then Riley, Dylan, and Oliver. And she knew it now, staring at Maddox who was holding himself back because she hadn’t verbalized her agreement.
Well, she was going to fix that.
Laying back on the bed, she lifted her hips and shimmied out of her panties. As soon as the fabric was gone, Maddox’s dark spiced scent flared. Bending her knees, she let one thigh drift open in invitation.
He was on her in the next moment, his face buried between her thighs, his tongue, lips, and teeth launching their erotic assault. Her orgasm was lightning quick, consuming her body and thoughts as fast as a striking viper. She let herself fall into the pleasure, let herself enjoy it for what it was.
And what was it? It was a female letting her male make her feel good.
Worshiping her.
Revering her.
Loving her.
When her breathing returned to normal, she found she’d fisted Maddox’s hair in her hands, holding his face against her pussy, demanding more. She released her fingers, and he looked up at her, a lazy, satisfied look that a man gives a woman after blowing her goddamn mind.
“I could stay down here forever.”
“It would be awkward to explain that when I have to go back to class.”
Maddox huffed a laugh, his breath tickling against her heated and wet skin. Sitting back on his heels, he stared down at her body, his eyes going everywhere, seeing everything. Casey’s body responded, loosening, ready for more of what he could give her. When he did nothing but stare at her, she hooked her hand around the back of his neck and dragged him down on top of her. His erection was nudging at her entrance, the blunt head eliciting a moan from her mouth. She wanted him in her more than she needed her next breath.
“Please,” she whimpered.
“I’m going to make you feel good,” he replied, kissing her deeply. With the flex of his hips, he slid an inch into her heat before retreating. The next thrust buried him a little more, then again and again, until he was fully sheathed and Casey breathed through the feeling of fullness. They both groaned when he came to rest against her pelvic cradle, the two of them joined so completely that she wasn’t sure where she ended and he began.
“You’re so fucking tight, Casey, but Jesus… fuck, you feel good.”
Planting his palms on either side of her pillow, he leaned down to kiss the side of her throat, his tongue flicking over her carotid, making them both moan.
“I want to bite you here.”
Tilting her chin back, she bared her throat more fully for him. She sucked in a gasp when his teeth rasped against her skin, right over where her pulse seemed to flutter impatiently. His bite was a quick strike that he soothed right away. The scent of her blood was just a layer of the bouquet surrounding them. The strongest scent in the room was his roaring dark spices, warring with her more delicate cotton candy. She thought that was apt since they always seemed to be in a battle with one another.
His hips flexed into her, retreated. His rhythm was unhurried, and she liked the way he seemed to be savoring every sensation because she was too. A physical connection to another person hadn’t been something Casey had had in a very long time, but she found she wanted to drag out this one.
Wrapping her legs around his ass, she held on as he thrust into her. He hit her deep, making every one of her pleasure receptors light up. Burrowing his arms under her shoulders, he held her firmly as his hips went to work. The delicious friction he created increased with each flex of his hips. They were face to face, sharing breath, staring into each other’s souls. His wolf cycled through his eyes, and she knew hers was doing the same.
He kissed her gently, slowly penetrating her mouth with his tongue while his cock penetrated her body. Both sensations were gently nudging her into a place where pleasure was all that mattered, where coming was the reward for all their careful touches.
Too soon, his pace picked up, his orgasm getting closer and closer. She felt it too in the tightening of the muscles that feathered out from his spine, in the wild bunch of his shoulders as he held himself above her. She ran her hands down his arms, his corded muscles like steel wire beneath the warm skin.
A familiar pressure began to build, the precursor to her orgasm coming up fast. Tilting her head up, she looked into Maddox’s face. His jaw was tight, but his eyes were fixed on her face. And what shone from them made her chest feel tight.
“I’m close, princess,” he panted, his neck straining, the veins popping in his arms.
“Me, too.” Casey bit her lip as the sensations crested, dragging a scream from her throat that sounded a lot like Maddox’s name. With a barked curse, Maddox’s thrusts became uneven and jerky until he slammed into her one last time and dropped his head to her shoulder. She felt each and every powerful kick of his cock inside her.
Marking her.
Claiming her.
Epilogue
Five Years Later…
As soon as Casey laid eyes on her son, she forgot all about the pain of the last twenty hours of labor. She forgot about the nausea and stretch marks, the ridiculous amounts she’d had to pee. She forgot about all the parts of pregnancy that were touted as ‘the worst’ because now, with her baby in her arms, she knew it didn’t matter.
Any discomfort she had felt was worth it knowing that she’d brought this little carbon copy of his dad into the world.
Maddox kissed her on the temple, then turned his gaze to their son. “He’s perfect.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Yes, he is.”
Maddox’s gray eyes flickered to hers, and the love in them still flawed her. They’d been a couple since that day before the Christmas break, but she wanted to wait to get mated. She needed to finish school and get her degree and achieve the goal she’d set for herself. As soon as she’d graduated, Maddox had made it official, and they’d been happily mated ever since.
He’d wanted to start a family right away. She had wanted to wait, to actually start a career in her chosen profession and get established. She’d gotten a job at Greenville Elementary School straight out of college and had been working there until she found out she was pregnant. As was the way with werewolf pregnancies, she only carried for four and a half months, which meant she had to hand in her notice right away. There could be no way to explain her rapidly growing belly to her human employers.
She’d been okay with that sacrifice.
She’d even been okay with moving back to the pack house.
Maddox had fussed over her for four of those months, always checking in on her, making sure she had food and water. The poor male had to contend with her mother and all her brothers and their mates for the caretaker role, though.
And now, he was here.
“I know we didn’t discuss potential names because we didn’t know what we were having, but have you thought of any that might fit?” Maddox asked as he smoothed his son’s dark hair down.
“I haven’t thought of any yet,” she replied.
Her mate cleared his throat. “Can I offer a suggestion, then?”
“Of co
urse.”
His gaze found her face. “I was thinking we might call him Saxon to honor the male you lost.”
Tears blurred Casey’s vision as if they’d been waiting for that declaration. Her throat grew tight and her breathing even tighter. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”
Leaning over, he kissed her head, whispering, “Yes, princess.” When he pulled away, his eyes were serious and his wolf surged. “Saxon meant a lot to you, and I think this way, he’ll live on.” Maddox returned his eyes to his son. “Saxon.”
“Saxon,” she breathed.
“So, Casey-Cat, what are you going to call him?” Oliver asked, walking into the bedroom where she’d given birth a few hours earlier. His mate, Darcey, was by his side, the look of longing on her face unmistakable. She wasn’t able to have children, something that killed her every day.
She looked over at Maddox, then back at her brother. “We’re going to call him Saxon.”
Oliver’s brown eyes warmed. “I like that. It’s a strong name.”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Well, Saxon,” Oliver started, stepping up to the side of the bed and staring down at the baby. “I’m your Uncle Oliver, and I’m going to teach you how to be the best person you can be.” He kissed her on the temple and gave Darcey a moment to meet Saxon too.
“He’s beautiful, Casey. Truly beautiful.”
Casey reached out and grasped Darcey’s hand. “Thank you. You’re going to be his favorite auntie… I just know it.”
The smile she gave Casey was distant. “Thank you. We’ll leave you to get some rest, I think.”
As the afternoon wore on, the rest of the family came to meet the new addition to the family.
Riley and Layla with their three kids—two boys and a girl who they named Zachary, Asher, and Bailey. Dylan and Gia came with their daughter, Harper, who was five. Even Hunter and Ava visited, although Ava was heavily pregnant with her second and Hunter’s third child. Hunter’s eldest, Grace, was now nine and the proud big sister of four-year-old, Taylor. Both girls were looking forward to the new arrival.
And then, in the quiet of the evening, once everybody had gone to bed and Saxon was nursing, Casey thought about how far she’d come. She’s had such high hopes when she was younger. There were so many things she wanted to do and achieve. Then, when things got really bad, she’d shut down on life. It was only Maddox’s stubborn-headed nature that pulled her out.
She touched Saxon’s cheek as he suckled.
She could’ve missed out on all of this.
She could’ve missed out on finding the love of a male who adored her.
And now?
She wouldn’t miss it for the world.
The End.
* * *
Thank you so much for reading “Casey”. If you loved her story, please consider leaving a review.
If you’re looking for something new to read, you might enjoy Dark Deceit - book one in a trilogy based on Norse mythology. It’s dark and gritty with dark elf assassins, beautiful Valkyries, gods and goddesses.
If humor is more your style, pick up a copy of Bad Vampire, book one in the hilarious new snarky paranormal detective series
Or you could find out where the Helheim Wolves began with Half Blood.
Also by Lauren Dawes
The Half Blood Series
Half Blood
Half Truths
Half Life
Half Cast
Half Bound
Half Blood: The Complete Collection Books 1-5
Helheim Wolf Pack Novellas
Hunter
Riley
Dylan
Oliver
Casey
Cat McKenzie Series
Bad Vampire
Bad Witch
Bad Fae
Bad Wolf
Bad Kitty
The Dark Trilogy
Dark Deceit
Dark Desire
Dark Devotion
Dark Trilogy Bundle: The Complete Series
Blood Bound Series
Shadowed Lover (2022)
Shadowed Pain (2022)
About the Author
Lauren Dawes is a USA Today Bestselling Author. She writes dark urban fantasy and paranormal romance and is the author of the Half Blood series, the Dark Trilogy and the Blood Bound Series. She likes her vampires dangerous, her shifters vicious and her Norse gods ruthless.
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, hanging with her young daughter or designing book covers. She currently lives in Canberra, Australia.
Visit her at: www.authorlaurendawes.com
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The Helheim Wolf Pack Novellas: The Complete Collection Page 36
