Flinging her hand away, I raise my chin and try not to let my own anger bleed into the situation. Like Dad once said, only two fools in a two-man argument, and I do not intend to play the role today.
“Please leave me alone.”
“He will come back to me.”
Her desperation is a surprise, something that gives me a second of pause before I shake my head and decide to take as high a road as possible.
“He’s not your mate, Hannah. We’re Fated. Bonded. Whatever you two have and whatever he promised, it’s done. Leave me alone and have some self-respect, woman. Find someone who wants you.”
She snarls, but I ignore the anger and walk away, not caring that everyone in the store heard or even that in an hour almost everyone in town will know what just happened.
“Does he come home?!” she yells, making me misstep before I regain my balance and keep going.
The insinuation is that he doesn’t, and besides the last two nights when he was too tired to even come to bed, passing out downstairs, we both know he hasn’t.
Don’t let her fool you, Meek. Don’t let her plant something in your head that isn’t real, I warn myself, quieting the snarl that echoes in my head, as my little wolf starts going crazy.
She wants me to go back there and rip Hannah’s head bald while I need to get the hell out of here before I do or say something that will humiliate not just me, but Bear as well.
The drive home with Silent and Violent—my two guards—is silent, as the first name suggested, and I spend the few minutes trying to calm myself and not take anything Hannah said to heart.
It wasn’t much but that last parting shot won’t go away, and neither will the lack of trust I feel for Bear right now. That is not good, not at all. A woman should be able to trust, and if she doesn’t, it just won’t work.
As I leave the truck, letting myself into the house where only silence welcomes me, I know that I don’t have quite what it takes to get through years of wondering constantly.
We haven’t mated fully, I know this. He hasn’t bitten me or scented me fully because I didn’t want him to, but now I have to ask myself if he agreed so easily out of respect for my needs, or because as Hannah said, he’s not as into it as I once believed.
The thought is ludicrous! Stupid. Stop letting that she-whore ruin something that up to now has been great. You promised Bear five months, so give him that time.
Yeah, and what happens if at the end I am left loving him so deeply I can’t breathe without him, and he just walks away? I’m already way past the point of no return with him, so in love that I stayed awake all night last night because he was downstairs and I can’t sleep without him.
What’s going to happen in another four months when I tell him that I want it all and he says he’s had his run and it’s been a blast while it lasted?
Sniffing at the thought, my heart clenching, I stomp upstairs and fall onto the bed, taking in the smell of Bear on the sheets.
Hell, I am so screwed.
Snorting at the melodramatic bent of my thoughts, and wishing I was screwed—literally, please sometime soon—I get up and go downstairs again, dragging my feet into the kitchen.
I don’t want to cook or bake. I can’t look at another block of butter without doing something lethal. I grab a beer and walk out onto the back porch, seeing the outline of the mountains in the distance.
I really should go see Mom tomorrow, before she decides to start tap-dancing and I don’t’ recognize her at all, I think.
“You shouldn’t listen to that female. Everyone in town knows she’s bitter because she thought marrying into the Alpha line would elevate her status and that of her family.”
I turn, seeing Silent walking onto the porch from the backyard, his black uniform pants and shirt molding to his muscular arms and chest as he moves.
The man is a big, ash blonde behemoth with a silent personality and hard expression. Right now, he’s not so silent, and his face isn’t half as hard as usual.
I guess I’m gonna have to learn his name.
“But she wasn’t exactly lying. Bear hasn’t been home that much lately, and when he is, he doesn’t do anything but go to sleep.”
Talk about a split-second worth of honeymoon period.
At least Gretchen got a full six days of sex and attention before Flame let her out again. Me, I got some hot nights, almost zero conversation and now he’s falling asleep on the couch.
“He is under a lot of pressure from his father to find answers about the mystery shifters. I can personally assure you that Bear is not seeing that female and that in fact he goes so far as to ignore her calls most days because it would cause problems between the two of you.”
I nod but focus on those two little words that stand out like spotlights in a dark night. Most days. He ignores her calls most days.
Now that suggests two things here. One, she calls him every day, and yeah, I am not surprised, bitch seems crazy. Two, he doesn’t always ignore her calls and that means he has been talking to her.
And he never mentioned it.
As far as trust is concerned, I get that I may have issues that I need to work on within myself, but stuff like this does not make that easy. All it takes is one “Hey baby, Hannah called me today and I answered. She’s still hung up on me but don’t worry, I told her it’s over.”
Simple. Easy. The best thing to do in my mind.
He didn’t do that though, did he? No, he answered the call, spoke to her about god knows what and then kept it to himself. And there is the problem. Bear expects me to talk about everything and anything I think, feel, and experienced in my life, and yet he doesn’t talk to me.
He tells me he wants me and needs me, but again, it’s the Fated thing coming into play again, and I hate that.
“If he still wants to talk to his ex and not tell me about it, that’s his choice,” I tell Silent—. “What is your name?” I ask, refusing to call him that anymore, now that he’s talking to me.
“Noble. You’ve heard of my brother Lync, no doubt.”
“Holy shit! Lync is your brother? Oh man, I am so…that sucks!” I finish off, blushing when he smirks.
“He’ll get over it. Eventually. Stubborn bastard just doesn’t know when to let things go. Another year or two might cure him of his stupidity. We weren’t talking about me though, or Lync, we’re talking about that Seers female trying to make problems where there aren’t any. Bear isn’t a cheater. He’s either with you or he isn’t. He won’t play with you that way; he’s got too much integrity. And guilt,” he adds knowingly.
I blow out a breath, nodding because I suspect that he must feel shitty about what happened before.
“I don’t want his guilt though. I want love.”
“And why would you think he doesn’t love you?” he asks, sitting down and taking a water flask from his thigh pocket.
“How can he? He’s only just come out of a relationship with Hannah. It was silly of me to expect love right off the bat when I got here just because I was feeling stuff.”
“Okay, but that was over a while ago and he’s your Fated.”
“Yeah, well he didn’t care about that until after we had sex and biology took over for him,” I argue, drinking the beer with a grimace.
I hate this stuff. Seriously do not know why I bothered to take one.
“Or he showed up at Logan’s house in a jealous rage and couldn’t help wanting you because you’re beautiful and smart and you always smell like cookies,” he suggests, laughing when I blush.
Bear says other places smell like cookies too, the adorable pervert.
“How do I know? We aren’t fully mated.”
“Trust me, we all get to fucking hear about that on a daily basis. Mika, the male is ready to climb the fucking walls waiting to bite and breed you. Trust me, it’s not biology that screams curses at us and tries to pick fights. The guy simply doesn’t want to make demands on you after the shit he pulled, which by the way i
s or was just Bear being a pussy, something he’s too proud to admit.”
I giggle, really liking the thought of him being a big sissy, but it’s not the way I see him. The man is too male, too macho, too strong to be afraid of one little woman with nothing to her name and a lunatic mother in her closet.
“He hasn’t even tried. I thought he’d at least try,” I complain, getting a laugh and head shake while he looks skyward as if searching for answers.
“Have you tried?”
I blush, my tongue tied, and Noble stands and walks away, leaving me shamefaced and a whole lot guilty myself.
Well hell. This just will not do.
I am not this reticent person who waits for someone to step out on the ledge first. I’m strong and capable, and I have always believed in partnership. One goal. Trying isn’t a disease, though lately I feel as if no one tries anymore, avoiding the work like the plague.
What have I done for Bear lately, if at all, that tells him that he means something to me and that I care about him?
When I can’t answer my own question, I am left acknowledging that I haven’t done a thing, and all this while it’s him doing it all.
Well, it looks like I’ll have to learn how to seduce a man in an afternoon. How hard can that be?
Chapter Twenty-one
Bear
My ass is dragging, as I leap onto the porch and unlock the front door, waving at Noble and Peace who lope off into the woods, shedding clothes while they grin and challenge each other as to who will shift first.
I thank God they’re still wearing underwear when they make it into the trees and laugh silently when Noble’s howl of victory reaches my ears. The house smells like heaven when I walk in, the scent of meat and something sweet combining to let me know Mika’s made…beef and some sort of cake for dessert.
“Lenia?” I yell, toeing my shoes and socks off before padding to the kitchen where I see her leaning over a steaming casserole dish.
“Oh hey! You’re right on time. I just got done.” She smiles, taking my breath away when she comes over and gets up on her toes to pull me down for a kiss.
The contact is nothing more than a peck, so I take over the greeting and wrap my arms around her, deepening the contact so that my tongue can taste hers and feel the smooth glide against my lips.
By the time I pull away, her eyes are glazed, and I can smell her sex moistening for my mouth and cock. I haven’t touched her in way too long, and tired or not, tonight I am making love to my female, even if I have to call in sick and say fuck the leads we’ve had so far.
My hands reach for the tie of the silky pink robe she’s wearing, but she slaps my hands away and steps back, shaking her head.
“You are eating first.”
“I was just about to, lenia. Eat and eat and eat until I get my fill.” I smirk, purring when she presses her legs together and whimpers.
“I made—”
“The food must wait, lenia, because I don’t think I can go another minute without touching you.”
She stills for a long minute before smiling and shaking her head.
“I planned to spoil you first but fine, I suppose I can change things up. Drop your pants, Silverton.”
I do more than that, disrobing in a hurry until I am standing in the kitchen with my mate staring at me, her eyes focused on the thick thrust of my dick while she licks her lips.
“You gonna undress. Wait! Not here. I don’t mind anyone seeing my dick but no way are you standing in front of these windows with two males out there somewhere.” I snarl, lifting her into my arms to run up the stairs and to the bedroom where the windows are one-way glass.
Mika giggles at my haste and squeaks when I toss her on the bed, making me growl when she promptly rolls off the other side and comes to her feet.
“Lenia—”
“Sit in the chair, Bear.”
“But—”
“If you sit in the chair, I’ll take off the robe,” she purrs, my feet moving before the last syllable pushes free of her bee stung lips.
Her grin is all I need to keep my ass in the chair, the soft leather cradling my ass and balls while she slowly unties the belt and just as slowly lets it drop, the silky fabric parting to show me her large breasts, hard nipples, and the bare slice of creamy flesh that hides her folds from my eyes.
My mouth waters, the scent of her juices causing my dick to twitch and stiffen, leaking a drop of the pearly essence that is meant to make her relax and stretch to take all of me.
My claws score holes into the arms of the chair when she shimmies the robe down and off her shoulders, letting it fall to show me every perfect and lush inch of what is mine.
“Oh Mika, let me—”
“This is my show, pal. Now, hands stay where they are and no touching. I’ve been dying to do this since I first tasted you, and I will do this even if it kills us both.”
With that she saunters forward, breasts bobbing and drops to her knees in front of me. I almost come just seeing her there, her submissive pose taking the breath from my lungs. Her head dives down, mouth swooping over me and I do come then, the force of my release startling me so much I can’t do anything but groan and let it happen, my cum jetting out into her mouth in thick pulses.
Mika doesn’t seem to mind though, her mouth sucking greedily, tongue flicking into the slit of my crown as pleasure overwhelms me. When it stops, I feel harder, bigger, the edge just barely taken off of the lust that pumps through me.
Since taking my mate I have been hard, sated, out of my mind, at peace, and all the way back again because I haven’t got the security of a mate bite and my seed in her yet.
The longer it goes undone, the more I need, and Mika must see that because instead of pulling away she opens wider to suckle softly at my flesh. When she comes back up for air, she grins, flicking her tongue into the slit again and driving me wild.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I saw my friend Holly’s porn stash.”
“Well, you did a good fucking job if you hadn’t noticed,” I say with a growl, pulling her up to straddle my lap before she can put her mouth on me again. “Truly, no male takes pride in coming the minute his female has her mouth on him.”
Though God help me, I would not change a thing about it. This is what I’ve been waiting for since I brought her home. Always before it has been me initiating sex, but after tonight I pray that she’ll come to me, trust me enough to show me her desires, and God willing, she’ll want my mark soon.
“I liked it. I like knowing you want me so much you can’t control your body. I can never control myself when you touch me, Bear, why should you be any different?” she asks, her voice soft and filled with a vulnerability that makes my chest tight with love.
She’s giving me something of herself right now, and I need it like I need air to breathe.
“You’re right, lenia. It shouldn’t be different, and it isn’t. I always want you, and I always need you to the point of madness. Like right now. I want, need, am pleading with you to sit on my face and let me pleasure you,” I beg, my mouth watering with the remembered taste of her flesh against my tongue.
She surprises me again, shaking her head to grin down at me and kiss me softly. Mika loves having my mouth, so seeing her denial has me spinning before her next words reach me.
“I need you tonight, baby. I need to feel you inside me, making us one.”
I stand without a word, laying her down on the bed before coming down between her legs and testing her readiness with a swipe of my fingers through her slit. She’s already dripping wet and hot, more than ready to take me.
Taking my dick in my hand, I lead it to her entrance and shudder when she sucks at me, the smooth channel shivering when my essence pulses into her, making her body produce even more of her juices.
I thrust slowly, catching her cry of pleasure against my lips and push all the way, pulling back only when holding still becomes impossible. I do it over and over again; going slow and
scraping against the rough patch of flesh inside that brings her pleasure. Mika is panting before long, clawing at me, whispering her encouragement for me to go faster and take her harder.
When she’s at that point where I feel her sheath tighten, I speed up and kiss her neck softly, once, pulling away because being that close is too much temptation.
She shocks me when her hand comes to the back of my head, holding me there to whisper in my ear.
“Bite me.”
I want to stop, rear back and question this, but my wolf isn’t taking no for an answer now that he has what he’s been waiting for. Hips slapping, I fuck her so hard I would be concerned if not for her yells and pleas for more.
When she starts climaxing, I can hold back no more and sink my teeth into her skin, cum exploding from my cock when the sweet coppery taste of her blood coats my tongue.
I don’t suck, that isn’t what this is about, but instead leave my teeth inside her while pushing as much of my essence into her as I can. The duel penetration sets off another climax for her that extends mine and ensures that I get as much of me into her as I can.
“Fuck. Fuck. Mika.”
“Feels so good. Please. Kiss me,” she gasps, bringing my mouth to hers after I seal her mark, our tongues tangling to share the taste of her blood and this final step towards completing our mating.
When the pleasure winds down what feels like forever later, I turn to my back and bring her over me, holding our connection for as long as I can. My lungs feel like I’ve just run a marathon sprint, but everything else is so replete it’s hard to keep my eyes open.
Cuddle. Cuddle your female, Bear, and tell her how much this means to you. Don’t fuck this up.
“When my dad died, my mom fell apart so badly she was like a zombie. Some days she’d stay in bed and not move, and others I’d find her in Dad’s study just staring at his desk and chair, for hours. I prayed that she’d get better and snap out of it, come back, but the longer it lasted, the worse it got. She smelled so bad that once I had to put her in the shower with her nightgown on because I gagged when I tried to get too close.”
Greyriver Shifters Page 23
