Out of the Woods

by Sophie Stern

  She was so fucking close to my dick that she could reach out and grab it, wrapping her hands around it if she wanted to.

  And oh, I wanted her to.

  “Baby, you look so damn good on your knees.”

  She looked up at me, opening her eyes wide.

  “So fucking pretty,” I whispered, rubbing my hands through her hair, playing with it. Her hair was a little bit longer than it had been before, and there was plenty of it for me to grab and tug on.

  “Well, you’re very friendly today.”

  “I should hope so. I’ve got a gorgeous woman kneeling in front of me, practically begging to be fucked.”

  “Am I begging?”

  “You look like you’re begging.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, nodding. She blushed a little. “I might be begging, but only because you’re so damn sexy.”

  “Tell me what you want.”

  I wanted to hear her say it. I wanted to hear what she wanted me to do to her. Looking at this gorgeous woman was going to be my absolute undoing, and I needed to know what she wanted me to do to her.

  With her.

  “Well, I’d like to start things off by touching you here,” she rubbed her hand up and down the front of my jeans. Fuck. I closed my eyes, and my cock hardened.

  “I like that idea,” I told her honestly.

  “Good.”

  Ruby reached for my zipper, tugging it down. She pulled my pants, lowering them to my ankles, but she left my boxers on. At first, I wasn’t sure why, but then she slid her hands up my legs, up my thighs, and over my boxers.

  Then her hands made their way over my cock.

  Slowly, she teased me, rubbing her hands up and down. She alternated hands so one would be on my thigh and one on my cock, and then she switched them back and forth. Soon my body felt like it was on fire.

  Ours.

  My inner bear seemed to scream at me. He wanted loose, but I wasn’t ready to shift. Not now. I knew that I needed to allow myself to be in my bear form soon. I’d been putting it off. I hadn’t wanted to shift while I was at Ruby’s house with her and Cole. We’d been packing up her stuff and taking care of business. Shifting hadn’t been in the cards.

  Now, though, I was feeling the wrath of my other side.

  My bear wanted to shift and run free. He wanted to run and run and run. I wanted that, too, but not yet. The fact that I was with my mate was incredible to me. I knew that’s what she was.

  I wasn’t going to force anything between us. I never could. Not Ruby. If she wanted this – and I hoped that she would – then it had to be on her terms.

  Ruby leaned forward, pressing her mouth to my cock. The thin fabric of my boxers separated us. Nobody had ever touched me like that. Most girls just jumped straight to the cock-licking. Not her.

  She wasn’t afraid to take her time, and I liked that a lot.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered.

  “You have a nice cock. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “I’ve been told that a few times.”

  “I want to see it.”

  “Nothing’s stopping you,” I told her.

  She reached forward with her mouth, gripping the edge of my boxers with her teeth, and she tugged down, pulling them lower. My cock sprang out, ready and alert for whatever sweet torture she was going to offer me next.

  “I like it,” she smiled up at me.

  “Is that right?”

  “Mmhmm. You’ve got a great cock. I want a taste.”

  Ruby swept her tongue up and down the sides of my cock before taking the entire thing down her throat. She tasted me, taunting me.

  “Damn,” she groaned against my dick.

  “Damn indeed.”

  I couldn’t take anymore of her sweet torture. I wanted her. Needed her. I reached for her, tugging her up to her feet, and I claimed her mouth with my own.

  “What’s the hurry?” Ruby chuckled against my lips.

  “I need you. Now,” I said. “Get the rest of your clothes off.”

  As we kissed, she somehow managed to wiggle out of the rest of her clothing. They went flying across the room, landing here and there and everywhere. Then she was naked, and she was in my arms, and I felt like I could fly.

  I grabbed her, tugging her close. My hands were on her ass as I pulled her tightly to myself.

  “I can scent your arousal, human.”

  I could, too. Something primal was awakening in me: something wild that hadn’t been allowed to roam free for a very long time.

  “That’s because I need your cock, Dale.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I need to feel you inside of me.”

  “Show me.”

  I took a step back, and she considered this request for a moment. Then she went to the center of the living room, knelt down, and spread her knees apart.

  I could see all of her.

  I could see the way she rubbed her breasts, softly bouncing them in her hands.

  I watched the way her hands slowly worked their way down her soft tummy.

  Then I stared, achingly looking at her as she started to rub the soft folds of her pussy.

  She was glistening with wetness, and she worked her hands right back up her body, rubbing her nipples, until she finally had her fingers back at her mouth, and she sucked on them.

  It was the sexiest damn thing I’d ever seen, and I knew something else.

  It was time.

  I couldn’t wait any longer. I couldn’t hold off a second more.

  “Turn around, human,” I told her, stroking my cock as I looked at her there on the floor. “I’m going to fucking mount you.”

  10

  Ruby

  HE WASN’T GOING TO be gentle.

  I could see it in his eyes as he stood there, rubbing his cock to me.

  I couldn’t think of a time when anyone had touched themselves to the thought of me, much less to the sight of me, and it was the hottest damn thing in the world.

  Dale was pure muscle. His long hair only made him look even more fierce. Part of me couldn’t believe I’d already had sex with this monster of a man before.

  There was another part of me that couldn’t believe I was getting a second chance.

  I was so wet, and so needy. My whole body felt like it was on fire, and I wanted more. Needed more. I needed him.

  He said he was going to mount me, and I didn’t know what the fuck that meant, but it sounded dirty as hell.

  I was in.

  I turned around and knelt forward so I was on all fours. I heard him approach me, and then he knelt behind me. He was still stroking his cock as he knelt there. I could feel the way he was touching himself as his skin grazed against mine.

  “I’m going to take you,” he told me.

  “Good.”

  “I’m not going to go easy on you.”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  I didn’t.

  It had been too damn long since I’d fucked someone who made me feel half as alive as I felt right now. I wanted him. Needed him. Anything he wanted to give to me, I would gladly take.

  “I’m going to be rough, baby.”

  “Fuck me, Dale.”

  He pushed my shoulders down, so my face was turned, pressed against the carpet, and he slid his cock into me all at once. I groaned, unable to hold back the noise, and I suddenly had the feeling that he was very satisfied with this.

  He fucked me hard and fast and mercilessly, driving his cock deeper and deeper into me. I was so damn wet that I could feel everything. He was girthy, and his dick felt insanely good.

  Yeah, it was safe to say I hadn’t been fucked like this in a long time.

  Maybe ever.

  As soon as he started sliding into me, I knew what he’d meant when he promised to mount me. He was riding me like we were damn animals, and I loved it. I’d never done anything this primal before, this animalistic. He was on top of my body, pinning me down, and I knew that I couldn’t escape e
ven if I wanted to.

  Dale tugged my hair, pulling it back. Then he hissed into my ear.

  “You’re going to come for me like a good girl, aren’t you, Ruby?”

  “Yes,” I managed to whisper.

  Yes, I would come for him.

  I would.

  I’d do whatever he wanted if he just kept fucking me like this. Oh, my entire body felt hot and sweaty and incredible. Every nerve was firing on full blast, filling me with this incredible sense of perfection and wonder.

  Suddenly, I felt like I was born for this moment, and I came.

  The orgasm that swept over me wasn’t like a gentle ocean wave.

  Nope.

  It was like a tidal wave of pleasure, pulling every ounce of energy I had from my body and sending it straight to my pussy. It was like a total explosion of incredible chaos and wonder.

  I might have screamed or yelled. I had no idea what noises my body wanted to make, but Dale seemed to understand. He clamped a hand over my mouth as the orgasm wreaked havoc on my body, and somehow, that made it even hotter.

  He came, too, filling me with his cum. He groaned, releasing his own pleasure into me.

  I felt like I was dying and being born at the same damn time, and when it was over, we both collapsed in the middle of the floor and didn’t move.

  Couldn’t move.

  We didn’t say anything, either.

  We just were.

  I could count on one hand the number of perfect days in my life. There was the day Dale and I had slept together the first time. There was the day my son had been born. There was the day he said my name for the first time.

  And there was now.

  This was a perfect day.

  It was perhaps the most perfect day anyone in the world had ever experienced, and I felt a sudden sadness that the moment was over.

  We hadn’t made love the way couples with kids were supposed to. Nothing about what we’d done had been right or proper. We’d been wild and dirty and rough.

  Oh, it had been rough.

  Now I felt sore and achy all over. My pussy hurt, and the muscles in my legs were tight from being so tense while we were together, but I didn’t care. It had been worth it, and I just...

  Wanted him.

  I wanted Dale.

  I knew we’d promised we were just going to be friends, but apparently, neither one of our bodies got that memo.

  “Wow,” he finally said, looking over at me.

  “Wow,” I whispered in agreement.

  “That was incredible,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “I think it’s safe to say we broke our friendship promise.”

  “That’s putting it lightly.”

  “I’m not upset,” he propped himself up on his elbow and looked at me. “Are you?”

  “No,” I told him honestly. I wasn’t. “It was a dumb promise.”

  “I don’t think it was dumb, but it maybe wasn’t what we both needed.”

  “And what do we both need?”

  “This,” he gestured between us, “this togetherness.”

  It was unlike anything I’d ever felt with another person before. I thought for a moment about Jake’s comment earlier. He’d said that Dale and I were mates. Was he right? Was that something Dale was going to bring up? Were Dale and I destined to be together by the world?

  Was this the beginning of something wonderful?

  I wanted to ask. I opened my mouth to ask, and it was on the tip of my tongue, but then...

  “Mommy?” Cole’s tiny voice came from upstairs. “Mommy, where are you?”

  Dale looked over at me.

  “One second!” I called out. Then I looked back at Dale. “Duty calls,” I told him, and I got up, dressed quickly, and headed upstairs to see what was happening with my little boy. As I made my way up the stairs to take care of Cole, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of peace.

  Being with Dale hadn’t been what I’d expected.

  It had been rough and wild and...

  Well, it had felt right.

  Everything about this felt right.

  11

  Dale

  I TOOK A DEEP BREATH, went to the window, and stared into the darkness. Now, more than ever, I was convinced that it was her.

  She was the one.

  She was the woman I was destined to be with.

  My mate.

  My everything.

  I placed my hand on the window and looked outside. The world out there was dark. A few stars shined, but almost everything was dark in the forest.

  Still, I wanted to go run.

  I started for the door, ready to go racing into the darkness. After fucking the woman I was meant to be with like that, I wanted to get outside and just...go for it.

  Only, something stopped me.

  Something held me back.

  I was a father now.

  I had other responsibilities.

  My bear was going to have to live with the fact that I couldn’t just go running every time I had a craving to shift. I had other things I had to do now. One of them was helping Ruby.

  I grabbed my boxers and pants and tugged them back on. I didn’t bother with my shirt. Instead, I tossed it toward the laundry room and headed upstairs. I found Ruby sitting beside Cole’s bed. She was holding his hand and he looked upset.

  “What’s going on?” I asked carefully. They had their own routine. They had their own habits. As much as I wanted to be a part of their family, I knew it would take time. Ruby and Cole had been on their own for years. It would take awhile for me to be fully part of their family unit.

  That was okay with me. I was more than willing to put in the work to be part of Cole’s life. I was more than willing to work hard to prove to Ruby that I was worthy of her love, attention, and time.

  “He’s just feeling a little nervous,” Ruby looked over. “You know, it’s a new place. New bed.”

  “New smells,” I added.

  Cole nodded nervously.

  “It can be a lot to deal with, huh?” I asked him. Poor kid. He’d been through a lot lately. He’d met his dad for the first time, his mom had lost her job, and now he was in a brand new place. That was a lot of changes for any kid. With a shifter child’s heightened senses, it would be even more overwhelming.

  “Yes,” he squeaked out.

  “You know,” I sat down next to Ruby and took Cole’s hand, “I was a little cub once, too.”

  “I know that.”

  “What you might not know is that I was really scared of the dark,” I told Cole.

  His eyes grew wide, and his mouth formed a little “o.”

  “You?”

  “Me,” I nodded.

  My nightmares had been the stuff of legend. My parents hadn’t known what the hell to do with me. They’d been frustrated and anxious. They’d been overwhelmed. They hadn’t been at all patient when it came to helping me.

  I had made a vow long ago that if I ever had kids, I wouldn’t be like that. I wouldn’t be like them. I didn’t want to be like them.

  I’d promised myself that if I ever had a child, I would do whatever it took to make them feel safe and protected. My parents hadn’t offered me that. My grandmother, however, had taken me under her wing, and she’d kept me safe.

  “I was so scared that I would cry at night,” I admitted.

  I could feel Ruby’s eyes on me, but she didn’t say anything. For that small reprieve, I was thankful. I didn’t know how I felt about her seeing this side of me. It was a side of me I never really showed to anyone.

  I wasn’t under some weird impression that guys needed to be macho or strong in order to be admired or loved. I did, however, still sometimes struggle to share how I felt.

  “What did you do?” Cole whispered.

  “I got this.”

  I stood and walked to the closet. I opened the door, felt around for a moment, and then came back with a small lamp. I set it on the nightstand, plugged it in, and flip
ped the switch. Instantly, the room was filled with an appropriate amount of light for a little bear trying to fall asleep.

  “It’s a bear lamp!”

  “It’s a bear lamp,” I agreed.

  The lamp was small, like a desk lamp, but its wooden base was shaped like a little bear.

  “My grandmother made it for me,” I told him.

  “She made this?” Ruby whispered, running her fingers over the lamp.

  “She was quite the woodcarver,” I smiled.

  “Wow,” Cole seemed happy. He had a stuffed bear in his arms, and he pulled it closer to himself.

  “Tell you what,” I told Cole, “why don’t you keep this lamp safe for me, okay? I don’t use it anymore, but I’d be really happy if you could.”

  “Okay,” he agreed.

  “And we’ll leave the door open,” I told him as Ruby and I got up to leave.

  “It’s okay,” Cole smiled. “You can close it. I think I’m okay now.”

  “Are you sure?” Ruby asked carefully.

  “Yep.”

  Cole closed his eyes, squeezed his bear, and waved his hand toward the door, letting us know that we were, in fact, dismissed.

  Once we were in the hallway and the door was closed, Ruby turned back to me and her jaw dropped. To say she was surprised would be an understatement.

  “Wow,” she said quietly, shaking her head.

  “Wow?”

  “How did you know to do that?”

  I laughed and grabbed her, tugging her close. The scent of vanilla filled my nostrils. Oh, she really was lovely, wasn’t she? We’d only just made love, but already, I wanted her again. I wanted her more. Ruby was a woman I would never grow tired of.

  “Just because I’ve only been a dad for a few days doesn’t mean I’m heartless,” I told her, pushing back a wisp of her hair. I tucked it carefully behind her ear, and then I pressed a kiss to her nose.

  “I know that, but...”

  “But you were worried I wouldn’t do a good job taking care of the little bear?”

  “Well, not exactly, but...”

  But she didn’t know how I’d handle Cole. Becoming a parent was a huge responsibility when you planned for it. I hadn’t planned to be a dad. I hadn’t spent months prepping or years getting ready for the responsibilities and the work that came with parenting.