Craving Tori

by J. J. Marstead

  “I wasn’t lying. You look amazing. So beautiful,” his voice sincere. “And all mine,” he adds. My cheeks warm as the blush spreads across them.

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  I take a good look at my mate, and admire how handsome he is in his suit. He looks great. “You look really nice, too,” I mention. Ryan turns his head my way and smirks. He backs out of the driveway and pulls onto the road.

  “Where are we going for supper?” I try to pry, but he just shakes his head, chuckling at me.

  I cross my arms and pout. Ryan snickers under his breath.

  “It’s a surprise, you’ll see once we get there.”

  That’s all I get out of him, he won’t tell me. I just hope what I’m wearing isn’t too much for the restaurant. I shift in my seat some, trying to figure out if I should ask if I’m overdressed.

  “What I’m wearing is fine for the restaurant?” I ask. He nods his head.

  “Yes, what you're wearing is perfect.”

  Well, I guess I’ll take his word for it.

  The restaurant is amazing. The candles on top of the tables are a nice touch, so romantic. I didn’t know Ryan was the whole candlelight romantic type. “It’s beautiful,” I whisper, looking at our little table, the bright burning candles in the middle. I look up at Ryan and he smiles, his pearly whites flashing my way.

  “I want to woo you,” he purrs. I look at him puzzled. Did he just say ‘woo me’?

  “Woo me?” I ask confused.

  He chuckles, nodding his head. “Yes, woo. That’s what my kind does when our mate isn’t a shifter. We need to woo you with our charms. It’s different when the mate is a shifter they both know right off the bat,” he replies softly.

  I can’t help feeling uneasy about the fact I’m not a shifter. Does it bother him? Why am I doubting myself now?

  “Are you sure it doesn’t bother you that... I’m not a shifter?” I stutter, worried he’ll finally wake up and decide to have a nice female wolf instead of me, a plain human.

  He reaches, putting his hand out for me to take hold of. I’m hesitant for a second before placing my hand in his. He stares at me with such love shining in his eyes.

  “I wouldn’t change you for any she-wolf in the world, Tori. You’re it for me. You're my mate.” His voice is firm and steady as he speaks. A smile spreads across my face.

  I feel like something’s off and I don’t know what it is. My hand tenses a little in his. I look up at Ryan and his face is masked with concern.

  “Are you alright?” he asks.

  I shrug my shoulders while my eyes survey the restaurant. Searching for something, but not sure what, and coming up empty handed in the end.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice filled with concern. My eyes swing up to his and I bite my lip.

  “I don’t know,” I mumble. I look around again quickly, and Ryan does the same.

  “I just feel like someone is watching us,” I add. Ryan’s face goes rigid, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs the air lightly.

  Ryan frowns. “I don’t smell anyone besides the waiters and waitress in here. There’s an elderly couple in the corner but that’s it.” He assures me but it doesn’t ease my worry. I just nod my head. I’m probably overreacting, it’s nothing, I tell myself.

  The waitress comes walking back out and brings us our food. She openly stares at Ryan. My face heats, pissed at the fact that we’re on a date and she’s standing there staring at my mate in front of me. A tiny growl of annoyance escapes my mouth. The waitress blushes from being caught and turns around, leaving the table quickly. My head snaps up because I can feel his eyes on me. Ryan’s grinning.

  “Tori, are you jealous?” he asks teasingly.

  My jealously getting the better of me, I snap, “How would you feel if our waiter was staring at me openly in front of you like that?” I hiss.

  Ryan’s eyes go wide. “Woah, I didn’t mean anything by it. It has nothing to do with the waitress. It’s something else that’s bothering you. What is it?”

  I sigh, hanging my head. “I just don’t like the fact that she was pretty much drooling over you in front of me. And I can’t seem to shake the feeling that someone is watching us.”

  “You know, I’ll protect you with my life,” he mentions.

  I nod because I know he will.

  “I know,” I whisper.

  We enjoyed the rest of supper, the dessert was phenomenal. It was chocolate devil’s food cake. It was to die for, it was so rich and creamy. There wasn’t a crumb left on the plate.

  “You ready?” Ryan asks. He stands up and takes his wallet out of his pocket and tosses some cash on the table for the bill then comes around to the side of me, holding his hand out for me. I can’t wait to get home.

  Home, Ryan’s my home now. He’s my mate, even though we’re not mated yet. I don’t know what’s holding me back. Am I scared of giving myself fully to someone who holds so much power, which could crush everything in me? “Yeah, let’s go home,” I reply, putting my hand in his. He helps me out of the chair then we head out. Once we’re outside, I start getting that feeling again, like someone is watching. I turn my head, looking around and down both sides of the street. Then I see a familiar figure, and I freeze. There’s no way, that can’t be. No, it can’t. I shake my head looking again and nothing’s there. Ryan stops and turns. He comes over to me with a concerned look on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” he rushes to ask.

  “I thought I just saw someone I knew,” I say, my body quivering. Ryan puts his arm around me.

  “Tori, you’re shaking. What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  He knows about my ex and what he’s done to me. So, I’m not going to lie to him about what I think I just saw.

  “Remember I told you about my ex.” He growls deep in his chest and gives a firm nod.

  “Well, umm... I’m pretty sure I just saw him, but my mind could be playing tricks on me.” I stutter.

  Ryan’s eyes flash and he growls. I jump a little from the echo of it, then his face softens.

  “You don’t ever have to fear me. I would never hurt you, ever,” he mutters. I nod, he takes hold of me and brings me to him, holding me close. I release a tiny sigh, feeling safe with Ryan.

  Ryan opens the car door for me then closes it when I’m in. He walks around and gets in before we pull away from the restaurant and head home. I don’t look back, I don’t know why I thought I saw Steve, but something in my bones tells me something is wrong and I’ll find out soon enough what it is.

  A few minutes later, we pull up to the house. I’m completely drained. I just want to head to bed.

  I turn to Ryan and give a faint smile.

  “Ryan. I’m tired. I just want to go to bed, if that’s okay?” I feel like I ruined the evening with my stupid head thinking of things that aren’t there.

  Why is he always popping up inside of my head? When will he forever disappear from my life?

  “Alright. Let’s head inside and we’ll head up to bed,” Ryan replies.

  Chapter Two

  Just the both of us being out alone together was nice for a change. Rather than having everyone with us. She looked gorgeous in her dress. My wolf was pushing me to mark her, to claim her as ours. To ravish her where she stood. I had to tell him to back off. If he kept pushing, I knew we would end up scaring her off. He whined when I told him we can’t. He doesn’t understand why we can’t mark her. He could care less if she was shifter or human, he wants our scent on her. The whole night I had to hide the hard on I had from just the sweet scent of her. And that damn fine-looking dress she had on wasn’t helping.

  At the restaurant, she seemed a bit off. Always looking around, and then when I asked her what was wrong. When she uttered the words that she felt someone was watching us… My hackles rose, my wolf snarling at the chance to rip apart anyone or anything that could harm our mate.

  After she told me, I looked around the restaurant, but I didn’t see
anything out of the ordinary. I only saw the staff and an elderly couple. She was nervous and scared about something. When I found out she may have seen her ex… My wolf pushed forward, wanting to kill that fucker.

  After getting home, she wanted to go right to bed. She was drained.

  Now she’s sleeping peacefully beside me. I stare at her, and the love I feel for her is already so strong. I wonder how it’ll be when we’re mated. I’ll love her, fight for her, even die to protect her if I have to. My wolf and I both agree.

  I’m not going to rush her into mating with me. I want her to want to mate with me when she feels it’s right. I know with humans it can take a bit for them to get warmed to the idea. But I’m in this for the long haul, she’s it for me. There’ll never be another for me, ever.

  Tori shifts beside me and groans. She cuddles closer to me. I wrap my arm around her, nothing in this world is worth more to me than her. She leans closer in, grinding her sweet little ass into my crotch.

  I bite my lip hard, trying to hold back the growl rumbling in my chest. My wolf is becoming anxious with need. Hell, to tell the truth, my dick is always hard when she’s around. When I stroke my cock after long days of being so close to her, trying to relieve some pressure from my balls, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, works. The need I have is for her. I close my eyes, trying to get some sleep. I just hope my hands don’t roam over her body while we sleep. If she wakes up with my hands all over her and freaks out, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. My cock is hard as a rock right now with her being flush against me. I reach down to adjust my throbbing hardness away from her ass. I groan lightly when my hand touches my sensitive shaft. God, damn!

  I shake my head and close my eyes, praying that sleep comes quickly.

  I stir slightly in bed, the light from my blinds peeking through, waking me. It’s morning already? It feels like I literally just closed my eyes. I don’t feel Tori beside me, her scent faint. I slowly open my eyes, turning my head, and sure enough, she isn’t in bed beside me. My wolf whines that our mate left without waking us. I rise up and swing my legs off the bed, standing up and stretching my arms above my head. I grab a pair of sweatpants and throw them on. I run a hand through my messy hair and leave the room. I turn down the hall towards the bathroom.

  After relieving myself, I go off in search of my mate.

  I head downstairs. Once my foot hits the last step, the strong smell of bacon hits my senses. My nostrils flare and my stomach growls, loudly. I walk down the hall towards the kitchen, my stomach growling uncontrollably. I walk in and see my mother sitting down at the table. I look at my mother puzzled because I know for a fact, it isn’t my father cooking. The poor guy could burn water. My mother won’t let him anywhere near the stove.

  My head swings to the left, towards the stove. My wolf perking up instantly. My eyes take in my mate while she cooks. My mouth waters, not just because of the food but because she’s only wearing a tank top and shorts. Shorts that should be illegal. A tiny growl escapes my lips. I look up, knowing my mother probably heard me. She has a smirk on her face while shaking her head at me. I shrug my shoulders. What, my mate gets me going every time I see her. It’s not my fault.

  “What?” I mouth to her. She snickers lightly as she continues shaking her head.

  Tori turns around with a pan in her hand, putting a few pieces of bacon on a plate. She looks up and sees me standing there. A smile spreads across her beautiful face.

  “Hey, sleepy head. I see you smelt the food?” she smirks.

  I walk over to her and give her lips a soft kiss before swiping a piece of bacon from the plate. She glares at me, slapping my hand lightly.

  “You can wait till it’s ready.”

  I nod my head and grumble under my breath. I make my way over to the table and take a seat. My mother snickering at me from behind the newspaper.

  I glance at my mate often while she cooks. My cock getting hard just knowing she’s cooking for us.

  Jesus Christ, I need to get a grip. She’s only making breakfast and I’m getting hard.

  I shake my head. I’m just about to open my mouth to say something to my mother when the back door opens. My father comes walking in, sweating like a pig, and the smell of dirt and sweat hit me in full force. My mother looks up at my father and coughs.

  “Oh, darling.” She gasps, looking at my father from head to toe. Her nose wrinkling up when she catches the smell.

  “You need to head right upstairs to take a shower if you plan on having breakfast, which Tori has so kindly made for us.”

  My father looks at my mother then over to the stove where my mate is cooking. He points to Tori then to himself. “She’s aloud to touch the stove, but I’m not?” he pouts. My mother chuckles.

  “We don’t want a fire to start now, do we?” my mother sweetly says with a smirk on her face.

  My father huffs, waving my mother off.

  “Fire? I’ve never caused a fire,” he mumbles. My mother raises a brow at my father and he goes quiet. He knows he’ll lose this argument.

  My father looks over at Tori. “Tori, it’s nice of you to make us some breakfast.”

  Tori blushes from being put on the spot.

  “It’s no problem. I just wanted to do something nice for you all,” she rambles out quickly.

  My father gives Tori a smile before walking over to my mother. He leans down and places a kiss on her forehead before leaving the kitchen. My eyes swing back over to my mate when my mother clears her throat. I take my eyes away from my mate’s perfect ass and turn to my mother.

  “How did your date go last night? Did you both have a good time?” she asks.

  I nod. “We had a great time. The restaurant was nice. The food was great. My date was beautiful.” I say with a grin plastered on my face.

  “You take after your father, that’s for sure.” My mother chuckles.

  “Then during dinner. Tori felt like someone was watching us while we were there. I could smell the fear and nervousness coming off her in waves. Something was getting to her, but there was no one there at the restaurant.”

  My mother frowns, then she turns her head to face Tori.

  “Tori, sweetheart are you okay?” my mother asks in concern.

  Tori comes walking over with two plates in her hands. She places one in front of my mother, then the other in front of me. She gives a faint smile in my mother’s direction.

  “Yes, and it was probably nothing,” she mumbles quickly. She turns around and heads back over to the stove and gets another plate done up, placing it in the microwave. She grabs a plate from the cupboard and fills it with pancakes and bacon. She takes it over to the table and takes a seat beside me.

  I rub her arm lightly with my fingertips. She turns her head and smiles softly at me.

  We dig into our food without hesitation.

  “Do you want me to show you some self-defense moves?” I ask.

  Tori lifts the napkin to her mouth while she finishes chewing before she replies.

  “You’ll do that for me?” I nod my head. Of course, I would. I want her to be able to defend herself when I’m not able to be with her.

  “Of course, you’re my mate. I know there’ll be times when I won’t be able to be with you.”

  “Thank you,” she whispers with a smile.

  “How about after supper?” I ask.

  She nods her head repeatedly. “Sounds like a date.” She giggles.

  A few minutes later, my father comes walking back into the kitchen freshly showered.

  “I’m starving,” he says, then his stomach growls loudly and we all chuckle.

  “Alpha, your plate is in the microwave. You just need to warm it up,” my shy little mate whispers.

  My father sighs, turning his head our way. “How many times do I have to say this. Please, call me Darren,” he says, his tone soft. My mate blushes, nodding her head.

  My father goes over to the microwave, warming his plate up, and after it
dings, he grabs his food and comes over to the table. He takes a seat beside my mother. He places a kiss to my mother’s lips before turning to my mate.

  “Thank you for breakfast, Tori.”

  “Oh, it was nothing. I hope I made enough for you,” she mentions, fidgeting with her hands. My father chuckles.

  “This is more than enough, thank you,” my father replies. Tori nods and goes back to picking at her pancakes and bacon.

  Last night must still be heavily on her mind.

  “So, Dad. What’s on the agenda for today?” I ask.

  My father sighs deeply. “I have to go to the Pindar Den. I need to talk to Issac about his behavior last night. He made a scene at the bar when Kelly and Noah showed up. She doesn’t need to have this much stress on her. Noah and she seem to be getting along just great.”

  Kelly and Noah seem to be attracted to each other, and their wolves get along fairly-well even though they aren’t true mates, but they can make each other happy. It might not be any of my business, but that damn bear better not start anything with my cousin because he can’t handle the fact he threw his mate away and someone else scooped her up.

  Tori finishes some of her food and groans, leaning back in the chair. “I think I ate too much,” she mumbles.

  I chuckle, shaking my head. I’m used to wolves eating and when we eat, we really eat. There isn’t much left afterwards, rare that there’s any leftovers period. I get up and grab her plate, putting it on top of mine and bring it over to the sink. Tori begins to protest at first, but I put my hand up, shaking my head.

  “But I was going to clean up,” she lightly whines.

  “You made breakfast, the least I can do is clean up. Now, relax and let your man clean up,” I point out.

  I’m just about the start washing the dishes when I feel her come up behind me and wrap her arms around my waist. My wolf howls happily inside my head. He loves it when she’s close to us, hell, I do too. My cock hardening as hard as a hammer could testify to that.