Craving Tori

by J. J. Marstead

  Ryan chuckles. “Worried that what I’ll make won’t be edible?” he jokes.

  I shake my head. “No, just want to make sure you’re okay with making breakfast.”

  He nods, getting out of bed and stretching. “Of course, or I wouldn’t have offered,” he mentions with a grin, his naked ass staring me right in the face. He turns and his hard cock bobs up and down in front of me. Damn, I want him again! My insides heat and the blush fills my face.

  “I have to feed you first,” he says, his voice husky with want. He grabs a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, throwing them on quickly. He comes around the bed and places a kiss to my lips.

  “Wait, how did you know that I was thinking of-” Ryan cuts me off with a chuckle.

  “It wasn’t hard to guess, your drooling right here,” he says, touching the corner of my mouth. I swat his hand away.

  “I did not drool.” I give him a stern look but fail.

  “Come down when you’re ready,” he replies.

  I nod my head and he leaves the room. Leaving me sitting here on the bed all hot and bothered by his nakedness. I sigh, getting up. My legs feel all tingly, and a smile spreads across my face. We’re mated. I do a mental happy dance inside my head. I grab some clothes and get dressed. I need to pee so badly, my poor bladder is protesting. I start shifting from foot to foot while I make it to the door, opening the door then closing it. I look down the hall towards the bathroom, hoping it’s not occupied.

  The bathroom door is, in fact, open and I thank my lucky stars. I don’t think I would be able to make it to the bathroom downstairs. After relieving myself, I wash my hands and dry them. Walking out into the hall, the smell of bacon hits my nose. I chuckle under my breath. This family sure does love their bacon. Well, they’re a bunch of wolves, what do you expect? My stomach growls again, loudly.

  Slowly making my way downstairs, I turn the corner and head into the kitchen. Ryan’s standing at the stove, cooking. It’s a sight to see, my tall handsome mate, tending the stove and making me breakfast. How did I get so lucky?

  The floor creaks under my foot and Ryan turns to me with a smile on his face.

  “So? What are your plans for today, my beautiful mate?” Ryan asks while flipping pancakes.

  I walk around the island and steal a piece of bacon from the plate. He grins at me.

  “Well, I plan on heading over to Elizabeth’s to help her paint the baby’s room,” I mention while chewing on heavenly goodness.

  “Sounds like you have a fun day planned.”

  I nod my head. It does sound like fun. The color she chose for the baby room is blue. When she found out it was a little boy, she couldn’t wait to tell me. She told me when we ended up getting the paint for the baby’s room. When she asked for blue, I almost had a heart attack. She’s over the moon happy about it all and I couldn’t be happier for her. She’s starting her own family with her mates.

  “What are your plans for today, seeing as I’ll be away helping Elizabeth out with the baby room?”

  He grins before placing a kiss on my lips.

  “Well, Caleb texted and asked if I would be interested in helping him out with the crib,” he smirks. “So don’t worry, I won’t be all by my lonesome,” he winks my way.

  “Oh yeah? Where is he doing all this if he’s not at home making it?” I pry, I know for a fact he is not at home making it because Elizabeth would be there snooping the whole time.

  Ryan chuckles, shaking his head.

  “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not saying a word,” he gives me a stern look. Spoil sport.

  My attention snaps away from Ryan when Mary and Darren walk in.

  Mary stops and squeals like there’s no tomorrow when she sees my neck. She runs over to us and pulls me away from Ryan, hugging me tight against her. “I’m so happy for you both. Welcome to the family. Not like you weren’t a member before, but now it’s official,” she says, releasing me with a smile on her face.

  “Thank you.” I give a bright smile of my own as tears build in my eyes. She walks over to Ryan and hugs him too.

  “My little baby is mated,” Mary coos, causing Ryan’s cheeks to turn pink.

  He rubs the back of his neck. “Mom,” he groans, embarrassed.

  I bite my lip from snickering at him. He looks at me and his eyes show what he plans on doing to me because of it. My thighs move together as I can still feel him. Damn, I’m in for it later. I can’t help but give him a seductive grin and his eyes pool with need.

  Darren steps up to Ryan and pats him on the back. “Congratulations, son. I’m proud of you and your mate for taking the next step,” he rumbles loudly. My cheeks warm. Oh my God, his parents know we had sex.

  Mary slaps Darren on the arm. “Darren, Tori is human, remember? It’s embarrassing for her when you talk about that sort of stuff,” she hisses at him.

  Darren looks over at me. He fidgets some in his spot, which is a sight to see. The big bad alpha is nervous. “Tori, I’m sorry. I forgot,” he says sheepishly.

  I wave him off like it’s nothing. “It’s fine. Are you two hungry? Ryan made breakfast,” I ask with a grin on my face, proud that my mate didn’t burn the house down.

  Darren looks at Ryan with wide eyes. “You cooked?”

  Ryan nods his head. “I did. Mom taught me how to cook for my mate,” he whispers. My eyes wander over to Mary and she nods her head proudly. Here I was worried about taking care of him when he’s the one taking care of me. My insides flutter.

  “So it’s not that no one but you,” Darren glares at Mary, “can use the stove, it’s just that I can’t,” Darren fusses.

  Mary waves Darren off. “Oh, stop being a baby about it. You know damn well why I don’t let you touch the stove.”

  Darren shakes his head and nods down at his son before placing his hand on his shoulder, lightly squeezing it. I can see how proud Darren is of Ryan.

  Mary claps her hands together, snapping Darren out of it.

  “Well, I’m starving,” she mentions with on grin on her face. Probably knowing what Ryan made is edible.

  “Go sit and I’ll get the plates ready,” Ryan says, softly touching my arm.

  Mary smiles at both of us. “Your father can help you with the plates,” she mentions, looking at Ryan before taking my arm in hers and walking over to the table.

  We’re just finishing up with breakfast when I look over at Mary and bite my lip. I know she’s said before that I could use her car, but I want to make sure again before I do. I clear my throat. “Mary,” I say her name softly.

  She turns her head my way. “Yes, dear?” she asks, her tone soft.

  “Umm... I was wondering if it’s okay if I borrowed the car this morning?” Mary places her mug on the table and looks up.

  “Of course, I’ve told you before whenever you need it, it’s yours. You don’t have to ask. We should really consider a car for you soon,” she rambles.

  My eyes widen. Wait, what? They want to get me a car? My eyes swing over to Ryan, who is looking at anyone but me. He knows?

  “You don’t have to get me a car. I can work and get one on my own,” I mention quickly, but Mary shakes her head.

  “Consider it a wedding gift of sorts,” she replies.

  I’m just about to protest, but Ryan puts his hand on my arm. I look up at him and I can see by the look on his face that it’s a lost cause to argue about it with his mom. My shoulders slump forward. I didn’t want them spending money like that on me, but it seems they’ll do it with, or without, my say.

  I ended up leaving my car back at my parents’ house. I didn’t think I would need it just for a visit. I didn’t expect to find my mate while visiting Elizabeth. If I would’ve known, I would have taken my car down instead of flying.

  I miss my parents very much. I haven’t been away from them for this long. It’s crazy to think that my mother knows about shifters. I had no idea that she knew, but when Elizabeth’s mom told me my mom used to date a shifter before my fath
er came along, I was shocked beyond belief.

  Mary leaves the kitchen for a minute, then comes walking back in with her car keys in hand. “Here you go, dear,” she says, handing them over to me.

  I bite my lip and give her a smile. “Thank you,” I mumble.

  Darren gets up from the table and stretches. “Come on mate, how about watching a movie to relax a bit this morning?” he whispers to Mary.

  “That sounds amazing. A chick flick is just what I need,” she squeals happily while clapping her hands.

  Darren shifts his hold on his mate and groans. “Seriously? A chick flick?” he mutters.

  Mary gives Darren a look that causes him to stop whining. “Yes, a chick flick. I don’t feel like watching something about blowing shit up,” she growls.

  “Whatever you want, mate,” Darren replies.

  I bite my lip to hide the snicker that wants to escape. Darren and Mary leave the kitchen. But they both shout ‘drive safe’ as they round the corner.

  I look over at my mate with a smile on my face and he comes closer, pulling me flush against him.

  “I love you,” he whispers against my forehead. I close my eyes and savour his words. I can feel the love coming off him easily with our bond.

  “I love you, too,” I whisper back.

  He kisses my lips before releasing me. “You better hurry up. I’m sure Elizabeth is waiting for you to open the first can of paint,” he mentions with a lazy grin on his face.

  I nod my head. “You're probably right. I’ll go grab my purse and head out,” I mention quickly as I make my way out of the kitchen and upstairs, grabbing my things. Making my way back downstairs, I head to the front door where Ryan is standing.

  He brings me in for a hug, then kisses my lips. God, I can kiss him all day and not get tired of it. He releases my lips and leans his forehead flush against mine. “Drive safe,” he murmurs.

  “I will, don’t worry. I’ll be back later, when the room is finished. Have fun helping Caleb,” I reply with a smirk on my face.

  I push up on my tippy toes and place one last kiss to his lips before turning around, opening the front door, and making my way down the steps towards Mary’s car. I open the car door and hop in, turning the key, the car starts. Looking up, I see Ryan standing on the porch waving. I wave and blow a kiss his way. I slowly make my way out of the driveway and pull out onto the road.

  I’ve been driving for a few minutes, not very long, when I notice a car following behind me three car lengths away. They’ve been following me since I pulled out of Ryan’s driveway. I slightly jump when I hear my phone ring. I look at it quickly before turning my eyes back to the road. It’s my mother, I’ll have to call her back when I get to Elizabeth’s. My eyes look in the rear-view mirror once more and the car is still there. I push on the gas a little, trying to get to Elizabeth’s quicker.

  I see her house come into view. I slow down and put my blinker on to turn into their driveway. Once I’m in the driveway, I look behind me at the road and the vehicle that was following me passes by. I breathe a sigh of relief.

  I turn the car off and hop out. Elizabeth comes out with a smile on her face.

  “It’s about time you got here,” Elizabeth says with her hands on her hips.

  “Sorry, I was having breakfast with Ryan and his parents,” I mention.

  Elizabeth nods. The closer I get, Elizabeth sniffs the air and her eyes go wide.

  “Oh my God, Tori. You’re mated.” I nod my head with a smile. “Oh my God! I’m so happy for you,” she mentions, coming closer and wrapping her arms around me. She releases me and grins. “You’ll have to tell me all about it while we paint the baby’s room,” she says with a wink.

  My cheeks heat just thinking of how Ryan made me feel.

  We’re almost done painting the room when I remember that my mother called while I was on my way over. “Elizabeth, why don’t we take a tiny break? I should call my mother back. She called while I was on my way over,” I mention.

  Elizabeth nods. “Yeah, I could use a little break. Would you like some Ice tea?”

  “Sure. That would be great. Thanks,” I reply.

  I walk through the house and out the back door where there’s a patio swing chair. Walking over to it, I take a seat before dialing my mother back. The phone rings twice before I hear my mother’s sweet voice on the other end.

  “Hi, baby girl,” my mother says softly.

  “Hi, Mom,” I reply.

  “How’s everything?”

  I shift on the swing, biting my lip. How do I tell my mother that Ryan and I are mated now? “Everything’s good. I’m helping Elizabeth paint the baby’s room.”

  “Oh. I can’t believe Elizabeth is going to be a mother. It feels like just yesterday you both became friends and now she’s mated with a baby on the way.” I can picture my mother with a smile on her face.

  “Yeah, it’s crazy to think,” I mumble.

  “So? How are you and Ryan getting along?” my mother asks.

  Well, here goes nothing.

  “Ryan and I are... mated now-” I’m cut off by my mother’s scream of happiness on the other end. I pull the phone away from my ear. I guess it’s safe to say she’s happy about the news.

  “Oh my God, my baby girl is mated. When is the ceremony?” my mother asks, excitement filling her voice.

  I bite my lip hard, unsure of what to tell her. Ryan and I haven’t spoken about a date for the ceremony. It’s a little different for us than it was for Elizabeth. Considering I’m human and all.

  “Umm, I haven’t spoken to Ryan about a date, but I’ll let you know when I know so you and Dad can be here,” I whisper.

  “Oh, sweetheart. I miss you so much.”

  I blink back the tears and smile. “I miss you, too, Mom.”

  “Well, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing,” my mother mentions but then speaks up again. “Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you. Steve stopped by the other day asking about you. I wasn’t sure what it was about, but your father turned him away.”

  I suck in a sharp breath. “What?” I whisper so low my mother doesn’t hear me.

  “Well, sweetheart, I have to get back to cooking. I will talk to you soon. Say hi to Elizabeth and Ryan for me. I love you.”

  I’m just about to open my mouth when the line goes dead, indicating she has already hung up. My body shakes from the news of Steve showing up at my parents’ house asking about me. I shake my head.

  He doesn’t know where I am; it’s nothing.

  Not even a minute goes by before I see Ryan run around back towards me with a worried look on his face.

  “What happened?”

  I look at him confused.

  How did he know something’s wrong?

  “What? How?” I mumble.

  Ryan looks me over and sighs with relief that nothing is wrong with me physically.

  “I felt that you were in distress over something through our bond. I rushed over here as quickly as I could,” he pants roughly.

  I reach for him and he hugs me tightly against him.

  “Ryan,” I mumble against his shirt. He releases his hold on me some and looks down at me. “I’m fine. I’m sorry if I worried you through our bond. I didn’t think you would know,” I bite my lip, worried about how he’s going to take the news about Steve showing up at my parents’ house.

  I shift against him, leaning slightly away so I can look up at him. “My mother called this morning while I was on my way over. I forgot to call her back until a few minutes ago,” I say, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Steve stopped by my parents’ house asking for me the other day,” I whisper, looking down at the ground.

  Ryan tenses. I look up and see his jaw tighten with anger. “What did he want?” he growls.

  I shrug my shoulders because I have no idea, but I can only imagine. “I don’t know, that’s all my mother said,” I reply.

  Ryan sighs heavily. “Do you think he’s here? Looking for you
?” he asks.

  I don’t know if he is. I don’t think my father mentioned anything to him. Well, I at least hope not. “I don’t know, but anything is possible.”

  Ryan nods his head firmly. “He won’t get to you. I’ll kill him,” Ryan snarls, pulling me close against him again.

  I truly hope he’s right. I can only imagine what Steve would do if he got to me alone. I shiver as Ryan rubs my arm with hand. Reassuring me that everything will be fine.

  Ryan left not too long after he arrived. He had to head back to help Caleb. He didn’t want to leave me, but I gave him no choice.

  I’m standing in front of a raging, mad Elizabeth. I just finished telling her what my mother said.

  “That son of a bitch is looking for you?” she snarls, her eyes flashing.

  “Elizabeth, calm down. It’s not good for the baby to get this worked up. It’s fine. Ryan won’t let him anywhere near me,” I whisper, trying to ease her worry.

  Elizabeth blinks a few times, trying to calm her breathing. Her cell phone rings and she winces, knowing it’s Caleb checking up on her.

  “Hello,” she answers.

  I can’t hear Caleb, but by the look on Elizabeth’s face, he felt what she felt. She winces again and mumbles under her breath. “I was upset by something. Steve, Tori’s ex, showed up at her parents’ house looking for her,” she hisses, getting pissed again.

  I put my hand on her shoulder and shake my head. She closes her eyes and breathes heavily through her nose.

  “Yeah, I love you, too. See you soon,” she whispers into the phone before hanging up.

  Samuel comes walking in with a grim look on his face. “What’s the matter?” he asks Elizabeth.

  “I’ll tell you later,” she mentions before kissing his lips.

  He lifts his hand, there’s a bag of take out hanging from it. “Anyone hungry?” he smirks when our stomachs growl.

  Chapter Six

  Two days later…

  After finding out about Steve showing up at my parents’ place, Ryan has been on edge even more. He’s worried that he’ll show up, but I keep telling him he won’t. There’s no chance he’ll find me, here of all places. But it doesn’t ease his worry.