by E A Price
She gave him a watery smile; she sent feelings of love and happiness floating toward him. "I know, sunshine, it's one of the many reasons why you are the love of my life. My one and only.”
*
15th February
Terri hummed happily. Ten more minutes and her shift was over. Thank heavens. Last night had been lovely, but she had to admit she was just a teensy bit tired. She'd already had a nap during the day and still she couldn't stop yawning. But there was no way she would admit that to Mal.
After their initial coupling, they'd talked for over an hour. Hopefully, she had put a few ghosts of her past to rest, and Mal would be content that there was nothing to worry about. Afterwards, they'd made love and fell asleep in each other's arms.
They awoke early; it was actually pretty cold sleeping in a house with tarp walls, something she hadn't considered. Thankfully, Mal radiated more heat than a bonfire. She nestled in his arms; despite his reservations, she easily seduced him, and they made love again. Twice. The first time quite vigorously and the second, slow and languorously. She couldn't decide which way she preferred. Perhaps they should do the same again a few more times so she could make up her mind.
A cough brought her out of her happy reverie. She turned to see him. Former lover and complete asshole, Jameson St. James. She blinked in surprise.
“Hello Terri, it’s nice to see you again.” He gave her a toothy smile. He always did have too many teeth for his mouth.
“Jameson, what a surprise. How are you?”
He paused uncertainly. “Can’t complain, and you, how are you?”
"I'm very well, thank you." She gave him a warm smile, secretly thinking of Mal, and almost blushing at the way he made her scream in ecstasy that morning.
He looked a little self-satisfied at that, perhaps thinking the smile was for him. She quickly wiped it off her face. She clasped her hands in front of her, aware that the desk hid her baby bump. No reason he needed to know about that just yet. "What can I do for you, Jameson?"
He swallowed nervously. "I, errmmm, was wondering if we could talk.”
“Oh, about what?”
He noticed Mrs. Martin was watching them intently, and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. Was he always so sweaty? “Erm, well it’s kind of private, would you mind if we went somewhere else?”
Oh jeez, she prayed he wasn’t going to confess to giving her a sexual disease or something. “Ummm, well I get off work in about five minutes, I could come and meet you in the Honeypot Diner." She stood up and gave him an eyeful of her swollen belly. She pointed to outside the building. "It's just across the road, next to the Sheriff's station."
He nodded dumbly, eyes bulging. He mumbled that he would see her there.
After watching him leave, she took out her phone and called Mal. He picked up after the second ring.
"Hey, baby, I was just thinking about you. I managed to get out of work early, so I'm coming to pick you up."
"Thanks, sunshine. Listen, Jameson just came in the library and said he wanted to speak to me. I agreed to talk to him in the Honeypot Diner after I finish. Would you like to come with me? I'd just repeat everything he said to me afterwards to you anyway."
She could hear his heavy breathing. She could feel his indecisiveness. She knew he did want to be there, but he didn't want to look like a jealous idiot.
"No, baby, it's probably better if you talk to him alone. I’ll be waiting outside the library for you.”
"If you change your mind, just come on in, I mean it."
"I know, baby. How's our boy doing?"
Terri beamed and stroked her stomach. “Your son is kicking the hell out of me.”
Mal sniggered. "I see, when he quiet he's your son, when he's rowdy he's mine, right?"
“Got it in one buster.”
"I love you, baby."
“I love you too, see you soon.”
*
As Terri walked into the Diner, Jameson stood and pulled out a chair for her. He wasn't nearly so happy to see her now as he had been at the library. Perhaps the pregnancy had been a bit of a shock.
She went and sat down.
"Terri, hi!" said Kira Norton. Kira was a grey wolf who had been working at the Diner since she relocated to Rose. She had mated with Sheriff's Deputy, and Mal’s fellow pack mate, Gabriel North.
“Hi Kira, how’s Gabe?”
“Peachy thanks, how’s the baby?”
"Already a little terror."
Kira snickered. "From what I'm told, his daddy was exactly the same until he met you, some of the stories Gabe has told me have been pretty wild..."
Terri sighed exaggeratedly. "I know, I've heard them all!"
Kira rubbed her shoulder. "We'll catch up tonight at the gathering, for now, can I get you anything?"
"Not for me thanks, Mal’s coming to collect me soon. Jameson, do you want anything else?" He shook his head, and Kira said goodbye and bounced away. She was a far cry from the withdrawn young wolf who had first set foot in Rose, for which Terri was thankful.
She turned back to Jameson. Except for heavier bags under his eyes, he looked the same as he always had, yet... he just didn't seem to be quite so appealing as he once was. Where before, she had thought his salt and pepper hair made him distinguished, now he looked old. His narrow shoulders and slim hips, which she had once thought of as a swimmers body, now made him look skinny and a little stooped. The thought that she had once allowed those slender hands and thin lips to touch her so intimately made her feel a little cold.
They sat in silence for a few moments. “So... what did you want to talk about?”
He licked his dry lips. A lizard. That’s what he reminded her of - a lizard. A cold blooded lizard. To think, at home she had a warm blooded wolf... there really was no contest.
He spoke at last. “How far along are you? In your pregnancy?”
She raised her eyebrows; he hadn't come to talk about that surely. "Just under six months, I'm a little on the big size." The baby definitely takes after his father. Huge.
He nodded. “That’s how far along you were when...” When our baby died.
"Yes, I know," she said crisply, but then softened a little. "We're being really careful; I'm not driving myself anywhere, and I'm not going anywhere long distance by car at all."
He nodded vaguely. "I'm sorry, Terri," he blurted. "I'm sorry for not telling you I was married. I'm sorry I left you when I found out you were pregnant. I'm sorry you found out about my family the way you did, and I'm sorry about what happened to the baby..."
Terri looked at him in amazement for a few moments. "Okay, apology accepted, I guess."
He reached over and placed a hand on hers. "I missed you, Terri. My wife had an affair and left me; she took our kids."
She gently extricated her hand from his and rubbed her belly. His wife had left him, and he was lonely.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Jameson." Although not overly surprised.
“I realized that what I had with her wasn’t nearly as wonderful as what I had with you. I stupidly threw our relationship away.”
She wondered how many other ex-girlfriends he had come to with the same pleading tone. Her friend, Ed Buchanan, a red wolf shifter and former student of Jameson's, had enlightened her on the rumors surrounding the esteemed Professor St. James. He was a visiting professor at a number of Universities and apparently had a couple of girlfriends at each.
“You’re the only woman I ever loved, and I still...”
She cut him off. "I'm married, and having a baby now. I don't love you, Jameson."
His eyes were almost wild, pleading with her to listen to him. "Terri, we had such a passionate affair, we were soul mates, can't you give me another chance? I'd even... I'd even be willing to be a stepfather to your baby."
Wow! What the heck did she ever see in this sad, little man? "No, Jameson, we had a quiet little affair which ended badly. We were never soul mates. I married my soul mate, and we're raising
"Please, Terri..."
"I'm sorry you're unhappy, Jameson, truly I am. But there's nothing I can do to change that. I hope things get better for you."
His face screwed up in anger. "You're really happy with that boy? He's almost a decade younger than you! How can he be expected to be a husband to you and a father to your child?" He flushed a little at having revealed he knew more about her than he let on before.
She looked at him serenely. “Mal’s already surpassed you in every way possible, both as a partner and a father. I don't want to see you again, Jameson."
She smiled sadly at him, and awkwardly got up and walked out the door of the Diner, never looking back.
*
Mal sat on the steps of the library, eyes fixed on the Diner. He knew deep down that he had nothing to worry about. He knew Terri loved him, and she wanted to be with him. But the thought of her being anywhere near that cowardly weasel made him brim with rage. His wolf was prowling yet again.
He wanted to run into the Diner and pull Terri into his arms, and roar at the other male that she was his. Mine. He wanted to tear the other male apart for ever hurting her, and for trying to take her away from him. It's just that he didn't think he would make a particularly good father from a prison cell. His wolf snarled at him for being a wuss. Yeah, whatever...
He had watched as they had talked. He watched that fucker put his hand over his mate's. He had risen, ready to sprint across there and attack, but quickly enough, Terri had pulled her hand away and had made soothing motions on her stomach. Soon after, she had stood up and made her way to the front door. The fucker Jameson staring after her.
Terri came out and saw him; her face lit up. He remained motionless, waiting for her to come to him. She did, and they embraced warmly.
She buried her head in his shirt, and he rested his head on hers. He watched as the fucker came out of the Diner. He spotted them, casting Terri a look of yearning. Mal narrowed his eyes in warning at the inferior male. Jameson took the hint and took off as soon as he could. Terri hadn't even noticed.
"I have something for you, baby." He fumbled in his pocket until he found the ring. "It was supposed to be a Valentine's gift, but I uh, kind of forgot about it last night."
"Distracted were we?" Her lips curled up wickedly.
"Well, you are pretty distracting." He unhooked his arm around her to open the box.
"Oh my god! It's beautiful." She stroked it with a finger and admired it. "I love it, but how could you..."
"It was my grandmother's."
She looked at him sadly. "I don't think it's going to fit on my sausage fingers..." He had to admit every part of her was a little swollen at the moment, but that didn't detract one iota of her beauty.
He wordlessly took the ring out of the box, and she saw that it was hung on a long chain. "I figured you could wear it round your neck for now." He looped it over her head, and it settled on her chest. He smoothed the chain down, liberally grazing her breasts.
"Thank you... I feel bad I didn't get you anything."
"Well, you know..." His eyes darted from her to the library, a lascivious look on his face. "Since the hot librarian came to town a couple of years back, I've had this ongoing fantasy about having sex in a library..."
"Hot librarian you say? Why I wonder who that can be." She fluttered her eyelashes. "Wait, it's the full moon, do we have time?"
He leaned down and nibbled on her ear. Arousal shot through their bond. "I'll be quick."
She snorted. "Where's the incentive in that, then?"
"How about I take care of your needs now..." He traced her ear with his tongue for emphasis; she quivered. "And then, after the gathering, we take care of each other's needs..."
Her look of pretend naiveté soon turned predatory. "Let's do it!" She grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the library.
He laughed. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby."
"Happy Valentine's Day, sunshine."
Mine.
Hans & Melanie – Jealousy
14th February
“I’m thinking of hiring a new waiter and maybe another chef for the restaurant, what do you think?”
Hans grunted as he stepped out the shower.
Melanie pouted her lips in the mirror and added a little more blush. “I think it would give us a little more free time together.”
Her body shuddered pleasurably as her mate's arms snaked round her body. He nuzzled her shoulder, rubbing his stubble over her bonding mark. She wriggled against him, rubbing her buttocks against his swelling erection.
“Hmmm, I’m all for more alone time with you, sugar. Besides, I kind of liked the last waitress we hired.”
“As long as you don’t like the new one as much...”
“Not possible,” he growled softly.
Hans and Melanie, after a rocky start, were inseparable. A few months ago, Melanie had started working at the family pizzeria where Hans was a chef. They’d felt an immediate attraction, but due to Hans’ stubbornness and other, darker obstacles, things had not got off to a good start. Now, however, they were more in love than ever.
Hans was, in general, pretty disagreeable, and Melanie could be darn feisty when she wanted. He suspected she started fights just to rile him up. Unlike the rest of the town, she loved it when he was stormy. The rest of the town considered him to be explosive, she thought he was passionate.
Hans was a wolf shifter, and Melanie was a witch. They now ran the pizzeria together but were finding it difficult to spend much time alone. As much as they enjoyed sneaking off to the tiny office in the pizzeria, and the tiny shower room, and the storage room... They wanted a little more time to relax.
Hans began kissing her neck, and his hands roamed over her breasts. As much as she was enjoying it...
“We don’t have time for that.”
Hans didn’t let go, and one hand started traveling into her panties. She groaned and slapped at him. He gave her a half-wounded and half-annoyed look in the mirror.
Melanie shook her head. “We’ll be late.”
Hans started grumbling and pulling on clothes. He was dressed in seconds flat and sitting on the edge of the bed. She felt a fluttering in her sex. Of course, he was the stuff of dreams when he was naked, but there was something about him being fully clothed that appealed to her. Seeing his taut muscles encased in a tight, form-fitting t-shirt and jeans that just molded themselves to his muscular legs really set her motor going. Perhaps it was the anticipation of unwrapping what was underneath; she always felt a bubble of excitement like a kid on Christmas morning.
Seeing his grumpy frown, she sauntered over and sat on his lap. He was surprised, but his expression soon turned lustful.
“We just have to get through drinks, and then we can come home, and you'll be free to ravish me all night long.”
Hans fidgeted as his wolf howled. He didn’t want to wait; he wanted his mate clinging to him and crying out in ecstasy as he took her over and over right now. He didn’t want to spend the evening in a sweaty, noisy club, pretending to care about an old friend of Melanie’s while single men leered at his beautiful mate. The thought alone of any male’s eyes on her made his wolf restless and made him want to tear someone apart.
“I guess,” he said, sullenly.
“That’s my boy.”
She pushed off him and started leafing through the closet. They were traveling into Alexandria to have a few drinks at a nightclub with Melanie’s childhood friend, Stephanie, who she hadn’t seen in years. In truth, Melanie was a little nervous about seeing her again, and was worried that the two of them wouldn’t be able to pick up where they left off.
Back when they were younger, both had dreams of marrying and settling down in the suburbs with two kids and a dog. From talking on the phone, Melanie gathered that was exactly where Stephanie’s life was heading. But, for Melanie, her own happily ever after was somewhat different. She was living in a wolf pack town and was mated to a fiery, tattooed, scarred wolf shifter. And she wouldn’t change a thing.
She just hoped Stephanie could understand. Melanie wasn’t ashamed of her life - far from it. She just didn’t like the idea of anyone else judging it, or judging her mate. She loved him, and she hated anyone else putting him down.
She started pulling out potential outfits. All of them were voted down by Hans. They were too short, too tight or too low-cut. Eventually, she started ignoring him and settled on the first dress she’d found. It was a mini dress, but it had quite a high neckline and long sleeves. Teamed with a pair of modest, knee-high boots, she thought she looked pretty darn good. Hans thought so too, but he would have preferred to stay at home where only he could enjoy how good she looked. Unbeknown to Hans, she pulled on some stockings. There was just something about stockings that men loved – go figure. She thought they would be a nice Valentine’s surprise for him later.
*
The two couples sat in uncomfortable silence. Or at least three members of the couples were uncomfortable. Hans was used to people being quiet and uneasy in his company; it was just business as usual for him.
They were sat in a club in Alexandria. It wasn’t too busy, thank heavens, as Hans didn’t do well in enclosed spaces with lots of people. The walls were decorated with cherubs and hearts for Valentine’s Day. Stephanie had suggested the club after Melanie shot down the idea of dinner. She really didn’t think Hans would make it through a dinner, but a few drinks would be about right.
“That bracelet is beautiful,” Melanie complimented Stephanie.
Stephanie flushed happily and fingered the diamond and sapphire encrusted jewelry. “Thanks, it was a Valentine’s present from Brad.”
Stephanie looked at her uncomfortable-looking fiancée adoringly. He tried to smile, but he was too busy eyeing Hans’ tattoos that stretched over his arm and the long scar that adorned his face. Melanie guessed that Brad wasn’t exactly used to hanging around shifters, or at least, certainly not predatory shifters like Hans.
“What did you get for Valentine’s Day?” asked Stephanie.
“Oh, nothing. We agreed not to exchange gifts,” said Melanie happily. And she was happy about that. She certainly didn’t need any jewelry, and Hans never wanted anything anyway, so they decided to save their money.
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