by Terry Spear
“It’s your wedding, Jade. Anyone you want to invite is fine with me.”
“Will you pay for her bridesmaid gown if she wants to come?”
“If you want her to be in the wedding party, I’ll pay for the dress. Just let her know what color you’d like her to wear.”
“Thanks, Rafe.”
He pulled Jade’s shirt over her head. “We’ll need to be married quickly. That will end all the speculation about us.”
“And whether you’re still one of those super-hot, very eligible bachelors.”
He smiled and began to remove her sandals. “I never was very eligible. There was a little issue of needing a wolf mate. Once I found her, that was all that mattered.”
She ran her hand over his jean-covered thigh. “You’re sure about this?”
“I am, Jade. More than anything I’ve ever invested in during my life.”
She rose from the bed and began kissing him and tearing off his clothes, yanking off his shirt and then tugging at his belt. One problem with having a three-year-old? Adult time was at a premium.
Rafe didn’t seem to mind that she was in a rush to strip off his clothes, and he was eager to help her out of hers too.
Their mouths fused as they fumbled with buttons and zippers. And then his hard, naked body was pressed against her in a loving embrace, and she was rubbing against him to show ownership. No regrets for her, no going back for either of them. Not once they were mated.
She loved him as he plundered her mouth, holding her head still as he stroked her tongue with his. He was such a wolf, hot, eager, hard, and hungry. This kiss was reminiscent of all the others—the rampant need, the longing—yet this time, all that passion would be channeled into a commitment for life between two wolves of the lupus garou persuasion.
His hand molded around her breast, massaging, his thumb stroking the nipple, before he moved his hand around to her back and pulled her tighter against his hard body, crushing her against his chest, her nipples brushing his light hair, his arousal spearing her belly.
She adored him and couldn’t get enough of him. Already her sex was throbbing for his touch, her breasts swollen and achy.
“So hot,” he mouthed against her lips, and then his hands were in her hair, combing through the strands in a tender way. He leaned his forehead against hers for a moment as if trying to slow the pace, to enjoy this first mating and not rush through it like a wild wolf. He lifted her face to his as she stroked his naked back and hard muscles, his skin satiny soft.
He lay siege to her mouth again, diving in, caressing and pulling out, then plunging in again, his tongue a master of eroticism.
She was so wet and ready for him, and she wanted him to know it. She lifted her leg, pressing her inner thigh against his, rubbing, telling him she wanted more.
When she moved her hand between them to stroke his velvety hard erection, he quickly got the message. He swept her up and set her on the bed. Then he joined her, only this time, his mouth did wicked things to her breasts—his tongue teasing each nipple in turn, then his talented mouth suckling on one breast and finally the other.
He rubbed his erection against her clit, so masculine, so virile. Their hearts were beating in a rush, out of sync, their breathing ragged.
His gaze was intense when he began to stroke her. She felt the need to meld with the wolf, to feel him join her, consummating the mating. All thoughts faded away as his fingers rubbed her bud, pushing her to that ultimate plane of exquisite existence where heaven and earth collided. Before she could cry out in exaltation, he covered her mouth with his and kissed her deep and long. Then he pushed his erection between her legs slowly, allowing her time to expand, then deeply, and deeper still.
He was thrusting inside her, kissing her, nuzzling her face as she skimmed her hands over every perfect part of him.
He suddenly held himself still, then moved in and out at a slower pace, then thrust hard again, as if he couldn’t wait. She lifted her hips for maximum penetration before he groaned out his release.
“I love you,” she murmured into his hair as he buried his head against her neck.
“You are perfect for me,” he said. “I will love you always.”
She meant to relieve Aidan of taking care of Toby after a minute, although hating to leave Rafe for even a second after mating him. An hour later, she woke and realized she’d fallen asleep in Rafe’s warm embrace—her lover, her mate, and Toby’s new father.
Chapter 14
“I’ve got to go back to Toby,” Jade said, wishing she could stay with Rafe the rest of the night, but she didn’t want Toby to wake and be scared.
“Hmmm, we need to turn one of the bedrooms into a boy’s room. His room. Whatever he wants on the walls, the bedding, the works. Once he makes it his own, that will help him feel more at home.”
“Thanks, Rafe. That would be great. He’ll love helping to decorate it. We’ve never done that before. I decorated his old room before he was born, and then when we moved in with Kenneth, we shared a room. So he’ll love that.”
“Good show. Every little boy and girl should have his or her own room. About getting married…”
“Yes, yes, that works for me.”
“We should have the wedding before we turn him. The day after the ball? He wouldn’t be able to shift during the new moon phase anyway, but I want to get this done right away.”
“Because of your position,” she said, understanding his concern.
“Because of yours and Toby’s. Normally as wolves, we keep a low profile around humans, but in my position, it’s hard to do that.”
“I understand. I better go.”
He groaned and gave her a big hug. “We’ll shop for Toby’s room the day of the charity function. I want to do this right away.”
“He may still join us sometimes if he gets scared or needy,” Jade warned, climbing out of bed.
Rafe rose from the bed and helped her dress, kissing her all over as he helped. “And that’s fine. No problem. I remember a time or two when Aidan and I ended up in bed with my parents.”
She kissed him and laughed. “I can’t imagine you ever being afraid of anything.”
“Of losing you and Toby, yes.” He groaned again and said, “Okay, I never thought I’d take a mate and have to sleep alone after that.”
She smiled. “We’ll work it out somehow.”
Then she left him, passed Aidan on the couch, and said, “Night, Aidan. Thanks so much.”
“Thank you. You’ve made my brother happier than anything or anyone else could have. You and Toby have brightened all of our lives. Just let me know if you need me for anything.”
“Thanks. Rafe wants to marry me after the ball.”
“Low key, right?”
“Dress up, but low key, yes.”
Aidan got off the couch and gave her a hug. “Welcome to the family, Jade.”
“Thanks, Aidan. Thanks for everything.”
She returned to her guest room, not believing that she was a mated wolf, never having imagined she might be. Not with a son like Toby. She showered, put on pj’s, and joined him in bed. He didn’t stir, but bright and early, he was bouncing around the bed while she was sleeping. “Uncle Aidan and I had chocolate chip waffles. He said to let you sleep.”
Jade opened an eye and squinted at her son. “What?”
Toby was wearing a T. rex T-shirt but different shorts, and the shirt was on backward.
“I got up ’cuz you were sleeping and went to see if anyone else was up. Uncle Aidan told me to call him that. He said I should ask you. Is it okay?”
“Yes.” She closed her eye.
“He told me about a wolf park. Can we go there? Can we, Mommy?”
“You don’t want to go to the zoo?”
“Yeah, the zoo too. But I’ve never seen a wolf…” He paused, then continued. “I wanna see the wolves. Can we, Mommy?”
That was his wolf genes coming out. Most kids probably wouldn’t be into wol
ves at this age like he was. But Toby had always loved wolves, even though no one had ever shifted in front of him. It was some genetic need to be around wolves.
And yet he wasn’t one of them. Because he couldn’t shift.
“We’ll have to go to the zoo after the charity ball then.”
Toby rolled around on the king-size bed. “Rafe said you and he had ’portant news for me. He wouldn’t tell me the secret. He said you would.”
She groaned. “He’s up too?”
“Yeah. Everyone but you.”
“We’re going to fix up your own room like you had before, only it will be here, and we’ll decorate it just like you want it.”
“With wolf cubs?”
“Yes.” She reached over and pulled Toby into a hug. “You have your shirt on backward.”
“No. It’s the right way. The T. rex is watching my back.”
She laughed. “But who’s going to watch your front?”
“I am.”
“Did…did Rafe tell you he’s your daddy?”
“He is? Really?” Toby stared at her for a moment, then jumped off the bed. “He doesn’t know. I’m gonna tell him.” Then he raced out the door.
She laughed. She hoped Rafe was still okay with Toby being his son, because he didn’t have a choice any longer.
A few minutes later, Toby jumped on the bed again and she groaned. “Toby.”
“He said he was. And I can call him Daddy. But he said to ask you if that’s okay. Is it, Mommy?”
“Yes. Go talk to your daddy, and I’ll get dressed and join you. Then we can go to the wolf park. Did you tell them you wanted to go there first?”
“Yes. They said awesome!”
She laughed. “Okay, go join them.”
He bounced off the bed and she heard him say, “She’s getting up. Finally.”
The men laughed.
She was glad he was keeping them entertained.
* * *
When Jade emerged from the bedroom, she looked like a breath of sunshine. Rafe was afraid she’d be dragging, tired the rest of the day. Forget Toby falling asleep in the car. Jade would.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, then ate some fruit and a cheese omelet.
“Yeah,” Rafe said. “We’re getting along great. Toby picked out the bedroom he wanted off the Internet. And we’ll go shopping this afternoon after the wolf reserve. If we’d gone to the zoo, we wouldn’t have had time for shopping.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“He says he’s never seen wolves before.”
“No. But that will change soon,” she said.
“We’ll start working on the bedroom this afternoon. One nice thing about money is that we don’t have to wait for the furniture company to deliver on their schedule. They’ll deliver right away. We were looking at pictures and found the perfect one. A tree-house bed.”
“I’ve got to see this.” Jade read the description for the bed out loud. “Rustic tree house fort, windows, ladder… Uh, wait. Says not recommended for children under six.”
“I’m almost six,” Toby said.
Rafe frowned and looked at the ad. “We’ll put the bed on the floor, and when he’s older, we can move it into the fort. How about that, Toby?”
“Aww.”
“You can go up there to play,” Rafe said.
Jade smiled. “He walked at nine months like I did. He’s a little mountain goat like I was. Climbed out of his crib for the first time when he was a year old, and I got him a daybed, but he climbed out of that and couldn’t make it up the steps to get back into bed. So he slept on the carpeted floor next to his bed.”
The guys laughed.
“Sounds like you, Rafe,” Aidan said.
“Ha! You were the one that…” Rafe paused.
“What?” Toby asked, interested.
Jade quickly put her dishes in the dishwasher. “Ready to go?”
“What?” Toby asked Rafe again.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older. Don’t want to give you any ideas.”
“Aww.”
They were off to the California Wolf Center after that, and Rafe noticed right away that LK Marks was on their tail.
“Want me to lose that pesky paparazzo, Boss?” Edward asked.
“Nah. He’ll lose interest after a while.” To Jade, Rafe said, “We need to get Toby a tux for the charity ball.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe while we’re out shopping for Toby’s bedroom furniture.”
“Sounds good.”
When they arrived at the California Wolf Center, they were able to see several Mexican gray wolves. Jade pointed out one and said to Toby, “That wolf was born in the wild. She’s had all kinds of puppies. That’s the daddy. He was born in a wolf management facility in New Mexico. They help to provide more puppies and make sure the Mexican gray wolves don’t become extinct.”
“Like dinosaurs?” Toby asked.
“Yes. Exactly. And over here are several Rocky Mountain gray wolves—from blond to gray to a dark, rusty color.”
Best of all, the mated Mexican gray wolves had four pups and Toby was so excited. “They smell like you and Daddy, Mommy! And Uncle Aidan and Uncle Edward.”
Rafe frowned at him. “You can smell wolves? A wolf smell?”
Toby shrugged. “Just smell like you. Different. You know.”
“I never thought about it, but he’s never seen real wolves, so he wouldn’t know…” Jade quit speaking.
Rafe nodded. It had to be Toby’s diluted lupus garou genetics. He hadn’t ever known anyone personally who had them. Did they also have the wolf’s enhanced senses? Given that Toby could smell the wolves from beyond the fence, most likely.
Both Edward and Aidan were watching Toby curiously now.
One of the wolves lifted his head and sniffed at the breeze, smelling the wolves standing before him, even though Rafe and the others didn’t look like wolves. Still, the scent of other wolves would give these wolves pause. Enemies in their territory?
“Can we pet the wolves? I wanna go in there and pet the puppies,” Toby said.
Aidan took Toby’s hand and said, “We can’t go in the pen. Let’s go see some other wolves, okay?”
“Yeah!”
“Does he hear better than the average human?” Rafe asked Jade quietly, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
“I never gave it any thought since he’s only around me and then the pack, and we all have better hearing than humans.”
“And sense of smell.”
“Yes.”
“Seeing at night?”
“Again, I never really thought of it. I’ve always been able to. He can too. Makes sense. The genes had to come out in some way, and if he can’t shift, getting our abilities is the only other way.”
“That’s good if he has these abilities already. He’s been used to them from birth so they won’t scare him. He’ll just have to get used to shifting and work on getting it under control. Kids learn things faster, and he’s really bright.” Sure, all kinds of things could go wrong, but Rafe knew they could deal with it no matter what happened. “Is it okay that he calls Edward his uncle too?”
She laughed and hugged Rafe back. “I don’t think I’ve seen Edward more pleased than when Toby called him that. So yes. I suspect when we see Sebastian, he’ll be an uncle too.”
Rafe smiled. “I told you that this would all work out.”
The wolf center wasn’t very big, and after they’d visited the shop and bought Toby a hat and a wolf T-shirt, a sweatshirt, a plush wolf, a howling wolf puzzle, and a wolf flipbook, Toby got excited about getting his new bedroom set. They hadn’t seen the paparazzo until they left the wolf center, and Rafe figured it wouldn’t have the readership appeal that the theme park had.
They went on a whirlwind tour of furniture stores and bedding shops until they found what they wanted.
“This will do for now,” Jade said. “We can do more later. But we’ve got the t
oy chest, the bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, the wolf bed linens, and curtains, and that’s enough for now.”
They went to a formal wear shop and bought Toby a four-piece black tuxedo—single breasted with a black vest so he’d look just like Rafe and the others for the charity ball—and then they went home.
“I think we all need to take a nap,” Rafe said, wanting to spend some time alone with Jade. He’d never imagined having to wait this long to make love to his mate again when they were so newly mated.
She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
Toby frowned. “I’m not tired.”
“I’ll take him for a swim,” Aidan said. “You two can take a nap.”
“I owe you,” Rafe said.
Aidan smiled. “Yeah, you do. I’ll get payment later.”
“We need to find a nanny for Toby,” Rafe said.
“How can you trust a woman to take care of him when he’ll need a bodyguard?” Edward asked, sounding disgruntled.
“Are you asking for the job?” Rafe asked.
“Hell yeah. He’s a billionaire’s kid now. He needs someone to safeguard him twenty-four seven.”
Rafe couldn’t believe him. “Are you serious? You want the job?”
“Hell yeah. He’s my nephew too, you know.”
The men all laughed. Jade smiled and cuddled with Rafe and Toby.
“Okay, you got the job.”
“Might need a raise,” Edward said.
“You already get—”
“He’s right,” Jade said. “Toby’s going to be a real handful. Edward deserves a raise.”
Rafe ruffled Toby’s hair. “Did you enjoy the wolves?”
“They were so cool.” Toby yawned, put his head in his mother’s lap, and fell asleep cuddling Buddy and Dino.
“No nap, eh?” Rafe asked.
“No. I never use the ‘nap’ word around him. That’s a surefire way to get him wound up. I just tell him we’re going to rest for a little bit, close our eyes, and that does it,” Jade said.
“Are you taking notes, Edward?” Rafe asked, still amused his bodyguard wanted the role of nanny.
“Got it, Boss. Only you and your mate take naps.”
Jade laughed.
