by V. Vaughn
“We’re here,” he says.
When Paul gets to my door, I take his hand to get out and say, “That was fast.”
Paul smiles as if he’s satisfied. “It most certainly was.”
A wolf howls in the night as we walk to his house. The noise should send a chill of fear down my spine, but I shudder from anticipation of physical contact instead. We stop at the front door, and Paul pulls me close. I place my hand on his firm chest, and he says, “I don’t hold back, and I expect the same from you. Is this what you want?”
I nod as he places a finger under my chin to tilt my face up. He kisses me tenderly before he says, “Say it.”
“I want to be with you, Paul. I want to be yours.”
He smiles, and a key scrapes in the lock before it clicks open. “You do belong to me, Caroline. And now I’m going to show you why.”
Chapter 10
When we get inside Paul’s house, there’s only one light on. We remove our coats to hang them by the door before he leads me into the main area. I glimpse a kitchen as we walk by. Windows look out over the water, and lights of houses across the lake reflect on it. I’m led to a wooden staircase, and my heels click as we climb. The fact that I haven’t been with a man in so long I can’t remember my past encounters should make me nervous, but everything about being with Paul feels right.
Paul’s home is large, and we move down a hallway with multiple doors before we get to the master bedroom. He releases my hand to flip on a small lamp. The room is bathed in pale-yellow light as he steps before me. I gaze at him as he begins to unbutton his shirt. As his chest is revealed, I don’t want to wait to touch him, and I say, “Let me.”
I step forward, and buttons are smooth in my fingers as I unfasten them. I move my hands under the starched cotton to slide it over Paul’s shoulders. The muscles in his chest are hard as I drag my hands down his torso. Coarse hair is rough under my palms as I move toward his waistband. His belt clinks as I undo it, and I get down on my knees to work at his pants. When I drag them down, I grip his briefs too.
Paul’s scent is released, and I inhale it as his massive cock springs free. I’m drawn to his musk, and I grasp his taut butt to take him in my mouth. Paul threads his fingers through my hair and warns, “I’m going to give you all of me, love.”
I gaze up at his face and say, “I want you to.” I’m willing to drink in this man before me, and I revel in his moans of pleasure. I cup his balls and work them as he begins to pump with force. His cock bumps the back of my throat as he loses control and gives in to his ecstasy.
When Paul comes, he lets out a growl that’s almost a roar, and his body shakes. He stumbles back to fall on his bed, and the springs squeak when he lands. I’ve made the powerful alpha of the Silver Lake Wolves weak.
He lets out a sigh as I crawl up to lie beside him. Paul yanks me over him and kisses me. As we heat up again, he flips me over and leans up to say, “You’re still clothed. This won’t do.”
His strong fingers deftly undo the buttons of my shirt as he works at undressing me. I feel like a precious gift by the way he gazes at my body as it’s revealed. When I’m completely naked, he says, “You are exquisite.” While I accepted my body for what it is long ago, I’ve never felt as beautiful as I do right now.
Paul’s hands are magic as he moves them up my legs and spreads my thighs. A low noise comes from deep within him, and he takes a deep breath. “Your scent intoxicates me, my sweet vixen.” He lowers himself to taste me.
I was wrong about his hands; it’s his mouth that’s truly magic. I squirm under his attention, and it isn’t long before I’m close to my orgasm. He wants my all? On it. I arch up and cry out without any restraint. Once I crash, I’m sure that no matter what happens now, this has been the best night of my life. But before I can commend Paul on his skills, he lifts up to gaze down at me and places his hand on my sensitive slit again. The pad of his thumb is hard on my clit as he rubs. He thrusts two fingers into me and asks, “Tell me, Caroline, have you had enough?”
I quake under his touch. I want more. “No.” He removes his hand, and I pant out, “Please, Paul.”
He grins and returns to his mission. I’d make a wise remark about how he knows how to make me beg, but I’m too busy rocketing to the moon again. This time, my landing back on earth is slow as my muscles relax into a near-liquid state.
Paul’s touch is tender as he brushes my hair out of my face with his fingers. “Do you think we’re compatible?”
I chuckle and say, “You’ll do.”
A low growl comes from him, and he says, “I think you’re forgetting what I am.”
I sit up quickly and shove his shoulders down against the mattress as I climb on top of him. I waggle my eyebrows as I say, “Like to be on top?”
Paul licks his lips as he glances down at my sex, which is slippery over his cock. He’s hard under me and twitches from my contact. “Behind actually, but this works for now.”
“Condom?”
He sighs. “Of course. Nightstand drawer.”
I crawl up to pull it open, and the contents rattle. I pull out a new box, and as I rip into it, I say, “I’m going to pretend these were purchased with me in mind.”
“They were.” Foil tears, and I go about the oily business of rolling it on him. He says, “When the box is gone, you’ll need to make a decision, Caroline.”
I gaze at him as I place his dick at my entrance. I slide him into me slowly and can’t help but tease him. “Let’s see how this goes first.”
Paul grabs my hips and flips me over onto my back to thrust deep inside me. He growls again as he holds still and grabs my wrists to hold my hands over my head like he did in the restaurant. The power play of his move is hot, and I arch up as I whisper, “Fuck me, Paul.”
And boy, does he. We explore multiple positions before we’re done. I have a new appreciation for doggy style now, and I think the windows rattled with our cries. The musky aroma of us fills the air, and sweat is slick between Paul and me as we lie entangled on his bed. My head is on his chest, and his voice rumbles in my ear. “I’d really like to throw away the rest of the condoms, love.”
He’s asking me to commit. Suddenly, I can’t catch my breath, and I sit up. Paul grasps my hand as I climb out of bed. “I have to go to the bathroom,” I say. I tug my arm, and he reluctantly lets go. The gesture is sweet, and I should be thrilled that the man who’s been a constant star in my fantasies for almost a year wants me forever. But panic is clouding my judgment right now.
After I use the toilet, I move to the sink. Water rushes as I run it and is icy on my palms as I cup them to splash water on my face. Granite is rock hard on my hands as I brace myself and lean close to the mirror. “Caroline Quinn, get a grip. This is what you’ve wanted.”
I envision my recluse life in my trailer. Days of solitude as I write the stories in my head. It’s wonderful but lonely. All these years, I’ve imagined sharing my life with a man who loves me. I write a different version of Paul over and over again. Sure, I raised Trixie to be capable of life without a man, but deep inside, I knew one day she’d leave and I’d long for a companion.
I recall grocery shopping in my stained sweats and how my whole body responded to Paul’s voice when I heard it again after months of being apart. I stand and hug myself as I think about Trixie’s boys and the desire that pulls at my heart for more children of my own. A life with Paul is what I want. So what’s holding me back?
My mother couldn’t commit either. Each new guy was the one for her. She hated to be alone. I think it made her decisions rash, because months later she’d tire of the current guy and move on. What if that’s all Paul is for me? What if in a couple months I realize I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life?
My lungs expand with my deep breath. As I turn to go back to Paul, I realize I’m not ready. I hope he’ll understand.
Chapter 11
I hold the tiny black kitten up to my face as his body vibrates wit
h a purr. His fur is soft on my cheek as he nuzzles me. Emma, the young girl at the pet adoption center, says, “He’s claiming you.”
I glance at her in surprise at the choice of words, but she doesn’t give any indication that her statement had a double meaning. “He is a cutie,” I say.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I set the kitten down to answer the call. “Hi, darling daughter.”
“Mom! I can’t believe you had a date with Paul last night and you haven’t called to tell me all about it. Spill.”
I sit on the floor to let kittens crawl on me. “Sorry, honey. I thought you had a life of your own.”
Trixie lets out a sigh as a meow sounds. She asks, “Was that a cat?”
“Yes. I’m at the humane society.”
“Oh man, this is bad. What happened?”
“Nothing bad happened. I had a wonderful time with Paul.” I lift a gray kitten onto my chest. Tiny claws poke at me.
“So why are you shopping for cats?”
“I’m not sure Paul is right for me, honey.”
“Do not get a kitten, Mom. I’ll meet you at your house in five minutes.”
“Don’t get all bossy pants on me. I’m fine.”
“I’m totally getting pushy with you. Now be at your house when I get there, or you’ll suffer the consequences.”
I chuckle at my daughter. “Yes, Mother. You know, I understand now why you got boys.”
“Very funny. See you soon.”
Trixie manages to get to my house before I do, and I enter to her lifting Dylan out of his car seat. She walks over to me and says, “Hold him.”
I take the squirming child. “Hello, precious.” I pull him to my chest. “How’s my little man today?” I kiss the top of his head and lift my gaze to Sophie and Trixie watching me. “What?”
Trixie says, “You want more children.”
I knit my brows. There’s no denying my desire for a baby. “Well, sure, I’d like another child, but that’s not a good enough reason to become a werewolf and sign my life away to Paul.”
Sophie. I glance over at my sister when I realize she doesn’t know about werewolves yet.
Sophie waves her hand at me. “Trixie already filled me in.” She asks, “So you’re going to run from forever love, with the alpha, and become the crazy cat lady instead?”
I gaze at my sister and daughter over the baby as I smile. “One. I’m already crazy. Two. You should have seem them, Soph. They’re so cu--”
“No,” says Trixie. “Cats are not what you need.”
She holds her hands out for Dylan, and I give him to her. “Honey,” I say. “Paul is wonderful, but if I commit to him, there’s no turning back. You don’t get to divorce the alpha of a pack.”
“You won’t want to,” says Trixie.
I shake my head at her. “I’m really glad I raised you in a way that you believe that.” I gaze at Sophie as I hang my coat on a hook. “Your aunt and I know differently.”
Sophie says, “Caro, you are so not Mom.”
“Really?” I think of how Sophie and I went from crying over the men in our lives when they were gone to never getting close to a new one because we knew it was a temporary situation. I walk over to sit on the couch. “How do you know?”
My sister glances at Trixie who’s removing Dylan’s coat. “Because you never once wavered when it came to your daughter.” Sophie joins me on the sofa, and it sinks when she sits next to me. “You know how to do this, and I can’t watch you let Paul slip away.”
Trixie hands Sophie Drake as she says, “Me either.” Her eyes widen, and she says, “Wait. Did the sex suck?”
Sophie chuckles as I answer. “No.” Heat rises to my cheeks when I think about the things Paul Ryan and I did last night. “It was freaking amazing.”
Trixie says, “And it only gets better when you change. I swear to you, Mom, the love you’ll feel as a werewolf isn’t going to die. There’s no way Paul would choose you if he thought there was a chance of it happening.”
I recall Paul telling me that he thinks I’m as close to a true mate for him as one can get and that our love is forever. I do want that. I glance around my trailer and recall how happy Trixie and I were here. I turn my gaze to her as she snuggles with Dylan. She’s content with a family of her own now. She doesn’t need me to show her how to be strong and independent. I’ve spent so many years proving I can live without a man, I’ve forgotten that it’s okay to want it. I gaze at Trixie and ask, “Does it hurt to change?”
“Nope. Make sure Paul bites you during sex.” A sly grin covers her face. “I’m told it’s amazing.” Trixie was bitten long before she got physical with her true mate, Parker, so she must know this from other women that were changed.
I think about how I left Paul last night after I told him I needed time to process. He kissed me tenderly at my door and told me to take all the time I need. Paul Ryan may be an alpha, but he doesn’t use his power to get what he wants. I smile, thinking about how he made me beg. On second thought, maybe he does.
Sophie asks, “Caro, do you love him?”
“Yes. I do.”
Trixie says, “One. You and Paul will be in love forever. Two. You can have babies. Three. You’ll love being a werewolf.” She plops down on the chair across from Sophie and me. “I don’t see the big deal.”
My sister says, “Four. Freaking amazing sex, Caro. There is no problem.”
They’re right. My fear is an issue I think Paul will be willing to help with. “There is one problem,” I say. I stand up and grab my coat. “But it’s easily fixed.” A silly grin covers my face as I think about what I’m about to do. “I’m going to see Paul.”
As I walk out the door, Sophie yells, “Ask him if he has a friend for me!”
I will, Soph. Because I want everyone around me to be this happy. When I get on the main road, my engine roars as I step on the gas hard to speed up quickly. Suddenly, I can’t wait to be with the love of my life.
Chapter 12
My knuckles rap lightly on the wooden door of Paul’s house. It’s impressive in daylight, and I wonder if it was built with a large family in mind. A family Paul wasn’t fated to have with Sheila, his late wife. But one he’s destined to have with me. The door clicks open, and I smile at the man before me.
Paul’s in jeans, without shoes, and his chest is bare. I gaze at firm muscles I plan to explore with my tongue, my fingers, and anything else I can think of. I raise my eyes to his face and discover his eyes dance with amusement as he says, “Come in.”
I drag my fingers across his taut belly as I walk by. The heat from him practically sears my fingers, as if he’s marking me. Or did I mark him? I turn to face Paul as I remove my coat. “I’m told you should bite me during sex. Is the rumor true?”
Paul threads his fingers through my hair to hold my head in his hands. He locks his gaze with mine. “Yes.”
I place my hand on his chest. “And we’ll be in love forever, no matter what?”
“Yes.”
“How many children?” I lower my palm to above the waistband of his pants, and the trail of hair that leads lower is coarse on my skin.
“As many as you want.”
I slide my hand into his jeans to discover he’s commando, and I grip his cock as it thickens from my touch. “I like the way you dominate me in bed, but sometimes I need to be on top.” I stroke him with a tight grip.
Paul’s belly trembles. “Request granted.”
“And I’ve been single a long time. I’m not good with orders; I respond better to a partnership arrangement.”
He tilts his head at me as if I’m foolish for my concern. His voice is breathy as he says, “Understood.”
I swirl my finger over the top of his dick, and moisture is slick on my skin. "What if I stop loving you?”
Paul growls. “Never going to happen with our bond.”
I yank my hand out of his pants and step back. “Goodness. I forgot to ask.” I wander into his
living room. I turn to walk backward and discover his bemused smile as I speak. “Got any plans for today?”
* * *
I’m beginning to think I’m going to spend a lot of time naked for the next phase of my life. Paul laps at the top of my breast where he bit me. I can barely move from the orgasm his teeth sinking into my flesh induced. I sigh, and he asks, “Does it hurt?”
“No. But when I can move again, I’ll let you know for sure.” Paul lies beside me, and sheets rustle as I roll to face him. My heart is so full with love, I think I might be glowing. “You make me deliriously happy.”
“I feel the same way.” He traces my arm with his finger. “Do you have any questions for me?”
I inhale deeply, and our combined musk makes me want to breathe us forever. “I know that my senses are now heightened.” An aftershock makes me shudder. “And I must say, I kind of love that.”
Paul chuckles. “Good, because you can attack me in the doorway anytime you wish.”
“Hmm, that wasn’t an attack. But now that I know you like it, look out. I hear I have big, sharp teeth.”
“And claws.” Paul kisses my lips. “Big.” He moves his mouth down to nibble at my neck. “Long.” Now he’s back to my fresh scar, and he swirls his tongue over it. Electricity shoots to my core, and I gasp as he says, “And so dangerous.”
I let out a growl that is real, and I roll onto him. “I believe someone said he didn’t mind me on top.”
Paul growls back. “He doesn’t.”
My new werewolf self has more energy than my human self did, and I test the limits as I make love to my mate. When his hot seed coats my insides, my burning desire is satiated, and I let myself hope for a baby. I lay my spent body on him and say, “I’m holding nothing back with us, Paul. Nothing.”
“Me either.” He slides me over onto the mattress and wraps his body around mine. The extreme heat I used to feel is gone now that my body is the same temperature as his, but I don’t miss it. Our love has replaced the warmth, and it pulses through my veins. Paul whispers in my hair, “I love you, Caroline.”
