by Vivian Arend
That brought a smile to her face. “You sure you’re going to be the one to screw up? Seems so far I’m the one dropping bombs left, right and center in this relationship.”
“So you admit this is a relationship?”
She poked him in the chest and leaned in closer. “I’m sitting in your lap telling you my deepest, darkest secrets. You’d better believe this is more than casual, buddy. I like dating.”
“Is it dating when it’s with your mate?” He wasn’t going to let her forget where this was headed.
“Hmmm, whatever we want to call it is fine.”
Her hands floated down his chest, fingertips tickling his sensitive skin, making him ache. The distance between them disappeared and their mouths connected again. Slow, thorough kisses that made his limbs loosen and other parts tighten.
He returned the favour, stroking her back. Her waist. Sneaking a hand up over her belly until he cupped one breast in his palm. Her nipple tightened, poking against the fabric of the T-shirt she wore.
The entire time she kissed him, exploring with her tongue, letting him nip at her lips. He broke away to press a line of kisses along her jaw until he could catch hold of her earlobe and suck it into his mouth.
Her full-body shiver was more than enough reward.
“Tessa. Let me…” If he was going to beg, what should he beg for? Small steps forward meant he wouldn’t get what he wanted, which was to drive her crazy until she’d had a half dozen orgasms before burying himself in her and marking her thoroughly.
She grabbed the bottom of the shirt she wore and stripped it away. Her naked breasts popped into view, and all thoughts of begging fled, swallowed by raging need.
Tessa bit back her laughter. She was turned on and eager to play, but the expression on Mark’s face right now? Sheer puppy-dog eyes. Although she’d be nice and refrain from making that comment out loud.
Wolves could be sensitive about such things.
She’d planned on acting a little coy, flirting and showing off. She’d forgotten one vital bit of information. She had been teasing him all day.
He caught hold of her hips and suddenly she was airborne, lifted over his lap and held so she looked down at him as he stared eye level with her breasts. Anticipation built as he remained stationary.
“You seem unsure what to do next.” Tessa smoothed her palms over his head.
His gaze lifted the short distance needed to make direct contact with hers. “I know what to do, but I’m savouring.”
“Like a steak?”
“No objections on my part to eating you all up.”
“You big, bad wolf—oooh!”
He’d obviously stopped savouring because warm lips wrapped around her nipple. Mark sucked, and tingling lines of pleasure radiated out to steal around her torso. A moment’s reprieve came as he switched sides, licking firmly, his tongue rasping over the delicate tip. His grip on her hips remained tight enough to direct her where he wanted, yet the tender caress of his thumbs added to the erotic torment.
One side, then the other. Tessa closed her eyes and did her own savouring. The tenderness in his touch remained, but the urgency was there as well. Increased breathing, heart rates rising. Without taking his lips from her skin, he adjusted their position and made contact with the edge of her panties.
She shivered at the sensation. He played along the seam, back and forth, brushing his knuckles over the center of her sex the same moment he closed his teeth on her nipple.
Direct line hit, pleasure fast overtaking her. He’d barely begun touching the really good bits, and she was poised to go off. A little firmer now, his fingers slipped under the material and separated her folds.
Mark hummed in approval. “So wet. Let me make you feel good.”
She would have agreed, yet she couldn’t say anything. Just a long, low catlike purr she’d have been self-conscious of except he’d found her clit.
Embarrassed? Only by how quickly she was going to climax.
He petted her with his fingertips, keeping his attention focused on the sensitive spot. Intense pleasure rose faster, egged on when he returned to kissing her breasts. Tessa held her breath as the moment hit, the pulse of her core shooting all kinds of incredible chemicals throughout her body. She clutched his head to her chest and rocked with delight.
He supported her until she stopped shaking, his right hand caressing everywhere he could. Her hips, her back, up her rib cage with a delicate whisper. Tessa drew in a deep breath and smiled contentedly at him.
Then she raised a brow and licked her lips. “My turn…”
There could be no mistaking the eager hope in his eyes. Tessa slipped backward off his lap, running her hands up his thighs. This time it was her turn to explore him. To see what he enjoyed and ease a little of the tension in his strong body. She tugged at his T-shirt, and it vanished between one second and the next.
Eager indeed.
The large bulge behind his sweats was unmistakable. She took a lesson from what he’d done, though, and when she leaned forward it was to press her lips to his solid abdomen.
Mark groaned.
She licked along the ridges of his muscles, taking her time and working her way downward inch by inch.
He growled. A long, low sound similar enough to what she’d done earlier, she knew exactly what it meant.
She lifted her head, timing it just right so she could enjoy his reaction to her fingers closing over his hard length. Satisfaction at seeing his eyes roll back struck at the same moment a peculiar sound echoed through the house. Kind of like a door slamming.
Mark’s eyes snapped open.
Singing rose from somewhere faraway. On the main floor? Getting closer. A sea shanty, one with a lot of slurred words and yet high enthusiasm.
Fingers closed around her wrists as Mark pulled her hands from his groin, his breathing uneven but getting steadier. “We have to stop.”
“But—”
She accepted the T-shirt he returned, slipping it over her head as she watched in confusion. He took a deep breath and rose to his feet, wincing for a few steps as if he were in pain.
The singing grew louder and Tessa clued in. “Oh.”
Mark adjusted himself and winked at her. “Oh is right.”
He pulled his shirt on before making his way to the top of the stairwell. They waited without a word, instead exchanging snorts of laughter until his grandfather appeared.
The man gave an extra lusty finish to his chorus before slapping Mark on the back and turning to face her.
“Well, lovely to see you again, dear. Ready for the trip? Got everything you need?”
She didn’t get a chance to answer before Mark spoke. “Of course she’s ready. Will you be taking us out soon, sir?”
He guided the older wolf into the living room and settled him in a well-worn leather rocker.
“We leave with the tide. Heard the weather’s going to change—we’ll want to get past the narrows on full swells.”
Mark nodded curtly. “Yes, sir.”
Gramps fell silent, staring into the fire. Mark sat back on the couch and reached out a hand to Tessa. She curled up at his side. The sexual tension between them lingered, and she’d already had an orgasm. She couldn’t imagine what Mark felt like.
His lips pressed to her temple. “Stop worrying. Everything is okay.”
He spoke softly, so she matched his volume. “Were you expecting him tonight?”
Mark laughed, stroking his fingers through her hair. “I think you know the answer to that by what he interrupted.”
Gramps fumbled with his pipe, humming his tune now as he worked to get the tobacco lit. Then he sat back and smiled, rocking as he gazed into the flames, an aromatic cloud surrounding him.
His appearance wasn’t scary or anything, just unexpected. Tessa’s curiosity shot to high.
Mark touched her cheek, bringing her attention to him. “He gets…confused. This was his ship, and there are times he kind of goes back
in time. I don’t know when he’s going to show up, which is part of the reason I’ve never sold the place.”
“But you can’t sell it.”
Mark took a deep breath and nodded, his turn to stare at the fire. “I could sell the place as land alone, but what would happen then? Gramps is happy at the seniors’ lodge except for those occasional moments he loses track of what year it is. He comes, spends a few nights, then he seems to wake up and heads home. I can’t imagine what would happen if he showed up during a session to discover the paddle wheeler was gone. He’d be devastated. Think they’d left without him or something.”
Gramps continued to rock while Mark’s confession rocked her. “You’ve been staying for his sake.”
“He’s my family.” Mark smiled indulgently at his grandfather. “He’s the reason I missed being on the cruise ship with you in the spring—I had a position with the maintenance crew, you know. The person who’d promised to house sit for me while I was away never showed up that morning. You sailed before I could make other arrangements.”
Another mystery solved. “Keri and Jared didn’t mind how that turned out.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a while—well, relaxed as Mark could be. Tessa leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, “We could go to bed…”
His nostrils flared for a moment. “Tempting, but I’d better make sure he settles for the night.”
He stood and brought her to her feet as well, kissing her before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Go to bed. I’ll see you later.”
Tessa crawled under the covers feeling even more confused than when Mark had first announced they were mates. She attempted to stay awake until he came in so they could finish what they’d started, or at least have time to talk.
Only the soft pillow lulled her, and the next thing she knew the sunshine was announcing the start of another day.
Chapter Seven
Monday
Gramps made them breakfast before breaking out a mop and “swabbing the decks”.
Mark excused himself shortly after that. “I’m going to run into town and stop by the permit office to see what kind of timeline we’re looking at. You can come with me if you’re interested.”
For some reason the idea of heading out didn’t excite her the way it usually did. “You go on. I’m itching to explore the place a little more. Work on a few brochure ideas.”
He stared at her for a moment before cupping the back of her neck and pulling her against him for a brief, intense kiss. They separated, her lips tingling, his pupils gone dark. He stroked her cheek. “If you think of anything you need, make a list.”
The door closed behind him, and something very uncomfortable trailed up her spine leaving her listless. Edgy.
She wandered the bottom two floors for a while, picturing the changes she’d drawn all being completed. The place was going to be gorgeous when it was finished. She nabbed a stack of sticky notes and popped information on the walls that she wanted to remember to discuss with Mark when he got back.
The beam of sunshine falling through the window had to be the reason she blinked in surprise half an hour later as she woke up from a catnap. She didn’t remember going back to his bedroom, though, or putting on the shirt that smelt like him.
It took her full concentration to manage a bit of computer work before Mark returned with supplies for the kitchen and a pile of mail-order shopping catalogues.
She flicked through the pile quickly. Decorative lighting, specialty fixtures. “Oh, nice.”
Mark smiled as he sat down to the submarine sandwiches she’d put together while the groceries had been unpacked. “I figured you’d like something to hold on to, rather than just shopping online.”
“That’s so sweet of you. Thanks.”
“No problem. Also, good news on the renovation front. One of the pack works in the permits department, and I got to speak to him.” Mark nodded thanks at Gramps as the older man refilled their glasses. “He’ll make sure the forms are pushed through fast for us. Which doesn’t mean we can get away with any funny business in the important things, but it does mean we can go ahead and start immediately.”
Tessa sat in shocked silence.
Mark grinned wider. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?”
She slipped out her tongue at him for a second before shaking her head. “You’re kidding. We can start on the renovations now?”
“I’ve got the first load of wood being delivered this afternoon, and a dumpster box. We can clean out the unusable material and dive right in. I asked a few of the pack to help with the hard labour.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond. “That’s incredible. When I arranged my flights, I thought we’d spend weeks in negotiations before anything would get underway.”
“No reason to wait. I told you that. This is your home, so why not begin making your dreams come true?” He caught her fingers in his and squeezed them lightly. “Happy?”
“More than I can tell you.”
Gramps leaned back in his chair. “Going to spiff up the place, are you? Sounds like a plan. Bit of spit and polish always a good thing. Shall I move my gear to the crew’s quarters?”
“You’re fine where you are, Gramps.” Mark winked at Tessa so his grandfather didn’t see it.
She melted a little inside at the care in Mark’s voice. A yawn overtook her, and she blinked in surprise. Again? “Well, I don’t know where that came from.”
Mark shrugged. “If you’d like to take a nap for a bit, we’ll have time to talk about things later.”
She should’ve argued with him. If the work was going to start on the B&B, she wanted to be there. But her eyes wouldn’t stay open, and if it hadn’t been for Mark’s strong clasp around her, she would have curled up right there at the table. He tucked her into bed and sat for a moment, skimming his hands over her shoulders and head.
“I like you, Mr. Weaver.” She managed to whisper the words before sleep overtook her for the second time that day.
“You’re going to love me,” he said firmly.
Or maybe she just imagined it.
Tuesday
Shocked by the sight of ten a.m. flashing on the clock beside the bed, Tessa dragged herself to vertical. She lingered in the shower for thirty minutes in an attempt to wake up.
When she did find her way downstairs, it was to discover building materials stacked in neat rows on the main floor, the old timbers already removed and piled high in the dumpster outside.
A note fluttered on the back of the door, and she strolled over to read it.
Taking Gramps home. Call if you need me.
Her nose twitched, and her cat complained that he was gone. She had her phone in her hand and the call going through before she’d thought it through.
“Morning, sleeping beauty.”
“I’m so embarrassed. I feel as if I’ve gone narcoleptic or something. Did you even go to bed last night?” Tessa poked her head into what would be the far storage rooms. “How did you get everything cleared out so fast? I never heard a thing.”
“I told you, guys from the pack came over to help.”
She’d slept through it all, and that strange fact made her pause. Although on the good side? There was something positive to be said for the pack. “I hope you passed on my thanks.”
“Of course.” He shot back the words so quickly she wondered what was up, but only for a moment. Her cat was too busy examining the cleared-out spaces to be curious about a conversation.
“How’s your grandfather?” she asked.
“He’s great. Decided that the salmon run was more important than the paddle wheeler. He and his buddies are going out for a few days.”
Which meant they’d be alone in the house. Tessa’s mind raced with naughty possibilities. “Are you coming home?”
“As soon as I get Gramps settled. You go ahead and take it easy. We’ll swing a hammer this afternoon.”
Taking it easy sound
ed like a great idea. Except before she did, there was one thing she simply had to do. He’d worked like a dog—ha!—to get things ready for building, the least she could do was provide an edible meal. Emphasis on the edible part.
Between the computer, foodnetwork.com and a couple burnt fingers, she managed. Sheer determination forced her to keep muddling through as her cat, of all creatures, insisted she provide for…Mark.
Although she wasn’t exactly sure what her cat was trying to tell her. The feline was all focused on images of sunshine and warm cozy pillows and lazy days by the fire.
Tessa shook her head. Whoa. That was weird. Maybe she’d been working too hard before she came to Haines, or something.
Her cat obviously wanted a holiday.
Once the multiple pots and pans she’d used were washed up and hidden back where they belonged, she pulled a blanket off the couch and slipped onto the deck. Tessa wiggled one of the lounge chairs into a position where she could curl up in the sunshine to wait until Mark returned. For some reason, it was far more important to see him drive up than to work on anything else.
Well, at least with the fast-tracking, it wasn’t like taking a lazy day would put the entire project in jeopardy.
Somehow it happened again. She fell asleep, only waking when Mark laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey.”
He smiled. “Hey, yourself. You want to come inside for some supper?”
Supper? “How did it get to be so late?”
He wiggled his arms under her and lifted, blanket and all. “Well, there’s this big ball that we live on called the earth, and it slowly turns in outer space…”
Tessa poked him in the shoulder. “Silly.”
He nudged their noses together before lowering her feet to the ground, supporting her until she found her balance.
She giggled. “That was kind of cute.”
Mark paused. “What?”
