Freedom in the Smokies

by Becca Jameson

  “God, you’re hot. I love having you like this, spread out for me like a feast. Shaking with need and the thrill of the unknown. I hope I can always keep you on your feet, so to speak, anticipating my next move and pulsing with desire. It’s humbling, sexy and empowering all at once.”

  His voice soothed her. Words continued to tumble out of his mouth, but she couldn’t hear them. All her brain cells concentrated on what he did with his hands. His fingers rimmed her forbidden hole while pressure and the need to come built. She laid her head against her hands, forcing her ass to be higher than her chest.

  Her body betrayed her, begging him to take her any way he pleased, as long as he did so soon.

  “Patience…”

  This telepathy thing was going to be a pain in her ass.

  As soon as the thought left her mind unbidden, Micah pushed a finger into her tight rear hole. “What was that you thought, baby?”

  Kaitlyn tensed. But it wasn’t so bad. No way could he push his cock in there, but one finger wasn’t bad.

  “Don’t worry. You’re a long way from anything like that. Just feel. Let me take care of you. I can feel your heart rate increasing, smell your arousal. Relax and let me make you feel good.”

  “Could you get out of my head?” she whispered.

  “Nope. And don’t worry. I’ve heard it’s very difficult to block each other when mating. Your emotions fall out all over for me to see.” While he murmured the words, his finger twisted in her ass.

  She concentrated hard on his sentences, hoping that would keep her from coming. His touch should not be eliciting such a lack of control on her part.

  “You like that?” He slipped a second finger in, not waiting for a response. “God, that’s hot. Your ass is so fucking tight… I thought your pussy was tight… Your ass is going to grip me like a vise.” He emphasized each phrase with a twist of his wrist, his fingers teasing her until she held her breath to keep from coming.

  “Come for me, Kait. I want you to come from this pressure inside your back hole. Come, so I’ll know you loved it.”

  She might have been able to hold off for a few more seconds, but when his other palm pressed firmly on her clit, she shattered. Her orgasm pulsed through her, her pussy gripping at nothing. All the attention centered on the spots both behind and in front of her clenched sex.

  Even as the orgasm subsided, she was not sated. “Micah,” she begged.

  In one breath, he released her clit, removed his fingers from her ass and slammed into her pussy with his rigid length.

  Kaitlyn screamed. Sensations overwhelmed her, making her knees buckle. It didn’t matter. Micah held her up while he plunged into her again and again.

  He spoke into her mind. “So tight. So hot. So fucking perfect, baby.” Even through the telepathic line of communication she could hear his clenched jaw. Was that even possible?

  He groaned aloud, a noise that increased with each thrust. Kaitlyn bit her lip to keep from coming again, but it was no use. Her pussy grasped his cock and wouldn’t let go. She milked him with her tight walls, squeezing so hard she forced him to come with her.

  His orgasm was so strong she could feel him coming against her cervix.

  When he finally slowed and then stopped, she thanked God he held on to her waist. She would have collapsed to the floor otherwise.

  Warm water still sluiced over her, tumbling off him and over her back. His cock finally popped out of her.

  “You’re gonna be the death of me, baby.” He lifted her upright, his arms wrapping around her under hers, supporting her—both emotionally and physically.

  She leaned back into his hard chest.

  “Thank God you talked your way into a job here. And to think I chewed my family out royally for hiring someone. I don’t think I was even living until tonight.”

  Kaitlyn turned her body to face him and wrapped her arms around his middle. Perfection. They fit together like a single vine intertwining its way up the side of a building.

  Micah grabbed the liquid soap behind her and somehow managed to get them both bathed without breaking much contact. She couldn’t bring herself to let go, partially because she hated the idea of not touching him and partially because she didn’t trust her legs to hold her up.

  “I think we’re good. Let’s get out of here before we slither down the drain.” He guided her out the shower door, flipping the water off on the way.

  The room was cool after the long, hot shower, but it felt good against her heated skin.

  After grabbing two towels, Micah tossed her one and went to work rubbing his skin dry. Even that simple act was sexual when he did it. His thighs bulged with muscles; his hair lay in tousled disarray across his forehead. She’d never seen anyone so damn sexy.

  When they were both left with just damp hair, he tugged her back to the bedroom. “It’s late. Let’s sleep. Your…George will be here in the morning.”

  As soon as her body relaxed into the mattress, Micah pulled her back against his chest. The sensation seeping into her was of being treasured, secure… She tried to relax every muscle and let sleep tug her under, but questions swarmed in her head.

  “What do you think happened outside earlier?” she whispered into the darkness. She’d gotten so distracted by her mate’s physique, she’d temporarily forgotten the horse incident. “Aren’t you worried? Isn’t it obvious someone let the horses out? Who would do that? It’s frightening.” She shivered and he squeezed her tighter.

  “Don’t worry.” He kissed her temple. “I don’t think there is any immediate threat.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Several seconds passed. Kaitlyn listened to Micah’s breathing as it slowed. Had he fallen asleep?

  Finally he cleared his throat. “Remember earlier I mentioned that wolf shifters aren’t the only creatures out there.”

  “Yes. You failed to expound.”

  Micah fiddled with a lock of her hair, his fingers rubbing through the strands. “We can easily guess who let the horses out. The guy’s name is Keeton McKinney. He’s toying with us. He did that to let us know he could. If he’d wanted to kill us or harm anyone tonight, he’d have done so.”

  “Seriously?” She twisted in his arms to look into his eyes. “A man is trying to kill you and you’re going to sleep right now?” No longer tired, Kaitlyn sat and faced Micah.

  He smiled at her. “My brothers are taking turns on watch. You heard them. We’re fine. Trust me.” He tugged her toward him, but she didn’t budge.

  “Who is this McKinney guy? Some other paranormal creature?”

  “Yes.” He stared into her eyes. Even in the darkness of the room, the beam of light from the moon allowed her to see his penetrating gaze.

  “Mind elaborating?” What did she have to do to get some more information out of this stubborn man?

  Micah took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “He’s a vampire, baby.” He rubbed her back with one hand as he spoke. “He’s the reason I was so irate my family had hired you. We don’t need anyone else involved with us. It puts unnecessary risk on yet another human.” His words were steady, his palm circling her naked back.

  Kaitlyn bounced back a few inches, squirming to dislodge his hand. The soothing motions were incongruent with her current feelings, and she wanted him to stop coddling her.

  “Are you kidding?” She narrowed her gaze at him. His hand fell to her lap. “How can you lie there and calmly explain there is a blood-sucking demon out there and you think he’s going to suck the life out of me? And your immediate plan is to sleep?” She glanced down, realized her state of undress and grabbed the sheet from her lap to cover her chest.

  Micah sighed. His gaze fell to her lap. “I’m sorry. Now you know why I was so angry when I met you. I didn’t want any new person involved in this, let alone my mate. It scares the fuck out of me to think this asshole might get his hands on you.” He gripped her thigh as he spoke. “You’re now the single most important thing in my life. I’d
sooner die than have anything happen to you. Believe that.”

  She did. The pain of this choice was etched in the lines around his eyes. His serious expression frightened her. This was real. For the first time in twelve years, someone wanted her, really wanted her. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. It felt good. Right.

  “Why did your family let me take this job?” she muttered.

  “Because they realized from your passion that you were determined. If they hadn’t let you stay, you’d have found another farm nearby to hire you. That idea was even worse. At least if you’re here with us we can protect you. A new woman on her own, working in the area, could be a target for McKinney. It wasn’t a chance my brothers and their mates were willing to take.”

  “I see.” She slouched, relaxing her shoulders.

  “Please, lie down. Let me hold you. McKinney is planning something. That’s true. But he isn’t going to act tonight. It’s not his style. He has a flare for the dramatic. He hates us on an unimaginable level, deep in his soul. Whatever he has in mind, it will be ugly… As much as I wished to protect you from this vampire, you’re here now, and I’d sooner cut off my arm than let you go.” He gave a half smile and pulled her down.

  She went limp against him, chest to chest, too stunned to argue and consumed with the need to be wrapped again in his embrace. His heart beat against her. Her own also thumped at an inordinately rapid pace.

  She closed her eyes. What the hell was going on here?

  “I will do anything and everything in my power to keep you safe. We do have to be on alert, however. The vamp is getting stronger. He’s somehow developed new powers. He was demonstrating them here tonight. Testing us. Showing us. Teasing us, essentially.

  “He’s never been this close to us. We’ve always scented him from farther away and chased him off. For whatever reason, he has managed to block that ability from us. Now we have to regroup and figure out how to take him down. He has to have a weakness somewhere. There is a cost for his power. It takes energy to block three wolves from smelling him. As soon as we figure out what that currency is, we’ll exploit it.” Micah hugged her tight and kissed her forehead.

  “And you think you can beat him?”

  “I know we can. There are three of us and one of him. His ass is toast.” He nibbled a line to her mouth and took her lips in a gentle kiss. “Sleep. We need our rest. We only have a few hours.”

  God, the infuriating man could distract her. And she was so damn tired. Heavy. The new information seeped into her, but she needed time to truly process it. She needed rest. After the longest day of her life, her eyes felt heavy. She had no choice. She snuggled into the warmth of her mate and let sleep take her under.

  Chapter Eight

  Micah slept hard. When his eyes popped open several hours later, he smiled. He’d never been so relaxed in his life. His mate’s warm body remained nestled against him. He glanced at the window. It was still dark, but the slight purple tinge to the sky told him it was nearing dawn.

  Trying not to disturb Kaitlyn, he wiggled his way out of bed. She moaned softly and snuggled under the covers. God, she’s gorgeous. He wanted nothing more than to stand there and watch her sleeping form until she awoke. His cock grew stiff as he stared at her under the blankets. Her naked, sexy body was under there.

  With a quick shake of his head, he backed toward the bathroom. He needed a shower. As much as he’d rather slip into his mate’s wet sheath again, he knew she’d be sore. Her muscles were going to ache from the way he’d taken her last night.

  Micah ducked into the bathroom and shut the door quietly. He didn’t bother with lights. He could see fine in the dark. He didn’t want the glare under the door to disturb Kaitlyn.

  He flipped the handle of the shower to the left and waited for the water to warm. His cock bobbed in front of him as if to say, “What the fuck are you doing, man? Go take your woman again.”

  Micah grabbed his length with one hand and stroked. There was no avoiding his need, but he didn’t have to wake his mate to get off. Steam filled the room and he stepped into the shower. Cold wasn’t going to cut it this morning. This was not the kind of hard-on a man could ignore or wish away.

  Nope. He was mated now and images of the sexy goddess in his bed just feet away on the other side of the door filled his mind. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the tile. Water sluiced over him, cascading down, warming his body and slicking his hand where he held his cock.

  Micah flattened his free hand against the shower stall and hoped he could balance himself enough not to collapse. His other hand went to work on his dick. It wouldn’t take much. With a tight grip, he squeezed the base and groaned into the wall. He visualized Kaitlyn’s face as he stroked toward the tip and over the head. A perfect picture formed of his mate’s chin tipped back, her mouth hanging open, and her eyes squeezed shut as she neared completion. The pink flush of her cheeks made him stroke faster. The O she formed with her lips right before she orgasmed made his body quake. Her tousled hair haphazardly spread across his pillow while she rolled her head back and forth in ecstasy pushed him over the edge.

  With a few quick tight strokes, he came, pinching his lips together to avoid screaming her name and disturbing her, the rest of the house and the animals outside.

  His orgasm was hard and long. His muscles went limp and he fought to remain standing. When finally the last of his come had exited his body, he slumped against the wall. Deep breaths. He gave himself several seconds and then he stood and reached for the shampoo. His dick was still hard. It would have to wait until later when Kaitlyn had a chance to recover and rest.

  Right now, he needed to get cleaned up, toss on some clothes and head for the family room to meet with his brothers. He knew they were both up and plotting. He didn’t even bother to connect with them mentally. He’d get caught up on the conversation soon enough.

  With as much haste as possible, Micah snuck from his bedroom and headed down the hall before he could even gather all his thoughts.

  What the hell was McKinney up to now?

  “Hey.” Jaxon looked up from his steaming cup of coffee. He sat at a stool, leaning his elbows on the tall island counter in the kitchen area.

  “Nice of you to join us,” Sergius teased. He chuckled, but his eyes remained serious, his brow furrowed. He handed Micah a mug as both men took a seat with Jaxon.

  “Fuck you both,” Micah muttered, not keeping the grin from spreading across his face.

  “Welcome to the world of the mated.” Sergius glanced at Jaxon. “Now you can stop harassing us about being whipped.” The jerk had the audacity to chuckle again. “Let’s try to figure some things out before your woman wakes up.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she’s gonna need a day off, so we’re good. Thanks for the concern though.” Micah glared at both men.

  Sergius and Jaxon stared at him for a moment and then smirked.

  Jaxon drawled, “Oh, dude, that’s so…rich. You have no idea what you’re up against.” He shook his head.

  “Can you two leave it alone for a while? We have important shit to deal with.”

  Sergius nodded. “Yes. Definitely. You’re right.”

  “Good,” Micah began. “First, let me tell you that a man is coming this morning to see Kaitlyn. Her grandmother died yesterday. I assume he’s coming to discuss the estate with her.”

  “What man? A lawyer?” Sergius asked.

  “No. His name is George. He’s the foreman on the farm she grew up on in California. He seems to be a sort of father figure to her.” Micah didn’t elaborate more than that for now.

  “Wow, that sucks. Is she very upset?” Jaxon asked.

  Micah shook his head. “Not really, no. She didn’t like her grandmother. That’s why she moved here in the first place. Her childhood wasn’t pleasant and she’s more concerned with the repercussions from her grandmother’s death than the actual dying. We’ll know more when George gets here.”

 
; All three men took a moment to sip some coffee before Sergius changed the subject. “Okay, we’ll bring you up to speed before he gets here.”

  Micah lifted his head. “Did I miss something?”

  “Several somethings, actually. Don’t forget, we’re dealing with a vampire. He has a tendency to accomplish more during the night.” Jaxon sat back and visibly shivered.

  “The sheriff called about an hour ago. He’s heading out here in a while,” Sergius said. “He got several calls during the night about strange incidents of vandalism on various farms in the area.”

  Micah flinched. If James Hardin was calling them before dawn, it had to be bad. They worked with the sheriff often, but Micah hated when the sheriff had to make an appearance because that damn bloodsucker was wreaking havoc.

  Sergius continued. “It doesn’t sound like McKinney did any real damage, just rearranged things for people, about like he did here with the horses.”

  “Why would he mess with others in town?”

  “Because he can.” Jaxon snorted. “He’s playing with us.”

  “We need help.” Micah looked each man in the face. “How are we going to protect three women if this asshole has growing powers?”

  Sergius sighed. “I agree. Let’s work on a game plan to flush this fucker out and get rid of him.”

  Keeton stood among the trees surrounding the Durhams’ farm and chuckled. The entire family was in a fluster. It made his heart soar.

  The wolves and the humans were so…mortal. The way they had scrambled around in the dark, gathering the horses back into the barn, had been comical. With that kind of entertainment, who needed television?

  In fact, Keeton had enjoyed the antics so much he couldn’t resist toying with a few other neighboring farms in the night. The power he felt controlling that many living beings so easily made his chest pump out.

  Keeton sobered and righted himself, leaning against a tree. The fun and games were over. It was time to get serious.

  His next move wouldn’t be quite so humorous, at least not for the humans or the wolves.