by Lola Gabriel
Diesel interrupted her thoughts by touching his forehead to hers.
“Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry all this happened.” He hugged her tightly. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Sasha wrapped her arms around him. “I’m glad you are, too.”
Well, at least she had gotten some answers now.
7
“So, what were you two fighting about?” Sasha was cramming blankets into the washing machine in the bathroom.
She had to repeat her question, since Diesel, who was showering, couldn’t hear her over the running water. “What do you think?”
She felt her cheeks flush. “But why?”
“Because I’m bad at sharing.”
Not really knowing how to respond to that level of honesty, Sasha attempted to change the subject.
“So,” she began, “you said that other wolf was Chastity?”
“Yeah.”
“Why was she there?”
Diesel took a few seconds to answer. “She can be kind of… selective when it comes to new females joining our pack. She’s an alpha, after all.”
“And you’re not?” Sasha asked. If anything, she would’ve thought Diesel was the leader.
“No, I’m not. Does that change your mind about me?”
“I haven’t even made up my mind about you yet,” she replied, “so how can it change?”
“I’ve made up my mind about you.” Diesel turned off the water in the shower.
Sasha took that as her cue to step out into the bedroom. She sat on the bed, and a few moments later, Diesel came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was rummaging through his closet when Sasha spoke up.
“Before you get dressed, can I… see it?” A short, awkward pause passed between them.
Diesel looked at her with raised eyebrows and laughed. “That’s awfully forward of you.”
Sasha looked away, immediately embarrassed, though a small chuckle left her lips. “I mean your transformation. I want to see it.”
She had been expecting a slow painful transformation like the ones in horror films, but it wasn’t anything like that. It was relatively quick and seemingly painless. There was two-legged Diesel and then a four-legged one—as simple as that.
The shorthaired tawny wolf sat in front of her calmly. He looked more like an overgrown wild dog than the wolves she’d seen in paintings, but she thought it suited his personality. Sasha got up to pet him. They touched noses and their cheeks brushed against each other. It was more tender than playful; it compelled her to hug him.
Diesel changed back in her arms. His face still very near to her, he whispered, “I want to take you… as my mate.”
It made Sasha lightheaded. She couldn’t make up her mind whether or not to push him away, so she stayed still. Diesel moved first. He took her arms from around him and stood up.
“Maybe it’s too much to think about right now, considering everything that happened,” he said, “but at least consider it. You’re the one that I want.”
Before Sasha could say anything, Diesel smiled at her and then walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Left alone with her thoughts, Sasha didn’t know what to do next. She had a life in another town. A job. A decent apartment.
If she accepted Diesel’s offer, what would that mean for her future? Living in Pine Bend together?
And what about Nolan? Would he keep trying to win her by fighting Diesel again? The easiest thing would be to leave town as soon as her car was ready and forget all of this had happened. There was still time to make the drive home before Christmas, even if she had to drive all night.
Sasha looked at the closed door of the bedroom. She couldn’t deny that she still felt drawn to Diesel—if anything, the bond she had thought they shared before had only seemed to have increased, pulling them closer and closer to each other.
Sasha spent most of the next day sleeping. Being up all night with werewolf shenanigans took a lot more out of her than she had realized.
When she woke up, Diesel was hard at work in his shop. Those same melancholy feelings crept back into Sasha’s mind: cheerless. Joyless. Alone. But they didn’t linger there. Her mind was overrun by the memories of so many brief encounters. Almost kisses. Embraces. Caresses. Times when she was sure they wanted the same thing. Sasha made up her mind. She would stay in Pine Bend to see this through, at least until Christmas.
Diesel wanted to make sure he didn’t miss what would be his last opportunity to impress Sasha. Convincing her he was serious and that she should stay meant making this holiday perfect. He started with a trip out to a Christmas tree farm. A man and his dog living in a small loft in a mechanic’s shop didn’t exactly decorate for the holiday. In fact, DJ only looked at trees as a way to mark his territory, so Diesel had never bothered to shop for one.
But, for Sasha, he would. He let her know that he was determined to make the Christmas experience they shared the perfect one. It was their first Christmas of what he hoped would be many.
With the tree safely in the truck bed, they had to figure out ornaments. The cheap plastic type from the drug store were the only ones available, but there were lots of options for lights. Diesel also bought a dozen boxes of popcorn to make garland. It was unexpectedly endearing, coming from someone who looked so macho; Sasha couldn’t stop smiling about it.
They set up the tree in the loft. After burning two batches of popcorn, there was enough to finally start the garland-making process. From beginning to end, it took all day to finish the tree. Sasha hadn’t decorated a full-size evergreen since she was a child; it was a bigger task than she remembered, but it was worth it. Diesel seemed happy about it as well. There was a cheerful sparkle in his eye as he looked at the tree that she hadn’t noticed before.
“It’s just a shame we don’t have any presents.” Sasha sat on the floor next to the tree. “I didn’t get any wrapping paper, so we can’t even wrap empty boxes.”
Diesel yawned. “We don’t need them.” He sat back on the bed, then laid down.
Sasha got up from her seat on the floor and laid across the bed next to Diesel. He put his arm around her, pulling her close. Sasha was worried he would be able to feel her heart about to beat out of her chest. If he did, he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, Diesel yawned again and fell asleep.
8
When Sasha got up the next morning, she was alone in bed. The whole day, it was her and her canine companion stuck upstairs in the loft with nothing to do but watch Christmas movies. It was just before dark when Diesel finally showed up. He’d spent most of the day decorating the old vehicle with lights and cheap plastic evergreen garland. There were fuzzy reindeer horns on the roof and a red nose that was three sizes too small attached with pipe cleaners to the grill of the truck. The bed of his pickup was full of blankets and pillows.
“Is this supposed to be Santa’s sleigh? Or the Polar Express?” Sasha laughed as she climbed into the truck.
“Well, Merry Christmas to you, too.” Diesel just smiled.
The cab smelled delicious, like a savory blend of herbs and spices. On the floor of the passenger seat was a duffel bag filled with something that smelled wonderful. The pair were headed out of town.
Sasha had tried to guess their destination, but Diesel just repeated, “That’ll spoil the surprise.”
She couldn’t help but look at the bag next to her feet. Was it full of food? Or had he packed clothes for an overnight stay? Her mind transported her to a fictional cabin, with a fire and a cliché rug. She was hoping they would share wine and then… maybe…
Sasha was a little disappointed when Diesel took her to a little park close to a primitive campground, with, quite possibly, the only overlook in all of that patch of desert. She hadn’t dressed for roughing it. A knit dress and tights were practical for an evening out to dinner, not for camping. She was starting to second guess Diesel’s choice when she looked up. The moon was huge that night, and that vantage point made it lo
ok like it was close enough to touch.
Diesel helped Sasha out of the vehicle and into the bed of the truck. He tossed the gym bag in the back before hopping in himself. He took a seat next to her. Rummaging around in the bag, he pulled out a couple of thermoses and a flask.
“This will warm you up.”
The flask was full of bourbon, and the thermos was full of stew. Sasha took a sip from the flask first, then rested her head on Diesel’s shoulder. He put the food away quietly and stayed silent for another moment, as if searching for his words.
“I don’t want you to…” He made a small pause. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
She looked up at him but didn’t speak.
“I don’t want you to hold back your feelings because you’re scared of what might happen,” he continued, looking deep into her eyes. “Whatever it will take to keep you here, I’ll do it.”
Sasha could feel her heart in her throat.
“I want you as my mate.” Diesel’s voice was delicately candid. “I love you.”
Sasha hadn’t realized how much she had wanted to hear him say those words until she did. All of the moments they had shared, the memories of all their brief encounters, came flooding back to her, and though the words would’ve sounded rushed under any other circumstances, now they didn’t. Not when they came from Diesel.
“I love you, too,” Sasha said, and she meant it.
Diesel closed the distance between them and finally kissed her. His mouth was intense and sweet against her, as if he had pressed all of his longing for her into that one touch. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back ferociously. God, how had she been waiting for this moment.
They fell into the nest of linen.
Above her, Sasha had the most amazing view of the starry sky. She could see her breath before her eyes began to dampen. Diesel traced a line from her jaw down her neck with his mouth. When he reached the intersection of her neck and shoulder, he bit her, and Sasha arched her back up into his body.
“Sasha,” he whispered, “I love you.”
She bit her lip. It was hard to control herself underneath such a big body when she was aching for him.
Diesel waited for permission to have her, but she couldn’t form the words. Instead, she spread her legs open and let her knit dress rise above her hips, nodding her head. Diesel leaned back. Rubbing his hands over her legs briefly, he stopped at the crotch of her tights.
He reached under the seam of her tights, and then under her panties as his fingers reached the sensitive area between her legs. He expertly rubbed her mound, swirling his fingers over her pink bud while simultaneously sending shudders through her body.
Sasha gasped with every movement of Diesel’s fingers, her arousal increasing by the second. Her hands reached down to his pants, and she struggled with the button and zipper before she finally unleashed his erection. A low, guttural growl escaped his throat as she stroked his shaft in a rhythmic motion.
Unexpectedly, Diesel ripped off her tights and entered her waiting core with one hard thrust.
Diesel took a deep breath, and on the exhale, his eyes changed color. Sasha could barely make it out, but he seemed different. His gaze was fierce, even the sinew and vein in his arms were more prominent. Her whole body shuddered under his weight, and she couldn’t help but cry out as he moved in and out of her over and over, bringing her to her orgasm.
Sasha tried desperately to close her arms around his bulging back, but it was impossible. Diesel’s muscular body was much larger than her petite frame, and she wanted to experience every inch of him as he drove himself into her with ardor.
Sasha clawed at her lover’s back when she climaxed for the second time. She tried to catch her breath.
“Don’t stop,” she moaned despite the oversensitivity threatening to overwhelm her.
Diesel grunted. “Are you sure?” he asked her, his voice hoarse.
She moved her arms to encircle his shoulders again. She wanted him to climax just like she had. “Yes,” she rasped. “Please don’t stop, oh, don’t stop—”
Diesel didn’t need to be told twice. He thrust in and out of her, continuing to build both of their pleasures until he finally reached his own orgasm, gasping his climax against her mouth.
The sunrise was as beautiful as the moon had been the night before. The pair had fallen asleep long before the moon said its goodnight. Bundled up in the back of the truck, Sasha had never felt so warm. The crisp air reminded her that it was still winter. It was an added encouragement to make up her mind. She would be staying right at Diesel’s side as his mate.
THE END
Part IV
Protecting His Mate
1
“Miss? Can I get a refill, please?”
Lola Waters groaned quietly and turned around with a forced wide smile on her pretty face. An older gentleman was sitting at the table behind her, holding up his coffee mug, which was already half full. He wore a goofy grin that exposed the precious few teeth he still had left. Lola wanted to yell at him, but she forced the kindness back into her heart and replied with a, “You bet”.
She grabbed the coffee pot from behind the counter and returned to the man’s table to give him a refill.
“Thanks, honey,” he said with a chuckle.
Lola tried to ignore her impulse to strangle the old man and rushed back into the kitchen to see what was keeping the order for table four. The businesswoman there kept giving her dirty looks laced with impatience. Oh, life was fun.
“Hey, Charlie.” Lola peeked her head through the small window that separated her from the cook. “What’s up with the burger for table four? I think that lady is going to go ballistic if she has to wait much longer.”
“Just finishing up,” Charlie replied. “She wanted it ‘very well done,’ remember? ‘Very well done’ takes more time.”
“Yeah, but you forget that none of our customers understand the basic laws of physics,” Lola joked.
While Charlie finished putting the order together, Lola stopped a second to take a much-needed breather. It was funny, but she’d always thought that being the owner of a diner meant she wouldn’t be waiting tables and losing her mind. Then again, she’d never actually thought about working in a restaurant again, let alone being the one in charge of it.
Six weeks ago, Lola had received word that her grandmother had passed away. She’d never really been that close to her grandmother, but it was still pretty shocking to lose her, even more so that her grandmother had left her a small building as an inheritance. Over the years, the building had been a variety of shops and offices, but it had been vacant for almost six months when her grandmother had passed away. Now it was hers.
The inheritance couldn’t have come at a better time. Lola had been having a hard time finding a good job with her art history degree. She’d once entertained the idea of going to grad school and then teaching at the college level while continuing to work on her own painting, but she was out of money and she was burnt out on school. It was time for an academic break.
Back then, she had still had her job as a secretary for the call center of a local cable company. At least, she had, until the company got bought out and moved the location of the call center out of state. Luckily, this building had fallen in her lap, so she moved across the country from California to South Dakota.
Lola had worked in a diner throughout high school, and she knew the business well, so she’d secured a business loan using the building as collateral and opened up the Crazy Bear Diner a little over two weeks ago. She still wasn’t sure about the name, but when she called her friends back home, they all loved it.
Every day, Lola thought to herself that it may have been a horrible mistake. The work was hard, the hours long, and the customers could be insane to deal with, but the diner was actually doing great. Anytime she felt like strangling a customer, she just had to remember that.
“There you are,” Charlie said, handing he
r the plate. “I hope that lady chokes on it,” he joked.
“Now, be nice,” Lola said. She put the order on a tray and carefully carried it back out to the table. The woman barely looked up from her newspaper and only grunted at Lola when she asked if there was anything else she needed.
“Wow, tough crowd today,” Denise said as Lola finished ringing up a customer.
Denise was Lola’s best server, and after being hired, the two quickly became friends.
“Yeah,” Lola replied. “It’s Monday, though. It’s to be expected, I guess.”
“That’s it. Stay positive,” Denise told her as she grabbed an order and headed to a table with it.
God knows I’m trying, Lola thought.
A small line was beginning to form at the counter, which meant that the dinner rush was starting to die down a bit. The clock said it was a quarter till eight. Lola let out a deep sigh—there was only an hour and fifteen minutes left. She was going to make it… she hoped.
Lola finished ringing up her customers and thanking them for stopping by. She was actually starting to recognize a few of them as regulars. That was certainly promising.
“How was everything?” Lola asked the last customer in the line when he stepped up to the counter. It was then that she noticed the man was not holding a bill, and she did not remember serving him.
“Are you the proprietor of this establishment?” the man asked. His voice was heavy, with a thick accent Lola couldn’t quite place. He appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties, with thinning graying hair slicked back against his head. A pencil-thin mustache adorned his upper lip. He was not a classically handsome man, but he was impeccably dressed in an expensive three-piece suit, and he wore a charming smile. His cologne was just the icing on the cake of a great package.
