by Vivian Arend
Oh my God, do it now. The need to offer herself up on a silver platter was instinctive, and somewhat frightening. Time to retreat. She pressed her hands to his chest to separate them enough she could think. “Two-way street, bud? Be careful there, I might have to write you out a ticket.”
He cupped her chin with his free hand. His grasp firmed until she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Don’t. Don’t hide behind jokes right now.”
Pam closed her eyes and waited. His warm breath caressed her cheek as he brought their bodies back in contact.
“You look beautiful in the sunlight.”
She opened her eyes just as he brushed his lips against hers. His dark lashes fluttered against her skin. She stroked her tongue into his mouth, no longer fighting the delightful sensations that streaked through her body.
They stood there, kissing slowly, hands gently exploring each other’s bodies—Pam lost all track of time and slipped into a dreamy place where there were no issues hanging over her head. No need to discover if fairytales really could come true.
When they pulled apart, his smile warmed her through and through. “Well, that’s not what I had planned, but I’ll certainly take it. Stop distracting me. Your turn to hunt. No peeking while I hide.”
Pam not only closed her eyes, she covered her face with her hands, like a child afraid they would be tempted to cheat. She didn’t want to have any clue which direction he was headed. No chance she could pretend this was a fair test when it wasn’t. She hummed quietly to cover any accidental sounds he might make that would give her a direction to head. Inspiration hit and she counted out loud.
“…ten, eleven, twelve…I hope you’re hiding well because if I find you standing out in the open somewhere you have to buy me a crab dinner or something….seventeen, eighteen…or a case of beer, I could really go for a cold drink…twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five…ready or not, you must be caught.”
She opened her eyes and took a long look around. The sun sparkled on the surface of the lake across from her, the tiny ripples from the whispering breeze creating a kaleidoscope of colour and light. Out by the cabin, the porch swing shifted slowly and she watched for a moment, but it sped up, didn’t slow. The wind again, not TJ brushing it. She examined the bush, but other than natural shaking and trembling in the leaves she could see no clear hint of where TJ was hiding.
“Okay, I’ll give you this much, you’ve hidden well. Now…”
The usual procedure would be to divide the area into sectors and methodically work her way through them. She paused. This wasn’t supposed to be like a usual search, right? If they were mates, she should be able to sense him. She sniffed the air then laughed. No, she wasn’t the one with the wolf nose.
She was still chuckling when she felt it. Almost a…lightness in the air, a sense of emotion brushing past her. TJ was pleased. Admiring her? She pressed a hand to her chest. It wasn’t just her imagination. She closed her eyes once more and covered her ears. The wind in the trees faded away and all sound stilled, but the sensation increased. Oh my God, she could feel something. She twirled and ran for the cabin. The pounding of her footfalls as she raced up the stairs echoed off the low roof and she jerked open the door.
Disappointment hit her hard. She’d fully expected to find TJ on the couch. She’d felt sure he was there. Sitting comfortably, waiting for her.
Again, a tug. Like strings attached inside her heart.
She paced the cabin in confusion. He was supposed to be here.
“TJ, where are you?”
The sensation refused to go away. She checked under the bed, in the shower stall. Stepping outside, she kicked a rock in frustration before a flash of inspiration made her curse.
“You turkey.” She raced around the back of the cabin to where the woodpile was stacked into a rough façade of a staircase. She scrambled to the top where it was level with the lightly inclined roof of the attached storage lean-to, and stared at TJ. He lay flat on his back on a thick blanket, grinning at her.
“Hey.”
Deep satisfaction stole over her as she cautiously made her way to his side. “Hey, yourself. You got up here pretty damn quick.”
His shit-eating grin grew larger. “And it took you oh-so-long to find me, didn’t it?”
Holy crap, he was right. In the midst of the hunt, she’d lost grasp of the fact she had found him. Had known where he was. “Wow.”
TJ patted the blanket. “How did you do it?”
Pam settled next to him, nestling into his arms. “I’m not completely sure. It’s like I knew. But, it’s not possible…”
He nuzzled at her temple. “Hmm, you just proved it is.” His lips descended slowly to press, warm and soft, against her jawbone. He snuck his fingers into her hair and brought their mouths together, and she couldn’t be bothered to try to figure out why she’d known where he was. She’d known. Score one for the mating list. Bring on the sex.
She rolled him and crawled on top, keeping their mouths together. His tongue was doing this intricate dance inside her mouth that made the hair on the back of her neck stand upright. She took her revenge by lowering her hips onto his groin. TJ countered with a move that slid both his hands up her torso to cup her breasts and suddenly she hated Wonderbra with a passion.
One motion stripped off her T-shirt. Another released her from the confining bra and TJ growled.
“Oh yes.” He pulled her closer, catching hold of one nipple between his teeth. His fingers stroked her ribs, making her skin come alive as he sucked, switching from side to side. The slight breeze whispered past her wet nipples and they tightened even more. All around the gentle noises of nature carried on—birds chirping, the leaves rustling in an uneven beat. The slurps and moans and small cries of passion escaping their lips fit perfectly in the mix, and Pam thought she’d never been in a more beautiful place.
She pulled away to gaze at him, his ever-present smile warming her heart, the lust and passion on his face heating her soul. “As fun as this is, I don’t think the roof is a good place to make love.”
His eyes widened and he lunged upward to mesh their bodies together once more, and suddenly she found herself flat on her back under him. The blanket protected her from the ridges of the roof shingles and the sun broke out in full glory.
The light in his eyes outshone it.
“I think anywhere is a fabulous place to make love to you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Then she couldn’t see his face anymore as he dropped toward her, his lips doing wicked things to her torso, his fingers playing her body as skillfully as he played his guitar. Oh yeah, he was talented. The simmer of desire in her belly bloomed, and oddly the roof of the cabin seemed a lovely place for a little sexual jaunt. Only…
“Did you bring a condom?” Even the question came out sounding like fuck me now. Breathless, needy. Lustful.
He rose over her. “We don’t need one, you know. I won’t carry any STDs since shifting to my wolf heals almost everything germ or virus related.”
“Almost?”
The heavy weight of his groin pressed against her center as he nestled between her thighs, and it felt so good a little bit of her brain melted.
“The common cold still sucks.”
Oh Lord, he kissed her again—kisses that were far too distracting. Far too enticing as he rocked their hips together intimately. The fabric separating them was a lifesaver and she wiggled under him. Sex was out unless they crawled off each other for long enough to gain the cabin. Still, there was no reason they couldn’t still find satisfaction.
“Let me up.”
He rolled off, disappointment written all over him. Until she stripped off her shorts and reached for his zipper.
“Are we going to…?”
“No.” She manhandled him to his back and yanked off his pants. “We’re not having sex without a condom. I’m sorry, what you said makes sense, but I can’t just accept your word on something as big as that.”
He lay bac
k and threw an arm across his eyes, his chest heaving. His erection stood rampart straight from his groin. Hmm. The sexual hum in her body hit deafening levels so she reached out and grasped him firmly.
“Holy fuck.” He thrust into her hand and she laughed.
“I’m no tease. We can go inside and grab a condom for round two. Right now…” Pam stroked him, her fingers passing lightly over the head of his erection to gather the moisture leaking from the tip. With her palm wet, it was easy to slide along his length, each pass drawing a groan of pleasure from his lips. The sunlight shone on them and she drew in a deep breath of the crisp air. The scent of their bodies rose around them and it made her happy inside.
Everything about TJ made her happy inside, if she was honest.
His hands grasped her hips and lifted her. “Shit, what the hell are you doing?” She let go of his cock and threw out her hands to catch herself. A second later she was on hands and knees, palms resting on the blanket on either side of his hips. She followed the line of his body to where his head nestled between her knees. He licked his lips and her sex pulsed.
“You use your hands, but I get to use my mouth.”
Yee-ha.
He tugged her backward and suddenly the fact they were on a roof vanished. The need to discover if they were mates? Out the proverbial window because the guy had a magical tongue and he was using it to her utmost advantage. He licked—light teasing touches, followed by full-out forceful sweeps from the sensitive skin near her anus to the apex of her mound.
Nibbles on her labia. Sucking her clit. She rocked back in an attempt to get him closer but his grip on her hips held her fast. He was in control and there was nothing she could do to change that fact.
Except distract him. She glanced at his cock and planned her counterattack. One hand on the roof to balance, one hand to wrap around him and pump.
The reverberation of his groan against her nether lips sent an electric shock racing. Fireworks zapped past her nipples and looped back to ignite the fuse in her core. He gripped her ass tighter, massaging and squeezing her cheeks as he ground her down on his face. His hot wet tongue slid into her, and it was so incredible she stopped moving for a second. Let the sensations build until she trembled on the verge of release. The euphoria took her so high that when he thrust two fingers deep into her core and sucked her clit hard, it was all over. Blood pounded past her ears and her head spun. It took a while until the waves slowed enough she could think again.
TJ lapped slowly, his touch more and more gentle until she let him help her shift to snuggle against his side. His turgid cock pressed her hip and she took a deep breath, guilt haunting her.
“Fuck, that was selfish of me.”
TJ possessed her mouth for a long breathless kiss. The taste of her pleasure on his lips made her shiver.
He pulled away and touched their foreheads together. “Not selfish. Timing is everything. You needed to concentrate, and I wanted to give to you.” He tugged her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles, and something in her heart tightened a little. What had he said about a physical connection? She rarely came from oral sex if she was giving at the same time.
Her finger was surrounded by wet heat as he sucked the digit into his mouth. One by one he wet them before placing her hand on his erection and wrapping his fingers over hers. “Now it’s my turn, and you can give to me.”
Tip to root he guided her, increasing the pressure. His lips found hers again, and their tongues slid together sensually as the stroke-stroke continued. Not too fast, but solid. Firm. Pam dug her fingers into his hair and tugged his head back, exposing his throat. He let her kiss her way down. She paused, breathing deeply with her face buried in his neck before licking back up, the salty taste of him like a fine wine. He filled her senses—the touch of their skin so wicked and sensual. The sound of their joint hands an erotic contrast with the delicate sounds of nature. He tightened under her hand and with a groan he came. The hot fluid of his ejaculation coated their hands and sprayed out farther to land willy-nilly between their naked torsos.
They sat together until their hearts stopped thumping, warmth radiating out from TJ like a space heater. Pam nestled closer and pressed their chests together, heedless of the semen on their skin.
“That was pretty awesome, if I do say so.”
TJ grinned. “How about a shower before a little more awesome? I think we can work it into the schedule.”
The schedule was getting better all the time. “Deal.”
She grabbed their clothes into a pile and he protested mildly. “You want us to crawl down naked?”
Pam reached out a hand toward him, dragging a finger through the moisture clinging to his firm abdomen. “I’m not putting clothes on a sticky body for five minutes when they have to last us a week.”
TJ shrugged, then picked up the blanket. She made her way cautiously to the edge of the roof and threw the clothes to the ground. TJ held her hand as she slipped a foot over to find the precarious top of the woodpile. Heading down wasn’t as easy as she remembered the upward journey had been.
“I can’t believe I actually raced up here.”
Once both feet were down, one log wobbled underfoot and she grasped TJ firmer to regain her balance. She took her time, testing each step until she made it to the bottom safely. TJ copied her and threw down the blanket. He spun around to place his feet. Hmm, what a nice ass.
He descended a few steps and she was just thinking how nicely the front view complimented the back when a loud crack rang out. The logs under his feet rolled and bucked, and suddenly TJ was fast approaching the ground, almost surfing the pile of timber that had seemingly come to life. Individual logs shook and spun, some falling to the side, some twisting in place as the entire mound collapsed. The wood crackled and snapped with an alarming volume, the clatter echoing off the cabin wall. Random logs fell left and right as he twirled his arms to maintain balance. Pam stepped out of the path of danger, watching with dread as the stack disintegrated. The once neat load completed its tumble to the ground, one final log teetering for a second before joining the rest with a gentle plop, TJ askew on top of the messy heap.
Chapter Nine
TJ lay face down on the mattress, sure his face was as red as his butt. Stabbing pain shot through his right ass cheek, and he pressed up on his elbows with a curse.
“Damn it all, leave them. They’ll fall out eventually. Ouch, shit. Stop it.”
Pam laughed at him and applied the tweezers again, trying to remove a few more of the splinters he’d gained upon contact with the firewood. “Stop being such a whiny puppy.”
He growled and her laughter grew louder. He collapsed and grit his teeth together. Fuck, it felt like she was digging post holes. “You having fun back there?”
“Uh-huh.”
Shit. He cringed again at an especially hard spike. “Bet you sucked at playing Operation when you were little.”
Pam gave an extra deep dig. “Horrible. Lost every time.”
He buried his face in the pillow and bit it. Hard.
She giggled. An honest to God, full-out girlish giggle that ended in a snort and TJ couldn’t take it anymore. He whirled, captured her in his arms and dragged her under him.
“Hey, I haven’t got them all yet.” She tangled her hands in his hair and pressed their mouths together, and all the splinters in the world weren’t enough to distract him from finding a condom and pleasing his mate all over again.
And again. On the bed, in the shower. Heck, they barely got supper cooking before his wolf prompted him to press her to the tabletop and take her from behind. The fragrant aroma of tomato sauce filled the cabin, the water for the spaghetti noodles boiled unminded in the pot as he pounded into her. Pam’s shouts of encouragement took them both to the edge quicker than he wanted. Every slide into her body nudged her farther into his heart. She reached back and grabbed his hand, threading their fingers together. He slowed and pressed his front to her back, twisting her head t
o the side to be able to stare into her eyes.
“This is real, Pam.” He thrust forward slowly, gazes locked together. “You, me. Together like this.”
She tightened her fingers.
Another rock of his hips. Another time being squeezed by her body so tight he could barely breathe. But it was the expression in her eyes that took his breath away.
So much hope, and so much fear. His wolf howled and he fought back the urge to claim her completely. Beat down the desire to take charge before she was ready. TJ closed his eyes and held on to control with a fine thread. All the while, they moved together.
It was probably the only thing that saved him. Pam’s willing presses against him as she rose to meet his thrusts calmed his wolf. Gave him the chance to ease the beast back and return to his human control once more. He tucked one hand around her torso, one hand between her legs to help her along, rubbing her clit in time with their joining until he felt her tighten under him, her orgasm grasping him in waves. He buried himself in her and let his restraints go, wishing with all his heart she was ready to accept all of him.
Forever.
“Another list?”
TJ took another couple of slow paddles, directing their canoe toward the bay they had selected. Day four, and time was slipping away too rapidly. The afternoon sun sparkled around them, the setting as idyllic as any picture postcard, but he felt a sense of urgency he’d never had before in the wilderness. Proving they were mates was like proving to a child the sun would rise in the morning. Facts could only explain so much before you had to let go and trust. “You can put your paddle away and I’ll let you take a peek. Oh, and you can turn around. I’m going to drop anchor while we fish.”
Pam tucked away the paddle and carefully lifted her legs over the gunwales as she rotated. The long line of bare skin showing below the edge of her shorts made his mouth water, and he stared off into the bush and thought of nasty things to divert his mind.
