Stolen Kisses

by Merryn Dexter

  He let his mouth stretch wide, in a wolfish grin. “Not just trying, I hope.”

  The walk back to his place took longer than he’d intended, but Easton didn’t mind. Taking her around a few of the key pack sites off the main thoroughfare had given her a feel for the layout of the town and provided him plenty of opportunity to steal a few more kisses. By the time they skirted the trees behind the trailer, Sadie’s lips were red, her hair tousled from him sinking his hands into the silken strands.

  After opening the flimsy door, he paused with one foot inside and studied her over his shoulder. He saw no hesitation in her face, only a mirror of the desire churning in his belly. Unable to stand a moment more of his human indecision, the wolf took control. With more need than finesse, he grabbed Sadie, lifted her into the trailer, and kicked the door shut behind them. Her legs locked around his hips, the damp soles of her snow boots trailing icy wetness down the legs of his jeans.

  They clashed together, all tongues and teeth, and he spun them around to prop her weight against the door. Hands free, lips locked, they scrabbled at the too many layers of clothing between them. Jackets spilled to the floor, buttons flew from his thick shirt, and her sweater ended up around her neck as the need for skin contact set them both aflame.

  Dragging down the cups of her bra, Easton filled his palms with the welcome weight of her breasts, swallowing her sigh as their mouths clung together. He pinched her nipples, growling with delight at the responsive way they tightened into hard nubs. Now he faced a dilemma. The sweet, drugging taste of her mouth, already an addiction, or the chance to learn a new favorite flavor as he sucked and licked her ripe breasts? She made the decision for him, throwing her head back to arch her spine and thrust into his hands.

  It took a quick adjustment of his hold to lift her higher on his body, bringing the peachy-brown nipples close enough for his questing tongue. The prick of her nails against his scalp urged him closer, and Easton took his lady’s instruction, drawing more of her flesh into his mouth. Soft, so soft, the perfect contrast to the hard edge of his teeth marking her skin. Her movements grew frantic, dragging the sweater free from her neck, shredding the T-shirt he wore into fluttering strips, leaving claiming scratches he would cherish later.

  Her legs rose higher on his hips, robbing his aching cock of the heated cradle between her thighs, and he nipped the side of her breast in protest. Biting his earlobe in retaliation, she reached beneath her leg, straining to find and release the buttons of his fly. He forgave her in an instant, groaning with relief as the pressure of the heavy denim released and his length sprang free of its confines.

  Needing to grind, to press and rub against her, Easton pinned her hard against the door, making the trailer creak in protest. Not wanting to spill them both out into the snow, he turned, forgetting his pants hung at half-mast around his legs. He should stop, take a breath, and remove the rest of their clothes, but the wolf rode him too hard for civilized thought. A staggering step got them as far as the table, and he propped her butt on the edge of the sturdy wooden surface.

  “In me, Easton. I need you in me.” Sadie writhed against him, thighs still locked about his waist.

  He forced her legs down, making enough space between them to unfasten her pants and tug them down. Spice and sweetness rose from the glistening damp of her core, and a bolt of lust almost knocked him on his ass. Edging her pants lower, he bent his head to swipe his tongue along the seam of her sex, needing the taste of her in his mouth. Holy hell! His knees buckled, and he could have spent an hour worshipping at the altar of her pussy if she hadn’t pushed him away, putting enough of her wolf strength into it to force him back.

  Hopping off the table, Sadie spun a one eighty and dropped her weight onto her elbows, arching her back to display the swollen pink flesh between her thighs. “No foreplay, just fucking.” Her wolf deepened her voice to a growl.

  Never so happy to obey an order, he gripped her hips in one hand, his shaft in the other, and guided his throbbing cock into the molten heat of her body.

  Chapter Seven

  She’d never been a passive bed partner, but the aggression and need riding her reached new heights as Easton finally, finally! began a slow, firm press into her core. The thick material of her jeans around her ankles restricted her movements, leaving her unable to do more than lift her hips up to meet his stroke. His fingers dug into her sides, urging her to be still, and she turned her head to snarl over her shoulder. “Hurry up!”

  Gold flashed in his eyes, and his voice scraped like gravel over her nerve endings when he curled his lips and snapped his teeth at her. “You’ll take what I give you, when I give it to you, and be thankful for it,” he growled.

  Vowing to pay him back for his arrogance later, she let the fierceness of his command wash over her, turning her bones liquid and her muscles weak. Her wolf howled in her head, rejoicing a worthy match to her own strength at last. Pressing her cheek to the cold surface of the table, Sadie lost herself in the stretch of her intimate flesh around the silken steel of his cock. Every inch he made her take increased the heat and burn until she wanted to scream from the intensity of it.

  Buried to the hilt at last, he pressed a line of heated kisses between her shoulder blades. His fingers curled around hers, bringing her arms up above her head until they could both grip the edge of the table. “Ready?” he whispered into her ear, and she whined in response.

  After the endless slow tease of his entrance, the power and speed of his first thrust sent a shockwave coursing through her. The second drove the breath from her body in a needy sound of surrender. By the fourth, her muscles were fluttering and dancing on the edges of orgasm, and her groans matched the protest of the wood beneath her.

  “Mine.” He slammed into her. “My mate.” The table creaked and wobbled. “Say it.” Another punishing drive of his hips.

  His body imprinted on hers, inside and out, and she knew there would never be another man she would share herself with. Yours. Your mate. Always. Blood welled where she bit the inside of her mouth to hold the words inside. She wanted to scream Easton’s name to the heavens, but her promise to Drew held her back. A Burrows or a King. The gift of this man was too great to squander with passion-driven vows. A final thrust and heat bathed her core, driving her tangled thoughts from her head in a blissful wave of pleasure.

  The table cracked beneath their weight, and only his lightning reflexes stopped them from falling flat on their faces. Staring down at the shattered remains at her feet, laughter bubbled in her chest and she couldn’t hold it back. Easton chuckled close to her ear, the sound breaking off in a groan when her muscles squeezed his half-hard flesh still buried inside her.

  He nuzzled her neck, sending delicious shivers through her body, and his cock lengthened in response. “I think maybe my seduction technique could use a little work.”

  She let her eyes drift from the shattered table to the visible dent in the metal doorway. “I don’t know about that. You almost brought the house down.”

  Their shared laughter had dispelled any tension remaining from the intensity of their first coupling. Easton had made no mention of his mate claim, and if he’d been disappointed at her lack of response, he hid it too well for her to spot. After untangling their pants and removing their boots, they crawled beneath the covers on his bed and spent the afternoon making love and plotting for the scavenger hunt.

  His descriptions of the four elder wolves commonly referred to as the matrons had her laughing and panicking in equal measures. It would be a challenge to get around them without rousing suspicion. By the time the sky outside the small window above the bed began to darken, they had outlined the beginnings of a plan. Bright light lit the evening gloom, and Easton raised himself on one elbow. “That’s the lights of the station forecourt. Ven must be closing up.”

  Sadie sat up. “I should go. They’ll be expecting me for dinner.”

  A vehicle horn sounded and a deep voice cal
led out. “Snow’s coming. I can smell it in the air. Do you need me to take the plow out later?”

  Easton leaned across her to crack the window an inch. Cold air shot through the gap, sending Sadie burrowing beneath the blankets. “Thanks for the offer, Ven, but I’ve got it covered.”

  “All right, man. We’ll see you both tomorrow at the tree raising.”

  Easton called his good-bye then closed the window, shutting the freezing blast out. He snuggled down beside her, his cold hands making Sadie shriek. Curling an arm around her waist, he tugged her across his chest. “Sounds like no one is expecting you to go home tonight.” His lips sought hers for a teasing, tender kiss. “Stay with me.”

  She smiled against his lips. “Make it worth my while.”

  “Haven’t I been doing that all afternoon?” He rolled her onto her back and settled between her legs. “I’ll just have to try harder.”

  ***

  There seemed to be a lot of noise and not a lot of action coming from the group of men clustered around the long bed truck. A huge fir tree lay on the back of the bed, a huge chunk of its root ball still intact. Sadie stayed on the opposite side of the street with the rest of the observers. Shouts of advice and a few catcalls from the women around her made her bite her lip though many of the others joined in with bursts of laughter. After an extended discussion, the men began to move, unhooking the ropes securing the tree while a smaller group finished digging a hole in the semi-frozen earth.

  “You’d think they’d have dug the hole before the first big freeze,” said a fierce-looking older woman. Her jet-black hair, bound in a thick braid, hung low down her back, trailing from beneath a lime-green knitted hat with a huge pom-pom on it. Her patched coat looked as old as she was, but there was no mistaking the sharpness in her brown eyes.

  “But then we wouldn’t be enjoying such a pleasant view today, dear,” her silver-haired companion observed.

  Caitlyn snorted then ducked her head to bury it in Sadie’s shoulder. Sadie, her eyes glued on Easton’s firm ass as he bent over to clear more dirt from the hole, thought the woman had a point.

  “Honestly, Lonnie. That boy is young enough to be your grandson.” The Native American wolf dug an elbow into her friend’s ribs.

  “Quit it, Kathy! I’m not dead yet, and as long as my eyes are working, I’m going to enjoy the sight of a handsome man working hard.” Her gaze slid toward Sadie, and a sly smile tugged the corner of her mouth. “Our newest arrival agrees with me, don’t you, honey?”

  Sadie grinned. Half the crowd had seen them arrive together not half an hour earlier, so it would be foolish to be coy now. She was also secretly thrilled at the chance to speak to one of their targets. “Absolutely, Miss Lonnie.” Easton had mentioned how much this matron liked to flirt, and her interest in him might just have made their plan easier. Hooking her arm through Caitlyn’s, she inched them closer to the two older women while they continued their pointed observations about the work party.

  With more than a few grunted curses, the men wrestled the tree from the back of the truck and lowered it into the hole. Easton afforded the group another fine view of his ass as he backfilled the dirt. Feeling mischievous, Sadie stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. He peered under his arm at the gathered group of women and gave them a booty shake to make Beyoncé proud. Whoops of laughter filled the air, and Sadie dug her camera phone out of her pocket to snap a few choice shots.

  Caitlyn shook her head. “If I tried that with Ven, he’d never forgive me.”

  Sadie leaned close to whisper in her cousin’s ear. “I think, given your current condition, he’d forgive you about anything.”

  A delicate pink blush colored the pretty redhead’s cheeks. “Shh. We’re trying to keep it within the family. Well, apart from Gee, but he won’t tell.”

  “Gee won’t tell what?”

  Sadie winced an apology at Caitlyn for attracting Miss Lonnie’s attention. According to Easton, the matron could sniff out a secret at a hundred paces. Glancing over Caitlyn’s shoulder, she offered what she hoped was a convincingly innocent expression. “Oh, you know how he is, Miss Lonnie. We’ve been trying to find out about the scavenger hunt. He dropped by the other evening, and we quizzed him throughout dinner, but he wouldn’t give us anything more than that enigmatic smile of his.”

  Miss Lonnie rolled her eyes. “Oh that old bear thinks he’s so clever. You know he used to be sweet on me, right?”

  Miss Kathy snorted. “You might have mentioned it once or twice.”

  Her friend tutted loudly but otherwise ignored the acerbic comment as she regaled Sadie with tales of youthful indiscretions. She soon had the group giggling and gasping over stories about some of the most respected members of the pack.

  Not needing to add more than the occasional “hmm” of agreement, Sadie kept one ear on the conversation and took a few more pictures of the tree raising.

  “And of course, we can’t forget your grandmother.” Miss Lonnie’s words snapped Sadie back into full focus. Her stomach gave a nervous roll as the older woman carried on. “Quiet and studious, that’s what most people thought about Margarete Burrows. Always such a good girl, until the day Edmund King drifted into town. She had stars in her eyes from the moment he fixed those big, blue eyes on her and smiled.”

  Lost in her story, Miss Lonnie didn’t notice her distress, but sharp-eyed Miss Kathy took one look at Sadie and cut across her friend. “That’s enough gossip even for you, Lonnie. Look, they’ve just about got the tree set.”

  Grateful for the intervention, Sadie took the chance to turn her back on the group. She raised her phone and snapped a few more pictures. Point and click, deep breath, point and click. A new wolf enjoying her first Winter Solstice among what might be her new pack—nothing more. It hadn’t occurred to her she would likely meet contemporaries of her grandparents, and the glimpse into the past left her unsettled. Margarete had always refused to talk about Edmund, and pain had laced her scent whenever his name was raised, so she’d learned to leave the topic alone. The idea these strangers held her grandmother’s secrets didn’t sit well with her.

  She was still clutching the phone when Easton sauntered over a few minutes later. The pine needles clinging to his collar and dusting his hair added to the fresh, natural scent he carried, and her stomach flip-flopped. He flashed her a grin, and she noticed he was keeping one arm behind his back. Shoving away her unhappy thoughts, she seized on the welcome distraction he offered. “Uh-oh, what are you hiding?”

  Easton pulled his hand out with a flourish, and laughter rose around them as he held a sprig of mistletoe over her head. “Now you have to kiss me,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

  Sadie laughed. “Like you need any assistance in that department.”

  “Hurry up and kiss him, girl, before someone takes your place,” Miss Lonnie said.

  “You know something, Miss Lonnie, I don’t think she wants to kiss me.” Easton set his big blue eyes wide, and let his lower lip quiver in an adorable, mournful expression.

  “Lord, boy. You’ve been giving women that look since you were knee-high to a grasshopper, and only a fool would fall for it.” Miss Kathy snorted, but a flash of straight, white teeth belied the sting in her words.

  “Then call me a fool, Kathy. You do most days.” Miss Lonnie winked at Easton, and he stepped toward her.

  With the mistletoe dangling from one hand, he circled the older woman’s waist with the other and dipped her like an old-time movie star. He swooped down, turning his head at the last moment to peck a kiss on her cheek to the applause from the crowd. Miss Lonnie’s eyes shone bright with delight as she patted her hair, and Sadie winked at Easton then pocketed her phone. One down, three to go.

  They drifted across the street to admire the tree, and more members of the pack soon joined the group milling around the huge pine. Easton curled his arms around her waist from behind, and Sadie leaned back against his sho
ulder. “It’s tradition for couples to hang an ornament on the tree,” he murmured against her cheek.

  She glanced back at him. “Is that what we are, a couple?” She’d meant to tease him, but found herself desperate for reassurance. He’d been so vehement with his claiming words the previous day, but after that first frantic coupling, he’d backed off, keeping things between them light and easy.

  Gold rolled across the blue of his iris, and his voice was wolf-gruff when he answered. “You bet your sweet ass we are. I’ll give you all the time you need, Sadie, but you’re mine and I’m yours.”

  Heart full, she pressed her lips to his jaw. “You’re a good man, Easton Quaid.”

  Caitlyn and Ven moved through the group toward them. “We’re heading home. Are you coming for dinner?”

  Easton nodded, his chin nudging the top of her head. “I have a late shift at The Den, but I’m free for the next couple of hours.”

  “Come on, then. It’s too cold for Caitlyn to be standing around for so long,” Ven said, causing his mate to sigh loudly.

  “We talked about this, Ven.”

  “We did, and I told you….” Their muttered argument faded as the two wolves made a start toward home.

  Easton shifted his hold until one arm settled over her shoulders and Sadie nestled into his side. They trailed after the still-bickering pair, exchanging smiles with a few other people as they made their way along Main Street.

  Feeling someone’s attention on her, Sadie turned her head to meet the gimlet stare of Miss Kathy. She extricated herself from Easton’s arm. “Give me a minute.”

  “Sure.” After a quick squeeze of her hand, he quickened his step, giving her and the elder privacy.

  The matron watched his retreating back for a few moments then turned back to Sadie. “I saw the pain in your eyes when Lonnie was chattering earlier.” She raised gentle fingers to brush a stray hair from Sadie’s cheek. “The past can only hurt you if you let it, child. If you want to know the true story about your grandparents, come and see me.”