by Lacey Thorn
“My mate can handle herself.” My words might have been directed toward Jarrod, but they were meant for Cecilia. I wanted her to know I didn’t see her as weak. Something told me she needed to hear that from me. “Stop stalling, old man. You want my throat. Come get it.”
Jarrod launched at me with a roar. I took him down easily, tossing him to his back then moving away, allowing him to regain his feet and charge again. I stepped aside this time, and Leslie growled and gave him a hard shove that knocked him to his knees. She stepped back, though, knowing I wanted him for myself. He struggled a bit getting back to his feet then came at me once more. Then again. And again. He was tiring, his anger costing him more than it gave.
“Stop toying with him, and end this, Simon!” Cecilia yelled.
“Maybe, I’ll just maim you first so you can hear me fuck your mate while she screams,” Makers sneered.
Cecilia’s command had me moving toward him. His words had me seeing red. We met with a thud, coming chest-to-chest. This time, I followed him to the ground. I snapped his arm when he swung wildly at me.
He screamed, but I had no clue what he was saying. My ears were awash with the dull roar of rage that had consumed me. His earlier words echoed in my mind. He wouldn’t touch a hair on my mate’s head.
I leaned down, baring my teeth as I went for his throat. His screams intensified then turned into gurgles as I ripped through flesh and muscle and tore out his throat. Without stopping to think, I freed my claws and slammed against his chest. It wasn’t as easy as I’d thought, but fury was the fuel I needed to punch and claw my way through until it was his heart in my hand, ripping free of his body as I roared with vengeance. Maybe, I’d put the fucking thing in a box and give it to Bas myself. There would be a certain sense of irony in that.
“Simon. Simon. Simon.”
I wasn’t sure how long my mate had been calling my name, but I finally snapped out of the fog that had woven around me and realized a few things. I was covered in blood as was Cecilia’s living room floor. I had no idea how long it had taken me to tear Makers’ heart from his chest, but I held it tightly in my fist. And my mate and her family were all watching me. But it wasn’t disgust in my mate’s gaze.
She crossed to me, shoving my arms wide as she straddled my lap. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and wiped it over my lips and jaw. I jerked back at first, but she merely followed me.
“I really want to kiss you right now, but I don’t want his blood in my mouth,” she snarled.
I dropped the heart to the floor and jerked my shirt over my head, using the remaining clean spots to wipe my face as clean as I could get. Then her hands were back on my face, pulling me toward her.
“That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” she told me.
“Blood thirsty wench.” I shook my head and snorted a laugh as I spoke. Then she leaned closer. Probably trying to whisper, though I had no doubt the others in the room would have no trouble hearing her words. Enhanced hearing and all that.
“I really want to take you in the bedroom and fuck you.” She wiggled on my lap, pressing the heat of her sex right atop my instantly hard cock.
I heard the front door open and shut and knew without glancing away from Cecilia that Cain and Leslie had stepped out.
“I’ll take care of this one, then I’ll be back to take care of him later,” Gabe said.
I did glance at him long enough to see him scoop an unconscious Madison into his arms.
“I knocked her out,” Cecilia offered with a sly smile. “Weak human, my ass.”
I stood, tossing my mate over my shoulder as I did.
“Take the house keys so you can get in and out in case we don’t answer the door,” I told Gabe, pulling them from my pocket and tossing them across the room to him. “We may be awhile.”
Gabe smiled. Then I didn’t care what he did. My focus was solely on my mate. I palmed her ass and headed toward the bedroom then veered toward the shower, instead. She might not mind the blood on my skin now that it was off my mouth, but I did. I didn’t want Jarrod Makers blood tainting another moment of our lives.
I wanted her naked, wet, and writhing while I filled her again and again with every inch of my eager cock. She wanted to fuck. That’s what we’d do. For the rest of the day and all of the night. Until neither of us could move.
Chapter Eleven
~Cici~
Seeing the ferocity in my man had awoken something inside me. No, I wasn’t a shifter. I wasn’t sure what it was he’d called to the surface. All I knew was I wanted him… No, I needed him with a carnality that surpassed even what I’d felt for him before. When he set me on my feet in the bathroom, I went at him, jerking and ripping at his clothes. I knew the blood bothered him. That he wanted to clean up before getting dirty with me.
“Cecilia.” My name was a rough growl falling from his lips. “Let me get the shower started.”
I’d always hated my name. I wasn’t sure why. I’d decided to go by Cici almost as soon as I’d started school. But the way my name sounded on his lips? It did things to me. My insides clenched, and I went to my knees, shoving his pants down his thighs and leaning in. I licked my way from balls to tip and took him deep into the back of my throat, swallowing around him then bobbing back up to do it all again.
“Let’s clean up first.” Simon’s words didn’t quite match the way he held my head close and thrust his cock into my mouth with wicked abandon. His head was thrown back and growls spilled from his lips.
I moaned, reaching my hands around to grasp his ass while I let him take over and fuck my mouth. I focused on the rub of his shaft over my tongue. The slight gag I still couldn’t completely eliminate when the head hit the top of my throat before I swallowed him down. The taste of salt and seed that coated my lips and cheeks and tongue as he rode in and out. I focused on the feel of his fingers clenching in my hair then rubbing against my scalp only to clench again as if he couldn’t control himself.
I focused on the way he made me feel. Yes, I was servicing him, but the pleasure of the moment was equally shared between us. In fact, I might have felt more, which sounded ridiculous, but was true all the same. With each swallow, my sex clenched and grew liquid. It only made sense to move one of my hands, slide it down my body and into my panties until I could stroke myself in tandem with the rhythm he set. My nipples were rock-hard. My orgasm rose within me, and I crested with it just before he came down my throat with a roar.
Before I could even catch my breath, he had me stripped from the waist down and sitting on the sink counter. My legs were forced wide as he knelt between them and used his fingers and tongue to keep me immersed in the pleasure washing through me. I rapped my head on the mirror behind me, my fingers scrambling over the glass for purchase. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t catch my breath no matter how much I gasped and mewled. And Simon continued consuming my sex until I saw stars.
“Simon.” I wasn’t sure if he’d heard me, but he lifted his head just long enough to give me an order.
“Breathe, baby, and let me enjoy my treat.”
My lungs kicked in as if they’d only been waiting on his permission.
“Simon,” I said again, and he glanced up at me, his face shiny with my pleasure. He licked his lips as if savoring the taste of me then placed a kiss on my inner thigh.
“You’re the sweetest treat I’ve ever tasted.”
I giggled and enjoyed the way his expression softened at the sound. This amazing man—no this wolf man—loved me. He loved me. It made no sense how quickly we’d fallen for one another, but everything I was learning told me it was normal when it came to shifters. They knew their mates instantly and didn’t need prolonged periods of time to date and explore and figure out if a relationship was what they wanted. They dove in, believing fully that they’d found the one person they were meant to be with. No hesitation. No questioning.
“I love you, Simon.”
He stared at me, not dropping our connection as he
stood. My gaze automatically dropped, and I saw he was back at full mast. His recovery speed was definitely a plus in the “why I love having a shifter as my mate” column. How insatiable he was topped that list, as well.
“Say it again,” he commanded, and I smiled.
“I love you.” I started to voice how weird it was to feel that so soon, but it wasn’t. Not anymore. Now, it was normal and right. God, it was perfectly right.
“I love you, Cecilia. I have from the moment I felt you.” He patted his chest right over his heart. “A lifetime won’t be enough time with you. I want endless lifetimes spent loving you.”
“Yes,” I agreed and didn’t say another word as he helped me to my feet.
We took our time removing the rest of our clothes, stopping to share soft kisses as we caressed each other. Simon turned on the water while I laid out towels, then we stepped into the shower together.
It was the most sensual shower I’d ever had. We took our time. I used a washcloth on him while he took the loofah and ran it over my skin until I had goosebumps, despite the steam that surrounded us. We kissed constantly as if our lips were magnetized to each other. When he lifted me against the shower wall, I wrapped my legs around his hips and my arms around his shoulders.
We didn’t have words. We were both lost in the emotion, in the sensations. We kissed and touched, and he was so deep inside me, surrounding me, that it was as if we were one person. One soul. Something shattered inside me, as if a wall were crumbling down, and suddenly, Simon was there. I felt what he was feeling. The pleasure he found in my body, in the brush of my skin, the shape of my breasts, the feel of my sex contracting around him as we moved together. I understood how he loved the texture of my hair and the way it smelled of mint.
Then I heard his voice in my mind.
I feel you. Not just you, but the pleasure you’re experiencing with me.
I nodded. Yes, I…feel it, too. Does this mean…?
We’re connected. Fully. I didn’t realize it would kick in this strong this quickly. Not with…
Me being human?
I felt his guilt and smiled.
“I can’t change what I am any more than you can change the fact you love me,” I said aloud.
“Never,” he swore, pressing deep and staying there.
“We may not know how everything will play out with us. Our relationship is different than those of the rest of your pack. Though I’m human, it’s even different from the one between my dad and Leslie. Which means we get to grow and explore together. Learn as we go. And I can’t think of anything more exciting as long as I’m doing it with you.”
“I love you, Cecilia. I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life loving you.”
“Focus on loving me right now, Simon,” I urged, wiggling my hips against his.
He laughed then groaned as I squeezed around him. It was overwhelming. I felt everything from both perspectives. It took what was there and intensified it a hundred-fold. No, more than that. It made me pure sensation, made the pleasure un-fucking-believable. We both panted, rising together. He took my mouth, ravished me with his kiss, and we exploded, riding the pinnacle of orgasm together and staying there for the longest moment.
I lost consciousness. That’s all I could think anyway, as the next thing I knew I was in bed cuddled against Simon’s chest, listening to his steady breathing. I rubbed my lips along his skin and ran my palm through the crisp hair on his chest. He mumbled something in his sleep, and his hand patted my ass before dropping limply to the bed again. I eased away, stopping every few seconds to soothe Simon when he grumbled in his sleep.
I grabbed one of his shirts and pulled it on before padding to the bathroom then out to the kitchen. My stomach was rumbling. The last time I remembered eating was when we were at my dad’s earlier. I glanced at the digital clock on the stove. Almost midnight. No wonder I was starving. Thankfully, I still had food in my fridge. Bacon, eggs, cheese. I cautiously sniffed at the milk, not one to trust the expiration dates. It was still good. I decided cheesy omelets with toast and bacon were the winner and went about cooking.
I was just setting it all on the table when Simon joined me. He’d pulled on a pair of jeans, tugging the zipper up but not bothering with the top button.
“Couldn’t resist the call of food?” I teased.
Simon tugged me into his arms, running a finger down my cheek before tipping my face upward and dropping his lips on mine. God, I loved his kiss.
“I missed you.”
I could have joked with him, but I knew he had missed me. That he’d felt the loss of me at his side when he awoke. And I felt how happy he was to have me back in his arms.
“Will it always be like this?”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’ll continue to get better.”
“I can’t imagine anything better than earlier. In the shower,” I added as if Simon wasn’t aware of precisely what I was recalling. Then I blushed.
Simon burst out laughing. “God, you’re amazing.”
“Sit down and let’s eat.” I pushed him toward the chair in front of his plate and took a seat beside him. “I’m sorry I went to sleep on you.”
“Passed out,” he corrected with a grin then groaned as he forked in the first bite of omelet. “This is fantastic.”
“It’s milk, eggs, and cheese with a few herbs. I can do a lot better with more supplies.”
“With food like this, I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
I shook my head but couldn’t hide my smile. We ate in silence for a few minutes. “Did your friend head back?”
“Gabe took Madison and Maker’s body back to the pack. She’ll be held until we get back and have a chance to talk to Bas in person.”
“When do you plan for us to leave?” I asked.
“Gabe is picking up a moving truck in the morning and heading back this way. We’ll stay long enough to pack you up and take everything with us.”
“Really!” I jumped from my seat and into his lap, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing.
“You shouldn’t have to choose what to fit in the Jeep with us and what to leave behind for us to get later. We’ll pack the house together and take it all.”
“Thank you, Simon.”
“Anything for you, baby.”
And I knew he meant it. I knew anything was possible for the rest of my life with Simon by my side.
Epilogue
~Simon~
“Ce!” I bellowed my mate’s name. At some point over the last six years, I’d shortened it to the first syllable, but I still refused to call her Cici.
I heard the shouts of my boys outside and followed them to the patio door. I knew wherever they were, their mother would be close by. After six years, we had four boys with another on the way. Ce was convinced this one was a girl, but I knew better. We were having another boy. Bee had already told me. Then she’d teased that we would give Cyan and Ivy a run on how many sons we could produce while we tried for a girl.
“Daddy!”
Whoops filled the air, and I was surrounded. I scooped up our youngest and tossed him in the air while he shrieked and giggled.
“Simon, stop,” Ce scolded. “Micah just ate, and you’ll have him puking everywhere.” She walked toward me, one hand on her stomach, rubbing the bulge where our newest addition still grew.
I settled Micah on my hip while Cain, David, and Ethan talked over each other, telling me about their day. Cecilia had my attention, though. Any time she was near, I couldn’t take my gaze off her. She grew impossibly more beautiful with every day.
“I missed you,” she whispered as she leaned into my side. I dropped a kiss on her upturned lips then laughed as Micah tried to join us.
I put him down and wrapped my arms around my mate. “I missed you.”
She kissed me again, and I felt my heart beat faster. This was why my mate was always pregnant. I couldn’t seem to keep my hands off her. She was the sexiest woman I’d
ever met. I dropped my hand to cover hers on her belly and felt the baby give a hearty kick.
“Active today,” I murmured.
“Active every day,” she vowed then gave me a glare. “Don’t think I don’t know this one is another boy. Which means you’ll be getting me pregnant again. I want a little girl, too. At least one.”
I nodded. “I’ll do my best to get you pregnant again. I’ll work night and day to see it happen. I promise I’ll give it my full attention.”
Cecilia giggled, which set off the boys as they joined her.
“Have you been in the pool all day?” I asked them, giving a mock glare.
“All day!” David yelled and jumped in the pool with a whoop. Not to be outdone, Ethan and Cain joined him while Micah jumped and cheered beside us.
“I hear my boys!” Cain, Cecilia’s dad, stood inside the back gate, and the boys were shrieking again. They loved their pop-pop, and where he was, their mimi wasn’t far behind. Sure enough Leslie was with him. She let Cain corral our sons while she headed for my mate and me. She immediately pulled Ce into a hug.
“How’s my girl?”
“I’m good. Tired. But good.”
I glanced at Cecelia. Tired my ass. Normally, the woman was a bundle of energy. When pregnant, she was like a fucking bunny on steroids. She didn’t stop. She shot me a glance, daring me to say anything. I was a smart man, though. I kept my lips sealed. I knew what my mate was after. She was horny. Another delightful side affect of pregnancy. Bunny on steroids.
“Well then, you might not mind if Cain and I take the boys for a sleepover.” She scooped up Micah and had him giggling. “Just think. Another few months and we’ll have another grandson to love.”
“Could be a granddaughter,” Cecilia countered.
Leslie laughed. “You two are like Cyan and Ivy. I think all you can have is boys. At least, we have Taylor and Rebbie to give us girls. Plus, Bee and Hannibal and Bas and Raina seem to have a nice mixture of boys and girls.”
“I already promised Cecilia I’d keep working until we have a little girl.”
