Cracked

by Vanessa North

  “Show me,” she said, dropping her dress to the floor, standing naked before him. He closed his eyes. Goddess, she was so young. Only the one tattoo along her sternum.

  Her lip caught between her teeth. “Please, mate. Show me how…”

  He groaned and reached for her, tugging her down beside him and taking her mouth in another heady kiss. The little minx had her hands under his shirt, and he wasn’t surprised to hear fabric ripping and buttons pinging across the floor as she wrenched it from him. He smiled against her lips, feeling her tongue tracing the lines of his shifted teeth. She was reaching for his belt, trying to release his cock, and he wanted her hands on him so much he was finding it hard to breathe.

  “Stop.”

  Her hands stopped; she pulled away, looking hurt. He kissed her quick and hard, then laid her back on the bed and knelt over her. “Like this,” he whispered, leaning over to take one hard nipple between his lips. He worshiped her with his mouth, sliding his tongue in circles around the peaked point of her breast while she moaned and clasped his hair in her hands.

  “Yes, querida,” he whispered. “And like this.” He took her other nipple between his teeth, scissoring it between them. She shuddered, and her hands tightened in his hair. “And like this.” He kissed along her ribcage, tickling down to her navel. He blew on the soft flesh before nibbling at it. He watched the texture of her skin change as goosebumps broke out across it and a breathy wail burst from between her lips.

  “Let me show you,” he whispered as he moved lower, spreading her legs wide. “Let me show you…oh Goddess, you’re beautiful,” he said, staring at her pussy, pink and pretty and wet for him. With one finger, he traced the delicate folds, making her groan her urgency.

  Again he pulled away to look at her. Smoothing the hair from her face, he smiled and pressed a swift kiss to her forehead.

  “Querida… I have to know. You said you were inexperienced, I don’t want to hurt you. Have you ever done anything like this before with a boyfriend or a lover?”

  She shook her head, blushing. “No, I mean, there’s never been…I’ve tried to get myself off, but I usually just got frustrated. Once I thought I came close, but no. And with Bear hanging around, nobody was interested in…well.” She sighed. “I guess I’ve just not had an opportunity.”

  “You’ve never had an orgasm?” he asked incredulously. Her blush spread down her body, making him feel like an ass for embarrassing her. “Shh…no…love, don’t be embarrassed, there’s no shame in what we’re doing, and no shame in what you have or haven’t done before. Querida, let me…” His words bit off in a growl as he started kissing his way down her body, suddenly wanting more than anything to show her what her own body could do. He smiled fiercely against her breast as she arched up to meet his lips, and then he was trailing a heated path down her abdomen once more.

  Her sighs became a gasp as he slipped one finger inside her. She was wet enough to take his finger easily, but she was very tight. He felt her stiffen against the invasion, and he shushed against her, pressing his lips to her swollen clit.

  “Ah!” she shouted in surprise, and he smiled.

  “That’s right, love. Tell me what you’re feeling. Tell me what makes you hot, needy.”

  “Please, touch me there again,” she begged. He slipped his thumb up to circle her clit as he explored her with lips and tongue, preparing her body with slow, sensual movements. He paid attention to the way her body tensed and rolled as her hips thrust against his finger and thumb. He saw the way she rolled harder into his thumb as he pressed the underside, so he switched to rubbing the underside back and forth.

  He felt her climax building as she rocked against him, and he pressed his tongue where his thumb had been, flicking and rubbing, listening to her cries grow more uneven and hoarse as she reached for the peak. Knowing she was right there, and he was the one that brought her there, he felt a fierce pride work through him. He sucked her clit between his lips and caressed her breasts with his free hand. She exploded around his finger, a desperate noise coming from her throat as she bucked and leapt in his arms. He rode out the passion of her climax, pressing kiss after kiss to her heat.

  When she collapsed, limp against the bed, he slipped his finger from her with a final kiss. He stretched out next to her on the bed, loving the taste of her in his mouth, the smell of her on his skin. The Goddess had seen fit to give him a second chance, and it threatened to overwhelm him with joy, even as his own desires remained unfulfilled.

  Slowly, Sarita turned onto her side and looked at the man lying next to her. She kissed him, tasting herself on his lips and shuddering with the intimacy. “Angelo…” she breathed his name. “Please, make love to me. Bite me. Make me yours in every way,” she whispered. “I’m not afraid.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” He hesitated, caressing the side of her face. “You’re so small.”

  “You won’t hurt me.” She smiled at him, “I trust you. I need you.” She reached for the button on his pants, pushing them down his legs. She grasped him in her hands and stroked him, exploring the hard shaft between her hands with questioning fingers.

  “Goddess, woman, you’ll kill me,” he gasped, sitting up. Leaning over her, he nipped at the soft skin of her neck, the feel of his teeth making her hum and writhe. He kicked his pants off his legs and moved over her. Settling himself between her thighs, he cupped her breast and kissed her, sweeping his tongue through her mouth until she was rocking against him. The slip of her heat against his caused them both to groan. He reached between them, teasing her clitoris until great gasps were racking her body, then slid himself inside. She flinched at his entry, and he slowed, teasing her clit again until she relaxed and pushed herself against him, her eyes clenched shut.

  “Querida, open your eyes,” he whispered. He saw the tension hovering about her face, and he kissed each eyelid, pressing them closed again. He held still, kissing her face and teasing the nub of her clitoris while she relaxed into the steady heat of his embrace. When she began rocking her hips against his, he smiled and let her set their tempo. The heat and tension built slowly until he couldn’t help but thrust into her, baring his teeth. But now she was ready for him, and she growled deep in her throat as her body accepted his.

  “Yes, love,” she whispered. “Give me everything,” she demanded. He felt the dam burst in his soul at her words, and he drove into her, pressing a fevered kiss to her shoulder. His wolf instinct took over, and he bit, hard enough to break the skin, taking a feral pleasure in the way she cried out as she shattered in his arms, her body racked with spasm after spasm of bliss. Then, with a ferocious surge of surprise and joy, he felt her teeth sinking into his own shoulder, and he was lost to the sensation, his cries as hoarse and fierce as hers while his climax tore through him like an electrical storm, and he collapsed in his lover’s arms.

  Mated.

  It was a feeling he had stopped hoping to feel again. He had relegated it to a little box in his soul, one he’d open and explore in moments of weakness or self-pity. Her happiness, her vitality, had flooded into him as his teeth broke her skin, his long-broken heart healing and swelling to life one tremulous beat at a time. What a gift he’d been given. She hugged him tighter. Cradling his head to her shoulder, she shushed and crooned, kissing against his forehead, and he realized she was feeling the rush of emotions swirling about him.

  “It’s amazing,” she whispered. “I feel your joy, but it’s bittersweet, isn’t it? Loving me isn’t making you unfaithful to her, darling. She’s still there, in your heart. And I love her for making you the man you are.”

  “I know. I feel it. You’re a treasure, little one. I love you.”

  “I don’t know how it’s possible I love you already, but suddenly I am surer of it than anything in my life.” She pressed a kiss to his knuckles, licking and nibbling at his fingertips. H
e smiled a dreamy smile, feeling the warmth of their bond forming around them….and something else in the back ground. He sat up suddenly.

  “What the hell is that?” he asked, startled at the sensation rippling in his head.

  She laughed. “That feeling like thunder rolling in the background? That’s just Bear. You’ll get used to him.”

  He can feel us? Angelo asked in her head.

  Sort of. Oh hey, this is cool! It’s different with your mate, isn’t it? Joy burst over her face as she touched his mind.

  What about Gerard? Is he connected with us?

  He won’t get in your head without permission unless you need him. We have all the privacy we need. But he’s there. It’s always been sort of comforting to me to feel him there.

  Hi, Gerard. Angelo tested the theory.

  I’m busy. We can get acquainted later. He felt Gerard push back at him with annoyance, and he laughed. He also felt the gentle indulgence Bear was showing because of Sarita.

  Thank you. He pushed a little feather of thanks toward Gerard before turning back to his mate.

  “Are you sore?”

  She shook her head, her smile broad, the tip of her tongue stealing between sharpened teeth.

  “Good. Because I want to make love to you again in the morning.” He kissed her shoulder where his mark had healed to a shiny, white scar. The sight of it there on her skin filled him with pride. His first mate had worn his mark on the back of her neck, and he’d never tired of seeing it. Seeing it again on Sarita’s skin made his wolf content.

  “Do we have to wait until morning?” She grinned up at him. Murmuring thanks to the Goddess, he pressed his lips to her throat and went about showing his impatient mate just how much he needed her.

  Chapter Five

  Angelo’s cell phone ringing interrupted his early morning dreams. Sarita snuggled closer to his chest, growling under her breath. With a tender smile, Angelo pressed a kiss to her forehead and reached across her for the phone. He frowned when he noted the phone number. Part of his consulting business had grown to include serving as a wolf-human liaison once the wolves had revealed themselves to their human brethren. The displayed number was his human counterpart, Special Agent Geoff Neubacher, FBI Lupine Relations Specialist. The man was half lawman, half politician, and all asshole. He was also Angelo’s best non-wolf friend.

  “The fuck, dude.” He scowled at the phone.

  “Zalez. Am I interrupting your sun salutations or something?” The other man answered calmly.

  “I got married last night.” Angelo smiled as he remembered the feeling of his teeth sinking into Sarita’s shoulder. A wave of purpose and brightness had washed through him, and it still pulsed in him, and would for the rest of his life, Goddess willing.

  “Oh man, I hate that I am making this call then. We have a wolf in custody. I kinda need you to come south. Any chance you were planning on seeing the nation’s capital during your honeymoon?”

  “Damn, Geoff. All I want to see for the next seventy-two hours is my mate’s gorgeous body,” Angelo snarled into the phone. “Wait. You said ‘in custody.’ What does that mean? Your police arrested one of ours for something?”

  “It’s a protective custody. We think she was poisoned.”

  “Poisoned? A Were? Our metabolisms are too strong for that—unless it was silver, the wolf would have taken over and cleaned it out of the system before any damage could be done.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it, Zalez. Nine-one-one was called in for what appeared to be a drug overdose in a hotel room. As the paramedics were preparing to go to work, the woman shifted into a wolf. Not much of one either—just a little bit of a thing. I don’t get it, I thought you all were the Big Bad?”

  “Well, some are. I’m sorta small for a wolf too, you know.”

  “Sorry, man, I didn’t mean it like that. At six feet tall and ripped, you’re hardly a little guy. This wolf is seriously tiny, even for a human. And she was very close to OD’ing on whatever she was injected with, then the wolf took over and saved her ass. She seems okay now, just ornery and not very talkative. She growls at anyone who comes close. We wonder if she was some kind of experimentation subject. You know we do our best to make sure wolves don’t get kidnapped, but, man, she’s so freakin’ little.”

  “Dammit. I’ll take a shuttle in. I’m in New England. I can make it to New York in a couple hours, then I’ll be on the next shuttle to DC.”

  “I’m sorry about interrupting your honeymoon, Zalez.”

  “Duty calls and doesn’t give a fuck if it’s convenient.” Angelo sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. He could feel his mate stirring next to him. “I’ll call you when I reach the District. Where is she being held?”

  “They have her at the Academy in Quantico. I’ll make sure you have all the clearance you need whenever you get here. “

  “See you soon, G.”

  Angelo hung up the phone and looked down at the little wolf curled against his side. Indigo eyes glared up at him: hurt, yet resigned.

  “The Wolf of Wall Street to the rescue?”

  “I’m so sorry, querida. Would you like to come with me?”

  She looked startled that he had asked, then a blush spread over her cheeks. Of course he asked—they were mated. “No, love. I can’t. I’m under deadline on a children’s book. I wish I could; what you’re doing sounds really interesting.”

  “How much did you hear?” he asked, searching her eyes.

  “Enough to know I’m not the only one with a busy day ahead of me. Go. I’ll be here when you get back.”

  Angelo leaned over and kissed Sarita’s sweet lips. He felt a rush of desire coiling low in his belly, hardening his cock. For a moment, he rolled her partway underneath him, pressing himself to her as he deepened the kiss, his hands finding their way into her hair. He felt her nipples harden against his chest, and his teeth shifted, a sweet, aching pleasure.

  Goddess, he’d forgotten how good this felt, making love with a mate. He hadn’t been celibate over the years, but none of his liaisons had filled him with this sharp pleasure. It scalded his balls, made him want to bury himself, cock and teeth and heart and soul within another, not any other…her. He shivered in delight and started to slide a hand down her body. She shook her head, murmuring against his lips.

  “No, lover, if we start this now, you’ll be late. Get out of here.” As she pulled away from him, he saw her cheeks were flushed with desire and her eyes had darkened, black pupils swallowing up the indigo irises.

  “You’re right.” He looked around for his pants, stopping abruptly when he saw them on the floor. He shook his head in wonder—he wasn’t the kind of guy who got so carried away he threw his clothes on the floor. Usually he was more collected. His little mate apparently made him lose a bit of his tightly imposed self-control. A hint of a smile turned up the corners of his mouth. This could get fun.

  He turned back to her, smiling. “I can be quick.”

  “Where’s the fun in that for me?” she teased, a challenging arch to her eyebrows. Through their connection, he could feel her nerves and her bravado like they were his own. He could also feel how much she wanted him.

  With a growl he threw her down on the bed. He tried to remember she was an innocent, mated for less than twenty-four hours. There was so much she didn’t know, so much to show her about her own sensual capacity. With a hard, quick kiss to her lips, he pinned her hands above her head, then took a moment to stare at her.

  Sarita swallowed hard under Angelo’s frank perusal of her body. She was an artist, not as fit as some of the other wolves with more active careers. A flicker of nervousness worked through her.

  “Don’t.” His voice was hoarse. “Don’t ever think you aren’t enough for me. You are everything, querida.” She felt a wave of sharp l
ust run through her and realized it was coming from him—felt her lips fall open in a round “oh” of surprise at his feral smile, felt his teeth skim along the side of her neck as her own shifted fast and hard, a tight tingling ache.

  “Oh…” She breathed the word as her body seemed to warm from the inside out, a sharp, tense feeling, reminding her of her first time blowing glass in art school: heat, swollen and liquid. As he used his teeth to sensitize the skin along her collarbones, she arched upward and let him into her mind fully.

  Sí, querida. The touch of his mind to hers was somehow lush and soft and hard-edged all at once. Before she could remark on the contrast, he took her nipple between his teeth and suddenly she felt her wolf instincts take over. She was still getting to know the wild creature inside her, but in that moment she loved the wolf that let her bare her teeth at the lover who still held her pinned, loved how his wolf recognized it.

  He let go with one hand, and with the other still holding her wrists above her head, he turned her over.

  She loved the wild instinct that told her exactly how to fit her body to his, and the feral joy that chased her beating heart as he filled her and— No, no, no! she snarled as he stopped.

  Shhh, querida, wait for it. He urged her as he began moving in a slow rhythm that made her ache. Both her hands were free suddenly, and his hands had moved to her hips. The wet heat of his tongue licking up her spine nearly threw her over the edge, but then his hand had slipped between her legs and a sweet throb of pressure right—

  Oh.

  Right.

  His teeth found her shoulder, and her head went back.

  Sweet—

  Sharp—

  The rush of excitement and pleasure as his teeth sank into her shoulder and the heat exploded as she took a great shuddering breath, trying to hold off the inevitable rush, but then the hand on her hip disappeared, and—