Jace had gone out with Amanda a few times. The daughter of the Kenner’s Mills pack Alpha, she had seemed nice enough, which just went to show that first impressions weren’t always reliable. She had wanted more than Jace had been willing to give, and things hadn’t ended well. Months later, she still took every opportunity to make his life miserable.
Jace looked down at Dani, who tilted her head up and smiled at him, making his heart swell. There was no way he would subject her to a scene with Amanda, not tonight, not ever if he could help it.
Placing his hand on her lower back, he gently but quickly guided her in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Dani asked. “Aren’t we staying for the fireworks?”
“Since this is your first time, I’m going to take you someplace special to see them,” he said with a wink.
Dani’s smile grew bigger. He was awed by her quiet trust.
After a short drive, Jace parked the Harley and extracted a bundle from the bike’s custom saddlebag.
“What’s this?” she asked, but Jace only grinned and told her it was a surprise.
Grabbing her hand, he led her along a barely visible trail to a small clearing partway up a small mountain. A floating launch platform had been set up on the lake, and from the clearing, they would have a perfect and private viewing of the fireworks.
Jace pulled out a small blanket, a bottle of wine, and two glasses. Her eyes sparkled as he spread out the blanket and poured a glass for each of them.
As darkness fell in earnest, Dani sat next to him and watched the show, while Jace didn’t see a single firework, not directly, anyway. His eyes were fixed on her face, watching the reflections in her eyes.
When the last sparkles from the grand finale faded away, she turned toward him and whispered, “That was beautiful. Thank you.”
Jace was thinking that she was beautiful. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
He leaned closer, filling his lungs with her delicious scent. When she didn’t back away, he brushed his lips lightly to hers. And the moment he did, his wolf took over. He was well and truly lost.
Her lips were so soft, like dark pink rose petals. They still held the taste of cotton candy mixed with wine, lending them a sweet, heady taste that made him crave more. They surrendered to his fuller, stronger ones, parting slightly to give him better access. Jace accepted her invitation eagerly, deepening the kiss, drinking her in like a man dying of thirst. With one arm wrapped around her, he held her to him. With the other hand, he caressed her face and stroked her hair.
The kisses, as wonderful as they were, were not enough. Kissing Dani had opened the floodgates that had kept him in control thus far, and now everything he had been trying to hold back rushed forward. He couldn’t touch her enough, taste her enough. He needed more just to survive.
Dani snaked her hand around his neck, welcoming him and pulling him even closer. Her kisses were just as heated, just as desperate. Her fingers cradled his head and tugged at his hair, more fuel to stoke his passion.
Jace found her breast, cupping it from underneath. It filled his hand as she moaned and arched into him. Encouraged by her response, he lifted her tops up and over her head, then flicked the clasp that held the satiny cups of her bra together.
Her breasts were beautiful, perfect. Round and full, they were the same lovely light bronze as the rest of her, with the exception of their dusky pink centers.
“Jace.” She tugged on his head, drawing him closer, inviting him to ravish her breast. Another invitation he gladly accepted. Her nipples were hard as he raked them with his teeth, licking away the sting and starting all over again.
Jace let out a hiss when she cupped his erection through his jeans. Her moans, soft and hungry, sent a pulsing ache right into his balls as she ran her hand up and down his length. Though he wouldn’t have believed it possible, he grew even thicker, even harder beneath her touch.
Within a few tries, she managed to unfasten the snap and release the zipper. Then she began to repeat the same maddening process, caressing his cock through his briefs. The intensity of his oral attentions increased with the weight and speed of her strokes.
When she slipped her hand into his waistband and closed her delicate fingers around him, he couldn’t contain his strangled growl of, “Naked. Now.”
They tugged at each other’s clothing until they were bare beneath the moonlight. Muttered curses rent the night when she started pumping, her hand like hot silk, deftly hitting his most sensitive areas.
He was too dazed, too lost in the feel of her to anticipate her next move. Another man might have blamed it on the wine, but Jace knew better. He knew everything came from the spell his mate was weaving around him. A wild, untamed magic as old as time itself—the connection between a male and his mate.
He groaned when she slid her hand down to cup his balls and took him with her mouth.
“Fuck, Dani,” he hissed, the air leaving his lungs all at once.
Jace looked down, struck by the sight of his cock disappearing between her pink, swollen lips. Her beautiful eyes were half-lidded and heavy with desire, swirling with currents of blues and greens like a stormy sea. He would remember that image forever. It was seared into his brain, as well as his soul.
She sucked at him while she made torturous little circles with her tongue. Her hands were everywhere, running over his chest one second, stroking his thighs the next. Sometimes, she used them in conjunction with her mouth, stroking, pumping, raking her nails gently over the seam, down and behind his balls and right back up again. He had never allowed a woman to touch him so boldly, never trusted one enough to give her so much power over him. But this was Dani. His mate. The only woman to whom he would give everything.
Every kiss, every lick, every stroke brought him closer to the point of no return. Therefore, he did the only thing he could. He grabbed her head, bunching her silken hair into his hands, and held on for dear life, praying he would survive long enough to worship her afterward.
His release was imminent; there was no way he could stop it. He tried to warn her, his words coming out in a series of husky growls as his wolf rose to the surface. Rather than back away, though, she took him deeper and pumped the base of his shaft harder and faster. When he was just about to come, she cupped his balls and squeezed.
Jace roared out her name, coming hard and fast as she held him to her. She took it all greedily until he fell back to the ground, his chest heaving. With one of her hands, she caressed his chest with gentle, petting strokes, while she continued to hold him with the other, more tenderly now, as she placed featherlight kisses and licks against his shaft.
Jace had never felt anything like it. She had completely overwhelmed both man and wolf. He could do little more than flex his fingers in her hair until the wave of lightheaded ecstasy passed.
When he did recover several minutes later, Jace was of single-minded purpose: to give Dani the same pleasure she had given him.
He began with searing kisses under her jawline as he cradled her head, trailing southward to lavish yet more attention on her perfect breasts. He drew one, then the other into his mouth. He licked and swirled them with his tongue, blowing cool air across her peaks after each heated kiss until she writhed against him and pulled desperately at his hair.
Pleased with her response, Jace shifted his attention farther below, kissing and nipping the soft flesh across her abdomen, then along her hips. He tongued along her inner thighs, tracing invisible patterns that had her arching for more. Her earnest moans and whimpers were music to his wolf’s ears.
Dani’s scent was intoxicating. It did something to his brain, turning him from an intelligent, thoughtful man into a primal beast with a singular, all-encompassing need to claim his female.
She was so wet; her body so willing and ready for him. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself deeply inside her and brand her from the inside, but he was determined to give her this intimate kiss first, as she
had gifted him.
Draping her legs over his shoulders, he began the most delectable task of easing some of her need and preparing her for what would come next.
From the first dip of his tongue, he was hooked, addicted to the taste of her honeyed cream. He licked along her sweet folds, kissed her lips, and teased her clit with his tongue.
He had never considered himself exceptionally skilled in this particular area, but her soft cries and writhing hips made him feel like he was a fabulous lover. He took more joy than he would have believed possible in his exquisite torture, in hearing her fractured moans and pleas, in feeling the sting of pain as she tugged at his hair.
When he slipped one finger inside her, she cried out again and arched. Two fingers, and her whole body began to shake with the building pressure. Jace swirled his fingers inside her in perfect rhythm with his erotic kisses and licks.
He looked up to see her face, awed by how beautiful she looked in her pleasure. She whispered his name over and over, sending him further into his lusty haze. She was so close; he could feel it in the way she gripped his fingers and tried to pull him closer. He pushed even deeper, flicking his fingers inside and his thumb outside as he gave one last pull with his mouth.
She shattered beneath him. There was no other way to describe it. She cried out a long, agonizing moan as every muscle in her body contracted with the force of her orgasm, then a series of tremors spread throughout her body.
Jace scrambled up and wrapped his arms around her, holding her as she shuddered against him, riding the powerful crest of her orgasm. The orgasm that he had given her.
For the longest time, they just held each other, side by side, a tangle of legs and arms. Jace placed gentle kisses on her face as she caressed his back. When they looked at each other, their eyes said everything that words could not. That didn’t stop Jace from trying to say them, anyway.
“Dani, I—” he started on a whisper, but she lifted a finger to his lips. Then she rolled onto her back, creating a cradle with her legs and pulling Jace with her.
He rested his weight on his elbows, cradling her head as her hips cradled him. The swollen tip of his erection, hard and aching once again, nudged against her entrance.
“Make love to me, Jace,” she whispered, looking deeply into his eyes.
A part of him—a very small part—warned against it. You don’t even have a condom, the little voice said. A much bigger part of him clawed inside his belly and chest. Yes, yes! it goaded. Take her, mark her as your own. You know she is yours. All yours. Only yours. She is begging for you. Let nothing come between you and your mate.
With his wolf in the grips of the mating heat, the bigger part held more sway. Marking and claiming her as his own was as necessary as his next breath, but he needed her to be sure.
“Be certain this is what you want, Dani. There is no going back after this. You are mine.”
She met and held the intense, glowing gaze of his wolf. “I understand. I want this, Jace. I want you.”
With a slight rock of his hips, he entered her, his passage eased by her earlier climax. And Dani arched and gasped, digging her nails into his shoulders. Still, Jace was a large man, thick and heavily engorged. Even drenching wet as she was, it was a tight fit, and it would take a couple of tries to seat himself completely within her. He did so slowly, tenderly, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, because to him, she was.
He kissed her with each gentle push, penetrating a little farther each time, allowing her to stretch and take him. With one last rock of his hips, he was seated fully within her, his balls resting against her wet, tender skin.
“You’re inside me,” she whispered in both awe and reverence, flexing her inner muscles around him. “So deep,” she moaned. “So good.”
“I’m deep inside you,” he echoed, his voice a rough growl. “So perfect, Dani, so fucking perfect, like you were made just for me.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes as he withdrew and entered her again and again with long, thorough strokes, stretching her to the limit as her muscles flexed and squeezed him. There was not a part of her that was left untouched, so thorough was his invasion.
She gripped his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his hips to take him even deeper. Jace growled his approval and thrust harder, watching her eyes begin to glaze over as she gave herself to the pleasure.
“Don’t stop, Jace,” she begged breathlessly. “Don’t ever stop.” Dani dug her nails into his skin and squeezed her legs harder around him. Her heels against his ass encouraged him deeper.
“Never, baby,” he promised.
Jace let go of his last thread of control, taking her as he needed to. One, two, three powerful thrusts, and her sheath gripped him like a vice, flexing along the length of his shaft. Her entire body clenched as she came apart beneath him, his name a fervent prayer on her lips.
This was it, the moment his wolf had been waiting for.
She gripped him tightly, her climax pulling at him, demanding everything. Clamping his teeth down on the tender skin between her neck and shoulder, he pushed as deeply as he could go and felt the first pulse shoot forth. He held her firmly against him as he branded her with his release.
It was so good, so very good. Jace had never felt anything like it. Deep inside her welcoming heat, he hadn’t just come; he had injected his heart and soul into her.
When she had taken all he had to give, Jace used the last of his strength and the natural force of gravity to roll onto his back, breathless. Dani went with him, keeping them joined as she lay draped over his body. Dani purred against his chest, sated and content.
The last thought that crossed his mind before Jace dozed off was that his wolf had been right on that very first day when he held her hand in his for those brief few seconds. Dani was the one.
Amos’s words echoed in the deepest reaches of his consciousness. “Your brother Thomas was born ten months later.”
He looked down at her half-closed eyes, saw and felt the incredible rush of rightness, and decided he didn’t care. She was his mate. He would visit the jewelers first chance he got, because now that he had her, he would never let her go.
They remained there, under the stars, naked and happy in each other’s arms. When the dawn began to break, they made love again, then watched the sunrise.
“Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning,” Dani murmured the old quote against his chest, seeing that the sky had a flaming red and golden glow. “A storm is coming.”
When she shivered, Jace pulled her closer to him as if he felt it, too. He had no idea just how prophetic her words were.
Chapter 7 – The Calm Before the Storm
It was still early when they cruised into town, dressed in the same clothes they had worn the night before. Jace coasted down Amos’s driveway, pulling quietly around the back to his apartment above the detached garage.
With a sigh of reluctance that made his heart squeeze, Dani pulled away from the warmth of his back enough to let him dismount. Within seconds, she was in his strong arms, snuggling against his chest as he carried her up the stairs and into his apartment.
“Shower first or breakfast?” he asked as he kicked the door shut behind him.
Dani mumbled something against his neck. The vibrations and the warmth of her breath made him briefly consider postponing both and taking her right to his bed, but the thought of standing naked under a spray of hot water with Dani was too tempting.
She didn’t offer any resistance as he undressed her, but her half-hearted grumbles did have him chuckling.
“Are you always this grumpy in the morning?” he teased, nipping at her bared flesh as each piece of clothing was removed.
Those grumbles turned into a moan of pleasure when he placed her under the hot spray. Then he made quick work of his own clothes and joined her, eager to lavish attention on his mate.
She leaned against him as he washed and conditioned her hair, then lathered an
d massaged her entire body, paying particular attention to the parts that needed the most TLC. It revived her somewhat, and she attempted to do the same for him, but Jace wouldn’t allow it. He gently yet firmly informed her that she could do so later, that this time was strictly for her, and pampering her after the night they had shared was his privilege.
He could have sworn she growled at him.
After the shower, he toweled her off and pulled one of his old T-shirts over her head. Jace thought she had never looked more beautiful than standing there in a shirt that hung down nearly to her knees, her skin flushed from the hot water and his attentions. With her hair hanging loose, damp, and curling around her shoulders, his mate was the sexiest thing he had ever laid eyes on.
Jace slung on some comfortable sweats and nothing else. It amazed him how comfortable they were around each other, as if they had been together for years instead of weeks. But that was the way it was with mates. They were perfectly matched, their bond providing a sense of wholeness that hadn’t been there before.
She followed him into the kitchen, padding along quietly in her bare feet. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to get her to stay in bed while he made breakfast. Admittedly, though, he hadn’t pushed the issue. She wanted to be with him. How could he possibly have a problem with that?
He easily lifted her up onto the counter, tossing her an apple while he puttered with the bacon and eggs. That was one thing he was adamant on—that he would be the one cooking. Thankfully, she didn’t put up much of a fight.
Jace’s cell phone rang.
“Uh-oh. Busted,” he said with a grin as he checked the display. “It’s Amos.
“Yes, Amos, tell Bess that Dani is fine ... Yes, she’s with me; don’t worry ... I won’t ... Amos ... Amos ...” Jace’s eyes met Dani’s. “Yes, Amos, I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life ...” He turned and lowered his voice a little. “As you kindly pointed out, she is a grown woman ... Right ... Yeah, okay, hang on.” Jace handed the phone to Dani.
Falling for the Werewolf: A Wolf Shifter Romance Page 5
