by Holley Trent
Yeah, she imagined they shared some of the same enemies. The wolves had been more or less neutral until Calvin married Julia. They couldn’t help but to take sides then.
“I need someone at my back,” he said. His socked foot found her shin beneath the table and gave it a little nudge. “I know how you fight, and I know how protective you are. You wouldn’t let anything happen to me, even if I was just your friend. I don’t want to be just your friend, though. I’m not pleased to admit that I wouldn’t have fallen if I thought we wouldn’t be lovers. Angels aren’t supposed to have thoughts like those, but I did.”
She tittered nervously. Somehow, it’d been easier to be confident around him when she’d thought he didn’t want her. “I … don’t want to be just friends either. I just think I’m getting the better end of the deal, and that upsets my sense of fairness. That’s why I’m the pack ombudswolf. Or was, anyway. I made sure everyone was treated fairly and that everyone had a voice. This doesn’t set right in my gut, you getting tethered with me when you could be with a goddess or sweet little nymph or something.”
“Then recalibrate your fucking gut.”
His sharp tone made heat flare low in her belly. Maybe it was that recalibration he was talking about. Felt a lot like being turned on to her, though. It was taking every bit of self-restraint she had not to ask him to pin her down and bite the scruff of her neck.
“We can argue about this until the four horsemen come,” he said, “but I’d rather save my breath for more pleasurable things.”
“Like what?”
Bite me.
“Like making love to you. I’ve asked all the right questions. I know what it takes to complete our bonding. I know what your wolf wants. I had wanted to take things slow and ease you into this, but … maybe you’ll understand me better once we’re joined.”
“You can’t undo it. Wolves mate for life. You do it, you’re stuck with me, just like Julia is stuck with Calvin. Lord knows what she sees in his snarly ass.”
He was right. She was self-hating, and it was a pernicious thing. She was sick of sabotaging herself. She could be happy. With him, if he really wanted her.
“Good.” He picked his fork back up and scooped some greens onto it. “Then I won’t have to chase you. Eat up. I’ve got a Christmas gift for you and you won’t get it unless you eat every bite.”
Intrigued, she slid some chicken between her lips and let out a pleasurable little moan at the flavorful seasoning. The man could cook. Damn.
She ate, and not just because she was hungry, but because it seemed to make him happy.
Such a small thing and he was grinning like a lottery winner. She had to grin, too.
This was what love was, she decided, and she hadn’t recognized it because she’d never known it. She wasn’t just a prima donna wolf to him. Not just the alpha’s sister or the bitchy ombudswolf.
To him, she was Sweetie. She wanted more than anything to be his Sweetie, but there was still a chance he’d change his mind.
Nine months was a hell of a long time to be joined at the hip to a needy wolf bitch, and that was assuming they hit a hole in one. Her wolf was calm now, but wouldn’t be stable until she whelped. Her mate would have to stay close, keep her at bay. It was an unreasonable expectation to hold any man to, especially one she didn’t really want in the first place. That’s why she’d retreated to the woods. She’d rather lose herself to her wolf than settle.
There was a reason her brother hadn’t wanted a wolf mate, either. The man knew his limits.
Did Mark?
She hoped so.
CHAPTER SIX
“Come here.” Mark motioned Sweetie over to the table, but she wouldn’t budge.
She lay on her back, gurgling at the ceiling and rubbing her belly. “Can’t. Move. Too. Stuffed.”
“Come on, you finished an hour ago. I thought werewolves had turbo-charged digestive systems and metabolisms.”
“Oh yeah. Male wolves do.” She groaned dramatically and tipped herself onto her side. “And teenaged girl wolves, maybe. Grown-ass woman wolves? Not so much. Haven’t you seen the spread on Mama’s ass?”
He knew better than to answer that.
“You really don’t want to know what’s in the box?” he asked. “I’ve been holding onto this for a year.”
“Did you recycle a Christmas gift? I would have thought you were way too classy for that, Angel.”
“Quit calling me Angel, and no, this isn’t a re-gift. Aren’t you the slightest bit curious?”
“I’ll never stop calling you Angel. And yes, I’m curious, but this bed is so comfortable.” She rubbed the mattress and emitted a wanton little groan. “I didn’t think Claude had it in him.”
“Claude doesn’t. I dragged Claude’s mattress out back and burned it. It was flat as a pancake and probably possessed by at least three malevolent spirits.”
“And you’re just going to leave this here when you go?”
“When we go.”
She made a dismissive flick of her hand. He knew she was only humoring him at best, but she’d have to get over whatever her hang-up was. It was obvious she wanted him, and that’s what kept him pushing onward. They had a lot of years to come to work out their kinks, and he was patient enough to see them through it.
“All right. You won’t come to me, I’ll come to you. That’s the way it’ll always be, I guess.” And he was perfectly fine with it. Even alpha wolves had to chase their ladies sometimes.
“You might have to chase me down and put a collar and leash on me at some point,” she said sardonically.
It would have been funny if it weren’t for what was in the box. He cringed, and carried it to her.
She sat up and set the narrow box on her lap. When she didn’t open it immediately, he knelt in front of her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t get you anything.”
“Given the circumstances, I didn’t expect you to.”
“But it’s not fair if—”
He knelt up and smothered her words with his lips. Her mouth was set in a tight, tense line, barring him entry. He flicked at the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue until she opened up.
He probed the inner reaches of her mouth, exploring all the soft recesses and teasing her lazy tongue with his own until she kissed back.
She put her hands on the sides of his head and angled him just so for her comfort. Her tongue darted in and out of his mouth in short, provocative thrusts that reminded him of other things they could be doing.
As if on cue, his cock swelled, but being in loose pants now, he felt more discomfort than pain. He may have been a novice at lovemaking, but even he knew that he’d only find relief in coming. He also knew that if she so much as touched him, he’d probably go off like a geyser.
Mark took the box from her and set it on the floor beside the bed. “You can open that later.” What was inside wasn’t all that romantic, anyway.
“Mmm.” She reclaimed his lips and somehow rolled with him so he was on his back and she lay on top of him, straddling his thighs.
With one wriggle of her ass, she had him hissing and pushing at her hips. “It’s just a little foreplay,” she said, and had the audacity to giggle.
“I can’t take it.”
She pushed up onto her palms and studied him intently. “Don’t tell me you haven’t cleaned the pipes since … well … you know.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not going to tell you that. In fact, I’ve gotten very familiar with my right hand in the past couple of months. I know every wrinkle and bump on my cock just by feel. I would imagine that getting off on your own is a hell of a lot different than having the sensual stimulation of a partner.”
“Oh.” There was an evil glint in her eyes as she eased down his legs and grabbed the waistband of his pants.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping you take it. Don’t talk me out of it. Touching you makes me feel like a
degenerate. I’m trying to get over it.”
“Sweetie, there’s nothing more degenerate than the dreams of a virgin entity who happens to be billions of years old.”
“Oh really?” She exposed him with one hard yank and grabbed his shaft.
It was as if she’d pulled some lever and activated his body from a long stasis because he bolted upright only for her to push him back down.
“If I’m going to Hell for corrupting you, I might as well have a good time of it.” She worked her thumb over his head and slicked him up with his own lubrication.
“Y-you’re not going to Hell for this,” he managed to croak out. His own Hell at the moment would probably feel like persistent blue balls.
“You’re probably right.” She bent down over him and trained her bright eyes on his face. “I was probably bound for Hell long before I met you.”
He was going to make some rebuttal, but she pulled him into her hot mouth and flitted her tongue against him.
“Fuck,” he whispered hoarsely and moved his hands to her head. He couldn’t help himself, and gave her a little nudge downward.
Her body shuddered against his legs—a chuckle, perhaps—and she said around his cock, “Guess you like that.”
“It’d be broken if I didn’t. Why don’t you spin around and let me return the favor? That’ll probably be the most fun you’ll get from me today.”
“Maybe later.” She returned her attention him, sucking him hard and then pulling back to rim her tongue around the place where his foreskin met his head.
He wound his fingers more tightly into her hair and pushed her down. The tightness building in his pelvis had gone from a pleasurable tickle to a throbbing pain. His sac drew up tight and his shaft hardened even more as the dam broke.
He tried to pull her head up, but she set her teeth into his meat and held him still.
When his body stopped pulsing, she swallowed and let him fall from her mouth.
He lay there staring at her, breathing heavily through his open mouth. She licked her lips and sat back. “I guess that’ll hold you for a while.”
“What?” He sat up onto his elbows and adjusted his glasses. “What are you talking about?”
“Look. I don’t expect you to go through with this. I wish it were possible, but I’m a big piece of work, Angel. Hell, I think I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you. I was staring at you like you were a movie star or something, and you didn’t even look my way until I stumbled into you.”
“I saw you. Felt you, actually. I was acutely aware of your presence even before we teleported in, but I tried to ignore it. Most of the time I was very good at that. Women were basically white noise around me except for the ones I was charged with protecting. Before you, I’d never been tempted.”
“Why me?”
“Don’t know, though I certainly asked why hundreds of times myself.” He pulled his pants up and reached for her.
She stared at him for a long moment, then eased into his arms.
“I’m not afraid,” he said, and it was true. He’d known nothing but peace ever since he’d allowed himself to want her. There was nothing wrong with wanting to love someone and be loved back. “Does that count for anything?”
“Yeah, it does.” She put her head on his chest and her body finally relaxed atop his.
He rubbed gentle circles on her back.
“I know what I’m getting myself into,” he said. “I know what it means to be your mate. I know it’s going to be difficult for you to control your wilder urges for the months to come, and maybe longer. That little bit of time is a drop in the bucket compared to all the years we have ahead of us. I’m patient. You know that.”
“I do. You really want to be stuck to me like glue until I whelp? That could be a long time from now.”
“You keep giving me all these chances to back out, but I don’t want to. You make being with you sound like a chore, but it’s not. Well, other than the mood instability that seems to be part and parcel of our energy exchange, but that’s half my fault. And actually, I’d really like us to have some time to figure each other out. No kids for a while. I’m just not there yet.”
She lifted her head and looked down at him with a furrowed brow. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Werewolves don’t do that. We commit young, and start popping out babies as soon as we get hitched. That’s the way it’s always been.”
He knew it was truth. That was the way wolves were wired, but maybe they were long overdue for some fresh additions to the gene pool.
He nudged her silky hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. “We can have as many kids as you’d like, but it’d be nice to have somewhere to live first and to get settled.”
“I like that,” she said softly. “You do realize you won’t be able to leave me for longer than a day until we do have a kid, right?”
“Still trying to talk me out of it, huh?” He gave her chin a gentle chuck. “Yeah, I do realize that. I realize more than you know, actually, because Calvin and your mother made sure I knew all the stakes. Like I said. You missed a lot when you were out there running wild.”
“Well. I’m back now.”
“Yes, you are, and the whole gang at Mortonville will thrilled. Not nearly as much as me, though.” He hauled her up and kissed her until she giggled.
“So, what’s in the box?” she asked, pointing to the Christmas gift on the floor.
“Oh. Like I said, I got it last year, so don’t take it the wrong way.”
She leaned over him and pulled the box up onto the bed.
Her expression shifted from well-humored curiosity to straight-up confusion when she lifted the lid.
“Asshole.” She held up the studded collar and leash.
“It was a joke. Keep digging. There’s more at the bottom.”
“Hmph.” She set them aside and narrowed her eyes at him while she dug through the box’s packing material. “I should use them on you.”
“Save them for our wedding night.”
“Don’t give me any ideas, because I’ll run with them and make them five times worse.”
“Remember what I said about depravity? Whatever ideas you have, I’ve probably already thought them out in lurid detail.”
“Shit, maybe I should stop calling you Angel.”
He knew exactly when she found the paper hidden in the Styrofoam peanuts because her eyes widened.
“What’s this?” She pulled out the little scroll and rolled it between her fingers.
“People like me—angels, demons, gods—go by many names. Some aren’t meant for men to know because knowing a being’s name gives you power over them. Names are secrets we like to keep because if you know them, you can summon us.”
He took the scroll from her.
“You can call me Mark or Angel or whatever you want, and I’ll probably respond because it’s your voice, but … knowing this”—he undid the ribbon from the paper—“and saying it aloud means I’ll come to you. Even if you whisper it. It doesn’t matter where I am or where you are.”
“You wanted me to have that?”
“I’ve wanted you to have it from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sweetie watched Mark kick the snow off his boots and forked more leftover macaroni into her mouth as he leaned the shovel against the porch rail. If he’d been at all astonished by the amount of food she could consume during two days of being stranded, he didn’t show it. He kept reminding her that he wasn’t a wolf so she shouldn’t expect him to behave like one, but it was a hard lesson to learn.
“You should have left it piled up,” she said, pointing her fork at the snow beyond the door.
“Well, that would be inhospitable.” He shut the door and unwound his scarf from his neck. “I could teleport you in and out of here on a whim, but your mother has no such ability.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“
Be nice.”
“Get the collar and leash if you have to. I’m just not ready to see her.”
“I know.” He pulled her into a side-hug and ruffled her hair. “But you might as well get it over with. Then you can decide if you want to stay here until after the new year starts or head someplace warm. Personally, I’d rather use up the rest of the agency holiday someplace with warm sand and cheap liquor. Think about how much we’ll save on airfare. We can teleport to anywhere in the world.”
“I like the way you think. Speaking of teleporting … ” She set her plate down and put her hands on her hips. “What exactly are you still capable of?”
He shrugged. “Some things I won’t know until I try them; I seem to have most of my former capabilities but in diminished capacities. I do know for sure I’m cut from communicating telepathically to angels, and since I can’t slip from this body, I can no longer transport myself to certain realms.”
She could guess one realm in particular that was on that list.
“So, you’re still unassumingly dangerous,” she said.
He nudged his glasses up and grinned. “Unassumingly dangerous. I like that.”
“We’d make a great crime-fighting duo. We could call ourselves The Wolf and The Fallen One.”
He grunted. “Has a certain ring to it. Oh! Speaking of rings—”
There was a tentative knock on the cabin door, and obviously neither of them heard the visitor sneaking up.
She rolled her eyes. “Some supernaturals we are.”
“Well, you’re distracting. Give me time to adapt, and I’ll get back to being unassumingly dangerous.”
He opened the door and let Mama in.
She stood there on the doormat, looking around the room at everything in it but the people. The cabin was as quiet as a graveyard at night, and no one moved.
Sweetie couldn’t speak for Mark, but in her case, she was afraid to. If she moved, Mama would look at her.
Mama cleared her throat. Her nostrils flared. “You smell calm, baby girl.”
Sweetie shifted her weight and moved her gaze from the gap in the floorboard she’d been staring at to Mama.
