Craving Eden

by Tianna Xander

  She half-expected him to do just that. To punish her for leaving, to make up for all the lost and lonely years between them that they could never get back.

  He didn't, though. Jake gave them what they both wanted. Keeping his eyes closed, he groaned as he repeatedly pounded his thick shaft into her welcoming body.

  His cock was bigger than she remembered. To her, at least, it bordered on huge. Every inch he gave her stretched Eden more than she thought possible as he worked his thick length in and out of her, building a rhythm that would soon leave her screaming.

  She gripped his shoulders, her fingernails biting into his skin as she waited for the pleasure-pain of his mark. Each breath she took became a gasping cry. Each thrust he made drove her closer and closer to the edge of another mind-numbing climax.

  Little shocks reverberated through her body as he bent his head to lave and suck her nipples. Eden continued to keep her eyes open as ordered and repeatedly came with his name on her lips.

  Every deep thrust drove her closer and closer to a different kind of orgasm that would somehow complete her. Eden didn't know how the knowledge came to her. She only knew that once she came in his arms again, she would belong to him, with him and nothing would ever take her away from him—even her own irrational fears. She was at home in his arms, and Jake was the man the fates decreed she should spend the rest of her life loving.

  Jake's face changed a bit. His mouth elongated, his teeth protruded from his mouth. He shifted slightly, showing her a glimpse of the wolf inside him that frightened her so many years before.

  “Jake,” she whispered, feathering her fingers through his hair, then turned her head to the side. “Mark me. Mate me. Make me yours.” It was the right thing to do. They would sort out the rest of it later.

  A split second of fear gave way to the most intense pleasure of her life as he leaned down and sank his incisors deep into her flesh.

  Nothing could have prepared her for the sensation or the powerful emotion that swamped her with their joining. Jake had given her his mark. It was his gift to her, and she need never fear his kind again.

  Warmth spread through her sex as Jake threw back his head and came with a howl of the man-beast he was, his already massive shaft continuing to swell and thrust deep inside her. He slowed, grinding his hips into hers, holding himself inside her until his spent erection slipped from her body.

  When their passions cooled, and Jake rested on top of her panting, his body relaxed, Eden stroked his back, knowing nothing would ever be the same again.

  “What do we tell Harper?” Jake pushed up onto his elbows, smoothed her sweat-soaked hair back and kissed her forehead.

  “We tell her the truth.”

  “The truth? That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

  Eden’s cheeks heated at his raised brow. “Well, we don’t have to tell her about this part.”

  “We tell her that you’re both going to stay here?” He waited, his expression blank.

  How did he do that? How did he so thoroughly wipe his face of all expression? What did he want her to say?

  “We’re going have to be careful when she’s around. If we’re not, we’re going to be telling her a lot more than we have planned if she catches us like this.”

  “Probably.” Jake glanced toward the nightstand next to the bed and chuckled. “You would mind that so much?”

  “Yes, I would rather wait until she’s a little older to have that talk if you don’t mind.” She pinched him in the side. “Now, get off me so I can go take a shower.”

  “We have plenty of time before we have to pick her up from school.” Jake leaned down and pulled her left nipple into his mouth with a groan. “I could call Sam and ask him to get her and bring her home.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We told the school not to let anyone but us pick Harper up for the time being.”

  “Sam is different. As my beta, releasing her to Sam is like releasing her to me, and they know it.”

  “I’d still feel better if we went.” Eden wiggled and blushed when his cock stirred against her thigh.

  “Whatever you say, love.” He sucked her right nipple into his mouth and drew on it until she moaned. “I love doing this.” He said after releasing her nipple with an audible pop.

  Reaching up, he took her right nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pulling and twisting the sensitive bud, while he simultaneously sucked the other.

  Liquid heat bathed her sex, and Eden squirmed beneath him. “You’re driving me crazy.” She sucked in a breath when his cock grew hard and pressed against her thigh. “So… so soon?”

  Jake grinned and waggled his brows, “Yes, love, so soon.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jake’s alarm woke him. The noise wasn’t loud enough to disturb Eden, but it was plenty shrill for his sensitive hearing. It was the reason he’d used that particular setting on his phone.

  He wanted to let Eden sleep for a few more minutes while he showered and prepared to get their daughter from school.

  Standing, he paused with a frown and made his way to the window. Leaning forward, he peered through a split in the drapes.

  When he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, Jake closed his eyes and listened, trying to detect what felt so wrong.

  The house was silent, except for a few creaks as the wind shifted his home on its foundation. Nothing stirred, but a slight breeze outside and the team of men sneaking through the woods from all directions.

  His wolf felt them, smelled them, even though Eden had only opened the window a mere crack.

  Slipping away from the window, Jake snatched up his uniform slacks and made his way into one of the guest rooms. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his cell phone and called Sam.

  “Hey, Jake. How’s it going trying to convince your mate to stay this time?”

  “It’s going better than I expected. I need your help. Get over here asap, and bring some others with you as soon as possible.”

  “What’s going on?” Sam’s voice no longer sounded genial. He was all business. That was one of the best things bout his beta. Sam didn’t mess around when duty called.

  “There’s some trash in my woods that needs cleaning up. I’m not sure how much, as of yet. I only know it stinks. If the way they’re sneaking around is any indication, it most likely has to do with that ex-husband I told you about.”

  “Right.” The sound of a chair scraping across the floor came through the connection. “I’ll grab some guys from the mill. Tiny and his guys are closer. I’ll give them a call at the logging camp and let them know what’s going on. We don’t want to pull guys from the construction site unless we need to. Just keep yourself and your mate safe until we get there.”

  Sam never said goodbye. He merely ended the call when he had nothing else to say.

  Jake slipped on his slacks and made his way back to his room.

  “Eden,” Jake sat on the edge of the bed and said her name softly so as not to frighten her. There would be enough of that in the next couple of minutes. “Eden, wake up.”

  “Huh? What, what is it?” She rolled onto her back and gave him a sleepy smile that was so sexy he would have crawled back in bed with her if it weren’t for their uninvited guests.

  She pulled the sheet around her breasts before pushing herself up against the headboard. She met his gaze with a frown.

  “We have a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?” She searched his gaze, the color drained from her face, and then her eyes widened. “Is Harper okay?”

  “She’s fine. She’s still at school, and everyone knows not to let her go home with strangers.

  “That’s good.” She heaved a relieved sigh. “Then, what’s wrong?”

  “Get dressed while I tell you.” Jake strode through the room, picking up their clothes. He picked up his underwear and tossed his into the corner.

  “Commando, huh?” Her mouth quirked up at the corners.

  “I dressed in
a hurry.” He handed her her underwear. “I don’t expect the same of you, though,” he said with a leer. “I wouldn’t complain, though. It’s one less step to getting you naked again.”

  “How can you think of sex at a time like this?” She hopped on one foot and then the other to don her underwear. She held up her ruined jeans and combed her fingers through the shreds of material. “Just what am I supposed to do with these?”

  She slipped her shirt over her head and then headed for the door.

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” Jake grasped her around the waist and picked her up off the floor. “Wait here until I change my pants and get my gunbelt on, and then we’ll both go to your room.”

  “Do you really think you’re going to need your gun?” She peered up at him, her eyes wide with fear.

  “I might.” He sighed and set her down to slip into another pair of slacks and put on his gunbelt. “I could smell them through the open window. Not only is the wind carrying their scents. I can also smell their gunpowder.”

  He led her to her room and waited for her to grab another pair of jeans. “You can’t keep ripping up my clothes, Jake. I only have two more pairs of jeans.”

  “Just two?” He raised his brows. “Why don’t you have more than three pairs of jeans?” He asked as he followed her to her room and watched as she put on another pair of worn jeans.

  “Because our money was running out and Harper needs new clothes a couple of times a year when she has growth spurts. I couldn’t afford new things for both of us all the time.” She tucked in her shirt.

  Jake shook his head with a sigh. I wish I had been there for you, but I couldn’t find you.”

  “You looked?” She stared up at him while she slipped on a pair of little white sneakers.

  Jake stared at her expression, which told him she didn’t believe he’d searched for her.

  “Of course, I looked for you. I love you. My world tumbled down around my shoulders when you left. I spent three months searching for you myself, and then I hired private detectives to keep looking for the next two years.” He grabbed her hand after she pulled on her jeans and shoes.

  “Two years? You looked for me for two years?”

  “What did you expect? Did you think I could just let you walk away? I told you what we were to each other. Your disappearance nearly killed me. It would have killed me if it hadn’t been for Katie.”

  “I’m sorry, Jake.” She met his gaze, her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry. I don’t,” she stopped and sobbed. “I don’t deserve you.”

  Jake grasped her hand and pulled her down the stairs. “Yes, you do. We both deserve each other, and we deserve to be happy.” He glanced through the closest window and growled. “But right now, I need to get you down into the basement. I think our company is just about ready to breach the house.”

  Too late. The front door crashed in, and three men ran through the door, their guns aimed at Jake.

  Laser sights all tracked red dots over Jake’s heart.

  “Come with us, or your lover dies,” the lead thug said from just inside the archway to the living room.

  Dressed all in black, with ski masks covering their faces, the men looked more like bad copies of Hollywood villains than anyone he would fear had he been alone.

  What scared the hell out of him was the beam of red light tracking from the kitchen doorway, straight to Eden’s heart.

  The henchman with his gun trained on Eden would be his first target. Any man who dared to threaten his mate would breathe his last breath before he hit the ground.

  “You aren’t taking my wife anywhere,” Jake growled. The low rumble of his wolf came through.

  The masked intruders stiffened at the animalistic sound.

  “She ain’t your wife.” The one he pegged as the leader sneered, baring his tobacco-stained teeth. “She belongs to our boss.”

  “I beg your pardon. Eden has been my wife for over ten years. If someone else thinks they have a claim on her, they’re mistaken. She was my wife before she left me ten years ago, and as far as I know, she’s never filed for a divorce. That makes us married,” he lied. “Now, get the fuck out of my house before you regret deciding to visit.”

  Jake glared at the man he planned to kill first and stepped between Eden and the laser sight.

  Now Jake had four red dots on his chest, not that it mattered. Werewolves had redundancies. As strange as it might seem for humans to accept, their kind had two of every critical organ. It was why they tried not to travel too far from their homes and never visited human hospitals. Any wound would have to be life-threatening before his kind would search out a healer.

  When traveling, they always researched the area they visited and discovered where to find the closest were-doctor—not that they needed them often.

  All three of their visitors would be dead before they realized their mistake. Jake’s only worry was keeping Eden out of harm’s way. She might be his mate, but she was still human until the next full moon, and they could easily kill her.

  “Sam and the others should be outside ready to take care of their friends by now,” he whispered just loud enough for Eden to hear.

  “When did you call Sam?” Eden kept her voice low. With her body pressed close to his, he felt her trembling and the abject terror in her voice.

  Jake’s fury grew. It was one thing to try to come to his home. It was another to burst inside and terrorize his woman.

  He hoped Sam and the rest of his men were ready because he’d had it with uninvited guests and people scaring the shit out of Eden.

  Yes, he was still angry at her for leaving him, but he would never have frightened her or threatened her in any way. He would have died first.

  Eden grasped the back of Jake’s shirt. His only thought was that she was trying to hold him in place while she stepped from behind him.

  Jake wasn’t about to cooperate and give her ex’s men a good shot. Every time she moved, he moved to block her from the others’ sight.

  “Will you stop it? I’m not letting you die because of me. Who will take care of Harper?” She pinched him in the side, and he smiled. She was a brave mate. He couldn’t have asked for better.

  Still, no matter how many times she tried to get him to move, he ignored her. Finally, he backed up and pressed her against the wall, effectively stopping her from moving to get around him.

  “I’m not going to die. Unless the intruders have advanced knowledge of our kind, which I doubt, they won’t do anything but piss me off,” he whispered without moving his lips. He kept his voice low to avoid detection. “I hope they won’t try to kill me. They should know the bullets could easily hit you, and it seems as though your ex-husband wants you alive and well. Hit the floor when I tell you to. No questions, and no hesitation. Just do it.”

  “Okay.” She grasped the back of his shirt with a trembling hand and nodded. “I—I’ll try.”

  “You’ll do it, or one of their stray bullets could kill you. I’ve spent long enough alone. I’m not going to lose you again. Got it?” He growled the last two words, forgetting to lower his voice.

  “Hey! I told you two to stop talking.” The leader of the bunch lowered his weapon, and with a smile that made Jake go cold, he fired.

  “Son-of-a-bitch!” Pain shot through Jake’s leg. Like white-hot fire, the bullet burned its way through his upper thigh. It missed the bone, but tore through tendons, as it passed straight through.

  Blood seeped from the wound, covering his khaki uniform slacks with a dark red stain. After a moment, the pain subsided. His flesh started knitting together again while pushing the slug the rest of the way out at the same time.

  Jake almost smiled, sure the others thought they’d just weakened him. They hadn’t. Not only did their bodies have redundancies, but his kind also healed quickly.

  “Now that we have your attention keep your fucking mouth shut and stop moving. If you so much as twitch, I’m going to blow your fucking head off. Understand?”r />
  A muscle ticked in his jaw. Fury raged inside as Jake mentally planned his next move. His plans must be perfect. Risking Eden was out of the question.

  When Jake glanced through the window to his right, a slight movement caught his eye. It was Sam, signaling him to go-ahead. His beta and the others had managed to take out the others standing guard outside. It was only a matter of moments before Sam, and the others charged the house.

  “Count to three and then drop to the floor starting… now.”

  Jake gave his beta a slight nod, took a deep breath, and burst into action.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Eden counted to three and then dropped to the floor. It was easy to take a man’s orders when they made sense.

  Jake rushed the men as she watched, her right ear pressed to the glossy hardwood.

  Gunshots rang out as he passed three of them, knocking them all off their feet, before throat-punching the man who had trained his sights on her heart.

  She rubbed the center of her chest when she thought about the terror she felt when she saw the little red dot of the laser resting between her breasts.

  Closing her eyes, Eden prayed Jake would spare the man if the punch to the throat hadn’t already killed him, though deep down, she knew he couldn’t. His wolf would never allow it.

  Plus, as the alpha, he must protect his people and make examples out of those who would try to harm them. She’d learned that much about him over the last ten days.

  Ten years ago, he’d kept her in the dark about his kind but not this time. Over the last several days, he’d told her just about everything there was to know about werewolves and what it meant to be the alpha’s mate.

  Unlike before, he was keeping her informed about what he was and what his people expected of them both.

  Was it because he wanted her to stay this time or because she had already decided she would stay? No one could protect her or Harper the way Jake could.

  Leaving Jake again would only distract him, and he needed his full concentration to protect their daughter. Besides, Jake had no idea what Edward was capable of or how to identify the other man and most of his crew.