by Jaimi Wilson
Josh pulls back panting, his eyes shining bright and his wolf riding close to the surface. "Are you particularly fond of these clothes?" he asks, the words coming out on a growl.
The moment I shake my head, I hear a loud tearing sound. I look down to see he’s ripped my shirt to shreds, the strength of the action turning me on even further. Within minutes, we’re both naked. I take my time to peruse his body, a heat building deep in my core as his gaze caresses me. I can’t hold back my groan of excitement. I want him, this mate of mine.
I reach up and pull his head down to mine, putting everything I feel into our kiss. He kisses back just as earnestly his hands exploring my body as his lips explore mine. When they reach my breasts, he plays with my nipples, growling as they harden under his touch. He breaks our kiss, looking down at me with wicked intent before moving his mouth along my chest, peppering me with delicate kisses. His tongue traces lazy circles as he makes his way to his target, my very sensitive nipples. He cherishes them each in turn, first one nipple and then the other, before moving down my body with purpose.
He pauses over my stomach, placing soft kisses along my abdomen before whispering, “If you are aware in there, it may be best for you to close your eyes about now.”
I let out a startled laugh and he grins up at me for a moment. Then, all amusement aside, Josh moves further down until his mouth is above my pussy. I shiver with anticipation and spread my legs for him. With a sensual grin, Josh leans forward and begins to part my wet folds.
He slides his tongue along my clit slowly, watching me with hungry eyes. I throw my head back with a moan, the gentleness of his touch undoing me. I need more, but he seems intent on taking things slow and it's fucking torture.
He continues to stroke his tongue over my throbbing pussy for God only knows how long, until I just can’t take it anymore. I grab his hair in my hand, gripping tightly and pull his head up enough so I can growl down at him. “Either you make me come with your tongue, or hurry up and fuck me.”
He chuckles softly, watching me carefully as he moves a hand, making his thumb circle my clit gently. “What’s wrong, Jas? Don’t like a little anticipation?”
I groan in frustration. “Josh, I like anticipation as much as the next person, but I have waited so long to have you. To feel you inside me, to know it’s just you and me. Please, don’t keep me waiting,” I beg, my eyes watering with the overwhelming need I feel. I need him to touch me, to make me feel him, to claim me as his mate officially.
“Okay, Jas. No more waiting,” he murmurs, before pressing a gentle kiss to my pussy. He keeps his thumb where it is, continuing to circle my clit as he begins thrusting his tongue inside me.
God, yes…
I pant as he fucks me with his tongue. Then, he moves his free hand to slide a finger inside me, the sensation completely overwhelming me.
“Yes, Josh, don’t stop,” I moan, the pressure in my core building, my climax so close.
He growls into my pussy and that's it, I’m gone. My eyes flutter, my orgasm riding me hard to the point I completely forget my surroundings, lost in sensation. When I finally regain awareness, Josh extracts his finger from me, delivering one last lick with his tongue before moving up the bed to hover over me.
Then he lines himself up against my entrance, before entering me slowly with a soft groan. I echo the sound, the feel of his cock sending shivers of excitement racing through my body and lighting up my nerve endings.
"God, Josh. Don't stop," I beg, clenching my inner walls around him, a not-so-subtle hint I want him to move. I want him to fuck me, not to take his time because he's worried about hurting me or the baby. I mean, seriously, being pregnant does not mean I can’t have sex.
He senses my need, slowly thrusting and I raise my hips to make his pelvis grind against my clit with each thrust. I feel the fluttering within me, telling me my climax is close, but I just need something to tip me over the edge. Josh must see it in my eyes because he kisses me passionately, biting my bottom lip, then moves his hands between us to pinch my clit. As he does, he starts rocking his hips faster, sending me into that peaceful oblivion that is my orgasm. He thrusts once, twice, three more times before finding his own release with a grunt. Thankfully, he rolls to the side in time to stop from collapsing on me.
He pulls me close and kisses me languidly, as if savoring me. "You taste absolutely amazing, Jas."
I'm about to respond, but a sudden sharp knock at the door distracts me. "You two done in there? We have an appointment with the doctor at first light and we need to discuss some things beforehand." Liam's voice from the other side of the door sends a sliver of guilt worming its way into my heart.
"We'll be down in a minute," Josh calls. Then he turns to me, his eyes filled with worry.
A tear slips down my cheek, and he pulls me to his chest as I cry quietly. I'd like to blame it on the hormones, but that’s not it. What I’m feeling is fear about how Liam and Benji will react to what just happened and if they’ll treat me differently because of it. Will they reject me? Despite what they've said, it’s one thing to talk about me being with Josh or Jenkins in theory than it is to be faced with it in reality.
"Hey, it's okay, Jas. I promise that Liam won't be upset. He and Benji are practically in love with you already. And they know what I am to you. Unless you're crying because you regret what happened between us?"
I pull back, feeling like I've just been slapped. "No, I don't regret it. I just wish we could fast forward into the future, to a time where we’ve already resolved all our issues and can work together as a unit. I'm just worried about everyone's feelings and want to make sure no one feels left out, or like I prefer one of you over the others when the truth is, I care for you all equally.”
"You don't think that all of us don't already think Benji is your favorite. After all, he got time with you before you ever came here and found the rest of us. I'm pretty sure we all know the pecking order goes Benji, Liam, me then Jenkins.”
This only makes me cry harder, because that is exactly what I didn't want. I want them all to feel equal. "None of you is more important to me than the others, you are all equal in my eyes, Josh. And nothing will change that."
"You don't think it will change with the baby? Once we figure out who the father is, there is certainly going to be a favorite then. One of us will get to raise that little child as his own and the others will have to just watch, only being allowed to help the bare minimum. The father won't have it any other way. We all want to share that responsibility, but as wolves, we’re driven by our instincts and the father isn't going to want any other wolves raising his young."
I stiffen and sit up on the bed, angry he would think such a thing, let alone say it. "Well then, I will just have to use my magic to hide who the true father is." With that, I get up and move over to the dresser. I dig through it until I find a pair of sweats with a drawstring, that way I can tighten it so they don’t fall down. Then I move to the other drawer and pull out a shirt of Josh's, wondering how he packed so much when he came in such a hurry.
I turn back to face him and see him eyeing me hopefully. "You would really not tell them who the father was?"
"If knowing made you all think I had a favorite or made the biological father act like a controlling ass, then damn right I would. I want this mating to work, not for it crumble into hate and resentment because of a baby none of us expected. And to be perfectly honest, I'm angry that I have to be worrying about favoritism when there are so many other pressing matters to attend to. But I guess it can’t be helped. It seems like we need to have a little relationship meeting."
Eighteen
All four of my mates are sitting on the couch before me, their gazes following me as I pace back and forth. Every now and then, I stop to let a growl escape my lips, then run my hands through my hair, tugging hard enough to cause pain before letting go.
Finally I turn to face my mates, leveling them a glare that has them all flinching. "Right. So
Josh brought something up while we were in his room that really pissed me off." All of their gazes swing to Josh angrily, like this is his fault. "I decided we need to discuss it as a group, especially before this baby makes it into this world."
I pause, giving them all a look of disappointment. "This having four mates thing is hard on me. I'm accepting it, because I know in my heart that without all four of you, I would be lost. It was already hard when it was just Liam and Benji, trying to keep the balance and avoid showing too much attention to one or the other. But now…? Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to learn that you all think I have a favorite between you? How it kills me to hear that you think when I have this baby, whoever the father is will get all my attention?"
All of them look to the floor in shame, but I keep going, because I’m not done yet. "Each of you will be this baby’s father. And if you can't handle that, then now's the time for you to leave. I won't spend the rest of my life wondering if you even love this child just because you might not be biologically related. No, I won't put my child through that. So I need for you all to decide right here and now, do you want to stay, and love this child regardless of who the father may be, or do you want to leave?"
I wait for their answers, tapping my foot on the floor angrily. We were supposed to be down here talking about other things before the doctor’s appointment, but I decided to deal with this situation first before things move any further. I've already developed bonds with each of them, but if they can't accept this baby as theirs, then I'd rather them leave my life now, rather than having them break my heart later. I am going to do everything in my power to give this baby the best life possible, which includes making sure the fathers who stick around will truly love him.
Benji is the first to break the silence, gazing at me with a contrite expression. "Jazzy, I'm so sorry. You are absolutely right. It is completely disrespectful to say such things about you or the baby. We just figured once the baby was here, you would want to spend more time with the baby and his biological father, like a traditional family would.”
"And what, would you have him call only one of you Dad? What happens when we all have another baby? Does that child then also only get to call his biological father Dad? Do they have to call the rest of you by your given names? Do you expect them to love you less just because you might not be biologically related?" At my heated questions, they all seem like they’re beginning to understand the depth of the situation, but none of them say anything.
"What it comes down to is if you can't share our child like you share me, then I am going to leave once all this end of the world shit is over. I don’t want to leave you, but I will if I have to. I will raise this child on my own and give him every ounce of love he deserves before I will let him be made to feel like he is only allowed to love the person who provided the sperm."
All of them are looking at me with wide eyes, seeming shocked that I would even consider leaving them, even though I'm certain I said very much the same thing after first finding out about the baby. Life and priorities change when a new life enters the equation. Hell, I would be running and hiding from my mother right now if I didn't know that she was biding her time until the birth before trying to take my child from me.
"So are you all in?" I look at them each in turn, waiting for their responses.
Benji gets to his feet and wraps me in his arms, sighing softly against my hair. “I’m sorry, Jazzy. You are right. That baby may be one of ours biologically, but he will have all our hearts regardless.” He presses a quick kiss to my head then hands me to Liam, who looks guilty as he takes me into his arms.
“I don’t want to repeat what Benji said, but I want to assure you that we will do better. I’m sorry we made you worry about this, especially when you should be taking it easy. It’s not just you now, and we need to remember that.”
I chuckle at that. “I don’t think I will be relaxing for a long time, Liam. We have to save the damn world, and then afterward, this baby is going to enter it and turn our lives upside down. I hope you’re prepared for that,” I tease, the mock horror in his expression making me laugh. Then he presses a quick kiss to my cheek and moves to join Benji, who is now standing off to my left.
My gaze focuses on the two of my mates who have yet to speak, Josh and Jenkins. Josh’s gaze seems focused on his hands, picking at an invisible spot on his fingernail.
Jenkins, however, rises from his seat and approaches me slowly, his eyes filled with sadness. “I’m the newest to this dynamic and I admit I am still finding my place here among your mates, but I should have known you wouldn’t want us to feel that way. The only thing I can say is that I promise to listen to my instincts, rather than my testosterone,” he murmurs with a sheepish grin.
I debate my next move for a millisecond before I throw all of my doubts out the window. My mates need to get used to seeing me show each other affection in front of the others and I want Jenkins to know I’m not mad.
My hand snaps out, fisting in his tee. I pull Jenkins closer until his body is pressed flush against mine. “You’re forgiven,” I murmur before rising up on my toes to kiss him.
The kiss is soft, neither of us wanting to deepen it considering we have an audience. But I can feel Jenkins’ hands on my hips, gripping me firmly like it’s taking a lot of restraint for him to hold back.
Finally he ends the kiss with a soft sigh. “I really want to finish that kiss, Jasmine, but now is not the time.” He hugs me quickly before moving to stand beside Benji and Liam.
That leaves only Josh, who still won’t look up from his hands.
I drop to my knees in front of him and reach out to tilt his head so he has no choice but to look at me. “Talk to me, Josh. Tell me what’s going on in your mind. Do you not want to be a part of this with us?”
His eyes widen in horror and he pushes out of his seat, falling to his knees in front of me. “No, it’s not that. I screwed up. We should have sorted all this out without needing to involve you, but I let my insecurities get in the way. Especially after we shared such a special moment, I immediately went and screwed it up.”
His gaze drops to the floor in shame and I can’t help but feel bad for him. “It doesn’t matter. Sure, maybe you could have worded things a little better, but these things are bound to happen. The important thing is we need to be honest with each other. There’s bound to be times where one of us has doubts or concerns, but we need to talk about them like a real family. Okay?”
Josh lets out a relieved breath and lifts his eyes to meet mine. “Okay, Jas. I promise to be more open in the future and will avoid dragging the others into my worries, unless it concerns all of us.”
I nod happily and sit back on my ass, caressing a hand over my stomach and sighing with relief. "Good, because I am absolutely terrified."
The moment the words leave my lips, the three mates still standing all move to swarm me and Josh on the floor. The four of them all reach to touch me, trying to be comforting, but all it does is make me feel slightly claustrophobic.
"Why? What is it? Is your mother going to attack sooner than we thought?" Liam asks, rising quickly, as if preparing to defend me from an incoming threat.
"No, that’s not it at all. I am scared about raising this baby. I mean, of course I’m worried about the fact that my mother’s out there somewhere, just waiting for this baby to be born. But more than that, I worry about whether or not I can do this.” I gesture to my still flat stomach. “It’s a big ass responsibility to raise a child and I barely know the four of you. I know you’re my mates, and while that may be enough for you guys, I wasn't brought up in a wolf pack so I don’t know what to expect. I was raised by a witch who never gave me a good male role model, or an example of a healthy relationship that I could follow. I just don’t know how this whole thing works. Like do we skip past the dating part of the relationship just because I'm knocked up? Do we all have to share every moment of our time together to ensure there are no hurt feelings or feeling
s of favoritism?"
The four of them look extremely surprised by my admission. Liam, Benji and Josh seem unsure of what to say. Jenkins, however, doesn’t seem to have that problem. He takes my hand, causing me to direct my gaze to him.
"I don't know where on earth those thoughts came from, but I want you to expel them from your mind right now. I don’t know the extent of what you went through growing up, but I am confident you are going to be a wonderful mother. And I will always want to take you out on dates, both with just you and with our baby as well. As for whether we have dates together as a group, that is completely up to you. I'm sure you will want to still have alone time with each of us, and we know that’s important. But if you want to go to the movies, dinner, or hell, even for a walk in the park with all of us, then we will gladly drop everything for you."
Benji starts nodding vehemently. "Exactly. We want you to be happy; you shouldn’t have to worry about all of these things. Give us a chance to work it out. No relationship is perfect. I am sure there will be many more moments like this, where we will all have to sit down and discuss things, but that's good. It is better for us to talk about these things and resolve them, rather than just letting them fester until one of us gets angry."
"We may not have the most conventional relationship, and I'm sure at times it will be hard, but we will all be there for each other, which is one advantage to our situation. It won't just be you and one other person. If one of us is struggling, then we have four other people to rely on. Our baby will have five loving parents. And I think in the end, that’s what will set us apart from everyone else. We will be unbeatable because we are one unit, a team," Josh says softly, his eyes still filled with guilt as he meets my gaze. "I'm sorry I said those things, but I'm not sorry that we discussed all this."
