E.A. Price - Valentine's Wolf (Grey Wolf Pack #11) (17 page)

He reached down and pulled her up; his manhood popped out of her mouth, and she mewled in displeasure, wriggling in his arms. He swatted her ass playfully.

“None of that sweetheart,” he told her sternly

Valentine sidled out of his arms. “Maybe you should punish me,” she suggested saucily tracing a finger around her nipple.

“Minx!” he growled.

“No, leopard,” she corrected him and spun on her heel, preparing to flee.

She didn’t get very far. With a roar, Jake caught her and pushed her over the couch. She braced her arms and pressed back against him. He rubbed his hands down her back until they rested on her generous hips.

“You want this?” he demanded throatily.

“Yessss…” she hissed.

Jake rubbed his hands over her buttocks, gently squeezing and caressing her flesh. “You want me?”

“Yes!” she whimpered. “Please, Jake.”

He slid his fingers through her slit, brushing over her clit and dipping into her core.

“Because I’m your mate.”

“Yes!” she squealed arching her back, trying to take more of his fingers.

He spanked her buttock making her cry out and her channel ripple around his fingers.

“Say it!” He spanked her again and again, making her shriek.

“I want you. You’re my mate! Please Jake, I love you!”

His wolf yowled in triumph, and the declaration sent him wild. He ripped his fingers from her and plunged his cock straight into her needy entrance. His delicious teasing had set her on edge, and the sudden invasion pushed her right over. She screamed lustily and clutched at the couch cushions until her knuckles whitened. It took all his self-control, but he held still inside her as she rode out the waves of orgasm.

The mixed pleasure and pain at feeling her tightening and clutching at him was too much. With a snarl, roughly, he began driving in and out of her. She moaned and thrust her hips against him with a passion matched only by his own.

He could feel his long-awaited release storming through him, and he could hold back no longer. Violently, he pushed himself inside her and roared as he exploded. Valentine let out her own roar as her own climax quickly followed.

Sweaty and trembling from the intensity of their lovemaking, Jake leaned over her, resting his forehead on her quivering back.

“I love you, too.”

Chapter Sixteen

4
th
March

The birds were singing. Val stretched out her aching limbs and smiled happily. Yep, she could actually hear them twittering outside Jake’s bedroom window. Not even his loud, rhythmic snoring could drown them out. Not that she minded; she could handle a little snoring. It was the only flaw she could find in him, and it actually made her feel a little better about her less-than-perfect self.

But no, she wasn’t going to dwell on that because the birds were singing, and everything was right with the world. Yep, she felt so good that was almost fairly certain that she could get them to come over and sing a song with her. She felt good -
Disney princess good
.

She wasn’t going to pretend that everything was a hundred percent perfect; although at that moment in time it felt pretty darn close. Her leopard purred inside her and, with a little more ease than the previous day, she accepted it.

She and Venus were getting along, but they were hardly finishing each other’s… each other’s… oh never mind. They still had a way to go before having an animal inside her just seemed normal but she couldn’t deny that she felt like an invisible weight had lifted. Her body, her mind – everything felt freer than it ever had before. And no more aches or pains, she felt amazingly healthy. She guessed all the burning and cold sweats really were Venus just trying to escape.
No wonder she’d felt awful.

Jake’s alarm clock started beeping, irritatingly, and Val quickly stuck out a hand to shut it off, lest it wake her hunky sleeping beauty. Of course, she may have been a bit overzealous. She yelped as a flash darted out of her hand and short-circuited the clock.
Whoops
. Her witchy powers might need a bit of fine-tuning.

Jake stirred next to her. “You okay?”

Val rubbed her hand. That was going to take some getting used to.

“Yeah, but, I, uh, sort of killed your alarm clock.”

“I know, I saw. It’s replaceable.”

He pulled her back down into bed, and they cuddled.

“I really need to get a handle on this witch thing,” she sighed. “Alarm clocks are one thing, but what if I go nuts and send a bolt at you.”

Jake rubbed his hand up and down her spine. “I’m made of sturdy stuff.”

“Yes, that hadn’t escaped my notice.”

She giggled and pressed her thigh up against his erection. “Rock hard, sturdy stuff,” she murmured.

He chuckled but then quickly sobered. “Look, what happened last night… I don’t usually… spank…”

“It was wonderful,” she gushed, quickly cutting him off. No way did she want to think she hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed that. It was the freest, hottest sex she ever had. He wasn’t wiggling out of doing that again.

“Yeah?” He sounded pleasantly surprised. “I thought I might have gotten a little carried away.”

She leaned up and nipped his chin, something her leopard thoroughly approved of. “You don’t have to apologize for doing that to me. I might even let you do it again.”

Heck, she might even beg him to do that again.

“Yeah?” Now he sounded very excited, and if the urgency with which his hands were stroking her was anything to go by, he wanted it to happen again sooner rather than later.

“Yeah,” she confirmed trying not to roll her eyes. “So, this is your house?”

Jake groaned and let his grip on her ease. “Yeah,” he said with a little less enthusiasm. “Do you like it?”

Val frowned as she looked round at the faded pink, flowery wallpaper and the old-fashioned furniture. It reminded her of her grandmother’s house. It definitely wasn’t the kind of place she expected Jake to live.

“It’s nice,” she replied cautiously.

“But?”

“Why do you think there’s a but?”

He inhaled her scent and breathed out slowly. “I can just sense it with you.”

“No, it’s a nice house.”

From what she could remember of her sexual tour of the house last night, it was a nice house. Good size, big open rooms – it put her dingy, little apartment to shame.

“But, not your style?”

She hunched her shoulders. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings but… “Well, the interior isn’t, no, I’m sorry.”

He chuckled heartily. “Don’t be. What would you change?”

“Well, if it were my house, I might change the wallpaper, and the furniture, and the paintwork. I’d probably replace all the fittings in the kitchen – that counter top is painful.” Admittedly it probably wasn’t built to be used the way they were using it last night. “But, other than that, I love it.”

Jake didn’t say anything, and she worried he was annoyed at her. Hell, maybe an ex-girlfriend had been the interior decorator, or worse, his favorite aunt.

Val flicked her eyes to him, but he didn’t seem mad or upset – he was ponderous.

“What are you thinking?”

“Hmm? Oh, you’re right. The place needs redecorating. I haven’t done anything to it since I bought it. I got it from Ford’s parents when they retired to live in Florida. They were in their sixties. I guess the place suited them.”

“You never changed anything?

“Nah, I never spent much time here before, I was usually working. Writing speeding tickets and chasing cats out of trees was better than being in an empty house.”

“You like cats?” she asked with interest.

She hoped he said yes. No, she hoped he said he loved cats. He’d need to, to put up with her moggy.
Tumbles could test the patience of the most devoted cat lover.

“I certainly like this cat.”

Unexpectedly, he rolled to his back, pulling her with him so she was straddling him. The sheet slipped from her body, and she felt a compulsion to try and cover herself. But why bother? He’d seen every single inch of her already in just about every angle imaginable.

Instead, she leaned over him and rubbed the hard nubs of her breasts against his chest, purring softly. “I meant house cats,” she breathed, delighting in the ragged moan he let out.

“I’ve never had one,” he admitted once he regained his breath.

“I have one.”

“Yeah? Wow, cats stick with other cats,” he mumbled, and she nipped his arm.

“He’s a bit of a terror,” she admitted ruefully.

Jake narrowed his eyes. “He?”

Val blinked at him for a couple of seconds before guffawing loudly. He was jealous of her pet cat!
Hilarious
. Tears actually escaped down her cheeks.

“It’s not funny,” he grouched, although she could see the hint of humor trying to curl at his lips.

“You’re right, he’s my boyfriend, many a night has he spent curled up on my lap. Not to mention the way he likes to lick my fingers after I’ve eaten tuna fish.”

She barely finished that last part for laughing.

Jake gave her a reproving glare. “I know you’re joking but I really am starting to get jealous now.”

“Well, you’ll just have to learn to live with your issues if I’m going to be sticking around. Love me, love my despotic cat – and no, I don’t mean Venus.”

“So you’re sticking around?” he asked with a huge amount of smugness.

“If you want me to,” she said, suddenly feeling a tad shy.

He cupped her face. “You’re my mate, Valentine; I’ll be with you until you tell me to go, and maybe still then.”

“You’re not only saying that because I’m a shifter now?” Her leopard gave her a disapproving huff and Val shushed her. She needed to make sure.

He wasn’t angry by her doubt; he was quiet and reassuring. “No, I wanted you when you were human, but I didn’t want to freak you out by asking you to move in with me straight away.”

“You want me to move in with you?”

Her eyes darted around the room.
Ooh, what would she change first?!

“Or I could move in with you,” he offered nonchalantly.

She didn’t know that much about wolf shifters; but wasn’t it really hard for them to leave their packs? “You’d move to Ursa to be with me?”

“Of course.”

Val was about to reply when her ears pricked up. She could hear the faint strains of the Game of Thrones theme tune – her ringtone. Yeah, she wasn’t much of a sci-fi or fantasy fan, but she loved that show – well everyone has to have at least one guilty pleasure!

“Can you hear that?”

Jake leaned up on his elbows and strained to hear. “Jeez, kitty cat, your hearing is unbelievable.”

She snorted. “Must be my big ears. Seriously, that’s my phone. I should get it just in case it’s work. I need to know what’s happening.”

Val scooted off him and wiggled her butt when he slapped it. To say he wasn’t really into spanking, he certainly seemed to have a fixation on her derriere. She knew having an overly round butt would come in handy one day.

She found her purse downstairs on his kitchen table. Hmmm, how had they avoided the kitchen table last night? There was always tonight – or ten minutes from now.

Instinctively, she sniffed her purse and realized it smelled of Jake’s deputy, Deanna. Her leopard snarled, remembering that the little bobcat once had a crush on her mate. Val shook her head and giggled. She was being silly. Jake was hers. And besides, Deanna was now mated to someone else. It was sweet of the young deputy to drop off her purse.

She fished out her phone and was surprised by the four missed calls, all from Hilary’s mom, Martha - who also happened to be calling at that moment. Val eagerly answered.

Martha’s grieved voice choked down the line. “Valentine…”

“Martha what’s wrong?” she asked shocked by the change in the usually self-composed woman.

“It’s Hilary,” she whimpered.

Oh lord no!
“What’s wrong?”

Jake stepped into the kitchen wearing some boxers. His smile faded the moment he saw her fear-stricken face.

“She was attacked,” sniffled Martha. “Someone attacked her when she was walking to her car. They think it was with a baseball bat. Who would do that? What kind of monster hits a beautiful, young woman with a baseball bat? They don’t know if she’s going to make it…” Her voice trailed away, and she sobbed into the phone.

“Oh, Martha, I’m so sorry, I’m on my way. Which hospital are you at?”

Martha told her in between hiccups.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, do you have someone with you?”

She answered that she did, and they both ended the phone call, crying.

“What’s going on?” asked Jake bluntly as he grasped her arms to stop her from crumpling to the floor.

“My best friend, Hilary, she’s been attacked. They don’t know if… she might…” She snapped her eyes to his. “I have to go see her.”

His jaw twitched. “To Ursa?”

“Yes, she’s…”

“It’s not safe.”

Val was barely listening; all she could think of was getting to Ursa, getting to her best friend. She’d always been there for her. “Whoever attacked her is probably long gone.”

His face looked grim. “No, not because of that. Someone is killing your kind.”

“Women?” she mumbled absently. She started searching on her phone for flights to Ursa.

“Well yes but...”

She scowled at her phone. “Leopards?”

“I don’t know,” he answered gruffly, frustrated by her lack of attention.

“Redheads?”

“Valentine, stop guessing! Hybrids, okay? There is potentially a serial killer in Ursa murdering hybrids.”

Val gave him a searching look. “Jake, Ursa’s a big city – there are murders there every day. It’s never freaking safe! I can’t not go. The odds of me being hurt…” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, thankful for the mewling support of her leopard. “I have to go.”

Jake stared at her sternly for a few beats. “Okay, book two tickets.”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Yes, I said I’d stay with you until you tell me to go, and I meant it.”

Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Oh, sweetheart, there’s no way I’d let you go to Ursa on your own. No way in hell.”