Wolf’s Heart (22 page)

One finger slipped inside her, and her back arched as Ryden positioned his face between her legs. His breath was cool as he blew against her warm, wet folds. “Oh shit, Peaches, you’re going to torture me, aren’t you?”

His eyes locked on her as his tongue swept slowly across her swollen clit. “No Buttercup, not torture. I’m gonna love you every way that I know how.”

She reached down to feel him, to press his head towards her aching clit. He had taken up residence in her heart, slipping in somewhere between finding her almost dead in the motel and bringing her back to life, and now. She inhaled slowly, relaxing and let herself go, just enjoying his touch. This was the old Ryden and Carlee, teasing, playful.

“Peaches, I don’t deserve you, but since we’re here, why don’t you show me you haven’t forgotten how to put that mouth of yours to better use.”

He growled softly as he suckled her swollen clit, and then spread her thighs, opening her even more as he moved his tongue to stroke between the wet lips of her pussy before he dove deep into the depths of her core.

“Please, Ryden, more.”

“Squeeze your nipples, baby. I want to watch you tug and pull at them as you come.”

His voice was a harsh rasp; she could feel the need and desire Ryden held back. At the sound of his voice, she looked to his eyes, Ryden was there but so was the wolf.  She realized she was being loved by the man and claimed by the wolf.

Her hand slid slowly up her stomach, over the mounds of her breasts, and she did as he commanded. She caressed and kneaded her breasts before taking a nipple between her fingers and squeezing and tugging each one. She was arching her back as she felt one finger slip inside her for only a moment.

“Ryden, please!” 

Ryden brought his hand to her face, his finger coated with her juices brought to her lips. “Open, baby. Taste and see how fucking sweet you are, why I will never be able to get enough of you.”

His eyes damn near sparkled as her mouth opened and he slid the finger inside. Closing her lips around it, tasting her own essence, she licked his finger before drawing it into her mouth. Ryden groaned, and she felt the tension of his muscles as he tried to keep his control before he placed his mouth back over her clit.

“You’re going to come from me now, baby. I am going to drink every drop of that sweet cream. Then, before you stop shaking, I will be inside you.”

It seemed like it only took seconds, his teeth raking across her clit, one finger then two inside her before she could feel the tremor begin in what felt like her very soul. She struggled to breathe, her body arching to him.

“
Ryden!
”

The invasion of one finger into the tight ring of her ass sent her spiraling out of control as her release rocketed through her and, as he predicted, she was screaming his name.

Violent shudders wracked Carlee’s body as her orgasm hit in what Ryden planned would be the first of many before the night was over. He lapped up every drop, and just as he had promised, he was looming over her, his cock throbbing as he pushed inside her tight channel. He could feel her still-quivering pussy, each pulse of her body around his cock like a vice.

“God, baby, shit, don’t move.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling at him, wanting more. He hadn’t even filled her completely, and he was desperately trying to get control of his body.

She rocked against him, moaning and biting at his neck. “Please, Carlee, I don’t want to hurt you.” She was having none of his protests, but instead, pulled hard against his ass and raised her hips so that he slid deeper inside. “Damn...” He couldn’t hold out any longer. With a forceful thrust, he was balls-deep, his breathing ragged.

“Fuck...”

He wanted to go slow, to ease inside her, to make sure she was satisfied before his release. He wanted her to come again while he was deep inside her, feeling her body hold him like a well-fitted glove, but his cock had other ideas.

Angling his hips, he pulled out and thrust back in, the head of his cock rubbing against her sweet spot just right. She gasped out in pleasure, her head thrown back, mouth open and eyes nearly shut as she looked up at him. Their bodies moved in perfect rhythm as he set the pace. Her full, ripe breasts were beautiful, the nipples high and tight where she’d pulled at them. With one hand beneath her back, he pulled her up so he could suckle each tight bud. His tongue laved over first one and then the other, biting, pulling and teasing them while her hands gripped his hair.

His balls drew up, his release so close. Gritting his teeth, he was determined to delay his release until she climaxed again. His hips rocketed faster, slamming into her. Her legs tightened around his waist, squeezing him and he knew she was nearly there.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me.” With a gush, her cream poured from her body, bursting forth while her walls clenched around him, convulsing. With one final thrust, he spilled his seed into her core, filling her with his heat.

Neither of them could get their breath and he nearly collapsed on top of her, his arms barely bracing him. He trailed kisses across her shoulders while her hands caressed down his back, making their way to his ass. When he could finally speak, he rolled over, taking her with him while he was still deep inside her.

“Carlee...”

She gazed at him, her eyes still filled with passion. “Hmmm?” She tried to rise, to ride him, but he held her against his chest.

“Wait, please. I’ve got something I want to say.”

She stilled, sensing how serious he was. “You’re being bossy again, but alright, Peach.”

“Carlee, I love you.” She opened her mouth again, he knew she wanted to protest but he stopped her by placing his finger over her lips. “No, hear me out.” He took a deep breath and began again. “I love you. I know this seems sudden, and it’s certainly unexpected, but it’s true. This isn’t some fly-by, one night stand, or friends with benefits relationship for me. It never was, but I couldn’t risk hurting you if my wolf went out of control.” He kept going while he had the nerve and she was quiet. “My wolf, he’s a part of me, half of who I am. For him, this is serious. You’re his mate,
my
mate, the one that we were destined to be with from the moment he became part of me, maybe even before then. Sometimes, I don’t know where I stop, and he begins, but we’re both asking you....”

Shit, what am I doing?

He was laying here in bed, still rock hard and deep inside her body while she straddled him. There were no candles, mood music or even dinner for two. Not the most romantic of situations, but what was he to do? There was nothing to do but take the plunge.

He placed a hand on each side of her face, brushing her hair back and tucking it behind her ears. “This isn’t what I’d call the best setting for this kind of question. I’d rather give you a candlelight dinner, champagne and a...well.” He took a deep breath and got the words past his lips. “Carlee, I love you, and I want to take care of you forever, be with you from now to always. Will you marry me?”

Carlee’s world had just been rocked to its foundation by just the connection of their bodies. All she wanted to do was to lie across his chest and catch her breath before round two began. She wanted to let his strong arms wrap around her as she fell asleep. She breathed in deep as he rocked inside her. She didn’t bother opening her eyes, she just smiled. God he felt so good, so right.

Her eyes popped open when he started talking about love again. She said nothing and watched him as he spoke…until…

“Marry you? You’re serious, aren’t you? Peaches, I think that all the blood rushed from this head,” reaching down and caressing his cheek and smiling, “to the head down south.”

She saw the tic in his jaw as he gave her ‘the-cut-the-shit look.’ She chewed on the corner of her lip. “Peaches, you and me? You have no clue what you’re asking for. You know I can be extremely annoying. I bounce out of bed in the morning. I drink three pots of coffee a day. I don’t eat meat, I hate doing laundry, and I have to have a schedule. Oh, and don’t even
think
about going near my Hersey with Almonds during that time of the month or you could lose a hand.”

Her babbling was getting her nowhere, and she knew it. There were a lot of things he didn’t know, things she never told anyone. “Ryden, you don’t get it. You don’t know me. This is us, great sex and walk away. You are a dream guy. I’m not the want-to-marry kind. You don’t know my family, how I was raised, where I came from. We never got around to that part before.”

“I would have known about your family if you’d ever told me. I tried to get you to open up, but every time your parents were mentioned, you shut me down.” He reached out and took her hand and placed it on his chest. She could feel the strong beating of his heart. His voice was soft, “Carlee, you feel that? It beats for you now. I know everything I need to. I know. I love the way you chew your lip when you’re nervous, the way you are doing right now.” His lips curved into a sexy grin. “The way you babble incessantly most of the time, with or without the coffee. I don’t need a damn maid. I can do my own laundry and pick up after myself just fine.” He rotated his hips, pressing himself deeper inside her, causing her eyes to nearly roll back in her head at the feel of him. “Buttercup, I know that I can’t live without you now. Anything else you have to dish out, I’m sure I can handle it.”

All she could do was look at him as he brought her down to his lips, brushing across them from side to side. Her brain was on a fast rewind of their past. She was remembering the way it felt when she was with him. She remembered what life was without him. How even in the past during his brief in-town visits, the loss and loneliness she felt when he was gone, called out again to some remote desert, doing his best to protect and serve.

He tilted her chin with his finger to gaze into her eyes. “Stop analyzing it, Carlee. Stop looking for an excuse. Stop hiding from me and stop hiding from yourself. This is right, and you know it.”

She rested her head back down against his chest as his hands moved softly over her back.

“When I left the hotel, I looked back at you from the cab.” Her voice was soft, sad. “I felt lost and alone again. I hadn’t realized how much being with you made me feel not just safe, but happy despite the fact of
why
we were there. It was like I was where I belonged for the first time in a really long time.” She didn’t add that the last time was when he’d been home before he made the call ending things between them. Did she love him? She wondered to herself if she’d ever stopped. Her breath hitched, and she swore to herself she was not going to cry. Her eyes had other plans and filled with tears. “I think I kinda, sorta, definitely love you, too.”

She felt his smile in the kiss he placed on her forehead and heard the growl that resonated deep in his chest. She guessed maybe his wolf was happy with her answer, too. He rocked his hips once more.

“Beautiful words, Buttercup, but you still didn’t answer the question. You are mine either way. You are as much a part of me as my wolf. We belong together. Marry me, Carlee.”

This time, it wasn’t a question but a command, and Carlee couldn’t believe that she was actually going to go through with it. But a life without Ryden wasn’t something she was willing to consider.  

“Yeah, I think I will. You just better hurry in case I change my mind.”  

She laughed until she snorted as he growled. Then his lips came to hers. The kiss was no longer teasing, it was possessive. As his fingers twined and twisted in her hair, pressing her to him, she realized, he was correct. She was right where she belonged.

JT left the “doctor” standing in his den while he made coffee. This female had trouble written all over her and having her in his home made him want to rip something apart. He had never felt like this before. It wasn’t the wolf that was angry, it was the man. He paced back and forth while the coffee dripped in the pot, eager to get that first cup of the strong, black liquid, and hoping it would calm his nerves.

Lou walked in the kitchen and began making herself at home, digging through cabinets and drawers. JT suppressed a growl and walked over to her.

“What do you want?” His voice was gruff, firm and demanding. Why Ryden insisted she be brought with them, he didn’t know, but JT wanted her gone.

She looked up, startled and then composed herself. “I’d like something to eat. And since you’re not so inclined to offer, and I’m not here because I want to be, I thought I’d find myself some food.” She crossed her arms, just daring JT to challenge her. “You got a problem with that?”

He turned from her, aggravated, and opened the pantry door. “Get what you want.” He walked back to the coffee pot, willing it to hurry up and get done so he could take his cup of hot brew and go outside, away from her.

JT heard her rummaging through the pantry, and watched as Lou came out empty handed. “What’s with all the carbs? Some people can’t eat that stuff. Don’t you have anything here with protein? Meat? You know, that stuff that moos and chews its cud?” He growled and moved past her to pull out a bag of beef jerky from the top shelf and tossed it in her general direction.

“That’s better. Least you could do was put it on a lower shelf so us
short
people can see it.”

He went back to the coffee pot. Thank the heavens it was finally done. With his largest mug in hand, JT poured the strong brew and took a sip, feeling the caffeine ease through his bloodstream and calm him...until she started again.

“No cream? No sugar? Shit, how barbaric. And you don’t even offer me any. Nice. Such a gentleman.”

She opened the cabinet door where he’d just gotten the mug to find her own and poured it full of coffee. He watched as Lou dug through his perfectly arranged cabinets until she found a bag of sugar way in the back. Granules fell from her spoon to the counter as she added it to her coffee and then set it back on the shelf...in the front. Before he could even blink, she had milk out, pouring it in the coffee, splashing it onto the counter to join the sugar, stirred briskly and took her first sip.