Her hands swept over his taut muscles and smooth skin as he touched her sweet spot, rubbed, stroked, and made her groan with escalating need.
He plunged a finger between her parted legs, made her wetter, needier, and she begged for more.
“I need…you,” Eric said, barely breathing out the words.
Her blood raced through her veins as his strokes brought her closer to the sun’s hottest flames. She was near the peak when he drew her over, sending her heart soaring, his name on her lips.
“Ready?” he asked. One last chance for waiting on a mating, but she was ready for this, wanting it, feeling as though if she didn’t, she would wake him in the middle of the night and mate him anyway. She wasn’t changing her mind about this.
“Yes.” The word was said with such need, he gave her a wicked smile back.
He pushed in, slowly at first. She was so tight, and he wanted this with her, the mating, a companion for life, his partner. Life was too short, and he wasn’t about to waste it in waiting.
His pulse and hers were pounding hard. He began to thrust deep inside her, loving her silky, warm body wrapped around his cock, the way her inner muscles clenched him tightly in her grasp.
It was more than sex between lupus garous; it was a lifetime promise to be lovers, friends, and companions. She overwhelmed his senses, tilted his world on edge, made him aware of nothing around him but her. He hadn’t believed he’d ever find a woman to love again.
Her body moved against his as if they’d already had a lifetime together, in perfect sync, knowing how to push this to the edge and back. She bent her knees, giving him deeper access. He took advantage of her offering, thrusting home until he felt the end coming. He nipped at her chin and her lips, and sank his length deep between her legs until he released on a groan.
“Hot damn, woman,” he said, rolling over onto his back and pulling her on top of him.
She smiled and snuggled against him. “This. Was. Perfect.”
“Don’t get too settled in,” he warned. “I’ve got lots more where that came from.”
“Bragging or—”
“Promising.”
“Good. Wonderful. I will hold you to it.”
He was sleepy and normally would have just dropped off for a bit before he ravaged the she-wolf again, but he began to think of everything he needed to talk to Pepper about—his deceased mate, his father. A mate should know those things.
“I love you,” he said, wanting her to know it with all his heart.
“Eric”—she sighed his name against his chest—“you have made me so happy and gone way beyond any expectations I had. I love you for that and everything else about you.”
“I had no doubt you would be perfect.”
She laughed. “No one is perfect.”
“In bed? Hell yeah you are.”
“Hmmm, you are too.”
She was truly a wonder, and he felt he was one lucky wolf to have run into her in the park that one day, even if he was injured for having done so.
“This is truly a wondrous way to end the day.”
“This is only the beginning.” He snuggled with her, her soft curvy body fitting just right against him as the night cooled down. This couldn’t get any better.
But they still needed to deal with Waldron. The bastard might think Eric was as easy to kill as Harold had been. If Waldron truly believed that, Eric would set him straight in a heartbeat.
Chapter 18
Early the next morning, Pepper stirred in Eric’s arms and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and kissed her right back.
“We need to check out the area, get some breakfast, and go to work. Ready to run as a wolf?”
“Hmmm, do you always wake up thinking about work? I had other notions in mind.”
“Ha! You are a wild man. Other notions? We made love four times last night. Which I loved.” She nipped his chin, then slid out of his arms while he watched her leave the bed and shift.
He yawned. “I’m going to have to sleep during my lunch hour. All right. I’m coming.” He climbed out of bed and shifted too, then she tore off for the wolf door, and he raced after her. She slid on the tile floor, trying to make the corner, and he wanted to laugh. But he slid on the same corner and grinned at her as she gave him a fun-loving wolf smile, then dove through the door. He chased her for a good quarter of an hour, and then she chased him. It sure shook off some of the grogginess of sleep, better than a stiff cup of coffee. He could do this for hours with her.
Every moment spent with her clinched his belief that she was the right one for him, and he really longed for a couple of days enjoying each other when nothing else could intrude.
* * *
Pepper had planned to be more serious: get the job done, have breakfast, and then get to work. Yet, she loved this aspect of their mated relationship. It had made the routine more of an adventure. She could definitely get used to the added benefit of having the wolfish hunk for her mate.
Her heart skittered when he was hunting her. She hadn’t had anyone chase her in years. Even when she was little, she was the alpha, so she often did the hunting. She enjoyed pursuing another alpha. As she chased him, his tail straight out behind him waved at her like a flag saying, “Catch me if you can.” She loved how fast he ran, but then slowed a bit so she could catch up to him, and then raced off again. He had longer legs, but she was a good sprinter. He had such a devilish look in his eyes, enjoying teasing her, loving being both the hunter and the hunted. This was just too much fun.
Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a wolf headed straight for Eric’s right flank, like an arrow ready to slam into him. Eric had seen the big gray male—not Waldron, but one of his pack—and quickly turned to fight him. Pepper worried there were more of them out there this morning.
Eric whipped around so fast, he caught the wolf off-guard, when the wolf probably thought he was about to do that to Eric. The wolf yipped and fled. Eric could have run after him, but he didn’t. He stayed with Pepper.
She was furious with Waldron and his pack. These were her woods. Waldron and his wolves were encroaching on her lands, and she wouldn’t allow it. She couldn’t, or it would be tantamount to saying she didn’t have control over them. Yes, she owned the property rights, but wolves needed more than that. They needed to know they owned the territory.
Pepper flew past Eric in wolf-hunting mode with one large, gray wolf on the menu.
Eric was astonished at her tenacity, though he understood why she was chasing after the wolf. It was her property and she wanted to make it clear no wolf would attack her, her pack, or her guests and get away with it. He wondered if this wolf had anything to do with the one he’d taken down in the park.
For a fraction of a moment, he had waited to pursue the wolf. But now he could hunt it without reservation.
He bolted after her, fearing the wolf could be leading them into an ambush, and he didn’t want Pepper injured.
She was so incredibly fast, she managed to bite the wolf’s tail. The wolf yelped and sprang forward with a renewed burst of energy. He leaped over a fallen tree, but as soon as Pepper had cleared it and Eric reached it, he smelled fresh wolf scents. One was Waldron’s. Eric barked at Pepper to get her to stop.
She immediately did, but she looked like she hadn’t wanted to for anything. She was panting, watchful, sniffing the air. For the longest time, she stood watching the retreating wolf race through the forest until he disappeared from sight.
Eric joined her and nuzzled her face, encouraging her to return with him. She growled a little, but then with reluctance, she finally went with him. After loping together for a little bit, she continued to search for any other signs of Waldron or his wolves. Her scent said she was angry, and she was no longer playing. Eric hated Waldron for making her feel her lands weren’t safe for her or her people. He assumed
that’s just why the wolf did it too. Or payback. Or both.
When they didn’t find any more scents and no other wolves lurking about, they returned to her house. Once inside, she shifted right away and scowled at Eric. He thought she was mad the wolf had tried to attack him, but he wasn’t expecting her to be angry with him.
“Why didn’t you go after the wolf?”
Eric shifted, and instead of going on the defensive, he pulled her naked body into his arms, held her close, and kissed her forehead. “I thought he might lead us into an ambush. I didn’t want to leave you alone if the wolf’s intent was to draw me away from you so Waldron could hassle you.”
Pepper was so tense in his arms that he began caressing her silky back, wanting her to realize they really could do this. They might think differently about how to deal with situations that arose, but they could work things out for the best. “Did you smell Waldron and some of his other wolves by that fallen tree?” he asked.
“Yes.” She relaxed a little.
“I think they intended to ambush me like his cousin did your mate. Except you were the one chasing their wolf down—”
“We both were.”
“Only because I didn’t want you embroiled in a fight by yourself.”
She relaxed against him even more then, and he thought how wonderful she felt pressed against him, wrapped in his arms. “I’m not a beta wolf when it comes to fighting other wolves. I do consider every scenario before I rush into a situation like this,” Eric said.
“I’m sorry, Eric. It’s going to take time for me to get used to the way you do things so we can lead the pack as more of a unified force.”
He was still stroking her soft, naked skin, loving the feel of her and wanting to return to bed with her. “Do you know who the wolf was?”
“Yes. They call him Turbo because he’s so fast.”
“Hell, you were just as fast. I need to pay Waldron a visit. CJ and Trevor are still trying to track him down. I thought the bastard was supposed to be so alpha, but he sends his teens to do his dirty work, and now this.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ve dealt with his kind more than once over the years. There’s no dealing with them in a conciliatory manner. They’re hardheaded and insist they have their way.”
“Other than the attempted wolf attack, I really had a great time this morning.”
“Before we got up or after we took our run?”
She laughed. “All of it.”
“The best part is it’s only the beginning.” Though he knew the only way to really concentrate on their new life together was to take care of Waldron and his pack. All he cared to think about for now was being with his mate, and no one would ruin that for them.
She pulled him through the house to the master bath. “Want to take a quick shower?”
“Hell yeah.” He smiled, loving his wickedly sexy mate.
As soon as they were in the shower, the warm water sluicing over them, he began soaping her up and rubbing all the right spots to make her feel like she was going to heaven and wouldn’t return in a million years.
“Good?” he whispered against her ear.
“Oh yeah,” she mouthed against his shoulder as he stroked her nub, his other hand sliding down her back as she ran soap over his torso. He was already fully aroused. She loved the way he turned her on and more than satisfied her need for sexual fulfilment.
His fingers deftly stroking her, she gave in to the state of bliss, soaking up the raw passion until she was ready to burst. She knew she’d been missing something in her life. She just hadn’t realized it could be this powerfully good. She slid her hands down his wet back, caught up in the rapture of the moment. The climax hit, and she cried out his name, grateful they had agreed to mate. She never thought she’d experience sex, not like this. Once wouldn’t be enough.
He moved her hand down to stroke him, and she encircled her fingers around his velvety hardness. He was already primed from bringing her to completion, their pheromones sending their senses reeling, but her stroking him was sending him over the edge. When he began to tense, to thrust harder into her hand, he was ready to come. But then he did the unexpected—he lifted her so her back was against the wall, her legs around his hips, and he penetrated her wet sheath. He drove into her hard, with passion and resolution, mouth nuzzling her face and kissing her before he thrust his tongue into her mouth.
And then he groaned with release, filling her with his warmth and love. For a long time, he just held her close like that. Then he kissed her again, a sweet and searing kiss, and she kissed him back with just as much eagerness.
Then he sighed. “Better finish this so we can get a bite to eat and then head out.”
She moaned softly. “I think we need to schedule a week off so we can enjoy each other without interruption.”
“Absolutely my thought too.”
They soaped each other up again, and she was glad she had a tankless hot water heater so they could linger a while longer while sudsing each other up. They massaged each other’s scalps, and she felt like she could melt into the tile floor. Sliding her soapy hands all over his body proved a tactile delight, but more so when he was soaping up her breasts, her nipples, and between her legs. Though judging by his arousal, he was enjoying this a hell of a lot too. Then they rinsed each other off in a playful way. When they were through, they dried each other off and it was time to dress, then fix a quick breakfast. She really wanted to go to bed with him, cuddle, and maybe do this again. But it would have to wait.
As for Turbo’s attack on Eric, she already had some concerns about her coleader mate that she wanted to address.
Chapter 19
While bagels were toasting, Pepper brought out some cantaloupe and honeydew melon. “When you didn’t go after the wolf, I was afraid history was repeating itself,” she said to Eric in the kitchen, the morning sun peeking through the window.
Eric fixed them both a cup of coffee. “He could have led me into an ambush where Waldron or some of his wolves waited, and Waldron or others might have hassled you. Two of us together were a safer bet. That part of our relationship will take some getting used to, learning each other’s strengths and building on them.”
She sighed. “That’s what my beta mate would have done. Stayed with me. I thought since you were an alpha you would have reacted differently.”
“No. He would have been right to stay by your side. Even if I’d been alone, it would depend on the circumstances. Were others waiting for me somewhere else if I had chased the attacking wolf down? If I were him, I’d have howled for wolf backup.”
“I’m glad the wolf didn’t bite you.”
“He wouldn’t have had the chance. If he’d actually bitten at me, I would have killed him.”
“Do you think he was really going to bite you? When he ran off so suddenly, I had the impression it was a ploy to get you to take chase.”
“I agree. I wondered if he thought I’d run off because of his aggression, like I had done when Waldron attacked me. What if they’re testing me to see how I react to other wolves?”
“Then do you think Waldron or someone else was watching us? Or Turbo reported back to him?”
“Yeah. To them, it might still look like I’m afraid to take any of them down. You bit him instead. I’m still an unknown entity.” Eric thought Waldron and his pack might not even realize the Silver pack had taken the other wolf and incarcerated him. No one had contacted Darien, and they had seen no signs of any unknown wolves in Silver Town. To them, he was probably just missing, and that could mean any number of things.
Eric stroked her back and kissed her cheek, and then they took their seats at the breakfast table. “Tell me about your land. What would he gain by attempting to force you to mate him?”
“A profitable Christmas tree farm,
a tree nursery, and forested land for hunting and fishing and running as wolves. All of our adult pack members have incomes, so we’re a self-sustained pack. We might not run a whole town, but we do well financially. As a dispersing wolf with a pack with no home now, he probably sees this as a perfect place to settle down. He would just need to win over the she-wolf who owns the land and runs the pack.”
“He’s been doing a lousy job of it, and now it’s too late. But I still believe there’s a good chance he’s involved in the marijuana business.”
“I’ve never smelled weed on him.”
“He might be supervising the operation, but letting his other wolves handle the goods.”
“Even if he isn’t doing anything criminal like that, from the first moment I saw him, I wasn’t interested in him. There was something about him that didn’t appeal. The way you and I met was a natural consequence of you working at the park. No hidden agenda. You didn’t know I was there, that I had a pack, that I was unmated. But with Waldron, I met him in the grocery store. It just seemed odd at the time to me.
“Now that I know his cousin had already been here and had killed my mate, I can see how meeting Waldron wasn’t purely by chance. He wasn’t able to oust his brother and take over his pack, so Waldron decided to come here and attempt to win me over. He seemed like a salesman trying to sell himself to me. That’s what I like about you. You’re just yourself. You just make yourself available to me and the pack without any hidden agenda.” She served up the bagels, butter, honey, and jams.
“Oh, I have a hidden agenda.”
She smiled up at him. “Yeah, but it wasn’t to gain control of the pack. I’ve had so much trouble with alpha males. As soon as they learned I ran a pack, they became rabidly interested. No longer was there a need to get to know me, but a real push to get my consent for a mating. It really turned me off.”