Authors: Maddy Barone
She watched him move, all sleek muscle under brown skin, which he checked under the bed and behind the dresser. He was hers, from those broad shoulders to that narrow waist, to his tight, round butt, and long legs. And that fascinating bit standing up between his legs? That was hers, too.
“You’ve never done this with anyone else.”
He turned, apparently satisfied they were feline-free, and came back to her. “No, never.” He looked like he was suppressing a smile. “I’ve been saving myself for our wedding night.”
Another time his unexpected sense of humor might have made her laugh, but she was serious now. “So have I. Kiss me, Sky.”
Heat built as his tongue played with hers. She lost herself in the burn, feeling only him and the desire of her body. The burn increased a hundred times when he moved his mouth to her collarbone and down to her breast. She tore at the waistband of her pants.
“No,” he said firmly. “I’ll do that.”
“Well, hurry up!”
She noticed his fingers weren’t quite steady, but he got her pants open. She shoved them down and stepped out of them, standing in front of him wearing only her sensible white cotton panties. Why hadn’t she bought something silky and seductive when Tasha took her shopping? Sky didn’t seem to care, though. He stared at her with lust plain on his face. It wasn’t just lust. He looked happy, too. Delighted. Awed? It was flattering. Compared to the women here, she was too skinny to be sexy, and although her face was pretty, it wasn’t beautiful. She hesitated, and then hooked her thumbs into the sides of the plain white panties and drew them down over her narrow hips.
“Can I touch you?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Yeah.”
The feel of his hands sliding down her back to cup her butt made her shiver. She could become addicted to his kisses on her breasts, the sensation of his mouth sucking her nipple in, but she wanted him to touch her lower. She opened her thighs to give him a hint. He took it, releasing her nipple to watch his brown fingers trail over her belly to the blond hair at the tops of her legs.
No one had ever touched her there. Rose wasn’t sure what to expect. Sky’s fingers were so light she barely felt them as he skimmed over her. All she felt was her own need seeping like warmed syrup between her legs. When he dipped his finger lower to trace the seam between her thighs she shivered with anticipation.
“Wider,” he murmured. “Open your legs a little wider. Like this.”
He put one hand behind her knee and lifted it to curl around his thigh. She had to grab his shoulders to keep her balance. When he slid his finger inside her she had to cling hard to keep from collapsing.
“I have to sit down,” she breathed. “Can’t stand up anymore.”
With a laugh full of male satisfaction, he picked her up and placed her on the bed. “Close your eyes,” he ordered. “Just feel what I’m doing to you.”
She obeyed. The bed sank slightly as he settled himself beside her. His hand grasped her ankles and positioned her legs so her heels were twelve inches from her butt, her knees up and spread. Such a vulnerable position, but she felt completely safe with Sky. He wouldn’t take advantage…Well, she wanted him to take advantage, didn’t she?
She opened her eyes to watch him. He was completely focused on her most private place, where his fingers were petting and stroking. He seemed enthralled with making little circles around some portion of her anatomy at the top of her slit. According to a book old Mr. Gray, the librarian in Kearney, had let her examine privately in his office that must be her clitoris. At sixteen she hadn’t been completely ignorant about sex. Her mom kept her sheltered compared to her classmates, but she knew a woman’s clitoris was supposed to be a source of sexual pleasure. So far, it felt sort of mildly interesting, and maybe a little embarrassing, but nothing spectacular. Just then, Sky’s finger pressing over a particular spot tore a gasp from her.
“Good?” Sky asked urgently, “or bad?”
“Good! Keep doing that.”
He embellished, sliding a finger inside her and moving it in time with his other hand. It felt good. Why Rose was surprised by that she didn’t know, but this was wonderful. The pleasure she’d heard about but never experienced was building inside her body, just a little bit more with every stroke of his hands. She found herself shoving her hips up in time with his finger thrusts. It took her a minute or so to figure out how to move to enhance the growing tension, but when she did, she felt mindless in her pursuit of it. She knew what this was. An orgasm hovered just out of her reach. She wanted it.
“Faster, Sky,” she panted. “Please! More!”
Was that her voice moaning and gasping? Who knew she could sound like that? It was almost embarrassing to be so needy. She tried to clamp her lips together to control herself, but the orgasm hit her and she forgot everything except the hot pleasure crashing over her writhing body.
It took her a few minutes to come back to herself. She was lying in boneless relaxation on the twisted sheets with Sky beside her, propped on his elbow watching her with a soft smile on his lips.
“Are you all right, Princess?”
“Wonderful. Did I scream?”
The tenderness on his face turned slightly smug. “Loud enough for even human ears to hear you.”
“Oh, no.”
She covered her face with her hands. He tugged them down to kiss each palm in turn. “I’m kidding. Maybe Stone or Paint heard, but they don’t matter. We’re mated. We’re supposed to scream out loud when we make love.” A grin flitted over his lips. “When Taye first brought the Lupa to the den, us younger wolves sat outside in the hall to listen. We were all riveted.”
Rose gave a gurgle of choked laughter. “And then Stone got tired of it. Jelly, we called him back then. Remember? He would stomp around moaning about not being able to get any sleep because the mated couples kept him awake all night.”
His smile grew fierce. “Let’s keep him awake. My turn.”
She lifted her knees and opened her legs wide. “Your turn,” she agreed.
He rose over her, positioning himself between her legs. He kissed her belly, each breast, the hollow of her throat, and then, softly, her lips. “I’ll be gentle,” he promised.
She smiled, reaching between them to take his penis in her hand. The top was even darker now, and glistening with moisture. “You’re wet.”
“So are you. That’s good. It will make this easier.” He put his hand over hers, moving his erection to the entrance to her body. A shudder went through him. “Ready?”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
With her hands grasping the sheets, her body automatically braced itself for pain. He slid in an inch. She forced her muscles to relax.
“Okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He pushed in a little bit more, and then a little bit more again. She waited for the pain. It didn’t come. There was a pinching, burning sensation, but that eased in only a few seconds. He felt big inside her, stretching her, but that wasn’t pain.
“It’s good,” she told him. “Keep going.”
With a groan he pushed in until she could feel their bodies flush against each other. He dropped his forehead onto the bed, breathing hard. “I’m going to move now. Okay?”
“Do it.”
It still didn’t hurt. It felt strange, having him invading her body, then retreating and coming back, but almost nice. Her inward giggle cut off. An echo of her orgasm sparked where he was moving. She tilted her hips to catch the echo. There! Just as she had done earlier, she tried to match his rhythm.
“More,” she demanded.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“More,” she insisted. “You’re not hurting me.”
His body stilled while he looked down at her face. Then he began to move. Still watching her face carefully, he increased the pace of his thrusts. Apparently whatever he saw reassured him. He let go of restraint and that was what she needed to strengthen the echo and bring it fully into the present. Her body, familiar now with what it sought, moved as frantically as his did to capture the orgasm.
She wasn’t sure which of them crested first. She did remember screaming, and catching a glimpse of his head thrown back, his body arched back on stiff arms, his mouth open in a howl. They shuddered and jerked together for long moments until he collapsed to the bed beside her. There was a burning sensation between her thighs that was close to pain but she was too busy panting and gasping to notice too much.
Their eyes met and a big smile curved his lips. She smiled back. They stayed like that for a minute while their breathing slowed. Gooseflesh prickled Rose’s arms. Now she knew what sex was like. A couple of years ago Carla had told her that with the right man, sex was wonderful. Rose looked at Sky’s face. Carla was right.
“Are you okay?” Sky asked. “How much does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt.” She shifted to scoot further up the bed and winced. The burning between her legs was definitely there. “Much. It’s normal.”
“Wait here.”
He got up, a beautiful, long-legged creature that moved with smooth efficiency out the door to the bathroom across the hall. Rose heard water run, and then Sky came back with a washcloth. He climbed back on the bed.
“This will help.”
With great care he wiped the wet washcloth over the flesh between her legs. Smears of red marred the white terrycloth and he looked at her with sorrow in his eyes. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
She ignored the lingering soreness and sat up to touch his jaw. “I heard it always hurts the first time, and it didn’t hurt me very much. In case you didn’t notice, I enjoyed myself just now. Twice.”
Sky tossed the washcloth carelessly on the floor. “Blood wasn’t the only thing on that washcloth. My seed was there, too. You could be pregnant right now. That’s what you want, right? A baby?”
She remembered the parade of infants her friends had produced over the past seven years, but the longing was dimmed. “A month ago, a baby of my own was the thing I wanted most in this world.” She shook her head with a smile, amazed that the longstanding stab of envy didn’t come. “But now I don’t feel like I have to have a baby right now. I’m sure babies will come,” she clarified. “We both enjoy sex enough to ensure babies.”
“Oh, yes,” he said fervently, then chuckled. “Enjoy isn’t quite the word I would use. I enjoy Mrs. Nord’s cooking. Lovemaking is more than enjoyable.”
She snickered. “Agreed. And I will be very glad when we do have a family.” She cupped his chin and drew him in for a light kiss. “But for now I have you.”
“Yes,” he vowed, seizing her hands. “You have me. What a fool I was to stay here in Omaha when I had a mate waiting for me at the den.”
That was exactly what she had thought for the past several years. These short few days in Omaha had changed her mind. She squeezed his fingers. “What you’re doing in Omaha is important.”
“Yes,” he agreed, “but not as important as you. How many years did I waste?”
“It wasn’t a waste. What would have happened to Katelyn if you hadn’t rescued her? What about Odell?”
He was silent for a long moment, his face clouded with regret and trouble. “Well, it’s water under the bridge now. You have goose bumps on your arms. Let’s turn off the light and get under the covers.”
Both still naked, they curled together. This is what she had wanted all along, this feeling of love and acceptance and comfort. The sex was mind blowing, better than she had even dreamed it could be, and she loved it, but being held by a man who had opened himself to her was even better.
“Good night, princess,” he whispered. “Sleep well.”
Princess. He’d called her that in the past to show disdain. Now it was a tender endearment. She smiled against his shoulder. “Goodnight, Prince Charming.”
*
In the dark, drinking in the scent of his mate and their love making, Sky sighed. He was no Prince Charming. For years he had put his mate last. Yes, his work in Omaha was important, but he had let it come between them. To a wolf warrior, nothing was more important than his mate. How could he have forgotten that? Was he even a wolf warrior anymore? His hair was short, he wore city clothes, he lied, he manipulated, and he hadn’t let his wolf out in over six years. He hadn’t released his wolf even while he’d visited the den.
Cautiously, he looked deep inside himself, searching for his wolf. He found him in a dark corner, curled up and all but purring like Rose’s stupid cat. The wolf was satisfied with the step he and Rose had taken. They were mated now. Nothing in the world could break that bond. At Sky’s nudge, the wolf showed no sign of wanting to make the change, but he was content in a way Sky hadn’t sensed in years. Maybe that was enough for now.
With Rose naked and sleeping under his arm, Sky felt the same contentment. He breathed in the precious scent of her and allowed himself to drift into sleep.
Chapter 19
Rose woke and realized by the sun coming in the window that it must be mid-morning. Breakfast was probably long over. She realized two other things immediately after that: she was naked, and Sky’s incredibly blue eyes were watching her from a distance of less than twelve inches. A zing of memory made heat rise in her cheeks. The sheet was twisted at her waist, leaving her bare from the waist up and the knees down. She clutched at the edge of the sheet, wavering between the desire to pull it up, and the need to prove she wasn’t a shrinking violet.
“Um.” She swallowed. “Good morning, Sky.”
“Good morning, princess.”
His voice was a tender rasp. The once-hated nickname made her smile. Wonder and something very close to joy bubbled up in a giggle she barely suppressed. Last night she had accepted his mate claim. They were bonded now forever. Her hands relaxed on the sheet. She didn’t have to be embarrassed to be naked with him; he was her mate. His gaze was intense as he looked her over from her bare white feet to her bed head hair, lingering on her belly and breasts.
He leaned close. “I want to kiss you.”
She drew back into the pillow, covering her mouth with her hand. “I haven’t brushed my teeth.” The suppressed giggle burst out at the familiar words.
“Did I say anything about kissing your mouth?”