Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) (9 page)

Mandy swallowed hard and licked her lips. Oliver’s gaze fell to the motion and he stared once again. She lifted her hand slightly to cup his face rather than his beard and tilted her head. The line between her brows deepened, and he wanted to smooth it out. She only did that when she was thinking hard about something.

And she always seemed to be thinking hard around him and Gibson.

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened,” she whispered. He hadn’t expected her to say that, and from the way Mandy blinked, she hadn’t expected to say it either. “Claire died because someone wanted her dead, or she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn’t your fault you didn’t see it. You’re so hard on yourself, Oliver. You can’t control when a vision comes to you, and you can’t control how deep you go in the vision itself. It’s not your fault,” she repeated.

Oliver looked over her then, but kept his hands on her hip and lower back. “I’ve always tried to control them, you know. Maybe before the Verona Virus hit things were different, but if they were, I don’t remember. I wasn’t that old when we went into the compounds, and even though I knew I would one day be the Foreseer for the bears, I wasn’t as…entrenched in the visions as I am now. But no matter what I’ve done since, I can’t control them. I can’t see those I love…or I usually can’t.”

He looked down again and she blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

He let out a sigh and rested his head on the top of hers. She wrapped her arms around his middle. It was as if she knew he needed the comfort, even if he didn’t want to ask for it. Her wolf brushed up against his bear, apparently knowing his beast needed touch, as well.

“I’ve never been able to get clear readings of Anya or the cubs. Or even my parents before then. I also can’t see myself, though I’m the one
living
the visions at the time. But recently, things have been all out of order.” He paused a beat. “I’ve seen the cubs, but not at their death. I’ve seen Cole.” He sighed. “I’ve seen you and Gibson.”

He could feel her pulse quicken. He wanted to know what she was thinking. He shouldn’t have mentioned her and Gibson, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. He’d needed her to know that he’d not only dreamt about her, but that he
shouldn’t
have because she was close to him in a way he hadn’t thought possible. In the span of mere moments, mere months, he’d started to fall for his two wolves. To humans, that might seem fast, but he wasn’t human. Though it did scare the hell out of him.

“I don’t know what any of it means,” Oliver said softly. “I never do, though I muddle my way through it.”

She pulled back then so he could see her face. “I wouldn’t call that muddling. You’ve saved people, Oliver. And with each vision you fall deeper into the hell you live through every day. I know it’s taking part of you away every time you do it, and it hurts me to think of it. So don’t call it muddling. You do so much, and yet you never take anything from it, never let the world know that you tried.”

“I’m not used to people trying to take care of me,” he said softly. “No, that’s a lie. Anya’s been taking care of me since we were children because of my so-called gifts. And yet…yet it feels different with you. She’s tried to keep me alive, and yet with you—and Gibson—I feel like I want to
live
.” He cupped her face and stared down into those big eyes of hers. “How do you do this to me, little wolf? How can you reach me when no one else can?”

He traced her cheek with his thumb and she licked her lips. He wanted to do the same, wanted to capture her mouth and take it as his own. He wanted to feel her body against his, see how well she fit below him, over him, near him.

And because they were here, alone, together, full of promise…he would.

Oliver lowered his mouth to hers, and she gasped softly before yielding to him. He kept one hand on her face, the other firmly on her hip, keeping her in place. His cock ached beneath her butt, but he didn’t rock, didn’t push her too far, too quickly. He was a big man, a big bear, and Mandy was so small, so fragile.

Though he wanted Gibson there, wanted Gibson with him, with Mandy, with them both, he knew right then, this was about Oliver and Mandy. They were three parts of a whole, three separate relationships that entwined to become one.

And for now, for this moment of pure passion, this was Oliver and Mandy’s time.

He explored her mouth, learning her taste and each moan she made when he went deeper, when he gently bit her lips. When he pulled back, they were both breathless, and she squirmed once again on his lap.

“I want you, little wolf,” he whispered. “Will you have me?”

She looked into his eyes and smiled softly. “I’m already yours, Oliver. Didn’t you know that?”

He stood then and lifted her into his arms. She let out a squeak and wrapped her legs around his waist. He slid one hand under her butt to keep her steady and used the other to grip the back of her head, bringing his mouth down over hers once more. He kissed her hard, harder than before, needed her as close to him as possible.

“I could drown on your taste. Die a happy man,” he growled roughly against her mouth.

She ran her hands through his hair, pulling out the band as she did so. “Keep tasting.” She bit into his lower lip, and he growled. “Taste everything.”

He grinned then. Seems his little submissive wolf wasn’t all that submissive with everything. Perfect. He couldn’t wait for Gibson to find out, as well. Just the image of the two of them making sure Mandy came over and over again sent him to the edge, so he took a deep breath and carried the woman his bear wanted as his to the bedroom.

When he laid her down on the edge of the mattress, he couldn’t help but smile. “You look like you’re Goldilocks in my bed.”

She rolled her eyes. “My hair isn’t blonde.”

He slid his hand up her calf slowly. “With your hair splayed around your head like that in a bed that’s big enough for a bear, I don’t care about the color. I want to taste you, Mandy. I’m going to lick you up, eat you out, and make you come on my tongue before I take you.”

Mandy shivered. “Okay.”

He laughed then, charmed by her simple answer. “Okay, then.” He lowered himself over her, taking her mouth again while running his hands over her body. He loved the feel of her, all softness and curves. She wasn’t a warrior, yet held the strength of her wolf under the softness of her skin.

When he pulled away to work on the button of her jeans, she bit into her lip and raised her hips. He grinned and slowly pulled her pants down her legs, tossing them to the side. Her legs were shapely and would fit nicely around his hips as he drove into her.

“Beautiful,” he whispered and cupped her boldly.

She gasped, and he grinned, intent on his purpose. She still wore her top and panties, but laid out before him, he knew she was his. He bent over her and slid his hands under the sides of her panties before pulling them down. Again, she lifted her hips to help, and he couldn’t help but sigh at the perfection in front of him.

And she was
his
.

Before she could put her knees together to cover herself, he lowered his face and licked. She bucked toward him, calling out his name. He licked again, her taste sweet on his tongue. He put one hand over her stomach to keep her steady as he explored her, licking and sucking while making sure to pay extra attention to her clit.

“Oliver,” she gasped and he increased the pace, sliding one finger into her. She clamped around him, tight, tight, wet and hot. When he added a second finger and gently bit down on her clit, she came against him, her body shaking.

He let her ride the pleasure before pulling back and stripping off his clothes in a hurry. When he was completely naked, he pulled her to her feet, allowing her to still lean against the bed, and kissed her again, the urgency riding him making him shake.

“I need you,” he rasped. “I need all of you.”

“You have it,” she gasped as she raised her hands. He slid her shirt off and had her bra on the ground next to her panties before she could blink. Her breasts were the perfect size for his large hands and he had to have them in his mouth. He licked one nipple, then the other, gently plucking them with his fingers and cupping her breasts as he did.

“Oliver,” she moaned, her hand tangling in his hair. He hummed against her nipple, and she pressed her body against his, her hand on his dick.

He groaned. “If you touch me right now, I’m going to come.”

“You got to taste me, why can’t I taste you?”

He pulled away and cupped her face. “Next time,” he promised. “Next time. I need you now.”

With that, he turned her around and pressed her back to his front, his cock sliding against the top of her ass. When he bent her over the edge of the bed, she fisted her hands in the bedspread as he gripped her hips tightly. He bent over her and kissed the back of her neck then licked down her spine. With one hand, he fingered her again, making sure she was ready for him, and with the other, positioned himself at her entrance.

“Ready for me, little wolf?”

“I’ve been ready,” she said, her voice rough.

“Good.” He pushed into her then and they both moaned. She was so small, so tight, but she’d take him. His bear wanted to go harder, go faster, but for this first time, he just wanted to feel her. He could wait that long.

“Oliver,” she moaned. “Now. Take me. I can handle it. I need you.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m a wolf, bear of mine. I can take it. Now take me.” She pushed backwards, taking the rest of him, and he growled before pulling back and slamming back into her. They both groaned, and he continued the pace, thrusting in and out of her until they were both sweat-slick and on the edge. Before he could come, he pulled out and flipped her over. He put his hands under her butt and lifted her so she rested on the edge of the bed. She reached between them and gripped his cock, moving him so he could fill her again. He pushed into her once more, and she rocked her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust.

When his balls tightened, he knew he was close. “Touch yourself,” he ordered. “Come for me.”

She slid her hand over her belly and did as he told her, her eyes never leaving his. When her eyes darkened, her body bowing, he came with her, crushing his mouth to hers and catching her scream of pleasure.

His bear roared, and he felt her wolf slide against him, connecting them in a way he’d never thought possible.

He stood with her in his arms, naked, sweaty, sated, and
hers
.

No matter the future, no matter what his visions showed him, this was what he would remember until the end of his days. The feel of this woman in his arms…and in his soul.

He just prayed this wouldn’t be the last time he felt it.

Gibson was horny. There wasn’t another word for it. He was finally healed from everything that had hit him recently, and because he’d done his best to stay secluded¸ he hadn’t had to deal with too many emotions.

Yet there was one thing he couldn’t change on his own.

Oh, he might have been able to rub one off to take care of the itch, or at least part of it, but he hadn’t wanted to, not with Oliver and Mandy right
there
.

Of course, the two of them had already been with one another so they at least knew what the other felt like. Gibson, however, had no clue. It might have been his own fault because he’d wanted to make sure Oliver had been taken care of during his time of need, and he knew Mandy would be perfect for it, but it didn’t make his dick any less hard.

And the fact that he was thinking about his dick and not that he had to control this new
gift
of his, or that Claire was dead, or about who hurt him in the first place,
or
about the fact the SAU guards had remained a silent presence, told him he needed to get his priorities straight.

Not everything was about getting off.

But sometimes it sure as hell felt like it.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He probably should get it cut, but Mandy had commented that she liked it so he kept it. They weren’t even mated, and he was already doing things for her to make her happy. If he’d been an asshole, he might have resented her for it. But he wasn’t, and he just wanted to make sure she
stayed
happy.

It wasn’t easy when the world was going to hell around them, and it wasn’t as if they’d started off in a great place to begin with.

With a sigh, he got up from his kitchen table and put his cold coffee in the sink. He hadn’t remembered to drink it when it’d been hot since he’d been trying to untangle a few threads of emotions, and now he was tired, grumpy, and in need of caffeine. Cold caffeine would have to do. He pulled out an off-brand soda from the refrigerator and popped the top. The humans didn’t let them have brand name things since it was just one more way for them to flaunt their power, so off-brand had to do. Sometimes, they snuck in the good stuff, but he didn’t have any at the moment.

That morning, he was supposed to work on a thigh piece for a fellow wolf, but the other man had cancelled, telling Gibson in apologetic tones that as the new Omega, he probably needed rest.

It grated on him that the other man had been right, but he did his best to ignore it. He hadn’t done a tattoo since becoming the Omega, and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to at all. It was bad enough he could feel tension, hurt, and anger from others when he walked past them. What would happen when
he
was the one inflicting pain from the needle of a tattoo machine? He wasn’t sure he would be able to handle it, and because of that, he knew he’d have to take a break from the one thing that had centered him within the Pack.

Of course, he now had this new connection, but he didn’t know what to do with it. Nor did he know if he’d be able to fully control it. For all he knew, he’d break along the way, or worse, break someone he cared about because he didn’t know how to handle this so-called gift.

If he’d been born with the power or had known about it growing up like other Omegas in the past had, it would be one thing. But this had been dropped in his lap at a point in his life when he hadn’t been ready for it.