Ellis: Emerson Wolves ― Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance (13 page)

Chapter 13

Ellis watched the bidding wars. And that’s exactly what it was. When something was put up that was in high demand, the wars began. Even people at the same table became a little insane when one of their table mates started outbidding them. He had a good laugh several times when a divorced couple were at it hot and heavy until they were outbid by another patron. Then the basket of Dawn’s jelly came up. He watched her face as the men helping out tonight held it up for all to see.

The script was read like the man had had a bowl of it just before coming up in the stage. He told how it was homemade, the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then he told the audience that he already had a starting bid of five thousand dollars.

To be honest, Ellis thought it was either Addie or Sloan that had put in that bid. It would be something they’d do to boost her confidence, but the governor’s wife stood up and said it was all hers. All hell broke loose after that, mainly between three woman; the senator’s wife who he’d met before, the governor and his wife, as well as a woman that looked like she’d chew you up and spit you out into fiery pieces should you cross her. Ellis found himself rooting for her to win, fearful of would happen should she not.

As it turned out, the governor’s wife had to settle for getting hers online. The dragon woman admitted defeat when the senator’s wife declared herself the winner and walked away with the prize, handing two of the little jars to each of her opponents like a good winner.

Dawn turned to look at him, her face a study in stunned amazement. “That woman just paid eleven thousand dollars for six jars—six small jars—of jelly. Eleven thousand dollars.”

“I saw that.” She stared at the auctioneer, then looked back at him. “Honey, it’s fine. It’s for charity and you made a big hit with them. The governor’s wife is going to order more from you, too. I’m not sure about the other woman, but I’d make her some even if you have to do it in our kitchen. I don’t think we want her as an—”

“I don’t think I can do this.” She looked panicky, and he kissed her. Then he stood up. “Are you leaving me? Not yet please. She’s going to realize what she’s done and how much she’s just paid for a little bit of fruit and sugar, and demand that I give her back her money. Not that I had anything to do with it, but she’ll come after me all the same. I don’t have that kind of money. Not even…my house burned down and all my cash was in there. I don’t think it amounted to much more than a thousand dollars, but it’s all I had. Please don’t leave me, Ellis, I need you right here.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” Moving his chair out of the way, he turned hers to him. Then he went down on one knee. She looked around the table, and he could see that his family had gone quiet and were standing up as well. “Dawn Whitfield, will you be my wife? Will you marry me and make me happier than a man has a right to be? Will you sleep with me every night, wake with me in the morning, and hold me throughout the day? Will you keep me in your heart, as you’ve been in mine since the time I first saw you in my dreams all those months ago? I love you, Dawn. Will you please be my wife?”

He slipped the ring onto her finger and held her hand. She was crying and looking at him, but she’d yet to say yes. Ellis was terrified that she was thinking how to tell him no. When she leaned down and put her forehead to his, he knew she was turning him down.

“I have loved you since I first saw you searching for me in the woods. Even not knowing who you were or why you were looking for me, I knew that you were a man to love and to love well. I just never expected it to be me that you’d love.” He closed his eyes, thinking of how much he loved this woman. “I will marry you, but you should know that I will love you with all that I have, for all my life. You will be forever first in my heart and on my mind. I will love your children, and care for you and them above all others. I love you, Ellis Emerson. Yes, I will be your wife.”

“Now that’s the way to propose to someone.” His dad pulled him up from the floor and hugged him. “Ellis, I have never seen anyone do a proposal with such style and love. Your mother would be so proud of you. All of her boys.”

His dad kissed Dawn and welcomed her to the family, and that’s when Ellis realized that the entire room had been listening to them. Not only had the auctioneer stopped his fast talk, but everyone in the room had paused to see what was going on. And when Ellis pulled Dawn into his arms and kissed her, they all applauded and shouted out their congratulations. But Ellis held up his hand.

“I’m not finished.” The room erupted in laughter. “What I meant to say was that I wanted this night to be special for my future wife. And in order for her not to have second thoughts about marrying me, I’ve taken this one more step.”

Ellis nodded to the auctioneer, who turned to the band that had been playing quietly while they ate. When they started playing the wedding march, Ellis handed Dawn off to his dad and moved to the dais that the auctioneer had been using. Jack, the only other person who had known what he was planning, started directing people to where they needed to be. Soon it was apparent to the others in the room—they were at a wedding.

Sloan, Addie, and Jack were being escorted to the front of the room by his brothers; Lee and Graham, single for now, brought their own dates with them. It was, after all, a family affair. When his dad started toward him with Dawn, he stopped and asked for a second. Ellis wondered what he was doing when he whispered to Mabel. She dug into her purse and handed him something.

“Sorry, folks.” He turned to Dawn as he continued speaking to the crowd in general. “I kinda knew that he was going to ask to marry my girl here tonight. Didn’t know they’d be getting hitched, but I like his style. But I had Mabel there store something for me so I could give it to Dawn afterwards like. She sure is working out just fine in my little part of the world, just so you all know. But this here, this is fitting. A bride needs something old and something new. And this thing here fits both bills.”

When he stepped back from her, Ellis saw what his dad had done. It had been his mother’s locket. The chain long ago had been broken, and Ellis would bet that that was what his dad was referring to as the new. The locket was one that she’d worn all through his childhood. Inside it was a picture of Ellis and his mom taken the day he’d been born. Dad had given her one for each child she’d given him, their date of birth engraved on the front with the letter E.

“Oh, Dad.”

Dawn sobbed to his dad and hugged him, and Ellis wanted to join them. But then she turned to him and told him that she loved him and wanted to get this done. Dad escorted her to him and started to leave them at the makeshift altar, but Ellis yanked him to him and hugged him tightly. In minutes, he and Dawn were united as man and wife, and his family had just gotten a good deal better so far as he was concerned.

As they made their way back to their table, everyone stood up and applauded again. Many of them hugged them both; some told him it was the best wedding they’d ever been to. The entire thing had gone off without a hitch.

As soon as they were seated, the auctioneer, not missing a beat, brought out the truck Ellis wanted and started the bidding at nine thousand dollars. He couldn’t even look at it now, didn’t want anything to come between him and his wife. When the auctioneer shouted “
Sold!
” and then told the price, Ellis nearly fell off his chair when Hunter told him congratulations.

“I love her. What did you expect me to do?” Hunter told him that was nice but not what he was talking about. “What?”

“The truck, it’s yours.” He looked at his family around the table as Hunter continued. “We all decided that if anyone was going to have it and it couldn’t be me, then you should. So we decided on a price and that’s what we did. It was Dawn’s idea.”

“You did this?” She shrugged when he asked her. “You had them buy me a truck? An amazing truck, but you had them buy this for me?”

“I knew you wanted it. It was all you’d been talking about since I met you. And since I have a new business partner, I asked for a little extra on my loan from her, and we decided that we’d all go in together. I had no idea I was getting married, so it’s only fair that you didn’t know my plans.”

Ellis picked her up in his arms and swung her around the room. He’d never in all his life forget this night. When he said as much to Dawn, she told him he’d better not if he knew what was good for him. Laughing, he carried her out of the ballroom and down the hall to a room he’d scoped out earlier.

~~~

She was married. That was all that kept running through her mind when he rushed her out of the ballroom and down the hall. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and smiled up at him.

“Are you planning to ravish me?” He nodded. “Not if I get to you first. I have plans myself, big boy. And none of it centers on wherever it is you’re taking me.”

He stopped. “What did you have in mind?” She asked to be set down. “Dawn, if I don’t get to make love to you soon, I might have to hurt someone.”

“Trust me, you will.” She made her way to the doors and as she went, she kicked off her shoes and let her hair down out of the very beautiful coronet that it had been put in. Turning to look at Ellis as he stood there, she smiled at him. “I’m going to be naked by the time I get to the woods. And the moment I get into them, I’m going to be a wolf. A very needy, very wet wolf.”

She was out the door and down the steps by the time she heard him curse. As she stripped out of her stockings and tossed them back in his direction, she was glad that this building was situated so close to where she wanted to be. Ellis was right behind her when she let her wolf take her.

She didn’t run hard or even that fast. The thrill of the chase was what she wanted, and Ellis was giving her that. Even as he tackled her a couple of times, she knew that he was letting her get away. And when she finally stopped running, he was right there with her.

I love you.
She rubbed her body over his, marking him with her scent.
I need you.

I need you as well.
He growled at her when she moved away from him
. You run now, and he might hurt you. My wolf needs to mark you after all my brothers touching you.

As mine does you.
She moved back to him, her body needy, but not desperate for his.
Ellis, please take me.

He mounted her. It was fast, and he had her penned under him in seconds. Her wolf, even as needy as she was, still fought him, tried to bite him when he started fucking her. When Ellis’s wolf sank his teeth into her shoulder, it was different than before. This one was a mark of possession and one that she welcomed. He came and she cried out when he tore at her flesh, then again when he bit her a second time on the opposite shoulder. His howl, dark and full of wildness, echoed around them, bouncing off the surrounding trees.

His demand that she shift had her leaving her wolf behind and letting her human self reach out for Ellis’s body. He didn’t enter her like she needed. Instead, he buried his mouth over her pussy, sucking hard on her clit until she screamed out her release three times.

“Fuck me.” He shook his head no as he knelt over her with his cock in his hand. “Ellis, I swear to Christ, I’m going to murder you if you don’t take me.”

“Suck my cock.” Dawn stared at his cock, dripping with cum, as he continued to fist himself. “Take me into your mouth and let me come down your throat.”

She moved to her knees as he leaned back and then sat on the ground. Dawn wanted to tease him, to lick him until he begged her to finish him, but her first taste of him had her wanting more. Needing more. Taking him deeply into her mouth, then swallowing him past the tight muscles in her throat, she felt his fingers curl into her hair as he fucked her this way.

When he tightened his fingers painfully in her hair, she knew that he was close. Cupping his balls in her hand, she held them, squeezed them gently until he cried out. His cum, hot and spicy, slid down her throat while he held her head to him as he emptied into her.

When he jerked her head up, pulling her into a kiss that took her breath away, he rolled them to her back, his body, his cock buried inside of her like a punch. She screamed when she came, but he never stopped as he suckled at her breast and took her to the edge twice more to have her dropped over all too soon. When he bowed back from her, his groin pounding his release inside of her, Dawn came again, marveling at the beauty of this man who was hers.

Ellis dropped onto her, his weight not heavy, but warm and comforting. When he rolled to his back, taking her with him, she felt his cock stir enough to let her know that he wasn’t nearly finished with her. She lifted her head and looked down at him.

“I’m your wife.” Ellis grinned but didn’t open his eyes as he lay there. “I found out something that you might not know. As a shifter, my body works differently than yours.”

“I should hope so. If it didn’t, what we just did would have been a lot less fun for one of us.” She smacked him on the bare chest. “Christ, I wish I could take you to a hotel and do this to you all over. Not much of a wedding night.”

“This is absolutely perfect.” She poked him gently when she saw a deer eating some of the new grass that was coming up. There was a nest of birds nearby that had him looking up with her. Several squirrels came out of their den as they lay there quietly. “We’re among friends here. Creatures somewhat like us in that they’re animals that like to be what they are as well.”