Slater's Enchanting Mate, Iron Wolves MC 4 (6 page)

“There’s so many gorgeous pieces,” LeeLee whispered.

His attention was focused out the large picture window and the stooped woman. Her gnarled hands folded in front of her bent body. A shiver went through him, but he dismissed it and her.

A young girl beamed at them from behind the counter. “Wow, I love your hair. I tried to talk my mama into letting me get mine done all grey, but she said no.” She fingered her dark brown hair, then continued. “She said I’d have to bleach it all then color it, and if I still had hair at the end, it would be fried. Yours looks healthy enough.”

LeeLee looked like someone had poked her with a cattle prod.

“My fiancée had hers done up north. It’s really quite a process.” Which was the truth.

“Yeah, I bet,” she sighed. “Can I help you with anything?”

“We are just looking,” Slater assured her, letting LeeLee move away from the young girl.

He kept his body between his mate and the door. His wolf was unsettled and didn’t know why. Inhaling hard, the only fresh scents he could detect were his, LeeLee and the girl behind the counter.

“Oh, look at this,” LeeLee exclaimed, pointing at a pendant with a half moon and wolf. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

Slater looked at the piece and nodded. “Can we see this?”

The young girl hurried from behind the counter, keys jingling around her wrists. “Absolutely. That is one of my favorite pieces. We have a local artist who made it.”

Once she unlocked the case, Slater held his hand out, taking the jewelry from her. Usually wolves couldn’t wear silver, and he was happy the piece had been made of platinum instead. He kept the price tag hidden from his mate, unsure how she’d react if she noticed the cost. Slipping the delicate piece around her neck, he marveled at the perfection. The colors in the circle surrounding the wolf was stunning, bringing out the blue in her eyes.

“We’ll take it.” He handed his card to the girl. Her eyes widened at the black credit card, but she nodded and went back to the counter.

He followed behind her, signing on the screen then strolled back to where LeeLee still stood, staring down at the pendant. “You ready, love?”

Tears swam in her eyes. “Thank you.”

He tipped her chin up and bent the few inches down, claiming her lips in a soft brush of their mouths. “You’re welcome.”

“It looks like it was made just for you. I mean, wow. The colors of the stones light up,” awe laced the young girls voice.

Slater looked at the piece and noticed it didn’t reflect the lights. They thanked the clerk, and then walked out.

“Now, let’s get you and I some touristy clothes and then check into that Inn on the corner.” He tilted his head to the north, an odd sensation tugging at his gut. They made quick work at the next couple shops, getting her some easy on and off outfits since she still wasn’t comfortable in constrictive clothing, and him a couple pairs of comfortable jeans and T-shirts that had LeeLee laughing when she read the slogans on them. He’d gladly wear a sack on his head if it made his mate laugh.

“I can’t believe you bought that tie-dyed shirt. I mean don’t get me wrong it’s going to look great on you, but you just don’t look like the type to wear a shirt that says Don’t Worry Be Happy.” LeeLee bumped his hip with hers. They’d bought one large suitcase to put all their purchases in, making their last stop the pharmacy where they bought the necessities for the bathroom.

“Alright, let’s go get us a room.” He steered them toward the historic looking home they’d turned into a bed and breakfast. The large building looked like it had once belonged to a wealthy family, with turrets and all. He imagined it was once a small castle, or maybe it was built to resemble one.

“There is a sense of Deja vu about this place, Slater,” she said in a hushed tone.

He had the same feeling, but wasn’t sure why as he’d never been there before. The foyer was dark and empty as they entered. Two grand staircases lined the sides with a reception desk in-between.

“Let’s go see if they have a bell or something to alert someone to our presence.” He held their bag in one hand and LeeLee’s hand in the other. Her nervousness was apparent in her strong grip.

Before they reached the counter, a tall thin man appeared from a side door, his smile genuine.

“Welcome to The Huntsman Inn. My name is Jerone. Will you be needing a suite for the weekend?” Tall and lanky, and one hundred percent human, the man had to be in his late forties.

Slater let go of the suitcase handle, freeing up one of his hands, and nodded. “Yes we are. Do you happen to have one? We didn’t realize you were having a huge celebration of a sorts.”

Jerone nodded. “Oh, yes, annual shindig it is. Why, it’s the grand shebang if you know what I mean. The locals go all out to make sure the current year is bigger and better than the last. Really draws in a crowd.”

Slater wondered why they weren’t booked up if it was such a big event, but held his tongue.

“I have one suite left. It must be your lucky day as the couple who reserved it just called and cancelled literally minutes ago. It’s the largest and most expensive I’m afraid.”

He looked Slater and LeeLee up and down, but didn’t give any indication he didn’t think they could afford it.

Pulling out his wallet, Slater handed his card over. “We’ll take it.”

Once again they waited for the card to be processed. He took a quick look down at LeeLee and hated how pale she appeared. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, then let it go to sign the receipt.

“You look really familiar,” Jerone spoke up.

Not liking the way the other man was staring at LeeLee, he placed his larger body between the two. “Where is a good place to grab some dinner?” He’d tried to keep the growl out of his voice, clearly he didn’t do a good job as the other man took a step away from the counter.

Jerone cleared his throat, his eyes darting away from Slater and LeeLee to the doors leading outside. He named a few of the local restaurants, then passed the keycard over.

Thanking Jerone, he and LeeLee walked away with their bag. He could feel the man’s eyes on their backs the entire trip up the stairs. For the first time he wished there was an elevator for them to disappear into. Luckily, they rounded the first curve and he no longer felt the sensation of being watched.

“He gave me the creeps,” LeeLee shuddered.

Slater agreed, but kept his thoughts to himself. Instead he stayed on alert. There was something strange about the building.

The opulent room they entered was gorgeous, and had LeeLee walking around with her eyes wide open. Damn, he loved the look of awe on her face. A king sized bed dominated the bedroom with a fireplace on one wall and French doors opening up to a private balcony. He followed her as she opened the doors and was amazed at the view of the open field beyond. A huge manor sat alone with a few lights glimmering in the windows, looking even more like a castle than the one they were staying in. LeeLee’s quick inhale had him pulling her into his arms.

“I think that was my home.” She pointed at the place across the field.

With the sun setting he caught her trembling body against his, turning her to face him. “We’ll go over there tomorrow.” Tonight he wanted to make new memories with his mate. Her stomach rumbled loudly against his.

“Let’s change and go grab us some dinner. I’m starving.” He was hungry for more than food for his belly, but he’d fill one need first.

She bit her bottom lip. “Do you think they have room service?”

Again she surprised him with her font of knowledge. He let her go to check to the amenities. Next to the phone, a leather portfolio sat with several restaurants who delivered. Once they settled on what to order, they both stood on the balcony watching the last of the sun. Neither of them saying a word.

She didn’t know why, but nerves were dancing in her belly. “Why am I so on edge?”

Staring up at the moon, her wolf stirred inside. LeeLee worried if she allowed her out, she’d not be able to call it back. With the almost full moon, she thought it appropriate and had an insane urge to lift her face and howl. The thought made her laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Slater asked, his head resting next to hers.

His body heat surrounded hers, and she let herself be lulled into the comfort of him. “I was just thinking how funny it would be to howl at the moon in my human form. I can’t explain it, but I want to do it so bad.” She twisted her neck around just enough so she could look into his face, wanting to see if he laughed at her announcement.

Slater’s gorgeous green eyes sparkled, and then he lifted his head and howled. Not like his wolf, but as a man, making her laugh. LeeLee elbowed him in his rock-hard abs, then when he nudged her, she joined him. Their antics released some of the tension, she’d felt since walking into the suite of rooms.

“Want to tell me what else is going on in that gorgeous head?”

LeeLee took a deep breath. With her back to him it was easier to admit what was on her mind. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life now. I mean, for so long I didn’t have to worry. Cammie took care of me, and where I was going to live. Heck, I didn’t even have to think about what to eat or when to eat. It was put out for me.” She shuddered, thinking she truly was messed up.

“We are going to take it one day at a time. Together,” he assured her.

She opened her mouth to respond, but shut it at the loud knock on the door. “Our dinner is here.” Her stomach rumbled.

“Let me get it and we can eat out here.”

Numbly, she nodded. The patio had a small table and chairs set for guests, and looked as though it had been cleaned recently. Not sure if she should sit, or wait for Slater to return, she opted on the former, sitting with her hands in her lap. The scent of pizza hit her before he walked out. She’d always loved the stuff, and had even gotten a slice or two from Cammie. Her mouth watered as he placed the box in the center, but she waited until he sat, a feat she was proud of when all she wanted to do was devour the entire thing.

“Shoot, I forgot plates, but it’s pizza. It’s meant for hands.” He winked and handed her a large slice.

Unsure if he was reading her mind, and too hungry to care, LeeLee accepted the pepperoni pizza. The first bite was like heaven. They finished the entire thing, both sitting back with a happy sigh. His satisfied grin set another need off in her body. How the man could look so damn gorgeous without lifting a finger, she had no clue.

“Come here,” he beckoned, his tone low.

The sound of his chair scraping across the wood as he pushed away from the table made her jump, and then he patted his thigh. She got up and rounded the table, looking at his lap then his face. “What?” The word barely left her mouth before he pulled her onto his lap, covering her mouth with his. He didn’t ease her into the kiss so much as devour her like they’d done the pizza. She got lost in the taste and masterful way he owned her lips, stroking against his tongue with her own.

Mate. The word resonated in her mind, making her pull back.

“What’s wrong?” Slater’s arms contracted around her.

How could she ask him if he wanted to be her mate when she didn’t think she was worthy? Instead she shook her head, and stood. “I need you, Slater.” With the moon at her back she lifted the top over her head, letting it drop at her feet, then shimmied out of the rest of her clothes. His eyes followed each move she made, making her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

“Damn, baby, I could eat you up.” He licked his lips, then pulled her forward. He buried his face in her stomach, trailing kisses along her flat tummy. “Spread your legs,” he ordered.

With a glance over her shoulder, she did as he asked when it appeared nobody else could see. Dear Goddess, it was amazing. His tongue rasped over her clit. He nuzzled his face against her pussy, licking and sucking until she cried out in ecstasy.

She was completely mindless, panting while he continued. His tongue mimicked the act of sex, and now she understood what Cammie had meant when she’d said Keanu was a magician.

“That’s it, come for me again.” Slater’s words were growled against her flesh, his hands on her thighs tightened.

Everything about the man was pure magic and without conscious thought, she soared over the edge knowing he’d catch her, screaming his name, climaxing hard. The fingers gripping her hips eased and then he was pushing her back, then standing.

He cupped her face in his hands. “Be my mate, LeeLee. Say you’ll be mine forever.”

“You want to…with me?”

He rubbed his thumb over her trembling lip. “More than I want my next breath. If you say no, then I’ll spend the next fifty years following you around like a lost puppy. Imagine that scenario. It’ll be awful. I don’t look good all sad.” He put on a sad face, making her laugh.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist. “If you’re sure.”

“Oh, love, I was sure the moment I saw you standing in front of a pregnant Cammie Raines in wolf form. Damn, you really know how to make a wolf sweat.” He leaned back, then dove down for a heated kiss.

The sweet torment made tears form in her eyes and she let them fall, holding onto Slater like the lifeline he was.

“Hey, are these good or bad tears?”

She smiled up at him. “Definitely good. I never thought I’d get my own happily ever after,” she sniffed.

Slater used his thumbs to wipe away the wetness, then lifted her into his arms. “Well, let’s go see about making you have a few more happy endings.”

They left the door to the balcony open, another urgency riding them. The need to mate and become one in the way of their kind. LeeLee and her wolf wanted to meld their soul with Slater and his wolf.

At the large bed he paused and let her slide down his fully clothed body, the sensation decadent to her nakedness.

“Can I undress you?” She climbed onto the bed at his nod. On her knees she grabbed the T-shirt, inching it over his head. The man was truly breathtaking. His rippling stomach muscles twitched under her fingers as she trailed them down toward the button of his jeans. Goosebumps popped up on her flesh at his low growl. She looked up, seeing his liquid green eyes staring down at her, a promise in their depths.

“You better hurry, love, or I am not gonna be responsible for my actions,” he growled between clenched teeth.

Biting her lip, she worked the zipper down, freeing his straining erection. “Wow, he is mighty big.” She ran her finger over the tip, bending she licked the bead of precome.

“Woman, I won’t last if you do that.” Slater buried his hand in her hair, but didn’t stop her.

She moaned around him. He was almost too big, stretching her mouth wide and pressing against her tongue so that she had to inhale through her nose. His unique scent intoxicated her. Mine. His hips began to thrust, back and forth, his breathing became ragged, and with each move he was filling all of her senses with him.

“Mmm,” she moaned, licking along the tip and taking him back inside, loving the delicious taste of him, devouring everything he had to give, even the sounds he made. Her hands curled around his thighs, holding herself steady and took even more of him in until he hit the back of her throat, trying to swallow. So lost in the giving of pleasure she was shocked when he pulled back.

“Damn it, not like this,” he cried out, his big body shuddering.

Her eyes widened in horror thinking she’d done something wrong, because she’d been lost in her own selfish needs and wants. She was about to flee off the bed when his hands grabbed her by the ankles, halting her escape.

“Love, I want to come in your body, but not your mouth. I want to make you my mate. We have all the time in the world, and I promise you I will come down your throat. Goddess, do I want that, too.” His eyes closed on a groan.

“So I was doing it okay?”

He pushed her up the bed, climbing on top of her, their bodies connected from chest to hip. “If you did it any more okay, I’d have been coming right now, and then we’d have to wait a few minutes before I could claim you properly.

“I really wanted to taste you.” She pouted up at him.

He groaned, his cock nudging the entrance to her pussy. “Next time.”

She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, waiting for that first thrust. His cock slid into her eager body just before his lips claimed her mouth. Slowly, he inched his way in, inch by glorious inch, making her his. He continued to slide his dick upwards, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, needing something to anchor herself to while he gave her more than she thought she could handle.

“Damn, you are so tight. I can feel you squeezing my dick already. Like a hot, wet, fist,” he ground out. “You okay?” He stared down at her.

Nodding, he gave her another inch, and then another until his groin was kissing hers. She was stretched almost to the point of pain, but she knew pleasure was coming.

“Relax, love. I’ll take care of you.” He brushed his hand over her forehead.

Her legs trembled around his waist, but she relaxed them. She felt his body pulsing within hers. He held still, allowing her to get used to him filling her, instead of moving, he soothed her with murmured words.

Finally, she was ready, her body ready for the pleasure awaiting her, and needing release. Moisture coated them both, and she loved him even more. Love. Yes, she admitted in her mind that she loved him.

“Slater,” she rasped, needy for all of him. He didn’t need to be told as he too, was on the knife’s edge and he began to move.

****

Slater pulled back until just the tip rested inside, seeing her juices coating his dick, then pushed forward, his grip on reality blurring. Her body was made for him, taking him all the way to the root. His eyes slid closed in utter bliss from the heat and pleasure from being inside his mate. “Love you, LeeLee. You were made for me. Tell me you feel it, too?”

It was the most sublime thing he’d ever experienced.

“Goddess, yes. Love you,” she cried out, her body clenching down on his.

The pleasure almost painful as she climaxed. He flexed his hips and she screamed, her inner muscles clung to his cock. “Fuck yeah, LeeLee, give me all of you,” he gasped.

He pulled her leg up higher, spreading her open more, pressing even deeper into her body. The heady scent of his mate called to his wolf, and without thinking twice, he allowed his canines to drop. In a gravelly voice, he muttered one word.
Mate
. Then sunk his teeth into the tendon on her neck he’d bitten before. Another climax washed over LeeLee, this time pulling him with her.

His orgasm tore through him, rushing from his spine and down, burning through his very being. The link clicked into place, an instant connection with LeeLee, and with it her memories flooded him.

Her back arched, nails digging into his back and he felt her orgasm as if it was his own. Each muscle convulsing, each electric twitch she felt echoed in him, until he was sure it was never going to end. Through a fog, he reached for his mate. Never, in all his years had he expected the coming together with his mate, to be so all consuming. He wasn’t sure if he’d survive another round, but then his dick twitched inside the tight confines.

“Are you okay?” He was glad he’d had the good sense to roll them to their sides during the coma inducing orgasm. At least he’d done something right.

She was quiet for so long he worried he’d inadvertently hurt her. Tilting her head back, he saw her gorgeous eyes blink open and a smile cross her face. Damn, he was the biggest idiot on both realms. His own loopy grin appeared.

“Want to shower together?” He waggled his eyebrows.

She kissed his warm salty skin. “You are a very dirty man.”

He gave her a tap on the ass. “Come on before I think of some other ways I can debauch you in this bed.”

Slipping from her body, he almost changed his mind and stayed right where they were. After a brief pause, he leapt from the bed and pulled LeeLee up with him, tossing her over his shoulder. “Let’s go you sexy thing, or we’ll never get out of here.”

The quick shower turned into another form of love play. His mind though, kept going back to the memories he’d been bombarded with of LeeLee’s. He wanted to go back in time and beat her parents. If he ever saw the old woman who clearly loved to torment and meant to have the young LeeLee killed, if she was still alive, he’d kill her with his bare hands.

“I can’t believe the town puts on such a festival,” LeeLee looked around at all the decorations lighting up the sidewalks.

He shook his head at the almost over the top displays. “Maybe they hadn’t always done it?” There were no signs saying annual or anything to indicate it was new or old.

“I remember parties, but I was never allowed to go.” She shrugged, trying to hide the hurt. Her brow furrowed in thought. “I can’t remember, but something is right there.”