The Wolf's Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence (25 page)

Hmm. Cadence probably wouldn’t like that
aspect of playing den-mother to the pack. But at least as alpha she
could count on the females helping her. He tuned out as his father
and Michael started talking about the bar and the restaurant and
the impact of losing half of the wolf population of their town.
Jason contemplated moving into the house and living together like
they were meant to.

They were called in for dinner and Cadence
seemed to sense that he was still feeling a tangle of nerves about
her. When she sat on his lap at the table and kissed his ear, he
knew that although she may not realize what she was doing, she was
showing the wolves at the table that she had complete faith in him
as alpha and as her mate to keep her safe. Even if it was just
Michael and his parents, he cherished the action and the emotions
behind it. He loved this woman with every fiber of his being.

The atmosphere relaxed as they ate. Cadence
and his mother traded stories from the past, the silly things his
mom remembered them doing together and his father quipped in here
and there with things he remembered.

As the house emptied for the night, he
watched her quietly while she loaded the dishwasher and wiped off
the counters. “You given any thought to where you want to live,
sweet?”

“I was hoping you’d want to move in here.
Once we’re married for real, it’s simple enough to put the deed in
your name as well. I don’t want you to think of it as my place or
your place, but our place.”

“It’s important to me, too. And I’m game to
live here, if that’s what you want. With taking over the bonfires
for the pack now that we’re a mated pair, we need the space. The
trailer park is fine, but not for that sort of gathering.”

“Plus, eventually we’ll have kids.” She
smiled and slid her arms around his waist and rested her cheek
against his chest.

“You want to?” He wrapped his arms around
her. Held her tight.

“Yeah. You?”

“Only with you, love.”

“Well, put a cork in that thought for a few
months, cowboy. At least until we’re married.”

“Yes dear,” he teased, and she lifted her
face to his and her mouth parted on a soft moan and he sank his
mouth against hers. His need to claim her roared to the surface
like something hot and alive. His plan to carry her to bed and
strip her slowly, kissing every inch of her sweet body went flying
out the window when she shoved her hand down the front of his jeans
and gripped his cock like it was a life preserver and she was
adrift at sea.

He pulled her away from his mouth with a hand
wrapped tight around her ponytail. “You want me to fuck you,
baby?”

“Yes, Jas, please.” She whimpered, her eyes
dark and flashing with heat and need.

He shoved her around and planted her hands on
the counter. Nipping at the pulse in her neck as he jerked the
button of her jeans apart and ripped the zipper open, he growled,
“Begging comes later, Cades.”

Shoving her jeans down, he kicked her legs
apart as far as they would go and dropped his own jeans and shorts
to the floor. He smoothed his hand over her ass and she shivered.
He delivered a stinging slap to one cheek and she hissed in a
breath.
Nice
. Sliding one hand up the front of her sweater
and under her bra until he held that tantalizing globe, he used his
other hand to guide himself into her depths.

When the head of his cock was just past her
tight entrance, he clamped his hand on her hip and jerked her
backwards as he shoved his cock straight into the deepest part of
her body. She cried out when he bumped the end of her, as deep as
he could go, but he gave her no relief. Sliding his hand from her
breast and out from under the sweater, he put it on the back of her
neck and pushed her towards the counter to hold her where he wanted
her. Pounding into her, he dominated her, forced her to remain
still under his onslaught, unable to move on her own, only able to
take what he gave. She was wet to start with, but as he fucked her
harder and faster, her body responded with even more sweet honey
and the sound of their bodies coming together was like music to his
wolf.

He pulled her backwards, arching her towards
him and she instinctively tilted her head and he sank his teeth
into her. The first spasm of her pussy around his cock as she came
with his teeth and his cock in her was more satisfying than
anything else he’d ever done in his life. He moved down her neck,
drawing blood and leaving bruises as he thrust into her. She came
again and again as he bit her and took her, bringing her as much
pleasure as he could before he could not hold back anymore. He
shoved her forward so she collapsed on the countertop and stroked
deep into her heat, once, twice, three times, and then he came on a
roar, and his fingers bit into the flesh of her hip as she writhed
under him while he came.

He dropped onto her back, sliding his hands
to either side of her and pressing his forehead to her back. His
lungs felt like they might explode while he drew in deep breaths
and tried to will his body to work right again. A tremble shivered
through Cadence and her knees went out, and he managed to catch her
and spin them to the rug in front of the sink, his back against the
cabinet.

Their legs were tangled together with their
jeans but it didn’t matter. All that mattered in the world was
panting in his arms, drenched with sweat and carrying his scent on
her skin and inside her. She let out a hissing breath and her hand
flew to her neck. He could guess that sweat had dripped onto the
marks.

He tilted her head so he could look at what
he’d done and realized he’d been a little rougher with her than if
he’d been in complete control of his beast. A dozen bleeding marks
wove a path down her neck to her shoulder. They were healing, of
course, but that didn’t mean they didn’t hurt. Before he could come
up with a way to apologize without boxing himself out of ever doing
it in the future, she sighed and leaned her head back so it rested
on his shoulder.

“It’s a good thing it feels so good when
you’re doing it. Makes up for the aches later.”

Definitely.

“Take me to bed, Jas.”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

They untangled their legs and freed
themselves of their clothes, and later, she showed him just how
much she had enjoyed being bitten by biting him in return. He loved
that she marked him and claimed him, that she didn’t want anyone to
look at him without seeing her marks on his skin or smelling her on
him in some way. And he most definitely was thankful that she let
that softer side of herself show to him when they made love, arms
around each other as the climaxes wove their magic through their
bodies and bonded them closer and closer.

Although other matters pressed, he had two
things on his mind on Monday morning when he left Cadence at the
shop under Michael’s watchful if not annoying eyes and strict
understanding that he was not to touch a hair on her head or he’d
rue the day he was born. Truly. He didn’t like leaving her alone
and he was still feeling wicked possessive about her, but he
couldn’t exactly take her shopping for an engagement ring or plan a
romantic dinner for her if she tagged along.

After stopping at the trailer and packing up
the grill from the back patio and hauling it in his truck to her
house, he set it up and went shopping.

The diamonds in the case winked at him. He
should have asked Callie what sort of ring Cadence wanted. It never
occurred to him that there would be so many of them. Would she want
a single stone or one with multiple stones, white gold or yellow
gold, or something besides a diamond? Shit. Out of his depths
wasn’t even close to the right term.

The older gentlemen who had come over to help
him gave him an encouraging smile. “If I’ve learned anything over
the years, son, it’s that most women prefer the gesture of the ring
to what it actually looks like. You love her, and you’re putting a
ring on her finger to tell the world that. And if she happens to
want something different, you can always let her change the ring by
letting her choose a band that she wants. For example,” he pulled a
single stone ring from the case and dropped it down inside another
ring that was full of diamonds. “This is called a basket. You use
the main ring, the single stone, as the engagement ring, and then
the basket becomes the wedding band. The day before the wedding,
you just bring both in and we’ll solder them together in the back
so they’ll be one ring that you can give to her during the
ceremony.”

He looked at all those diamonds and ran his
finger across his jaw. He was glad she was right handed. If she
took a swing at him with that ring on her finger, he’d be bleeding
for days.

“How much for the single one?”

The man didn’t blink, “$4,500. It’s a three
quarter carat, excellent quality.”

He said a few numbers and letters together
that didn’t mean much to him but apparently spoke to the diamond’s
qualifications. He made mention that he had others in the case that
were of lesser quality and size if the cost was an issue as he put
the ring in his hand. It looked so small. But perfect. Just like
his mate. He stared into the depths of the ring and pictured it on
her finger. “Give me a minute,” he put the ring on the counter and
stepped back and pulled his cell from his pocket.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” Fritz barked happily
into the phone. Jason didn’t normally call the young wolf.

“You remember saying you knew a guy who’d be
interested in my car?”

“Yeah, dude. He just asked me like a week ago
if you’d changed your mind yet. Why, you interested?”

“Well, if he’ll come in for what you said he
would, then yes. He can pick it up this afternoon.”

“He said 5k was all he could afford. Is that
what you meant?”

“Yeah, and I’ll throw in your services as tow
truck driver but I need the cash immediately.”

“I’ll call him right now, J.”

“And keep it under your hat.”

“Got it.”

He pressed the end button and looked at the
man at the counter, “I’ll be back, sir. Thanks.”

“Wait, young man.” Jason turned back. “If you
give me $20 now, I will hold this ring for you, and I’ll even give
it to you for…$4,000.”

He felt like his smile was big enough to
crack his face in half as he reached for his wallet immediately.
“That would be great, sir.”

“Well,” he smiled and his face warmed with
the motion, “any man that is willing to sell a car to buy his girl
an engagement ring is a good man in my book. And I’m a sucker for
love. It’s why I got into the jewelry business. Plus the discounts
for my wife,” he made a gesture with his head to an older woman
bent over another counter. Her fingers were covered with rings and
a half dozen necklaces dangled against the glass. Jason snorted as
he filled out the claim card; it could be lots worse.

He stopped to have lunch with his sweetheart,
and after they ate he enjoyed holding her captive in his lap while
he sucked on her neck until she writhed and begged him to either
finish what he started or stop completely. He stopped the torture.
“No way am I playing with you while everyone with super hearing is
in the building.”

She grunted, “So you just horned me up?
Thanks.”

Good point
. “I’ve got another errand
to run, now that we’re done eating. And when I get back, when the
shop is empty, I’ll make you happy you waited. Deal?”

“What’s so important you gotta leave your
girl hanging?” She pouted, exaggerating the notion with a pulled
lower lip.

“Pack business, my sweetheart.” He lifted her
off his lap and groused at himself for his own erection and kissed
her goodbye before she could point out that she was part of the
pack now. Fortunately, she was still getting used to being included
in things she’d spent her whole life being excluded from. It worked
well in this case.

Two phone calls and a trip to the trailer
later, he was accepting five grand in cash from Fritz’s friend, a
car nut like himself who was more than excited to get his hands on
the car Jason had at one time planned to restore.

Greg looked at the car with barely veiled
affection. “Why’re you giving her up? She’s spectacular.”

Jason slipped the envelope of cash into the
inside of his leather jacket and watched Fritz hook it up to the
truck. “I don’t have time to play around with this sort of thing
anymore. I thought it was something I wanted, but I realize now
that it’s not.”

Truth. When he’d found the GTO in the
classifieds, he’d intended to make it cherry again and use it
instead of his pickup. Now, he had no desire to sink money into
something that he’d eventually have to give up anyway in favor of a
more family friendly car. He’d bought it when Cadence left for
college. He had planned to bury his head under the hood for four
years, but that hadn’t worked out like he planned. Nothing had.

He shook Greg’s hand and watched Fritz drive
off with the old car on the flatbed and Greg following behind. He
could have gotten more for it if he’d put it out on an auction
site, but he was tying up the loose ends of his life to start it
over fresh with his mate and a lot of that meant getting rid of the
things that he’d tried to use to ignore her.

Barely back before closing with the ring
stashed at her house, he waited until everyone was gone and locked
the front door. Stalking back to the office, he ate her sweet pussy
while she sat on the desk, her legs dangling over his shoulders and
everything but the computer swept onto the floor in their mad rush.
When she slid down onto his cock, straddling him in the chair, he
thanked his lucky stars for the full circle his life had swept into
thanks in part to his foolish marking of her when they were kids.
He could make her his, not only with the pack but also legally, and
then they could start their own family and he could be everything
that she needed him to be.