Finding Chrissten

Chapter Twenty

Hank desperately wanted to make this moment perfect for Chrissten. He would love her so long and so well she’d never want to leave him. She loved him. The words grounded him, stilled the restlessness in his soul. He’d found his purpose in life—loving Chrissten. She belonged with him. He had a place with her. He no longer felt like an outsider.

If he still had a niggling of discontent picking at the back of his brain, he ignored it. She hadn’t agreed to mate with him. Not yet. But this was a big step forward. Her trust and her love was more than enough to build on. He had to have faith that the rest would come in time.

Hell, he could even put up with Quinn if he had to. In actuality, he liked the other male. And Craig was easygoing. Wherever they went, whatever they did, it didn’t matter to him as long as they were together. He was strong and smart. He had a small nest egg of his own. He should probably talk to Craig about investing it. The guy had brains and serious investing skills.

But all that was for later. Now was about Chrissten, about giving her pleasure. He wanted to make love to her until she was sated and exhausted. He wanted her to scream his name in passion and whisper it in love.

He left a trail of wet kisses over her collarbone and worked his way down to her breasts. She had such lovely breasts, firm and soft. He molded his hands around them, smiling when she moaned.

Lying beneath him with her golden hair spread over his pillow, Chrissten was everything he’d ever wanted but never dreamed he’d have. She was a gift, a treasure, and he was just the man to appreciate her.

He thumbed her nipples and was rewarded with a whimper of passion. His cock seeped and his balls ached, but he didn’t care. He had to taste Chrissten. Pleasure her.

She watched him, her eyes soft with love. He leaned down and kissed her, unable to resist sealing their pact.

She opened to him and he didn’t hold anything back. There was magic in her kiss. It was healing and arousing at the same time. He caressed her breasts, her slender ribcage and waist. Where he was all thick muscles and heavy bones, she was delicate, almost fragile. Infinitely precious.

He reluctantly left the haven of her mouth and kissed his way down her torso, pausing briefly at her breasts. They’d have to wait until later for more attention. His cock throbbed like a toothache, a constant reminder he was running out of time.

He settled between her thighs, lifted her legs over his shoulders and spread her pussy wide with his thumbs. “You’re so beautiful.” He stroked her slick folds. They were plump and juicy. So ready for him.

She gave a strained laugh. “Thank you.”

He glanced up and grinned at her. “Tasty too.” With that, he lowered his head and devoured her.

Chrissten discovered breathing was overrated. Who needed to breathe when they were being filled with such exquisite sensations? Hank was sprawled between her thighs with her legs resting on his back, his face buried against her. It was an incredibly erotic picture.

The scruff of his beard gently abraded her sensitive flesh, pushing her arousal higher. He lapped and sucked and licked at her pussy in obvious delight. There was no room for embarrassment between them. There was only loving and sharing.

He found her clit and flicked it with his clever tongue. Her hips came off the bed, automatically seeking more of that wonderful touch. Hank laughed and did it again. She gripped his skull and held him to her. Maybe she could convince him to grow his hair a little longer. She needed something to grip on to at times like this. Plus, she thought he’d look hot with longer hair. Not that he wasn’t already smoking hot.

He inserted one long, thick finger into her sheath and her core tightened around it. He swore and she groaned when he slowly withdrew it to the edge, almost but not quite removing it.

“I can’t wait much longer, baby.” He worked his finger in again before slowly pulling it out.

Chrissten arched her hips, trying to keep him inside her. “Don’t wait,” she managed to gasp. She didn’t want to wait any longer either. She wanted to feel him pulsing hard and hot in her slick channel, stretching her, filling her.

He gave her clit one final lick, which had starbursts of color exploding behind her eyes, before sliding up her body and sheathing himself deep in one swift motion. It was startling, and almost frightening, how fast he moved.

She held herself still, letting her body adjust to the sensation. She wanted Hank, but he was a big male, a strong werewolf. For a brief second, a frisson of fear flickered in her brain, but she shoved it aside. This wasn’t Brian. This was Hank. And he wasn’t hurting her but loving her.

He supported the bulk of his weight on his arms, staring down at her, studying her face. “Okay?”

She nodded. She wanted this. Wanted to feel normal. Tears pricked her eyes and one escaped and slid down her temple.

“Hey.” He swiped it away with the pad of his thumb. “We don’t have to do this right now.” As if to disagree with him, she felt his cock pulse and throb deep in her core.

“I want to.” How could she explain it to him? “I don’t know why I’m crying. I want to make love with you. I love you.” She stared up at him, imploring him with her eyes to believe her.

He brushed a lock of her hair away from her forehead. “I love you too. That’s why we can wait if the time isn’t right for you. You’ve been through so much, baby. Give yourself a break.”

He started to pull out but she wrapped her legs around his flanks and held him to her. “No. Don’t leave me.”

He leaned down until his forehead was touching hers. “I’ll never leave you.”

Such simple words, but they had a huge impact. For Hank it was as simple as that. He’d never leave her. He’d never hurt her either. Not intentionally. He wasn’t like Brian. She didn’t need to fear his strength. He’d use it to protect her, to love her.

She owed him the truth. “When you moved, it was so fast it frightened me.”

He kissed the tip of her nose, her lips and her chin. “I’m sorry, Chrissten.”

She shook her head in denial. “No. I don’t want you to be sorry. I need you to understand that I’ll do things sometimes that will seem irrational. Heck, they are irrational, but I can’t seem to stop them.”

“It’s okay. As long as you talk to me we can work it out. Would you rather be on top?”

She knew he’d roll over on his back and let her be in control if she said the word. But she didn’t want that. She wanted him to know she trusted him with her life, with her body, with everything she was.

“I want this.” She rolled her hips and he closed his eyes, hissing out a deep breath. He wasn’t as in control as he’d like her to believe. Good. She wanted him as involved, as out of control as she was.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

He slid one hand beneath her butt and began to move. He flexed his powerful body, shifting and moving, sliding his thick, hot cock in and out of her core. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. All fluid muscle, thick sinew and bone. And sexy. The man exuded pheromones that pushed past all her inhibitions and bad memories. If she could bottle it she’d make a fortune.

She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to his shoulders. There was no hesitation now. He gave her everything. His strokes went from slow and deep to quick and shallow. She was sucking in air, clinging to him, reaching for completion.

It was so close. It was just out of reach.

Their bodies moved as one. She rose to meet him, their skin slapping together in an erotic dance. He reached between their bodies and found her clit with his thumb. He pressed on the sensitive nub of nerves, setting off a chain reaction of explosions that culminated in a wave of pleasure. It washed over her, sucking her down into the dark abyss. But she wasn’t alone.

Hank yelled her name and she felt the warm rush of fluid inside her, the heavy pulse of his cock as her pussy squeezed him tight and the weight of his limbs as he collapsed on top of her.

She had a brief bad moment when his full weight fell on her. Brian had done that all the time. As if sensing her discomfort, Hank immediately raised himself up. Chrissten was amazed. Even in the midst of his orgasm he was totally tuned into her, her wants, her needs.

The dark memories faded away, replaced by the beauty of the here and now. She smiled at him and he smiled back. “I love you.” She wanted to remind him of that.

“Love you too,” he answered. Then she squeezed her inner muscles intentionally, sending a ripple up his cock. He groaned and his head fell forward. His lungs heaved and a light sheen of sweat covered his tanned skin.

Chrissten reveled in her newfound sense of womanly passion even as she enjoyed the aftershocks of pleasure that shook her and made her limbs quiver. She’d never really made love before. Not when both parties had confessed their love.

Hank carefully withdrew and sank down on to the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. She could hear the comforting beat of his heart and smell the warm musk of their arousal, twined together to make an entirely new perfume.

She sniffed and could smell him on her skin. Because they weren’t mated it would fade as soon as she showered.

He pulled her closer in his embrace and kissed her temple. “That was amazing.” He nuzzled her hair, her temple and her ear, taking leisurely nips of her lobe. His cock pulsed against her side, getting harder instead of softer. Werewolves weren’t like human males and could make love several times in a row with little or no recovery time.

But Hank wasn’t pushing for more. He played with her hair, combing his fingers through several thick strands. She watched, almost mesmerized, as his broad fingers slid through her hair, the contrast between the light blonde and his darker skin accentuating the differences between them, between male and female.

She felt no need to talk. The silence between them was a comfortable one. She sensed no frustration from Hank, no sense that he wanted to be doing anything more than he was.

The moment was perfect.

But it wasn’t. They weren’t mated. Another male could still claim her. There were plenty of rogue males out there in the world. Granted, the chance of being abducted twice was probably slim to none. But why take chances when she knew what she wanted.

Her instincts were screaming at her to tie herself to Hank, to mate with him, to strengthen the already strong bond between them. Her wolf recognized his. And she loved him. Knew him in a way she’d never known another living being.

“You okay?”

Once again he was in tune with her moods, sensing her growing unease. “No. I’m not okay.”

He stilled and gently untangled his fingers from her hair. Hank cupped her face in his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“This.” She waved her hand to encompass the entire bed. “Us.”

He frowned and his body coiled as tight as a spring, ready to launch itself at an unseen enemy. He kept his tone low and calm. “What exactly is wrong with us?”

She knew what he was thinking. He feared she’d changed her mind, she could see it in his eyes no matter how hard he was trying to reflect a calm demeanor. It would always be like this unless she did something about it. He would always be uncertain of her. And that wasn’t fair to him.

And deep in her heart, Chrissten knew he’d never ask her. It would be up to her to make the first move.

She pulled away from him and came up on her hands and knees in the bed. Her breath came fast and hard and her heart raced. She was afraid but determined.

“Oh, Chrissten.” Hank sounded sad, not happy. She turned her head to find him staring at her with a frown on his face. “You don’t have to do this.”

Now she felt like an idiot. “You don’t want to?”

His expression grew fierce and his eyes glowed red. “I want it more than I want my next breath. Never doubt that.”

“Then why?” She stayed as she was, not willing to back down.

“I don’t want to rush you. I want you to be absolutely sure. Because once we do this I won’t let you go. Ever. You’ll be mine for the rest of our lives.” He tried to smile but it didn’t quite work. “I told you I was possessive.”

And so it seemed was she. She didn’t want to risk some other female werewolf finding him and claiming him. “You’re mine,” she told him. “I don’t want to lose you. Ever.”

“You won’t lose me, baby.” He ran his hand over her spine and she arched into his touch. She licked her lips and watched his eyes glaze over and his cock twitch. Oh yeah, he wasn’t unaffected by this at all. He wanted her.

“Mate with me, Hank. Love me forever.”

He caught her face in his hands and kissed her. It was tender and passionate at the same time and made her head spin. “You do me great honor. I’ve seen war and death and destruction. I know how valuable love and family is. I promise to love and cherish you for our entire lives and beyond.”

“Oh, Hank.” She began to cry in spite of her best intentions. His words moved her deeply. “That was so beautiful.”

He lapped one of her tears away and went to kneel behind her. This was really going to happen. She was excited and scared all at once. Her first experience with mating hadn’t been a good one.

But this was Hank, a man who understood her to the core, who knew she’d be having dark thoughts and rushed to reassure her. “I’ll take it slow,” he promised and suited his actions to his words. He fitted his cock to her slick opening and slowly pushed inside. She was wet from her earlier orgasm and he went in easily.

She took a deep breath. Then another.

Hank gripped her hips in his hands but didn’t move. His fingertips dug in slightly and he was breathing heavily but he wasn’t falling on her like a crazed maniac. Chrissten relaxed and his cock slid another inch deeper.

“That’s it,” he crooned. “Relax for me. Take me inside. This is the way it’s meant to be when a couple mates. Safe and happy and filled with pleasure.”

Her worries bled away and were replaced by the wonderful sensations flooding her senses. Hank slid his hands over her sides, around her ribcage and up to cup her breasts. She moaned when he rubbed her distended nipples. Her body remembered his touch and longed for more.

“Just like that,” he murmured. He didn’t thrust but began a slight rocking motion. That, combined with his hands on her breasts, pushed everything else away until there was only her and Hank and the passion that existed between them.

Her body began to move in accord with his. Her hips circled and his cock seemed to expand, stretching her channel, brushing against sensitive nerve endings. He let one hand fall away from her breasts and slide down her belly to where they were joined. His thumb found her clit and stroked.

Chrissten arched her back as every cell in her body strained toward finishing the mating ritual. She wanted this. In her heart and soul and body. This was right. This was meant to be.

She took control and started flexing her hips back and forth, pushing his cock out and taking it back in again. Hank growled and nipped at her nape, sending ripples of pleasure racing down her spine. Goose bumps covered her skin. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Her skin was sensitive to the touch.

“Hank.” She loved the sound of his name on her lips. Once again he seemed to understand what it was she wanted and began to move.

His thrusts got deeper, harder, faster until he was pounding into her. And she was meeting him stroke for stroke. They were both panting, working toward their common goal. The sheets were soft and warm beneath her hands and knees while Hank was hot and hard behind her. His body draped over hers as he plunged into her slick channel.

Her orgasm struck like a bolt of lightning, singeing her with erotic pleasure. She gasped and cried out as the head of his cock expanded, locking him inside her. There was no way she’d be able to buck him off her now even if she wanted to.

She didn’t want to.

Chrissten rode out her orgasm, allowing herself to truly feel every sensation. Her skin was so sensitive that the lightest brush of his thumb against her clit set off another round of explosions inside her. His fingers caressing her breasts made her moan in ecstasy.

She felt the change in Hank as tension filled him. His hands dropped away from her and gripped her hips. He bucked against her, calling her name as he came. His cock stretched her channel to the point of pain but not past it.

There was only Hank, in her and around her. Hot jets of semen filled her. Her wolf howled and she could have sworn she heard an answering howl, a male howl. Hank’s wolf.

Everything inside her stilled and then she felt it—the twining of their lives, their essence. And it was beautiful. She started to laugh and cry at the same time. She’d never known it could be this way.

When she collapsed on the bed, Hank followed her down, still locked inside her body. He levered most of his weight off her and stroked her hair, her back and her butt. It was a long while before her heart stopped racing and her breathing returned to normal.

She inhaled and the smell of sex filled her nostrils. But beyond that was a very special scent, Hank’s essence mixed with hers. It filled her, permeated every cell of her body. Every other wolf would know she was Hank’s mate and he was hers.

The thought didn’t frighten her in the least. She felt like she’d finally found a place to call home.

Hank’s cock had gone down enough so he could pull out of her but it still wasn’t easy. She gasped and moaned, her body quivering with aftershocks. He grunted and landed next to her, pulling her into his arms. The man did like to have her right next to him at all times.

She thought about it and decided she liked it.

Her hair clung to her sweaty body and he helped her pull it away and drape it over the pillows. The way he looked at her made her body heat all over again.

Hank stroked his palm over her hair and down to her chin. “You’re my mate now. I can smell me on you.” He grinned and it made him look younger, happy. “I like it.”

She shook her head and gave him a mock frown. “There’ll be no living with you now.”

He laughed and tugged her on top of him. “You have yourself to blame for that.”

“Oh, I can see how it’s going to be now. It’s all going to be my fault,” she teased.

He shook his head and gave her a quick kiss. “Thank you. Thank you for loving me, for mating with me and for wanting to build a life with me.”

“I want a wedding too,” she warned him. She was a werewolf but she was human too. Plus, she wanted to plan a nice party and wear a fabulous dress.

“Anything you want,” he promised her.

She grinned. “You say that now.”

He rubbed her butt, squeezing and molding the mounds with her hands. “I was raised human, Chrissten. I think I’d like a wedding to mark the occasion. But it has to be soon. You’re mine and I want the entire world to know it.”

She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking fast. They could have the reception in the bar. She’d need a dress and flowers. “You have to wear a tux.”

Hank groaned and closed his eyes. “If I have to.”

Chrissten laughed. “You’ll fight crazy pureblood werewolves but you whine at the thought of wearing formalwear.”

“Fighting is easy,” he informed her with wounded air.

She caught his face in her hands. “I love you so very much.”

All humor drained from his expression replaced by seriousness. “I know. I love you too.” He continued to rub her butt and back. He was still very aroused. His cock was hard and hot against her belly. She squirmed a bit to find a more comfortable spot. He grabbed her behind and stilled her movements. “Much more of that and talking time will be over.”

She should have been amazed but she wasn’t. The man was insatiable. Come to think of it, so was she, at least when it came to Hank.

“Where do you want to live?”

She could hear the concern in his voice, knew he would move anywhere for her even if it pained him to leave his family. “I don’t know. Craig wants to stay here and I like the club and your family.”

“Then stay. We can buy our own place. I don’t have a lot of money, but I’m planning to talk to Craig about investing. The guy’s a genius so I might as well take advantage of that.”

“I’ll talk to Quinn,” she promised. “But for now…” She let her words trail off and leaned down to kiss him.

Hank broke the kiss, rolled her until she was under him and smiled at her. “For now we have more pressing things to do.”