Driving across the border of pack territory a little while later, Bracken tangled his hand in his mate’s hair as she licked and sucked his cock, humming and moaning. She was fucking lethal with that mouth. Took him deep. Kept the suction tight. Drove him insane with her tongue by dancing it around his length, tracing the thick vein, and flicking the spot beneath the crown.
He hissed out a breath as her throat contracted around his cock. Every time she did that, every time she swallowed just a little more of his dick, he felt his balls tighten. With the scent of her need filling the SUV, pouring into his lungs, and stroking over his senses, he was too fucking close to coming.
The delicious scent was making his wolf just as crazed. The beast, still worked up after seeing her overpower the other female, urged Bracken to take her. Bite her. Brand her again. Remind her that she belonged to them.
Instead of parking in the lot, Bracken drove all the way to his lodge. The moment he parked, he bit out, “Stop.” She purred around his cock instead and, fuck, he almost exploded in the hot cavern of her mouth. He swore, tightened his grip on her hair, and yanked up her head. Eyes glossy with need, she stared up at him, cheeks flushed, lips swollen. The sight made his cock throb. “I told you to stop. Now strip off the top and bra.”
As she hastily removed them, he whipped off his shirt and used the lever to pull back his seat, giving her plenty of room. “Come here. Straddle me, but stay on your knees.” He drank in the sight of her round, perky breasts and hard, rosy nipples as she planted a knee on either side of his thighs. Sweeping his hand down her sleek back, he palmed her ass. “That’s my good girl.”
Madisyn gasped as his tongue lashed her nipple. He’d been teasing her all freaking day one way or another, and she was wound tighter than a rubber band. Every nerve ending was hypersensitive. Every sense was homed in on him. And all she wanted—no, needed—was a good, hard fuck. No preamble, no foreplay, no more teasing. Just fucking.
“Bracken,” she rasped, sifting her fingers through his hair as he licked his way over to her neglected breast. He drew an aching taut bud into his mouth, and she felt each hard, rhythmic suck right in her throbbing clit. “Fuck me.”
Lifting his gaze to hers, he traced her swollen lips with his finger. “I don’t like that other men know how good it feels to have this mouth wrapped tight around their dicks.” He growled low in his throat. “It’s mine. It was always mine. It’s always gonna be mine.” So he took it. Plundered it with his tongue, marked it with his teeth, and feasted on her addictive taste. God, she was like a fucking drug. One he’d never stop craving. Never stop needing.
A growl rumbled out of him as she dragged her claws down his chest and dug them into his abs. His cock was full and heavy and hurting like a bitch. He had to be in her. He had to—
She bit his neck, sinking her teeth down hard. Fuck. Bracken shoved up her skirt, yanked her panties aside, and rubbed the head of his cock through her folds. Liquid heat bathed him, beckoned him to take her. “So fucking wet and ready for me.”
Bracken tightened his grip on her ass when she tried dropping down on his cock. “You want me inside you, baby?” he asked softly, casually, like he was in no rush.
Eyes flaring, she hissed. “Do you have to be such an annoying motherfucker?”
He swatted her ass, liking her little gasp of indignation. Rubbing the creamy globe to soothe the sting, he swirled his tongue in the hollow of her throat. “I asked you a question. Do you want me inside you?”
“You know I do.” Madisyn gasped as he again swiped his cock through her slit. Her pussy fluttered and contracted, painfully empty. There was no longer want. Only need. She needed him filling her, taking her, or she was going to lose her damn mind. Hell, she was seriously close to begging. And he knew it—she could see it in those slate-gray eyes that glittered with the same raw sexual aggression he radiated.
She felt too hot. Too tight. Too desperate. Too damn tempted to slap him right across the face for being such a teasing asshole. Her cat wasn’t impressed by his toying with her either.
Bracken raked his teeth over her neck. “You want to ride me?”
“Yes.”
“You want to feel my come shooting inside you?”
“Yes.”
“You love me?”
“Yes.” Wait, what? He yanked her down, literally slamming her onto his cock, stuffing her so full that the breath gusted out of her lungs. Madisyn’s hands flew to his upper arms, nails pricking the skin, as her pussy greedily clutched and squeezed him. She sat there, panting softly, adjusting to the shock of his rough possession.
“You love me?” he repeated, voice low, face sober.
She swallowed, feeling more vulnerable than she had in a long time. So vulnerable that it was tempting to lie and say no just to protect herself. But she couldn’t. “Yes.”
His mouth curved into a soft, satisfied smile. “Good. Because there isn’t a fucking thing in this world I could love more than I do you.” Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he kissed her again. Licked. Nipped. Devoured. Took utter possession of her mouth.
Still gripping her ass, Bracken slowly lifted her, gritting his teeth as her tight pussy clung to his cock. “Love every single fucking thing about you, Madisyn. My Madisyn.” He slammed her down on him again, groaning as her inner muscles bitingly tightened around him. “Now fuck yourself on me.”
Madisyn rode him hard, impaling herself on his thick cock over and over. Face cold, eyes hot, he kept his gaze locked with hers. Not once did he look away as his long shaft repeatedly sliced through her, driving so deep that it hurt a little—not even when he filled his hands with her breasts, possessively cupping and squeezing. Her clit pulsed each time he pinched or plucked at her nipples, and she could feel her orgasm building and building.
As a hot surge of primal possessiveness swept over him, Bracken snapped his hand around her throat, collaring her. “Harder, baby. Yeah, like that.” Punching his hips up to meet each of her downward thrusts, he growled, “All mine. This pussy belongs to me. It only exists so that I can taste and fuck it.” Never again would anyone touch what was his. Never again. He dipped his thumb between her folds and circled her clit. “Come, baby, give me . . . That’s it, good girl.”
Madisyn’s head fell back as her orgasm tumbled into her, trapping a scream in her throat and making her pussy tighten and ripple around his cock. Just when it occurred to her that he hadn’t come, he snaked his arm around her and shoved open the door.
“Hold on to me.” In one swift, fluid movement, Bracken slid out, turned, and pinned her against the SUV. “Now I fuck you.”
Madisyn held tight as he roughly powered into her pussy, grunting and growling into her neck like a rutting animal. She was going to be sore later, but she didn’t care. Not when his cock stroked her clit perfectly with each brutal thrust. Not when he was slamming so deep that she could feel him in her womb.
The friction was already building again. Fast. Fierce. Wicked. Winding her so tight that she clawed at his back and tightened her legs around him.
“That’s it, baby, scratch me.” Bracken groaned as she did it again, clawing deep enough to mark. Fuck, he wasn’t going to last. All damn day long, he’d thought about nothing but taking her just like this, owning and marking what would only ever belong to him. Her pussy was tightening and superheating around his cock, dragging him closer to coming, causing fire to lick at his skin, course through his veins, and settle in the base of his spine.
As she sucked in a sharp breath and her pussy began to quake, he knew she was gone. “Come for me.” Bracken closed his teeth around her shoulder and bit hard. She screamed, pussy clamping down on him hard, strangling his cock. “Fuck yeah, baby.” He rammed harder and faster, drawing out her orgasm as long as he could. Then he let go, punching his hips once, twice, as he exploded inside her.
They both stayed there like that, panting, shaking, sapped of energy.
When his brain switched back on, he kissed her neck and breathed her in. “Shit, I needed that.” She just hummed lazily. Smiling to himself, he carried her inside the lodge, nuzzling her neck. That got a little purr out of her. “My pretty kitty,” he said into her ear.
She snorted. “If anyone asks, I’m as light as a feather.”
He chuckled softly. “Got it.” Upstairs, he headed into the bathroom, stripped off the rest of their clothes, and shepherded her into the shower stall. As they stood under the hot spray, he soaped her down, hands gliding over her possessively. “So . . . you love me.”
She lifted a brow. “So . . . you love me.”
“You sound genuinely surprised by that.”
She shrugged. “It’s just that, well, I’m not an easy person to get to know.” And a total pain in the ass. “It’s hard to be sure you love someone if you don’t really know them.”
He wrapped both arms around her. “I know you.”
“Kind of.”
“Fuck kind of, baby, I know you. We’ve practically lived in each other’s pockets for weeks now. We’re rarely apart. We’ve talked to each other in a way that we’ve never talked to anyone else.”
“True, but knowing someone isn’t just possessing the facts about them,” she pointed out.
He nodded. “That’s right. It’s learning their strengths and flaws, seeing them at their best and their worst. It’s learning their quirks, habits, mannerisms, and totally useless shit about them. Discovering their hot buttons and how they came to have them. Developing the ability to anticipate what they’ll say or do or feel. It’s knowing how to calm them when they’re pissed or make them smile when they’re sad. Learning what makes them unique and therefore totally irreplaceable.”
He caught her face with his hands. “There has never in my life been anyone like you. And there will never be anyone who could be who you are to me. Not ever. So yeah, I know you. And I can be sure of what I feel for you.”
Madisyn melted into him as he took her mouth, pouring herself into the kiss. Her chest panged. Hurt. But in a good way. “I didn’t just learn a lot about you. I learned a lot about me through you.”
“Like what?”
“I learned that alone had become my default zone. I was comfortable with it. But I didn’t really want to be so emotionally isolated from people. I learned that I wasn’t so highly independent simply because I was a pallas cat; it was also because I was scared of ever depending on anyone the way I’d depended on my parents. Losing them rocked the world, as I knew it. Which is cliché, really, and so I should have seen it. I guess I didn’t want to consciously admit to fearing something as simple as depending on someone.”
She rested her chin on his chest. “I don’t think anyone but you could have made me see all that. You make me feel . . . emotionally safe, if that makes sense. Make me feel that you’d never judge me, never trivialize my worries, never want to change me. Make me feel safe enough to say what I’m thinking and feeling, to engage in a little self-reflection.”
Bracken rubbed his nose against hers. “You are safe with me in every way that a person can be safe with someone.” His chest clenched at the pretty, trusting smile she gave him.
“I know.”
He rested his forehead on hers. “Then move in with me, Madisyn. Or let me move in with you. I don’t want to pressure you. I don’t. But going at your pace is a lot harder than I thought it would be.” Especially since he was used to being in control and directing how things would go. “If you really can’t live here, I’ll accept that. I will. But I need to feel that we’re making a home somewhere, not just sharing the same bed every night.” There was a difference.
She slid her arms around his neck. “I truly doubted I’d ever say this, but I want to live here.”
His mouth curved, and something settled deep inside him. “You do?”
“I do. I like it. Like the quiet. Like the land. Love my rockery. Which you were counting on.”
He chuckled. “I was.” He snaked his arms tight around her and pressed his mouth to her temple. “Thank you, baby. You know this will make you an official member of the Mercury Pack, right?”
“I know,” she said as his gaze returned to hers. “But after spending time with the pack and learning how it operates, I’m not so worried about whether I can fit in. Your Alphas don’t treat others as subordinates; they treat them as equals. As family. It’s really one big family. A family who argues but resolves any conflicts. A family who supports each other and works as a unit to keep it strong.
“Shaya and Nick both head it, but everyone counts. Everyone’s considered equally important, whether they’re a Beta or just an average member like Kent. I can’t promise to be a very obedient member of the pack, though—I have to be clear about that.”
He inhaled deeply, mouth quirking. “Oh, I was already well aware of that.”
“And although I’ll support the pack in many ways, I’m not giving up my job at the shelter.”
“No one would ever ask you to. And you already support the pack by working at the club. Of course, you could give that up if it was what you wanted.”
“You mean you would like me to give it up.” She almost laughed at his impish grin.
“Okay, I admit I struggle with watching people flirt with you. But that’s my issue. I’m not going to make it yours. If you want to keep working there, do that. It’s up to you.” He hugged her tightly again. “You have no fucking idea how relieved I am that you’re agreeing to join.”
“Oh, I think I have some idea.”
Yeah, but she didn’t realize that a big reason Bracken was so eager to have her in the pack was that he wanted her to have their protection and support. She’d been on her own for a long time, and he needed to know that if anything ever happened to him, she wouldn’t be alone again. He needed to know that she’d be surrounded by people who would take care of her and get her through that soul-wrenching loss. But he didn’t say that, because just the thought of such a thing ever happening could put a damper on the evening.
He swooped in and stole yet another kiss, indulging himself and devastating her mouth. “Now I need you again.”
He took her in bed this time. Slow. Deep. Gaze locked with hers. And when she shattered around him, pussy clenching and milking his cock, he buried his face in her neck and came.
Standing in her kitchen the next day, Bracken splayed a possessive hand on the table. “You’re not donating this to the shelter.” Because his lodge was fully furnished and she wasn’t particularly attached to the majority of her own furnishings, she was content to take only a few items with her. She’d decided to donate the rest to the shelter, which he agreed was a good idea. But the table? No.
Looking up from where she was packing, she said, “There’s no room for it at your lodge. Besides, you don’t need it. You have the island in the center of your kitchen for people to dine at, remember.”
“It’s coming with us,” Bracken stated. He wasn’t budging on this. “The first time I took you, it was on that table. I might not have officially claimed you that night, but I claimed you in my way.”
“I know, and I’d truly rather keep the table. But there’s nowhere for it to go.”
“It’s not a huge table. It would fit near the wall by the patio doors.”
She frowned thoughtfully. “Actually, yeah, it might.”
“I’ll make it fit.” He traced the gouges on the wooden surface. “I like looking at these markings.” Liked that they sparked memories of her losing control as he ate and fucked her pussy—not only on that first night but on many others.
She snickered. “I know.” Taping up a box, she sighed and glanced around.
“You’re going to miss this place, aren’t you?”
She shrugged. “It’s been my haven for a long time.”
“And now?”
“Now I don’t feel like I need one anymore.”
Smiling, he crossed to her. “That’s because you don’t.” She had him now. Had the pack. She was safer than she’d ever been. It warmed him that she knew that. That she felt it.
Derren stalked into the room. “Aside from a few of the boxes in here, everything else has ‘Shelter’ scribbled on it.” He, Eli, Zander, and Jesse had all pitched in to help load her things into the moving van they’d hired.
“Good. The table’s coming too.” Bracken turned back to Madisyn. “After we’ve taken this last load to the lodge, me and the guys will take the rest of the stuff to the shelter.”
“It’ll give me a chance to unpack in peace.”
He almost snorted. “Peace. Right.”
As he’d suspected, when they arrived on pack territory, the females of his pack were already waiting near his lodge, ready to assist her. Once everything had been unloaded from the van, Bracken kissed her. “We shouldn’t be long.”
“Good, because like I’ve said before, I’m not a good host.”
“They won’t care, baby. They’ve come to help you because they want you to know that you’re welcome here. Let them do that for you.” He gave her nape a quick squeeze and then headed off with the other males.
They needed two trips to move everything from her house to the shelter. The whole thing took them longer than expected, since Dawn had also asked them to position the furniture in specific places—sometimes on the upper levels.
Finally back at his lodge, Bracken took one footstep into the den and paused. With the exception of the coffee table, Madisyn hadn’t added any furniture to the room, but it looked completely different. Looked sort of . . . alive with the throw blanket, cushions, soft rug, and potted plants. Someone had put up shelves, and Harley was now lining them with Madisyn’s knickknacks, pictures, keepsakes, and books.
Glancing over her shoulder, Harley shot him a smile. “Brought color to the place, didn’t she?”
It was more than color. It was warmth. Energy, even. He didn’t realize just how little the lodge had looked lived-in until now.
Harley’s smile widened when Jesse walked past him and headed right for her. Leaving the pair alone, Bracken followed the sounds of voices to the kitchen. While Ally was unpacking boxes, Gwen and Kathy were rearranging cupboards in order to fit Madisyn’s stuff. She had a ridiculously huge collection of mugs, all of which she’d insisted on bringing.
To his satisfaction, the dining table fit nicely in the space he’d chosen. Taking in the cookie jar, fruit bowl, ceramic vase, and revolving spice rack, he thought it amazing how such small, colorful things could uplift a room.
Kathy spared him a glance. “Hi, Bracken. I think your mate is outside.”
“Want coffee?” Gwen asked him.
“No, I’m good, thanks.” Sliding open the patio door, Bracken stepped out onto the porch. Roni and Marcus were arguing over the best spot for Madisyn’s birdbath—a gift from Dawn that she hadn’t wanted to part with—but there was no sign of his mate.
Marcus winced as Roni hit his forehead with a lollipop. “What was that for?”
“You’re being awkward,” insisted Roni. “And I’m still pissed that you ate my cake.”
“I’ll get you a—”
“Don’t want to hear it, Fuller. Just move the fricking birdbath.”
Bracken cleared his throat to get their attention. “Either of you seen Madisyn?”
“She went to use the bathroom, and I haven’t seen her since,” said Roni.
“Hey, Bracken, where do you think this birdbath should go? Here?” Marcus pointed at a spot literally two feet away. “Or there?”
Not seeing how the tiny distance made much of a difference, Bracken said, “Just leave it where it is. If Madisyn wants it moved, I’ll move it.”
Heading back inside, he went upstairs. She wasn’t in the bathroom, but he found himself smiling at the sight of her things mixed with his. Her toiletries were stacked on the shower shelf, her blow-dryer and comb were on the counter, her satsuma-scented soap was on the sink, and her toothbrush—not the spare she’d used while here—now sat in the holder with his. She’d also brought her fluffy bathroom rug and Egyptian cotton towels.
He turned and walked into the bedroom, where he found her lining hairbrushes, makeup, perfumes, hair products, and nail polish on the surface of the dresser that she’d brought along with her. Shaya was also in the room, changing the bedspread, since Madisyn was intent on keeping her luxury sheets.
Looking at him, Madisyn curled her mouth into a smile that hit him right in the chest. “Hey,” she said simply, “all done moving my stuff?”
“Yes.” He crossed to her, he pulled her close, and lightly kissed her. “You’ve all been very busy.”
“I know. I figured it would take days to unpack everything, but all the extra hands have sped it along.”
“There isn’t much left to do now,” Shaya told him, balling up the old bedsheets. “Which is good, because I’m starving. I’d urge you to come to the main lodge for dinner, but I’m guessing you’ll want to spend your first official evening living together alone.”
“You guessed right,” said Bracken.
“Nick and I will—” Shaya cut off at the sound of her cell chiming. Whipping out her phone, she stared at the screen. “Speak of the devil . . . I left him alone with the girls. He’s probably close to tears, since they run rings around him.” Rolling her eyes, the redhead left the room to take the call.
Smoothing his hand over the hand-carved oak dresser, Bracken said, “You got this from Ingrid’s store, didn’t you?”
“She gave it to me as a gift for my birthday, along with the gold-plated mirror.” Madisyn gestured at the piece that now hung near the wardrobe. “So you’re not regretting that I’ve moved in, now that you’ve seen how much stuff I’ve got?”
Bracken pulled her closer. “Definitely not. I like that there are traces of you in every room.” She was everywhere, and he needed that in a way he couldn’t explain.
Returning to the room, Shaya held her phone out to him. “Nick wants to talk to you.”
Bracken put the phone to his ear and said, “Yeah?”
“We may have a problem,” said Nick, voice grave.
Bracken’s brow creased. “What sort of problem?”
“Claudia’s father and some of his wolves are at the border, asking to speak to you. That sort of problem.”