Chapter Thirty-Eight
Cade was never without a baby in his arms. At least, it felt like that sometimes. Each of the five had their own unique scent so that on nights when Hunter brought a baby in for him to feed, he didn’t even need the light or to open his eyes to know which little one he was holding. At first, when one of the babies fussed at night, that would be the baby he’d feed while Hunter bottle fed the next. But it didn’t take long for the babies to work that out. Hunter was skeptical that their kids could have figured it out seeing as they were only weeks old but suddenly all of the babies were fussing at night and they weren’t getting much by way of sleep.
Cade switched the system around and, like magic, the fussing stopped. Hunter seemed caught between amusement and horror.
“If they have us wrapped around their little fingers already then how will things be when they’re all grown up?”
Cade set Lily down into her crib and went to Hunter, pulling him into a hug. “We’ll learn as they grow. We’re all very new at this. Besides, I have a surprise for you.”
Taking his mate by the hand, he tugged him outside.
“We can’t leave the babies…” Hunter started to say.
“You can and you will,” Joe said from where he was perched on the wall outside their door. “Both Ollie and I will be on hand for anything the little ones need. Davyn and Kim have also been roped in, in case we require reinforcements. Go, enjoy your evening,” he added, handing Cade a bag.
“Thanks, Joe,” Cade said.
“Where are we going?” Hunter asked, sounding a little lost and bewildered as Cade resolutely tugged him down the garden path and out into the road.
“You’ll see.”
Hunter caught on quickly once he realized they were heading out of the village.
“The cabin?”
“Uh-huh. We haven’t had a moment to ourselves for almost a month. And Seth is coming to visit soon. So we have one evening to make the most of. I promised we’d be back for the first night feed.”
Hunter relaxed at that. “Good, I’m not sure I’m ready to be away from them overnight yet.”
Cade laughed. “You might not say that once you remember what peace and quiet sounds like.”
Hunter stopped him with a gentle tug on his arm, Cade turning to face him. “Peace and quiet are those few minutes at the end of the day, when the last baby falls asleep and you and I sit together in the nursery, just watching them.”
Cade let the bag slip from his hand to the ground and wrapped his arms around Hunter, kissing him like the world was ending and they were running out of time. He pulled away, breathless, and traced his fingers across Hunter’s face, along his brow, his strong jaw. “I don’t think I have enough for words for how much I love you. I know this wasn’t what you wanted-”
Hunter silenced him with a finger to his lips and shook his head.
“You’re wrong. This is what I’ve always wanted, I just didn’t know it. And yeah, I miss the Cove and my family there, but I have you and our beautiful litter and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. From the moment I saw you, I felt something inside that I’d never felt before. I just didn’t understand at first. Now I do.” He sighed and leaned in, his breath hot on Cade’s skin as he pressed a kiss to the hollow of Cade’s throat. Cade swallowed hard, his hands gripping Hunter’s shirt. Hunter moved suddenly, swooping Cade off his feet and into his arms.
“What are you doing?” Cade said, laughing. “Put me down.”
Hunter turned and began to run toward the cabin, ignoring Cade’s half-hearted protests.
“Making the most of our evening,” Hunter joked, not slowing down.
Hunter carried his mate into the cabin, noting with a mix of amusement and embarrassment that someone had fixed the bear-shaped hole in the doorway and widened the exit.
“That was considerate of them,” he murmured, setting Cade down on his feet. The first time they’d been there, he’d been almost dead walking through the door and never more alive than when he left again. Now, he and Cade actually had time, and the inclination, to explore further than the first room. The cottage was small, just two bedrooms and a bathroom behind the main room.
“We could make one of the beds,” Cade suggested.
“Or I could build a fire,” Hunter countered, “and we could stack some of those blankets in front of it.” It was almost a reenactment of their mating and Cade’s first heat. Cade wouldn’t go into heat again, not for a while what with the litter. As for more babies, Cade was adamant that it might not happen and if it did, it would be a smaller litter a few years down the line. Hunter could see why that made sense. Otherwise, the dens would be overrun with babies in a matter of years.
Cade grinned and started gathering blankets and Hunter slipped outside to collect some firewood.
An hour later, they had a roaring fire in the hearth and he and Cade were enjoying some of the food Ollie had packed for them. Cade managed to smudge cream cheese down his chin and Hunter was happy to help clean it away, licking a long line along the omega’s chin before kissing him soundly.
After their meal, Hunter settled Cade to sit between his legs, his back to Hunter’s chest, both of them watching the fire.
The flames danced, throwing orange shapes across their skin. Hunter started to tease Cade, with little touches across his skin, his fingers slipped under Cade’s T-shirt, the pads of his fingertips brushing gentle circles. Cade sighed and leaned back against him, arching into Hunter’s touch. He didn’t protest when Hunter started to lift his shirt up and over his head or when Hunter’s hands found the button of his jeans and undid it. He stopped there, drawing it out, trailing his hands up and down Cade’s chest and sides while bending his head until his lips met the skin of Cade’s shoulder. He kissed slowly to the crook of his omega’s neck, drawing little moans and sighs from his mate.
His hands returned to Cade’s jeans, nimble fingers tugging down his zip before inching the material down Cade’s hips and off. The omega, eager to help, pushed off his jeans and boxers and kicked them to the side, leaving him gloriously naked in Hunter’s arms. He shivered and Hunter knew it was from anticipation and not the cold.
He let his hand drift down past Cade’s waist, teasing across his skin. Cade shivered again, turning his head so that his cheek pressed against Hunter’s chest.
“Shouldn’t you be wearing fewer clothes?” he asked, gasping as Hunter’s hand inched downward.
“In a little while, for now, let’s stay like this.”
He urged Cade to turn, lying on his stomach on top of Hunter and cuddling against him. Hunter massaged Cade’s neck gently, feeling the tension in his muscles. His hands slowly worked their way downward, giving every inch of Cade’s skin some love and attention and marveling at the mating mark that covered Cade’s back. Cade squirmed, huffed, and moaned against him, becoming more and more relaxed as the minutes passed.
Cade sat up suddenly, his two palms flat on Hunter’s chest. Hunter could see he was hard already, could smell his arousal. His hands grasped Hunter’s T-shirt and dragged it up his chest. Hunter helped him pull it off over his head, then watched as Cade reverently ran his palms down across the firm muscle and taut skin until he reached the waistband of Hunter’s pants. Knowing what his mate wanted, Hunter wasted no time helping him pull off the offending garments. Then Cade straddled Hunter’s knees, his hands on Hunter’s hips. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the base of Hunter’s cock.
It was suddenly very hard for Hunter to keep still, the urge to buck into Cade’s touch, into the heat of Cade’s mouth, was almost impossible to resist. Cade’s hands pressed firmly downward, holding him in place while he took Hunter into his mouth, swallowing him deep.
“Fuck, Cade,” Hunter groaned, his own hands wrapping around Cade’s arms trying to anchor himself somehow in the face of the wet heat of Cade’s mouth and the incredible sensations that followed.
Cade moved, taking him deeper then pulling back, only to repeat the motion, over and over, swallowing Hunter impossibly deep. He tightened his hands on Cade’s arms in warning when he felt he was close to the edge. Cade pulled away with a wet pop, grinning up at him.
“Good?”
“You’re about to be the death of me,” Hunter said, breathless and itching to thrust his hips. Letting go of Cade’s arms, he caught hold of his waist instead, lifting him upward. Cade came willingly, straddling Hunter’s hips and sinking down slowly onto his cock. His eyes were locked on Hunter, not looking away for a moment. Hunter watched Cade’s pupils widen as his thick length sank into him.
“Too much?” he asked.
Cade grinned. “Just right.”
Still, Hunter gave them both a minute to adjust. Cade’s body felt hot and tight around him and Hunter longed to thrust into him.
Cade’s hands pressed against Hunter’s chest.
“What are you waiting for,” he teased. “An invitation?”
Hunter wanted to kiss the lazy grin from his mate’s face, but he had a better idea. He tightened his hands on Cade’s hips, pulling out and thrusting in, angling so he’d sink deeper.
The grin fell from Cade’s face, replaced by a look of pure pleasure and a groan of ecstasy. It spurred Hunter on, the alpha setting a fast pace of upward thrusts that Cade met eagerly, his hips pressing downward over and over. Hunter let his hands roam across Cade’s back, feeling the omega’s mating mark under his fingers. He never got tired of it, looking at it, touching it. A symbol of their connection, of the joining of their bodies.
They were getting close. Hunter could tell from the way Cade’s body tightened around him with each thrust, not to mention the growing sensation inside him, like he was hurtling toward a precipice. He didn’t hold back, thrusting harder and faster, chasing that cliff he was more than ready to dive off of.
Their eyes were locked together, their hands on each other.
“Love every inch of you,” Cade gasped, his head falling forward.
Hunter settled his hands back around Cade’s waist, the omega pressing his hands on top of Hunter’s, and they rode the wave of their orgasm together. Hunter’s thrusts became erratic before, with one final pump of his hips, he came, pleasure spilling over him, through his hands, through his body, and into Cade. The omega came with a cry, throwing his head back, only Hunter’s hands on him keeping him upright.
As the wave of pleasure ebbed and crashed, Hunter gently eased his mate forward until they were chest to chest. Cade settled against him with a chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Hunter asked.
“Nothing,” Cade said, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “Just happy.”
“Yeah?” Hunter said, pressing a kiss to Cade’s cheek. “Me, too.”