Chapter Nine
April stood outside Jesse’s a little after five in the evening, out of breath from running around like a madwoman the last thirty minutes of her shift. The dinner rush came early that night, and without someone to take over for her until five, it had been hectic. April’s gaze traced wearily to the window, where she knew Corbin and his sons had been sitting earlier in the day. Shortly after Lisa left, the men left as well. April wished they could have taken the uncomfortable feeling they left with her, but it remained for the rest of her day.
James’s truck pulled up less than ten minutes later, with his windows rolled down and arm hanging out the window. James unlocked the doors for April to hop in, and she groaned as she flopped down against the back of the seat.
“You have no idea how thankful I am for this truck and how soft the seats are,” she groaned.
James glanced over April, reading every bit of her body language as he pulled away from Jesse’s and began driving down the road to the Sullivan Orchard. The hot breeze blew over April’s face as the truck sped along, but it felt better than being cooped up inside for the entire day.
“Long day?” James asked, as the scenery whizzed by them on the side of the road.
April adjusted her posture once she felt less boneless, though she was still leaning back against the seat. “You have no idea,” she told him. “It was way busier than it normally is for a weekday, and there were these weird guys that came in early in the morning.”
“Did they bother Lisa?” James asked, with a crinkle in his brows.
April made a face, unsure of what she should say to James. Corbin and his companions had been odd balls that stuck out like a sore thumb throughout her entire day. April came from New York, so she was no stranger to the weirdos that could come into her life at any moment, but Aconitum was so different from a big city. The last thing she had been expecting was to run into a bunch of guys that made her skin crawl.
“A little, yeah,” April muttered. She didn’t know how she would tell James the truth about Corbin and the pushiness he had when it came to James. “But Lisa took care of it,” she continued. That was the truth, after all. The men bothered her a little, but not as much as they had been pestering April.
“That’s good,” James agreed.
He pulled into the Sullivan Orchard, and slowed down significantly when they drove between the trees. The truck kicked up dust from the path behind them, obscuring the trees in the distance. April, still a little lost in thought, turned to look at the apple trees. After her tour with James, she could spot everything in the trees now. The various birds stood out to her, along with the apples at different stages of ripening.
James’s truck rolled to a stop next to April’s car, and he threw it into park and hopped out. April did the same a second later. She walked around the front of the truck to James, but paused at how he looked. James’s nose was in the air, sniffing here and there as the wind changed. April was reminded of Corbin, and how he had sniffed the air in the restaurant. April frowned and brushed it off as silliness. There was no way that another shifter had waltzed into her life. As far as she knew, the Sullivan family were the only ones, and James was the last of the Sullivan family.
“What’s wrong, James?” April asked. She approached James, and was slow to put a hand on his elbow lest she startle him.
“Go ahead inside without me,” James said. He looked at April and smiled in a reassuring way. “Something smells a little weird. Might just be a coyote that came through. I’ll meet you inside, okay, darlin’?”
The nickname reassured April instantly, like a cool breeze on a blistering day. “All right,” April replied.
James leaned down to kiss her before he took off at a light jog. In what could only be described as a trick of the light, the man was gone and replaced by a wolf that broke into a swift run. April stared after James, observing the way his muscles contracted and ticked together like a perfectly well-oiled machine as he ran through the trees at breakneck speeds.
April trailed James through the rows of trees for a minute until he was out of sight. She entered James’s house and went to up to his room, thinking that a shower sounded excellent at that moment. April peeled off her t-shirt once she was in the bathroom and tossed it into the hamper, where her other clothes still sat untouched. Her jeans were next, followed by her underwear.
James’s shower took a moment to figure out. The modern shower was unfamiliar and bizarre for a few moments, but once she got it going April stood under the steady spray. The water was cold at first, but April let the chill take over and wash the day’s grime away from her body. She scrubbed her fingers through her hair, getting down to her scalp and working out the slight pain from having her hair in a tight ponytail for too long.
April adjusted the water until it was warmer, reveling in the steam until she felt as good as new. She pawed for a towel just outside of the shower and wrapped it around her body. April snuggled into the towel, meant for someone as large as James, and just as fluffy and soft as his bathrobe.
She left the bathroom, pushing her hair out of her face. She yelped when she noticed James, sitting on the edge of the bed with his eyes already on her, like he had been waiting for her to get out of the shower.
“You startled me,” April admitted, putting a hand over her racing heart. “I’m sorry for using the shower without your permission, I really needed to wash up.”
James smiled at April. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as April approached to stand in front of him. She dripped water onto the carpet, but James didn’t seem to mind at all.
“What’s mine is yours,” James told her. He put his hands on April’s towel-clad hips and squeezed down. “I mean that, April. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
April smiled at James. There was a thin sheet of sweat along James’s shoulders and forehead, making his skin glow from the setting sun burning through the huge window behind them.
“Did you find anything when you went searching?” April asked. Corbin was lingering on the edge of her thoughts, bothering her for a reason she couldn’t determine.
James shook his head. “No. There was nothing.” He rubbed at April’s hip through the thick material of the towel. “Like I said, it was probably a lost coyote. Sometimes they come through here because they’re hungry. I scare them off one way or another.”
April nodded.
April set her hands on James’s shoulder. His skin was burning hot to the touch, flushed from his sprint through the orchard. April leaned down, catching James’s attention for a moment before she pressed her lips to his. He was frozen for a moment before smiling into the kiss. He tilted his head to the right, and their mouth fused together with the ease and familiarity of a couple together for a few years.
James moved his hands from April’s hips, and set his palms on the backs of her thighs, just below the curve of her bottom. He pulled April forward, and she shuffled until she was standing between James’s knees. James’s tongue prodded at April’s lips, trailing a searing streak between the seal of her lips. April’s heart pounded furiously in her chest as she opened her mouth for James. His tongue met hers halfway, and they tangled in a lazy dance that matched the rest of their movements.
April broke the kiss, planting a soft kiss on James’s lips before she stood straight again. She undid the knot she had tied in the towel to hold it up, and let the material fall away from her body. James’s eyes raked over her body, like a starving man offered the most luxurious cake.
He looked up at April. His eyes were blazing gold in the orange light of the setting sun. “You’re the most beautiful, gorgeous, sexy woman on Earth,” James said in a deep, husky whisper.
His hands slid around April’s back and rested just below her shoulder blades. He pulled her closer, and planted a kiss on her breast. April did her best to control her breathing, but James nipped at her sensitive skin and she gasped. Not content with stopping there, James’s tongue flicked out and traced slow patterns around her breast.
He paused when his tongue brushed closer to April’s nipple, and her breathing suddenly became shallow. His eyes darted up to April’s, gazing up at her through his thick, dark lashes. She nodded, incapable of forming words.
James’s tongue wiped April’s mind to a blank slate as he licked a broad stripe over her nipple, teasing the sensitive nub into a stiff peak with the tip of his tongue. A strong pulse grew between April’s thighs, making her legs weak.
His other hand explored April’s body, coming to rest on the back of her thigh. He pulled April closer, lapping at her nipple until she was flush against him. James tilted his head away from April’s breast, and moved onto the second, laving it with attention. April gasped a choked moan as James’s hand switched to the front of her thigh. His fingers danced daringly close to between her legs, teasing the sensitive skin with the very tips of his fingers.
April moved away from James for half a second before repositioning herself. She straddled James’s lap, with a knee on either side of his hips. James trailed his fingers through April’s damp hair, extra cautious of any knots that might have formed in the wet locks. They locked eyes for half a second before they sealed their mouths together. He worked April’s mouth open with his own, and his siege of her mouth with his tongue began anew.
April draped her arms over James’s shoulders. She pushed her chest against his, urging him to lie back on the bed. James went down easily, with April kneeling above him. She gave an experimental roll of her hips against James’s, feeling his arousal tenting the front of his pants. James groaned into April’s mouth, and the noise drove her crazy.
James broke the kiss with a deep gasp. He shifted away from April’s mouth and kissed down the side of her jaw and to her neck. He dragged her closer to his mouth with one hand, and began to suck a dark mark against her neck. His teeth, feeling sharper than usual, dragged against her skin but never drew blood. His other hand, fiendish and clever, snuck between April’s legs.
“James!” April cried out, at the first touch of his long fingers between her legs, seeking and exploring.
The pad of his middle finger circled her wet hole, tracing in a devilishly pleasurable way.
“May I?” James asked, before kissing a line down April’s shoulder.
April nodded. “Of course,” she whispered breathlessly.
James’s first finger slipped inside April and she let out another long cry. She dropped her head and rested her forehead against James’s chest. His breath was heaving under her, and April was more than pleased to know she was having the same effect on James that he was having on her. She dug her nails into his skin, and thrust her hips gently against his fingers.
Before long, a second finger joined the first inside April.
She squirmed at James’s touch, gasping and panting. James wrenched a low groan from her as he curled his fingers perfectly inside her wet, tight, heat.
“I want you.” James growled possessively. His voice was more wolf than man, barely hanging on. “You drive my body mad, April,” James continued. “I can barely stand it. I need you.” He amended his earlier statement.
April panted against James’s chest, nearly in tears from the masterful way he worked her body. His thumb brushed across her clit, nudging the swollen pink bud gently.
“I want you, too,” April replied against his mouth, and devoured his lips and tongue in a hungry, desperate kiss.
James groaned again. He pushed his head back into the sheets. With his spare hand, James patted April’s hips as he withdrew his fingers from her body. April whined at the loss of contact.
“Move to the head of the bed for me,” James said. “Lie back for me.”
April did just that, more than willing to comply. She rested her back against the mountain of pillows James had, glad for the support against her spine. James sat up on his knees, and worked himself out of his loose, bright blue denim jeans. He kicked away his pants and stalked up the bed to April.
His erection stood proud and heavy between his legs. The tip was leaking clear liquid as he leaned forward to press his lips against April’s mouth. Their kiss was consuming, like air to breathe.
She could feel one of James’s hands on her hips, holding them down against the bed. The tip of his cock nudged against April’s entrance, careful as he slid the head inside her. April gasped hard, and threw her head back against the headboard.
“Is it too much?” James whispered against April’s ear. He had an arm on either side of her body, boxing her in close to his own body. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
April wrapped her arms around James’s shoulders, squeezing her arms around him, hugging him closer, and driving her hips against him.
“No,” April replied, her voice as soft as James’s. “You’re not hurting me.”
James nodded slowly. His muscles were shaking as he pressed into April an inch at a time, until he was fully embedded in her body. He stopped moving once he was inside her completely. April could feel him pulsing inside her body and she moaned. “You feel incredible inside me, James.”
Their hips pressed flush against each other. James panted heavily next to April’s ear. “So tight, and hot for me. Amazing.”
April squeezed her fingers around James’s biceps, and opened her legs wider, thrusting into his body. His body responding immediately and thrust back. Filling her completely. April slid her fingers into his hair, tugging as their bodies worshiped each other.
“You’re so handsome,” April said between thrusts.
Her words encouraged James, who moved his hips away from her body, before plunging back inside her, fully. April cried out sharply as James embedded himself inside her deeply.
“Ah, James!” she exclaimed. April’s eyes screwed shut. Her body was overwhelmed, in all of the best ways possible.
It didn’t take long for James to find his pace. He kissed up and down April’s jaw, pausing to kiss her lips between thrusts, as he worked himself in and out of her body. He set a steady rhythm, working their bodies together, as if they were one entity. Molten heat coursed through April’s veins. He kissed her hard and pistoned into her body relentlessly, hips and skin slapping repeatedly.
James pulled his mouth away from April’s, teeth grazing along April’s collarbone at the junction of her neck and shoulder. His teeth were definitely sharper than April remembered them being. She half wondered if James was going to bite her, so lost in their lovemaking that he forgot himself.
“James,” April groaned. Her nails digging into James’s shoulders. She dragged them down, leaving bright red marks across his tanned skin. “James, I’m so close.” April’s head tossed from side to side. The heat in her gut coiling lower between her legs. “I’m so close, please, James!” she begged.
“Are you going to come?” James asked. His voice was hot and heady in her ear, laced with lust. “Will you come for me?”
April nodded, high-pitched whines pouring unbidden from her lips.
“Come for me,” James pleaded and growled against April’s skin. “I want to hear you scream my name!”
April bit down hard on her lower lip. She was so close it was bringing her to the brink of tears. James’s moans and grunts were loud above her. He was getting close, too. The coil in April’s groin grew tighter, until it snapped and she gasped.
“James!” she yelled. Fireworks exploded behind her dark eyelids, and took over her entire body. April clenched and convulsed as her orgasm shook through her, claiming every inch of her body. Lightning raced under skin, running rampant like a wolf in an orchard. “James, oh, James,” she continued, digging her nails into his bottom, clutching to him.
Pain erupted in April’s shoulders, but it was drowned out by the sense of James spilling inside her, flooding her body with his hot seed.
James worked his hips for a bit longer before he stilled. He pulled out of April, who was still too far gone to react. James bundled April close to his body, turning her so that she was facing him once more. His tongue licked broad stripes along the pain in her shoulder, though April hadn’t a single clue why the spot was smarting so much.
When the feeling came back to April’s arms, she wrapped herself around James like a monkey. She nuzzled against his sweaty chest, feeling the muscles all throughout his body spasm as he came down from his own high.
“I love you,” April said.
James paused his grooming of April’s shoulders. She felt his arms tighten around her at her words. He licked a few more times over her shoulder. James ceased his ministrations, and put a hand on the back of April’s head. He tucked her forehead against his body, and rested his chin on the top of her head.
“I love you, too,” he whispered.