Chapter 5
Sullivan half-listened as SC performed the ceremony for Rhys and Merri. He was happy for his friend and the leader of the sleigh team, and he thought that Merri was a wonderful mate for Rhys. In the front row, Merri’s mom was holding Merri and Rhys’s son, RJ, who was staring in rapt attention at SC. All kids, especially babies, were enamored with SC. It was part of his magic.
Kerri was a soft weight against him; her peppermint and chocolate scent was driving his beasts nuts. Her legs were crossed, the knee-length dress rising slightly and revealing a stretch of nylon-covered thigh. His mouth watered as he thought about what she would really taste like. Letting his fingertips graze her thigh, he slid them under the hem of the skirt. She grabbed his wrist before he could move his hand any farther under her skirt and shot him a glare that was half warning, half encouraging.
He mouthed sorry, and she rolled her eyes, which made a laugh bubble up in his chest. He managed to stifle it so he didn’t laugh at an inopportune moment, such as when SC was asking if Merri really wanted to spend the rest of her life with Rhys.
Leaning over, he whispered in Kerri’s ear. “Hi.”
She giggled softly and pursed his lips together.
He liked teasing her.
His beasts were so content at the moment, so happy to have found their fated mate. And even though she hadn’t agreed to come back to NPC with him, he actually wasn’t worried. One way or another, he and Kerri would be together and that was all that really mattered to him. He would go on the sleigh run tonight, and when he returned here, either she came with him or he stayed with her.
And then the sexy times could commence.
He hoped.
When the ceremony was over, he followed her into the kitchen to help with the brunch. The food looked and smelled amazing, and he couldn’t believe how talented his mate was. She’d just finished culinary school and hadn’t started her job search yet, which was good news for him. He knew she’d fit right in at the commissary, where residents of NPC who didn’t – or couldn’t – cook, ate their meals. As Rhys and Merri greeted everyone, the other quads brought in long wooden folding tables and set the chairs around them. Then Charli and Roseanne started to set the tables. Sullivan stayed right by Kerri’s side.
With everyone but the newlyweds helping, it took only twenty minutes for the dishes to be set on the table, drinks to be poured, and the newly married couple to take their places at the head of their table. Sullivan pulled out Kerri’s chair for her and sat in his own seat, slipping his arm over the back of her chair.
Declan, as the Best Man, made a toast to the couple. As everyone lifted their glasses in cheer, Sullivan touched the rim of his mimosa glass to Kerri’s.
“Everything looks wonderful,” he said.
“Thank you for your help. We work really well together.”
“I think so too.”
The dishes were passed, and he helped himself to everything, thrilled to be able to eat what his mate had made. Cinnamon rolls, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, an enormous bowl of fresh fruit, mini quiches, a potato casserole covered with melted cheese, and a basket of crispy bacon – his favorite – made the rounds.
They were sitting at the second large table with Charli and Arian, who each held a child. Roi, Jack, Vaughn, and Mire joined their table. Everyone else was at the head table.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come for your graduation,” Charli said to Kerri.
“I understand why you couldn’t. I know you were there in spirit.”
“Still. I wanted to apologize, especially now that you know the reason.”
“I promise I don’t hold anything in the past against you. I get it. Really, I do.” She looked at Sullivan and smiled.
“You’re an amazing cook,” Jack said. “Everything’s delicious.”
Sullivan narrowed his eyes at his friend, who rolled his nearly hard enough to send the orbs bouncing out of his skull and across the shining hardwood floor.
“I’m being nice,” Jack said.
“I know. Just don’t be too nice.”
“Are you always such a caveman?” Kerri asked.
“Only since dawn,” he promised.
She beamed at him, and his heart thudded in his chest at how gorgeous she was. How…mine.
“Tell me about your job,” she said, nibbling on a piece of bacon in a far-too-sexy way that was making his brain misfire.
“Aside from the one delivery job,” he said with a low voice, the phrase making her chuckle, “I work security for our town. The eight of us are part of a security team. We patrol the town and handle any disputes.”
“What kind of disputes?” She smeared butter over half of a mixed berry muffin and took a bite.
“Typical stuff – too much drinking at the tavern, maybe someone wanders out into the snow and forgets where they live. Or fighting over a female or a job position.”
She hummed. “You never got into fights, did you?”
“We’ve all brawled at one time or another. Because of what we are, sometimes we have to let off steam.”
“I like to eat ice cream when I’m letting off steam.”
“I don’t think that would work for me.”
“Are you sure? Because butter pecan ice cream with extra candied pecans in a waffle bowl is pretty darn steam relieving.”
Chuckling, he kissed her. “I’ll be sure to keep those items stocked for those times when I tick you off.”
Her brow arched. “So sure you will?”
“I’m about one thousand percent positive.”
“It’s easier to stock treats than try to be a less ticking-me-off guy?”
“Definitely.” He kissed her again, loving the way warmth bubbled up in his chest every time they touched. “I’ll try not to cause you to need to release steam.”
“Just so you know, this is the dirtiest sounding conversation I’ve ever heard,” Vaughn said.
Kerri’s smile was so wide and bright that it made the breath hitch in Sullivan’s chest. He couldn’t believe how very right everything felt in that moment. He wanted to savor it for all eternity, to never forget how much he adored his mate. Hours after meeting her, his mind was turned toward their future. He couldn’t wait to get her alone so they could talk.
When the meal was over, he and the other quads helped clear the tables and clean up the family room, putting the folding chairs and tables in a small trailer that would be taken to a rental place in town. He helped put away the food in the kitchen, while the others brought in the furniture and restored the room.
SC and Mrs. Claus came into the kitchen. “It’s time for us to go,” Mrs. C said.
“It was so nice to meet you,” Kerri said, hugging her.
“You too. I hope we’ll see you soon.”
Kerri didn’t respond, but smiled, and Sullivan hoped that meant she was thinking it was a good idea to see Mrs. C, and hopefully him, soon.
“Mind the time, son,” SC said.
“Mire lent me his watch,” Sullivan said, lifting his wrist. The watch was special, tuned to NPC time.
The team left at six p.m. to begin their flight. Because there was no sunrise or sunset in the North Pole from October until March, they didn’t have need of timing the sleigh run to the darkness, because it was always dark. He glanced at the watch, knowing he needed a full hour to shift and get into his gear before the flight, which, according to his watch meant he had only about three hours.
Which didn’t seem long enough at all to properly seduce Kerri so she’d be willing to be his mate.
When SC and Mrs. C exited through the back door of the cabin, the quads, except for Arian and Rhys, came up to say goodbye.
“I’ll handle getting your equipment ready,” Declan said. “But don’t expect it to be gleaming.”
“Thanks, man,” he said, accepting a hug.
“I’m happy for ya,” Declan said. “And I fully expect you to return the favor to me ten times over once you’re home.”
“Sure,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Mire and Vaughn left with Declan. Jack and Roi were sticking around with Rhys and Arian so that Merri, Charli, and the kids could come back to NPC.
“How do you guys disappear like that?” Kerri whispered.
He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Magic.”
“I didn’t believe in it before, but I do now.”
“Good.”
He wanted to talk to her. To kiss her some more.
A lot more.
And tell her that he wanted her to be happy no matter where they lived on the planet. But then a little girl, with a head of dark hair that was mussed from tugging on her headband all morning, toddled up to them and lifted her arms in the air to Kerri.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Kerri said, picking up her niece and giving her a hug.
Sullivan rubbed his knuckles on Kerri’s bare arm and said, “You need time with your sister. I’m going to help clean.”
“What? No, you’re not.”
“But you only see your family once a year.”
She made an exasperated sound. “You’re not going to be this dense for the rest of our lives are you?”
He didn’t know what to say.
Kerri kissed Hope noisily on the cheek until the little girl squealed in delight, and then she set her down and said, “Go find Momma.”
Sullivan’s beasts sat up in interest as Kerri turned to face him, her face glowing with blush and her lovely eyes a darker shade of green. “Don’t you want to talk to me?”
He didn’t answer, simply took her hand and hurried her back to the bedroom he’d taken her to when she’d passed out. Shutting and locking the door, he couldn’t contain the happy rumble from his beasts as she faced him in the room.
“I didn’t want to take you from your family.”
“You’re sweet, but…I thought you wanted to be with me.”
“I do.”
“Then why wouldn’t you be trying to claim all my time before you have to go? You were acting like a caveman earlier and making all these mine statements. Where’s that guy right now?”
He took a step toward her, letting his beasts go enough that he knew his eyes had changed from blue to gold. “My beasts can be vocal. You’re not used to it, and I don’t want to scare you away.”
She stepped close, her breasts pressing against his chest as she peered up at him.
“I’m not scared. Well, I am a little, because you have to leave and a part of me worries that you won’t come back and I’m going to be this devastated shell of a woman for the rest of my life.”
He curled his fingers around her upper arms and stared down at her. “Then come with me now.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “If I come with you, what happens to my life here? My apartment, my car, my accounts? Don’t you have to leave soon?”
“Less than three hours.”
“That’s not enough time for me to pack up my life. I want to come with you, but I have a few of my mom’s and aunt’s things that I couldn’t bear to leave behind. Does that make me a bad person? Are you mad at me?”
“Mad? Because you’re sentimental? Of course not. Does this mean that you’ll come with me?”
“I’m your fated mate, right?” she asked.
“Damn straight.”
She glanced at the bed, and his brain spun with a lot of dirty thoughts. “When will you be back?”
He had to mentally shove his lustful thoughts to the side to concentrate, which was a difficult feat because she smelled so good.
“I can be back here at four a.m. As soon as we return from the run, I’ll transport back with a couple of the guys so we can bring your things with us, and bring you too.”
“Why do they have to come back?”
“I can’t transport you by myself. Our individual magic isn’t strong enough. It takes three of us to transport one human. You can only bring two bags. Is that enough? I could send some elves to help you pack up.”
She grinned. “Two is fine, and I don’t need help. I promise to be back here before four a.m. so you can take me to NPC. But I have a request first. Or, rather, a demand.”
“Demand away, candy cane. Whatever you want is yours.”
She glanced at the door and then at the bed. “I don’t want our first time to be within earshot of my family, but can we touch? I want to know what you sound like when you fall apart.”
“I might roar,” he said, his blood heating as he took a slow step toward the bed, pushing her with him.
“Maybe your mouth will be too busy,” she said slyly.
She reached under the hem of her skirt and started to tug, and he knew she was pulling down her nylons. Dropping to his knees with a growl, he pushed her hands away.
“Mine.”
“Just my pussy?” she murmured.
“All of you. Fucking all of you.”
She sank her hands into his hair and tilted his head, bending over and pressing her lips to his. He immediately opened his mouth to her questing tongue, sliding his alongside hers, sucking and tasting and twirling. He felt drunk on her taste, surrounded entirely by her addictive scent. He loved kissing her so much that he almost forgot where his hands were.
Curling his fingers into the top of her nylons, he slid them down her legs as she stepped from her heels and then from the silky material. He tossed them aside, never breaking the kiss. He slid his hands up the outside of her thighs, torn between wanting to touch her quickly and wanting to savor it.
His hands slid around her perfect butt, squeezing it through the barrier of fabric. He envisioned her panties to be black, or maybe red, and curiosity made him hum, which sounded like a purr.
She nipped his lower lip. “Yes?” She drawled out the word as she kissed his chin and his jaw, nibbling on his flesh.
“I’m wondering what color your panties are.”
She paused near his ear and then laughed. “I’m surprised I’m still wearing them. What are you waiting for?”
She nipped his ear, and he took her invitation literally. In a heartbeat, she was on her back on the bed and he was beside her, nuzzling her throat as he cupped her sex through her panties and pressed his heel into the apex of her thighs.
She laughed in surprise but then moaned, biting her bottom lip as she swiveled her hips and sought more of his touch. It was tempting to tear her panties, but instead he slipped his hand to the waistband and underneath. She pressed her face into his throat and groaned as he slid his fingers over her pussy. She was wet and hot, her honey coating the smooth lips of her sex.
He teased her, rubbing his fingers up and down her pussy, barely spreading her and grazing her clit. She pushed her hand down the front of his body, tugging on his belt to loosen it before jerking on the waistband of his pants. He loved how eager she was to touch him, and when her hand slid inside his pants and wrapped around his dick, he almost came on the spot. She cradled him perfectly, and he arched his back and pressed more of himself into her hand.
It felt so good; he pushed two fingers into her pussy at the same time, imaging it was his dick filling her instead. She worked his dick, sliding her hand up and down him in time to his movements. He pressed his thumb to her clit, the little bud swollen under his touch. She kissed him, groaning into his mouth, and he increased the tempo of his fingers to match his thumb and her perfect hand squeezing him in the most amazing way.
Her pussy clenched his fingers. He curled them up and rubbed against her walls until he found the place that made her whole body buck. His climax blazed at the base of his spine, and he held on by a thread, wanting her to come first so he could follow her into bliss and fall apart with her name on his lips.
Quickening his touch on her clit, he rode her pussy with his fingers until her free arm flailed on the bed, striking the surface hard as her body locked down on his fingers and she moved from his lips to sink her teeth into his neck, muffling the sound of her pleasure with his flesh. He couldn’t stop from thrusting himself into her hand and coming. His fangs throbbed in his gums as he leaned over her and pressed his lips to her neck in the same way as she’d done to him. He bit her, but didn’t break the skin, not wanting to mark her until they made love for the first time. He groaned hard as his dick spasmed and throbbed. She cradled his shaft and pressed her free hand to his, pushing his fingers a little deeper into her.
He chanted her name, kissing the bruise he’d left on her throat and loving how her pussy gripped him as her climax ebbed.
She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his throat. “That was so good,” she said with a rough whisper.
“It was perfect.”
Lifting from her throat, he pulled his wet fingers from her pussy and sucked them into his mouth. She tasted even better than she smelled, a deep sweet and spicy taste, all heat and woman.
“That’s so sexy,” she said.
He brushed her flushed cheek and kissed her. “How did I sound when I fell apart?”
“Like you were in heaven.” Her eyes were bright, and her lips were swollen from their kisses. “I’m sorry I bit you.”
“Don’t be. I loved the hell out of it. I wanted to really bite you.”
Her brow arched. “You did.”
“Not with my fangs. That’s a permanent kind of mate marking, and I want to be inside you when I do it.”
She exhaled a sigh and rubbed her cheek against his bicep. “Don’t let this go to your head, but you can do whatever you want to me. I feel that connected to you.”
It was hard not to grin like an idiot when his beasts were dancing around in his head. “I’ll try.”
She snuggled against him, unbuttoning his dress shirt and tracing his chest with her fingertips. “Does it hurt when you shift?”
“It did when I first started shifting, but eventually my body got used to it, and it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Do you have a favorite animal of the four?”
“I like them all for different reasons. The polar bear is my preferred shift. I like how big he is. But the fox is fast, which is cool, and without the reindeer I wouldn’t be a quad.”
“What about the owl?”
“It’s awesome to fly. And my eyesight and hearing as an owl are incredible. It’s good for hunting. Considering that NPC is in the dark for half the year, being able to hear prey is a great thing.”
“So if I ever get lost in the snow, I should just yell for you?”
“Don’t get lost.”
“I’m just saying,” she said.
He kissed her with a laugh. “Yes, I could find you, but I’m pretty sure that my beasts are so in tune with you right now that I could find you regardless of the shift I was in. Even in my human form.”
“That’s cool. I promise to not get lost.”
Snorting, he shook his head. “You’re going to keep me on my toes.”
The time wound down so quickly, and before he knew it, she’d changed into jeans and a warm sweater, and he was unlocking the bedroom door and holding her hand as they walked into the family room. Rhys was still there, with Merri and her parents. Sullivan lifted his wrist, and Rhys nodded. “I was just telling Merri’s parents that it was time for us to take off.”
They all stood for their goodbyes, but Sullivan tugged on Kerri’s hand and led her back to the laundry room. Roi and Jack were standing on the back porch talking quietly when they walked out of the cabin. Arian and Charli were bundling up the kids inside.
“I want to watch you go even though I wish you didn’t have to.”
He opened his mouth to say he could just stay with her and not go on the flight that night, but she seemed to know what he was thinking and put her finger on his lips.
“Don’t you dare say what you were thinking. This is your job and your life, and it’s important. I’ll be here at four a.m. with my bags packed.”
She’d explained that her apartment was a six-hour roundtrip from the cabin, and that gave her plenty of time to pack her bags.
“It’s worth it,” Charli said, hugging Kerri tightly. “Leaving all this behind for NPC is freaking worth it. I’m so happy for you and Sullivan.”
“Thanks,” Kerri said. “I’m pretty happy too.”
“See you soon,” Charli said, blowing a kiss to Kerri and stepping out into the backyard with Arian, their children, Roi, and Jack.
Sullivan heard a car start, the engine revving for a moment and then slowly disappearing, and knew that their time was gone.
“I’ll be back at four a.m. on the dot, candy cane,” he said as he cupped her face and kissed her.
“I’ll be waiting.”
After another long, lingering kiss, he said goodbye to his fated mate and joined the group in the yard, standing between Rhys and Arian, their shoulders pressed together. He didn’t want to leave her behind, but it was for only twelve hours. Then he’d get her forever.
“Be careful, candy cane,” he said.
She blew him a kiss and then he was gone, rushing to NPC to get ready for the flight. Immediately, he wished he hadn’t left, but he knew the time would pass quickly, and then he’d be back at the cabin with his arms around her and everything right in his world.
He’d found his fated mate, and that was all that really mattered.