CHAPTER 12
Jasper
Between the torture Kevin and I endured, the trip here, and Lavina’s cooking skills, I’m exhausted. We’re all sitting in the large living room around the roaring fire and the heat isn’t helping matters. Stracey hasn’t left my side much, apart from helping Lavina clear up after dinner. Callum and Kevin are sitting in front of the fire, legs stretched out in front of them with a bottle of beer in their hands.
“It’s so peaceful out here.” Stracey speaks softly, but we all hear her and nod in appreciation of the quietness.
“Sometimes it’s too peaceful,” says Lelland. “I think we prefer it when we have work to do. The last few days, we were sitting in limbo, waiting for the council to get back to us about you guys. But tomorrow will see us planning, so rest up tonight. I need you all bright-eyed in the morning.”
“On that note, I think I’m going to head to bed. Kevin and I have had a crazy few days and I’m getting too old for it.” I laugh and stand up quickly.
“I’ll walk you up because I’m going to call it a night too,” says Stracey as she stands behind me.
“Sleep tight, ol’ man,” Callum mocks, and I flap my hand out to shut him up. I’d think there was something wrong if he wasn’t trying to get a rise out of me.
“You good, Kev?” I ask before leaving him sitting with Callum and Lelland.
“Yeah. I won’t be far behind you.”
I nod in response and leave the grand living room with Stracey.
“You’re good with Kevin, you know that?”
“Yeah. He’s a good kid.”
“You know, I think I could get used to this peaceful atmosphere,” says Stracey as we walk up the spiral staircase side by side.
“Really? Wouldn’t you miss the busy pack life?”
“Probably. But don’t you ever feel like you want a little more out of life? Don’t get me wrong, I love healing and I love being a part of a big family, but sometimes I just want…”
“More.” I finish her sentence and turn to face her as we stand at her room door.
“Even though I don’t know what that more is,” she whispers.
“One day you will.” I lift my hand to caress her cheek. I’m happy to see her lips curl up into a smile. “I… I…”
“Sshh.” She lifts her finger to cover my lips. “I know.”
I cover her hand with mine and rest it on my chest. Our eyes dance, our breathing shallow. I take half a step forward and capture her mouth with mine. First, I lightly place my lips over hers to gauge her reaction. She steps forward until her chest is up against mine. Our mouths work together deeper, exploring each other like it’s our last kiss. She pulls back and never takes her eyes off me. I take her hands in mine and walk across to my room. I expect her to stop me, but she follows me into the room, closing the door behind her. She steps back against the closed door and looks a little lost. Her body isn’t relaxed like it was five minutes ago. I need to fix that. I take two steps into her. My hands wrap around the back of her neck softly, drawing her into my embrace, my thumbs caressing her cheeks.
“I should have done this a long time ago, but I was lost. I didn’t think it was possible to have two soulmates. I felt like I was betraying Carmen. I’m sorry I put you through that. Not seeing you on Monday morning was the wake-up call I needed. I love you, Stracey. From the moment I met you, I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry it took me so long to realise it.”
“What matters now is that you do know what you want. I wasn’t going to play second fiddle to Carmen, but I wasn’t about to rush you to move on. Wolves are impossible to understand at times, but I get that the bond between soulmates is hard to break. I don’t know how this will work because I’m not a shifter. But, what I do know is that I can’t push you away anymore. I…”
I cut her words off with my mouth. The heat that lay dormant for so long is taking over my body. My dick is straining behind my pants. I can’t get enough of her. I need her now. I run my hands down her neck, trailing my fingers down her breasts lightly, making her arch into me.
“Tell me now if you don’t want this.”
“I’ve always wanted this, Jazz.” She reaches down to the hem of her shirt and pulls it over her head, leaving her breasts covered in white lace. My arms wrap around her waist and I lift her, her legs wrapping around me quickly. Feeling her so close is going to take me over the edge before we even begin. I place her down on the bed and take my t-shirt over my head. I loosen my trousers and slide them down my legs, leaving me naked. Her eyes roam up and down my toned body, taking in every fine detail. I lean over her, placing kisses up her stomach, to her breasts, biting the peak of her nipples through her bra. My hands wander down to the waistband of her leggings and I slide them and her pants down. My shy little woman isn’t so shy when she wants something. I smile at how her body reacts to my touch.
She reaches around her back and unclips her bra. Watching the material fall down her arms sends a tingling sensation to the base of my spine. I lie between her legs, my lips capturing hers. The softness of her mouth, the ferocity of the way she duels her tongue with mine, the little whimpers; it’s all ingrained into my head now.
“I wanted our first time to be slow, but I’m not sure we can do slow,” I say while I pepper kisses down her neck onto her collarbone.
“We have the rest of our lives for slow. Right now, we need this.” Her breaths come out in quick pants.
I run my hand down to her stomach, to her moist centre. She’s more than ready to take me. I run my finger down her core, plunging into her, stretching her walls to accept my length.
“I need you, Jazz. Now!” She cries out, biting her lip in frustration.
“I need you, too. Always.” I remove my fingers and line myself up with her entrance. With no further warning, I drive myself home, feeling her walls clench around me. I’m not going to last long at this rate. My body is slowly coming undone with every thrust. Every kiss. Every touch.
“Come for me, honey. I’m not going to last much longer.” I trail my finger down to her bundle of nerves and circle her teasingly. It only takes a few more thrusts before she’s digging her nails into my back, calling out my name as she soars into oblivion. My final thrust makes me see stars. My whole body convulses and relaxes upon her chest. I lay my head over her beating heart. Her fingers run through my hair, soothing my soul. For the first time in years, my beast is at peace, and I’m not fighting my emotions.
“I love you, Stracey.” I lift my head up and gaze into her tired, sated eyes. “Thank you for waiting for me. For giving me chance after chance to realise I need you in my life.”
“No one ever made my heart beat faster or turned my legs to jelly. Only you could do that. It was torture being around you but only as your friend.”
I lower my head, take her lip into my mouth, and kiss her softly. My dick stirs to life inside of her all over again, but this time, we’re going slowly. “I’ll make it up to you. Once this operation is over with, I’m going home to tell the council I’m leaving. It’s time I spend every moment with the people I love and care about. Markus and Lisa need me now more than they ever did. You need me now. Our future will start together. Forever and always, if you’ll have me.”
“Forever and always.” She smiles softly, wrapping her legs around my waist, pulling me closer to her body.
This moment will never be forgotten.