One sermon in particular had stuck with her through all these years, the one on reaping and sowing. The minister had taught it in such a way that even as a child she’d understood the concept. Everyone reaps what they sow so be careful how you treat people, because what you do to others comes back to you threefold.
Based on what the minister had taught, Shay had a decision to make. She could continue to sow mistrust, disbelief, and fear into her relationship with Rory and receive a crop full of the same. Or she could believe in him, in his love for her, and the mate bond forming between them. An intelligent woman, something she prided herself as being, would do the latter.
Shay rocked in the dappled sunlight, face lifted into the breeze, and allowed the rest of her doubts and concerns to drift away.
It was late afternoon before Rory arrived home, dirty, sweaty, muttering angrily about code inspectors who don’t know their assholes from their armpits. Dinner simmered on the stove. Shay spared him a glance from the computer game she played at the kitchen table.
“Shower first, then dinner.”
Rory stopped and looked around. “You didn’t have to cook.”
She shrugged. “You worked. I cooked. It’s not like I had anything else to do.”
He scrubbed his face with his hands. “I’m sorry I had to run off—”
“Don’t,” she interrupted quietly. “It’s your job. I understand. There will be times when I’m called off to handle a project. Will I need to apologize for doing my job?”
“No.” He frowned. “We need to discuss the amount of traveling you do.”
Shay smiled. “After you shower. We’re on a schedule. What time is the pack arriving?”
He cursed. “I forgot. They’re not coming here. We’re gathering at our meeting place in the woods.”
Shay had a flash of her dream and prayed it wasn’t a premonition, though she’d never been prone to them. “Um, about tonight. There won’t be any public claiming, will there?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Rory’s forehead scrunched. “Claiming?”
“Fucking—you and me—in front of the pack.”
He sputtered, “No! Where would you get a ridiculous idea like that?”
“You haven’t been very forthcoming about tonight’s festivities. What am I supposed to think?”
“Not that.” He bent over, undid the laces of his work boots, toed them off, and set them by the door before rising and placing his hands on his hips. “We’ll go, I’ll introduce you to the pack, the council will acknowledge our mating, and the pack will submit to the alpha pair.”
“You make it sound simple. A mere formality.”
He began unbuttoning his shirt. Shay’s gaze was drawn to the flesh being slowly revealed. “It will be.”
She squeezed her thighs together. “Hurry up and get clean. I’m hungry.”
Rory glanced at the clock over the stove. “Be down in a few.”
Shay rose, gave the food a last stir, and turned off the burners on the stove. As the sounds of the shower reached downstairs, she set the table with place mats, ice-filled glasses, napkins, and silverware. By the time Rory’s footsteps sounded on the stairs, she was scooping food onto dinner plates.
“Smells good. I could eat a deer. Didn’t get a chance to eat today,” he said as he sat.
Shay set a plate heaping with food in front of him, then went to the fridge to get the sweet tea, pouring them both a glass before placing the pitcher on the table. She picked up her plate and settled beside him.
Rory glanced from his to hers. “I thought you were hungry.”
“I am,” she stated. “I never said for what.” The look she shot him was scorching.
His fork hung forgotten halfway to his mouth as his eyes narrowed, arousal tightening his features. Shay nudged his arm. “Eat. You’ll need your strength.”
They ate in silence. When Rory’s fork scraped the now empty porcelain, Shay rose and held out her hand. “More food?”
“No.” His gaze was intent as he handed her the plate.
As she set it on the countertop, she asked, “Tea?”
“No.”
Hands braced on the counter behind her, she commented, “You still look hungry.”
“I am.” He slowly rose to stand.
“There’s ice cream,” she offered.
He stepped toward her, shaking his head.
“Cookies?”
“Later.” He trapped her against the sink.
“The table—”
“Can wait.”
“Oh thank God.” Shay dived into his arms. “I’ve been going crazy all day.” She tugged on his jeans, frantic. “Inside me now. No foreplay.”
A few swipes of his claws and Shay’s clothes were shreds. He lifted her by the waist, and Shay wrapped her legs high around his. Hands gripping her butt, Rory swung around and began to lower her.
“Not the table,” she squeaked.
He smoothly switched directions and braced her against the wall. “Free my cock.”
Shay reached a hand down and pushed at his briefs. “Why are you wearing underwear? You never wear underwear.”
His cock sprung free and slapped her mound. Rory readjusted his hold, warning, “Hold on.”
The first thrust made her see stars. The second had her crying out his name. Then Shay held on as Rory took her the way she’d wanted to be taken since waking that morning—hard, strong, and deep thrusts that filled her to the brim and hit every hot spot. His pubic bone applied steady friction to her clit. Shay clawed his shoulders and, when the pleasure reached crisis point, buried her teeth in his neck. Rory howled as he came, grinding his hips sharply into her. Legs limp, they slid bonelessly to the floor, panting.
Rory rested his forehead against hers. “If this is the way you greet me, I need to get called on emergencies more often.”
“Yeah…well…” Shay, her brain fried, was too sated to think of a good comeback.
Eventually she caught her breath, planted her feet on the floor, and shoved up. The angle left her naked, glistening sex in Rory’s face. Not one to miss an opportunity, he immediately latched ahold with his mouth, licking and sucking.
Shay let her head slump to the wall, angled her hips to give him greater access, and closed her eyes on a sigh of pleasure. No man had ever loved her the way this one did. The sex alone was reason to stick around.
Rory lifted her right leg onto his shoulder. Already weak-kneed with pleasure, Shay shot out both arms and called a warning. “I’m going to fall!”
Rory reclined on the floor, pulling Shay with him so that she straddled his face. For a brief moment Shay had a vision of his men walking in on them again, then all else was forgotten. She arched her spine, lifted her face to the ceiling, and let the orgasm rush over her.
After crawling from beneath her, Rory bent and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.
“Where are we going?”
“To bed to finish round two in comfort.”
“Whoopee!”
Much later in the truck, Rory kept sending scowling glances at his mate. “I can’t believe you wore that.”
“It’s just a skirt—”
“That barely covers your ass,” he muttered.
“And a tank top—”
“So thin I can see the outline of your nipples,” he snarled.
“—and I’m wearing your shirt to cover it all,” she reminded. “You keep clawing the clothes off my body and soon I’ll be forced to walk around naked.”
In truth the ensemble she wore wasn’t that revealing. What was making Rory’s cock hard was the excuse for panties Shay almost wore beneath the denim and the knowledge that with one tug, she’d be bare for his possession.
He’d told Shayla there’d be no public claiming of her tonight, but by God’s truth, he’d didn’t know how he was going to keep his hands off her, especially once the celebrating began. An alpha taking a mate was a joyous occasion in any pack. According to his father, the Sparrowhawks had celebrated for a week when his parents mated, resulting in several matings and a few pregnancies. In addition, Shay being pregnant meant the future of the pack was well secured.