“Erik!”
He stilled his hand where he’d reached under her hips to caress the tight star of her anus. A light sheer of sweat broke out on her skin and as she lay before him, her body shaking with another orgasm, he’d never seen a more beautiful sight.
“I love you.” He lowered her hips to the blanket and crawled over her, needing to taste her lips again. She clung to his neck and attempted to pull their bodies together. He laughed against her mouth, unwilling to crush her with his weight. She arched under him, rubbing their torsos together, stoking his fires hotter. Moisture from her crotch painted his skin and he groaned. Gotta keep it slow. No matter how much he wanted to thrust into her, bury himself in her sweetness. He kissed her, anchored on his elbows to keep them apart.
Maggie poked him in the ribs. “You’re too big.”
“I’m not even touching you yet.”
She laughed with delight and pushed him until he sat up. “Nothing wrong with your ego, is there?” She straddled his thighs, her breasts crushed against his chest, the heat of her pussy now lined up properly with his aching shaft. “Missy wondered if we’d have to—”
“I really don’t want to talk about your sister right now. Oh damn, Maggie.”
She’d maneuvered herself over the crown of his cock and slowly rode him. Each movement of her hips brought him farther into her body, the tight clasp of her sheath wrapping around him like a bit of heaven. He supported her hips and helped her, watching her face carefully. She kissed his chest as she settled, his entire length buried inside. “You feel so good in me.”
He linked his fingers in her hair, tugging her gaze up to his. “Together. Like we were meant to be.”
A mischievous smile crossed her face and she grabbed his shoulders, lifting her hips high until his cock clung to her opening. She dropped down, smooth and fast, hard and amazing. Electric tingles started in his spine and spread fingers out to his balls. There was no way he was going to last. Not after waiting almost two weeks, wanting her desperately the whole time.
She rubbed herself against him on every motion, their bodies slick in the heat of the night. The expression on her face fascinated him and he stared as he assisted her sweet assault on his cock. She bit her bottom lip, her breath coming out in panting gasps.
“More. I want more.” Her thoughts sounded in his mind and he hummed with delight.
Tendrils of knowledge twined from her around his heart—the sensations she felt, the emotions racing through her—all of it passing between them as their mate connection bound them together. He reached out to share his love, his passion for her. How proud he was of her strength. How touched at her willingness to trust him. Their bodies meshed as their minds linked.
She cried out, coming around him, and he let go of his control. Locked together they both reveled in the exquisite explosion. He held her close as after-tremors shook her, the heat of their bodies spreading like a cocoon around them.
“Erik? Is it really happening?”
“Oh yeah, sweetheart. It’s real and it’s right.” He brushed a curl back from her face, leaning closer to kiss her again. The sense of completeness was so amazing. All the missing parts of his soul settled into place as both memories of the past and dreams for the future passed between them.
The mate connection—linking them together intimately. Everything he’d longed for to make him complete, and it had finally happened. He kissed her without stopping, the need to show her his total love and commitment overwhelming him. She smiled against his lips, their tongues dancing together, a sweet and content exploration now that the fire had flared.
“I love you.” He kissed her eyelids and the tip of her nose, and she laughed out loud.
“You talk too much.”
He laughed, stroking her back, enjoying the way she nestled against him, warm and satisfied.
“Erik? I love you too.”
How could feeling so wonderful make his heart ache?
His anger at what she’d experienced continued to simmer. It would be a long time before he’d be able to forget how broken she’d been by the attack. Her power as a wolf slipped up a notch and she twisted in his arms. She stared at him, determination written all over her face.
He sent her acceptance for who she was, what she was, not only to him but the pack as well. “You don’t have to do this yet.”
She raised a brow. “Scared she’s going to outrun you?”
He felt it. As she reached down deep and called up her wolf, joy overflowed her heart. Aching loneliness from being forced down for so many years washed away. Maggie backed from him, her bright eyes watching closely.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad we’re together for this.” As she reached her hands to the sky, a beam of midnight sun broke through the trees to set her skin glowing. She shifted, shimmered, and Erik knelt forward to rejoice as she paced over to him in wolf, her silvery coat gleaming with health. She leaned forward, her tail wagging with delight and he laughed out loud.
“Shall we run, my mate?” Maggie bumped him with her head, wrapping herself around his torso.
He shifted, his wolf eager to meet his counterpart. They stood nose to nose for moment, sharing their hearts in wolf form. Erik took off at a run, letting Maggie follow him until they reached the far side of the hill. He stepped aside and she took the lead, her joy in her wolf trailing behind her like a bright rainbow.
He threw back his head and howled, letting the whole world know. He had his mate, they were together. Life couldn’t get much better than this.
“I can’t believe it. You hadn’t shifted for seven years? Damn. Someone needs their butts whooped.” Jared glared into the distance and TJ growled in agreement.
Maggie held up a hand. “Guys. Put your testosterone back in your pants. I didn’t tell you about my issue to get you riled up.” She leaned back on Erik’s sturdy frame as she faced TJ and Jared. Both the young men’s wolves hovered just under the surface, furious for her sake. She tested her fear at the proximity of more wolves, but there was nothing there. Just calm reassurance emanating from Erik like a lifeline. Craning her head back, she blew him a kiss. “Thank you for letting me do this my way.”
“Sure, but you’d better finish before they shift without meaning to. Jared especially is really pissed off. You’ve got an admirer I need to worry about?”
She nudged him in the gut. “I thought you boys needed to know. Last night I shifted, and it was glorious. There will be no troubles in the challenge with me running, but I still don’t know how I’ll feel when faced with a bunch of strange wolves. I don’t want you to get upset if I freak out. With the mate connection between me and Erik, I think I have the strength, but you’re my pack now too, and I’m trusting you to help me.”
TJ grinned at Jared. “I told you so.”
“Yeah, yeah. Mr. Sniffy and his Magic Nose have spoken. Hey, congrats on the mate thing.” Jared winked at her before breaking into a huge yawn.
She laughed. “I take it you had a good time last night with Miss Norway?”
Jared glared at TJ who shuffled off a few feet. “Well one of us had a good time.”
Laughter rumbled against her back. “TJ? You stole Jared’s woman? Again?”
Maggie choked. “TJ?”
He managed to look guilty. He shrugged. “Can I help it if the girls all love the underdog?”
A loud bell rang in the distance.
Erik squeezed her for a second before letting go. “There’s the call. Leave everything in the room. They said they’d shuttle us back here when the event is done.”
They were all gathered at the starting line. Maggie kept Erik between her and the rest of the crowd without even thinking about it. After so many years of avoidance, she wasn’t going to be able to change habits overnight. She took a deliberate step forward and caught Erik grinning down at her.