Chapter 11 #2
He corralled her against him, and now it was his turn to undress her, his hands working beneath her burgundy sweater, fingers trailing fire along her ribs as he lifted the wool up and over her head.
The sweater fell to the carpet. He let his shirt follow, not minding where it landed, only that it was gone.
Now her skirt—heavy, pleated wool—was the last significant barrier, and he thumbed open the buttons at her waist, peeling it off so it puddled in a soft heap. She stepped out of it as if shedding a skin, meeting his gaze with a wolf’s confidence.
She unfastened his belt with a practiced deftness, and she undid the fly of his jeans, hands pressing against him through the fabric, teasing at the threshold.
He kicked off his shoes with one foot, the pair tumbling askew under the bed.
She followed suit, unzipping her boots, removing them and her socks, her bare toes flexing against the soft rug.
He pulled off his pants and dropped them on the growing pile of clothes.
After removing her lavender bra, freeing her breasts, her dusky nipples already aroused, he slipped her matching pair of panties off.
She did the honors of removing his boxer briefs, and his dick was already at full mast, revealing just how eager he was to make love to her.
He swept her up along the side of the bed, catching her in a half-dip, one arm curled behind her knees.
She kept her eyes on him, never darting away, even as his hands mapped the length of her body, learning the territory anew.
They clung together, skin to skin, the heat between them building until it seemed the room itself must combust.
He swept her hair aside to kiss her neck, while she stroked his back in long, reverent arcs. He pressed himself against her, and she arched up to meet him, their legs tangling, their arms entwined.
He began stroking her between the legs, breathing in their pheromones, loving that they were so in harmony with one another.
She writhed against his fingers, moaning in the grip of orgasm, and howled when she came.
He laughed. “Are you ready?” Because when he entered her, they would be mated wolves, and it couldn’t be undone.
“Yes, for sure. Do it.”
He was glad she didn’t want to put it off because he was so ready for this.
He entered her and began to thrust into her tight body.
She felt so good, and just where he belonged.
She was scraping her long nails against his back in a gentle caress at the same time.
He pumped into her until he felt the coming explosion.
Bathing her with his hot seed, he lay on top of her in a state of bliss.
Then he rolled over and tugged her on top of him, naked skin to naked skin. “You feel so good. I love you, honey.”
“You are my wolf forever and ever. I love you so much.”
The next day, excited about the mating, they told everyone they were mated wolves, thrilling the pack members. They had dinner with his brother, Michael, and his mate, Carmela, that evening.
The brothers grilled chicken thighs and vegetables, while the ladies made cocktails and potato salad.
“We’re so glad Daniel was able to connect with you. When Michael and I met, Daniel and my brother were going to make sure we were a good fit for a mating. We mated before they could interfere.”
Selena laughed, finished boiling the eggs, and placed them in a bowl of ice water to cool them down and remove the shells. “We were ready to mate. No one would have told us what to do.”
“For sure. Now if we’d just been humans, that would have been a different story. But with our wolf genetics, we know when it’s right for us. So Daniel said you’re reconstructing the faces of the unknown women who had been shot.”
“Yes. I’m nearly done with the one. I was working on it at the shop when I didn’t have customers.”
“Did anyone catch you at it?”
She smiled. “A few. They were fascinated, thankfully. Most of the time, I would put it behind the counter, but a couple of times, I didn’t hide it fast enough.
As soon as I finish it up, I’ll take pictures of her, and I’ll share them with law enforcement agencies.
I was thinking they might not have been from Fort Wayne, Indiana, like I thought.
They might have been passing through. Or killed somewhere else entirely. ”
Carmela frowned. “I sure hope it gets resolved quickly. The women need justice, and their families need to be notified.”
“I agree.”
“No word about finding the brothers in Trenton, I take it.”
“None. No telling where they are now.”
Carmela began adding the cooked and cut-up potatoes to a bowl. Selena finished peeling the eggs and added them to the bowl.
Carmela added sliced up pickles, mayonnaise, and a little mustard. “You’re going to the Halloween party at the Timberline Ski Lodge, aren’t you?”
“Yes, as a Greek mythology couple.”
“Oh, how fun. Michael and I haven’t decided on what to wear. Would you mind if we joined you in the Greek garb?”
“Oh, no, that would be fun. We could sit at the same table and represent it together.” Since they were family now, Selena thought it could be cute.
“That would be great.”
Then they finished making the potato salad and took the drinks out to the men.
“We’re going as Greek mythology partygoers since Selena and Daniel are wearing those kinds of clothes.” Carmela took a sip of her drink.
“I’m finally glad we decided on something,” Michael said.
“I’ve been waffling about it for weeks,” Carmela said. “I knew Michael would be glad that we have decided on something.”
Even though Carmela had done all the deciding, Selena mused.
When they sat down to eat in the dining room, Michael toasted to the new couple.
“Oh, what about a wedding?” Carmela asked.
“I want to do it before Halloween,” Daniel said.
“Not a Halloween wedding?” Carmela asked.
“No, right before. That should give us time if we can reserve a banquet hall at the Timberline Ski Lodge.”
“Everyone will want to come,” Carmela said. “You might need the three banquet halls.”
Selena got on her phone and asked Roxie, “Can we reserve a banquet room for a wedding before Halloween?”
“You’ll need all three banquet rooms because the turnout for the pack is phenomenal for celebrations like this. The first time we could book all three rooms is December 15th, and only because we had a cancellation. The bride and groom had a falling out.”
“Oh, no, that’s terrible. But good for us. Will December 15th be all right with you, Daniel?” Selena asked him.
“Yeah, sure.”
“That will give everyone more time to prepare for it,” Roxie said.
“All right. I want you and Kayla, Silva, the MacTire sisters, and Carmela to be my matrons of honor, and Maxine to be a bridesmaid.”
“I’m honored,” Roxie said. “Kayla will be thrilled. We’ll assist you with anything you need help with.”
“That would be terrific,” Selena said, then they ended the call.
“Let me know what I can help with, and thanks for choosing me, too,” Carmela said.
Knowing Daniel, he had wanted to avoid a long-drawn-out affair of planning for the wedding. But Roxie was right. They needed some time to plan for everything.
After a lovely celebratory dinner and chocolate cheesecake for dessert, they said their goodnights and headed home.
“Michael gave me a hard time for not giving him a heads-up so he could approve a mating between us,” Daniel said.
“Because you wanted to approve his mating to Carmela.”
Daniel smiled. “Yeah. I hadn’t even met her yet. At least Michael had met you before we mated.”
“Nothing would have changed between your brother and Carmela if you’d had a say in it.”
Daniel chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Do you want to watch a movie while I finish sculpting Jane Doe #1?”
“That would be fine.”
“I’m just so close to finishing it, I would like to get her picture out to law enforcement.”
“And then start on the other.”
“Yes. It may be a case where the women were connected or not, but perhaps one or both will appear on a missing persons list.” She began working at the table while watching TV with Daniel.
When she was done, she took the photos and then sent them to law enforcement.
Once that was finished, she curled up with Daniel on the sofa to watch the rest of the movie.
When the movie ended, he whipped her up in his arms and carried her to bed. “This calls for another celebration.”