17. Gage #2
I’ve never kissed anyone before, but I’m not about to admit my lack of experience to my mate.
I want her to believe me to be confident and capable.
When I suck on her lower lip, she gasps, and I use that opportunity to thrust my tongue forward, finding hers and caressing it, showing her I can take care of her and make her feel good.
That just because I’m not the leader of our pack, or the strongest, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to bring her pleasure.
Textbooks aren’t the only thing I read, after all.
I take my time worshipping her mouth. She tries to speed it up several times, but I control it, keeping it slow and languid.
And when my dick feels so hard I fear I’m close to rutting her with my knot and biting her to secure the bond, I start to slow my movements, knowing I need to stop before I do something stupid.
When I finally pull us to a stop, I move my hand to her waist, not trusting myself to keep holding her breast as I take the opportunity to study her face.
“You shifted,” I say quietly. “For me?”
She shrugs. “It’s happened three times today.” My eyebrows raise in surprise.
“It has? And I missed it?” A small knot of discomfort grows in my belly. I was so consumed in my books that I missed something important.
“Well, the first time was when I woke up with the twins. And then again with Maddox, in the bathroom.”
Her cheeks grow pink, telling me she’s leaving something important out. “Do you know why you shifted those times?” I ask, and she bites her lip.
“No.” I narrow my eyes, knowing she’s lying to me.
“Okay, I’ll just ask them,” I tell her before speaking into the bond. “What happened when Cherry shifted earlier?”
“No!” She shrieks, her hands coming up to cover my ears as if that will stop me from talking to them. I laugh at her attempt as Hunter answers.
“Don’t worry, Chase and I took care of her.”
I try to grab her flailing hands as Chase adds, “And in case you’re wondering, she looks fucking spectacular when she comes.”
My eyes widen as I stare down at her. “They took care of you, huh?” I ask in amusement as I watch her cheeks turn bright red.
“Agreed,” Maddox asks, making me grin.
“Maddox, too?” I ask as she squeals and covers her face.
I start to peel her fingers away as I tell her, calmer now, “I’m just teasing you, darling.” I kiss her fingertips and smile softly at her. “I’m glad they took care of you. And you know what this means?” She shakes her head. “You shifted three times today! Three times by choice.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say it was at will,” she says as the red in her cheeks slowly fades to pink.
“Tell me?” I ask, grabbing the blanket on the back of the couch and pulling it over her naked body to make her feel more comfortable as I roll to my back, pulling her close to my side.
“Each time, I wasn’t thinking directly about shifting. I was thinking about what I wanted to do. Like with Maddox, I wanted to thank him for taking care of me, and with you—”
“With me?” I prod, desperate to hear the end of that sentence.
“You asked me if I felt safe, and I wanted to tell you I did.”
I lean down and give her a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling back, not wanting to take it too far.
“How did you end up shifting back to your wolf after?”
“Um, I was startled,” she says, although I have a feeling that’s not the entire story.
“Startled?” I ask.
“When I was with the twins, Maddox came in and it startled me, and poof! I was a wolf again.”
“Poof, huh?” I ask in amusement, and she nods.
“Shall we see how long you can stay human this time?” I ask. “Maybe we can start making it a game. Who can keep you human the longest?”
She smiles shyly at me and nods. “I think I’d like that.”
I tell the others the plan through the bond, and they’re all on board. We decide not to overwhelm her and have them come join us one at a time.
“Maddox is coming in first,” I tell her. “He’s bringing you something to wear.”
I help her sit up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her to make her feel comfortable. When Maddox steps into the room and her eyes connect with his, I can literally feel the tension between them. The good kind.
“Little mate,” he growls as he slowly walks over to us. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Hi,” she squeaks before biting her lip.
“I brought you my shirt,” he says, and I roll my eyes, knowing he wants his scent all over her. He doesn’t hesitate to pull it down over her, and I help her pull her arms through and dislodge the blanket.
“Thank you,” she says, her bright blue eyes looking up at him through her eyelashes.
“Why is she looking at you like that?” I ask him through the bond.
“Like what?”
“Like she’s just waiting for you to spread her out on this couch and rut her.”
I see his lip twitch in amusement. “She just likes me, that’s all,” he says as he sits on her other side and lifts her up into his lap.
He wraps his arms around her and shoves his nose into her hair, inhaling her like he’s never touched her before. I can’t blame him. Our interactions with her human side have been extremely limited, always restricted to keep the five of us touching her at once.
I take a moment to study her. She doesn’t seem scared or upset. Perhaps just a little nervous, which is to be expected.
“Can I come in yet?” Chase yells from the hall.
“What do you think, little mate?” Maddox whispers in her ear. “Should we let him join us? Or I can send him away if you like. He can be a little loud.”
“Hey!” Chase yells out, obviously hearing with his heightened wolf senses.
Cherry giggles and Maddox groans, making me grin, knowing she has that effect on him too.
“Come on in,” I call, and Chase doesn’t waste a second running into the living room, straight to where she’s perched in Maddox's lap. He bends down and plants a kiss right on her lips, pulling back with a satisfied smirk before dropping down on Maddox’s other side.
“What are we watching?” he asks. “Oh, is this True Blood?”
I know he’s playing it cool, trying to stop Cherry from shifting, and it works. Her attention is drawn to the TV instead of the alpha currently clenching her in his lap like she’s his lifeline.
“What’s taking so long?” Hunter asks through the bond. “Can’t I come in yet?”
I look at her out of the corner of my eye. I can tell she’s not completely relaxed, but as the seconds tick by, she melts further and further into Maddox.
On the TV, one of the vampires bites someone’s neck, and Chase uses that as an excuse to subtly find a way to bring Hunter in. “Oh, that makes me crave steak.” He glances up at Cherry as he asks, “Are you hungry, pretty girl? Hunter’s been marinating steaks all day for us.”
“Good idea,” Maddox answers when she looks unsure. “We could do with a good dinner.”
“Get your ass in here, Hunt,” Chase says through the bond. “I told her you’re gonna make us all steaks.”
“You can play chef. I want to sit with my mate,” Hunter grumbles back as he heads down the hall, but when he steps into the kitchen, he looks perfectly relaxed as he starts to pull out ingredients.
After a few minutes, he yells over, “Cherry, how do you like your steak? Well done?”
We all turn to her, curious about her answer, and she nods, letting out a quiet, “Yes, please.”
A burning question starts to take root in my mind, one I’ve been meaning to ask her since she first shifted, and with the perfect opening in front of me, I know it’s my chance to ask.
“Cherry?” She turns to me at the sound of her name. “Why don’t you like raw meat?”
Her eyes darken, and I hate that I put that look there, but I am even more desperate for the answer now.
“That’s all they ever fed me. At the facility.” Maddox’s arms tighten around her, and he kisses the top of her head as Chase relays that info through the bond to Bain.
“Now even the smell makes me feel sick,” she says, looking down at her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.
“Thank you for telling us,” Maddox says, and I nod, knowing I should have been the one to thank her for answering my question, but my mind is reeling around the fact that she only ate raw meat for ten years.
At least they fed her, but I understand why she’s now developed an aversion to it.
I’d probably be the same if I were put in that situation.
Everyone is quiet as we watch TV and Hunter cooks. Bain quietly enters and assists him a few minutes later. If it wasn’t for his constant glances this way, I think dinner would have been ready in half the time.
“Okay, it’s ready!” Hunter says as the sound of several plates hitting the table rings out through the room. Chase switches off the TV and stands as Maddox gently places Cherry on her feet.
She takes one step forward and instantly stumbles. The three of us all reach for her at once, not letting her get anywhere near close to falling.
“Are you alright?” Maddox asks, and she nods as she tries to stand up straight.
“Yeah, sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” I tell her as I wait for her to move.
She nods and starts to walk to the table, but after several steps, she stumbles again. Maddox immediately scoops her up in his arms and brings her over to the table.
“I can walk,” she argues.
“Apparently not,” Chase snorts in amusement as he pulls out a chair for her. Maddox sits her down, then takes a seat beside her. Chase places his hand on the chair on her other side, but suddenly, Bain is there, narrowing his eyes at him as he yanks it toward himself.
They glare at each other until Maddox speaks through the bond. “Cut it out, you’ll frighten her.”
Chase sighs, releasing the chair and choosing the seat opposite her instead, beside Hunter. I sit between Maddox and Chase, enjoying the new round table that came with the house. It lets you see everyone.
Bain and Maddox fill Cherry’s plate so full that the french fries start falling off it.
“Just eat what you can,” Hunter says, noting her wide eyes staring at the large amount of food.