Chapter 5 #2
He also knew that his bear was getting more and more difficult to control.
It was getting hard to eat. Focusing on their conversation was almost impossible as he studied her features and curves.
She was gorgeous in bright daylight, but the soft string lights that glowed in the porch ceiling only enhanced the effect.
Dylan forgot that she was human. He forgot that he was there to find out more about her, not for his own curiosity but for the sake of the clan.
It was hard to step back into reality when the check came and it was time to leave.
“I know I was taking you out to thank you,” Stacey said on the way back, “but I feel like I should thank you all over again. Seeing a bit of the local culture is just what I needed, the perfect break from packing.”
“It was my pleasure,” he replied. His heart was beating far too fast. The underside of his skin itched, his bear irritated at being so roused.
Dylan could feel the truth looming inside him, and his inner animal didn’t like how hard he was fighting to stay distant from it. “We should do it again sometime.”
“I’d like that. And if we come back to The Dune Stop, I guess I’ll have to try the other lobster roll so I can debate with you more thoroughly over which one is better. I still think I’m right, though.”
Dylan instantly imagined her biting into the Connecticut-style sandwich, with hot butter dripping off her lips. He swallowed, wondering if she had any clue what she was doing to him. He pulled up to her house.
The lights were all off, but someone had left the fixture on the porch glowing. Stacey checked her watch. “I didn’t realize how late it’d gotten. Mom and the kids must be in bed. Do you want to come in for a drink?”
He twisted the key in the ignition and shut off the engine without giving himself the chance to think about it.
“Sure. That sounds nice.” He did start to think about it as they walked up to the door.
It was the neighborly thing to do, right?
And it would only give him that much more of a chance to find out if she was safe or not.
Excuses, he knew, but right now, he didn’t give a shit. He just wanted to stay close to her.
They quietly threaded through the furniture and boxes, which had progressed a bit since he’d seen them earlier in the day, and into the kitchen. “Do you like whiskey?” Stacey asked.
“Suits me just fine.”
The light over the sink was the only one that guided her as she found a couple of mismatched glasses and poured them each a generous serving. “Let’s go out onto the back deck,” she suggested.
That also suited him just fine. The breeze cooled his skin, but it did nothing to put out the fire she’d ignited inside him as they settled onto the outdoor sectional. The whiskey in his throat burned, too, but not as deeply as they sipped and chatted.
“Oh, you know what? I had picked up a charcuterie board that would probably go great with this. I should grab it.” Stacey braced her hand against his knee as she stood.
The touch was enough to push him over the edge he’d been dancing on all day.
The potential distance between them—even if she was just going back into the kitchen—was more than he could bear.
Dylan took her wrist and guided her back, sending her sprawling on top of him.
Her thighs were tense against his, her breasts resting softly on his chest. He lifted his hands to pull her hair away from her face, holding it against the back of her neck as he studied her delicious mouth. “I don’t think we need it.”
Stacey had gasped a little as she’d stumbled onto him, and her mouth was still parted in surprise. Her eyes were wide, but he could see his own hunger reflected there. “No. Maybe we don’t.”
He pressed his lips against hers, reveling in the soft velvet of them.
Dylan had been watching those lips all evening, imagining how they might feel against his, but even his most detailed fantasy couldn’t compare to reality.
As her mouth slowly parted, he felt a similar opening widening in his chest. He plunged his tongue inside, claiming her.
Stacey’s hands had landed on his forearms, and now her fingers tightened against his muscles.
She sucked in a breath, her chest pressing harder against his as her lungs filled.
The shock she’d felt a moment ago had transformed into a pleasant surprise, and as her tongue tangled with his, it’d changed now to desire.
He tasted the tiny sigh that slipped from her throat as she returned his kiss.
Somewhere along the way, he’d closed his arms around her waist, holding her tightly on his lap.
He couldn’t have arranged for a better position between them, with her legs on either side of his waist. Dylan didn’t mind finding her backside within such easy reach, either.
He gripped her generous curves, digging his fingers into the soft flesh.
Simply being so close to Stacey during their outing had kept him in a constant state of arousal, but he could no longer control the heat and hardness that flowed through his body and made his jeans uncomfortably tight.
He was thoroughly enjoying himself, but his bear had grown stronger inside him.
Stacey was his, and he wanted to get thoroughly acquainted with every square inch of her.
He ran his hands down her thighs—just as delectable as her ass—and to her calves, pressing his thumbs against the muscles as he continued his way down.
He found the back straps of her sandals, and they fell to the decking with two soft thumps.
Tracing a route all the way back up her luxurious body, he began working on the buttons of her blouse.
They revealed her inch by inch. A mere peek at her collarbone soon became a preview of her cleavage.
His patience diminished with each button, knowing such a tiny thing was keeping him from what he wanted so desperately.
He flung aside the soft fabric to reveal a pale pink bra.
It held her so perfectly, her breasts round and full.
Dylan reached around and unfastened the clasp, letting the weight of her breasts fall into his hands.
Stacey’s hands were busy, too. She gripped the hem of his shirt, and her fingers skimmed against his bare skin as she lifted it up and over his head.
As they fell against each other once again, the feel of their bare bodies pressed against each other was almost too much for Dylan to handle.
He pulled at the waistband of her shorts as she flicked open the button on his jeans.
His fly opening relieved a small amount of the tension he felt, but it cranked right back up again as Stacey took hold of him.
Dylan groaned as her fingers traversed the length of his shaft, and the air disappeared from his lungs as she guided him toward her entrance. Stacey sank slowly on top of him, her hips settling against his as she took him completely inside her.
He clenched his teeth as he felt the gap closing between them, both physically and spiritually. Dylan held her against him, each of their bodies still tensed as they tried to get even closer, and he heard her moan with pleasure.
Slowly, their hips began to move. Dylan had wanted—needed—to get this close to her, but his body and the beast he held inside him had yet to be fully satisfied.
They moved in unison, their bodies dancing as though they’d always known each other, finding a rhythm that only the stars overhead could dictate.
Dylan had everything right there in his arms. She surrounded him in more ways than one, and still, he wanted to get deeper with every thrust. She melded his human and bear into a beast that would bow at her every command. He wanted her heart, mouth, body, and soul.
His muscles strained and pulled as they quickened their pace.
Sweat stood out in beads on his forehead, and he felt the slickness of it on her skin.
She gripped the metal frame behind his head, his hands tangled in her hair.
Their breath shortened into a symphony of simultaneous gasps, the movement between them leaving no room for the basics of existing when they only existed in each other.
A strangled cry issued from her throat, and Stacey bucked backward, now bracing herself on his shoulders.
Her nails dug into him as she rippled around him, drawing him deeper.
Dylan watched as her orgasm commanded her entire body.
He felt her quaking around his hardness, and those spasms echoed in her limbs.
Tension and pleasure moved between them as she brought him along, demanding everything from him that he wanted so badly to give.
They chased each other higher and higher, twisting and tangling until they finally fell back down to Earth.
She collapsed against him, her breath heavy and her skin sticky.
Her hair was a knot around his hand. It’d felt so good to be with her, but it was this that truly satisfied his bear.
It was this moment of knowing they’d given each other everything, that they completely knew each other.
He knew he could hold her there on his lap all night long.
Except that it left him in a rather compromised position.
Once he’d zipped his jeans back up, Dylan pulled Stacey close under his arm.
She curled her legs up on the cushion, tucking up against him.
He leaned back to look up at the stars, wondering when the last time was that he’d done such a thing.
Dylan didn’t remember them being so bright and crystallized.
In fact, the entirety of the world was a little clearer at the moment.
Until he heard the squeak of the back door. Dylan bolted upright, snagging his shirt off the deck but knowing it was too late to hide the truth. Stacey accidentally kicked a cushion off the sectional as she flung her legs out from beneath her and covered herself.
“Don’t mind me,” Carol said as she stepped onto the deck, wrapped in a robe. “I just realized I left my phone out here earlier. Of course, I should remind you two that there’s a local ordinance against nudity.”
Dylan thought he could feel the heat radiating from Stacey’s face. “Don’t tell me you—uh—saw?”
Carol winked. “The kitchen window has a wonderful view, don’t you think?”
“I’m really sorry,” Dylan started, but Carol laughed.
“You don’t owe any apologies to me. I’m curious, though. Do you think the nude sunbathing area allows that kind of activity? Anyway, I’ll just be going back up to bed. Nighty night!” With a wiggle of her fingers, she headed inside.
“Oh, my god.” Stacey leaned forward with her hands pressed to her face. “I’m so sorry.”
He was on the verge of apologizing himself but thought better of it.
“Maybe your mom’s right, and there’s nothing to apologize for.
” After all, his bear was more than happy with what had just transpired between them.
It was calm for the first time in two days.
In fact, this was the first time in ages that it actually felt satiated.
“I guess.” She shook her head as if she could shake away her embarrassment.
He trailed his hand down her hair and along her spine, knowing how easy it would be to just lay out there with her all night long.
Carol catching them, however, was a poignant reminder of what a delicate position they’d put themselves in.
“It’s getting late, and I should probably let you get to bed.
I’ll just cut around between the yards and move my Jeep over in the morning. ” No point in disturbing the kids.
“Okay.” She stood up and walked with him to the deck stairs. “What are you doing tomorrow? If you’re free, I could bring lunch over and our kids could meet. I know Lila is quite a bit older than Vivi and Elijah, but I’d like for them to start getting to know some people in the neighborhood.”
Whatever line there should be between himself and Stacey had been heavily blurred that night, and not by the trace of alcohol in his system. Logic and emotions warred within him, but he felt himself nodding. “Sure. That’d be great. Is right around noon okay?”
“Sure. I’ll see you then.”
He squeezed her hand before he slipped between their yards and back to his house. He’d made love to her, and now he was going to see her again the next day. His bear certainly considered that a win.
The problem was that he really had learned a few things about Stacey that night. She was a human, which had never been in question, but now he also knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was his mate.
How was he going to explain that to his clan?