Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
A few minutes later, when Gen opened the door to room 320, she immediately saw Laura”s form lying on the bed. He was barefoot and bare chested but still wore the loose pants he’d had on earlier. He wasn’t even under the quilt. He must be freezing!
In the gloom she couldn’t see his face well, but it looked like he was deeply asleep. She closed the door, careful not to let it make a noise, and carried the lantern to the dresser. She checked the firepit and added a little wood. Then she turned and tried to decide where to sleep. It was warm here next to the fire, but the floor was hard, and she didn’t see any blankets except the ones under Laura. The bed was much wider than the narrow one in her cabin, but with his bullet wound she didn’t want to bother him by lying next to him.
Although … The bed did look comfortable, and there was room on one side of the mattress. If she was careful, she could crawl in and keep on one side of the bed. Then she wouldn’t bump into Laura’s incision.
After sliding her shoes off she snuffed the lamp and cautiously lifted the edge of the quilt and slid in to lay on her back with the blankets and quilt pulled up to her chin. The pillow was perfect. Her muscles, which she hadn’t even noticed were tight, relaxed into the incredibly comfortable mattress. With Laura’s bulk and warmth only twelve inches away, she faded into sleep, feeling utterly secure and at peace for the first time since she got on the plane to Denver three years ago.
*
Listening to his mate’s soft breathing in the dark, Lobo smiled. He had everything he wanted right here. His mate, his precious mate, was safe under the protection of his kin. Any wolf warrior would lay down his life to keep her safe from men like Mike Lundgren. No one would ever cause her any distress at all.
The smile died. Why had he let Lundgren live? He should have killed him and those other men that morning at Gen’s cabin.
He knew why he’d let them walk away with only a few nips. He hadn’t wanted Gen to see him as a monster. The thought of the horror that would show on her face if she saw bloody bodies in her yard had made him cringe.
His leniency had cost him dearly. He had thought Lundgren would come after them himself. He’d never imagined the coward would send strangers after them. The Beagle was dead, he’d been shot, and his mate had been forced to kill a man in self-defense. Mike Lundgren would pay for all of that. He’d returnMrs. Dupont’s horse and pay Lundgren a visit while he was in the area.
But it was December twenty-third, and as he considered the timing, he realized there wouldn’t be enough time for him to do what he needed to do and still be back for Christmas.
He hadn’t celebrated Christmas after he’d been old enough to leave the Clan and roam on his own. Gen seemed to feel differently about the holiday. She liked to sing Christmas songs, and he’d seen her delight at the sight of the Christmas tree in the rec room. This would be their first Christmas together. He wouldn’t spoil it by leaving her. Lundgren could wait.
Beside him, Gen breathed in a lady-like snore. He smiled, wishing he could hear her snore every night for the rest of his life. Would she accept him? What could he do to make her willing to be his mate? Tomorrow he would talk to Taye. Maybe his cousin could share what he had done to win his mate.
He edged a little closer to Gen, allowing his body to relax into sleep.
*
Gen woke feeling deliciously comfortable. The air was nippy on her face, but the rest of her was warm. She threw out her arms in a stretch and her fingers grazed something. Her eyes popped open.
“Laura!”
He was on his side, head propped on his fist, smiling at her. She recalled, vaguely, thinking he wasn’t handsome. Boy, had her perceptions changed. His nose was still too big, his face rough and scarred, but that smile made him dreamy. Or maybe it was just what she thought she saw in his smile.
“Morning, Gen.”
She smiled back, then sobered. “We need to talk.”
“Sure. Now?”
“Let me use the bathroom. Then we’ll talk.”
“I’ll add some wood to the fire.”
She left the warm blankets and headed to the bathroom. The small window let in enough light for her to see herself in the mirror. It was a miracle Laura hadn’t run away screaming. Her hair was a frizzy disaster, since she hadn’t braided it before bed. She did what she could to comb it with her fingers, used the toilet, ‘flushed’ it, and washed her hands. The water coming out of the faucet was about five degrees warmer than ice, but it poured out when she turned the knob. How did they keep the pipes from freezing? There was no towel, since she had left it somewhere last night, so we wiped her hands on her jeans and hurried back into the room.
Laura stood beside the bed. “You wanted to talk?”
She walked around the bed to stand in front of him. She looked at the place where he should have stitches and saw only a reddish-pink line. “How’s the pain?” she asked.
He lifted one shoulder. “Don’t have any. Stag said the bullet missed anything important. A punctured lung would have taken more time to heal, but this? I’m good now.”
“Unbelievable,” she whispered. “But good.” She cupped his face in her hands and looked him in the eye. “Laura, I accept you. I want to be your mate.”
It seemed like he stopped breathing for a long moment. “Gen,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” She stepped back and pulled her shirt over her head. “You should lose those pants and take me to bed.”
For a moment he was a statue, then he jerked his pants down so fast she barely saw him move. “I love it!” she crowed.
She pushed her own pants down her legs and kicked them off. Her pants hadn’t even settled on the floor before Lobo lifted her with one arm, swept the quilt back with the other and set her in the middle of the bed.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” she cried, worried about his incision.
“My shoulder ain’t what’s hurting,” he replied in a guttural growl.
Her gaze slid down his hard muscled chest to his washboard stomach to his erection and an inferno ignited within her. “That does look painful. Come here.”
Going by how fast he’d undressed and got her into bed, she’d expected him to fall on her like a ravenous beast. But he slid between the covers lay on his side next to her, propped on one elbow, the other arm holding the quilt raised. She wanted to squirm under his slow, thorough examination of her bare body. The reverence on his face made her feel beautiful. The way his biceps and pectoral muscles bunched made her lick her lips with anticipation.
“It’s kinda cold with the blankets way up there,” she suggested.
He let the quilt fall, holding it away from her with and arm. His hand moved toward her breast and hesitated.
“Can I?” he asked with a rasp in his voice.
That rasp, and the fact that he asked, turned her even hotter. She almost snapped that he better, but her voice died to a whisper. “Please do.”
The feel of his big hand cupping her breast was exquisite. He was carefully gentle, which was nice. She felt cherished as he weighed first one breast and then the other in his palm. Her breath jerked a little when he gently squeezed.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, alarm in his face.
She laughed. “No, it felt good. Kiss me.”
He put his mouth on hers in a deep open-mouthed kiss. She kissed him back enthusiastically before pulling away to arch her back.
“That’s nice. But I meant kiss me here.” She palmed her breast and plumped it. “Here. Kiss me here.”
Her eyes rolled back in her head at the hot feel of his mouth on her breast, and then his teeth very delicately closed on her nipple.
“That’s good. Laura, that’s good!” she cried. “Touch me more.”
He did. He ran his hand from her throat to the curls at the tops of her thighs. “Your hair is red here too.”
“Duh. I’m a natural red head. Keep touching me. This is getting good.” To encourage him she bent one leg and put her heel on the mattress, opening herself to him. “Don’t stop, Laura.”
He didn’t. His touch was hesitant at first when he combed his fingers through the red hair between her legs. Gen liked his gentleness, but she was ready for more. With a tilt of her hips. she lured his finger to dip inside.
“You’re wet,” he said with wonder.
“Deeper,” she ordered, and pressed her head harder into the pillow as his thick finger sank into her.
It had been so long since she’d had sex it was like her first time again. No, she corrected herself. Laura was so much better than grabby Bobby Higgins. Laura was taking his time with her, exploring her body to carefully, with delighted wonder on his face. It struck her suddenly that this might be his first time.
Tenderness rushed over her. She wanted it to be good for him. He was still on his side and by angling her head she could look down his muscled torso to his erection. She reached for him and curled her hand around him. He gave a strangled grunt.
“You are so big,” she said. “You are going to feel so good inside me.”
“Not yet,” he growled. “And don’t touch me there yet. I need to see you.”
She reluctantly let his erection slip out of her hold and stretched her arms above her head. “Look all you want, but I’d sure appreciate it if you’d move your finger in and out of me and don’t be too gentle about it. Yeah, like that. That’s nice, Laura. Really nice. Oh! Yes! Just like that.”
Between his mouth on her breast and his finger playing deep inside her while the heel of his hand ground against her clitoris Gen could barely think. She certainly couldn’t lie still while he plundered her body. Her hips rose to meet his finger thrusts. She moaned and gasped and clenched the sheets in her hands to keep from reaching for him. The pressure built up in her in the most perfect way, until she threw her head back with a scream as she shattered.
It probably didn’t take an hour for her to come back down, but it felt like it. Laura was still propped on one elbow, his free hand resting on her belly below her navel, his gaze fixed on hers. There was a flush on his high cheekbones, and his eyes were hot and predatory.
“That was magnificent,” she told him with hoarse enthusiasm. “I think I strained something.” At his look of alarm, she laughed. “Not really. Just joking.”
She looked down his body at his jutting cock. “I’ve never felt anything better. But I know one thing that will be even better.” She reached for his cock and curled her fingers around him. He grunted when she gave a gentle squeeze. “Put this inside me.”
Gen opened her legs to make room for his hard muscled body. She guided him to her entrance and arched to help him inside. She didn’t need to. He braced his weight on his elbows on either side of her shoulders and pushed himself inside with one long thrust. They both moaned. She was right. His finger had felt good, but the thick length of him was even better.
“You ready?” he ground out, eyes looking a little dazed.
“Oh, yeah. Bring it, babe.”
He brought it. Every stroke was perfection, a meld of control and savagery that met her every need. When she orgasmed again, he slowed his strokes until she gasped for him to keep going. Just before he finished, she orgasmed a third time. His arms trembled as he lowered his head to brush a tender kiss over her lips.
“Thank you,” he said simply, and lowered himself to his side next to her with one arm draped over her waist.
They lay like that for long minutes, getting their breathing back to normal. Gen knew she had been blessed with this man. The sex was going to be great, but what was even better was Laura himself. He was a special guy she could respect and love. With him she had a future she could look forward to. She let that sink in. His hand idly stroked her hip. It made her smile.
“Wow.” Gen stretched luxuriously. “I thought I was relaxed before.”
Laura’s eyes still looked a little dazed. “Uh-huh. Me too.”
“Well, I am ready for a shower. Is there time for both of us? Or should we take a shower together?” She considered, then shook her head regretfully. “Nope, there is no way we’d get out before five minutes, and the way the water turns to ice would put a real damper on our activities.”
Laura blinked at her. “Five minutes?”
“Yeah, the hot water lasts only five minutes.”
He looked a little more awake. “It’s only hot when the water has been heated. Last night, the Lupa must have ordered a hot shower for you. It’s a lot of work, so it’s only for special times. This morning it will be cold.”
“Oh.” Her face fell. After a moment, she perked up. “Oh, well. I guess with your noses, everyone will know what we’ve been doing anyway, so no need to try to wash it away.”
His lip twitched. She eyed him suspiciously.
“What?” she demanded, then caught on. Her eyes went wide. “Everybody heard us, didn’t they?”
“You weren’t very quiet,” he said.
“Me?” she squawked. “It wasn’t my fault! Any noise I made is all on you!”
His grin turned ridiculously smug. Gen decided it looked good on him. In fact, if his face kept that smile for life, she could live with it.