Chapter Nine
Astrid hated the quiet.
The house was quiet. The snow had stopped falling for a couple of hours, but then had started up again, just as Lord said it would.
They had opted to keep the heat on low throughout the night, and it wasn’t even giving a delicate hum.
There was no sound, and she was finding it impossible to go to sleep.
It also didn’t help that she kept replaying Lord’s words through her head and feeling the tightness of his hands on her hips.
Even now, she put her hands on her hips, and it wasn’t the same as when Lord held her.
“I’m going crazy.”
There was no way she was going to get to sleep, so she shoved the blanket off, climbing out of bed. She hadn’t brought up a book, and Lord had a small library of books. That was what she would do. Hot chocolate, watch the snow fall, and read a good book. That would pass the night away.
She shrugged into a robe, tying it at the front, and slid into a pair of slippers. She was as quiet as possible as she made her way downstairs, going straight to the kitchen. It didn’t matter how quiet she was, if Lord wasn’t asleep, he’d hear her. She was aware of his excellent hearing.
She still didn’t make too much noise, as she got the pot out and started to work on preparing some milk.
Within minutes, the hot chocolate was made, and she poured it into a mug, forgoing the rich whipped cream.
Carrying it through to the small library, she grabbed a coaster, put it on the windowsill, and went to the shelves to find a book.
None of them appealed, so she grabbed a romance book, went and sat at the window.
She picked up her hot chocolate and took a sip, staring out at the snow.
It looked so beautiful. Astrid was so immersed in the beauty of the snowfall and the taste of her hot chocolate, she didn’t hear Lord enter.
In fact, she didn’t even know he was awake until he took a seat beside her, startling her.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
“No.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Is that hot chocolate?”
She hadn’t made him a mug, so she offered him the mug to try. She watched as he took a sip, and he let out a little moan. “It tastes good.”
Astrid couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are we whispering?”
“I don’t know, it suits the mood. It’s late.”
She giggled. “And we’re the only two people here.”
“True.”
“Did I wake you?” she asked.
“I heard you come downstairs. I figured I would wait and see what you were up to. Smelled the hot chocolate, and then heard you come in here.”
“If you wanted a hot chocolate, I would have made you one,” she said.
“But then, I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to share this one with you.” He took another sip. “And yours tastes just as good as one made for me.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Fair enough.”
“It’s beautiful out,” he said.
“You like the snow?”
“No,” he said.
Astrid laughed. “Why not?”
“It’s a pain in the ass, and beautiful or not, it causes a lot of damage.”
“I never thought of it like that.”
“If it’s too heavy, it can damage the roof, cave it in. It’s cold, and it can bring stuff down.” He shrugged. “But when it’s not so deadly, it is beautiful.”
She looked at him. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to look at snow the same way again. I love when it snows.”
“I hope you can look at me differently,” Lord said.
“Lord, don’t—”
“I’m an asshole. I know how precious you are, Astrid.
You gave me your virginity, you gave me .
.. you. Blake was just being a friend, and I didn’t like it.
I didn’t want him to know how important you are to me.
So, I lied. You’re not convenient. You’re the only person I wanted to hire for this job.
You’re the only person I want to be around, Astrid.
I’m not your typical wolf. I don’t deal with packs.
I like the ranchers because they fucking leave at the end of the day. ”
“I’ve heard people say you should go crazy, or you should be rogue.”
“Some wolves can’t handle being away from packs. Even if they’re expelled from one, they either join up to another or make their own. It’s how it is.”
“You didn’t.”
“I don’t need to. The aging process has started for me, but I don’t care. I don’t feel crazy. I’ve just never felt the need to be around people.”
It was the most honest he had been with her.
“I’m not a wolf, but I’ve never been good with people,” she said. “I don’t really make friends. I don’t run with the crowds.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ve always done my own thing.”
She looked down at her empty cup of hot chocolate. Lord had finished it. She had put just the right amount of milk and chocolate, with just a touch of vanilla.
“I want to kiss you,” he said.
This made her head jerk up and look at him.
Yes, please, I want you to kiss me. I want you to ravish me, and touch me, and wipe that memory out of my mind.
I also want to tell you no. But I want you so badly.
Astrid didn’t say a word.
Lord reached out and touched her cheek. It was just a touch, the cupping of his palm against her face, and she nibbled her lip as he ran his thumb across the bottom. He pulled just a little on her bottom lip, and she wanted to moan at that touch alone.
She stared into his eyes.
And then, he got closer.
Her thoughts were driving her crazy, and she didn’t know what to listen to, but then it didn’t matter, because his lips touched hers and sent fire rushing through her veins. It was like her body had been waiting for the touch of his lips, and now nothing else would do.
Astrid stayed perfectly still, and at first her eyes were open, watching him. Then, as if they had a mind of their own, they slid closed. She reached out and touched his cheek as he deepened the kiss, and she melted against him.
He let out a little growl, and Astrid didn’t know who moved, only in the next second, on the window seat, she had straddled his lap. She cupped his face and kissed him harder, as he ran his hand down her back.
Lord went to her ass, gripping the flesh, and she arched against him, grinding herself onto him, and he let out a growl. She loved the way he kissed her neck. It felt so good, and she didn’t want him to stop. Her whole body was on fire with need.
The robe was gone, and her pajama bottom was ripped open. Buttons flew left and right. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and Lord pushed it from her shoulders, and it landed on the floor.
His hands went to her breasts, and he cupped them and began to suckle at each bud, going to one, then the other. Each time he tugged at her nipples, she felt an answering pull between her thighs. She cried out his name, not wanting it to stop.
Suddenly, he picked her up in his arms, let her nipple go, and kissed her as he carried her upstairs. They didn’t go to her bedroom, but he placed her on his bed. At the same time, he pulled the pajama pants right off her.
Lord was naked within seconds, and she stared down the length of his body. His cock captured her attention as it stuck out, long, thick, with the head glistening.
She expected him to thrust deep inside her, but instead he pressed his face against her stomach. And he started to kiss her. He put his hands on her knees and slowly started to skim up the inside of her thighs, going toward her pussy.
This felt too good to stop.
****
The scent of her was driving him crazy.
He wanted to press his face against her pussy and lick at her. Lord couldn’t get enough, and as he spread the lips of her sex, he knew he was going to make sure she forgot what he had called her. Astrid was never and would never be a convenience to him.
She was everything he ever wanted. The only woman he cared about.
Taking her clit between his teeth, he bit down, just a little, to cause the right amount of pain, and then he soothed it out with his tongue, hearing her scream. Her pleasure echoed around the room, and his cock was so damn hard it was painful, but he held his need in check.
His only focus was his woman. She was all that mattered. All he cared about.
He pressed a single finger inside her, and she was dripping wet, but he wanted her soaking.
He added a second finger, and started to spread her pussy, getting her ready to take his cock. She moaned his name, and he loved the sound as it came from her lips.
Flicking his tongue back and forth across her clit, he felt the change begin to happen, as she came close to orgasm. He pulled his fingers from her pussy and replaced them with his tongue plunging inside her, wanting to prolong her build-up to ecstasy.
She whimpered.
He glided his tongue back up, and then worked it over her clit, taking his time, and he did this several times. Each moment she started to build toward her orgasm, he’d slow down, bringing her back down, only to build her up again.
When she couldn’t take anymore, he then thrust her right over the edge into bliss, that had her screaming his name.
Lord didn’t stop, he kept playing with her clit, pushing two fingers inside her, and sending her hurtling toward a second orgasm.
Only then, with her pussy soaking wet, was he satisfied.
He was not going to hurt her. He had a feeling their first time, his cock had soothed the pain for her, which was another indicator that Astrid was his mate.
She belonged to him.
There were so many signs that Astrid belonged to him.
The first was his need to be there at that precise moment, to stop her from stepping in front of the car.
The feeling he had from touching her. Every time he did, he was drawn to her, and that never seemed to stop.
The overwhelming need he always had to see her, which was why he visited the library as much as he did.
Also, why he had also built a mini fucking library in his home, even though he hated reading.
He had built the house with Astrid and their family in mind.
Then, on the night of the full moon, he had been the one to venture close to town, and more specifically, why he’d been near her yard, watching her house. It had been freaky to him, because he was not a people person. However, Astrid was his. She was all his.
He was not going to waste this chance. He had fucked up by trying to get Blake’s endless questions to stop.
Moving her up the bed, so that she lay amongst the pillows, he stared down at her. Her brown, trusting eyes stared at him. He wanted her to trust him again, to fall for him. He was not going to fail.
Taking possession of her lips, he had no doubt it was going to take more than tonight to win back her trust. Lord was up to the challenge.
Reaching between them, he grabbed his cock, working from the base up to the tip, he gritted his teeth as the pleasure washed over him. He didn’t want to come all over her stomach. He wanted to be balls-deep inside her.
She opened her thighs, and he moved between them, lining his cock to her entrance. He pulled back from the kiss long enough to stare into her eyes, as he started to slide inside her. Inch by inch, he watched to make sure she didn’t feel any pain.
Her brown gaze enthralled him, and he let go of his dick, as she had taken most of him, then he slammed the rest of the way inside her. She gasped, her lips falling open, and her eyes going slightly wide.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked.
“No.”
He watched her, not wanting her to lie, and she didn’t.
Lord stayed perfectly still within her, giving her a moment to get accustomed to the feel of his cock.
Then, he started to work his length out, waiting until just the tip was inside her, and then he slammed in.
They both moaned together, the sound mingling on the air.
It felt so good to be inside her, to feel the warmth of her cunt wrapped around him. Lord kissed her and started to thrust in and out, going inside her deeper than before. He slowed his thrusts, wanting it to last as long as possible.
She whimpered and he felt the tight squeeze of her pussy. He tried to be patient, but her pussy felt so good.
Taking hold of her hands, he pressed them on either side of her head, holding her in place, and then he drove inside her, this time not holding back, and making her take all of it.
She arched up against him, offering up those full, ripe tits, and he was not going to say no to them. Leaning down, he took one nipple into his mouth, biting on the tip, making her cry out, and then soothing it.
He felt that answering pulse in his dick, the build-up of his orgasm, and he tried to stop it, but he had no control.
This was a need unlike anything he had ever felt.
There was no way to stop it. All he could do was ride that wave, and he did so, thrusting hard and fast within her, and then he slammed in as hard as he could and filled her with wave upon wave of his cum.
This was his mate.
Lord knew there was a chance she could get pregnant, and he didn’t care. He wanted to make her pregnant. He wanted every single reason for Astrid to fall in love with him, to trust him, to want him, just as he wanted her.
There could be no more mistakes. No chance for error.
He had to get Astrid to fall in love with him, because he was completely and absolutely besotted with her. He didn’t know why he said the shit he did to Blake. It was all bullshit. Astrid was never a convenience.
He’d fucked up big time, and now he was paying the price.