Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
the bite
IVER
“It smells like it’s gonna rain,” I murmur, casting a wary glance toward the clouds swirling overhead.
Chey’s so in the zone right now that I’m not sure she even hears me.
Her face is hidden behind her camera as she wanders the grove of scorched pines, snapping picture after picture of the charred tree skeletons.
This is a far cry from the lush landscapes she usually captures while we’re on our hikes, but there’s something hauntingly beautiful about this desolate section of forest that was burned out by a lightning storm.
I had a feeling it might be a nice change of pace, and from the excitement in her eyes when we arrived, I’d say I was right.
But now it seems that the weather is about to cut this little outing of ours short.
Her finger moves over the shutter a couple more times, then she lowers her camera with a frown, peering up at the sky. “Looks like rain,” she muses.
I chuckle to myself and she darts me a glance over her shoulder.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I smirk, beckoning her with a flick of my head. “C’mon, we’d better head back if we wanna beat the storm.”
Chey gazes wistfully in the direction she was just shooting, her shoulders slumping as she blows out a resigned breath. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“We can come out here again tomorrow if you wanna get some more shots,” I offer.
A coy smile tugs at her lips as she spins toward me. “Promise?”
Dipping my chin in a nod, I extend a hand to her.
Chey slings her camera strap over her shoulder and strides my way, reaching out to place her hand in my outstretched palm. I immediately close mine around hers, threading our fingers together.
“Can’t wait to see those pictures,” I remark, the two of us starting down the trail side by side.
“Me too,” she breathes. “I think I got some good ones.”
I know I may be a little biased, but Chey has a real talent for photography.
She finally showed me her portfolio, and I was blown away by the shots she’s captured.
I told her I need to get some of them printed to hang in my office at the packhouse.
Hell, we can cover the whole place with her pictures– each one is a little piece of her, and I can think of nothing better than living in a landscape of her making.
It isn’t long before the rumble of thunder in the distance has us picking up our pace to beat the rapidly encroaching storm.
Chey’s cabin is only a short hike from where we’re at, but these summer thunderstorms come in fast and furious, and I’ve got a bad feeling we’re about to get caught in it.
The leaves rustle as the wind picks up, the first raindrops falling just as the roof the cabin comes into view up ahead.
I tug Chey’s hand to encourage her to move faster as I lengthen my stride, intent on getting inside before it starts raining harder.
Of course, mother nature has her own plans.
In the blink of an eye, it goes from a drizzle to a downpour, Chey squealing and clutching her camera to her chest as the two of us book it toward her cabin.
Though we make it to her porch in two minutes flat, my t-shirt is completely drenched, sticking to my skin and dripping from the hem.
Wet strands of hair cling to Chey’s face as she moves to unlock the front door, and I slick my own back with a palm as she pushes it wide, the two of us stumbling inside to take refuge.
I quickly kick it closed behind us, shutting out the storm.
Chey heads straight for the kitchen, grabbing a dish towel to dry off her camera. Her gaze lifts as she works the cloth over the lens, and the moment our eyes meet, we both burst into laughter.
“We have to get out of these wet clothes,” she says between giggles, pointing at me. “You’re dripping on the hardwood.”
Grabbing for the hem of my shirt, I peel the sopping cotton from my body, pulling it off overhead and dropping it to the floor.
It lands with a squelch, and I glance back toward Chey to see her tugging off her own shirt.
The white bralette she’s wearing beneath it is soaked through, turning the fabric translucent, and my cock instantly thickens at the sight of her hard nipples.
Our laughter fades as we watch one another strip, silence falling when we’re both down to our underwear.
Goosebumps pebble up on my damp skin, but I’m not cold.
Every inch of me is burning up as I take in Chey’s rain-slicked body, my gaze greedily roaming over her soft curves.
Her teeth sink into her lower lip as her own eyes roam the muscular planes of my chest, irises swirling with coppery shimmers when they bounce up to lock with mine.
Time stands still.
My heart thumps harder.
Then like the snap of a rubber band, we come together, rushing toward one another as if pulled by gravity.
Chey throws her arms around my neck, our lips colliding.
I scoop her up by the backs of her thighs as our mouths fuse, her long tan legs parting to straddle my waist, ankles hooking together at the small of my back.
The heat of her center rides against my abs as I kiss the hell out of her, sparks tingling at every point of contact between our bodies.
Her hard nipples scrape against my chest through the thin fabric of her bra as I start carrying her down the hall toward her bedroom, kicking open the door and heading straight for the bed.
My shins hit the edge, and I catch myself with a palm as we fall down onto the mattress, my body landing on top of hers.
I quickly push up, my lips leaving hers to trail down her jaw to the column of her neck.
Licking the rain from her skin, I peel away her wet bra and suck one of her nipples into my mouth, her back arching on a breathy moan.
Working my way down her body, I trail kisses down her stomach and around her belly button as I peel her panties down her legs, tossing them away and pushing her thighs apart.
Her fingers sink into my hair, tightening in the damp strands as she tugs me toward the apex, lifting her hips and showing me exactly what she wants.
I’m all too eager to give it to her, diving in to lick her from opening to clit. She cries out, bucking her hips, and I press a hand to her belly to hold her in place as I ravage her with my lips and tongue and teeth, completely insatiable when it comes to my mate.
It wasn’t that long ago she shied away from intimacy, but now she’s sinking into her sexuality, becoming more emboldened with each encounter.
It’s truly a thing of beauty to see her let go and banish her inner demons.
I count myself lucky to be a witness to her metamorphosis– even luckier to have played a small part in it.
She’s like a phoenix rising from the ashes of her past, and I’ll burn the whole damn world down before I’ll let anyone hurt her again.
Chey’s thighs quake against my ears as I suck her clit hard, pushing her over the precipice of release.
Her moans fill the room as she comes undone, hips jerking as she rides out her orgasm against my face.
When her body goes slack against the mattress, I shove my boxers off and crawl up her body, resting my hips in the cradle of her thighs and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
“You good?” I ask, checking in with her.
“Mhmm,” she hums, wrapping her legs around my waist to pull me in closer.
Bracketing her head with my elbows, I circle my hips until my tip notches at her entrance, a low growl rumbling in my chest as I push inside. Her inner walls grip my cock as I sink into her tight heat, my eyes rolling back at the sensation.
“Fuck,” I grit out, pulling out halfway, then punching in deeper. “This pussy is too good.”
Her fingernails sink into my shoulders, a breathy moan falling from her lips as I bury myself to the hilt.
“Never wanna leave,” I babble, circling my hips to feel every inch of her.
“Iver!” she gasps.
The sound of my name on her lips is my undoing. I start pistoning my hips, riding her body hard as she pants and moans beneath me. With every forward thrust, I grind against her clit, her thighs tightening around my waist as I pick up my pace.
I swear, every time with her is even better than the last. I’ve committed each inch of her body to memory; catalogued every response and reaction. As good as it feels for me, I want it to be twice as good for her.
Sweat slickens my skin as I rut into her harder, deeper, trying to imprint myself on her until all she knows is pleasure. “Mine,” I growl as I gaze down into her eyes, the low vibrato of my voice sounding more beast than man.
My inner wolf is dangerously close to the surface.
I’ve had to actively fight him back every time we’ve been intimate, battling against the instinct to mark and claim my mate.
It’s been an extreme exercise in self-restraint, and right now, it’s more difficult than ever to keep those instincts at bay.
My gums tingle as my canines descend, everything in me screaming to sink them into her flesh and complete our bond.
Chey’s eyes round as they drop to my mouth.
“Sorry,” I grumble, sucking in a sharp breath, pausing my thrusts to get myself under control.
Her gaze pings up to meet mine, but there’s no fear in it. The look in her eyes is confident as she whispers, “Mark me.”
My pulse skips, breath catching in my throat. “Are you sure?”
Chey reaches up to bracket my face in her hands, amber eyes staring into mine with palpable intensity. “I trust you, Iver,” she rasps. “I love you. I want you to mark me. Claim me as yours and never let me go.”
“Never,” I agree. “Not in a million fuckin’ years, Chey. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. You’re my dream girl. Fuck, I love you, and I…”
I trail off as she reaches up to swipe her damp hair away from her right shoulder, craning her neck to give me better access.
My heart slams against my ribs as I lean down, the tip of my nose brushing her skin as I inhale her scent. “I love you so much, Chey,” I murmur into the crook of her neck, the tingling in my gums intensifying.
She threads her fingers into my hair, guiding my mouth to the junction of her neck and shoulder.
I bite down, and she cries out when my teeth break the skin, the coppery tang of her blood rolling over my tongue.
Stars explode behind my eyelids as my canines deposit the mating serum, my hips stuttering as I come deep inside her.
Waves of bliss wash over me as I release her from my bite, licking the wound to soothe the sting before lifting my head to look into her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I ask, needing to know that she is.
Chey’s amber eyes are glossy with tears as she strokes her fingers through my hair, nodding. “I’m better than okay,” she chokes out. “I love you, Iver. I’m yours.”
Copper flecks ignite in her irises as she blinks her tears away, her inner wolf pushing forward. “And you’re mine,” she declares, her own canines elongating, poking from the seam of her lips.
I tilt my head to the side, offering myself up for her mark.
Chey lifts her own, trailing her tongue over my collarbone and up to the junction of my neck and shoulder.
Her warm breath fans my skin as she scrapes her teeth against it, as if she’s searching for the perfect spot.
Then I feel the sharp sting of her canines as she bites down, her inner walls clamping down around me as she detonates.
It's the most potent, overwhelming sensation I’ve ever experienced. The bond between us burns bright, fusing and solidifying as euphoria surges through my body. Somehow, I’m suddenly coming again, both of us panting and moaning as we ride out our mutual climax, bodies and souls joining as one.
Slowly, we start to come back down to earth, untangling and finding our way underneath the covers once we catch our breath. I pull Chey in to rest against my chest, stroking her hair and sighing contentedly.
“You know this means you’ve gotta move in, right?” I murmur.
She snorts a laugh, lifting her chin to gaze up into my eyes. “Is that right?”
“Yep,” I reply, my lips splitting into a grin. “From here on out, I’m not spending another night without you, mate.”
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