Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
E mery
A few hours later, once we’ve returned home, I start to call for Chance after I enter the bedroom and see he’s not there.
Then I remember that calling him wouldn’t make any sense.
Though he’s no longer in the room where I left him to take a shower, I know he’s close by. I find myself lifting my head in a strange way and giving a quick inhale.
Did I just sniff the air?
The answer to the question feels irrelevant when I sense something deep inside of my core stirs. Immediately, I know that feeling is a result of scenting Chance in the air. He’s still here.
Knowing this brings a comfort to that restless part of me I spent years trying to hide and deny.
His presence alone brings me comfort. Even as I change into a different pair of jeans, a V-neck tee and then style my hair. Though as I look in the mirror while doing my hair, I can’t help but to notice the puffiness of my roots, especially the part of my hair that’s gray.
The gray streak I’ve always had.
It’s only been about a month since my last hair straightening appointment, but my hair is growing insanely fast. The gray is becoming more difficult to hide even in the buns I’ve taken to wearing, daily.
As I look at myself in the mirror, I briefly wonder if I should look for a stylist here in New Mexico.
Soon, my hair will be unsightly and I don’t know how long I can continue wearing it in tight buns. Nevertheless, I use the gel I still have left over to flatten the edges of my hair.
I brush my hair into the bun in a way that manages to hide most of the gray roots before using a few bobby pins I have on hand to pin down any strays.
Once that’s done and I’m satisfied with my appearance I exit the bathroom to look for Chance. I follow my nose toward the front door. He’s halfway out of the door. His back pressed against the doorframe, as he stares up at the sky.
Soon after we arrived home from the cave a storm started. Though the thunder and lightning have passed over us, it’s still pouring.
I don’t interrupt Chance as he watches the rain.
The way he stares out at the distance intrigues me. Though I can only see his profile, I can make out the amazement in his expression.
He barely moves. Aside from the steady up-and-down movement of his crossed arms over his chest, no other part of his body budges. He’s in a trance as he stares at the sky.
I wanted to see the storm.
His words from the cave come rushing back. This is how he lost his hearing. He was fascinated by the rain and storms.
And I find myself mimicking his stance. While he stares at the sky, I watch him. He’s beautiful. A sculpture that’s come to life. The sleeves of his dark-gray T-shirt stretch around his biceps creating a contrast that draws my hungry gaze to the muscles of his arms.
I trace the sculpted forearms and back up the lengths of his arms to his handsome face. It’s still watching the rainy scene before us. He suddenly reminds me of my sister when she was younger and would stare at rainbows.
One time after a rainstorm, a rainbow appeared and Ashley sat on our porch for an hour just staring at it. She refused to budge even after our mother scolded her and put her on punishment for going outside in her polka dot pajamas.
That memory reminds me of how I, too, got on Ashley’s case for not listening to our mother.
“She just wants the best for us. Why can’t you listen?” I asked her with all of the impatience of a typical thirteen-year-old.
“But it’s just so pretty. I had to look at it,” she replied with wide, bright eyes.
At the time, I sucked my teeth and rolled my eyes at my seemingly disobedient sister.
Now, a pang of guilt rushes through me. She just wanted to enjoy the colors of the rainbow. A similar longing is what I see on Chance’s profile as he stares out at the rain.
There’s an innocence there that puts me in the mind of a young child. And longing…for something.
Before I can make sense of it, there’s a pull over me that draws me to him. As I appear in front of him, he doesn’t seem surprised or stunned by my presence. He simply opens his arms.
It’s as natural as breathing when I melt against his strong chest. Chance wraps his arms around me, holding me to his body. The sigh that falls from my lips is unintentional, but expresses the relief I feel in his embrace, more than words ever could.
That part of me that’s always felt like it wanted—no needed—to break free, the part that I always felt as if I had to tame, goes quiet. It stills and is replaced with warm tenderness.
That feeling doesn’t last long, though.
Soon, the warmth turns to a burning need. I start to question it before Chance pulls back and looks down at me.
He inhales deeply, sniffing the air. “You need me,” he says.
I want to question how he knows. Can he smell me? My desire for him erupted in the core of my belly, out of nowhere.
But then he says something I never knew I needed to hear.
“I need you too.”
And just like that, his lips capture mine.
Chance
Mate! Mate! Mate!
My fucking wolf chants the word over and over again like a damn mantra, as I kiss Emery. I press her back against the doorframe, claiming her mouth the way she was made for me.
I knew she was standing there, watching me from the moment she exited the bedroom. I came out here to start cooking dinner while she was in the shower. After taking her multiple times in the cave, I knew she would need to eat.
But I got sidetracked when I decided to check on the storm. The wind, thunder, and lightning passed over us, but the rain remained. My senses told me the rain would last for at least a few more hours. I don’t know what the hell came over me, as I watched the downpour, admiring the gray-almost black, thick clouds.
But as I press Emery against the doorframe, my lips taking hers, it’s not rain or clouds that consumes my every thought.
Her lips move as I pull back. Looking down at them, I see that she’s saying my name. My cock hardens until pain lances through my body from the entrapment of my erection in my jeans.
Emery gasps as I pick her up with one arm, forcing her to wrap her legs around my waist. I pivot and then kick the door closed behind us before striding to the bedroom.
I came out here to give her a break, but my wolf instincts take over with the need to claim her once again. I don’t even make it to the bedroom. Instead, I carry her to the couch in the living room. Emery’s body melts against mine, as I lay her down against the couch and cover her body with mine. Though I remain mindful of not putting my entire weight on her.
Emery, however, isn’t as conscientious of the fact that I’m likely double her weight. She keeps her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me to her with a need that’s identical to my own.
First, her shirt disappears, followed by the lace bra she must’ve put on after her shower. Her beautiful brown nipples sit up high, begging for me to taste them.
I greedily oblige, covering one of her breasts with my mouth while squeezing the other nipple. Emery’s back arches and a shiver runs through her. With my mouth still around her breast, my tongue circling her nipple, I slide my hand up her chest to cup her neck. The vibrations I feel there tell me she’s moaning out loud.
My cock practically hammers against the zipper of my pants, begging to be let free.
Not yet.
I tell myself. I need to taste her. All of her before I give myself an ounce of pleasure. Her body is mine to please. Mine to savor and mine to keep.
Mine!
It’s not my wolf, this time that makes that declaration.
No, it’s all me.
The realization plunges through me at the same time I bring our mouths together again. Every kiss I’ve given Emery has been one more spike in my claim over her. I know that now.
And as I unbutton her jeans, and strip her down naked, yet again, before plunging between her legs to taste her, once more, I know that this is what was meant to be. She was never meant to be anyone else’s but mine.
Emery’s hand moves to the back of my head as if needing to hold me in place while she takes her pleasure from my mouth.
I would tell her that it’s not necessary. That I’m not going anywhere until she’s satisfied. But I’m too busy delivering on my unspoken promise.
Within seconds, Emery’s pussy gushes, her thighs tighten around my head, and her body stiffens.
I keep my mouth on her throughout the duration of her orgasm, coaxing her for more.
Only once she settles a bit do I release my cock. I’m stiff as a goddamn board. There’s no time for waiting or savoring the moment. As soon as I’m free from the confines of my pants, I plunge deep into Emery’s awaiting pussy.
She wraps her hand around the back of my neck and raises her hips to meet my penetration. I watch her as I take her.
Her eyes lock with mine and I know in this moment, everything I am is hers. And all that she is or was ever meant to be is mine.
I can see the wildness behind her eyes. It’s more than just the emergence of her wolf. It’s the beginning of her embracing who she is. All of who she is.
She doesn’t blink or look away. She lets me see what she’s tried to hide from the world for years. Only me.
Emery doesn’t hide from me.
There’s no shame or disgust in her eyes.
No disappointment after knowing my brokenness.
I kiss her lips, her forehead, the tip of her nose. Everywhere my lips can reach, I kiss. I’m hungry to stake a claim on every inch of her body.
“Chance.” Her lips form my name at the same time she presses a hand to my chest.
I move back into the seat position she clearly wants me in, with my hand securing her to me. Emery begins to ride me, her hips creating a rhythmic pace that has us both gasping for air.
She moves up and down, slowly at first, as if testing out her rhythm. Slowly, though, her hip movements become faster and faster. Soon, she’s worked into a frenzied pace that matches the wild look in her eyes.
I watch with my mouth ajar as she moves her hands to her head, plunging her fingers into her own hair. She messes up the neat, tight bun she usually keeps her hair in. But the starry gaze in her eyes tells me she’s not concerned with her appearance right now.
Emery’s taking her pleasure and giving me so much more in return. Now is not the time to give a fuck how one looks.
Even if it is, there’s only one way she ever appears to me.
Utterly perfect.
The only flaw I can associate with the woman currently riding my cock like she owns it, is the fact that it took her so long to come to me.
Mate!
There’s no refuting my wolf.
“Chance, Chance, Chance!” Emery chants as her orgasm overtakes her. Her pussy walls clamp around my dick, squeezing and milking me for my orgasm.
My body follows suit and I fill Emery with my seed.
Silently, I make a wish to Mother Moon that my seed will one day impregnate her. But that can’t happen unless Emery fully embraces her wolf, when the time comes.
As I wrap my hands around her, I wish like hell that the wolf inside of her finds its way to the surface. Not only is my wolf ready to claim her, but I know our future can’t be until we’re truly mated.
That can only happen once she’s truly embraced her full self, wolf included.