Homerun Daddy, page 14
part #1 of Timberwood Cove Series
Lifting his head, he smirked. “Feeling good?”
I gasped, barely coherent as my body burned with the white-hot fire that was pulsing through my veins.
He chuckled lightly, then sat back on his knees. Slinging my legs over his shoulders, he positioned his cock so the wide tip pressed gently against my entrance.
I couldn’t look away as he slowly slid into me. The muscle in his jaw tightened, like he was fighting to restrain himself, and when he finally bottomed out his mouth fell open on a soft gasp and his eyelids fluttered closed.
I clenched my ass around him, drawing a guttural moan from his throat. Then his gaze snapped back to mine as he began to move inside of me. Slow, long, languorous strokes. All the way in, then pulling out until just the tip of him remained inside me. Over and over, he fucked me, gently, sweetly. Passionately.
He meant it when he said tonight was all about me. Because he was doing everything he could to draw out every ounce of pleasure in my body. The way he was looking at me was enough to make my heart skip a beat. So tenderly. Adoringly. Like this was everything to him. I understood because I felt the same way.
When we were both straining to hang on to the last bit of sanity, our bodies sweaty, our breaths coming in ragged gasps, Jaxon pushed my knees up and came down between my legs to capture my mouth in a kiss. This was more urgent. Searing.
Then he was moving faster inside me, racing toward his release. He reached between us, wrapping his fist around my cock, and began to stroke me hard, matching the rhythm of his thrusts.
We both fell over the edge together, our orgasms rocketing through us. Claiming us. I clung to him, kissing him with everything I had in me. Memorizing this moment because I knew then that no matter what doubts I may have, none of them mattered. All that mattered was the love we shared for each other and Liam and the life growing inside me.
And there was nothing that could take that away from us.
15
Jaxon
“Cole’s room is so cool,” Liam enthused from the passenger seat of my car. We were on the way to Saturday afternoon practice.
“I take it you had fun last night, then?” I asked with a grin. As usual, he was bouncing on the seat in excitement.
“Yeah! He showed me all this wolf stuff he has all over his house. It was the coolest.”
“Like a collection?” I asked, though I knew what he was talking about. Shit. What had he seen out there? My suspicions were confirmed with his next words.
“Cole said he was a wolf shifter. You know, like the urban legends of werewolves or something. I have heard stories since we moved here.”
I glanced at him. Great. So Cole had talked about it. He knew he wasn’t supposed to, but at the same time, he also probably knew from Linc that I was wanting to move them both out to the homestead. He may have even assumed Liam already knew.
It made me realize I needed to talk to Bryce as soon as possible. The more Liam hung around Cole, the more he’d learn. The secrets would all be out there. I didn’t need Bryce or Liam learning about shifters from anyone but me.
“What kind of stories?” I asked cautiously.
He shrugged. “Just that there are people who turn into wolves out in the woods near where Cole lives. I think Cole was just pulling my leg about being a shifter, though,” he added with a laugh.
“What do you think about those stories?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.
He shrugged again, though he was grinning now. “I think it would be cool if they were true. It would be awesome to be a wolf shifter!”
“You’d like that, huh?” I couldn’t help asking, feeling excited about the prospect of claiming him and Bryce and making them shifters as well.
“Totally!”
I smiled, not saying anything else, but it made it clear to me I had to tell Bryce—tonight. Not only because I couldn’t risk him finding out through Liam, but also because I’d just confirmed some suspicions I had when I’d been out at the lodge.
I talked to the elders about how Bryce seemed to be improving day by day as far as his disability went. He was walking better, usually without a cane, and if I didn’t know he had a limp I might not have even noticed it. It was the baby. Its shifter blood was affecting Bryce’s body. Wolf DNA was even more potent than I realized. The elders had then told me that a claiming bite would heal him completely.
Needless to say, the idea of claiming my mate held even more appeal now. I’d been so worried about telling him, that it would ruin our relationship after he found out about wolf shifters, especially in light of what happened with his sister. Now I felt more confident about the decision. I didn’t know what that would mean for our relationship going forward—I still had a niggling worry in the back of my mind—but I had to hope for the best because our future seemed nothing short of perfect.
Once we got to practice, I sent the kids out onto the field to warm up, then motioned Linc to come over away from earshot.
“We could have a problem,” I muttered.
Linc frowned. “What’s up?”
I told him all about how Cole had leaked confidential information about shifters that could hurt the pack. Not that we would have anything to worry about once I came out to Bryce, but if Cole was talking this loosely, we had to make sure he knew it wasn’t okay.
“It put the entire shifter community at risk of exposure. You have to talk to him.”
“Spoken like a true pack leader,” Linc said with a grin.
“I’m serious, Linc.” I frowned at him.
Holding his hands up, he said, “I know, I know, and I understand the gravity of this. I’ll give Cole a good talking to.” He grinned again. “But seriously, you sounded just like an alpha leader right then. Can I take this to mean you’re ready to take over the pack?”
That was another thing I’d finally solidified in my mind.
“I am.” I nodded firmly. “Actually, it’s Bryce who made me feel this way. Taking care of him has shown me I do have what it takes to look after people who aren’t always capable of looking after themselves. And I realized that’s pretty much the essence of being a pack leader. Taking care of what’s yours and protecting them at all costs.”
Linc smiled wider and clapped me on the shoulder. “I knew you’d finally come around to seeing what the rest of us have known all along. Congratulations, man.”
I grinned back, thinking about the future ahead of me. I’d have my pack to lead, my mate by my side as a shifter, our son and baby on the way. I’d put off making this happen for too long.
Tonight, that would change.
The scent of lasagna hit my nose as soon as Liam and I walked into the house.
“Honey, I’m home,” I called out as Liam darted into the kitchen. I followed him and found Bryce standing in the kitchen in an apron, a tray of garlic bread in one hand.
He grinned. “I wanted to surprise you guys with a nice dinner.”
“Mission accomplished,” I said, crossing to him to give him a kiss. “Looks like you’re moving around well today.”
Bryce nodded. “Yeah. Honestly, it feels almost like I’m getting better and better with each day that passes. It’s almost like magic. I don’t understand it, but I’m not complaining,” he said with a smile.
A thrill raced through me thinking about how he might feel when he found out he would be healed completely when he became a shifter. I thought about the conversation ahead of me all through dinner—the lasagna was delicious, and he’d even made some cannelloni from scratch. By the time it was Liam’s bedtime, I was full of nervous anticipation.
Bryce and I tucked him in together—as we did most night now—sitting down on each side of his bed.
“I want to be a wolf shifter like Cole,” he proclaimed without preamble.
I blinked a couple times, but before I could figure out what to say, Bryce was laughing and reaching up to brush a strand of hair off Liam’s forehead.
“I’ve told you time and time again that shifters are just a myth. A conspiracy. They don’t really exist,” he said gently, and my stomach clenched. Talk about an unexpected lead in to the conversation we needed to have.
Yes, actually, Bryce, wolf shifters are real indeed. And surprise! I am one!
I had no idea how this would go over now. What if he thought I was crazy?
“Yes, they are!” Liam protested. “Me and Cole saw a man turn into a wolf last night when I spent the night there.”
Bryce laughed, shaking his head. “You were obviously half-asleep and dreaming.”
My stomach felt like a ball of ice had settled there, and I barely contained the fury that was boiling through me. Shit! How could I have let this happen? I shouldn’t have let Liam go out there. Or more to the point, I shouldn’t have let this go on so long without telling Bryce the truth.
That knowledge hit me hard, and I was suddenly terrified. Fighting to keep a calm face, I smiled at Liam. “Speaking of dreaming, I think it’s about time you caught some shut-eye, buddy.”
Bryce agreed, and we got Liam tucked in before heading out of his room. I went to clean up the kitchen, gathering my thoughts, while Bryce said he was going to take a bath. I had to tell him tonight, there was no doubt about that. I just had to get it right. I didn’t want to scare him.
When I finished up in the kitchen, I went to check on Liam. Finding him sound asleep, I knew now was the time. I couldn’t put this off any longer.
Bryce was just coming out of the bathroom, a towel slung low around his hips. As I backed up to his bedroom he stepped toward me, still dripping wet, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I groaned internally. I knew that look. Bryce wanted me—bad, and now; his pregnancy hormones seemingly making him extra horny.
When he closed the last of the space between us and reached straight for my cock, I found myself already responding to him. Fuck. I really needed to talk to him.
He squeezed my shaft through my pants, and all thoughts of conversation went right out of my head. Later. I’d do it later because how could I resist the sexiness that was my mate, practically begging to be fucked? I growled, my wolf close to the surface. Thinking about making Bryce my mate apparently had him ready to go. I yanked Bryce toward me, his towel falling to the floor. His cock bobbed in front of me, long and hard, and I grabbed his hips, grinding myself against him.
“You want this?”
He groaned. “Pretty sure you do too.”
I grinned then crushed my mouth to his, sweeping inside. He dove his fingers into my hair, and we were a clash of lips and teeth and tongues. My wolf howled, longing to reach out to his mate. To bite him. To claim him.
I scraped my teeth over Bryce’s neck, feeling his pulse beat strong and fast. The urge to claim him now was nearly overwhelming. So far I’d been able to keep it at bay, but right now, knowing I was so close to having everything finally fall into place, I could barely resist.
I jerked myself away from him with another growl, then spun him around, pushing him forward toward the dresser. He gripped the wood tightly, shoving his hips back, teasing my cock while his begging moans filled my ears. It was a good thing he was already slick because I couldn’t hold back. I felt primal, raw. Desperate for all of him. If I couldn’t claim my mate right now, I’d sure fuck him with everything I had.
His cries echoed off the walls as I slammed into him, burying myself fully in his tight ass.
“Fuck, Bryce,” I ground out, already feeling my knot starting to form. God, he was driving me crazy tonight. My wolf was barely contained, and I felt savage as I took Bryce’s ass over and over. He mumbled incoherently, every thrust eliciting another cry. His body vibrated beneath me, his walls convulsing. My knot began to swell even more as I fucked him hard.
I looked up, catching sight of us in the mirror over the dresser, almost surprised by the feral look in my eyes. Bryce looked sexy as hell, his hair falling over his face, his pupils blown out, nearly black with desire as he met my gaze. His mouth fell open in pleasure, then he gasped for breath and whispered my name.
And I was done. I came with a vengeance, a full-body orgasm that had me crying out my release. I erupted inside my mate, my cock locked in his ass, the knot intensifying the pleasure for both of us.
Bryce clamped down even tighter on my cock, and I reached around him to grip his rock-hard length. Then he was coming too, giant convulsions wracking his body as he poured out warm cum all over my hand.
My body felt like liquid as I wrapped my arms around Bryce, holding him up. I moved us to the bed, and we both fell onto it, barely able to breathe.
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah,” I grunted. “Tell me about it.”
Bryce rolled to his side and looked at me. “What’s happening when you do that?” he asked.
I knew he was referring to my knot. He’d asked about it enough already, more so lately. I couldn’t just brush it off again. Not after that, when I’d felt so savage, ready to claim him right then and there. I had to tell him. Everything.
I stared at the ceiling, gathering my thoughts. Not easy when my brain was still addled from sex. He waited. He didn’t want to hear an excuse this time either. It felt like there was something heavier about this moment. Like he’d known there was something I wasn’t telling him, and he wasn’t going to let it go any longer.
Good thing I’d come to the same conclusion.
“I have to tell you something,” I said. I risked a glance at him, seeing surprise on his face, but also relief. It gave me the courage to go on. I sat up on the bed, and Bryce followed suit, facing me.
I took his hands in mine. “I don’t want there to be any secrets between us, but I have been keeping something from you.”
He nodded silently.
I took a deep breath, ready to bare my soul. But I wasn’t afraid anymore. What I truly felt was proud. Proud of who and what I was. That was something that had been hard-won, but I’d realized after finding Bryce that I was capable of being both a good mate and a good alpha for the pack. He’d helped me move past my self-doubt, whether he knew it or not. He deserved to know the truth now.
“That man who Liam saw in the woods at the homestead,” I said, seeing confusion in Bryce’s eyes at where I was going with this. “The wolf shifter. Liam didn’t dream that. He saw it with his own eyes.”
Bryce stared at me, then he scoffed and shook his head. “Jaxon, what the hell are you talking about?”
I blew out a breath. “Wolf shifters are real, Bryce. I know because I am one. That’s what I haven’t been telling you. That’s why my cock swells up when we have sex—it’s called a knot, and it happens in alpha shifters.”
His eyes darted down to my cock, at half-mast now, the knot gone. When he looked back up at me, he looked wary. I had to keep going. Let him see what wonderful news this was.
“And you, Bryce. You’re my fated mate. In the shifter world, that’s everything. When a shifter claims a mate, it’s for life. To have found you… It’s more than I ever could have hoped for. I love you so much and I’m so happy you’re my mate. I can’t wait to claim you and make you mine forever.”
His eyes narrowed, his back straightening as he continued to stare at me. To say he was shocked was an understatement, but what I hadn’t seen coming was the dismay that was also beginning to show.
Determined to show him how amazing this would be, I gripped his arms. “Bryce. I’ve also learned from the pack elders that a claiming bite will heal you. It will turn you into a wolf shifter, and your new DNA will heal all of your existing ailments. It’s why you’ve been walking better.” I set my palm on his stomach. “It’s because you have my baby in here. A shifter, and its blood is already helping you. Don’t you see, Bryce? We’ll all be able to move out to the homestead with the rest of the pack. I’m supposed to be the next pack leader, but I haven’t felt ready. Until you. I know now I am ready, but only if I have you by my side.”
I was rambling now, trying to get it all out there. Trying to fill the empty air of Bryce’s shock with something…anything, since he wasn’t responding.
He looked down at my hand on his stomach, then jerked his head back up, horror written all over his face.
Oh god.
He thought I was crazy. He didn’t believe me. He thought I had in fact been keeping a secret—that I was delusional.
“I’ll show you,” I said, jumping from the bed.
Bryce couldn’t have looked any more terrified. Or so I thought. Until I shifted.
My perception changed as I let my wolf take over. Smell became more pronounced, sight grayed out a little, but I always felt stronger, more powerful in my wolf form. I shook out my coat and stretched, opening my jaws wide to accommodate my newly erupted canines.
Bryce screamed.
I took a step toward him, but he backed up on the bed, so I stopped. I wanted nothing more than to go to him, to nuzzle up against him and show him it was okay, that everything would be okay. But the look on his face kept me frozen in place.
Liam’s door flung open, and he came running in, obviously awakened by all the noise. His gaze landed on me and his eyes went comically wide before he broke out in a huge grin.
Liam ran toward me. “Jaxon?” He came to a stop right in front of me.
“Liam, get back,” Bryce commanded, and my wolf whined, already feeling a connection to Liam; accepting him and loving him, wanting to claim him as family. The idea that Liam might be scared of my wolf was like being pierced in the heart.
But I didn’t have to worry. Liam came right up to me, resting his hand on my muzzle. I sniffed at him, then licked his fingers with my tongue. He laughed, his eyes full of wonder, then he flung his arms around my neck. He wasn’t afraid at all.
I nuzzled his head and looked at Bryce over Liam’s shoulder. Bryce looked like he didn’t know what to think about this, his expression shifting from horror to…pissed.
Shit.
I quickly pulled away from Liam and shifted back to human form. I reached for Bryce’s fallen towel to cover myself. Bryce had already found a blanket to wrap around him.
