Wolf Quest (25 page)

Her head was turned to one side and he brought his face down next to hers, nibbling on the sensitive skin of her neck and licking around the whorls of her ear. He nipped her earlobe, making her shiver.

“I’ve been dreaming of this, my love.” Her breath caught again at his gentle words, spoken in a gruff whisper.

“Me too,” she admitted on a low moan that seemed to turn him on even more. She could feel the thick shaft of his cock now, nestling against the soft curves of her ass. She wanted more.

Always, with Jesse, he made her want him so effortlessly. She was so hungry for him she barely needed any foreplay at all. She tried to push back against him, but apparently he had other plans.

Jesse pushed her shoulders down as he rose over her, at the same time lifting her hips with one strong hand on her belly. He positioned her on her knees and then moved downward to part her legs so that her ass was up in the air and her pussy exposed to him in a blatantly sexual way.

Doubt crept in as he remained silent. Maria hadn’t been taken doggy style in a long time, but considering she’d just sealed her life to a man who was part wolf, she supposed she’d better get used to it. The thought made her smile.

Her smile turned into a gasp of shock when a long, wet tongue suddenly plunged into her from behind. Jesse shaped her ass with his hands, spreading her wider as his tongue plundered her slick folds. She cried out. She couldn’t help herself. No man had ever done her like Jesse was doing her. Frankly, she wasn’t sure how much of this amazing treatment she could stand. Already her tummy was shivering with shocks of pleasure, her hips undulating as he brought her to peak after peak, driving her higher with every stroke of his tongue.

“Jesse!” she cried out as he drove her to another hard, fast climax. She shivered in his hold, bucking hard now.

He finally relented, chuckling as he drew away from her pussy. She felt him come over her again, though he kept her on her knees with her ass up. She thought she knew what might be coming next and she could hardly wait. Despite the small quakes of satisfaction he’d already given her, she wanted more. She wanted all of him. Now and forever.

“I like the way you say my name, Maria, my love,” he growled sexily near her ear.

He nipped her again as he brought the head of his cock to her folds and slid around in the wetness there, teasing her, tormenting her, holding what she most wanted just out of reach. She tried to push back onto him, but he wouldn’t allow her to move.

“Please, Jesse. I need you,” she begged. She wasn’t above pleading for what she wanted, and he seemed to like it. She felt him pulse against her and his cock slid inside her, just the tip of him, before he stopped.

“Tell me how you feel about me, Maria. I need to hear it.”

Now? He was denying her and he wanted her to talk to him
now
? If she could growl like him, she would have. As it was, she turned her head to look up at him, ready to speak her mind when she saw the expression on his face.

He looked…needy. Open. Uncertain. And absolutely adorable. He’d let down his barriers and wanted her reassurance in a stunning move that made her respect him all that much more.

Her heart melted and she couldn’t deny his need.

“I love you, Jesse,” she said simply, her voice full of the love in her heart for the man who had made all her dreams of a lover come true.

His eyes showed his relief as his lips smiled in pleasure of the emotional kind. “I love you too, my mate. Don’t ever doubt it.” He shoved fully inside her, joining them in the way of mated couples.

His strokes were long and languorous at first, escalating over time into hard, fast digs that nearly lifted her knees off the bed. He moved her body around as if she weighed nothing at all, adjusting his hold on her hips and his position in her pussy to suit his whim and to bring her the most amazing pleasure she’d ever known. She came and came for him, crying out his name multiple times before he finally joined her in the spasming bliss that was theirs alone in this vast and beautiful universe.

Chapter Twelve

Jesse woke her early for more leisurely loving. They’d spent the whole night drifting between intense pleasure and blissful sleep. She woke to another round of ecstasy and then joined him in the shower for a playful romp that included a full demonstration of all the creative uses for a loofah.

Maria felt decidedly naughty when they emerged from their suite and went down for breakfast. Jesse led her to the big hall at the back of the house where meals were served. It was set with long tables and chairs and an almost overflowing buffet had been set up along one end of the room. People sat in small groups or pairs at various tables in no seeming order, and the noise level was low since it was still relatively early in the day.

“Most of us get up kind of late compared to humans,” Jesse explained as they took plates and began walking down the buffet, taking portions of whatever appealed. “The safest time to run is at night, when humans are in bed and it’s dark enough that anyone who is out and about can’t really see us.”

“That makes sense,” Maria commented as she noted the wide selection of different kinds of breakfast meats.

There was even a station where one young wolf was making omelets to order. It wasn’t terribly formal. The college-aged kid wasn’t in any sort of uniform and he was sitting at a nearby table reading what looked like a chemistry textbook until someone wanted an omelet. Everyone seemed to know everyone else and the atmosphere was friendly. Maria liked the vibe right away.

When they neared the young man studying chemistry in between making what looked like amazingly fluffy, giant omelets, Jesse greeted him with a pat on the back. He spoke a few words in the youngster’s ear and the young man immediately jumped up to make whatever Jesse had requested.

Maria already had a plate full with a couple of slices of crisp bacon and French toast dripping with butter and powdered sugar. That was plenty for her, but Jesse’s plate was already heaped with meat when he led her to a table near the center of the room. They settled in, using the thermal carafe filled with coffee already on the table to pour two cups for themselves. The young man brought over his completed creation on another plate a few minutes later. From what Maria could see, it was a four-egg omelet with all kinds of vegetables and cheese oozing out from the sides.

“So what do you think?” Jesse seemed eager for her approval and she smiled as she dug into her French toast.

“I think if you guys eat like this every day, I could get really fat here in no time at all.” She laughed, and he did too, but in the back of her mind she realized she’d have to moderate her own eating around here. She wasn’t a werewolf. She didn’t have that super-fast metabolism that allowed them all to eat so much amazingly good food.

“You’re perfect, Maria. You will always be perfect to me.” His tone was touchingly sincere, as was the look in his eyes when she met his gaze.

“I love you, Jesse,” she whispered, reaching out to touch his hand, sharing the special moment with him. Those simple words said everything that was in her heart. All the complicated feelings could be boiled down to that simple, life-altering phrase.

She wasn’t sure how long they sat there, gazing goofily into each other’s eyes when a throat cleared rather loudly right behind them. She jumped back an inch or two, swiveling her head to look up, and found Zach’s Uncle Rocky standing behind them with two plates of food in his hands.

“I’ve been looking for a moment to speak to you both privately,” he said gruffly. “This seemed like an opportune time…unless you want to be alone?” He smiled knowingly at them and Jesse laughed, welcoming the grizzly shifter to sit with them.

“Yeah, I think it’s about time you met Doctor Garibaldi,” Jason said as if he knew something she didn’t.

“Garibaldi.” Rocky repeated her surname with significance as he sat down opposite them and placed his plates on the table.

Maria held out her hand politely and Rocky took it in his. When their skin met, she felt a strange tingle of magic. Something familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Now she was intrigued.

“Maria, you haven’t formally met Zach’s uncle, Rocco Garibaldi.” She could feel Jesse studying her reaction and Rocky’s grip tightened a fraction, sending that little zing of familiar magic up her arm.

Maria was confused. “But Zach’s last name isn’t the same, right?” She couldn’t remember if they’d ever discussed her surname or Zach’s. It seemed a bit too much of a coincidence that they should all have the same last name.

“Zach is my sister’s cub. She married a Collins. He took his father’s last name, as did my sister, but she was born a Garibaldi.” He finally let go of her hand and she felt the residual tingle. “The question is are we related somehow? It seems odd you would get mixed up with Zach and his troubles if you weren’t somehow already joined to us by blood and magic. Is there shifter blood in your background?”

“I don’t honestly know. My real dad died when I was young. My mother remarried and my stepdad thinks my aunt and grandmother are crazy old hippies. They’re the ones who tried to teach me about magic, but they never mentioned shapeshifters. The first time I ever heard of such a thing was when I treated a cougar brought to me by a rescue organization. She’d been hit by a car, they thought. I performed surgery to fix her up and over time, as she healed and began to trust me, she took a big chance and shifted in front of me. I was shocked. I never thought such a thing was possible. She calmed me down and we became friends. She eventually healed and left my sanctuary. She didn’t want to stay too long in one place in case her husband caught up to her. He was the car.” She saw the confusion on Jesse’s and Rocky’s faces and knew she had to explain.

“Sorry.” She shook her head. “What they’d thought was damage caused by collision with a car was really the result of a beating. Her husband was abusive and nearly killed her. I listed the cougar as having died of its wounds on all official paperwork and she was free to start her life over. She contacts me every now and again. So far, he hasn’t found her and she’s living a much better life.”

“That was a good deed you did, Doctor,” Rocky said in his gruff voice. Maria was uncomfortable with his compliment, so she went on with her explanation.

“I didn’t realize Zach was a shifter when he came to me. He’d been shot and I removed the bullet and took care of him like I’d care for any of the animals brought to me. I still feel so bad about locking him in the cage. I’ve had problems with people trying to steal some of the exotic animals, so I started using locks. I had no clue about Zach until Jesse spotted him. I’m very sorry.”

She was afraid of the older grizzly’s reaction, so she’d come clean as quickly as possible. She didn’t want this standing between them. If he was going to have a problem with her, best to get it out in the open and deal with it right away.

But she needn’t have worried. Rocky shrugged off her words and remained calm.

“It’s one of the hazards of wearing our fur. You did what you could for him and it was really up to him to let you know he wasn’t a regular bear—like your cougar friend did. Zach should have sensed the magic about you and realized you could be trusted from your actions.”

“He was pretty out of it most of the time.” She found herself defending Zach. “His wounds were extensive.”

“Thank you for patching him up and taking care of him. And for everything that came after. You did an amazing job in helping to free my sister and her mate and capture those responsible. Our side won a decisive victory this time, and it’s due mostly to your actions, Maria. I’m sure the Lords will want to thank you as well.”

Maria felt her cheeks heat with a flush as she smiled. “You’re welcome,” she replied softly. “It was the least I could do.”

“And more than anyone else, my love.” Jesse took her hand, holding it on top of the table where everyone could see.

“So it’s true then?” Rocky asked with a growing smile. “You’ve tamed the wild wolf at last.” His gaze invited Maria to join in his obvious merriment. “Congratulations to you both.”

“Thanks,” Maria replied softly while Jesse only grinned.

She was going to say more when Jason and Sally walked over and joined their table with greetings all around. It was a few minutes before they all settled again and Rocky brought the conversation back to the point he’d been asking about before.

“How far back can you trace the Garibaldi name in your ancestry, Maria?” Rocky asked casually as they ate.

“I’m not sure, but Nona—my father’s mother—would have those records. She keeps track of the family.”

“There’s an easier way,” Sally piped up from her end of the table. “Leonora showed me how to see my family tree. I bet you could do it too, Maria.”

She couldn’t quite imagine what Sally was talking about, but she was definitely interested. Jesse had mentioned something about this early on when they’d first met and the idea had taken root in her mind.

“I’m willing to try. If it works it could answer a lot of questions.”

Sally smiled brightly. “Okay. After we’re finished eating we’ll go outside. Our kind of magic is best suited to the woods, so it’ll be easier if we’re in them.”

“That makes sense,” Maria agreed and the conversation turned to other things.

Jason talked about his early morning conversation with Marco the vampire and how the Lords were sending representatives to observe and take part in the questioning. Rocky told them how Zach and his parents were being served breakfast in their suite. They were slowly regaining their strength and planned to stay a few days at the Pack house before moving on with Rocky to his home territory.