Page 32 of Claiming Xan (Shifters of Greymercy #7)

XAN

It was my first day off after five in a row, and I was tired of TJ’s bullshit. I was thankful to have a whole day to spend with River—if he’d stop being so damn secretive.

He’d been rooting around in the kitchen this morning, but when I offered to help him do whatever it was he was doing, he pretty much ordered me to go into the living room and play video games.

“It’s a surprise,” he told me.

“Oooh, I like surprises,” I said, complete with a grin and a wink. “Tell me!”

“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he replied, shooing me off into the other room. I pouted, but did as he asked, but I was curious as hell.

I could barely contain my excitement when River finally joined me on the couch and took my hand.

“Sooo?” I leaned in so that we were practically nose to nose.

“So what?” He feigned innocence. Now who was being a brat?

“So, are you gonna tell me what my surprise is?”

He smirked. “What makes you think it’s for you?”

I slapped him lightly across the chest, then got a better idea. Swinging my leg over his, I straddled his lap. I ran my hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders, then leaned in and kissed him. It was soft and teasing, a brush of my lips on his.

“Because. I just do. So tell me…” I murmured.

When he didn’t elaborate, I deepened the kiss. I stroked my tongue along the seam of his mouth. River groaned and gently pushed me back. “Xan. You make it hard to think straight.”

“Good.” I batted my lashes. “We could always take it to the bedroom…?”

“And miss out on your surprise?”

Damn it! “Gah! Tell me already!” I cried out.

His lips curled into an almost shy smile. “I wanna take you on a date,” he admitted, fidgeting a little. Was he nervous? River? My big, growly Alpha mate? Nervous to ask me out? Aww, he was so adorable.

“Oooh, where?”

“A picnic, at the lake,” he told me. “It’s nice today. I thought we could enjoy the sunshine and some roast beef sandwiches and watch the waves.”

I grinned. “So that’s what you were doing! Sneaky.”

River chuckled, but I kissed him silent. He sighed against my lips, his blond lashes fluttering shut, and I let myself enjoy this moment.

When I pulled back, it was to gaze up into his two-toned eyes. Sparkling sapphire and glistening tiger’s eye. “I’d love to, River. It sounds like a wonderful way to spend my day off.”

Around noon, I drove us out to Lake Greymercy. We parked, one of the few cars in the lot, and toted our stuff down to the beach. A picnic basket swung from River’s hand—the one that wasn’t tucked inside of mine, anyway.

We laid out a blanket on the warm sand and sat down cross-legged. My stomach grumbled in anticipation as River pulled out the lunch he’d prepared for us—roast beef sandwiches with steak sauce and provolone, salt-and-vinegar potato chips, macaroni salad, and Little Debbie snack cakes for dessert.

“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.” I groaned as I bit into the cream-filled chocolate roll. Sweetness assaulted my tastebuds. The baby was definitely a sugar-holic.

“You don’t have to stroke my ego,” River said around a laugh. “I know the date was a bit last minute and on a budget, but?—”

“River?”

“Hmm?”

“Shut up,” I told him. “I love it. All of it. It’s sweet and thoughtful, and that’s what matters.” I leaned against his side and watched the gulls peck at the bread crust I’d thrown out onto the sand.

It was mid-September, but it was warm. Warm enough to swim, maybe? I glanced out at the lake, still except for the occasional ripple as the breeze skimmed the surface. It gave me an idea.

“We should go swimming!” I suggested, looking up at River with a bright smile. It might be the last chance I got to swim for a long while, unless I could convince Mom or one of my sisters to watch the baby so I could venture out to the lake with River next summer.

“Xan.” River huffed. “The nights have been chilly. The water’ll be cold as hell.”

“We’ll be fine,” I retorted.

“And what about the baby?” He poked me lightly in the stomach.

I laughed. “Aww, you’re worried about us? That’s so sweet. The baby will be fine. Promise.” I jumped to my feet and pulled my shirt off over my head. “C’mon, my big, strong Alpha. Come swim!”

Toeing off my sneakers, I took off running towards the waters edge and splashed in—and immediately shrieked as the icy water nipped at my warm skin.

“OH MY GOD! It’s cold!” I cried out, laughing all the while.

“I told you!” But River was right behind me, crashing into the lake as well. We laughed and flailed around, splashing at each other, ducking beneath the water’s surface to avoid being sprayed in the face.

River swam up to me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body against my skin. He cupped my neck and kissed me. Feeling ornery, I splashed him and giggled when he sputtered for air.

We swam around for awhile, just floating and bobbing together in the shallows, our wet skin sliding together every so often.

I hated to admit it, but River was right—the water was cold and I was getting chilly. I sidled up to him and wrapped my legs around his waist, clinging to my mate like a little spider monkey. River treaded water, his hands supporting my hips as our lips locked once more.

“Finally had enough?” he asked, raising a brow.

“We didn’t bring towels.”

“I’ve got an idea.”

Coming out of the lake, the air nipped at our bare, wet skin.

I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself as River began gathering up all of our things and shoving our clothes and the blanket inside the picnic basket.

I tilted my head, confused, as he took off towards the tree line instead of the parking lot.

He tucked the basket beneath a bush, out of plain sight, and then shifted right in front of me. He turned to look over his shoulder like, “What are you waiting for, dummy?” and I laughed out loud.

There was more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying went. It was still early enough into my pregnancy that I could safely shift. It started getting sketchy after your fourth month, and was not generally recommended past the second trimester.

Once I’d shifted, we ran back home together on four paws instead of two feet. My wolven pelt kept me warm enough, until we could climb into a hot shower to wash off the lake’s chill.

The minute River was naked, I pounced. I plastered myself against him, pinning him against the wall. “God, I want you inside me. These hormones make me so damn horny. Fuck.”

River growled and flipped us, so that I was the one pressed up against the tile. I shuddered and reached for him, even as his lips crashed into mine, kissing me so hard it almost hurt—but it was such a good hurt.

Our mouths moved together, tongues tangling and sliding and tasting. I nipped at his bottom lip, tugging it into my mouth. He moaned and pinched my nipples, tweaking them between his thumb and forefingers.

My head dropped back against the wall. I bared my neck to him and River attacked it with hungry, suckling kisses. As his lips latched on, over my mating mark, my whole body shook, my cock twitching and leaking.

I pushed him back and fumbled for the lube we kept stashed behind the conditioner bottle. I shoved it into River’s hand, then turned around to present my ass, both of my hands flat against the shower wall.

“Damn, baby,” River uttered, soft, reverent.

He fingered me, gently but quickly. He knew how I liked it by now, but we were both so keyed up. My moan echoed off the tile as River’s cock replaced his fingers, his thickness sliding inside of me, filling me with bliss.

I panted, my forehead thunking against the wall. “Oh, fuck, Riv…”

“Feel good?” River rumbled back, kissing the bend of my shoulder as our bodies fully connected as one.

“So good,” I exhaled. “Always so good.”

“Gonna make it better,” he promised as he grasped my hips and pulled out, then stroked back in. Each thrust was a little harder, and it wasn’t long until I was coming undone as he struck home again and again.

I shuddered, cum splattering the wet tiles and my whole body clenching in waves. River’s knot stretched me wide open as he ground himself against my hips almost desperately.

I felt heat bloom inside of me as River came. He growled, his fingers tightening over my ribcage to hold me in place. We both stood there, panting, the hot water sluicing over us.

“Fuck,” I breathed out, my head hanging limp on my shoulders. River only rubbed my sides where his claws had gouged a bit too deep.

Once his cock softened and slipped out, he gently washed me off and then himself. He turned off the water and helped me out of the tub. I snagged a towel off the counter and wrapped it around myself. River followed suit.

When we crawled into bed for our post-sex cuddles, our skin was still sticky-damp, but neither of us cared. All that mattered was that we were together.

I sighed happily. A boy could get used to this…