Page 34 of Claiming Xan (Shifters of Greymercy #7)

XAN

The Howell Halloween party was quickly approaching.

I’d spent the last couple of days excitedly planning out me and River’s costumes—because of course, we had to do couples’ costumes. Duh! I just needed to get River on board with it.

Operation Save Halloween was underway!

At first, I was kinda bumming about what sort of costumes I could pull off, because my belly was getting pretty big, but in the end, I decided to embrace my newfound shape and go as a genie.

My midriff out and exposed, my lower face covered in a gauzy, sheer fabric, with gemstones clustered around my eyes and down my cheeks.

I lounged on the couch with my sketchbook, doodling ideas with a pencil while scrolling Pinterest on my phone for inspiration.

I glanced up at River, who sat at the end of the couch. My feet were planted in his lap. I wiggled my toes. He didn’t move. So I lightly rolled my heel against his groin, biting down on my lip with a grin as I did so.

That got his attention. “Hi, Beefcake,” I teased.

He huffed. “Hello, Xander.” He made sure to grind out the last part of my name, knowing how much I hated it, but I only laughed and let my sketchbook fall into my lap.

“Sooo, tell me, because I’m oh, so curious. What was your favorite Halloween costume growing up?” I asked.

River blinked, obviously taken aback by the question. He let out a small hum. “I’m…not sure, honestly. I haven’t gone trick-or-treating since I was ten years old,” he admitted, and I felt a twinge of sadness for little-him.

“Do you remember what you dressed up as?” I hesitated, wondering if this might be too painful for him to think about. Damn my curiosity. I quickly added, “It’s okay if you don’t. I’m just nosy, that’s all. I wanna know more about you.”

River’s smile slanted. He let out a sort of half-laugh, then shrugged and rubbed my feet. “I think I was Batman, which meant Sky would’ve been Robin. We always did twin costumes. It was our thing.”

Bingo.

Knocking the sketchpad onto the floor, I crawled over to my Alpha and draped myself over his lap. “Well… We could always do a couples’ costume for the Halloween party? Mom always does costume contests, and couples’ costumes is one of the categories we could win.”

I batted my lashes at him. “If I’m a beautiful genie, you could be my dashing Arabian knight?” I winked for good measure, earning myself a true River laugh.

He shook his head, but I leaned in close. “Really, babe. Let’s get online and find some ideas!” Rolling so that I was tucked snugly between River’s body and the arm of the couch, I cuddled in and pulled out my phone, bringing up Pinterest once more, and we began to search anew.

It didn’t take long. I could tell River’s interest was piqued. “Alright,” he said.

I brightened, grinning. “Really?”

“Sure, why not? If it’ll make you happy?—”

“It will!” I yipped. “Yay!” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him, none too gently, and the rest of the afternoon was spent together, just like that.

After lunch, we went out for another driving lesson.

I had to give River credit—the guy was trying.

He was just so damn nervy and stressed the minute he got behind the wheel of the car.

He had a lead foot, slamming the breaks and hitting the gas too hard, making the car jerk and jolt.

It was like his brain shorted out once he was in the driver’s seat.

But he got better every time we had a driving lesson, and I was quick to praise him. And this time, I had an idea.

“Alright, go straight,” I instructed. River did as I asked, and the car bounced down the gravel road. “Now turn here.”

“Where are we going?” River asked, turning to me, his brow furrowed.

“Oh, you’ll see,” I singsonged. “Eyes on the road.”

I directed him to a small park and had him drive all the way to the end of it, where we were surrounded by nothing but woods and the empty baseball diamonds. It was the middle of a school day, so there were no kids out playing.

In fact, there was no one for miles.

Perfect.

River put the car in park and turned to me. “Why are we here?”

“For your reward,” I murmured. “Take off your seat belt.”

I unbuckled my own, then crawled over the center console, cupping River through his jeans. He seemed to get the picture, because his breath released in a soft exhalation as our lips met, and we began to kiss.

Any objections the Alpha might’ve had were lost when I popped the button of his pants and began to blow him.

River’s groans lit a fire down my spine.

I rubbed myself slowly against the seat, controlling River’s pleasure without ever using my hands—just my lips and my tongue and that perfect suction I knew he loved so much.

River’s fingers carded through my hair, gentle, but I didn’t want gentle. Swallowing, I popped off and licked my lips, then looked him straight in the eye.

“Riv?”

“Yeah?” The word was throaty, almost hoarse.

“Use my mouth,” I told him, excitement bubbling through me. I saw the shock in my mate’s eyes, but there was lust there too. I turned my attention back to River’s perfect cock. I wrapped my lips around him and went down on him again—and fuck, if River didn’t do exactly as I asked.

The hand in my hair tightened, forcing my head down at the same time his hips came up off the seat. River growled under his breath as he began to take his pleasure. I swallowed around him, moaning like a cat in heat, spit dripping down my chin and leaking out the corners of my mouth.

It was sloppy and wet and so fucking hot, and it ramped up quick.

I humped the seat almost desperately, impaling my throat on River’s cock as my own ached in my pants. River wiped the mess from my chin with a soft chuckle.

Then his hand was sliding beneath the waistband of my leggings, his slick finger tugging at my rim. I spread my legs, welcoming him. Thighs shaking, I whimpered as it slowly slipped inside using my own saliva. Oh god…

River’s finger began to pump, while his hand in my hair forced my head up and down, choking me and filling me and overloading my senses with pleasure.

It didn’t take long before I was coming in my pants. I let out a strangled cry, my body spasming. At the same time, River grunted his release and shot his load down my throat.

I pulled back to swallow him down, licked his cock clean, and then collapsed, half on the center console and half on his lap, as I tried to catch my breath.

River gently stroked a hand over my hair. “Okay?”

“Yeah,” I croaked, my throat aching a bit. “Damn.”

When I felt steady enough to get up, I kissed River—just once, enough to let him know that I’d enjoyed this as much as he did—and then sat back in my seat to adjust myself.

Without another word, we buckled our safety belts and left the park. River was much calmer as he drove us home, the mood that hummed between us almost peaceful.

I knew we’d both sleep good tonight.