Page 60 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)
AUDREY
I sat in the V between Bishop’s legs with a little girl who could barely walk sitting between mine and listened to a boy — this one probably nine or ten — telling an adventure story about his uncle.
I wasn’t sure how much of the story was true or exaggerated, but I didn’t care. His face was bright with excitement and so were the faces of the other children and adults around us, and he was thankfully drawing attention away from me and the summer dress I wore that was cut low enough to reveal the tops of the ugly red scars across my chest.
A little while ago the sun had sunk below the tree line, the sky turning to black velvet dotted with stars and lit by this realm’s two moons, and I’d been hopeful that I wouldn’t have to keep hiding behind the little girl.
But the villagers had brought out hundreds of lanterns to light the festivities and surrounded me and Bishop with a dozen of them, lighting us almost as well as the tables with the food and drink as if we were another “station” the villagers needed to stop at.
It had been non-stop since the ceremony ended. Everyone was polite, but I’d never had anyone pay this much attention to me before, and I certainly hadn’t had so many people thank me.
It made my insides churn. I didn’t know how to respond. That, and even as I sat there hiding behind a child and surrounded by others, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was pressed against Bishop’s crotch and how after my nap and taking the elixir, I was no longer exhausted and sore.
The heat building in my core had quickly overwhelmed any ice and emptiness from Knox even before the wedding ceremony was done, and now I strained to concentrate on the people around us and tried, for the umpteenth time that evening, to make myself move so Bishop and I were sitting side by side.
But neither my thoughts nor my body obeyed me.
It felt too good to be this close to him. The warmth in my chest as his soul steadied mine infused into my cells. I was home. I was where I belonged. I was safe.
And I was horny as hell.
My heat was still going strong, stronger than I would have thought possible lasting longer than a week, and I had no idea when it would let up. Maybe I just needed to have sex and get it out of my system.
Bishop accepted another plate of sweets, the movement shifting his body against mine, his hard cock digging against my rear, and my desire spiked, hot and needy, momentarily stealing my breath.
I glanced back at him, but he smiled at the man who’d offered the food and answered his questions about being a shifter as if he wasn’t affected by the pheromones pouring from me even though he was as hard as steel.
He’d said he wouldn’t let me do something I didn’t want to do. If I wanted to wait and see what happened between me and Knox, I had no doubt he’d wait even though he’d said he wanted to be my mate. But if the spell couldn’t break our bond then Knox and I would have to have sex.
A chill whispered through my desire. Knox would want to get it over and done with. It would be a transaction, nothing more, and I had no idea how careful he’d be with me. Sure, in my dreams, I liked being overwhelmed by all his ferocious power, but I knew my body wasn’t ready for something like that in real life.
Bishop, on the other hand, had been nothing but kind and gentle with me, and he’d already said he wanted to take his time, so I’d enjoy it.
The mother of the little girl in my lap returned after dancing around the bonfire with her husband for a couple of songs and crouched beside me. “Thank you for being so patient with her.”
They’d tried to convince her to not bother me by sitting on my lap, but I didn’t mind, and I assured them again that sitting with her was fine. She was adorable with soft brown curls and plump rosy cheeks and had been content to sit with me without fussing since before the sun had set. And then the other kids and a couple of their babysitters — two of the teens I recognized from the wader section of the pool — joined us, and the adults had felt safe to enjoy the party. They checked in on us periodically but the kids were great, and it felt… nice.
There was a small bitter pang at seeing the kids laugh and smile and talk with their siblings and parents, but also a sense of home. This was what a pack was supposed to look like, people coming together to celebrate and care for each other. This was what a family was supposed to feel like.
I hadn’t thought about whether I wanted kids or not. I’d have needed a mate for that — or hell, even a one-night stand — and no one wanted to be with a shifter who was so weak. But for this one night, I felt like it might be possible, that I might be able to have those baby giggles and the excited storytelling and the sweet simple questions asked in such a serious way.
“It’s bedtime,” the woman said, lifting her daughter from my lap and turning to one of the younger boys in the group.
“Yes,” one of the teens said while a man who’d been quietly sitting a few feet from us monitoring his children nodded his agreement.
“Say goodnight to Miss Audrey,” another woman said.
The kids rushed to my side, a few crashing into me to hug me, and wished me goodnight before being led away… and leaving me alone with Bishop.
I raised my hands to cover my neckline even though Bishop had already seen my scars. Hell, he might have seen everything just like Cyrus had.
Heat surged through my veins at the thought of Bishop seeing me naked and my breath picked up. Now everywhere Bishop touched me burned with need and more moisture pooled between my thighs.
“I think I should go to bed, too.” I met his gaze, his eyes dark, his wolf just under the surface, but he didn’t move, just kept watching me, and I realized what I’d said might not have sounded like the invitation I’d intended. “I mean— I— I think you should take me to bed.”
Jeez, that wasn’t clear, either. He’d been carrying me around all afternoon and what I’d said could just mean I’d accepted that he’d carry me to bed not that I wanted to have sex with him.
“With you,” I blurted out, trying to clarify, my cheeks burning. “I want to have sex with you.”
Bishop chuckled, a soft, low rumble that made my insides flip with anticipation, then he picked me up, cradling me against his chest.
“Figured it out the second time,” he said as he dipped down and brushed his lips against the top of my head. The touch was quick, barely a whisper that disappeared before I fully realized he was kissing my hair and ended far too quickly. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“Well… ah…” My cheeks heated with embarrassment and I squeezed my eyes shut. I had no reason to be embarrassed. He’d offered and I’d asked. It was as simple as that. It wasn’t like I was a nervous teenager.
Yeah, just a nervous twenty-two-year-old who’d never been able to ask for what she wanted before.
“I… ah…” God. I had no idea what to say now. I leaned into his embrace and drew in a deep breath of his fresh-cut grass scent, hoping it would help. Except all I could think about was how I was finally going to relieve the pressure of my heat with the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. Not even the warmth and comfort of his soul steadying mine could ease the nerves skittering down my spine.
“It’s okay,” he murmured as he carried me away from the meadow and into town. “You don’t have to say anything.”
He carried me across the town’s square and down a narrow street that quickly turned into a dark narrow path that wound through the forest. The path twisted around a large outcropping and climbed a dozen shallow steps that I could barely see in the dim light then opened up to a small glade on a rise overlooking the village.
Moonlight poured into the glade, illuminating a small one-story cabin at the far edge and a path cut through a swath of grass and wildflowers. The cabin had a wide porch that wrapped around three sides of the structure, and small lights had been light in the two front windows and the single attic window as if to welcome us home.
“Cyrus promised he wouldn’t show up until we’re done, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Bishop said.
The thought of Cyrus showing up early sent more nervous energy skittering through me. Except I wasn’t just afraid of being seen naked and having sex. I wasn’t even sure if my reaction had anything to do with that. My body liked the idea of Cyrus showing up, wanted him to watch… to participate.
My pulse picked up, and my cheeks and forehead burned. I was only thinking that because Bishop had said he’d joined my mate bond with Knox, that I could have more than one mate, and I’d been attracted to Cyrus from the moment I’d met him. Not to mention, I’d seen him naked and couldn’t help wondering what all that powerful muscle would feel like when it was pressed against me.
Jeez. What was I thinking? I was in Bishop’s arms and we were about to have sex. Why was I thinking about Cyrus?
Because I was aching and desperate and had put off dealing with my heat for far too long.
Bishop drew in a long breath and groaned. “Keep thinking whatever you’re thinking about and I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it to the bedroom.”
“I—” Now my whole face, neck, and the top of my chest radiated heat. I couldn’t tell him I was fantasizing about his brother.
“Oh, beautiful,” he murmured, his voice sensual and gentle as he carried me up the three steps to the porch. “Sexy thoughts are nothing to be ashamed of. I promise. I’m going to make you feel good. So good. Just like you deserve.”
He opened the front door and stepped into an open concept kitchen-living room with a large fieldstone fireplace on one side, a bathroom and bedroom on the other, and a narrow staircase leading up to a loft. Everything was wood or stone, the surfaces worn from use, and the furniture mismatched. But it was all clean and a hint of citrus hung in the air. It wasn’t too overpowering but enough to tell me the place had been recently cleaned.
It reminded me of the cabin I’d gone to with Mila’s family the summer before my dad killed himself. But that thought brought up a swirling mix of emotions that I didn’t want to deal with, and I pushed them aside, letting the growing need of my heat consume them.
We headed straight into the bedroom, and Bishop sat me on the bed, sank to his knees before me, and looked up at me. Even in the dim candlelight, I could see his eyes were dark. His wolf was close to the surface and his expression was edged with a hunger that made my skin tingle with anticipation.
I was really going to do this.
My pulse picked up and I dropped my gaze to his chest, unable to keep looking him in the eyes.
Oh God, I was really going to do this.
“I know you’re nervous, but you have nothing to be nervous about.” He cupped the side of my face and teased his thumb over my cheek. “If at any time you want to stop, just say so.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice, my mouth suddenly dry with nerves. Then he dipped in and kissed me. The kiss was soft, a tease and a promise, but it sent my pulse roaring into a wild, ferocious beat with a spinning mix of excitement and fear.
Jeez. What was wrong with me? It wasn’t as if I hadn’t kissed Bishop before. Hell, I’d even begged him to have sex with me.
But there was a huge difference between being swept up by my desire like I had at the riverbank outside of Darkweald and purposely deciding to have sex.
“Relax, Audrey,” he murmured against my lips. “Give in to your desire. I’m not going to hurt you or laugh at you or abandon you once we’re done. I said I was going to court you when we got back, and I have every intention of becoming your mate.” He brought his other hand up, fully capturing my face and urging me to meet his gaze.
I fell into those dark depths, the green flecks bright as if they held impossible sparks of magic.
“Let me take care of you,” he purred. “The way you deserve.”