Page 36 of Finding Embers and Stars (Twin Flames Duet #1)
Chapter thirty-six
“ T oday was amazing. Thank you for letting me run with Maverick, he feels like pack. I’ve missed running with Finn. I needed this.”
I feel Mav’s hand on my back. “Are you talking to Atlas?”
Nodding at him, I press closer to his side. “He was thanking me for shifting so you guys could run together. He misses running with Finn. I’ve tried to get it through his thick head a few times that he only needs to ask, and I’ll happily shift for him.”
We continue down the beach hand in hand until the sight of a blanket surrounded by candles pulls me up short. Who is on our beach?
Mav chuckles in my ear. “I asked Liam to set this up for us. I wanted to celebrate the start of your birthday out here. If that’s okay with you?”
I look into his deep gray eyes, and I’m lost in the swirl of emotions I find there. He’s always the big, bad one of the group, often the leader, but he never tries to take choices away from the rest of us. He is a true alpha. One that is currently worried that I hate the most romantic thing that has ever been done for me.
I’m struggling to fight back tears, but I manage to cup his cheek and lean in for a short kiss. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before. I don’t even know how to tell you what this means to me.”
He grips my chins, tilting my head up to look into my eyes. “This is only the start, embers.”
His lips crash into mine, our tongues tangling as he grips the back of my thighs and lifts me off my feet. Clutching his shoulders, I wrap my legs around his waist and trust that he will take care of me.
He kneels at the edge of the blanket, laying me back across it. His kisses are urgent as his lips make their way down my neck and across my collarbones.
Lifting my t-shirt, he kisses across my stomach, stopping at the button of my shorts, he looks up at me. “I know that you’re probably sore from Liam, but I would love to taste you.”
I nod, but when his eyes narrow slightly, I know he wants my words. “Yes, but only if I can taste you, too.”
He grins and lies down next to me, his large frame taking up most of the blanket and making me feel small in comparison. Which is not something I’m used to.
He tucks some loose strands of my hair behind my ear. “One of my fantasies is having you sit on my face and suffocate me with your pretty pussy.”
His dirty talk has me shifting a bit to ease the ache his words have brought to life between my thighs. At the same time, the idea of sitting on his face freaks me the fuck out. What if I really do smother him?
“Piper, he’s a shifter. You aren’t going to hurt him and if you sitting on his face breaks him, he has no business calling himself an alpha.” Atlas’s exasperated words flow through my mind and help calm my anxiety. A little.
“Atlas, the pep talk is appreciated, but it’s weird as fuck to have my wolf brother in my head when I’m about to get laid.” His chuckles make me grin as he fades to the back of my mind, giving us privacy.
I take my pants off, but once I’m naked I don’t know what to do with myself.
Maverick’s hand on my hip draws my eyes to him. A bottomless well of understanding shines in his eyes. “Come here embers, show me how hot you can burn.”
He grabs me by the hips and lifts me over his face, nipping my inner thigh as he settles me in place. His tongue strokes across my clit and I can’t help the moan that slips out. Fuck, that feels good.
Laying down across his chest, I slide his zipper down and pull the denim back until his cock springs free. Sliding my lips over his crown, I suck him into my mouth.
Growling against my clit, he sends shivers down my spine. I’m so fucking close already. Every time his tongue caresses my clit, I give his cock an answering lick. Moving up and down his shaft in time with the way he strokes my clit is pushing me towards an explosive climax. When his thumb brushes across my ass, I’m gone. The orgasm crashes through me and I take him to the back of my throat, swallowing around his shaft.
His muffled shout sends aftershocks through me, and I collapse across his body, twitching in pleasure.
We cuddle under the stars for a long time before finally getting dressed. The crash of the waves striking the beach has nearly lulled me to sleep when I feel his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He rolls towards me, kissing me thoroughly before leaning back with a grin. “Happy Birthday, embers.”
Singing from down the beach catches my attention and I sit up to see Sage and the rest of my mates walking towards us carrying a cake and singing the most off-key version of Happy Birthday I’ve ever heard in my life.
The only thing that could make this better would be having Mama Rose and Papa Rhett here, but it’s a fleeting thought in my mind. Being surrounded by my mates is the best gift ever.
Once again, I wake up in the middle of a cuddle pile. I could get used to this.
Yesterday is going down as one of the best days of my life. Birthdays were never a big thing for me after my mother died. The Alpha Dick never celebrated it. He only used it as an excuse to remind me it was the anniversary of the death of my brother. Sage and her parents changed all of that.
My date with Maverick yesterday, followed by a surprise party on the beach and another moonlight gallop over the sand was the best way to celebrate turning another year older.
Sage comes bouncing into my room, leaping onto the bed and smothering my whole face in kisses. I’ve learned there is no point in fighting her off, putting up a resistance to the kisses only leaves the rest of me open to her torment.
I’d much rather protect my tits and ass from her pinches and spanks. I have my priorities.
Milo and Liam follow her into my room carrying the presents from downstairs and a tray piled high with my favorite breakfast foods. I can already smell the bacon.
Once Sage is done attacking me, she sits back on her heels and throws her arms wide. “Happy birthday to the bestest bestie that ever bestied!”
Maverick rolls towards me, throwing an arm over his eyes. “Fuck Sage, that's a mouth full. Even for you.”
Sage snickers, “I’ll have you know, big guy, I proved just how much of a mouth full I can handle yesterday. Didn’t I, Walker?”
His grin is just as satisfied as hers. “Indeed, you did, love.”
Sage leans forward, clearly intending to pounce on me again. I turn a pleading look at the guys and Wyatt yanks her into his lap as everyone else finds a spot to sit on the bed.
“Exactly how much coffee did you let her have, guys?”
Sage lets out a huff. “Excuse me. I am a grown ass woman, and I can have as many cups of coffee as I want!”
We all laugh at her and soon her giggles join ours. Even she can’t deny how wild she gets if she has too much caffeine.
I can tell she’s been up for a while once the plates start getting passed around. The platter that is passed to me has all my favorites. Biscuits and gravy, along with a huge pile of bacon, and the mother of all cinnamon rolls.
I take my first bite of biscuit and moan in pleasure. “Isn’t it amazing how good wet flour tastes when you pour it over baked flour?”
The room is dead silent for a moment before Sage gives in to whoops of laughter that rattle with windows. She loves my flour joke and how much it seems to stump everyone that hears it.
The guys just shake their heads at us, and we all settle in to devour our breakfast.
The silence isn’t uncomfortable, but it feels like it’s gone on for way too long. Sage must agree with me because she sets her empty plate to the side and clears her throat, rather dramatically. “Penny for your thoughts?”
The guys all whip their heads around to look at her with wide eyes. Wyatt tightens his arms around Sage’s waist and leans down to kiss her neck. “Last night, after you two fell asleep, we were talking. About the future.” He pauses for a minute, as if gearing himself up for an argument.
“Liam and Milo can work anywhere, and Walker has two solid managers that can basically run the business for him. The problem is that Mav and I love our jobs and the work we do with the orphans.”
Sage leans back and cuddles into our demon mate. He looks so strong, but he’s as gooey as a freaking marshmallow. When her gaze meets mine, I nod,. The guys aren’t the only ones that have been talking about the future.
She turns in Wyatt’s lap so she can see his face. “Would it be possible to move to a more part time position with your current firehouse?”
Wyatt’s eyes get wide, and he starts to speak, but I hold up my hand and whisper, “Please hear us out before you object?”
He nods and Sage jumps back in. “The fire station in Ranchester is volunteer. While we’re in Wyoming, I think you would be able to work with that crew, especially if we shift our months a little so we are there July through September. That’s wildfire season and they always need more help.”
I see a thoughtful look in Mav’s eyes. I can tell he likes the idea of a challenge. A wildfire is a different beast than a structure fire.
“Wyatt, it’s not like we couldn’t teleport back if a hurricane came through while we are in Wyoming. If it’s just us, we don’t even need to pack.” Maverick seems excited about the chance at dealing with a new challenge.
“On top of that, the shelter we volunteer with can always use more help. Piper and I’ve already talked with Rhoda and her mates about expanding the shelter to include an orphanage. Being that you guys grew up in the orphanage here, I know they would want your help and opinions on how to set up a functional but welcoming place for supernatural kids.”
I can’t quite see Wyatt’s face since Sage makes a better door than a window, but the huge grin on Maverick’s face gives me hope. “I love that idea! You both are so damn amazing. You already thought of our needs and how to meet them before we even had an idea of what we wanted.”
He leans over to kiss me, and I can feel the heat rush to my face. I love that he’s happy with our plan. We were worried that our habit of moving across the country every few months would be a deal breaker for our mates.
Walker clears his throat. “That’s not all we talked about. We want to cement our mate bonds with both of you, sooner rather than later.”
I look over at Sage and see a grin that matches my own. “Does today work for you guys?”