Page 29 of Into the Dawn (The Devil’s Claw #3)

29

BEN

A n hour later, after a hurried visit to the cabin to make sure everything was in order there, I return to find Nessie on the porch swing with Holly, both of them laughing easily over something.

Vanessa looks flushed. A softened ice pack sits to the side next to a large pitcher of iced water. She’s in a tiny pair of shorts and a vest, despite the chill in the air. And her hair is wild, tied up off her neck, with damp tendrils hanging down, brushing her bare shoulders.

The sight stops me in my tracks. My mate looks lighter, more like the carefree girl I fell in love with years ago, but also, good enough to eat. The haunted look in her eyes is gone, replaced by one of raw hunger that makes my beast puff up his chest with satisfaction.

This is going to be fun.

She spots me, and her whole expression changes to a mix of admiration and relief. “Ben!”

My chest swells with pride as she bounds across the driveway to greet me, no hesitation in her movements now. Her scent is noticeably more intense as she throws herself into my arms and jumps, wrapping her legs around my waist.

“You smell so good.”

She buries her face in my neck and hums. Her lips brush my skin, causing my beast to stir with recognition. He rumbles loudly in response, and I hold her to me.

"How did it go with Jack?" she asks, giving me a quick peck on the lips to soothe my burst of jealousy at hearing another man’s name on her lips right now.

“Fine. I’ll tell you later.” Leaning back, I look from her to Holly and back again. My need to get away from anyone and everyone is clawing at my insides. I need to be inside her, now. I have no idea how she’s staying so calm when I can scent her arousal thick in the air. If John and Holly weren’t human, I’d be furious that they were anywhere near her and breathing it in.

“Did you pack a bag? We need to go.”

Her heat burns into me where our bodies are pressed together. I’m not sure she realises just how crazy things are going to get if we don’t get moving right now. Or how close I am to the limits of my control.

Sweat beads on my brow and every muscle is tense, ready to fight anyone who even looks in my mate’s direction.

Vanessa nods. “I don’t think I’ll need much to wear.”

I murmur my approval, unable to resist tasting my mating mark before remembering we have company,

"Guess what?" she says excitedly, switching back to happy, go lucky Vanessa as I set her back down on her feet. Practically vibrating with energy, her core presses against the hard-on that must be obvious to everyone, and I groan.

I really don’t think she understands the urgency of the situation, or what her tiny movements are doing to me.

"I got a job! Well, Holly got me a job. The new owner of the Mountain View Café hired me to help her out for a few hours a day."

The coffee shop has been sitting idle since Serena was killed. It'll be good to have someone new taking it over so we can all forget the Golden's even existed. The thought of my mate finding her own place in the community makes my heart swell.

“As long as she doesn’t need you to start in the next few days, that sounds perfect.”

I sweep her up into my arms, spinning her around when she tries to move away, then take her lips in a much more passionate kiss than the chaste one she gave me.

Vanessa blushes as she laughs, still shy in front of Holly. The mate bond pulses with shared desire, a beat that travels straight to my groin where my cock strains against my jeans, desperate to join with my mate and ease her discomfort.

“Yeah, we definitely need to get out of here.”

Holly laughs as I bundle Vanessa into the passenger seat and practically sprint to the driver's door.

My mate curls up into a ball, arms wrapped around her cramping tummy, then smiles sweetly at me as I fasten her seatbelt for her, knowing that changing position at all causes her pain.

With a distracted wave, I peel out of the driveway, gripping Vanessa’s hand while trying to concentrate on the road and not how good it would be to pull over and lose myself in my mate’s delectable body right now.

“Talk to me. Tell me about the job to distract me.”

Resting my hand on her bare thigh, I stroke up and down, using my touch to soothe her aches and to calm my beast, who doesn’t like to see her hurting. Though from the way she rocks her hips, it’s not all bad things she’s feeling. A breathy moan has my vision blurring, and I rub my eyes hard. This is torture.

“Fuck Vanessa, those sounds. You’re killing me here.”

Vanessa gives me a wicked smile but proceeds to tell me about Rachel, the café's new owner who moved to Sutton seeking a quieter life.

"That's great," I say enthusiastically, nodding along. This could be perfect. It’s close to Jack's store where my office is. We'll be close to each other and close to home. More time together. Less time apart.

"I want to see Jed," she admits, and I press my lips together to avoid saying something I shouldn't, like absolutely no way are you allowed to visit him. My beast bristles at the mere mention of her brother.

When my body tenses up, Nessie squeezes my hand.

"Henry's building a strong case against him for John's kidnapping. Mom's been helping, providing evidence." Vanessa sighs and closes her eyes. "When I called the station to answer questions for Henry, I asked if I could talk to Jed, so Henry let me talk to him on the phone. He's not sorry. Not one bit. He still thinks I've screwed him over to get the clan, even though Mum's running things now."

I pull her into my lap and wrap my arms around her, sensing how hurt she is, even though she always knew deep down that Jed was never going to change his ways or suddenly be struck by remorse for his actions.

"How is your Mum?" I ask carefully. Vanessa phoned home and had a short exchange, but I was waiting for her to volunteer the information, trusting that if there was something important I needed to know, she'd tell me.

Vanessa gives a one shouldered shrug, arms still wrapped around her knees to ease the ache in her lower belly.

"Better, I think. She's taken charge of the clan, and working with the women, especially. A lot of the troublemakers have left, seeing which way the wind is blowing. Probably not sticking around long enough to find out whether Jed is going to throw them under the bus and rat on them." Pride colors her voice as she speaks of the changes her Mum is making to how things are done. "She's going to create the kind of community I always wished we’d had growing up."

"Maybe we could visit sometime, or she could come and see us here," I suggest, testing the waters. "When you're ready."

Her eyes fill with tears, but she smiles. "I'd like that, but… I can't ask Evan and Holly…"

I know what she's about to say, that we need our own place, but before she can, I cut her off.

"Actually, I might have found something." I pull out my phone, showing her the house I've been working at all evening. "It's a small cabin on the edge of town, backing onto the forest. The owner moved away, and Kali was renting it until she moved into the ranger's cabin with Griffin. It's not much, but it’s ours for now."

The cabin sits on two acres, with old growth trees providing privacy, and a small creek running nearby. Inside, it needs updating, but the bones are good. And it will work for us while we save for someplace bigger.

"Maybe it's too rough." I hesitate, pausing my scroll through the photos. "We can find somewhere else if you don’t like it."

Vanessa just stares at the phone. "This is where you were?"

For a moment, I think she's angry. I nod, unsure what to say. Maybe I got this wrong. Maybe it was too soon for me to go off and leave her while I do this. She probably wanted more say in picking a place.

“I wanted you to have somewhere private for your heat. And somewhere for us to start afresh together. But if it’s not right…”

"It's perfect," she whispers. "You're perfect."

The sheer strength of her happiness is enough to take my breath away. Her scent spikes with joy and lust.

Apparently, I did good.

Pulling up outside the cabin, I hang back and give Vanessa the keys, letting her go ahead and explore, knowing I’ll feel her reactions through the bond. I can’t take my eyes off her ass as she climbs the porch steps and goes inside, wandering from room to room and breathing in the clean scent of the recently re-decorated cabin.

“I love it.” She turns, her beast glowing in her eyes as she stalks toward me.

I step inside and kick the door shut behind me. We’re staying. Nothing could make me leave this house before the end of Vanessa’s heat.

By the time I’d gotten here to check the place over, Maisy had already left supplies on the porch with a note promising that she’d drop off more food tomorrow.

There’s not one reason to go back outside.

“I love you,” she murmurs, coming so close that her body heat hits me, even though we’re not even touching yet.

I stay frozen to the spot as she slides her hands up under my shirt and yanks it over my head. As she explores, I stare down at her, enjoying her enthusiastic attention and playing a game with myself to see how long I can resist the lure of her heat.

It’s not very long.

When she steps out of her shorts and tosses her vest to the side, pouncing on my belt and rubbing my bulging crotch at the same time, I’m done. Picking her up and tossing her over my shoulder, I slap her ass hard when she giggles and kicks her feet excitedly.

“Ben, put me down!”

“Your wish is my command.” I drop her onto the bed unceremoniously, using my hands to turn her, midair, so she lands on all fours near the edge of the mattress, shrieking as she tries to stay upright.

“Ben.” She gasps as I drop to my knees and immediately grip her hips hard, tilting so I get the access I need to lick her clit then lower myself to taste the copious juices, readying her for what’s to come.

“You know what could happen, Vanessa? This could be the baby you said you wanted. Are you sure?”

“Yes!” she cries out, but I can’t be sure whether she’s overjoyed about having a child with me or just reacting to how I just pressed two fingers deep into her channel.

“With me, Vanessa. You want to make a baby with me?” I stroke a hand up her back, following the length of her spine to tangle my fingers in her hair.

She whispers “yes” as I press down, forcing her onto her forearms, her face against the mattress, and her ass up in the air.

“Good. Because I’m not going to be able to stop until I give you one.”

Shoving my jeans down, I guide my swollen head to her entrance and thrust deep, all the way to the hilt, our bond swirling around us like a tornado as I drive in and out, lifting us toward an orgasm stronger than I ever knew was possible.

As my knot starts to swell, trapping us together, I tip my head back and roar my release, spraying jet after creamy jet of cum deep into her tight body.

She gasps and writhes beneath me, one hand stretched back to hold me in place, keeping me tight against her.

“Fuck, Ben. Fuck.” She whimpers every time I pulse my hips, determined to keep her pleasure rolling, her enjoyment high, and those orgasms coming.

Dragging my teeth along the back of her shoulder blade, I press forward, pushing deep into her with my knot, and roll, letting my still hard length press and drag against a particularly sensitive spot.

“More, Vanessa. I want more. You’re going to keep coming until you can’t even fucking speak.”