Page 14 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)
C opeland sat up. Threading his fingers through my hair, he pulled my mouth close to his.
“Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll apologize.” His lips brushed against mine as he spoke.
I could try to deny it, but he was telling the truth. For the first time in my life, I’d felt brave, powerful, and in control. I’d felt safe and untouchable.
Either of the wolves could have snapped me like a twig or ripped out my vocal cords, yet they’d let me believe I was in charge.
Even though I was trapped in a room with two larger-than-life wolves, I didn’t experience a fraction of the fear that swamped my being every time I faced the council. It was a mind-bending fluster cluck.
“I liked it. A lot.” My words were almost too soft to hear. “Control isn’t something I’m used to possessing.”
Copeland’s deep laugh sent a wave of slick heat straight between my thighs. “Obeying orders isn’t something wolves are good at, unless those orders come from their alpha. But our wolves are eager to please you, and we’ll happily follow your every command.”
Linc’s large wolf circled us, rubbing against my back as Copeland brushed his lips against mine in a featherlight kiss.
“And let me tell you a secret,” Copeland murmured against my skin as his lips traveled down my neck. “I was jealous of how much attention Linc was getting, so I took a gamble on the fastest way to steal your focus and it paid off.”
“Are you serious?” I spluttered, pushing away from him while trying to hide a laugh. “You’re awful!”
“It worked.” Copeland shrugged. “And I have no shame.”
“How dare you interrupt my tummy rubs! I demand more.” Linc’s human arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me against his chest.
I jumped in surprise, shocked that I hadn’t noticed him shift.
He spun me around so that I straddled his lap.
His very naked lap.
Linc’s strong fingers circled my wrists, pulling them forward so that my hands rested against his chest. “But this time in my human form.”
He began moving my hands so that they slid over his pecs and down his abs.
My breath caught as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that this inhumanely beautiful man desired me.
I’d thought my first experience with sex would be with balding, overweight men who were at least a couple of decades older than me.
Instead, I was with a man who might as well have been a fallen angel.
“Your heat is building strength again.” Linc laid back on the stack of blankets and grinned up at me. “We don’t want to risk you being in pain any more than you need to. So take what you want. Use me.”
It was too tempting an offer to pass up.
The next week passed in a blur of sex, snacks, and sleep. If I ignored the constant underlying discomfort from the heat, it was the best honeymoon a girl could’ve asked for. Still, it was a relief when the demands of my heat eased.
Sneaking from the bed required me to maneuver over and under various limbs as though I were trying to sneak through security lasers in a museum. When my feet touched the wood floor, I headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth and run a comb through my hair.
Everything in the house had been designed for men who definitely had an advantage in the inches department—and I wasn’t just talking about their thrill drills. I was forced to go up on tiptoe to see my reflection in the mirror.
Leaning close, I studied my eyes. The feverish glaze had disappeared, leaving them clear and bright. The dusting of freckles across my nose and cheeks stood out against my pale skin, and my cheekbones were slightly too sharp thanks to the weight I’d lost.
That worried me, and I quickly pulled the collar of my shirt from my neck.
Glancing down, I peeked inside and groaned.
I wasn’t completely flat, but although I was still a rabbit, no one was going to be calling me Jessica.
Why is it that every time a woman loses weight, it’s the boobs that vanish first?
Letting go of the collar, I lifted the hem of the shirt. My hip bones stuck out and I could count my ribs thanks to the prominent indentations. I sighed, knowing it was going to take time for my body to recover, but hating it just the same.
Hearing the creak of the bathroom door, I turned and found Linc watching me from the doorway.
His hair stuck out at odd angles, giving him a harmless innocence that couldn’t be further from the truth.
He gave me a sleepy smile that had my heart fluttering wildly.
A sensation I didn’t recognize flooded my chest, nearly choking me.
Happiness.
Running across the wooden floor, I threw myself at him.
He grunted, surprised by the attack. “Good morning to you, too.” He swept me up into his arms.
I laughed, covering his face in kisses, drawing an amused rumble from his chest.
Linc tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. “You don’t smell like you’re in heat. So what has a wild hair up your butt?”
Leaning back, I narrowed my eyes. “Are you making a hare joke?”
“I wasn’t, but I will definitely use that in the future.” Linc cupped my face and stroked his thumb along my cheekbone. “So are you planning to tell me what’s going on?”
“Nothing.” I relaxed into his palm, enjoying his touch. “It’s just that I’m… I’m happy.”
Linc studied me for a long time, neither of us breaking the silence.
Finally, I cleared my throat. “Do you think it’s safe for us to go outside? I’ve been cooped up inside for far too long. I’m dying to get some fresh air, sunshine, and to explore my new home!”
His face lit with a genuine smile that reached all the way to his eyes. “Absolutely. Let’s grab some breakfast and head out.”
“You aren’t leaving without us!” Copeland called from the bedroom. He threw back the covers on his side of my mattress nest and sat up. “I’ll pack a picnic and we can eat by the lake.”
“There’s a lake nearby?” I asked.
Copeland nodded, stretching his arms above his head. “A small one. It’s bigger than a pond, but smaller than what most people think of when they imagine a lake.”
I squealed, unable to hide my excitement. “Swimming is one of my favorite things!”
“Rabbits can swim?” Linc asked.
“Of course we can!” I squirmed out of his arms and ran to kiss my other two mates.
“Huh.” Copeland and Linc said in unison.
“Why is everyone so surprised by that? Rabbits are great swimmers,” I huffed.
“And Charlee was the best swimmer in the burrow,” Fletcher added, beaming with pride and pulling me into his lap. “Although, once she knows where the lake is, we may never see her again.”
Scrambling off Fletcher’s lap, I grabbed his and Copeland’s hands and began dragging them from the bedroom. “Come on, Linc! Let’s go!”
“Slow down, sugar.” He followed us toward the kitchen. “It’s not far. You’ll have plenty of time to swim.”
I knew he was right, but after days spent trapped in a cave and the bedroom, I was on the verge of going stir crazy. Thankfully, breakfast was quick, and we were out the door a half hour later.
I’d thought we’d be taking a nice stroll to the lake, but the men had unanimously decided that I didn’t need to burn any more energy than was absolutely necessary.
So instead, they were giving me a tour of the land around their home from my perch on Copeland’s broad back.
I’d heard of horseback tours, but never wolfback.
Sitting astride the brown and white wolf, my fingers desperately gripped his fur as he wove between trees and leaped over fallen logs.
From the corner of my eye, I caught a blur of black and white as Fletcher darted through the thick undergrowth with the athletic ease only a rabbit could manage.
Linc’s chocolate brown wolf followed just behind us, a picnic basket clasped in his jaws.
The thick wall of trees parted, and we bounded into an open field.
Tall grass sparkled with dew as it waved gently in the breeze.
As we ran, the wolves stirred up a myriad of tiny insects and pollen around us.
With the canopy of trees no longer covering the ground, the morning sun warmed my skin and caused Copeland’s wolf to sneeze with enough violence to nearly toss me from his back.
“Ah!” I shrieked, stooping low to cling tighter to him.
Tumbling off his back while he was standing still wouldn’t hurt, but at the speed he was running, it sure wasn’t going to feel great to face plant in the dirt. Copeland barked in amusement and twisted his head to lick my face where I’d tucked it against his neck.
Linc’s wolf picked up speed, running alongside us.
His brown fur was dusted in enough pollen to make him look like an old man.
He sneezed, sending more pollen dancing in the air, and I couldn’t help but snicker when Copeland answered with a string of three sneezes in a row.
Who knew wolves could have grass allergies?
Five minutes later, his footsteps slowed, and I pushed up into a sitting position to study the landscape.
Jade-colored water stretched out in front of us, and although I could see the hazy shore on the far side of the lake, it was a lot further away than I’d anticipated.
It wasn’t much smaller than the lake I’d enjoyed swimming in whenever I snuck away from the burrow for some alone time.
“It’s bigger than I expected!” I breathed.
“That’s what she said.”
I turned just in time to catch Linc’s wink. He’d shifted and was pulling several pairs of shorts from the basket. He tossed a pair toward Fletcher, who strode out from the thick grass in his human form.
“That’s odd.” Fletcher rubbed his jaw, his expression serious. “That’s not what I remember her saying the first time she saw you two naked.”
I choked on a laugh. This earned me a grumpy huff from Copeland, and he abruptly planted his butt on the ground, sending me toppling from his back onto the ground, where I continued to giggle.