Page 35 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

B arefoot, Jude stood near the door of his bedroom, listening for sounds from the hallway.

After the dinner had finally ended, he shared a quick drink with several of his men before excusing himself, claiming he was tired.

The truth was, he wanted to take a quick shower before Danielle joined him in his bedroom.

He was done with his shower half an hour ago, but Danielle had still not shown up.

What was keeping her? He’d overheard that Priscilla was on duty to clear the dishes and tidy up the kitchen, with her brother helping her, since Danielle had done the cooking.

And she’d cooked a fine meal. However, cooking shouldn’t be her job.

As his mate, she was supposed to rule over the household, not do menial work.

After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the creaking of floorboards outside his bedroom. A moment later, the doorknob turned, and the door was pushed open quietly. Danielle, dressed in a long white bathrobe, appeared in the doorway.

She’d barely stepped inside and closed the door behind her when he pressed her against the wall, kissing her with a hunger that only she could satisfy.

When she kissed him back with the same fervor, her hands now roaming his naked upper body, he felt relief wash over him. Breathing hard, he released her lips, but kept her sandwiched between the wall and his body, the contact sending blood rushing to his cock, filling it within seconds.

“I was about to come looking for you,” he confessed. “Don’t tell me Flora made you work after dinner.”

“No, but I had to speak to Priscilla. She was upset.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” He instinctively made a step back, giving her room to breathe.

Danielle took a deep breath, while a frown built on her forehead.

“Flora. That’s what’s wrong. She announced during dinner that Priscilla and I would have to share my old cottage, so that Chase can move in with Heath, and Chase’s cottage can be used for your team.”

“The cottage where the gas explosion happened? But that’s unlivable!”

Which was beside the point: Danielle wouldn’t move anywhere else but his bedroom.

More words poured out of Danielle’s mouth, and it was clear that Priscilla wasn’t the only one who was upset.

“Flora has workers coming tomorrow to fix the cottage. She thinks it will take only a couple of days.”

“That’s impossible. I’ve seen the damage. And in any case, there’s only one bedroom in that cottage.”

Danielle put her hands to her hips. “Well, Flora expects me and Priscilla to share a bedroom.”

Jude gently cupped her shoulders. “Breathe, baby. Nothing of that is gonna happen. If Priscilla wants to continue staying with her brother, then that’s what she’ll do.

And you’re not going to live in a cottage out there.

It’s time Flora finds out that she’s not the one who makes the decisions in his household. It’s you.”

She stared into his eyes, skeptical at first. “That means we’ll have to tell her about us.”

“Not just her,” Jude said. “We’ll have to announce it to the entire family. The sooner the better. I’m sorry. I know you wanted to wait. But Flora is forcing my hand. I’m not gonna allow her to push you around like a servant.”

He expected pushback from Danielle, and he was ready to fight her on this. When she didn’t immediately protest, he brushed his fingers over her cheek.

“You okay with that?” he asked, softer now.

She smiled. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”

At her implication, his heart filled with warmth.

“You’re worried about me?” He pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I can handle the Gallaghers.”

“What about the Werewolf Alliance? What will they do?”

Probably call him back to Montana immediately. But he wasn’t going to bring that up right now. She probably guessed it anyway.

“They won’t find out for a while. We’ll announce it to the family and my team tomorrow. And then we’ll see how they react.”

“Eve will be hurt.”

He chuckled. “Eve doesn’t care for me anyway. She’ll probably be relieved that she doesn’t have to mate with me.”

“She did seem to warm up to you tonight.” Danielle cleared her throat. “She touched you.”

“When did she touch—?”

“She put her hand on your forearm after you told everybody about the Alliance’s decision about William. And then she leaned in. You know, as if she was whispering something to you…”

“You mean like I’m leaning in right now?” He brought his mouth to her ear. “I didn’t even notice it, because I was still thinking about how cozy you and Wendell looked over dinner.”

“Oh, but we just talked about the cat…”

“Mmm.” He pulled her earlobe between his lips, licking over it, before releasing it again. “See, I think all this jealousy can be avoided by us letting them know that we’re mated. Then nobody will dare touch you or flirt with you or with me, because they know we belong together.”

“Jealousy? Are you saying you were jealous of Wendell?”

“Yes. Were you jealous of Eve?”

“Well, she touched you—”

“Just answer the question,” he insisted without raising his voice.

“Just a little.”

He chuckled. “See, you’ll never have to worry about that again once Eve knows I’m taken.”

“Well, if you put it that way.”

“And by the way, I like that you’re possessive of me. It feels good to know that you want me and aren’t willing to share me.”

He pulled her back into his arms.

“That kind of quality in a woman should be rewarded.” He winked at her.

“Rewarded how?” Her coquettish smile revealed that she already guessed what he wanted to do.

“With love,” he murmured and untied the belt of her robe. “And a night of passion.”

Underneath her bathrobe, she wore only a short, thin negligee that felt like silk when he touched it.

Danielle tilted her face up to him, offering her lips.

He took them and kissed her slowly this time, but not any less passionate.

When she’d first entered the bedroom, he’d needed a quick fix for his hunger, an amuse-bouche , but now he was ready for the main course.

And he would take his time so they both could enjoy each other and deepen their intimacy.

He still had so much to discover about Danielle, and he wanted to show her all of himself, so that they could become part of each other’s lives.

He pushed the robe down her shoulders until it fell to the floor, then lifted her into his arms while continuing to kiss her.

He barely felt her weight as he carried her to the four-poster bed.

There, he severed the kiss and laid her on the sheets, while he kept his feet on the ground.

He nudged her thighs apart and bent over her.

When he met her eyes, he noticed the hunger with which she looked at him: as if she wanted to devour him.

And maybe she did. Because he’d let her.

But not before he’d driven her to ecstasy, because one thing was certain: she would never leave his bed unsatisfied. She was his highest priority.

Gripping the hem of her thin red gown, he pushed it up a few inches, just far enough so he could see that she wasn’t wearing any panties. He appreciated the gesture.

“Damn, baby, you look tasty.” He licked his lips and suddenly felt like the big bad wolf who was about to devour Little Red Riding Hood in her red negligee. “Don’t mind if I help myself, do you?”

He didn’t expect an answer to his question.

The way her eyes changed into those of a wolf was telling him all he needed to know: she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He pushed his pajama pants down, letting them pool around his bare feet.

His cock was hard and heavy, eager for her.

When he caught Danielle’s eyes drop to his erection and pull her lower lip between her teeth, he gave a slight shake of his head.

“Later.”

Gazing into her eyes, he bent over her, until his head was between her spread thighs. He filled his lungs with the aroma of her arousal, a scent so potent, so irresistible that his cock grew even harder and thicker, ready to burst.

Slowly, he lowered his eyes to her pussy and pressed his face into the dark curls, for a moment simply bathing himself in her scent, letting it engulf him like a cocoon, taking him prisoner.

On a moan, he opened his mouth and let his tongue emerge, shifting slightly, until her wet female flesh greeted him. He scooped his hands underneath her thighs and gripped her buttocks to tilt her pelvis upward.

Without rushing it, he took a long, slow swipe of his tongue along her cleft, gathering the juices that had accumulated there.

She tasted of fresh flowers, inviting him to linger.

He explored her with his lips and his tongue, mapping every ridge and every groove, every muscle and every nerve, learning what gave her the most pleasure.

Over and over, he licked her clit until all he could hear reverberating against the walls were her moans and sighs, her breaths and her heartbeat.

With her tender fingers, Danielle caressed the sensitive skin on his nape, and every so often, she dug her fingernails into his shoulders. He welcomed her touch, no matter in which form it came.

When she suddenly held onto his shoulders with more force and undulated her hips, he put more pressure on her clitoris.

A gasp tearing from Danielle’s throat announced her climax, and a split-second later he could feel her pussy spasm under his lips and tongue.

He continued licking her, gentler now to allow her to ride out her orgasm, until he felt her muscles relax. She exhaled a long breath.

“Oh, Jude, you’re… you’re…wow.”

He lifted his head and met her gaze. She’d never looked more beautiful than in the afterglow of her climax: ripe and sensual, sexy and irresistible.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he murmured, lifting himself up.

With his legs firmly on the floor, he pulled her thighs toward him, so her ass lined up with the edge of the bed.

Standing there, looking down at her, he realized that she was still wearing her negligee. But he didn’t have the patience to make her take it off. Instead, he reached for it with both hands and ripped it down the middle, the sound of tearing fabric echoing in the bedroom.

Her luscious breasts bounced, her nipples hard, the sight driving him insane with lust. Unable to hold back another second, he thrust his rock-hard cock into her warm and welcoming pussy.

“Fuck!”

Despite everything, despite her relaxed muscles and the plentiful lubrication, she was tighter than he remembered. Like a tight glove, her flesh wrapped around his erection, holding him inside her as if it were a prison cell. A cell he had no intention of ever escaping.

“You’re bigger than last night,” she claimed, wrapping her legs around him to keep him close.

“That’s because you’re even more beautiful and sexy than last night.” He withdrew his cock, then immediately sliced back into her. “And you’re mine.”

He gripped her hips with both hands, controlling her movements now, because if he wasn’t careful, he’d come too quickly.

“Now be a good woman, and let me go at my pace, because I’m on a knife’s edge right now, if you know what I mean.”

She smirked.

“You’re laughing at your man? Baby, baby, be careful now…”

She reached for his shoulders and drew him down to her.

“Take me hard, please. I need to feel you, all of you. I need to feel your strength.”

He knew he couldn’t resist her demand. His next thrust was harder and faster and elicited a loud moan from Danielle.

Her eyes lit up with excitement, and she gripped his hips.

As he plunged in and out of her in a rhythm and tempo that would make him climax sooner than he wanted, he lowered his head to hers.

“I love you, Danielle,” he professed and kissed her.

Farther below, his hips moved relentlessly, his cock diving deep into her sweet cave to drive them both to the ultimate pleasure and the kind of intimacy only fated mates could achieve.