Page 12

12

WES

Having Joy in my house this morning had thrown me off my routine. My brain had been tangled up in how to approach things with her–a problem which I hadn’t resolved, especially since my wolf had a very specific opinion–and I’d been late getting Remy to preschool.

Then, when I got to the ranch, I’d discovered I’d left my phone at home.

Not a big deal–I wasn’t the kind of guy who spent time scrolling or anything, but once the thought ran through my head that I wouldn’t be available if the preschool called, I decided after tackling the usual morning chores in the barn, I’d better run home at lunch to grab it.

I pulled up in front of the house to find–

Oh, hell no.

My mate was standing on her roof , a giant blue camping tarp in her hands, about to break her beautiful neck.

What the fuck was she doing?

I leaped out of the truck–only taking enough time to put it into park–and jogged to Joy’s house without taking my gaze from her. She had a one story home, but still, the fall had to be at least ten feet.

She was human. Breakable.

She lost her balance, dropping the tarp and pinwheeling her arms to regain it.

“Joy!” I shouted, nearly shifting to wolf form at the present danger.

She found her balance again and simply turned to give me a friendly smile. “Oh, hi, Wes.”

My heart was pounding, and my wolf was practically leaping in the air to get to her.

She stood on the roof in a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a triangle-shaped halter top that made me want to lick a line from her bare midriff straight up to one nipple.

I stood beneath her and put my hands on my hips. “Don’t you oh, hi, me, honey. What in the hell are you doin’ up on the roof?” I demanded, forgetting to dial back my aggression, which was fueled by both fear for her safety and lust for her body.

I had no right to talk to her that way.

She didn’t need to be scolded.

Yes, she did. She definitely did for being so reckless.

But she was my neighbor, not my girlfriend. My neighbor who I happened to have fucked last night. We weren’t committed to each other in any form. I wanted her to be my babysitter.

My wolf thought that was laughable. He was committed to her, but she didn’t know that. She didn’t owe me anything–including an explanation of why she chose to climb on her crumbling roof.

Apparently, she didn’t mind my grouchiness, though, because her smile broadened.

The smile that drove me crazy.

She completely ignored my question. “Can you throw me that tarp I dropped?” She pointed at the lost object.

“Throw you the– Not a chance. What happened to the crew coming to make the repairs?” I asked.

“The adjuster said they’d be by in a few days.”

A few days? So she decided to fix it temporarily herself?

“I’ll cover your roof,” I said, kicking myself for not anticipating her needs before we left this morning. “You need to get down from there before you fall or the rest of the roof caves in.”

She mimicked my stance with her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. “I can take care of it.”

“Not happening,” I countered.

“But–”

“No way while I’m living next door are you putting yourself in danger like this.”

I should apologize for being an asshole. She probably could put the tarp over the hole on her own. Nail it down. But she could fall and not heal like a shifter. Except she didn’t know that was why I was so fucking adamant.

“Oh yeah?” There was a challenge in her voice.

I was fucking this thing up. I opened my mouth in hopes the right words would come out, but then I caught sight of the outline of Joy’s nipples.

She wasn’t wearing a bra under that barely-there top, and it was clear her nipples had stiffened into points.

At what? The sight of me?

Or was it my bossiness that turned her on?

She’d called me bossy this morning, but the look she’d given me made me think she liked me in charge.

Everything I’d said since I got out of the car was me being bossy and in charge.

Fuck, yeah, honey.

I’ll be the boss of you. I’ll boss you all the way to my bed.

“Yeah,” I countered, then added, “Bad girl,” to test it out. To test her.

She squatted down to sit on the edge of the roof and kicked her feet like a kid.

She was in flip-flops. Flip flops! On a fucking roof! Cute, but not functional.

“You gonna spank me?” she challenged, cocking her head and giving me that smile again.

My dick got rock hard at her suggestive tone and wondered if her pussy was sore from the pounding I gave her the night before.

Okay. I hadn’t misread the situation. Good to know.

I sauntered over until I stood right beneath her. “That’s right, beautiful. You have two choices. Climb down that ladder or jump. Either way, if you come down right now, I’ll go easy on you.” I held out my arms to show her I would catch her.

A flush ran up her neck, and I caught the scent of her arousal on the light breeze.

“You want me to jump?”

“That’s right, honey. Jump down, and I’ll show you the consequences of your reckless behavior. It’ll be a lesson we’ll both enjoy.”

My beautiful mate. She didn’t hesitate for even a second. She just launched herself off the edge of the roof.

I caught her in my arms, bending my knees and swinging her around to soften any impact she might feel.

“Damn.” She sounded impressed.

I liked the way she was looking at me–like I had something she craved. Like I was the thing she craved.

“What about my roof?” she asked.

“I’ll get to it later. Gotta take care of you first. You’re gonna find out what happens when you give me a heart attack like that.” I carried her toward my house, flipping her to ride over my shoulder when we got to the door, so I could pull out my keys.

“What?” she shrieked as I tossed her in the air to reposition. “Oh my God. Wes, you are a beast .”

“Yes, honey, I am.” I stepped into the house and carried her to the living room where I tipped her back down to her feet at the side of my couch.

Her cheeks had flushed a pretty shade of pink from being upside down, and they made her blue eyes look bright. Her dimples creased as she looked at me, breath moving faster with excitement.

“God damn , you’re beautiful.” Through her top, I pinched one protruding nipple between the knuckles of my forefinger and middle finger. “I see you pointing at me.” Our gazes locked.

Her eyes danced with excitement.

“Turn around, Reckless.” I circled my finger in the air. “I’m going to turn your ass red.”

She hesitated. “Um, where’s Remy?”

“Preschool.” I waited, wanting to be sure she truly consented after that answer. That she wanted this. When she slowly turned to face the couch, I filled both my hands with her soft ass and squeezed.

“Good girl,” I praised, reaching around to the front of her hips to unbutton her shorts. “Let’s get these off you, so I can see my handprints when I spank you.”

Her fingers came to mine, so I stopped, again, waiting for consent.

Neither of us moved for a moment. “Take them off,” I murmured in her ear then waited for her obedience.

She instantly complied, like the glorious, sweet thing she was. She unbuttoned and unzipped her jean shorts and pushed them down her hips, along with her panties. They hit the floor, and she stepped out of them.

“That’s it, honey. Just like that.” I caught her wrists and pulled them gently behind her back, then pushed her torso down over the side of the overstuffed sofa arm. It made a perfect bolster for hips.

Holding her wrists pinned to her lower back, I spent a moment admiring her perfect ass–stroking my free hand in a circle around her twin globes. Then I drew it back and gave her a smack.

I went light because she was human, and I would hate to actually hurt her.

When she didn’t make a sound, I went harder, slapping the other cheek.

This time she gasped. I stayed at that intensity, spanking one side and then the other for a half-dozen quick spanks.

I was going for a little sting, not anything that would scare her. I stopped to rub, allowing my fingers to slide between her legs.

“You’re dripping wet, honey.” I dragged my fingers through her nectar and tasted it. “I fucking love the way you taste.”

I released her wrists and spun her around to face me. She reached for my belt buckle and undid it.

“You want my cock again, Joy? I thought you might need a break after the way you rode it last night.”

She licked her lips as she lowered to her knees. “My mouth doesn’t need a break.” She unzipped me.

“Oh, damn. Dayum .” I wrapped my fingers around her messy bun. “Hell, yes, honey.” I helped her by freeing my erection.

She gripped the base and opened her plump lips, then extended her tongue and dragged the head of my cock down it.

A shudder of pleasure ran through me.

“Fuck,” I muttered. She made such a beautiful sight kneeling at my feet in nothing but her little halter top, her ass pink with my handprints.

She dragged her tongue around the rim of the head of my cock. The warm heat of her mouth mixed with the cooling effect of the air, creating an exquisite sensation. By the time she took the whole head in her mouth, I was nearly ready to burst.

“Oh, Joy,” I groaned. “You’re killing me, honey. It’s too good.”

She lifted her gaze to mine, smiling around my cock before she took me deeper.

This woman was incredible. Not just the blowjob, but the woman giving it. The spontaneous, brilliant ray of sunshine that practically blinded me.

I wanted more of her.

Not just her body, but her heart. Her soul. I wanted her secrets. To find out what made her laugh but, also, what made her cry.

And something about that thought–the idea that I could have it all with Joy–suddenly made the idea of not having her even more devastating.

I didn’t just have to protect my kid’s heart in this situation.

I had to protect my own.

I expelled all of those thoughts and instead focused on the pleasure she was offering me. My bold, bright neighbor was taking me as deep as she could. Sucking hard as she pulled back, humming as she went in.

She was destroying me.

“Fuck, Joy,” I muttered. “Fuck.”

She moved her mouth faster over my cock.

I tightened my hold on her bun. “Honey, you’re driving me crazy.” My breath hitched. “You gotta tell me right now if you want me to come on your face or if you want me to bend you back over that couch and fuck you hard for being such a bad girl.”

That got her excited. She pulled off and sat back on her heels, her jaw slack. Her fingers went between her legs to rub. She needed some attention down there.

I reached for her elbows to pull her to stand and turned her toward the sofa.

“Oh, God,” she murmured when I pushed her back over.

“You want it deep, honey?”

“Um…”

“You’re gettin’ it deep. Deep and hard.” I pushed her ass cheeks wide and dropped to my knees to taste her sweet pussy. She was dripping wet–even wetter than she’d been after her spanking. Definitely ready to take me.

Still, I took my time tasting her, memorizing her tang, and loving the little moans she made.

I stood up behind her and dragged the head of my cock through her juices, nudging gently at her entrance. She was open and slick, and I slid right in.

“Oh, honey. I can’t decide which I love more–your mouth or your gloriously juicy cunt.”

She arched her back and took me deeper.

“Mmm, good girl. You want to take every inch of me, don’t you?”

She moaned her assent.

“Such a good girl.” I slid my fingers around the front of her throat, not squeezing, but holding her loosely there as I rocked in and out of her. I pulled her torso up, so she was arched beautifully.

She loved it. She cried out, releasing even more arousal around my cock.

“Yeah, you wanna come all over my cock again, don’t you, honey?” I found a steady rhythm.

“Yes,” she moaned.

“You want me to give it to you harder?”

“Yes, please.”

I pushed in harder, slapping my thighs into her ass.

She let out a little cry.

“Like that, honey? Or was that too hard?” I did it again.

“It’s good,” she moaned. “It’s so good.”

I picked up my speed, plowing into her now. The room filled with the sounds of flesh slapping flesh, her slickness dripping down around my balls. I was getting dizzy with need.

Oh fuck. It wasn’t just the need to come. My canine teeth had elongated slightly and were coated with serum. My wolf wanted to mark her.

If I’d had any doubt that she was my mate, it vanished now. One quick bite, and she’d be mine forever.

But, of course, I couldn’t do it without her understanding. Without her consent. And arriving at that consent was a problem I didn’t quite know how to tackle.

I closed my lips around my teeth and drew in a deep breath through my nostrils, trying to rein in my wolf.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever, I reminded myself. I had to stay vigilant. Keep our hearts–Remy’s and mine–out of the game until I was sure it could work.

“Please,” Joy begged.

Oh, fuck. My mate was begging? She needed me to give her satisfaction while I was thinking about protecting my heart. What kind of jackass was I?

I reached around to the front of her hips and put the pad of my index finger over her clit.

“Don’t come until I tell you,” I growled in her ear.

She cried out at the sensation of her most sensitive part being touched. “Wh-what? Why?” she practically wailed. She was desperate to come.

“Because I’m in charge. When I tell you it’s time, you’re gonna come all over my cock. As hard as you’ve ever come in your life. Understand?”

She nodded frantically.

I fucked her hard as I tapped her clit with my finger. “Ready…”

My balls drew up tight. I was as desperate to release as Joy. “Set…”

“Please!” she wailed.