Page 16 of Timber Hollow

16

Cookies

A fter the pizzas were delivered, Jay had to go back to the Packhouse. Apparently, he found it necessary to tell the Alpha about our little guest. Saint went with him, leaving Dante and me alone. He retreated into his room, so eventually, I did the same. And that had been hours ago.

I try to pass the time by reading, attempting to finish the trilogy I've been working on but the words on the page don't hold my attention for longer than a sentence or two at a time. Eventually, I give up on that as well, slamming the book down on the nightstand. My mind keeps drifting in every direction, anxiety pooling in my chest. The clock on the nightstand indicates that it's now a little after eleven. Jay and Saint still haven't returned.

Go to sleep, they will be fine. My wolf grumbles at me like I've woken her up.

I can't.

Try. She grumbles back, golden eyes disappearing into the black. I roll my eyes at her.

Still, it takes me another twenty minutes of tossing and turning around in bed before I finally toss the blankets off. I need to get up. I need to do something. So I grab one of my Coyote Bills t-shirts from the drawer and toss it over my head, making my way down to the kitchen. I asked Ivy for this one specifically, gloriously oversized. I think it had been a mis-order or something because I don’t think anyone at the bar takes a 4XL.

Cookies. I want to make cookies. Saint likes to cook. I’m willing to bet he has all the ingredients downstairs.

It only takes a moment to gather all the things I need. There are chocolate chips as well as peanut butter chips in the cupboard, so I decide to put them both in the dough. The stove is unfamiliar since I haven’t had a chance to cook for myself here. Not that I'm complaining, but it does take a minute to find the damned preheat button.

This has to be the fastest I've ever put together a batch of cookies in my entire life. It's been a while, of course. The servants at the Estate always had freshly baked cookies stocked, so I never really had a chance to do it myself.

Twenty minutes after walking downstairs, there are four sheets of cookies in the large, commercial-sized oven. I have nothing else to do than clean up while I wait for them, so I start doing just that. Thankful, at least that the timer isn’t annoyingly difficult to set. By the time I’m considering starting the dishes, tossing utensils in the sink I hear the rumble of Jay's car in the driveway.

My heartbeat skyrockets, thudding in my ears, shaking my chest.

Jay and Saint enter the house, and it sounds like Saint is going up to bed. Jay’s footsteps are still in the hallway, not on the staircase. And now, I can't help but think of the night I led Jay up the stairs, s pent all night next to him, and then woke up alone.

Artemis Hunt, you are in entirely too deep.

When Jay walks into the kitchen, he has his hand on the back of his neck, a tired expression on his face. As soon as he sees it’s me in there in the middle of the night, Jay asks, "Hey. What are you doing up?" While tucking his hand back into his pocket.

"Couldn't sleep," I answer, hopping up onto the island counter.

Jay looks around, clearly trying to make out what I've been doing. "Cookies?"

"Yep. They'll be ready soon." I reply, glancing towards the screen that indicates six minutes are remaining on the timer.

"Nice," Jay replies, and I hear the shower being turned on upstairs. The rush of water through pipes in an otherwise quiet house.

"Mhm… how'd it go with Magnus?" I ask, picking the skin around my thumbnail.

"About how you'd expect."

"So how long do I have to leave?"

Jay looks sharply at me, eyebrows lowered. 'Why would you say that?"

"I mean… Magnus made it pretty clear that he's not a fan of my return, and so has Helena, and guessing by the amount of people at her baby shower thing she's relatively popular here, and then Ethan came and made trouble and then you guys went against Magnus to run with me, and-" Once the words start, I can’t stop. All of my worries just keep pouring out. Jay walks over to me as I ramble at him, fingers trembling as I pick at a loose thread on the hem of the big tee I'm wearing.

"Artemis. You're not being kicked out of the pack. It's not like humans don't regularly come to town for the festival and the store. It's fine. I told Magnus because the douche canoe threatened you. He threatened a member of this pack."

I take a sharp breath, still not enough to fill my lungs. "And what about you guys running with me?"

"That's nothing for you to worry about, Gorgeous. I always ran with you when we were kids, he knows that. Don't worry about us."

"But-" I start to argue, but Jay prevents me from speaking again with a hand cupped around my jaw, thumb held to my lips.

"But nothing. You have nothing to worry about." Jay says, his thumb smoothing over my bottom lip. His hand feels like a brand, sending searing warmth straight to my toes.

Staring into Jay's mercurial blue-green eyes, I bite my lip. The moment feels heavy somehow, my heartbeat thudding in my ears. Jay's thumb shifts again, pulling my lip free from my teeth.

"Don't do that." He says, blue-green eyes flashing.

"Why?"I whisper.

"Because it makes me think you want me to kiss you," Jay grumbles, watching me. Like a slow dance, I widen my legs, biting down on my bottom lip again. Jay doesn’t hesitate to shift forward, hips flush to the counter between my thighs. Then he tilts my head back, just a little. My hands find the planes of his stomach, gripping his shirt in fists. "Is that what you want?" He grumbles, eyes shifting.

"Yes." I’m breathless, my heart frantically pounding in my chest. Silently I beg him to do more than just kiss me.

"All you had to do was ask," Jay says roughly before lowering his mouth to mine. He threads his hands through my hair and kisses me like he’s never to see me again. It's all-consuming, without room for anything but him . Jay doesn't waste time before he's deepening the kiss, tongue dancing with mine.

Yes, yes, yes, is all I can think about as Jay’s hands roam my back, sliding me closer to him. My legs wrap around his waist, hands wandering under his shirt to claw at his skin. When Jay trails his mouth down my jaw and neck, I moan loudly, earning a delighted chuckle from him.

"Yeah, you still like that, don't you baby girl?" He murmurs against my neck, teeth nipping the sensitive spot that sends goosebumps racing down my spine.

" Yes," I moan, tilting my head back to give him better access.

" Good girl." He groans, his hand drifting farther up my thigh, underneath the shirt. Instead of going between my legs though, his hand coasts over my hip, grabbing my ass and roughly yanking me forward. I squeak before Jay reclaims my mouth. I’m barely resting on the edge of the counter, so I settle back on my elbows, meeting Jay's intense kiss. I rock my hips against him, wanting more .

My head is nearly resting on the counter, my neck entirely exposed to his exploration. But still, I want more, more, more. Jay's hands roam further under my shirt, spanning my rib cage and just barely dusting the edges of the royal purple lace bralette I have on. I'd started wearing matching sets since the full Moon for this exact reason.

Shifting my weight to one arm, I tug Jay's shirt over his head, tossing it to the ground. He doesn’t waste time before he's covering me again, kissing his way up my neck and resettling in between my thighs. And then, the timer for the cookies dings, making me jolt.

Jay laughs.

"Shut up, I forgot about it." I mummer against his neck, arching my back when he palms my breast in one large hand.

Jay laughs again but steps away from me. "What are you doing?" I immediately blurt, hoping he isn’t going to stop now.

"Letting you up to check on the cookies." He says, adjusting his jeans, a hungry look in his eye.

"Oh," I say, clearing my throat and straightening my shirt. But, I get up and see that the cookies look perfectly browned but still gooey in the center. It only takes a moment to locate the oven mitts in a nearby drawer and take the trays out. The flaky salt is up on the highest shelf of the spice cabinet, so I have to stand on tippy toes to get it out and sprinkle it over the tops.

I feel Jay's presence at my back before he says anything, the electric charge to the air. "All done?" He asks in that gravelly voice that sends shivers down my spine.

"Yup."

"My turn." He demands, hands on my hips as he spins me in place. In an instant, I'm on him. He lifts me easily, my legs circling his waist once again, our lips already locked together. He groans into my mouth, fingers indenting my ass. Too soon, he sets me back down on the island, this time ripping my shirt over my head, and tossing it to the floor with his own. "Mmh, you're so fucking hot," he says, taking in the lacy matching set, his hands coasting down my entire body, making me lay back against the counter. Then he's kissing me again, exploring my body with his hands.

I moan when he palms my breast. He earns a gasp when he bites down on my neck and tweaks my nipple at the same time. Jay's going so slow it's driving me positively mad . I can't help but compare it to how we used to be, fast and dirty at every opportunity available. This is like he's savoring it.

That particular train of thought will send me spiraling– and I don't want to think.

So when Jay starts moving his mouth down my collarbone, I moan loudly again, rocking my hips against the bulge in his jeans. When he hooks his thumbs on my underwear though, I remember where we are.

"Wait-" I say, and Jay freezes.

"We can't-not on the counter." I blurt, legs still locked around his waist.

“That’s not an issue.”

“I made a huge mess, I should clean up.”

"Do you actually want me to stop or are you just worried about the mess? Because I'll stop if that's what you want. But if you're just worried about the kitchen, don't. I'll clean it later." Jay says, leaning over me, but his hands haven't moved. He hasn’t moved an inch since I said wait.

"But— Jay, your friends eat here," I say, but without much conviction.

"I'm going to eat here too." Jay grins, eyes flicking down my body and back up in a heartbeat. "I'll clean it later. If you think I'm going to stop now when you want me? Absolutely not."

"And if one of them comes downstairs?" I question, hoping he doesn't notice the way my heart skips a beat.

"What if?" He answers, unconcerned.

"And gets an eye full of us? Of me?"

"Darlin, I don't do jealousy," Jay says, smirking at me.

"I don't know what that means," I growl back.

"What are you worried about? Do you not want them to see us? Because we can go upstairs, but I don't mind the thought of them seeing you take every inch of me, seeing you cum hard on my dick." Jay says, rocking forward against my center, showing me exactly how hard every inch of him had become.

I moan at the contact, debating for one single second before I say "Oh, just fuck me already Jay. "

Jay groans back "That's my good girl" before he rips my underwear free, making me gasp. His mouth leaves hot wet kisses behind as he moves down my body, capturing my nipple under the lace in his mouth. His tongue flicks over the peaked flesh, and I arch into him, giving him more. My nails rasp against his skin, his scalp when I thread my fingers through the short strands at the back of his neck, wishing it was just a little longer like he used to wear it. The movement earns me a groan, Jay still slowly working his way down my body. He kisses my hip bone, then my thigh, then the other one. Then, he hooks my legs over his shoulder and lowers his mouth to my center.

I moan, widening my hips for him, rocking into his mouth. Jay groans back, licking and sucking at my clit. One hand drifts over me, pulling the cups to the bralette down to bare my breasts. The other caresses my hip and ass, his thumb just barely brushing my center.

His eyes are electric from where he peers up at me between my thighs, intense and determined.

"Fuck, Jay-" I moan, dropping my head back on the countertop.

"Oh, I will Darlin'. I will." He murmurs, replacing his mouth with his fingers, rubbing my clit in slow circles before he plunges them deep in me, mouth resealing around my clit. It makes my back arch off the table, a loud moan rolling out of my lips. "That's it, let me hear you."

"Fuck, oh, fuck that feels good— Jay!" I babble, unable to form anything more coherent, threading my fingers through his hair, and holding him in place.

"Yea? You wanna cum, don't you baby girl?" He rumbles, fingers crooking inside of me to hit a new spot.

"Fuck, yes, please, can I cum?" I moan, holding the edge of the counter in a white-knuckle grip.

"Cum for me, pretty girl. Cum all over my face." Jay says, and I moan-nearly scream when he sucks hard on my clit, orgasm slamming through me. "That's a good girl," Jay murmurs, still lapping at my center in slow strokes, carrying me through the aftershocks.

When Jay steps away from the counter and begins unzipping his pants I move quickly, going to my knees before him and taking off the bralette. If my memory is any good, I know exactly what he will want next. Immediately, his eyes darken, and I bite my lip.

"Open your mouth." Jay orders, and I obey. He groans when I suck the fat tip of his cock into my mouth, flattening my tongue to take as much of him as I can. His hand grips the back of my head, helping me move up and down the considerable length of him, stroking him with my hands as I move. "Yea, just like that baby girl, just like that-" He groans, eyes fluttering closed with every stroke.

Then Jay is moving again, hauling me up and pushing my spine against the counter. "How do you want it?" he asks, peppering my collarbone and neck with kisses.

The question makes something pang in my chest that I can’t define. "It doesn't matter, just fuck me, Jay."

"Impatient?"

"Something like that," I answer, sealing my mouth over his to prevent him from talking anymore.

He breaks the kiss though, saying "Hold on I have to go get a con-"

I halt his retreat by grabbing him by the dick, stoking him slowly. Then I whisper "No, you don't."

Jay's eyes close for half a second, before they're open, and entirely focused on me. "Why?"

"Because I can't have kids. It was one of the first things I took care of when I left." My answer is simple. It’s Jay’s potential response that fills me with dread. The question of what if he wants them blares like an alarm in my mind for one single second before I push it away. Now is not the time for that.

"Really?"

I gulp before saying "Really really."

Jay's eyelids lower, that flash of his wolf rising and a lazy smile once more in place. His hand replaces mine as he strokes himself, watching me. "So I can fill you up all I want?"

There's no hiding the rising flush to my cheeks, so I shift my hips answering with a simple " yes."

"That's my good girl," Jay says, lining his cock up to my entrance, hooking one of my legs over his shoulder.

"I'm not really all that good, Jay-" I start to say, moaning when his hips surge forward, his cock sliding in inch by glorious inch. "Oh, fuck! " I groan, seriously wondering how I’d forgotten exactly how big he is.

"You look pretty good from here, Gorgeous." Jay chuckles, moving his hips in slow, controlled movements, kissing up the column of my neck, letting me stretch around him.

"Mother fucker-" I gasp, clawing at his back. Jay laughs against my neck, speeding up his movements.

"Yeah, feels good doesn't it, baby girl?" He agrees, kissing up my neck. Then he starts pulling almost all the way out before rushing back in, burying himself to the hilt. At a leisurely pace, he lets his hands roam across my body, caressing my skin–reacquainting himself with my curves and dips. I can't help but arch into his touch, rocking my hips with his slow movements.

"Mmh, yes-" I moan, threading my fingers through the short strands of his hair. Jay groans in agreement, closing his mouth over my nipple, his teeth graze the peaked bud, shivers racing over my skin.

Jay keeps up those slow movements, turning my breathing ragged and making me desperate for him to move faster— harder. When I voice the demand, he says "Who said you're in control here, Darlin?" To punctuate his point he pulls back, sliding home agonizingly slow.

"Who said you were?" I sass back at him, raking my nails down his back, angling my hips for him when he lets my leg slip off his mountainous shoulder. Even I can't hide how my breath shakes, how my eyes roll back every time he does that.

Jay laughs a dark chuckle that once again sends goosebumps racing over my skin. Then he wraps a hand around my neck, the other cradling the back of my head. "Oh, I think we both know the answer to that, Gorgeous." He says, squeezing my neck and then unleashing himself. He's still going slow, but he's going deep and hard.

"fuck-" I pant, eyes rolling back.

"Yeah, that's it. Take it." Jay groans, rolling his hips. "So submissive, aren't you?"

I growl " No," eyes snapping open, gripping his arm around my neck. Not to remove it, just because I need to hold on to something.

"Don't look that way from here, you're being so good for me ." He groans, releasing the back of my head in favor of circling my clit, dragging his hips out, and slamming back in.

"It's a fluke." I pant, tension coiling in my core, legs locked around his waist.

" We'll see." Is all Jay replies before he picks up speed, giving me exactly what I asked for, squeezing my neck, and fucking me relentlessly. My back arches off of the counter, and he sucks a nipple into his mouth again.

"Fuck- Jay!" I moan, release barreling through me like a freight train. Without losing rhythm, Jay captures both of my hands in one of his larger ones, holding them above my head.

"So fucking hot," he murmurs before kissing me, tongue dancing with mine, his hips slowing back down into that agonizingly slow pace. My legs start to shake, another orgasm not that far off if he keeps doing that.

"You're not too bad yourself, big guy," I answer when Jay kisses down my neck, biting on that sensitive spot.

"Are you going to cum for me again, Gorgeous?" Jay asks, hand moving down to circle my clit. I suck in a gasp, moving my hips in time with his movements even more desperately.

"Maybe" I pant, "are you going to make me?" I ask, kissing and sucking down his neck, biting on his shoulder just like he does to me. I want to leave marks on him, see the proof of this on him the next day.

Jay chuckles again and then he's kissing me, pulling a leg back up and over his shoulder. It gives him even deeper access, and he gladly makes use of it. "Fuck, baby girl-" Jay groans, thumb still circling my clit.

"Mmmm-" I moan into his mouth, "don't stop, don't stop!" I beg, completely at his mercy. And I fucking love it.

My plea makes Jay chuckle, but he listens–slamming his hips into me, that thumb circling round and round- his mouth trailing wet hot kisses down my neck, biting and sucking. I can't seem to breathe, my lungs frozen in my chest.

"Oh, shit that's tight," Jay moans, feeling how every single muscle in my body had gone tight, squeezing him as I dangled on the edge of orgasm. "Cum for me, baby girl. Do it."

And I do, my head slamming back into the counter, my back arching sharply. My thighs flutter and then Jay's moaning and pumping deep and hard into me. "Yes-yes, yes- give it to me," I pant, clawing at his back when he releases my hands.

Jay captures my mouth again in a deep kiss, his movements even more desperate and then with a groan, his forehead dropping to my chest Jay cums, slamming into me to the hilt one more time.

Neither of us move for a few moments, breathing heavily. When Jay lays his head down on my chest, his ear to my heart he chuckles again, still fully seated inside me.

"What?"

"Your heart sounds like it's going to explode." Jay chortles.

"Compliments to the chef." I sass, shifting my hips. Jay’s still rock -hard. It’s distracting.

"Oh, so you were thinking about Saint?" Jay murmurs, shifting his hips in response.

"No," I gasp when his tongue flicks my nipple, his hips flexing again. "-you idiot."

"Just checking." Jay snarks, withdrawing a little more, pushing his cock back in with force. A groan slips out of his lips, and then he's moving again, coaxing my hips into the same rhythmic movements. "Yeah, you want more, don't you baby girl?"

"Who can blame me when you're doing-" a gasp leaves me when he fucks me hard and deep once before going back to those slow-rolling hips,"- that."

"Well, who can blame me when you look like this?" Jay murmurs, kissing up my throat again to capture my lips. And then we're moving again, a different sort of desperation driving our movements.

When he lifts me from the counter, I lock my legs around his hips. My back hits a wall for a few moments, and Jay hooks both my legs over his elbows, pistoning into me with savage precision.

"Fuck- that's deep-" I gasp, clawing at his shoulders.

"You can take it."

"You're-fucking-right-I-can" I pant, my words punctuated by his hips slamming into mine. Then we're moving again, into the living room, where he collapses on the couch with me on top of him.

"Ride me," Jay demands, already moving my hips with his hands.

"Awfully demanding." I sass, but doing as he asks anyway, rocking my hips back as I sink down on each and every inch of him over, and over.

"Yeah, but you like it." He answers, slapping my ass a moment later. "Don't you?" Jay’s eyes are electric, dark, and demanding as he drinks down every inch of my exposed skin.

I gasp at the sting, but answer him with a cool " maybe ."

"That's what I thought." He says, slapping the other ass cheek, reclining back with his hands behind his head. Still moving his hips in time with my movements, Jay says "Fuck that big cock, baby. Let me see you take it."

"Fuck, that's hot," I mumbled not even meaning to voice the thought.

"Yeah, you are," Jay replies, his blue eyes flashing in the dark.