Curving himself over her, Jesse slid an arm around her waist and spoke into her ear as he plunged in and out. “This is my pussy, Harley. You’re never gonna take it away from me again. You can’t. It doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to me. Every part of you does.” He fucked her harder, driving home his words—wanting them written on her soul. He could feel the telling tingle in the base of his spine. No, he wasn’t ready yet.
Jesse pulled out of her, yanked her upright, spun her around, and tossed her onto the bed. Then he dragged her to him, hooked her legs over his shoulders, and thrust back inside her, groaning as she rippled around him. “I want to look at your face when you come.”
He fucked in and out of her like a man possessed. The sight of her there—all flushed and restless with her nipples rock hard, her eyes sex drunk, and her mouth swollen—pushed him that much closer to coming. “Give me your throat.”
She bared her teeth. “I told you before, if you need that, then go get yourself a submissive.”
“The only thing I need is you.” He looked at where their bodies were joined, watching her pussy suck him back in again and again. As she began to tighten around him, he growled, “Fight it.”
“Can’t,” she rasped.
“Fight it.” He draped himself over her, spreading her legs wide and plunging even deeper. “Tell me who you belong to, Harley. Fucking tell me or I swear to God I’ll pull out and come all over you!”
With a resigned growl, she ground out, “I’m yours, you motherfucking, pushy bastard!”
“Never forget it.” He bit her neck, sinking his teeth deep and tasting blood. As she screamed and her pussy contracted around him, he licked and sucked, making a definitive mark that told the world she was mated, that she was his. That thought threw him into a climax so fucking powerful it hurt. He buried his face in her neck, jammed his cock deep, and exploded, shooting jet after jet of come inside her. It went on and on and on, vibrating through him.
Shaking, Jesse slowly slid out of her and collapsed at her side, heart racing. Fuck, he’d never come that hard or that long. And he’d never felt that satisfied. It went bone deep, fed his soul. Dragging his mate—his mate—against him, he stroked his thumb over his bite. It was done. She was his.
Of course, she could try denying his claim, could refuse to claim him in return, and could even choose to leave. Those thoughts would have sent him in a blind panic if he didn’t fully believe that Harley was content right where she was. If she needed time, he’d give it to her . . . even if it would make his wolf go insane. The animal intensely felt the absence of the mating bond. Until he and Harley imprinted, there wouldn’t be one, but Jesse was resolute that they would one day be fully mated, bond and all.
Panting, Harley lay in his arms. Limp. Sated. And satisfied on a level that wasn’t just sexual. Her cat was practically curled up in a ball of contentment. He’d claimed her. Jesse Dalton had claimed her. She expected him to complain that she hadn’t claimed him right back, but he seemed content enough to play with the mark on her throat. When she looked up, she realized . . . “You’re staring again.”
“I’ll stare at my mate all I want.” Threading a hand in her hair, he kissed and ate at her mouth, loving the taste of her. A growl of masculine satisfaction rose up his chest. “I missed you.”
“I don’t see how. I mean, apparently you’ve been stalking me.”
“Stalking? No. I just kept myself . . . well informed on your whereabouts.”
She snorted. “I should be mad about that. Why aren’t I mad?”
“Because you get me,” he said simply. “You know I did it because I was set on protecting you; it’s how I’m wired.” And she accepted and dealt with him. Rolling her onto her back, he said, “You missed me. Admit it.”
“Maybe a little.”
Humming, he lapped at her mark. Three years. Three fucking years, and now she was here—in his bed, exactly where she belonged, marked and claimed. Jesse pinned her gaze. “I won’t let you go.” He’d been possessive of her before. Now? Fuck, he was dangerously possessive. He knew for a fact that if anyone tried to come between them, they wouldn’t live long.
“I’m beginning to realize that, considering you just claimed me.”
“My wolf is pissed that you didn’t return the claim; he doesn’t understand the issues around the matter.” Their animals were too elemental in their way of thinking.
She smoothed her hands over his broad shoulders. She could touch him now whenever she wanted; he was hers. “You’re not pissed?”
“I understand why you’re hesitating. You wouldn’t just be claiming me; you’d be claiming a different way of life. If you need time, you take it. But I’ll only give you so much time. There’s only so long a guy can wait for his mate to claim him.”
Mate . . . She’d really never expected to hear Jesse call her that. It was a little surreal. “You were right in what you said earlier. I wasn’t happy living among a race where I always had to hide half of who I was. But I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself because that left me the option of giving into my cat and joining a pride. I don’t associate prides or packs with anything good. The fact is that I’ve never really had a place in either the human or shifter world.”
“You have a place with me.” He slid his hands under her back to hold her tighter to him. “Joining the pack won’t mean turning your back on Tess and the rest of your human family who were there for you all these years. It just means extending your family.”
“Not to them. Tess would respect my decision if she thought I was happy. But not my grandparents.”
“If they’ll only love you if you deny half of yourself, they’re not truly family and it’s not real love.”
Yeah, but they had still accepted her into the family . . . though sometimes she’d wondered if they’d done it just to piss Lily off.
“If I thought for even a moment that my pack wouldn’t accept and protect you, I’d leave with you. You’ll have problems with Kathy at first. She doesn’t like change and she sees threats to the pack everywhere. But I have a lot of respect for her because, although her mate died, she hung on and survived the breaking of the mating bond so she could raise Nick, Eli, and Roni.”
Having lived with a mother who wasn’t strong enough to survive restricted contact with her mate, Harley could also respect Kathy for that.
“I swear to you right now that if you can’t be happy here, we’ll leave together. I’m just asking you to try for me, baby.”
She inhaled a deep breath. “Okay.”
The last bit of tension left him. “Good girl.”
Bones snapped and popped, and suddenly Harley had a very large gray wolf standing over her, licking at her jaw. Smiling, she petted his neck. “You’re going to get fur on the bed.”
The wolf nipped her chin and then jumped off the bed. His eyes flashed human—there was both a challenge and an invitation there. And then the wolf took off running.
Harley shifted as she rose from the bed, releasing her cat so she could play with her mate.
The small cat did a long stretch, fitting into her skin. She padded down the stairs and tracked the scent of her male. As she walked through the lodge, she rubbed against the furniture and doorways, scent marking her home. Satisfied, she followed his scent out of the lodge and to the forest, where he waited. She slowly walked toward him. Then she abruptly veered left and ran. She clambered up a tree, out of reach, and easily swung from one branch to another by her flexible front and hind paws, enticing him to play.
The gray wolf kept pace with her as he charged through the forest, leaping over thick roots and logs. The wildlife scattered as he passed. His mate was fast. Agile. But he knew his territory well and navigated it easily. When she finally leapt to the ground, he came at her from the front. The female halted, panting. She was graceful. Strong. His.
The little cat sprang at the wolf and bit into his neck hard enough to mark him. He marked her right back. They wrestled, pounced, a
nd played until she tired. Though happy, she still mourned the absence of the mating bond. Lamented that they were not true mates. And, like her human half, hoped that imprinting would one day bind them.
CHAPTER SIX
Harley and Jesse chose to spend the rest of the day catching up and enjoying time alone, so she didn’t meet the rest of the pack until the next morning when they had breakfast at the main lodge. Not exactly eager to spend time with a bunch of people who, for the most part, didn’t want her there, Harley would have happily spent another day at Jesse’s lodge. However, he wanted her to meet the rest of the pack. As she didn’t want them to think she was hiding, she agreed. So now they sat at the long table, helping themselves to the selection of food that Kathy placed in the center.
Jesse had wasted no time in making his claim on her clear. He hadn’t said a word, just brushed aside her hair so that the bite was visible. A few people sucked in a stunned breath, but most didn’t look surprised; that didn’t mean they were all fine with it. Nick, Derren, Eli, and Caleb exchanged “this could be bad” looks. As Jesse had predicted, Kathy wasn’t at all happy and made it clear in a pathetically passive-aggressive way.
Harley ignored her, which seemed to only increase her frustration. Harley suspected the woman would snap at some point and spout whatever was on her mind. How tedious. Jesse also ignored it. He focused on Harley, constantly touching her—stroking her hair, holding her hand, tracing her claiming mark, or curving his arm around her to run his fingers along her collarbone.
She’d expected Jesse to be possessive, but she hadn’t expected him to be so blatant about it. Shifters were easy about touch when it came to people they trusted, but she’d never known Jesse to be touchy-feely. Of course, the constant touching was also a protective display. He was communicating to every wolf in that room that she wasn’t to be harmed, verbally or physically. It was . . . nice. She wasn’t used to nice when it came to relationships. She was used to assholes.
It was a shame that the dog wasn’t around, since at least he liked her. But apparently Bruce went roaming for days at a time.
Leaning back in his chair, Derren spoke to Jesse. “You wasted no time in claiming Harley, did you?”
Jesse blinked. “Why would I?”
Ally chuckled. “Why indeed.”
Derren’s gaze cut to Harley. “You don’t seem to have returned the claim. But I’m guessing, since you haven’t covered the bite with makeup, that you’ve accepted his claim on you.”
Harley sipped at her coffee, returning his stare boldly.
He arched a brow. “No answer?”
“I didn’t realize there was a question,” she said.
Ally snickered. “Don’t mind him, Harley, he’s—”
Splat.
As a slice of toast slapped Jesse’s chest, he sighed at the two pups. In reality, he was amused that—despite the constant reprimands—the pups seemed to find it necessary to engage in a food fight with each other every morning. However, he’d find it much more amusing if their aim was better and the food didn’t accidentally hit him.
Eyes twinkling, Willow kept her hand over her mouth to hold in her laugh. Cassidy had her head down to hide her amusement, but her little shoulders were shaking.
Nick gave them both an exasperated look and tugged on one of his daughter’s curls. “Enough, you two. Apologize to Jesse.”
The pups both turned to him, eyes still gleaming, and said in unison, “Sorry, Jesse.”
He snorted. “No, you’re not.”
They giggled and, predictably, resumed their food fight.
Harley looked up as Kim and an unfamiliar brunette entered. A hush fell, as if everyone was waiting to see how this would play out.
Thin and gaunt, the brunette stared down at Harley, an ugly twist to her mouth. “So Kim was right. And here I was thinking that Jesse would never betray his sister’s memory that way.”
Harley turned to Jesse. “Who’s that?”
The woman’s eyes flared. “Who’s that?”
“Bracken’s mom,” said Jesse, stifling a smile. But he could see that Harley didn’t remember her any more than she remembered Kim. Of course, he’d known Bracken’s mother would have a few things to say about Harley’s presence. The woman wasn’t cruel or blinkered, but she was very opinionated. If she had something to say on a matter, you were going to hear about it. It meant she could come across as harsh at times and tended to rub most people the wrong way.
“This is my mom, Nat, and my sister Kim,” Bracken told Harley as they took their seats. “I take it I don’t need to introduce Harley.”
Nat opened her mouth, no doubt ready to spout off something offensive, and Ally quickly suggested, “Maybe someone should take the pups to the play area now that they’re done with breakfast.” Both pups had sensed the tension and were staring at Nat, wide-eyed.
Nick rose to his feet. “Eli and I will.” Switching from wary to excited in a heartbeat, the pups scrambled out of the room with the males close behind them.
Jesse arched a brow at Nat when she started to speak. “No. I’m not interested in hearing bullshit, and I won’t tolerate you insulting my mate.”
Eyes bulging, Kim glared at Jesse. “You’ve claimed her?”
Looking a little off balance, Nat stroked a hand over her perfectly coifed hair. “Jesse . . . I’m without words.”
“Well, that’s a first,” muttered Bracken, earning himself a scowl from his mother.
“I just don’t understand,” said Kim, shaking her head.
Harley picked up her mug. “We don’t require you to.” Kim shot her a glare.
“You’ve all made your point,” clipped Jesse. “Back off.”
“Now that the pups are gone, we can all discuss the plans for Cassidy’s surprise party,” said Shaya, trying to defuse the tension. “What do we have left to do?”
“I saved my to-do list on my phone,” said Ally, whipping out her cell and swiping her thumb across the screen. “Right, here we go. Balloons . . . check. Costumes . . . check. Cake . . . I have all the ingredients. Themed decorations . . . well, we have most of them. The fake vines and camouflage fabric still aren’t here. Why aren’t they here?”
“They’re due to be delivered sometime tomorrow,” said Shaya.
“Vines?” echoed Harley. “What’s the theme?”
“Safari,” replied Shaya. “Cassidy is determined that she will one day go on a safari in Africa. Maybe it’s something to do with the Disney Madagascar movie; I don’t know. We’re planning to decorate the play area so it looks like a jungle. We made little pretend passports; the kids will have to hand them over before they can enter the jungle.”
Harley raised her brows. “That sounds seriously cool. When is the party?”
“Saturday,” replied Jesse, tracing the shell of her ear. “We need—” He cut off at the sound of a cell chiming. “I think that’s yours, baby.”
Digging it out of her pocket, Harley sighed at the name flashing on the screen. Lily only ever contacted Harley when she wanted money—money she could use to buy booze or drugs. Of course, Harley had no intention of funding her habits or any desire to listen to the “I’m sober and planning to turn my life around, I just need money for groceries” speech.
She could ignore the call, but that would be the mature thing to do. Harley found “mature” a little boring. Harley answered in a robotic voice, “The person you are calling is currently unavailable. To speak to someone who has time for your drama, press one. To be beamed up to the mother ship, press two. To talk more about your codependent issues, have someone press three for you. Alternatively—”
“Oh, Harley!” whined Lily. Then the line went dead, and Harley smiled. Returning her cell to her pocket, she became aware that everyone was staring at her.
“Who was that?” asked Kent.
“Someone who makes it difficult for others to like her.” Harley frowned when Kathy snatched her empty plate with a loud huff. “I see you’re ano
ther one of those people.”
Kathy narrowed her eyes. “I’m difficult to like? That’s rich, coming from a Vincent.”
Nat placed her palms flat on the table. “It was wrong of you to accept Jesse’s claim. You and I know that you won’t be happy here. Your maternal family is wealthy. You’re used to china plates, crystal glasses, and expensive champagnes. You won’t find any of that here.”
“Mom,” drawled Bracken. “It’s not your business.”
Ignoring that, Nat appealed to Jesse with a look. “You have to know deep down that she’s not a good choice for a mate. Maybe that’s why you want her—some males are drawn to forbidden fruit, and she’s definitely an apple to stay clear of.”
Roni cocked her head at Nat. “Did you know that it doesn’t say in the Bible that the forbidden fruit was an apple? Some people think it might have been a fig or even a pomegranate.”
“Roni.” Marcus chuckled around a mouthful of food.
She blinked innocently. “What? What did I say?”
It wasn’t what Roni had said; it was the reason she’d said it. Roni used random facts to annoy or unsettle people—mostly so that she could escape the conversation. Jesse had seen it work thousands of times. The extremely intelligent tomboy had nonexistent social skills. Marcus, however, had a natural ease with people and, in that sense, balanced her out.
“Your mom will lose her shit, Jesse,” sniped Kim.
Before he could say a single word, Bracken leaned forward, pinning the female’s gaze. “If you’re thinking of calling Jesse’s family with news of what you’ve learned here, think again. What happens between Jesse and Harley is not your business to share or interfere with. Unless you want to be thrown off this territory, keep it to yourself. They’ll share their news in their own time. You got me?”
Kim swallowed. “Fine. But I’ll keep quiet about it because I know it’s what Jesse wants, not because you’re snapping at me.”
Bracken snorted. “I don’t give a shit why you keep quiet just as long as you do.”
“Same goes for you,” Shaya said to Nat, firmly. “I don’t think I need to point out that Harley’s location can’t be leaked. If the extremists find out where she is, their attention could turn our way and then your son will be in danger.” That right there was enough to make Nat keep quiet—she loved her only son and hadn’t given up hope of luring him back to his old pack.