Mischief in a Fur Coat (5 page)

Drew held his breath and waited for Hope to respond. She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully for several seconds, and the wait was excruciating. Her expression was neutral, not giving anything away about how she felt. Drew’s heart was pounding in his chest so loudly that he was sure she must be able to hear it.

Finally, she looked up at him and tilted her head sideways. “I’m not going to lie, Drew. I like you, too. Which is funny because I really did kind of hate you a few weeks ago. Sorry, but you were kind of a jerk. No offense.”

Drew shrugged. “None taken,” he said.

“The thing is,” Hope continued. “I’m not really the type of girl who likes getting into relationships unless it seems like something that could work out long-term. And I’m not sure that there’s much potential for something long-term between you and me. Sure, right now it would be easy enough to have a relationship. We’re all stuck out here in the woods without any real options on something different to do with our lives. But what happens when this whole war on shifter ends? Assuming the forces who want to destroy shifters are beaten back, which I hope is the case, I’m going to be able to move back to the outside world. And that’s probably what I’ll do. I’m not going to be happy sitting out here in the woods like you do, Drew. I’m not the kind of girl who shuns technology, or who wants to be completely off the grid.”

Drew frowned. He had known this objection would be coming, and he had thought long and hard about it. “Hope, if things work out between us, I’m not going to lose you over some stupid need to be a hermit in the woods. I like it out here, and I’ve refused to go back home to my clan because there wasn’t anything there that had a stronger pull on my heart than these woods. But you’ve been pulling on my heart, Hope. I have a deep, unshakeable need to be around you. I’ll follow you wherever you want to go. Sure, I’m not a big fan of technology. But I’m an easygoing guy. I’m happy just about anywhere, as long as I’m surrounding by things that are meaningful to me. If I’m with you, I couldn’t ask for much more.”

Drew forced himself to stop talking. He felt like he was rambling, which was strange because he had never been much of a talker. But he wanted so desperately to find the right words to tell Hope how much she meant to him. Hope paused for a long time again before speaking, but when she finally started talking she looked up at him and smiled.

“Okay,” she said. “If you really feel that way, then let’s give this a shot. But let’s take things slowly, okay? I don’t want to rush things. I like to take my time when it comes to these sort of relationships.”

Drew smiled and nodded, even though he wished he could push Hope down on the grass right there and make love to her. She was so beautiful and vibrant, and he could hardly believe that she had really just agreed to be his girlfriend. Let the rest of the group tease him, if they wanted to. It was worth it to have a woman as amazing as Hope by his side.

“We can go at whatever speed you want, Hope,” he said, leaning in to place a quick kiss on her lips. “I’m just happy you said yes.”

Hope returned his kiss, and seemed to visibly relax. She blushed again as she looked down at her hands. “I do have to say—your kisses are pretty amazing. They make it hard to want to take things slowly.”

“Good,” Drew said, winking at her. “Then I’m going to keep kissing you like crazy. But for now, I’m going to force you to come back to the cabin so you can see the completed addition.”

Hope’s eyes widened. “The addition is done?”

“Yup. All done. You can move into your own room tonight, and store all your painting supplies in there. By the way, since I’m officially your boyfriend now, are you going to actually let me see your paintings?”

Hope smirked and shook her head no. “Nope. Still top secret. Don’t think you can just ask me out and then get free access to my art. It’s still my secret.”

Drew laughed and shrugged. “Okay, okay. I thought I would at least try. Come on. Pack up and let’s go back to the cabin.”

Hope nodded and started packing up her paints, being careful to keep the painted canvas facing away from Drew so he couldn’t see it. Drew couldn’t resist giving Hope’s ass a rough slap as she bent over to pick up her bag of supplies. She yelped and gave him a sharp look, but Drew just laughed.

He felt like the luckiest guy in the world right now. The only thing that was going to be hard was taking things slowly. He could already feel the flood of desire increasing in his body. But he would do what he needed to do to keep Hope happy.

She was worth it.

Hope stared at the ceiling in her new room, watching the shadows of the tree leaves dance on the ceiling. The moon was full and bright tonight, and Hope was feeling restless. She had been looking forward to having her own space to sleep in for so long. The snoring and noise in the cramped quarters of the one room cabin had resulted in poor sleep for everyone. But, for some reason, she couldn’t seem to relax tonight. She should have been sleeping like a baby, but instead she was letting her mind run on a constant loop of worried thoughts.

Of course, her continued worry about her family and the future of shifters was a big part of the angst she was feeling. But tonight, the majority of her thoughts seemed to center around Drew.

She had long since moved on from wondering whether she had done the right thing when she agreed to date him. Now, she was wondering whether she should have kept her mouth shut about wanting to “take things slowly.” Back by the waterfall, that had seemed like the prudent thing to say. After all, this attraction between Drew and her was relatively new. It was best not to push things too far too quickly and end up with a hopelessly broken heart.

But now, lying in her bed in the deafening quiet, without even the snoring of her friends to keep her company, Hope was starting to second-guess herself. Things had been too crowded in the old one-room cabin for Hope to realize how lonely she felt. But now, in the darkness of her own room, she felt the crushing weight of her need to be held and loved. Life seemed so fragile, with all of the chaos swirling around beyond this forest. Why had she thought it was so important to take things slowly? The important thing was to live every day to the fullest, because you never really knew what tomorrow held.

And right now, living life to the fullest meant more of Drew. Hope’s heart and body were increasingly dissatisfied with mere kisses from Drew. His lips weren’t enough. She wanted more. She wanted his hands on her body. She wanted his bare skin against her bare skin. She wanted him inside of her.

Hope squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force her thoughts to go somewhere, anywhere, besides Drew. But her racing heart refused to slow down, and she seriously contemplated getting up and going across the hallway to his room to slip into his bed next to him. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t have any complaints about that. The way he had been looking at her lately made it clear that he was ready for more of her, too.

But what kind of self-respecting girl demanded to take things slowly, only to beg for more hours later?

“The kind who’s just realized she’s madly in love,” Hope said aloud to the darkness, surprising even herself with the word “love.” She wasn’t the kind of person who threw that word around, but she knew deep down that what was developing with her and Drew was more than just a casual crush. She was falling hard for him, and she didn’t want to waste another minute pretending that she wasn’t.

Slowly, Hope sat up in bed and looked around her small, bare room. With her heart pounding, she began to slide out of the bed and put her bare feet on the hard wooden floor. But before she could even stand up, her bedroom door opened a crack. Startled, Hope quickly pulled her feet back into the bed and peered cautiously at the door, which was slowly opening. As the hallway came into view, Hope saw Drew’s tall silhouette standing in the doorway.

“Hope?” he whispered. “Hope, are you awake?”

Hope felt a rush of joy running through her. He had obviously been thinking about her, too, unable to get her off his mind.

“Drew,” she said softly. “Get in here.”

Drew stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him before padding silently over to sit on the foot of the bed. He was wearing a loose-fitting long-sleeved t-shirt and flannel pajama pants, but Hope could still see his muscles bulging underneath the fabric.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” he said. “I hope I didn’t wake you up. But I just can’t get you out of my mind. I know we are supposed to be taking things slowly, but my heart is already running away with me. I had to at least see you once more before going to sleep. I can’t do anything except lie there in my room and dream about you.

Hope took in a huge breath and slowly let it out. She suddenly didn’t care anymore about rules or appearances or taking things slowly. All she cared about was having Drew in her arms. He was so strong and yet so gentle all at the same time. His body was muscular and broad, but his heart was tender and soft. Despite the fact that he had a temper, and often closed himself off from the world, Hope was beginning to see what a caring individual was at the very core of himself. And Hope was falling in love with that person.

“Get over here,” Hope said, patting the empty space next to her on the bed. Drew smiled and slid from the foot of the bed up toward the headboard, so that he was sitting right next to Hope. He started to reach for her hand, but before he could grab it, Hope reached out and pulled him down so he was lying on his side next to her. Then she attacked him with her mouth.

Her palms framed his face as her lips met his. She kissed him hungrily, with passion and abandon. He seemed startled for a moment, but quickly recovered and began kissing her back. His tongue, warm and strong, danced with her tongue. His hand reached to hold her by her ass cheeks, squeezing tightly as if to show ownership. Hope felt the warmth of desire spreading through her body like a fire. Her heart was racing uncontrollably in her chest as tingles of pleasure radiated from her core to every extremity of her body. She had never felt a sensation of passion so strongly. She was quickly losing the ability to think about anything else besides how badly she wanted Drew. How badly she needed him. An overwhelming sense of hunger overtook her, and she reached for the hem of Drew’s t-shirt. She pulled the shirt up and over his head and tossed it to the ground behind them. Then she reached to pull her own cotton t-shirt up and over her head, throwing it aside as well. She never wore a bra to bed, so they were both bare-chested now, and Hope pressed her full, throbbing breasts against Drew’s broad, strong chest.

He moaned as her hard, alert nipples poked against his skin. Then he slid down so that his face was even with her breasts. He covered her right nipple with his hot mouth, letting his tongue massage the hard nub before using his teeth to chew it. He bit down gently at first, then slowly increased the pressure until he was sending delightful shivers of pleasurable pain up and down Hope’s back.

He moved his mouth to pay attention to the left breast, and as he did he slid one of his hands down into Hope’s soft pajama pants. He cupped her soft mound with his large palm, and then slid his fingers down until they found her entrance, which was dripping wet with the desire for him. He slid two of his giant fingers into her at once, and Hope’s eyes flew open momentarily with surprise. If his fingers were this big, and felt this amazing, she could only imagine what his dick felt like. He stroked back and forth against her inner walls as he continued to alternate between her breasts with his mouth. She writhed underneath his touch, softly whispering out his name and begging for more with pleading whispers. The pressure at her core was building to an overwhelmingly intense level, and the fire burning inside of Hope made it so she could barely breathe. With just his fingers and his tongue, Drew was taking her to the very edge of ecstasy, and she was about to tumble over the edge.

Everything in the room seemed to disappear. All Hope could focus on was the sensation of Drew’s lips against her tingling breasts, and his fingers inside her body. Hot liquid of desire spilled out from her and over his hand, letting him know she wanted him. She needed him.

She panted and tried to steady her breathing. She tried to regain a little bit of control, but it was no use. The pressure had reached a breaking point, and with a long, low moan, she finally gave in to it. Waves of the most intense, tingling passion shot through her body with unforgiving intensity. Hope thrashed and writhed about, but Drew kept his hand firmly inside of her, drawing out every last spasm as her body was swept into the flood of pleasure he had created. For several long, intense moments, Hope completely lost herself to the sensation. When the swells of pleasure finally slowed, Hope lay limp in Drew’s arms. She was spent, but happy.

Drew slid his hand out of her and wriggled up the bed so that his face was once again even with Hope’s face. He gently kissed her nose, then nuzzled it with his own nose.

Hope smiled. “You’re amazing,” she said.

Drew’s smile deepened. “You’re amazing,” he whispered back, his voice husky and rough with emotion. “I’m sorry. I know we were supposed to be taking things slowly, and that was maybe a little fast. But you’re so goddamn beautiful and the moment just seemed so perfect.”

Hope took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. “Screw slow,” she said. “The night is young, and we’re just getting started.”

Then, with quick deliberate movements, she pushed Drew onto his back and climbed on top of him so that her legs straddled his hips. From this angle, she could clearly feel his erection poking up, stiff and strong. He was huge, and she shivered with delight at the realization that he was going to be inside of her soon. Quickly, she jumped off the bed and pushed off her pants and underwear. Then she reached to pull off Drew’s pants and boxers as well, leaving his naked, sweaty skin glistening in the moonlight that was streaming in through her window. He looked like a god, with his perfect body practically glowing as his chest rose and fell from his rapid breathing. As she climbed back onto the bed to straddle him, he looked up at her with deep, searching eyes.

“Hope, are you sure you’re ready for this? If you want to slow down we can. I’m obviously desperate to make love to you right now, but I don’t want to move too fast and make you uncomfortable.”

Hope smiled and pushed her hair back behind her ears. “I’m ready for this. Like I said, screw slow. Why would I torture myself by waiting any longer to sleep with you? I’m desperate to have you inside of me.”

Drew didn’t need to be told twice. With a deep, authoritative grunt, he reached up and grabbed Hope in his arms, then rolled her over so that she was now the one on her back, and he was above her, straddling her legs. Hope let out a moan as she saw his rod-like dick poised just above her entrance, ready to ram into her and take her.

“More,” she said. It was the only word she could manage to get out of her mouth, but Drew understood. She wanted more of him. His mouth and his fingers weren’t enough. She needed more.

With swift, firm motions, Drew thrust into Hope, filling her so completely that every single millimeter of her inner walls felt his thick shaft pushing against her. Instantly, the pressure and heat began building in Hope’s body again, and she trembled as her core began tingling. She opened her eyes for a moment to look up at Drew, and she felt a fresh wave of passion roll through her at the sight of his face. His eyes were closed and his face had an expression of rapture on it. Hope trembled as she realized that she was the one who had put that expression there. This was all for her. He wanted her. He was hers, and she was his.

She closed her eyes again and relished the feeling of his dick thrusting deep into her body. Her juices poured out of her and surrounded his shaft. Her body begged for more, even as the pressure became almost too much to bear. He touched places inside of her that had been lying dormant, waiting for someone who could truly wake her up.

Hope felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead as the flames of passion tore through her body. The pressure continued to build with each powerful thrust from Drew, until Hope could hold back no more. She let herself tumble over the edge again, giving in to the bliss as the waves of pleasure washed over her. Her body trembled with delight as her inner muscles clenched around Drew over and over again. He let out a long, low moan as she came, and then, moments later, he stiffened and made one last, giant thrust into her body. With a roar that probably woke up half the house, he found his release as well. He came into her, his throbbing dick finding its home.

Then he collapsed onto her, grabbing her firmly and rolling them both over so that he was once again on his back and she was on top of him. He was careful not to disconnect their bodies, and they lay there for several minutes, coming down from their high together with his dick still inside of her.

Hope sighed happily as her heart rate and breathing began to slowly return to a normal level. She tried to memorize in her mind the way Drew’s shaft felt inside of her, so thick and strong. And she wondered how she could have ever possibly hated this man, who now held her heart.

Eventually, Drew pulled out of her, and Hope slid down to lie beside him, snuggled up in the crook of his arm.

“I love you,” Drew whispered to Hope in the darkness. She smiled, and felt a sweet feeling of peace wash over her.

“I love you, too,” she said. There was no need for further explanation. They both knew they were meant for each other. They both knew this was the start of something amazing.