Moments In Time: A Collection of Short Fiction (70 page)

Half laughing and half growling, I chase after her as fast as I can, but I have no chance of catching her. She’s waiting for me at the edge of the forest, and again I’m overwhelmed with her considerate nature. I’m going to have to walk through camp in wolf form for the first time and I’m very self-conscious about it, especially now that I know I look different from everyone else. I give her an appreciative nudge as I approach, and we then make our way back to the house, drawing inquisitive attention from everyone in sight.

Once we are inside, she immediately shifts back into her human form and stands completely unclothed in front of me. Surprisingly, it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. I’m internally debating if I should shift back here in the living room as well or wait until I get up to my room.

As if she can hear my thoughts, Savannah bends down so she’s eye level with me and pets my head. She grins and whispers, “I always knock shit over with my tail. Apparently, I like to sway my wolfy hips a little too much.” Then she leans forward and kisses the bridge of my nose. “Whatever makes you comfy, love. I forget that you’ve only been here a week or so. Sometimes it feels like you’ve always been here .
 . . or should’ve been . . .”

Her voice trails off and she stands up, although she’s still looking down at me with a thoughtful smile. Without thinking twice, I return to my petite human form and here we stand, naked as the day we were born, staring at each other. Other than with my momma, I’ve never been nude in front of another female. I expect to feel shy or embarrassed, but I don’t. The emotion I’m experiencing is another first for me, and I’m not quite sure what it is. My belly does several flip-flops before a warm tingle begins to travel through my body. I haven’t pulled my eyes from her jade gaze, but I have an inexplicable desire to touch her body. Every inch of it.

Before I have the chance to snap myself out of my ridiculous thought, she closes the gap between us. Her soft hands cup my face and my breathing hitches on contact. Nervously, I suck in my bottom lip and nibble on the corner; her gaze drops from my eyes to my mouth. She moves her thumb over to pull on my lip, releasing it from my teeth, and without saying a word, leans forward and kisses the spot I had bitten.

I don’t move despite how badly I want to kiss her back; she’s in control of the situation and I don’t want to do anything I shouldn’t. She pulls back just a hair and looks back up at me, gauging my reaction, and I’m not sure what she sees staring back at her, but it’s still as if she can read my mind.

“Who are you?” she asks before she slides her hands from under my chin back around my neck, threading her fingers through the hair at the nape. Again she brings her mouth to mine, but this time her lips meet mine in a sensual embrace. My hands grab onto her hips and I allow myself to get lost in the kiss. Her tongue teases at my lips and I slightly open my mouth in response. Our tongues meet, shyly at first, touching and then retreating several times before they tangle together in an erotic dance.

The sound of a voice clearing interrupts our moment and we quickly break apart. My back is to whoever it is, and by the demure smile on Savannah’s face, I’m assuming the person is Ryker.

I don’t know what to do. Should I turn around and apologize for making out with his mate? Should I excuse myself and go up to my room and get ready to leave? I’m sure I won’t be welcome in this house, and probably not in this pack, any longer. I can’t believe I just did that. How stupid can I be? Where am I going to go?

Savannah must see the look of alarm on my face; she brings her hand back up to my face and gently swipes her thumb over my lips. Her eyes are focused on mine, but she speaks to him. “Lala was just heading upstairs to shower and change, babe. I can’t wait to hear about your day and to tell you about ours.”

“Me either,” he replies in a throaty voice. “We can all discuss it over dinner together. You two go get dressed and I’ll prepare something . . . unless you’d prefer to eat like that, you animals.”

I hear the teasing in his voice and instantly feel relief throughout my body.

Her eyes twinkle as she laughs at his comment. She grabs my hand and says to him with a smirk, “Maybe tomorrow . . . if you’re lucky.”

Savannah leads me to the stairs and heads up to her room. As I place my foot on the first step to follow her up, I feel Ryker’s eyes on my ass and I pause for a moment. Going against my better judgment, I look over my shoulder, hissing in a breath at the sight of him. He cocks his head slightly as our eyes meet and a mischievous grin spreads across his chiseled face.

“Go upstairs, little one, before I spank that bare ass for playing with my things without permission.”

Lingering just a moment as his words settle, I feel a sharp twinge of desire shoot between my legs at his warning. I quickly turn around and scurry up the stairs to the security of my room. I close the door behind m
e and escape into the bathroom.

As I stare
at myself in the mirror, shame sets in, and I ask myself aloud, “What are you doing?”

• • •

After a quick shower and changing into some jeans and a T-shirt, I’m blow-drying my hair when I hear a knock at the door. My stomach tightens with nerves; I’m not sure I want to face either of them right now, but I’d much rather it be Savannah. I turn the dryer off and call out, “Come in!” Thankfully, it’s her and she enters the room with a glow around her.

“Hey, sweetie, can we talk for a minute?” She sits down on the bed and I join her. I’m dreading the words about to come out of her mouth. At first she look
s down at her lap, playing with her hands anxiously. “Lala, I want to apologize for earlier,” she begins.

“Oh, it’s okay,” I quickly respond, really not wanting to hear any more rejection or regret. “We can just pretend it never happened. I can move out if you’
d prefer, or whatever you think is best.” I’m rambling; I know it, but I can’t stop. “Do you think that Tessa and Simone would mind if I stayed with them until I find a place to go?”

She looks up at me through her long, dark lashes. “You aren’t going anywhere,” she says gruffly. “Well, unless you want to, that is.”

I look at her, confused. “Aren’t you apologizing for kissing me? I just assumed you’d want me to leave.”

Again, her smile melts me. How does she have this effect on me?

“Sweetie,” she says, “I’m apologizing if I made you feel uncomfortable, not for the kiss itself.”

She brings her fingers up to her mouth, placing them where my lips were not long ago. I can’t help but follow her hand with my stare, and as the memory of the kiss passes through my head, I find myself wishing she’d do it again.

“I’ve never done this before. I’ve been with Ry forever; he’s the only person before you that I ever wanted to kiss. I don’t know what it is about you, little one, but you do something to me . . .” She moves her hand from her mouth and places it gently on mine. “It scares me . . .
you
scare me. I know you’ve been through hell, and I want to do everything I can to make you happy, not mess things up for you.”

Her words fill me with joy. “You
do
make me happy. Your kiss made me happy,” I mumble against her fingers. “But what about Ryker? I don’t want to mess things up for you two.”

Savannah
doesn’t answer right away. She’s staring at my mouth and I instinctively pull one of her fingers in between my lips, sucking lightly. She closes her eyes and moans, and the fire inside me is lit again.

His voice breaks the silence. “You don’t need to worry about Ryker.”

I turn to look at him, but she keeps her eyes closed with her finger in my mouth. He’s standing in the doorway watching us, and the look he gives me send chills down my spine. He stalks over to us, stands next to the bed, and puts one of his massive hands under each of our chins, forcing us to look up at him. He stares down at Savannah, then me, then back at her.

“You better be sure about this, both of you,” he warns, “but especially you, Van. Once we start, there’s no going back.”

She glances over at me, her eyes full of hope and wonder, and nods her head ever so slightly at me. I’m enchanted with them both; I have been since day one. I’ve tried giving myself excuses, but I know right now, there’s nothing I want more than to be a part of them. I return the nod, unable to keep the smile off my face. We both turn our eyes back to him.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything, Ry,” she says breathily. “I’ve told you how I feel, and I
know
you feel it, too. She belongs with us.”

I usually cringe when someone talks about me like I’m not there, but in this instance, I don’t want her to stop. I feel wanted .
 . . wanted for all the right reasons, and it makes me happier than I ever thought possible.

Ryker tenderly caresses her cheek with his thumb. “I love you so fucking much, woman.” Turning his attention to me, he asks, “And you, little one? Do you even know what you want?”

Surprising even myself, I hold his stare and reply confidently, “I know that I am very immature in the ways of the world, especially in relationships, but I also know that something happens inside me when I’m around both of you that I can’t explain. I’m drawn to you both, physically and emotionally. I want to know more about you, and I want to share myself with you. I have so many firsts left to experience, and I want them to be with you and Van.”

He growls as he grabs my face, his lips crashing down on mine. Caught a little bit off guard, I hold on to his shoulders to steady myself, but as soon as I have my balance, I throw myself into the kiss. His lips feel so different from hers; she was delicate and sensitive while he’s demanding and hungry. The bed dips as she moves behind me; her hands are on my hips, her chest pushed against my back, and her breath is warm on the back of my neck. His mouth is plundering mine like I’ve never experienced, his tongue exploring every inch. I want him to take it all .
 . . and more.

Savannah’s hands slip underneath my cotton shirt and she begins to run her fingers up and down my rib cage. Her mouth grazes across my earlobe as she murmurs, “Relax. Let us take care of you, Lelah. This time it’s all about you. We want you to know what this should feel like.”

Her words briefly remind me of the only other times someone’s hands have been on my body and I stiffen under their touch. Sensing my apprehension, Ryker pulls back and his baby blues pierce mine. “Don’t go there, little one. Leave the past in the past. Allow us to make new memories for you . . . positive ones of the three of us . . . the way it’s supposed to be.” His voice softens a bit as he says the last several words, and I believe him. I feel like I’m
supposed
to be here, in their arms, in their life.

“Show me,” is all I can say, and it’s all that they need to hear.

Ryker looks over my shoulder at Savannah. “Strip out of your dress and then take her shirt off,” he instructs.

I hear a whisper of material behind me and then feel her hands grabbing the hem of my shirt, lifting upward. I raise my hands so that she can pull it over my head and I then feel her unclasp my bra.

She resumes the position she was in prior to the break, but this time I feel her naked breasts against my equally bare back. His eyes sweep across my chest and then back up to my face. I desperately want to cross my arms in front of me, just out of sheer habit, but I fight the urge and allow him to take me in.

“Van, sit up by the headboard so Lelah can lay with her head in your lap.”

I’m thankful he’s guiding me along because I have no clue what in the world I’m supposed to be doing. We both get in position and then turn to him. He quickly strips out of his clothes and stands next to the bed in all of his naked glory.

Holy amazing body of a god! My eyes scan over his broad chest and tone abs, then pass over the defined
V
before getting to his cock. I’m staring, I know it, but I just don’t care. He’s going to break me in half.

Savannah
tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and smoothes her hand across my scalp in a comforting stroke. Joining us on the bed, he sits down by my feet and reaches up to unfasten my jeans. Slowly sliding them and my panties down my legs, I am now lying completely naked in front of both of them. I look back and forth between their faces, and they are both drinking me in under heavy lids. The flutters in my gut have transformed to a full-on circus, complete with flying trapeze and high-wire balancing acts. My body is physically trembling with anticipation as I wait to see what comes next.

He moves up my body to straddl
e my hips, careful not to put too much weight on me, but there’s no denying his massive erection lying on my belly. He angles forward, hovering over my body, and kisses Savannah passionately. Her hands massage my breasts as Savannah and Ryker kiss, and I bring my hands up to his chest, touching his Adonis-like body for the first time.

He ends the kiss with her and moves his focus down to me, bringing his lips to mine. This kiss is different from the first, calmer and gentler, but still every bit as exhilarating as the first. It doesn’t last long, however, soon he is sliding down my body until his mouth is level with my breasts that she is still fondling. He swirls his tongue around the outer perimeter of one nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

A moan escapes my lips as I glance up at her; she is beaming down at both of us and I feel her tilt her hips slightly against me. I lift my head up a bit and lick my lips, hopeful that she understands what I want. She shakes her head. “This is about you. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to please me later.”