Second Chance Mates (17 page)

"And you make the best
pancakes."

"Wait until you try my waffles." He
waggled his eyebrows at her.

"If you make a sausage comment, I may
have to smack you." She held back a giggle.

"What if I like it?"

"Cade!" She took a long swallow of
wine, allowing the warmth of the alcohol to suffuse her. She wasn't
a big drinker and two glasses was probably her limit. Still, it
wasn't like she had to drive anywhere and she was in her own home.
Plus it was nice to be sharing a drink with someone. Part of her
wished Luke was with them, sharing his easy banter and the
camaraderie he shared with Cade which was funny to watch and now
less awkward to join in with.

It surprised her that there didn't seem
to be any animosity between him and Cade. Unless, of course, she
just hadn't spotted it. No, she was certain there weren't any ill
feelings but she wondered if Cade felt a little left out. God
knows, she'd rejected him before and he had taken in painfully.
Even Colton had pointed out that in his shoes, she would be bitter
too. She'd felt awful but so unable to cope with the attentions of
two men, despite some of her older clan sisters saying it was
wonderful. She wondered if Cade understood why they hadn't been
intimate...yet. A yet always seemed to hover over thoughts like
that. It really was only a matter of time, but she needed to be the
one to pick where and when. Luke was one thing. He was unconnected
to her past. But if she felt for a moment like she was betraying
Colton, even though he'd passed on, she had no idea how she would
cope with that. She had to make sure it was absolutely
right.

"Clara, there's something I want to ask
you."

"Mmm?" She dragged her thoughts back to
the now.

"First I want to get something
straight. What I want to ask you is not because I'm in anyway
jealous. I just want to know."

"Go on." There was a long pause and she
closed her eyes, waiting, sure that she knew what was
coming.

"Why Luke? Why did you take him
first?"

Clara took a long sip of wine, the
alcohol giving her the strength to be honest. "Honestly? It was
easier."

She felt him shift behind her, but he
kept his arms around her. "I don't follow," he said, his voice
still gentle.

"With Luke it's less
complicated."

"Are you saying I'm complicated?" Cade
said, confusion etched in his voice.

"No. Yes. No!" Clara shuffled to sit up
and turn around, fixing her eyes on him as she took his free hand
in hers. "What I meant was. Oh hell. What I meant to say was, I
haven't known Luke long. If things happened and he left, there
wouldn't be a lot of hurt... Oh, it'll hurt obviously,
but..."

"I don't think Luke is going
anywhere."

"Shh! You're interrupting. I'm trying
to tell you that if things happen between us..."

"When." Clara gave him a look and Cade
held his hands up in surrender. "No more interrupting.
Promise."

"Good." She glared at him. "If,
when
, things happen between us, it's going to mean a lot
more to both of us than simply sex. We both know that. We've known
each other for years and it's not just that your brother is, was,
my husband, but that I've always known you were destined to be my
mate." She held a silencing hand up. "Wait! Let me finish. I know I
protested it but I knew and I'm sorry. I'm
so
sorry that I
hurt you. You have to believe that, Cade. I never ever wanted to
hurt you but...things were different then and I didn't feel I
could."

"How about now?"

"Things are so very different now. I've
changed. Cade, life has changed more than I ever thought it could
and you're here and...and
when
this happens it's going to
mean a lot because I adore you and it isn't something I'll be able
to change or take back, and neither will you. I want to make sure
I'm going to do this for the right reasons, not just because I miss
my husband and I want the closest thing to him. When you and I make
love, it has to be because it's about us. About another
chance."

"Because it'll be the beginning of the
rest of our lives?" Cade asked in a sudden moment of
clarity.

Clara nodded. "Exactly. It's not just
about what your body wants, and what my body wants, though believe
me, I've thought a lot about yours and wanting it." She raised a
hand to his face, stroking it as he grinned, then continued, "The
connection has to be more than that."

Cade drew him to her, moving closer
then, finally, kissed her. His voice was soft as he told her, "I
love you, Clara. Do you think you can love me?"

"Yes, I think I can. I think I'm
already there. So do you understand why I slept with Luke and not
you? And yes, I did know you were there. It wasn't about desiring
you any less but just that it was less complicated. When you and I
are finally together, it'll be because I accept there is no turning
back. It'll be because I love you, and adore you, and want to spend
the rest of my life with you."

"And Luke?"

"I think we both know he's part of my
future, if that's what he chooses."

"He wants to complete the mating with
you," Cade pointed out. “He’s not going anywhere.”

"And he will, but I think not before
you and I move forwards." Clara kissed him, sweetly, waiting for
him this time. It seemed strange that he was the one with the
unsure note in his voice, like he couldn't work out if he should
take things slow or just pounce now. "I enjoyed sex with Luke very
much," she continued. "I even enjoyed you watching, which kind of
took me by surprise, so I'm not as adverse to the idea of a
threesome as I once was. Actually I'm very curious how it works and
if it is something that will work for us. But baby steps, okay? I’m
only just getting used to the idea of having two men in my
life."

"You know I'm going to go insane with
jealousy if you take him to your bed every night."

"Who says I'm going to do that?
Actually the nights you inserted yourself in my bed, uninvited I
might add, were, well, pleasurable and trust me, you've been in my
bed far more often than Luke has. So, I see no reason why we
shouldn't continue to share a bed from time to time while we work
on us. And Luke and I have not made any plans to have sex again,
not that I'm saying it won't happen because... Well, I like it,
okay?"

Cade raised an eyebrow at that and she
pushed his chest lightly. He probably didn't feel it at all. Except
when she went to move her hand, he caught it and kissed the palm.
"And what if something happens while we're sharing a bed?" he
asked.

"Then it'll be the right
time."

"You seem to have thought a lot about
this."

"I've been thinking about a lot of
things since you two pitched up on my porch and made me faint."
Clara laughed. "Frankly, a lot of it was pretty dirty."

"Any chance you're going to
share?"

"Not any time soon." Clara
giggled.

"Will you invite me into your bed
tonight?"

"Yes, I will, but to sleep not to..."
She inclined her head, blushing slightly.

"I didn't ask for that. I asked to
sleep with you. I want to go to sleep with you in my arms. And you
look mighty pretty when you blush, even right after admitting to
having all kinds of dirty thoughts."

Clara swallowed the last of her wine,
placing the glass on the coffee table and got to her feet, holding
her hand out to him. "Let's go to bed," she said.

Cade slid his empty glass next to hers
and took her hand. "Lead the way."

The bedroom was neat, the bed made.
Cade approached her, his hand sliding down her arm. He wrapped his
hand around hers and she stepped closer, her heart suddenly beating
faster. When she invited him up, she had intended to go to sleep
but now...the fire in his eyes sparked something within her. The
desire she tempered spiraled inside her and her inner wolf trembled
at the promise of the night.

He kissed her, slowly, gently. She
savored the taste of him on her lips and went back for more. His
hands drifted to her waist, untucking her t-shirt and then sliding
under. His hands felt electric against her skin and she
shivered.

If he pressed the point, would she
still say no? She wasn't sure.

Stepping back, Cade pulled his shirt
over his head and she relished the sight of his bare chest, the
little ring piercing his nipple. Again, she stepped to him, until
they were touching. She leaned in, her tongue darting across his
nipple, the ring cool, and he sighed, his hands drifting down her
sides.

“
I changed my mind,” she
whispered. She pulled off her t-shirt, and his hands grappled with
her belt, unbuckling it and then pushing her jeans and panties
down. His jeans followed a moment later, then his boxers and her
breath caught as she saw him thicken under her gaze. She wondered
what it would be like to have him inside her.

For a long moment he gazed at her naked
form, his face filled with lust and something more.
Love
,
she thought,
he loves me. He’ll always love me.

"Let's get under the covers," he
whispered, leading her around the side of the bed, pulling back the
covers and pulling her down with him. Lying on their sides, facing
each other, they continued their kissing and stroking, exploring
each other's bodies after years of wondering how it would be to
touch the other.

His hands caressed her torso, his palms
ran over her breasts and teased her nipples to stiff points before
sliding around her sides to palm the small of her back as he pulled
her to him and kissed her. His cock, pressed between them,
hardened. She couldn't resist rubbing her pussy against his leg as
his thigh navigated between hers. She was fairly certain she was
wet, could feel the moisture pooling between her thighs.

She had thought it was only a matter of
time but now seemed perfect. She wanted him. She knew that destiny
would get its way this time. She knew she didn't even want to fight
it. She just wanted Cade. Wanted to feel him in her, thrusting and
taking her over the edge. She wanted to experience him moving
making love to her wholly and completely, but the bond that would
bind them for life was a serious step that needed to be thought
about, not given and taken in the heat of the moment.

There wasn't any turning back. She
loved Cade, part of her always had even though she buried it, had
refused to accept it, but now, if she just dared.

She dared.

"Make love to me, Cade."

Cade lifted his head from where his
lips nibbled her neck playfully, looking at her carefully and she
felt the unspoken acknowledgement of trust and love that passed
between them. "With pleasure," he murmured, rolling so that she lay
on her back and he between her spread thighs.

Cade tended to her breasts first,
licking her nipples, already hard with want, taking his time to
suck and nibble each mound. As his body shifted and moved, his cock
brushed against her pussy, sending electricity shooting through
her. He brushed up her body, every part of them touching and she
circled his neck with her arms, clasping her own wrists as he
claimed her mouth passionately.

Breaking away, Cade pulled back to
watch his hand stroke through the valley of her breasts, down
across the flat plain of her stomach and pause at her strip of
tight curls. She pushed her head back into the pillows as his
fingers pushed through her lips, her arousal coating them. His
slick fingers made several passes before resting on her clit,
thumbing it and pressing until she was gently bucking her hips
against him. His kisses grew more urgent as his fingers sank within
her channel, finding her wet and warm and so very ready for him. It
wasn't enough. She needed more. Needed everything he had to give
her.

"I need to be inside you. I need you so
bad, Clara." His voice broke with the wanting.

Guiding his cock to her entrance, he
butted it against her and she held her breath at the recognition of
his size. He slid inside her, achingly slow, savoring every moment
of their first time. "I love you," he whispered over and over as he
sank into her.

When he was fully enveloped within her
body, he curled his hands under her back, lifting and holding her
to him. She tilted her hips, tightening her legs around his back as
he began to move. He felt wonderful inside her, stretching her
around him, his movements sure and strong as he thrust, increasing
in speed as she moaned her pleasure. Why had she waited for
this?

He kissed her over and over, holding
their bodies tightly together as their pace increased. Clara
gripped his shoulders, feeling his powerful sweat-slicked muscles
roll under her palms, as her orgasm mounted.

Her breath quickened, he groaned, and
she felt the urge to bite him, to mar his skin with her mark as her
incisors lengthened and brushed her lower lip. Holding back, she
gave herself over to climax, the force of it causing her to cry out
as his smooth strokes jolted into shallow, hard thrusts, finally
stopping as he came, collapsing into her arms.