Breathing was getting harder with each passing second, and she didn’t care. Breathing was overrated. The pleasure coursing through her was more necessary, more vital to her.
Isaiah reached around her and cupped her breasts in his hands. Then he began to move. Short, hard jabs that stimulated all the nerve endings in her slick channel.
He seemed to grow larger inside her and she knew he was close. She arched against him, bucking her hips, trying to get closer.
He tugged lightly on her nipples one final time. He banded one arm around her waist and slid the other hand between her thighs, teasing the nub of nerves at the apex.
Meredith whimpered and moaned, crying out as he thrust into her over and over. His fingers stroked her clit. His arm tightened around her, holding her steady while he pounded into her.
She felt him swell, felt the rush of heat. His shaft pulsed. He filled her, stretching her sheath. Throwing back her head, she came in a burst of pleasure. Light flashed behind her eyelids. She splintered apart, her body no longer her own.
Isaiah’s shaft locked inside her and she knew it would be a while before he would be able to pull away from her. It was done. He was her mate. His bonding scent would be on her now. She sniffed, smelling the slightly musky, woodsy scent. Isaiah.
Slumping forward, she let her face fall into her pillow. Her back end was held up by Isaiah. Eventually, he collapsed, his body half on, half off hers, his cock still buried deep within her.
Exhaustion pulled at her. She shivered, the sweat from her body beginning to cool. Isaiah reached out one long arm and managed to snag one end of the comforter, tugging it over them.
She must have dozed for a moment or two, but woke as Isaiah withdrew from her. She bit her bottom lip to keep from protesting. He threw his thick, muscled arm around her waist and pulled her into the curve of his large body. “Sleep,” he whispered.
Content in a way she’d never felt in her life, she did.
Isaiah lay awake watching Meredith sleep. She was on her back and he was propped up on one arm beside her. She was so beautiful. Her long, black hair flowed over the light green sheets. Her skin was soft and pale, except where it had been rubbed red by the stubble of his beard. It would fade in a matter of an hour or so due to the fast healing that was part of her werewolf heritage. Still, he’d have to watch that in the future. For now, it represented another way he’d marked her as his.
Meredith was much more than just a stunning woman. She was smart and strong and stubborn. The fact that she’d kept her small pack safe all these years was a testament to her ability to adapt and to strategize.
Now she was his. And he was hers.
For the first time in years, maybe even in his life, he felt as though he belonged.
She’d given him that.
Meredith shifted slightly in her sleep, her lips parting on a sigh. His body tensed, his cock swelling. The claiming should have drained him, but he was more than ready to take her again. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.
Thankfully, he had about four hundred years to sate himself.
He smiled as she snuggled her butt against his erection, seeking him out even in sleep. The only thing keeping him from waking her to make love again was the fact that she was exhausted. Her health and well-being came ahead of everything, even his wants.
He could wait now that he’d claimed her.
Isaiah closed his eyes and breathed deep. The scent of sex permeated the room. The mixture of her sweetness was now tinged with his more earthy scents. The two had become one.
He opened his eyes to find her staring up at him. Her gaze softened and her lips parted on a smile. “Hey.”
He leaned down and kissed her, a slow, leisurely caress that went on for long minutes. He traced his tongue over her bottom lip, then the top, before sliding in to reclaim his territory.
They were both breathless when he pulled back.
Her eyes were sultry and inviting. “Now that’s a morning greeting I could get used to.”
“Get used to it,” he told her. He wasn’t going anywhere.
He hated to do anything to ruin the closeness of the moment, but there were things they needed to discuss. “We need to talk.”
She frowned and dragged the comforter closer to her chin. “Okay.”
Isaiah swore and sat up, leaning against the headboard. He reached out and dragged Meredith into his arms, needing to feel her skin against his.
She gave a slight squeak of surprise before settling in his arms. “What is it?” She paused and her voice became small. “Regrets?”
Shock filled him. “Hell, no.” He shook her slightly as he stared down at her. “You’re everything to me. Everything. My heart and soul. Don’t ever doubt that.”
She nodded. “Okay.” She moved her hands over his chest, soothing him. “What is it then?”
“Thanks to Damek, you should be safe from the hunters and rogue werewolves. Should being the operative word. Do you want to stay here?”
“Do you think it’s safe?”
It warmed his heart that she wanted his opinion before making a decision. She’d been alpha of this pack for years and now she had to share that position with him. In time, he knew the members would look to him first and her second. It was simply the way of things. She knew it too, but still she’d accepted him.
“I think there’s a risk. But there’s a risk anywhere today. Hunters are everywhere, especially with technology to help link them. The only good thing is those bastards are not very trusting, not even with each other. We’ll have to keep a watch for a while to make certain that Damek’s plan worked. Hopefully the purist group and the bounty hunters are too busy fighting one another to be a problem for us.”
“I want to stay. Chicago is home. Haven is home.”
“You know you can’t stay here forever,” he added gently. They’d already been here over a decade. People would soon start to wonder, to ask questions about why none of them seemed to age.
She nodded, her cheek brushing against his shoulder. “I know. People will start talking. Asking why we don’t seem to change. I figure we have another five to ten years before that time comes.”
“I want to take you to meet my family.” He ran his fingers up and down her arm from shoulder to wrist, loving how soft it felt.
She tensed and then relaxed. “I think I’d like that.” She glanced up at him, her expression tense. “Your alpha will welcome my children? All of them?”
Isaiah grinned and nodded. “Oh, yeah. Considering his daughter is a half-breed and she’s married to my brother.” At her incredulous look, he continued. “Alexandra Riley, now Striker, is married to Joshua. Her father, James LeVeau Riley is the alpha of the Wolf Creek Pack. Not everyone will welcome you with open arms, but most will. And those who won’t will keep their mouths shut or face the wrath of the alpha and the Striker family.”
Meredith’s eyes twinkled with laughter. “I guess that’s a definite yes then. I’d love to meet your family.”
“Maybe you might even think about building a home on pack land. Something we can get away to every now and again. The kids can use it too.”
Meredith stared up at Isaiah, hearing the hope in his voice. He was giving up so much for her. She wanted to meet him halfway. “If things work out okay with your alpha and the pack, we could think about building a vacation home there.”
“What about your former pack?” he questioned.
She took a deep breath and laid everything out for him. They were mated now. There could be no secrets between them. “You know about my marriage.” He nodded and she continued, letting out the entire story of how her alpha had wanted to force another mating on her and how she’d taken her children and run, picking up more children along the way. “They are an extreme pack who won’t accept half-breeds. They’d accept Benjamin and Michael easily, but they’ll kill me for taking them and running, and the others simply for not being pure werewolves.”