“Jesus…” I hissed, my eyes dropping to the floral tablecloth, following the way the vines and blooms all twined around each other.
“It’s why we handle this side of things, help our girls make the transition. I admit, it's usually the girls who marry outside of the families, as it’s an easier relationship to manage, but there’s a precedence. We can help you through this.”
Greta reached across and took my hand, something that startled then touched me. She was always a big presence in the pack gatherings, her voice carrying clear across a field to stop an errant kid from mucking up or to call them in for dinners. I’d always been low-key terrified of her when I used to come around here as a kid. She was never mean or cruel, but she was firm in ways I’d never experienced with Nan or Mum. She held my hand and told me it was going to be OK, and weirdly, that was what I needed to hear.
“She should stay here with us,” Greta said when Jai arrived back.
“No.” His arm went around my shoulders as he sat down beside me.
“You can’t just bamboozle her with dick, Jai,” Jaz said.
“Don’t talk about my dick,” he said with a dismissive shake of his head. “Anyway, have you told Mum about staying over at Eddie’s that time you were supposed to be at Rita’s for a ‘movie night’?”
Jaz’s face fell as Greta’s eyes swung around.
“Ahh…” She laughed nervously. “Young love and all that?”
“So, you’ve decided on Edward, formally?”
“Not…yet. Like, I know he’s the one but… Look, we just fooled around a bit. I spoke to Nana Heller, and she said you and Dad did the same. Said her and Pa caught you guys out in the barn, upsetting the cows with your noise.”
“That we did,” Greta said, nodding. “Just don’t toy with the boy, Jaz. He’s set his heart on you, and if you don’t want it, be kind enough to say so early.”
When I looked up, I saw Jai’s eyes burning into mine, a question in them that neither of us wanted to answer just yet.
“I’ll bring her back regularly so you can keep talking to Shannon, or you can come around my house, if you can leave off bitching about my housekeeping skills,” Jai said.
“Jai, I raised you better than that. You’ll at least make sure there’s clean sheets on the bed for the girl and no dirty dishes in the sink. If I find you’ve dumped all the domestic work on Shannon like those upstart Spehr boys…”
“Not what I had in mind.”
Jai’s tone had my eyes whipping up. His thumb rubbed against the back of my hand, in slow steady strokes, something that reminded me of last night. My eyes dropped to his mouth, full-lipped, well-shaped, and able to wreak havoc on my body. I felt the ghosts of those caresses in the pleasure-pain tenderness of my nipples, in the ache deep inside me, wanting to be scratched again. To my complete shame, I felt a flush of dampness between my legs. Not quite the deluge of last night, but the herald of things to come.
“I…I need to get going. I haven’t fed the dogs today and…” I got to my feet, hoping to Christ I hadn’t stained my jeans yet. Jaz looked at me in concern, but Greta just nodded.
“Consider going to Beth and Rob’s.” She ignored Jai’s low growl. “This young hothead won’t like it, but it might be for the best. They’d love to help you through this courtship, and Rob’s more than strong enough to put my son on his arse if he needs it. But if you decide for Jai, formalise the mating bond before your heat strikes. You want to do that with a clear head. The heat is all mindless desire. Don’t let it make decisions for you.”
She turned to look up at her son.
“And you, my boy. I’ll always love you. Be the man I know you to be and give the girl time. If you truly love her, that’s what you’d do. Let her find her way to you.”
I was thankful for Jai hustling us towards his ute, not letting the usually protracted goodbyes that were de rigueur with the pack hold us back. He checked I was strapped in before throwing the car in gear and taking off down the driveway with a squeal of tyres.
“You’re needing, aren’t you?” he asked, shooting me a look, his eyes trailing down my body to stop at my groin.
“Fuck, have I made a mess of my jeans? Did your family see?”
“Not yet. It’s not that bad, but I could smell we needed to get you out of there. They think these rules work so well, but would you want to be dripping for me at Beth’s, at Mum’s?” I let out a little whimper of distress. “Better to be with me, love. I’ll take care of you.”
I fidgeted all the way home, unable to sit still, and felt like I was constantly seeping slick, my clit throbbing in time with my heartbeat.
“It’ll be OK, Shan,” he said, putting a hand on my thigh, which was a mistake.
“Mmm…” I purred in response to the warm weight and spread my thighs, the centre seam of my jeans cutting in right where I needed it. His hand slid up almost reluctantly, but I just nodded, watching him try to keep his eyes on the road and off me, and loving each time he lost. We roared up the driveway to his place, and I almost cried out when he pulled his hand off me to jump out the car and open the gate, the dogs running up to say hello. Then he was back in the cab, staring at me for way too long as I undulated against the car seat, before driving up and parking the car.
“C’mon, love,” he said, appearing at my door and taking me in his arms. I clung to him like a limpet on a rock, desperate for that musky, masculine scent to fill my nose and then something else to fill me. He deposited me at the bedroom door, slamming his mouth down on mine in the next moment. My back hit the doorframe, but I didn’t care. All I could feel was him.
He sucked on my bottom lip so I could feel the points of his fangs, his fingers sliding under my shirt hem.
“Take this off,” he growled. “I need to take care of you.”
“And what about you?” I asked, feeling oddly shy when I rubbed the front of his jeans. My cunt pulsed weakly, wanting to be filled and aching when I wasn’t.
“You want to…? You don’t have to. I can rub one out later.”
“I want you to feel as good as you make me feel, Jai.”
His hand slammed into the door frame above my head, and I heard an ominous creak in the wood.
“Clothes off, before I rip them off you,” he growled, then turned away, pulling something out of the cupboard. I watched him spread a crackling top sheet over the bed with a frown, but that was soon wiped away as he jerked his T-shirt up off his head. He saw me watching with a smile, then his eyes followed mine to the bed. “Every pack man worth his salt has a stash of them,” he said. “Keeps the bed dry, makes you feel comfortable enough to let loose.”
His eyes scoured my body, taking in my heaving chest and my trashed jeans with a hungry look. If I could have gone back in time and told teenage me it was OK, Jai would look at me like I was his last meal, sans makeup and looking like a hot mess, I’m pretty sure I would have punched me in the arm for lying. But here I was.
“I mean it, girl. Get them clothes off or I’ll take care of it. Hope you aren’t fond of those jeans because…”