Chapter Three

Gage I tried hard to keep my wolf back, but when I saw the door ajar, it’s more than I can allow without retribution. Without saying a word, I pushed in front of Erin and brought us closer to the door of her apartment then roughly pushed her into an alcove. Pinning her with my gaze, I knew my message was clear. She dropped her eyes before bravely bringing them up to meet mine again. Her look told me she knew she’d earned my displeasure. It even looked as though she would acquiesce. At another time, my wolf might have been appeased, but neither he nor I were willing to ignore open disobedience.

I knew my eyes lightened. I could feel the tingle that signaled my wolf was coming to the foreground. He wouldn’t scare her, but he would make himself known. My wolf has gone into heavy protection mode, and I have to control our need to punish and then claim. I wondered if it was even possible and reined back my inner desires. This was serious.

I walked through the apartment in more of a stalk. Nothing seemed out of place. No intruders anyway, but I’m so frustrated and actually angry that she has disregarded all of my warnings that I know I won’t be able to let it go this time. Suddenly I got a whiff of danger. As I approached the entrance again, Erin was standing there wearing a militant expression.

“Gage, I don’t need…”

Her obstinance crossed my threshold of control. “The hell you don’t. You need it so badly that if I don’t take control now, something worse is going to happen. You have no idea.”

She didn’t know the scent on the box, then. Good. It wasn’t here in her space, so I relaxed a tick. She left the door open. No intruder. Before I knew what was happening, my wolf took control, dragged her inside and closed the door. I flipped her around and pinned her against the barrier.

“Put your hands on the door.” My voice was deeper, raspy, demanding.

She did as I asked with a whimper, but it sounded more like need than fright. I could smell her arousal and feel the rising temperature in her body. Her breathing picked up and grew shallow. Her heart beat faster. She rubbed her thighs together. I wanted her.

My hand came crashing down on her ass. Her butt dipped and then returned to its original place. I slapped the other cheek with the same result. I leaned in. “You need this. You need me to take care of you. You need to listen to me when I am trying to protect you. You need me to punish you when you don’t. You need me to push my dick so far into your slit that there is no me or you. There is just us. You need a daddy.” I slapped her ass again. “That is what you need, baby girl.”

I bounced my hand off her ass hard. At first, I don’t do more than satisfy my craving to punish, but then, I hear a moan. Next, a grunt. Enough. My wolf demands to give comfort as much as he needed to punish. I turn Erin around and can see the glazed look and the unshed tears. This woman is aroused. She makes me fall a little more under her spell. I can’t help but lower my mouth to kiss her. Not gently, I can’t yet, but not like a wild animal. My wolf has backed down, satisfied, triumphant.

I licked the seam of her lips, and she opened for me. I could hear her little sounds of encouragement, hunger. This is what we both needed. My instincts weren’t off. And her sweat, it has a strong flavor of both shifter and human, but I’m no expert, so I can’t be sure. I’ve never been with a mixed-breed. I’m encouraged though to pursue her. Something is off, but I don’t try to think about that now. I have later to figure it out. Now, I have Erin in my arms, and she is receptive, her responses mimic mine.

My cock is harder than I can remember in a long time. It has elongated and swelled to the place where I can’t even consider opening my jeans for relief. I’ll never fold back in without coming hard. That is not on tonight’s agenda, I tell my wolf harshly. But we can help her out.

I scooped up my girl. Yes, I have to acknowledge this one, more than any other, makes my wolf howl and lay down. She revs me up and calms me down. It’s right. The thought of Hunter joining us raced through my mind. If he didn’t agree, then I’ll keep her for myself, but I’m keeping her. I sat on the sofa and settled her into my lap. She curled in like she belongs because she fucking does. She started rubbing her cheek on my shirt. Soon I felt her hand rubbing up and down my back as though soothing me but I suspected it soothed her.

“Baby girl? You okay?” She nodded her head and burrowed deeper. “Won’t do, baby. I need to hear you tell me.”

Her voice was thick with arousal and tears. She sounded husky, and it’s sexy as all fuck. “It’s just…” She shakes her head again, taking a deep, cleansing breath and leaned forward. “I’m good.” She looked at me. “Really, Gage, I’m fine. Kiss me?”

No more words were needed. I possessed her lips, licking the seam where they meet, closed to intruders. She allowed me to enter again. I plundered her mouth and our tongues dueled. Her hand slipped under my shirt. Her nails were short, but they penetrated my skin like claws. The act pushed me into further action. I nearly panted with lust before slipping my hand under her nightshirt and inside her panties. My hot steamy woman met me, and I held her tight when she would scoot away.

“Shh. It’s okay, baby. Let me make you feel better.”

Withdrawing her hand, she allowed me to tease her bud. “Good girl. Now don’t move an inch.”

I swirled my finger in her arousal and then went to work on her erect clit. It was difficult, but she was staying as still as I had dared hope. I could feel the sheath had retracted, and her clit tip was extended. I twirled and teased until she unraveled in my arms, flooding my hand and her pussy with honey. Her scent was so overpowering when I withdrew my hand. I almost came with the intensity. There are shifter and human scents intermingled, but the human aroma was spiced with something else. Something exotic. And she was about to go into estrus. My wolf joined in my drooling.

I’ve wanted her for so long, and while I wouldn’t have pushed this tonight, I let her take the wheel. She lifted her nightshirt completely, and I moved her panties to the side to touch what I will eventually claim. Her clit was pleading, and I never like my woman to beg for long.

She made an impatient cry and dragged my zipper down. I grabbed her hand. “Not tonight, baby. Too much too soon. We don’t have to do this yet.” I tried to be clear, but her look of pleading hunger overtakes me and I nearly cave. “It’s too soon.” Erin shook her head. “I want to, but we need a little more teasing and playing. I’ll take care of you, though. I want you so badly.”

“I need to feel you deep inside. I’ve wanted you for such a long time. Please?”

Her desperation was loud and clear. She needed something, of that I was certain, but she couldn’t decide if it was this or another thing like old fashion comfort and safety. I don’t know for sure either, so I’m not willing to take her no matter how much I want her. Soon, though, it became apparent that slow was not her game tonight. I needed to take control—time to show my little human who was boss.

I reached down and started to arouse her again. I teased and taunted. She wiggled and whined. The little minx tried to get my cock out, but I’m in control. I played her wantonness like a fine-tuned instrument, and she climbed fast this time. I slowed down, but she was ready to fall off the cliff of frenzied emotion.

“Look at me, baby.”

She resisted, and I stopped. Her eyelids flew open, disbelief in her eyes. I grinned and shrugged. “My way or no way, Erin. Take your pick.”

“Fine. Just don’t stop.”

Yeah, I could milk this, but it was a reward for trying this relationship and not shutting down when she didn’t get the cock she wanted—not yet anyway. I squeezed her tit and gave it a twist. That was all it took to shoot her to the moon. No rocket required. My baby liked a little pain. Good to know.

We sat for a time, cuddling and talking. I needed to settle things a little. If I was going to keep Erin, she deserved to know what just happened. Well, most of it. Full disclosure would happen later. When I think she can handle it and when my Alpha wants her as much as I do.

“Baby, you know what happened here? And I don’t mean the orgasm.”

She obviously needed to regroup before answering. “Y-you spanked me. Hard. And it hurt. And then you made it better.” She grinned. Her timidity was diminishing. Good. She was coming back to me.

I pulled her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek. “Do you know why?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I was unsafe, and you warned me.”

“Exactly. Daddies like me won’t allow that with their girls.” I couldn’t resist kissing her lips again. “I have to do whatever it takes to teach you to be more careful. I will not have anything happen to you. Understood?” I hardened my voice but not too much. I desperately wanted to hear her call me ‘Daddy’ but that will come later. I was still wooing her, but it was game on now. There would be no more hiding.

“Okay.”

“And Erin?”

“Yes?”

“You loved it.” She nodded but didn’t speak. “And the sexy bits too. Now apologize.” He watched her think.

She seemed as though she would disobey but then thought better of it. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.” She grinned again. “But I’m not sorry about the foreplay. It was the best orgasm I’ve ever had. And certainly the best by a man.”

“And how much have you had, with a man?” The gruffness returned to my voice, but I can’t help it.

She rolled her eyes. “A few bad imitations, if this is what foreplay is really like. Now that we’ve had the appetizer…” Her hopeful expression drew a chuckle from me.

“Naughty girl.” And that was that. She was mine.

I suddenly felt the need to go and figure this out for her—for us. When I bussed her lips, her little mewling is at once needy and satiated. She again rubbed her cheek on my shirt, and her hand made alternating clenching and flattening movements on my back. I moved to her eyelids, her nose, then her temple before putting one last kiss on those red, swollen lips. I sat up straighter and brought Erin up with me.

“Time for you to eat and get some sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be back in the morning, and we’ll talk about this after you’ve had some breathing room. Sound good?”

“Yes.” But she wasn’t vulnerable like earlier. She was pulling it all together now, and I can tell she is trying to separate physically and emotionally. I can’t let that happen.

“Erin?”

“Yes?”

“I want us to explore this thing between us. I’ve desired you for months, but I didn’t know how to approach you without scaring you. As you know, I’m a big guy, and I can be aggressive in my attention sometimes. I wanted you to get used to us as friends, but today pushed me past the waiting. If you want me to back off, I can do that. But I don’t want to, now that I’ve had a taste of your sweetness.”

“I’d like that, us...” She shook her head and took a breath before trying again. “I’ve wanted to get to know you better, but I knew you’d have so many women you could be with that are more in your league. I don’t have, I mean, I’m just a graphic artist who illustrates. As I’m sure you know, I rarely date.”

“You’re the one that should have the men panting after you. I bet you do, and you just haven’t noticed. I’ve got to say I’m glad of that fact.”

“Yeah, maybe.” But it was obvious she didn’t believe it. “I do like going to that cute little bar down the road. I don’t get out much, and it’s so cold in the winter, I stay home in the coldest months.”

Gage heard his wolf’s response to their woman going to Casey’s Bar at any time of the year without protection going with her. He would be that now if she’d let him. “Honey, I’m possessive and protective. Sometimes I might be too much to handle.”

“You might be, but how will we know if we don’t try this out? I’m game. Are you?” There she was, his brave, sassy girl.

“Just so you know what the consequences are for ignoring my instructions when I’m trying to take care of you.”

“You’d really s-spank me again?”

“And other things. There is so much I can do to set a naughty little girl straight.”

I love the hard blush, and I want to know where her mind went to as punishment. I want to explore all her kink. She ducked her head, and then tried to squirm off my lap, but I don’t let her. Not yet.

“Why do you call me that? I can handle things on my own quite well.” I hear her offended voice speaking up, but it is forced. It intrigued her if not more.

“It’s another side of me that you haven’t seen much of yet. Do you know about nurturing men, sometimes called ‘Daddy Doms’?” I watched her eyes grow larger, and her blush that had started to calm down came back in full force. Yeah, she’d heard of them.

“Um, only what I’ve read in books.”

“And that is a taste but probably over the top to what a real one is and who I am. We’ll work on that angle later, yeah? For now, we’ll get used to this new us before we add in any other flavors.”

I saw the relief in her eyes. Her body relaxed. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

My phone rang. I looked at the time. It’s probably Hunter because I’m very late for a meeting Hunter had set up, but I might need to let my wolf out to run instead. I can’t allow it to go to voice mail. Hunter might be my partner and my littermate, but as my pack Alpha, there is no pushing him off. I kissed Erin quickly and let her up before standing myself.

“I have to take this.”

She went to the counter, where I laid the pizza box. She takes a piece of lukewarm pizza that is more meat than anything else. Yeah, this woman is made for me. She doesn’t seem to mind that it’s nearly cold as she hands me a slice and bites into hers, going to the fridge for bottles of water.

I was only half-listening, and Hunter can tell. “Gage, this is important. What are you doing?”

“I’m in Erin’s place. I’m on my way, and we can talk when I get there. See you in a few.” Hunter grew silent, but he allowed me to hang up. Yeah, I’m going to have to explain that one.

I took one last scan of her place. She had things out on a desk with her computer and a sketch board and pad. A book with a fictional werewolf on its cover and a cozy blanket on the other end of the sofa. Homey. I wanted her with me like this. Comfortable. Relaxed. Satisfied.

Erin’s hand fluttered slightly. “I have work to do and looks like so do you. I’ll see you.”

“Tomorrow. I’ll be here tomorrow. Hand me your phone.”

She did without hesitation, and my wolf was as satisfied as me. I entered my number and then sent myself a text. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Thanks, but I won’t need anything. I’m fine.” She dismissed me, and I immediately knew I needed to start training her now on the way this wolf operates.

“Good, but if you do need me and you don’t call me, tonight’s little tap dance on your rounded little ass will not even compare to the performance you’ll get when I find out.” I waited as I watched her sigh and then nod. I decide not to push the point. “I’ll see you in the morning. You will not leave the house again tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I’ll expect you home when I get here. We’ll talk, and we can look at our schedules. I’ll bring breakfast.”

She handed me another slice of pizza. I took it before kissing those rosy lips and taking a nip at them before I forced myself out. She smiled shyly, and waved as I closed the door. “Lock it up,” I called through the door. At first, I thought she wasn’t going to do as I instructed, but then I heard the clicks. Good. I heard her sigh through the door, and I headed to the meeting with a grin.