Page 20
His eyes flashed gold again, his control slipping further. “As the inspector insists,” he murmured, reaching for his discarded backpack.
I raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a small bottle of lubricant. “You really did plan this.”
“I told you, sometimes I think ahead.” He uncapped the bottle, warming the gel between his fingers before reaching down to circle my entrance. “Especially when it comes to you.”
I gasped as his finger breached me, the initial discomfort quickly giving way to pleasure as he found that perfect spot inside. Above us, the fireworks continued their explosive display, each burst casting us in different colored light—red, then green, then gold.
Shep worked me open with practiced care, adding a second finger alongside the first, then a third when I began to push impatiently against his hand. By the time he deemed me ready, I was a writhing mess, beyond coherent thought or speech.
“Please,” I finally managed, the word barely audible over the continuous explosions overhead. “Shep, please.”
He withdrew his fingers, leaving me empty and aching, then positioned himself between my thighs. The blunt head of his cock pressed against my entrance, hot and insistent. Our eyes met in the flickering light of the fireworks, his asking a final question, mine giving clear permission.
He pushed forward slowly, filling me inch by delicious inch until he was seated fully within me. For a moment, we both held perfectly still, connected as intimately as two people could be, surrounded by the night and the explosions of light and sound that mirrored the sensations coursing through my body.
“Move,” I finally whispered, my legs wrapping around his waist. “Please, move.”
He needed no further encouragement. His hips withdrew only to drive forward again, establishing a rhythm that was neither gentle nor rough but perfectly calibrated to my responses. Each thrust sent sparks of pleasure through me, each withdrawal left me aching for more.
The grand finale of the fireworks began overhead, rapid-fire explosions painting the sky in a dizzying array of colors. Shep increased his pace to match, his control slipping further with each thrust. His eyes now glowed gold continuously, his canines slightly elongated as his wolf edged closer to the surface.
“Mine,” he growled, the word barely human as his hips snapped forward with increasing force. “My mate. My Evan.”
“Yours,” I agreed without hesitation, the designation feeling right in a way I couldn’t explain. “Always yours.”
My acquiescence seemed to trigger something primal in him. He growled, deep and possessive, then suddenly flipped our positions without withdrawing from me. I found myself straddling him, his cock impossibly deeper in this new position.
“Show me,” he demanded, his hands guiding my hips. “Show me you’re mine.”
I braced my hands on his chest and began to move, finding a rhythm that had us both gasping. The fireworks reached their crescendo above us, but I barely noticed, too lost in the sensations of our joining, in the way his eyes glowed beneath me, in the power I felt at bringing this magnificent creature pleasure.
His hand wrapped around my neglected erection, stroking in time with my movements. The dual stimulation was overwhelming, pushing me rapidly toward the edge. I could feel my climax building, a tension coiling at the base of my spine.
“Shep,” I warned, my voice breaking. “I’m close, I’m going to—”
“Yes,” he growled, his thumb swiping over the sensitive head of my cock. “Let go, Evan. Let me see you come apart.”
His words and touch combined to push me over the edge. I came with a cry that was lost in the final explosions of the fireworks, my body clenching around him as pleasure crashed through me in waves. He followed immediately, his release hot inside me, his body arching up off the blanket with the force of his climax.
As the last of the fireworks faded from the sky, we collapsed together on the blanket, sweaty and satisfied and tangled in each other’s arms. For several long moments, the only sound was our ragged breathing gradually returning to normal.
“Well,” Shep finally murmured against my hair, “that was definitely better than any fireworks display I’ve ever seen.”
I laughed, the sound still slightly breathless. “I hope the actual fireworks met safety standards. I was somewhat… distracted during the final inspection.”
His chest rumbled with answering laughter. “I’d say we conducted a very thorough inspection of our own.”
I propped myself up on one elbow to look at him, taking in the relaxed satisfaction on his face, the way his eyes had returned to their normal amber. “Should we add that to the manual? Rule sixteen: Outdoor sex during fireworks is permissible with proper noise coverage?”
His smile was warm as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You and your rules. Has anyone ever told you you’re adorably predictable?”
“I prefer ‘consistently thorough,’” I corrected primly, trying to maintain some dignity despite being naked and thoroughly debauched on a blanket in the woods.
“Mmm, you are definitely thorough.” His hand stroked lazily down my back. “And since you’re staying in Liberty Lake, we’ll have plenty of time to document all your thoroughness. In detail.”
The casual reminder of my decision to stay sent a flutter of both excitement and nervousness through me. “It’s still just a trial period,” I reminded him, though the words lacked conviction. “We barely know each other.”
His expression turned serious, his hand coming up to cup my face. “I know enough,” he said simply. “I know you’re brave and brilliant and surprisingly adaptable for someone so obsessed with rules. I know you make me laugh and think and feel more than I have in years. I know that when I’m with you, the wolf is content in a way it’s never been before.”
