Love at First Scent
Chapter 11

She tasted like coffee and cream, and Craig gr0aned as her l!ps opened to his, letting his tongue in to explore the softness of her mouth beneath his. He had to keep reminding himself that he couldn’t let his instincts loose, no matter how much his wolf wanted him to str!p this female bare and worship every inch of her under the moonlight.

He pulled back a little, reaching up to cradle the soft skin of her cheek in his palm, and when she pursued his mouth with her own, he let her take the lead. Her k!sses went from tentative to exploratory very quickly, and he could feel the heat coming off her skin.

“God, why do you taste so good?” she murmured in between n!ps against his l!ps before she moved on to his neck, and then he was the one making noises.

Because you’re meant to be mine, little one.

His wolf fought to surge to the surface when they both fell back to the soft grass and she wrapped her leg around his thigh, pulling his h!ps in against her own. As if out of his control, his hand moved down over her as*s, enjoying the generous curves he discovered. His c0ck was achingly hard and desperate for the woman in his arms, and when she ground against him, a m0an coming from her delicious l!ps in between ravenous k!sses, he fought like hell to keep his control. Craig could feel the heat of her core against his shaft, and he knew that she was already w*et for him. He could scent the sweet and salty tang of her need, and it drove him crazy.

He knew coming out here would test his self-control, but he’d never imagined she would be this passionate. His little vixen was full of fire and need, and it was his job to ensure her every desire was taken care of—but without breaking her trust.

Just for her then.

K!ssing her was everything he craved, and as he explored her neck, wringing out the most wonderful noises from her, one of his hands trailed down, over the soft mound of her bre*ast, all the way to the snap of her jeans, which easily parted beneath his fingers.

“Yes,” she hissed as his fingers found their way to her w*et heat, circling the swollen nub that he couldn’t wait to get beneath his tongue.

“Goddess, you’re soaked, little vixen,” he murmured against her ear, lightly n!pping the soft lobe.

“I need to come.” She panted. “Please, Craig.”

His name on her l!ps in that s*xy low tone had the tip of his shaft weeping, and he imagined how incredible it would feel to slide into that silken channel, to become one with this woman who was meant to be part of him for the rest of their lives. The intensity of his emotions was a first, and he gr0aned as his fingers sank deep, and her h!ps pushed up to welcome him further.

“Yes, baby.” He circled her cl!t with his thumb as he thrust, watching every move she made, learning what made her clench in pleasure and what made her m0an in ecstasy. “I want you to come. Come all over my hand.”

And she did. Caro came with a gr0an, her hand grabbing at his wrist, short nails digging in as she spasmed around his fingers, and still, he car*ssed her until she came again, writhing against him in the most beautiful dance until she was spent. He held her close and placed soft k!sses against her l!ps before removing his hand from her p*nts and bringing his fingers to his l!ps to taste the honey left behind. Her flavor was the sweetest ambrosia, and he knew he’d crave her taste until the day that he left this world for the next.

Craig sighed as he returned to her l!ps and k!ssed her softly before gently pulling away. “I think that’s enough for now, little vixen.”

“Hmm?” Her eyes were half-lidded, her hair deliciously tousled. Add her flushed, swollen l!ps, and it made her just about the prettiest sight he’d ever seen, “Why? I want more…”

She was just reaching out for him again when he captured her hands in his. “I want everything with you, Caroline, but the one thing I won’t have between us is regrets.”

She just blinked up at him in confusion, and he smiled, caressing her cheek as her eyes slid closed in enjoyment. My little vixen likes to be petted, and I can’t wait until I can indulge her for hours on end.

But Craig refused to go any further until there were no secrets between them, even if pulling back now was one of the toughest things he’d ever had to do—and the fact that she was probably going to shift into an animal at some point in the near future, not to mention living in a town full of shifters, was a doozy of a secret.

Caro sighed at the feel of Craig’s hand against her cheek. It felt like a thousand years since she’d felt the comfort of a lover’s touch. Part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and take what her body was clamoring for—and hell, yes, was it clamoring—but her brain knew what he meant by regrets. They really didn’t know each other at all, and while it was true that she was a free woman now, in her heart, she knew she wasn’t interested in a casual fling.

“I suppose we should get back before the others come looking for us.” She smiled up at him, fascinated by the dimple on his left cheek when he returned her grin.

“I did consider stealing you away, but I don’t think your sister would be pleased with me, and honestly, I’m not willing to risk being cut off from her cooking.”

She laughed as he offered her a hand to help her stand once they’d found their shoes.

“Will you come to the street fair with me on Saturday?” he asked as he threaded his fingers through hers and led her back down the trail toward the lights of the house. “I can promise fun and an unholy number of deep-fried treats.”

“Well, how could a gal say no to that?” She looked up at him shyly. “Wow, I think it’s been over a decade since I’ve been on an actual date.” Then her head snapped up in a panic. “I mean if it’s a date, that is.”

“Oh, it’s absolutely a date.”

Caro melted as he brought their joined hands up to his mouth to place a soft k!ss against the back of hers.

When they returned to the yard, the others were there laughing at some story that Ms. Cally was telling about Diego when he was a boy, while they enjoyed their coffees, which by the smell had a liberal amount of alcohol in them.

Craig didn’t relinquish her hand for the rest of the night as they enjoyed the remainder of the warm summer evening. As the guests finally called it a night and thanked Caro and Ellie for a lovely dinner, she walked him to his truck and he k!ssed her once again, causing all sorts of chaos to bubble up in her neglected l!bido.

“Goddess,” he gr0aned as he finally pulled away, “the things you do to me, Caro.”

Her l!ps felt swollen and flushed, and she smiled as she trailed her fingers along her bottom l!p. “I could say the same, but I can’t remember wanting to spend hours making out with someone before, so I’m not sure what you’re doing to me either.”

He laughed before pulling her close again for another quick k!ss. “Saying things like that is not helping my situation, vixen.”

Caro had to admit she liked the pet name he’d been using. The entire time she’d been with Peter, he’d never called her anything other than her given name. Strange how such a small thing could create a feeling of intimacy she’d been craving without even knowing it.

She gasped and then gr0aned as he punctuated his point by pressing his groin to hers, letting her feel the hard ridge of his e******n behind his jeans. Caro was just leaning in for another k!ss when the porch light flicked off and then on again, about six times.

Craig laughed as Caro swore. “Is she kidding me with that? Ellie has been waiting twenty years to get back at me for doing that to her on her prom night.”

“You were doing it? Not your dad?” He chuckled and hugged her.

“Well, our parents passed when we were in our early teens, and then we went to stay with an older aunt.” Caro smiled as she remembered the shenanigans Ellie used to attempt. “Aunt Maggie was always in bed by eight, so I had to defend my sister’s honor—I swear, that guy she was dating was half octopus, his hands were everywhere at all times.”

Then she snorted, “Plus, you should have seen the look on her face when I did it. I thought she was going to throttle me!”

As he pulled her against him even tighter, she sighed at how safe she felt in his arms.

“I’m sorry to hear about your parents, but I’m glad that you both had each other.” He looked down at her. “And I’m especially glad that you came here to see your sister.”

“Me too,” she answered honestly, and smiled. Once she watched his truck lights disappear into the night, she turned back to the house, feeling like a school girl grinning all the way back and up the stairs to her room.