20. Emily

Chapter twenty

Emily

W aking up to Easton's hard cock digging into my back was not on my friend with benefits bingo card. I try not to move so I don't wake him. Pregnancy has changed a lot of my senses. The strongest and most noticeable change is my sense of smell, and right now all I want to do is sniff this man forever.

"Have a good nap?" Easton asks, his voice gravely with sleep.

"I did," I whisper. I want to ask him what he's doing here, but I don't want to send him running. I turn slowly in his arms and he chuckles at the grunting sound I make flipping over. "Sorry, I'm all kinds of sexy at this point."

"You are," he agrees and presses his lips to mine. It's not a kiss like earlier. This one is slow and sweet and methodical. It's as if he's exploring every bit of my mouth, cataloging me in some strange and sexy sort of way. I don't mind. Making out with a hot guy in bed is the best way I can think of to wake up from a nap.

"Have you ever been with a wolf before?" he asks as his cock grows harder against my belly.

"Eleven o'clock this morning."

He huffs a laugh and takes my hand. He puts it against the tip of his cock and I wrap it around, thinking it's a request. Before I can get started, he places his hand over mine and drags it down his shaft until I meet resistance–a swelling of some sort.

"You couldn't really see what was going on earlier. I don't want you to think I have some heinous STD. I have a knot. Lots of shifters have them. If we were trying to get you pregnant, I'd lock with you to improve our chances."

My hand covers the knot that has begun to expand at the base of his cock. I squeeze it experimentally and he hisses. "It's extremely sensitive."

I squeeze it again, scooting down in bed to get my face closer to his cock. "Do you ever lock for other reasons?" I ask as I take the tip of his cock into my mouth and begin to suck, my left hand still working his knot.

"Yes…God that feels good…it makes everything more intense…keep doing that."

I take him deeper into my mouth, but pregnancy gag reflex which now makes even brushing my teeth hard, is only going to let me get so far. I run my tongue up and down the vein underneath his shaft as he tries to remain still. "What happens if I–"

I stop for a moment and lick his knot, sucking on the flesh I can reach without scraping my teeth over anything sensitive.

"Fuck, Emily."

I move back up to the tip of his cock, sucking as I slowly pump his shaft with my right hand. He's incredibly hard by the time I come up and press his back to the bed. "I want to be on top."

It takes a little bit more maneuvering than it normally would to get him into position, but once we figure things out, he slides right in, his cock filling me entirely. He locks his elbows and holds his hands, with palms facing up, giving me something to hold on to as I begin to move.

His knot must not be at its full size, because it hits my clit each time before I come to sit fully on his lap before sliding back out. Ivan had a bit of a knot, but it was not like this. Easton's is massive and very, very useful for me. It sends little sparks of pleasure deep into my belly each time I pull up. He releases my hands and locks his hands onto my hips, moving me faster than I can move by myself. I help as best I can, moving against his rhythm, making sure his knot enters me each time.

Soon I cannot focus on anything but the feeling of him inside me. His scent is intoxicating. I feel as if I'm there and yet not at the same time. The wet sound of our flesh slapping together fills the room. At last, that knot pushes me hard over the edge. My heart and mind are on different planes of existence as waves of pleasure fill my body so violently I might be knocked down, were it not for Easton's cock, keeping me in place.

Easton cums with a growl seconds later, his whole body clenching as my pussy continues to spasm around his cock. His claws scrape my flesh, and then I feel it–the lock. It takes me several moments to care, to think about the logistics of this, to wonder how long we'll be attached like this.

Easton's eyes are closed for a long moment. When his body finally stills, he opens them and meets my gaze. "So about that lock…" he says and I chuckle.

"If we didn't have an interloper among us, we could probably go back to sleep right now."

He grunts. "Where there is a will, there is a way. Lean back a bit," he instructs.

I lean back on my hands, and he manages to sit upright. "Now this is going to be the sexy part," he says with a grimace. "We're going to need to scoot back until my back hits the headboard."

I can't help but snort. "That is going to be sexy."

He scoots back a little and I rock forward, our bodies moving side to side until at last we make it to where Easton can lean slightly back.

"Now what?" I ask, still sitting on his lap.

"Now I get to stare at your incredible breasts while we wait."

"How long does the lock last?"

"An hour or so."

"An hour? Your legs are going to fall asleep."

He laughs. "What kind of wolf cannot carry the weight of his woman?"

"His woman?" I repeat the words without meaning to and immediately regret it. Being stuck together face to face after sex is not the time for the conversation, but now I've fucked it up.

"Yes," he says, without missing a beat. "Do you have a different term for it? Girlfriend seems rather immature. We could use partner, if you'd rather."

"Are you sure?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Sure?"

"I guess I just wasn't expecting…you called me your friend for so long, I just thought…" I'm tripping over my words, afraid and excited at the same time.

His eyes meet mine, and he kisses me quickly on the lips. "I'm sorry I wasn't clear this morning. Let me clear that up. I'd like to be exclusive with you. Girlfriend, partner, woman, however you'd like me to introduce you. The choice is yours."

"I-oh. Woman sounds good, I think."

He kisses my forehead. "Then I'll be your man."

I nod, unable to speak. This is not how this conversation goes at all, ever, for me. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe the other shoe is out there somewhere–maybe he has a girlfriend or girlfriends, maybe he's secretly gay and I'm just a beard, maybe he just has a preggo fetish and this will all blow up in a few weeks when I'm wearing diapers–but here and now for this tiny little moment I'll take what I can get because I'm nothing, if not a hopeful idiot.

This is the last time, Emily. No more jumping at guys with pretty words after this baby comes along.

He leans back slightly against the pillows and pulls me forward to lean against his shoulder as best I can with my belly in the way. "Do you want a pillow? You should get comfortable. We'll be like this for a bit. Dinner's at seven. My brothers will be there."

"What time is it now?"

"Five."

"That's not going to give us much time to get ready."

"You don't have to be ready for them. They're just brothers."

I snort. "Sure, Easton. I'll just go out like this with tangled hair and the smell of you all over me. They'll never guess what we've been doing."

He laughs. "I'd love that."

"Of course you would," I mutter as I rest my face on his furry chest and let my body relax into his.

***

Despite a really long shower (during which Easton fingered me until I came twice), I feel like in a house full of werewolves, I have a flashing neon sign above my head announcing how much dick I'm getting. Even I can smell Easton on me despite the massive amount of soap and shampoo I've used. For his part, Easton does not seem to care what anyone thinks and has no problem showing up to dinner with a grin playing at his lips and his hand planted possessively around my shoulder.

In my head, I picture dinner in the Degarmo house, to be held at a long, fancy table in a room full of dimly lit wall sconces with a butler in the corner. The reality is a lot easier to deal with. Easton leads me to the kitchen, where a huge rough-hewn table sits on the other side of a large island. A short, handsome human man, introduced as Raul, is at the stove, putting the last touches on dinner. "You staying for dinner, Raul?" Easton asks as he guides me to the table.

Raul smiles. "Not tonight. I've got a date."

"With Paul?"

"With Paul," Raul repeats, his face lighting up.

"Getting serious there," Easton teases.

"Well, you know us boring humans. We gotta keep dating around until we find the one." It seems like a weird thing to say. Everyone, human or creature, has to do the same unless you're lucky enough to imprint like Angie did, or, I guess, you're a wolf and meet your mate. The door swings open and Tracey and a handsome man with dirty blond hair and a full beard enter just as we take our seats.

Easton stands to make introductions, leaving me feeling short and small in the chair next to him. "Samuel, this is Emily. Emily, this is my brother Samuel."

He leans across the table and offers me his hand so I don't have to stand. "Nice to meet you, Emily. If Easton gives you any trouble, make sure you let Tracey here know. She'll beat him within an inch of his life for you."

"Happily," Tracey says with a smile that makes me think this isn't entirely a joke.

I just smile. "I'll keep that in mind." I open my mouth and close it when I realize I'm about to ask him what he does for a living, when a younger man with the same coloring but only a five o'clock shadow rushes in.

"Oh good, I'm not late." He meets my gaze. "Hi Emily, I'm Daniel. Nice to meet you." He smiles and looks over at Raul. "Hey man, you're not joining us for dinner?"

"He's got a date," Easton announces.

"With Paul?" Daniel asks.

"Yep…let's see, if I recall, this is date number…five?" Samuel says with a knowing grin.

"Six," Raul says with a grin as he brings a casserole dish to the table.

"You going to lock him down tonight?" Tracey asks as she serves herself.

Raul turns slightly red and Daniel chuckles. "It's too soon, Tracey. Give the man some time."

"If you like him, it's never too soon," Samuel counters.

Raul laughs and wipes his hands on the towel draped over his shoulder. He nods towards Easton. "I'll be honest. I'm jealous that I can't just scent my mate like you two. Dating sucks, even when it's going well."

"Oh, we're not mates–we were in the same weird and confusing boat you were until today. I'm just a human. But we've decided to be exclusive," I say, patting Easton's hand. He squeezes it back, but Raul looks confused.

"I thought Wolves could–" Easton clears his throat loudly and Raul stops suddenly mid-sentence. He looks around the table and then shakes his head. "Never mind," he tells me, "I must be thinking of something else…my brain is fried. It was nice to meet you, Emily. Everyone have a great night. I know I will."

I turn away from Raul to find everyone staring down at their plates. I've missed something important and possibly embarrassing. The entire table has suddenly gone silent. God, what did I say? Was I being offensive? I play back the conversation in my mind, but can't think what I might have done wrong. Confused, I give up, pick up my fork, and dig into the food on my plate.

Raul's made steak bites, a mixed vegetable casserole, and smashed potatoes. The first bite of steak is so incredibly tender. I forget the awkwardness of the past few minutes and can only focus on how amazing the food is. I take several more bites before speaking the first thought that pops into my mind. "I hope you pay Raul well. I'd never want to let him go. This steak is amazing."

Tracey smiles. "Oh believe me, they do."

"Ever since dad hired Tracey, he made a point to spend time finding good people and paying whatever he needed to keep them," Samuel tells me.

"When will I get to meet your dad?"

"He passed away a few months ago," Daniel says without any sadness. Despite the tone of his voice, I still feel horrible for bringing it up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something so personal."

Easton takes my hand and squeezes it. "There is no such thing as something too personal around here. He'd been in and out of the hospital for years, had several close calls with death, came back again, only to end up in the hospital again the last time."

"Still, it has to be hard."

"Dad was never the ‘loving father figure' type." Samuel says. "He wasn't abusive or an asshole, but he raised us to survive. It was all education with him, not love."

Tracey tisks. "He loved each one of you."

"In his own way," Easton agrees, then turns to look at me. "He'd been in the hospital long enough that the counsel of wolves declared me Alpha before he died. The three of us have been spending several weeks trying to get through all of his business paperwork and assets."

"That's got to be a momentous task."

"It is," Samuel agrees. "In fact, speaking of, Al will be here tomorrow at nine–"

Easton groans.

"It's got to get done," Samuel tells him. "We need to get through everything once and for all."

"Fine, but no abandoning me at the last moment."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Samuel says, winking at me.

"Don't wink at my ma-woman," Easton tells him.

"I would never wink at your woman," Samuel says with a grin. "I merely have something in my eye."

Round and round they go, teasing each other, with Tracey occasionally jumping in to cut someone back down to size. Dinner winds down and, to my surprise, everyone rinses off their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Easton doesn't let me help. He insists I sit while he gets the serving dishes cleaned off. We are the only ones left in the kitchen when he comes to pull me up from my seat.

"Do you mind a walk outside? I'd love to show you more of the property."

"I'd love to," I smile. I cannot imagine a more perfect way to end the day.