Chapter 13

Lily

Ladies' night certainly hadn't been as exciting as guys' night, but we'd had our own sort of fun. No one was passed out on the front lawn drunk. Actually, there'd been a lot of tears and laughs through the night as we caught up.

Times like this made me wish we all lived closer, yet I wouldn't trade my life as Pack Mother of Collier for anything. Still, it was fun while we were here.

I had been in shock seeing Thomas passed out on Shelby and Ben's front lawn. And I had responded emotionally when I heard he'd been offered blow jobs. I overreacted. I was big enough to admit it.

Of course, I knew there was a shot called a blow job, but I'd never seen Thomas like that before and when I heard the words, I took it all wrong. So sue me. I was seven months pregnant in the heat of summer and I'd been caught off guard. Not my finest moment, but I'd done worse.

We walked all the way back to the house, and I shooed my mate upstairs to shower and change.

"Was that Thomas?" his mother asked.

"Yes."

"Is he okay?" she sniffed the air and took a step back. "What is that stench?"

"Also Thomas. It's a long story. How did the grandkid sleepover go?"

"It was wonderful. Mary planned out all these activities for them and by ten o'clock everyone but Oscar was out for the night."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

"Cora, that's incredible, a miracle really. Thank you for doing that."

"It was nothing. We rather enjoyed it. How are you holding up?"

"Not well apparently. I overreacted this morning, but we worked it out, I guess."

"You and Thomas?"

"Yeah. I can't even wrap my head around just how drunk he must have been last night. He was passed out in Ben's yard. They all were."

"Boys will be boys, I suppose, though it's not like Thomas to have more than one or two drinks."

"I know. And after the way I flipped out, he'll likely never drink again."

Before I could explain, my mother interrupted us. Probably for the best as I tended to be an oversharer, and that was likely not a story my mate's mom really wanted to hear.

I gave Mom a quick hug.

"I hear everyone behaved well for you last night."

"They were wonderful. I wish we could do it every week."

"That might be asking a little much of me," Cora confessed. "But we did enjoy them."

"The others should be along shortly. What all can I do to help with the picnic?"

"Absolutely nothing," Mom insisted.

"But . . ."

"No buts, Lily Ann. The mates of Westin Force Delta have volunteered to handle all the food today. Even I've been shooed out of my own kitchen. They have everything under control. All you have to do is go get ready and then head over to the park."

"Yes, ma'am."

I left them and went upstairs to my old bedroom. Thomas was still in the shower.

After what I'd suffered this morning with the innocent misunderstanding and with him banning sex for the duration of this pregnancy, I was feeling particularly evil and ready for a little payback.

Stripping out of my clothes, I joined him in the shower.

He still looked rough around the edges, but he certainly smelled a whole lot better.

"Lily," he said in a voice that sounded like he thought I was a dream.

I stood before him and took a bar of soap to lather up my body.

He groaned. "You're so beautiful all round and swollen with my baby. You have no idea what that does to me."

I reached down and stroked him in my hand. "Oh, I have an idea."

"That feels so good."

He closed his eyes and let the water run down his skin as I continued to pleasure him.

Just watching him was driving me crazy. I rolled a nipple between my fingers with my free hand as I picked up the pace of my strokes.

"Yes. More," he begged.

I knew that if I didn't stop now, I wasn't going to be able to, but then I knew he wasn't going to be able to tell me no again either.

As I moved so that I was under the water stream and out in the open now, I let go of him and started washing my hair.

A second later, his eyes flew open.

"What the hell just happened?"

I sighed. "I was starting to get too worked up watching you, and I know how you feel about the no sex thing and not getting me stimulated and all. Not worth the risk, right?"

His jaw dropped open as he stared at me completely dumbfounded.

"Lily."

I soaped up a washcloth and handed it to him. "Could you get my back?"

Every little touch from him affected me. I wasn't sure how he thought he was going to be able to pull off seven more weeks of abstinence, but if he was going to persist with the plan, I was going to make his life a living nightmare filled with untouchable desires.

That was only a fleeting thought though when I felt light pressure between my shoulder blades, forcing me to brace myself against the wall.

He thoroughly rubbed every inch of my back and then reached around to my stomach. When he finally made it to my breasts, I was a heaping pile of nerves. Soft little sounds of appreciation kept escaping me. I couldn't help it. He made me feel so good.

Nudging my thighs apart, he carefully washed my butt and thighs, completely avoiding exactly where I needed him most.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "You drive me nuts sometimes."

"Who? Me?" I asked innocently.

"Just this once," he muttered, and I nearly cried out in victory.

Thomas slammed into me in one swift thrust and then stilled, like he was savoring the moment. I lasted as long as I could before I started squirming against the pressure building within me.

When he started to move again, it was long concentrated strokes designed to draw out maximum pleasure for us both.

There was no way I was going to be able to last long.

Sure enough, just a few strokes later I could already feel the familiar quiver of excitement in my gut as I began climbing to that point of no return.

If he were a truly evil man, he would stop right now and walk away. But unlike me, my mate was a saint, and I knew he wanted me every bit as much as I wanted him.

He spoke dirty and sweet nothings in my ear, and he loved me through every stroke.

When I started to crest, he held me tighter and let me ride it out, but before my breathing even began to level out again, Thomas picked up the pace, pumping into me over and over until I wasn't sure I could stand on my own any longer.

He took us to new heights, and I was nearly blinded by desire by the time I screamed his name and gave in to the best orgasm of my entire life. This time, he couldn't hold back and let himself fall right alongside me.

"Holy shit," I said when I finally caught my breath.

He was shaking all over like he was on the verge of shifting or something. The dark, feral look in his eyes told me his wolf was trying to come closer to the edge, but I knew my mate was stronger than that.

Without a word, he rinsed us off and then helped me back to the bed.

My legs felt like Jell-O, and I couldn't seem to stop smiling. My cheeks were starting to hurt.

But Thomas started pacing the room and ran his hand through his wet hair.

"Are you okay?"

"You did that on purpose. You drive me insane sometimes."

"I'm pretty sure you knew that before you mated me."

"Lily, the baby . . ."

"The baby is fine, Thomas. Stop worrying so much. I swear you're like a first-time dad again and for some reason, it's even worse this time."

"But Lucy said . . ."

"I started dilating at thirty-two weeks with Lilah. This isn't new or different."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd pull this trick and ban sex. In case you haven't noticed, I really like having sex with you."

He shook his head. "That was a low trick even for you, though."

"But look at us now? Feeling so refreshed after that shower."

He snorted. "You're impossible."

"I know, but you love me anyway."

"Always and forever. You're sure you and the baby are okay?"

"Never better."

He kissed me, and I smiled against his lips.

"No, that's not happening again. Not right now at least."

"That's much more promising than your previous ban."

He groaned. "It's pathetic. I couldn't even last twenty-four hours."

I laughed. "That's not a bad thing."

"Maybe. What are you even doing up here? I thought you'd be elbow deep in macaroni salad or something by now."

"Nope. We are all banned from the kitchen."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Mom said Delta Force volunteered to handle everything. Explains why she wasn't stressing out yesterday and planned that whole cousins' sleepover instead."

"Nice. That's a tradition I can definitely get behind."

"Maybe. We'll see how it all turns out."

Deciding it was time to rejoin the others, I got up and got dressed. No sooner did I pull my pants up, than the door burst open.

Cammie led the way, carrying Lilah, with Audrey and Willow hot on her heels.

"Mommy!" Lilah squealed, lunging for me.

"Hi my sweet girls. How was your sleepover?"

"It was fine. Can we lie down with you for a while before we have to leave?" Cammie asked.

Since the storm, she'd been sleeping with us every night. And that meant that in the wee hours of morning, Audrey would wake up and find her missing, so she would get her sisters and the three of them would join us, too. It was sweet, but also getting old.

Last night was her first night without us since all of this began. I felt bad that I hadn't even thought of it before now.

"Was everything okay?"

"Yeah. We just missed you and Dad," my big girl admitted.

Cammie always played it tough, like nothing bothered her, but I knew that wasn't true. Beneath the tough exterior she tried to show others was a wonderful, sweet, caring, sensitive young woman.

"Are you okay?" I whispered.

She snuggled next to me and yawned. "Better now that you're here."

Before I could ask anything further, she was snoring.

Thomas ended up quietly taking the younger girls out of the room while I rested with Cammie. I wished I knew what was bothering her so much.

I let her sleep for about an hour. The picnic was about to begin, and I knew neither of us wanted to miss it.