STORY EXCERPT

“What about your place, Rennia?” asked Elyne. “Will you be open by then?”

Rennia bit her lip as twelve pairs of eyes focused on her. She’d recently given up her teaching job in Casper to move back to the mountain and be near her family. They didn’t know she’d purchased a building in Takoda and planned to open a small tavern. Guess I should have never arranged the financing through the bank where Elyne works.

“What is she talking about, girl?” asked Kitania.

Elyne groaned. “I’m sorry, Rennia. I didn’t know it was a secret. I just got caught up in the wedding plans and thought your place would be great to host a party.”

Rennia sighed. “It’s okay, Elyne. I planned on sitting down with Mom and the Dads tonight.” She took a deep breath. “I bought the Bentley store.”

Maddie frowned. “What on Earth would you want with a big, old, run-down building like that?”

“I’m gonna open a little bar for the locals. We’ll have beer on tap and serve simple foods like pizza and burgers. There’s a jukebox and when I can, I plan on having live music from local musicians. It’ll be a place for the pack to hang out on the weekend, or a safe place to take their dates.”

“You’re giving up your teaching career?” Kitania scowled. “I thought you moved back here to take over the elementary classes for the pack.”

“I’m not giving up teaching, Mom. I’m only taking a year off to get the business up and running. After that, I can do both. I just have to hire on people I trust to run the bar.”

“But your father and I—”

Maddie cleared her throat. “I’m sure Rennia has thought this over carefully. I’ve never known her to do anything impulsive so I’m sure she’s considered all the angles. We just have to trust her judgment.” Kitania took a deep breath and then leaned back in her chair and nodded.

“Do you think you’ll be open in time to have the reception at your place?” asked Elyne.

Rennia thought for a moment. “Yeah, we can have it there. I’m actually gonna open for business in just a few days. I was gonna invite all of you to the grand opening in about a month. I thought I’d give it some time to work out all the bugs and get some key employees settled in before I let anybody in on my secret.”

“Sorry!” Elyne whispered.

“Are you sure it wouldn’t be an imposition, Rennia?” Kati asked. “We can always just have a small reception at the church.”

Rennia stood and walked over to give her future sister-in-law a hug. “It’s not an imposition. I’m happy to do this for you and my brothers. I’ll give you a party you’ll never forget.”

The women all looked up when the back door opened. Maddie frowned when Kinnith and Synia walked through the door. “This was a female-only meeting, guys. Don’t make me break out the paddles.”

Synia chuckled. “Sorry for the intrusion, but we got a call from Kati’s dad.”

Kati jumped up. “Is anything wrong? Are they still coming?”

Kinnith walked over and pulled her into his arms. “Relax, darlin’. They’ll both be here day after tomorrow. He was calling to find out if we have any motels around here.”

Kati frowned. “What for? We already told them they could stay with us, or here with Maddie and Remus.”

Synia shrugged. “I think that’s the problem, love.” He glanced at Rennia and a wave of sympathy passed over his face. “He was pretty freaked out by what he saw in Tennessee. I guess he’s a little afraid to stay in such close proximity to us.”

When Kati’s shoulders fell, Kinnith pulled her close. “Relax, woman. He’s coming, and that’s the main thing. We can start changing his opinion of us once he’s here.”

Kati sniffed. “Where are they gonna stay now?”

“I talked to Zack,” said Synia. “He still has the lease on his apartment.”

“That’s right,” said Aurelia. “All the furniture is still there. When Zack bought the house here on the mountain we agreed to get all new furnishings so it would really be ours, and not mine or his. He had just signed another year’s lease so we kept the place.”

Synia nodded. “Zack said they could stay there.”

“My pop was okay with that?” asked Kati.

“Not exactly,” said Kinnith. “When he found out it wasn’t on the mountain, he said your stubborn brother could stay there and he was gonna stay with us. According to him, he wants some time to get to know us better to make sure we’re deserving of his little girl.”

Kati groaned and covered her face with her hands when all the women laughed. After a moment, she moved her hands and looked at Rennia. “Maybe it’ll be good for him to stay in the apartment, alone. He can spend some time getting to know the locals.”

Rennia’s mouth dropped open. Is she thinking what I think she’s thinking?

Maddie clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone, that’s enough for now. Kati, you get together with the girls and pick out a dress for the attendants, and then you can get with Elyne and start on your own dress. We’ll get some estimates on the flowers and candles, and meet back here in two days to compare notes.” She turned her gaze to Rennia. “I’d like to come by and see your place if that’s okay with you. It’ll give me an idea of suggestions to make for the reception.”

Rennia nodded. “I’ll be there today after three o’clock, Aunt Maddie. I’d be happy to show you around.”

“Okay then, girls. Let’s get busy.”

Everyone stood and moved toward the door. Kati grabbed Rennia’s arm and pulled her to the side. “If Ray stays in town at the apartment maybe you could spend some time getting to know him.”

Rennia sighed and shook her head. “Kati, he was pretty adamant about not wanting me near him in my shifted state. The fear was rolling off him. He couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

“He couldn’t get away from your cat and your wolf. He’s never met Rennia Wind River.”

ADULT EXCERPT

He slipped his hand beneath her blouse and encountered her lacy bra.

For a moment, he traced the openwork design with a finger. “I can almost imagine what your body looks like just from tracing all this lace. But I’d much rather see it firsthand.” With a rough curse, he stripped her out of the shirt and bra before he lifted her. With his mouth hard on hers, he carried her to the small bedroom and laid her on the bed. She drew him down on top of her so that her bare breasts merged with his hard chest. She drank in the smell of his body with pleasure. The feel of his firm skin so intimately kindled a raging arousal in her.

Ray moved his hand down her throat and began stroking the side of her breast. “Take off the rest of it, please.”

Rennia’s fingers trembled as she pushed her jeans down her legs and kicked them across the room. Ray licked his lips as his gaze dropped to her taut breasts. He palmed one of the soft mounds and began to pull gently at her nipple. His work-roughened fingers created a rasping sensation against the firm bud, making it stand up taut and straight. She let out her breath with a moan when Ray cupped her breasts, using his thumbs to rub back and forth across her nipples.

He flexed his fingers against her skin. “You’re so soft…so damned soft.” Fondling her breast, controlling her mouth, he pressed her firmly into the mattress. Her heart slammed against the walls of her chest. Ray worked his way back down her neck and across her collarbone before moving to the aching tips of her swollen breasts. His mouth opened, and he drew the hard tip into it with a faint, soft suction that brought a sharp cry from her dry lips. He sucked it with hard, firm pulls that had her moving her legs to admit him to an intimacy that made her head swim.

Moisture pooled between her legs, and she could feel it begin to slick her thighs. Rennia wasn’t a virgin, but she’d only had one lover in college, and he’d never made her feel anything close to what she was feeling now. She held her breath as rough fingers stroked the hot flesh between her thighs. Her head went back, her eyes closed, as she shivered, biting her lip to keep from weeping, the pleasure was so overwhelming.

“Ray,” she called out, as her nails bit into his broad shoulders.

He pulled her even closer, straining against the thick nylon barrier that was all that separated them. Her pussy clenched when he hooked his fingers beneath the elastic waist and tore them from her body. “I don’t want anything separating us, Rennia. I need to be closer.” His long fingers flexed into the soft skin of her buttocks, stroking and lightly pinching. She felt a husky groan slip from her mouth, as he grew more insistent. Ray moved his fingers gently around the outside lips of her labia, not touching her clit at all. She gasped and thrust herself against his fingers, beginning to ride his hand.

“Your pussy feels like heaven. You’re sopping wet.” He thrust his fingers inside her faster as he ground his palm against her clit. She could still feel one of his hands warm and forceful against her buttocks. Taking a deep breath, she threaded her fingers in his hair and directed his mouth to her neglected breast. Her breath came whooshing out when he used his teeth, abrading the soft flesh. A few feverish minutes later he moved between her long legs and his mouth pushed hard against her lips as his hips eased down against hers. His leg became insistent between her thighs, coaxing them to move apart, to admit the slow, exquisite imprint of his body as he settled his shoulders between her legs. She groaned harshly when he licked her from her anus to her clit. “You taste so damn good.”

Ray hummed as he rimmed the opening of her vagina with his tongue and without warning he thrust it up inside her passage.

Rennia’s breath caught in her throat as she felt his tongue lap gently between her lips, barely catching her clit. Then, he suckled on the small bud and bit gently. She cried out as she ground her aching slit against his hot tongue.

Pushing up, he moved quickly to tangle his tongue with hers, thrusting gently as he had done into her eager slit. She could taste herself in his kiss. “I want you so badly, Rennia. Please, baby, don’t say no. This one’s gonna be fast, but I promise I’ll make it up to you. I just can’t wait to feel myself buried in your beautiful body.”

When Rennia managed to nod, Ray grabbed one of the condoms he’d laid on her table, moved between her wet thighs and placed the sheathed crown of his erection against her tight pussy. His finger moved to stroke back and forth over her nipple. Smiling, he arched over her prone body, resting his formidable weight in his forearms. With one hard thrust, his big cock was buried fully inside her pussy so deep Rennia felt skewered, so big her pussy felt stretched to its limits.

With a groan, Ray began to move within her. Slowly at first, but gradually quicker as desire and need overtook them, he plunged in and out of her silky sheath. Rennia moaned with each of his fierce thrusts, wrapping her legs around him, urging him on, and meeting his every thrust. Needing more, she pushed her lower body against the hard cradle of his pelvis. Rennia arched her back and screamed.