All in the Chemistry [The Royal Wolves 4] (Siren Publishing Allure) (12 page)

“No, it won’t be long enough, Kris, we need at least ten human lifetimes, if not more.” She grinned and looked up. “I know it has to be hard, the whole body goes through a change at the cellular level, the entire DNA sequence is rewritten, but I’m willing to go through that if you will be with me.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Courtney, believe that,” he said softly. He knew that he’d never survive her being changed by another like Mik had to, if she was going to go through the change it would be by his bite and only his bite. “I love you, Courtney.” Leaning in he kissed her. “But I’m hungry and you’re sitting between me and food, love.”

She grinned and nodded. “Right.” Twisting she reached behind her and pulled the plate to her. Sitting it on her lap, she smiled. “I don’t want to leave your lap, so eat from the plate here on my lap,” she ordered even as her fingers stroked his hair lightly.

He liked the idea but…“If I do I’ll have to let you go, darling, I’m right handed,” he said and patted her back with the hand in question. “I might be able to swing the left handed eating but I’m pretty sure we’d both be wearing more of it than not,” he pointed out softly.

She grinned and leaned in. “Well we have options. I can move on your lap, I can get up and move or I can feed you. Your choice, big boy.” She nuzzled her cheek against his cheek, needing the touch from the man she loved, needed it badly. “Which one?” she whispered against his lip.

Hugging her close he cut off her options. “Feed me,” he said softly kissing her back. Nibbling on her lips he sighed softly. “I love you, Courtney,” he murmured leaning back slightly even as he reached around her for a piece of toast. Taking a bite he smiled at her slightly.

She was happy. “Of course I will feed you, Kris.” She patted his shoulder and then adjusted so that she could use both hands and spooned up a large bite of the stew. “Open wide.” She knew they likely looked silly, but she didn’t care, she needed to be close to him, she needed to touch him so she didn’t care how it looked right now.

Opening his mouth he took the bite and grinned as she pulled the spoon back. “Thank you,” he murmured, chewing slowly as he let his eyes moved over her features. Swallowing, he took a bite of his toast as she lifted another spoon of the stew. “You should eat, too, you know,” he pointed out softly.

“I will.” Brushing her fingers over his lips she grinned and took a bite of his stew. “See, I’m eating.” She would share his meal and then grab hers and share that with him as well. She had never understood how lovers could kiss and love each other, yet the thought of them sharing a meal squicked so many of them out. “Or do you need me to move?” she asked realizing she had to be heavy on his lap.

Snorting he shook his head. “You’re just fine where you are, darling,” he told her as he took the next bite. Chewing he reaching up and brushed back her hair gently. “What are you thinking?” he asked seeing a ghost of something whisper past her eyes.

“I was just thinking that I had to be heavy, I can move if you want me to, Kris, I promise I can.” She took another bite of the stew and then offered him one. She loved this, being able to be in his arms, feeding him, sharing a meal with him. “I never want to give this up Kristof, this moment. Where we both are in each other’s arms and feeding each other, promise me?”

“I’m not objecting,” he said with a smile. “I’m all for it,” he assured her gently. “And, for your information, you are not heavy, Courtney, you need to actually put on some weight, love. I’m afraid of hurting you there’s so little of you,” he murmured stroking his fingers over her hip.

“You won’t hurt me,” she whispered and grinned. “I love when you touch me,” she admitted and closed her eyes to the pleasure. “I will gain weight when we figure out how to move past the metabolism factor in my body.” She smiled. “I eat a lot, but I burn calories faster than anything, so it’s a lose-lose situation for me, honey.”

Grunting at that he shook his head and finished off his piece of toast, wiping his fingers on a napkin. “So you’re one of those,” he said with a hint of grin. “Most women would kill for that metabolism,” he commented running his fingers lightly up and down her ribs.

She shrugged. “I hate it.” She had always hated it. “People look at me and think that I either don’t eat or I binge and purge.” She shuddered. “I hate to throw up, so that is so not me.” Giggling when he found her ticklish spot she grinned. “I’m very ticklish, love.”

Grinning he rubbed the spot again before leaving it alone. “Well, I know you eat, I’ve seen you eat, but I think even I’m jealous of the metabolism, darling.” Pulling her in closer he kissed her cheek lightly. “I don’t care what others think, darling, they aren’t important, only you are important.” 

“And you, Kris, what you think is important to me.” She was all smiles for him and moved slightly. “I love you, Kristof, you are my amazing miracle.”

Blushing at her words he ducked his head and shrugged. “Not really,” he murmured shifting uncomfortably. Clearing his throat he scrambled for something else to talk about, he really hated having conversations turn toward him and god help him if it was complimentary, that just tongue-tied him. “We should finish up so you can meet the wolves,” he threw out in near desperation.

She frowned and leaned back, suddenly understanding, but she didn’t voice it. Rather she moved up from his lap and away and from him even as she tugged the bowl with her. “Now, I need to eat.” Because if she stayed there she wouldn’t eat, they would soon be taking care of the very impressive hard on that he was suddenly sporting.

Getting to his feet Kris moved to the sink with his bowl and rinsed it out before tidying up. It was all nervous energy, a need to keep moving so he didn’t do something foolish. When he’d cleaned every inch of the counters, twice, he looked to her. “You ready?” he asked sticking his hands in his pockets because he had no idea what to do with them.

“Yes, I’m ready if you are.” She moved to him, and acting completely on impulse, cupped his cheeks, pulled him down and kissed him, refusing to allow him to back down and ensuring that he knew damn well that she was hungry in need for him, desperate for him.

Clutching the material of her shirt at her hips, he kissed her back with a hint of reserve, but mostly he just tried to rein in the Wolf enough not to hurt her. When she broke the kiss, he blinked down at her. “What was that for?” he asked with a hint of a smile so she’d know he wasn’t confused so much as intrigued.

“Because I needed it, Kristof, I needed you to remember how much I need you, how much I want you and how I need to be touched.” She nodded and smiled. “We were going to meet the wolves?”

Licking his lips he nodded. “Grab a jacket, love, it’s chilly out there,” he said softly. But he didn’t let her go for a time, leaning in and kissing her gently before he finally let her go. Straightening, he moved to grab his own jacket as he waited for her.

She grabbed her jacket as well and smiled up at him. “I love you, too, Kris.” Stuffing her arms in the jacket and zipping it up, she grinned. “Now then, remember you need to keep the wolves from biting me, right?” She was nervous about meeting them for the first time, very much so.

Reaching out he took her hand in his and pulled her close gently. “They won’t bite you, love. Promise.” he smiled slightly for her. “They will be curious though and will likely all want a quick scratch. Just remember, no matter what your instincts tell you, don’t run, they outnumber me a lot and, even though I’d be fighting for you my sweet, pretty sure they’d still smack me down.”

“Right, don’t run from the overly large animals with the sharp teeth.” Yeah, right. That so was…Yeah. Swallowing hard she nodded and smiled up at him. “All right, love, let’s you and I get out of here to go and meet the kids, give them their perfunctory scratches and all that.” She smiled up at him and nodded. “I love you, Kris, now, take me out there before I completely regain my sanity and refuse.”

Chuckling he tugged her close by the lapels of her jacket and brushed a light kiss over her lips. “Don’t worry, they will adore you and they will all beg for your attentions. Just relax and think of them as really big dogs, trust me, they act just as dumb and foolish as any other of the canine family,” he assured her with a smile before he opened the door and guided her around the house to the back. Walking slowly with her he pointed to the pond with the fish and the miniature waterfall as well as the lap pool and the paths through the trees at the back. “Grab a seat, darling,” he told her as he moved to look at the treeline and let out a low-pitched whistle followed by a series of growling barks at a nearly subvocal range before returning to her side. 

She took a seat on the ground instead of the small bench that was hidden there for people to enjoy the pond. Her hand reached out and took his, smiling when he looked down at her and nodding. When her gaze turned back to the trees it took everything she had not to jump up and run for the house as the horse like wolves came into view. “Dogs?” she yelped. “Oh god, Kris, they are more than ‘really big dogs’ they are fucking horses with really big teeth!”

Laughing softly he sat on the bench at her back and let his legs protect her from the sides. Gently he caressed her hair lightly with his fingers. “No darling, those are just big puppies,” he assured her as the Alpha approached cautiously. “This is the Alpha, darling, he wants to check you out first and ensure you’re not a threat to the pack. Hold your hand out, palm down and keep your eyes lowered to show him that you’re not threatening him or his mate or the pack.”

She snorted in laughter. “Are you kidding me? They think that I am a threat to them?” He had to be kidding because there was no possible way that was the truth. She however did as he asked, her hand out she bowed her head and tried to look as non-threatening as she possibly could.

Watching as the Alpha approached cautiously, Kris stroked her hair. “You could be a threat, love. Wolves are pack animals, it’s rare to have one alone. They know you’re my mate and that, if you wanted, you could pull me from them for all time. They are also wild wolves and they know the damage that humans have done to them and their kind as well as their homes. They don’t trust easily, but when they give that trust god help the fool that ever breaks it.”

“Well, I never would do anything to harm them, Kris. They are massive beasts yes.” She leaned more into him and sighed. “But they are our family. I protect my family, Kris, from everything.” She touched her other hand to his foot, needing to touch him as she waited on pins and needles for the animal to accept her.

The Alpha butted at her hand and then shook his head before he dropped to his belly and put his head in her lap. Chuckling at the sight Kristof stroked her hair easily to soothe her as she jumped slightly. “Looks like he’s accepted you, darling, you’d better give him a scratch so that we can get the others introduced to you before we grow old with waiting.”

She grinned and moved her hand slowly, cautiously, to the beast’s fur. Burying her hand in the wealth of fur, she began to scratch and rub him, determined to put on a good impression for the large beast. When his back paw started to twitch she grinned and looked up at Kris. “I think he’s liking it, don’t you?”

“That would be my impression.” Kristof grinned down at her, brushing aside a stray strand of hair. “Don’t let him hog the attention though, Courtney, otherwise he’ll get downright mean later. Give him his scratch and then sit back, your way of telling him that you want to meet the others.” Well, that and Kris would give him a bit more information as well with a couple sharp commands.

Courtney did as Kris said and when the wolf looked up at her with sheepish eyes begging for more she shook her head. “No, buddy, I want to meet the rest of the family, too. You are a handsome fellow and I could pet you for hours, but I want to meet all the kids so they don’t hurt me when Kris isn’t around to protect me.”

Rolling his eyes Kris silently signalled the wolf with a hand gesture to move and allow the others a chance to meet and greet. When the Alpha growled at him Kristof bared his teeth and returned the sound but made it lower and more powerful in sound so that the wolf had no delusions that his behavior was accepted in any way.

Courtney looked up at Kris with wide eyes. “Wow, I’m very impressed.” It was funny, she knew the sound was one of force, of domination, but it made her all kinds of happy in ways that she only wanted to tell him in the bedroom but instead her mouth opened once more. “God that sound was a complete turn on, Kris.” Her voice was breathy and heaven help her, all come hither sexy sounding as well.

Glancing down at her in surprise he smiled slowly before lowering his head and kissing her upturned lips. “I’ll remember that,” he murmured brushing his lips back and forth. He was ever aware of what the wolves were doing, the shift of weight, the soft pad of paws to the ground and knew that they were moving forward to meet her. “You’d better pay attention, love, a few of them think they are lap dogs,” he teased.

“Right, and now is not the time for them to curl up in my lap. Not with me being as hot as I am at the moment.” She licked her lips and tasted him there. “I love you, Kris.” Turning from him and once more to the deadly creatures approaching her, she did as she had with the Alpha, held her hand out, and eyes cast low.

One by one the other wolves stepped up and got their scratch and soft words from her. She paid each of them the same attention playing no favorites. It both amazed him and made him proud that she knew just what to do with the wild animals. And every one of them fell in love with her on sight, he could see it in the looks they all gave her before they moved for the next to step forward.