Love on the Ice: 7 (Werewolf Sentinels) Read online

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  Carson managed to keep himself busy during the day until it was time to pick up Laci. At the last minute, his brother Noah decided he needed Carson to come over and help him put up some glass tiles on the backsplash in his kitchen. That then turned into Carson also replacing the faucet in the sink. Noah’s handyman skills only went so far and putting in new taps wasn’t part of them.

  Not expecting to do all that work, Carson managed to have just enough time to go home and take a shower before heading out to Laci’s place. He sure didn’t want to be late for their second date. He needed to prove to her that he was always going to be dependable.

  After parking his car, Carson knocked on Laci’s street-level apartment door. She answered, her purse already over her shoulder.

  “I’m all ready to go,” Laci said as she stepped out onto the sidewalk next to him, locking the door behind her.

  “Good, because I’m starving.”

  Carson got them both into his car a few minutes later. He drove straight to the restaurant. The parking lot was a little on the full side when they arrived, but he managed to get a space fairly close to the doors.

  Inside the restaurant it was noisy, with most of the tables taken. Carson hadn’t thought to make reservations. He hoped they wouldn’t have to wait to be seated. His stomach growled as the different food smells hit his nose. While working at Noah’s he’d forgotten to eat lunch.

  It appeared luck was on his side because the hostess led him and Laci to one of the last booth tables. He slid into the seat across from her, then accepted the menu the hostess handed him.

  Their waitress soon came to the table and took their drink order. Carson ordered the nachos to start, knowing Laci wouldn’t mind splitting them with him. She loved them as much as he did.

  “So how did your day go with your aunt?” he asked once the waitress left.

  Laci smiled. “Good. She’s teaching me a lot about the dog-grooming business. I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. I think it mostly stems from working with Aunt Rita.”

  “You were always close to her.”

  The waitress returned with their drinks and took the rest of their order. As he guessed she would, Laci ordered spicy chicken wings. Carson decided on the thick, juicy burger the place was known for.

  Carson reached across the table and captured Laci’s hand in his. She met his gaze. “I missed you,” he said.

  She smiled. “I missed you too.” Laci’s expression grew serious. “Last night was great, but I don’t know if I’m ready to do more than we did. I need you to show me that you won’t go back to what you were before we take that next step.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I understand. As I said last night, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you don’t regret your decision to take me back. And if you’re not ready, then you’re not ready.” He looked at her, letting some of the need he had for her show in his eyes. “But I’ll gladly take whatever you’re willing to give.”

  The nachos arrived and Carson released Laci’s hand. He didn’t miss the slight flush that colored her cheeks. The delectable scent of her arousal mingled with the spicy, cheesy smell of the chips. At that moment, he didn’t know which one he preferred to eat—Laci or the starter. Given where they were, he settled for the food.

  They both dug into the nachos and had eaten half of them before their main courses arrived. It was then Carson found out how much of a turn-on it was to watch Laci eat chicken wings. After each one, she licked her fingers clean. The sight of her pink tongue stroking along each digit sent a shot of desire through his body. He could imagine it was his cock she was licking. He had to stifle a growl of need when she sucked on a finger. He could almost feel the suction on his shaft.

  “You don’t like your burger?” Laci asked. “You aren’t eating.”

  Carson swallowed. “It’s good. I seem to enjoy watching you eat more than tasting my food.” He leaned in closer and said in a low voice, “I wish a part of me could take the place of those chicken wings.”

  Laci’s cheeks pinkened and Carson could hear her heartbeat speed up. “How about we take the rest of the food to go?”

  “I think that’s a great idea.”

  Carson asked the waitress to package up their food and for the bill once he signaled her over to the table. He paid and walked Laci outside to his SUV.

  As he drove, Laci placed her hand on his thigh. Carson’s cock twitched. If only she would go a little higher. As if she’d read his thoughts, she stroked his leg, getting closer and closer to his dick with each pass. A groan that verged on a growl rumbled out of him when Laci placed her palm right over the bulge in his pants. She gave him a good squeeze before rubbing along his shaft.

  “Laci,” he said in a strained voice. He gripped the steering wheel tighter until his fingers were white-knuckled. “Keep doing what you’re doing and I could very well get into an accident.”

  She gave him a long stroke. “Are you sure you want me to stop? By how hard you are, I’m going to say you like what I’m doing.”

  “I didn’t mean I disliked it. I like it too much. I’m not going to be able to focus on the road properly.” Laci squeezed harder and stroked him through his pants again. “Oh god.”

  “We’re almost at my place. I’m sure you can handle it.”

  “I don’t know if I can, but you seem able to.”

  Laci didn’t stop stroking him until they reached her apartment. Carson couldn’t get out of the SUV fast enough. His cock throbbed, begging for release. He captured her hand and practically dragged her to the entrance door to her place. Laci didn’t seem to mind. She only laughed.

  Once Laci let them inside the small entranceway, Carson lifted her off her feet and carried her up the flight of stairs. He had them inside her living room in a matter of seconds. In his haste, he dropped the food from the restaurant on the floor in front of the couch. He bent his head and took her lips in a kiss that didn’t hold anything back.

  Carson would have placed Laci on the couch, but she shook her head and mumbled, “The bedroom.”

  He immediately changed direction and walked down the short hallway to her bedroom. His desire almost burning out of control, he bounced them off the wall once before he reached their destination.

  Laci grabbed a handful of his t-shirt and yanked it up and over his head, forcing Carson to break contact with her lips. He slowly placed her on her feet, the front of her body skimming his all the way down.

  Making sure to keep his eyes to mere slits to hide the change that had to have taken place, he said, “I’ll race you to see who can get naked first.”

  “That’s not fair. I already took off your shirt.”

  He took hold of the bottom of hers and removed it. “There. Is that better?”

  Laci quickly reached behind her back and undid her bra before she slipped it down her arms. “It is now.”

  Carson stared at her breasts. Her nipples were taut little buds that begged for him to suck on them. It took him a few minutes to realize Laci had used his distraction to her advantage. She already had her pants undone and pushed them down past her hips. He wasted no time working to free himself of his jeans.

  He kicked out of his pants, then found himself transfixed by Laci once again. She’d hooked two fingers on either side of her panties and inched the satiny material slowly down. He followed their progress with his gaze until they were pooled around her ankles.

  “Well,” she said. “I guess that means I win.”

  Carson looked down at himself to realize he still wore his boxer-briefs. His erection tented the front of them. He set his gaze on Laci. “You distracted me.”

  “Still, I won. Now I get to decide what my prize is.”

  “And what would you like?” he asked in a gruff voice.

  Her gaze dropped to his crotch. “I’ve already decided.”

  Laci went down on her knees before him. She took hold of the waistband of his underwear and tugged. Carson s
tepped out of them, then released a low moan of pleasure. She’d gone right for his cock as soon as both his feet were firmly planted on the floor once again.

  Carson looked down and had to stop himself from coming as he watched his shaft slide in and out of Laci’s mouth. Her cheeks hollowed with each suck and her tongue circled the flared head with each pass. His legs started to shake.

  “If this is what you want for a prize every time you beat me at something, I’ll make sure I never win,” he said on a moan.

  Laci reached up and tugged his balls as she sucked on his cock. Carson’s release built at the base of his spine. There was no way he was going to last very long at this rate. She definitely hadn’t forgotten what he liked when it came to sex.

  She moaned, the sound vibrating along his length. That did him in. Unable to hold back anymore, Carson’s climax roared up to meet him. A wolf’s growl rumbled out of him as his cock pulsed inside Laci’s mouth until he had nothing left to give.

  Once she released him, he picked her up and spread her out on the bed. Impatient to make her come as well, Carson skipped the preliminaries and went straight for what he craved. He forced her legs wider apart with his shoulders, then lapped at her pussy, reveling in the taste of her arousal.

  “Carson,” Laci called as he sucked on her clit.

  He didn’t relent. He pushed two fingers inside her wet opening, stroking upward as he swirled his tongue around the bundle of sensitive nerves. Laci panted, her fingers sinking into his hair as she rode his mouth.

  Carson remembered what Laci liked. Knew how to stroke and caress to wring the most pleasure out of her. He used all that knowledge now, loving the whimpered cries and strangled moans she couldn’t hold in. She was his, he’d never be with another woman like this ever again. Only Laci.

  He plunged his fingers faster inside her pussy, making sure to hit her G-spot with each pass. One good suck on her clit and Laci was crying his name, her inner muscles clamping and releasing the digits still inside her.

  After the last spasm had taken hold, Laci went limp on the bed. She lifted her head and looked down her body at him. “I know you’re still hard, at least you were after you came. Give me a minute to catch my breath and I’ll work on my second prize.”

  Carson crawled up the mattress and pressed his cock along her hip to show her that he was, in fact, still hard. “You can claim as many prizes as you want.”

  Chapter Seven

  The next day Carson headed over to his wolf brothers’ place. He needed some kind of distraction so he didn’t go crazy waiting for Laci to get off work. He’d promised to bring Chinese takeout, her favorite. He’d spent another night having dreams about his mate, but they were even more erotic than the previous ones. One in particular had gotten to him more than the rest. It had started off with him and Laci on the couch, pleasuring each other as they had done two nights ago. That had soon changed to him stripping her completely naked and making love to her fully. Taking her in every position he could imagine right there in her living room.

  Once he arrived at the house, Carson walked inside to find Cassidy the only one around. She sat in the living room, watching some TV. She smiled when she spotted him.

  “Where is everyone?” Carson asked.

  “They’re all out back doing some training with the other girls. I didn’t feel like sitting on the deck to watch.” Cassidy sucked in a breath as she leaned forward a little and rubbed her lower back.

  He sat on the couch next to her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. It’s my darn back. I keep getting these painful cramps in it. That’s part of the reason why I stayed inside. It’s more comfortable to sit here than in one of the hard patio chairs.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “So I heard you managed to get a date out of Laci last night. How’d it go?”

  Carson smiled. “Very well. She’s decided to give me another chance. I’m going over to her place with some takeout once she finishes work today.”

  Cassidy rubbed her back again. “I’m happy for you. That’s one less thing you have to stress out about.”

  “Yes. I thought for sure Laci wouldn’t let me back into her life.”

  “I’m sure you would have won her over eventually. She’s your mate. If you hadn’t stood a chance with her, she wouldn’t have set off your mating urge. You know that.” Cassidy sucked in a sharp breath and rubbed her back once more.

  “That’s true.” Carson eyed Cassidy. “Ah, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but those pains in your back are coming every few minutes. Are you sure they’re just twinges and not labor pains?”

  She got a thoughtful look on her face. “Now that you mentioned it, they have been coming and going on a regular basis since I woke up this morning. Maybe I should give my midwife a call and ask her.”

  Since Cassidy was a werewolf, there was no question of a home birth. If she were to go to the hospital, they would want to take blood, and her results would not come back normal. Cassidy’s midwife was a werewolf herself and part of Brice’s pack.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” he said.

  Carson stood first, then helped Cassidy to her feet. Just as she came to stand in front of him, she let out a pained groan. She stiffened as water suddenly dripped around her feet.

  She looked at Carson with shock on her face. “My water broke.”

  Being the dumb male that he was, Carson started to panic. “Okay, oh god. What do you need me to do? You want me to phone the midwife? Should I carry you up to your room?”

  Cassidy held up her hand and breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. “Calm down, Carson. I think getting Edensaw will be the best thing to do right now. I have my cell phone in my pocket. I’ll call the midwife while you get my mate.”

  Carson didn’t have to be told twice. He put on a burst of werewolf speed and ran to the glass sliding doors that led out to the backyard. He yanked them open hard enough to almost shatter them before racing onto the deck.

  He hurried down the steps to the grass, shouting, “Edensaw! Cassidy’s water just broke. She’s in labor.”

  Carson had barely gotten all the words out before his alpha ran past him and into the house. Everyone else, which included his wolf brothers, their mates and Wren, followed him as he spun around and headed back inside. He found Edensaw hovering around Cassidy as she spoke on her phone with the midwife. Every time his mate groaned when a pain hit her, Edensaw seemed to go white.

  Once Cassidy finished her call, she said, “The midwife will be here in twenty minutes. She wants you to get the room ready while I change.”

  “Twenty minutes?” Edensaw just about shouted. “That’s too long. What if the baby comes before she arrives?”

  “Then I guess you’ll have to deliver our son.”

  The alpha went even whiter. “I hope not.”

  Cassidy shook her head. “Were you this bad when your first child was born?”

  “No, mostly because I wasn’t allowed anywhere near where it was taking place. Plus, her mother wasn’t my mate.”

  “Relax, Edensaw. I’m going to be fine. And I was only joking about you having to deliver the baby. The midwife will make it here in plenty of time. This is my first child. I doubt my labor will be that quick. Now help me upstairs.”

  Edensaw scooped Cassidy up in his arms and with werewolf speed took her upstairs to their bedroom.

  “This is more of a distraction than I had counted on,” Carson said out loud, mostly to himself.

  Eryn came to stand at his side. “I take it you’re going to stick around for the birth then.”

  He nodded. “I have nothing else planned until Laci gets off work and I meet her at her place.”

  His sister smiled. “So she agreed to see you again.”

  “Yes. You can say we’re officially dating once more.”

  “Way to go, big brother. Besides this little one soon to arrive, I guess we’ll be adding a new member to our pack shortly.” />
  “I’m hoping so, though I’m not looking forward to telling Laci what I am.”

  “She’ll be fine once she gets over the initial shock of it. At least you guys know each other really well. It’s not as if she has to get to know you, then have that sprung on her at the same time.”

  Those left downstairs returned to the living room. Carson heard Ryder speaking to Edensaw upstairs. Not wanting to take any chances, their shaman had been working on a strong protection spell for the day Cassidy went into labor. He would remain outside the bedroom to make sure it held. No one wanted to take any chances, not that they thought Tanner would come banging on the door. But they really didn’t know what he was capable of doing from afar.

  Haven, who was Ketah’s mate, left the room, then returned with some towels. She and Jaren, who had mated with Kajakti, set to work drying the wet carpet where Cassidy’s water had broken. That chore done, everyone sat around to wait out the final outcome.

  In exactly the length of time she’d said she’d arrive, the midwife rang the doorbell. Carson answered and waved her inside. She gave him a smile before she went up the stairs. Now all that was left to do was wait.

  Carson went back to the living room and sat with the others. The TV was still on, but he didn’t think anyone was really watching it. Every once in a while he heard Cassidy loudly moan in pain from upstairs. They all seemed to stiffen at the sound. One time she even told Edensaw in a raised voice to quit panicking every time she had a contraction or she’d do something to make him feel the same amount of pain she did.

  An hour went by, then two. It wasn’t long after that when the sound of a newborn crying filtered down from the floor above. Seconds later, Ryder joined them, looking a little haggard. Wren rushed over to him, put her arm around his waist as she led him to the couch and got him to sit next to her. That the shaman allowed her to do those things showed how tired he had to be. Usually he didn’t let Wren touch him in any way.