Call of the Wild (26 page)

“We know how much you hate shopping for anything, even groceries. You eat all your meals out and your refrigerator is continually bare. Bro, you’re thirty-seven years old, and look what you have in your cupboard,” Steven said, opening a cabinet door. There was an industrial sized stack of paper plates. The next cabinet had napkins and plastic utensils.

Marsha looked at the items and then at her mate. “Do you have a phobia?” she asked him in a soft voice.

“No, I don’t have a phobia,” he grouched, and then frowned when she burst into laughter. He was so much fun to tease.

“Anyway,” said Evan. “We knew there wasn’t any food here, and since we’re keeping Marsha in the family, we decided she deserved to be fed. You can starve. There’s enough here for a couple of weeks’ worth of breakfasts and lunches.”

“Not to sound ungrateful, but aren’t we allowed to eat dinner?” asked Marsha.

“Yeah, we decided a honeymoon spent entirely in this ratty apartment wasn’t so great. Now you have reservations, paid in advance, for a different restaurant each night of the week. Here’s the list of places and times,” said Evan, pulling it out of his pocket.

“Aww, you guys are the best! I love you all,” said Marsha, giving them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, we love you, too. In a completely platonic and brotherly way,” Josh added when Aaron growled at him.

“Give me back my woman. You need to go out and find your own,” said Aaron, pulling Marsha into his arms.

“So, where are David and Benji?” Marsha asked, taking a sip of Aaron’s beer as she leaned back against his chest.

“Benji went to take that owl home to her family. It seems she got separated from them with everything going on. Since she had a concussion, he didn’t want to take any chances with her traveling alone. The wound in his shoulder took him off the active duty roster so he’s burning more leave time,” said Josh.

“What about David?” Aaron asked.

“His pager went off while we were on our way back from West Virginia,” said Steven.

They all knew what that meant. His SEAL team had received another mission. Only this would be the first time he and Benji wouldn’t be going together. They wouldn’t have each other’s backs.

As twins, they’d joined the Navy together and then went on to complete SEAL training together. They were swim buddies and teammates. The almost psychic connection they’d had all their lives became invaluable during tense missions. Aaron worried about how David would do without Benji. Glancing at his brothers’ faces, he realized that they had the same thoughts.

The groceries were all put away, and it was time for the brothers to leave. They didn’t want to go with Aaron thinking about his brothers instead of his woman. Steven started ragging on him again, to distract him.

“You know, at your age, you’ve put away a nice chunk of change from your pay. Why aren’t you taking Marsha someplace nice for a honeymoon, like Paris or something?”

Evan and Josh quickly joined in on the action, understanding completely what Steven was trying to do.

“Nah, he’s going to want to keep her mostly naked. He should take her to the Bahamas or Hawaii, some place with lots of beaches. Marsha can spend her honeymoon in a teeny tiny bikini,” said Josh as they walked back toward the front door.

“You’re both wrong. They should go to Costa Rica. Tropical beaches and a nice jungle nearby, in case Marsha wants to let her cat out for a stretch,” said Evan.

The three of them continued the argument on the best honeymoon locales as they walked down the hall and out the front door.

Closing the door behind them, Aaron smiled in appreciation. His family was the best. He still didn’t want them interrupting again, so this time he locked both dead bolts and added the chain. Turning around, he looked over at Marsha standing in the living room a few feet away.

“You’re wearing my shirt—take it off,” he said, reaching for the snap on his jeans.

She laughed and ran into the bedroom. Spontaneous sex on the floor was nice. However, prolonged loving required a mattress; rug burns on her backside tended to take away from the enjoyment.

By the time Aaron crossed the living room and made it to the doorway, he was naked once again. Marsha was in the middle of the bed, tossing her leggings on the floor to join his shirt. He remembered another time, nearly two weeks ago, when she had laid herself down in the middle of his bed. He’d taken her fast and furious that time, as he needed to leave. Today, he intended on slowing down and savoring every inch of her body.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Marsha asked as she hungrily eyed Aaron’s body and his rapid hardening. It was in that moment, looking over at Marsha, open and waiting for him the way she had always done, the way she always would, that he realized what she needed from him and more, what he needed to say.

“I love you. I’m always going to love you. When we’re old and wrinkled, I know you’ll still give yourself to me just like this and I love you for it.”

Marsha felt her body grow soft, pliant and wet, simply hearing his words.

“I love you too,” she said. “I’m always going to love you. And when we’re old and wrinkled, I’ll be right here, waiting to show you how much.”

All of Aaron’s intentions to savor went out the window. “I need to be inside you, now. This is entirely your fault. I wanted to go slow. You make it so I can’t.”

Marsha smiled her woman’s smile as she pulled him into her body. They’d get to slow—later. Right now, she wanted the fast and furious, the hard thrusting she knew was coming.

Aaron pulled out of her body. “I need to go deeper inside you; turn over,” he said, his voice rougher and more guttural.

Marsha was happy to comply. She wanted him deep. She wanted him to touch her womb and fill her with his seed. They were both aware of the lack of a condom. She could feel his skin against her soft tissues. The thought of his child within her caused another wave of arousal to flood her channel as he moved in and out. She had her hands fisted in the sheets, her head resting against the mattress, causing her back to arch, presenting her body for the deepest penetration. She loved how he caressed and kneaded her ass as he moved.

He started thrusting faster, grinding his hips against her. She felt him bend and reach around to pluck at her clit. It didn’t take much to have her coming all over him. Her orgasm spurred him on and his thrusts became even faster and harder as he followed her into the bliss.

When he got his breath back, once again, the two of them lay panting side by side. Marsha gave a fleeting thought that she was right; the mattress was more comfortable than the entryway floor.

“So, I heard that shifters could tell right away when they got pregnant. Did we hit the jackpot?” Aaron asked as soon as he could form the words.

Marsha rolled onto her side so she was looking at his face. He mimicked her action, and the two of them looked at each other’s eyes—the eyes of their lover.

“It’s going to take longer than thirty seconds. I know your swimmers are fast. The little marauders still have to find my egg and storm the battlements, so to speak, to keep with the metaphor.”

“Like me, my little soldiers can’t be beat when it comes to getting inside something they really want. I think it’s a done deal,” he said with a grin.

“Perhaps, though we really should keep trying until we know for sure,” said Marsha with an answering grin.

She knew she wasn’t pregnant yet; her heat was just starting. It would take a couple of days to be at peak fertility. Until then, they could have lots of fun practicing. She could hardly wait.

After the action in West Virginia, Marsha’s need for getting personal vengeance against The Society and the Shayatin had wavered. Aaron had also come to a decision. He’d been out in the field fighting for twenty years. He remembered his father repeating an old saying by Maimonides, ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ It was time for Aaron to start teaching. Marsha agreed.

Over the many phone conversations they’d had while separated, they decided to live in Moleville for now. They would have a house built nearby and move there once the babies came along. Aaron would train shifters, both on hand-to-hand combat, and also tactics and strategy. Marsha would continue her analysis of the data Laura continued to mine from the internet and other sources.

They were going to make a good life together. This ‘honeymoon’ was their way of starting the way they meant to go on. Aaron moved his hand under the pillow, but the little box he’d put there earlier was gone. He got up and scrambled around the bed, frantically looking for it. He finally found it between the mattress and the wall, and sighed in relief.

“What are you doing?” Marsha laughed as she watched him search the place. “I’m right here.”

Closing his fist around the box, he settled himself next to Marsha. Then he pulled her close, face to face, their chests touching.

“I know we went through the bonding ceremony, and it means we’re mates and all it entails. Just remember, I grew up human. I want the human world to know you’re mine, just as much as in the shifter world. Marsha, will you marry me, and be my wife, as well as my mate?” he asked, bringing his hand around to show her the box he’d opened with a flick of his thumb behind her back.

Tears swam in her eyes, not only because of the gorgeous ring he held two inches from her nose. It was also his words, and the way he said them; they touched her heart.

“Oh, baby, I would like that very much. It means a lot to me that you’ve asked. When did you have time to get a ring?”

“It was my mother’s. As the oldest son, it came to me to give to the woman I asked to be mine. It’s taken me a long time to find the right woman. You’re it for me.”

Marsha held back the tears with a heroic effort as Aaron slid the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. She knew he didn’t like to see her cry.

“There’s one more thing,” he said as he rolled to the side. He put away the ring box and opening the drawer in the nightstand he pulled out a mini first aid kit and his micro-mini tool before turning back to Marsha. He was happy to see she’d wiped away her tears. “Remember what Laura said, a second blood exchange would make me a shifter?” He waited for her to nod. “Well, I figure if I do both exchanges with you, odds are I’ll shift into the same animal as you. What do you think? We’re mated and you just agreed to be my wife. Are you ready to see what I look like with fur?”

Marsha was trying really hard swallowing and gulping so she wouldn’t cry. And then he had to go and do something so sweet! The tears were rolling down her face even as she nodded again. She was wiping them up with one hand as she held out the other for him to make a small cut. The hand shook and she was worried about ending up with a larger wound. Luckily Aaron had a good grip. And she trusted him to always take care of her.

When he was done they each had a small bandage on one finger and Marsha was crying even as she kissed him.

Aaron saw the tears, and they started to freak him out, the way they always did. It was a gut reaction he couldn’t seem to shake. Instead, he said, “After the babies come and we move into our own house, do you think we can convince Lila to come along to do the cooking and cleaning?”

It was the right thing to say, because it made Marsha laugh. Aaron was going to enjoy making her laugh for the rest of his life.

“How long do we have to wait before I can shift?” he asked her. “What if I turn into a wolf, or a gorilla?”

Laughing harder Marsha got herself under control. “I love you so much. We’re going to have such a great life. As to the shifting, I’m not sure. I think Laura told me it took about a day and a half for her, maybe a couple of days. That could be because she didn’t actually know she had become a shifter though.”

“I’m not going to sweat it then, we’ll find out tomorrow. At this moment, I have a few more important things on my mind, like making a baby.”

Tossing the box aside, he got back on the job. This time, he finally succeeded in going slow and savoring.

Nephilim Series

HeVan Sent

Between HeVan and Hell

HeVans to Becky

HeVanly Christmas

Gateway to HeVan

Match Made in HeVan

HeVan & Earth

Take Her to HeVan

The Changelings

Laura's Secret

Call of the Wild

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Nephilim Series Book One