Saving Briar

Briar woke and pressed back against her mate, loving nothing more than the feel of him behind her, his strong arms enfolding her when she fell asleep every night and remaining wrapped around her when she woke up the next morning.

She felt Torin behind her, slowly coming awake, his cock already rock hard as she continued to rock back against him.

“Insatiable.” He murmured the word close to her ear and she could hear in his voice that he was smiling.

It had been a month since Torin had brought her home and they had made love so many times that Torin knew exactly what set her off. She felt him line the thick head of his cock up with her slit, running it back and forth through the wetness, which caused her to squirm and let out a whimper.

“Please, Torin. I need to feel you inside of me.”

“You aren’t too sore after last night?” She shook her head, gasping when she felt him slide smoothly into place, one hand going around to find her clit.

A good while later she lay back in his arms, entirely spent, staring up at the ceiling.

“Did you end up inviting your mom and sister over for dinner?” He asked after a silence that had lasted for so long that she thought he may have fallen back asleep.

“I did. But they can’t make it this week. There’s something going on back at the Packhouse and they both wanted to be there for it. I really thought my mom would want to leave, after everything that had happened, but both she and Lilliet felt strongly about going back home. I think they’re going to announce the new Alpha tonight. Lilli was pretty excited.”

“Is Harlow going to be there with Kayla?” At Briar’s nod, Torin drew in a slow breath before speaking again. “If you want I can take you. I know that when you first left you said you never wanted to go back, but it would be understandable if you changed your mind. Beta Poe is in the pack jail and will be lucky if he lives through the month. Everyone else involved in what happened to you and Harlow, is either dead or banished. If you want to see your mom and sisters and niece I would completely understand.”

Briar closed her eyes for a moment and said a silent prayer of thanks for the amazing man beside her, who was always trying to make her happy.

“No, I’d much rather stay home with you. We’ll see Harlow during the visit she planned for next week. Besides, my mom and Lilli come here nearly every Saturday for dinner. Maybe someday I’ll feel like going back for a visit, but I’m definitely not there yet.”

“Any updates on Harlow’s situation? Is she staying with that Alpha of hers or does she have to go back to Vegas? I still don’t understand what happened with that contract.”

“I don’t think she’s decided. I’m not sure she can decide until she finally shifts, if that ever even happens. I feel bad for her. It sounded like she’s trying to hold off on any sort of choices until she knows for sure if Alpha Marek is her mate. I told her that I didn’t think it even mattered all that much. And for the record, I do think that he’s her mate. I don’t think he would lie about that and when you know, you just know. Besides, it’s obvious she has feelings for him, even if she isn’t giving in and acting on them.”

“I like him,” Torin admitted. “I wasn’t sure that I would, but after our last visit with them I’m convinced that he’s a good man. And he seems good for Harlow.”

Now it was Briar’s turn to nod.

“She also was obviously hugely relieved that Lachlan ended up being alive. I was seriously skeptical when she told me that he’d been killed. I mean, how hard is it to kill a dragon shifter?”

“Almost as hard as bringing down a Kodiac shifter I’d say.” Briar snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Right. But there’s still so much I don’t understand. Like why the spell isn’t forcing Harlow to go back home. Is it because Hux was killed and so she hasn’t fulfilled that contract? I’m glad it hasn’t started to hurt her, but it makes me wonder if the whole enchantment on the contract was just a load of bull.”

“I don’t think it was.”

“Why not? I mean nothing has happened to her. And Lachlan was pissed she wouldn’t come home with him. I don’t think he was blustering when he told her it would seriously mess her up if she stayed.”

“I thought Alpha Marek might just mess him up if he didn’t leave when he did. I know in a fight a dragon shifter should usually beat just about anyone, but Cian was pissed. Now, enough talking about other people’s relationships. I need to make sure you have some breakfast. You’ve been burning a ton of calories and Ted said you still need to gain about five more pounds to hit a normal weight.”

“Yes Sir. How about waffles?”

“With whipped cream and strawberries?” Torin kissed from her shoulder all the way up the side of her neck, loving how relaxed she felt in his arms.

“Always.”

“I better get going then. Before you stop me again and we end up spending another day in bed together.”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Briar’s voice was filled with laughter and Torin thought that no sound that had ever touched his ears had ever sounded better.

“Not at all, Wolfling. Not at all. Now let’s get you fed. Then we can decide if you feel up for a hike down to the river. Sound like a plan?”

“It sounds perfect, Torin. An absolutely normal, boring day, with my amazing mate. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

With a smile he scooped her up and carried her downstairs, depositing her on the seat in the kitchen where she’d eaten the very first time he made her a meal, only a couple of months earlier.

He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve a second chance, but he was thankful that he had it. When Briar had first arrived he’d been so afraid to open up and let the slight wolf-shifter in, and while he wasn’t glad that she’d left and ended up falling in with the crew from Rose Industries, he was grateful that it had given him the wake up call that he needed to grab hold of his happily ever after, and not let life continue to pass him by. Breathing in her scent he smiled to himself and got to work making breakfast, ready to make sure that not a single moment of the absolutely ordinary life he wanted to give her went by without her knowing that he loved her with all his heart.