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crowd. Since it was always a possibility, I heeded her advice and came here instead.
I take it after you get your degree, you‟re going back home to your family?” She gazed over his shoulder, her eyes unfocused and a little sad. “My parents died in a car accident when I was nine. There is no other family that I know of. I was raised by my court-appointed guardians.”
“That‟s sad.” He reached out and touched her hand where it lay on the table, sorry he‟d brought up the subject. He could tell their deaths still bothered her.
Carol‟s gaze met his. “Yeah, but I was lucky. They treat me like one of their own, even after I was such a horrible pain in the ass to them.”
“I‟m sure they understood that you were grieving.” She shook her head. “Back then I was angry at the world.”
“So you were an only child?”
“The only child of my parents, yes. My guardians have a son who‟s older than me.” She burst out laughing. “I made Alex‟s life hell. He gave as good as he got, though.”
He smiled. “Sounds like you two are close.”
“Now we are. Back then…?” She snickered, shaking her head.
Mark laughed with her, understanding completely what she meant. He was the oldest of three boys and knew what a pain younger siblings could be. The conversation flowed easily between them, bouncing from topic to topic. Before they knew it, it was evening and the student lounge was preparing to close.
“It‟s getting late,” Carol said. “We‟d better go.”
“I‟ll walk you to your car.” He scooped up their empty cups and packets and threw them in the trashcan.
“There‟s no need—”
“I‟m walking you to your vehicle. It‟s late and dark. This isn‟t optional.”
“All right.”
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When they arrived at her car, he asked, “Are you busy Saturday? I thought we could catch a movie.”
Carol stood in the opening, one hand braced on the roof, the other on the door.
“Mark, you‟re a very nice guy, and I enjoyed our time together, but I haven‟t changed my mind. You and me?” She shook her head. “It‟s simply not a good idea.” That was not what he wanted to hear.
Having spent hours talking to her, he was surer than ever that he wanted her in his life. He stepped closer, crowding her, ignoring how her eyes widened and the way her pupils seemed to expand. “Before you make your final decision, you need to take this into consideration.” Mark snaked a hand around her nape, used it to haul her closer, and kissed her.
Carol stiffened, and he thought he‟d made a mistake. Then she released a small, sexy growl and kissed him back. Her mouth opened, and he immediately thrust his tongue inside. Her taste went to his head so fast he became light-headed as all the blood in his body pooled to his dick. He was painfully hard in seconds.
Mark shifted her so that her back was against the rear car door, gripped her by that ass that one day he wanted to take his time and savor, and lifted her until her sex cradled his hardness. He ground against her, letting her feel in graphic detail just how much he desired her. He forgot they were in a well-lit parking lot and that anyone could be watching. He slid his hands lower and inward, separating her thighs so he could settle closer. Then he brushed the inseam of her jeans, and the heated moisture he felt scorched him.
She arched into him, riding his cock while making hungry little noises, and his sanity slipped a notch. Mark felt the sharp bite of her nails digging into his shoulders seconds before she shoved him hard enough that he stumbled back a couple of steps, releasing her completely. He immediately reached for her again.
“No,” she cried out sharply. “We can‟t… I can‟t…” She closed her eyes, took a deep, shuddering breath, and seemed to fight with herself. Her hands, which hung by her sides, were fisted so tight, he could see the veins straining.
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He wasn‟t in too much better shape himself. A little more and he‟d have taken her where they stood. He‟d never gotten so out of control so fast with a woman before. Mark took an additional step back and turned partially away, giving both of them the space they needed.
When Carol finally opened her eyes, he was breathing a bit easier and didn‟t feel like his cock was going to burst through his zipper at any moment. “This can‟t happen again,” she said evenly.
“But…”
“You promised,” she reminded him.
Mark reluctantly nodded, afraid to open his mouth lest he beg her to reconsider.
She slid into the driver‟s seat and, before closing the door, looked at him and said, “I‟m sorry.” The hell of it was, he knew she really meant it.
It was a poor comfort as he watched her drive off, leaving him with the worse case of blue balls he‟d ever experienced. After that incident, he tried to forget about her, interest himself in other women. It did no good. He went out on a few dates, but his cock refused to come to life for anyone else. The thought of her made him hard as a rock. Let another woman get close, and he went limp as a rag…
* * *
“Mark!”
“Yes, baby?” he responded absently, mind still in the past.
“I asked if you had the turkeys ready to fry.” She gazed at him in the mirror as she put one of the small diamond stud earrings he‟d given her as an anniversary gift in her right ear.
He smiled at her. “Don‟t worry, babe. Me and Alex, we got it all under control.” His wife was something of a control freak, but he loved her anyway, even with her OCD tendencies.
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Mark moved behind her and placed his hand on her stomach. “I want you to relax and take it easy today. Remember you‟re carrying our baby.” She rolled her eyes. “I‟m a shifter. We‟re tough. Besides, with Mona and Tom here, we‟re going to have the entire pack running in and out of the house all day long. There will be too much for me to do to simply sit around taking it easy.”
“Yeah, well, I was human, and this is my first child. Take it easy for my sake, and I‟ll make it worth your while.” Left unsaid was the reminder of what had happened to her mom. Carol was in such a good mood he didn‟t want to spoil it, even though these days the thought was never far from his mind.
“Really?” She arched an eyebrow. “How you going to accomplish that?” He unsnapped her jeans with his left hand and sent his right seeking inside her panties for her clit. The scent of her instant arousal perfumed the air as he lightly stroked her in the manner he knew drove her crazy. Her earring tumbled to the floor as her hands dropped to rest on top of his and her body slumped against him.
He watched in the mirror as her face went slack, her eyelids heavy as she rocked on his questing fingers. He loved how sensual she was. “How‟s this, baby? Is this enough of an incentive to do as I ask?”
“Almost,” she gasped. “I think I need a little bit more persuasion.”
“My pleasure. Bend over and brace your arms on the dresser.” He pushed her jeans and panties down to her ankles, then loosened his belt and unzipped his pants, shoving them to his knees.
Moving into position behind her, Mark entered her slowly, watching for any signs of discomfort. Penetration was deeper in this position, and with her pregnancy, he wasn‟t sure how much she could handle. He rode her slow and easy, taking his time.
“Harder, baby,” she commanded.
“Not yet. You give me what I want, and I‟ll give you what you need.” 18
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She groaned and shuddered in a way that signaled he‟d hit a particularly sensitive spot. He did it again and again until she was panting and pleading with him. It was all he could do to hold back. “Promise me, babe. Promise me you won‟t overdo today.”
“Yes, yes! I promise.”
The beast in him growled in satisfaction at her surrender. His mate may have been a shifter longer than him, but he was more dominant. Sometimes his wife forgot that and Mark had to prove he was wolf enough to force her to submit, but he always did it in ways they both found enjoyable.
He let go of her hips, allowing her to thrust back on his cock, trusting her not to take more than was comfortable for her. With one hand, he tweaked a nipple while with the other, he rolled her clit. It didn‟t take long for her to erupt.
He immediately pulled out.
“You‟re not going to come?” she asked in disbelief, gazing at him in the mirror.
He gave her a feral grin. “Tonight, if you‟re good, I‟ll come.” She closed her eyes on a moan, and he could smell her pussy release a flood of moisture. He gave a low hum of satisfaction. The longer he delayed his release, the longer and harder he‟d ride her when he finally let himself go.
Hearing a vehicle in the driveway, Mark adjusted his pants. “They‟re here. I‟ll go let them in.”
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Chapter Three
Thoroughly sated, Carol straightened her clothes and finished putting on her jewelry, checking to make sure her makeup wasn‟t smeared. Before leaving the room, her gaze fell on the family portrait in a prominent position on the dresser.
The man sat behind the woman, his hands possessively cradling her bulging stomach. The expression on his face as he gazed at his mate was lovingly intent, as though his entire world began and ended in her.
The woman looked at the camera with a Mona Lisa smile of contentment.
Anyone looking at her could see she was well loved and knew it. Staring up at the couple with adoration in her eyes was a little girl with pigtails. Her small hands also rested on the woman‟s belly, and there was a sparkle in her eyes as though she knew something no one else did.
Carol remembered that day vividly. She and her parents had posed for pictures to insert into their Christmas mailings. Afterward they were headed to the ice-cream shop, where her father had promised her two scoops of her favorite flavors. A month later, both her parents and her unborn baby brother were gone.
Sighing deeply, Carol kissed her forefinger and touched it to the glass protecting the photo, refusing to give in to the sadness lurking in her heart. Today was a good day. A day of possibilities. Shaking off the past, she went out to greet her former guardians, Mona and Tom. They were seated in the living room and stood when she entered the room. Mona gave her a hug, and the alpha pecked her on the cheek. She could tell how pleased they were to see her.
The move to Arizona had been good for them. When they‟d left, Mona‟s long, thick, straight black hair had fallen to her waist. Now it was cut in a short, stylish 20
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bob that lightly touched her jaw. Her gray eyes had a few more lines around them, from squinting in the bright desert sunshine, Carol was sure. Her olive complexion, which showed her Mediterranean roots, was even more tanned.
Thomas Wolfe was just as handsome and muscular as ever. Though he was in his eighties, you couldn‟t tell it by looking at him. His black wavy hair, cut military short, had very little gray in it. His black eyes were just as piercing, and other than his face being more tanned than usual, he didn‟t look a day over fifty.
“Look at you. You‟re positively glowing,” Mona stated. “I don‟t have to ask if Mark‟s treating you well. I can see for myself that he is. Pregnancy agrees with you.”
Carol smiled a bit nervously now that the moment was upon her. She‟d told Mark what she intended to do and had his full support. Mark nodded encouragingly and clasped the hand she held out to him, holding it. “That‟s what I want to talk to you about.” She motioned for them to be seated as she settled beside Mark on the arm of his chair.
Mona and Tom exchanged glances and then sat as instructed. Mona seemed tense. “Is something wrong with the baby?”
“No, everything‟s fine. There have been no complications.”
“Oh. Then what‟s this about? The last time you were this nervous is when you told us about Mark.”
“Honey, give her a chance. You keep asking questions, and we‟ll never discover what this is about,” Tom said to Mona.
Carol took a deep breath and, with another glance at her mate, began. “First, I want you two to know how much I appreciate all you‟ve done for me. The way you took me in and raised me as your own after my parents died—”
“There‟s no need to thank us, honey,” Mona interrupted. “We were happy to do so.”
Tom motioned for Mona to be quiet. “Let her finish.” True Mates: Carol’s Mate
21
“When you wanted to adopt me, I refused because I thought letting you claim me as your own would somehow take away from my parents, like you were trying to erase them from my life. I thought accepting your offer would be a betrayal of their memory.”
Mona gasped. “Oh, honey, I had no idea. We would never do such a thing.” Carol smiled. “I realize that…now. Being pregnant has given me a new perspective of the whole situation. God forbid, if anything were ever to happen to me and Mark, I‟d consider my child very fortunate to have someone as loving as you two to raise him. I know it‟s too late to agree to that adoption, but my baby—”
“Our,” Mark interjected.
“
Our
baby needs grandparents, loving grandparents who understand who and what he is, who will be a source of wisdom and encouragement in his life, the way you were in mine. I‟d be honored if you‟d fill that role.” Mona and Tom looked at each other again, the silent communication she remembered from childhood taking place. Carol dug her nails into Mark‟s shoulder.
He gently pried them loose and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping both arms around her. She settled into him, trying to relax as she waited for them to come to a decision.
Mark had told her it was foolish of her to be so nervous, that she was blowing this whole thing way out of proportion. Tom and Mona loved her, considered her their child, and any child she had would automatically be their grandchild, but Carol didn‟t want to assume. Not on a matter this important. Not only that, Carol knew in her heart that the apology she‟d just given them was long overdue.
Tom indicated for Mona to answer for the both of them. “Yes, we‟d be honored.” Carol let out the breath she was holding. Clearing her throat, she added,
“Since you‟re being so agreeable, is it okay if I call you Mom?” Mona‟s eyes filled, and the tears overflowed. Overcome, she simply nodded rapidly.