Coven (35 page)

“You wouldn’t do it front of everyone.”

He wasn’t backing down, and he reached for
the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling it off over his head. His body
was tight, muscular, and a complete distraction. Everything
glistened with sweat, his torso bunched into hard planes and
contours, and all I wanted to do was touch it.

He wasn’t playing fair.

My brain started to rapidly fire responses.
I could taunt him some more and see whether he’d follow through. Or
I could play the dutiful werewolf and apologize, promising to be a
good girl. Judging from the heat flaring in my own body, we’d be
walking a fine line. Having to stay pure until the mating ritual
was a challenge in itself, the chemistry between us combustible at
times.

“I’m sorry, Mason. Please forgive me.” To
add proof to my moment of submission, I bowed. “I won’t interfere
like that again. Promise.” I tried to hide the devious smile by
bending lower.

“Come on, let’s get back to the game,”
someone in the back yelled.

I looked up at Mason questioningly.

“Your word you’ll just play—no goofiness?”
He held my gaze.

“I pinky promise.” I crooked my little
finger at him, wiggling it in invitation as I raised myself to an
upright position.

He grabbed my face, crushing his mouth to
mine, before releasing me just as quickly. “You make me crazy,” he
moaned, licking his lips. He turned around and headed to his
position.

“Hey, put your shirt back on!” I bent over
to pick it up, and tossed the clothing in his direction. “How’s a
girl to be good if you’re distracting her?”

“Figure it out, Darcy. The shirt stays off.”
He flexed his muscles, hardening his abs before winking
cheekily.

“If you’re both done with the public display
of grossness, let’s go,” Daniel growled impatiently, and I offered
a not very nice gesture to him.

“You’re such a lady.” He scoffed, but he
also nodded. He didn’t have to say anything. He loved watching his
best friend happy, and I smiled in return.

“Ready to go down?”

“Bring it,” he replied.

I tried to play seriously, losing myself in
the joy of being with my family. We were such a close pack; very
different from the one I grew up in. Mason had worked hard to build
relationships of trust with each member, letting them know they
were loved and welcomed. He was an amazing Alpha, and I thanked my
lucky stars each day we were to be mated. The transition from my
parents pack to this one had been effortless, easing a worry I
hadn’t known I’d been carrying. I was completely happy, and
everything was perfect.

As the afternoon continued, I became bored
with being obedient. Jasmine was too, judging from the feigned
yawns and looks of annoyance she would flash me. Between the two of
us, I was definitely the instigator, and with a final plea, I
nodded to her. A wide smile broke across her face, and a renewed
burst of energy coursed through her movement. It was time to stir
things up, and test Mason’s threat of punishment.

My team held possession of the ball, and was
in the process of pushing it down the field. The scores were tied,
both sides proving their prowess. From the smells in the air, the
food had begun to be prepared, so it was crunch time. One of us had
to score and steal the game—the perfect opportunity to put my final
stunt into action.

The quarterback encircled his arms around
the ball, deciding to be the one to run it in, and I watched as
bodies came in painful contact with others as they blocked and
tackled. There wasn’t much room for error, and I gasped in
excitement as I watched a space open up.

Moving through it with lightning speed, I
mentally urged him forward, beginning to move as well. Mason was
there, ready to defend, and everything about his body language told
me he would stop the advance. I had to act fast, and make my
distraction count. Screaming wouldn’t help anymore, but something
told me what I contained in my pocket would.

Digging my hand in, wrapping my fingers
around the object, I sprinted after the quarterback and threw it
with everything I had. I raised my fingers to my mouth, letting out
a loud whistle. “There’s a flag on the play!”

All movement ceased. We never used penalty
markers, so I knew this would confuse them. Both teams started
scouring the ground, looking for the piece of material.

There it was. A skimpy piece of lace—my
thong to be exact, and Mason’s nostrils flared. Others came in for
a closer look, and began chuckling loudly, cat calling in
appreciation.

I giggled, shrugging my shoulders at Mason
as if to say, “Oops.” I watched his gaze travel up and down my
body. I knew what he was thinking, and I added a slight sway to my
hips.

No words left his lips, his burning stare
speaking volumes. He charged towards me, throwing me over his
shoulder like a fireman, and brought his hand down in a hard,
brusque slap on my bottom. Cheers erupted on the field, Jasmine
being the loudest.

I tried to break free, but his grip on me
was tight. I kicked my legs, finding little leeway as he held them
down with his powerful arm. I beat on his back with my fists, and
it only caused him to spank me again.

“Enough. I was serious, Darcy. Time for your
punishment.” The ground began to move, and I tilted my head up,
trying to figure out where he was taking me. The pack was still
standing there, smiling widely over the spectacle. I saw my team’s
quarterback, and I screamed as loud as I could, “Make sure you win!
Why do you think I did it?”

This spurred everyone into action, and noise
erupted as my team repeated the play, determined to score the final
touchdown. Giving my body one last squirm of resistance, I prepared
myself for what would no doubt be an amazing evening.

“I hope you still think that was worth it
once I’m done punishing you,” Mason murmured, taking me farther
away from everyone. My insides melted, and I relaxed into him.

“Promises, promises,” I purred. I couldn’t
stop the wide smile from spreading across my face. He could think
he was a big and tough Alpha, but I knew better. He’d been waiting
for any excuse to carry me off, eager for some alone time.

He didn’t take me far—just out of earshot,
but completely hidden from the view of the pack. We didn’t have
much time as the smell of the BBQ filled the air, and my stomach
growled slightly in anticipation. It seemed I’d worked up an
appetite, and I was glad someone had enough sense to start it while
the game was happening.

Finally letting me down, Mason gave me a few
moments to regain my bearings before he started to make his move.
He wore a cocky smile, one that screamed he had something in mind
for me. I wasn’t going to give in too easily though, and for every
step he took, I made another backward. He stretched out, only to
have me slap his hand away quickly.

“Come on, baby. You have my attention.
Wasn’t that the whole point behind everything?” He tried to pull me
in close, and I was barely able to step out of his reach.

“Of course, but it didn’t mean you had to
cart me about like a sack of potatoes in front of everyone. You
acted like a caveman!” I suppressed the giggle, which threatened to
break free due to the look on his face.

“I’m no caveman. I’m the Alpha who can do
whatever he wants, and right now I want to kiss you.” He took
another step forward.

“What you need to learn is some manners,
Mister. I need to be wooed, not beat over the head and dragged
away.” I placed my hands on my hips, deciding now was a good time
to make a stand because sooner or later, I’d run out of room to
maneuver.

“You want to be wooed, huh? I’m not sure I
know how to do that. You may have to tell me what to do.” The cocky
grin he’d been wearing suddenly became softer, his eyes twinkling,
and I caught a flash of the boyish charm I’d fallen for.

“Oh no, I’m not explaining anything to you.
You should know by now, Mr. Almighty-I-Am-Alpha. Just know this—if
you don’t get it right … you’re a dead man.”

He let out a rich, throaty laugh, and the
sound made the soles of my feet tingle. In fact, it made everything
tingle, and I braced myself. I was about to get ravished.

I didn’t move a muscle as he advanced, or
resist as he finally gathered me into his arms. My eyes instantly
closed and I tilted my head—waiting. Everything was still, our
surroundings dimmed to a quiet hush.

He moved slowly, brushing his mouth against
mine softly, tenderly. It was almost like a whisper, the feel of
his breath fanning gently over my skin, and when he repeated the
motion, goose bumps erupted.

Even though I knew it was coming, the touch
of his tongue tracing my bottom lip had me leaning into him, my
hands gripping the top of his pants to steady myself. I don’t know
how long we stood there for, his mouth barely caressing mine before
the mood changed, and he made his move.

His arms tightened around me, taking away
any chance of escaping, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Letting out a
sigh of contentment, it was my last thought as I opened my mouth
and he swept in, deepening the kiss.

It was nothing short of seductive—the way he
dipped and tasted. When I felt his hands slide through my hair,
fingers tugging at the loosened strands and releasing it from the
ponytail, I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck. I wanted to
anchor myself to him.

My body was thrumming, every part of me
alive and basking in Mason’s touch. I felt myself weaken, my legs
like jelly before he slowly began breaking away. With our mouths
only a fraction apart, he leaned in, sucking my lip into his mouth,
his tongue moving for one last loving stroke.

He lowered his head, nuzzling into the crook
of my neck. Once he found my sweet spot, he nipped gently, and the
sensation shot fiery pulses into my body. He knew what he was
doing, proving he understood exactly what I needed. Swirling his
tongue to take away the slight sting, he chuckled low.

“So do I live another day, baby?”

It took a moment for me to realize what he
was saying, and all I could do was nod.

“Are you going to be okay to go back to the
group? By the smell of things, the meal is almost ready.”

All I could do was agree again—slow to shake
the effects of his kiss.

Taking me by the hand, he led me back to
where everyone had started gathering. Tables had been set up, and
some of the pack were unfolding chairs. Our appearance was answered
with a round of applause and wolf whistles—my disheveled look the
source of many comments.

Grinning, I kissed Mason on the cheek and
walked over to Jasmine. She was busy moving plates and dishes
around on the main table as others were bringing them.

“What do you need me to do?” I asked, moving
a stack of cups over so she could place a bowl of potato salad
down. “Is there anything more to bring out?”

She began to answer, but one look at me and
she burst into laughing. “I see my brother made good use of his
time.” She lifted her hand, and began to straighten out my
hair.

“Of course, just like I knew he would.” I
couldn’t help the confident smile.

“Well, I think we’ve about got it all done,
so you both have perfect timing. We’re just waiting for Daniel to
finish grilling, and we can all eat.”

Looking around the table, I noticed the
absence of steak sauce. “You know, the guys are going to throw a
fit if they don’t have their precious sauce. It may induce a riot,”
I scoffed, even though there was some truth to my statement. One
thing I knew was the pack brothers took their grilling very
serious.

“They’re just going to have to settle for
ketchup then.” Jasmine laughed.

“What do we need to settle for?” Daniel
interrupted, placing a fresh plate of hot steaks onto the
table.

“You’re going to have to eat with ketchup
today. No problem, right?”

With tongs in one hand, he whipped them
around to point at us. “Oh hell yes, there’s a problem. Everyone
knows you can’t use that stuff on your meat. It’s practically
blasphemous. What are you two … heathens?” The look of disgust was
evident. He looked around for support from the rest of the pack and
was answered with a number of agreements. Men.

“Fine then, we’ll quickly run into town and
grab some before you all die from the inconvenience.” I moved away
from the table, gesturing Jasmine to follow.

“Where are you going, and why?”

I hadn’t heard Mason approaching, and I took
in a deep breath. “Daniel seems to think if he doesn’t have the
right condiment for his meat, it’s a travesty, and I’m worried it
may scar him permanently.” I cast my gaze over at my pack brother,
and rolled my eyes again. “So to save his fragile ego, Jasmine and
I are going to quickly head to the store to buy some.”

“Absolutely not.” The tone in his voice said
it all—there’d be no argument.

“Do we need to go through this every time I
want to go somewhere? I won’t be alone, and we’ll be back before
you know it. You can’t keep me under lock and key.”

“I’m not trying to, Darcy. I just want to
keep you both safe, and my gut says to send someone else for
it.”

“Ugh, you and your gut.” I couldn’t finish
my sentence, I was so annoyed.

“It’s just into town, and the girls will be
back before you know it. They’re going to keep pestering you until
you cave anyway,” Daniel interjected, pulling a face.

“Fine, but I’m coming with you then.”

“That defeats the purpose! I’m not asking
for a lot, just a little independence.” I recognized the moment I’d
won. Squealing in happiness, I flung my arms around his neck and
feathered kisses over his cheek. “I love you. I promise we won’t be
long.”

“Okay, there and back. No side trips.” Even
though he offered a smile, there was a clear warning in his
voice.