Every Blissful Moment (Hyena Heat Book 4) (14 page)

Angel glanced at her watch. “I should get back and finish packing. We’re supposed to take what we can to my parents’ house tomorrow morning before we go, and then Mom’s going to handle the rest while I’m gone.”

Lincoln stood from the booth behind them and grabbed the bill off the table, motioning for the waitress so he could pay.

“Thanks for dinner, guys.  I’m glad we were able to get together,” Angel said.

“Us, too,” Bliss answered for herself and Whisper.

They returned to Angel’s house, and Whisper, Bliss, and her mates stayed for two hours helping to finish the packing.  Lincoln, Memphis, and Rome carried the boxes out to Angel’s step-dad’s truck, which she’d borrowed for the trip.  When the last box was loaded, Bliss, Angel, and Whisper stood in a small circle and hugged each other.  Bliss didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t help it, and in no time, the three besties were sobbing like little girls.

When the tears had eased up, Bliss kissed Angel on the cheek.  “Be safe and call when you get there.”

“I will,” Angel promised.

She said goodbye once more and then followed her mates to the SUV and waved as they drove away.  Rome hugged her.  “Are you okay, love?”

She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.  “I will be.  I know she’ll be fine, no matter what she does.  It’s just so unexpected.  I thought that she’d be staying in Beyton forever, but I ended up bringing someone here who encouraged her to leave.”

“Maybe it’s her destiny,” Memphis said.

“Destiny?”  Bliss asked.

“Sure.  Everything happens for a reason.  We were on that mountain at exactly the right time for you to rescue Brierley.  Maybe they were meant to become friends so that Angel could help her adjust to a new, safer life.  And maybe there’s something more out there for Angel than there is in Beyton.”

She mused on that for a moment.  “I guess that makes me feel better.  I was feeling kind of guilty for being the reason that Angel’s leaving.”

“You’re not at all,” Lincoln said.  “Angel made her own choices in this situation, and you brought Brierley here because you’re the sort of amazing, wonderful person who wants to help others.”

“I’m going to thank you properly for that sweet compliment when we get home,” she promised.

Lincoln grinned at her, and Memphis and Rome immediately began to shower her with compliments.  She was looking forward to thanking them all in the den.

Chapter 11

Memphis didn’t care much about the full moon.  Hyenas didn’t have any ties to the moon the way that wolves did.  They didn’t feel compelled to shift on a certain day as a group.  The
baro
rarely shifted together as a whole, because no clan worth their salt would leave their mate alone without protection.  Each clan member shifted at some point during the month, when they felt the need.  More aggressive males would sometimes shift twice in a month to work off some of that aggression.  When he was younger, Memphis had often shifted twice a month.  He and Link would bet who could take down a deer the fastest, and then they’d shift and race.  It had been a long time since he and Link had even gone hunting together.

He looked at Bliss, who was making breakfast with Rome.  She seemed happier than she’d been since they got back after their honeymoon.  He’d been worried that Angel leaving with Brierley would make Bliss withdraw again, but she’d snapped out of whatever guilty feelings she’d had about Angel taking off and had been in good spirits since they got up.  That might’ve had something to do with Memphis waking her up with his tongue, though.  Either way, he was happiest when his sweetheart was happy.

“Remember when we used to bet on who could bag a deer the fastest?”  He leaned back on the couch and took a drink of coffee.

Link looked up from where he was reading the news on the computer and grinned.  “Hell yes.  As I recall, I totally kicked your ass last time.”

“I think your memory’s going.  I was the one who kicked your ass.”

“Stop saying ass,” Bliss chided them from the kitchen.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said, smiling when she stuck her tongue out at him.

Lowering his voice, Memphis said, “Ass-kickings aside, what do you say we go hunting tonight?”

“Yeah?”

“Why not?  Rome can stay with Bliss.  The house is secure, and we’ll only be gone a few hours.  I could use the run, and although it would be cool to run with Nyte or his brothers, I guess I’m feeling nostalgic.”

Bliss sat down on the couch next to him and tucked her feet under her, leaning against his side.  “Why are you feeling nostalgic?”

He slid his arm around her.  “I don’t know. Maybe because of the baby, or because it’s been a while since we went hunting.  I was just thinking that hyenas aren’t like packs and don’t feel a need to hunt together all the time, but I did enjoy it and I’ve missed it.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” she said.

He looked down at her and she tilted her face up.  “Do you?”

“Sure.  If I could shift and hunt, I wouldn’t want to miss a single opportunity.  I don’t think it’ll be all that exciting here anyway.  Mack asked us to come in for a couple hours this afternoon, and then Rome said he’d let me pick any movie to watch later, and you know I’m totally picking a chick flick.”

Memphis glanced at Rome, who looked chagrined.  “I thought she might pick an action movie,” Rome said.

“Now you’re just being delusional,” Bliss said, wrinkling her nose.  “I’ll miss you, but you should shift and hunt.  Don’t bring me back anything, of course, but go have fun.”

Memphis pressed his lips to hers and she made a soft sound, her hands sliding around him and pulling him closer.

“Not so fast,” Rome said.  “She hasn’t eaten yet, so put the brakes on the romance until after breakfast.”

“Spoilsport,” Bliss said against Memphis’s lips.

“Later,” Memphis whispered.

She sighed exaggeratedly and then eased away from him, turning her attention to the meal that Rome was setting on the coffee table.  While they ate, they talked about how Bliss was feeling, since it was the full moon. Although she couldn’t shift, she did feel anxious, and Memphis decided that once she had the baby, on full moons they’d take her out so she could be with them.  He didn’t like the idea of her always being on the outside of things.  Eventually their children would probably be able to shift, and he didn’t ever want her to feel left out.

* * * * *

Link thought Bliss smelled amazing.  She always smelled good, but on the full moon there was something deeper and sweeter about her scent.  He knew that wolves tended to be extra-strength horny on the full moons, and Bliss said she shared some of that wanton feeling, but it hadn’t been this strong on the previous full moons.  He suspected it was because of her pregnancy, but he didn’t actually care.  The only thing he wanted to do was satisfy her every desire, and for once, he wanted to do it alone.

They’d boarded up the upstairs to make their den for the winter, and there weren’t any places on the first floor where a guy could sex up his wife without his brothers horning in on the action, so he’d have to get creative.

“I’m going to clean up.  What time are you and Bliss leaving for the bar?”  Link asked Rome.

“In an hour.  We’ll only be gone a few hours.  I promised Bliss I’d grill tonight, so we need to get home in time to do that.”

“Yum,” Bliss said.

Link stood, stretched, and walked out of the family room and down a short hallway to the full bathroom.  He opened the door and turned on the light, then locked it, closing the door loudly.  Reaching for his phone, he texted Bliss.

Tell my brothers that Whisper wants to talk and you’re going into the spare bedroom for some privacy.

He slipped across the hall to the bedroom and waited, hoping that Bliss would want to join him.

His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only a minute.

“I don’t know, she just said she wants me to call her,” Bliss said. Link could tell she was drawing closer.  She walked into the room.

“Hi Whisper, what’s up?”  She spoke loudly, and he knew she was doing it for his brother’s benefit.  She spun around and faced him, her eyes filled with heat and her face flushed.  Tossing her phone to the bed, she gripped the hem of her shirt and began to lift it.  Link snapped to action, closing the bedroom door and clicking the lock as quietly as possible.

He grabbed her around the waist and drew her close as she tossed her shirt behind her and wrapped her arms around his neck.  “Just you and me?” she whispered.

He nuzzled her throat and drew her tighter against his growing erection.  “I can’t help it.  You smell so good.”

“Good enough to eat?” she said, giggling softly.

“Definitely.”  He growled the word and kissed her neck, sucking lightly on her flesh.

He kissed her throat.  “I love how you smell when you’re turned on.  It drives my beast crazy.”

She worked at his jeans, undoing the button and lowering the zipper with trembling fingers.  “I can’t get enough today.  I don’t know why I feel so crazy, and I don’t really care.  I want you right now.”

He carried her to the bed and laid her down, kissing her while he unfastened her jeans and worked his hand between the fabric and her hot skin.  She clutched at him, lifting her hips in invitation as their tongues met and their kiss deepened.  She reached with one hand and shoved at her jeans, lowering them over her lush ass.  He stroked his fingers down her bare folds, finding her wet and hot.  He tickled her clit with his fingertip, lightly brushing the bud until she nipped his lip with a soft growl.  “Don’t tease me, Link.”

He licked her lower lip and slid his fingers down between her legs.  Stroking her heated sex, he wet his fingers and then pushed two inside, curving them to find the place inside that drove her wild.  He watched as she arched her back and let out a growling sigh of happiness.

“Let me see your tits, sweet thing.”

She grinned, biting her lower lip, and tugged her tank up.  He loved her body.  He wanted to spend about a hundred years just kissing and touching her, finding all the places that made her moan.

He lowered his mouth to her breast as his thumb settled on her clit.  He sucked her nipple, rubbing his tongue along the tight bud as his fingers moved inside her and his thumb rubbed her clit.  She sank her fingers into his hair, gripping the strands tightly and holding him against her breast.  His fingers moved faster, pushing her toward completion.  He could hear her heart speed up, and felt her body tense.  She moaned, biting her lip to stifle the sound, but he didn’t care.  She could scream his name to the sky and he’d revel in the sound.  Nothing was sexier than her falling apart in his arms.  Her body tightened around his fingers and she cried out.  He released her nipple, kissing the swollen bud as he slowed his fingers and drew her down from the heavens.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he whispered.  “I could make you come all night and I’d be the most satisfied male in the universe.”

“You better fuck me, Lincoln,” she said roughly.  “I want everything you can give me.”

He couldn’t help but grin.  He slid his hand out, stopping to grip the center of her jeans and push them down.  She wiggled her legs free of the material, and then he rolled her gently to her stomach.  He pushed the tank-top up her back and kissed her spine.  She shivered, her skin twitching under his lips.

Freeing himself of his jeans, he pushed her legs apart and moved between them, hooking his arm under her waist and lifting her lower body from the bed.  He sank inside her pussy with one smooth stroke, and she groaned.  She stretched her arms above her and gripped the bedspread.  He knew he wouldn’t last; her body was a hot heaven that always blew his mind.

Anchoring himself to the bed with his straightened arm, he began to move inside her.  He held her tight against him, lifting her ass slightly higher so he could go deeper.

“Lincoln,” she moaned.

“I’m right here, sweet thing.”

He began to move faster, gritting his teeth against the orgasm that tingled at the base of his spine.  Sliding his hand down her stomach, he began to rub her clit with his fingertips.  She bucked under him, and her knuckles turned white as she fisted the bedspread.  He worked her clit with short, fast strokes and hammered into her pussy, and when she fell apart, he was right there with her, grunting with his release.

He collapsed to his side, his chest heaving, and pulled her gently against him.  She rolled to face him and cuddled close, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

“I love you so much, sweet thing,” he said.

“I love you, too, Lincoln.”

* * * * *

Rome glanced across the desk at his mate.  She was tapping her pen and staring at the computer screen with her head in her palm.  She looked completely distracted.

“Baby?  Are you okay?”

She blinked a few times and straightened, dropping the pen to the desk.  “Yeah, sorry.”

“What were you thinking about?”  She hesitated, and he added, “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

She smiled and reached across the desk for his hand.  Their fingers twined together and she sighed.  “I know.  I was just thinking that I hate working here.”

His brows rose in surprise.  “Really?  I thought you liked it.”

“I like Mack – I mean, he’s a great boss – and I like seeing Whisper once a week, but this just feels wrong now.”

“Wrong how?”

He scooted his chair back and patted his lap, and she wasted no time in getting up and sitting down on it.  She snuggled against him, and he wrapped his arms around her, inhaling her sweet scent.

“I’m pregnant.  I know it’s early, but in a few months our baby will be able to hear, and I really don’t want the first sounds he hears to be clinking glasses and curse words from bar patrons.”