Hadley blinked, overwhelmed at the idea of a person having a scent that only their soul mate could perceive. It was—okay, she could admit it—romantic as hell.
“Considering that my omega nose is generally useless, I knew that your scent had to be important because it was so powerful and tantalizing,” Carter continued, coming to lean against the wall next to her. “With all the other members of my pack who’ve found their mates lately, it was easy to think it might finally be happening to me.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Hadley asked, though she had to admit, she couldn’t imagine how he’d bring that up in conversation.
His mouth quirked. “And when would have been the best time for me to drop that bomb on you? During our third session, right after I lost control and wolfed out? Or maybe during lunch with Hale, Karissa, and everyone else? What about the first night you stayed here after Strickland attacked you? Or would it have come easier after we learned that Strickland had escaped and might be coming after you? Would there ever have been a good time to try and squeeze this new complication into the drama that our lives have become?”
Hadley had no idea why, but hearing this thing developing between them being described as a complication hurt more than she could put into words. She tried to push that emotion down, but it pushed back, refusing to go away easily.
“I’m sorry I’ve made things so difficult for you,” she said, the words coming out sharper than she’d intended even as she tried hard to keep the anguish out of her words. It mustn’t have worked because he stepped closer, taking her into his arms.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “I was trying to say there were so many obstacles stacked against us already between me being a werewolf, you being my therapist, and Strickland breaking out of prison that I didn’t know how to bring up the soul mate thing without freaking you out. I was hoping I could let things develop slowly, praying you wouldn’t be scared off when you finally learned the truth.”
Hadley supposed she could understand that. “It’s okay. I’m sorry for overreacting and getting upset. You didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have done if our situation had been reversed. But tell me this at least. Are you okay with the idea of me being The One for you?”
He rested his forehead on hers again, a move Hadley decided she liked. “I’m more than okay with it! Hadley, I never expected to find a soul mate. Being an omega with frequent anger management issues, I never thought there could be someone who could accept me as I am. Not when I could never accept myself. Then I walked into your office, and you smelled like heaven in a summer dress. It only got better when I learned you were already familiar with the werewolf world and what it meant for me to be an omega. The fact that you were beautiful and easy to talk to? Well, that was like winning a werewolf lottery. I couldn’t do anything to ruin it. So, I chickened out and avoided the soul mate discussion as long as I could. But believe me when I say you’re perfect for me in every way. I couldn’t imagine a better woman to have in my life.”
Hadley didn’t need to hear anymore. She tilted her head back and kissed him. He groaned, his hands sliding into her hair, his mouth opening to ravish hers. His taste was indescribable but exquisite, and she reveled in the sensation of finally letting go, maybe for the first time in her life. When his fingers, with just a hint of claws, lightly grazed her scalp, she didn’t bother to hold back the moan of pleasure.
She wasn’t sure how they made it from the bathroom to the bedroom, but the next thing she knew, she was on her back in his very large bed, Carter draped partially over her with one of his legs between her thighs, his mouth descending on hers once again.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against her lips in between his kisses, the rumble of his low voice making her whole body tingle. “I could stay right here in this position for the rest of my life.”
“Not that I’m complaining,” Hadley murmured with a soft laugh, “but truthfully, I’d rather see what you have in store for me next.”
Their kissing was now interspersed with frantic fumbling as each of them started helping the other get naked. Carter pulled Hadley’s T-shirt over her head and then shoved her shorts down, letting out a low growl when he saw her lacy bra and panties. The way he gazed at her with wanton hunger as Hadley slipped those last two pieces of clothing off, was the most arousing thing she’d ever experienced.
It was more work getting Carter undressed. First, getting his belt unbuckled, then his jeans unbuttoned, followed by wrestling them down over his hips, taking his boxer briefs at the same time. But it was worth it. With his muscular body and defined abs, she could only describe him as an Adonis.
Hadley let her gaze wander up from those scrumptious abs, stopping at the sight of the wolf head tattoo inked on the right side of his chest. It was incredibly well done, and even the slight flexing of his pecs as he reached for her made it seem as if the wolf was moving to look at her.
“This is gorgeous,” she said, reaching up to glide her fingers over his chest, tracing the outline of the wolf with one nail, delighted to see a shiver running through his body. “Is this just a you-thing or does everyone in the Pack have one?”
“It’s a pack thing,” Carter confirmed, prowling across the bed toward her, his eyes smoldering. “Each of us gets the same tattoo after we join the team.”
Deciding that any other questions about Carter’s ink could wait until later, Hadley relaxed back on the bed, spreading her legs and inviting him forward with a curling motion of her finger.
Carter moved between her legs, pushing them even further apart before nibbling his way up her inner thigh. Shivers ran up and down her body at the feel of his sharp teeth on her skin, goosebumps springing up in their wake. A part of her wondered what his fangs would feel like gliding across her skin. That thought made her quiver all over again.
When his mouth finally made it to the juncture of her thighs, she caught her breath at the sensation of his warm tongue caressing her folds. She clenched the blanket with one hand while the other locked down on his head, trying to guide his mouth exactly where she wanted it to go. Which was difficult to figure out, since she wanted it everywhere.
Resisting her urging tugs, Carter took his sweet time, driving her up a wall as his tongue teased and tormented until she was practically vibrating on the bed. Then he locked his hands on her inner thighs, pushing her legs wide before locking his lips around her clit.
With all the teasing, she’d already been close to climaxing, so when he began to suck on that most sensitive part of her body, she simply exploded. Her vision went white, back arching off the bed as he coaxed the orgasm out of her in wave after wave.
Hadley was just becoming aware of her surroundings again when Carter slid off the bed. She watched in a haze as he moved over to the nightstand and opened the top drawer. She could only assume he was looking for a condom. He’d better be.
When Carter climbed back on the bed, Hadley forced her addled body to sit up, stopping him before he could open the condom. Reaching out to wrap her hands around his erection, she slowly caressed him.
Sliding off the bed, she dropped to her knees in front of him, then tilted her back to look up at him before leaning forward to take him in her mouth. She moaned at his taste, pleased to see that the way she was moving her tongue seemed to do it for him if the low groan he let out was anything to go by.
Hadley brought her free hand up to rest on his muscular thigh, scratching her long nails up and down his skin, reveling in the feeling of those muscles flexing under her touch. She soon lost herself in the act of pleasing him, enjoying it almost as much as she suspected he did. The way he buried his hands in her long hair, gently massaging her scalp in rhythm with the movement, was entrancing.
Which was why it was jarring when Carter suddenly stopped her, tugging her gently to her feet.
“What…?” she mumbled, ready to complain about not being allowed to finish what she’d started until she looked down and saw him tearing open the condom package and rolling it down his rock-hard shaft.
Hadley nudged Carter back onto the bed and then climbed astride his legs, slowly moving forward until she could wrap her hands around him, then she placed him against her wetness. She let out a sigh of contentment as she sat down on him, letting him slide in deep.
