He also cooked like a gourmet chef and cleaned the den from top to bottom every day with a level of dedication I might have called obsessive if he didn’t immediately drop everything as soon as one of my estrus waves hit.
Koda, on the other hand, seemed to be looking for every possible excuse to get away from me.
That night, he actually complimented Hawk on the dinner he’d made and even bantered a little with Leif. But he barely acknowledged my presence.
Well, there was always the post-meal smolder and inevitable estrus wave. Except this time, before I even finished my meal, Koda set his plate in the caddy Hawk used to ferry dishes between the nest and the kitchen. No heated look, no estrus-triggering eye contact. Instead, he rose to his feet without even looking in my direction.
“I’m almost done with the balcony railing upstairs,” he said, his voice clipped and stiff. “I’ll just get back to the workshop since you don’t seem to need anything.”
“Seriously, Horse?” Hawk asked, frowning at him.
“Sir, maybe you should consider…” Leif began tentatively, throwing me a worried glance.
“See you in the morning,” Koda said, cutting them both off with another terse nod.
And just like that, he was gone.
Leaving me behind with the distinct feeling that his patience—and whatever sense of duty had made him agree to help with my estrus—was wearing thin.
18/
get him back
holly
“Open your eyes, baby. Your bear’s letting me know she likes this, but I want to watch you enjoy it, too.”
I woke up slowly, my senses coming online one by one. The first thing I noticed was the wet, insistent slide of a tongue between my legs. Hot, enthusiastic, worshiping.
Then came Hawk’s voice, low and rasping in my ear. “C’mon, baby, open those beautiful brown eyes for me.”
Mmm, mates.… My bear’s happy purr-growl echoed in the back of my mind as my eyes fluttered open.
I registered Hawk’s body pressed against mine, his arm resting beneath my breasts like a protective bar as he sucked on my ear.
Below that was the tongue, stroking into me with slavish devotion. I didn’t need to look down to know it was Leif.
Or that I must have gone into estrus while I was sleeping. For way longer than usual. The sun from the den’s round totem eye windows had nearly made it to my nest, which meant it must be past breakfast time, nearly noon. This was new.
My body caught up before my mind did, and my hips undulated with a mind of their own, trying to seek more pleasure out of Leif’s eager-but-sloppy strokes.
Hawk released my ear lobe to command, “Slower, puppy.” His hand found Leif’s man bun and began guiding his head with firm authority. “I know she tastes good, but this isn’t about you. Pay attention to her. Let her body teach you what she needs.”
Leif obeyed instantly, his tongue shifting from eager laps to deliberate strokes under the guidance of Hawk’s hand. Soon my thighs began to tremble, and my mind spun from the overwhelming sensation of watching HawkmakeLeif tend to me so thoroughly.
But just as I began to lose myself in the rhythm of his tongue, my nose snagged on an absent scent. Maple, cognac, but no hazelnut. Koda. Koda wasn't here. Again.
My estrus was dragging on, and he was obviously sick of it. Of course, he hadn’t waited for me to wake up—just headed back out to his brother’s workshop.
The bitter thought sliced through my pleasure like a blade, leaving behind the quiet ache of being avoided and regretted.
My ex-husband drifted into my mind unbidden, his fake “Yay!” masking every milestone of our relationship. His passive-aggressive remarks and lack of genuine desire were constant reminders that I’d been a convenient relationship he’d settled for after grad school, not a wife he truly wanted.
“Koda ain’t your ex, baby,” Hawk suddenly growled, letting me know my shields had slipped again. “This is about him trying to prove he can stay away.”
His tone flared with irritation before softening into a wicked edge. “And you know what, we’re going to prove he can’t.”
“H-how?” I tried to keep up with the conversation thread, but Leif chose that moment to start swirling his tongue around my clit, probably on some silent instruction from Hawk. The new, much more intense sensations rolled my eyes back, and it took me a try or two to gasp out, “How-how are we going to do that?”
