Harriet’s smile deepened. She kept her eyes closed.

  Lucas released her breasts and slid his hands down to her waist. He knelt, sliding his hands under the waistband of the shorts and bringing them down as he leaned in to smell her pussy. He growled as he realized how aroused she was. He dropped the shorts to the floor and left his arms alongside her hips. He looked up at her, from the bedside, on his knees, and pulled her so that her pussy was closer to the edge of the bed.

  Her eyes were still closed, but her hands came down to his head, pulling gently at the curls near his ears.

  Lucas smiled. He put his face up close and darted his tongue in to find her clit. Harriet kept her hands on his head, guiding him. He massaged and swirled it slowly, sucking it as he desired. He could feel her hips starting to move. With his fingers, he parted her pussy lips more fully. He slid his fingers inside her and could feel her pussy clutching on them, she was so ready. He was trying to make her wait, but he could feel his own cock’s impatience at wanting to be in her. He put his head on her pubic bone, inhaling her aroma deeply.

  “Harriet. I can’t wait… You’re too perfect, I have to be in you.”

  She let her hands fall away from his head, nodding in silence.

  Lucas stood. He was still fully dressed, though his engorged cock was making a mockery of his jeans. They might as well have been sweatpants for all the tenting they were doing. He stripped in a half second, grabbing her thighs and laying her legs up along his torso, so that her feet were at his shoulders. He brushed the tip of his cock along her pussy and watching her writhe, trying to move her body to push him in herself. Her hands were clutching the bedsheets to either side.

  He looked down at her beautiful body, her pussy, at his engorged cock, and smiled. He pushed in.

  Harriet’s eyes flew open, and her head fell back. “Oh, thank god,” she said.

  Lucas smiled and pushed deeper, moving slowly, moving deeper.

  “Oh my god” she said, questioningly. “More?”

  Lucas pushed in as deeply as he could, beginning to slide in and out of her clutching pussy. Now, Harriet was making noises, small whimpers and grunts to match each thrust. Lucas couldn’t believe how good she felt, and how much her noises were pushing him over the edge. He could feel her pussy squeezing him as he moved, it was so fucking delicious. He caught sight of her toes curling near his shoulders and could tell she would be coming soon by the pace of her whimpers and the tightness of her fists on the sheets.

  It was the final straw. He slammed into her, thrusting faster and faster and feeling her clutch when she came and came and came. He thrust one last time and yelled, shooting hot strings of cum into her throbbing pussy. He fell forward onto her body, slicked with sweat.

  Harriet put her legs and arms around him, holding his cock inside her with gentle squeezing.

  He was breathing heavily, the wildness of his orgasm had overwhelmed him.

  Harriet sighed with a satisfied hum.

  Lucas smiled. This time, it was his eyes that were closed.

  Chapter 10

  Harriet was pretty sure this was the best beginning to a staycation ever. She smiled to herself as she held on to Lucas’ perfect sweaty form. She’d been shocked by the size of him, wildly so. But she’d had her eyes closed, so she’d not had any warning. She knew size didn’t matter, but hello? Woah.

  She couldn’t wait until next time. What? Already? His body is still warm and in you, and you want a next time?

  Harriet laughed, her body shaking and rousing Lucas. He pulled out of her slowly and rolled to the side. “Well,” Lucas sighed happily, “it seems I still can’t listen in to you… maybe it’s the desire, I don’t know, but I am more than willing to keep working at it, if this is how we have to do it.” He laughed and rested his hand on her belly.

  Harriet snuggled closer to the heat of his body. She was still wearing her pajama top but could feel her skin prickling from the sudden change in temperature. Her temperature, she guessed.

  Lucas seemed to notice, as he got up from the bed, threw her over his shoulder and pulled back all the blankets and sheets from the bed. He placed her down, light as an awkward, naked feather, and covered her again with the blankets. “Snug as a bug,” he said. “I’m going to go warm up that tea and bring it back for us, okay?”

  Harriet smiled and nodded and squirmed her way deeper in the warm nest of blankets. She’d been worried, when he got up, that he was going to take off. There wasn’t anything to keep him here really. It had been just hot, consensual adult sex, that’s all. They were strangers, basically. But knowing that he was coming back, didn’t have plans to leave right away, made her quite irrationally happy. She could hear him clattering around in the kitchen. She giggled. Oh boy. Whatever. I’ll worry about being ‘too happy’ later.

  Lucas walked back in with two mugs. “I feel like it should be morning already, but it’s just really, really late. So, I double checked there was no caffeine and looks like we are good to go.” He was still naked and once he’d put the mugs down safely, he climbed in beside Harriet.

  She was just blissed out. This is so easy. When is it ever this easy? Oh brother. Harriet coughed.

  “Um, still blocked from the mental telepathy?” she asked.

  Lucas smiled mischievously. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” He chuckled.

  Harriet bopped him on the shoulder. “I mean it, goofball. Blocked or not blocked?”

  “Blocked, happily blocked. I really do think that the attraction has something to do with it. I cannot hear a thing, and I definitely feel attracted, so…”

  “Oh, really? You’re attracted to me? I mean, are you sure?” Harriet teased.

  “Um, do you need another show already, Miss Harriet? I thought you might need some kind of break or something, you know, like you dainty ladies do…”

  Harriet laughed and rolled over to lay on top of him. “This time… you…don’t move.” Harriet pulled the covers over her body and slid down Lucas’ until he could see nothing but the top of her head.

  He shouted her name many times before they both fell asleep in a tussle of sheets and blankets, sweat slicked and content.

  Harriet smiled in her sleep. Best Vacation Ever.

  Chapter 11

  It was finally morning. Lucas had slept like a rock next to Harriet but had woken after a few hours. It was his shifter nature; he never needed much sleep. And he was a little apprehensive about what he’d just done. He looked over at Harriet, so deeply asleep beside him. Man, I really like her. He hadn’t meant to go so fast, but opportunity does not always ring twice, and he’d ‘jumped into it’, as they say. He really hoped they’d be able to be cool, as they’d have to work together some more in the coming weeks.

  He extricated himself from the bed and went out to the kitchen. Mornings called for coffee, strong coffee. He knew he’d seen a pot here and figured it out pretty easily. He shook his head, remembering her body with his. He could feel himself getting hard again and laughed, taking some deep breaths to calm himself and his penis down. “Just coffee,” he muttered to himself.

  He brought the coffee in, placed it safely and grabbed something from his jeans. Harriet was waking as he climbed back in. “Hellooo, sugarbutt. I didn’t know how you took your coffee and making coffee for a café owner is a little intimidating, so you get what you get, and you don’t get to get upset. Okay?”

  “Oh God, Lucas. At this hour, I’ve usually already been at work for an hour. Coffee brought to my bed? Unless you peed in it, it’ll be the best coffee I’ve had in years.”

  Laughing, Lucas reached to take back the mug. “Damn, I thought pee went with everything!”

  “Shhhh,” said Harriet as she sipped her hot coffee. She cocked her eyebrows at him, “Not bad, Mr. Sargent, not bad at all. If you want a job, you just let me know.”

  Lucas had too many things to say to that, that would lead to complete and utter delirious distraction. He was trying to move them along and begin the conversation he needed to have. He cleared his throat.

  “So, Harriet. I know it’s early, but I actually have the artifact I found from your childhood. I thought maybe Max was going to come out last night, so I brought it with me. I should’ve figured he wouldn’t yet. I’m sure he doesn’t want to leave the kids much. But if you want to see it?”

  Harriet sat up. She put her coffee down on the bedside table. “Yes, please. I would really love to see it.”

  Lucas pulled the little poppet out from behind his back. “I found this at the home of the woman who had you when you were a toddler, Harriet. Do you have any memory of it?”

  Harriet was staring at the object in his hands, getting closer and closer to it. She looked at it, and him, asking, “What was her name? Where you found this? I am hearing snatches of a song with it, I think. Woah, this is oooold stuff, Lucas. I feel like the memory of it is right on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t grab it.” She held her chin in her hand.

  Lucas held his hand out to her, “Maybe if you touched it, Harriet. It was yours when you were there. Her name was Nanny, or that’s what she told me.”

  Harriet put her hand out and delicately plucked the poppet from Lucas’ open palm.

  He could see its effects on her immediately. Her aura dimmed to a pale green from its previous sparking reds and blues. She smiled.

  He imagined her memories were of love and sweetness, poppets like that were almost always made from love. He hung his head. He wondered if she’d forgive him for this deception. It felt really wrong, somehow, but he knew it had to be done, had always known.

  She smiled at him. “I remember Nanny. I can’t believe it. She used to sing to me, all the time. But especially at bedtime. I’m going to have to ask Max, maybe he can bring up the memory more clearly. But I remember her! Oh, Lucas, this is so amazing… I hadn’t remembered this for so many years.” She ran her hand across his face. “I’m so glad you’ve shown up in my life, Lucas. First, you’ve brought us the children, and now, a precious piece of my past. I can’t even begin to thank you.” She looked down.

  Lucas felt deep shame. It was literally ruining what had been the most amazing night and day, possibly one of the best and most fun nights he’d ever had.

  Harriet had blown him away with her attitude toward sex. She was so confident and self-sufficient. At no level did she exhibit neediness or cling, and it was just so liberating to be with someone who made him laugh. Shit. He wanted to howl his shame at deceiving her about this poppet.

  Wolves are incredibly pack and family oriented, he knew firsthand. He knew Harriet belonged to him, with him, at some deep lupine level. He knew this deception was for the good of all, but it could easily crush Harriet, and he was going to be the one responsible if it did.

  He cleared his throat. He had to get out of there. “No thanks needed, Harriet. Just enjoy the memories. Keep it in your pocket even. I’m going to get out of here, now. I’m going to check in on Max and see what’s what. We’ve got some stuff to talk over. I’ll see you later, okay?”

  Harriet brought the poppet to her chest, still beaming. She nodded happily.

  Lucas got dressed and quietly left Harriet to her memories.

  Chapter 12

  Lucas shifted and went for a run. He’d been in the woods of Mossy Ridge before, a year ago, when his pack had first sent him scouting. There’d been so much Bear scent that he’d almost missed finding a Wrong One. He was sure he hadn’t been meant to find him. This Wolf had been missing for ages; he’d been given up for lost, or so Lucas had been told. The Wrong Ones were failed experiments, Wolves who couldn’t handle the magic that the pack was trying to force on them. They got addled somehow and were barely functional. There had been dozens in these past few years, but only a handful had managed to survive at all. The pack, as a whole, would not allow these Wolves to be terminated, so they’d been released to return to feral. Leadership had wanted to kill them outright, and after seeing the Wrong One he had found, he was on the fence about which was better. Not feral, not human, something in between, and awful.

  The whole idea of trying to force magic on shifters was something Lucas had grown to despise. It was true, he had some sort of magic, but he got it naturally from his mother. Leadership of the pack saw their future dominance dependent on an entirely new breed of Wolf, half-magic, half-shifter. They’d been trying this forced magic for years, and it wasn’t working. The Wrong Ones were proof of the failure. Lucas was already on the outside of the pack because of the same magic they were trying to force on others, ironically. They wanted his strength but scorned him for his ‘half-breed’ status. It didn’t make a damn bit of sense, which was why he left when he had the opportunity to seek out Max’s kids. The pack as a whole had supported him in a vote, but the Leadership had made it clear that they hoped he’d stay gone. The Leadership was killing his pack, slowly but surely. They had already destroyed much of what was good about it.

  He arrived at Max’s door after his long and thoughtful run, back in clothed man form. He was ready to shake it off and see how things were going, and anxious to see what Max’s take on everything was now that so much time had passed.

  Max pulled open the door before Lucas could knock, a small boy attached to one leg. “Help, Lucas! They’ve got me completely surrounded!” He smiled widely at Lucas, pointing to the boy and turning slightly so Lucas could see Lucy around his neck.

  Lucas stopped in mock horror. “My God, man, what should I do?! I’ve heard this Lucy girl is very susceptible to chocolate! Should I bribe her?!”

  Lucy dropped to the floor with enthusiasm. “I am too old for this stuff, Lucas. I’m just humoring Joe, and Max. But yes, you should bribe me.” She smiled at him and held out her hand.

  Lucas walked in, looking around. “Okay, Max, where do you keep your stash?”

  Max pointed to the top of the refrigerator. Lucas reached up and grabbed a plastic tub. Looking in, he found it full of old Halloween candies and tootsie rolls. “Ahhh. The Wolfish treasure trove. M’lady, what would you prefer, a candy bar or a lollipop?”

  Lucy took the bucket right out of his hands, “Kind sir, I will be making my own choices from here on in, now that I am free of the evil witch.”

  Lucas laughed and bowed to her, swishing an imaginary hat. “M’lady, indeed.”

  Max unwrapped Joe from his legs and sent them off to watch tv. He smiled dazedly at Lucas. “I just cannot believe it, Lucas. Still. I feel like I’m in some kind of dream. I mean, I have literally dreamed of nothing else but this for a year plus. Every night. I just cannot believe this is real.”

  Lucas walked over to Max and wrapped him in a hug. He took a deep breath, stepped back and walloped him in the gut.

  Max doubled over, coughing in surprise.

  “It’s real, man. There is no way that was part of your dream. Right?”

  Max laughed, still doubled over. “You could’ve just pinched me, Luc. It would’ve been okay.”

  Lucas looked over to see the two children standing silently in the doorway, watching. He put his hands up right away. “Oh my god, guys! It’s okay! I swear. Max is fine! I was just playing, oh my god, Max… stand up…” He went over and helped Max stand.

  Max was laughing so hard he was crying. He half-stumbled to the kids to kneel down at their side. “I’m fine, guys. Lucas was just proving a point about how real this all is. I’ve been dreaming of you guys every day we were apart, it’s just exploding my brain, you know?”

  Joe smiled and leaned into his dad. “My brain is exploding too, Dad.”

  Lucy’s smile was a little tentative. “I don’t even know what my brain is doing anymore. I’m just glad to be out of that house. And I’m glad that this isn’t a dream, really glad. Do you want me to punch you to be sure? Or I could punch Lucas?”

  Lucas laughed. “No, m’lady, no thank you, even if I deserve it.”

  Max hugged the kids close. “I’m totally fine with Lucas. Go back to tv. I’ll be in in a minute.”

  The kids headed out. Max slapped Lucas on the shoulder. “I will never ever be able to repay you for this Lucas. Full stop.”

  Lucas felt the echo of Harriet’s thanks from this morning. At least this one was deserved. “The way the pack handled this was clearly wrong, Max, and I couldn’t let family be torn apart because the Leadership was corrupted.”

  Max’s head came up. “Corrupted? That’s pretty strong, considering you are still one of them.”

  “Ahh. The whole pack voted to let me go, there are still good people there. Leadership made it clear it would be all right if I stayed gone. The pack as a whole is still good, they knew the kids needed to be back with you. I’m just sorry it took me so long, Max. I’m so sorry for that.”

  Max hung his head. “It wasn’t your responsibility, Lucas. When they took the kids from me, and I was banished, I didn’t think I’d live a second day. I was almost gone, Luc. When Harriet found me, I was within days of being feral. She brought me here and healed me. With herbs, magic, time, you name it. I couldn’t have cared for them anyhow. And after a while, I didn’t think I deserved to have them. I admit, I was imagining them happy, and if I ever see her, I will kill her. But I’m staying away. I just want to be with the kids. I’ve got a shift at the café today and I’m bringing them. I left them that first day to give the update at The Cup. It nearly killed me. If they have to work with me, so be it. It’s a family business, for real.” He shook his head and smiled. “I might never believe it, but if it’s a dream, it’s the best one I have ever had, and I’m planning on never waking from it.”

  Lucas smiled. “Wait. Why isn’t Harriet covering for you?”

  Max sighed. “It’s the first vacation she’s had in forever, and I’ll be damned if I’m calling her in. She’s already offered, and I told her, in no uncertain terms, what I thought of it. The kids’ll be with me. I can run that place with my eyes closed. We’ll be fine.”