Adam thought Sierra’s parents really looked happy about the prospect. He was glad they would be living here soon.

  When they finished up their dinner, Janice and Sierra hurried to clear away dishes, but Brad and Adam began helping too.

  “Just set everything on the counter. We’ll clean up later,” Janice said. “We’re going to run now so the two of you can return home and have the rest of the night to yourselves.”

  Brad chuckled.

  Sierra blushed and Adam smiled. He was all for it.

  Then they were going to different rooms and stripping out of their clothes. This time, Adam and Sierra were together. She didn’t seem to want him to give her space this time, despite her parents being in the house. He was glad their relationship had truly changed. As soon as they were naked, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to make love to her and spend the rest of the night with her in bed.

  But running with the family as wolves was important too, and he loved to run with her as a wolf. This time, Brad and Janice and her sister would run with them, not on guard duty, and her mom and dad and his parents would be with them too.

  Sierra smiled up at him and whispered, “Thanks for making my parents love you.”

  “They do?” He was glad to hear it.

  She smiled again. “Yeah. And of course Dad loves your boat.” Then she kissed Adam back and sighed, releasing him. “Let’s race off to the falls.”

  They both shifted and licked each other’s faces as if they had to kiss in a wolf’s way too before they headed out. Then she led the way and they found everyone sitting in their wolf forms waiting on them.

  Rhonda led the way, Kirk following his mate out the door, then Adam’s parents, Sierra, Adam, Janice, and Brad next. When everyone was outside, Brad and Janice were in the lead.

  Adam wasn’t sure how to behave with Sierra now that her parents and his were here. It was funny how a change in a group would make such a difference in the dynamics. He would have bitten her and played with her, but he didn’t want to look foolish. He and Sierra were following behind the crowd, and he was watching where they were going when Sierra bumped into him.

  At first, he thought she wasn’t watching where she was going, and she had bumped him by accident. But then she nipped his ear, her eyes bright with excitement, and he was ready to play with her and forget his and her parents, her brother and sister-in-law. He was ready to enjoy this. That was part of what being a wolf meant to them. Being protective, sure. Loyal, yes. But playful too? Definitely.

  He chased after her and she raced off, away from the rest of the family. He was bound and determined to catch her, and she was just as determined to keep out of his reach. This was so great, and they were working off their dinner at the same time so they could have dessert. He loved her, he realized. Unconditionally. He couldn’t have found a better mate in Sierra, but he still wanted to give her time to feel the same way about him.

  He finally reached her tail and nipped at the tip, and she wheeled around and tackled him with a woof and a growl.

  * * *

  Sierra loved Adam. She knew he was hesitant to play with her in front of the rest of her family and maybe his, but she wanted him to know that no matter who they were with, he could be himself—either as a human or in wolf form. Still, she moved him away from her family, just so he would feel comfortable playing with her.

  She loved being aggressive with him, like she’d been with her brother growing up.

  Adam tackled her right back, gentler than he would with his male wolf friends because she was smaller. Her brother had been really rambunctious with her, but her parents had made him settle down if he got too wild.

  She was having a ball play-fighting Adam, breaking off from the fight and then running off again. He was on her tail in a flash. She was trying her darnedest to keep out of his path. She was a fast runner, but so was he. And she loved it. How fun would that be if he could never catch up to her? No fun at all!

  He tackled her again. Okay, she really needed a head start!

  Then she heard her mom woof, wondering where they’d gotten off to. Sierra woofed back to let her know they were fine as Adam was chewing on Sierra’s neck in a play bite. She retaliated with a bite to his muzzle, and he mouthed hers back. God, she loved him. She had so been missing this in her life.

  Adam gentled his play-bites and nuzzled her muzzle. She figured he wanted them to rejoin her family. Which was fine by her. She had just wanted to get some of her wolf aggression out in playtime with him first. Every chance she got.

  She waited for Adam to run off so she could nip at his tail for a while, but he was panting, smiling at her, giving her the evil wolf eye. He wasn’t going for it. Fine. Next time, she was chasing him!

  She raced off and he tore off after her. Give me a head start the next time!

  He nipped at her tail and she rounded on him. They weren’t going to get very far like this. But what did they care? They were having a blast.

  After finally visiting with her family for a while as wolves, they all headed back to the ranch house. Sierra would have raced off to play some more with Adam after their hour or so restful walk through the land, but she was enjoying the walk with the family. She hadn’t done this with the whole family together in a long time. She’d run with Brad and Janice since she had arrived in Oregon though. It could be a while before she would have time to run with her parents after they moved here.

  They finally reached the house and shifted and dressed. Janice had shifted and dressed and was already in the kitchen getting glasses of water for everyone, though they had all been drinking down at the stream as wolves before they returned to the ranch house.

  Then they all said their goodbyes.

  On their way home, Sierra said to Adam, “Did Dad lecture you about anything while Brad was grilling the steaks?”

  “No. He thought I was the right mate for you.”

  She smiled. “Ice cream still next on the agenda?”

  “You bet.”

  Chapter 25

  When they finally arrived home, Sierra pulled into his garage and parked the car. She closed the garage door, and she and Adam got out of the car. “I had fun, but I’m glad to be home,” he said. With Sierra.

  He wanted in the worst way to tell her he had to have her for his mate for all time.

  “That was a great weekend. Busy, but great,” Sierra said.

  He felt the same, but he hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. Though he wished he had more time to spend alone with her.

  “I mean, as far as helping Tori with her unpacking and the next day seeing my family and yours, the boat excursion, dinner, and the running as wolves. And ice cream both nights. Everything was fun.” She looked like she’d had a great time, and he was glad about that.

  “I agree. Weekends can be boring for me, just chilling out, while Josh is having fun with his mate.” He was about to pop the mating question.

  Sierra smiled at Adam. “Yeah, it sucks when your best friend gets hitched and leaves you all alone.”

  He sighed. “Sometimes I would go out with Ethan or Josh’s brother, Maverick. But they can be busy on the weekends too.”

  “You’ll still get to plan outings with them. Or we can do, um, couple stuff with Josh and Brooke too,” she said.

  That was just the prompt he needed to lead him into the mating question. “About the couple stuff, I don’t know how you feel, but—”

  “About us?” She went into the kitchen and poured a glass of burgundy for both of them and drank some of hers.

  “Yeah.” He drank some of his wine.

  She sighed and set her glass down on the kitchen counter. “I’ve waited forever for the right wolf to sweep me off my feet, and now that I’ve finally realized what I’ve got, I’m not letting you go. I just wouldn’t allow myself to see what I knew was right before my eyes all these months.”

  Hell yeah! “So you’re saying—”

  “I love you? Yes! With all my heart.”

  “All right! I love you too.” He wasn’t waiting any longer to mate his wolf.

  She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “No matter how many times I try to consider the cons of mating you, all I can think of are all the pros.”

  He encircled his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead.

  “When it comes right down to it, I know just what I want. You.” She kissed his mouth, tongued his tongue with rapture, then pulled away before he could get more into the kiss. She grabbed his hand to haul him toward the bedroom and get down to business.

  But he swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, then set her down on her feet. She began unbuttoning Adam’s shirt, and he leaned down to kiss her willing mouth as she lifted her head and offered her sweet lips to him. She kissed him back, nibbling on his lower lip. Then her hands tugged at his shirt as if she were eager to undress him. She kicked off her sandals and made him sit down on the bed. Then she began to remove his shoes and socks.

  Adam was over the moon about it as he rose to his feet and unfastened his belt.

  He began kissing Sierra’s soft lips again, their bodies pressed together with interest and intrigue. He kissed the tender skin below her ear, and she sighed. He had wanted this between them for so long.

  Already his cock was hard and ready, her seductive body pressing against him, making his blood burn white-hot. His fingers itched to yank off every article of clothing she was wearing, but he fought the inclination. He wanted to savor this moment for all time.

  She ran her hand over the front of his Bermuda shorts. It made him think of wearing his suit for work now and coming home to peel out of it and make love to Sierra every night. After a day on the boat, she was wearing a thin-strapped tank top and jean shorts.

  She ran her hands up his abs in a sensual caress and then thumbed his nipples, sending a streak of need shooting straight to his groin. Slow and steady wasn’t going to do it.

  He began pulling off her tank top, and she lifted her arms for him. Then he pulled her top off and tossed it aside and stared at the sexy bra she was wearing. He was so busy getting dressed this morning for the boat trip that he hadn’t noticed what she was dressing in, only what her street clothes looked like. He ran his hands over her formfitting bra and felt her nipples pressed against the intimate see-through fabric trimmed in lace.

  “Hmm.”

  “Do you like?” she whispered against his cheek.

  “Oh yeah,” he said, kissing her head, his hands still snugly wrapped around her breasts. He swept his thumbs over her rigid nipples and she moaned softly.

  She slid her hands down his pants and squeezed his buttocks, rubbing her mound against him.

  She smelled of coconut butter, the wind and the sea and the woods, and now she would be all his.

  His heart sped up and he skimmed his hands down her sides until he could reach her shorts. He unfastened them and slid them down her hips. She immediately reached for his shorts and unzipped them, and they slipped off his hips.

  He kicked them off. Then he moved his mouth over her breasts and licked her nipple through the fabric. She hummed with pleasure and slid her hands down his boxer briefs and cupped his ass again, which made his cock twitch with need.

  “You are sooo hot,” she said, kissing his shoulder.

  Her mouth was warm and inviting. “So are you.” He kissed her mouth and unfastened her bra, then slid the straps off her shoulders, letting her bra fall to the carpeted floor. He massaged her breasts, loving the feel of them and the fragrance that was all Sierra, sweet and sexy. His mouth caught hers again, their tongues teasing and tasting—all sweetness.

  She moved her hands up to run them over his back, her fingernails skimming his skin lightly, tickling—not meaning to—and he fought chuckling.

  Then he slid his hands down her sides and pulled her scrap of silk panties down. She immediately seized his boxer briefs and removed them, his cock springing free. He grabbed her up, her legs wrapped around his, and carried her to the bed. He was past ready to ravish the seductive she-wolf and make her his.

  She kissed his chest as he moved against her body, kissing her mouth that softened against his. He rubbed his body against her, inciting their pheromones to take off in a mating frenzy.

  Their tongues clashed in a fevered dance and his blood felt on fire. His hand grazed the curve of her breast, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy him, and he covered her breast with his hand and rubbed the palm over her rigid nipple. She sucked on his tongue and he was about undone. He immediately reciprocated and she moaned, then swept her hand down his back and cupped a buttock and squeezed.

  “Perfect,” she said, pressing a kiss against his lips and nuzzling his mouth before nipping on his lower lip in a gentle, sexy way.

  His cock was raring to go. He slid his hand down to her dewy, curly hairs and found her nub and began to stroke her.

  “Oh, yes,” she whispered, breathless, their hearts hammering out of sync, their pulses rapid.

  Her hands were exploring everywhere she could touch, and his skin tingled with her caresses. Her body arched to the feel of his touching her nub, stroking, plying his skills to arouse her. And she was aroused, just like he was, her feminine sexual scent an aphrodisiac to him.

  He kissed her belly and worked his way to a breast, his finger still stroking her nub. And then he was taking her rigid nipple in his mouth as she ran her fingers through his hair and lightly massaged his scalp, making him feel like he was in heaven. She practically stopped breathing, grew very still, and then bucked against him.

  He hurried his strokes, kissing and licking her nipple right before she cried out, “Oh, A…dam,” in a husky breath.

  He smiled and kissed her mouth long and hard and deep. When he pulled his mouth away from hers to catch his breath and ask her if she was truly ready, she held her finger to his lips and said, “Yes!”

  Then he nudged her legs further apart and slid his cock between her legs and embedded himself as far as he could go. He began to thrust, long, slow, deep thrusts, filling her completely. He couldn’t believe the fun-loving she-wolf he had known for several months was now his to mate.

  He was one lucky wolf as he continued to thrust, breathing in their sexy, wolfish scents, burning up with white-hot friction and hot-blooded desire. He hadn’t thought he would ever be this lucky or feel the kind of bliss he felt with her.

  And then he exploded deep inside her and she cried out again as the climax consumed them both. He collapsed on top of her, inside her, having claimed her for his very own wolf. “I so love you.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his mouth with enthusiasm. “Hmm, I love you right back.”

  * * *

  Adam snuggled with Sierra, thinking how she had been the one who had captured his imagination as a possible mate. He was glad she had chosen him as a mate.

  “We need to tell everyone we’re mated,” Adam said, caressing her arm, wanting to get this out in the open to let all the other bachelors out there know she wasn’t available any longer.

  “Hmm,” she said and kissed his chest.

  He continued to run his fingers lightly over her soft skin. “A wedding date?”

  She sighed.

  “A honeymoon?”

  Her breathing grew light.

  He closed his eyes. “All right. We’ll decide it all tomorrow.”

  She chuckled under her breath and he smiled.

  * * *

  They woke early the next day after making love a couple more times during the night and showering afterward. Sierra glanced at the clock this morning as she snuggled with Adam and groaned. “I sure wish we had the whole day to ourselves instead of having to go into work.”

  And she was thinking she could get more done at home if she was working part-time again. Now that she was with Adam, she wanted to spend every spare moment she had off with him. At least for now as newly mated wolves. Would that change? Probably. But she knew, no matter how much work they were both doing, she would want to spend time with him and enjoy every minute when they did.

  Sierra rested her chin and arm over Adam’s chest, looking at his smiling eyes and lips. “We have to go to work.”

  He combed his fingers through her hair. “Hmm.”

  She was ready to make love to him all over again. She licked his rigid nipple. “I think we’re a bad influence on each other.”

  Smiling, Adam stroked her arms, sending heat streaking across her air-chilled skin.

  She sighed. “I just needed to take a chance on a new relationship, and I soon knew you were the one for me.”

  “No regrets?”

  “Are you kidding?” Her chin resting on his chest again, she shook her head. “You’re the best mate I could have ever asked for.” She kissed his chest. “I think I was ready the day I left Texas to live in Oregon.”

  “Hell, if I’d known that, I would have made it known I wanted to date you from the beginning.”

  “You did, in your way.” She patted Adam’s chest but before she left the bed, he pulled her into his arms and rolled her onto her back so he could kiss her, one leg between hers, telling her they were together.

  No more guessing how either would react.

  “I guess I’m lucky you weren’t relying on weeks of dates to help you make your decision,” he said.

  She laughed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back. “I didn’t need to date you to know I loved you.” She reached down and patted his bare butt. “We have to leave if we’re going to get to work on time.”

  He groaned, then let her up, and they both hurried to dress. He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. “I can’t believe I don’t want to go to work.”