Page 97 of Ice Rebel

“Fuck,” he muttered. Every muscle in his body was spasming. As soon as his cock erupted, another growl permeated the room and he fell over me.

There was nothing more comforting than having the full weight of his body pressed against mine.

With his cock still throbbing, my pulse racing in perfect unison, I finally felt a sense of peace.

* * *

Cole

Maybe it was crazy to bring her to my hometown. It was definitely nutty to rent the cabin as Mr. and Mrs. Smith. While the older woman at the small desk hadn’t said a word, chastising or otherwise, there was no doubt she’d recognized me. How did I know that for certain?

Because Mrs. Porter had been my sixth-grade math teacher, my siblings’ as well. She knew everything about our family because her husband had once sparred with my dad over land that butted up to theirs.

Did I think she would run off and tell the media I was pretending to be married, locked in one of her family’s treasured spaces with the most gorgeous girl on the planet? Maybe not, although with the way the press had hounded us at the theater, I had no clue what to expect once we returned to civilization.

But for now, we were sequestered together, enjoying each other’s company. The rest of the world could leave us the fuck alone for a couple of days. This was about hot sex, good food, a lot of alcohol, and more hot sex.

And one other thing.

Mating.

Or rather trying to explain to her what had happened that had honestly felt completely out of my control. In fucking her, I hadn’t intended on succumbing to needs furrowed deep in my wolf’s DNA. Mating had just occurred. From excitement? Yeah, maybe, but damn it, I hadn’t been prepared for the overwhelming desire turning to need then turning to something that had no words.

Shifters had two discussions about sex as kids with their parents.

One a typical birds and bees conversation, followed by sex education in school.

The much more complicated drop of information was always handled by shifter parents.

The issues surrounding mating certainly were nothing like a hundred years before. Shifters were much more human than anything else and not all wolves were lucky enough to find true mates. Both my brothers had, which I’d thought meant the odds I would were akin to winning a billion-dollar lottery.

Then again, I did remember my father telling his kids we were of a pure bloodline, which meant mating was often required for reasons of sanity and procreation of the race. Now that I knew my mother was completely human, gone was the idea that mating was only possible between like breeds.

That didn’t mean the entire situation wasn’t confusing. Especially since I’d been caught off guard. Or had I? Had my father over the phone been able to predict I’d found my mate when I’d obviously turned off several of my senses? Clementine’s scent should have been the key factor, giving it away immediately.

Her fragrance boiled me over every time, sweet jasmine with hints of vanilla, a dash of cinnamon and spices, but I hadn’t turned all primal on her. Well, maybe a little.

So I failed the scent test. What about when we’d touched? Yes, the lightest brush had been electrifying. However, I hadn’t locked her in a room like some he-man. Okay, I had thought about it a couple of times.

Then there’d been the hot sex we’d shared before. I hadn’t expected to knot her.

In the situation popping up so unexpectedly, I hadn’t been allowed a chance to warn her. I closed my eyes and brought the whiskey to my lips. After the last few days, I’d known a beer wouldn’t cut it. Now that I had some serious explaining to do, I was at a complete loss for what to say that wouldn’t drive her away.

Since sitting in front of the fire with my arm wrapped around her, I’d been practicing, trying out a few scenarios.

Hey, Clementine. You know how in Die Hard, Roy went to extreme lengths to save his woman? Well, that’s what wolves do with their mates.

Yeah, that would go over well. Not.

Hey, Chelsea. I know we don’t know each other at all, but I have something to tell you that’s going to rock your world. We’re mates? Turning all furry? No, I don’t think that’s possible with humans.

Oh, you bet she’d flee in my truck after bashing me on the head.

“Why don’t you just say it?” Her voice was soft, melodic, and as I’d experienced before, gave me a full-blown hard-on.

“Say what?” She was leaning up against me and I hadn’t realized it until now since I’d been caught up in my own mating nightmare, she’d been scrolling her phone. “And what are you doing? Rules. No phones. No outside contact for forty-eight full hours.” When I tried to snatch her phone away, she had the nerve to elbow me. She even managed to scoot away before I could stop her.

“You didn’t mention a word about rules.”