Mated To An Enemy

The touch of his lips, the taste of his tongue, his hands moving over her. Ashleigh felt the fires of her body igniting with a flash. Every part of her awakened, remembering him, longing to be kissed and caressed by his warm lips and strong hands.

It had been five years since she felt this way--five years of yearning for him, dreaming of him, missing him. Five years of memories replayed, special places visited, words spoken into the night sky, wishing he could hear her.

Time had moved forward. Their families, their packs, everything had moved forward. Even she, eventually, had to move forward.

But the feelings, sensations, and hunger that she had for him. It was all still there, bubbling beneath the surface, waiting for his return.

And now, here he was, in the flesh. His warm lips on hers, his strong hands tracing the curves of her body.

Five years of her life needed to be explained. People, places, events, all things that Caleb needed to know before they could leave this room. Before she could tell anyone else that he was alive and returned.

Things that would shock him, confuse him, hurt him.

When she regained her senses after he passed out on the dock, she knew she needed to take things slow. To give them both time to understand what had happened, to her, to him.

They needed to talk. They needed to reconnect.

But, what she had forgotten in those five years of loneliness, of living without him by her side, was how much they already knew each other.

How strong the bond between them had been from the moment they met and how much it had grown in the time they had together. Even then, he had known her better than she had known herself.

The world had changed, and their lives had changed. But this man was still the same. He was the one that eased her heart while making it race simultaneously. The one that could make her knees weak with a glance. The one that she craved every moment of every day.

This was her mate. They had all the time in the world to talk. But right now, what they needed more than anything else, was each other.

With a soft growl, Ashleigh reached her hands to his shoulders and braced herself as she jumped and wrapped her arms at his waist. Caleb, only to happily caught her, squeezing the muscles of her thighs as he did so.

She returned his kisses with the fire that raged inside her, tangling her fingers into his hair and grabbing hold of him as she pressed her body to his. Caleb sucked her lower lip as he eagerly embraced their shared hunger.

He began to walk them back to the bed when he felt a tug of something holding him back. He pulled away from their kiss, looking back as Ashleigh pressed her lips to his jaw and throat.

Caleb saw that it was the IV in his arm that restricted him. He brought the line to his mouth, grabbing the tubing with his teeth. He ripped it from his arm and spat it out. There was a slight sting and a trickle of blood, but it didn’t matter.

All that mattered was her. Then, turning to his wife, he captured her lips again and continued toward the bed. He held to her as he climbed onto the mattress, leaning forward to lay her down gently, refusing to let go or part from their kiss until absolutely necessary.

As he pulled away, he looked at the red blush on her cheeks and the drunken look in her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

A low growl rose from his belly as he reached down and pulled off his shirt.

Ashleigh licked her lips at the sight of him. Five years of memories could never do justice to this moment. She raised her hand, touching his stomach's small dips and curves. His soft growl as her fingers grazed his skin only stirred her more. Her legs, still wrapped at his waist, pulled him closer.

He chuckled as he placed his hands on either side and lowered himself on top of her. He kissed her again. This time, his kiss was gentle but filled with desire. He rolled his hips against her as he deepened the kiss.

Ashleigh moaned into his mouth as the weight of his body settled over hers. Even this was something she had missed. Feeling the beat of his heart against her, the warmth of his skin, the firmness of his desire as his kisses only increased her need to claim and be claimed.

As she stretched her arms around his neck, one of his hands softly glided down her side. Tickling her ribs and quickening her heart as he neared the hem of her shirt.

He stopped, resting his hand on her hip and slipping his thumb below the fabric of her shirt. Running it along the exposed flesh just above the top of her pants.

Ashleigh drew back from his kiss, taking a deep breath and arching her back reflexively at his touch. Caleb wasted no time, pressing his hot mouth to her throat, sucking gently and licking as he moved down to the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent.

His anticipation was growing, almost past his patience. He wanted to take it slow, savor every moment, and taste every inch of her. To feel her pleasure growing and ensure that it lasted all night long. But though he had not spent five years without her, even five days felt like an eternity.

Caleb moved his hand under her shirt, and Ashleigh gasped. At first, Caleb smiled, thinking that she was reacting to him. But, as his fingertips grazed a raised line on her skin and felt the strange smoothness and a dip, he realized that wasn’t the reason.

He lifted himself off her just enough to have a clear view. Then he lifted the shirt off her stomach and felt his heart skip a beat as he saw not just one but two scars he had never seen before.

One was small, likely a stab wound. But the other, which he had felt, was more significant. From what he could see, it looked surgical, possibly resulting from a debridement. He furrowed his brows.

Ashleigh swallowed and pushed down her shirt, looking away from him.

“There are things we need to talk about...” she whispered. "A lot has happened while you've been gone."

Caleb looked back at her; he felt the sadness in her words. Through their bond, he felt her nervousness. He clenched his jaw, hating that she felt anything but loved and comforted in his presence.

He reached down and gently turned her chin. When they locked eyes again. He smiled.

“There will be time to talk,” he whispered. “In the morning. So, for now....”

He reached down, gently pulling her shirt away from her hands and exposing her stomach again. He leaned down, his lips hovering over the large scar.

“Let me seek out my questions....”

His hot breath along the sensitive flesh thrilled her entire body. Caleb kissed along her stomach, pushing up on her shirt until Ashleigh herself pulled it off. He grinned, dragging his tongue between the scars and down to the next piece of clothing that dared to come between them.