The Mating Rules
Book 3 – Chapter 34

Raelyn’s POV

I watch as Isaac opens the small jewellery box for the fourth time, running his fingers over the beautifully carved wood as his gazes moves warmly over the plush deep red inlay. After trying to replace out anything about his mother’s tastes, the Beta had finally mentioned that she had a lot of necklaces and bracelets that his father had bought her over the years. Seems Mrs Stokes was quite the magpie and did have a love of sparkly things.

As we’d wandered around a jewellery store, seeing if anything caught Isaac’s eye, I had moved over to a small display case that had gorgeous storage boxes. Joining me, Isaac had pointed to one that turned out to be made of Thuya that had a reddish hue to it. The top was inlaid with a lighter wood to create an intricate pattern and upon seeing our interest, the shop assistant had bustled over to tell us how each one was individually hand made and no two patterns were alike.

I could see in Isaac’s eyes that we had found the gift he was looking for, the man was a jittery mess as the store clerk wrapped it in tissue, placed it in a box and put it inside an expensive looking carrier bag with the shops logo emblazoned on the front.

The cost made my eyes water, I have never owned anything as expensive as the box that currently resides in the werewolf’s hands beside me.

‘Are you just going to keep looking at it, or are we going to go home?’ I ask teasingly, ‘I’m kind of getting hungry and as good as you look, I’m pretty sure your taste isn’t going to thrill me if I resort to cannibalism.’

Isaac’s torso stiffens as his gaze moves toward me, the jewellery box replaceing it’s way back into the bag somehow. His eyes are almost feral as he stares at me and I shift uncomfortably.

‘What?’ I whisper, clasping and unclasping my hands in my lap.

‘You think I look good?’ he murmurs, his gaze falling to my lips making me bite down on the lower one instinctively.

‘I . . I . . ‘ I stammer incoherently.

He leans closer, until his lips are a hairs breath from my own, his hand curling around the back of my neck in a dominant hold.

‘Do you think about how I taste Raelyn?’ he growls and dear Goddess I feel that sound right in the juncture between my legs.

‘No?’ I reply breathily, though it comes out more as a question than a statement which makes the Beta smile hungrily.

‘Yes you do’ he murmurs, those deep brown eyes flicking down to my lips again, ‘you’ve thought about me, about just what I taste like.’ His gaze darkens even further as he holds me captive, ‘I’ve thought about you too, the taste of your m***s are embedded in my mind, I can’t forget them. How your body feels against me, those sweet, muted murmurs as my tongue battled with yours.’

His fingers tighten against my skin reflexively as I gasp, ‘want to know a secret?’ he whispers, and I nod as best I can, unable to break the trance he holds over me. Licking his own lips, he breathes out, ‘I liked that you fought me, that you tried to take control. I like that side of you that challenges me, every time I see that sassy streak, I get hard.’

I gulp instinctively, my eyes falling to his lips, wanting nothing more than to move those few millimetres so our lips are touching, but I just can’t gather the courage to do so. Please let him k**s me, please!

He seems to know what I’m thinking because that cocky smirk crawls across his face, but he remains where he is, watching me.

A frustrated whimper slips from between my lips, the sound seems to do something to the man because his lips crash against my own, his tongue demanding entry as he easily hoists me from my seat and drags me over the centre console, until I’m straddling his lap.

Raelyn’s POV

I watch as Isaac opens the small jewellery box for the fourth time, running his fingers over the beautifully carved wood as his gazes moves warmly over the plush deep red inlay. After trying to replace out anything about his mother’s tastes, the Beta had finally mentioned that she had a lot of necklaces and bracelets that his father had bought her over the years. Seems Mrs Stokes was quite the magpie and did have a love of sparkly things.

His fingers dig into my skin as he holds me against him, I can feel the hard length of his desire pressing into me as I can’t help but grind against him, swallowing his g****s as he devours my lips.

My hands move up his chest, tracing the contours of his abs, over his shoulders and up into the back of his short hair, my fingers pushing through the soft strands.

One of Isaac’s hands leaves my waist, trailing up my spine, making me shiver and push my chest into his. His fingers slide through my hair, cupping the back of my head so he can control the k**s, his grip controlling and possessive that makes me want to feel his hands against my bare skin.

Pulling away from me reluctantly, he rests his forehead against mine, breathing harshly.

‘What do you do to me’ he mutters dazedly and I sigh because I feel the same way. This thing between us doesn’t make any sense, why am I so drawn to this man and him to me?

His gaze meets mine, that fire of longing burning bright and I suck in my bottom l*p as my mind and body war with each other. My mind knows that this can’t go anywhere, the Beta is looking for a mate and it can’t be an Omega, we both know that. I don’t want to be his bed warmer until he replaces what he’s looking for, but my body is not in agreement. It wants his weight on top of me, to feel him strip me of my clothes and discover every inch of my skin with his mouth.

I see his nostrils flare and I’m acutely aware that he can smell my arousal but I can’t even replace it in myself to be embarrassed, and as his mouth replaces mine again I fall into him eagerly.

His other hand leaves my h*p, sliding up under my shirt and cupping my breast, his finger and thumb catching my n****e and pinching it with just enough force to make my eyes roll back in my head.

A growl of approval claws its way up the man’s chest which only makes me grind against him harder, desperate to feel him.

I snake one of my hands back down his chest, moving it between us, wanting to touch him. Our bodies are too close together though so I m**n in frustration against his lips and shift to create more room.

A loud elongated beep has us springing apart, me pushing up on my knees and swivelling my head from side to side before I realise that the sound came from the truck, we are sitting in. My face heats as I look behind me at the steering wheel that has a tiny horn emblem in it that I had inadvertently sat on.

Hands back on my h**s, Isaac wordlessly helps me back into the passenger seat where I quickly rearrange my top so it doesn’t look like I was just gropes, keeping my eyes down as embarrassment floods through me.

I cannot bring myself to even look out of the window, worry and shame coursing through me about anyone who might have seen what I just did.

Isaac pulls on his seatbelt, eyes firmly fixated on the view out of the windscreen as he waits for me to follow suit.

Once I’m strapped in, the Beta guns the engine and pulls out of his parking space, heading back toward the pack territory as I sit silently beside him, unsure what to do.

The ride back is suffocating, the tension between us palpable and I can’t figure out if Isaac is angry, upset, if he regrets what just happened or is frustrated that I broke the mood.

He’s curt to the guards as we slow at the check point, giving one word answers until the warrior steps back and lets us through.

We drive down the long winding road, the trees giving way to the open expanse of the manicured lawns that surround the pack house.

Pulling up to a long row of garages, the Beta turns the vehicle and backs into the farthest one and cuts the engine. Climbing out, the man surprises me by walking around the front of the vehicle to the passenger side, and opening the door for me.

As I slide to the ground, he pulls open the back door and grabs my bag of books, along with his own purchase, ignoring me when I hold out my hand to take my bag from him.

Well alrighty then! Seems like he’s not giving me my stuff. Deciding that I’m just too exhausted to even fight with the enigmatic man beside me, I instead turn toward the pack house and walk over to the front door, the Beta a couple of steps behind me.

Giving a small smile to the two guards that are on either side of the door, I murmur a hello before hurrying inside and toward the stairs, heading toward my room.

Once we reach my door, I turn reluctantly to face the warrior, keeping my eyes down as I nibble my l*p nervously.

‘Thank you for the lift’ I mutter, ‘and for carrying my bag, it wasn’t necessary.’

A noise that sounds a lot like a strangled growl leaves the Beta’s lips before he leans closer, invading my space, causing me to press my back into the solid wood behind me.

‘Come to my mother’s party’ he murmurs softly as I blink up at him stupidly.

‘What?’ I stammer in confusion.

That slow sexy smile that I both love and hate, tilt up the corners of his lips, ‘my mother’ he repeats, ‘her birthday is today, we are having a family dinner, come with me.’

I start to shake my head immediately, ‘no! that’s a family thing, I could never impose like that’ I reply quickly.

The Beta shakes his head slowly, so close now that I can feel his breath against my face, ‘you helped me buy her the perfect gift, don’t you want to see her face when she opens it?’ he whispers.

‘But it’s her birthday’ I mumble distractedly, man why does he have to smell so good? ‘she doesn’t want strangers in her house on her birthday.’

Isaac chuckles, the sound rich and warm like a bath washing over me, ‘my mother loves to entertain’ he growls quietly, ‘and she loves to show off so she will be thrilled to have you attend. Plus she always makes way to much food and then expects me and my siblings to take it all back with us, d you know how many hours I had to put into the gym to work off all those iced cupcakes? How much sweat it took to convert that sugar into muscle?’

My gaze moves down to his chest of its own accord, my mind removing that tight t-shirt so I can see all those muscles that he’s talking about.

‘You’d be saving me’ he whispers seductively, ‘and my siblings . . come with me.’

The last three words have an edge of order and I replace myself nodding even though he can’t actually make me do anything.

Stepping back, Isaac gives me a smug grin, holding out my bag as I take it with shaky fingers.

‘I’ll pick you up in an hour’ he says softly, ‘wear something comfortable, mum isn’t one for fancy cocktail dresses and three piece suits’ before turning around and walking back down the corridor, leaving me on my own trying to control my breathing and libido that both seem to have sped up to alarming rates.