Dirk's Love

Chapter Seven

Ryann, for the life of her, didn’t want to move. Actually, she doubted she had the energy to accomplish that feat. Holy shit, sex had never been this intense for her, ever. She felt as if she’d been thoroughly loved. And that was how it had seemed to her. That it hadn’t just been sex. When Dirk had finally joined their bodies, she’d been more than desperate for him. Then something had happened between them, something she’d never felt before. Even now, she was having a hard time trying to describe it to herself. Whatever it was, it had sent a feeling of being somehow connected to Dirk shooting through her. And how she felt about him solidified even more, became stronger.

She hoped to god that it wasn’t a side effect from her sleeping with the first man since her divorce. In no way did she want Dirk to think it was more than sex if that wasn’t what he intended. She didn’t want him to think she was clingy. That had been Mack’s biggest compliant about her, that she clung to him and was too needy. Ryann didn’t think she was either of those things, but it would be kind of a blow to her ego if Dirk thought so.

Dirk shifted to bring his legs out from under him, so they were stretched out in front of him. Ryann moaned softly. The man was still hard, buried deep inside her. He’d come five times, and he’d somehow managed to keep his erection. She had no idea how it was possible. Her little experiment had more than proved that the girl from Ryann’s previous job hadn’t lied one bit. Dirk had just done what had seemed so farfetched.

He nudged her with his shoulder. “You’re so quiet. Either you’re half asleep, or you’re thinking too much about something. I hope you’re not regretting what we just did.”

Ryann sat up and cupped Dirk’s face. She kissed him deeply before she pulled away. “It’s probably a little bit of both—tiredness and just lost in thought, though not with regret. I’m not much of a night owl anymore. Not with Tyler sometimes waking me up at the crack of dawn.”

He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I can see how he could put a damper on any late nights. At least, here you can sleep in. What are you thinking about?”

She hesitated, wondering if it would be such a good idea to say anything at all. She didn’t want whatever this was to start off with her holding back. Mack had been the problem in their relationship, not her. He’d chosen to leave her, to see if his life would be better without her in it.

“Well,” she started, “I was just thinking about us. How good we are together. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize what we have going here with being too clingy. That’s what Mack said I was like while we were married.” Ryann took a deep breath. “Now don’t think this is stemming from the fact you’re the first man I’ve had sex with since my ex, but I’m finding I have strong feelings for you already. I know it’s sudden and all.”

Ryann would’ve said more, but Dirk cut her off with a kiss that had her pussy clutching around his hard cock. Unbelievably, arousal rose inside her once again. Going from thinking she wouldn’t be able to move again, she now wanted Dirk to make love to her once more.

He released her lips and stared into her eyes. “You have nothing to worry about. I mean it. I’ll never find you too clingy, if anything, you’ll think I may be at times. As for how I feel about you, well, you’re the woman I’ve waited for to show up in my life. For a very long time. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

She blinked in astonishment. “You mean like forever? And here I thought I was rushing things. Remember—I don’t come alone. I have Tyler.”

He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Yes, I mean as in forever. And I know you come with Tyler. I have to say I really like the little guy. So I end up with an instant family. I won’t find that a hardship. It might seem as if I’m rushing into this, but I’m not. This was meant to be. You’re mine now, and I keep what’s mine.”

A thrill shot through Ryann at Dirk’s words. The way he looked at her while he said them, all possessive, it made her want him even more. They could make this work. She wanted it to. She’d been alone for way the hell too long. And Dirk was just the man she wanted in her life.

“Then I guess I’m yours,” she said slowly.

Heat flared in Dirk’s eyes just before he claimed her mouth in a kiss so carnal she craved him once more, wanted him to take her over and over again. To let him know what she wanted, Ryann rose on her knees before she slowly sank on his cock. A deep, growly moan pushed out of Dirk’s chest, like so many he’d made before, while in the throes of passion. The sound turned her on.

Dirk broke contact with her lips and lifted one of her breasts with his hand before he sucked on the taut nipple. A corresponding pull of pleasure contracted her pussy at the same time. She put her hands on his shoulders and slowly rode him up and down, his cock growing even harder inside her.

Releasing her nipple, Dirk put his hands on Ryann’s hips and lifted her off him. She made a small sound of protest, but soon realized he wasn’t done with her yet. He guided her onto her hands and knees on the center of the mattress before he came to kneel behind her. With a heavily muscled thigh, he spread her legs farther apart.

The tip of his cock brushed against her pussy. Ryann moaned and rocked back, wanting him deep inside her again. He didn’t make her wait. With a thrust of his hips, he sheathed himself balls-deep. She tightened her inner walls around his thick length, heightening the pleasure she felt.

Dirk set a slow and steady pace as he reared back until he was almost free of her body, before pushing all the way into her again. Ryann rocked back, matching him stroke for stroke. She loved the feel of his hard cock stretching her, filling her all the way up. In and out he pumped, pushing her ever closer to her climax. Ryann panted. Dirk had just spoiled her for other men. No other would measure up to his standards.

Another animalistic growl rumbled out of Dirk. He reached around her body and found her clit as he continued to pump in and out of her. Rubbing the small bundle of nerves as he pounded her from behind, she let herself go. Moaning, she came, her pussy rhythmically clasping the hard cock embedded in her. Dirk thrust once, twice, then stiffened as he found his release, filling her with his cum.

He kept his arm around her and brought them both to their sides on the bed. This time, his shaft softened and slipped free of her body. Exhausted and completely satiated, Ryann closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Dirk managed to get Ryann and him out of Roxie’s place without Roxie cornering him. Of course, she would’ve known—same as everyone else who’d been in the house—that he’d claimed his mate. With werewolf hearing being so acute, it was inevitable. Not that Dirk regretted any of what he’d done last night. Roxie could be pissed off at him for breaking her rules, but she might as well have asked him to jump over the moon. The mating urge was what it was, and it was something no male werewolf had much control over.

Now back at Ryann’s apartment, Dirk had the day to slowly work out how he was going to tell her about being his mate, and get up the nerve to do it. She’d accepted him last night when he’d said he wanted to keep her forever, and he didn’t want that to change once he revealed what he truly was. The one thing he knew was he had to do it before Tyler came home the next day.

Now with the mating bond firmly in place and growing stronger each time they made love, neither he nor Ryann would be able to stand to be apart. That meant he’d have to move his new family into the Protector’s mansion as soon as he could manage it. And as for his protection duties, they’d have to be worked out as well. Having a son meant Dirk no longer could do any of the evening shifts. Ryann would have to come with him so they didn’t suffer the separation anxiety that all mated couples had to avoid. And wherever Ryann would go, so would Tyler.

It was late in the afternoon and Dirk and Ryann were sitting in the living room, watching TV. They’d already made love a couple of times since returning, once in the shower and the other time on her bed. Not really paying too much attention to the show on the screen, they talked about anything and everything.

During one such conversation, Ryann’s telephone rang. She picked it up and looked down at the Caller ID. She scowled. “It’s Mack. I’d better take it.” Ryann pressed the talk button. “Hello, Mack. What’s up? Is everything okay with Tyler?”

With his hearing, Dirk could easily hear Mack’s response.

“Tyler’s fine,” Mack said. “Since your new boyfriend mentioned he was taking you out for dinner tonight, I thought I’d call and find out what time and where you’ll be going.”

“Why?” Ryann asked. “If you need to get a hold of me, I’ll have my cell phone.”

“Can you just tell me? That way, if your cell dies or something, I’ll still know where you are.”

Ryann sighed. “Fine, if it’ll get you off my back. Hold on, I’ll ask.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and looked at Dirk. “Mack wants to know where you’re taking me out to dinner tonight and what time we’ll be there.”

“I was thinking around six. I’m going to take you to this small out of the way place called King Crab, that is, if you like seafood.”

“I love it.” Ryann pulled her hand away and relayed that info to Mack. After finding out how Tyler was doing, and getting the assurance that her ex would drop off their son around lunchtime the next day, she hung up.

The rest of the day sped by and Dirk still hadn’t told Ryann about him being a werewolf. Since it was already close to six, and they were getting ready to go to the restaurant, he figured he’d wait until after they returned to the apartment to come clean.

Arriving at the restaurant, Dirk pulled into the parking lot at the back of the building and chose a spot farthest away from any other cars.

“I hope you don’t mind the walk,” he said to Ryann. “I don’t like parking near anyone. I’d rather a hike than have someone ding my car with their door.”

She chuckled. “I don’t mind. If I had one like yours, I’d be doing the same thing.”

Another car drove into the lot and parked four spots over as Dirk and Ryann got out of the BMW. He didn’t think anything of it and waited for Ryann to meet up with him on his side. Once she did, he took her hand and got them walking toward the restaurant.

They’d only taken a few steps when Ryann stiffened and came to a complete standstill. Dirk stopped and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

She nodded in the direction where the other car was parked. “It’s Mack, and he’s not alone.”

Dirk swung his gaze over to where Ryann indicated and saw she was right. It was her ex, along with two large men. All three of them walked toward Dirk and Ryann, looking none too friendly.

“Mack, what the hell are you doing here?” Ryann asked as they drew near. “And where’s Tyler?”

Not sparing her a glance, Mack said, “Tyler’s fine. I came to warn your prick of a boyfriend off.”

“What? You have no right. We’re divorced. I can see whomever I want.”

“Not this guy, you won’t,” Mack said in a hard voice. “I’ve had to listen to Tyler go on and on about this asshole for the last two days. I don’t want any man trying to take my place in my son’s life.”

“Well, you should’ve thought of that before you left me.”

“Shut up, Ryann,” Mack snapped.

Not liking how her ex spoke to her, Dirk growled low in his throat, not holding anything back. He felt all eyes on him. “I suggest you watch how you speak to Ryann. She’s mine now. Not yours. Keep it up and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Mack laughed with no humor in it. “Really? I doubt it. You see, I brought my two friends along to make you rethink going anywhere near Ryann and Tyler.”

With that, the two large men dove for Dirk. He had just enough time to push Ryann out of the way before they were on him. Not giving a shit if they saw what he truly was, Dirk growled and ducked as one man took a swing at his head. He snarled his upper lip and snapped his teeth and turned his gaze on them, knowing full well his eyes had to be mutedly glowing with the anger that surged through him. They were taken aback a bit, but not for long. Though they were strong for mortals, they were no match against a werewolf. Dirk clipped one on the jaw and the man went down like a ton of bricks.

Just as the other one moved in to take another swing at him, Dirk heard Ryann yell, “Tyler’s in the car! You brought him along while you did something like this?”

Dirk took a quick look over at the vehicle the men had come out of and saw Tyler’s little face pressed against the side window in the backseat. He then focused his attention back on his attacker, and with a one-two combination to the gut, along with a hook to the jaw, the second man was out for the count.

That left only Mack. Dirk turned to find him going after Ryann as she headed for the car. Her ex grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her to a stop. Ryann let out a cry of pain as Mack gave her a good shake.

Something snapped inside Dirk at the sight of another man touching his mate in such a way. He growled loud enough to capture Mack and Ryann’s attention. Then drawing on the spark of magic inside him, Dirk shifted to his wolf form. He thrilled at the way Mack’s eyes widened, how the man’s scent became laden with fear. Dirk knew what Mack saw. As a wolf, Dirk was much bigger than the ones found in the wild.

He padded over to Mack and growled at him, his hackles rising as he came to stand between the other man and Ryann. Babbling nonsense, Mack backed off. Dirk turned to look at Ryann. She was as white as a ghost, her wide-eyed gaze riveted on him. He’d have to deal with her fear after this was all over. Right now, he needed to get Tyler out of the other car.

Knowing he was more of a threat in his wolf form, Dirk remained in it as he loped over to the vehicle. He looked up at Tyler and let his tongue hang out, giving the boy a wolf-like grin. He hoped Tyler would come out without Dirk having to shift to convince him to. He counted on the fact that kids seemed to accept out of the ordinary things better than the adults usually did.

He didn’t have long to wait before Tyler opened the back door and slid out. Showing no fear whatsoever, he threw his arms around Dirk’s furry neck and hugged him. “You’re a wolf, Dirk,” he shouted. “That’s cool.”

As Dirk turned to head over to Ryann, he felt a small hand grip the fur at his neck as Tyler pulled himself up on his back. The boy kicked his small heels into Dirk’s sides as if he were a horse. Laughing inside, Dirk walked back to his mate.

Ryann was still staring at him wide-eyed. Mack, on the other hand, was busy rousing his friends. Once he managed to get them on their feet, all three men hightailed it to the car, and in a matter of minutes, were burning rubber out of the parking lot.

Dirk sat on his haunches, causing Tyler to slide down his back. Once the boy got off, Dirk shifted to his human form. He closed the distance between him and Ryann. She still hadn’t made a sound. She seemed almost frozen in place.

“Say something,” he said as he cupped her face in his hands.

“A wolf? You’re-you’re a wolf,” she stammered.

“A werewolf, to be exact.

“I-I don’t know if I…” Ryann’s words trailed off.

“I know it’s a lot for you to take in. Will you at least let me take you back to the apartment and explain everything?”

“You won’t hurt me?”

Dirk leaned in and kissed her. “You’re my mate, Ryann. I could no more hurt you than pull my heart out.”

Before she answered, Tyler said, “Let’s go, Mommy. I want to ride Dirk the wolf again.”

Dirk laughed. “I have a feeling I’m going to have a sore back, for many days to come, in the near future.”

With a big sigh, seeming to push back what fear she had to be feeling, Ryann nodded. “Okay, you can come to the apartment. I guess if Tyler isn’t afraid of you, I shouldn’t be either.”

“That’s all I can ask,” he said, scooping up Tyler before he placed his son and mate in his car.

“Damn, my back’s getting sore just from watching him,” Leif said.

Jaden nudged him. “Just wait until our baby’s old enough to ask for wolfy rides. You’ll be doing exactly what Dirk is.”

Ryann chuckled at Jaden’s words before she turned her attention to her mate and son. Tyler had two good fistfuls of Dirk’s fur and was laughing as his stepfather trotted around the large backyard of the Protector’s mansion. Something he had to do at least once a day, at Tyler’s request.

It’d been a week since the incident in the restaurant parking lot, and now Tyler and she were living here with the others in Dirk’s family. It’d been a lot for her to accept once he’d told her everything about him being a nine-hundred-and-fifty-year-old werewolf. But in the end, her strong feelings for him had helped her accept Dirk for what he was.

She heard Tyler laugh as Dirk got down on the ground on his belly and shook him off. Her mate then shifted to his human form and tickled their son until Tyler shrieked with laughter. God, she loved Dirk. And he loved her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been missing in her life until he’d come around. She sent up thanks every day that she’d answered his ad for the position at his online dating service.

Leaving Leif and Jaden, Ryann headed for the two males who were the loves of her life. Tonight would be the real start of her new life with Dirk. They were going to Roxie’s where she’d use the spell to turn Ryann into a werewolf. And when Tyler was old enough to make the decision for himself, Roxie would turn him as well.

Once she reached her family, Dirk pulled her down into his arms and gave her a kiss while he tickled her as well. With Tyler joining in, the two of them ganging up on her, Ryann knew her life was perfect. Falling in love with a werewolf was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

The End