Hex (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 1) Read online

“You say the nicest things.” She turned her head and their lips met in a searing kiss that chased away the chill that had settled in his bones and in his heart as he spoke about losing her.

  “I want you in my arms forever,” he murmured against her lips.

  “And that is exactly where I intend to stay.” She opened her mouth and he slid his tongue inside, tasting her, teasing her. Martha dug her fingertips into the flesh of his arms and groaned against him. Tonight he would take her to bed and make love to her until he was so exhausted, he’d sleep and not dream.

  But the dream would still be there, he doubted it would ever go away. Even though Martha had promised to stay away from the creek, he knew that it wasn’t always possible to keep promises. That sometimes they got broken, even if you promised your mate.

  Chapter Sixteen – Martha

  “You look a little preoccupied,” Hilda told her daughter as they unpacked the overnight bag Martha had brought for her mom.

  “I’m okay.” Martha looked down at the hairbrush she was about to put into the closet.

  “Really?” Hilda asked. “I know that look.”

  “I spoke with Hex earlier.” Martha went to the guest bed and sat down on the edge.

  Hilda crossed the room and sat down next to her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Martha shook her head. “I don’t want to in case it worries you.”

  “And I’m not already worried?” Hilda asked. “I noticed the change in you as soon as you came back to the kitchen.”

  “Really?” Martha asked. “I thought I covered it well.”

  “To anyone else who isn’t your mom. Or possibly your mate. I suspect he knows what’s on your mind, though.” She patted her daughter’s knee. “So, tell me. It must be bad, and I doubt it’s something Hex did. He thinks too much of you to ever hurt you even in the smallest way.”

  “No, it’s nothing he’s done. Nothing at all.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “Do you believe in dreams and premonitions?”

  “It’s not something I would say I believed in exactly, but I believe that other people believe in them because of their own experiences.” Hilda’s jaw tightened. “I know that Sue had a dream about her husband’s death before it happened.”

  “She told you that?” Martha asked in surprise.

  “We were looking at the family photos in the living room. She picked up the photo of her and her mate. I asked how he died, and she told me. Then she said she’d dreamed it over and over again.” Hilda sucked in a deep breath. “She said the dream went away after he’d died.”

  “Do you think she was warning you that Hex’s dream might come true?” Martha asked.

  “So his dream is about you?” Hilda asked quietly.

  “He thinks it is. He thinks that history will repeat itself.” Martha shrugged. “I don’t know if I believe in it or not.”

  “All that really matters is that he believes in the dream as a premonition. Which means it will haunt him his whole life.” Hilda looked sideways at her daughter. “I don’t want to lose you, Martha.”

  “So you think I should act as if the dream is a warning?” Martha wasn’t sure how her mom would react. But she could understand her wanting to keep Martha safe. “I suppose if someone had a dream about you, I wouldn’t brush it off so easily.”

  “You think you can take care of yourself. And you can, I am not going to argue about that. But, imagine if it were you having the dream about me. Or about Hex. How would you feel if there was a chance you could save him by sharing the dream?” Her mom always spoke such words of wisdom.

  “I promised him I would stay away from the creek. That’s where it happens.” Martha looked to the window where the snow was still falling heavily.

  “The creek.” Hilda nodded. “Is he sure?”

  “He said as he goes under the...water...that he can see the mountains.” She sniffed loudly and stood up. Going to inspect her mom’s empty overnight bag, she said, “I think that you’re done.”

  “Then you should go and unpack your things and clear the air with that mate of yours. He must be terrified of losing you.” She reached out for her daughter’s hand. “I know I am.”

  “And I’m terrified of losing you.” Martha turned back to her mom. She’d been too preoccupied with Hex’s dream to think about her mom. “How are you feeling?”

  “Great. The best I’ve felt for a long, long time. I don’t know if it’s the infection healing or what, but I am feeling ten years younger.” She stood up and stretched her arms above her head to prove to Martha just how good she felt.

  “I believe you.” Martha hugged her mom. “I’m so relieved.”

  “Me, too. Now, go and see that hunk of a man. He looked like a scalded cat after you came back to the kitchen.” Hilda followed Martha to the bedroom door and watched as she walked down the hallway to Hex’s room.

  Martha hesitated at the door. She knew he was in there. She could sense him.

  Which means he can sense us, her cougar pointed out.

  “Can I come in?” Martha asked. She felt a little stupid standing outside his door with her overnight bag in her hand.

  “Sure.” Hex pulled the door open before she had a chance to knock. “Is Hilda settling in?”

  “Yes, I think she is. She loves the room. Although the view could be a little better, but that’s due to the snow.” She stepped inside his bedroom and he shut the door.

  “It sure is coming down.” Hex went to the window and looked out. “I can usually see the mountains from here. I love it in the fall when the peaks are shrouded in cloud and just the tops show above the cloud line.”

  “I’m looking forward to watching the seasons change. I lose that connection when I’m in the city.” She sighed, walked to the bed and set her bag down next to it.

  “Oh, I cleared some space for you.” Hex swung around and went to his dresser where he pulled open the middle drawer. “Is that enough room?”

  “Plenty. I didn’t bring much with me, although looking at that snow, maybe I should have brought more clothes.” Martha unzipped her bag and took out a neat pile of clothes which she placed in the empty drawer.

  “That’s okay, I’m sure I can find you something to wear.” Hex came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Or not to wear.” He nuzzled her neck and she shut the drawer and leaned back into him, her head resting on his shoulder.

  “That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.” She turned around in his arms and threaded her hands behind his neck.

  “I don’t think I ever loved snow quite so much as I do right now.” He lowered his head and kissed her lips. As she closed her eyes, she caught a glimpse of his big bed. Maybe she should see how comfortable it was.

  “I’m a little chilly. Maybe we should get under the blankets and you could warm me up with your body heat,” she said innocently.

  A small smile played over his lips. “Maybe we should.” He walked backward toward the bed and she followed. “I have fantasized about this moment.”

  “Have you?” She placed her hand on his chest and drew a small circle across the fabric of his shirt. “And what was your fantasy?”

  “You. Me. Naked.” His knees hit the side of the bed and he sat down hard. Martha moved to straddle him, and she cupped his face in her hands as she lowered her head. Their lips met and moved against each other, sending tremors of desire through her body. She ached for him with an urgent need, as if she’d been starved for weeks and he was the only food that could satisfy her hunger.

  Hex slipped his large, warm hand under her sweater and rubbed his thumb across her nipple. She gasped as he pushed her bra upwards, this time making direct contact with the taut bud.

  Her hips bucked and she threaded her hand down between their bodies and stroked his hardened length through his jeans. He murmured soft sweet words against her ear before he claimed her mouth once more, his tongue thrusting into her mouth just as she imagined him thrusting into her with his hard le
ngth.

  Unzipping his jeans, she pushed them open and freed him from the constraints of his shorts. Curling her hand around him, she stroked his smooth skin and he tensed, his muscles bunching as she pushed him further, needing him to want her with the same desire she wanted him. As if there was any doubt he wanted her. Hex pushed her sweater up over her head and cast it to one side before he pushed his thumbs inside her waistband and pushed her jeans down over her bottom.

  Martha slid off him and lay on her back, kicking her legs as she pushed her jeans down over her ankles. Levering herself into a sitting position, she yanked her shirt over her head, not even bothering to undo the buttons.

  “Allow me.” Hex slid his hands along her thighs, applying just enough pressure to send her temperature soaring along with her arousal. Her stomach clenched as he worked his way higher, his goal of unclasping her bra close. Shifting his weight, he rested on one elbow as she looked down on his handsome face. The lines around his eyes and mouth added to his character and told her of his life, of his experiences. A happy life, only the crease in his brow spoke of the worry for his mate that had lived with him ever since the dreams of her drowning began. Panic clutched at her heart, threatening to steal this moment with her mate away from her but she wouldn’t let it.

  Instead, she pushed all thoughts away as she focused on her mate and the clasp of her bra which seemed to be giving him difficulty. “Allow me.” She reached behind her back and flicked the clasp undone.

  “Beautiful.” Hex ran his hand over the swell of her breast, his eyes fixed on her soft pale skin before he leaned forward and captured her nipple in his mouth. She whimpered as his tongue rolled around and around the taut bud and she lost herself in the sensation. Her nerve endings tingled as blood flooded her body, leaving her face and neck flushed. The ache between her legs grew in intensity and she woke from her reverie, closing her fingers around his hard length as she lay back down on the bed. She slowly inched her legs apart and Hex moved, sliding his body between her thighs while she guided him inside her.

  A sigh escaped her lips as he entered her, thrusting deeper, stretching her inner walls as she tensed around him. Skin against skin, he thrust harder, filling her with his hardness, while he touched her with soft caresses.

  These were the moments she wanted to live for, not the threat of a watery grave, but the promise of pure pleasure. If only she could reach inside his head and pluck the dreams out and toss them to one side.

  Hex moved, his body slick against hers as he took her to new heights. Martha pressed her lips to his neck, nipping the tender skin. He tasted of the outdoors, of the snow that fell from the sky and of his mom’s cooking. He smelled like home. And wherever Hex was, that would be her home. Whether in the city or the mountains, as long as they were together, they would be home.

  “I love you,” she whispered in his ear and Hex stopped moving. Adjusting the angle of his body, he rested on his right elbow while he looked into her face, staring deep into her eyes as if he were looking into her very soul. “Did I spoil the moment?” She gave a small smile that faltered on her lips as he placed his left hand on her cheek and stroked his thumb across her inflamed skin.

  “You made the moment.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips so sweetly, so tenderly a tear rolled down her cheek. “I love you, too, Martha. More than I ever thought it was possible to love another person. You complete me. On a deep, deep level, the connection is profound as if a thread joins us, a thread that reaches back into our pasts and stretches toward our future.”

  Martha ran her hand through his hair, twirling it around her fingers as she looked at his lips. “Kiss me.”

  “Anything for you.” His mouth turned up at the corner as he pressed his lips against hers, his tongue sliding along her bottom lip teasing her, tempting her to open her mouth and allow him in.

  She did and as his tongue slipped inside her mouth, he began to move, the pressure building between them. In and out, the friction between their bodies was incredible, as if the heat would turn to flame. Martha stroked his back, her fingers probing his muscles, exciting her mate until he came. A storm of emotion ripped through her as her body tensed and she cried out, before she smothered her cry, aware that there were other people in the house, shifters who could hear through walls.

  Wrapping her arms tightly around Hex, she pressed her fingers to the firm flesh of his bottom and urged him to take her harder and deeper as her orgasm cascaded over her. He lunged forward, his fingers on her thigh holding her in place as he impaled her completely, his essence jerking into her as he buried his face in the bedspread to drown out his own cries.

  When they finally lay together in each other’s arms, he turned to her and said, “We really need a place of our own.”

  She leaned into him and chuckled. “I guess it is a bit weird for a man of your age to still be living at home with his mom.”

  “Hey, don’t knock it. She cooks for me, she cleans for me, I didn’t see much point in moving out until I had a mate to do all that for me instead.” He ducked away from her as she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

  “If you think that’s what a mate is for, you are in for a serious surprise.” Her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline.

  Hex laughed as he grabbed hold of her wrists and pinned her to the bed. “I know what my mate is really for.”

  “Oh, do you? Well, that might be another thing you are not going to get, buddy.” He might be stronger, but she was no pushover. But before she struggled against him, he let her go, his expression tender, his hands soft as they caressed her skin.

  “I would do anything for you, Martha. Cook, clean, work from dusk until dawn.” He kissed her softly and she curled his hair around her fingers.

  “All I want is for us to be happy. To raise a family and love each other until the end of time.” She gazed into his soft brown eyes, the color of molasses, and knew that Hex could give her what she wanted. And more.

  Chapter Seventeen – Hex

  “I suppose we should get up.” Martha made no attempt to leave his arms as they lay naked under the warm blankets on his bed.

  “I suppose we should.” Hex kissed her shoulder, his hand cupping her breast as she sighed in contentment. “But then we’re snowed in with nowhere to go...”

  Martha broke away from him and sat up, the blankets wrapped around her body as she looked out of the window. “Someone’s coming.” She frowned, tilting her head to one side as if trying to get a signal on a radio.

  “The guys from the sawmill?” Hex got up and went to the window. He couldn’t see anything past the falling snow that covered everything.

  “No, it’s a cougar.” Martha stood up and made a grab for her clothes, which were scattered across his bedroom floor.

  “A cougar.” Hex pushed his senses out to their limit. She was right.

  Did you think she might be wrong? his bear asked caustically.

  No, but the snow dulls everything, it’s like there’s a blanket over the house. Hex peered out of the window. There. A flicker of movement coming through the trees.

  “It’s Shawn,” Martha announced as she hopped around the room, pulling on her jeans while she hunted for her socks.

  “Shawn?” Hex asked. “I didn’t think you got a reply from him.”

  “I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t send one. Or maybe he thought he could make it to Cougar Ridge and then realized how dangerous it is out there.” Martha turned to face him. “Coming?”

  “Sure.” Hex dressed in record time, aided by his mate who picked up his clothes and threw them at him.

  “Ready?” Martha’s hand rested on the door handle as he nodded and grabbed his jacket from the closet.

  “Ready.” He threaded his arms through the jacket sleeves as they made their way down the hallway.

  “Mom.” Martha stopped at the door to the guest room but then she shook her head. “She’s not in there.”

  “I think she’s downstair
s talking to my mom.” Hex smiled sheepishly. “I wonder what stories they are trading.”

  Martha’s eyes went wide, and she headed for the stairs. “Mothers.”

  “Hey, what stories don’t you want your mom to tell?” Hex asked as his hand slid down the stair rail.

  “I don’t know.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “There’s so much stuff from my childhood I’ve forgotten but my mom always seems to dredge up an appropriate story.”

  Hex laughed. “I get you.”

  Martha turned away from him but instantly swung her head back around. “And what stories don’t you want your mom to tell?”

  “They are too numerous to count,” Hex admitted.

  Martha giggled as she ran down the rest of the stairs. “My only comfort is when our kids are grown up, we’ll be able to torture them in the same way.”

  “I look forward to that.” As Martha reached the bottom of the stairs, he caught hold of her and threaded his arm around her waist. He nuzzled her neck as he said, “I am also looking forward to making those children with you.”

  Martha lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. Leaning back on his shoulder, she tilted her head back and kissed his lips. “As many times as you want.”

  A commotion in the kitchen broke the moment. “Come on.”

  Martha led the way into the kitchen where Mac and Joey were standing with Shawn. “I thought I’d be able to make it through the snow,” the doctor was explaining. “But no such luck.”

  “Is it that bad out there?” Hilda asked, her expression filled with worry.

  “Yes, it’s blizzard-like conditions between here and the hospital. I can’t risk getting lost and the snow is so thick it’s difficult to see any landmarks.” Shawn sat down in the chair Hex pulled out for him. “Thanks.” He rubbed his hands and breathed on them to warm them up. “I thought I’d be able to make it using my shifter senses to guide me, but...” He shook his head.

  Mac went to the counter and filled up a large mug with steaming coffee which he placed down in front of Shawn. “The snow does strange things to our senses. It’s like being wrapped in a thick blanket, it smothers everything.”