Graciela keened, the sound almost a howl, her pussy a tight, wet vise gripping him hard. When he leaned over and licked the mark he’d left on her neck, she shuddered, more ripples from her wet heat sending shockwaves through his system.

At the end they were both panting, gasping, covered in sweat and utterly spent. He collapsed next to her and cuddled her close, not caring that they were still on the cold, unforgiving floor. When she practically draped herself on top of him, he purred with pleasure. The feel of her skin sliding against his, slick and smelling of the two of them, damn near made him hard again. “So.”

She stroked her fingers through his chest hairs, her leg sliding up until her knee rested just below his balls. “So?”

“I think I could get used to this dog shit.”

She giggled, and it was one of the most beautiful sounds she’d ever heard. “Dog shit?” She wrinkled her nose. “Ew.”

“Yeah.” He tried to hide his grin, fully aware that she was still somehow in his head, reading his emotions. “We need to do this in the woods.”

She lifted her head from his chest, her smile lighting her whole face. “The woods?”

He tried to keep his expression innocent, knowing he failed. “That’s where dog shit happens, right?”

“Ugh. Knock it off with that shit.” She rested her head against his chest again as he chuckled. “You’re not that cute, Mr. Hoode.”

“Yes, I am.” He puffed out his chest, losing it when she giggled again. God, when was the last time he’d felt so comfortable around a woman? Any of the ones he’d known before would have taken his head off for daring to make that kind of joke.

Graciela not only laughed, she played along.

Her laughter faded away as she resumed stroking his chest hair. “We have some decisions to make.”

He nodded. “Like whether or not the Flyers will beat the Rangers in the next game?”

“The Flyers are going to rip them a new asshole, but that’s beside the point.”

He shuddered. “That’s it. We’re through.” He stroked her back lazily, making no move to stand up. He tsked. “Mated to a Flyers fan. Now I know the Mayans were right when they said the world was going to end. They just got the date wrong.”

She tilted her chin until she was gazing up at him. “How do you feel about living here?”

He shrugged. He’d known, the moment he was told he was Pack, that odds were good if he survived, he’d be making the mountains his home again. Hell, his parents would probably be thrilled. They still owned a craft store about twenty minutes away. Part of him would miss New York, but he could visit anytime he wished. He’d keep his condo there and just bring Graciela with him. “I’d love to.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Liar. You hate the cold.”

His heart pounding, he pulled her up until he could kiss her nose. “Yeah, but I love you more.”

The sweet smile that graced her face was more than worth the snow.

“What have you done?” Graciela was giggling like a little girl. It was the cutest thing Steve had seen in a long time. Even better was the cleavage on the dark red, V-neck dress she wore. The dress hugged her curves and showcased her golden skin to perfection. The gold, strappy heels were the sexiest things he’d seen in years. He had every intention of taking her home after the reception and fucking her while she wore nothing but those pretty little heels.

He wanted to rip the eyes out of any male who glanced her way, even the mated ones. Maybe she’d be willing to dress Amish when they were in public?

“Me?” He held his hand to his chest, doing his best to look innocent.

Rick stood next to Graciela, shaking his head in disbelief. “I never would have believed it.” He sipped his champagne and turned to the petite blonde tucked under his arm. “My Luna?”

“My Alpha?” Belle arched a brow at her mate.

“Did you have anything to do with this?”

“Pfft. If I had, do you think I would tell you?”

Graciela giggled again.

Ted clapped Steven on the shoulder, hard enough to stagger him. “Holy shit, Hoode, how the hell did you convince him to do that?”

Steve stared at the dance floor, where Dave was currently dancing with his new husband, Ben. The man was shaking his booty left and right, the hot-pink tulle tutu swaying around his hips as Ben laughed his ass off. “I can be very persuasive when I want to be.”

“Meaning he got me to nag Dave until he agreed.” Charlie sauntered up, the blonde looking utterly regal in the black, feminine tux she’d insisted on wearing as Dave’s best woman. She eyed the couple on the dance floor, completely ignoring the Wolf who’d gone quiet and still next to her. “Not that I had to nag much. I basically showed him the tulle, he snagged it, end of story.”

Ted was staring at Charlie like a starving man would eye a cheese plate. “But why pink?”

She shrugged. “I like pink.” She pointed toward Ben as the others laughed. “Why is Ben wearing that T-shirt under his tux?”

This time Steve was the one who snickered. Ben’s T-shirt declared him to be Dave’s trophy wife, the dark brown shirt matching his eyes exactly. “He loves that thing.”

“He wears it to Pack meetings all the time.” Belle shrugged. “Something to do with holding on to hope, he said.”

“No, I know about that. I was in Disney World with them. Why is he wearing it today?”

“I think he wore it for Dave.” Ben would do anything for Dave, even wear something that was totally humiliating. Strangely enough, now that Steven had gone through the change, he scented both Ben and Dave on that shirt. He had to wonder what that meant.

Then he had to mentally scrub his brain as images flew fast, furious and…ew. Not how he wanted to picture his best friend, thank you very much, no matter how happy he was with his lover.

“I think my favorite is the wedding cake topper.”

Charlie held up her hand. “That one was my idea.”

Belle was grinning as she looked over at the cake table. “I love that you got one with one groom dragging the other to the altar. But what happened to the one they’d picked out?”

“It got turned into a chew toy by a really large cat. Poor thing didn’t last very long.” She winked at Belle. “They just don’t make things like they used to.”

The rest of the Pack slowly joined Ben and Dave on the dance floor of the Red Wolf Lodge’s banquet hall. The theme, winter wonderland, had been the one thing Ben had insisted upon. Steve had to admit, it was pretty nice. White Christmas lights dotted everything, twining around the columns and the ceiling. White, crystal-encrusted branches had been turned into tall centerpieces. The colors were ice blue and white, even down to the lighting. It was like stepping into Jack Frost’s ballroom, and the moment Dave had seen it, his face had lit up. Apparently none of the Pack had allowed him to see it before the wedding, so it had been a complete surprise, despite the fact that he was the event coordinator and was usually in and out of these rooms on a daily basis.

Graciela leaned around him to smile at Charlie. “Congratulations on your new job, by the way.”

“Thanks. Now if I can pry my boss’s head out of his husband’s ass, we might actually get some work done.” Charlie winked. She’d landed the job after her interview with Belle, and Rick had welcomed her into the lodge. While he hadn’t accepted her into the Pack, she’d agreed to live by his rules until such time as she either quit or mated in.

From the looks she and Ted kept exchanging, he had the feeling she’d be accepted into the Pack before too much longer. Hell, he doubted they’d wait much longer than the end of the reception.

Even better, neither Rick nor Belle had made the connection with the Leo until after they’d hired her. Dave had gleefully informed them of whom they’d brought into their home the day after they accepted her.