Read Online Wolf Nip: Granite Lake Wolves, Book 6 by Vivian Arend - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Vivian Arend
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Will you be taking us out soon, sir?”
He guided the older wolf into the living room and settled him in a well-worn leather rocker.
“We leave with the tide. Heard the weather’s going to change—we’ll want to get past the narrows on full swells.”
Mark nodded curtly. “Yes, sir.”
Gramps fell silent, staring into the fire. Mark sat back on the couch and reached out a hand to Tessa. She curled up at his side. The sexual tension between them lingered, and she’d already had an orgasm. She couldn’t imagine what Mark felt like.
His lips pressed to her temple. “Stop worrying. Everything is okay.”
He spoke softly, so she matched his volume. “Were you expecting him tonight?”
Mark laughed, stroking his fingers through her hair. “I think you know the answer to that one by what he interrupted.”
Gramps fumbled with his pipe, humming his tune now as he worked to get the tobacco lit. Then he sat back and smiled, rocking as he gazed into the flames, an aromatic cloud surrounding him.
His appearance wasn’t scary or anything, just unexpected. Tessa’s curiosity shot to high.
Mark touched her cheek, bringing her attention to him. “He gets…confused. This was his ship, and there are times he kind of goes back in time. I don’t know when he’s going to show up, which is part of the reason I’ve never sold the place.”
“But you can’t sell it.”
Mark took a deep breath and nodded, his turn to stare at the fire. “I could sell the place as land alone, but what would happen then? Gramps is happy at the seniors lodge except for those occasional moments he loses track of what year it is. He comes, spends a few nights, then he seems to wake up and heads home. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if he showed up during a session to discover the paddle wheeler was gone. He’d be devastated. Think they’d left without him or something.”
Gramps continued to rock while Mark’s confession rocked her. “You’ve been staying for his sake.”
“He’s my family.” Mark smiled indulgently at his grandfather. “He’s the reason I missed being on the cruise ship with you in the spring—I had a position with the maintenance crew, you know. The person who’d promised to house sit for me while I was away never showed up that morning. You sailed before I could make other arrangements.”
Another mystery solved. “Keri and Jared didn’t mind how that turned out.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a while—well, relaxed as Mark could be. Tessa leant her head on his shoulder and whispered, “We could go to bed…”
His nostrils flared for a moment. “Tempting, but I’d better make sure he settles for the night.”
He stood and brought her to her feet as well, kissing her before tucking her hair behind her ear. “You go to bed. I’ll see you later.”
Tessa crawled under the covers feeling even more confused than when Mark had first announced they were mates. She attempted to stay awake until he came in so they could finish what they started, or at least have time to talk.
Only the soft pillow lulled her, and the next thing she knew the sunshine was announcing the start of another day.
Chapter Seven
Monday
Gramps made them breakfast before breaking out a mop and “swabbing the decks”.
Mark excused himself shortly after that. “I’m going to run into town and stop by the permit office to see what kind of timeline we’re looking at. You can come with me if you’re interested.”
For some reason the idea of heading out didn’t excite her the way it usually did. “You go on. I’m itching to explore the place a little more. Work on a few brochure ideas.”
He stared at her for a moment before cupping the back of her neck and pulling her against him for a brief, intense kiss. They separated, her lips tingling, his pupils gone dark. He stroked her cheek. “If you think of anything you need, make a list.”
The door closed behind him, and something very uncomfortable trailed
He guided the older wolf into the living room and settled him in a well-worn leather rocker.
“We leave with the tide. Heard the weather’s going to change—we’ll want to get past the narrows on full swells.”
Mark nodded curtly. “Yes, sir.”
Gramps fell silent, staring into the fire. Mark sat back on the couch and reached out a hand to Tessa. She curled up at his side. The sexual tension between them lingered, and she’d already had an orgasm. She couldn’t imagine what Mark felt like.
His lips pressed to her temple. “Stop worrying. Everything is okay.”
He spoke softly, so she matched his volume. “Were you expecting him tonight?”
Mark laughed, stroking his fingers through her hair. “I think you know the answer to that one by what he interrupted.”
Gramps fumbled with his pipe, humming his tune now as he worked to get the tobacco lit. Then he sat back and smiled, rocking as he gazed into the flames, an aromatic cloud surrounding him.
His appearance wasn’t scary or anything, just unexpected. Tessa’s curiosity shot to high.
Mark touched her cheek, bringing her attention to him. “He gets…confused. This was his ship, and there are times he kind of goes back in time. I don’t know when he’s going to show up, which is part of the reason I’ve never sold the place.”
“But you can’t sell it.”
Mark took a deep breath and nodded, his turn to stare at the fire. “I could sell the place as land alone, but what would happen then? Gramps is happy at the seniors lodge except for those occasional moments he loses track of what year it is. He comes, spends a few nights, then he seems to wake up and heads home. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if he showed up during a session to discover the paddle wheeler was gone. He’d be devastated. Think they’d left without him or something.”
Gramps continued to rock while Mark’s confession rocked her. “You’ve been staying for his sake.”
“He’s my family.” Mark smiled indulgently at his grandfather. “He’s the reason I missed being on the cruise ship with you in the spring—I had a position with the maintenance crew, you know. The person who’d promised to house sit for me while I was away never showed up that morning. You sailed before I could make other arrangements.”
Another mystery solved. “Keri and Jared didn’t mind how that turned out.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a while—well, relaxed as Mark could be. Tessa leant her head on his shoulder and whispered, “We could go to bed…”
His nostrils flared for a moment. “Tempting, but I’d better make sure he settles for the night.”
He stood and brought her to her feet as well, kissing her before tucking her hair behind her ear. “You go to bed. I’ll see you later.”
Tessa crawled under the covers feeling even more confused than when Mark had first announced they were mates. She attempted to stay awake until he came in so they could finish what they started, or at least have time to talk.
Only the soft pillow lulled her, and the next thing she knew the sunshine was announcing the start of another day.
Chapter Seven
Monday
Gramps made them breakfast before breaking out a mop and “swabbing the decks”.
Mark excused himself shortly after that. “I’m going to run into town and stop by the permit office to see what kind of timeline we’re looking at. You can come with me if you’re interested.”
For some reason the idea of heading out didn’t excite her the way it usually did. “You go on. I’m itching to explore the place a little more. Work on a few brochure ideas.”
He stared at her for a moment before cupping the back of her neck and pulling her against him for a brief, intense kiss. They separated, her lips tingling, his pupils gone dark. He stroked her cheek. “If you think of anything you need, make a list.”
The door closed behind him, and something very uncomfortable trailed
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