Novak Raven (Harper's Mountains #4)(28)

This had been the most exhilarating Change Avery ever had. It was the middle of the night, and she should’ve been exhausted, but she’d stretched her wings and pushed her endurance for an hour, or maybe more. She’d had the big meal Lexi had made and felt so energized that she had kept up with Weston, whose wingspan was wider.

Flashes of lightning illuminated the Smoky Mountains, but nothing below looked familiar anymore. She would’ve panicked except that Weston was here with her, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt he could find 1010 again.

Beak open and panting, she landed on the thick lower branch of a White Pine for a rest. Weston landed beside her and sidestepped closer and closer until his wing touched hers. Turning his head, he preened his rain-glossed feathers, then shockingly, gave her feathers the same attention. He cleaned her, rubbed both sides of his beak against hers like he was sharpening a knife, and then went back to taking care of her wet feathers.

Huh. The Novak Raven was affectionate in his animal form.

Tentatively, at first, Avery cleaned him as he was doing for her. And eventually, when she got used to his bigger feathers, she closed her eyes and went off feel, memorizing his body by touch. This right here was magic.

Suddenly, Weston dove off the branch and stretched out his wings, talons angled for the ground. He shifted to his human form in an instant. Is that what she looked like? Probably not. She wasn’t that graceful, but she tried.

Avery mis-timed her shift and stumbled, but Weston was there, strong arms around her before she hit the mossy earth.

She giggled and straightened up to her full height, no hunching. “You’re so tall, and your shoulders are so wide. And your nipple piercings are staring me right in the face. I want to kiss them. Everything is awesome.” Her excitement and relief over that Change had apparently made her lose control of her words.

Her cheeks flushed under the soft rain, but Weston only laughed. Not at her either. It was that echoing laughter that said he was as elated as she was right now. He slid his arms around her shoulders and hugged her against his bare chest. Avery inhaled deeply to commit his scent to memory. He smelled differently right after a Change—another thing she selfishly hoped she was the only one to ever notice about him.

“Why did you Change back?” she asked. “We aren’t to the cabin yet.”

“Because I wanted to hug you,” he murmured against her ear.

Avery closed her eyes with how good that felt and squeezed his waist harder. Weston’s thick erection was pressing hard onto her belly. Her breasts tingled, and her nipples drew up against him. Heart fluttering in her chest, she braved a look up at him. Should she tell him?

Weston leaned down and kissed her, pushed his tongue past her lips, and stroked into her mouth slowly, rhythmically. She should definitely tell him. But what if he freaked out? She didn’t want him to back off her and make excuses to slow down. Not when she wanted this, right here, right now, with him.

She’d waited so long for this moment.

Weston’s fingertips trailed from her waist up her arm to her neck, where he cupped the back and dragged her closer. He plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth and, holy heaven, her lady parts were revving up like an engine. A needy sound came from her, and she would’ve been embarrassed except Weston reacted immediately by pressing his hips forward. And then he was kissing down her neck and down, down until he reached her breast. The second his lips encircled her nipple, she was gone. She moaned and gripped his hair, rolled her head back and closed her eyes against the rain. His mouth was so warm on her sensitive skin, his tongue so perfect as he lapped and sucked.

What if he figured out she hadn’t done this before because she was bad at it?

Stop it. Don’t think too hard. Just enjoy this moment. Weston will take care of you.

When Weston sucked hard, drawing her nipple up against his tongue, she gasped at how good it felt. He eased to the other and gave it the same attention as he massaged the first in his oversize hand. She’d been too curvy for the boys in The Hollow, too unappealing. They liked normal ravens who were pin-thin and fine-boned, but she had boobs and a butt and right now, Weston was laying waste to her insecurities.

“You like the way I look?”

Weston chuckled against her skin and bit her rib cage playfully. “Woman, you’re perfect.” He cupped her breasts and mushed them together, and she laughed at the look of pure adulterated bliss on his face. Wes and tits went together like chocolate and strawberries.

“I’m gonna f*ck these,” he growled out.

Wait, what? Was that physically possible? She stared down at her cleavage. She was going to have to do some research on that, but maybe for her first time… “Can we keep it simple right now?”

Weston stood, and his lips collided with hers. One of his arms slid around her back, and one down her belly, lower, lower. Her stomach quivered when he touched her sex. Weston wasn’t shy about it either. He cupped her and dragged his finger along her entrance. He smiled against her lips. “So f*cking wet.”

Okay, that part she knew about from the romance books she’d been reading. Wet was good. Way to go, body!

Weston’s grip on her waist tightened as he eased her backward. Her shoulder blades hit the rough bark of a tree, and at that exact moment, Weston pushed his finger inside of her. “If you don’t want this to go further, tell me now,” he murmured in that sexy, rich voice that vibrated against her skin. His short beard rasped against her neck as he sucked her skin hard there. Avery writhed against his hand as he pushed his finger deeper into her and hit something sensitive. Oh, that was f*cking great!