The Wolf's Cub (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 3) Read online

  “We’ve got a busy day in the morning,” she said, standing up from the bed. “You’d better get to bed soon.”

  “Don’t remind me,” I whined, burying my head in my hands. I was not a morning person.

  “You’ll be able to sleep while we travel,” she said.

  I stood up next to her, stretching out my arms. “I think I’ll take a bath first,” I said. “Just to relax a little bit.”

  Bridget crossed to the bathroom and ran the tub, adding some lavender oil. She helped me out of my dress, and I slid into the warm water. My head rested against the back of the tub as the water relaxed my body.

  “I’m going to turn in for the night, my lady,” Bridget said. “Do you need anything else?”

  “If you could bring up some tea, that would be much appreciated,” I told her.

  “I can do that. Sleep well.”

  Sleep was exactly what I was concerned about. I typically was up late and slept late. My mind was simply more active after the sun went down. I hoped that the bath and a cup of tea would help me drift off.

  I pulled myself out of the tub and wrapped my body in the soft dressing gown that hung beside me. I padded into my bedroom and began to rummage for a nightgown to wear. There was a soft knock on the door. Bridget with the tea.

  “Come in,” I called.

  It wasn’t Bridget, it was Jasper, though he was holding my cup of tea.

  “I ran into Bridget in the hallway,” he said. “I told her I’d bring this to you.”

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the cup from him, our fingers brushing. I set the cup and saucer on my bedside table.

  “Ready for our trip?” he asked.

  “Not remotely,” I answered honestly.

  He leaned down and kissed me, a kiss that was soft and warm.

  “You’ll do wonderfully,” he said.

  “Not if I don’t get any sleep,” I sighed. “I have no idea how I’m going to fall asleep.”

  He kissed me again, his lips melding to mine before he began kissing down my neck. “I have an idea,” he murmured.

  His husky voice sent heat pulsing between my legs.

  “Do you?” I asked breathlessly.

  Jasper turned me around so my back was pressed against his chest. His hand slipped under my dressing gown, brushing against my breasts. It was such a faint sensation, since I was still nursing Daniel, but it sent shivers up my spine. His other hand weaved its way between my legs, gently brushing against the skin. He teased me, getting just close enough to make me moan, but not close enough to bring me absolute pleasure.

  “Jasper,” I rasped.

  He turned me again, meeting my lips in a long, heated, urgent kiss. He pushed me back against the foot of the bed and I fell backward onto the mattress. Before I could move, he was kneeling between my legs, my knees in his hands and pressing against the bed. He kissed the inside of my thighs softly, slowly, so slowly, moving up my legs to my center of pleasure.

  Jasper flicked his tongue and I cried out in pleasure. He licked me from my slit up to my clit, a long, languished lick that built up the tension in my stomach. Finally, he hit that small button of pleasure.

  He was having fun teasing me. I looked down and our eyes locked, and he gave me an amused, wolfish grin. He flicked his tongue against my bead again, and I moaned. Slowly, he began moving his tongue in circles. He worked his way down until his tongue was inside me, hitting my pleasure spot from the inside. His strong tongue thrust against that spot inside, and my back arched. After I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, he pulled it out.

  I pouted and let out a whine of dissatisfaction. He looked up at me and with a grin, slowly slipped one finger, then two, inside of me. The firmness of his fingers sent greater sensations down my spine, but he wasn’t done yet. As he thrust his fingers in and out of me, curling them slightly to hit that place of pleasure, he leaned down and took my clit in his mouth. He sucked gently, and I swear, I moaned so loud the whole house must have heard. He flicked his tongue rapidly over my clit, alternating between light and heavy pressure. My whole body had been given over to the absolute pleasure of his ministrations. As my ecstasy built, he moved faster, harder, his tongue swirling and pressing and dipping. Finally, after what seemed like so long and yet not nearly long enough, the waves of bliss crashed over me.

  “Oh my God, oh God, oh Jasper,” I cried out before my whole body went limp. Stars flashed in front of my vision. Everything was tingly.

  “Oh my God,” I muttered again as soon as I caught my breath. Jasper sat on the bed and smiled at me, my juices dripping down his chin.

  “Give me a moment and I’ll return the favor,” I said.

  “Absolutely not,” he said. “You’ve got a busy day tomorrow, and you need to get your sleep.”

  I could have slept forever. Jasper had taken all my energy and left me none to argue with.

  He stood up and disappeared to the bathroom for a moment to clean his face before returning to the bedroom. He pulled out a nightgown for me and laid it beside my nearly naked form.

  “Get some sleep, darling,” he said, kissing me gently on the forehead. “We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

  The next morning, as the spring sun began to peak over the horizon, our entourage gathered in the entry hall. The men worked to arrange the luggage in the carriages before we all piled inside. The cook had put out a breakfast of tea and crumpets so we could fill up before we began the five–hour ride to Ervine.

  Annabelle, Hazel, and I sat in the parlor with the babies, waiting for the men to finish. I stifled a yawn as I snuggled my sleeping little man to my chest. Lucky him. Perhaps I’d make Jasper hold Lowell in the carriage so I could get some sleep.

  “All right!” Jasper strutted into the house, his men behind him. “We’re going to head off. Daisy, Bridget, Connor, and the Wentz family, you’re in carriage four. Peter, Bernadette, Merrill, Anne, and Lester, you’re in carriage three. Hooper, Watson, Brighton, Adam, and Hazel, you’re in carriage two. Stephen, Annabelle, Christine, us and the babies are in the first carriage. Are you all ready?”

  We all nodded. I handed Lowell off to Jasper as I pulled on my cloak, and then swaddled up the baby before we headed out the door. We piled into the carriage, Jasper and me on one side with our son, Annabelle and Stephen on the other side with theirs. Once Jasper was sure that everyone was loaded into the carriages and ready to go, he murmured to the driver.

  We were off.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Christine, wake up. We’re here.”

  I stretched in my seat and glanced out the window as the train began to slow. “We’re where?” I asked.

  “London,” Jasper answered.

  I sat up in my seat and watched as we pulled into the station. “How long was I asleep for?”

  “Not even an hour.”

  I glanced over to where he sat with Lowell on his lap. “Well, look who else is awake?” I said, poking the baby in the stomach. He giggled.

  Annabelle and Stephen were sitting on the seat across the compartment from us. Daniel was standing on the seat, looking out the window as the train passed by all the people waiting in the station.

  The train came to a stop, and we waited a few minutes before we were allowed to disembark. We all met up in the terminal and Jasper handed the baby off to me as the men went to fetch our luggage. I watched them weave their way through the crowd, returning with our trunks. I thought for sure we’d have to try to find a carriage on the busy street, but instead Jasper led us through to our hotel, conveniently connected to the station. The massive building was several stories tall and designed to be a gothic throwback, with tall spires and arched windows.

  The interior was equally jaw–dropping. Delicate gold chandeliers hung from the lofted ceilings, casting a warm glow over the expansive lobby. The walls were papered in a deep red with a gold damask print, and a wide staircase was carpeted in a coordinating navy and gold. Jasper approached the massive mahogany desk and c
hecked us in, returning with our room keys.

  “All right,” he said as he distributed the keys. “Anne and Merrill, Bernadette and Peter, Daisy and Bridget, Ingrid and Christoph, Hazel, Adam and Conor, Lester and Brighton, Hooper and Watson, Annabelle and Stephen, and this last one is for us.” Jasper smiled at me.

  We climbed the staircase. Over the first landing the ceiling was vaulted. It had been painted blue to match the carpet, with little gold stars to replicate the night sky. From the landing the staircase split in two, but Jasper had managed to get us rooms near each other, so we all followed him up one side. We passed under a series of archways until we turned down our final hallway and made it to our rooms.

  Our bedroom didn’t disappoint. A tall four–poster bed sat opposite a stone fireplace. Across the room was a series of arched windows overlooking the city. The gold and taupe wallpaper reflected the soft light of a chandelier hanging over the low table between the fireplace and bed. The ceiling was painted like a work of art, decorated with beautiful, intricate designs in a renaissance style.

  “This is lovely,” I said, sitting down on the bed, shifting Lowell in my arms. His eyes stared wide at the twinkling chandelier.

  “I’ve only stayed here a few times,” Jasper said. “I thought it would be convenient since it’s so close to the station.”

  “It is, but it’s also beautiful.”

  He leaned down and kissed me. “No arguments there.”

  Lowell was beginning to fuss, scrunching up his face and letting out a wail I knew so well.

  “Time to eat, I suppose,” Jasper said as he sunk down in a high–backed chair.

  “He hasn’t eaten since before we boarded the train, so I’m sure.” I propped myself up along the headboard of the bed and pulled the baby to my chest. Once he latched on, I allowed my eyes to close.

  Jasper checked his watch. “It’s nearly tea time,” he remarked.

  I yawned. “Do you think they’d send something up?” I asked, looking down at Lowell.

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Indeed, about ten minutes later there was a knock on our door, and Jasper opened it to bring in the tray of tea and scones he had ordered. He set it on the bed next to me, and I balanced Lowell in one arm while snacking with the other.

  “Thank you,” I finally murmured to Jasper.

  He looked up from the paper he was reading. “For what?”

  Lowell had drifted off to sleep, and so I set him down carefully on the mattress, readjusted my top, and got up from the bed. I crossed to where Jasper was sitting, in the chair by the window, and sat down on his lap.

  “For everything,” I said, draping my arms around his neck.

  “Was the tea that good?”

  I laughed. “No, for this.” I swept my arms out, gesturing to the windows and the city life visible through them. “For stopping in London before we went to Sweden.”

  “Well, I did promise I would take you.”

  “That’s true. Perhaps you don’t deserve so much credit.”

  He put on an exaggerated frown.

  “I’m kidding, of course,” I said, leaning down and giving him a kiss.

  He pulled me close, deepening our kiss. I never wanted him to let me go. I wanted to stay here, in this room in our posh London hotel. I didn’t want to go on to Sweden, didn’t want to face Seth. Things were perfect just the way they were, right then.

  There was a small cry from the bed, and I was reminded of why we were going in the first place. I pulled myself off of Jasper and went over to the bed where Lowell was awake, staring up at the chandelier again. I picked him up.

  “That wasn’t a very long nap,” I said with a frown as I carried him over to the chair beside Jasper. Jasper handed me a cloth, and I draped it over my shoulder and hoisted Lowell up and began patting his back. When I had cleared his tummy of gas bubbles, Jasper held out his arms and I passed the baby over.

  “Good morning,” Jasper said to him. “Not in the mood to nap, is that it?”

  Lowell giggled, trying to grab at Jasper’s glasses. Jasper took them off and set them on the small table between us. Despite my fatigue, I couldn’t help but smile at my little family.

  We met up with our party for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning. Jasper had given everyone free rein to do whatever they wanted for the few days we were in the city. I didn’t know what the others had on the docket, but Jasper was planning on taking me sightseeing. Annabelle, Stephen, Hazel, and Adam were going to come with us. Ingrid offered to stay back at the hotel with Alice and Daniel, since she wasn’t really a fan of the hustle and bustle of big cities. She offered to watch Lowell as well, but he would need to eat, so we decided it would be better to take him with us.

  “Where do you want to go first?” Jasper asked as the waiters took away our breakfast plates.

  “Oh, Big Ben would be fun,” I said.

  “And perhaps the Palace of Westminster,” Annabelle added.

  Adam spoke up. “I’d like to see the Tower of London.”

  “I would love to go to the National Gallery,” Hazel said.

  Jasper grinned. “Sounds like we’ve got a busy day then.”

  We returned to our room briefly. Rain was coming down in sheets outside the window, and I wanted to make sure we were properly bundled before we stepped outside. I packed a small bag with spare clothes and diapers for Lowell, as well as a few rattles to keep him entertained if he got bored. I added a hat to my head to shield me from the rain, and off we went, dodging between umbrellas and the carriage.

  Our first stop was the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben. I was excited to see the clock tower in person; I had seen plenty of pictures. As I gazed up at the limestone tower, though, I felt a bit disappointed. Now that we were here, looking at it, what were we supposed to do?

  “I sent a message ahead,” Jasper said with a smile. I was about to ask when a man came up to the carriage. Jasper climbed out, spoke to the man for several seconds, then motioned for us to follow.

  “Where are we going?” I asked as we stepped to the ground, trying to shield Lowell from the rain.

  “Inside.”

  “Inside? Inside the tower?”

  “Exactly, my dear.”

  Excited, we followed Jasper and his friend inside. There was no lift, so we had to climb the stairs. As it turned out, there were a lot of them.

  “Three hundred and twenty–four, to be exact,” the man said. He had a thick blond mustache and equally thick hair under his bowler hat.

  We huffed and puffed our way up to the top. The climb was worth it. We could see all the inner workings of the clock, and had a beautiful view of the River Thames below us.

  After we had all gotten a chance to look around, we went back down the stairs. Jasper’s man—Lockley, he called him—stuck with us as we went to visit the rest of Westminster.

  “I’m sure many of you heard of the fire that occurred here in 1934,” he said. “The original palace was built here in the eleventh century. When they rebuilt it, architect Charles Barry chose a Gothic Revival style…”

  He droned on as he showed us around. When we were finished, we traveled just a bit south to visit Westminster Cathedral. When I pulled up, I understood why they had rebuilt the palace in the Gothic Revival style. The cathedral was a stunning gothic building as well.

  “Most recently, Edward’s sister, Anne was married here,” Jasper told me. “That was, oh, seven or eight years ago now? We’ll be back, I’m sure, whenever Edward takes the throne.”

  “Long live the queen,” Lockley muttered.

  After we finished at the cathedral, we went to the National Gallery per Hazel’s request. While I had to admit the art was beautiful, I became bored quickly. After walking for a bit, Lowell started to get fussy, so I spent the rest of our visit in the carriage feeding him.

  After the gallery we stopped for a brief lunch in a small cafe before visiting the Tower of London. That was a bit of a ways away, but we s
till had plenty of time before we were due to meet the others back at the hotel for dinner. Our guide entertained us with stories of prisoners. Like the original Westminster Palace, the tower had been constructed in the eleventh century. Walking the walls, you could almost feel the ghosts of history watching.

  I wondered if Seth was being held in a prison like this. Hopefully, it was worse. I tried to swallow my nerves as I hurried after the rest of the group.

  Tired from our long day, we all were ready to go back to the hotel. There were still more sights we were anxious to see, and Jasper promised we would pick back up tomorrow. We met up with the rest of our entourage in the restaurant of the hotel, and were joined by Lockley. He gave us some of the history’s city. As it turned out, he was a member of parliament. Somehow, even after nearly a year of marriage, I was still surprised by how many friends Jasper had in high places.

  “It sounds like you had a busy day, ma’am,” Ingrid said as we relaxed in the lounge after dinner.

  “It was mad,” I sighed.

  “Would you like me to watch after the little one for a bit so that you and His Grace can relax?”

  I glanced over at Jasper, who was speaking animatedly with his friends. I smiled.

  “You know, Ingrid, I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

  After I fed Lowell, I walked him down the hallway to the Wentzes’ room. When I returned without the baby, Jasper tilted his head at me, giving me a confused look.

  “Ingrid offered to watch him for a bit,” I said.

  “Is that necessary?”

  I crossed the room and grasped the lapel of his jacket. “I thought so.”

  A smile played on his lips. “Oh?”

  “I thought I’d pay you back for helping me sleep the other night.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  I pulled his lips to mine. My hands moved from his lapel up to his face, drawing him even closer to me. My tongue slipped through my lips and mingled with his, that taste of whiskey still lingering. I moved one hand lower until I found the bulge in his pants.