His Mating Mark by Alicia White

home.
    “When?” he asked. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to wait or not. He was happy with the way things were going, and he didn’t want everything to be ruined. Waiting too long, though, might make Nicole even more upset. Especially if she thought that they were trying to manipulate her.
    “Dinner tonight. Contact the rest of the pack and tell them we’re having a barbeque, and make sure that everyone brings something. Tell them that we want to introduce them to our mate. Then tonight, after everyone leaves, we tell Nicole everything.” Gabe closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest and nodded his agreement.
    “All right, it’s settled. I’ll pull some meat out of the big freezer in the garage. We’re going to have a full house tonight.” Josh left his office, and Gabe sat in the chair for a long time, enjoying the silence. Staring out the large picture window, he enjoyed the view of the beautiful forest. He wanted to run, but he didn’t want to leave the house. He wanted to stay close to Nicole. He wheeled himself over to the desk and sent out a mass email to the pack, knowing that everyone would be arriving for dinner.
     

Chapter 8
    Nicole stretched and blinked her eyes rapidly. She sat up and looked around the room. She made a face and wondered how she had ended up back in bed. She threw herself back against the mattress, remembering the amazing morning she had. She shivered thinking about the bath with Gabe, breakfast with them both, and then the decadent sex on the table. She was becoming a sex fiend. Every time they were near her, she wanted them to take her, needed them, and craved them.
    Climbing out of bed she looked around the room for the first time. The whole room looked like a giant window that looked out over the forest. The view was breathtaking, and she was surprised that she hadn’t noticed it sooner. The bed was gigantic, covered in deep-blue sheets, and the comforter was a simple blue and brown stripe. The room was masculine, all the furniture a deep cherry color that looked rustic. Nicole walked into the bathroom and smiled when she saw the bathtub, reminding her of Gabe and the foot rub he had given her.
    They seemed to know her body so well, knew exactly what to do to drive her wild. How did they know what she wanted? How could they read her so perfectly? She shook her head as she walked to the sink. She splashed water on her face and then looked up, staring at herself in the mirror. It took her a minute to recognize her own face. Her skin was clear, perfectly creamy, and she looked flushed. She didn’t have any black circles around her eyes. Instead, they were shining bright. She looked like a totally different person, a better version of herself.
    Nicole smiled and bit her lip. She wondered where both Gabe and Josh were right at that moment. She wanted to kiss them. She walked out of the bathroom and grabbed a clean T-shirt from the drawer that Gabe had gotten the clothes from earlier. She slipped the shirt over her head and decided she really didn’t need pants, especially since the shirt almost reached her knees. She felt like she was wearing a dress.
    She giggled and walked out of the room, needing to find them. She felt a weird pull to them, as if she couldn’t be without them for long. It was so strange, especially since she had only been with them one night. How could she already feel so addicted to them?
    Nicole stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She could hear people talking but didn’t recognize the voices. She felt a little self-conscious and wondered if she should go back upstairs and wait but decided that she really did need to be close to them. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt as if she might have a panic attack soon. She was so confused with all these new thoughts and desires. When did this happen? When did she become so dependent on them? Why did she need them like air to breathe? She leaned against the wall, trying to get herself under control.