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“Fuck… fuck,” she whispered, holding him by the neck and rolling her hips against his growing arousal.
“Please… don’t make me wait too long… I can’t…” Sage bit her lip as Cal’s strong hands gripped her plump ass. She moaned into his mouth, reaching down to squeeze him through his jeans. His girth no longer intimidated her—this was her man, and she knew in her soul that her curvy body had been made for him, just as he had been made for her.
“Soon, baby… soon…” Cal whispered, their kisses and touches burning with a passion that knew no bounds.
“Yes!!” They froze as Isabelle’s voice rang out from behind the door. “Of course, kids! We will absolutely be going back to hang out with Uncle Bear and Auntie Sage!”
Cal smiled as Sage laughed quietly.
Michael’s voice, completely oblivious: “Umm, Isabelle… why are you yelling?”
“I’m not yelling!” Isabelle yelled. “No, I’m just letting the kids know that we’re opening the door. Yup… this door. This big wooden door… yes sir, I’m so going to open… this door, Sage!!! In 5… 4… 3—”
Sage laughed. “It’s okay, sis! We’re decent.” She looked down at his rigid length and readjusted in his lap to hide the evidence. “Mostly…” she added softly, rolling her plump ass over him until he groaned.
“Behave, princess,” he whispered as the door opened and everyone came back in.
“I am, Daddy…” Sage said with a wink, making Cal blink and blush faintly, as if he still couldn’t quite believe it. “Wait till you see me when I’m naughty.”
Believe it. Soon I’m going to rock your world.
She smiled at him innocently… then stuck her tongue out.
Cal groaned.
Princess: 2. Daddy: 0.
31
CAL
Cal stood on the wide, well-worn porch, snow dusting the boards. The wood creaked faintly under his steel-toe boots as the last taillights disappeared down the long private lane, like shooting stars in an endless night.
His family.
The word still landed in him like something warm and fragile. Years ago he’d come back from the void—CIA, childhood scars, all of it—and the peace he’d carved out had felt paper-thin. One strong wind and it might have torn. But somehow, with close friends, Mary Sue’s steady hand, and the Good Lord’s mercy, he’d held it together. It was good. It was enough.
Until Sage.
Brutus nudged his massive head under Cal’s hand, a low, contented rumble vibrating through the bear's thick fur. Cal scratched behind his ears, the coarse hair still carrying the faint scent of woodsmoke and pine.
“It was a good day, old friend.”
Brutus huffed, his breath blooming into a thick white cloud that caught the moonlight. The night was alive with cold clarity. Stars sharp as shattered glass streaked across a black sky, the full moon pouring silver over the snow so everything shimmered like pale fire. In the distance a wolf howled—long, lonely, beautiful—and its pack answered in layered harmony that rolled across the frozen valley.
Cal lifted the mug of hot chocolate to his lips. The rich, sweet warmth slid down his throat, chasing the bite of the air that stung his cheeks and made his eyes water. He smiled despite the nervous flutter low in his belly.
Family.
Funny thing. Most people thought it had to be blood. But today the house behind him had been full of laughter that didn’t share a single drop of it. Annie’s kids tearing paper, Isabelle’s quiet smiles, Mary Sue’s rare, rusty laugh—none of them bound by anything but choice. And they’d all chosen each other.
“Uncle Bear,” he muttered, snorting. Brutus tilted his grizzled head, those calm deep pewter eyes reflecting the moonlight as if to say yeah, and?
Cal chuckled. “Hell of a few weeks, huh?”
Brutus answered with a loud, unapologetic fart.
Cal barked a laugh that fogged the air and shook his shoulders. The sound felt good…real. He turned toward the door with anticipation humming under his skin, edged with something sharper. Nerves. Come on, Cal… she’s not gonna jump you when you first walk in.
