by Jenika Snow
I saw his animal flash to the surface, wavering over his form. I gasped, too softly for anyone but him to hear.
“You smell like mine, and there’s no way I’m letting you go.”
Chapter Six
Oli
Lights from a passing car washed the motel room in muted yellow. Shadows and a glow moved across the ceiling until it disappeared.
I had left the diner hours ago, but now that I had found my fated mate, being away from her, even for a few hours, was physically painful. But I knew she wasn’t used to all of this. She was a human, living in a human world. Although I was as well, shifters lived by different rules, experienced different things. If I had mated with a shifter, things would have gone so much easier.
But I didn’t want easy.
I wanted India.
But with India I had to go slow, take my time. I had to make her see she was the only one for me. I was born to be hers, and she to be mine. And if it took my entire fucking life to prove that to her, to let her come to me when she was ready, then so be it.
I sat up in bed and ran a hand over my face. I was tired but couldn’t sleep. I wanted to go to India. Both my bear and human side demanded it of me, roared out that I needed to take her, claim her. I needed to mark her pretty, slender throat, letting all other males know that she was mine.
Through the slats of the blinds, I could see cars passing by on the highway. The motel I was in was temporary, just a side of the road establishment, somewhere for me to sleep. What I really wanted to do, where I really wanted to be, was with India, warm in her bed, her body pressed to mine as I buried my nose in her hair and inhaled deeply.
I closed my eyes and did just that, still smelling her even though she wasn’t here. Tomorrow I’d see her again, and the day after that, and the next, and the next. I wouldn’t walk away, wouldn’t give up. If that meant living in this shitty motel in California for the rest of my life, then so be it.
Because where India went I followed. Simple as that.
India
What the hell was I doing? I couldn’t even focus, couldn’t even dress the simple wound because my mind was on Oli. It had only been a couple of days since we’d met for the very first time, since I realized I was mated to a shifter. And although he told me he’d give me all the time I needed, that we were going at my pace, I still felt his presence as if he stood right beside me.
And I also couldn’t deny that I wanted to go to him badly, desperately even. It was as if I were missing something, a different feeling than before he’d come into my life. Whereas I felt that black hole filled, that loneliness leave me with Oli here, not being beside him after knowing he was mine had this weird sensation traveling through me.
It was like I was missing a limb, a part of my body.
I finished wrapping the dressing and smiled as the elderly man thanked me. I shouldn’t be at work today because I couldn’t concentrate. Not only could I not stop thinking about Oli, but my body was perpetually aroused, this heat moving through me so intensely I almost felt nauseous not being able to be with Oli.
“I’m going to take five minutes, okay, Dr. Perrera?”
Leslie, our volunteer physician, glanced up from doing an exam on someone, her smile genuine. “Of course. I’ve got it taken care of. Take all the time you need.”
I stepped out of the van and walked around to the back where my car was parked. It was a slow day today, not very many people needing medical assistance. Logan was in charge of taking the van up and down the coast, so today was relatively easy for me, given the fact I only had this one shift.
That was good either way because my mind just wasn’t focusing, and that wasn’t safe for anyone. I unlocked my car and sat in the driver’s seat, leaving the door open, smelling the ocean air, the breeze warm.
I rested my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. I had one leg out of the car, not sure why I was even sitting out here as it was a little too hot. But being cooped up in the van, not able to concentrate, was driving me crazy. I opened my eyes and looked straight ahead, seeing the ocean in the distance, the beach filled with people. If I were being honest, I didn’t care for the crowds in California. I was a solitary person by nature, maybe because I’d grown up by myself. I’d gotten used to that way of living.
But I didn’t want to be away from Oli.
I didn’t even know him, hell, I don’t even know his last name. But I felt like I did know him. It was like a contradiction. I felt I could just look into his eyes and understand everything about him. It was so strange to feel this way, to know that I was mated to a shifter.
It also felt so right.
The tingling on the back of my neck intensified and I looked to my right, not seeing anyone who would make me feel like this. I glanced to my left and felt my heart start to race, my stomach dropping. There, across the parking lot and sitting in a truck, was Oli. He had his gaze trained right on me, and although maybe I should’ve been frightened, a little weirded out that he was here, maybe stalking me, all I felt was relief.
I found myself climbing out of my car, shutting the door, and walking toward him before I even knew exactly what I was doing. I watched as he straightened in the seat, his jaw working as he clenched his teeth together. I swore I could hear the low growl coming from him. And the closer I got to him, the more things seemed perfect and right. The more I seemed completed.
I found myself standing on the other side of his door, staring at his hands, thinking about what I wanted him to do to me with them. They were curled around the steering wheel despite the vehicle being off. I looked down at them, his strong, long fingers and golden skin, as if he’d worked outside in the sun and it had kissed him, and it turned me on more than I’d ever admit out loud.
But his knuckles were white from the force of his hold, from the way he gripped the leather, the creaking of it seeming overly loud.
I moved my gaze up his forearms, the dark ink continuing to move along his biceps, disappearing underneath the sleeves of his shirt.
My body wasn’t my own anymore. It was like my brain was on autopilot, letting this mating, this foreign experience, take over. I didn’t want to fight it. I wanted to know more about Oli. I wanted to bask in the feelings he conjured in me, the warmth and sensation of having someone in my life just for me.
“Oli.” I said his name softly and instantly heard this low, rugged growl leave him. I stared into his eyes and felt the world open up, swallowing me whole. And I wanted it to. I wanted to fall headfirst into everything that was Oli.
“Tell me,” he said harshly. “Whatever you want is yours.”
My breathing increased the longer I stared into his eyes. There was this pull between us, this invisible thread that had me taking a step forward, needing to be closer to him. It was physically painful not to be with him, and every second that passed the discomfort grew, swallowing me whole like the world was doing.
“Are you stalking me?” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. Oli looked taken aback for a second, but then this smirk grew across his face.
“If following my mate to make sure she’s protected is stalking”—he shrugged—“then yes, I am,” he said unapologetically.
I should have been shocked, horrified by his admission. But I felt the increase of desire. My panties were damp from how aroused I was, and I had no doubt my nipples were hard little points pressing against my shirt. There was no doubt he could see, smell ... feel my reaction to him.
I licked my lips and ran my hands up and down my pants, my palms sweaty, everything in me burning out of control like a raging forest fire. And the only person who could put it out was Oli.
“I don’t want to fight this,” I found myself saying, those words, that truth, shocking even me. I wanted to get to know Oli better, wanted to understand what all of this meant. “But I need to go slow. I need to get used to it all.” I took a step back when he opened the door.
He unfurled his big, muscular body from
the driver’s seat. Craning my neck back to look into his face, I felt my breath catch. He was just so tall, so powerful. With broad shoulders and all hard, cut and defined muscles.
He made me feel fragile, as if I would snap in two in his grasp. He lifted his hands and I didn’t move away, I couldn’t. And when he cupped my cheeks, moving his thumbs along my skin, right under my eyes, his hold most definitely possessive, proprietary, I felt everything else fade away.
Nothing else mattered except us, this moment, being mated to this bear shifter.
“India.” He said my name low, husky. His gaze was locked on my lips, and I found myself looking up. It was as if he was reaching out and touching my mouth, running his thumb along the bottom swell.
I found myself parting my lips, inhaling deeply. I’d never wanted—desired—anyone or anything like I did Oli.
“You hold all the power. You call the shots. And if you need years, I will be here. I’m not going anywhere, India. I’m never going to leave you.”
Chapter Seven
India
The next night
This all seemed so mundane, sitting beside Oli at the movie theater, as if we were a regular couple going on a regular date. But how were we supposed to know each other, understand how the other one worked, if we didn’t do these ordinary things?
I glanced over at him and couldn’t help but smirk. He was just so big that he looked uncomfortable sitting in that little seat. He kept moving around, bending his long legs, then extending them.
His thighs were like tree trunks, thick and powerful, unwavering. I shouldn’t have looked at his crotch, at the way his jeans bulged in that one spot, no doubt what he was packing was huge. My throat tightened as I envisioned exactly what he had hiding behind that denim.
He looked over at me and I quickly glanced away, feeling my cheeks heat at the fact that he could’ve caught me staring at him ... at that area of him. Thank goodness it was dark in the theater, the movie about to start.
I had a bucket of popcorn in my lap and I started shoveling kernels in my mouth, trying to deter from the fact that I was extremely worked up right now.
But who was I kidding? I’d been instantly worked up as soon as I’d seen Oli. And in fact, it had only grown.
Although I wasn’t looking at him any longer, I could feel his gaze on me, could see out of the peripheral of my vision that he still watched me. I was trying to act calm and collected, like I wasn’t extremely wet right now, my panties rubbing against the swollen folds of my pussy.
I picked up the cup of soda, the lemon lime flavor and bubbles doing nothing to help quench the thirst I had.
Only Oli could.
God, he kept looking at me, kept making me very aware that he was right there, sitting next to me, just a couple of inches away.
The lights dimmed even further and I did turn my head and glance at him then, our gazes clashing. My mouth parted slightly, my heart racing. All it would take was for me to lean in just an inch and our mouths would touch.
I’d finally know what it felt like to kiss him.
But I was too much of a wimp, reminding myself that going slow was the best option, right? Taking our time was the right thing to do, right?
But it didn’t matter how many times I said that, repeating it in my head like a mantra, I didn’t want to go slow. I didn’t want to take my time. I wanted Oli fast and furiously, wanted to know what it felt like to be mated to a shifter in all ways.
And the way he lowered his gaze to my mouth, and down further to my breasts, had my breath stalling in my lungs.
I found myself shifting so my body was facing his, the sound of the previews starting, but everything else being drowned out. We were both breathing so hard, his broad chest rising up and down faster, his eyes lowered to half-mast as if he were in a drugged-out state.
I had made him feel like that. I had put that expression on his face.
“This is insane, Oli.”
He shook his head slowly. “No, India. This is perfection. This is exactly how it’s supposed to be between us.”
And before I knew what was happening, before I could anticipate his next move, he had one hand cupping the side of my face, his long fingers curled around the nape of my neck, and his mouth on mine.
A soft sound escaped me, a sigh of completion, of relief. This was what I’d been waiting for my entire life. This very moment, with this very man.
Oli
I didn’t know how we found ourselves in my truck, still parked in the theater lot. We’d left before the movie had even started. I sure as fuck didn’t understand how I was keeping control right now.
I had my arms around India, my mouth on her neck. My canines were elongated, and I knew she could feel them, the sharp points pricking at her skin. I wanted to bite her, pierce her tender throat and give her the marrying mark, let my saliva go into her bloodstream, making her mine irrevocably.
The mark would always stay, a visible reminder to anyone who came close that she was mated and fucking with her meant they dealt with me.
But I held back. When I did finally mark her, it was going to be in a bed, not in the truck in some fucking theater parking lot.
The soft moans that came out of her told me not to stop. I ran my tongue along her skin, the sweet taste testing my control. My cock was so fucking hard, my balls drawn up so tight they were liable to explode.
I wanted inside of her really damn bad, wanted to feel how wet and hot she was, how tightly her pussy would clench around my dick.
I pulled back and immediately slammed my mouth on hers, slipping my tongue past the seam of her lips, delving into her. I licked and sucked, making her take all of me, sliding my hands down to grab her waist. She sucked on my tongue and I grunted in pleasure.
I curled my fingers into her flesh, my nails starting to turn into claws, my bear right at the surface. The bastard wanted out, wanted to be selfish and have India all to himself. But hell, my human side was like that as well, and in this moment, I was not about to give her up.
“I feel like I’m burning alive.” She said those words in a breathy moan against my mouth, and I grunted in response.
I was pretty damn proud of myself for controlling my basic urges, for not tearing off her clothes and fucking her right in the cab of the truck.
She pulled back, and I took a deep breath, telling myself to calm down, to go slow. This was her decision and her pace. She called the shots even if I wanted to be the alpha, even if I wanted to complete the mating and finally claim my mate.
“Are you burning alive too?” Her words came out on a whisper.
Although it was dark in the interior of the truck, no parking lot lights nearby, I could see her cheeks were pink, her lips swollen and glossy from my kiss. Her hair hung over one shoulder, the locks dark in the moonlight, slightly curled at the ends. My fingers twitched to grab them, to rub them between my fingers, to pull on them until her head tilted back and her throat was bared. Then I’d sink my canines into the soft, supple flesh of her throat.
“Fuck yeah I am, baby,” I managed to say, my voice husky, jagged. “And it’s taking a lot of fucking self-control as it is.”
I reached down and adjusted my cock, the stiff length pressing against my zipper, demanding to be free. I had no doubt pre-cum was steadily forming at the tip of my shaft. Hell, I could feel it start to dampen the denim of my jeans.
I swallowed, my throat feeling rough, my mouth dry. My tongue was swollen, my entire body tense. We said nothing, sitting there for long seconds just staring at each other, the arousal and chemistry between us moving back and forth, like a ping-pong match that neither one of us could win.
“I feel like I’m losing my mind,” she said and looked down at my lips. I groaned and before I could reach out and pull her against me, India had her chest pressed to mine, her arms wound around my neck.
Her lips were slanted against mine, and I put my hands back on her waist, curling my fingers against her body. I coul
dn’t stop myself as I pulled her onto my lap, her legs going on either side of my thighs. I used a little bit of force to press her down on my straining dick, and she mewled when my erection dug into her pussy.
We started really kissing then, me thrusting my tongue in and out of her mouth, my hands on her hips as I pressed her down on my dick. I lifted my hips at the same time, dry humping the hell out of her, grinding my cock against her pussy, knowing I could get off from this alone.
The way she panted against my mouth, the sweet little moans that came from her, were almost my undoing. I found myself breaking away from her mouth again, trailing my lips along her jaw line and settling at the soft spot right below her ear.
I could feel her pulse beating beneath my tongue, this rhythm that matched my heart. We were perfectly in tune with each other. She was made for me, and as soon as I finally had her, as soon as I finally made her mine, everything would be perfect.
Everything would fall right into place.
“You’re so fucking perfect,” I murmured against the side of her neck, dragging my tongue up the length, taking her scent, her very flavor inside of me. My canines ached, my mouth so dry.
I needed to mark her. Just a little sample, a little prick.
I opened my mouth and suctioned my lips around the arch of her throat, groaning at how good that felt. My canines would only need a little bit of pressure and they’d sink right in, pushing my saliva into her bloodstream, my scent.
She ground herself against me, her mindless need evident.
“Oli.” She moaned my name over and over again, her desire thick in the air, filling the interior of the truck. She smelled sweet, like cotton candy that had just been spun, the mouthwatering aroma a tingle in my nose. It made me harder than fucking steel.