Protector of the Pride (Lions of Pride Island Book 3)

by Terry Bolryder

  “Wait,” he said, putting a hand over his eyes. He looked around them desperately. No one better be seeing this.

  He heard her pulling clothing off quickly, and then he turned back to see she had shifted into her lioness.

  How long had it been since he had done that?

  It wasn’t that I wasn’t tempted, he thought as she paced languidly, stretching on the grass in a way that looked luscious.

  He just hadn’t made time. During the day, he’d often look out on the grounds and picture himself running across it in lion form, but then he’d look at everything he had to do during business hours and tell himself maybe tomorrow.

  But tomorrow never came.

  “Come on,” she said, able to talk in her lion form. Her lion was beautiful, light golden and sleek and strong. Her feline hips swayed as she walked in a circle and stared at him. Her eyes were gold now instead of their usual green.

  How interesting.

  “I showed you mine; now you show me yours.”

  He grinned and transformed, realizing belatedly as he heard tearing noises that he’d just shredded Cain’s clothing into ribbons with his transformation.

  But he’d just been so eager to see his mate.

  She laughed and took off toward the woods, asking him to chase with a swish of her tail. He gave the torn clothes one look, promising to pay Cain back, and took off after her.

  6

  Feeling the night air on his fur was electrifying as he ran after Lucy into the darkening night.

  The moon was rising and would be full tonight, which was oddly romantic.

  He wanted to be in the moonlight with her.

  He doubted either of them was thinking of this as a fake courtship anymore. As his lion chased hers in the dark, he was pretty sure whatever this was, it was real.

  She looked over her shoulder and laughed as she took another sharp turn through the woods.

  “You do this often?” he called after her.

  “Sometimes,” she says. “When I’m going crazy indoors.”

  “Why didn’t you ask me?” he asked.

  She snorted. “Obviously, because you would have said no. You’re uptight, and I wasn’t going to mess with that. Until now, I guess. Things are different.”

  “They are,” he said, catching up to her as they reached the edge of a pool of water surrounded by cattails swaying in the wind. She sat on her haunches, and he joined her, two big cats sitting together in the darkness.

  “It’s so beautiful out here,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect, coming to work for the royal family. But I didn’t expect to fall in love with the grounds more than the castle.”

  “My dad designed them,” he said. “Because my mom loved to run as her lion.” Pain swept through him at that, and he wished he hadn’t brought up the topic.

  “What were your parents like?” she asked. “I mean, I read news articles growing up. Obviously, I’ve seen pictures.”

  “They were very much in love,” he said. “To their own detriment.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked. “How is that a detriment when you are married?”

  “Things aren’t easy in our world,” he said. “Sometimes I think it would have been better if my mom didn’t love my dad quite so much.”

  “Don’t you hope for a love match, though?” she asked. “Isn’t that why we’re doing this?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were teaching me how to win over a girl, not how to fall in love with her.”

  “Well, I think you should do both.”

  He was sort of falling in love with her. Had been since he first met her. But that worked out, because in all likelihood, he wasn’t going to be allowed to be with her.

  “I just think it should stay more business when you’re running a country.”

  She gave him a sad look. “So you think you’ll just stay distant with whomever you mate? That’s really sad if you ask me.”

  “Not the saddest thing that can happen,” he said. “And besides, I’m getting my romance now.” He gave her a toothy grin and she gave him a small half smile in return and went back to looking at the pool.

  “You want to go for a swim?” she asked.

  He was grateful for the change in topic, but he didn’t know about the swimming. “Cats hate water.”

  “Not this kitty,” she said, leaping forward into the water. She was under long enough that he stood to pace uncomfortably. If she didn’t come up soon…

  When she surfaced, she looked like a mermaid, back in human form. Her bare shoulders glistened in the moonlight, the tops of her breasts rounded and gorgeous. Her hair was drenched and waving back from her face. Her eyes were almond, catlike. Green again.

  He paced once more.

  “Join me?” she asked.

  What to do? The night had taken a sexy turn that he hadn’t expected on the one hand. On the other hand, Lucy was naked in the pool and asking him to join her.

  Lucy. Naked. Asking.

  He jumped into the water, immersing himself in the cold. The shock of it made it easy to shift, and he felt his human hands stroke to the surface. As he broke it, shaking water off his hands, he locked eyes with her, just a few feet away. He swam straight to her, his body awake now, wanting her with everything he had.

  She easily fit in against him and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her warm stomach against his felt awesome, and she looked up at the moon and sighed. “Beautiful night, right?”

  “Right,” he murmured. But he wasn’t looking at the moon at all. Instead, he was looking at the woman in his arms, feeling his heart yearning for her in a way that shouldn’t have been possible.

  So beautiful in the moonlight. “Lucy…” he said, feeling lost in the moment.

  “Axel,” she replied, looking at him with clear, calm eyes.

  How could she be so calm when his heart was hammering? But then he listened closer to the sound of her breathing and could tell she was just as affected as he was.

  “I don’t… I…”

  She ran her hands over his slick shoulders and then the muscles of his arms. Did she like them? He’d always worked out, hoping when the time came, he’d be a good protector for his mate. And he’d known as the oldest son, he’d have challengers when the mate was named, so he needed to be able to fight.

  But now, being with Lucy, he was glad for his muscle for other reasons. To protect her. To hold her. His strong legs treaded water, and he supported her fully as she looked up at the moon, her breasts lifting slightly out of the water.

  It was a moment he could have held on to forever. But then she pushed out of his arms and swam closer to shore, motioning for him to join. When he reached her, able to touch the bottom, she launched into his arms again, her arms wrapping around him, her toes pushing off the lake bed, her lips taking his.

  He melted into the kiss. Screw trying to plan this. He’d give her whatever she wanted and deal with it later. Just for once, he didn’t want to worry. Just for once he wanted to just do what he wanted. What she wanted.

  Just for once, he wanted to relax and let the cares of the world slide off his back.

  And kissing her was the only thing that seemed to allow him to do that.

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply.

  Axel’s lips were searing against Lucy’s, his skin still cool from the water around them, his breath hot and fervent as he kissed her senseless.

  What had started as a simple frolic through the moonlit night was quickly becoming a sexy midnight rendezvous. But even though she hadn’t planned for this, she certainly had no complaints as Axel’s tongue enmeshed with her own.

  She felt weightless in his arms, supported by his strength as he stroked and thrust inside her mouth, a promise of more to come to hopefully fulfill her unfulfilled desires from the previous night.

  In the meantime, she would join him for whatever ride he took her on.

  And deal with the consequences as they came
.

  His tongue ran along the inside of her mouth, and a shiver went down her spine, further intensified by the cool water that seemed to make everything stronger.

  With surprising grace and speed, only barely disturbing the water around them, Axel moved from her mouth to the side of her neck. Each passionate kiss he placed made her skin tingle with pleasure, made her hold on his shoulders a little bit tighter.

  She was grateful the grounds were abandoned, the trees bordering the small lake standing as silent sentinels awash with white hues as they waved slightly in the gentle breeze. The feeling of solitude, of seclusion from the world around them, only made the experience that much sweeter.

  “I always wanted to come out on these grounds, but I never get around to it,” he said lightly as his lips grazed and then bit down on her earlobe, pulling a moan from her throat as he repeated the process on the other side of her neck.

  “Never found time on the schedule?” she asked, barely able to breathe as he continued kissing over her shoulders.

  “No,” he said. “But if this is any indication, maybe that was a mistake.”

  “Shall I put it on the agenda?” she asked, using words she had many times in the office but with a much different meaning to them. What would it be like to actually do this on a regular basis? She could almost picture it, a life like that.

  But then she knew she should stay grounded in reality. But that was hard to do with a handsome ruler holding you weightless in a beautiful private lake in the moonlight.

  “Never mind the agenda,” he said, and she could hear the grin in his voice. “I’d rather focus on other things right now. Like this.” She felt a little thrill as he picked her up higher in the water, lifting her breasts out of the lake and into his waiting mouth. Instantly, she felt sizzling pleasure shoot through her, making her unable to think about any sort of retort she might have otherwise had.

  The more she saw of this dominant side Axel had to him, the more she wanted to coax it out of him.

  Because whenever it did come out, it meant good things were happening. And it also felt like he was freer than ever before.

  He moved from one breast to the other, suckling and licking on the cooled, hardened tips with his hot mouth, the welcoming warmth enveloping her nipple and making her entire body light up with arousal. As he did, she could see the reflection of the moon coming off the water and lighting up his scorching, golden gaze with flecks of silver.

  Looking into his eyes did something to her. Something she couldn’t control. So all she could do was let her body simply ride the wave of pleasure that he was taking her on and see where they ended up.

  As his mouth worked its magic, his hands squeezed her hips, pulling their bodies together and sending shocks of pleasure running up her frame. Instinctually, she locked her legs around his midsection, feeling his taut abs and hard back against her skin.

  Her hands ran through his hair, still wet and dripping with tiny drops of water that caught the faintest hint of moon glow as they fell.

  She marveled at how thick and satisfying it was to hold on to, all the while trying to hold back the rising sensation in her body that responded to every touch and every kiss from this overwhelming man.

  Then she felt Axel’s hand come between them, his finger deftly stroking over her clit, and the sparks really began to fly.

  He started slow, so gentle it was teasing, inviting, making her almost want to beg for more. And as her body’s awareness of his touch heightened even further, he moved more intently, more focused. Every little touch, every centimeter of his finger was euphoric, sending twinges of what felt like lightning through her.

  And as Axel did this, he moved deeper into the water, lowering Lucy so she felt weightless, floating and adrift, yet anchored to the source of her pleasure by his powerful arm supporting her and holding her close.

  Maybe it was the way that all of his attention was focused on her, centered on her in a dominant, possessive way that made her feel like the only person in the world. Maybe it was the way his finger glided over her in the water like like a flame in the cold night, searing heat in the midst of the cool, aquatic sensation surrounding her. Maybe he was just so damn good at this that it surpassed her limits of self-control.

  Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to last long.

  To add on top of that, his mouth found her breasts, cool again from the water and more than happy to have his warm lips over them.

  Everywhere she felt alive, so aroused that her muscles were quivering from the pressure inside of her. Around them, the grounds were still silent, punctuated by the sound of the faintest whisper of a whistle as the wind passed through the reeds around them.

  Suddenly, her body came at his touch, releasing all of the tension that had been building since the moment she first saw him this evening. Her back arched as she tried to muffle her body’s desire to scream in pleasurable agony, making the back of her hair dip into the water, cooling her even as white-hot heat coursed through her every cell.

  And as she orgasmed, Axel was there, attentive and sexy, his commanding gaze watching her every movement with satisfaction, turning her on even as she went.

  Gradually, the powerful shocks ebbed and became tiny aftershocks that continued for several seconds, leaving her relaxed and thrumming with pleasure.

  When it was finally over, all she could feel was Axel next to her, along with a deep need within her. A need to have him inside, to feel what it was like to be one with him.

  Instinctually, she began to grind against him, his thick arousal next to her in the water teasing her and making her eager for more with each passing second.

  “We should probably head back,” Axel said, his voice husky and clearly trying to hold back and keep control of the situation.

  “You can’t get me all hot and bothered like that and then leave me hanging,” she said, trying to not sound desperate.

  “I don’t have protection on me,” he said, probably referring to the fact that their clothes were back at the castle, hers in a neat pile and his in disheveled tatters.

  “That’s not a problem since I’m not in heat right now,” she replied. The longer he waited, the more she wanted him. “You of all people should know cat shifters can’t get pregnant when it’s not the right time.”

  “Still, if we’re going to do this, I’m going to be careful,” he said, his golden gaze locking with hers, sending a shiver of anticipation through her, as she could feel her body getting warmer just at the thought of it.

  “Whatever you want, just so long as you’re in me,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.

  7

  Axel couldn’t help but think a part of him was a little crazy, being this reckless when his mate was still to be announced by the oracle. But somehow, being around Lucy made him throw his inhibitions out the window. And perhaps for the first time in a very, very long time, he felt free. Free to be happy. Free to try new things.

  Even midnight sex at the lake with the most tantalizing woman he had ever met in his life.

  For a moment, he just held Lucy in his arms, the energy between them building merely from the anticipation of it all. She was so beautiful, naked, here with him beneath the moonlight with nothing but water and trees and nature surrounding them under the limitless starlit sky.

  But as beautiful as everything was, nothing could compare to how hot it had been seeing Lucy come in his arms, seeing her eyes roll back in overwhelming pleasure that made him harder than steel with want for her.

  Slowly, making sure she had time to accommodate his massive size in regards to the sex department, Axel thrust into her, the slick sensation between them unfathomably pleasurable.

  And from the look on her face, she felt the same, too. As he came all the way in, her nails dug into his shoulders, evidence of the sheer pleasure she was experiencing. For a second, he stayed like that, letting her adjust, letting her enjoy every second as he was.

  Then she let out a long moan as
she relaxed onto his cock, then surprised him by pushing herself off and pulling back onto him again, the water rippling around them as the incredible sensation of moving inside her made the beast in him wild with want.

  Lucy gasped in pleasure, and Axel grasped her hips as he thrust into her this time, his entire length sliding with wet friction that was as irresistible as it was erotic.

  As he moved into an even rhythm, she moaned his name with each movement, the cool water coming between them for a split second before burning came between them again as he pushed into her.

  To his shock and satisfaction, Lucy tightened around him, her body coiling in tension just before releasing in orgasm.

  This time, she came loudly, abandoning any hopes of keeping quiet as she screamed with pleasure and her nails raked over his back.

  Thankfully, Axel knew these grounds like the back of his hand, even if he didn’t make time to come out here often. This lake was at the far corner of their substantial estate, and even on a busy day, nobody was out here during the day, let alone in the middle of the night.

  Sometimes having things like this had its benefits. It just took a woman as amazing as Lucy to see it.

  He stayed inside her, feeling her body’s response to the built-up pleasure between them and enjoying every second of her experience, witnessing every minute motion and tic of her muscles as she went. And as she relaxed, he could see the pleased, dazed look in her beautiful green eyes as the moon’s light lit them up and made them appear more catlike than ever.

  But seeing her come only made him more heated, more desirous to see her come again. As many times as it took until she was sated.

  Mate, came the niggling word back to his mind from the direction of his lion deep within. But he put it aside. There was no chance of it.

  True, this was something amazing, something magical. But even fairy tales had endings.

  Axel didn’t wait this time, though, instead moving into a heated rhythm that agitated the water around them as he lifted her off his cock, then thrust back in again and again. The faster he went, the more overwhelmed Lucy looked, the more lost in the sea of pleasure she seemed, letting him guide her through it all.