by Ravenna Tate
Emotionally, it was quite another matter coming face to face with the differences between all he’d ever known, and the reality of how most human women were raised. But a mate was a mate. Arizona had always believed that. He could no sooner ignore the way Gillian had called to his soul than he could ignore his own urges and desires. He wanted this. All of it. Even if parts of it were more difficult than others. She was worth it, and that was life.
“I will never tire of kissing you.” Her voice was all smoky and warm, and the sound made it easier to push aside his thoughts and concentrate on making love to her again. He’d tasted her nipples, but now he wanted to know what her pussy tasted like.
As he moved down her abdomen, she rolled away and stood. “Be right back. Nature calls.”
“Seriously? Right now?”
That sweet laughter filled his soul. “I’ve had to go for a while, but it felt so damn good to lie there and hold you, I didn’t want to move. I swear I’ll be quick.”
The unexpected interruption gave him more time to think, which in this case wasn’t a good thing. Being alone with his thoughts let doubt creep in, so instead he concentrated on watching her perfect ass move as she sprinted into the bathroom.
Finally having sex with this woman had been everything he’d imagined, and so much more. He could scarcely put the emotions into words. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. No one he wouldn’t rip to shreds to protect her. No words he would fail to utter if they were true, and what she needed to hear.
When she returned, she skipped to the bed and fell onto it, laughing as she rolled into his embrace. She was so much fun all the time. How could he help but want her, body, mind, heart, and soul?
“Now, where was I?” He slid his tongue down her abdomen as he had earlier. She was wet again. He could smell it. Canyon had told him and Stone that eating out a woman and making her come was the best head rush in the world. Arizona was about to find out if Canyon had exaggerated.
He spread her labia to gaze at her clit. Such a tiny thing, and yet it produced so much pleasure for her. Amazing. When he licked it, she moaned loudly, so he licked it harder and pushed a finger inside her pussy. Arizona’s urge to shift was strong as her moans increased and her pussy walls contracted around his digit. He removed his finger and pushed two inside. That led to her lifting her hips off the bed.
“Oh … oh, my God … that feels so fucking good!”
It was enough of a head rush when she swore like that. So raw and real. He loved it. Arizona swirled his tongue over the nub the way Canyon had told him to do, and he was rewarded with Gillian sighing in pleasure. She clutched his hair, kneading her fingers in it as he continued licking and sucking her clit, while fucking her with his fingers.
When her climax started, she cried out softly and he kept up the pressure, hoping he was doing it right. Canyon hadn’t been exaggerating. This was incredible. To know he could do this for her was mind-blowing.
It went on for so long he was afraid to stop until she tugged gently at his hair. “Fuck me again. Please. I want your cock inside me.”
Oh stars. How could he refuse that?
As he lifted his head, she rolled over and got on her hands and knees. Arizona groaned softly and nearly came at the sight. “Fuck me this way. From behind. Please?”
That perfect ass wiggled at him, and he grinned as he rose to his knees. “I will on one condition.”
“What is it?” She glanced over her shoulder, her gaze filled with lust and love.
It was all he could do to keep from simply shoving his dick into her and fucking her until he couldn’t move. Instead he caressed her ass cheeks, moving his fingers down her ass crack until she was moaning again. He lightly smacked each side of her ass to gauge her reaction.
“Oh yes. Yes, Arizona. If that’s what you’re asking.”
No doubt about it. He was going to die of happiness tonight. How could he not?
****
Gillian had never felt anything so exquisite in her life. Arizona didn’t spank her particularly hard, but the swats were forceful enough that they stung. She loved it. More than she had imagined she would. Several times she wiggled her ass for him, and each time she was rewarded with more sexy growls and additional swats.
“I’ve been a bad girl. I deserve this.”
“Gillian, this is so damn sexy. And yes, you have been a bad girl.” She cried out in surprise as the strikes grew much harder suddenly. “A very bad girl. Teasing me the way you have for weeks.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she shivered at the dominance of the gesture.
“Toying with me at dinner. Shoving this perfect ass in my face until I had no choice but to punish you for your behavior.”
“Oh God,” she whispered as he got serious with the swats. It really burned now, and she had no clue how his own hand wasn’t hurting. Every happy thought she’d ever had bubbled up until tears spilled over her lids. The line between pain and pleasure blurred before disappearing altogether. They were one now. One perfect spanking that sent shivers up and down her spine, and forced her clit to throb as another climax grew.
“You are so beautiful. I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk.”
The sheer strength in his voice was enough to bring on the start of her orgasm. When he released her waist, only to push her prone against the bed and spread her legs, she cried out as he slid his swollen cock into her pussy.
“Oh my God!” At this angle, with her hips against the mattress and her legs barely shoulder width apart, every thrust massaged that sweet spot deep within her. The climax was so intense she could barely breathe. It went on and on, and all Gillian could do was lie there and take it.
As he returned to delivering gentle swats on her ass cheeks, they still stung because her ass was sore. But she didn’t mind. The additional sensations prolonged her contractions and sent her mind reeling with erotic images. His scent combined with the smell of sweat and sex, until Gillian’s entire being was focused only on Arizona and what he did to her body.
Nothing could feel better that this. It simply wasn’t possible. No human man had even come close to giving her so much pleasure, in or out of bed. This man was her soul mate. They were fated to be together. And she would give him anything he wanted for the rest of her life.
A sudden, sharp pain on the left side of her neck was quickly followed by exquisite pleasure, radiating out from that area until it filled her entire body. Had he bitten the wound again, or merely licked it? It didn’t matter. Gillian was lost in the sensations as his thrusting increased.
“I’m going to come again.”
And come he did. Loud, proud, and rough. But she adored every second of it. This man was powerful, and she had no doubt in full shifter mode he’d be a formidable lynx to deal with. But he was also funny, sweet, kind, and gentle when he needed to be. And he loved her. He really loved her.
Tears spilled over Gillian’s eyes as Arizona finished, lying on top of her to kiss the back of her neck. “Thank you,” he whispered.
No one had ever thanked her, either. Not really. Not like this. This wasn’t just the thing they all did, and because he’d reached a certain age he felt he had to get on with it as well. It was something he waited for all his life. This was the culmination of what it meant to be a male for them.
Everything he’d told her about pack law and mating law had never completely made sense until this moment. An alpha male defined his entire existence by those laws, and he never stopped waiting for his mate to appear.
Once she did, everything he was, and each thing he did revolved around his life with her. Arizona would provide for her, care for her, and protect her with his life if necessary. She understood that now. No human marriage could be this whole, or this inclusive. At least, not a marriage with any man Gillian had ever met.
“Thank you, Arizona. For everything.”
“You sound sad.” He rolled her over and gazed down into her face. “Are you all right?”
&n
bsp; “I’m perfect.” She smiled. “Just thinking about the mate thing, and how amazing this is. How incredible you are.”
The beautiful smile he gave her was tinged with a hint of uncertainty. “So, was I okay? I mean for a virgin?”
“I never would have guessed you were one if you hadn’t told me.”
“Told you I had gifts as an alpha.”
Gillian couldn’t help laughing as he winked. When he pulled her into his arms again, she listened to him breathe and knew that no matter what difficulties they had to face because he’d mated with a human, they would handle them because of who this man was. No doubt about it.
Chapter Eight
The blindfold Arizona had slipped over Gillian’s eyes did its job too well. As he guided her out of the car and up what sounded like a gravel path under her sandals, she took a deep sniff. Pine trees, loam, and wood. The same things she always smelled in the shifter village. She had no clues at all to help her visualize what would now be her home.
“Are you okay?” He had been asking it since putting the cloth over her eyes as soon as they neared the village.
“I’m fine, but when do I get to see it?”
“Once we’re up the front steps.”
This was infuriating, but she loved how excited he was, and she didn’t want to spoil it for him. The steps sounded like wood, and she had a sense of being on a porch, similar to the Benedict home, and the home Canyon shared with Fiera.
“Okay. Ready?”
“Yes!” Gillian laughed. “I can’t take it anymore. I want to see my home.”
“I love hearing you call it that.” He kissed her, shoving his tongue into her mouth, and she moaned softly. Now this was interesting. Maybe she should ask him to blindfold her when they next made love?
His lips moved away and the cloth was pulled off. She gasped, putting a hand to her heart. “Oh … my goodness, Arizona. It’s beautiful.” Gillian bounded down the stairs and walked backwards to get a good look at it from further away. Two stories, cedar sided, with three dormers across the top and a wraparound front porch.
The front of the house under the porch was covered with stone the color of a sunset, and she caught a glimpse of the chimney on the side, covered in the same stone. Flagstones, a deeper shade or two than the stone on the chimney, covered the front walk, as well as a path from the side of the porch that must go around to the back. Landscaping included bushes and just the right amount of flowers, scattered at intervals across the front of the house.
“Do you really like it?” The pride in his voice was evident.
“I adore it. Did you really build this yourself?”
“Not entirely. My family helped.”
“Who designed it?” The trim colors were deep green and a fawn-colored beige. They fit perfectly with the wood, the stone, and with the forest around them.
“I did.” He held out his hand, and she climbed the steps to the porch so she could take it.
“You designed this? Are you serious?”
“Told you I had gifts.” He squeezed her hand. “Come on. I can’t wait to show you the inside.”
If Gillian had chosen the décor and colors on her own, she couldn’t have done better. Everything was in earth tones, matching the area where they lived. The place had a homey, country feel to it that put her instantly at ease. If Arizona truly had done this on his own, he had a flair for it. It also proved they had similar tastes. Maybe there was more to this mating aspect she still had yet to learn?
“It’s perfect. I mean just perfect.”
“Come and see our bedroom.” He waggled his eyebrows, and she laughed.
“Oh, the most important room, right?”
“No, the bathroom is probably more important, but this is a close second.”
No man she’d ever met in her entire life, let alone dated, was this much fun, or had such a witty sense of humor. She gasped again as he led her into the master suite. It was on the ground floor, which she loved, and was its own little retreat, reached by a hallway off the kitchen.
“That is the biggest bed I’ve ever seen.”
“We built it because nothing I’d ever find in a store could come close to the vision I had.”
“You can do all this…” She ran her hand along the dresser, which was obviously homemade as well. “Why don’t you do it professionally?”
“My family business goes back at least five generations. This is something I do for fun.”
“You’re seriously talented at this, Arizona. People would pay ridiculous sums of money for this furniture, and for a home like this.”
“I’d never be happy doing it for money.”
The soft tone of his voice made her turn to face him.
“I did it because I knew I’d meet you one day.” He advanced toward her, slowly, stalking her like the cat he was. “I knew you were out there, and when I found you, I wanted to have a home to bring you to.”
A shiver ran down her spine as she gazed into those dark eyes, so filled with life and love. This weekend had been the most erotic of her life, and also the most emotional. She was still sore in places she hadn’t known could get sore from having sex, but she would gladly fuck him again right now, on the floor if that’s what he wanted. Her lust for this man was insatiable.
“I finished the work on it as soon as I met you at the Benedict home that first night.” He caressed her hair.
“Did you really?”
“Yes.” A soft smile graced his beautiful features “They teased me mercilessly. Canyon and Fiera. They saw how smitten I was with you and thought it was funny.”
“Funny ha-ha, or funny odd?”
“The first. You see, I’d never reacted that way over a woman. Not even close.”
“I had never experienced an instant attraction that went beyond lust. I didn’t believe such a thing could exist, but I did that night. I wanted you so badly, but it was more than a physical attraction. Something in you called to me.”
The hand touching her hair moved lower, to the wound on her neck. Even a soft caress there now sent shockwaves straight to her groin. Would it always be that way? “So I didn’t imagine the look in your eyes that night?”
“No, you didn’t. You called to me. I don’t know how else to put it. I felt it in my soul.”
“It’s very rare for a human to understand us, or accept us in that way. Luke and Canyon said you had an affinity for our kind.”
“No wonder I already felt as if I knew you when we met.”
A fluttery kiss on the neck wound forced loud moans from her. “Will it this stay this way?” she asked.
“What way?” He kissed it again, and Gillian reached between her legs to stroke her clit through her pants. Arizona chuckled softly. “Oh, that way. I don’t know.”
“I think you do.” She could barely breathe now let alone talk. Each time he licked the wound, her pussy walls contracted. “I think you know because Canyon told you, and I think you enjoy teasing me this way.”
“And I think it’s going to be hard to get anything over on you.”
“I’ll tell you what’s hard.” She moved her hand to his crotch and rubbed the erection she found. “Although that is certainly no surprise.”
The sound of footsteps on wood floors reached her ears, but when five men walked into the bedroom, Gillian still had her hand on her mate’s bulge. “Oh…”
Canyon and Stone exchanged amused glances before proceeding to move toward the pair. They offered congratulations, shook Arizona’s hand, and each gave Gillian a bone-crushing hug. The other three men stood where they were with dour looks on their weathered faces. She guessed who they were before Arizona introduced them.
“Gillian, may I present Avery Caddock, our chief Elder, Alex Rockland, and Darren Kennedy. Elders, this is Gillian Wallis, my mate.”
“Gillian Collins. Or at least, I soon will be.” She glanced up at him. “Right?”
“Good question.” Arizona turned his attention to the Elders,
who still weren’t smiling. “How does that work with a human woman? Will we have to apply for a marriage license with the state of Washington as well?”
Canyon put a hand to his mouth, but not before Gillian caught his smile. Stone wasn’t quite as discreet. He laughed out loud. She suddenly understood the question Arizona had asked wasn’t for information purposes. He was mocking the Elders.
“According to our laws,” said Avery, “as soon as you both sign the contract, you are married, as the humans call it. Whether that will hold up in court or be useful for other documentation is another matter. Since Miss Wallis is an attorney, from what I’m told, she might want to consult with others in her profession for a more comprehensive answer.”
Okay. Now she was pissed off. And she hadn’t missed the way he’d referred to her as if she was still single. “I’m right here. I can see you and I can hear you. You don’t need to refer to me in the third person.”
Arizona grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Our own contract will suffice. I’d be honored if you took my name as yours.”
“I’m happy to do it, although I will be sure to check out whether this contract will hold up legally for any conceivable situation.”
Kennedy and Avery exchanged a knowing glance. “You see what I mean?” asked Kennedy. “This will lead to exposure of our kind.”
“No, it won’t,” said Arizona, with an edge to his voice she was glad to hear. As much as she adored his sense of humor, clearly these men didn’t consider this a joking matter, and she was glad to realize neither did he. “Gillian will be careful. She knows how to do that.”
“Your kind is already exposed thanks to the Medina family,” she said. “I’d be more concerned about the outcome of those charges than anything I might check out on my own for personal reasons.”
Avery took a few steps forward, but Gillian held her ground, and Arizona’s hand. She knew she didn’t have to worry about squeezing it too hard to do him any real harm. Right now she needed his strength and his calm demeanor, because she was ready to tell this man where he could shove his contracts and his beliefs.