Pulling her gaze from the window, she looked down and saw she was lying in what had to be a hospital bed, covered with a white cotton blanket and light-green sheets. Okay, she was in the hospital. When her awareness expanded another level, she realized there was someone in the room with her.
“How are you feeling, baby girl?”
Turning her head in the direction of the voice caused her to moan softly in pain. KJ sat in the recliner, which he had turned to face the bed. He was wearing his police uniform and looked good enough to eat if it did not hurt just thinking about getting to what was underneath.
She licked her lips and tried to take a deep breath, but the pain in the left side of her chest spiked as she did. Shifting to a more comfortable position, she opened her mouth to speak.
“Shhh, don’t talk yet. You need some more time to heal,” he said as he stood up and approached the bed.
In a move that told her he had done this before, he lowered the side rail of the bed. He settled on the mattress slowly, obviously trying not to jostle her or cause her pain. Reaching for something out of her line of sight, he brought a plastic cup with a straw into view.
“What? Where? How long?” she demanded in a barely there voice.
“You’re in the hospital. I brought you here about six hours ago when you would not wake up. They just settled you into this room a couple of hours ago. Do you remember being attacked?”
Stacy closed her eyes as she nodded. “Wayne was pissed.” She swallowed and then whispered, “Tired.”
She felt KJ brush a soft kiss on her forehead. “Sleep, mate. It’s the best thing for you. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Okay,” she breathed before slipping back into the darkness.
* * * *
Exhausted himself, KJ carefully laid down next to his mate and pulled her into his arms. As his arms wrapped around her, she sighed and cuddled even closer to his side before settling into a deep sleep.
Thanks to the slight change in her blood, thanks to their mating, she was healing much more rapidly than a normal human would. Another few hours of rest and she would be healed enough to go home.
KJ’s cock stiffened as her hand came to rest in the center of his chest and petted him as she would a regular cat. Taking a deep breath, he rested his cheek against the top of her head, surrounding her as best he could.
“I love you, my sweet mate,” he whispered just before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and fell asleep.
* * * *
When Stacy woke next, she was sore but not in the deep, intense pain she had felt earlier. She did feel hungry, horny, and needing to pee. Opening her eyes, she smiled when she realized the hard pillow under her cheek was actually KJ’s shoulder. Her right hand had drifted down his body to his waist. She slowly stroked her fingers further down his body, finding a hard, erect cock pressing at the zipper of his uniform pants.
“Keep that up, and you’re going to find yourself in some serious trouble for arousing a cop.” KJ’s sleepy voice startled her.
Stacy smiled, her pussy juices flowing as the muscles between her legs clenched and relaxed. She laid her palm over his erection and began to massage it. A low, dark growl rumbled under her ear.
“What’s the penalty for such an offense, officer?”
“Depends on how you’re feeling, mate.”
“Hungry, horny, and I need to pee,” she admitted softly.
“How’s your pain level?” His hand began to rub up and down her side then slid farther around her body to cup her breast in his hand.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” she said, shifting and pushing her breast deeper into his palm. As her erect nipple brushed across his skin, she made a small sound of need.
Shifting her head, she glanced at the clock across the room. It was almost two o’clock. “How did I heal so fast?”
“When I bit your neck, some of my shifter genes entered your bloodstream. As a mate, your body will heal faster than a normal human. Now why are you still playing with my cock?”
Stacy smiled against his chest. “Maybe I’m hoping to get taken into custody for assaulting a police officer. I’m so horny and need something. Something I think only you can give me. Am I right, mate?”
Sliding her head back, she looked into KJ’s surprised expression before his eyes rolled in their sockets and his hips began to press up into her hand. “That’s right. You and I are a matched set from now. There will be no one else for either of us. I hope you’re all right with that.”
Stacy’s smile grew as she began to work his belt with one hand. “Oh yeah, I’m all right with it. I just hope you don’t get tired of having an old woman around.”
“Never,” he assured her as he gently pulled her hand from his belt and rolled out of bed, groaning as his cock shifted inside his uniform. “Now you’ve got me all worked up, and by my calculations the nurse will be coming in to check on you in a few minutes.”
“Well, I can’t wait for her to show up.” Stacy followed his example and slowly climbed from the bed. “I gotta pee.”
When she wavered for a moment as she gained her balance, KJ was right there beside her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders to hold her steady. She allowed it, needing to feel his closeness.
As they slowly walked across the room, she asked quietly, “What happened with Wayne?”
“Let’s just say that he will never bother you or any other woman ever again,” KJ answered equally softly.
“Did your cat show up when I was hurt? I think I remember a big red-gold cat nuzzling me.”
KJ did not answer as he helped her to the toilet before stepping outside to give her privacy. “Yes, he was there. I could not hold him back.”
Stacy saw his shadow and knew he was hovering, but did not care. She needed to pee more than she needed to preserve her dignity. Once she finished, she flushed the toilet then stood and moved to the sink and washed her hands and face. Now that nature’s call had been answered, other parts of her body were demanding her full attention.
Looking around the bathroom, she decided that as long as they did not try to lie down on the floor, the room was big enough for a quickie. But would she be able to talk KJ into such a thing? Her pussy throbbed and her juices overflowed as she ignored her common sense side that said this was not going to end well.
“Stacy? You okay?” KJ asked when she remained silent and still.
“Yes, I’m fine. Could you come in here, please?”
He stepped into sight in the doorway and then through it, an expression of concern on his face. “What’s wrong, mate?”
Stacy stepped around him and went to the door. After pulling it until it clicked closed, she pushed the lock in the knob. Her legs suddenly weak as she turned, and she stumbled to land against her mate who took her weight easily.
“Please. Fuck. Me,” she demanded in a soft voice as she reached between them and used both hands to open his belt and then go to work on the fastenings of his pants.
At her forceful demand, he blinked and smiled down at her. His teeth began to elongate, and he was looking feral as his hands slid down her back. He pulled the flaps of her open-backed hospital gown apart and cupped her ass cheeks. “Are you sure? You’re not completely healed yet.”
“Maybe not, but I need to feel you in me. I need to come,” she said, licking a line up the side of his neck. “Please, KJ. Please make me come.”
“It would be my pleasure, baby girl, but you’ll have to let me do all the work, okay?”
Stacy nodded as she carefully lowered the zipper and tried to burrow through the layers of cloth that separated her from his naked body. “Okay, but please hurry.”
Chapter 8
KJ thought his head would explode as Stacy’s fingers wound themselves around his full-bodied erection. His joy at knowing his mate was well down the road to recovery, combined with the need he felt radiating from her, had him nearing the end of his own control.
“It’s going to be f
ast,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her and guided her in a shuffling dance step around the room until they reached the toilet.
Dropping his hands from her back, he lowered the lid on the toilet before shoving his pants to his knees. His cock throbbed as it dropped away from his body to bounce against hers. Tugging his shirt up and out of the way, he sat down and pulled Stacy so she straddled his legs.
They were both too close to their respective edges for this to take long. Besides, Stacy still needed to rest. Holding his cock up with one hand, he maneuvered so the head of it fit into her slick and wet opening.
“Sit here, mate. Ride your cougar.”
* * * *
Stacy’s legs went weak as she settled over KJ’s cock. She moaned on a sigh as he slid deep, filling her perfectly.
“So good,” he breathed as she settled completely on his lap.
He reached behind her and opened the two ties that held her gown together. Pulling it down her arms, he bared her breasts. His hands began stroking the mounds and plucking at the erect nipples.
Fire streaked through her body from where he touched her straight to her clit. “Oh, God, that feels so good,” she moaned.
She grabbed the wall railing on one side of them and the counter on the other side. Arching her back, she pressed her breasts into his touch as she began to slide up and down KJ’s cock. It did not take long before her arousal balled up tight in her pelvis. She was so close, but needed more. A stroke, a pinch, or something else that would vault her past her body’s achiness and over the edge of her orgasm.
That something came when KJ pulled her forward and licked across the scar before sinking his teeth into it and sucking at her blood once more. To keep from letting everyone in the hospital know what was going on in her room, she shoved the side of her fist into her mouth to muffle her cries of completion.
She was still riding the wave of orgasm when KJ pulled his teeth from her skin and licked the wound closed. When her leg muscles gave out, she settled deep into his lap and collapsed against him. “I’m sorry,” she said, feeling teary at not being able to bring him the pleasure he had given her.
Before he could respond, three sharp knocks at the door startled her. “Miss Covey, are you all right?”
Smiling into KJ’s shocked expression, Stacy cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m fine, thanks.”
“The doctor will be here in a few minutes, and I wanted to help you to the bathroom.”
“As you can see, I got in here all by myself. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Her last words were strained as KJ lapped at her earlobe and then worked his way across her cheek to her lips.
Knowing she did not have the strength to continue riding KJ’s cock, she lifted off his lap. Her gown dropped from her arms as she moved to kneel between his knees.
“What are you doing?” He hissed as she leaned close and closed her head around his shaft so that only the head of his cock was in her mouth.
She pulled it from her lips with a pop before smiling up at him. “Hopefully giving you pleasure, my mate.”
* * * *
KJ was so close to coming he had to grit his teeth to keep from blowing just by looking at the loving, peaceful expression on her face. “All right,” he whispered, “but don’t swallow.”
Though she looked confused, Stacy nodded and took him back into her mouth. The feel of her wet, warm mouth engulfing him and her tongue stroking and swirling around the head and then the underside of his cock make KJ fist his hand as he fought to stay silent. KJ reached his peak in just a few short bobs of her head up and down his shaft. A strong tingle shot down his spine and tightened his balls, causing his entire body to stiffen. A heartbeat later, he groaned deep in his chest as his seed bubbled up the length of his cock and filled his mate’s mouth.
She continued loving his cock until his muscles relaxed and he slumped over her.
“Come here,” he gasped. He lifted her head from his cock at the same time he leaned down and kissed her with an open mouth.
The taste of his seed mixed with her saliva made him dizzy. He took some of their combined fluid into his mouth then lifted his lips from hers and said, “Now.”
At the same time she closed her mouth and swallowed, he did the same. Then he kissed her again until they were both breathless.
When he lifted his head this time, she took a breath whispered, “I think I need to lie down now.”
With that, she sat back and leaned heavily against the wall. Realizing all she had gone through the past twelve hours shot a sharp stab of guilt through him. She needed rest to recuperate, not hot sex in the bathroom of her hospital bed.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I’m not doing well at this caring for my mate thing, am I?” Standing, he pulled himself together, then reached down and lifted her into his arms.
“I like the way you take care of me. You kept me from getting killed by a crazy man and gave me what I wanted when I asked for it. You let me do for you even though I know you don’t think it’s a good idea. You helped me get my car fixed when you didn’t even know me. You make sure I always find my satisfaction before you find yours. How much better care can I ask for?”
Since he could not argue her logic without making it sound like he regretted what had just transpired, KJ kissed her temple as he carried her back to bed. “That’s what being mates is all about, sweet Stacy. It goes deeper than just loving. From now on, you are my life. I will do anything, anything, to take care of you, to keep you safe, to make you happy.”
He laid her in the bed just as the nurse walked in, followed closely by the doctor. KJ stepped away from the bed, but refused to leave the room when the nurse asked him to. The nurse, who only came up to the middle of his chest and might have weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet and with her pockets full of rocks, only relented when Stacy stepped in and asked that he stay.
Frowning, the nurse relented and pointed to the recliner. “Sit there and don’t interfere.”
KJ threw her a grin and a left-handed salute as he said, “Yes, ma’am.”
* * * *
Stacy was not surprised when, after doing a thorough examination under KJ’s watchful eye, the doctor told her she was making an amazing recovery. Though their little sexcapade in the bathroom had tired her, she felt good. A little sore and achy, but the severe pain Wayne had caused her with his beatdown was nearly gone. She agreed that if he released her, she would take it easy for the next couple of days and make a follow-up appointment with her personal physician for the next week.
Once he was satisfied, the doctor signed her paperwork releasing her and left. The nurse followed a few minutes later after going over the discharge orders. Once they were alone again, Stacy finally looked at KJ again.
“So what do we do now?”
KJ smiled at her as he stood and went to the small closet. “Now we get you dressed and take you home where I’m going to fix you dinner while you rest like a lady of leisure.”
“How about we pick up a pizza on the way home instead? You must be exhausted,” Stacy suggested.
“Hmmm, that sounds like an even better idea. Then we can both relax and discuss our future. I also need to run by my apartment and pick up some clothes, if you won’t mind?”
Stacy smiled, a tingling excitement starting in her stomach as he approached the bed. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. Can we also talk about when you’re moving in?”
That question stopped KJ in his tracks for a second. “Is that what you want? I don’t want to push you too fast. If you need time to adjust to me being a part of your life, I can wait.”
Stacy stood and closed the distance between them. “But I don’t want to wait. It has been an intense couple of days, but I want to be with you as much as our jobs will allow. I’m falling in love with you, and this feels more right than any other relationship I’ve been in before. I just don’t want you to regret tying yourself down with an old lady.”
The words had been said spontaneous
ly and without thought. As soon as she heard herself saying them, Stacy knew it was right, but immediately began to worry about KJ’s reaction. They were still relative strangers, and maybe this whole thing was just a result of her needing a hero and him being in the right place at the right time. Would he regret making her his mate at some time in the future? What would happen then?
KJ stepped close and after dropping her clothes on the bed, wrapped her in his arms and hugged her gently. “My sweet mate, you do not know how happy those words make me. Yes, we’ve known each other a short time, but what is between us will only grow stronger as time passes. You may be a few years older than I am, but I’ve always had a thing for sexy women no matter what the age. And when we’re both ready, we’re going to have a night of sex that will involve me claiming you completely.”
“What do you mean, claiming me completely?”
“I’m going to take your mouth, your pussy, and your ass,” he said boldly just before he lowered his head and kissed her.
With that, any worries Stacy might have had about their relationship working out fled. By the time he lifted his head, all she could think about was going home with her cougar. They would spend the rest of their lives fulfilling each other’s needs one at a time, starting with a long hot bath and a lazy evening on the couch that would hopefully end with another round of sex so hot it singed the sheets.
Chapter 9
Afraid to tell Kimber and Gwen of her new status as KJ’s mate, Stacy deftly avoided the topic of whether or not she had met a man during the next few weeks leading up to their beach weekend. She had her hands full with her business suddenly taking off like a rocket, challenging her creative and organization skills, and KJ moving over the week following Wayne’s attack.
Three days after she came home from the hospital, there was an article in the newspaper about a body being found in the woods behind her house. The story went on to say that the body was a male in his mid to late forties, but the police were not releasing any other information at this time. The officer interviewed was quoted as saying, “It looks like a bear attacked him, which is unusual for this time of the year and this area.” The article went on to warn people who lived near the woods to be on the guard and if they saw a stray wild animals to stay away from them and alert the authorities immediately.
Cougar Needs [Cougarlicious 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 6