by V. A. Dold
In a guttural voice Richie asked, “Where do you want me, mon amour?”
Piper blushed slightly. “Could you sit with your back against the headboard? I’d like to be on top this time.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He hopped onto the bed and positioned himself exactly as she’d directed.
Piper swung a leg over his hips and straddled him. Her heated core, slick with her need, rocked slowly up and down his straining erection.
“I need to kiss you again.” Her mouth claimed his, tongues gliding and tangling.
Richie kissed her back with equal abandon as he palmed her warm soft flesh. Each gentle stroke of Richie’s thumbs across her hardened nipples increased the ache growing in her core.
When she released his mouth to explore his chest, she felt his lips on her neck, nibbling and lathing. Damn, that man had talent.
She leaned away just enough to explore his incredible chest, but not so much as to interfere with what he was doing. Softly she brushed her palm across his pecks, causing his nipples to harden and a rumble to fill the room.
His hands skimmed down her waist and tightened on her hips as he kissed his way to the swell of her breast. She arched her back, begging him with her body to take possession of her aching nipple, and suck it into the heat of his mouth. Piper loved the feel of her distended peak brushing his lips, but she needed more relief than that offered.
Helpless moans escaped her throat. She was breathless with both hands bunched in Richie’s hair. He was slowly killing her with pleasure.
Richie was painfully aroused. He rubbed his thick, hot shaft through the slick lips of her opening, seeking relief. His body throbbed with desire for his mate, her moans driving him to press harder against her core.
Hungrily, he switched to the other breast as he slid one hand up her thigh to brush his thumb over her glistening center.
Her rocking motion made his cock jerk in anticipation of her moist, tight heat. “You’re so wet for me, mon amour.”
Panting, she grasped his hands and placed them on the bed. “My turn to touch.”
She rubbed her thumb across his stiffened nipple and then rolled it between her thumb and forefinger gently. He closed his eyes and groaned, his breathing labored.
With a feather–light touch, she skimmed her fingers down his six–pack, inching ever lower.
The further she went, the brighter Richie’s eyes glowed, and the faster his breathing became.
Her fingers caressed their way down the downy hair of his happy trail and followed it with her fingertips until she reached the tip of his rock hard, aching erection that poked from between her thighs. His cock jumped, weeping in preparation for her.
His mind stuttered to a screeching halt when her fingers wrapped around his thick length. She held his gaze, and licked her lips as she smeared the pre–cum across the head with her thumb, swirling circles around the tip.
Finally, she stroked her fist to the base and back again. Repeating the action several times. Richie rumbled in relief. It felt so good, she sent him into a growling frenzy, arching off the mattress, and pressing harder into her hand.
Then, she leaned into his chest and licked his nipple and he nearly exploded. Mindlessly, he pumped his hips, thrusting into her fisted grip. Damn, her hand felt like heaven.
He wanted to shout for joy when she spoke the six words he’d been praying for.
“I need you inside me. Now.”
He watched her face as she carefully guided him, one torturous inch at a time. Slowly, she lowered her body until he was fully seated in her hot channel. “Oh… baby, you feel so good.”
She pressed into him, rubbing her pebbled nipples against his chest and kissed him. The sensation about short-circuited his brain. He took long deep breaths and clenched his jaw with the effort to harness his control and not thrust like a crazed lunatic.
This was for her. His job was to please her in any fashion she wished. With his body buried deep, he gripped her hips gently and waited for her direction.
She began a slow sensuous ride. Her hair swayed in a tousled ‘I’ve been loved well’ mess around her shoulders. The silken strands brushed and teased his sensitized skin. Richie sucked in a breath, taking her scent deep into his lungs. Relished the feel of her heartbeat pounding in time with his own.
Piper lifted his hands from the mattress and brought them to her breasts. “Touch me, Richie.”
His hands cupped her, stroking and caressing. Silently, he thanked the Goddess for the sitting position Piper had chosen. Leaning forward slightly, he captured a tantalizing nipple and took a strong pull.
“You feel so damn good,” he said around her engorged flesh before recapturing the pleasured peak. Suckling and scraping his teeth over the nipple as he gently thrust into his mate’s sweet heat.
He enjoyed the sound of her moans and the way she looked with arousal heavy lidded eyes.
His wolf howled when she threw her head back and gave herself up to the sheer pleasure they were giving her. This was what she said she needed, to lose herself in sensation. And he and his wolf were more than happy to meet their mate’s needs. He grit his teeth as he let her set the pace. She rocked slowly at first, lifting slightly and pressing back down. Then he saw an end to her marvelous torture when she took hold of the headboard, braced herself, and began riding him in earnest.
Richie was enthralled with his mate. Piper was resplendently flushed with passion. She rode him unashamedly, unembarrassed to show her appreciation of his body with every caress, and every response.
Barely able to speak, he said. “Damn, woman, you’re killing me.
Piper felt his large, warm hands grip her hips, helping her rise and dropping her down on his steel shaft. Head thrown back, mouth open and panting, she took him hard and deep, over and over.
“Oh, God. Yes, Richie. Yes, yes!”
She was getting close. He could feel her muscles tightening around him as her rhythm faltered. Not missing a beat, he took control, pistoning into her, as her body gripped him hard until he felt sweat beading on his brow. Her eyes were glazed and her breath was labored.
One stroke of his thumb over her sensitive center and Piper cried out his name, her body clamping down on him. He felt wave after wave of pure pleasure flow through her.
Her orgasm rolled over him, drawing his balls up painfully. Richie thrust one last time. Blinded by the force of his release, a single joyful howl filled the room.
“You're unbelievable,” she whispered, collapsed on his chest.
Richie rubbed his nose in her hair, trying to catch his breath. “Just kill me now and I’ll die a happy man.” He panted a few times. “Give me a minute and I’ll get a warm wash cloth to clean you up.”
Piper tried to raise her head, but it required more energy than she had. “You don’t have to do that.”
“You’re my mate, Piper. It’s my pleasure and duty to care for you.”
She didn’t argue further, simply snuggled into his chest and smiled to herself.
If Richie had resisted her seduction or mistakenly felt as if she were using him, she would have settled for snuggling in his arms. But he wasn’t like that. He’d known even though she needed this to shut her mind down, she also wanted him because she had feelings for him.
The first time in the hotel, she’d been having sex. A basic human need. This time she was making love with a man she cared for. It was astounding how emotions enhanced the experienced and took it from satisfying to mind blowing. They fit not just physically, they fit emotionally as well. She was beginning to see how everything Anna and Richie told her was true. Being with this man was like coming home.
Chapter 12
Next Morning
Piper awoke to sunshine peeking between the storm shutters, happy and enjoyably sore. She was encased like a sausage in the softest sheets imaginable. Smiling, she reached for Richie, then stiffened. He was gone. Had he gotten what he wanted and split?
Don’t be stupid He wouldn�
��t do that. He’s not Jeff.
With a little effort she worked an arm loose from the human burrito she’d become, and snagged Richie’s pillow. She pulled it to her nose and grinned.
Damn, he had the best scent ever.
She managed to work her other arm free and began working the sheet loose. How the heck has she managed this mess? Then she blushed, remembering what she’d done last night. Erotic images flooded her mind and her smiled widened. Of course, Richie had followed up an hour later with his own demands. Fair is fair after all. No wonder the bed was such a mess.
Once she was free of the bedding from hell, she flopped back and laughed. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she was happy, truly happy. It had been a very long time since she’d look forward to the future. And that was what Richie represented, the future.
She sat up again and gave the room a quick once over. Where the heck were her clothes? It looked like she would have to go searching.
There you are!
Somehow her things found their way under the bed. A few minutes later, she was dressed. Coffee. She needed coffee.
She padded on bare feet to the kitchen and found that empty, too. The house was quiet, too quiet. Where had Richie gone?
Piper carefully touched the glass carafe of coffee, still warm. He hadn’t been gone long. She walked to the door and checked the yard. No one there either.
Huh.
Two kitchen cupboards later and she had a coffee cup in hand. Whoever picked the first coffee bean and roasted it was a genius.
Mm… Nectar of the gods.
She was pouring her second cup when she stilled. Something felt off. Closing her eyes, she sent herself out. There was nothing in the immediate yard or the dock. Richie’s boat was still here, but there was a second boat. It was hidden in low hanging branches just downstream.
Piper’s heartbeat thundered. Was Richie hurt? Did he need her help? Coffee forgotten, she crept quietly across the yard to the edge of the trees. There she sent herself out again searching the area. It wasn’t long and she located Richie and another man.
She was about to creep up on them and try to listen, still unsure if Richie was in danger when he spoke in her head.
Cher, what are you up to?
Sneaking up on you. Who is that with you?
Seth Le Beau, Cade’s brother. Come on out so I can introduce you.
Piper stood and stepped from the heavy undergrowth she’d been hiding behind. Still keeping a close eye on the stranger, she took Richie’s outstretched hand.
“Seth, I’d like you to meet, Piper, my mate. Piper, this is my good friend, Seth.”
Seth took Piper’s proffered hand, inclined his head, and kissed her knuckles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Piper.”
“And you as well, Seth.”
Richie tucked her under his shoulder and smiled brightly. “I’ve asked Seth to stand guard when we’re sleeping. I don’t want to give Qball any advantages.”
“Really? Have you filled him in? Does he know how dangerous Qball is?”
“Yes, cher. But there is no need to worry over Seth’s safety. He’s a shifter and one of our elite hunters. If Qball shows his face, he won’t stand a chance.”
Piper gave Seth another once over, this time with a bit of admiration in her eyes. “So, you’re kind of badass, huh?”
One corner of Seth’s mouth quirked up. “I suppose you could say that.” Then he glanced at Richie. “You’re right. I like her.”
Piper frowned at Richie. “What have you been saying about me?”
He kissed her nose and grinned. “Nothing but compliments, I assure you. Seth and I were planning when he’d be around. I wanted to make sure we know when Seth would be here so you don’t accidentally shoot him.”
Piper smacked his chest. “I wouldn’t accidentally shoot him. If I shot him, it would be on purpose.”
Seth cleared his throat, promptly ending their argument. Then he cocked a brow and grinned. “I’m not entirely comfortable with all this talk of shooting me. Do I need to purchase a bulletproof vest?”
Piper rolled her eyes. “Very funny. And by the way, I like you too.”
Richie walked her out of range of Seth’s hearing and stopped. “Seth is very capable of handling Qball. As one of the elite rogue hunters, he has extra gifts. Even more than an average shifter, which is considerable.”
“More gifts?”
“He can control another’s mind, see even more deeply into his mate’s mind than I can with you, and he’s a master healer.”
“Wow, why does he get extra gifts?”
“Hunters live alone most of the time. And when they battle a rogue there is rarely anyone around to provide healing so they have to do it themselves.”
“It sounds like a terribly, lonely existence,” she said sadly.
He pulled her into his arms. “It was.”
She looked up at him. “What exactly is a rogue wolf?”
“When a shifter mate dies, normally the other mate will die also. The soul is knit together during the ritual and the terrible experience of having the soul torn in half is more than most can bear. A rogue is a shifter that survives the death of its mate and goes insane. Seth is a rogue hunter. He is tasked with killing the rogues before they go on a rampage of death and destruction, exposing shifters to the world.”
“That must be horrible for him. What if he had to kill a friend or family member?”
Richie’s eyes welled with tears. “Sadly, he’s had to kill a few friends over the years. He’s retiring though. I can tell killing has taken a huge toll on him, but I think with rest and support, he’ll be all right.”
“I hope so. Maybe I’ll have a talk with him. Bounty hunting and rogue hunting have a few things in common. It might help him to talk to someone who understands what he’s been through.”
He leaned away and looked her straight in the eye. “You’d do that for him?”
“Of course, he’s our friend.”
“Goddess, I love you,” he groaned, as he pulled her in for a toe-curling kiss.
Three days later
Piper sat at the kitchen table staring out the window at the beautiful sunrise playing out over the slow moving river. The third beautiful sunrise she’d enjoyed since Qball’s attack. The third beautiful sunrise without a sign of her bounty.
Maybe he had drowned? Somehow, she didn’t believe that. No, he was out there, biding his time. Why, she had no clue. The insane didn’t play by the rules of normal human behavior. She needed to do something or she’d go crazy herself.
Richie returned from his daily debriefing with Seth, grinning ear-to-ear “Piper? Are you ready for a day of fun?”
His deep sexy voice goosebumped her arms and skittered excited energy to her belly. Three days and nights of the hottest sex she’d ever had, wasn’t even close to enough.
She glanced toward the screen door, and licked her suddenly dry lips. Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, he was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. “Day of fun?”
Richie pulled her into his arms and kissed her breathless. “Grab your sunscreen, sunglasses and purse. I’m taking you to the French Quarter.”
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. I can feel your restlessness and need for action. Since waiting around here isn’t bringing Qball into the open, I thought wandering around the city might do the trick.”
Piper gulped the last of her coffee and ran for the bedroom. She needed to change her clothes and fix her hair. She was finally doing something productive and she didn’t want to wait another minute sitting in the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, she pushed her sunglasses on her face, then grabbed her purse with the tracker inside. She was about to see the famous French Quarter for the first time!
Richie looked up from the magazine he was flipping through and grinned. She wore a shoulder holster with her favorite gun, and he caught a glimpse of a throwing knife when she bent to slip her tennis shoe
s on. Yeah, she may be sweet and sexy as hell, but she didn’t need his protection, not that she wasn’t going to get it anyway. Except for the anomaly in his vision, he wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep over her ability to take care of herself. Proudly, he held out a hand and escorted her to the boat. Damn, he loved his warrior woman.
Richie parked the car in the Hotel Monteleone’s parking garage on Bienville Street. It paid to have friends throughout the French Quarter. He had a standing invitation to park in the convenient ramp from his buddy, Jed. He would have to buy Jed a drink the next time he stopped in at the Brewhouse.
“So, what’s the plan?” Piper asked as Richie helped her from the car.
“I thought we would get a Café au lait at Café Beignet and take a stroll down Royal Street. You can’t visit the Quarter and ignore Royal Street. We have some of the best window-shopping in the world. Then we can check out the Oyster Fest. It’s a two-day festival down by the river. There’s live music and oyster shucking and eating contests, but the highlight is the oyster and wine tasting competition, where celebrity judges decide the best pairing of half a dozen Gulf oysters paired with white wines. It’s a lot of fun.”
“That sounds great. Anything you want to do will be new to me, so lead on.”
He felt her happiness over being out of the house. He could suggest they spent the day feeding pigeons in the park and she’d probably be thrilled.
He patiently watched as she did a quick weapons check to verify everything was out of sight, then he led her to the street. They only had a short half block walk before they were on Royal Street.
Richie quietly watched his mate drool over a simple yet elegant antique engagement ring. A stunning three and a half carat natural octagonal sapphire nestled in a square filigree setting. The gem was so extraordinary. To clutter the ring with additional stones would have been a crime. This was a unique statement ring that perfectly fit his one of a kind mate. A secret text message to, James the shop owner, and the ring was his. His excitement was palpable.