Growling, he hiked her dress up to her waist and pulled one leg up to his hip.
Joyce whimpered when he ground his aching erection against her crotch. Her panties were soaked, and she was shaking and panting with need.
Dalton pushed his fingers past her damp cotton panties and fingered her folds. She was hot and wet and quivering with desire.
Joyce let out a cry when he slipped a finger into her. Her mouth and eyes widened when he began to fuck her slowly with two fingers. She was so tight, and she felt so damn good. Dalton stared hard into her eyes as he moved in and out of her pussy, feeling every shudder and tremor course through her body. She bucked and moaned in pleasure when he circled her clit with his thumb. She was so ready, so responsive.
Dalton could feel her channel pulse around his fingers, gripping him hard as she came. His name tumbled from her lips as she clung to his shoulders for support.
Boneless with need and pleasure, she slumped against him. Holding her up with one arm, Dalton sucked her juices slowly off his fingers. Her blush deepened when she blinked up at him.
“You taste so good, Joyce,” he growled. “I'm never going to have enough of you.”
Her braid had come undone and auburn curls cascaded down her shoulders. Dalton speared his fingers through her beautiful red hair and kissed her long and slow.
“Take me, Dalton. Love me,” she rasped, melting against him.
“I do. I love you, Joyce,” he whispered.
She gasped as he gathered her in his arms and climbed the stairs three at a time to his bedroom.
Kicking his bedroom door shut behind him, Dalton stalked towards his bed, his senses heightening as his bear rose to the surface. His claws sliced out, and Dalton used them to rip the dress from Joyce's body.
Joyce whimpered, but he scented no fear. Instead he could see and smell her fierce arousal as the cloth shredded and fell from her body.
Tearing her bra and panties away, he prowled towards her and commanded, “Spread your legs for me, Joyce.”
She swallowed but obeyed his command. Her submission was humbling and arousing. Lying back on a pillow, she parted her legs and turned away shyly.
Dalton sucked in a ragged breath. The sight of his mate naked and spread out on his bed for his taking was the most beautiful, erotic sight imaginable.
His claws pushed into his palms. His control was wearing thin. His beast was impatient to claim her. He wanted to plunge madly into her and lose himself in that lush, quivering body.
“Look at me, Joyce,” Dalton said.
She licked her lips and raised her deep, green eyes to him. Dalton held her gaze as he lowered his mouth to her pussy. Her mouth rounded and she made a wordless sound as he pushed his tongue into her slit. Languidly laving his tongue down her slick folds, he kept his eyes locked on hers. She blinked rapidly when he began to suck and lick her clit, but she never broke eye contact with him. Even when he fucked her furiously with his tongue, he kept his eyes on her.
She started to tremble as she fisted the sheets. Dalton plunged his tongue deeper into her, fucking her hard until she shattered completely. Even as her body was still trembling and quaking with pleasure, Dalton grabbed her and kissed every inch of her damp, flushed skin.
He finally reached her mouth and he let her taste herself on his lips. She moaned and undulated beneath him, rubbing and grinding against his crotch.
“Please, Dalton,” she panted.
Dalton removed his clothes with swift, smooth movements and knelt between her legs. Pushing her legs wider apart with his knees, he eased the head of his cock into her pussy. Her eyelids fluttered as he inched slowly into her. He felt her walls stretch and ripple to accommodate him, and she gave small yips of pain and pleasure as he penetrated her.
Dalton buried himself to the hilt inside her tight, slick sheath and held himself absolutely still. His veins bulged and pulsed at his neck and temples, and his claws were digging hard into the mattress. But he wouldn't move until he was sure he wasn't hurting her.
“Oh, Dalton...” Her head fell back on the pillow. “You feel...wonderful,” she sighed.
Dalton bent forward to kiss her deeply, tenderly, lovingly.
With their fingers intertwined, he began to make love to her.
CHAPTER NINE
Joyce gasped as Dalton thrust into her. She rocked her hips and raised her knees to take him deeper into her body. Dalton was a skilful, considerate lover. He knew how to give and take pleasure, and he had a delectable, perfect body just made for sin.
She was a lucky, lucky girl.
Joyce felt his huge cock surge into her again and again, stroking her tight walls and pressing up against her G-spot. He massaged her clit with his groin with each thrust, and her toes were beginning to curl with pleasure. Fucking had never felt so good, so decadent.
Joyce arched her back and Dalton knew what she needed. He lowered his mouth to one aching nipple and suckled her. He teased and sucked her nipple lightly, gently before gradually building up the pressure and intensity. When he scraped his teeth over her hard, throbbing peak, she cried out and shuddered in ecstasy. She saw him smirk as he rolled her other nipple between his teeth. He knew what she liked, how she wanted to be touched and stimulated.
Dalton growled her name and her lips curved as she surrendered to the intense, mind-blowing pleasure. She would give herself fully to this wonderful, powerful man tonight. She trusted him completely with her body and her heart.
She saw Dalton's eyes glow with a feral light as he bared his teeth. A thrill went through her when she glimpsed his fangs and claws. His muscles bulged and pulsated violently and his skin felt hot and feverish under her fingers.
“Dalton...”
He gave a growl, a sound which reverberated with power and lust. His eyes glowed with a dark, dangerous light as he stared down at her. She was in the arms of a predator, and the way he gripped her was fierce and possessive.
But she wasn't afraid. She knew Dalton would never hurt her.
Joyce whimpered as he pounded into her. He was fucking her hard and fast now, and she loved it. She wanted more, and she wanted to give him more.
Her pleasure began to crest as Dalton moved relentlessly, furiously between her thighs. She loved the raw animal intensity of their mating. She saw his fangs glint as he snarled her name.
“Oh, Dalton, don't stop...don't stop...”
Her gasp turned into a scream as a powerful orgasm slammed into her. She bucked and convulsed with ecstasy when Dalton leaned forward and bit into the base of her neck. Lights and stars exploded on the back of her eyelids as she came again and again and again.
With a ferocious roar, Dalton released her neck. She climaxed again when she felt his seed spill into her. Dalton pumped his cock in and out of her clenching pussy, drawing out her orgasm and sizzling every nerve ending. Her entire body shook and vibrated with the aftershocks of her multiple orgasms. All she felt was ripple after ripple of delirious, overwhelming pleasure.
She had lived for thirty years, and this was the first time she had felt such consuming passion and pleasure. She had never ever had sex like this before.
But this was more than just sex.
They had each taken something from the other, and given something of themselves.
Joyce raised a hand to her neck.
Her skin felt hot, like a mark had been seared into her flesh. There was a slight twinge of pain, but it wasn't unpleasant.
Dalton hadn't just bitten her in the heat of the moment. It felt like he was...staking a claim.
Dalton's arms were straight as he held himself up above her. His cock was still buried in her body, and it felt so good to feel him inside her. It felt so right, so perfect.
“You...okay?” Dalton asked hoarsely.
Joyce nodded, unable to speak.
“You are amazing, Joyce,” he whispered, bending down to kiss her eyelids.
She blushed
as she glanced down at their naked, sweaty bodies. Dalton began to pull out of her, but she wrapped her legs around his hips, wanting them to remain joined forever.
“Joyce...” His voice was low and ragged. “I won't be able to resist you. Now that you're in my house, I won't be able to keep my hands off you! I don't think I'll even let you out of my bed.”
Her heart and ego swelled. It was a heady, exhilarating feeling, being able to make a man like Dalton come undone.
She smiled coyly. “If I don't get out of bed, I'll never get my chores done. You'll give me the sack soon...”
“No I won't!” he sputtered. “You're not my housekeeper. You're my...”
“Wait a minute. I'm not your housekeeper? Then what...”
Dalton threw up his hands. “You wouldn't let me help you otherwise. You wouldn't let me pay your debt for you. You insisted on paying me back, and knowing you, you'll probably take on another two or three jobs to try to pay me back as quickly as possible. I can't let you go back to Candybar! No damn way.”
“So...you pretended to hire me.”
“I really do need a housekeeper,” Dalton said earnestly. “But, this...isn't just your place of employment.” He gestured around. “Everything is yours too. This is your home, Joyce. Our home.”
She squinted at him for a moment. “I have to pay you back, Dalton. I will be your housekeeper.”
“The job is yours if you want it.”
“I do want the job.” She broke into a sly grin. “And I want you.”
“Sleeping with the boss! This is just scandalous!” Dalton exclaimed and nipped her playfully on the nose.
Joyce laughed and gave him a saucy wink. “I'm sleeping with my boss and my best friend.”
Dalton gazed down at her, stroking her hair from her face. “I can't believe I've finally found you,” he said softly. “My mate.”
Joyce pulled him down and kissed him. “I'm so glad it's you, DJ. I love you,” she whispered.
They made love again, sweetly, lovingly, their bodies moving and pulsing in time to their matching heartbeats.
Joyce had never truly believed in the notion of soul mates. But now, as she took Dalton deep into her body and felt his heart beating against hers, she couldn't help marveling at how well they fitted together. Dalton had been her friend before he was her lover. He had been there for her when no one else would stand by her. Joyce's breath caught when she realized that she loved him even before she met him.
They were more than friends, more than lovers. They were two halves of a whole, two hearts finding each other in the dark and becoming one at last.
“You...are my love,” she whispered against his lips. “My mate.”
CHAPTER TEN
Joyce cleared away the coffee cups and breakfast plates from the table. There was a smile playing on her lips as she remembered the night and the morning she'd spent with Dalton.
After working up a huge, healthy appetite with a night of sensual pleasure and passion, they'd padded downstairs about an hour before dawn feeling peckish. It was still dark outside, but Dalton's kitchen was warm and bright. The golden glow in the kitchen could be from the pretty ceiling light, or perhaps her world just seemed better and brighter now that Dalton was in it.
They had worked seamlessly as a team getting breakfast ready. As she put on the coffee pot and pulled out eggs and sausages from the fridge, Dalton got to work making his famous buttered toast. Even before the sun was up, they were already enjoying a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages and toast. When they finished eating, they sat at the dining table with their big mugs of coffee and just talked. They told each other about their past, their dreams, hopes and fears. They opened their hearts wide and let the other in. There was no holding back, no hiding. They easily picked up the threads of their online conversations and it was like chatting and catching up with an old friend. It was really, really nice. Easy, relaxed and honest.
As the sun came up, Joyce watched the morning sunlight play on the light brown streaks in Dalton's tousled hair. Her breath hitched when he looked up and smiled at her.
He was the most wonderful person she knew, and he was everything to her.
Dalton had left the house at around eight. He had given her a quick, sweet kiss at the door. “I love you,” he murmured into her hair. He smiled down at her, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Before you came, this house,” he gestured at his big bungalow. “...was just a house, but now, it's a home. It's our home.”
Joyce waved until his pickup truck was out of sight. For work, Dalton usually drove his trusty, old pickup truck. It would be out of place and downright silly to drive the Jaguar to a landscaping work site.
Joyce closed the automatic gates and started her chores around the house. The hours passed quickly, and she found herself whistling and humming while she worked. She liked keeping house, and even during her brief, troubled marriage to Felix, she had tried her best to make their tiny rented house as cozy and homely as possible. But one person did not quite make a home. And in that marriage, only one person was putting in the effort, doing all the work and fighting to keep the marriage afloat. It takes two hands to clap. Joyce paused and leaned against the mop, squinting at her reflection in the shiny marble floor. She was reminded of a Zen question she'd once heard but never really understood: What is the sound of one hand clapping?
“One hand clapping isn't a clap,” she huffed and said aloud to her reflection. “It's a slap!”
Joyce grabbed the mop and was about to start on the stairs when the doorbell rang once.
She went to peer out the window and saw a man with a big parcel in his arms at the gate. The man was in blue overalls and a cap was pulled low over his face.
Joyce frowned as she went to the front door. Was Dalton expecting a delivery? Maybe it had slipped his mind, and he had forgotten to mention it to her.
As she approached the gate, the man said gruffly, “Delivery for Mr Dalton Jameson.”
Joyce couldn't quite see the man's face behind that big, cardboard box.
“Um, what's in the box?” she asked.
The man fumbled with some papers and said, “It says here...landscaping supplies.”
“Oh.” That sounded like a legitimate delivery. Dalton might have put down the order some weeks ago for the business and forgotten the exact delivery date.
Joyce opened the gate and was about to take the hefty box, but the man said, “I'll carry it to the house for you. It's...pretty heavy.”
“Oh, thank you. This way, please.”
Joyce held the front door open. The man placed the box beside the door and straightened up.
Joyce gasped when she saw his face.
“Hello, Joyce, it's been a while,” he smiled.
“Felix! You...”
Her ex-husband grabbed her by the arm and hauled her into the house, slamming the door shut behind them.
“Nice place you have here,” Felix smirked, locking the door. “Real nice.”
“Felix, what are you doing here? What do you want?” she choked.
“I was just in the neighborhood. Thought I'd look in to see how my ex-wife is doing.” Joyce saw his shifty eyes dart all around the house, taking in the expensive furnishings and ornaments. “I heard you've gotten yourself a sugar daddy.”
“H-heard?”
“I thought the Crimson Wolves were toying with me. But it seems it's true. You have done rather well for yourself, hooking a rich sucker and making him fall for you hook, line and sinker. You're the mistress of a fecking bungalow!” Felix threw his arms wide and cackled.
The Crimson Wolves. They'd informed Felix that Dalton Jameson had assumed full responsibility for his debt and that his ex-wife was no longer busting her ass to pay off his debt at their strip club.
Joyce felt herself begin to shake as her shock turned to rage. Felix had disappeared and left her to shoulder his debt. Yet all this time, the Crimson Wolves knew exact
ly where to find him. But it wasn't worth their while to unearth him. He was penniless, worthless, useless to them. They couldn't squeeze a single cent out of him. So the wolves had taken her instead. Made her carry the debt for her ex-husband even though they could have easily gone after Felix and made him take responsibility for his own debt. They made her work for them at Candybar, taking her earnings, milking her dry for the club.
“How could you?” she hissed. “How, Felix?” She closed her eyes in pain and fury. “We were married, Felix. We were once husband and wife. You just...threw me to the wolves! I never imagined...” She swallowed hard, choking down the bitter feeling of betrayal. “You have no heart, no guts, no balls, Felix!” she spat.
Felix took off his cap and rubbed a hand over his blond, shaggy hair. He was only half listening to her. His greedy, glittering eyes appraised her surroundings and made out where the study and bedrooms were. He wasn't here for her. He was here to steal.
“All this while, you were just making use of me, making use of my money to feed your gambling addiction.” Joyce laughed abruptly. “A one-hand clap. Yes, it really is a slap. I was being slapped around, yet I kept hoping that one day you'd change for the better.”
Felix shrugged. “Look, love, it's been nice catching up, talking about old times and I'd really love to stay and chat. But I have to dash. I'm here to pick up a few things, and then I'll be getting out of town.”
Joyce stared at him with an odd mixture of disinterest and disgust. “You are in debt. Again.”
He smirked. “I didn't drag you down this time. You won't have to pay this debt for me. Now, where does your sugar daddy keep his cash? And I'm sure he has a few prized valuables in a safe somewhere in his study or bedroom. I'll just take a few minutes, then I'll be out of your hair.”
Joyce froze for an instant before she caught him roughly by the arm. “You are not touching any of Dalton's things!” she snarled. “Get out of his house. Now!”
He brushed her hand off his arm impatiently and tsked. “Just tell your man that some thug broke in and made off with some cash and valuables. He won't miss a few dollar bills and a few of his pretty knick-knacks. No one needs to get hurt, Joyce.”
A Mate For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Alpha Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 4) Page 5