With that thought in mind, she sucked in a deep breath and steeled her spine.
The night wasn’t getting any younger, and neither was she. Turning to face the inevitable, she gasped as her eyes landed on Jay.
Goddess! Raw heat flooded her veins when her eyes landed on him.
She had expected him to be in his wolf form, as he was when he had first approached her. He wasn’t. A hunk of a man stood before her. She fought to keep her mouth from falling open.
He was no longer the tall, lanky young man she had remembered. Gone was the easy smile he’d had throughout his youth, replaced with a hardened stare.
Her wolf urged her to greet him in the one of the standard human customs. Minx tried to appease her animal. She opened her mouth to utter something…anything, but nothing came out. Not a single word.
Her eyes flew to his left hand. “No ring,” she said to her wolf.
No sign of a tan line from a recently removed ring, either. Was it too much to hope that he somehow was single? She offered a prayer to the Gods, begging for him to be unattached.
She didn’t need to stand next to him to know that he would tower over her five foot five frame. His dark brown hair had a light dusting of gray scattered throughout, and was cropped close to his head. Chocolate eyes with green flecks bore down on her. A small platinum hoop dangled from one of his ears. A well-groomed goatee accented full lips that she’d dreamed of kissing for many years. Lips that promised nothing but the greatest of pleasure.
What surprised her the most was his black suit, crisp white shirt and red tie. Most shifters were casual creatures, better versed in jeans and t-shirts than expensive suits, but not Jay. He looked like he had stepped off a freaking GQ cover. Not that she didn’t like the look. She did—very much so. A little too much. He made her mouth fucking water. She nibbled on her lip, a blush crept over her cheeks as she wondered what he would look like out of that suit.
“Minx.”
“You remember me!” She knew her voice was filled with astonishment. Her heart swelled, bursting to the seams with joy. A single tear slid down her face. She quickly wiped it away.
“How could I ever forget you?”
She had no idea what to say to him. She didn’t want to question him and look like a complete idiot, not when he looked at her with absolute sincerity.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Jay said as he took a step closer to her.
“It is,” she agreed, finally finding her voice. “Are you single?” The question flew from her mouth before she could stop it. She had to know, it didn’t matter if he was her mate or not. She would not get involved with a guy, even her fated mate, if he was committed to someone else.
“I am. Have been for years.”
Her heart fluttered. “Thank you,” she whispered to the heavens.
“Care to join me?” Minx was startled by the huskiness of her own voice. Never before had she sounded so seductive. Never had she been so forward.
“I thought you’d never ask.” Jay shrugged out of his jacket and laid it across a tree branch.
Minx should have looked away, offered him a bit of privacy, but she didn’t. She watched as he slowly stripped, revealing a sight that put her dreams of him to shame. Ropes of lean muscle covered the expanse of his chest and stomach. Tiny brown nipples pebbled high on his chest. She wondered what it would be like to run her tongue over them. Would they be sensitive? Would he moan with pleasure if she lavished them with attention? A brief glimpse of several intricately drawn tattoos covering his back and shoulders would have been enough to melt her panties, had she been wearing any. She definitely wanted more time to study those—perhaps with her tongue.
His fingers danced over the button on his pants, then down his zipper. She chewed on her bottom lip to keep from shouting at him to hurry the hell up. Patience was not her middle name.
His already hard cock stood at full attention, tenting his boxers. Goddess above, the anticipation damn near killed her.
Her tongue darted out, over her lips. Need coursed through her body, heat flooded her core. She had never wanted any man more than she’d wanted Jay.
“I can smell your arousal.” Jay’s eyes glowed with untold passion. His canines lengthened.
Maybe it was her ego that needed stroking, but Minx was glad to see that he was clearly just as aroused as she was.
“As I can smell yours,” Minx countered.
He stepped out of his boxers and she damn near climaxed—right fucking there. Just from the sight of his cock. Long and thick and curved in all the right places. She imagined what it would feel like when she spread her legs wide to take every inch of him.
Presumptuous?
Yes.
Did she care?
Not a bit.
She’d been with her fair share of guys over the years, but holy fuck! Each and every one of those motherfuckers paled in comparison to Jay.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful in my life,” Jay wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“It’s one of my favorite places to come when I need to clear my head.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to explain why she wasn’t in the clearing with the rest of the wolves, but she did.
“I wasn’t talking about this place. I was talking about you.”
“Oh!” Her previous worries about her state of undress made a hasty retreat.
“My wolf is ready to mark and claim you, but I need to taste you first.”
Goddess! The words she’d longed to hear. The words she thought she’d never hear. They sang through her body like the sweetest melody.
She moaned when his lips landed on the tender part of her neck. He nibbled his way up to her ear and back down, leaving a scorching path in his wake. One hand slid behind her neck and tunneled into her hair, holding her firmly in place. Jay caressed her breasts, tweaking one nipple between his finger and thumb before moving onto the next.
“Mmmm,” she moaned. Feeling his length pressing against her belly, she reached down to wrap her fingers around it—squeezing it. Boldness like she never felt egged her on. Pumping her hand up and down, she marveled over the feel of his cock. So hard yet so soft. Velvet over steel.
Jay tossed his head back with a loud moan. “Fuck!”
His lips crashed over hers. She groaned in pleasure, her mouth opening for him. His tongue danced with hers. The heat from his mouth acting as a drug, leaving her dizzy. Back and forth, in and out, making her weak at the knees.
He scooped her up, out of the water and into his arms. “I need to be inside of you.”
Minx knew she should tell him no, but she couldn’t seem to utter the words. He was her fated mate. The one she’d dreamed of for years. She wanted this more than she wanted her next breath. The mere thought of saying no left an ache in her chest.
“Yes!”
His lips crushed against hers once more. The heat of his kiss scorched her soul, her blood boiled like liquid fire, pulsing through her veins.
Minx screamed when Jay’s tongue landed on her clit. Holy Christ! I never knew this could feel so damn good! Her legs shook with each swipe of his tongue. Her mind turned to mush. Coherent thought no longer possible. The sweetest pleasure she had ever know surged through her body with each lick, each nibble.
An orgasm blindsided her, making her body quake. There had been no build up, no warning of its approach. Her body thrashed against the ground as he slid two fingers inside of her soaked pussy, pumping them in and out. Her back arched, her hips bucked against him as she latched onto his hair and held him in place, never wanting the pleasure to come to an end.
“Fuck! Yes! Jay!” she screamed as she flew to the heavens. Stars danced in her vision, her breaths shallow and uneven. Tremors from the aftershocks of her orgasm continued to rock her body as he pulled back and repositioned himself at her entrance.
She wanted more…wanted all of him.
“So fucking hot. You taste so damn good.” He r
ubbed his cock over her clit then back down, covering it in her sweet honey. I loved making you come all over my face.” He pushed slowly into her.
“I’m glad you liked it. Now, you need to fuck me and make me come all over that beautiful cock of yours.” If Minx hadn’t been so desperate to feel him inside of her, she might have wondered where the words that had slipped from her mouth came from. She’d never been a dirty talker before. Maybe she was now? Either way, she didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was feeling his cock deep inside of her.
“So sassy. So demanding, yet so sweet. Is this what you need?” Jay slid another inch in.
“More! Minx bucked against him, her frustration building. A growl rumbled in her chest. She felt utterly feral.
“Like this, sweetness?” Another inch.
She hovered right on the edge of another mind-blowing orgasm. If only he would give her that delicious pressure that desperately needed. “Please!”
Jay pulled back, teasing her. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Minx felt her canines poke through her gums, felt the ethereal glow in her eyes. “Yes!”
With one swift thrust, he slammed deep inside of her. “So tight. So fucking wet.” His hips circled, grinding deeper into her pussy.
“Yes! Jay!” Minx shouted, not giving a single fuck if anyone heard them or stumbled upon them. She only cared about this man and how he made her feel.
Jay leaned down, stretching his lean body over hers. She wrapped her legs around him as he rocked slowly back and forth, feeding his cock in and out of her in long, lazy thrusts designed to drive her absolutely insane.
“You feel so fucking good.” He nipped at her lips, tunneled his fingers through her hair and held on tight.
“I’m so close. Please!” she begged, needing more. So much more.
She watched as his tongue skimmed his canines before angling her head to the side. A twinge of fear passed through her at the thought of being bitten and claimed. Any fear she had quickly evaporated, replaced with unadulterated pleasure.
“You want me to make you come, sweetness?”
“Please, Goddess! Please!” She wanted that more than anything. Her body burned with need.
“Mine!” he slammed into her.
“Yours!” she cried out.
“Tell me who you belong to,” Jay demanded.
“You. Only you.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” Jay picked up his pace, hammering into her. Her nails scored his back as his canines sunk deep into her neck, claiming her as his mate.
Minx screamed as another climax crashed over her. She wanted to tell him how fan-fucking-tastic it felt, but couldn’t form a single damn word. She felt her body coming apart at the seams, being rebuilt or changed into something—someone completely different. Without thinking, she leaned closer to her mate. Her canines sunk deep into the vein in his neck.
Majik swirled around them as he pumped his cock into her at a frenzied pace. His blood coated her throat. Power like she’d never felt poured through her body. Her hips jerked back and forth to meet his thrusts.
“Mine!” her wolf shouted.
“Ours!” she reminded her animal.
Mesmerized by the sight of Minx beneath him, Jay nearly lost his mind. Her emerald eyes took on an otherworldly glow as her pussy clamped down on his cock, demanding his seed.
Not yet.
Biting his lip until he tasted blood—he barely held back, wanting to see his mate climax one more time.
“So fucking beautiful. So sweet.” In the bright moonlight he noticed a splattering of tiny freckles that covered her rounded nose and high cheek bones. Her full upturned-lips were puffy and swollen from his demanding kisses.
He nipped at her lips once again, needing to taste her again. “So sweet.”
Sensual and sexy beyond belief, she responded to him as no other ever had. She was everything he’d ever dreamed of in a mate. Yet—for whatever reason—he had tried to resist the instinct riding him hard to complete the final step and claim her. He wanted to take his time, get to know her. Wine and dine her—like a normal man.
His wolf laughed at the stray thought—the feeble attempt to deny fate, reminding him that he was no normal man. Minx was no normal woman. She had been born solely for him, and he for her. Their destinies forever intertwined. She was his missing piece. The other half of his soul.
Though he’d lived many years, he knew that his life would never really be complete without her by his side. It was the way of the wolf. Their destiny was to find and claim their one true mate.
He’d searched far and wide for his mate, never once picking up so much as a clue as to where she could be. Giving up on the idea of finding his fated mate, he settled for someone who he had thought would love and cherish him as she’d promised in the vows they had both spoken before their family and friends. She had given him two beautiful children who had grown into amazing adults. They had been his life—his world.
For that, he would always thank her. But the years of loneliness he felt with her had been something he’d never anticipated. She turned cold, lashing out at both him and the children as the years passed. Throwing himself into being the best dad possible, he gave up on intimacy and love that he craved with every fiber of his being. After his kids had moved on to create their own lives, his wife filed for divorce. He should have expected it, but he hadn’t. He’d foolishly hoped they would find a way to rekindle the romance they once had. Instead, his wife had made it perfectly clear that she hated him with every fiber of her being.
For years, he’d sworn off women—dating. The divorce process left a bad taste in his mouth, and an ache in his heart that he had no desire to repeat. He’d taken on extra clients, filling up any free time that he’d had.
Jay would have never believed that his fated mate had been right here, all this time, waiting for him. All he had to do was come home.
Before he knew what the hell had happened, her life blood coated his tongue—poured down his throat. He picked up his pace, his cock hammering in and out of her. So wet. So tight.
“Mine!” his wolf’s voice vibrated in his head.
Just when he thought life couldn’t get any better, he felt her canines pierce his neck. Minx had chosen to complete the mating bond. Her majik entangled with his, filling him with more power than he’d ever imagined. The individual beat of their hearts, once separate, now combined. Her memories and thoughts filled his mind. Majik from the Gods themselves danced around them, darted in and out of their bodies—connecting two halves to make a whole.
Jay felt the power tugging at his essence, reshaping whom he’d been to create someone new. Someone who no longer walked this life or the next alone. The promise made long ago by the Gods, complete. Their souls forever joined, in this life and the next—for all eternity.
Her canines disengaged from his neck. He moaned as she licked and kissed a blazing path over the mating mark. Ecstasy swept over her face once again. He held on tight as her body bucked beneath him. He thrust into her. Once. Twice. Then shouted his release.
Jay collapsed beside her, panting. Sweat covered their bodies. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, not quite ready to let go.
He had no idea where they went from here, but he did know that she was his life. His reason for living, for breathing. He felt it deep in his body. Nothing in the world mattered without her.
The mating changed him as it had her. They were no longer individuals destined to create their own paths, seek out their own happiness like regular humans. Finding their fated mate was a once in a lifetime experience. Each animal was born with the knowledge their mate existed somewhere in the universe and waited for them—only them. Knowledge that only their mate could bring them what their hearts most desired.
“That was—” Minx paused, seeming to search for the right word. “–Amazing!”
“Yeah, it was,” Jay agreed.
Minx stared up at
the night sky. Few stars twinkled in the distance, obstructed by the bright light of the moon. She had so many questions, but didn’t want to break the peaceful silence surrounding them.
Her body was more relaxed than it had ever been. Every muscle deliciously sated. A sense of calm that she had never felt flowed through her. She wasn’t sure if the feeling of calmness came from her or Jay but either way, she’d take it.
“After all these years, I can’t hardly believe it.” Jay was the first to break the silence. “I had no idea.”
A million words formed on the tip of her tongue, but none came out. She had no clue what to say. She had known for years that they were mates.
Doubt filled her mind. Should she have said something all those years ago? Should she had told him the truth? Would he have believed her? How different could their lives have been?
“I wouldn’t have believed you,” Jay said, trying to ease her worries.
“How did you—” she started to ask, wondering if he had the power of telepathy.
“The mating bond,” he reminded her.
The mating bond was something unique to shifters. They could hear their mate’s unspoken thoughts, feel their emotions. Distance never a factor. The two halves of the souls that came together during the mating ritual would always know where the other was, sort of like a mystical GPS.
“That’s right. It’s odd having someone else in my head.” She would have to guard her thoughts and emotions more closely, now that they had completed the mating ritual and their bond had clicked solidly into place.
“Minx, I’ve seen your memories, felt your emotions. Even if you would have said something before my parents were killed, or right after—I wouldn’t have believed you. My wolf didn’t recognize you as our mate. You were too young. Not only that, in case you don’t remember, I was a hot mess back then.”
“I know,” she sighed. She understood. Truly, she did. No matter how much it had hurt at the time.
“What I can’t figure out is why your wolf was able to detect her mate that early in your life. Usually, our wolves can’t pick that up until we reach the age of maturity.” He turned to her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Your Sass is Mine: Sassy Ever After (Black Paw Wolves Book 5) Page 3