“Carrick,” I sighed, in a mixture of frustration and need. “If I’m going to stay with you while I’m in town and we’re going to work together, you can’t keep tossing out statements like that. What happened between us was”—I searched for a word that truly fit what we’d shared and came up short—“incredible, but we need to leave it in the past where it belongs.”
“First of all,” he growled, reaching out to grab my hand and lace his fingers through mine. “There’s no if about you staying with me, it’s a done deal. The only thing up in the air about that decision is if you’re going to sleep where you belong—beside me in my bed—or in one of my guest rooms.”
“Definitely a guest room. Our kids are much too observant for us to make any other decision without them asking questions I’d prefer not to answer.”
“You wanna fall asleep in another bed, I’m not gonna stop you from doing so. But I’m sure as fuck gonna do my best to try to get you to change your mind.” His hold on me tightened. “The kids aren’t going to begrudge us our happiness; not even if we find it together as a couple.”
A couple. I hadn’t allowed myself to think of us as such. It was too tempting. But now that he’d voiced it in that deep, raspy voice of his...I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get the thought out of my head ever again.
“Same with us working together. You already told Damien that you’d step in to Selene’s role on the council. I guarantee you that the first call Damien made was to Seth. There’s no backing out of the commitment now.” He brushed his thumb over my knuckles. “And the only way you work with the council is with me at your side, taking your back. You’re not facing that challenge alone. No fucking way. Not while I still have breath in my body.”
Oh my Goddess. This time it was my hand that clenched his. How could it not after he’d made a declaration like that? It had been too long since I’d had someone in my life willing to act as my shield against the world—if ever. My biological parents certainly hadn’t; I didn’t even know who they were. My adoptive parents hadn’t been much better since they’d tossed me out of their home as soon as they realized I was a witch. I’d only been a teenager when they’d told me I was evil. That I had tainted blood coursing through my veins and it wasn’t theirs.
They hadn’t wanted me. Neither had the man who’d fathered Selene, which hadn’t been too big of a blow since I hadn’t loved him and he wasn’t the consort the Goddess had intended for me.
My coven stood with me, but as their high priestess it was my responsibility to protect them. The same was true with my daughter.
But Carrick...he was a different story. There was no doubt in my mind that he meant what he’d just said. He was a protector at heart, and he considered me worthy of his defense. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can come up with a few ideas.” He lifted our hands to press a kiss against my knuckles before pulling into the driveway leading to his house. “But I have a feeling you’re going to do your best to try to resist all of my suggestions.”
Ten minutes ago, he would have been right since it’s exactly what I should have done. For both our sakes, as well as for our children. But he’d been impossible to resist before, and his declaration only made him even more so. “What if I don’t?”
Instead of pulling into the attached garage, he hit the brakes hard in front of the house and threw the engine into park. “Then I’ll do my best to convince you that’s a decision you should keep on making.”
“Carrick.” His name was the barest whisper of sound, but he caught it anyway.
“No. Fuck,” he bit out. “Don’t second-guess yourself. Let me have this, even if it’s just for one night.”
That’s how we’d rationalized it the last two times; as only one night. Maybe we’d meant it back then, but we’d be lying to ourselves if we believed that’s all it was going to be now with us living under the same roof. But I still grabbed onto that justification to give us both what we wanted. “Yes, just for tonight I promise not to second-guess myself.”
He jumped out of the truck and rounded to my side before I’d even gotten my door all the way open. He yanked on it and pulled me out, carrying me into his house and up the stairs straight into his bedroom. In no time flat, he had both of us stripped out of our clothes. Then he slid his fingers between my legs and pressed down on my clitoris, making me cry out.
“Need you so fucking much,” he growled, gliding his fingers down through my wetness to the entrance of my body and circling it. “And it feels like you need me just as much.”
“I do,” I moaned, my nails digging into his shoulders as he pushed two of his fingers inside me. “So don’t be a tease and give me what I want.”
“Ah, but I’ve only gotten you to agree to one night. I need to make it last.” He worked his fingers inside me, quickly bringing me close to the edge and then slowing down so I wouldn’t fly over it.
“Carrick.” I tried to tighten my legs in an attempt to give myself the pressure I desperately needed.
“You’re going to need patience, my sweet witch”—he twisted his wrist and rubbed against my G-spot, driving me wild—“unless you want to give me more than this one night.”
He withdrew his fingers from my body, making me whimper, and thrust them back in. Hard. Fast. Just that once, and I rolled my hips in an attempt to get him to finish it. But he wasn’t willing to relent. He was determined to torment me, and with the way his bear flashed in his eyes I knew he wasn’t going to back down. Not unless I gave him what he wanted first. I’d riled the beast inside him, and he was going to get his pound of flesh one way or another—either by working me into a mindless frenzy before giving me any form of release or getting me to agree to more.
He continued his torture, working me to the brink and backing off again as he dipped his head to suck one of my nipples into his mouth. He did it slowly, matching the same leisurely pace of his fingers. My entire body was tight with need. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”
I felt his smile against my breast before he released my nipple with a pop. “I only have so much time with you, and I want to enjoy every second of it. Can you blame me for that?”
I couldn’t. Not when each time we were together all I wanted was more.
Chapter Seven
Carrick
She thrust her hand into my hair and pulled my head up. “I can’t blame you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hesitate to use my power against you if you don’t give me an orgasm soon.”
The way she always challenged me was a fucking rush. Even as I flashed her a huge grin, I felt my bear push for control. He wanted her to be his. Ours.
I couldn’t blame him. My witch was all curves and soft, pale skin. She had high cheekbones and wide, green eyes. Great fucking lips. Sexy and full, the kind any guy instantly pictures wrapped around his cock. And her hair...it was a wild, thick mass of strawberry-blonde spread across my pillows. Right where it belonged dammit, and not just for this one night.
“Go ahead, sweetness. Give me the best you’ve got. It’s not going to solve your problem. Not when we both know you could make yourself come a hundred times tonight, and it still wouldn’t satisfy you. I’m the only one who can give you what you need.”
Her soft hand wrapped around my thick cock. “Who says I couldn’t just take what I need and leave you hanging?”
“You probably could,” I conceded. “But you won’t because you’re not a wicked witch. You’re a sweet one.” I shifted lower, tilted her hips up, and bent my head to swipe my tongue through her wetness. “So fucking sweet that I crave the taste of you.” I circled her clit, tightened my hold on her when she tried to press closer to me. “Dream of it filling my mouth while your scent wraps around me and the sounds you make when you come fill my ears.”
“Then why aren’t you making that dream come true right now? You already have my taste in your mouth.” She wriggled her hips, and a flush crept up her chest and filled her cheeks when I did
n’t ease my hold. Her green eyes flashed, but not with fear. With intense lust. “My nose isn’t as good as yours, but even I can smell my arousal. You must be able to as well.” Her lips curved up in a sensual smile when I nodded. “Then all you have to do is stop torturing me and let me come so you’ll be able to hear me cry out your name.”
“I want to hear something else from those fuckable lips of yours first.” I released her hips and crawled up her body.
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Because I have my sweet little witch in my bed.” I slid my hand between us and pumped two fingers into her. “And she’s so tight.” I scraped my teeth against the sensitive skin along her neck, directly over the wild fluttering of her pulse. “Hot.” I bit down gently, and her pussy clamped around me. “Wet.” She whimpered in protest when I slid my fingers from her body and lifted my hand to lick them. “Is it so hard to understand why I’d want to make the experience last as long as possible if it’s only going to happen this one more time?”
“Fine,” she panted, her skin glowing with a fine sheen of perspiration. “You’ve more than made your point. Make me come. Now. And I’ll give you another night.”
I’d always been one to press the advantage when I had it, and this situation was no different. Not when the stakes were so high. “What if I let you have more than one orgasm?”
“Then you’ll get more nights!”
“Damn straight I will,” I growled. My hand went between our bodies again, and my head bent low to suck her nipple into my mouth. I worked my fingers in and out of her. Hard and fast. My thumb brushed against her clit as I bit down against her breast with my teeth, and she flew apart.
I waited until her trembling subsided before rising to my knees and fisting my cock. I pumped it twice, well aware of her heavy-lidded, green gaze on me. Knowing the orgasm I’d just given her hadn’t satisfied her hunger only made me harder.
When she opened her arms and beckoned me closer, I went. There was no more need for teasing. I’d gotten what I wanted. At least partly anyway, and that would do for now because I could build off what I’d gained.
I pushed her thighs apart and took her with one powerful thrust. Her pussy was swollen from her orgasm, and I felt the drag of every inch of it as I drove my way inside. I held still, letting her adjust to my invasion as her walls clenched around me.
“I’ve missed this,” I murmured against her lips. “Missed you.”
Her green eyes went soft, and she lifted a hand to cup my cheek. “I’ve missed you, too.”
Her admission destroyed what little control I had left. I claimed her mouth in a deep kiss as I moved my cock in and out of her in a demanding rhythm. Pleasure unlike any I’d known before raced up my spine, demanding I make Audra mine as I pounded into her. I held on as long as I could, letting our orgasms build. I knew it’d hit both of us harder that way, which was exactly what I wanted. When I finally sent us over the edge, it almost felt like my body splintered apart and flew back together again—only better.
My vision was clearer. Scents were sharper. My skin felt overly sensitized where Audra was touching it, which was practically my whole front side since I was pressed tight against her curvy body. And as I claimed her lips in a passionate kiss, it tasted sweeter than ever before. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought we’d been mated. And the way Audra yanked her arm up to peer at her wrist—in the exact same spot where Selene had her consort mark on hers—made me think she felt it too.
I gently twisted her hand around and was disappointed to see only her creamy, unblemished skin. I pressed a kiss against her inner wrist and rolled off her warm body to drop down on the mattress. Gathering her in my arms, I asked, “What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe”—her voice trailed off, and her hair slid against my chest as she shook her head.
“That you’d see a consort’s mark there? One that indicates you’ve been paired with a bear shifter?”
“Yeah,” she sighed.
Now that I thought about it, I could swear that I’d seen her look at her wrist in much the same way before. “This isn’t the first time, is it?”
“No, I’ve felt the strangest tingling there many times when you’ve been near,” she admitted softly. “But this time...”
“It was different. Unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.” She tilted her head back and peered up at me, her eyes filled with curiosity. But I could’ve sworn there was also a hint of fear, and maybe even some jealousy. I swept the hair off her forehead and rubbed my thumb across her furrowed brow. “Whatever it is you’re thinking right now, ask me.”
“Was it like this for you when you mated Annora’s mother?”
The mix of emotions swirling in her eyes and the tension in her body suddenly made sense. If I thought she’d taken a consort before me, I’d be feeling jealous too. It was difficult enough to wonder about the relationship she’d had with Selene’s father, even though I knew he hadn’t been a part of their lives for as long as my daughter-in-law could remember. “I never mated her.”
Her green eyes widened. “You didn’t?”
“No, although she was fated to be mine, she was already mated when I found her. We never reached that point. Considering how everything turned out, I have zero doubts that it was a lucky escape for me even though it meant going through life knowing I’d never have a fated mate of my own.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I reassured her. “If things had happened differently, I wouldn’t have my sons. My children might never have met their fated mates. Then I wouldn’t have all my grandchildren. And I wouldn’t have met you.”
Chapter Eight
Audra
Oh my Goddess, it was no wonder I couldn’t resist Carrick McMahon. He was wildly attractive with his tall, muscular frame, dark hair and dark eyes. He also had this way of looking at me as though I was the only woman in the world when we were together. Then he went and gave me the biggest compliment I’d ever received, including meeting me with the reasons why he was okay with how things went down with the woman who had been fated to be his mate. I’d never met her, but I’d already hated her for what she’d done to his family.
Hearing the pain in his voice, my hatred turned into outright loathing. I offered up a quick thank you to the Goddess that she was already dead. If she hadn’t been, I would’ve been sorely tempted to use my magic in a manner in which it wasn’t intended. I needed to remember to buy Tahlia a drink at some point in the near future as a thank you for taking care of that situation. The intensity of my reaction to her was a big warning sign of how deep I already was in this thing with Carrick.
“What’re we going to do? How in the world is this going to work if I can’t manage to stay out of your bed the very first day I’m here?”
“Not just the first,” he corrected. “I earned at least two additional nights with you. Maybe more.”
“Two.” I lifted up my hand and held up my index and middle fingers. “Two orgasms. Two nights.”
“If it hadn’t been so damn long since the last time we were together, I would’ve had enough patience to give you plenty more than that,” he grumbled.
My heart leapt at what that might mean. “Really?”
“Eh, maybe.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I groaned, slapping my hand against his chest. “Has it really been that long for you?”
“Of course it has! The only woman I wanted was traveling the world, trying to avoid me.” His body went rock hard underneath mine, and his hold on me tightened. “Are you surprised because—”
“No,” I interrupted, pressing my fingers against his lips. “There hasn’t been anyone else for me either, not since long before we met.”
He heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank fuck.”
Being with Carrick was both a blessing and a curse because it was so good with him, but I kn
ew it wasn’t meant to last forever. No matter how possessive he acted towards me while we were together or how jealous I felt thinking about him with another woman.
I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart under my ear. He ran his fingers through my hair, and my eyes drifted shut. But no matter how relaxed my body was, my mind was still obsessing over the situation we found ourselves in.
“What’re we doing, Carrick? We’re old enough to know better than to risk pain for our families when this ends.”
He slid his palm along my jaw and tilted my head back until I met his gaze. His dark eyes gleamed with a hint of his bear when he asked, “Who says it has to end?”
Although what we wanted to make of our relationship was ultimately our decision, I thought the answer to his question was obvious. “Are you okay with knowing that someday I might meet the man the Goddess intends for me? That no matter how good things are between us, I’d have an instant connection with him?” Because if our roles were reversed, I sure as heck wouldn’t be.
“That depends. Would that connection mean that you’d be guaranteed to leave me? Do all witches end up with their consorts? Or is it more like shifters, where sometimes there are exceptions?”
I was a little afraid to answer his question. It might give him the ammunition I was starting to think he was looking for to convince me to give a relationship with him a serious try. If he was as relentless about it as I expected he would be, then there was no doubt in my mind that he’d get exactly what he wanted. “Exceptions like you and your fated mate, where she chose to stay with someone else and it ate her up inside?”
“Annora’s mother doesn’t count because Fate fucked up there and matched me with an evil woman instead of the woman I’m convinced was meant to be mine. But that doesn’t answer my question. Is there a possibility that you and your consort wouldn’t end up together? Without hurting you? Because causing you pain is the last fucking thing I’d ever want to do.”
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