Prideless

by Kasey Belle

  Neither of them spoke. He held her, and she ran her hands up and down his back. When his softening cock slipped from her body, they both groaned. He pulled back to look at her. He had to make sure he hadn’t hurt her.

  “I hadn’t planned to take you so soon. I didn’t hurt you did I, Mate?”

  “No Max. It was wonderful.”

  “Are you sore?”

  “No.”

  “Shelly.” He narrowed his eyes at her. No way, she wasn’t sore, not after that.

  “I’m not, not right now. I’m sure I will be sore later.”

  He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry, Mate.”

  “I’m not. Being sore is natural, Max. Not like you could prevent it. I am definitely not sorry. It will be a good sore.”

  Max pulled back and looked at her. Was she insane?

  “It will be. Every time I move, I’ll think of you, that you were there, that you were my first, and are my only. It was perfect, both times.” She blushed with embarrassment but her eyes never left his.

  What the hell could he say to that? ‘Thank you’ seemed trite and ‘you’re welcome’ seemed a bit arrogant and rude.

  “Are you okay, Max?”

  “Yeah, I just don’t know how to respond to that. Part of me wants to kick my own ass for causing you an ounce of pain and the other part wants a high five and a fist bump. I know I couldn’t prevent it, but I hate like hell that I hurt you.”

  “But?”

  “But damn, I am the only man that has ever touched you and the only man that ever will. The caveman in me is seriously stoked about that. I think that makes me an ass but I really don’t care.”

  She laughed; thank the fates. She didn’t seem the least bit offended by what he said. “It doesn’t make you an ass Max, at least not to me. I never wanted anyone to touch me like that, only you. So that makes you pretty special.”

  “I feel special. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He chuckled as she echoed his previous thought.

  Chapter 17

  “Max will you show me your lion now?”

  Shelly waited on Max to finish his internal battle or was it conversation? She’d witnessed this sort of behavior a few times. I wonder if he’s talking to his lion. Well, why don’t you ask him.

  “Have you two come up with an answer yet?”

  Max’s head snapped up, and he blushed. He actually blushed. Oh, how she wished she had a camera. No one would believe it. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

  “I’ve noticed you do that a lot. Zone out. You’re talking to your lion right?”

  “I am.”

  Feeling just a little evil, she couldn’t help but tease the caveman. “Wow, you speak cat? Do you understand this? Meow, meow, meow, meow meow.”

  His roguish laughter could rival any super villain’s, a cross between impish amusement and you’re fucked and not in a good way. “Oh man. I may be amused, but my lion is not. You are in so much trouble, Mate. My lion is not happy with you.”

  “What? It was an honest question.”

  “Mimicking a cat and asking if I understand you, was an honest question?”

  She shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure.”

  “We communicate through a mental link, yes in English, but in lion form-”

  “You roar?”

  “That’s it.” Emitting a roar, he pounced on her. He tickled her until she begged him to stop before she peed her non-existent pants.

  She loved how it felt when he was on top of her. The weight of him, his size, and his strength made her feel surrounded and safe. The way he looked into her eyes, as he was doing now, as if he was looking at his reason for living, his future.

  He brushed the hair from her face. “I don’t want you to be afraid of him.”

  “Your lion?”

  “Yeah. He would never hurt you.”

  “Why do you talk about him as if he is another person? I thought you were one in the same.”

  “We are, for the most part. We are two halves of a whole. However, we live separate lives, in a way. We are never our true selves at the same time. In human form, part of me is still the lion and in lion form, part of him is still me. Confusing, I know.”

  “Only a little, but I get it. No matter what form you are, you’re always Max.”

  “Exactly, Doll.”

  “Enough stalling, I want to meet him.”

  He pushed off the bed and stood in front of her, gloriously naked. Man, he was hot and hard. Max cleared his throat. “Keep looking at me like that and this little show and tell session is going to get put on hold.”

  “Really?”

  He growled. “Stop. You need to rest.” He smiled and shook his head. “You’re bad.”

  “Yeah, but you love me anyway.”

  “Yeah, I do. Don’t freak.”

  “Will it hurt?”

  “At first it did, like growing pains, but you grow out of that.”

  An amber glow much like his eyes surrounded him. Golden fur sprouted from his skin, nails became claws, and his canines dropped. He dropped to the floor to all fours, and she fought the instinct to cover her ears at the awful popping and cracking as his body distorted. Then it was over. In front of her stood the biggest lion she had ever seen. On all fours, he stood eye to eye with her, on hind legs he had to be eight feet. Holy shit. The beast eyed her warily.

  “Max?”

  He nodded and gave a quiet roar.

  “Can I pet you?”

  He took a couple of steps forward, stopped, and sat on his haunches.

  She reached out and ran her hand over his thick golden mane. “It’s so soft.” She dug both her hands into his fur and a low rumble came from Max.

  He moved forward and laid his head in her lap as she continued to pet him. She ran her hands down his back. “You’re beautiful Max.”

  He growled at her.

  “Don’t growl at me, you are.”

  He licked her cheek.

  She pushed at his big head. “Ew, gross.” She giggled. “Stop, Max.”

  Amber light surrounded them and he was in his human form once again. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his cheek on her between her breasts. “Thank you, Mate.”

  She ran her fingers through her hair. “For what?”

  “For everything.”

  He didn’t have to explain to her what he meant, she knew. It must be so hard to live a half-life. She wondered how he managed in the military. She doubted he could just go off and let his lion run free. Well he didn’t have to worry about that with her. He could be his lion whenever he wanted. His lion was magnificent.

  He kissed her sternum. “Why don’t I fill up the tub and you soak a bit. It will help your sore muscles and relieve some of the discomfort.”

  “You don’t have to, but since I know you will anyway, I’ll just say, thank you.”

  “You know me so well already, Mate.” He gave her a smacking kiss and jumped up.

  ****

  As he walked across the room to the bathroom, he could feel her eyes on his ass. He turned knowing he would catch her looking.

  He raised his eyebrow at her teasingly. She shrugged and graced him with that blush he loved so much.

  “Feel free to look all you want, Mate. I know I will.”

  She looked positively dumbstruck. He chuckled as he entered the bathroom. He grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the faucet as the tub filled. He wiped himself down and his smile turned to a frown when he saw the remnants of her virginity on the wet cloth. He consoled himself with the fact it was the only time she would bleed for him.

  “No it’s not.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Of course it is. She will never bleed for us again. We will never cause her pain again.”

  “What about when she bears our cubs?”

  “Shit. How can we ask her to endure that for us? Childbirth will be a thousand times more painful tha
n a torn hymen.”

  “Imagine her belly round with our cubs, feeling them kick inside her, and holding them in our arms. How can we not?”

  Max could picture it and he couldn’t deny the rush of warmth that filled him. He did want cubs, more than anything. He watched Shelly with Emma Grace and she was a natural. She would be an excellent mother. He never pictured himself with a mate let alone cubs, but he could see them with Shelly. A little girl just like her mama in both beauty and temperament, a little boy like him strong and capable, or maybe a couple of each.

  “We will ask her.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Why not? She is our mate. Why would we wait?”

  “She is also only twenty-three. She finished her degree not long ago and started a new job at the hospital, so she may not be ready for children yet. We may not be ready.”

  His lion growled, but he also knew Max was right. He would talk to Shelly about it when the time was right or when she brought it up. He loved the thought of having children with her, but they were newly mated. He liked the idea of having her to himself for a while. They would have cubs when the time was right. He wouldn’t rush it no matter how impatient his beast became.

  He shut the water off and went to collect his mate. Right now, his priority was taking care of her, not planning the number of cubs; he wanted her to give him.

  ****

  Shelly heard Max turn the water on and she smiled. He was perfect. Not flawless, in fact he was rather flawed, but he was perfect for her, flaws and all. She had never felt cherished or loved, but damn, those feelings consumed her now.

  She stretched and felt the soreness in her newly used muscles. She shook her head and grinned. His indecision about how he should feel about taking her virginity was comical. He was usually quite sure of himself, to the point of arrogance; the vulnerability he sometimes displayed was quite refreshing. It made him a little more human and a little more perfect.

  “What are you grinning at?”

  She jumped mid-stretch. She never heard him enter the bedroom. She opened her eyes and gave him the ‘I’ll never tell’ smile she had seen Fiona use many times since they were kids.

  Max crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, trying to look intimidating. If she didn’t know him so well he would have been, but she could see the happiness dancing in his eyes. “Well?”

  Hmm? She must be doing something wrong. No one ever questioned Fee after she used the ‘smile’. He narrowed his eyes at her and she couldn’t help but giggle. He really was adorable when he went all suspicious male on her.

  His lips twitched. “Just because you think I’m adorable doesn’t mean I will let you get away with not answering.”

  Her jaw dropped open, “You heard that?”

  “I told you we would be able to hear each other’s thoughts.”

  “I didn’t think it was instant.”

  “The link isn’t complete yet, but you yelled that.”

  “Oh. Well you are.”

  “And the smile?”

  “I’m happy and you make me smile.”

  He tackled her back onto the bed, kissed, and nuzzled her neck, making her laugh. He pulled back to look at her, the love shining in his eyes was a tangible. She could feel it all the way to her toes.

  “I’m happy you are happy.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose and jump up. He scooped her into his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her into the bathroom.

  She could see the steam rising off the water in the tub. She couldn’t wait; it was going to feel wonderful. “Wait.”

  Max stopped immediately and looked down at her.

  She pointed to her cosmetic case on the counter. “I need something for my hair so I don’t get it wet.”

  He carried her over to the counter.

  “I can walk Max.”

  “I know.”

  When he didn’t put her down, she looked up at him. He lifted his chin towards her case. “Get what you need.”

  “Aren’t you going to put me down?”

  “Nope.”

  She giggled again. She did that a lot around him, but then again he smiled a lot around her, as he was doing now.

  He carried her to the tub as she twisted her hair up and secured it with a large clip. He climbed into the large Jacuzzi tub with her still in his arms. He never relinquished his hold on her, not even when he placed her between his thighs, her back to his chest, his arms remained securely wrapped around her.

  “This tub is heaven.”

  “It is.”

  “You lucked out with this place. Will you use it often?”

  “Hadn’t planned on it.”

  “Really? Why not? If I had this tub, I would be in it every day.”

  “Didn’t see the point then, but I get it now that you are in here with me. Feel free to use it all you want, Mate, as long as you don’t mind me joining you at least every other day.”

  “You can join me any time you want Max.” She sighed and leaned back into him.

  “You sound very content. I’ve got something that will make you feel even better.”

  “Max! You said I’m supposed to be soaking my sore muscles, not putting them to work.” She tried to give him an angry glare, but she couldn’t contain her humor.

  “Smart ass.” He pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger in reprimand. “I meant this.” He reached over and pushed a button and the jets to came on.

  She couldn’t contain her groan. Oh, he was right, that was better.

  ****

  After their bath, Shelly was practically asleep on her feet as Max dried her off. He carried her to bed, tucked her into the center, and climbed in behind her. He reached behind him and grabbed his phone. He pulled up John St. Pierre’s contact information and sent him a text letting him know they would be by in a few days so he could meet Shelly. Max didn’t plan on either of them leaving this bed for anything other than bathroom breaks and food.

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He bit back a groan when her ass was flush with his groin. His cock went into insta-hard mode. Greedy bastard. He told himself he would let her sleep at least a few hours before he was inside her again. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her scent. He said a prayer of thanks to the Fates for giving him such a perfect mate and for allowing him to find her.

  He closed his eyes and for the first time since his mother’s murder, nightmares didn’t visit him. He slept peacefully with his mate in his arms until the sunlight peaked through the curtains.

  Epilogue

  Present Day

  Christmas 2015

  Copper Creek

  Max looked down at his mate. She fell asleep a half hour ago. He knew he should pick her up and carry her to bed, but he didn’t want to risk waking her. Plus, he loved how she looked in firelight. He could watch her all night, sometimes he did. He would ever tell her that. She would fuss at him for not resting and worry about him not getting enough sleep and working all day.

  He gently brushed the hair from her cheek and commit how she looked in this moment to memory. Stunning. Peaceful. Perfect. Tomorrow when he was at the shop, he would sketch her. This was it, the moment he had waited for. He knew when he saw his next tattoo he would know it. He wanted one of Shelly, but he never found quite the right pose or moment in time, until now. After he had it drawn out, he would talk to his guy, Greer about inking it on his back. Greer was a damn genius when it came to portraits, whether people or animals, it didn’t matter. The kid was freaking talented. Max lucked out when the kid came in looking for an apprenticeship.

  The jingle of dog tags caught his attention, and he looked over at Sam, who was staring at him. “Hey buddy,” he whispered.

  Sam whined wanting to go outside. Shit. Max eased away from Shelly and stretched out his back as he stood. He covered her with another blanket and Sam sniffed his mistress before they went through the kitchen to the back door.

  He
waited by the door for Sam to do his business. Sam wasn’t out long and when he came in, he went and sat by his food bowl. “You are fucking spoiled. You know that right?”

  Like the dog gave a shit. He filled his bowls with food and water. He left Sam to his dinner and headed back to his mate. He made it as far as the couch when little whimpers came through the baby monitor. He rushed to Lily’s room to get her before she went into a full-blown hissy fit and woke Shelly. Lily stopped fussing the second she saw him. He reached in and plucked her from the crib.

  “Hey there princess, did you have a good nap?” He kissed her soft check. He felt her diaper, and she needed a change. He lay her down on the changing table and talked to her while he got her into a dry diaper. He loved her so much. She started to fuss again, and he held her so her face was in his neck, allowing his scent to soothe her.

  He knew she was probably hungry, so he carried her to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle, and put it in the warmer. Warm bottle in hand, he and Lily went into the den.

  He leaned back in his recliner and cradled Lily in his arms while she nursed. He smiled at the wonder of it all, still in awe at how The Fates had blessed him. He had everything he could have ever wanted. He had a sweet loving mate, a beautiful cub, and a home in a place he felt he truly belonged. He hated to admit it. Hell, he loathed the word, but there was no denying the truth. He didn’t have just a family. He had the one thing he swore he would never have, swore he never wanted, and had been denying existed for almost four years. He had a pride. A pride of two, he glanced down at Lily Rose, make that two and half, and a dog. He purred with satisfaction and contentment. Life was perfect.

  His gaze moved to his mate asleep on the floor. Sam had come in a few moments ago and laid down beside his mistress. He chuckled quietly at the scene before him. He was an alpha lion with a pride, on pack land, who owned a mongrel. He was in the middle of a living breathing preternatural Rockwell. Shelly was right. This was the best Christmas ever.

  The End.

  Thank You!

  Thank you for choosing me and my book as your author and book of choice. With so many authors and books out there, I feel truly blessed you picked me. I hope you enjoyed Max & Shelly’s story as much as I enjoyed telling it.