Beta's Virgin Bride (James Pack Book 2)

by Lacey Thorn

  “We have to stop.”

  “No, we really don’t.” I needed her like air. Stop? Stopping was crazy, but I pulled back, meeting her gaze and seeing the uncertainty there. I lowered my head and shook it while blowing out a breath.

  “Are you okay?” Her voice was small, and that gave me the impetus to push off and settle beside her on the bed. I lay on my side, chin propped on my palm as I gazed at her.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours, Ivy?”

  “I…” She took her bottom lip between her teeth as she sat up to face me. “This is overwhelming. I don’t do this.” She waved her hand back and forth between us.

  “This?” I questioned.

  “One-night stands or whatever this is.”

  I lifted one brow, doing my best to hold back my growl. I’d already told her repeatedly she was my mate. Something in my gaze must have reminded her of my earlier words.

  “You don’t just meet someone and decide they’re your mate.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  She opened her mouth and closed it. Opened it again and paused before shaking her head. “You just don’t.”

  “Why?” I countered again. “Bastion saw a picture of Raina and knew she was it for him.” And yeah, I’d considered him crazy at the time, but I was onboard now. I had a completely different perspective since I’d met Ivy.

  “Sharing your alpha’s insanity doesn’t make either of you sane,” she informed me. “We don’t know each other, Cyan. I don’t know anything about you except that you’re a member of the James Pack. I don’t know where you came from. How you came to be with Bastion. If you have any family. And what do you know about me? Other than you want me?”

  “I know you’d do anything to help your friends. I saw that tonight with Raina Byrd. I know you’re grieving for the loss of another friend, Rowan Byrd, and I think tonight might have been the first time you’ve cried since you lost him.”

  Her eyes flared at my words, enough of an acknowledgement for me to know I was right.

  “I know you have a precocious little sister you love. I know you’ve probably been dealing with guys like Austin and his buddies most of your life because of something you have no control over. Your mother. Yes, I want you, but we both know it’s more than that. If you need a little more time to realize it, I’ll wait.”

  “How…?”

  I brushed a finger along her cheek, taking in her stunned expression. “Because I pay attention to what matters, and you matter. Do I know everything about you? No, but that’s okay. We have a lifetime. All I know is the moment I saw you, my heart recognized yours. Tell me you feel nothing. Tell me this is all in my head, and I’ll walk away.”

  Her lush lips parted, but no words came out.

  “I don’t know if I can do this,” she said again, and my temper had me gritting my teeth.

  “I told you there’s more here than a one-night stand.” I was upset, and though I tried to hide it, I’m sure she heard the frustration in my voice.

  “I know that,” she snapped, crossing her legs and glaring at me. “I meant mating. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a mate.”

  “Why?”

  “Why do you keep asking that? Are you two?”

  There was fire in her eyes now. It looked good on her. Better yet, it erased the sadness that had been there. I sat up, turning to ease my back against her headboard, and Ivy adjusted her position, so she sat facing me. I lifted an eyebrow at her. That question didn’t deserve an answer. She was stalling, and we both knew it.

  “Why do you think you’re not cut out to be a mate?” I finally broke the silence.

  “My…mother told me she tried to mate with my father when she found out she was pregnant with me, but she couldn’t. She said once she discovered the pleasure of sex, she couldn’t stop. She…” Ivy broke off, closed her eyes and shook her head.

  “I’m not like that, Ivy.” I took her hands in mine. I’m sure my gaze was pleading with her. “I know you don’t know everything about me. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. All you have to do is ask.”

  She shook her head again, one hand covering her mouth, so I started talking.

  “My dad was alpha of our pack. My mom was his lover, but they never officially mated. He died when I was still a baby. My uncle took over as alpha. Told my mom he was happy to take care of her. I wasn’t included. Can’t have the previous alpha’s bastard kid around.”

  “Where did your mom go?”

  I smiled. “It says a lot about you that you’d ask that.” I reached out and brushed my fingers along her cheek again. “My mom stayed. She had an opportunity to acquire a position within the pack that she’d never had with my dad. She took it. She had more kids. Two boys and a girl. The oldest son is set to take his father’s place as alpha.”

  “But that position is yours. Your family has to know that.”

  “Bastion James and the James pack are my family. Not a woman who gave me away as if I had no meaning. Not an uncle who both feared and hated me when I was still an infant. And certainly not a pack that stood by and did nothing to prevent it. I know what it means to have someone walk away from you.”

  “Cyan—”

  “My heart’s been tangled up with you since the moment I saw you, woman. You think I’ll get a taste of you and head on to the next piece of ass that walks by? You’re wrong.”

  “You don’t know that,” Ivy scoffed.

  “The fuck I don’t!” I all but roared.

  Ivy slapped a hand over my mouth. “Hush, you’ll wake up Jasmine.”

  I tried to talk, but my words were muffled by her hand, so I flicked out my tongue and licked her palm. I felt the current run between us and knew from the way her nostrils flared that she felt it, too. Then her palm was gone, disappearing into her lap. Her nipples were hard, though. I didn’t miss the way they poked against her shirt as if begging for my touch, for the feel of my lips and tongue.

  “I meant there’s no way you can know how you’ll feel in the future.”

  “Should I remind you that I’m the insane man who took one look at you and saw my future?”

  “Probably not. Besides, it’s not you I’m worried about.”

  “Who the hell are you worried about then?”

  Had she loved someone else? Was there another man in her life? Rowan had been a friend, but had she wanted something more? She’d said he’d been like a brother, but had that been his choice or hers?

  “Were you in love with Rowan Byrd?”

  “What? Where did that come from?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “We’ve already had this conversation. I told you he was like a brother to me.”

  “Did you want more?”

  “What? No!”

  “Did you love him?”

  “Yes, of course, I did. Like a brother. He was family, Cyan. We shared a laugh every now and then. Maybe a hug on occasion. I never slept with him. I never wanted to. I’ve never slept with anyone. I’m a virgin.”

  My dick gave a huge salute to that. Virgin. It didn’t matter in the sense that I would have thought less of her or not wanted her as much if she were experienced. Nothing could do that. It mattered in ways I’d never considered. Knowing I’d be her first, her last, her always, it made me wish I could say the same to her.

  Then it hit me. Her worry. Her fear. It wasn’t about me. She’d guarded her virginity out of fear. And there was one person to blame. Her mother.

  “What are you afraid of?” I asked.

  “I don’t want to be like her,” Ivy whispered. “I can’t take the risk I might be like her.”

  “You’re nothing like her.”

  She smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. “Something else you just know?”

  “Tell me this? You love Jasmine?”

  “Of course, I do.” That had her back up.

  “Ever think of leaving her?”

  “Never. My sister is my whole world.”

  �
��But your mom did.”

  “Ah, I see what you’re doing now. It’s not the same though.”

  “Why? Because you’re a virgin? You honestly think there’s a chance you’ll want to leave her after you have sex with me?”

  “No. I’ll never leave her.”

  “Then you’re afraid we’ll have sex and what? You won’t be satisfied with just me?”

  She paled.

  “Maybe, there’s a chance you’ll become insatiable for one man. Did you ever think of that?”

  She shook her head. “My mom—”

  “Isn’t you. I don’t need to know her to know that’s true. She left, and you stayed. You stayed, and you loved Jasmine, and Rowan, and from what I can tell, Raina. So what do you say we put this fear of yours behind us, so we can move on.” I stood up and reached for my belt.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded, coming up on her knees on the bed.

  God, I wanted her on her knees. Seeing her like that had my cock throbbing against my zipper. If I didn’t unzip soon, I’d bust the damn thing.

  “Stripping. You can join me, or I’m happy to help you when I’m done. Then we’re going to make love on this bed for the rest of the night. I’m going to fuck all those thoughts out of your head.”

  She licked her lips, but she wasn’t saying no.

  “Then?”

  I leaned in, bracing my shin along the mattress as I gripped her chin and tugged her face up. “I’m going to show you I’m the only man you’ll ever want or need.”

  Chapter Six

  ~ Ivy ~

  His words hung in the air between us. A challenge, and I’d never been one to back down from one of those. And maybe, he was right. God knew I wanted him. I’d never wanted another man the way I did him. Not that I’d tell him that. He was too cocky as it was.

  He leaned down toward me, and I knew what he intended. I caught my breath and held it while I waited. His fingers brushed my cheek then caught my jaw and tilted my face up toward his. I held his stare for a long moment. I wasn’t sure if he was giving me a chance to say no or not. The word hovered in my throat, rose to my tongue. I parted my lips, but nothing emerged. Instead, I inched closer to him.

  As if Cyan had been waiting for that, he took my mouth under his, his tongue sweeping inside. He devoured me. His hands tugged my shoulders until I was pressed tightly against his chest. I wanted my shirt off, wanted to rub wantonly against his chest. I’d suspected his kiss would be enticing, but I’d had no idea. His kiss had all my lady parts screaming for more, more, more. I wanted his hands, his mouth, and yes, please, I wanted his cock.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, sliding my fingers up into his hair. We ate at each other. His big hands stroked down my back, caught the edge of my shirt and pulled it up. I released my grip on his hair and lips long enough to help him get the cloth over my head, then I crashed back into him. I heard a whimper, and I’m pretty sure it was mine.

  His hands moved again, and this time, he cupped my ass. When he stood, I clung to him, wrapping my legs around his waist. Another groan. This time, I was positive it was his. He gripped my hips and rocked me along the hard ridge of his erection. The man was packing some serious length and width from what I could tell. Part of me was afraid to finish undressing and get an eyeful. The other half of me was past ready.

  His lips skimmed along my jaw, heading down my throat, leaving sucking nips as he did. I felt him tugging at my bra, the give as it released, and I eagerly helped push it out of the way. I couldn’t resist leaning in so my nipples brushed along the hair on his chest. I rubbed them over him, reveling in the friction. He felt so good.

  “Fuck, you feel good,” Cyan growled between kisses on my skin. I didn’t miss how his words mirrored my thoughts. Then he had me on my back on the bed, and that wicked mouth found one of my nipples. It took all I had not to cry aloud. The last thing I wanted was to wake Jasmine. So I sank my teeth into my lower lip and mewled softly.

  “Cyan.” His name was a whispered moan as I arched, pressing more of my breast against his hungry mouth.

  If this was what it felt like to be with a man, I understood why my mother—

  I killed that thought instantly. I wasn’t my mother. I refused to be my mother. I wouldn’t go from man to man to man, always after the pleasure with none of the commitment.

  Cyan bit softly on my nipple, bringing a gasp from me and gaining my full focus.

  “Just you and me,” he whispered, popping the turgid point free.

  I nodded, licking my lips. I wanted to taste him. Run my fingers through his chest hair, follow the trail of it to where it led to his jeans. I licked my lips again as I eyed that bulge. Cyan was quicker though. He had my pants undone and pulled them and my panties down around my knees in one quick tug. A few more tugs and I was naked, laid out before him like an offering.

  “Christ, woman. You take my breath.” His hands roamed over me, teasing and pulling at my nipples before rubbing over my belly then drifting down to the inside of my thighs. He gently pressed my legs open, and it took all I had not to fight to close them again. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him there. It was that no one had ever been there before. I felt exposed, awkward on a level I’d never encountered. But the way he looked at me squashed those feelings.

  He went to his knees by the bed and took my foot in his hand. I wasn’t sure what he planned, but when his lips wrapped around my toe and sucked, I felt the pull of it all the way to my core. It was embarrassing how wet I was. He christened each toe then switched to my other foot and treated it equally. By the time he began kissing and licking his way up the inside of my thighs, altering back and forth between them, my sex was clenching with anticipation. Then he was there. His breath fanning my folds.

  We were both panting. My heart galloped. His gaze lifted. Held mine. And my lips parted on a gasp as he dipped a finger inside, circling my clitoris then sliding along my sex until he was there. Right there. Poised to enter. I couldn’t have moved if my life depended on it. He pushed inside, penetrating me, and I came. I soaked his finger, mine clenching in the bed covers as I took pleasure.

  “Fuck, yes,” Cyan growled. “You’re going to burn me alive.”

  I was still riding the wave when I felt his lips and tongue, heard the rumble of his chest as he tasted my release. After a few licks, he had my knees over his shoulder and began devouring me. At some point, one finger became two, and he drove me higher and higher. I whimpered. I keened and moaned, rolling my hips back and forth, fighting to get away, to get closer.

  I think I might have gone blind for a brief moment as he wrung me dry. I was a boneless heap when he finally moved. He stood, and I heard the rustle of clothing. I imagined he was stripping, but my eyelids wouldn’t get onboard with opening so I could enjoy the show.

  “Ivy,” Cyan called, and I forced my lids up and got lost in his gaze. His eyes were deep, dark-green pools that invited me to dive in. I didn’t hear the question in his voice, but I saw it in his eyes. After all he’d given me, he was still making sure I was okay with taking the next step. And I was. So ready.

  I nodded, lifting my arms and beckoning to him. He growled again, sweeping me along with him as he crawled up the bed. He took my mouth, and I tasted myself on his lips, on his tongue. I felt the weight of him, pinning me down, holding me under him. I lifted my knees, clasping his hips and boosting myself so I could rub my sex along his shaft. He did that sexy growl again, reaching down with one hand to cup my ass and grind me against him. His other palm was braced by my head, holding the bulk of his weight off me. His fingers were spread wide, his muscles flexing in a way that drew my eye.

  “I want…” I caught my breath as the head of his cock tapped my clit.

  “What do you want, baby?”

  “You,” I managed to get out. “Inside me.”

  He pulled back his hips, stopping when the glans kissed my opening.

  “Look at me,” Cyan demanded. He was all about visua
l connection. He’d captured my gaze prior to penetrating me with his finger. It sounds crazy, but because of it, there was a greater intimacy to what we shared. It was as if he wanted me to know who was touching me, taking me, claiming me.

  He’d coated his length with my juices as he’d glided between my folds, and with a slight push, he began to breach me. He was big, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure my body would accept him. I felt impossibly stretched.

  “Breathe, baby,” he urged and rocked his hips, pressing a little deeper inside me with each stroke.

  It was too much. He was too much. I couldn’t take him.

  “You can,” he whispered, making me realize I’d spoken my doubts aloud. “Every inch, baby. It all belongs to you. Take it.”

  I nodded. I wanted it, wanted everything he had to offer, and he gave it. He filled me completely, his cock sliding deep and stealing what little air I’d managed to inhale. We stayed that way for a moment, staring at one another, our hips locked together and unmoving.

  “We’ll take it slow,” he crooned. “Easy. Let your body adjust to me.”

  He slowly eased back, his thick cock dragging along my sheath as he withdrew. He stopped when he was poised at my entrance once more, then he slid deep again. He took his time, groaning with each stroke.

  “Kiss me,” I begged, and he dropped his head to mine, finding my lips and diving between them to plunder.

  I curled into him, sliding my arms under his and curving my hands over his shoulders. My nipples rubbed his chest, and he settled a little more of his weight on me. He moved his hand from my ass to my hip and thrust a little faster.

  The need for air broke our kiss, and Cyan tilted his head up. I couldn’t resist his throat and the pulse that beat crazily there. I ran my tongue down the strong cord, nuzzling his Adam’s apple before finding that pulse point and sucking. I let my teeth scrape his skin then nipped a little harder than I’d intended. Blood welled up in the wound I’d made, and without thought, I flicked my tongue out and caught it.

  He exploded through my senses. The heat and essence of him. I lost my head, going back for more, sucking the wound then scraping my teeth over it again and again. Cyan rode me faster, each stroke harder, pounding deeper. My nails scratched his skin, the balls of my feet digging into the small of his back as I clung to him.