Predator's Kiss (Gemini Island Shifters, Book 1)
Page 17
Her breath was coming hard and there was a sparkle in her eye that was a clear indication she was about to tackle him where he kneeled. Before either of them got carried away, Ryland put a finger to her lips.
“Hear me out, though, before you answer. Being my mate means I have to mate with you. It means I have to bite you, Lia. I’d have to bite you hard, and mark you. You’d become a bear shifter too.” He ran a nervous hand through his hair. Damn. He was sweating so hard. “I know how you feel about animals…”
With a little whoop, Lia pushed him onto the forest floor and pounced on him, more like a wildcat than a woman. She wound her legs around his lower half and covered him with her body. Taking his breath away, she ground herself against his erection and buried her face in his neck.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the woman was already growling. She was certainly nibbling his neck like an animal.
Ryland pushed her away a little and stared, amazed. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” She laughed. “Bite me. Mate with me. Throw me over that log and take me. Do whatever you need to do to me. I’m yours, Ryland. I want to be your wife.”
Their mouths met, open, furious, needy. His tongue slid against hers, and as he reveled in her taste she received him with sighs and moans. Her every gyration made him harder, made him want to turn her over and thrust into her like a raging beast. Even as they kissed, he felt her hands at his waist, fumbling with his belt buckle and unzipping his jeans. She reached into his pants and encircled his cock with a soft, greedy hand.
Ryland needed to take charge. As fun as this was, it was time to make her his. It was time to put his scent and his mark on her, claiming Lia as his own forever. His bite would initiate the transformation to shifter in her, and he would be there to help her along the way.
As he rolled her over, he contemplated where to mark his lover. As she quickly disposed of her pants and underwear, so frantic she didn’t even bother to remove her shirt, he was inspired. As soon as her bottom half was naked, he forced her to the forest floor and smiled at the sight of her pretty pussy. She spread her legs for him, allowing him access. Her lips were moist with the delectable dew he could already taste. Her scent was slamming into his olfactory system, and he breathed her in with a vengeance.
As she writhed below him, Ryland lowered his head and dragged his tongue through her wet lips. She bucked below him and screamed his name. He sucked her lips into his mouth and dragged on them greedily, absorbing as much of her sweetness as he could. Lia was shaking. He’d never seen her come so hard or so fast, and knew the anticipation of his bite was bringing her to orgasm already. As her body began to quake, he sucked on her clit and watched her unravel. And before she came apart completely, Ryland moved his lips to her tender inner thigh. As she clutched his hair, crying out for him, he bit down on her thigh, hard enough to break the skin.
Her upper body stilled in shock at this invasion, but her lower half was still quivering. Before she stopped squirming, he raised himself over her and poised his cock at her entrance. With one smooth glide, he buried himself inside her and began to pump as if his life depended on it.
He could almost hear his bear jumping for joy inside him, so ecstatic at finally being at one with his mate. Ryland adjusted her hips and dived deeper into her welcoming body, never more excited or more at peace. And when he came, Lia came again with him, their bodies a sweaty, heaving mess.
When he finally detached himself from her, he looked at her wound and frowned. He touched it gingerly with a finger. “Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.”
He grunted, hating that he had to make her bleed. Without another word, Ryland bent and licked her wound, lapping up all the blood. Taking her inside him as he’d done with no one else. They were bound now. No one would ever tear them apart.
He pulled her into his arms and ran a hand over her damp hair. Smiling, he pulled the leaves out of the long, brown strands. “I love you forever, Lia.”
She looked up at him and the happiness in her eyes made his heart leap. “I love you too.”
* * * *
One week later, Lia sat at her laptop in the suite she now shared with Ryland at the Ursa Fishing Lodge. He stood behind her chair, his hands on her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. As he watched her type a few words, he leaned over and nibbled her earlobe.
“You done yet?”
She swatted at him, laughing. “You asked me that five minutes ago.”
“I know,” he drawled in her ear. “You done now?”
She swiveled in her chair to face his grinning mug and hugged him around the waist. “Ryland Snow. Did anyone ever tell you how impatient you are?”
“Yeah. Every day of my life. What’s your point?” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Is it my fault I’m eager to have sex with my fiancée?”
Lia’s face split with a joyous smile. She was still getting used to the word fiancée and it never ceased to make her want to giggle with happiness. Since Ryland had proposed—about five whole minutes after rescuing her from the cave—he’d been taking every possible opportunity to use the word. He introduced her to new guests as his fiancée. He called her that in bed. To give her a laugh, he sometimes even used it in place of her name. Yesterday at dinner, he’d said, “Fiancée, would you please pass the salt?” making her want to kiss him and hit him at the same time.
He crouched down so his face was level with hers and kissed her on the nose. He arched an eyebrow at her. “Did I mention the sex is going to be mind-blowing? Because it is.”
Lia fought to stay upright in her chair, even though she was already dying to sink against him and beg him to take her. She stared as he wet his lips and grunted in frustration. With reluctance, she pried his arms off her and swiveled back again to face her laptop. “I’m all yours in about one minute. Promise.”
Ryland walked around the desk so he could see her face. “You mean…?”
She smiled. “Yup. Do you wanna watch?”
“Hell, yes, woman!” He peeked around the monitor so he could see what she was typing.
Lia looked back at the screen and quickly typed a few words. She considered the sentence. One last time, she visualized the way Claudio was holding Adelaide at the end of their story. Her characters were happy. They were in love. All loose ends had been tied up; in fact, the characters had been tied up a few more times as well, and the resolution seemed realistic.
She was ready to let them go out into the world.
She looked up at Ryland, the man who’d encouraged her all week. He’d helped her meet her deadline by reading her work and commenting and applauding. Even as he was dealing with getting assistance for Donna and her family as he’d promised. Even as he’d visited the mainland with Donna’s husband and helped the man check into rehab. Even as he’d said good-bye to Soren when his brother embarked on his next musical adventure. Ryland had been so busy, and still made time for her and her romance novel. And every night he’d taken her to bed, told her how much he loved her, and expressed that love in titillating, heart-stopping ways.
And when Lia had suggested, almost shyly, it might be nice to move in with him at the lodge, Ryland had just about come undone, he’d been so happy. She loved being with him there. Her fear of animals seemed to have disappeared, or at least she didn’t jump at them anymore. Which was a good thing, seeing as she was now part animal. Ryland had suspected her change to shifter might bring about such a reaction and it appeared he was right. She hadn’t shifted yet and was nervous, but Ryland had assured her it sometimes took extreme emotion to bring on the first shift.
She really hoped it wouldn’t happen for the first time at their wedding, or God help her, their wedding night. She wanted to stay human for those events and not maul any of the guests.
Even though she had her qualms, she had never been happier and was looking forward to life with Ryland, her bear man. And she had to admit, she was having fun being a new shifter. She’d always felt like suc
h a weakling, the sort of person who’d struggled with silly things like opening jars. The first time she wrenched the lid off a jar of pickles with her newfound shifter strength, she’d almost sent the briny contents flying across the room. Her senses also seemed more acute. She’d always been amazed by Ryland’s keen sense of smell, and she now seemed to share it. She could pick out scents, even at a far distance. Why, just the other day in the lobby, she’d wrinkled her nose at a woman’s strong perfume, only to realize the only woman in the lobby was a lady standing about sixty feet away. And she loved the way she and Ryland could communicate without speaking. Yes, it meant they had many more naughty conversations and secret smiles, and she loved every minute of it.
And so, with him watching, Lia arched her fingers over the keyboard and typed the words: The End and hit Save.
Ryland cheered and picked her up out of the chair and swung her around. “Congratulations, baby. You finished your book.”
She kissed him, growing excited as she always did when he touched her. She stood on the ground and left the circle of his arms and walked over to the bedside table, making sure to wiggle her hips a little more than usual.
Ryland was already removing his shirt, his gaze locked on her hips. “Where do you think you’re going?”
She reached into the bedside table and slyly pulled out a set of silky scarves and a blindfold. She dangled them on her fingers in front of Ryland and smiled. “I finished the book. What do you say we act it out now?”
Ryland advanced on her, his gaze hungry. His bear was ready to play.
The End
Publisher’s Note
Please help this author's career by posting an honest review wherever you purchased this book.
About Rosanna Leo
Rosanna Leo has her degree in history and literature, as well as in classical singing. She currently resides in Toronto, Canada. Her favorite things are her family, libraries, and her mother's gnocchi. Rosanna loves it when the geeky, awkward girl gets the hot guy, and has made it her mission to see this happen in her books as much as possible.
Table of Contents
Predator’s Kiss
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
About Rosanna Leo