Cherished: True Mates Book 5 (BBW Wolf Shifter Romance) (A Craggstone Paranormal Romance)

by Olivia Arran

  Trailing a finger down his spine, I tucked it into his waistband, dragging him back against me. “Do you think I’m the kind of girl to just sleep with any man I have the hots for?”

  He scowled, his eyes flashing silver.

  “I hope that scowl is at the thought of me sleeping with another man…”

  “It is. Just so you know, I think I might be a little bit possessive.”

  I scraped my other hand down his back, this time smoothing my palm across his ass, squeezing. I didn’t know what had come over me! “Me too.”

  I watched his throat move as he swallowed, his hands reaching back and fastening onto my hips. “Sweet Mother, you’re killing me, Ana,” he muttered, then dropped to his knees, spinning around to face me.

  Grabbing my hand, he kissed the back of one, then the other. Sucking in a deep breath, he shook himself, as though he was bracing for something.

  What was he doing?

  “Ana, even though we’ve only just met I feel like I’ve known you forever. You’re everything I’ve ever looked for in a woman, from your spirit, to your compassion, to your tenacity. From the second I saw your ass, wriggling and swaying, I was smitten. A goner. I love you, and I always will. Would you do me the honor of being my mate?”

  He was mouthing something silently.

  I squinted, following the movement of his lips. Please…say…yes…over and over again.

  There was just one sticking point. “Even though I’m human?”

  “I’m on my knees, aren’t I?”

  At my blank look, he explained, “Shifters aren’t known for getting down on one knee and proposing. And don’t you dare tell any of the others about this. I’d never live it down.”

  I giggled, the sound flying out of my mouth at his slightly peeved expression. I slapped a hand over my mouth. “What about Josh?”

  “I will love him like he’s my own. It won’t be hard; he’s a great kid. Is that a yes then?”

  I had never been so sure of anything before than I was now. “Yes.”

  The words had barely left my mouth before he was on his feet, lifting me into his arms and kissing the breath out of me.

  Moaning, I pressed closer, my arms stealing around his neck. “What now?” I gasped, as he nibbled at the corner of my mouth, his kisses hot and distracting to say the least.

  “Now…the mating hunt,” he growled in my ear, tracing the delicate shell with his tongue.

  My heart stuttered, fear flooding me, erasing all the delicious heat that had been building.

  “I...I can’t.”

  Oliver cursed under his breath, his face chagrined. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It isn’t you! It’s just, it’s a little soon. After—”

  He laid a single finger on my lips, silencing my next word. “No mating hunt.”

  The crushing weight that had threatened to strangle me lifted at his immediate understanding, and the compassion I could see in his eyes.

  But I didn’t want compassion, I wanted raw lust and hunger. I wanted him to devour me, like he had done before. To borrow one of his favorite words, fuck it, I didn’t want my past to influence our future together.

  “We can still…mate, can’t we? It will still work, won’t it?”

  “Oh, yes, it will still work.” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Not the chasing part then. Everything else.”

  “Everything?”

  I gulped. “Everything,” I echoed, wondering what the hell I had let myself in for, and praying that I could handle it. Could handle him. A tremor of excitement trickled down my spine as my thoughts zeroed in on a certain part of him, my core liquefying with need.

  Screw handling him—I needed him.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Oliver

  The second she had uttered the word yes I’d had a hard time not just laying her down on the ground and showing her exactly how grateful I actually was.

  A really hard time. Literally. All the blood in my body had rushed south, my cock swelling inside my jeans to a point that it was almost unbearable.

  It didn’t matter we were bending the rules by not having a hunt. We were making our own goddamn rules.

  I set off at a swift pace, sprinting through the forest to a river I knew of, not so far away. I had to get this blood off me, then…

  I looked down at her. She was curled in my arms, her breasts bouncing with every step I took, her lips parted in anticipation, her hair a riot of silky strands in the wind.

  She was perfect. She was mine.

  My wolf reared up inside of me, having forgiven me for backing down earlier. He was starting to understand, his animal nature taking a little longer to catch on. We were moving away from the dark, toward the light—toward Ana.

  He growled his approval, the sound trickling from my human mouth.

  She shivered, snuggling closer, a small smile playing on her lips.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked, jumping over a small log. We were nearly there.

  “Just that I’m not scared. At all.”

  “I should hope not!”

  “I mean, even though you’re a wolf, and way stronger than me, it doesn’t frighten me. It makes me feel safe.”

  “You will always be safe with me. I guarantee it.”

  “I know,” she replied simply, and I fell head over heels for her again.

  I slowed to a walk, reaching the edge of the river, then giving her no warning, waded straight in.

  “Ungh!” she yelped, the cold water lapping over her thighs and licking at her chest.

  “Don’t worry, you won’t need clothes for what we’re doing next.” I released my grip on her, steadying her until she found her balance. Scooping up large handfuls of water, I splashed them over my chest, scrubbing at the blood.

  When her smaller hands joined mine, sweeping over my chest in a gentle dance, a strange fluttering welled in my stomach, growing with every caress, every stroke.

  Then I was clean.

  Resting my hands on her hips, I pulled her to me, our bodies meeting chest to chest, groin to groin. Her shirt was molded to her skin, transparent and teasing me with torturous glimpses of flesh. Urging her to lift her arms, I dragged it off, throwing it onto a nearby rock where it landed in a sodden heap.

  Her nipples were dark and beaded through the damp lace of her bra, calling out for my attention. Lowering my head, I laved one erect nub with my tongue, curling and flicking, her scent caressing my senses, filling me. Moving to the other side, I nibbled and sucked, eking moans of desire from her lips, her back bending against my palm, her pussy hot through her jeans and pressing against my denim-clad cock.

  We needed to get naked, and fast.

  Sweeping her legs up and around my waist, I waded out of the river, beads of water streaming from us.

  She leaned forward, her tongue tracing a path from my jaw, down my neck, her little teeth nibbling and biting, strands of her hair stroking across my chest in a silky, smooth tease.

  “Hurry,” she moaned, her breath hot against my skin.

  Laying her down on a patch of soft moss, I popped the button on her jeans, slowly dragging the sopping wet fabric down. Hands joining mine, she lifted her ass, wriggling her hips to speed the process, her breasts jiggling in a way that made me want to slice the clothes straight off and bury myself deep inside her. Tugging them off, I threw them to join her shirt, sitting back on my heels to admire the view.

  She was captivating. Her dark hair was flung out around her, the ends curling from the water, strands sticking to luminescent skin. A delicate collarbone led my eye to full, generous breasts encased in white lace, her nipples hardening and begging for attention. Her stomach was softly rounded, her hips flaring in a way that was utterly feminine, her thighs soft and deliciously plump, the kind that made a man want to bury himself between them. White cotton covered her pussy, the fabric sheer and damp outlining her dark curls to perfection.

  I need another taste
.

  Hooking my thumbs in her panties I dragged them down her thighs, inch by inch, revealing the most perfect pussy I had ever seen. Had ever tasted. Her scent flooded my nose, liquorice and roses—sweet and ripe and alluring, calling to me on the basest level.

  “Oliver?” Her voice was hesitant, but not scared. It was the voice of a woman who wanted something but didn’t know how to ask.

  “What would you like me to do?” I growled, her panties now by her ankles. I pulled them off. White cotton had never looked so good, but damn it, it looked even better off.

  Her breathing sped up, her chest rising and falling as she gazed at me with large brown eyes.

  I remained still, watching her, my eyes flicking over her body, feasting. “Tell me what you want, Ana, and I’ll give it to you.”

  “I want you to kiss me.”

  Crouching over her I crawled up her body, my chest dragging against her soft skin. It almost killed me but I didn’t stop on my journey. What the lady wanted, the lady got.

  She shook her head, her cheeks pinking. “No, not that kind of kiss. Down there.” She whispered the last word, almost as if it were a confession.

  Fuck yeah!

  Not bothering to hide my smirk of triumph, I licked my way down across her stomach, nipping at the soft skin and tracing my tongue around her belly button. She squirmed below me, her hands coming to rest on my shoulders, clutching at me. I took a deep breath, my head swimming as the scent of her arousal surrounded me, drugging me.

  Parting her damp curls, I wasted no time, licking deep and swirling my tongue around her sensitive nub, sucking it between my lips with a growl that had her back arching and her thighs trembling. Pushing her legs wider, I wedged them open with my shoulders, settling in to feast. Her taste flooded my mouth, tangy and sweet on my tongue. I had to have more! Diving deeper, I lapped and sucked, flicking and spearing, her gasps and moans telling me exactly what she wanted, and what she liked.

  Her legs clenched around my head, her hips bucking beneath my mouth. Scraping her fingers through my hair, she dug her blunt nails into my scalp as she groaned, the sound low and feral as she came, her nectar coating my tongue.

  Hands tugged at my hair, urging me up. Sliding up her body I claimed her mouth in a long kiss of tongues and teeth.

  Pushing me back she stared at me with heavily lidded eyes, her skin flushed and dewy with climax. “Take them off,” she murmured, flicking a finger at my jeans, then tracing a nail down the outline of my straining cock, “and make love to me.”

  I didn’t need asking twice.

  ***

  Ana

  The man had a gift! What he could do with his tongue…

  The sound of buttons popping caught my attention.

  I pushed up onto my elbows, my body languid and sated. But there was no way I was going to miss a second of—

  My mouth dropped open, around the same time he dropped his jeans. His cock bobbed and swayed as he dragged the offending denim off his feet, the thick length jutting out from a trim patch of blond curls.

  I closed my mouth with a snap, before I started doing something silly, like drooling.

  That place inside my belly—deep down, just above my pussy—tightened, twinging with an urgency I didn’t understand.

  He stalked toward me, every muscle flexing and rippling, his abs bunching with each slow step. Lust glowed in his eyes, a reflection of the urgency I could feel growing inside.

  A fluttering inside my pussy startled me, my inner muscles clenching. I wanted him to fill me, to feel that thick length slide deep inside and claim me.

  Blanketing me, he hovered above me, obviously waiting for something.

  Waiting for what? I nearly screamed it out loud, desperation riding me.

  Then he lowered his head, kissing me in the sweetest kiss I had ever known, his lips reverent and gentle. “Are you sure?” he whispered, his breath hot on my lips, anguish in his eyes.

  He was giving me a chance to back out, an escape card. And it was killing him.

  “I’m sure,” I murmured, pulling his head back down. Pouring my lust into my kiss, I devoured his mouth, my tongue spearing and licking, his stubble rough against my chin.

  He held out for about a second. With a deep groan that vibrated through me, he succumbed, and I felt the blunt head of his cock pressing between my legs, sliding through my wet curls to press deeper.

  Tilting my hips I opened myself up to him, his cock sliding deeper in shallow thrusts of his hips, every inch stretching and filling me.

  He paused, his eyes questioning, and I grabbed his hips, digging my blunt nails in, urging him on. I wanted it all. Every single inch.

  With a growl, he thrust one final time, seating himself to the hilt, our hips touching, his balls slapping against my thighs.

  “I love you,” he groaned on a shudder, his hips tilting to withdraw, then plunging back in, the movement dragging a moan from my lips.

  Pulling back, he thrust again, this time a little harder, building a delicious friction inside of me, his cock dragging then sliding back home. The sound of skin slapping against skin, breathy sighs and groans filled the night sky. Our hips danced in unison, our skin slick with sweat, hands grasping and molding, nails digging and clutching as shockwave after shockwave rolled over me, driving me higher.

  Every thrust of his cock filled me to nearly overwhelming, every drag of his retreat rubbed against nerves raw with need. It was like there was a fire burning inside of me, scorching in its intensity, the flames licking at me, racing through me, pulling me higher.

  Oliver growled, his eyes glazed with passion, his arms trembling as he swiveled his hips. Rearing back, he dragged a finger through my curls, connecting directly with my clit, rubbing the swollen nub without mercy, his other hand digging into my hip as he continued to thrust, his pace relentless.

  The flames roared through me, my legs spasming and hips thrusting wildly as I came, screaming my climax into the silent forest, my pussy clenching around him.

  “I take you, Ana Arlington, to be my true mate. I will run with you, live with you, and love you. I swear by the Mother of All.” The words drifted to me as though in a dream, stirring something deep inside of me. Lips brushed against my collarbone, directly on top of my mess of ravaged skin.

  I froze, the old fear rearing up inside of me.

  Teeth pierced my skin in a touch so delicate I didn’t notice at first. The tangle of fear in my gut unraveled. He would never hurt me.

  “Your turn,” he murmured, his tongue laving my neck, “that’s if you’ll have me?” His words were guttural, layered with longing.

  I made a mental note to point out to him later just how silly a question it was, the words coming to me on a swell of emotion. “And I take you, Oliver Colstone, to be my true mate. I will run with you, live with you, and love you. I swear by the Mother of All. And God,” I added, wanting to make sure both of our deities recognized this binding of souls. I kissed his neck in symbolism. I was human, after all. There was no way I was getting all bitey.

  Emotions crashed into me, hurtling through me. I could feel Oliver’s longing, his wants, his needs. His love for me, shining like a beacon, bright and pure.

  Wonder cascaded through me as the bond swelled between us, our hearts beating together, our souls joining.

  With the same look of wonder on his sinfully handsome face, he grasped my hands, his hips starting to move again, thrusting in and out in exquisite rhythmic torture.

  Gasping, pleasure thrummed through me, mine and his combined, building and merging, pulling me with him as he bucked on top of me, jaw clenched, chasing oblivion.

  With a roar he stuttered, his thrusts wild and jagged, then throwing his head back, he came, pulsing inside of me.

  With a snap I hurtled with him over the edge, my back bowing off the floor, fingers curling, clenching around him as my third orgasm rolled through me.

  His weight dropped on top of me, heavy and reassuring. Wrapping
my arms around him I hugged him tight, not wanting to let go, not just yet. Seconds passed, maybe minutes, as I stared up at the night sky, tears stinging my eyes with his heart beating next to mine.

  “Ana? What’s wrong?” He pushed himself up, then rolled to the side, gathering me into his arms to nestle me against his chest. “Tell me. Did I hurt you?” Anxious furrows creased his brow as he peered at me.

  I wiped at the tears, exasperated with myself for being so stupid, for spoiling such a perfect moment. “No! I’m just...I’ve never been so happy!” I half said, half sobbed. It had been so beautiful and so hot and so amazing that I was crying like a goddamn baby.

  Kissing the tip of my nose, he wiped my cheeks with his thumb. “That’s okay then.” Closing his eyes, he appeared to concentrate for a second, then his lips curled up in a shit-eating grin that spread over his whole face. “Just checking on the bond,” he explained. “It’s beautiful to see.”

  “I wish I could see it,” I murmured, feeling a little put out.

  “Maybe you can? My dad could, though Mom said it took him a little bit of practice.”

  I glanced up at him in surprise. He didn’t sound angry anymore at the memory of his family.

  Catching my look he chuckled. “I’ve let go of all the past, like we said. What’s done is done, it can’t hurt me anymore. Anyway, I’m mated to a human now, it’s not like I can go around hating humans anymore.”

  “You used to hate us?”

  He winced at the incredulity in my voice. “Bad choice of words. I thought you were…inferior? Not better, huh? Um, weak?”

  I jabbed a finger in his chest. “Better to just stop there, buster. You never know, we might have a human baby.” The words died on my lips, heartache rearing up inside of me, something that I had accepted would never leave me, and I didn’t want it to. I wanted to remember my baby.

  “And I would love him or her, just the same as I love you and Josh. Just as I will grow to love Sebastian through your memories.” Kissing me, he stroked my hair back.

  Sweet heartache was rapidly replaced with panic. “What are we going to tell Josh?”

  “I’m pretty sure he already knows.”