Riley grinned. “Just try to make me leave, sweetheart. I’m locking the doors and shutting off the phones at least until dawn.” He said and then waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe longer.”
“That sounds perfect to me.” She said and stood on tip-toes to kiss him. He quickly took control of the kiss and Tara opened her mouth to allow him entry. His hands slid down her back, over her backside to hook her under her thighs and pull her up his body so that she could wrap her legs around his waist.
He pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes. “Are you sure your head is okay? No headaches or pain or dizziness.”
She grinned. “You make me dizzy in a good way, Riley. But I’m really fine. I promise.”
He smiled and then started kissing her again. She felt him moving as his erection rubbed against the juncture of her thighs and she bit back a moan. He had to pull her up a bit higher to climb the stairs, but soon enough he was laying her down on her bed and he came down on top of her, supporting his weight on his elbows while kissing her voraciously.
He pulled back. “I should probably take a shower, sweetheart. I must stink.”
“No.” She said and locked her hands behind his head to pull him back down to her.
He chuckled and rolled them so that she was straddling his lap and sat up a bit to pull her long braid over her shoulder. “I need to see this down, sweetheart. I’ve dreamed of running my hands through this; of having it wrapped around me in bed.” He pulled the elastic off the bottom and unraveled the length, combing his hands through the mass. “My God, you are so beautiful.” He tugged her shirt up. She quickly pulled it over her head and then unhooked her bra, his hand sliding up her belly and her sternum to her chest before both of his hands cupped her naked breasts, massaging them. His thumbs stroked over the hard aching buds her nipples had become and he pulled her forward to take one in his mouth.
Tara couldn’t contain the cry of pleasure that broke from her mouth as he suckled her nipple. One hand continued to torment the other breast while his other hand went down the back of her jeans to squeeze one of her cheeks.
Tara couldn’t keep her hands still; they were in Riley’s hair, on his cheeks and neck, his shoulder to run down his bicep. She wanted to touch all of him at once. She couldn’t get enough of him.
She felt Riley’s hand move to the button of her jeans to undo them and she shifted her legs so that he could easily push them down. Once her jeans and panties hit the floor he rolled them back over so that he was once again braced above her.
“Look at me, Tara.” He said, and Tara opened her eyes to stare into his. The gray of his eyes looked almost black with passion. “Are you sure?” He asked.
Tara rubbed his shoulders and down his biceps again before coming back to tunnel her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” She said, and meant every word.
His smile was dazzling right before he began kissing her again. His weight settled more firmly on top of her and Tara loved it; would love it more if he shed his jeans. Her fingers snaked down to the front of his pants and he lifted slightly to give her room. Once she unbuttoned them, he broke away from her mouth to kiss her chin, her nose, and her forehead before he moved to the side of the bed to strip off his boots and then his jeans to reveal a pair of dark gray boxer briefs. “I’m afraid I only have two condoms on me, sweetheart.” He said as he pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans. “Right now I’m wishing I had a box of them.”
Tara sat up to tug at his underwear. “Two is better than none.” She grinned and then sat back to admire Riley fully naked. The man was her absolute ideal of perfection with his wide shoulders and nicely defined muscular limbs and torso. His waist and hips were trim, his legs long and strong. She would never get tired of looking at this man. The erection his clothing had concealed was larger than she had expected, long and thick. Her hand reached out and she touched the glistening head with her fingertips. Riley threw his head back and inhaled sharply with pleasure as she wrapped her hand fully around the shaft and stroked down to the base and back up to caress the tip once more.
Riley took her hand and gently pulled it away. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I won’t last if you keep that up.”
He came back down on top of her, kissing her mouth and then moving down to her jaw and neck. He continued downward, paying homage to each breast before caressing his mouth over her rib cage and down to her navel. Before he reached her hipbone, Tara’s pelvis was moving of its own accord, seeking contact, needing to be touched and Riley didn’t disappoint as his hand cupped under her thigh and pulled her legs over his shoulders. She felt his breath on her a second before his tongue touched her swollen bud and that was all it took; she was so aroused by this man that she shattered with one touch, screaming out her pleasure.
Riley stayed with her while she writhed with her orgasm; his wonderful mouth heightening and prolonging it; one of his fingers easing inside to caress her. When her body stilled and she was left panting, he kissed each of her thighs in turn and then sat back on his heels and ripped open the foil pack with his teeth to remove the condom and roll it down his straining erection.
She felt his weight press down on her and she wrapped her arms around him. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and then she heard him say. “I’ve wanted you, Tarvahla Mason, since the moment I first saw you. You need to be absolutely sure you want this because, sweetheart, if you let me in, I’ll never let you go.”
She lifted a hand to his cheek and rubbed his slightly scruffy jaw before running her fingers through his hair. “When I first saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, and even though you’ve managed to irritate the hell out of me on occasion, Riley Cooper, I plan to keep you.”
He flashed his beautiful grin at her and then started kissing her again, his tongue dancing with hers. His chest was rubbing against her sensitive nipples and her hips rose seeking him and the pleasure she knew he could give her. His erection nudged at her entrance and her body tried to grasp it and hold it as he pushed forward so slowly it was almost torture.
“Please, Riley, please – I need you.” She gasped out and he thrust forward, filling her completely. Tara bent her knees and dug her heels into the bed for leverage to meet him thrust for thrust. He felt amazing inside of her as he hit every pleasure point. She pulled her mouth away from him, afraid she’d bite him as she moaned and thrashed her head in pleasure.
“Yes, sweetheart, that’s it,” she heard Riley say “Come for me, Tara.”
Her climax was building fast and hard and as the pleasure again washed over her, she screamed mere seconds before Riley followed her over the edge with an animalistic growl.
Chapter Twenty
Tara woke when she felt Riley’s chest move beneath her head. He rubbed her shoulder and then slid out from under her. She looked out the window and saw that it was still mostly dark outside though it must have been close to dawn. “What is it?” She asked sleepily.
“Someone’s knocking on the door. I’ll go see who it is.” Riley said, pulling his jeans up over his backside and fastening them.
Tara shot up out of bed. “Oh crap. I forgot Grandpa and Addie were coming by first thing before they left for New York. I need to give them the key and my suitcase so they can pack up more of my clothes.” She was scrambling to get dressed.
Riley laughed, “Calm down, sweetheart, I’ll go let them in and you can come down when you’re dressed.”
Tara watched Riley leave the room in just a pair of jeans. At her house, before dawn, half-naked and bare feet; there’s nothing like announcing to your family who you’re having sex with. Yes, she was a woman full grown, but that was her grandfather down stairs. She felt her cheeks heating with embarrassment; as soon as she was decently covered she grabbed her empty suitcase out of the closet, and raced down the stairs.
She heard her grandfather talking to Riley before she reached the bottom. “We�
��ll stop and pick up the pups on our way back through town. They were excited about going, but I’ll bet we have to drag their asses out of bed. I doubt they managed to get up on their own. When I was their age, it took threats of murder and mayhem and my mother whacking me with a wooden spoon to get me up and ready for school. I doubt times have changed too much in that regard.”
Riley chuckled. “No, sir, I don’t believe they have.”
“With the possible exception of the wooden spoon,” Tara said with a smile.
“Good morning, Tara.” Addie said with a loud voice. The woman had an odd look on her face. If Tara didn’t know how chipper and helpful Addie was, she’d say she looked calculating. “Did you sleep well?” Even her tone of voice was off and Tara felt her face heat with a rush of blood, even her ears felt hot.
She cleared her throat. “Good morning, Addie. Yes, I did, thank you. “ She went over to hug her grandfather. “Good morning, Grandpa.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Good morning, sweetheart.” Then he whispered in her ear, “She’s old fashioned, honey, so if I was you, I’d brace for impact.”
Tara flinched but nodded. Was she going to be yelled at for having sex? That seemed a bit extreme considering she was twenty-eight years old, but she felt like she was about eight and had been caught eating cookies before dinner.
Addie clapped her hands together. “So we’re off to get you all packed up and do some sightseeing, and when I get back, we’ll plan a nice celebration; maybe a dinner party with cocktails.”
“A celebration for what?” Tara asked confused.
“Why to announce your engagement of course.” And with that, Addie was walking out the door.
Her grandfather just grinned and shook his head before grabbing her suitcase. “Do you have the key for me, sweetheart?”
Tara snapped her gaping mouth closed and nodded, retrieved her apartment key from her key ring then quickly scribbled her address down on a piece of paper before handing them both to her grandfather. “She was kidding right?” She whispered.
He chuckled. “Afraid not, honey. We’ll call if we have any problems; otherwise you’ll see us day after tomorrow.”
Tara nodded, still distracted by Addie’s words. “Drive safe.” She said.
“Have a good trip, L.J.” Riley said and walked him to the front door where he waved at their departing truck.
Riley turned back toward Tara and raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Are you embarrassed? You shouldn’t be.” He walked up to her and put his arms around her to pull her into his chest and rub her back, his fingers combing gently through the sleep tossed mass.
Tara nodded, her cheek rubbing against his bare skin. “I’m sure when she gets back Addie will have forgotten all about that engagement nonsense. You shouldn’t worry.”
“What do you mean nonsense? You don’t want to announce our engagement or you just don’t like the idea of a dinner party?” Riley asked his hands on her back stilling.
Tara pulled her head back to frown up at him. When the words had come out of Addie’s mouth she had expected him to be horrified and inform the woman that they weren’t engaged. Now he was acting like they were in fact engaged and she simply didn’t agree with Addie’s plans. What the hell? Did she miss something?
“What?” He asked when she continued to frown at him.
She licked her lips, “Um, I don’t remember us talking about getting married.”
It was his turn to frown. “Just what did you think was going on last night?” He asked.
Tara blinked, “Great sex.” She answered.
Riley dropped his arms away and stepped back. “Dammit Tara, I asked you twice if you were sure! I told you that if we went further I was never going to let you go and twice you assured me that you were. You even said that you wanted to keep me. Was that a lie?”
Tara was floored. “Wait, what? That was a proposal of marriage? Because if it was, you needed to be a bit more clear. You know, usually the guy actually says the words ‘Will you marry me’. I thought we were cementing our relationship; agreeing that we wanted to be together as a couple.”
Riley threw his hands up. “What the hell do you think marriage is but agreeing to stay together as a couple?”
Tara planted her hands on her hips. “Don’t you think this is a bit fast, Riley, I mean we just had sex for the first time last night and now we’re making wedding plans? Hell, Riley, we’ve only known each other for a week!”
“Just sex?” He huffed. “So that’s all it was for you, then? Just sex,” He nodded and growled. “Good to know.” He mumbled something about damn infuriating woman before he turned and walked out of her house, bare chested and bare feet, he slammed the door behind him.
Tara just stood there and stared at the door with her mouth open. She wasn’t even sure what just happened. She closed her eyes and sighed. She was tempted to run after him, but she needed to process this information. What good would it do to catch him and then just stand there like an idiot with no plan and nothing to say?
Okay, so first of all, she would need to apologize for her part in this apparently huge miscommunication. Obviously they had been on two different pages. But if he was seriously asking her to marry him in his own unusual way then he was going to expect an answer.
Tara inhaled deeply through her nose and then let it out. So, did she want to marry Riley? That was what it came down to. Right at this moment she could give a definite yes. She loved him and the thought of living without him actually caused her chest to squeeze so tight she could barely breathe. But wasn’t it too soon? This was a major life decision and they barely knew each other. How would she feel in a month, in a year, in five years? She had absolutely no idea. They really needed to publish some sort of manual for these things and title it: How Soon Is Too Soon?
She growled and was surprised by how vicious it sounded. She blinked a few times and tried to do it again, but the sound that emerged was puny. Obviously it was an unconscious response to frustration that she couldn’t reproduce at will.
She shook her head. Back to the plan: She would shower and get dressed for the day before walking up to Riley’s, hopefully that would give him some time to cool down, and then she would explain the mistake and tell him that she loved him. Obviously Riley didn’t think it was too soon, so maybe she should trust in her feelings and take a leap of faith.
She walked up to her room and saw Riley’s T-shirt, boxer briefs, and boots still on the floor. She picked them up and folded them but had no intention of bringing them with her. If for some reason things didn’t go well, he’d have to come see her to get his things. After all, she could see a man just writing off a shirt and a pair of underwear, but his boots he would definitely come for. So now she had a plan and a back-up plan.
She showered and dressed quickly, leaving her hair loose since Riley seemed to really like it that way. She grabbed her gun and checked it before pushing it into the waistband of her jeans, just in case she encountered more than an angry Riley, and set off for his house.
Unfortunately when she got there, Riley was gone.
Riley needed to step out of his skin and run. While he had been having a life altering experience with his mate, apparently she had just been having sex. He growled. She’d said great sex which helped soothe his wounded pride a bit, but he was still feeling frustrated.
No, he hadn’t gotten down on one knee with ring in hand and proposed as was traditional in her world, but he made it quite clear that he was committing his life to her forever. He thought she had understood that when she told him she planned to keep him. He had rushed, that was the problem. She hadn’t transitioned yet, she didn’t understand that the wolf knows. They didn’t need to date for months to know when they’d found their mate – it was all about instinct. An instinct she didn’t understand yet.
A scent came to Riley so he stopped and sniffed the air. He could smell four of his pack and the two feline shifters. Apparently they
had let the kitties out to play. He ran the rest of the way up the ridge and then looked down into the clearing below where the cabin that would house the felines at a later date stood. They must have been showing the ladies where their new home would be once they were allowed to leave The Cedars. Two of his pack was in skin, guarding the area. Conner had shifted and was play tussling with one of the felines, he couldn’t tell which one until she turned her face just right and he caught sight of the scars marring her smooth tan coat and bisecting the darker brown fur around her mouth.
He wondered if Conner was being a bit too rough with the feline when she hit the grass on her back, but she leapt right back to her feet and let out a roar before she jumped on the male’s back. Riley was glad to notice she kept her claws sheathed.
The young one, Daisy appeared to be gamboling about with Zack like she was dancing rather than sparring. Riley watched, amused as Zack would approach and she’d jump back, and then hopped to the side. He would then stomp his front feet forward and she’d hop again. Finally, Zack gave up and just rolled in the grass where she decided to join him. It was easy for Riley to see that the younger cat obviously wasn’t a fighter.
He wondered if Sherry Pierce knew where her oldest and youngest boys were. She would not be pleased. Neither would Constance Tully if she saw Conner right now as he nuzzled against the she cats neck.
Riley turned to avoid drawing notice from the group to continue his run though he was slightly envious of the Pierce boys right then. He couldn’t wait to play that way with Tara. Less than a week now until she transitioned. Then she’d understand. She’d feel it the same way he could, the wolf knows. He could wait. What were a few days when they had forever?
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