by Maddy Barone
“Yes, Kit!” she cried.
When he climaxed, he yowled the scream of a mountain lion victorious. He collapsed on her, his cheek pressed to the sweat-damp flesh of her shoulder. They panted together for a minute. She tilted her head to nuzzle his hair, almost like a mountain cat would. It made him smile.
“Is it always like that?” she whispered.
He forced his head up to smile at her. “I hope so.”
She frowned. “You hope so? Don’t you know? You’ve done it before with those women from your pride.”
He rolled off her, so they lay on their backs shoulder to shoulder. He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “Yeah, I have.” He kissed her hand again, tasting the salt of her sweat in the palm. “This was different. Before, it was a natural thing, like horses mating. Not emotional. It’s different with you because I love you.”
Olivia lifted herself and half-sat to look at him. “I love you.” She paused, seeming to savor the words. “Kit, I love you.”
“I love you.” He gave a little tug to pull her on to his chest. “This is what I wanted when I stole you. I wanted a mate who would love me.” He stroked her hair. “I didn’t understand then that a mate forced to accept me against her will wouldn’t give me what I wanted.” He brushed his lips over the top of her head. “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”
She was silent for a long minute, snuggling her cheek against his shoulder. Her fingers stroked back and forth over the edge of his jaw. “I’m glad you came looking for me. In the past year and a half, I’ve been courted by other men. They were all good men. Every time, I tried to fall in love, but it just never happened.” She must have felt the growl vibrating his chest because she lifted her head to smile at him. “I know why now. It was because none of them was you.”
He held her tightly to his chest. The year he’d spent with Justin and Teresa had been long and hard. Deprived of his pride and his mate, he had spent many nights roaming the hills around their ranch, screaming his loneliness to the stars. He had dreamed of finding his mate again and wooing her properly. But he hadn’t dared to dream of all this. Now he had his mate in his arms, with a future as a rancher ahead of him, and a new family that accepted him.
He tilted his head to glance at the wreckage of the bed. Well, they mostly accepted him. Olivia followed his gaze and her sated, sleepy eyes sharpened.
“I am going to kill them,” she said conversationally.
He thought about it. “No, we might need them to help us out on our ranch.”
She drummed her fingers on his breast. “We have to retaliate.”
Smiling, he trailed his fingers down her spine. “Someday. But for now I have the perfect revenge.”
“Oh?”
He rolled her over onto her back. “Let’s love each other forever, and make love all the time.”
She parted her legs for him to press between them. “Sounds like a plan. And right away tomorrow morning, let’s tell them how much fun it was to make love on the floor.”
“Oh, is it?”
Her smile was almost like a cat’s. “I seem to remember some fun. Maybe you should remind me.”
He kissed her. “With pleasure.”
The End
Thank you for reading Olivia’s Mate! Please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. An honest review may help other readers decide whether or not to give this book a try. Thank you!
Other books by Maddy Barone
After the Crash series
Book 1: Sleeping With the Wolf
Book 2: Wolf’s Glory
Book 3: Wolf Tracker
Book 3.25: Wolf’s Oath
Book 3.5: Sherry’s Wolf
Book 4: Eddie’s Prize
Book 5: Ellie’s Wolf
Book 6: Wolf’s Vengeance
Book 6.5: Wolf’s Lady
Book 7: Wolf’s Princess
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maddy Barone hates hot weather, so it’s a good thing she lives in North Dakota, USA. She has a B.A. in History, which is probably why she works in the financial department at Medicare. She keeps her love of history alive by participating in the Society For Creative Anachronism, an international educational organization which studies the Middle Ages and Renaissance. In her free time she reads, knits, spins (yarn and thread, not the exercise kind) sews historic costumes, and plays with her three rescue cats.
She loves to hear from readers. Visit her at www.maddybarone.com.