Wrapping his arms possessively and happily around her, Cole barked out a hearty, exhilarated laugh. “And I thought that signing up for that dating site was a damn mistake. It turned out to be the best thing I ever did!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Abby stared at Cole in utter shock and disbelief. He wasn't angry, and he wasn't laughing at her. He was laughing with sheer joy. His laugh was real, solid and masculine, just like him.
Abby found herself melting in his arms as he pressed her closer. He held her like she really was the best thing that ever happened to him. She had never felt so cherished and wanted by anyone. The intense, inexplicable feelings bubbling up in her made her eyes well with tears.
“Hey.” Cole held her face and thumbed away her tears. “What's wrong, Abby?”
She shook her head and sniffed loudly.
“Hmm.” Cole frowned as a thought struck him. “You said you sent me a message. I never got your message. When did you send it?”
“The moment I saw your profile,” she admitted.
“Oh. It must have been at the bottom of the pile. The newest messages were all piled on top and my inbox was close to exploding with all those messages. I got tired of deleting them, so I thought it was easier to just delete myself instead.” He shrugged.
Abby bit the inside of her cheek as she fought down a twinge of jealousy. Of course a man like him would attract lots of female attention. It wasn't surprising his inbox was inundated with come-hither messages from women. A highly desirable male like Cole was sure to have women swarming all over him like bees. He hadn't just caught her eye. He had caught the attention of almost all the women on that dating site. Abby found herself hating all those nameless, faceless women, for no good reason at all.
“Come.” Cole tugged her towards the study. “I'll show you the messages.”
“Um...I don't think...”
“I really didn't get your message,” he said earnestly. “I want to see it.”
“It wasn't really a message...” she stuttered, but Cole had already pulled her into his study and powered up his laptop.
He clicked open his inbox and stuffed her into his large, leather chair. “There. See that? All those messages, endless!” He threw up his hands. “I don't want to read their messages. I want to read yours. Where's your message? Show me. I want to see.”
He leaned forward eagerly as she scrolled down the long list of messages until she found her name. “There.” She pointed to the screen. “Message from Abby.”
Cole clicked on the message immediately, his brows furrowed in concentration.
A smile spread across his face. “You said hi.”
Abby blushed, feeling shy and silly. “I didn't know what else to say...”
“Well, hi back,” Cole said, smiling. “I would have replied to your message. It's the only one that's...real.”
Before she could stop him, Cole went to click on her profile. Abby squirmed in her seat. Her profile picture was horrible. She had simply snapped a selfie on her mobile phone and uploaded the photograph without bothering to edit it. She had been wearing her old, stained t-shirt with not a smudge of make-up on her face, and her uncombed hair looked like a rat's nest. She kind of regretted being so frank about her unemployed status. She had only just lost her job a day ago. It wasn't like she had been jobless for months. She should have proofread that paragraph and deleted some parts before uploading it.
Abby cringed. She probably looked and sounded like a lunatic in her profile. Who would want to send her a message after looking at her hopelessly disorganized and brutally honest profile? She wasn't all nice and prettied up in her profile picture, and she had stated that she had just lost her job and was at the time of writing, drowning in a tub of butter caramel ice-cream. Abby dropped her head into her hands. She needed to install a censor button in her brain.
Blurting out everything on her mind was so not the way to go. Her ex-boyfriends had often grimaced and told her through gritted teeth not to just shoot her mouth off and laugh like a hyena whenever she felt like it. Abby had tried to tone down her laughter, but how could one not laugh and hoot and root for the heroine at a romantic comedy?
Abby didn't look up even when she felt Cole's fingers close gently around her wrists. She didn't want to see the revulsion or pity in his eyes. It would break her.
“You look beautiful in that picture,” Cole said. “And now that I know you like butter caramel ice-cream, I'm going to be buying tubs of that to fill my freezer. Tell me what else you like, Abby. I want to know everything about you. I'm going to love everything about you. Every little thing. Every sweet inch of you,” he added huskily.
“I...I don't have a job. I look a mess, and...”
“Jobs come, jobs go. You are not your job,” Cole said firmly. “You can look for a new job. There are jobs everywhere. Take your time. You don't have to worry about finances.” He raised a finger to silence her protest. “And you look fine. In fact, you look perfect. I love your picture.”
“You don't mean that.”
“I can never, ever lie to you, Abby,” Cole said solemnly. “You are my mate, and you will always know my heart, my thoughts, my fears.”
Abby's breath caught at his tender, heartfelt words. “Your...mate,” she whispered at last.
“Yes. You're mine. You're the only one for me, my true perfect match.”
She smiled crookedly. “I was afraid to believe, to hope, that there could be someone just for me.”
Cole turned towards the laptop screen. “Hey, look at this, you're not going to believe this.” She heard the amusement and excitement in his voice and glanced at the screen.
She made a small sound of surprise when she saw that he had just reinstated his profile. “Abby” appeared in the box at the side of his profile page. Potential matches were listed in that box, with the best matched candidate appearing at the top. She was at the top of that list, with a hundred percent match.
Abby blinked at the screen, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her or if there was something wrong with the dating site's algorithm. How could it be? A hundred percent! That was like a perfect match!
“My brother and cousins were skeptical, but I think they're going to thank me for making them sign up for this.” Cole winked and crowed, “This is one hell of a dating site!”
Cole chuckled, looking smug and genuinely pleased. “It's worked for me. I'll write to them to thank them and give them a glowing review,” he declared, and proceeded to type furiously at the keyboard. “But I'm canceling my account right now. I won't be needing any more dates or matches from this site.” He logged off his laptop with a flourish.
Taking a deep breath, Cole stared at her for a long while before saying quietly, “I've only dreamed and fantasized about you, Abby. I never thought I'd actually feel you in my arms...”
He pulled her to him and held her tightly, letting her feel exactly how much he wanted her. Abby's blush deepened as she felt his erection pushing against her belly. His fingers stroked down her back and caressed the generous mounds of her buttocks.
“Take a walk with me?” he whispered.
She nodded and followed him out the side door of his study. She stepped out into a beautifully landscaped garden. Breathlessly, she gazed at the rows of flowering bushes and elegant arches around his sprawling garden. There was a small fountain in the middle of the garden, and tall, manicured trees stood like sentries in the background. When she looked up, she saw that they were standing under a canopy of stars, and the lawn sparkled and shimmered in the silver starlight.
“Wow,” she breathed. “This is...so beautiful. It's just magical!”
“You like it?” His voice was deep and husky.
“I love it! Did you do all this yourself?”
He nodded.
“You have an artistic eye and skillful hands.”
“Undoubtedly,” he murmured, circling her waist with his powerful, muscul
ar arms. She shivered as she wondered what else he could do with those strong, skillful hands.
Cole bent to nuzzle her neck. His lips trailed down to her collar bone and he languidly kissed his way up her jaw, her earlobes, her temple. Abby quivered and felt the heat in her core unfurl and spread through her body.
Abruptly, Cole spun her around to face him. She gasped into his mouth as he crushed his lips over hers in a bruising, hungry kiss. She closed her eyes and clung to his broad shoulders as she felt herself falling, drowning, melting in his embrace. Cole teased and tasted her with his tongue, stoking the flame in her core into a maddening blaze.
Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her out into the garden and laid her on the soft, velvety grass. A flowering branch arched overhead and soft, white petals floated down to her on the breeze.
Abby lifted her arms so Cole could tug the t-shirt up over her head. She wanted to have them skin on skin, feel every hard ridge of his powerful body on hers. Cole tore his shirt off and let her press her trembling hands against his bare chest.
Breathing hard, he traced her curves with his rough hands, skimming her nipples with his fingers. Her nipples pebbled instantly at his touch, and Abby had to clench her teeth to stop herself from crying out.
His touch was electrifying. Her nerve endings sizzled and she was panting and shivering with desire. She pressed her palms against his solid chest and felt the heat from his body slam into her. Quivering with lust and want, Abby arched up, wanting him to burn her, brand her, bite her.
Raking her fingers through his hair, she pulled him down to her. “Cole...” she breathed.
She wanted him, ached for him with an unrelenting, tormenting hunger. She had never wanted any man like this before.
Gasping, she realized that this wasn't just lust. It was more than that. Her body wanted and needed him. Only him and no one else.
“Please,” she rasped. “I...need you, Cole.”
CHAPTER NINE
The scent of his mate's burning need slammed into Cole like a wrecking ball. His entire body stiffened and jerked at the impact. Lust, hunger, frustration, love surged through him, his wants and emotions warring within him.
Cole wanted to take her now, sate her maddening need, make her his. But he didn't want to hurt her or scare her. He was going out of his goddamn mind with desire for her. The scent of her arousal tugged at him, filling all his senses. There was only her. Their surroundings dimmed and receded around them, leaving only Abby lying in a pool of silver starlight beneath him.
Grabbing her wrists, Cole pinned her arms up over her head as he lowered his mouth to her breasts. The first flick of his tongue sent her bucking and whimpering. He wrapped his lips around the elongated, erect peak and sucked hard. Abby thrashed her head from side to side, blind and mindless with lust.
Cole continued suckling her as he pulled her jeans and panties down her hips. Abby kicked off her jeans impatiently and pushed herself up on her elbows to watch Cole with heavy-lidded eyes. Cole shed his clothes swiftly and knelt between her trembling thighs.
He stared down at her, savoring the breathtaking, tantalizing sight of her spread out before him for his pleasure.
“So beautiful,” he breathed. “You are so fucking beautiful, Abby.”
Pushing her legs wider apart, he laved his tongue down her slick, pink folds, tasting her thoroughly before sliding his tongue into her. Abby writhed as he fucked her with his tongue and circled her clit with his fingers. She was losing control fast. With a hoarse cry, she came violently, shaking and shuddering as he thrust his tongue furiously in and out of her.
Before her orgasm could subside fully, Cole grabbed her legs and hooked them over his shoulders. As the head of his cock nudged into her opening, her walls rippled and she cried out as another orgasm flickered at the edge of her consciousness. She was already coming for him even though he wasn't even fully inside her. Cole gritted his teeth and stopped himself from pushing deeper into her body. She was so tight, and he had to give her time to adjust to his size.
Abby moaned and raked her nails down his arms. “Please, I need you inside me,” she begged.
Blissfully, agonizingly, he started to inch into her, stretching her walls as he pierced her with his huge, thick shaft. Abby cried out at the heady mix of pain and pleasure and Cole stilled immediately.
“Abby,” he whispered, the veins pulsing at the side of his neck.
She blinked quickly and panted, “More.”
Sucking in a ragged breath, he caressed her heaving breasts and stroked her nipples until they ached and throbbed. He thumbed her swollen clit, making her juices squirt out to lubricate her tight, clenching walls.
Slowly, he slid his cock into her, and Abby arched her back as he entered her. Cole penetrated her slowly, filling her and joining their bodies together. Abby pushed herself up to take in the erotic sight of Cole entering her body for the first time. Her lips parted and Cole saw the ecstasy and wonder in her eyes.
Cole held Abby's gaze as he thrust deep into her. He buried himself to the hilt inside her tight pussy and held himself completely still. Only the sound of their harsh breathing could be heard as they stared into each other's eyes for a long moment.
Still looking deep into her eyes, Cole began to move. His strokes were slow and long at first, as he made love to her gently and tenderly. Cole leaned forward and licked and nibbled at her ear as he drove into her. Abby shuddered and dug her nails into his shoulder. When he took the tip of her ear between his teeth and nipped hard, she bucked off the ground and trembled in his arms.
Cole continued kissing his mate's soft, sensitive ear as he surged into her. Abby gasped as she came suddenly. She whispered his name over and over as she rode the wave of pure ecstasy.
From the way she was looking at him, Cole knew that his brown eyes had lightened, and there was a tinge of gold circling his pupils. His bear was pulsing, clawing just under his skin, and there was no denying his bear this time. There was no holding his lust and his beast back. His bear would claim its mate tonight.
His claws dug into the grass at her sides as he took her harder and faster. Abby traced her fingers down his biceps and Cole knew that she could feel the pinpricks of goose pimples and fur down his arms.
He growled but she looked up at him, unfazed, unafraid.
“Take me, fully, completely,” she whispered.
Cole stared deeply into her eyes and saw that she meant every word. Her heart and body were strong. She knew that his bear was a part of him, and there was no separating the man from the bear. She was his mate, and she wanted him, all of him.
A roar sounded as Cole grabbed her and pounded into her. He fucked her hard and deep, giving her everything. She arched her back, a keening sound escaping from her throat as she surrendered to the fiery, primal lust that was consuming them both.
Abby gasped as Cole's sharp teeth scraped along the swell of her breasts and grazed her sensitive peaks. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he fucked her with all the animal lust and passion of his beast. It was rough and wild, and she loved it. She threw back her head and moaned, whimpered and begged.
Cole's breathing was harsh and ragged as he stared down at his mate's luscious, feminine body. Her large breasts heaved and bounced in time to his thrusts, and her head was thrashing with abandon. This was sex, raw, uninhibited, passionate sex. His mate might be human, but she wasn't cold, shy and delicate when it came to sex. She loved it hot and wild, and he could take her, pleasure her, fuck her without worrying about breaking her.
She was so amazing, so damn perfect.
A scream tore from her as she shattered suddenly and violently beneath him. Cole clamped his teeth down at the base of her neck and thrust deeply into her. He roared out his release as he hurtled over the edge with her in a powerful, explosive orgasm.
For a few thundering heartbeats, the world disintegrated into fragments of light around them. When the world finally
fell back into place, Cole found Abby's flushed, curvy body entangled in his long, muscular arms and legs. Sighing, she turned towards him and snuggled sweetly into the heat of his body.
“Mine,” he breathed as he pressed his lips against her temple.
He kissed her again and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Are you cold?” he murmured.
“No. I feel fine. I feel...more than fine,” she smiled.
Cole tucked her tightly against him and lay back on the grass. “Tell me about your family,” Abby said softly, drawing lazy circles on his abdomen.
Cole's throat moved but for a long while he didn't speak. He debated how much to tell her. Shifters lived by a different, more primal code. Violence, vengeance and bloodshed were common in the shifter world. Debts were paid in blood, and families and clans could be wiped out in one fell swoop. His entire clan had been brutally, mercilessly slaughtered. Young, old, women, children, none were spared. Only the four of them survived.
Abby didn't rush him, but she sensed his discomfort and hesitation. Taking his hand, she kissed him and said, “I know you won't lie to me, and I don't want you to hide from me either. I don't have a censor button in my brain. Some people don't like it. They can't take it. They prefer their world to be polite and pretty, all tied up in a bow. I lost my parents at a young age. My grandmother did her best by me, but still, I had to grow up fast. The bow had come undone for me a long time ago. I've learned that things aren't shiny and sparkly, but still I wished for a fairy-tale ending for myself. Luck and fate hadn't been that kind to me, but I guess that was to toughen me up and prepare me...for you,” she whispered, touching his face.
“I found you, Cole,” she smiled down at him. “You said it yourself. I wasn't scared to come out here to Moonstone Creek all by myself to look for you. Do you think I'll be scared by the truth, by your past?”
Cole held her warm hand against his cheek.
“Abby,” he said with fierce love and conviction. “I must have been a real good cub to deserve a mate like you. My Ma was right.” Cole laughed. “She told me that my mate would be a beautiful, strong, dauntless female, a true Alpha's mate. She would have loved you, Abby.”
A Bride For The Bear (Bear Brides #1) Page 5