Angela reached for the door handle, then looked back at Cole with a frown. “You’re not coming up?”
Cole gave her a bewildered look. “I assumed I was renting a hotel.”
Angela bit her lip. They were definitely less likely to sleep together if he did that, which was a plus point, and yet… “I think due to the nature of this assignment that it’s best if we stick as close together as possible,” she said. “I have a spare mattress I can inflate for you.”
Cole stared at her for a long moment. “You really want me sleeping in your living room?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Angela frowned. “We’re working together, and I doubt you’ll get your payment if you murder me in my sleep, so I think I’m reasonably safe with you.” She winked.
Cole snorted. “If you say so.” He killed the engine, then popped the trunk and went around the back to grab his luggage. Angela waited for him to sling the single duffle bag over his shoulder – clearly he packed light – before leading him up the stairs and into the apartment complex.
Her one bedroom was located on the third floor, and while it was considerably cleaner than Marcus’s studio, it wasn’t really much bigger. The open floor plan definitely help make it seem more spacious, though, with the kitchen off to her left and the dining area to her right, leaving a path straight through to the living room where she kept a small flat screen, a love seat, and a bean bag chair.
Cole winced when he saw the couch. “I’m definitely going to be needing that spare mattress.”
Angela laughed a little, trying to imagine Cole scrunching up his huge frame on her cozy little love seat. “I’ll go get it set up for you. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable on the couch? You can help yourself to whatever in the fridge,” she said with a shrug, knowing there wasn’t too much in there. If he ate her out of house and home it served her right – she needed to go shopping anyway.
“Sure, thanks.”
She retrieved the blow up mattress and the electric pump that went with it, then dragged them out into the living room. Cole had already moved the coffee table aside to make room for the mattress, and was sitting in the beanbag chair, staring out the window at the Golden Gate Bridge, its lights making it glow like a beacon in the darkness. That view of the Bridge was the main reason she’d picked this apartment even though there were slightly nicer ones in the area for the same price – when she was up late at night, with too many thoughts crowding the space inside her skull, she could look out the window and just allow all her worries to float away, as she gazed out at the Bridge.
Cole’s gaze swung back around to her, and he watched as she crouched down and set up the pump to begin inflating the mattress. “This should just take a few moments,” she told him. “I’ll go get some bedding for you.”
She stepped over the mattress to head back to the bedroom, but he grabbed her wrist before she could make it past him. Startled, she looked down into his violet eyes as they stared up at her, his expression completely unreadable. “What is it?”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
A frown creased the skin between his brows, and he gestured around the living room. “Inviting me up here. Making up a bed for me. Offering me food. Looking at me… the way you were looking at me earlier.” His lip curled as a spark of rage lit his eyes. “What the hell do you want from me, anyway?”
Fear blossomed in her chest as a voice in her head screamed for her to back away, and the look on his face told her that he heard that voice just as loud and clear as she did. But her instincts told her that would be a fatal mistake if she ever hoped to work with him, so she stood her ground, lifting her chin as she held his gaze. “Maybe I just want you to get a good night’s sleep so we can put all our efforts toward rescuing my partner tomorrow.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You don’t need to invite me into your home for that.” In one fluid motion he rose to his full height, all six foot six of rippling muscle and leather and musky man. “There’s something you want from me, isn’t there? Some kind of charm or spell, or a vial of my blood, or a piece of my hair,” he spat. “Just admit it already.”
She gaped up at him. “Why the fuck would I want any of that?”
He tensed. “Are you saying you don’t?”
Huffing, she folded her arms. “I have the Order if I need any kind of protection spells. And I’m not some kind of black market dealer that collects blood and hair from rare creatures or hybrids. I’m a fucking Protector, and the only thing I care about is finding Raina.”
He searched her gaze for a very, very long time, and as she bore the scrutiny, she began to wonder if he had actually had to barter his body in exchange for food or shelter in his lifetime. How could someone as powerful as he be forced to stoop to such levels?
He wasn’t always as you see him now, she reminded herself. Everyone starts off alone or vulnerable in this world.
“You’ve never been given anything freely, have you?” she asked softly.
He finally looked away. “There’s no such thing as free in this world,” he said gruffly. “Everyone wants something for something, and if they can get it, something for nothing.”
Taking a gamble, she reached out and gently gripped his chin, turning his gaze to hers again. “I won’t deny the truth to your words,” she told him, trying to focus on his eyes rather than the sensation of his stubble prickling her fingertips. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t offer you kindness, especially since you’re helping me find Raina.”
He glared at her. “You don’t need to be kind to me for that. Raina’s father is already paying me for the service.”
She glared at him. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I’m being kind to you because I feel like it?”
His jaw clenched. “You’re just trying to get me to lower my guard,” he hissed. “I’m over two-thousand years old, and no shifter or mage has ever given me a kindness or a gift in my existence. I’m an abomination, do you understand? You should know better!”
Ripping his jaw from her grasp, he brushed past her and stormed for the door, but she grabbed him by the arm and hauled him around to face her again.
“No,” she growled right before she yanked him against her and crushed her lips against his. “It’s they who should know better.”
Chapter Five
Cole couldn’t breathe as Angela crushed her mouth to his. His entire body froze as she overloaded his senses with her body – the sensation of her breasts pressed against his chest, of her full lips moving against his mouth, of her scent filling his nostrils and making his head swim, not just because she smelled sweet, of oranges, but because he could also scent her desire, and the pheromones, and the knowledge combined made his head spin.
She wanted him. There was a female shifter standing in a room with him, kissing him, and she actually wanted him.
Hesitantly, he lifted a hand to touch her hair, then sank it deep into her locks when she didn’t pull away. The tresses were silky smooth and seemed to draw him into her, tangling up in his fingers as he held her close. His other arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her into his body, and he nearly incinerated her clothing as her belly pressed against his aching erection.
Growling, he backed her up until her ankles hit the beanbag chair and they went down together, his knees driving into the lumpy cushion and nudging her thighs apart. Instantly her legs hooked around his waist, clamping down.
“Clothes,” she panted, shoving his jacket down his shoulders. “Too many clothes.”
Growling in agreement, he shrugged off his jacket and allowed her to rip the shirt from his body, exposing the scars on his chest. Rather than recoiling, as he expected, she ran her tongue along the one that stretched from his shoulder to the top of his rib cage, and he moaned as hot chills swept through him, making him even harder.
“You’re gorgeous,” she purred, her hands trailing over the hard muscles of his chest an abdomen. Goosebumps broke out over his skin as
his muscles trembled beneath her touch, and he held his breath as he watched her hands travel lower, lower, until her fingers rested at the top button of his jeans.
But instead of popping the button, she looked up, and her eyes widened. “Your eyes. They’re glowing. Like they did when we bypassed the lock at Marcus’s apartment complex.”
“Sorry.” Cursing, he looked away. “Sometimes when I get worked up, my magic rises to the surface.” His jaw clenched, and he began to move away.
She clamped her legs down harder. “Just where do you think you’re going?”
He blinked down at her. “I thought you wanted me to stop?”
She scowled at him. “When did I say that?”
He hesitated, confused. “My… my eyes. Usually when women see them, they curse me …then they’re frightened.” It was why he didn’t have sex very often. Mages and shifters wouldn’t touch the likes of him, and it was very rare he came across a fae he trusted enough to remove his clothes around. Human women were the safest bet, but it was hard to control his magic around them, and they usually ran screaming when it came out. It had gotten so bad that he resorted to wearing sunglasses whenever he bedded a woman, and wouldn’t take them off for anything. Usually he just told them he was blind.
Her scowl melted into that tender expression he’d seen on her face before, the one that was dangerous because it made him feel as if she might actually understand him. “Your eyes are beautiful,” she said softly, cupping his face in her hands. “You don’t need to hide them from me. I was just wondering if maybe something was wrong.”
He shook his head. “The only thing that’s wrong is that I keep thinking that this is some kind of dream, and that I’m going to wake up with a raging hard-on, and the fantasy of a shifter female who actually wants to fuck me doesn’t really exist.”
She grinned a little, then unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off. “Oh I’m real alright,” she said, stretching her arms over her head and arching so her chest pushed out a little more. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”
She pulled up the thin cotton of her t-shirt to expose her breasts, which were round and full and covered by a lacy red and black bra with a little lock dangling from the front clasp. Grinning a little, he popped the clasp off and let the lingerie fall to the side as her breasts spilled directly into his hands. She moaned a little as her nipples brushed against his palms, arching into him more.
“Yeah,” she breathed as he rubbed his palms up and down, deliberately scraping her nipples against his skin. “Do more of that.”
Emboldened, he squeezed her breasts more firmly and used his thumbs to rub her nipples in slow circles, his fear of rejection rapidly wearing off. She squirmed beneath him as he teased her, and he watched, captivated as a pink flush spread across her cheekbones, her tongue darting out to wet her parted lips. Her gem-like eyes were half-lidded, full of sensual promise, and he was seized by the desire to watch her go blind as she came.
Dipping his head down, he took a nipple into his mouth and suckled it hard. Her gasp of pleasure sent a rush through him as she tangled her hands in his hair, pulling him closer to her breast as he pleasured her. It was followed quickly by a surprised cry as he slid a hand beneath the waistband of her jeans to cup her through her panties.
“You’re so wet,” he growled, his breath rasping against her skin. He lifted his head and brought his hand back up so he could breathe in the scent of her pussy, and she actually blushed, biting down on her lower lip in a manner that made her look adorable and sexy all at once. “I want to taste you.”
She lifted her hips in offering. “Please.”
He moved down a little, settling his knees onto the carpet so that he was nestled right between her legs, and then drew her jeans and panties off in one smooth motion. Tossing them off to the side, he hooked one knee over each of his shoulder, intending to go straight for her pussy, but the sight of her creamy thigh next to his cheek made him pause. She had gorgeous legs, smooth and muscled, but with just enough fat on them to keep them from losing their feminine shape. He felt the muscles of her quadriceps quiver as he pressed a kiss on the inside of her thigh, and then another, slowly working his way to her center.
“Cole…” she breathed, squirming a little beneath him, and he smiled against her skin. She was so responsive, reacting to each individual touch of his body against hers. He felt her suck in a sharp breath as he nipped at the sensitive flesh where her leg joined with her loins, and he smiled wickedly up at her before he ran his tongue up the length of her swollen pussy.
“Ohhh yeaaaaaah,” she groaned, her eyes closing as she pressed herself more firmly against his mouth. Gripping her hips to hold her still, he lapped gently at her folds with his tongue, simply enjoying the flavor of her on his tongue and the sounds of her pleasure. Soon she grew even wetter, her pussy slick and glistening, and he moved a little higher, his tongue slipping between the folds to find her clit.
“God yes!” she cried, her hands fisting in his hair as she pulled him closer. He flicked his tongue rapidly back and forth across the little nub, sending tremors through her body with his pleasurable assault. She stiffened then, screaming his name as the tremors turned into full-blown shudders, and she came, her juices flooding into his mouth as pleasure overwhelmed her senses.
“Holy shit,” she panted, collapsing against the beanbag chair. He didn’t give her time to say anything more, just shoved his pants down around his knees and plunged inside her before she decided to change her mind. The sensation of her hot, wet pussy clamping around him was almost too much, and he froze, biting down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from coming right then and there.
Angela’s brow furrowed, and she reached up to touch his cheek. “Are you okay?”
The concern in her eyes nearly undid him, and he looked away, turning his cheek into her palm. “I’m fine. It’s just… it’s been awhile for me.”
She gave him an incredulous look, her green eyes sweeping up and down his body. “I find that pretty hard to believe, considering that you’re built like a fucking god.”
Pleasure warmed his chest at the compliment, and he grinned a little. “First time anyone’s ever told me that.”
“Yeah, well it’s true.” She reached around and squeezed his ass, and he groaned a little. “These buns of steel are so fine they had to have been carved by angels or something.”
“Or something,” he agreed, chuckling. He leaned down to capture her mouth in a deep kiss. She opened her mouth to receive him, her tongue tangling desperately with his, as she hooked her ankles at the small of his back, drawing him even more deeply inside her and holding on as if she didn’t ever want him to let go. It was such a foreign thing for him that it took him a few seconds to react, but eventually instinct took over and he began to thrust slowly inside of her.
“That’s it,” she moaned encouragingly, stroking her hands up and down his back. “Oh, yeah, you feel so good.” Her words were the sweetest music his ears had ever heard, so sweet they were almost unreal. No woman had ever complimented him so highly in bed – the humans had always been too afraid of him, and the supernaturals had always been too derisive, never looking at him as more than a quick fuck. But Angela treated him as an equal, neither afraid nor disgusted of him, and she shared herself completely with him at this moment.
It was the greatest gift he’d ever received.
Determined to fully immerse himself in the moment while it lasted, he pushed all thoughts out of his head and just focused on making love to the woman beneath him. She was so gorgeous, with all that coppery hair spilled out across the chair behind her, leaving her beautiful, heart-shaped face unframed. He traced the lines of that face, lingering on a beauty mark on her upper right cheek bone for a moment, then moving downward to her cupid’s bow lips, which he couldn’t seem to get enough of.
“You’re so beautiful.”
She smiled shyly up at him, another blush staining her cheeks. “And you’re so swe
et.” She pulled him in for another kiss, soft and slow at first, and then she grew more demanding, nipping and sucking at his lips and tongue as she pressed her hips more insistently against his. He answered her unspoken request, increasing the pace until he could hear the wet slap of his flesh against hers. She met him thrust for thrust, holding on tightly until the tremors wracked her body again and she arched her back, crying out his name again.
Cole groaned as her pussy clenched around his cock, the sensation so intense he couldn’t hold back anymore. He came inside her, every single ounce of tension spilling out of him as waves of pleasure rushed through his body, leaving him breathless and weak as a newborn cub. Gasping, he collapsed against her, completely spent and satiated for the first time in… well, he wasn’t sure how long it had been. But he knew he felt damn good, and that was all that mattered.
* * *
“Umm, Cole? Mind giving me some breathing room?”
“Huh?” he asked groggily, his warm breath tickling her neck.
Groaning, Angela tapped her fingers insistently against his chest. “Need. To. Breathe. Now.”
“Oh!” He scrambled off of her, an embarrassed flush creeping across his cheeks. The fact that those cheeks looked like they had been carved by angels made it even more endearing than it should have. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I was hurting you.”
Angela took a deep breath and stretched. “No worries. You didn’t do me any lasting harm.” Smiling, she rose, then sashayed over to him to where he was lying on the floor, propped up on his elbows. Stepping over him so that her feet were planted on either side of his hips, she reached down and offered him a hand. “Here, let me help you up.”
A wicked glint lit his gorgeous eyes, and before she could react he’d grasped her hand and pulled her back on top of him. Giggles erupted from her chest as he rolled on top of her and started tickling her mercilessly, his powerful fingers gentle but incredibly accurate as they found all of her tickle spots and took full advantage.
Bear Meets Girl Page 5