by T. Cobbin
“Oh God, Garrett, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, looking down at the floor, unable to meet the man’s eyes. Embarrassment overtook any other emotion he had at that point.
“Don’t you dare reprimand him, Garrett.” Belle’s fierce voice filled the air. “He isn’t a kid, and you have no idea what it is like to be with a true mate.”
Shawn winced at her harsh words. He had never known what it was like to be with one until he’d seen Belle.
Garrett paled, taking a step back as if he’d been struck.
“Low blow, Belle,” Harris growled, stepping up behind the portly village copper.
Although Belle immediately bowed her head to their Alpha she mumbled in defiance, “Well, he doesn’t.”
“Shawn, I’d advise you to take your mate home before she places more of her foot in her mouth.”
Nodding, Shawn tugged his mate with him as quickly as he could and left Garrett’s office.
As they hit the fresh night air Belle pulled out of Shawn’s hold. “Do I embarrass you?” she asked. Her cheeks were tinged with a red blush, anger written all over her face. Shawn also scented pain coming from her.
He noticed the detectives’ black SUV was still parked outside with the men sitting in it. “Can we not do this here?” He whispered low enough for Belle to hear while motioning to the car with his eyes.
“Crap,” she cursed and began walking down the street. When she realized he wasn’t following she turned and lifted her eyebrows in a questioning manner. “Are you coming, Burr?”
Shawn followed her through the village until they reached his place.
Standing outside his door, Belle asked him again, “Do I embarrass you?”
He frowned, shaking his head. “Why would you think that?”
“You dropped me faster than a bad habit in Garrett’s office, and then you couldn’t drag me out of the building fast enough when Harris told you to take me home.”
Shawn nearly laughed. Was this woman serious? Although he felt a little annoyed at being asked such a stupid question he pulled the emotion close inside him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, then opened his eyes again.
“Garrett nearly walked in on us having sex in his office. Don’t you think he has the right to be annoyed?” he asked. “And as for our Alpha asking me to take you home… Yes, I pulled you out of there pretty fast because, if you are honest, you’d admit that you do have a tendency to open your mouth and put your foot in it.”
As he waited for her reply he walked into his home, all the time praying she wouldn’t bite his head off. He was just being truthful. She isn’t Rosie, he repeated to himself over and over again. He was pleased when she followed him inside, a thoughtful look on her face. He watched the cogs spinning around in her head before a huge smile broke out across her beautiful face.
“I do, right? Felix is always telling me to bite my tongue, and as for sex in Garrett’s office… Ewww… That man needs better hygiene, we could have caught something in there.”
Shawn stood there in shocked silence while Belle went to the fridge and opened the door to look inside.
“What are we going to make for tea? I’m starving.”
That was her answer? After he’d told her she had a big mouth, or at least one that got her into trouble, she wasn’t going to shout at him? If he had uttered anything like that to Rosie, he would have been in for a night of pain. Again he had to remind himself that Belle wasn’t Rosie.
“Whatcha standing there with your mouth open for? Looks like you’re catching flies.”
Shutting his mouth with a snap, Shawn walked toward her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Thank you,” he said, kissing her cheek.
“For what?” she asked, turning in his arms.
“For being you,” he replied before kissing her mouth.
He drove his tongue between her lips and stroked it along hers. She tasted divine. The arousal he’d felt in Garrett’s office returned tenfold. Picking her back up under her butt, he pushed the refrigerator door shut with her body and leaned them both against it, his mouth never leaving hers.
Fire boiled in his veins; it was as if every single emotion bubbled as one and turned into passion. His cock was rigid and now pressed against her heated core. He wanted to pound into Belle, to fuck her senseless. A soft moan from Belle vibrated along his tongue.
“Oh God, you’re driving me nuts,” he said, pulling away from her lips to speak.
“Then fuck me. Take your passion and show me what you got.”
If he could make their clothes disappear with a thought, they would both be stark naked right now. Slowly, he lowered his mate to the floor with a grin on his face. “How about we make this fun?”
He took a step back from Belle and began ripping at his clothes. Buttons dinged as they hit glass, wood, and whatever else. Following suit, Belle did the same, revealing her gorgeous body. Moving around her while trying to struggle out of his jeans, Shawn opened the front door and watched Belle’s face fill with confusion. But when he shifted his tiger stood still and saw understanding drift through his mate’s eyes. Taking off toward the moors, Shawn’s tiger ran.
* * * *
Oh, her mate was crafty. Belle watched his orange and black stripes disappear through the front door before she even started her shift.
In her haste, her jeans wrapped around her ankles, making her topple over. “Fuck this,” Belle mumbled after falling to her hands and knees, annoyed she’d been caught off-balance.
Quickly, she shifted, feeling the muscles alter and bones crack. The jeans once caught around her ankles fell off her now palm-sized paws.
Her hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell increased. The sweet aroma of her mate filled her nostrils, and her cat’s womb fluttered with excitement. It was dark outside now, but with her feline eyesight she could just make out the rear end of Shawn’s tiger in the distance. Her tiger lifted her head and roared into the night, then took off, following her mate.
Belle’s tiger moved slowly between the trees just on the outskirts of the village. The woods weren’t very big, but sizable enough for two huge tigers to play amongst. Belle sat back in her tiger’s mind, watching the scene play out.
The scent of their mate wound around the large, several-hundred-years-old trees; he’d run around a few of them, rubbing his scent over the bark. She crouched low as his unique bouquet became stronger. He was close. Her ears twitched, listening for any kind of sound, but all she could hear were the crickets, a mouse not far in the distance, and several birds in the trees.
At the sound of a twig snapping she jerked her head to the right, looking behind a fallen tree. Crouching even further, she stilled, waiting… Nothing. Was he behind the tree? Was he lying close to the ground, waiting for her to make a move?
Taking a chance, she drew her leg muscles tighter, ready to pounce, when pain—not enough pain to cause her anger, but enough to know her mate had found her—from the male tiger pouncing on her had her rolling onto her back and striking out with her paws. She heard the sound of a deep, rumbling growl from above. All she could see were the back and orange stripes of her mate standing astride her, then his tongue swept over her jawline and his purr filled the air.
She flipped her large, muscled body over and swept her tail to the side of her torso, offering herself, and within seconds she was impaled on his cock.
Chapter 11
After their fun, both tigers curled up with each other and slept. Belle felt, then heard Shawn shifting into his human form. Following suit, Belle pushed through her shift, and just as she finished, she was met with the most gorgeous pair of crystal light blue eyes looking down at her. Shawn straddled her body so close his chest pushed against her breasts.
“Now that’s a sight for sore eyes,” he murmured, looking down between their bodies. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled deeply. “Mmm, you smell like nature wrapped up in a bundle of wild daisies and honey.”
His words rippled through Belle like a s
ilk glove. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his skin and the sound of his voice. She lifted her hands and wrapped them around his neck, her fingers caressing his warm skin. “No, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Pulling his head down, she kissed his lips. She gained entrance to his mouth, slipping her tongue inside. A duet of moans came from both of them. Belle could feel Shawn’s thick, hard erection press against her lower stomach. Her hips jutted up as if they had a mind of their own, seeking pleasure against her clit. Shawn moved and Belle whimpered when she received what she sought.
She lifted her legs and wound them tightly around his waist. When his cock slid over her engorged nub she groaned. She could feel the thick vein, and each of the small ripples as she glided along his shaft, leaving his shaft damp with her dew. She could feel the velvet contrast against his iron rod.
She was finally going to lose her virginity to the man who it was meant for. She’d played with vibrators and such, so she didn’t have a hymen, but not one man had ever placed anything inside her, that she’d saved for her mate.
Shawn’s mood quickly changed, and he moved faster, almost as if he was frenzied. His hands roamed over her breasts, squeezing and caressing them to a point where she felt nips of pain, which added to her excitement. Her honey seeped from her pussy more, and it ran down the crack of her arse cheeks. She was so close and they were merely dry humping.
Belle moved her hands down, raking her fingers along Shawn’s back, knowing that they were leaving red welts behind. He groaned loudly and pressed his hips against hers. The vibration of his rumbled groan surged through his tongue and rippled along hers.
Belle pulled her face away from his and looked into his blue eyes, panting for breath. She felt a tinge of guilt, because she knew he was still getting over his past; were they moving too fast? Was he going to mate her then spent an eternity feeling he had portrayed that fucking ex of his?
“Wait a sec.” She moved her hands up to his chest and placed them, fingers splayed, on his very fine pecs. “You’ve been through a lot in the past week or so, and this...” She motioned between them. “...is going to happen at some point, but I don’t want to have you rush in and then feel guilty about it.”
Shawn frowned, a perfect crease dipping in between his eyebrows. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“Huh?” Why would he be asking if she would feel guilty if they mated?
“Well… You know the police don’t like me. They want to throw me into a deep, dark, dank cell for beating on a woman—”
Belle couldn’t let him finish. It broke her heart thinking of him being put away for something he was innocent of. She lifted her head and entwined her hand behind his neck and pulled him down. Their lips met in the middle and began another damp but hot dance.
“I won’t let them take you away. Mate me. Make me forever yours no matter what happens,” she pleaded with him mentally.
Shawn halted their heated kiss and pulled back to look into her eyes. His head lowered until his forehead was touching just underneath her chin. What was going through her mate’s mind? He pulled even further away from her to turn over and rest on his back, an arm thrown over his eyes.
“Oh God, what if they do arrest me? Rosie has already proved she can be manipulative enough to get herself beaten up to blame me.”
Belle could hear the pain and the scent of the emotion surrounded her mate. She knew he was innocent. She wished humans had the ability to scent emotion. It would make things so much easier. She couldn’t imagine Shawn being placed in a cell for something he didn’t do. In her wildest dreams it couldn’t happen...could it?
“We won’t let that happen. You aren’t going anywhere. This is home now, and one way or another, we will make this work. You have to believe. We have to…”
Her gaze roamed up and over his handsome body. His long, lean but muscled legs. His hard, thick shaft that rested on his lower stomach. She wanted to grasp it and feel him writhe as she pumped it, to watch the look on his face when he came. His well-defined six-pack. His chest that had a fine dusting of black hair. Her mate moved his arm and looked up at her, his clear crystal blue eyes shimmering under a film of tears.
She placed an open palm on his cheek and caressed it. “I’m with you all the way, no matter where it takes us.”
“It will just cause you pain if we mate and I’m taken away.” His hand rested over the top of hers on his cheek. “To go years witho—”
“No!” she interrupted. She’d had enough of the negative thoughts. She straddled his hips, grinding her damp pussy over his cock, and lowered her head to place nibbling kisses on his lips. “You have to have faith. You didn’t do anything.” She stroked her hands over his pecs, loving the feel of them under her palms. “Innocent…” she said, laying a kiss on his lips again.
“You know that, but they don’t.”
“They will,” she insisted.
“But what if—”
“No, no, no. For God’s sake, man…We can’t think like that. Inn-o-cent,” she ground out again. “Believe.”
Shawn closed his eyes and sighed. Belle waited with bated breath and hoped that when he opened his eyes again, she would see belief in them. She wanted to growl, to howl at the whole situation.
Not wanting to wait any longer, she slammed her lips down on his and ground her pussy against his still rock hard shaft. Lifting up a little, she grabbed hold of his cock and began pumping, feeling the difference between the soft and hard—the velvet skin moving against the hard muscle underneath. With his groan and the bucking of his hips Belle knew she had his undivided attention now. No more stalling. No more ifs and buts. This time she was going all out to get what she wanted, and even with his reservations, she knew he wanted it too.
Shawn hissed through his teeth when she ran her thumb over the slit of his dick and lifted it to her mouth. She closed her eyes and groaned above him, tasting the musky, salty flavor of his pre-cum. With a buck of his hips and a roll Belle found herself underneath her mate, his blue eyes looking down at her filled with lust and...love?
* * * *
Belle’s eyes shone back at him from below. She was beautiful. Shawn knew the time had come to make this woman his mate once and for all. Fuck Rosie and her family. Hadn’t he put up with enough of their shit? Whatever was to come he would deal with it with Belle at his side.
Belle’s hand was still grasped around his cock, and while he’d been looking down at her, she’d begun to pump it slowly up and down.
“Put it where it’s supposed to be, but I can promise you this, the first time, will be fast, hard, and furious. I need inside you this very second.” He jerked his hips, pushing his length inside her hand, and pulled it out, emphasizing his urgency.
He felt her warm, wet pussy at the tip of his cock where she positioned it, and he pushed slowly inside her. Belle arched her back, her legs wrapping around his waist. He groaned in unison with her as he embedded his shaft until his balls rested against her arse.
“No more procrastinating,” he whispered into her ear and pulled out until the tip of his cock rested at her entrance. With a surge of his hips he was fully embedded once again.
A small, whimpered moan came from Belle’s mouth. He began kissing and nibbling on her neck, working his way down to her breasts, all the time setting a frantic pace as old as time. His gums itched as his fangs withdrew, and he scraped them along the pulse in her neck, closing his eyes and breathing in her wonderful scent. Belle arched once again and moved her head to the side. She licked up the side of his pulse. He was really going to do this. He was really going to mate the woman meant for him. Not to just imprint, but to actually give a piece of his heart and soul to a woman who would love him just as much as he loved her.
“I promise to love you always, to never lay a hand on you in anger. You will be in my heart ’til the day I die. I have never felt this way before. It’s you, Belle. My heart and soul have been waiting for you. Accept me and my flaw
s?”
“Always, my mate.” Belle smiled, then licked up the side of his neck.
An image of Rosie briefly flitted through his mind. He lifted his head enough to look down at Belle. Rosie disappeared—she didn’t belong there any longer.
Unable to hold back, he thrust inside Belle deeply but slowly so he could feel every inch of his cock slipping inside her welcoming pussy. She was so tight. Picking up his momentum, he felt the coming orgasm pull his balls up close to his body, and he thrust hard and fast. Perspiration beaded his body. Licking up the pulse in Belle’s neck, he again scraped his teeth along it.
“Come, my tigress.” With a quick, hard jerk Shawn plunged one final time inside of Belle and bit down near her collarbone as she did the same to him.
He had never felt such an explosion of an orgasm as he did then. He felt the spurting of his life force pushing its way out the end of his shaft into Belle’s waiting womb. Her blood coated his tongue. A feeling of being totally complete crossed his mind. It was as if he could feel both of their souls reaching out to entwine around each other.
Belle’s teeth released his neck and she howled into the night as she reached her orgasm. Her pussy clenched around his shaft as if it trying to milk everything it could.
“I love you, my tiger. I knew you would find me,” Belle panted into his ear.
Chapter 12
The night air was cool around them. At the moment, both tiger and man were content.
Belle had lowered the grip of her legs around his waist as she fell asleep, tucked up in his arms. Shawn brushed a curl off her forehead, looking over her angelic face as she napped. She had a fine coating of pale freckles on her nose. Her eyes flitted left and right under their lids. Her bow-shaped lips pursed every now and again as if something bothered her in her dreams. Her hair, although short and spiked, was currently giving her the just-fucked look.