The Jaguar's Romance

by Emilia Hartley

  Nick kissed her as the first tear fell, tentative at first, but then dipping back down for more. Jo curled her fingers into the chest of his shirt, pulling him closer as his hands slid up the back of her neck and into her hair. When he pulled away, they we both gasping.

  “Don’t be sorry, Jo,” he murmured against her lips. “I just can’t believe you came back”

  “I can,” she replied, twining her hands around his neck and pressing butterfly kisses along the side of his jaw all the way down his throat.

  His bear snapped wide-awake then, urging him to step through the door she’d opened for him. “I can’t, Jo,” he growled, already willing the beast down. “It’s not safe.”

  “I’m not scared,” she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. “I didn’t know what you were before, so I could understand being apprehensive of my not knowing what I was getting myself into, but now I do, Nick I know what you are, I know who you are, and I know you’ll never hurt me and I love you for it.”

  Nick froze, stunned. “You love me?” he whispered.

  Color washed across her cheeks, a sign of how shy her confession had made her, but she smiled. “Of course I do. Can’t you tell?” she asked, almost too soft to hear.

  “How can you love someone who could lose control at any moment? The bear inside of me could tear you apart, “Nick warned. “I already hurt you once when I—”

  “Have you ever thought that your bear might know exactly what I want because I’m your mate?” Jo asked, interrupting him.

  Nick’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You know what that means?

  She shrugged. “Kinda. Tom tried explaining it to me.”

  Nick ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath in frustration. He had no idea what to do. Of course he wanted to take Jo in his arms and make her his; the thought of her loving and accepting him fully for who and what he was excited him and made him want her all the more. What if she was right? What if the bear knew all the right moves and Nick was just letting his doubt get in the way?

  What if she was wrong?

  Nick let out a long sigh, catching Jo up in his arms. “I love you too, Jo. I love you so much that it hurts to imagine being without you for even a second, but—”

  “Shhh,” she interrupted again, lips dangerously close to his. “Just love me.”

  Letting out a groan, Nick leaned down and ran his tongue across her lips and she whimpered in response. He caught the scent of her arousal, and he nipped lightly at the soft flesh of her lips, suppressing a growl. Lifting her body in his arms, he strode up the stair and into the bathroom as she locked them in another hungry kiss.

  Nick set Jo down, stealing a final kiss before he reluctantly pulled away to turn on the steamy shower water.

  Jo licked her lips, her cheeks already pink with need. I suppose you do need to clean up after all that fighting,” she purred, stepping closer to run her hands up Nick’s shirt. “His breath came out in a hiss.

  He held her hands tightly over his heart, stopping her exploration short. “You first,” he breathed.

  With a coy smile, Jo stepped away and pulled her shirt overhead. For once, Nick allowed the bear to take the lead, stepping forward in a frenzy to lay biting kisses against her neck. She moaned in shock and excitement as his hands slid down her back and into her jeans.” “No cheating!” she gasped, dragging his shirt out of the waistband of his pants.

  “Call it a draw?” he growled with a glint in his eye, tearing off all of his clothes with vigor. He helped Jo out of hers with equal enthusiasm and she squealed with delight as he pulled her into the shower.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Nick knew Jo was watching him with hungry eyes as he washed himself, letting the blood cascade down his body until the water finally ran clear. The moment he was devoid of red, her hands were all over him, trailing carefully around and gently over the cuts and bruises that he’d sustained.

  “Does it hurt,” she asked, fingers circling a large purple bruise at the side of his ribs.

  He shrugged, trying to fight past the euphoria he felt when she touched him so he could properly answer her question. “At the time, yes. Now? Sometimes. It depends on how I move.”

  “Ah, good to know,” she murmured, voice husky as her hands trailed lower. She grabbed his erect dick giving him one good stroke. No problem here, then?”

  He shuddered against her, eyes darkening. “None at all.” His hands were moving on their own, working their way over Jo’s breasts and pulling a cry from her lips.

  He froze immediately. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  Her chest was heaving, breath frantic. “Why did you stop?”

  “I’m not—”

  “No, Nick,” she growled, pressing his hand onto her breasts again.

  Nick’s chest rattled as he tugged once more, drawing a little whimper from Jo that made him dizzy with desire. “It’s going to be hard for me to stay gentle, Jo,” his voice was husky and low the bear raring for more.

  “Maybe I don’t want you to be gentle.”

  That was all he needed to hear. With a violent shudder, Nick groaned, pressing his mouth roughly against hers. He allowed his hands to explore every part of her body, fingers sliding in and out of every crevice he could find. Jo tangled her fingers into his hair, tugging roughly as he kissed and bit his way down her neck. He pressed her back to the shower wall, one hand holding her in place. All at once, he drew one nipple into his mouth as he slid two, long fingers inside her.

  Jo threw her head back in ecstasy as Nick fingered her. She slid against the wall, writhing in time with his strokes. Everything about her drove him crazy, his bear roaring triumphantly as Jo’s gasps came quicker and quicker. He trailed bites down her torso, a low growl trickling from his lips. Finally, with a satisfying sigh, Nick’s lips closed around the sensitive flesh of her clit. She cried his name to the ceiling as he licked, bit, and kissed her into her first orgasm.

  She exploded around him, curling her fingers tightly in his hair as spasm after spasm rocked her. Only when she finally relaxed against the wall in complete bliss did he stand up.

  Jo’s eyes were fluttering as she held onto him to keep her footing. As she regained her breath, Nick couldn’t help but grin down at her. “I love you,” he whispered, voice low and husky as he kissed her chin.

  He could feel her heart speed up, his declaration undoubtedly rekindling the excitement within her once more. “I love you, too, Nick,” she gasped. “I love you so much.”

  Without another word, he swept her up in his arms, listing her up and using his immense strength to prop her easily against the shower wall. She instinctively coiled her legs around his waist, a small noise of surprise crawling up her throat.

  Nick’s hands held each thigh tightly against him, and he could see the way Jo reacted to his erection as it pressed roughly against her abdomen. She rolled her hips in anticipation, looping her arms around Nick’s neck and pulling him into a desperate kiss. “Please Nick, please,” she whispered, “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  Nick trembled with a hunger only Jo could sate. The way she begged him to fuck her undid him, every time. Gazing deeply into one another’s eyes, Nick shoved the full length of him roughly into her wet center. The reaction was immediate, Jo’s eyes glazing over in overwhelming ecstasy. She leaned her head back in pure bliss, already contracting and reverberating around his cock in a way that had him struggling to concentrate. If he wasn’t careful, this would be over sooner than he wanted it to be.

  To Nick’s dismay, seeing Jo there, propped against the wall, eyes closed tight, throat bare and vulnerable as he sat sheathed deeply within her rekindled some of his old doubt. How far could he go? How much could he do before it was just enough? Too much? Reluctantly, he rolled his hips, and she shuddered appreciatively.

  “Don’t hold back,” she whimpered, opening her eyes slightly to give him a heavy look. It was filled with want and need, hunger and heat. And love, more love t
hat he’d ever imagine she could have for him. “Don’t be scared. This is right. You know it is.”

  He allowed himself one final moment of gentle admiration—cradling her cheek softly as he laid a tentative kiss on her lips—before doing what he’d wanted to for a long time. He let go.

  Drawing almost completely out of her, he slammed back inside, the clap of skin meeting skin singing in his ears with the impact. Jo cried out, long and ragged, and Nick had a moment of terror before she raked her nails across the top of his back, clawing him closer.

  “Don’t stop!” she cried. “Don’t you dare stop.” She kissed him roughly, drawing away and catching his bottom lip in her teeth. As she bit down hard enough for Nick to see stars, he rammed her again. And this time he didn’t stop.

  He knew he wouldn’t last very much longer by going so vigorously, but in the moment, it didn’t matter. He felt the pressure and the pleasure building up inside of Jo, coiling her up tightly like a spring, and all he could think about was making her feel like she’d spontaneously combusted. It was his only goal. His teeth found her neck, grazing not so lightly against her skin, his hand gripped her thigh in a vice that was sure to leave a bruise. Every pinch, scratch and nibble he laid upon her resulted in a gasp or a moan, and it drove them both ever closer to the edge.

  Suddenly, his body gave the first violent quake. “Jo, I—”

  “Don’t,” she squealed, “Don’t stop, Nick, please. Come for me.”

  A snarl ripped through him, and he put every ounce of power he had left into one final thrust, bringing them over the precipice together. Nick bellowed a satisfactory roar that echoed harshly off the porcelain walls, but he was much too enthralled to care. She tensed and tightened around him, pulling all of his attention away from anything that didn’t have to do with this moment. There was only Jo. His human. His mate.

  The bear stood tall and broad within him as he orgasmed, like he normally did when he wanted to force a change, but there was no snapping of bone or tearing of muscle—there was only Jo. The bear only looked to her as she writhed and shook, the pleasure spilling over the brim as Nick’s warmth entered her. She was their home.

  As they both came down from the high of climax, Nick slid the two of them gently to the floor of the bath. They lay there panting and exhausted for a bit, warm water cascading gently upon their lazed bodies.

  When he could find the energy, he laid a tiny kiss on Jo’s forehead. “I love you, so much, Jo,” he breathed into her soaked hair.

  “And I love you,” she whispered back, resting her head contentedly on his chest.

  ***

  Tom stopped by a few hours later as planned. He grinned uncomfortably at the picture of innocence that Jo and Nick presented. They were both showered and dressed in comfortable PJs, Nick lying on Jo’s lap with his eyes closed while she sipped a mug of coffee. Her legs were tugged under her on the couch as she read a book from the bookcase.

  “Well aren’t you two the perfect picture of domestic bliss,” he quipped, sitting in the soft armchair across from them.

  Nick grinned, not bothering to open his eyes just yet. “Jealous?”

  “Not at all,” Tom answered, not missing a beat. “Just making an observation.”

  “How’s Dan?” Jo asked, closing her novel with mild concern in her eyes.

  Tom shrugged. “Sleeping. Not much has changed in the few hours y’all have been gone. He woke up once, tried to stand almost immediately, threw up everywhere because trying to stand up immediately on a body as broken as his is painful, and then passed back out.” He looked to Nick. “If he makes it out of this without lasting complications, I’ll eat my boot.”

  Nick finally cracked open an eye. “That bad, huh?”

  Tom nodded. “Definitely. He won’t even be able to attempt to shift for… a few weeks at least.”

  Nick sighed, reluctantly rising from the sofa. “That’s troublesome.”

  “Why is it troublesome?” Jo asked. She had a feeling it was going to take a while before she didn’t always feel so out of the loop.

  The brother’s exchanged a look. “Because he’s the enemy,” Nick finally said, matter-of-factly.

  “A month at least before he has the health necessary to not die out there on his own,” Tom added. “Four weeks in our home. Not some secondary hovel that we can use as a decoy.”

  “He could learn a lot of secrets about us, even locked up in that room all day,” Nick agreed, nodding. “It could be anything. A note on the fridge, someone leaving a voice mail that we listen to on speaker.”

  “He could track when and how we navigate about the shop, getting our move patterns to better understand how we fight and defend ourselves.”

  “Also—”

  “Okay, okay, I got it!” Jo interrupted. She saw Nick pout a bit before promptly ignoring him. “So, what are our options?”

  Tom looked slowly from Jo to Nick. Nick shook his head in silent warning. With a smile Tom looked back to her. “Well, we could always toss him back out on the street,” he answered cheerily.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Jo replied, face deadpan in mock seriousness. “Anything else?”

  Tom sighed. “Not really. If you insist on keeping him until he’s strong enough to go limping back to Lucas, then I know Nick will back you.” He shrugged. “I’m out-voted before it even began.”

  Nick nodded. “You got me there.”

  “So he stays,” Jo confirmed, breathing a sigh of relief. “We’ll just have to be careful.”

  “Seems so,” Tom said. “And you?”

  It was Jo’s turn to shrug. She hadn’t really thought about what she would do after quitting her job. As she spent more time back in Rawlins, she was made all but certain that the rest of her days would be spent with Nick.

  “Can you liaise from here?” Nick asked, mistaking the reason for her silence.

  Jo shook her head. “No, no, I quit Liberty Art, so that’s not—”

  “Really?” Nick asked, eyebrows rose in wonder. “You didn’t tell me.”

  “There’s been a lot going on,” she retired with a smirk.

  “Well, how’d it happen? What changed your mind?” Nick asked excitedly.

  Jo averted her gaze a bit, feeling slightly embarrassed. “I thought of you.” She smiled warmly at him as he sat back in stunned silence.

  “I see,” he muttered to himself. She watched as he worked over some things in his head before steeling his resolve. “So, since you’re finally free… how would you feel about maybe living here?”

  Jo’s smile grew. “With you?”

  He grinned in return. “Of course with me!”

  “Mostly because we’re out of beds at the shop with, tall, large, and broken taking up my old pad,” Tom quipped.

  Nick shot him a look. “Or maybe because I love my mate?”

  Tom shrugged with a smile of his own. “Maybe that, too.”

  “I’d love to,” Jo finally answered, surprised when tears sprang to her eyes.

  Nick leaned in and laid a soft kiss on her lips. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “Hey,” Tom perked. “Actually, if you’re hurting for a job now, we’ve been talking about getting someone to organize our mess for eons, it feels like. Haven’t we Nick?”

  Jo’s nose scrunched up. “You mean like a maid?”

  Nick chuckled. “No, he means like a secretary. Not really something currently on your resume, but I’m sure you could handle it.”

  Jo grinned. “I’ll take it,” she agreed, voice tinged with relief. She liked the thought of having pocket change and a bit of independence in her life, despite loving her newfound mated life.

  “You sure?” Nick asked, eyes looking down with love, hope, and happiness.

  She turned that grin up to him, full-force, and loved how sparkles danced in his eyes. “I’ve never been surer about anything than I am about my new life here with you right now.”

  Ignoring Tom’s groan, she pulled Nick down into
a long, loving kiss, happier than she’d ever been before.

  Saved by the Alpha Bear

  Alpha Bears Book 2

  Emilia Hartley

  Prologue

  A fierce roar and rusting forestry signaled the return of the fearsome pack leader. There was pain and agony evident in the call; the challenge had not gone the way he’d planned.

  The leader and his minions thundered out of the tree line to where bears sat waiting for their return. There were many; newcomers left behind because they were thought to be a detriment, a burden. But with a leader as terrifying and ruthless as Lucas, most were just happy he hardly saw them at all.

  They stood and watched Lucas arrive. As he slowed to a halt, heads lowered, not daring to look their angry leader in the eye. Whispers of “What happened?” and “Status report!” filled the air in grunts and growls before Lucas promptly silenced them.

  “Bested by trash!” he snarled.

  When he didn’t continue, the bear named Flood reluctantly said, “The human girl was with them.” His eyes swept over the pack, meeting the eyes of every bear present. “She killed Dan.”

  Shocked noises and roars filled the night sky as the news set in. Dan, the second in command, killed by a human? How?

  “We wanted the alphas for our pack! But after this… not anymore,” Lucas sneered. “Change! We have much to plan for.”

  The snaps of bone and grunts of pain began almost immediately as the Northern Wind pack morphed to human almost in unison. Many couldn’t remember when they were last in human form; the sting of the cold biting against their skin as they became re-accustomed to the sensations of being human once more. They shivered unendingly in the breeze, passing out blankets as they waited warily for the next order.

  The leader didn’t seem fazed. He paced angrily within the field, impatient and bothered. He was thinking, his eyes washing a glare colder than the night winds over his pack as idea after idea was visibly discarded. Suddenly he halted in his path, a frigid glare flashing in the moonlight as it froze one scared bear in place.