by Celia Kyle
He eased forward and rubbed the tip of his shaft along her slit, shuddering with that initial touch. He rubbed the spongy head over her clit, smiling when she arched her back and put her tits on perfect display. So beautiful. So sensual.
He lowered his cock, easing down to tease her opening. Her core kissed the tip of his dick, as if silently begging him to sink inside her. He eased in an inch and then retreated, a shallow penetration that tormented them both. Just a little. Just enough to drive them mad with need.
Lucy whimpered. “Don’t tease. Don’t tease. Please.”
Mason didn’t wait for her to ask again. He took hold of her wide hips and slid into her waiting warmth, sliding inch after inch into her silken sheath. She rippled around him, her body calling on his release even before he’d filled her completely.
Then he moved. Moved and wondered how the hell he’d ever touched another woman. This… With Lucy… Fuck, he didn’t have the words to describe the bliss of her touch. This was more than just sex. This was… She was so wet, so tight, so hot and delicious. He fought against his release, clung to his sanity by a thread. He’d damned near come on his first thrust and he wasn’t ready. He wanted her to linger on the cusp with him.
Mason slid out of her and then thrust forward once more, slamming their hips together and shaking the bed. It banged against the wall, a counterpoint to his thrusts. He repeated the motion—retreat and then slam home again. With every thrust her pussy clenched, milking his length as he filled her. Filled her over and over.
Their hips met over and again, the slapping of their flesh the only other sound to accompany their panting breath. That and his sweet Lucy’s pleas.
“Mason,” she panted. “Mason.”
“Lucy,” he murmured in return. Repeating her name was the one thing that kept him from getting utterly lost in her. “Lucy.” He pounded her core. “Lucy.” He picked up the pace. “Lucy.” Sweat dripped down his spine.
Pleasure sang through his veins, coasting along his nerves and setting each one alight. The ecstasy snatched away all hints of control he might have had once upon a time. But being inside Lucy, claiming her body, destroyed any hint of what remained.
Back and forth, he thrust into her, fighting himself as he tried to decide whether to close his eyes and savor the sweet pulsing of her pussy as he fucked her. Or he could keep them open and watch as her expression revealed how much she needed him.
She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him inexplicably closer, and he groaned, pushing and pulling as she rolled her hips with him. Her walls squeezed his cock, and he thrust into her harder still, desperate to make them both quake and shudder with release.
“Yes,” she gasped. “Perfect. Need.”
“Yes,” he hissed in response. He was everything she needed. He’d make sure of it.
“I’m gonna…” Lucy released the headboard and scrambled to snatch the sheets, claws digging into the fabric and tearing the cloth. She bucked into him harder and deeper than before as her pussy quaked and surged around his dick.
“That’s it, baby.” He didn’t let his pace falter. “Come for me. Come on my cock and let me feel you.”
And she did. A long, slow moan escaped her mouth, back arched, and lips parted as her body trembled and shook. His balls were tight against his body, the ache to let go nearly overwhelming him, but he held on. Just a little longer. Just a little…
Lucy screamed his name, mouth wide, and he watched in awe as her fangs slipped past her gums. “Let me, let me…”
He knew what she craved because he craved the same.
Mason bent low, fucking her through her orgasm, wringing every last bit of pleasure out of his mate until… Those pearly white fangs sank into his shoulder. She pierced his skin, adding pain to the pleasure that consumed him. She growled with her mouth touching his bleeding flesh, teeth sinking in deeper as if she wanted to be sure the scar took.
And that was too much for him to resist. Too much for him to hold out against. That deep pain triggered the ultimate pleasure, his body overtaken by ecstasy as he emptied himself inside her pussy. He jerked once, then twice, and slammed home a third time. His hips remained pressed tightly against hers as his cock twitched deep inside her. He allowed his fangs to burst past his gums, his wolf roaring to the forefront of his mind while pleasure still overcame him.
Mason bared his canines and didn’t hesitate to claim his mate. His one. His savior.
His Lucy.
Chapter Twenty-One
“And this one’s for my big brother,” Kade shouted into the mic as he set the needle on a record.
Frank Sinatra’s Love and Marriage blared from the sound system and the crowd cheered. Just about every member of the Blackwood pack had crammed into the pack house’s living room-turned-reception hall to celebrate the mating of Mason and Lucy. It had been a long time coming, and they’d all known what had been at stake. Consequently, Lucy had been treated like their savior—which wasn’t too far off, as far as Mason was concerned.
As the crowd sang along with the catchy tune and silly lyrics, Mason pushed his way past the bodies, his co-best man Gavin in tow. He stepped out onto the big front porch and took a deep lungful of fresh, crisp air. The music was just as loud outside, thanks to the portable speakers someone had set up.
“It’s getting a little stuffy in there,” Gavin said, leaning back against a porch rail.
“It’s not much better out here,” Mason observed.
Dozens more ceremony guests milled around outside, obviously as in need of a little elbow room as Mason. Most of the adults had champagne flutes in their hands and everyone was celebrating. And why not? Their alpha, who’d been dangerously close to losing his mind—which would have been bad for everyone—had just cemented the stability of their pack. If ever there was a day for a party, this was it.
The Tiptons spotted him from across the lawn and raised their glasses to him before Robert pulled Bonnie into his arms and started dancing with her. Lucy already had Charlie in her arms and was swinging him around and dipping him almost all the way to the ground. The kid giggled like it was the most fun he’d ever had in his life.
Kade joined his brothers, settling on the other side of Mason. Observing him. Especially the way all of his attention was focused on Lucy.
“It’s like he’s not even the same person,” he grumbled toward Gavin.
“Good,” Gavin replied. “I think Lucy is a good influence on him. I still can’t believe she killed Frank with a fucking garden tool. She’s one seriously bad-ass bitch.”
Gavin stopped short, his eyes growing wide. Kade grimaced. No doubt they were expecting Mason to react as he would have before he’d discovered his mate. Nearly feral Mason. But that Mason no longer existed. His brother was right—Lucy had a very calming effect on him, and he was no longer sent into an apoplectic rage over stupid shit. Only big shit mattered now.
“You’re right about that,” he said with a chuckle. “And she’s all mine.”
Movement caught his eye just in time to see Drew round the corner of the building. The Blackwood brothers followed.
“Hiding?” Mason asked as they caught up with the healer.
Drew smirked. “Congratulations, Mason.”
Mason gripped the man’s hand and grinned. “Thanks, even though you’re probably pissed I didn’t go feral. Bet you were counting the days till you could put me down.”
Drew frowned. “No… I never… What makes you think…”
Mason let the poor guy sputter for a few seconds and then slapped him on the back. “It’s okay, man. I wouldn’t blame you, after the all the shit I gave you whenever you came close to Lucy.”
“I’m not the kind of guy to hold a grudge,” he said with a shrug and a smile.
“Glad to hear it. Now let’s get back to the party.”
They headed back and found Agnes Dickey holding onto frail, little Arthur as they climbed the porch stairs. Mason and his brothers helped them both up an
d settled them onto the porch swing.
“Oh, goodness,” Agnes laughed, completely out of breath. “Let me tell you something, boys, getting old isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“I’m surprised to see you two,” Mason said, leaning back against the porch rail. “Thought you’d be at the diner.”
“And miss the mating celebration?” Agnes asked, shocked as only little old Southern ladies could get. “I never thought this day would come, let me tell you. But you’ve found yourself a keeper, Mason.”
“Thank you, Agnes.”
She breathed a heavy sigh and shook her head, topped with a hair-sprayed helmet of grey. “You’re such a nice boy. I would have been devastated if you’d gone feral, like that Riverson woman. Would have been a shame to put you down. Take my word for it, breaking in a new Ruling Circle is a royal pain in the ass.”
Silence fell over the little group, and then Mason burst out laughing so hard he doubled over. It took a good minute for him to catch his breath again.
“Glad to know my life means so much to you, Agnes.”
She shrugged. “Oh, it does, honey. Just sayin’.”
Arthur nudged his wife. “Stop while you’re ahead, my dear.”
Mason glanced over at Lucy again, now playing with a group of little kids from the lessons she was taking in how to control her wolf. They all clearly adored her. Smart kids. She wore a white dress that hugged her curves better than that one Marilyn Monroe wore. She was a vision.
Warmth spread through his chest and then all through his body. He’d do anything for her, without hesitation, and for the rest of his life. He’d bedded plenty of women in his life, but even the most passionate affair paled in comparison to his love for Lucy. He’d changed so much since meeting her, and his capacity for love startled him.
As Lucy bent down to listen to whatever Charlie was prattling on about, Mason imagined the pup was theirs. He needed Lucy on a cellular level, but just past that was a need to see her belly heavy with his baby. He couldn’t wait to hear its little squeals and yelps, to hold the squirming, shifting creature in his hands.
“Hey, Kade,” he said, beckoning his brother over while his eyes never wavered from his mate.
“What’s up, bro?”
“First thing in the morning, I need to you to head up to Pepper and pack up all of Lucy’s belongings. Her grandmother too, if she’ll let you.”
“Sure thing, but I thought you two were going to make a road trip out of that.”
A smile played on Mason’s lips. “Change of plans. Lucy’s not leaving pack lands until she’s pregnant.”
At that moment, Lucy glanced his way and smiled, and his heart lit up like a thousand suns.
Lucy’s heart swelled until she thought it would burst. The intensity of her love for Mason made her want to laugh and cry and scream, all at the same time. Those feelings flooded her every time she looked at him, and every time she looked at him, she wanted to throw herself at him. And she had.
Since moving into the pack house the day after her parents’ house had burned down, she’d barely let him leave their bedroom. Or rather, their bed.
He didn’t seem to mind.
She was still feeling her way around her new role as alpha mate, but she’d embraced it wholeheartedly, determined to be the best damned alpha mate she could be. And that included paying attention to the pack’s pups, like Charlie. Who was chattering away at her a mile a minute.
“…so there!” He gave her a satisfied smirk, but she had no clue why.
“I’m sorry, sweetie, what?”
He sighed dramatically at having to repeat himself. “I said…I shift faster than you, so there.”
Right, they’d been teasing each other about their capabilities as shifters. This is so surreal, she thought. A week before, she’d been a normal girl, living a normal life. Now…
“I can’t deny that but tell you something.” She leaned in close and arched an eyebrow at him. “Who’s better at controlling their shifts?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Charlie shot back.
“Does so.”
“Does not!” He stuck his tongue out playfully.
“Fine,” she said. “You’re a better shifter. But Ghosty likes me better.”
It was a low blow and she knew it.
“Nuh uh!” Charlie was outraged by the mere suggestion.
“Uh huh!”
He shook his head frantically. “No she doesn’t. She loves me best, and I’m going to name all the kittens so they like me best too, so there!”
“I want to name a kitten too,” whined a little girl, running up to join them. Soon a half dozen other pups ran up, all demanding to be part of the naming process.
“Tell you what,” Lucy said loudly, demanding their attention without having to resort to shouts or snarls. As soon as they’d quieted and were all staring up at her, she continued. “Tell you what. Why don’t you all go inside and suggest some names? You can all vote on each name, and the ones with the most votes win.”
The kids shot each other glances and then tore off toward the house, each trying to reach the kittens before the rest. Lucy smiled after them, eager to have her own pup join their ranks. She was jolted out of her reverie by a light tap on her shoulder.
Spinning around, she found a lovely older woman in a gauzy purple dress. She had an aura of serenity about her and Lucy liked her immediately.
“I’m Ida Abbot,” the woman said, shaking Lucy’s hand gently. “I manage the pack house. I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself before now, but things have been a little… hectic.”
Lucy laughed. “You can say that again.”
“I just wanted to tell you how happy we all are that Mason finally found his mate and that you’ve joined our wonderful little family.”
“Not as happy as I am. Before I met Mason, I was wandering around rudderless. I only had my grandmother and my best friend to keep me on course.” She let her grateful gaze skim over the knots of people gathered to celebrate her mating with their alpha. “Now I feel like I’m part of a real family again. I don’t think I have the words to express how fulfilling that is.”
Ida reached out and laid a cool, dry hand on Lucy’s. “I can imagine, after all the trauma you’ve suffered.”
Lucy blinked in surprise. “Word sure does travel fast in the Blackwood pack.”
“Can’t deny that,” Ida said with a soft chuckle. “Word also got around that you killed an alpha with a… garden hoe. Is that really true?”
A few people had broached the subject with her before, but she didn’t like talking about that night. She’d only discussed it with Mason a couple of times, and Drew once, when he’d examined her for injuries. But Ida had a way about her that crumbled Lucy’s self-defenses. She knew she could trust this woman with her deepest secrets.
“People talk about it like I did something amazing,” she started, her voice catching in her throat from the emotions dredged up by the memory. “All I can really say is that knowing I took a life certainly doesn’t feel amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I’d do it again without hesitation. He was trying to kill Mason and me. I had no other choice but to protect my mate.”
“It probably didn’t help that all those years ago he’d stood by while his mate murdered your parents.”
Lucy shook her head, swallowing the grief trying to bubble up inside her. It was a happy day. The happiest of her life and she wouldn’t spoil it by dredging up that ugliness.
She sensed Mason approaching long before Ida glanced over Lucy’s shoulder at him. She also sensed his amusement over something.
“The pups are inside shouting kitten names at each other so loudly that no one can hear Sinatra anymore. Don’t suppose you had anything to do with that, my love?”
Lucy grinned up at him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “I plead the fifth. But I can go settle them down—”
“No,” he said, pulling her tight into his side. “You spend enough time with them alread
y.”
“I just can’t wait to have one of our own,” she sighed wistfully.
Ida’s gaze bounced between them for a moment, and then she grasped their free hands and smiled. “Don’t fret. The pups will come much sooner than you expect. For now, enjoy the time you have together.”
Lucy dropped her head back to gaze up at the man she loved, the man she knew deep in her gut she could never live without. The father of her future children, the alpha of the pack, the keeper of her heart.
“I think I can manage that.”
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Interested in more from Celia Kyle & Marina Maddix?
Having Her Enemy’s Secret Shifter Baby - She’s pregnant and he’s determined to have her under his roof and in his bed...no matter the cost!
The Alpha Shifter’s Family Reunion - He will protect his mate from all threats. Even her own father!
Her Desert Panther Princes - Mating isn’t in their plans, but plans can shift as fast as the panther princes of Adikar.
About the Authors
Celia Kyle
Ex-dance teacher, former accountant and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle now writes paranormal romances. It goes without saying that there’s always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way. Today she lives in central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.
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Marina Maddix
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Marina Maddix is a romantic at heart, but hates closing the bedroom door on her readers. Her stories are sweet, with just enough spice to make your mother blush. She lives with her husband and cat near the Pacific Ocean, and loves to hear from her fans.