His to Defend (A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance)

by Elena Aitken

  “Are you okay?”

  Okay? Was she okay? Was he seriously asking her that while his hot, hard body was only inches away from her?

  “I’m…” Nina swallowed hard. “I’m fine,” she managed. “I’m just resting. That was…”

  “Intense?”

  Once again, Nina swallowed hard. This time, her chest rose and fell, coming dangerously close to touching him. “Very.”

  But the bike riding wasn’t what was intense. It was him. It was the sexy, salty, slightly dangerous smell of him. The way he looked at her as if he were looking directly into her. It was the way his lips curled up into just the very slightest of smiles that told her in no uncertain terms just how badly he wanted her.

  And damn if she didn’t want him too.

  Enough was enough. She reached up and slipped her hand behind his neck to pull him down to her. And the second his lips pressed to hers, she was completely gone.

  He tasted like salt, and coffee, and mint and…she wanted more.

  Fortunately, Ryker responded in kind. He caught himself before crushing her, and his arms caged her in, making her feel at once small and fragile but strong and powerful. A small groan she only vaguely recognized as coming from her escaped her lips and it only served to fuel him.

  “God, you’re sexy.” His words were a growl against her ear before he started to focus his attention on the sensitive skin there. He nipped and sucked kisses down her neck.

  His kisses were sparking all kinds of fires inside her, and she threatened to burn up if she didn’t get more of him. Now.

  Nina reached up and tugged at his T-shirt. She needed it off. She needed to feel his skin with her hands. The heat that she knew was there.

  But Ryker’s hand stopped her and he pulled back to look in her eyes.

  “What?” She hated herself for the desperation threaded in her voice, but she couldn’t have stopped it if she’d wanted to. She was desperate for him. “What’s wrong? Why—”

  “I just want to be clear.” His eyes narrowed with seriousness. “This is…” He swallowed hard. “This is just a—”

  Nina almost burst out with laughter as she realized what he was trying to say. “Oh my God,” she finally said. “It’s only sex. That’s all.”

  Oh, but it most certainly wouldn’t be ALL.

  If only he would stop being so serious and just kiss her already.

  Emboldened, she reached once again for his neck to pull her down to her. Once more, he stopped her.

  “Nina, I just need you to—”

  “Kiss me.”

  She pressed her lips to his before he could protest again. “Dammit Ryker, you want this or you don’t.”

  Oh, he wanted it.

  More than anything, he wanted to put his mouth on her luscious lips again, taste her honey and be rewarded with the even sweeter nectar that was sure to follow.

  But he also needed to be sure.

  There was too much inappropriate mating going on around him. He needed to know that wasn’t what she was looking for.

  Luke’s warning rang in his memory.

  Too many humans around.

  Did she know? Would he be blowing it completely by saying something?

  No. He couldn’t outright ask her.

  “Ryker?”

  He snapped back to the moment at hand. To the incredibly sexy woman lying beneath him, her breasts heaving and straining against her T-shirt.

  He needed them free. He needed to see them. To touch them. To taste them.

  Now.

  “Nothing serious?”

  “Hell no.” Her lips twisted in a sexy grin. “Kiss me. Now.”

  Who was he to not oblige such an order?

  Without another breath of hesitation, his lips pushed to hers, his tongue plundering her mouth, taking what he wanted. What he needed.

  With one hand bracing himself, he tore at her T-shirt, a moment too late realizing he’d ripped the thin cotton away completely. But then it didn’t matter because her glorious tits only barely encased in black lace were lying before him.

  Ryker could hardly contain the growl that rose up within him but he managed to restrain himself moments before he tore her bra off.

  Instead, he lowered his head and took one hard nipple into his mouth, suckling it through the lace, which had the desired effect of making her squirm; her hips ground up against him and the increasingly hard erection between his legs.

  “Woman. You are…”

  He couldn’t even finish the thought because whatever it was about Nina, it made it hard to think, hard to breathe, but so help him, it wasn’t going to be hard to—

  “Shut up and get your pants off.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Ryker loved a woman who knew what she wanted, and Nina definitely knew what she wanted. But maybe he could still teach her a thing or two.

  In a flash, he was up and had her pants pulled down to her ankles. She moved to wiggle out of her panties but Ryker stopped her. “Hands off.”

  For a second, he thought she would balk at his command. A strong woman like Nina might have trouble letting go of control.

  She hesitated for a beat and then, in one utterly sensuous move, lifted her arms over her head, which lifted her breast up further, her nipples straining for release against the lace, and gave him control.

  At least for the moment.

  He’d take it.

  Ryker could be a patient man. Years of rock climbing and navigating treacherous terrain had taught him to bide his time, plan every move. But when it came to Nina, all bets were off.

  He looped one finger under the elastic of her panties and with a quick yank, the thin lace gave way, exposing her fully to him.

  The scent of honey and apples filled the air, completely intoxicating him. He had to taste her.

  He knelt between her legs and hooked an arm under each knee to pull her sweet center toward him.

  With the first taste of her, he knew it would never be enough. She squirmed against him, but he held her fast as his tongue delved deep within her, alternating between licking and sucking and tasting her delicious juices.

  “Ryker…oh my…don’t stop.”

  His lips curved up into a smile. He had no plans to stop.

  Nina’s hands threaded through his hair and pulled. There was nothing gentle about it, and Ryker felt every bit of her need in her touch.

  A need he was more than happy to satisfy.

  His tongue circled her clit. Once, twice—teasing the sensitive nub until she thrust her hips up into him. Demanding more.

  “Ryker, I need you.”

  Never had he heard more perfect words. Need.

  Yes. He needed her, too.

  So badly it was almost painful. He knew he could seek the relief he sought within her. It would be so easy.

  But he couldn’t.

  No. Not like this.

  As much as he wanted to sink himself deep inside her, taking her completely, it scared the hell out of him. His need for her was more than he’d ever experienced. He needed restraint.

  Instead, he answered her need by simultaneously plunging first one finger, then a second into her heat, hooking them so he could press on the magical spot that would bring her relief while at the same time, finally, mercifully he sucked her pulsing nub into his mouth.

  Just the way he knew she would, Nina screamed out. Her back arched and next to her, her hands gripped at the grass as the powerful climax washed over her. Again. And again.

  It was only when the final aftershock rippled through her that Ryker was sure she’d been satisfied and he slowly pulled himself up and laid next to her in the forest floor.

  He studied her. In her afterglow of passion, she was even more stunning. More so because of the knowledge that she’d completely given him the control to satisfy her.

  Her eyes fluttered open and she turned her head to look at him. And that’s when his heart stopped, just for a beat.

  Her gaze was dreamy and co
mpletely satisfied and there was something else…trust.

  Fuck.

  What had he done?

  Chapter Six

  Nina probably should have felt self-conscious about showing up to the adventure center to return her bike wearing Ryker’s T-shirt while he himself went shirtless, but she was so filled with the afterglow of the orgasms that had racked through her body in a way that had never happened before that she simply didn’t care.

  Even when Luke raised an eyebrow and said, “Should I even ask how the ride was?” Nina didn’t blush. Why should she?

  There were a million reasons that she should be embarrassed, or even caught out. But she wasn’t.

  And when Ryker simply answered with a smile, a wink and, “I think it’s safe to say that we’d both ride again,” all Nina could do was laugh and shake her head.

  She’d definitely ride again. Or maybe for the first time. Although she wasn’t complaining, she hadn’t wanted Ryker to hold back. Not when what she really wanted was to feel him inside her. Next time she’d make sure of it.

  If there was a next time.

  Oh, there’d be a next time.

  That was way too hot to not entertain a repeat performance. And as satisfied as she’d been, Nina knew there was a whole lot more satisfaction to be had.

  In fact, she wouldn’t complain about going back to her room and finding some of that satisfaction right now.

  Nina turned to catch Ryker’s eye but before she could, Luke grabbed his attention.

  “Ryker, I need a few minutes to talk about Axel’s bachelor party.” He paused. “If you’re not busy, that is?”

  Nina didn’t even have to look to know that Luke was grinning at them. No doubt it wouldn’t take long for everyone at the ridge to know they’d been fooling around.

  “Bachelor party? That’s the stupidest–—”

  “Tradition,” Luke finished for him. “But he wants one, so we’re going to have one. End of story. Stay back?”

  Ryker didn’t even glance at Nina when he said, “Sure. I have nothing to do right now anyway.”

  Nothing to do?

  They shouldn’t have, but his words stung.

  Nothing serious.

  That was what he’d said. She shouldn’t be surprised. She knew what she was getting into. Just a little fun. He didn’t owe her anything.

  Still, as Nina made her way back to the Den—alone—she couldn’t help but feel rejected.

  And wasn’t that why she didn’t ever put herself out there? Less feelings involved if you just kept to yourself. Not that she had any feelings for Ryker.

  Unless you counted feelings of desire, which clearly she did. But still, despite herself, Nina couldn’t help but feel more than a little ridiculous.

  Maybe he wasn’t the type of fun she was looking for after all.

  The last thing Ryker wanted to do was sit around talking to Luke about some sort of stupid human tradition that revolved around the celebration of something as ludicrous as putting a ring on a finger to declare the fact that that person was your mate. How did a little piece of metal represent a bond? Humans were so stupid. Nothing represented a mate bond like being marked. Permanently. That’s what mating was all about. Not some sort of ludicrous ceremony with a white dress and flowers. And as far as Ryker was concerned, an even more ridiculous tradition was taking the groom-to-be out to celebrate a last night before they were mated—or married—or whatever. After all, if you had to go get drunk to accept your new reality, maybe you should reconsider what you were about to do.

  Either way, Ryker found himself sitting on a stool, listening to Luke’s plans to take Axel out fishing and drinking beer before ending up at the Station pub in town for some drinks. The whole thing actually sounded like a good day out with the guys, and less like a drunken debauchery of trying to forget the reality of marriage.

  Still, all Ryker really wanted to do was follow Nina back to the Den, take her upstairs and fuck her properly. The sweet taste of her was still on his tongue, and his cock got hard just thinking of the way she’d reacted so readily to his ministrations.

  Damn.

  She was everything he’d ever wanted in a lover and he still hadn’t sunk himself into her heat. But the way she’d come on his face, writhing with passion, completely unselfconscious… She’d let go. Completely and fully. It had been glorious. But it hadn’t been enough. He needed more.

  A lot more.

  He needed to be inside her, feel her come undone around him. With him.

  “Hey. Earth to Ryker.”

  He shook his head and the vision Ryker had of Nina lying beneath him cleared to reveal his cousin Luke waving a hand in front of his face.

  “Are you still with me?”

  He didn’t bother lying. “Not even a little.” He pushed up from the counter and stood. “Are we done here?”

  “Any input for the stag party?”

  Ryker shook his head. “I don’t care. Tell me where to be, and I’ll be there. But right now I have places to be.”

  “Or people to do?”

  Ryker spun around and glared at his cousin. “Off side, Luke.” He couldn’t have explained where the defensiveness had come from, but it hit him hard and fast. If Luke thought he could say anything even remotely disrespectful about Nina, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control his bear.

  The thought of that was unsettling and exciting, although he couldn’t distinguish which was which. He’d never felt either thing before when it came to a woman.

  “Easy, tiger.” Luke laughed at him but he shook his head and backed off. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think that maybe—”

  “Don’t say another word.”

  His cousin’s expression was smug, and once again, Ryker had the urge to punch him in the face.

  “Why? What did you think I was going to say?”

  He couldn’t answer that question. Because there was no answer. “I’m not talking about this.”

  Luke followed him to the door, clearly uninterested in Ryker’s desire not to talk about anything. “Maybe you and Nina are—”

  Ryker spun and got right into Luke’s face. “What. Did. I. Say?”

  Not one to ever back down from a challenge, Luke puffed up his chest and with a smug grin, challenged him. “All you said was that you didn’t want to talk about it. But you didn’t say that I—”

  “Enough,” Ryker growled.

  “What’s going on between you two?” Luke said. He still hadn’t backed down.

  Ryker did not want to fight him but he would, cousin or not, if it came to that. “Absolutely nothing.” He crossed his arms over his chest and in doing so, gave Luke a shove so he was forced to take a step back.

  “That’s bullshit and you know it.” Luke stepped up again, resuming their face-off.

  “I just met her.” The growl in his voice should have been enough to warn his cousin off.

  A Jackson through and through, Luke pressed, “You know as well as I do that time doesn’t matter for anything when it comes to ma—”

  “Shut up.”

  Ryker’s body vibrated with barely contained rage. If Luke thought he could try to fill his head with any of that mating bullshit, especially when he was talking about a human woman, he had another think coming.

  “Or what?”

  He came seconds from throwing the punch that would shut Luke up once and for all, but he was smart enough to know that it wouldn’t have the desired effect. There was only one remedy for the pent-up energy he had: a run in the woods where he could let his bear out to roar and stretch, and burn off the tension that was ripping through his body.

  Or…

  A vision of Nina, her big, full tits encased in black lace, heaving beneath him popped into his head.

  Maybe there was another way to relieve his frustration.

  Chapter Seven

  “I’m so glad you’re here, Nina. It means so much.” Harper pulled her into what must have been the fifth hug that day. It w
as Harper’s final dress fitting so that morning they’d gone with Ella, Chloe, and Kira down into town to a little store called Bree’s Knees, where the owner of the store, Bree Brooks, was currently preparing Harper’s dress for any last-minute adjustments.

  “I know.” Nina smiled and gave her friend another hug. “I’m super happy to be here, too. You aren’t starting to get nervous, are you?” She’d noticed Harper becoming more and more emotional as the days went on, and although Nina had only been at the ridge for a few days, it was a noticeable difference. Particularly in the last twenty-four hours. After Nina’s bike ride, she’d spent the rest of the day helping Harper with some of the little details about the wedding. Seating charts, favors, and that type of thing. She’d also spent a great deal of time glancing at the door to the Den, hoping every time it opened that it would be Ryker on the other side coming to finish what they’d started in the woods. But the rest of the afternoon passed, and then the evening, and Ryker never reappeared. She’d caught Luke glancing in her direction and even once wiggling his eyebrows, but other than that, there had been no mention of anything happening between them.

  Then again, maybe Luke didn’t know.

  Nina almost laughed aloud at herself. Of course Luke knew what had happened. He wasn’t stupid.

  But if he’d told Chloe, or any of the others, Nina couldn’t tell. No one had said anything to her.

  “It’s not that I’m nervous.” Harper shook her head. “I’m just so…well, I can’t really believe that I’m here, you know? I mean, it was barely a year ago that I came to the ridge for the first time. And do you remember what I was like back then?”

  Nina nodded. She remembered very well the hell that Harper’s ex-husband had put her through. She’d never approved of her best friend’s marriage, especially when Harper had confided that she was only a cover for her ex, who—she’d discovered after their marriage—was gay but too scared to come out publicly. Nina had encouraged her friend to leave him and to start over, years earlier, but Harper and her ex had been good friends. No, they didn’t have a romantic relationship, but they had a solid friendship and a business together, and Harper never saw the need to disrupt all of that just so she could find someone new.