by Chant, Zoe
She couldn’t help thinking about the bedroom that was just a few feet away, and if he would want to sleep with her tonight. He might want to wait until they’d spent more time together, but she felt like she might burst into flames if Diego didn’t touch her soon.
Finally the meal was done and Diego stood to take the plates to the sink. When he turned back to face her, the air between them felt charged with tension and desire, too much energy in too small of a space. Carla’s mouth felt dry, and she licked her lips. Instantly Diego’s gaze dropped, focused like a laser on her mouth.
“Oh,” Carla said, unable to hold herself back any longer. “Well, I guess we should talk about how we want to move forward....”
Diego stepped forward and she stood, lifted her hands and set them on his arms. She could feel the hardness of his biceps even through his shirt, the muscles solid as a rock. She ached to know what he looked like without his clothes on. They were standing far too close for a normal conversation, but she couldn’t bear to step back.
“If you don’t want to do anything tonight, I understand. I’m willing to wait for as long as you want. But I think that you should know how I feel. Carla, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. It’s been a struggle to keep my hands off of you. I want to touch you, to kiss you, to make love to you.... I want you.”
He lowered his head to hers so slowly that each inch was an exquisite, agonizing torture. Finally their lips met, but it was only a brief, closed-mouth kiss, just a brush of his lips over hers. He drew back to speak again. “Tell me what you want.”
Her heart was beating so fast that she felt dizzy. This close to him, she could smell Diego; he smelled of cedar and juniper, leather and some musky scent she couldn’t name. It was wild and masculine and went straight to her core. Her hold on his arms tightened, and she moved closer to him, so that her breasts brushed against his chest.
“I want you too,” she heard herself say. She laughed, her desire making her feel slightly light-headed and off-balance. “That’s what I came here for, isn’t it? We should find out if we’re compatible in the bedroom.”
“I have no doubt of that,” Diego said, and then yanked her to him and claimed her mouth in a kiss. This kiss was much deeper than their first one; it was a searing, blazing kiss that overwhelmed all her other senses. His arms slipped around her waist, and he actually picked her up as though she weighed nothing, then pressed her into the wall behind her without breaking their kiss.
Carla gasped into his open mouth with surprise and pleasure, and clung to him. She was more turned on than she had ever been. She felt like she might actually die if they didn’t have sex, as though she needed him just as fundamentally and bone-deep as she needed oxygen.
She grabbed his shirt and pulled it out of his jeans and then over his head, then ran her hands admiringly up and down his back. She felt his muscles move beneath his warm skin, like corded metal; he had such a big, strong body, like none of her previous boyfriends. Diego shifted his mouth, kissing down her jaw and neck, then paused to suck on her earlobe. It sent shivery tingles of pleasure down her spine, and Carla felt herself growing wet.
Diego took a step away, letting her slide back down to the floor, and she blinked up at him, feeling confused and strangely abandoned. All the places where they’d been pressed together seemed cold.
“I don’t want our first time to be up against a wall,” he said. His voice was deep and rough with desire, and the knowledge that she had been the one to do that to him gave her a thrill of power and lust. “Let me take you to bed.”
She nodded, and Diego scooped her up in his arms. Carla squeaked in surprise; no one had picked her up since she was a kid. Diego barely even seemed to notice her weight, though she was very aware of the strong, solid wall of his chest against her cheek, and the thick, muscled arms beneath her shoulders and thighs. She looked up at him; his black hair was tousled from where she’d run her fingers through it, and his eyes were hot with passion as he gazed back at her. She couldn’t suppress the smile that bubbled up from pure happiness.
Diego walked into the bedroom and laid her gently down on the bed, then proceeded to undress her from head to toe. As he pulled off each piece of clothing, he kissed the newly revealed skin, making her feel worshipped. When she was entirely naked, he sat back on his heels and just looked at her.
Carla started to cover herself with her hands, but he reached out to stop her. “You’re beautiful.”
She frowned. “You don’t need to flatter me. I know what I look like. I’m too fat.”
Diego’s eyebrows drew down in an angry look. “You’re not. You’re perfect.” He kneeled over her, running his hands down her sides. “I like a woman with curves. I want an ass that I can hold on to – ” He demonstrated what he meant by sliding a hand beneath her and digging his fingers into her flesh. Carla arched her back, overwhelmed with the sensation of his big hand covering her, his palm rough with calluses and hot against her skin.
“And I want a generous pair of breasts.” He put his other hand on her left breast, rubbing his thumb against her nipple. It hardened at his touch, and Carla moaned. Diego’s eyes darkened in response, and he bent his head over her, his tongue finding her right nipple. He licked it until she was squirming, then took it in his mouth and sucked hard, making her cry out. Waves of pleasure were washing through her, but she still wanted more.
“Take your clothes off,” she said. “It’s not fair that I’m the only one naked.”
He grinned. “Happy to oblige.” He rolled off the bed to take off his boots and jeans, and she admired the view. He looked like a movie star, like someone who could afford a personal trainer, but Carla supposed all of those people at the gym were working out just to get the sort of body a real cowboy naturally had.
She looked first at the broad expanse of his chest, the sculpted muscles of his pecs and abs, then dropped her gaze to his cock. It was big – which just made sense, considering the size of the rest of him – and thick, and currently very hard. Just the sight of it made her feel weak in the knees, and she was glad that she was already lying down.
Diego opened a small drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a pack of condoms, opening one and rolling it down his cock. Carla was so wet that her thighs were slipping together, and she was desperate to feel him inside her.
Diego kneeled over her again, a look of concern on his face. “Are you ready?” he asked, almost whispering.
She leaned up and kissed him in answer, putting all of the desire and eagerness she felt into the kiss. He must have understood, because he kissed her back so hard that she was pushed down against the bed, his cock a hot, stiff rod against her stomach. Her core was throbbing, her clit a tight point of need, and Carla didn’t think she could wait any longer. “Please,” she said, “please, now –”
Diego thrust into her. Carla was so wet that he slipped in easily despite his size. It didn’t hurt at all, but she felt fuller than she’d ever been before. She gasped at the sensation, and he froze. He brushed his fingertips over her cheek. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, her eyes fluttering closed. This way she could concentrate on feeling him, on the place where their bodies came together.
“I’m fine,” she said breathlessly. Diego still didn’t move, so she added, “I am. I’m better than fine. I’m fantastic.”
She felt stretched, his cock filling every inch of her and, at this angle, pressing hard against her clit. Even without him moving it was wonderful. But her body demanded movement, and she couldn’t stop her hips from rocking up against him.
Diego drew back, then thrust in again. It was unbelievable. His cock dragged against her clit with each stroke, sending pulses of desire through her body. She held on to his shoulders and encouraged him to move faster and harder.
Carla had been trying to be quiet, but she remembered that there was no need; there were no neighbors here to eavesdrop. She let herself go wild, moaning with pleasure at each deep
thrust.
Diego responded to her sounds eagerly, scattering kisses across her face and chest. “You’re so beautiful,” he said, his breath coming at the same time of each slap of his hips. “So lovely. Everything I could want. Mine. Mine!”
It was his voice, nearly a growl, that pushed Carla over the edge. She exploded into orgasm, one so intense that she shouted out loud. Diego held her tight throughout, continuing to thrust into her as she came. His motions drove her higher and higher, making it feel as though her orgasm might last forever. He must have come together with her, because when she finally started to be aware of her surroundings again, he was lying beside her, a dazed smile on his face, one arm slung over her waist.
Carla took a few more breaths before she spoke, letting her racing heart slow down. “That was amazing.”
“Thank you,” Diego said, and pretended to tip the brim of a hat to her. She laughed and smacked his shoulder.
“You were amazing, too,” he added, his voice more serious. “I.... I never expected that this mail-order bride thing could work out so well.”
“I know what you mean. I feel so lucky that it’s unreal. Like this is just a dream, and I’m going to wake up to a much less pleasant reality at any moment.”
“Well,” he said, “we better make some good memories, then.” He rolled over atop her, tickling Carla until she giggled and squirmed. When she was breathless, he captured her face in his big hands and kissed her until she was squirming for a different reason. “After all, we’ve got a long time until morning.”
4. Diego
Diego was accustomed to waking up around dawn, and not even a night full of lovemaking – wonderful, fulfilling, absolutely amazing lovemaking – could change his inner alarm clock.
He opened his eyes to the sight of early morning sunlight, still cool and pale before the heat of the day, spilling in through the bedroom window. Outside, he could hear birds, and recognized the songs of bluebirds, robins, and wrens. Carla was warm and soft, curled against him so comfortably that it was like they’d been made for each other.
Well, they had. She was his mate. He’d actually found his mate.
For a few minutes, Diego continued to lie there, enjoying the feel of her tucked against him. He felt like he was really home for the first time since before he could remember. This was where he belonged: Carla by his side, the sound of the birds he’d watched enough to know that they nested nearby in his ears, his own house and his own land all around him.
Maybe he would stay here in bed until Carla woke up; they could make love again, or eat breakfast in bed, sharing coffee and pancakes while they talked some more. They still had so much to learn about each other.
That thought was like a bucket of cold water dumped over Diego’s head.
Carla didn’t even know he was a bear shifter. He’d intended to tell her before they had sex, but he’d been so impatient and aroused that it had somehow slipped his mind. Besides, he had no idea how to bring up the topic. By the way, sometimes I turn into a bear, hope you don’t mind? Yeah, right. And that wasn’t the only secret Diego had.
He threw off the sheets and quietly climbed out of bed. He didn’t want to wake up Carla; he needed some time alone with his thoughts first. Anyway, she probably needed the extra sleep. She must be jet-lagged, and they’d stayed up very late last night. She deserved to have a full night’s sleep before he dumped his problems on her.
He tiptoed around the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee, then leaned against the sink to stare out of the window above it. There it was – his land. His land, the land he’d dreamed about and worked for and saved for years, and now it was finally his. And he had a mate to share it with. He should have been happy. Instead, all he could think about was how difficult it would be to keep both of these – the land and Carla – and to defend them from the people who wanted to take them away.
Because that was Diego’s other secret: he had enemies. The Sullivan pack of wolf shifters, who had lived in this part of Nevada for generations, hadn’t appreciated it when he moved in. They considered all of this area to be their territory, even though he’d legally bought the land and there was plenty of room for other shifters.
Diego had held them off so far, but he was only one man, and they were a huge, sprawling family: cousins and second-cousins and uncles-once-removed and God only knew what all. A bear was a lot stronger than a single wolf, but get enough wolves together and they could take down even the biggest bear. Diego knew he couldn’t hold them off for much longer.
Of course, there was one thing that would make it impossible for the Sullivans to force him off his land: a mate. Once Diego was mated, there would be no question that this was his territory, his and his family’s, and there would be nothing anyone else could do about it. A mate bond made a shifter’s tie to the land permanent.
But Diego couldn’t ask Carla for that, not yet. It was too soon. She probably still thought werewolves were only found in silly horror movies, and as for bear shifters... forget it. He needed to earn her trust, introduce her to this new world slowly, so that she had time to take it all in. If he asked her to mate with him too soon, she’d probably feel pressured into agreeing, and he never wanted there to be a day when his mate looked back and regretted her choice to be with him.
But knowing that waiting was the right thing to do didn’t make it easier. Diego’s bear growled and threw its weight from side to side, demanding to be bonded to his mate immediately.
Diego shook his head and abandoned his cup of coffee, although he’d only taken one swallow. He left the house and headed over to his barn. It was a short walk from the front door, but that was enough space to settle his bear. It was easier to control his animal side when he couldn’t smell her, when he didn’t have to distract himself from the thought that only a thin wall separated them.
Most of the livestock on Diego’s ranch were free-range, wandering over his hills and valleys to find their own food and water. This barn was just a place to keep supplies and equipment, plus the few horses that Diego and his assistants used to ride across the land, when they needed to check on fences, pipes, and other structures.
Diego stepped into the barn and took a deep breath, letting the warm, earthy smells of horse, hay, and bags of feed reassure his bear. He always felt better when he was around other animals. They made him feel settled, connected to all of himself, in a way he never could when he was in the city or inside a building. Other animals liked him, too. He’d always had an easier time training horses or rounding up cattle than humans did; the animals could sense his shifter side, and it made them trust him.
As he stood in the doorway centering himself, he heard a sound deeper in the barn. Diego could feel the hackles on his bear rise, and he sprang forward, shading his eyes in an attempt to see into the shadows. His bear began to rise to the surface, turning his voice to a deep, gravelly rasp as he called out, “Who’s there?”
A figure stepped out from behind the horses’ stalls, its hands raised placatingly. “Whoa, whoa, there! No need to get excited, Dee. It’s just me.” As it stepped closer to the beam of light slanting in through the open door, the figure became recognizable as Andy Walker, Diego’s best friend and his right-hand man on the ranch.
Diego relaxed his shoulders and concentrated on human thoughts, forcing his bear back down. Andy was definitely not a threat, and Diego didn’t want to shift unnecessarily and ruin the clothes he had on.
“What are you doing up this early?” he asked. Andy almost never showed at the ranch before noon; unlike Diego, he had never been a morning person. Andy blamed it on his cat-shifter nature – he was a mountain lion, and they were nocturnal – but Diego thought it was just as likely that was an excuse for Andy’s bad-boy lifestyle. He was usually out all night at the local bar and frequently ended up sleeping in some new woman’s bedroom. That had never been Diego’s style; he didn’t see the point of continually wandering from one bed to another.
As if to prove him
right, Andy grinned. He had a cocky grin, one that matched his charmingly roguish nature. He was only a few inches shorter than Diego, but with a lean, wiry build and the quick, easy grace of a cat. His hair was golden blond, the same shade as his lion’s pelt. “Early? I’m up late, my man. I was planning to do a quick checkup on things here before I headed home to sleep. Anything you need me to do?”
Diego shook his head. “I can take care of everything. Go home, you idiot. Who goes to bed at six a.m.?”
“Old fogey,” Andy said, but it was affectionate. He slapped Diego on the shoulder as he moved past him in the doorway, but then paused. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to meet your new wife yesterday? How’d that go?”
Diego looked down, considering what to tell him, but his happiness won out over his doubts. “Good. Really good.” He hesitated, then blurted out, “I think she’s my mate.”
“Dude!” Andy was a shifter, and he knew exactly what it meant to find your mate. He hugged Diego like a brother. “Congratulations! That’s great. No, that’s amazing!” He cocked his head to the side, considering Diego’s expression with all the authority of a friend who’d known him for years. “Why don’t you look happier?”
Diego sighed. “She’s human. She doesn’t know anything. I mean anything, Andy. Shifters, territory, mates – how am I supposed to explain all of it to her without scaring her? And then there’s this whole Sullivan problem. Even if she was okay with me being a bear, an evil pack of wolf shifters who hate me will definitely run her off.”
Andy shrugged. “Just tell her. If she’s really your mate, she’ll understand. That’s what being mates is all about.”
“I wish I could believe that, but it’s too easy. You and I have both known mates who would have been better off apart.” Diego scratched at the back of his neck, then let himself admit his fears. “What if I ruin everything? I’m not going to get another chance. You only get one mate.”