by Sophie Stern
“I’m waiting,” she says, slipping a hand between her legs. “But I won’t wait much longer.” She begins to stroke her pussy slowly, but with determination and precision. She’s not messing around. She wants to come and she doesn’t mind if I end up watching the whole thing from the other side of the room. Arielle isn’t trying to be sweet right now. She’s not trying to be seductive.
She’s trying to fucking get herself off, and I’ll be damned if I’m not a part of that.
I finish stripping in record time and climb up on the bed with her.
“I missed your perfect little pussy,” I tell her, and I settle in between her legs to eat her out again. She tasted fine earlier in her office and she tastes even sweeter now. I like having her on the bed like this with her legs spread and her head thrown back. She’s a beautiful, fertile goddess and I’m just the guy who fell for her charms.
I’m just the guy who’s after everything she has to give.
I lick her soft folds slowly, teasing her.
“Come on,” she groans after a minute. “Make me come, baby.”
“In a hurry?” I chuckle, looking up at her. I slide a single finger over her clit and begin to rub it in gentle circles.
“Please,” she whispers, and when she looks down, her eyes are full of need. “I need it.”
“Well, you did ask politely,” I say. “And I’ve never been able to resist a beautiful woman.”
Leaning down, I step up the pace and lick her clit until her orgasm builds. I slide two fingers inside of her right as she’s about to come, and that sends her over the edge. She climaxes, crying out, and the sound shoots straight to my cock. We’re at home, alone, and she doesn’t have to be worried about making noise.
I love that she’s not worried.
She lets herself go. She lets herself be free, and there’s nothing sexier than that. Some women feel self-conscious or worried or nervous about their bodies, but she doesn’t. She just lets me take her.
Arielle calms and I settle in next to her and start to kiss her. I play with her hair and kiss her mouth, her neck, her breasts.
“They’re bigger now,” she murmurs.
“They’re perfect.”
“You like big boobs?”
“I like your boobs. Any size, baby. You’re perfect. You know that, don’t you?”
“If you keep telling me, I might just start to believe it.”
“You’re perfect,” I kiss each nipple, then I lick, swirling my tongue around her little areolas. She bites her lip and moans. The scent of her arousal fills the air and I know that if I don’t get inside of her soon, I’m going to go crazy. I need to be inside of her. I need to fill her.
She seems to sense it, because she pushes me back and moves, getting on all fours. I have a perfect view of her ass and glistening pussy now, and if it’s possible, I get even harder.
Arielle looks over her shoulder and winks at me.
“Come on, big boy,” she taunts. “I know what you’ve been waiting for.” She wiggles her bottom at me and I take the bait, grabbing both cheeks and squeezing.
“You have the best ass,” I tell her.
“I have the best everything, Jason. Fuck me. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
I can’t resist her. I can’t resist her lure. I’m a little nervous this is going to be uncomfortable for Arielle, but I trust her instincts and she seems to have everything under control. I don’t know much about sex during pregnancy, but it seems I’m in for a crash course.
I’m happy taking her from behind. The view is incredible and the feeling is out of this world, but I hope I can convince her to ride me at some point before she has the baby. I want to see her big, beautiful tits bouncing. I want to touch her belly. I want to make her come while I look at up her, admiring her, worshipping her.
Right now, though, my lady wants me, and I’ve kept her waiting long enough. I won’t make her wait another minute.
Slowly, carefully, I position my cock at her entrance. She’s still breathing heavily, still turned on from the wild orgasm she just had, and I’m ready to feel how tight my sweetie is.
“Are you ready for me, baby?” I nudge her gently.
“I was born ready,” she says proudly, and I slide inside of her in one quick thrust. She cries out when I do, surprised at the intrusion. I wonder if she’s felt this filled since I left. There’s no way her little purple dildo satisfied her like this. There’s just no way.
“I fucking missed you, baby,” I growl. I’m holding back because I don’t want to hurt her. I’m fucking her slowly, gently, but we both know this isn’t our way. Arielle and I are rarely slow and gentle together. We’ve always been wild and fast and hard. We’ve always given sex our all.
“I missed you, too,” she says, “but if you don’t start fucking me harder, I’m going to find someone else to do it.”
“Like hell,” I say, and grip her hair, pulling her head back. I lean down and kiss my girl hard. “My cock is the only one for you, Arielle. Say it, baby. Say it.”
“You’re the only one for me, Jason. Only you.” Her eyes flutter closed as I give her what she wants. I thrust harder, faster. I have one hand on her hair and one on her lower back, and fuck, if she isn’t the sweetest thing I’ve ever felt in my whole damn life.
It doesn’t take long for me to come, pouring my seed inside of her. Filling her. Marking her. She’s mine: now and forever. I whisper her name as I come, quietly letting her know I’m all hers, too. I’ll be hers forever. She’s the only one for me.
Spent, exhausted, happy, I get up and grab a washcloth, then come back to the bed to gently clean her up.
“That’s sweet,” she says. “I could do that myself, you know.”
“I like taking care of you, princess.”
“I like it when you do.”
I throw the washcloth across the room and hope it lands in the laundry basket, then I wrap my arms around Arielle and kiss her gently on the forehead.
“Things are going to be different when the baby comes,” she says.
“Are you worried?”
“A little. I’m going to be different. I might be tired and cranky. Maybe you won’t want to be around me.”
“Never going to happen. I’ll always want you.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It’s a choice, baby. I choose to love you even when you think you’re unlovable. I choose to be with you even when it gets hard. I choose to be by your side through thick and thin. No matter what life throws our way, I choose you.”
“Those are some pretty big promises,” she whispers. “Those almost sound like marriage vows.”
“They are,” I kiss her nose. “And when the jewelry store opens in the morning, I’ll have Wesley make you something that shows you exactly how serious I am about you.”
Her heart starts beating faster and Arielle grabs me, kissing me hard. Her big eyes blink at me slowly, then she whispers.
“I love you, too, tiger. I’ll always love you. I always have loved you. I thought when you went away that I had lost you forever. My heart feels like it’s going to explode after today. I can’t quite believe you’re back. I can’t quite wrap my head around it, but I know that together, we can conquer the world. I know that together, we can do anything.”
She’s right.
My sweet Arielle is right.
We’ve made mistakes and we’ve been mean and we’ve hurt each other, but we’re choosing love. We’re choosing togetherness. We’re choosing to fight for each other no matter what happens next.
We’re choosing forever.
Epilogue
Six months later
Arielle
“Are you sure you don’t mind watching him?” I already know Georgia is going to roll her eyes at what an overprotective mother I’ve become, but I can’t help it. Baby Randall is only a couple of months old and this is my first time leaving him with someone else. I’m a little bit nervous, but that’s normal, right? I think it’s normal.
To my surprise, Georgia doesn’t roll her eyes. Instead, she just smiles sadly.
“I’ve been wanting to take care of Randall for awhile now, honey. As soon as I found out you were pregnant, I was counting down the days ‘til I’d get to babysit. Thank you for making me the happiest aunt in the world. This really is the best day of my life.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You’ll be great, Georgia,” Jason says, coming up behind me. He slides his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. “You’re the best aunt in the world. You know that, right?”
“Ha,” she says, but her eyes are focused on the baby in her arms. Randall is swaddled and sleeping, but I know he won’t be out for long. I hope he doesn’t freak out when he wakes up and sees I’m not there, but I do know Georgia will take good care of him. She was made to be a mother and I hope that someday, she gets a second chance.
“I mean it,” Jason says. “You’re the best aunt in the world. The guy you marry is going to be one lucky son-of-a-bitch.”
“You’re assuming I’ll find someone to marry a broken girl like me,” Georgia says sadly, gently bouncing baby Randall. “But let’s not waste time with sad stories today, all right? I believe you two are due for a date.” She gives us a smile, but it doesn’t reach all the way to her eyes, and I wish there was something I could do to make Georgia smile for real.
I wish there was a way I could make her realize her time will come. One of these days, someone is going to realize what a fucking catch she is and he’s going to sweep the tigress off her paws.
One of these days.
“I was promised a date and I was also promised sex,” Jason says with a completely straight face.
“Gross,” Georgia says, but her eyes twinkle. “Have fun, you two.”
“Don’t forget,” I say, suddenly feeling one last burst of motherly instinct. “There’s-”
“Bottles in the fridge, extra binkies in his bag, and plenty of diapers in the box on the counter. If I need more diapers, make sure I buy the exact same brand and don’t try to mix it up. He needs plenty of naps, so don’t try to keep him awake if he seems sleepy, and make sure I rock him in the rocking chair if he starts to fuss.”
“I think she’s got it down, honey,” Jason whispers in my ear.
“But-” I start to say.
“But it’s time to go,” Georgia says firmly, looking pointedly at the door. “Get lost, you two. Let me have some time with my nephew.”
Reluctantly, I manage to follow Jason to the truck and we climb in. He kisses me hard and looks at me with concern.
“I’m fine,” I say.
“You want to try, sweetie? It’s okay to cry if you need to, but let’s get it out of the way now because once we’re in the woods, I want your full attention on me, buttercup.”
“It’s just that he’s my baby,” I say, and I absolutely do burst into tears. I haven’t left Randall with anyone but Jason before. Aside from quick trips to the store, I haven’t been away from him at all, and suddenly, I feel like I’m abandoning him.
I know in my heart that it’s ridiculous, but I can’t stop the way I feel. That’s my baby in there and here I am, running off to play in the woods.
Jason is the perfect sweetheart and he holds me while I get it all out. When my sobs turn to hiccups, he kisses me on the nose.
“All right, honey,” he says. “I think that’s quite enough. What do you think?”
“Yeah,” I agree. I’ve had enough. I’m done crying, but I’m glad he gave me the chance to do so. For me, crying is a good way to relieve stress and anxiety. I know that every shifter is different, but when I get the chance to cry, it really helps me calm down. Sometimes I have so many different emotions bouncing around inside of me that if I can’t find a way to let them all out, I’ll go nuts.
I’m glad I got them out today.
I’m glad I got to release them this time.
Jason drives us to the forest where we’re going to explore. It’s on our friends’ land, but they gave us special permission to go play around in there. The Blairs are some of the nicest shifters in Honeypot and the fact that they just let us go roam around on their property speaks volumes about how much they trust their friends.
We park at the forest’s edge and get out of the car. Quickly, the two of us strip out of our clothes. Jason doesn’t even have to say anything. I just know. I haven’t shifted in a long time with Jason, or with anyone, and I’m ready to get back in the game.
My body is different after having a baby. I’ve got scars and I jiggle. I’m flabby and I have cellulite. Jason doesn’t seem to matter though. He doesn’t think I’m any less beautiful and somehow, that makes me feel like a fucking rock star.
Somehow, that makes me feel like I can do anything.
Right now, that “anything” means taking off everything I’m wearing and shifting into my panda form. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on the cool air against my skin. I clear my head and focus on relaxing every part of my body. Then the change can happen. Then I can shift.
Slowly, I feel my skin begin to change. My soft pale hands are replaced with big, furry paws. My arms become covered with fur. My backside suddenly has a tail.
And I feel free.
Shifters have to change. We have to. It’s just this need that builds up inside of us and if we aren’t shifting on a regular basis, we get stressed and cranky and sometimes even sick.
It’s important to change forms as often as possible, but I didn’t shift much when I was pregnant and this is my first time shifting since giving birth.
I should have done this much sooner, but I was scared and tired and worried. I didn’t want to leave Randall and I didn’t want to go off by myself in the woods.
Being a mother changes you. I knew this going into it. I knew I would change. I knew I would feel differently. I knew I would be different, but I also knew that I couldn’t let it completely take over who I am.
Even though Randall is my whole world, I have to take time for myself. I have to take care of myself. I have to take care of my relationship with Jason because he’s important, too. Our marriage is important. Our relationship is important.
By the time I finish shifting, my tiger already has his stripes.
He looks at me and gives me a long, low growl.
He might not be using words, but I sure as hell know what that means.
It means, “Run, little bear, because I’m going to eat you up.”
It means he’s about to devour me.
It means he’s about to fucking claim me.
So I turn and I run. Maybe he’ll give me a head start. Maybe he won’t. I run, though. I run as fast as I can, pushing myself, and then I run a little bit faster. I can do this. I can be fast.
Only, no matter how fast I run, I’ll never be a match for a tiger. I’ll never be as fast as fucking Jason in his cat form. I don’t hear him right away, so I’m guessing he gave me a head start. I run clumsily through the woods, making my way around trees and over the uneven terrain.
I don’t know where he is.
I can’t tell if he’s behind me or in front of me or somewhere on the side, and that kills me. My heart is racing with nervousness and excitement. My body is aching with the need for release. I know exactly what’s going to happen when he finds me, when he catches me.
I know exactly what’s going to happen when he gets me.
He’s going to take me. He’s going to mark me. He’s going to bite me and tease me and play with me until I’m begging him to stop and keep going at the same time.
For a quick second, I stop running and sniff the air, trying to catch a whiff of his scent. I can’t. I can’t smell him. He’s being careful tonight. He’s going to toy with me as much as possible, and somehow, that turns me on even more.
I start running again. I move through the woods and make my way into the center of a clearing. I turn around, trying to decide which way to go ne
xt. East? West? Where would my tiger go? Where would he lie in wait for me?
I quickly realize that I don’t need to keep wondering because I have my answer.
Here.
He would lie in wait for me here.
Suddenly, his scent is all around me. I turn in a circle, hearing noises coming from different directions. He’s swift and fast. He moves silently and quickly and I can’t tell where he is now. I hear a twig break on my left side and turn, only to hear another sound on my right side. I twist and turn until I’m spinning in a circle.
Finally, I stop.
Finally, he comes out from the woods.
I know when I’ve been beaten. I know when he’s won and this time, he’s definitely won. To be honest, I’m not sure I even had a chance of beating him. I was the one who started running first, after all, but I kind of thought I’d be able to run from him a little bit longer.
He stalked me, though. He hunted me. He made me his victim and the truth is I’m quite willing.
He can do whatever the hell he wants to me because I’m utterly and completely his.
Now I stand perfectly still as Jason stealthily moves toward me. He circles me, growling as he does. He moves with a swagger. Even in cat form, he’s all confidence and charm.
He’s also a little bit deadly.
He’s also a little bit terrifying.
My heart races more. Faster and fast, it beats. Jason looks me up and down as he circles me and my body fills with warmth.
What’s this cat going to do to me?
He hisses at me, and I know what that means. Quickly, I shift back into my human form and kneel in the grass. When I’m a bear, I’m soft and cuddly, but when I’m a woman, I’m graceful.
I’m delicate.
I’m his princess and he is my knight.
He continues to circle around me, moving closer and closer until I feel his fur brushing against me. He’s soft and warm against my skin and I close my eyes, reveling in the feel of his body.
Soon, the fur vanishes and is replaced with hot skin pressed against my own.
“Keep your eyes closed,” he whispers against my ear. His breath is warm against my body as he brushes his lips over my skin.