“You live in Houston? How long are you here for? When will you go back?”
“I’m not sure. That depends.”
“On what?”
“You.” He stood now, sauntered toward her.
She backed up.
He stalked forward.
When her back hit the kitchen island, he had her cornered. He leaned into her, placing one hand on either side of her on the counter.
She flushed. Everything was moving too fast and so intense. Even his gaze was enough to make her lightheaded.
“Kathleen, you’re mine. Do you understand what that means?”
She swallowed.
“I’m not going home without you. I have the next two weeks off. Gives us plenty of time to get to know each other. I don’t care where we go. If you want to stay here, we can. If you want to go to Houston, we can do that. If you want to take a trip to the Bahamas, canoe down the Rio Grande, or go hiking in Alaska, that can be arranged too.” He lifted one corner of his mouth, teasing her.
She shuddered.
“God, you smell fantastic.” He lifted a lock of her hair and held it to his cheek, in haling her scent. Everything he did seemed erotic. Dangerous. Sexy. “I need to kiss you.” He raised an eyebrow, asking for permission.
She nodded.
He placed his hands on both sides of her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs for several seconds. As he stared at her mouth, she gazed at his expression.
When his thumb brushed over her bottom lip and then pulled it down, she sucked in a breath. “So soft,” he mumbled. He didn’t stop. Instead he swept his thumb back and forth over her lower lip.
Her mouth tingled. She fought to keep from reaching out to lick his thumb with her tongue.
“Open for me, Kathleen.” Her name sounded so formal coming from him.
She shivered again. How could a simple kiss be so complicated? Demanding? It was taking so long and her legs were wobbling while she waited.
“You could call me Kath. My family does,” she muttered. She had no idea why she needed to tell him that now. Perhaps to break the intensity. It frightened her how aroused she was. She squeezed her thighs together, but that did nothing to make the ache growing low in her belly go away.
He grinned at her, but didn’t lift his gaze from her mouth. “Perhaps. But not when we’re having sex. I like the way your full name sounds tumbling from my mouth when I’m thinking of having you.”
She gasped. She locked her knees to keep from collapsing.
“Are you?” she asked breathlessly.
“Thinking of making love to you? Hell yes. I can’t imagine when I’ll not be.”
Her breasts grew tight. A soft purr escaped her lips.
That gentle sound that broke the sudden silence was followed by a full groan coming from Gabriel’s mouth. “You’re gonna kill me.” He leaned in closer, his lips inches from her own.
She wanted his mouth on hers so bad now, she no longer cared whether or not it was the right thing to do.
She licked her lips. Oh, please, dear God, just kiss me, will you?
His mouth descended. A gentle brush of his lips over hers. His eyes stayed locked to her gaze. And then he licked the seam between her lips and she opened her mouth for him. She wanted to taste him, needed to. His tongue slipped between her teeth and danced with her own before she even finished the thought.
She grasped his T-shirt with both hands where it stretched over his biceps and fisted the material with her fingers, desperate to hold on to him.
He angled his mouth farther to one side and delved deeper. His taste filled her senses and made her crave more of him.
Thank God he held her up, his body pressing hers into the island. As she lost herself in her first real kiss, she couldn’t concentrate on anything but the feel of his tongue and the way his lips managed to soften her.
Gabe broke the kiss off. No way could she have had the capacity to do so herself.
“I need you,” he whispered against her mouth as he set his forehead on hers. “I know this is fast and overwhelming for you, but my cock aches to be inside you.”
She couldn’t even see him properly. Her eyes were clouded over from the heat of the kiss and he invaded her space so thoroughly that she couldn’t focus on his face.
“Please say yes,” he continued. “I could spend the day pretending to woo you, but who are we kidding? I can smell your arousal. Hell, I can taste it on your lips. You want this as much as I do.”
It was true. She couldn’t deny him that truth. She was scared out of her mind on more levels than she could possibly voice, but the simple fact still remained—they were mates. She might as well let him claim her now and then deal with the details of their future afterward. At least some of her anxiety would be alleviated.
“Talk to me,” he asked. He stroked her cheek with his thumb again.
She finally opened her mouth to speak. “I’m scared.”
“I know. I would be shocked if you weren’t. And concerned. I’m humbled by the gift of your innocence. Trust me?”
She shouldn’t. She hadn’t known him long enough. But damnit if she didn’t anyway. Something about the way he held her so gently told her he would take every care in the world to see to her comfort.
His fingers trembled against her skin. She affected him as much as he did her.
“Let’s go upstairs.” He nodded to one side.
Here? In his parents’ house? She stiffened.
“Nobody’s home, baby. And they aren’t coming back. Hell, my parents are hosting this gathering. They couldn’t break free if they wanted to. And besides, they know I’m stalking you.” He chuckled low and deep. “They wouldn’t dare interrupt me today.”
And that was supposed to make her feel better? His parents knowing what they were doing in their house didn’t add to the warm fuzzies.
“Come.” He stepped back, took her hand, and led her to the steps at the back of the kitchen.
She followed. Let him tug her through the house. A trembling ball of nerves was the only way to describe her at that moment.
Chapter Four
Gabe held his breath all the way to his bedroom. He couldn’t wait to get his sweet mate out of town and have her all to himself. It couldn’t be helped right now. And it wasn’t as though it was unusual for mates to consummate their relationship just about anywhere. No one would think ill of them. It was normal.
The wolf instinct to claim was strong. It gave very little notice and allowed for only a small window of small talk before the natural instinct to mate took over. That window was wide open considering Gabe had met Kathleen yesterday. In wolf terms, that was a long courting period already.
When they reached his room and slipped inside, Gabriel shut the door behind him and leaned against it.
Kathleen spun around. “Are you going to lock that?” She pointed at the doorknob.
He grinned. “If it makes you feel better.” Hell, no one was going to come into the house, let alone the upstairs. They wouldn’t dare.
With a twist, the lock was turned. He released the knob to reach for her, but she avoided him, skipping back a step and turning toward the room. “You aren’t gonna just . . . are you?” Her voice trailed off.
He smiled at her as she gazed around his space. He needed to get control of himself. He’d never had sex with a virgin. And certainly not one that meant his much to him. Deep breaths, Gabe. Take things at an unprecedented slow pace.
His hands shook at his sides. She brought out something in him he’d never experienced. He wanted to please her first and foremost. He wanted to make her happy. He’d do anything in his power to ensure she always had that sexy smile on her lips. For the first time in nearly ten years, he knew he could be less dominant if the situation required. And this was one of those times.
Would she ever be submissive? He had no idea just now, but he couldn’t take her virginity in a show of dominance. He would alienate her and ruin her trust.
While she glanced around the room, her hands fisted at her sides.
He needed her mouth again. One side of her bottom lip rested between her teeth as she avoided his gaze.
With slow steady steps, he approached her until he stood right in front of her. He took her shoulders in his hands and nudged her chin with both thumbs to tip her head up. Her lip popped out of her mouth and he smiled. The swollen pink flesh demanded his attention. When he rubbed his thumb over the lower one, she opened her mouth.
Her pulse beat beneath the other thumb that now rested on her neck. It sped up as he stroked her lip until he let the thumb slip inside and guided it over the ridge of her teeth.
She gasped and shifted her weight from one leg to the other several times.
Slow and easy, Gabe. Make this special for her. She’s your woman for life. Make her first experience something she remembers fondly forever.
It took all his strength to keep from tossing her down on the bed as he would have other women in the past. He could smell her arousal ratcheting up, but she was too innocent to take demands this time.
Gabriel took a deep breath and leaned in to resume the kiss they’d begun in the kitchen. He licked her bottom lip and then the upper one. He did it again, silently urging her to open farther for him. He needed to stroke her tongue, taste her essence, and swallow her tiny sounds.
When her mouth widened, he entered, teasing her with quick flicks of his tongue against hers until her body shook.
Or maybe he was the one shaking?
He stepped toward her, forcing her to shuffle back until she met the edge of the bed. When he released her shoulders to trail his hands down her back and over her ass, she shivered. He didn’t break the kiss. She’d gotten over the initial shyness and now toyed with the inside of his mouth too, her tentative tongue growing bolder.
Gabe moaned around her mouth and then pulled his lips back to set his forehead against hers, surprised by the audible response escaping his lips. She moved him in a way no one ever had before.
Her eyes were glazed. He watched them widen as he gripped the material of her skirt, inching it up into his hands until he held a wad of soft cotton and his knuckles stroked the lace of her panties.
She held a breath and didn’t move an inch. When he released the material and smoothed his palms over her ass again, she exhaled. He cupped her ass. Tight. Firm. She squeezed her cheeks when he molded his palms to the globes.
He grazed her thighs with the tips of his fingers and then dragged both hands up the sides of her body until he wrapped them around her middle, his thumbs landing just beneath her breasts. He wanted her naked. He wanted to see her—all of her.
He stifled a moan when he smelled the spike of her arousal. Encouraged, he caressed the underside of her breasts until she arched her back.
He didn’t break eye contact while he cupped both sides of her chest and then flicked his fingers over her nipples. She flinched, but her eyes fluttered. The tips hardened when he did it again, the points pressing against her thin bra and blouse.
“I need to see you,” he muttered, allowing his fingers to trail to the buttons. With each release, he bared more of her smooth skin. He didn’t look away from her eyes until he had slipped the last button through the hole. When he glanced down while pushing the material over her shoulders, he had to stifle a grown.
He’d never seen anyone so flawless. Perhaps his judgment was clouded by the mating, but her skin was so smooth and perfectly tan. He couldn’t take his gaze off her neckline and then the V of her chest.
Whatever dominant nature he usually had was squashed for this claiming. All he wanted right now was to see his woman undone, hear her undone, taste her undone . . .
It was difficult to avoid shaking as he danced his fingers over her flesh and then the lace of her bra. She shivered when he caressed her nipples, her hands reaching up from her sides to grip his forearms. Did she want to push him away or pull him closer?
A glance at her face told him she was lost in the sensation, her head tipped back, her eyes closed.
Gabe popped the front clasp and let the pink lace fall away. She was petite and her breasts were small and firm. Perfect. The rosy tips of her nipples poked forward, begging for attention.
Kathleen squealed when Gabe lifted her by the hips and set her on the bed. He scooted her back and climbed above her.
Her chest heaved beneath his gaze. “Gabe. . ."
“I know, baby. I just want to look at you. You’re so beautiful.” He traced a line down her center from her neck to her navel. Goose bumps rose on her skin and then he lowered himself over her, trapping her legs between his. He licked a line up her torso, beginning at her stomach and trailing his tongue between her breasts.
When she grabbed his head on both sides, he smiled against her skin. She was so responsive, her little jerks and gasps all he needed to know he was doing everything right so far.
She smelled of a floral feminine soap and he breathed in deep as he nuzzled the space between her breasts. Angling to one side, he took one pointing nipple into his mouth and licked a circle around the tip. The second his tongue flicked over the little nub, she arched into him and squeezed his head.
The noise coming from her lips was a cross between a low moan and a pant.
His cock strained against his jeans and he pressed against her thigh, even though the idea of using the pressure to help him gain control was ludicrous. Her soft leg only made his need worsen.
Control, Gabe. Slow, he reminded himself. What he wanted to do was strip her naked quickly and spread her wide. But she needed a more relaxed pace this time. Later . . .
Kathleen couldn’t think. Her mind was mush. Everything she’d ever imagined about sex flew out the window. Her body heated to a boiling point. She couldn’t believe the complete lack of control she had over her reactions to his every touch. Was this what sex was always like? Or just between mates?
His incredibly deft tongue made her shiver as he lapped at her nipple, the flicking over the sensitive tip driving her mad. When he sucked the flesh into his mouth, she nearly came off the bed. Or hell, maybe she did.
He didn’t stop either. He sucked and licked and teased first one breast and then the other until her brain melted out of her ears and left her limp and needy.
“Gabe,” she mumbled. She jerked her hands to his shoulders and pushed him down. What was she asking him to do? She had no idea, but something else needed to happen lower down her body to put out the fire burning a slow flame in her abdomen.
Her legs were squished together by his and his cock pressed into her thigh. She wanted to see him naked. Now. She grasped the top of the shirt he wore at the sleeves and tugged as though that would magically unveil him.
He chuckled and lifted his head. With one hand he reached over his back and pulled the shirt up and over his head.
She only got a glimpse of his chest, the slight sprinkle of blond hair across his broad pecs. She stroked his shoulders and then gripped them, kneading the tight muscles.
Gabriel lowered his face and kissed a path down her torso until he reached her skirt. With ease, he held himself aloft and reached to her side to lower the zipper. How the hell had he known exactly where that was? In seconds, he’d risen high enough to tug the skirt over her hips and toss the material away.
Kathleen sucked in a breath and grasped at the air toward him, hoping he would lower himself over her body and conceal her nudity. She felt so exposed.
In just the thin lace of her panties, she’d never been like this with a man.
He didn’t oblige her in any way. Instead he sat back, straddling her legs and grazing his fingertips over her thighs and up, up, up her body. “You’re gorgeous, Kathleen.” His voice was low, muttered so softly she barely heard him.
Reverently, he explored her with his hands. She held still, stiff. Unable to relax beneath his intense gaze.
He stroked her for an eternity, until her skin burned beneath his touch. She squee
zed her legs together to stave the increasing desire to be stroked between them. How did he manage to make her so comfortable when she should be embarrassed?
By the time he lifted off her and pulled her panties down her body, she was close to begging him to do just that.
When the scrap of fabric disappeared, he moaned. “You shave.” His breaths increased. She did this to him.
His fingers shook as he stroked one digit up from her ankle to her knee, never taking his eyes off her shaved mons.
Gabe swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as she watched him. “Spread your legs for me, Kathleen.”
Oh God. She gripped the sheet at both sides of her body. Her thighs trembled, but she only managed to separate them inches.
He gently grasped her ankles, spread them apart, and settled in between her legs. Her knees fought to close.
He stroked his palms up both legs until he reached midthigh. Slight pressure.
Kathleen couldn’t believe this was happening. She was stripped naked for this mate of hers, her entire body visible to his gaze.
She’d never felt like this in her life. Hadn’t considered it even possible. But here she was, naked and open to the man she was about to let claim her.
Gabe’s fingers crawled higher on her thighs and he pushed them wider. Her knees were bent and she was spread wide, every secret revealed to her partner.
He was breathing heavily. Thank God she affected him as much as he did her. The enormous bulge in the front of his jeans spoke for itself. She longed to see what lie beneath, but didn’t dare request a viewing.
“So wet for me, baby,” he muttered. He released her thigh with one hand and stroked a finger through her slit.
She bucked at the contact, nearly coming apart. One stroke and she was so close to an orgasm.
“So hot. I love how your pussy responds. It pulses as you grip around the emptiness, begging for my cock.” He didn’t take his gaze off her sex, and she didn’t take hers off his face. The quiver in her stomach became more of an ache.
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