by Olivia Arran
She shuddered for a final time.
Lifting her, I gently rolled her onto her back, taking in her lazy grin with satisfaction. “You’re fucking perfect,” I groaned, cupping her breast and thumbing her nipple back and forth.
She moaned, her eyes flickering back open. “You’re going to kill me if you keep on doing that.” She blinked, her eyes focusing. “What are you doing still dressed?”
“Like you?”
She glanced down, her lips pursing in disgust. “Well, heck.” Coming up to sitting, she crossed her arms and the next thing I knew, her dress was off, pulled over her head and tossed onto the floor. Her bra was next. And she was naked. Gloriously, deliciously naked.
Hesitation flickered across her face, her hands hovering over the comforter as if unsure what to do next. It had been frantic and desperate the last time we had been together, then the morning after a lazy ride filled with sleep hazed touches and long, drugging kisses. A lot had happened since then.
“Perfect,” I repeated, letting my eyes roam and appreciation fill my eyes. Curvy, with dimples in all the right places, she had lush, heavy breasts and a softly rounded stomach. Hips made to hold onto. An ass that I wanted to squeeze and rub and watch bounce as I fucked her from behind. Firm thighs and shapely calves completed the package. I wondered if I could convince her to wear dresses all year round. I could imagine lifting her skirt and pulling her down onto my lap. Sliding into her quietly and fucking her with no-one the wiser. I tugged off my shirt, my hand dropping to my jeans. My shaft throbbed, pressing against the denim and demanding some playtime of its own. Popping the buttons, I pushed them down, toeing them off with my boots at the same time.
She’d eased back onto the bed, her wariness fading as she let me look my fill, but now she sprang forward, her hand closing around my shaft and her mouth coming down over the thick head.
Devious little— “Fuck!” It was a roar. A groan. A plea.
Her mouth slid down my cock as she swallowed me whole, stretching to take as much as she could, her throat working and hand filling in for what she couldn’t manage.
My knees hit the edge of the bed as I struggled to stay standing, her bobbing head robbing me of every ounce of control I possessed. “Stop.” I pulled away, before I unmanned myself before the main event. Cold air hit my shaft, still wet from her mouth. I needed inside her. Now.
She looked up at me, her mouth still open. Her eyes widened as I crawled over her, her hands reaching for me as she leaned back on the bed, her legs falling open to cradle me.
“I love you,” I whispered, thrusting deep inside her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Leona
He was so big and powerful, his shoulders wide and chest thick with muscle that flexed with every shift of his hips, his biceps bunching as he lifted my hips, rocking into me again and again. Kneeling over me, his abs rippled and danced with every thrust, his thick shaft sliding deeper, then dragging back out, then deeper, then—
I’d been timing my breath with his thrusts, but then he kicked it into high gear and I was left panting and groaning, trying to meet his hips with my own, my fingers sliding down his chest and carving out a line down his stomach.
My body shook with every slam of his hips, the bed squeaking beneath us in protest, jars rattling on the bedside table in a crescendo of sound. None of it mattered. In his eyes I saw the truth; the way he looked at me, as though he’d never seen a woman more beautiful.
Adored. That’s how I had felt stripped down to the skin. He saw me; the real me, and this was only the beginning of our life together.
Work roughed hands palmed my breast, tugging and teasing my nipple into a stiff peak, his other hand guiding my hips up and onto him, until I sat in his lap, riding his impressive shaft. On a groan, he tongued my nipple, sucking it into his mouth as he thrust up deep into my heat. I dragged a hand across his back, cupping his head and holding it to my breast as sensation flooded me, firing out in short bursts of pleasure across my skin, tingling and stretching my already frazzled nerves. He dragged his mouth to my other breast, kissing his way across my skin as a hand slid down to my ass, cupping my buttocks and urging me on, to ride him faster, harder, urgency in the flex of his hips and the strain of his shoulders. In the low rumble rising up from his chest, the bite of his fingers digging into my skin, the slickness between my thighs as we crashed together, his hard cock filling me again and again, until I couldn’t take any more.
I froze, holding myself still, my mind overwhelmed as a whirlwind of pleasure tore through me, back arched and head falling back on a silent cry.
“Mine,” I heard him growl. The sharp sting of pain against my collarbone, the gentle press of a kiss.
I was falling. Over and over and over again, the ground rushing up to meet me. Scorching heat hit me in the chest, pulsing in and out of me in a rush that had me climbing back up again, reaching once more for the stars.
He bucked beneath me, his hands holding my hips high as he thrust up again and again, his throaty roar ripping through the air and anchoring me as I floated back down. His heat flooded me, his shaft pulsing inside my core.
My forehead knocked against his shoulder as I sucked in a deep, cleansing breath, finally remembering how to breath. Hugging me close, he rolled me back, untangling our limbs until I laid cuddled into his side, his shoulder providing a very nice pillow. I felt different. Complete. Connected to the man beside me. Sliding my leg over his, I listened to the sound of his heart thudding beneath my ear. Steady. Strong. “Austin?”
“Hmmm?” His hand brushed my ear, then down my arm until his fingers linked with mine.
“Are we mates, now?” I had to double check. I was pretty sure we were, but…
“We were mated in our hearts the second you said yes.” He brought our hands up, leading them to my neck. “This is the mark binding us together for life. When I bit you, our souls connected and formed a bond.” He chuckled, letting out a soft whoosh of air that dusted my forehead. “The human world doesn’t know all our secrets and this is one of them.”
I stayed silent, letting it sink in. Soulmates. I could feel his love for me, as though I had a direct line to his heart.
“I always knew you were the one.” His voice was soft, vulnerable. “A shifter recognizes their mate and when I saw you; I knew. The woman I’d been waiting for, the only one for me. The missing part of my soul. So now you know.”
His words stunned me with their raw honesty. Only with me did my big, burly mate show his soft side and I treasured the fact that he let his guard down and trusted me enough.
I reached up, sliding an arm around his neck and tugging him down until we were face to face. “Love me, my mate,” I whispered, laying a featherlight kiss on the stubble skimming his jaw. “Love me until I can’t walk and we have to crawl out of bed in search of food.” I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, shivering as his large hands skimmed over my hips and dragged me closer, molding my soft curves to his hard frame. “Love me until we’re not alone and we have to face the world.” His shaft swelled against my stomach as his hand reached between my legs, finding my heat.
He loved me, and I loved him right back.
I surveyed the area in front of the cabins with a critical eye. “What do you think?”
Brent appeared around the corner, hauling a large tree trunk over his shoulder one handed. Dropping it to the ground with a thud, he brushed off his hands and followed my gaze. “Looks damn fine, to me.”
I knew I was being silly, but when Austin had mentioned a party to celebrate our mating, I’d gotten myself into a tizzy worrying about getting everything set up.
My mate had laughed and kissed my cheek, warning me not to expect too much, but it hadn’t helped. I wanted it to be perfect. He’d also advised me to include Brent in my preparations, giving the man a day off to help me prepare. The yard was Brent’s baby, or so Austin told me.
Scooping my hair back and retying it on the top of my he
ad, I blew a few stray strands out of my eyes. “Have we got enough chairs?”
Brent just gave me a look, one that clearly said he thought I was worrying way too much. Shaking his head with a wry smile, he strode off around the back of the cabins to—hopefully—retrieve a couple more tree trunks. At least he was humoring me, the poor guy.
The sound of a car approaching shattered the peaceful silence, scattering birds into the sky. Austin’s truck pulled up, the wheels crunching on loose stones and twigs, rocking to a halt just shy of the clearing. The man himself jumped out, slamming the door behind him.
I was running before he’d taken a single step, wrapping my arms around his neck and tugging him down for a kiss. “I missed you,” I murmured against his lips.
His low chuckle chided me, but he kissed me again with a low groan. “I missed you, too, sweetheart.” Our kiss lingered. Did we have time before everyone arrived to—
“I have something for you.”
My mouth stilled on his, my lips curving up into a smirk. My man had a way with words. “Sounds good to me.” Releasing my hold, I tugged on his arm.
He didn’t budge and strangely his hands were still locked behind his back. Where they had been the whole time.
“Oh! You really do have something for me!”
He tilted his head, adopting a confused expression. “What did you think I meant?”
That earned him a love tap to the shoulder. “Exactly what you hoped it meant. Come on, give!” I held out my hands. I’d never been the kind of girl a man showered with presents, and it wasn’t even my birthday!
“Close your eyes.”
I did as he asked.
Something landed in my outstretched hands. I closed my fingers around the object. It was soft and squishy. Quite light and oddly shaped.
“You can open your eyes.” His voice was weird, almost strained. A strange tension flooded the bond between us.
I blinked them open. A teddy bear sat in my hands, staring back at me. Jet black fur and large paws. I looked closer. A thin patch of dark honey brown clung to the bears chest, almost hidden between its front legs. “It’s you!”
My mate shuffled his feet, kicking up dust. “Yup. Meet the Austin bear. Fresh off the shelf for your cuddling pleasure.”
“You got me a teddy bear!” My eyes widened. “Wait, you braved the gift shop?” His absolute dislike for the place hadn’t escaped my notice when I’d dragged him there only days ago.
“I promised I’d replace the Zane one that…” he had the decency to wince, “…went missing.”
I smothered a giggle at the thought of him striding up to the counter with the bear under his arm, knowing that gossip in this town moved fast and reached far. I clutched the bear to my chest, squeezing him tight until his little arms popped out alarmingly at right angles. “I love him. He’ll have pride of place on my pillow.”
Catching me in his arms, he swung me around, plucking the bear out of my hands. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that. I could get jealous.”
“Hey! Give him back!” I wriggled, managing to break free and snatch back my prize. There was only one thing for it, I sprinted as fast as I could toward our cabin, not looking back while waving the little furry prize about my head. “No take backs allowed!” I yelled over my shoulder, his heavy footsteps sounding closer and closer.
Brent appeared around the corner. He froze, his mouth falling open at the sight of me running full pelt and waving a soft toy in the air.
“Stop him, Brent!” I huffed out as I passed.
He hesitated.
I risked a glance over my shoulder.
Austin was there. Less than a foot away, an easy grin on his face as if he already knew there was no way in hell that—
A body hit him, flinging him sideways.
I reached the top of the stairs to our cabin and skidded to a halt. Austin and Brent laid in the dirt, both looking a little dazed.
My whoop echoed around the clearing. Austin’s bear shot into the sky, tumbling down back into my arms.
“Is that…?” Brent murmured, the corner of his lips twitching as he clambered back up to his feet, offering the real Austin a hand.
“Don’t.” My mate’s growl was pained. “Who the hell’s side are you on, anyway?” He scratched his chin, giving Brent a glare. “I’m your Alpha—”
“And she’s your mate, therefore also my Alpha, and women are a hell of a lot more scary. Sorry, man, it’s just how it works.” His eyes traveled to me and he tilted his head a fraction, silently underlining his words. “She asked me to stop you, so I did.”
Austin’s expression cleared, his face blanking.
Oops. I hadn’t actually expected Brent to listen.
Then my mate nodded and I could feel his satisfaction. “Good. That’s exactly how it should be.” He slapped the other man on the shoulder, before turning his attention back to me. “But no way is that furball sleeping in our bed.” He took the steps in one leap, scooping me up into his arms and carrying me through the door. “He can go in the closet,” he offered, capturing my lips before I had chance to argue.
“Bedside table,” I countered on a mumble.
“On top of the closet.”
“Dresser.”
“Done.” I could feel his grin stretching against my mouth. I’d been hoodwinked. “But the teddy bear faces the wall.”
He tossed me down on the bed, throwing teddy bear Austin onto the dresser, face down. His shirt came off, his abs rippling as his hands lowered to his jeans with slow deliberation.
My sigh escaped as I ogled my mate. He was gorgeous. Rugged and handsome and built like he should be shooting an underwear ad rather than running a team of bear shifters around a forest. And he was all mine. At his quirked eyebrow, I finally found my voice, “What teddy bear?”
Epilogue
Leona
Later that evening…
“Are they always like this?” I knew it was pointless whispering around a bunch of shifters, so I didn’t try. The open fire in the center of the circle licked at my toes, so I pulled them back in fast.
Austin’s arm tightened around me, hugging me back against his chest. Snuggled up on his lap, we watched as the guys took turns telling jokes. From what I could tell, the one who managed to make Harper laugh got to perform a complicated victory dance and pick a loser to perform a forfeit of Harper’s choosing. Convoluted, but Harper seemed to be enjoying herself. So far, I approved of my sister’s choice of forfeit, since she appeared to have a one track mind and was turning this game into some kind of strip tease for her own pleasure. Jake was down to one sock and his boxers. Guess who wasn’t a funny kind of guy? Though he didn’t look too bothered, lolling in his chair and staring into the fire through hooded eyes.
“Always. Sometimes worse. Actually, this is well behaved for them.” My mate’s voice was gruff with affection as he stroked my arm.
“Harper’s doing well. It’s great that she was allowed to come tonight.” For our un-official mating party.
His chuckle was muffled against my neck. “She’s holding her own, that’s for sure.”
“Do you think…” I eyed the crowd with speculation.
“A shifter knows his mate, there’s no use in meddling, sweetheart.”
“Or her mate,” I pointed out.
His hand finished traveling up my arm, his fingers grazing the underside of my breast in a glance firm enough that there was no mistaking his intention. “True. I’m all for women’s rights.”
Curling around in his arms, I met his eyes. “Like?”
“Asking for what they want, women should definitely do that,” he murmured, cupping my breast and rubbing his thumb over my nipple.
My seat was definitely becoming a little less comfortable and whole lot more … lumpy. I wriggled around, delighting in dragging a groan from his gorgeous lips. “Is that so?”
“Definitely.”
“Well, then, I’d—”
“Put t
he poor girl down for a goddamned minute, man,” came a voice from behind me.
“Fuck off, Owen,” my mate growled, his hand resting possessively over my ass.
“I heard you were having a party.” The Alpha wolf threw himself down into one of the extra chairs dragged out from around back for the occasion, the plastic creaking under his impressive bulk. The amount of people gathering in what I was calling our front yard had now doubled, if not tripled, people filtering out of the forest carrying trays and kegs and chairs. Owen’s eyes landed on my neck, focusing on the faint mark that Austin had assured me would never fade. The symbol of our love and commitment for everyone to see. His smile widened. “Congratulations and welcome to Heartsridge.”
“Thank you,” I replied, snuggling closer to Austin. It would take a little getting used to, having this amount of people drifting in and out of my personal space on a regular basis, but so far, it had been okay. I had my fingers crossed I’d be able to get a job at the municipal building, so I’d better get used to it and fast.
“Here.” Owen thrust a bottle in my direction, nearly bumping me on the nose. “I’ve been told it’s good.” He wrinkled his nose, as if the thought of enjoying wine was a mystery.
Austin rescued the bottle and set it on the ground beside our chair. “Lookie, here,” he murmured.
I followed the direction of his gaze. “Mayor Carter?”
The man picked his way through the crowd, moving with a sinuous grace that reminded me that underneath his political veneer lay an apex predator. Jacket removed, his shirt sleeves had been rolled up to reveal strong, corded forearms tanned a golden brown by the sun. His tie hung around his neck, unfastened and dangling loose. “Miss Kelly. And call me Noah.”