by Lolita Lopez
“Celia, I know I’ve already had Ilya move all of your things here, but I wanted to ask you properly. It’s all right if you want to change your mind. I don’t want to keep you as my prisoner.” His arms tightened around her, and she sensed he feared she would reject him. “Celia, I want you to stay with me. You and Bianca.”
“Why?” She needed to know it was more than just her scent that he recognized as his mate’s.
“For one thing, it’s lonely in this old house. I’m so tired of having no one to share all this with, Celia. More importantly, if you live here, you won’t have to steal anymore. I’ll take care of you, both of you. Being with you the other night—well, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. It felt so much more real than anything I’ve felt in a long time.” He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand. “I need a mate. I need you.”
“Because I smell good?”
“Because you smell right,” he corrected. “You know what my kind are like. You know how it is for us.” His voice seemed far-away as she said, “Maybe we were always meant to be. Maybe that’s why my friendship with Homer was so instant. He smelled like you. Something inside of me must have recognized that my mate was related to him.”
Touching his chest, she whispered, “I shouldn’t have said what I did about you and Homer last night. I know you didn’t kill him. I know that it was an accident.”
“It was my fault.” Guilt darkened his voice. “It was my idea to have a wild weekend. I should have known better than to take him into a place like that. We had no business there. He wasn’t a shifter. He was strong—like you,” he added, giving her shoulders a squeeze, “but he wasn’t strong like my kind. He didn’t stand a chance in that fight.”
“You don’t have to punish yourself for his death anymore.” She touched his jaw. “I know that’s why you live here alone, like some tortured recluse from a gothic novel.” She traced the outline of his mouth. “You should honor his memory by living.” She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. “You should honor his memory by taking care of his sisters.”
Evi’s tense expression relaxed. “I think he would have come around to the idea of us together eventually.”
“Eventually,” she agreed. “He probably would have punched you in the face first, especially if he knew about all the dirty things you like to do in the bedroom.”
“He didn’t know about that,” Evi assured her. “But you’re right. He would have punched me in the mouth for simply kissing you.”
“Well, you should know that Bianca has a temper like Homer,” she warned. “Now that she’s healthy there is no telling how difficult she’ll be.”
“I suspect she’ll go a bit wild, but we have the family to protect her. Roman won’t let her get away with much. He’ll probably end up playing the role of her bodyguard when she decides to go away to college.”
“College,” Celia repeated the word. She blinked rapidly as the relied and wonder of so much hope hit her. “A few days ago, I was afraid to think of Bianca’s future in anything but days. Now she can go have a real life. She can finish high school and go to college and fall in love and get married.”
A chaotic tirade of emo music interrupted her warm and fuzzy thoughts. Celia rolled her eyes, but before she could yell, she heard another voice, this one loud and rough shouting, “Bianca!”
Seconds later, the volume dipped to an acceptable level.
“Roman,” Evi said with a laugh. “Your sister seems to have picked him out as her favorite target.”
“She’s a mischief maker,” Celia warned. “Back at the children’s hospital, she was always the kid pulling pranks and getting into trouble. Now that she’s healthy, I’m really in for it with her.”
“We,” he corrected gently. “We’re in for it.”
Touching his jaw, she gazed into his eyes. “Evi, are you really serious about all of this?”
“Yes.”
Keenly perceptive, Celia realized that he meant it. He wasn’t perfect, but neither was she. There was still a lot to learn about one another, but the foundation for a great relationship was there. That was all they really needed. Everything else would come in time.
“Okay, Evi. We’ll stay.”
He grinned excitedly. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Clutching his face, Celia insistently kissed him. After all those years of resilient independence, it was a novelty to be held by someone who wanted to protect and provide for her. It felt good.
And so does that, she thought as Evi’s greedy hands groped her breasts. With the gentlest of movements, he shifted her body until her back was against his chest and she was sitting squarely against his pelvis. His chin rested on her left shoulder as he lightly nipped at her neck and earlobe. Cooing sighs escaped her lips as his fingers kneaded her flesh through the thin fabric of her camisole.
Ever so slowly, his right hand traveled down her stomach and slipped beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms. As she wore no underwear, his fingers encountered no resistance and he cupped her mound, eliciting a low groan.
“Do you want me to stop?” Evi asked, obviously hesitant because of her battered state.
Breathing heavily and highly aroused, Celia shook her head. “Keep going.”
Relaxed in Evi’s arms, Celia enjoyed the sensation of his fingers playing with her body. When he removed his fingers she moaned in protest, but after coating the tips with his warm saliva, Evi found her clit and began leisurely massaging the swollen nub.
From that first touch, Celia realized that it wasn’t going to take much to make her come. His heat, his scent, the protective embrace of his arms—it was everything she needed and craved.
Buttocks clenching, she grabbed his thighs and groaned, urging Evi to hasten the speed of his circular stimulation. Bubbly tremors rocked her lower stomach, and her heart rate quickened as Evi’s fingers continued to rub her clit. Celia felt the first waves of orgasm as the slick walls of her pussy contracted and she bit her lip, not quite hard enough to draw blood but enough to leave a mark.
Evi suckled Celia’s neck as she shivered in his arms and silently came. Even after the orgasm left her, he left his hand in her pants and gently stroked her. With a roguish laugh, he nibbled her neck. “When you’ve regained your full strength, we’ll have to pull out the horse again.”
Celia chuckled and murmured, “It might be awhile before my ribs are in good enough shape to handle that kind of position.”
Grinning devilishly, Evi turned her face toward his. “Who said I was talking about putting you on it?”
As his meaning registered, Celia’s eyes sparked with excitement. Just considering the erotic possibilities made her tummy quiver. If their somewhat unorthodox beginning was a portent of their future together, Celia had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to be one very satisfied woman.
About Lolita Lopez
The alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Roxie Rivera and erotic pen name Lola Rivera, I like to write super sexy paranormal and sci-fi romances.
I live in Texas on five acres with my red-bearded Viking husband, our sweet, mischievous little girl and two crazy Great Danes.
You can find me online at www.lolitalopez.com.
If you’d like to know when my next book will be released, when I’m running a sale or when I’ve written a new FREE read, join my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/mlTcX
Also by Lolita Lopez
GRABBED
Grabbed by Vicious
Caught by Menace
Saved by Venom
Stolen by Raze – Coming Soon
DRAGON HEAT
Dead Sexy Dragon
Red Hot Dragon
Wicked Dark Dragon
Renegade Dragon – Coming Soon
SIBERIAN AMBUSH
Evgeni
Alexei—Coming Soon
Nikolai—Coming Soon
OUTPOST 9
Emma: Part One
Emma: Part Two
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Emma: Part Three
Emma: Part Four
Emma: Part Five
Emma: The Complete Collection
DEMON MINE
Obsession
Consequence
Ever After
HOLIDAY MENAGE
Be Our Valentine
Margaritas and Mayhem
Fireworks For Three
STAND ALONE BOOKS
STEAMED: An Erotic Collection
Refuge
Between Friends
Three Day Weekend