A Mate's Bite

by Milly Taiden

  She’d been going to school at the time and then establishing herself as a teacher. Through it all, he’d been happy to wait until she was ready. So when Ellie pointedly mentioned the location where Karla would be watching the ceremony from, he took it as his opportunity to mark his mate. It was the chance he’d been hoping for. Remembering how responsive she’d been turned his cock steel hard.

  He slipped between the sheets and turned her body to face him. There was no hesitation. She curled into him in her sleep. He smiled at the way she sighed his name.

  “I’m here, sweetheart,” he said before brushing a kiss over her lips.

  She opened her mouth for him. As if she missed him as much as he’d been missing her. The kiss turned possessive. He couldn’t stop the need to stamp himself all over her. With his mouth, with his hands, and with his cock inside her tight sex.

  Her sexy little moans drove him crazy. His wolf pushed under his skin, needing a taste of his mate. He shredded through her clothing in a second. Then he deepened their kiss as their naked bodies caressed in full contact. Nothing had ever felt that fucking good. He took her mouth. Branded her with his lips. Their tongues rubbed and twined together, pushing his arousal and his animal to the edge.

  “Nate…” she murmured sleepily when he moved to kiss the corner of her mouth. “I like this dream.”

  He smiled and cupped her breasts in his hands, already noticing how much fuller they were from the last time he’d been with her. And the urge to howl gripped him again. She was having his baby. The wolf inside him liked knowing he’d gotten his mate pregnant. The man couldn’t hold back the satisfaction spreading through him. She was his. In every primal way possible.

  She spread her legs open for him, giving him access to her moist heat. He loved the scent of her arousal. Like the sweetest cream, she drew him in for a taste. He planted small kisses on his way down her body. When he reached her belly, he rubbed his cheek on her abdomen before moving down to her sex.

  “Mmm pretty…” He groaned. Her pussy gleamed with her juices. Curling his arms around her full, sexy thighs, he pushed her legs back and rubbed his nose over her clit.

  “Oh, Nate!”

  The way she said his name, desperate and urgent, turned his cock concrete stiff. He licked at her pussy in circles over her tender, slick flesh. Her scent drove his animal wild. It was a mixture of her and him and the new life they’d created. He loved it. She gripped his hair tight in her fists, pushing at his back with the balls of her feet. Another lick and she begged for more. Her husky voice pushed him to continue lavishing her with pleasure.

  She moaned louder at each twirl of his tongue on her clit. And when he drove his tongue deep into her sheath, drinking her essence, she gasped. Her channel flexed around his tongue, sucking him deep. He wanted to feel her doing that to his cock. Feel her pussy squeeze tight on him with every glide into her fluttering walls.

  “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!” She tugged on his hair, wiggling her hips closer to his mouth. He pulled back and glanced up. Her eyes were closed tight, lips puffing out harsh breaths as her breasts rose and fell with each ragged intake of air.

  The tiny bundle of nerves peeking between her lips called his attention. He flicked his tongue over the hard little nub. She gasped, legs locking tight on his shoulders. With another lick and the grazing of his teeth, she screamed as her body shook hard and her channel dripped her juices. He inhaled her scent, caressing her quivering sex with his lips.

  A tugging on his hair caused him to glance up. Her smile and sleepy eyes brought back that satisfied feeling from before. This was right. Him and her. Together.

  “Come here,” she whispered with a flirty grin.

  He crawled up her body, ignoring the aching hard-on and the desperate need to ram into her hot pussy. He bracketed her head with his arms and held himself above her. She wasn’t having it. With one hand on his cock, she pumped him hard from root to tip.

  Christ that felt good. He clenched his teeth to keep from begging her to do it again and watched her smile widen.

  “I love that.”

  “What?” He asked with the rough voice he couldn’t help since his animal lay right below the surface.

  “The gorgeous glow in your eyes.”

  He didn’t know what to say to that. No female had ever called the wolf’s glow gorgeous. “You like it?”

  “Yeah,” she pumped him in her grip again. “I like knowing you have that wild side sitting there, wanting to play with me.”

  “Baby, the wild side wants to fuck you senseless,” he said, his voice deeper and harder due to how turned-on he was.

  “Do it. Come inside me.” She licked her lips. “I feel empty without you.”

  Another time and he’d have tried to take it easy. Taken it slow. Not tonight. He’d missed her too much. Wanted her too much. Her scent called out the beast within. In a single thrust, he drove deep. Her pussy rippled around his cock.

  “Yesss.”

  Her whimper of satisfaction did him in. They locked lips and kissed while the urge to fill her with his seed overpowered all his thinking abilities.

  Fuck her. Take her. Mate her.

  Thrusts turned frenzied, his movements harsh and uncoordinated. She dug her nails deep into his shoulders. The bite of pain only called the animal to the surface. A growl rumbled in his chest, blending with the sound of her enjoyment. Her nails raked into his hair, and she yanked his hair back, pulling his face from hers. She chose that moment to squeeze her pelvic muscles around his cock.

  “Hell!” He choked out.

  “Make. Me. Come,” she ordered breathlessly. Passion glimmered in her eyes. Her lips, swollen from his kisses, puffed air out of her mouth.

  He rammed her repeatedly. Their gazes locked. The link between them thickened with each thrust, until there was nothing but the two of them. Nothing else existed in their passion bubble. Sliding a hand between them, he rubbed on her slick center and watched her go over.

  Pleasure filled her features, and she screamed. For him. The sound was music to his ears. It filled his heart with joy. He snarled. His muscles burned from exertion. The power of his beast turned his body stiff as he closed in on his own release. Fire crackled down his spine, shooting through his cock and releasing into her channel, filling her with his scent. Marking her as his from inside. He jerked into her greedily. Groaning at each suck her pussy did on his dick. With every spasm of her sex, he jerked again. It went like that for long moments. Afterwards, he laid down beside her and hugged her to his side.

  Though she’d given herself without restriction to him physically, he scented her withdrawal. It hurt him to not know how to reach her.

  “Go to sleep, baby.”

  She sighed, snuggling closer into him. “I missed you too.”

  Those words…they generated a pressurized ball of guilt inside his chest. Guilt for not being there with her, but still happy she’d admitted to some emotion. He knew they needed to spend a lot more time together before she could trust that he was serious about them.

  “I’ll be around more. I promise. Things have been very crazy with Caleb’s pack and the bar.”

  “I don’t need promises. I understand. There are other things that need your time. It’s fine.” He heard the skepticism in her voice, but he was a Wolfe. And they never gave up on the women they wanted. Ever.

  KARLA WOKE UP on a smooth surface. A surface that lifted her up and slowly dropped down. She blinked her eyes open and zeroed in on one of Nate’s nipples. Sexy little things. Without stopping to think about it, she rubbed her thumb over it.

  “Keep that up and you’ll be late for work,” he grumbled.

  She hid a grin and glanced up. His eyes had that wild look again. And her pussy went Niagara Falls soaked. “I can’t be late. The kids will worry and think something happened to me.”

  She crawled up his torso to brush her lips over his. That small contact brought all her hormones to life. Apparently, her body didn’t care abou
t having to go to work. She wanted him inside her again. It looked like her need for him grew with every moment they spent together. That thought had the effect of a bucket of cold water. She couldn’t let herself become emotionally dependent on a man. No matter who he was. Tamping down her emotions, she crawled off the bed and stood.

  “I’m going for a shower.”

  “I’ll join you.” He grinned, hopping off the bed and flexing those drool-worthy muscles she could stare at forever. “Save water and all that.”

  Right. Water. He lifted her into his arms to carry her to the bathroom.

  “You know, I’m not a baby,” she complained. “Put me down, I probably weigh more than you.”

  “You’re light as a baby. Now quit complaining and let me be romantic.”

  She giggled at his demand and curled her arms around his neck. “Fine. Be romantic then, but don’t blame me later when your back hurts.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “Then I’ll just have to find a way to convince you to give me a massage, huh?”

  “I like how you think. This whole carrying me business might work after all.”

  She couldn’t believe how attentive Nate was behaving toward her. Even when she got snarky because he was hogging the water, he just tugged her into his arms and kissed her. Heck, he even offered to make her breakfast while she dressed for work.

  “Shouldn’t you be out helping Caleb?” She asked, walking into the smell of food. Her stomach grumbled and reminded her she needed some of whatever smelled so divine. The night before she’d gone to bed feeling ill and could only hold down some toast.

  His gaze jerked up from the pan he was cooking eggs in to stare at her belly then up to her eyes. “Hungry?”

  Heat crawled over her cheeks. “From the sounds of my stomach you’d think I’m starving.”

  He smiled and pointed to her dining table with a spatula. “Have a seat. I’m about done.”

  She glanced at the coffee maker. Damn. He hadn’t made coffee.

  “I put some juice on the table for you,” he said.

  She searched for the coffee in the usual spot but there was nothing there, and she didn’t feel like figuring out where she might have put it. “Thanks.”

  She filled a glass with apple juice and drank it while he served them breakfast. It was weird and nice. “So?”

  “So what?” He sat down after placing plate piled high with food in front of her.

  “Are we sharing all this food or what? I can’t eat all this.” Though she would certainly try. She picked up a piece of bacon and sighed. Yeah, that was the good stuff. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Caleb?”

  “I’ll see to him in a while.”

  She frowned. Helping Caleb get his pack back had been a priority to Nate and Jake lately. Even Nic had mentioned how little she saw of the pain in the ass Wolfe brother also known as Jake.

  “I haven’t seen you in too long,” he said, staring deep into her eyes. “I missed you.”

  Well, damn. That was nicer than she’d expected. She opened her mouth to tell him, when her cell phone rang.

  “Hey, Kel.” She tried the nonchalant approach, hoping he didn’t read into her emotional turmoil. His perception when it came to her was spot on, and she didn’t want to worry him.

  “How are you feeling?” Her brother asked.

  “Pretty good. I’m about to head in soon.”

  “I need to talk to you about mom.”

  Uh-oh. Whenever he said that it meant that their mother either needed money because she’d given it to her latest boyfriend, or their sister spent whatever she had on living the high life.

  “I’ll see you when I get to school,” she said, not wanting Nate to listen to the family drama she had to deal with regularly. That side of her life wasn’t something she liked to share with anyone.

  They ate in silence, and once it was time to go, she noticed Nate watching her.

  “Are you okay?” She asked. He’d been quiet and thoughtful. Probably because he preferred to be out doing things with Jake and Caleb than sitting there with her.

  “Yeah, how are you feeling?”

  She blinked. Oh boy. Tell him now or tell him later? The way he searched her face, as if looking for an extra nose decided it for her. Tell him later. He had a lot on his mind already. “Good.”

  “Anything new?”

  “Like what?”

  Jordan had said she could tell she smelled different. He could probably smell it too. Damn. There went the coward’s way out.

  He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. “Oh, I don’t know. Anything you need to tell me?”

  She slapped her forehead. Maybe she’d really lost her mind to think a shifter wouldn’t notice. A shifter. “How long have you known?”

  He guffawed and she felt stupid for thinking it would be overlooked. “Since I got here last night. Your scent’s changed.”

  “I heard,” she mumbled. It was disconcerting to hear him talk about her pregnancy. She still needed to come to terms with it. The idea of being a parent to anything, child or animal scared the bejesus out of her. Hell, thinking of the growing baby turned the juice she’d had into a tornado in her stomach. She stood to grab her work bag but squeaked when he tugged her down to his lap, landing her sideways on him.

  “Sweetheart?”

  She met his gaze. There was that worried look on him again. “Yes?”

  “You know I’m with you all the way in this, right?”

  Was he? She’d seen her mother give her father three children only to have to beg him to spend time with her and them. Then she saw it again with every man in her mother’s life. It got so bad her mother would buy them whatever they wanted to see if they’d show her the love they promised, but it was useless. Men were good at saying what women wanted to hear. She’d rather see it in actions. As it was, Nate had spent too little time with her for her to know how much he was willing to take on.

  “We’ll see,” she answered. It frustrated her how he expected her to just take his word for it like they had any type of history. As far as she was concerned all Nate had done was flirt with her and give her great orgasms. Other than that she had very little to go on.

  “You,” he cupped her cheek with one hand before bringing it down to rest on her belly, “and he or she, are my priorities. Don’t doubt it for a second.”

  She had a hard time swallowing past the knot in her throat. He’d said that with certainty. And the look on his face—committed, was exactly one of the things she’d hoped for. Then why was she having so many doubts? Because she’d always seen the opposite in her family. Years of living among lies tended to have that effect. Men promised her mother the world and never delivered.

  “I need to go to work.”

  “GOOD MORNING, KARLA.”

  She turned to the sound of her name. Charles Cooper, her co-worker and physical education teacher stood by the coffee machine in the teacher’s lounge. He was the newest teacher at her school and seemed like a nice guy. She strolled inside and put her bag on one of the chairs by the door. Charlie smiled wide, showing off the gap between his two front teeth. He flicked a non-existent speck of dust off his sweat shirt. She focused on the lines of his sweat suit. It appeared to be pressed. Who the heck pressed sweats? If it were up to her, she’d buy wrinkle-free everything to never have to iron. Thank God for dry cleaners.

  “Good morning, Charlie.” She grinned and grabbed the cup of coffee he held out to her. She shouldn’t drink coffee. Nate had casually mentioned it wasn’t good for pregnant women as she walked out the door. She was pretty sure he was the reason behind her missing coffee.

  The young teacher had made several attempts at asking her out, but she’d never been attracted to him like that. Besides, she couldn’t fathom being with any other man that wasn’t Nate Wolfe.

  “Do you have any plans for vacation?” He asked, leaning into the round table in the center of the room.

  The last thing she’d thought of was vaca
tion. If she was lucky, she’d get some much needed rest and probably figure out how to turn her guest room into a nursery. “I think I’m going to stay home.”

  She glanced down at the coffee he’d given her, but thinking of Nate’s words made her desire for it to suddenly disappear. What she really wanted was to take a nap.

  “Well, if you’re interested,” he threw his empty cup in the trash bin, “I have a friend who owns a condo down in Miami. He’s going to be overseas for the summer and offered to let me use it. If you wanted…”

  “I’m sorry, Charlie. We’ve already had this conversation. I really like you, as a friend.” She tried to be gentle in letting him down again. He wasn’t a bad guy, just not the guy for her.

  “That’s fine. Take your time to think about it. Anyway, there’s also a Broadway show coming to the Blue Creek area in a few days. I know you and Jordan have spoken of wanting to see one, and if you’d like, I can get the three of us tickets.”

  “Let me discuss it with Jordan and see what she thinks,” she mumbled, not wanting to reject the poor guy two times in a row.

  She took some steps forward, dumped the coffee in the sink, and marched toward the trash bin to get rid of the empty cup. In a flash of movement, her foot stepped in a slick spot on the floor. The coffee cup went flying, and her body hurled toward the ground.

  Charlie rushed forward, enveloping her in his arms before she had a chance to fall on her ass. “I got you!”

  She clung to him, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down and the shaking that made her knees weak to subside.

  “Thank you.” She cleared her throat and tried to pull away from the awkward hug. “Thanks for not letting me fall.”

  Charlie’s gaze locked on her lips. “Karla, I—”

  “Good morning,” Ellie and Jordan called from the entrance.