“Quinn, let him go, baby. Let him go.”
He hadn’t realized his bear had come out until he looked down and saw his claws had extended from the tips of his fingers and his hand had sprouted long brown hair. Over the sound of his blood pounding in his ears, he heard Paige repeat his name over and over again. Once Ryker grabbed the man from him, Paige launched herself at him and he caught her and pulled her close. He ran his hands. “Are you okay? Tell me you’re okay, sweetheart.”
Tears were coursing down her face, but she was smiling. “Yes, I’m fine, I’m fine.” She placed tiny kisses over his face, rubbing her hands through his hair. He realized that she’d wound her legs around his waist and her sweet center was rubbing his cock through the placket of his jeans. He caught the back of her head in his hand. He claimed her mouth in a savage kiss, his fangs piercing the tender skin of her lips. Never again, he vowed. Never again. He’d always keep his mate safe.
While the man who had impersonated the building inspector would be dealt with by the police, Marcum’s punishment would be carried out by the shifter Council. Larson Hart, the Council leader, had assured Quinn the jackal would receive his just desserts. Quinn had no doubt, he was a man of his word. Right now, Quinn was more concerned with getting Paige home and claiming his mate.
CHAPTER NINE
CONFLICTING URGES TORE at Quinn as he unlocked the door to her small rental house. He wanted to pamper her, comfort her, and make up for the terror she had experienced at the hands of the vengeful shifter. He also wanted to grab her, hold her, and kiss that plump mouth until it was bruised from his possession. Not to mention all the things he wanted to do to her pussy. The first thing he needed to do was make sure she knew exactly who she was. His true mate.
As far as she knew, they’d gone out on a blind date and had sex. As his father—and sister, after she’d been told of the events of the afternoon—had pointed out, he hadn’t convinced her she was his mate. While humans could feel that instant attraction, they didn’t immediately recognize the other part of their soul, not like a shifter. “Are you sure you’re okay, Paige?”
“I’m fine. He really didn’t hurt me, just scared me a little.” Paige’s mind still whirled with the events of the last hour. The fake email had been sent by the man who had held her hostage. He was the business rival of Quinn’s who had been responsible for sabotaging the site over the last several months. The same incidents that had kept pulling Quinn away from her. She really should have kneed the guy when she’d had the chance.
Quinn went from courteous and concerned straight into over-the-top-male rage in sixty seconds flat. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a slight shake. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Excuse me?”
“I should put you over my damn knee and spank you.”
“Excuse me?” She knew she sounded like a broken record.
“What did you think you were doing, pulling that fainting routine?”
“How do you know I didn’t feel faint?” The look in his eyes said she was crazy if she thought he believed that for a moment. “All right, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But it works in the movies. I couldn’t let him shoot you, Quinn.”
She said it with such sincerity some of his anger faded. Not all of it, but some. “I’m a damn shifter.”
She was in his face, poking at his chest with her finger. “And it was a damn gun.”
“He could have shot you. Or thrown you over the edge. Or snapped your neck, Paige.”
“He could have done a lot of things. We’re both here now. That’s all the matters.”
“We need to talk.” He drew her down beside him on the sofa. When he’d wanted to take her to his home, she’d insisted on coming here, now she was glad. The words ‘we need to talk’ never ended well for one person in the conversation. Once she was seated, Quinn sprung up as if he couldn’t sit next to her and paced the small area in front of her couch. “I know I should have explained this sooner. You are my mate.”
Paige frowned. He was using the tone of voice someone used to confess something terrible. If she was his mate, apparently, he wanted no part of it.
“No, I’m not.” She shook her head. As much as she wanted that to be true, she knew that it wasn’t.
His face closed up and she knew she’d made the bear angry. Uh, oh.
“You. Are. My. Mate.”
“That’s what you keep saying, but I don’t think that’s true,” she said the words gently, without anger. She was grateful for whatever time she had with Quinn. He didn’t have to sugar coat it and she told him so. “I want to be with you. You don’t have to, umm—”
“Lie to you? Is that what you think? Is that what you freaking think?” His questions were more of a continuous roar than actual words.
For once, Paige was on the verge of being afraid of her shifter lover. When he saw her reaction, the anger in him dissipated quickly. He still continued to curse. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.”
He also continued to pace, thrusting his hands through his hair. Her eyes widened when she saw him actually pull at the dark strands.
Whoa, she thought. She didn’t know a bear could get so angry. Of all the shifters, they were the most laid-back and easygoing, but man, they apparently had a temper.
She stood up and approached the man who had come to mean more to her in one short week than anyone else in her life ever had. “Quinn?”
He stopped pacing. She had the impression that he wanted nothing more than to fling open her front door, shift and lumber off into the night. “Talk to me, Quinn.”
“I almost got you fucking killed, Paige.” When he finally turned around the golden hue of his eyes sparkled. “I almost lost you before I even told you. I should have said the words sooner. I should have told you the moment I saw you sitting at the bar that you were my mate, because that’s when I knew. I walked into that restaurant and I knew my mate was inside. When I got close enough, your scent engulfed my senses, awaking my bear as never before.”
Part of him, the basic animal part of him, wanted to reach for her, crush her in his arms, taste the honey that had tormented his mind and body for the last week. The other part of him, the experienced part, the part that had got his ass chewed from his family, knew he had to make it perfectly clear what he wanted from her. He stalked toward her, the true predator that he was shining out of his eyes and present in his every move. “Instead, I got cold feet. I backed away from you.”
“Quinn, we’ve only known each other a few days.”
“And for most of these days I didn’t see you, I didn’t touch you. Because you kept telling me no.” He stopped, still a few feet away. “I didn’t get to love you. You are my mate, Paige. And I should have damn well thrown you over my shoulder and carried you out of there. I should have taken you home and fucked you seven ways to Sunday.”
She didn’t know what to say or what to do. At his first glance, her body had started to hum. Hum with an energy and knowledge she knew was coming directly from Quinn. And somewhere deep inside herself. “I’m afraid to believe.”
“Then let me show you.” He picked her up and she instinctively encircled his neck with her arms, his waist with her legs. His big hands gripped the globes of her butt and squeezed as he walked to her bedroom. “Oh, yeah, baby, me likey. Much better than slinging you over my shoulder.”
She giggled, but protested. “Quinn, put me down. I’m too heavy.”
He stopped “Let’s get one thing straight, right here and right now, Paige Mathews. I love your shape. I love your curves. I love the curves of your curves. You were made especially for me, made exactly how you are because you are perfect for me. If you were any different, you wouldn’t be what I needed or wanted.” He pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, as if trying to breathe the truth into her. “Do you understand?”
His mouth hovered inches from hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath
on her cheek. His natural, musky scent enfolded her. For one heart-stopping moment, she seemed locked with him in some still, quiet place where nothing else mattered except the beat of their hearts. It was if time slowed to a stop, waiting for the next tick of the clock. Then, it felt as if they were flying forward. Very slowly, he lowered his head and brushed her lips with his. It was no more than a whisper of contact. The thrill of it, the magic of it, drew forth something inside her.
“Kiss me,” she ordered. “Please.” She tilted her head back and parted her lips. With a muffled groan, he claimed her mouth in a fierce kiss that flooded her mind with the sheer joy of his touch and stole a big piece of her soul. Oh sweet heaven, the man could kiss. Her insides were melting, her knees turning boneless. A kiss like this should never end. He carried into her the bedroom even as he continued to kiss her. It was decorated in pale pink, the bed covered in a soft, silky comforter. So girly. He followed her down into the softness.
Paige shook with either pleasure or anxiety; she didn’t know which. Quinn had just proclaimed they were true mates and he was looking at her like she was a piece of candy he couldn’t wait to lick.
“Let’s get you out of some of these clothes.” He smiled, the look predatory and possessive. She remembered again, he was a shifter, not an ordinary man. He reached for the buttons of her blouse. He opened them one by one, revealing her a little at a time.
By the time it was open all the way, she was one big, panting mass of need. “Hurry.”
“Now, darling, what’s the fun in hurrying?” He traced a path from her throat, down the valley of her breasts, stopping to swirl his finger around her navel before the waistband of her pants stopped his downward descent. Just when she thought he was going to undo them, he moved his attention northward again, focusing on her breasts.
One large hand cupped her. Her breast overflowed even his large hands. He palmed the flesh, squeezing and kneading. Her nipple turned turgid. He slipped the cup of her bra down, revealing the tight red bud. His mouth possessed it, licking and sucking. Paige’s back arched, pushing herself further inside.
“Quinn,” she gasped. She twisted her fingers in his hair, pulling at his scalp. “Please.”
“I plan to please, baby, don’t you worry. Now stay still.” He turned his attention to her other breast and she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Every touch and every pull made her pussy throb. With one hand, he unhooked her bra, pulling the cups away, revealing all of her to his gaze. “Oh, baby, you are beautiful.”
With the tip of his index finger he traced one areola than the other. They crinkled and contracted, tightening her nipples even more. Paige could have sworn her bones were melting. He pinched and released the tight buds until she was panting his name.
“Quinn.” Her hands left her side to grab his forearms of if to stop his tortuous touch. He did stop, holding her nipples between his thumb and index finger, lightly, almost no pressure at all.
“Oh, Paige,” he tisked. “Didn’t I tell you not to move?”
“I, I,” she stammered, thrown off balance, no doubt, by the look in his eyes. Yes, bears were very easy going. Some of the other breeds, those that had never met a bear in the forest, even called the lazy. And why shouldn’t they be? Bears shifters were the dominate species on earth. Why work hard when you had others to work for you? A bear knew the best thing to do was spend its energy dominating its mate.
He cupped her breasts, lifting them as if they were an offering. His thumb moved in concentric circles. Bending his head, he drew one bud in his mouth. He lathed it then dragged his teeth across the wet surface. “Did you know bears like to play with their food, Paige?”
“Sure?”
He groaned and lowered his head taking her in his mouth again. This time his touch was hard and experienced. When he moved his attention to the other breast and his whiskered jaw brushed across her wet nipple, the sensation burst forth like fireworks, causing her nipples to swell and a zing to ricochet through her body, straight to her clit. He urged her to unwind her legs from his hips.
His hands skimmed back down her body and reached for the waist of her pants. He slid the zipper down in a slow glide. Paige was thankful she’d allowed Deb to talk her into buying new lingerie. The older woman had convinced her wearing something sexy would do wonders for her self-esteem. Paige had never felt better wearing the matching bra and panties. Knowing she looked her best as Quinn stripped off her clothing, made her feel twice as good.
He eased the pants from her body, moving down so he could push the fabric of her pants past her ankles and toss them aside. And there she lay. Her bra and shirt opened, revealing her taunt nipples, and wearing a pair of silky blue boxer cut panties. His gaze raked her from head to toe as he continued to kneel between her legs. He eased his body back down on the mattress and clasped her hips, his tongue licking her pussy through the thin fabric of her panties
“Oh!” Before Quinn, she’d never felt a man’s mouth or tongue in such intimate contact with her body. His tongue stroked the seam between hip and thigh. God, his tongue was magic. Broad and long.
“Please.” That was the only word she was capable of saying. Instinctively, she thrust her hips forward, begging him to taste more. She pushed her fingers through his brown hair. The golden highlights distracting her for a moment. If his hair was one color of brown, it was fifty. If he’d been a woman, she would have accused him of spending hundreds of dollars to achieve the beautiful color.
His fingers skated under the lacy band of her panties and the small snap he gave hurt. “Pay attention.”
“Give me something to pay attention to,” she groused. He had stopped licking her. Something Paige really, really liked. He jerked her panties down past her knees. His thumbs parted her and she felt his hot breath on her wet curls.
“Beautiful.” His tongue stroked from the bottom of her opening to her clit. He didn’t linger as she wanted. She wanted him to take her nub in his mouth and suck.
“Quinn.” This time she growled and she felt his grin against her inner thigh, which he nibbled with his sharp teeth. Oh, God, was he going to bite her there? And why did that thought make her pussy cream?
The position of her panties limited her movements. She wanted to spread her legs to give him better access to the sweet spots even though the feeling of being bound added to her building pleasure. His tongue traced the seams between her hip and thigh before returning to her cunt. He ravaged her with his lips and tongue. And teeth. He was ruthless, spinning her higher and higher.
“Quinn.” This time his name was a desperate plea.
His answer was to thrust his tongue inside her. “Oh, oh, oh.” The sensation flooding her body were totally foreign. Never, ever had she’d dreamed of a man doing this or how it would feel. As he continued to fuck her with his tongue, one of his thumbs found her clit and rubbed. He rubbed and rubbed, adjusting the pressure of his touch to the thrust of his tongue.
One second she was racing for release, the next she was there. Paige exploded. There was no other way to describe the feeling. It made her dig her heels into the mattress and arch her back. If her fingers hadn’t been buried in Quinn’s thick hair, she thought she might have floated away.
Quinn slowly withdrew his tongue from Paige’s hot hole, after riding her through her release. Her taste was exquisite and he gathered every drop. Divesting her of her sexy little briefs, he looked down on her with delight. “Delicious, baby. You taste damn delicious.”
Her head lolled to the side and he smiled with pleasure at her euphoric state. He was ravenous, as though he’d just woken up from a deep hibernation. Ravenous for sex. Still watching her, he undressed. She revived a little and stared at him with those sexy green eyes. Her coloring was beautiful. Dark brown hair highlighted with streaks of gold, bright green eyes, and unblemished skin with just the hint of a summer tan. Beautiful.
Jerking his shirt from his pants, he quickly unbuttoned it. About half
way down, he muttered, “To hell with it.” He tore it open and was rewarded with Paige’s soft laugh. If her voice was make-me-come sexy, her laugh was fuck-me-now lascivious.
“You find that amusing, do you?” He toed off his shoes and reached for the buckle of his belt. Her eyes grew heavy-lidded when he jerked it off. Mmm mmm, he thought, intrigued with her fascination with his belt, something to consider for the future. Right now he was too damn horny to play any bedroom games. And hell, he really should turn her over his knee and redden that sexy ass for her stunt with Marcum. He was still trembling inside with the thought of losing her.
“I could rub your scent all over me.” He covered her with his body. In response, she raised her hips and thrust her wet pussy against his dick. It took all his control not to ram himself home.
“You’re a very naughty girl, Paige,” he grinned. “I’ll have to punish you later.” This time he smelled the flair of her arousal. Yep, he definitely needed to brush up on his bedroom games. He pictured her draped over his knees, her bottom bare, waiting for the sting of his belt. Or his hand. Afterwards, when her cheeks were red and tender to the touch, he’d take her up the ass, branding her forever.
He took her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside the warm cavern. He made her taste her own desire, showed her how much she had wanted him licking her. Her hands stroked over his shoulders, catching in his hair as he deepened the kiss. “Taste it, Paige. Taste how much you want me.”
She moaned as he kissed her. One of her hands left his shoulders and snaked between their bodies. He was the one soon begging when she found his engorged cock. Her fingers tried to encircle his shaft, but he was too big, too aroused. Her palm touched the head and spread the pre-cum that had already pumped out all around. He bumped against her hand, tormenting himself with the pressure. “Tell me what you want, Paige,” he demanded, as he ended their kiss and broke away, his breathing hard and heavy as he looked down at his mate.
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