Better Mate Than Never (New Adult Werewolf Romance)

by Hunter, Adriana

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” he said after swallowing a mouthful of eggs. “I’ll have a detail posted on you during the day. Two men—or rather, two shifters—one who will remain by your side at all times, the other who will be on the lookout and canvassing the area.”

  “Seems like you’ve got it all figured out.” Why was she hurt by the idea that he was entrusting her safety to someone else? She’d just said she didn’t want him to have to give up his life for her safety.

  “I had plenty of time to think about it last night when I was guarding you.”

  She stared at him—not a single shadow under his eye. “You don’t look like someone who stayed up all night.”

  He smiled a little. “I’ll be here every night with you.” His expression darkened, as if it was the last thing he’d rather do.

  “No need to trouble yourself,” she said bitterly.

  He arched an eyebrow. “Your life is in danger. It’s where I need to be.”

  “I can tell you’d rather be anywhere else, so why bother?” She lifted her chin. “I’m sure one of your employees can handle the job.”

  Caleb slammed a fist down onto the table. A web of cracks spread like wildfire across the surface as he leaned across the table so their faces were inches away. “The only thing that would drive me even more insane than spending the night here, surrounded by your scent, your need, is the thought of leaving another shifter alone with you. Even one of my own.”

  That shouldn’t have made her feel good. It really shouldn’t have. “I see. You must really have to make some tough choices,” she cooed.

  He fisted his hand around the front of her shirt and pulled her forward, chair and all.

  “I forgot how stubborn you could be, woman.”

  “And you’re constantly reminding me how much of an insufferable bastard you are.”

  With a snarl, he crushed his mouth against hers. Need flooded through her, white hot and powerful, surging through her blood, through the very marrow of her bones. With a little snarl of her own, she vaulted into his lap and fisted her hands in his hair. The chair crashed to the floor, and she heard the snap of wood against tile as she shoved her tongue inside his mouth, but she didn’t care. There was only him, and the powerful storm they created together as they rolled across the cold floor.

  “Naked. Now,” Caleb growled, ripping her pajama top down the front. He latched onto her breast, suckling hard, one leg jammed between her legs. She rubbed herself shameless against his thigh, clutching his head to her, and came. His dark chuckle sent shivers down her spine as he yanked her pajama bottoms off, and then he was inside her, filling her, simultaneously quenching and stoking the fires of her need.

  She led him upstairs to her bedroom, closing the door behind them. As soon as she did, he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her, sending her head spinning. His spicy scent surrounded her, the taste of spice and cinnamon filled her as he slid his tongue inside her mouth. She sucked on it, drawing a groan from him, and he responded by sliding his hands around to cup her curvy ass.

  It didn’t take him long to find the sensitive spot right in the middle of her back. A shiver went through her as she realized how vulnerable she’d made herself—she was standing in the room naked, her body plain for him to see in the bright morning light. No amount of confidence and strutting could hide the fact that she was curvy. She held her breath, waiting for him to say something, or for his expression to change but all she saw was pure raw hunger, and it both excited and frightened her. He began kissing a trail down the column of her throat. His teeth nipped into the skin below her collarbone as she clutched his shoulders, and it wasn’t long before his mouth was on her breast, her nipple deep in his mouth.

  “God yes,” she moaned as he suckled her breast, then tugged on the nipple with her teeth.

  “You like that?” he asked, pulling his head back to look up into her face. His blue eyes glittered dangerously. “How about this?” He dipped his hand between her legs, his fingers expertly finding her clit. Her thighs stiffened as she cried out, her pussy throbbing beneath his touch. Her fingers dug hard enough into his shoulders to leave marks, but he didn’t complain; rather he seemed to enjoy it. When he slid his fingers inside her, expertly rubbing against her g-spot, she exploded, crying out incoherently. He took advantage of her vulnerability by positioning her in such a way that he could quickly replace his fingers with this thick, steely cock.

  “Caleb!” She couldn’t think, could barely form any words at the sensation of his hot cock working its way inside of her. He pulsed back and forth, turning her into a quivering mass of need. Before long she was bucking her hips against his, driving herself closer to the edge. He gripped her ass in his hands, moving her up and down, urging her on to another climax, and she cried his name again as he continued his onslaught.

  “You feel so good,” he growled into her ear, his teeth nipping at her earlobe before pushing his cock deeper into her. “I want to feel every inch inside of you…as deep as I can go.”

  Paige could only cry out, her pleads lost in the fury of growls, groans and breathless panting that echoed throughout the bedroom. Their bodies melded together, sweat coating their skin, taking them further into a feverish pitch before diving into deeper chords of hollow, grunting animalistic passion.

  With urgency, he spread her legs wider, his hands now gripping the underside of her knees, gripping her tender flesh in his fists, kneading her calves, her ankles before running them underneath her ass. His broad, strong chest whipped against her breasts, heaving above her, hovering merely inches away before crashing down onto her in exhaustion. Yet he continued on, unwilling to end the blissful intensity that he felt buried deep inside of her wet, blistering hot mound.

  “I want to ride you,” she groaned, suddenly finding her voice.

  He let her push him back onto the bed, and watched, eyes glittering, as she climbed on top of him. She didn’t allow herself to think, knowing that if she did she would show her hesitancy, her lack of experience. Straddling him, she cupped his face and kissed him long and slow, tenderly molding her naked body to his. She could feel his muscles flexing against her bare skin, feel his heart pounding against her chest, his erection pressing against the inside of her thigh. She was now in control and it was her tempo, her lead in this wild, passionate dance and he must follow.

  “I’ve never felt this way before with anyone,” she told him, her face buried into his shoulder, hiding her embarrassment at her loving words.

  “Look at me.” He started to reach for her, wanting to see her expression, but she caught his hand gently.

  “Not yet,” she replied quietly.

  Caleb nodded, letting her remain in control.

  “There are things that I’ve always wanted to tell you…things that I never dared say. But now, after all that has happened, all of the time that has passed. I just don’t want to let another day slip by without telling you the truth.”

  Paige felt her breath catch in her throat, but forced herself to go on, straddling his lap, his cock now barely inside of her. She felt him suck in a deep breath as she allowed the head to slide just beyond her slit.

  “Tell me,” he growled, impatiently. “You can tell me anything.”

  “I want you,” she replied quickly knowing the words must come out fast or they never would. “I’ve always wanted you as mine…entirely mine.”

  She kissed his way down the side of his face to the cleft of his chin, enjoying the restrained strength of his powerful muscles just lurking beneath the skin, peering up at him shyly, suddenly unsure. The crisp hairs on his chest teased her as she worked her way down the length of him, lingering on the brown, hard nipples when he rewarded her with a groan before continuing over his rock hard abs. She especially loved the way his v-cut muscles quivered when she nipped at them, so close to the waistband of his breeches.

  “Are you going to stop there?” his voice was mild, but there was a challenge in his eyes, as though he
wasn’t sure she was woman enough to go all the way. Her spine stiffened; she wasn’t going to back down. She’d come too far for anything else.

  “Only if you want me to,” she purred throatily, her fingers curling around the waistband as if she was going to give him a choice.

  “No,” he replied. “I meant…is that all you have to say?”

  “Yes,” she replied coyly before kissing the head of his cock and he groaned when she finally took him into her mouth, tasting the hot saltiness of him. His strong fingers gripped her curls, not quite hard enough to hurt.

  “Then I must tell you,” he replied with a groan as one of his hands came down to play with her breasts, toying with the nipples and sending little thrills of need through her. Just when she was sure it couldn’t be much longer, he pulled her away, then reared up and dragged her forward so that she was back on top of him.

  “I’ve always wanted you, too,” he growled, gripping her hips as he pushed himself inside of her without pause. The sudden shock of being filled so quickly mixed with his deep, masculine tone made Paige cry out, her back arching, her legs trembling. Caleb sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist as he covered her mouth with his, changing the angle so that it was even deeper, even better. He thrust his tongue in and out of her mouth, matching the rhythm with which he made love to her. Wanting to give herself entirely to him and not feeling she could ever get enough, she bit down on his tongue, engaging him, her fingers digging into his skin as she pushed back with her hips.

  “You are absolutely beautiful,” he told her. “I don’t know how it’s possible for any woman to be so perfect…for me.”

  His words touched her heart, but she refused to read into them, simply kissing him again to silence him. Although it didn’t matter, he had already seduced her emotionally. An unbelievably deep…real attachment to this man wasn’t something she had ever wanted, yet if she were honest with herself she would have to admit that it had always been there… Her nails dug into his skin a little harder than she intended at the thought, and she forced herself to relax and enjoy the moment.

  He broke the kiss again so he could savage her neck, biting and sucking in a way she knew was going to leave a mark. It thrilled her that she didn’t care. A moan broke from her lips when one of his hands reached down between them and found her clit, stroking her higher and higher as he continued to penetrate her with steady, hard thrusts. She was molten, a quivering, burning mass of pleasure, and it wasn’t long before the orgasm broke through her with an overwhelming force. She held onto him for dear life, her legs clamping his waist, her pussy clenching around his cock as she screamed his name.

  “Yes,” she cried out, gouging her nails into his shoulders. “Oh God, Caleb!” They moved together furiously, pushing each other to the edge, and she watched his golden eyes go blind as he emptied himself inside of her with a roar.

  Afterward, he levered himself onto his arms and stared down at her with an unreadable expression. He brushed a hand against her cheek, lingering, and the gesture was so tender she wanted to cry. She opened her mouth to say something, but the doorbell rang, and he was on his feet, fastening his pants.

  “That’ll be your security detail coming to relieve me. Get dressed so I can introduce you before I leave, okay? I’ll be back here at six-thirty.”

  He stalked out of the kitchen, and she struggled with the urge to heave her empty coffee mug at his sexy, naked, retreating back. The need for clothing won out, though, and she hurried up the stairs to change.

  Today was going to be a long day.

  Chapter Six

  “What do you mean, you let her get away?”

  Randy cringed inwardly at the censure in their master’s tone, though his face remained a mask of stone. He glanced at Kyle, who was still unconscious; healing from the bullet wound, and wished he were awake. He was better at dealing with people, and usually was the one who dealt with these kinds of conversations.

  “Caleb appeared just as we were about to take her. While we were trying to fight him off, she shot Kyle in the neck. We had to retreat.”

  His master let out a disgusted sigh. “Sometimes I wonder if I should have just gone down to do this job myself. How long until Kyle is back in commission?”

  “At least another day.” Shifters normally healed pretty fast, but this was a serious wound.

  “I can’t afford to wait that long. I’m sending someone else in. He’ll meet you this afternoon. If that woman isn’t delivered to me within twenty-four hours, I will personally skin you and mount your hide on my wall. As for your brother, he’ll share your fate.”

  Randy swallowed as he glanced over at the sleeping Kyle. From anyone other than their master, it was an idle threat. “Yes sir. Consider it done.”

  His only answer was a click, followed by a dial tone.

  *

  Paige ran her fingers through her hair, her frustration mounting. She was typing up some legal forms for a client, and she had to go back and reword the legalese. Mostly because of the man standing in the corner of the room, his eyes glued to her every move, making it hard for her to focus.

  “Can’t you just give me a bit of space?” she snapped, not for the first time as she swiveled her chair around to face him. “I can’t focus when you’re staring at me like that.”

  The guard—his name was Matt, she remembered—shrugged. “Mr. Stone told me that I wasn’t allowed to take my eyes off you. I work for him, therefore I follow his orders, not yours.”

  “I’m pretty certain that Mr. Stone doesn’t mean for you to disrupt my work while you’re guarding me.”

  “I’m pretty certain he doesn’t care what I have to do, as long as you’re safe.”

  Paige gave him a baleful glare, but gave up when he simply stared at her impassively.

  “Fine. I’m going to the bathroom. You can guard the door, but you are not coming in with me.”

  For a split second, she thought he might actually argue with her. Then he shrugged and pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt. “Ryan, I’m accompanying her to the lavatory. I need you to on the south wall.”

  Paige rolled her eyes as she stalked out of her office and down the hall. Great. She was going to have one of them outside the door, and the other outside the wall. Privacy was obviously a thing of the past for her. With a sigh, she shut the bathroom door behind her and locked it, then turned around.

  The wall exploded inward, and she screamed, shielding her face from flying glass and drywall. From between her fingers, she saw some kind of hulking monster standing in the newly created doorway—a beast, wolf-like, but larger, fiercer.

  “Paige!” She heard the door being smashed in behind her, but she didn’t have time to look around—the thing grabbed her, tucking her under its shoulder, and bounded through the hole in the wall. Shots rang out, and she felt a searing pain along the back of her right calf. Ryan jumped in front of them, his gun in hand, but it was like jumping in front of a bull—the monster simply grabbed him by the throat and tossed him aside. Paige winced at the sickening crunch.

  “Let me go!” She pounded on the side of the monster, and looked back over her shoulder to see Matt chasing them at a dead run. Then suddenly they were racing through the streets, flying off into the darkness of the forest that lined the county.

  She watched the blur of greens and grey’s as they raced by, staring hopelessly as she struggled between panic and lack of oxygen to breathe. Then they were in an even greener, lush wooded area—somewhere close to a river. Great. No civilization in sight.

  They suddenly stopped in a clearing, where she was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. The beast growled, his large, sharp fangs framed in a hideous grin, then instantly, in a blur of a few seconds he morphed into a tall, thin man with fiery red hair. He turned to grin at her, his decaying teeth blackening his face, and she gasped at the sight of him—the left side of his body was covered with some kind of red and black tribal tattoo that continued down his neck and disappeared bene
ath the collar of his black t-shirt.

  “You’re a pretty little thing,” he observed in a voice that was like rough velvet. His eyes, a pale yellow, gleamed. “Too bad you’re a contract job, or I might have kept you for myself.”

  “Who are you?” Paige threw up her hands, already on her feet.

  The man—or beast—shrugged. “Who I am doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that I work for whoever is willing to pay my price and today, that means delivering you to the highest bidder.”

  “Delivering me to who?” she demanded.

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” The creature looked over his shoulder. “Here’s our ride now.”

  A black Escalade pulled into the clearing, and the man with the scar on his face got out. His stony eyes flicked briefly over them. “Good, Blair. You have her.”

  “Nice to see you too, Randy. You got it?”

  Randy nodded, wordlessly passed it over, and Paige backed up at the sight of the large, thin needle.

  “Oh no. No, no, no. Please, you don’t have to do this. I’ll cooperate, I’ll go anywhere you want me to.”

  The creature grinned. “Sorry, but the boss man is a little leery of you after you shot their friend in the neck. We’re taking no chances here.” Randy came to stood behind her, grabbing her roughly, reaching around to grip her chest, holding her in a bear hug that left her desperate to breathe, as she struggled against him. He smelled of sweat and grease, and his chest rumbled as he roared with laughter at her attempts to be freed.

  Blair moved quickly, grabbing her arm and pushing the sharp needle deep into her flesh.

  “Ahh, yes…there you go,” he said soothingly as her head started to spin. Her body reacted quickly to whatever was in the syringe and she began to sway, still in the grip of Randy’s strong arms.