by Kate Rudolph
“So how was London?” Jess asked, her voice an octave too high.
Gemma’s grin was almost impossible to suppress. She knew that Jess was not talking about the mission. “We did as ordered. It was a success.”
Jess’s lips compressed into a thin line and a gurgling sound escaped from her throat. “Do not mess with me, Gem. This is important.”
“Was there a bet?”
“Yes!” Jess exclaimed, one hand smacking against the steering wheel.
“I would prefer to keep my personal life personal, ma’am. Who I spend my time with is my own concern.” It gave Gemma some sort of sadistic pleasure to tease the alpha’s mate like this. Over the years she had grown serious, but Jess put her at ease. “So what did you win?”
“How do you know I won?”
“I doubt the alpha thought too much about Mac’s sex life.”
“No offense, but I didn’t want to do that either. Mac and I are, well, we don’t always see eye to eye.” Jess shot her a grin, “It was 10 bucks, among other things...private things that we won’t talk about.”
Gemma waved her hands about and laughed. “Of course, I wouldn’t want to know that.”
Jess sobered. “But your relationship with Mac is not why I wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh? Did you have questions about Rebecca?”
Jess shook her head, “No, that’s not why. I need a personal head of security. As the alpha’s mate. And from what I gather, this needs to be separate from what is already in place. I want you.”
Gemma didn’t know what to say. This was the kind of promotion that came along very rarely. As Jess’s second, Gemma’s rank would be roughly equal to Mac’s and he would no longer be her superior. It hadn’t been an issue in London, but it could become an issue now that they were home. Gemma wasn’t the type to make important career decisions because of a man — a lover, but it would be foolish not to take that into account.
“Why do you want me?” She asked.
“Because you’re good, and you’ll be wasted in your current position. There are too many good soldiers in the hierarchy, and you’re going to start making waves as soon as you get bored.” For someone who had joined the pack in the last month, Jess seemed to understand Gemma’s position better than Gemma expected. “Rafe doesn’t want to lose you, and after looking at your records neither do I. And I like you, even though we’ve only begun to get to know one another.”
Gemma hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days and her life had already been turned upside down once this week, but she was afraid if she didn’t except now that she would talk herself out of this.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s give this a shot.”
Chapter Ten
The drive home with Rafe was all business. He made no mention of the kiss that Mac shared with Gemma, and Mac chose to say nothing about the change in their relationship. When they got back to the castle, Mac planned to sleep for the next several hours, but that was dashed when he was asked to consult on a security issue that had cropped up since he left.
Each time he thought he could slip away, someone else flagged him down, and it was several hours before he made it back to his room, the exhaustion heavy in his bones.
Some other pack member had unpacked his bag and laundered his clothes, so that was one less thing to worry about. It almost made the constant busyness worth it. Almost.
Mac slipped off his socks and boots and set them next to his door. He took off his shirt and let it fall to the floor, and he had unbuttoned the button of his jeans before he realized that the shower in his en-suite bathroom was running.
He knew of only one person who could sneak into his room who would not immediately rouse his suspicion or raise his hackles. Mac opened the door to the bathroom and saw Gemma outlined against his translucent shower curtain. He shut the door behind him with more force than necessary and smiled when she jumped a little.
Gemma poked her head out and said, “How is your shower so much bigger than mine?”
“Some of us are just luckier than others.” He replied. “But as it it’s so much bigger, I say we should make use of it.” He shucked off his jeans and boxers, and naked stepped into the shower. Mac wrapped his arms around Gemma as the spray washed over them both, he kissed her neck and pulled back. “So have you only come to use me for my shower?”
Gemma turned around in his embrace and placed her hand on his chest. “Oh no,” she promised, “I’ve come to use you for so much more than that.”
Arousal hardened Mac’s cock and he knew fire danced in his eyes. “Is that what we are now?” He asked, somewhere between teasing and serious. “Using each other for showers and other things?”
“Isn’t that what mates are for?” Gemma asked. “Because I thought we were something like that.”
The word mate seared into him and Mac didn’t give Gemma a chance to resist. He lifted her up and pushed her back against the tiled wall. Wedged as she was, she wrapped her legs around his waist to keep from sliding. He kissed her hard, his lips a bruising, conquering force.
Her tongue swiped against his and her hands dug into his hair, keeping him close. Mac tasted hope, passion, the future, everything in that kiss. And he wanted more. He wanted inside her, to brand her as his for all time.
“There is no going back,” he gasped between kisses. “If we’re mates, I’m never letting you go.”
This time when she smiled, her face lit up completely, coming to life in a way he hadn’t seen before. “You’ve been mine since the first, Colin MacDonald. It’s time you knew that.”
“I want you in my bed, now.” He reached around and turned off the water. Without bothering with a towel, he carried her out of the shower and through to his bedroom. They dripped water the entire way.
Gemma could feel the sheets getting soaked under her, but she didn’t care. This, Mac kneeling over her, her hands in his hair, was all she had ever wanted. And now that they were home, it was beginning to feel real. She could begin to believe that this was something that wasn’t going away. Mac wasn’t going to disappear in a puff of smoke, she wouldn’t need to descend into the darkest parts of herself.
Now they could simply be.
She smoothed her hands down the trace his collarbone. “No matter where I was, no matter what I was doing, I always remembered you.” He traced his tongue over the edge of her ear and Gemma shivered, but she kept talking. “When I heard that you were here, well. I can’t say that didn’t affect my decision to move here.” Her words ended on a moan as Mac caught her earlobe between his teeth and tugged.
Gemma arched her neck, giving him even more access. He took her invitation, nipping at her neck, leaving his mark. His fingers traced down her stomach, past her belly button and down even further to dip into her slick folds.
His fingers circled inside of her, stretching her, making her ready to take him in. She was already wet and desperate for his cock, but Mac only made it better, stroking her clit with his thumb while he kissed her neck.
Gemma dug her fingers into his back, hard enough to bruise. She begged for more, hitching up her hips and opening her legs even more. But Mac showed remarkable restraint, stimulating her with his fingers and resisting the temptation to plunge his cock deep inside.
She was close, already on the verge of orgasm when Mac stopped moving his hand. His fingers were still deep inside her, but absolutely still.
“I love how wet you are,” he whispered against her. “There’s no greater honesty between us.”
“I need you inside me,” Gemma begged. “Now.”
Mac’s white teeth shone in the dim light as he smiled at her demand. He pulled his fingers out of her and wrapped them around his cock. They were so close together that she could feel the brush of his knuckles as he stroked himself up and down.
He brought his cock to her entrance and held himself still above her. With barely the tip inside, he looked down and met her eyes. “I claim you as my mate. For all of my days.
”
Gemma expected him to slide right inside, but he stayed still, waiting for her response. She moved her hips, letting his cock slip further into her. “I am claimed. Now fuck me.”
He laughed and slid the rest of the way into her, moaning out her name as he thrust in and pulled out. Gemma met his efforts with her own, her back arched, hips bucking in their rhythm. She was a being of pure pleasure, bonded together with her mate in this timeless expression of love.
Pleasure built within her until it was a raging inferno of lust and need. Sweat pooled on her brow and there was nothing but her and Mac and the power between them. The room could have crumbled around them and she would not have noticed.
She shattered apart, orgasm taking her hard and fast, her pussy quivering against his cock. She gasped out, “Yes, yes, I love you.” Her words nearly senseless and a second climax took her.
Mac unloaded, his seed spilling within her, his own words a match for hers.
After several minutes of simply lying together, limbs entwined, Mac finally spoke, his lips brushing against her neck with every word. “I think you need another shower.”
Gemma laced her fingers with his and brought his hand up to kiss it. “I’d say that you do as well. Would you like to do it together?”
He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her in tight. “Yes,” he said. “Everything together, from this day forward.”
“Everything,” Gemma agreed.
For the moment, Tahiti could wait. This room, this feeling, this love was all the paradise that Gemma needed.
Thank you for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review. To learn about new releases you can sign up for my mailing list at the link below.
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More from Kate Rudolph:
Stealing the Alpha
The Scarlet Emerald
Entangled with the Thief
In the Alpha’s Bed
Alpha’s Mercy
Gemma’s Mate
The Mate that Got Away
Mated by Midnight
A Night with Two Mates
Forbidden Mate
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
More from Kate Rudolph