“Would you like to come back to my place for a while?” he asked, looking at her with those big, honest blue eyes of his. “We can play games and have a nightcap.”
“That sounds nice,” she said hesitantly.
She couldn’t help wanting to go with him. As much as she knew it was a mistake, she also felt the strong draw to him that could only be explained by their primal connection. She might not be a shifter, but she knew that shifter fated mates had a bond between them, and she definitely felt it.
The truth was she’d felt it for quite some time. She’d always had feelings for Tech Bear Paladin, and she probably always would. Her rational mind was telling her to get away as fast as possible, but her heart was telling her to go with him.
She wanted to go hang out with Damien, to sit on the couch and play video games on his Xbox. If only it were so simple. If only she could just be a normal girl and fall in love with a normal guy. But that was not the life that was destined for Raven. Until she knew who she was and where she’d come from, how could she ever give herself to Damien? How could she ever live a normal life?
But it was too late to back out now. She’d already instinctively agreed to go to his house. As they drove through the fluttering snowflakes that melted on the windshield, she kept asking herself how she could get out of going over there. But she couldn’t come up with an answer.
Damien took a turn down Elm Street and parked in front of a two-story Victorian. It was the kind of house that Raven had always dreamed of living in. The kind of place that you just knew was somebody’s lifelong home. She could imagine raising a family there. If Raven ever thought about raising a family, that was.
For the most part, a loving family was the farthest thing from her mind. She still hadn’t reconciled her past, let alone her future. Someday, maybe, she could be the kind of woman who fell in love and got married and had children in a home like Damien’s. But, for now, she was a hacker.
Damien helped her out of the car again, like the absolute gentleman that he was, and walked hand in hand with her up the front path of his house. He opened the door that led into his comfortable living room and turned on the light. It was warm inside. The living room had a stylishly designed layout with big couches, an easy chair, and a big-screen TV. It was the kind of living room where you could hang out and relax after a long day of work and connect with your family. It was so different from how Raven lived her own life.
Just looking around Damien’s house made her want to tell him the truth. She wanted to come clean. But she still couldn’t trust him. What would he do if she told him? Would he arrest her on the spot? There was a good chance that he would.
She wished she could trust him more than she’d ever wished for anything except knowing what had happened to her mom. Damien made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt. Being with him gave her a whole new sense of possibility that opened up for her out of nowhere.
“Have a seat, and I’ll get us another round of drinks,” Damien said, motioning toward his big comfortable couch.
She took a seat in front of the television and waited while Damien went into the kitchen. She watched him through the open-concept space as he went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of beer. He popped the caps off of both and brought them back to the living room, where she was sitting on the couch. He handed her a bottle and sat down beside her, picking up the TV remote. He clicked on the television, and the loading screen for his Xbox came on the TV. His controllers were sitting on the coffee table, and Raven grabbed one.
“What are you playing right now?” she asked.
“My favorite game on console right now is Mega Jet Fighters,” Damien said.
“I haven’t played that one yet,” Raven said excitedly.
She might be in one of the most awkward situations of her life, but she couldn’t help wanting to play Mega Jet Fighters on Damien’s Xbox. She’d wanted to play this game for months but hadn’t had a chance to grab a copy yet.
“I thought you would like it,” he said, picking up one of the game controllers as he took a swig of beer.
He set his bottle on the coffee table and navigated to the game screen. An animated jet cockpit came on the TV with the aggressive techno music that was the soundtrack for the game. Raven took a swig of beer and then activated her game controller.
“I’m so going to kick your butt at this,” Raven said.
“No way. I’ve been playing for the last month, you newb,” he teased.
“Just you watch, Tech Bear Paladin. This rogue is going to gank your ass so hard,” she said.
They started up the game in dual-player mode, racing each other through the three-dimensional airspace, shooting down alien spacecraft as they sped toward the finish line. Raven maneuvered her jet around alien spacecraft and through the narrow ravine, barely missing Damien’s jet.
He was seven points ahead of her as he sped around her jet avatar. She gritted her teeth, pushing her fighter jet faster as she twirled around in the animated space. She was not going to let him beat her. Her competitive nature took over, and she didn’t care about anything else in that moment except winning. She fired her lasers, taking out several alien ships as she pushed toward the finish line with every last bit of effort and skill she had in her fingertips. She narrowly passed Damien’s jet as she plowed down the last of the alien ships and won the race.
She yelped with excitement, throwing her hands into the air.
“Pwned!” she screamed.
She was so excited that she had won the game that when she looked up at Damien and saw his sparkling eyes smiling down at her, she could not resist him any longer. She threw her arms around him, not even letting go of her game controller. In an instant, he was kissing her, passionately pulling her little body toward him. She slid up on his lap, straddling his broad body. His hands gripped her hips as their tongues danced and the heat of their bodies mingled, stoking the fire that burned inside of both of them. It raged higher and higher until they were damp with lust and yearning for each other.
Raven pulled away, catching her breath. She rested her forehead against his, her eyes tightly shut.
“I can’t do this,” she said.
“Why?” he said with a growl.
“I’m not what I appear to be,” she said with a whisper.
She could feel him hardening between her legs, and it stoked her need even hotter. She wanted him so badly. How could she turn back? How could she resist? He might be the shifter, but that didn’t make her want him any less than he wanted her. There was an intense primal need between them that she could no longer deny. But how could she let herself go all the way with him when she was lying to him?
She had far too much respect for Tech Bear Paladin, for Damien. She could never betray his trust and make love to him. Those two things just couldn’t happen in her world. She was far too loyal to the people who cared about her.
She felt his cock throb against her dampness, the layers of clothing between them making her body furious. She had to tell him now. And if he hated her for it, at least she would have not betrayed herself and her feelings.
“You appear to be exactly what I need,” he said.
“But I’m not, Damien. I have to tell you the truth.”
He claimed her mouth again and kissed her, sucking a sharp breath through his nose as he held her face in his hands. Her nipples pricked with excitement, and her core throbbed, begging to be touched. She slid over his hardness but pulled away again with a moan.
“Damien, I have to tell you the truth. I have to tell you now before this goes any further. I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“What is it, Raven? Tell me,” he said between gentle kisses rained down over her cheeks, forehead, and lips.
“I hacked into the police department databases. It was me.”
He stopped kissing her and leaned back to look into her eyes. His expression was unreadable, and fear gripped her heart. She braced herself what for what would h
appen next.
“Are you going to arrest me?” she asked, still sitting on his lap.
“Maybe,” he said.
“Okay, do it now,” she said, holding her wrists up in front of his face.
“Why did you do it?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I’m looking for my mother. She went missing twenty years ago, and I haven’t been able to find out anything. I asked the old chief of police if he knew anything about her disappearance, and he said he didn’t. There was nothing in the files. But I didn’t believe that. We lived on Fate Mountain when I was a child, even though my mother left me in Portland. I never believed that she abandoned me. No matter how many times everyone told me just to let it go because she was an unfit mother. But I knew that my mom loved me. She told me she would always come back for me. And I’ve been searching for her my whole life. When I had the skills that I needed, I was able to track her down to Fate Mountain. I know she was here. She rented a shitty apartment in the same complex I live in now. When I hacked into the police databases last time, I found mention of her at Fate Mountain Lodge. That was the last time she was seen. And I just got confirmation from Kelly Green that the last person to see my mother was Marvin Updike.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me in the first place?”
“Because I’d already hacked into your databases before we were matched on Mate-dot-com. I thought you would arrest me,” she said, exasperated, trying to push her way off of his lap.
He just held her tighter and didn’t let her go. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked deeply into his eyes. The desire that had built up between them hadn’t gone anywhere, and now everything was out on the table. She’d come clean, and he hadn’t arrested her.
“You should’ve let me help you,” he said.
“Maybe I should have. But I’ve always done everything on my own. All my life. Growing up, I went from foster home to foster home. You wouldn’t believe the kind of crap I had to put up with. Nobody ever really cared about me. And when I graduated from high school and started working as a freelance coder, there was no one there to cheer me on. I did it all on my own. That’s how I learned to survive. You’re the first person in my life that I’ve ever even considered trusting like this. I just didn’t know how to ask for help,” she admitted.
“Raven,” he said in a husky voice, “you can always trust me. You are my everything.”
Without stopping or saying another word, Damien picked Raven up with his big, strong hands and carried her through the living room toward the stairs. He carried her as if she were as light as a feather. They were on the second floor before she could even stop to think. He kissed her the entire time, holding her tight to him until they were in his bedroom.
Her head was so fuzzy and she was so caught up in the moment that she didn’t even have the chance to look around. She found herself sprawled across his king-sized bed, with a soft black bedspread under her. The dim light sparkled in his eyes as he stared down at her body.
Raven gasped, seeing the bulge in his jeans. She bit her lip as he lowered himself over her and crawled up the bed to kiss her once again. His big hand slid up her thigh and over her hips and stomach until he grasped her breast. She sucked a breath through her teeth before he pressed his lips to hers. The heat of their kiss sent a jolt of electricity through her. She had told him the truth, and he didn’t care. All he wanted was her, and now she could lose herself in the moment.
He pulled her dress up over her head and threw it aside, leaving her in her bra and panties. She was glad she had put on something cute and sexy instead of her old crappy ones. But he didn’t stop to look at her in her underthings. He quickly flicked the clasp on her bra and drew it away, leaving her breasts exposed to him.
“Damien,” she whispered, cupping his face in her hand.
She felt his stubble under her palm. The prick of his masculine hair on her flesh sent a thrill all the way down to her core. He kissed her shoulder and slid his tongue over her chest, sliding it down her breast until he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Raven groaned, arching her back.
Damien nibbled on her nipple as he grasped her other breast, gently kneading it in his powerful hand. He was fully dressed, and she was in nothing but her panties and boots. She kicked them off and wrapped her legs around Damien’s waist. She needed to feel his naked flesh against hers. She slid her hands under the hem of his shirt, trying to tug it up over his head.
When he realized what she was doing, he stopped kissing her and pulled his shirt off himself. She saw his naked chest with her own eyes. His muscled flesh glistened in the dim lamplight from his bedside table. She ran her hand over his pecs, marveling at the chiseled masculine beauty of his form.
He knelt above her, unbuckling his belt. Raven’s body rippled with goose bumps as she watched him. He unbuttoned his jeans and stood back to pull them down over his hips. He kicked out of his shoes and came back to her in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. He slid between her legs, pressing his thick, hard shaft against her slick, throbbing core. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him tight against her.
She was flooded with emotions that conflicted and confused her, but she pushed them all aside. All she wanted now was the overwhelming need she felt deep in her heart and soul and in the very primal base of her body, which screamed to let Damien inside.
She ran her hands down his broad, muscled back and gripped his ass in her hands. The feeling of his hard male flesh under her palms made her wetter than she could remember ever being with a man. Damien slid down her panties and threw them aside, kissing down her body. He ran his tongue over her belly button and kissed her inner thigh before sweeping his thick, wet tongue up the slit between her legs. She moaned loudly, running her hands through his thick, dark hair.
“You taste like ice cream,” he growled. “I want to lick this sweet pussy until you scream my name.”
“Oh god, yes,” she whimpered.
He flicked his tongue over her clit, making her bud go tight and rigid with excitement. Raven couldn’t remember ever being so turned on, and she probably never had been. It was a whole new world being with Damien. Something she had never anticipated when she’d come to Fate Mountain.
No matter what happened next in her life, she knew that this moment would be a defining turning point for her. The experience of such primal eroticism changed a person, and she knew that it would forever change her. He hadn’t even sunk himself inside her, and she already knew that she would do anything to be with him. She didn’t know if it was love, lust, or what, but he had heard her truth, and he hadn’t turned away from her.
He licked her clit like an ice cream cone, pushing her further and further toward climax. She was going to come any moment. She grasped her breasts and squeezed, arching her back and screaming as the orgasm ripped through her. Damien didn’t let up. He kept licking her clit as he slid two soaking wet fingers inside her channel.
“Oh my god, oh my god!” she yelled as he pumped his fingers inside her wet pussy.
“I need you inside me,” she begged.
He looked up at her, slowly sliding his fingers away. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up to slide his boxer briefs down his hips and kick them away with his foot. He stood before her, his cock erect and thick, pointing toward the ceiling. She reached out to him, quivering and shaking with desire. He came to her and took her hand, kissing her wrist at the pulse point. As he descended over her and slid between her legs, he cupped her face and kissed her gently.
“You have no idea how much I need you, Raven,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ve waited for you for a lifetime. I want nothing more than to make you mine.”
“Damien,” she whimpered.
His cock pressed against her sopping-wet opening, and with one gentle thrust, he slipped inside. She groaned and pressed her eyes tightly shut as he slid deeper and deeper inside of her. As he spread her, sinking his thickness into
her tight channel, she gasped, her mouth wide, as fireworks exploded from her core and pushed through her brain. He sank to the base of his cock and rested there as he held her to him.
“I need you like this,” he whispered into her ear. “Totally open to me.”
“Yes,” she groaned.
He drew his hips back and thrust forward. Raven groaned with renewed pleasure. She’d never felt anything like this. He was so long and thick, he stretched her wider than she’d ever been. And she was able to take him without any hesitation. Her body was so ready for him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him to her as he moved over her little body. The waves of pleasure slammed against her as he thrust harder and faster.
In the back of her mind, she knew that they weren’t using any protection, but at that moment, she really didn’t care. All that mattered right now was the heat of their bodies and the connection between them. As he made love to her, kissing her mouth and her face, thrusting harder and deeper into her core with each movement, she felt the bond between them solidify. She believed he would never betray her.
She felt his teeth, sharp and hard against her neck, but he pulled away, kissing her instead. With one final thrust, he pushed her into another explosive orgasm as his seed exploded into her depths. She groaned as she took his hot jets of cum deep inside her pussy. Oh, how she wanted it. She wanted it to fill her. The consequences be damned.
All that mattered was this moment and being together with Damien. Her paladin. He would always protect her. Now she knew it. As they held each other in the moments after release, he kissed her cheek and slowly pulled away, rolling over to lie on the bed beside her.
He pulled her into his embrace and softly petted her hair. She felt his heart whacking against his chest under her cheek. In that moment, Raven had never felt so content or so protected. Finally, for the first time since her mother had left, Raven felt as if there was somebody knew who she really was.
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