Alphas for the Holidays

by Mandy M. Roth

  He would knot her once he sank into her silken depths, but she’d never realize that being knotted was something only mates could do. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting inside her. He’d heard the stories from other mated males and knew it was an experience like none other. He’d be lucky to keep his head and not hurt her.

  “Wolf shifters are very closely related to their brothers in the wild when it comes to sex.”

  She stared at him for a moment, and he could see her mind racing. Another pink blush stole across her cheeks. “You mean you like to do it a certain way?”

  “I’m going to like doing it every way with you, baby.” He wanted to kiss her but knew once he started he wasn’t going to stop. “But that’s not what I meant. At the end, when I’m coming inside your sweet little pussy, I’m going to knot you. Do you know what that means?” He tilted her face so he could see her eyes. “The middle of my cock is going to grow. It’s going to push inside you, making you scream in pleasure.” The knot was nature’s way of making sure his seed took. He thought about wearing a condom, but he wasn’t sure if would survive the transformation. He could tell she wasn’t ovulating so they should be safe. He wanted nothing more than to shoot inside her, coating her womb with his essence.

  She worried her bottom lip. “Will it hurt?”

  “No,” he answered softly. “Didn’t you hear me? You’ll be screaming in pleasure, coming so hard and so long, you’ll want it to never end.” He couldn’t resist a taste of her any longer. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “I understand if you don’t—”

  Her finger on his mouth stopped his words. “Is this why you didn’t take me last night?”

  “Yes.” It was partially the truth, he told himself. He knew he couldn’t take her without explaining what was going to happen—or committing to the fact that he was going to stay and mate her. Something totally out of the question.

  He wrapped his hand around hers, giving her finger a soft kiss before folding her hand against his chest. They stared at each other for several long moments. Each trying to decide if they were making the right choice. A night or two of very, very satisfying sex or… walking away.

  His wolf howled in pain at the thought of not taking its mate. It was mad as hell at the restraint Hunter was placing on it not to mark her by sinking its fangs into the soft, delicate flesh of her neck.

  “Okay.”

  It took Hunter’s brain several minutes to catch up to his ears. She’d said yes. With a savage touch, he pulled her head down and claimed her lips.

  Nothing would stop the wolf tonight.

  Julie gasped as Hunter moved his mouth against hers, taking possession of it hard and rough. His lips parted hers, and his tongue thrust inside, tasting her. Julie had never been kissed as thoroughly as Hunter McCall kissed her now.

  He forced her mouth open wide, his tongue lapping at the roof of her mouth, licking her teeth. And then he was thrusting in and out, in and out, fucking her mouth. She moaned and tightened her grip, her fingernails digging into the flesh on the side of his neck.

  He rose with her in his arms and this time she didn’t protest. If the man wanted to carry her around like she weighed next to nothing, then let him. All that shifter strength shouldn’t go to waste she thought with an inward smile.

  Bending his knee on the bed, he laid her in the middle, then stepped back.

  His lips curved into a wicked grin as he reached for his belt, unclasping, and pulling it free from his faded jeans.

  Then the jeans dropped to the floor. Beneath the knit fabric of his boxers, she could see his length. And width. Her jaw dropped. Oh my, oh my. How did a man get that big?

  He reached for her, and she was amazed to see his hands were shaking slightly as he wrapped them around her upper arms and lifted her further up on the firm mattress.

  She slid her hands over his chest, muscles rippling beneath her palms as he tensed beneath her touch. His heart pounded against her hands. Thank goodness he was as excited as she was. She gave an almost hysterical giggle in her head. Damn right, he was excited. She had the proof positive pressing against her. But would she regret it if they made love?

  He must have glimpsed the hesitation in her eyes because he stroked his thumb along her jaw again, his fingertips rough against her skin. But he stroked her with such exquisite gentleness, she turned toward his touch rather than away from it. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “I won’t hurt you.”

  And she believed that—physically. But would her heart remain pain-free?

  She already hurt, aching for his touch—for his kiss. The possession of her body. She trembled just thinking of his cock sliding in and out of her.

  He leaned over her, lowering his mouth until their lips touched, she felt the soft movement when he asked, “Do you want me?”

  “Yes.”

  With that single word her shyness evaporated and boldness took its place.

  Suddenly she felt like she knew who she really was for the very first time in her life. She was a beautiful woman, a beautiful curvy woman about to be loved by a man who truly wanted her. Her. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in his touch. Taste it in his kiss.

  She trembled at the touch of his mouth, hard and brief. Not a kiss, more like a pre-curser to a claiming.

  The next thing she knew he had stripped off her jeans and panties and was covering her with his hard weight. She slipped her arms around his waist, spreading her fingers over the tight muscles of his back. He was big, he was strong. He was all male. His hand curved around the side of her neck, his fingers curling into her hair as he raised her head the fraction of an inch that was needed to meet his descending mouth. His tongue parted her lips, a shallow thrust as if he was testing the waters. In response, she opened hers, allowing the invasion. Innocence fled as he made love to her mouth, his tongue driving in and out, sliding over hers. She was a captive, a willing slave to his wishes. His mouth plundered hers, tasting her, giving her his unique flavor. He tasted of power, passion. Sex. Lordy, Lordy, did he taste of sex. Wild, hot sex.

  He pulled back from the kiss, his eyes looking directly into hers as he shifted his position, his hips making room for himself between her legs. “Spread your legs.”

  When she obeyed, he jerked her down, the move pressed his cock to her pussy. “Yeah, that’s better.”

  Her nipples hardened, pushing against the thin lace of her bra and heat rushed through her, burning a path straight to her pussy, setting her on fire. She swallowed down a whimper that tickled the back of her throat.

  The hand on her hip glided up her side. As it moved over her body, it bunched her shirt, pulling it until it rested right below her breasts. He still held his weight off her with one arm. He stared down at her. “You are going to be so damn beautiful.”

  With an experienced flip of his wrist, he bared her breasts. The groan that escaped him calmed her, helped to banish the modesty that threatened to overcome her. It felt right. Natural to have him look at her, see her breasts, her curves.

  “So damn beautiful.” Brown fire blazed in his eyes tinged with amber.

  Julie could only sigh with gratification at the touch of his hand on the rounded curve of her breast. Flicking her nipple with his thumb, he stroked it into obedience, making it flare in response. Then his mouth was ravaging the hollow of her throat. She’d heard that shifters marked their mates in that exact spot. She was so caught up in the pleasure anything could have happened after that, and she’d never have known. He began a slow meandering trail of kisses down her throat to the shadowy cleft between her breasts.

  His tongue licked the inside curves, tasting the salt on her skin and the sweetness. She was so damn sweet. He closed his lips around one aching point and flicked across the sensitive tips. She cried out and shuddered, and he could smell the sweet cream her pussy released.

  He tugged the nipple with his lips, then gently grasped it between his teeth, scraping the ends over the stiff bud. Another sou
nd from the back of her throat reached his ears. This one almost a purr. Or a growl. His little she-wolf was hungry. He grinned around her nipple.

  “More,” she begged, raking her nails over his back.

  His mouth left her breast. “I’ll give you more, baby. I’ll give you everything you need.” He knelt on the mattress between her legs. His hands shaking slightly—damn it, what was that all about—as he looked down at her. Her shirt was bunched above her breasts, breasts that were large, ivory mounds. He’d been right, the ends were colored almost brown. Her nipples were reddened from his rough treatment and the crinkled islands of color that surrounded them bordered more on brown than pink.

  Hunter’s mouth skimmed along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, making her quiver, before kissing the entrance of her pussy. Her wet pussy. Julie closed her eyes in embarrassment, what must he think of her. His tongue stroked her clit, and she didn’t care anymore. He might have rejected her last night—but tonight—tonight she was going to have her wolf.

  A moan of pleasure slipped from his throat as he licked her again, the sound vibrating against her swollen bud. Then he was moving lower, slipping inside her hot hole and tasting her.

  Hunter continued to eat out his mate’s pussy, relishing the sounds she made as he tasted her. He needed to make sure she could take him. He was larger than the average man, hell, he was big even for a shifter, and she felt so damn tight he didn’t know if she could take him. He needed to make her come, needed to make her fly apart in his arms.

  He opened his mouth wide over her pussy, his teeth butting against her clit as his tongue dipped deeper inside her. He licked and sucked, drawing out her response. Cupping her ass in his hand, he raised her to his face, his broad tongue stroking up and down her slit, slashing her clit with each pass. As he held her to him, he used the fingers of the hand holding her to him to explore the dark crevice between her ass cheeks. She was dripping wet, and he massaged some of those juices into the puckered star.

  As he fucked her with his tongue, he pushed against her back entrance with the tip of his finger. That was all it took to send her reeling over the edge.

  She screamed the pleasure tearing her apart as he made her come.

  Then he moved, his mouth sliding over her navel, kissing the soft flesh of her stomach, up to her ribs to the tip of a breast. His lips tugged at the nipple as the head of his cock found her entrance, pumping against her wet curls.

  The soft whimpers of pleasure Julie made broke through the last layer of control Hunter had on himself—and his wolf. Growling, he tangled his hand in her hair, grasping the nape of her neck with hard fingers. He knew he needed to go slow, wanted to go slow, but there was no way in hell. He pushed forward. She stretched, trying to accept him as he continued to possess her. “Take me, baby.”

  “Hunter.” She bucked her hips, trying to ease the pressure as Hunter took her. He was so big—so thick—her pussy burned. The movement only pushed him deeper inside. The fingers buried into the flesh of her hips, held her still.

  “Easy, easy.” He stopped moving for a moment. “Relax. You can take me.” He pushed forward slowly.

  “Fuck!” he cursed when she moved again. Groaning, he plunged all the way inside her, making her scream.

  “Hunter!”

  Hunter was no longer listening. The feel of her wet sheath taking him broke his control. He held her hips, his claws extending, piercing the skin of her hips.

  “Stop. Moving.” He managed to ground out between clenched teeth, his eyes focused on their joined bodies. He was balls deep inside, the hair of their mounds touching at the end of each stroke. She’d taken him. Every last fucking inch of him. He’d never felt that before, never attempted to give a woman his entire length and width and now he knew why. This was for her.

  His mate.

  He threw back his head and howled. And then he was moving, holding her still and taking her. Claiming her, he knew, whether he placed his bite on her neck or not. From this moment forward… She. Was. His.

  Again and again, he pulled out and plunged back inside her. He fucked her hard, used her to appease the animal inside him. He watched his cock drive in and out of her, her breasts bounce from the force of his thrusts. Her mouth opened in a round, soundless ‘o’ and he imagined fucking her there later.

  He’d fuck her everywhere. He’d fuck her until his seed was spilling from every orifice of her body.

  Until his beast was satisfied.

  Julie didn’t know what to do as Hunter plunged into her body over and over again. Her pussy had burned at the width of his cock, and she’d wondered if she would ever be able to take him. Two thrusts later she had. And was loving it. She watched the play of emotions over his face as she took his power inside her.

  He’d thrown back his head and howled and then she knew she was being taken by both the man and the wolf. His movements were too frantic, too frenzied to be completely controlled by the man.

  Amazingly, she felt the sensations building inside her. Did she have a need for punishment, for rough sex? But it wasn’t rough, it was… determined. Natural. He was an alpha male who was conquering a female. And she was a female who was being conquered by an alpha male.

  “Hunter.” She groaned his name as he continued to take her. Each stroke brought her closer and closer to the heat she felt rising inside her. But she was still reaching.

  “Baby.” He grunted and let go of one of her hips. His hand went between them, and her pussy was spread so wide open by his possession all he had to do was press his thumb down, hard, and the pressure winding up inside her… exploded. She cried out as her pussy convulsed, drinking at his cock.

  He tensed, every muscle rippling, sweat coating his skin. He drew back his head, the tendons in his neck jutting out, as he uttered a guttural groan that sounded like her name. She cried when she felt the middle of his cock start to grow, filling her pussy as never before. As it did, he continued to pump inside her through his orgasm, the large knot pulling against the walls of her stretched pussy. Then he was filling her with his seed as he came. And came. Hot jets of cum burst against the mouth of her womb, and she could have sworn she felt its warmth. His big body shuddered, and he fell forward, catching himself before he landed on her. He stayed like that. His body tense, his back heaving as he struggled to breathe. He bowed his head resting his forehead on her breasts.

  Somewhere she found the strength to lift her arms and stroke her hands across his broad shoulders. She ran her fingers through the damp locks of hair as if trying to soothe him and his wolf, even as her own heart beat out of control.

  Finally, he lifted his head, and she gasped at the color of his eyes. She’d wondered a time or two over the last few days, swearing that she’d seen his brown eyes flash golden, but now, now she knew for sure. His eyes were glowing, changed to a pure amber.

  But what did it mean?

  He looked at her, holding her gaze with his own.

  And then he growled the one word that might change her life forever.

  “Mate.”

  Chapter 10

  Julie woke alone the next morning, instantly missing Hunter’s warmth. For long minutes, she simply lay with her hands at her side wondering where he was. He’d kept her warm and toasty all night long, and knew he would have even without the soft down comforter they’d slept under and the heat rumbling from the unit under the window. Her wolf would see to all her needs. How he had seen to all her needs. Her body temperature rose on its own when she thought about last night.

  Snuggling deeper into her pillow, she thought of simply closing her eyes and letting sleep overtake her again. When was the last time she’d had no reason to jump from her bed and start the day. Almost never. She smiled and hugged her pillow to her, wallowing in the sense of well-being that seemed to have permeated her very being.

  Yeah, having mind-blowing sex with a shifter would do that to a girl.

  She moved in order to see the time on the bedside clock and let o
ut a little groan. She was sore in places, she hadn’t known existed. Her pussy clenched remembering the feel of Hunter inside her.

  She buried her face in the pillow, embarrassed even though she was alone in the room when she thought of the knot that had formed every time he’d come inside her. The entire night seemed to run together, as time and time again they’d made love.

  It was as if he’d stayed hard the entire night. The knot would no sooner go down until he was thrusting inside her again. He’d taken her in ways she’d never really known were possible. Except for the one way, she thought he would. With her on her hands and knees and him behind her, his fingers tight on her hips as he thrust inside her.

  He had entered her from behind as she lay on her side, but that had been a slow and easy joining almost at dawn when they were both nearing exhaustion and she’d almost been too sore to take him again. It had been no less exhilarating that the first time he’d taken her.

  It hadn’t been the rough, wild sex she’d anticipated when he’d told her shifters were like their brothers in the wild. Now she knew he’d meant the knot, but maybe she just didn’t bring out those baser needs and wants in him.

  Peeking at the clock again, she saw it was almost ten o’clock in the morning. Time to get up and about. But, if she stayed in bed, maybe he’d join her when he came back from wherever he’d gone. Suddenly a sense of foreboding overtook her, and she looked at the clock again. He’d been gone for nearly two hours.

  Had he left her? Despite what he’d told her yesterday, he didn’t owe her anything. She’d known his words were more to get into her pants than to reassure her of his intentions. He’d done more than she’d ever expected. Rescued her from the side of the road and taken her someplace safe and warm.

  She threw back the covers and grabbed a clean set of clothes. Good thing she’d packed more casual clothes than dressy ones for the wedding. She’d have hated to be stranded here with nothing to wear but taffeta and satin.

  After taking a bath and washing her hair, she was sitting back against the pillows with her knees drawn up when the door opened, and Hunter stood there, snow covered and damp. The black locks of his hair were capped with white flakes just like the ones that clung to his brows and lashes. He had on shit-kicker boots, jeans, a black t-shirt and the fleece lined winter jacket. He took a moment to knock the snow off by the door. He hadn’t shaved, and his jaw was dark with stubble. He looked huge. And sexy.