by Ruby Madden
She wanted him, wanted him to fill her, to thrust deep, deep into her body. She wanted to mate. It was such a glorious feeling she was bursting with happiness. Mate. She could mate with someone.
And that someone was her very own bear.
She tangled her fingers in his hair as his mouth locked on to her breast. He sucked, hard and deep. She gasped, arching into his touch. She felt the heat of his tongue, the not-so-gentle bite of his teeth. She lifted her hips in hungry demand, riding his thigh. Just as she was nearing her release, he pushed her away. Her cat snarled until she felt him touch her between her legs, spreading the lips of her pussy with his fingers. Her legs almost gave way and she had to switch her hold to his shoulders.
“You are so wet, Emma.” A thick finger slid inside her. “Do you want me, baby?” His voice was thick was need. A second finger pressed into her.
“Yes.” She was barely able to breath, much less talk. Bracing herself with her hands on his shoulders, she bore down on his hand, tightening her body around his seeking digits.
“That’s it, ride my hand.” Warm wetness coated his fingers and a low moan sounded in her throat. He could feel her losing control, her body tightening on his fingers. Ryland’s teeth scraped along the side of her neck, the bite of pain adding to her pleasure. She clawed at him then, her need urgent. She pumped herself up and down, seeking relief. He refused to give it to her just yet.
“I’m going to taste you, baby. I’m going to drink every drop of your nectar.”
He continued the slow hard thrust of his fingers, mimicking the movement of his cock as if he’d been inside her. “Do you want that? Do you want me to lick your pretty little pussy?”
Emma whimpered as the tension inside her built. Relief was so close—and yet so far away. Then he was thrusting inside her hard and deep, adding a third finger that sent her spiraling over the edge. She’d come with just his fingers inside her. Now he stroked her clit as her breathing returned to normal. He kept his strokes light and teasing, bringing her down from her high. “Ryland,” she whispered.
“Oh, I’m not done with you yet, beautiful.” He gave her a hard, possessive kiss. “I believe I made a promise, and I’m a bear of my word.”
He picked her up and carried her to the bed, putting her down gently near the edge. His thighs pushed between her legs. “Wider.” She moaned and obeyed, opening herself up to him and whatever he wanted to do. She was his. Body and soul.
He trailed kissed down her torso, swirling his tongue into her navel. He left love bites along the hill of her belly and down her sides. Finally, he reached his destination. He tugged on the short curls that covered her mound, the rest of her pussy was shaved clean. Crouching, he settled himself between her legs. His hands encircled her thighs, pushing them wider still, holding her open and vulnerable to his possession. He gave her clit a few favored licks with his tongue, barely touching her, before easing her pink lips apart, the smooth skin glistening with the evidence of her release. “So beautiful.”
She melted at the awe-filled note in his husky voice. He looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She knew she wasn’t tall and thin. She was a cat shifter, fluffy and furry.
Then he was tasting her cum and nothing else mattered.
He licked her hard and fast, his touch turning rougher. Soon, he was thrusting his tongue into her, drinking her release. He ate her until she was crying out with another orgasm, shaking as sparks of pleasure exploded in her blood.
Sweet heavens, how many more times could she come?
“You taste so good, Emma. So damn good.”
“Stop, Ryland. I’m going to—”
“Yeah, baby, come all over my tongue again.” Faster and faster he thrust inside her. Emma’s hips moved in time to his touch until she tipped over the edge in another cascade of pleasure.
His touch did not cease. He ate at her. She struggled against him, his touch too much. Too much. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her still. Then he was sliding up her body, his cock nestled against her black curls. He reached between their bodies and spread her lips until the hard length bumped her clit. He rubbed against her, up and down, keeping the bursts of pleasure pulsing.
When he started to push inside her, she protested. “No. My turn.”
With a suddenness that surprised him—and allowed her to make her move—Emma wrapped her legs around him and managed to flip him onto his back next to her. Untangling herself, she straddled his hips, making them both moan when her pussy settled on top of his stiff cock. She leaned forward and pressed kisses along his beautifully sculpted chest. She teased his nipples with her tongue, pleased when he groaned his pleasure. She discovered his nipples were as responsive as hers. Smiling, she drew his nipple into her mouth and sucked.
She heard the low growl seconds before his big hand cupped the back of her head and held her to him. He allowed her to pull her away, but only so she could press her mouth against his other nipple. With each touch of her mouth and tongue, she felt the tension in him rise. His masculine scent filled her nose. Her cat purred.
Hers.
They had a mate and couldn’t wait to claim him.
She ground her pussy against his cock one last time before she moved down his body. His cock, long and thick, saluted her from a thatch of light brown hair. His balls were full and heavy beneath. She slid one fingertip down the length, her shifter claws already out, thanks to the magnitude of her previous orgasms. He sucked in his breath at the slight bite of pain, but didn’t pull away. She licked delicately at the tip of his cock, tasting her juices. Wrapping her hand around him, she slowly stroked his cock, working the pre-cum from his body and spreading it over the head, mingling their essences. She felt his pulse in her hand and felt an answering pulse between her legs. She was dripping wet between her thighs, her pussy awash in need and desire. She was thoroughly turned on by his scent, the velvet heat of his penis against her tongue.
He groaned and pounded his head against the bed as her mouth surrounded him.
“Fuck, Emma. Fuck.”
She ran her tongue along the tip of his dick, feeling the smoothness, tasting the salt, pressing her tongue to the slit. She moved her mouth over him, taking him deeper and deeper with each pass. His fingers threaded through her hair, holding it away from her face so he could watch as she sucked him off.
“Yeah, baby, just like that.” He watched as his length disappeared into her mouth, the head bumping against her throat. In seconds, he was on the edge of his control. He held her head still and pounded into her mouth. Her fingers dug into the hard muscle of his thighs, the sharp tips of her claws biting into his flesh. His hips bucked as she took him deeper. She made a sound halfway between a moan and a purr. It vibrated down his length and set off his release.
He gave a shudder before his body convulsed as he emptied himself down her throat.
She continued to suck, milking him of every drop.
“Come here.” He tugged at her hair, ordering her up. She gave one last whirl of her tongue before crawling back up his body. He pulled her down for a hard, possessive kiss and their tastes mingled together.
“Mine.”
“Yours.”
Together, her cat purred.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close to him. She rubbed against him, reveling in the sensation of his hair-roughened chest against her nipples. His mouth captured hers in another hot demanding kiss. Her mate was dominating her… and she loved it. Lost in the sensation of her mate loving her, she didn’t realize he’d switched their positions until her back felt the cool temperature of the silk comforter.
Ryland braced on one arm to keep his weight off Emma. Needing to just touch her, stroked and smoothed his other hand over her breasts, the rounded softness of her belly, and the curve of her hip. He was memorizing her shape and feel. Curling his fingers, he brushed the tops of his fingers along the edge of her mound, the blac
k curls wet with her desire. “Does my mate want me?”
“Yes, Ryland.” She arched into his touch. He ran his finger along her nether lips, separating them. He positioned himself between her thighs and nudged at her wet channel with the head of his cock.
“Oh, honey…” he said, his face tightening. He entered her, giving her time to adjust to his size, her pussy to stretch and take him deep inside. He groaned once he was fully encased inside her. His possession left them both panting. He withdrew and thrust again, even slower than before, trying to ignore the dizzying rightness of being inside her. He bottomed out inside her, holding still as her cunt pulsed around him.
“Open your eyes.”
She blinked up at him, looking as dazed as he felt. Her lips parted, swollen and red. He loved the way she looked at him, as if his presence alone was all she’d ever wanted. All she would ever need. She moaned and she didn’t have to explain what she wanted. Her eyes changed from navy to gold, to navy again, ringed with gold. Her face flushed with her need.
“Take me, Emma, make me yours.” He offered himself for her mark.
She opened her mouth, touching her small fangs with the tip of her tongue. He cupped the back of her head as she sank her teeth into the muscles at the top of his shoulder.
Emma moaned at the taste of her mate’s blood flowing over her tongue. She felt his hand contract, urging her to take a much as she needed. His cock pulsed inside her, but she knew he wouldn’t spend yet. They would bond with his teeth in her, his seed flooding her womb.
She pulled back, licking the small pinpricks so they would heal. She watched him above her, as lost in the moment as she. They were joined. They were one.
“Turn over,” he ordered, his voice raw and urgent. He flipped her from her back to stomach, placing her legs on the outside of his so she was spread wide before him. He stroked his dick, enjoying the picture she made, so pink and perfect. So totally his. He leaned forward, pressing along her spine with his thumbs, tracing the twin dimples at the base, right above the generous swell of her hips. He kissed the concave spots, not at all surprised when she moaned in pleasure. He licked his way back up her body, tasting and touching. He kissed the hollow of her shoulder, then nipped the muscle at the top. Soon, soon he would mark her as his. He wanted to taste every inch of her, learn the texture of her skin. But, he was too damn horny. Later, he silently promised them both. Later.
He took himself in hand and rubbed the swollen head of his cock along the wet slit of her body. She pushed back, trying to impale herself upon him. A sharp slap to her buttocks made her jump in surprise. It didn’t stop her movements so he slapped her again. And again. The more he smacked her, the more she arched into him until they were both on the verge of release.
Too damn horny to continue their fun and games, he guided his hard length to her opening and spread his hand across her lower back, pushing her down, making her submit. Another snarl, but she complied, her body falling forward until her shoulders rested on the pillow beneath her. He pressed his cock against her pink folds, her cum-drenched pussy. Watching as he took his mate turned him into a wild beast. He growled, control lost, and his cock thrust into her.
“God, you feel so good,” he roared. “So tight. You’re so damned tight and you’re mine.”
A moan slipped past Emma’s lips. He was thick and her muscles felt stretched beyond their limits. He felt huge. Hot. Thick. But she needed more. Her cat needed more. As if knowing exactly what she needed, he thrust in and out, faster, harder. She knew what was coming next. His bite.
“Give me your throat,” he ground out, his hips pistoning against hers.
Her cat leapt forward and she tilted her head back and to the side. Submitting to her mate. She felt the hot press of his mouth seconds before the sting of his teeth as he marked her.
Ryland’s cock thickened and lengthened as he sank his fangs into Emma’s flesh. Her sweet blood flowed over his tongue as he pounded into her. With a final thrust, he exploded inside her, bonding them together.
Forever.
EPILOGUE
Ryland put the last nail in the trim around the window in the upstairs master bedroom. The house was almost finished thanks to the time his brothers had put in on the project. Emma still needed to pick out the paint colors and carpet for the bedroom. And it wasn’t a moment too soon. It had snowed last week and he wanted to have Emma in the house, safe and warm before the next snowfall.
“Hey, Ryland, it’s time to eat!”
Sliding his hammer into his leather belt he opened the window and leaned on the sash. “I’ll be down in a minute, beautiful.” Emma was walking up the drive her hand tucked into Paige’s elbow. On the other side of the very pregnant looking woman was Abigail. He smiled as the two shifters fussed over the woman carrying twins. Her stomach was already big and tight, the baby bears taking up a lot of room. He wondered where Quinn—ahh, there came the nervous dad-to-be. He smiled as his brother stomped up behind the women.
“Paige Blackwood, what do you think you’re doing?”
The women stopped at the sound of the very angry bear coming up fast behind them. Instinctively, Emma and Abigail stepped in front of the woman, protecting the weaker human. As they turned, it threw into relief their own curvy profiles. And revealed the fact that they, too, were pregnant.
He watched as Paige gave Quinn hell and the girls laughed. As he did Emma rubbed her rounded stomach and glanced up at him smiling.
He waved back and closed the window, hurrying to his mate’s side. He shook his head. In less than six months, the Blackwood clan would welcome more members. A lot more members. Quinn’s twin boys and Ryker and Abigail’s daughters. Ryker had told him of the vision he’d had when he’d mated with Abby. Ryland didn’t have the heart yet to tell him, but the other girl he’d seen in his vision wasn’t Ryland’s child. It was his. Ryker was having not one, but two girls. He smiled, thinking those girls didn’t have a chance of mating before they were thirty with Ryker for their father. He’d scare away any possible suitors.
Emma had conceived on the same night as her sister, the night the bears mated their curvy cats. No one knew yet that he and Emma were having twins, one of each, a boy and a girl. Not even Emma. While the ultrasound didn’t show two babies in Emma’s womb, he knew. He could scent them, just as he could Emma.
He was just waiting for the right time to share with his family that soon they would have three sets of twins underfoot.
Life was good. His house was almost complete. His father-in-law had moved into his apartment. The human had arrived in Atlanta, still bruised and battered looking, as soon as the wolf healer had declared him fit to travel. The human had sustained an extraordinary amount of injuries. There was no doubt the lion shifter had not intended for him to live. Again, he had underestimated the love a parent had for his children.
He knew all three Blackwood brothers would fight to the death to protect theirs.
There was even talk of his father and father-in-law going into business together, starting up a handyman service or making custom furniture. Both men, even the girls’ human father, were too young to sit back and take it easy. Bruce had already started on cribs for Quinn’s babies. Remembering that, he thought he should probably tell them just how many cribs were actually going to be needed.
He jogged up behind his mate and pulled her back in his arms, his hands automatically taking over rubbing her belly. She only did that when the babies were kicking. Almost every time, the babies stopped as soon as they felt Ryland’s touch. There was no definitive proof there was two babies growing inside her, but Ryland knew. Would it be so impossible? Emma didn’t carry a scent, who wasn’t to say, their twins wouldn’t be the same.
He’d have to ask his father-in-law after dinner tonight how he’d managed with Emma. He damn well wanted to be prepared when the time came and he knew the girls had suffered. He didn’t want that for his children.
“Paige, you aren�
�t supposed to be walking around, especially not two damn miles from house.”
Paige rolled her eyes at her mate. “You are driving me freaking crazy Quinn Blackwood. I’m walking down the driveway for Pete’s sake. A hundred yards, if that.”
“Which you aren’t supposed to be doing!” he growled, pulling her from Emma and Abigail’s hold and into his arms. Paige instantly leaned back against him and Quinn’s hands went to her extended abdomen. When they did, everyone saw the bunch and roll through the thin sweater dress she wore. Shifter babies apparently loved their father’s touch.
She winced and growled. “I love these boys, but I really, really wish they would decide to come on out just a little early and see the world.” She wasn’t due for another few months and for human babies that could mean health issues with underdeveloped lungs. For shifter babies, that wasn’t a problem. If a baby was born with any health issues, which was rare, as soon as they were born they would shift and heal themselves. If Quinn’s cubs came early, it might freak out a nurse or two, but they would be fine.
A moment later, Ryker strolled up to the group. “Hey, did I miss the memo about group belly rubbing?”
He grinned and Ryland didn’t know when he’d ever seen his brother so happy. Gone was the shadow that had always seemed to surround the bear. He was still the same grounded, hard-nosed man, but it was as if his view of the world had flipped ninety degrees into the sunlight.
The darkness had almost entirely disappeared.
Well, almost disappeared. He knew Ryker still enjoyed the richer taste of passion in the bedroom. Some nights he had to distract Emma from the moans and groans that radiated from her sister’s bedroom. Ryker had insisted that Emma and Ryland stay with them until the house was built, especially when they found out their mates were expecting.