Allure

by Christin Lovell

  “Back the hell up off my mate,” Marco roared when he couldn’t get through the crowd. A path cleared at once and he carried me through. Kuha went ahead and opened doors and elevators.

  He was right about me being his mate though. There was something in his scent that drew me to him. I smelled everyone else, but his scent alone called to me. I could pick it out of a crowd in an instant. His heartbeat was a pitter patter of recognition too. Everything about him enticed my wolf. If I wasn’t injured, I would have licked him from head to toe.

  “Don’t think because you’re a wolf I can’t read your expressions.” He smirked, humor brightening his eyes briefly. He’d been a rock until then, showing nothing but concern and compassion for me.

  I playfully nipped his bicep as Kuha opened the door to the suite.

  “I want no interruptions for the next twenty-four hours. I don’t care who it is or what it’s for. Don’t bother us.” He looked at the clock in the kitchen. “It’s 1:00 a.m. now, send up breakfast around 10:00 a.m.. Steak and eggs, milk, juice and coffee,” he ordered.

  “You got it. Take it easy, Emma,” Kuha said, roughing the top of my head before leaving us.

  Marco was right about the healing. I was already starting to close up when he laid me on the bed. A minute later he returned with a bowl of warm water and a hand towel. He cleaned my wounds and then lulled me to sleep with gentle strokes.

  I awoke feeling sore. I felt no pain, only muscle aches similar to the one you get from exercising too intensely the day before. I stretched and rolled, surprised to find I’d already shifted back. Nothing had disturbed my sleep, so I guessed it was much easier to shift back to human form.

  “Good morning, mi amor,” Marco said, staring unabashed at my naked form from the foot of the bed.

  I averted my gaze, trying to stifle a blush. “Will I always be this sore afterwards?”

  He frowned. “I’m not sure. You’re the first and only female to have done this as far as I know. We don’t usually feel sore after though.”

  “You ready to tell me what the hell you were thinking coming after us?” he asked, crossing his arms over his bare chest causing his biceps to bulge. His abs were strong and cut tight, leading down to his only attire: athletic shorts.

  “I…well, I don’t know what I was thinking. I just ran on instinct. When I realized I’d shifted and that I could go with you and maybe stop everything, I just sprinted into action.”

  “Uh-huh.” His eyes narrowed. He climbed on the bed and crawled up me in a predatory way. He stopped a few inches from my face, locking his gaze with mine. “Don’t you ever do that again. Never put yourself in harm’s way intentionally, do you understand me?”

  I shook my head lightly, agreeing only to appease him. Truth was, if my boys were ever in trouble, I wouldn’t hesitate to fight for them again and again.

  Suddenly his eyes were raking over my bare chest. He smiled predatorily as he lowered his mouth to my breast, his eyes watching my face to see my reaction.

  I gasped as he passed his tongue over the pert peak.

  His hand squeezed my right breast. “I love that you fit me perfectly in every way,” he said, palming them both at once.

  I felt the damp heat of need spread through me below. I nearly leapt off the bed when he passed his thumbs over my nipples. All I could do was stare down at him; sensations shackled me where I was. I was afraid of losing this bliss.

  His eyes focused entirely on my pleasure. I saw the shift in him when he became serious. He continued to strum my breasts as he leaned in and kissed me.

  I arched into him, sweeping my tongue across his lower lip.

  He growled lightly, as he pressed his erection into my center.

  He sighed, pulling away slightly. “I want to make love to you, and claim you, Emma.”

  I swallowed past my nerves. I knew he was the one. If I had any doubts remaining, they were squashed when I scented him last night. I wasn’t nervous about him. I was nervous about losing my virginity.

  “I’ll be gentle, mi amor. You can stop me at any time.” He feathered a trail of kisses from my cheek to my jaw line and down to my neck.

  He gazed down at me, patiently waiting for my response. He was perfect. He was everything I could ever ask for in a mate and then some. He’d done so much for me over the last few weeks, more than I believed I deserved. Somewhere along the way though, I started offering him more than appreciation. My heart formed an attachment to him; a bond spurred by the inner wolf I didn’t know I had. And now I realized I was staring into the eyes of someone I loved. I loved him for who he was, what he did, but most of all for how he loved me. He’d never said it, but I felt that he loved me. He proved it every day in the way he handled me.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  He quickly discarded his shorts and returned to me. He tickled my skin with pecks of delight all over as his fingers drew delicate lines up and down my body.

  I squirmed beneath his tease. He covered me with his strength as he took my lips. All hesitation was gone as intense passion overtook his moves. His lips were soft, but his pressure was overwhelming.

  I ran my hands up his abs, spreading them over his chest. I passed a finger back and forth over his small, tight nipples eroding his control.

  He took a deep, sharp breath. “Em, sweetie, I can’t be gentle when you do things like that. I’m fighting every instinct in me right now so I don’t hurt you. Just let me take care of you right now, okay?”

  “Okay.” I said, tucking my arms slightly underneath me.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” he asked, nipping and sucking the side of my neck as he worked my breasts.

  “Um, not today,” I stuttered. Pleasure tingled through me. I lifted and pressed my hips into him, his cock sliding through my folds against my clit. I panted at the elated sensation that rippled through my pussy.

  He slowly slid down me, kissing the skin he came across. He kissed my inner thighs, running his nose along them, inhaling me. He expelled a low growl that almost came out like a purr. He looked up at me as he spread me open. He drew his tongue over me. I bucked, but he held me down at my hips.

  “Mine,” he growled. He pulled me too him, covering my clit with a direct assault.

  His tongue lapped over me profusely, causing an intense yearning to burn through me. The pressure was mounting quickly. I was seeking an invisible peak. I nudged into him. He roughly squeezed my hips and began sucking my clit.

  I immediately cried out, splintering into a thousand shuddering pieces of powerful pleasure as warmth creamed from me. I was gasping by the time he pulled away. I knew, had I needed to stand, I wouldn’t have been able to hold myself up in that moment.

  “That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen a woman do,” he said, pressing a kiss to my lips.

  I cupped his face and pulled him too me, our tongues restlessly entwining. I loved the taste of him. I couldn’t get enough of him. I couldn’t get close enough to him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, gently rubbing against him.

  “Oh, God, you’re going to be the death of me,” he groaned. He sat back, gazing down at me as he stroked himself. “You can still back out. I don’t want you to do anything you might regret,” he offered.

  “I could never regret anything I did with you,” I replied. “I…” I couldn’t say those three words yet. I guess that was the last bit of self-preservation I had, but I couldn’t put myself out there completely yet. “I care about you.”

  His eyes narrowed. He stopped dead in his tracks. “At some point, you’re going to have to let go. I’ll be damned if you spend your whole life an inch from the edge.”

  I narrowed my eyes in return.

  He smirked, coming down over me again as he stole a kiss. He drew back and looked directly into my eyes. “I love you, Emma. Whether we make love or not, whether you marry me or not, I love you.”

  A lump formed in my throat. “I love you too.”

  I lifted up off t
he bed a bit to kiss him. Knees bent and legs spread outwards I reached my hand down between us and gripped him. He hissed, jerking into my hand. I stroked him as I feathered kisses along his flexing jawline. I heard him grinding his teeth, fighting to retain control.

  “You really are going to be the death of me,” he bit out.

  I squeezed him, rubbing my thumb over the head, spreading his pre-come. He growled and threw my hands up over my head. He held both wrists in one hand as he lightly snarled.

  He closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths as he situated himself at my entrance. “Oh, God, you’re so warm and wet,” he groaned. I saw him pull back a bit, his entire body stiff with wavering restraint. He gazed down at me, his eyes glowing on and off as he centered himself again. “Stop me if you need to, okay?”

  “Okay.” I swallowed hard. My heart beat a chaotic pattern as excitement and anxiety dueled within me. I wanted this. I wanted him forever. But the unknown would always be something many feared.

  He slowly pushed the head of his member into me. It felt strange. I could feel my skin being stretched to accommodate him. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t comfortable.

  I scrunched my features feeling the first bit of stinging as he slid in a little deeper.

  My breathing became harsher; I bit my lower lip, trying to cope with the new sensation.

  He brought his free hand to my clit, running his thumb over it to lubricate me. He pushed in a bit more and I hissed as the stinging gave way to burning. I took a couple of deep breaths.

  “I’m sorry, mi amor.” My heart melted at his pained expression. He was trying to be so gentle.

  I tried to offer him a small smile, but was too uncomfortable. “Can you just do it all at once?” My brows were furrowed as I fought the urge to jerk away from him.

  He covered my mouth with his and in one swift move shoved himself into me. We both released a cry, muffled in a kiss. Tears spilled over as the stinging returned with the feverish burning. It felt like someone had ripped me open and stuffed me to the brink. I was sure I’d need stitches after.

  “Are you okay, mi amor?” He stroked me soothingly, holding still below to allow me time to adjust.

  “Yeah,” I replied breathlessly. I closed my eyes as my body adjusted to the sudden invasion. He wiped away my tears and kissed my cheeks.

  “I need to start moving, mi amor. That’s the only way it’ll get better.”

  I nodded.

  He started to slowly rock within me. It was an irritating sensation at first as the burning continued. But as his stride increased, the pleasure slowly began to override the pain. He kissed me roughly, his hand weaving and tugging gently on my hair. “God, you feel so good. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out. You’re so damn tight.” He spoke through gritted teeth. He fingered my clit and sucked a nipple into his mouth trying to bring me to the peak before he did.

  I cried out, arching into him, riding up to meet his gyrations. Slowly, the pressure began to build. It was more intense; the peak took more effort to reach than before, as if it was further out of reach.

  He switched breasts, sending a jolt of pleasure through me.

  I squirmed beneath him throwing my head back into the pillow. Too many sensations were stunning my body.

  Without warning he doubled his speed. “Oh, God.” I inhaled swiftly, my pulse pounding in rhythm with him. He’d nearly thrown me over the edge.

  “Give it to me, mi amor,” he ordered, pounding into me. His finger continued to work my clit as he switched breasts again. That was all I needed.

  I called for him as I went over, my eyes nearly rolling into the back of my head, my lids half-closed and arms stretched above me as such a concentrated pleasure whipped through me. My legs shook around him as goose bumps covered my skin.

  He picked up his pace and, with a roar so loud the walls shook, he came. In the same second, he bit down on the skin between my neck and shoulder sending me into another orgasm as a fresh pleasure surged through me.

  I gasped, unable to even cry out as I fluttered around him. I was still trembling when he stopped moving. One final aftershock rippled through me before I collapsed back on the bed panting.

  He leaned down and licked the fresh mark before nuzzling my neck above it. “You’re so damn sexy when you come.”

  I just lay there. I couldn’t even muster up the strength to respond. I’d never felt so utterly exhausted yet so utterly satisfied in my life. I never imagined such gratification even existed.

  Marco lifted me and slid the covers from under us. After he’d filled me to max capacity, I felt empty without him inside me. He pulled me to him and wrapped me tightly against him before covering us up.

  I nuzzled his chest, inhaling his sweet scent. It was intoxicating. I pressed a kiss over his heart. “I love you.”

  “I love you more than you could ever imagine, mi amor.”

  —

  Chapter Eighteen

  I awoke feeling more aches and pains than I was prepared for. “Ouch,” I groaned as I slowly slid into a sitting position. I stretched my body along the way trying to work out some of the stiffness, but it was no help.

  Marco opened the bedroom door. “Good morning, mi amor. I was beginning to think you would never wake up.” The moment he saw me, his brows furrowed. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay.” I shrugged, wincing at the pain that spread through my shoulders.

  “Liar.” he chuckled. “Come eat. I’ll get you some Ibuprofen.”

  “Okay.” I waited until he left to struggle out of bed. I was now aware of places I didn’t even know existed on my body. It felt like every muscle had swelled and every movement was rubbing them against something. I required extra effort to do the most basic thing like get out of bed. While it felt good to stretch and move, it was a double-edged sword in that it hurt to do it.

  So much for weres never being sore. That is one part fiction got wrong.

  I donned a robe and slowly limped out to the dining table covered with an array of foods and pastries to choose from. A large bouquet of flowers dominated the setting. I stopped short at the velvet blue box in the middle of my plate. I picked it up, running my fingers over the lid.

  “Open it.” I jumped at the sound of his voice. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  “Open it,” he repeated, setting the medicine down on the table in front of me.

  I squeezed the lid and pulled it open. My mouth parted at the ring inside. A traditional cut blue sapphire, at least three carats, sat in the center of the ring with smaller diamonds lining the top of the band.

  He took the box from me and dropped down on one knee. “Emma, mi amor, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  I couldn’t suppress my smile. Tears stung my eyes as everything I’d wanted, all I’d ever dreamed of as a littler girl had finally come to fruition. I had a father, brothers, a large family full of love and laughter. I had a home to live in, to create my own family within. But, best of all, I finally had my knight in shining armor. He couldn’t go back in time and rescue me then, but I had no doubt that he would every day of my forever, should I need him.

  I shook my head, biting my lip to contain my tears. “Yes.” I crushed my lips to his, wrapping my arms tightly around him. He grabbed my rear, lifting me up with him. He gently set me back down to slide the ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit. I kissed him again, glowing with excitement.

  He pulled out my chair for me. “So what date are you thinking?” he asked.

  “I, uh…I don’t know. I’ve never planned a wedding.” I laughed, wiping at my eyes.

  “How about September? Not too hot but not cold yet either.” He sat down and gathered my left hand in his right. He smoothed his thumb across the back of my hand.

  I met his gaze. Wonderment enraptured me. This felt like a fairy tale, one I hoped to never escape. “That sounds good, but please promise me that we won’t do anything big or over the top.”

/>   “You do know that Wilma is in our pack right? And that Cherry is your sister-in-law?”

  “What do they have to do with anything?”

  “They sent this huge bouquet of flowers congratulating us on our claiming and said they were already hard at work planning our wedding.”

  “Oh, God. Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “Afraid not, mi amor. I guess the ladies hit it off pretty well.”

  “Well, good for them. Bad for your wallet, but good for them.”

  “I don’t care about money. I’d give up every last cent I had to make you happy.”

  I beamed. “You spoil me.”

  “I know, but I like to.” He kissed my ring finger. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  —

  The next six months were a whirlwind. Roman took over Ryan’s pack. It was a full time job in itself to heal them of the abuse they were previously subjected to, but he was doing a wonderful job. We closed on the houses, and during the summer, held several mixer parties in the barn. It was nice to have family nearby, and my dad and brothers visited at least once a month since school prevented me from going there. I never asked what happened to Sarah, Ryan or my mother. Truthfully, I didn't care to know. It wouldn’t change the love I had now.

  One of the people I loved and enjoyed getting to know better was Cherry. She was probably the most genuine person I’d met. Her, Wilma and I spent many Friday evenings in the diner chatting past closing about babies, weddings and more. They pretty much took over the wedding planning going with the fall color scheme of burnt orange, dark yellows and reds. I didn’t mind though. Everything was coming along beautifully.

  I started college in the summer since Marco refused to let me return to “mundane work,” as he called it. I was okay with that since school and the pack kept me busy. Marco was amused at how I’d found my voice and whipped the younger ones into shape. Every Saturday we did laundry and cleaned both houses. Whoever did the best was rewarded with having me as their partner in a game of dirty scrabble. It’d become a ritual even the older pack members and their mates got in on. Best part for me was Marco would pick his favorite word I played that day and later we did something surrounding it.