by Leah Kent
And yet it wasn't enough. Pinned as she was, Gabriel had all of the control. Victoria longed to thrust back against him and to meet his passion with equal enthusiasm. The arms around his neck loosened.
"Take me to bed and take me hard," Victoria whispered into his ear. The stiff huff of air that left his lungs was her reward; Gabriel was driven wild. The thrusting stopped and he pulled out, but she was given no time to lament his absence. From her position against the shower wall, Gabriel lifted her into his arms and carried her, bridal style, from the running shower and into the bedroom. Puddles of water marked their passage.
Like a movie star about to bed down with his love interest, Gabriel tossed Victoria onto the bed and crawled over her, wasting no time in sliding a knee between her thighs to assure they stayed parted. Now that he'd had a taste, he wasn't willing to stop. Victoria loved his savage dominance.
Gabriel moved into position and lifted her hips to angle her sex. Then their bodies met again. His length reclaimed her and pressed deep, and Victoria moaned and arched her back. In this position his heavy balls slapped her ass, and the sound of them marked each insistent thrust. The thought had occurred to her that he wasn't using a condom, but as quickly as it had troubled her, the worry had faded from her mind. No matter what happened, Gabriel had sworn to protect her. She would not deny him this pleasure.
"You want it hard?" Gabriel asked her. He grit his teeth as he spoke, working so hard to hold himself back. Although he pumped fast, he had been tender and sweet towards her. Victoria knew that the lion inside of him had much more to offer.
"Yeah, I do. Hard. Give it to me!" And to mark her point, she grabbed what she could of the short hair on the back of his head and tugged. Gabriel let out a shuddering sigh, and then his countenance changed. The softness faded and the predator emerged, hungry for her body. Here before her, lurking behind Gabriel’s eyes, was the King — the lion who had saved her.
The thrusts that followed were unpredictable and harsh. Gabriel slammed into her body, the head of his cock seeking her cervix with greed. Sinking in deep and spilling his seed was all that mattered, and Victoria found herself caught up in the frenzy. She bucked and thrust back, riding the cock that pillaged her. Excitement throbbed in her clit and choked her lungs, and before long she was crying out in pleasure and gasping for breath. There was no more holding back; she mated with her intended as he worked her as deeply as he could to claim her as his forever.
The wild, breathless coupling lasted forever, and yet it lasted for no time at all. Exhausted, winded, yet greedy for more, Victoria had never had sex this good. And when Gabriel caught her wrists in his strong hands and pinned them above her head, holding her to the mattress, she knew it was about to get better.
He rutted wild inside of her, the sharp slap of his balls against her skin punctuating their passion. Pinned as she was, Victoria was no longer able to meet his thrusts. Instead, she had to take them and feel each one in full. And when one particularly deep thrust did not see him pull back, she knew it was time.
Hot cum flooded her sex as his cock twitched and pulsed. Victoria could feel it coat her walls and meet her cervix, and she knew that her King had shot his seed to knock her up. Gabriel moaned low in his throat and dropped his head, but still the cum flowed forth. Victoria had never been with a man whose load had been so plentiful. The thick member that had invaded her continued to throb inside of her, and finally she could take it no more. With a breathy moan Victoria's sex tightened and fluttered around him, her own orgasm setting in. She milked the seed from his cock, inviting it deeper, as warmth rushed through her and fire spread across her cheeks. The heat was welcome.
"Oh god, Victoria," Gabriel breathed. He dropped down on top of her, letting his arms support the bulk of his weight. They shared a lazy kiss, and then Gabriel withdrew from her and rolled onto his back. Both of them panted to reclaim their breath. The coupling had been intense, but it had been exactly what she'd wanted. Earlier that week Victoria had met the man, and now she also knew the lion that lurked beneath.
"So does that mean that we're, um..."
"Mates?" Gabriel asked. He turned his head towards her and grinned, blue eyes sparkling with adoration. "Yeah. That means we're mates. Looks like you're stuck with me."
Victoria held back a grin in response and shook her head.
"Yeah," the words were sarcastic, "oh woe is me. The most amazing guy I've ever met just committed himself to me. What am I to do?"
Gabriel laughed. Victoria remembered how forlorn he'd looked staring up into space on the patio back at the Ambrogio, and found his laughter much more attractive. As he had promised to take care of her and protect her, she would care for him. If she had any say about it, there'd be no more sorrow. But lips upon hers drew her from her thoughts. Gabriel had taken her into his strong arms.
Eventually they moved back to her room, and the rest of the night was spent wrapped up in each other, either talking or enjoying each other's bodies. Now that the misunderstanding had been sorted out and the truth had been revealed, there was nothing but joy.
But truth had not visited Gabriel and Victoria uniquely that night. In the darkness of the early morning, two figures met — one handsome, one beautiful.
"It's not like a Liston to run around on a girl. They're uptight, proud creatures. Are you sure?"
"I've never been surer," Lewis replied. "She reeked of him, Jessica. And when he burst through the door he didn't even hesitate before he jumped me."
Jessica paused, running her tongue along her teeth in thought. Finally, her narrowed gaze landed on Lewis.
"So what are we going to do about this? I see this as an opportunity."
"As do I," Lewis grinned. "If you follow me and do as I say, the mighty King will fall. We've got this in the bag, Jessica. We're good as gold."
Jessica's lips twitched into a mischievous grin, and she shook her head in amusement.
"Of course I will follow you. You haven't been King for long, but you'd make father proud, I know. We're in this together, Lewis. I'm not backing down for anything."
When the sun did rise on the new day, nothing had visibly changed, but nothing would ever be quite the same as it had been before.
The Lion’s Queen
Candice Parker
Island Cove Publishing © 2016
Get a Free Copy of Collared From Island Cove Publishing
Sign up to be informed of New Releases, Excerpts, Special Offers and Freebies
http://islandcovepublishing.com/newsletter
Disclaimer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarities to any people living or dead, is purely coincidental and is not intended by this author.
The use of stock photos in the making of this book no way implies that the models condone, endorse or participate in the fictitious conduct that is within this book, by implication or expressly. The person(s) depicted are models and used for illustrative purposes only.
The book is for sale to only mature audiences. It may contain sexually explicit content with vulgar language which may be considered offensive to some readers. Please be responsible with where you store this book.
Chapter One
It had to be late morning. Radiant light poured through the basement windows of Gabriel Liston's bedroom and warmed Victoria's skin. Beneath the heavy blankets she shifted, cocooning herself in warmth. For the first time in a very long time she felt safe and at peace.
"V," a warm masculine voice whispered from a close distance. Victoria smiled, but did not yet open her eyes. Sleep still clung to
her, her limbs heavy and her mind fogged with it. Simple pleasures like this had to be what heaven felt like, and Gabriel was the angel she'd been waiting for.
When she did not reply, the weight upon the bed shifted. Gabriel's solid frame shifted across the mattress and drew her into his strong arms. His skin was warm and his touch gentle, but she knew the power behind it.
"It's morning," Gabriel whispered against her ear. Victoria breathed in deeply and pushed back against his chest, savoring the toned body she now called hers. "I want to take you out for breakfast."
A week had passed since their first date and the frightful events that had followed. It was a night Victoria knew she would never forget. When Gabriel's good guy image had crumbled before her eyes in light of the news he was engaged, Victoria never would have thought that she'd find herself back in his bed. But after Gabriel had come to win back her heart and explain himself only to find her held hostage, her opinion on him had changed. That night Gabriel really had been her guardian angel. He'd fought tooth and nail for her liberty and safety, and by doing so had revealed his true lion shifter roots. Victoria had never thought that a creature so bizarre could have existed, and yet here she was, settled down next to her lion protector. And she had become his mate.
Being a mate was apparently a big deal, but Victoria didn't really understand the magnitude just yet. Gabriel talked about The Bond with such excitement and reverence that it seemed near divine.
"It's like being married without being married," Gabriel had told her the next morning after he'd saved her from the bizarre kidnapping. "The Bond is a union between two souls that were meant to be. There will never be another girl who will rival you in my eyes, V. You're the one for me."
And yet it wasn't quite like being married. There was no ring on her finger, and although Victoria had no reason to want to stray, there was nothing that prevented her from doing so that she knew of. Gabriel made her feel things she'd never felt before, made her smile just by being near, but if that was all The Bond was she thought he might as well have called it love.
"But It's not love," he'd objected. "I mean, love is a part of The Bond, but it's more than that. I don't know how to explain it to you; no mortal has ever formed a Bond with a shifter before, so I don't know how you'll experience it. It's different V, and it's different for every couple. I wish I could make you understand."
If being unable to fully understand the depth of the connection between them was the biggest struggle they'd face as a couple, Victoria considered herself lucky. But somehow she felt as though it was the least of their worries.
"What time is it?" she asked, voice creaking with sleep.
"Almost ten," Gabriel whispered back. "I've been up since seven, waiting for you. It's a beautiful morning. Let me treat you to Sidelines and take care of you today."
Sidelines. Gabriel had spoken of the little breakfast restaurant fondly over the last few days, and Victoria smiled. Bit by bit they were sharing their lives with each other, and she valued the give and take. When she'd lived with Peter everything had been about him, but with Gabriel there was equilibrium.
"Yeah," Victoria murmured, cracking an eye open for the first time. The bedroom was bathed in natural light, the curtains parted. The window peeped out across the back yard. "Just let me shower and get dressed, and then we'll go."
Gabriel pressed a sweet kiss to the back of her neck and withdrew his arm from around her to give her the freedom to move. Victoria took a moment to stretch and wake her relaxed limbs, then rose and padded barefoot across the floor to Gabriel's bathroom. She was naked, but for once in her life she wasn't self-conscious about how she looked. Gabriel loved every one of her curves and loved how soft she felt against him, and after years of being put down by her ex, Peter, Victoria was starting to believe him.
As if to confirm her trust in her self-confidence, Gabriel turned on the bed to watch her go. When her back was to him she couldn't help but grin; just being around Gabriel made her feel good, and she wondered if he knew what he did to her.
Victoria closed the bathroom door and ran the water until it was heated before activating the shower. Beads of water sprayed from the head, and she stepped into the stall. The bathroom wasn't luxurious, but it was much better than the one she'd used the week before. Motel life wasn't for her, she'd decided. When Gabriel had asked her to stay with him in his basement apartment, Victoria hadn't been able to refuse. If he hadn't offered, her next step was to ask her parents if she could come back home. That was a new level of shame she wasn't prepared for.
Through the frosted glass door, Victoria saw movement. The bathroom door had opened and a familiar figure had entered. Tall, broad with muscle, Gabriel crossed the bathroom floor and slid the shower door open. He, too, was naked. Victoria's eyes traveled down his body, returning the gaze he'd fixed her with as she'd left the bedroom. Gabriel was a soldier and it showed; his arms were corded with muscle and his chest was defined. A tight stomach exposed his abs, and his thighs were toned and designed for running. How much of his body was shaped thanks to the lion and how much of it was thanks to the soldier she wasn't sure, but however it broke down, Victoria wasn't complaining. Gabriel was far from hard on the eyes, and she felt like she'd never get tired of looking at him.
"Well, hello there," she greeted him, grinning. Her eyes flicked up to catch his. Gabriel had the most soulful blue eyes she'd had the fortune of looking into. His jawline was broad and sharp, strikingly masculine. Presently dark blonde stubble stretched across it; it had brushed against the back of her neck when he'd kissed her, wonderfully coarse. The blonde hair he kept short atop his head was softer and lighter in color. Despite his looks, one aspect of Gabriel drew her attention and kept it: the thick member between his legs had begun to stiffen and stand at attention for her. "Imagine meeting you here."
Gabriel grinned, stepping into the shower after her. One of his hands traced down her side to settle on her back just above her ass, possessive and flirtatious. Warm water washed between them as he drew their bodies close, letting Victoria feel just how excited she made him. The very first time they'd coupled had been beneath the warm water of a shower, and now the act of him joining her here felt sacred. This was their beginning.
"I heard there might be a beautiful girl alone in here in need of a man to protect her while she showered," Gabriel replied, the grin still parting his lips. "I had hoped it would be you, and I wasn't disappointed. You can bathe without fear, ma'am. The Liston King is here to look after your virtue."
"Virtue," Victoria laughed. She shook her head and ran a hand down Gabriel's chest, returning his grin. "I think I need a little less virtue, Mr. Liston. Why don't you come a little closer and we'll see just how much virtue we can shed? What do you say?"
Gabriel's erection continued to harden. He pulled her that much closer, letting it press against her stomach. Victoria gasped softly, the sound inaudible against the rushing water. He took her breath away with his dominance and his strength.
"I say—"
"Gabriel?" The voice cut through the room, even above the patter of water against the tile floor. Victoria and Gabriel sighed in unison, the tension between them broken. There was no mistaking that voice — Finneus was here.
"Gabriel, are you showering? We have matters to discuss."
For as much as Victoria appreciated what Finneus did for them, the man was always quick to rub her the wrong way. Pushy, manipulative, and cunning, Finneus had been the one who had pushed her away from Gabriel before, and Victoria wasn't sure she'd forgiven him for it yet. But he was also Gabriel's cousin and one of his best friends, and he'd given them a place to live. The basement apartment was connected with the main house, and although Victoria and Gabriel did not wander up into Finneus' home, he had no problem strolling casually into their living space. She'd lived there for a little less than a week, and already he'd walked in on them naked. Gabriel had laughed it off, but Gabriel wasn't the one who'd been told he was fat and undesirable h
is whole life. Victoria hadn't forgiven the intrusion so easily.
"Yeah, give me a sec to rinse off, Finn," Gabriel called back. Victoria felt herself bristle. They'd just made plans, but whatever Finneus needed seemed to take priority. As much as she considered Gabriel hers, matters of the pride always took priority. That, above all else, would take some adjusting to. As their King, Gabriel was expected to rule. Sometimes that meant that he'd have to disappoint her.
"I'll meet you in the kitchen," Finneus said in parting. Victoria did not hear his footsteps, but knew him to be gone. He did not ever remain in their apartment longer than he had to since the naked incident.
Once they were left alone, Gabriel turned his attention back to her. Victoria knew he could see the displeasure on her face, because he frowned apologetically.