“What’s your name?”
“Zoe Shannon Vaughn. What’s yours?”
“Cash Pyrate,” he answered automatically.
Silence descended again for a few minutes. The itchy, unsettled feeling that had been growing in Cash over the last months drained away with each step he took with his mate in his arm. Then a disturbing thought raced through his mind.
“Why did you marry the king when you two aren’t mates?”
Zoe lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him as they moved from the forest into the backyard of the Pyrate family’s ancestral home. She did not answer his question, but posed one of her own instead.
“So, Cash Pyrate, are you planning to claim me as your mate right here and now or make me wait?”
Stunned by her question, Cash stopped walking and just looked at the woman in his arms. “But you’re married to the king,” he whispered. “What the fuck am I doing, trying to claim another man’s wife as my mate?”
Before she could respond, the king’s Betas blocked his path to the kitchen door. The two men stood shoulder to shoulder and crossed muscular arms over equally muscular chests. They formed a human wall that Cash refused to attempt to break through while carrying his mate in his arms.
“King Luka wants to speak with you,” the one on the right said with an impressive growl to his tone.
“Now,” the other one added before Cash could offer to meet with the king tomorrow afternoon, after he had spent some serious time claiming his mate.
Chapter 2
Zoe wanted to argue, but she suspected Luka was up to something. Knowing the king as well as she did, it probably had something to do with Cash not publically claiming her. At least not until the king found the woman who would take her place.
When the man holding her tensed and held her even tighter, she patted his chest to calm him. “Put me down, please,” she said calmly.
He looked at her but did not make a move to release her. Feeling a completely improper urge, given the circumstances, Zoe leaned up and kissed him. It was a very proper first kiss, lasting only a handful of heartbeats, but as the seconds ticked by, she could feel the ties between them grow stronger.
When she broke the connection, he tried to follow and kiss her again. Heat and hunger filled his eyes, causing them to appear more green than brown. Though wanting nothing more than to continue making out with her handsome mate-to-be, Zoe forced herself to turn her head away. Just then Luke came into view, along with the rest of their welcoming committee. Luka moved at his normal, leisurely pace, as if unconcerned that Cash was ready to take her right here and now without a care as to who was present.
“Cash, please. Put me down,” Zoe said again as she eased her arms from around his neck.
Cash frowned but did as she requested. Even after she found her footing on the warm patio stones, he did not step away. Instead, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his side, clearly staking his claim.
“You wished to speak to me, Your Highness?” He addressed the king with an unmistakable note of disdain in his voice.
Cash’s arousal, anger, and fear tightened her own chest. The hand on her shoulder squeezed, as if he were fighting an urge to attack the man who was keeping him from his mate. Sliding her arm around his back, she began to run her palm up and down his spine, hoping to calm him. The last thing they need right now was for Cash to piss Luka off with his mating madness.
Instead of answering, Luka turned his attention to her. “Are you all right, my dear?”
Zoe nodded with what she hoped was a serene smile, though the hand on her shoulder tightened even further, causing her to fight an instinctive need to move away from the pain. She had a feeling there would be bruises there later in the shapes of his fingers.
“I’m fine, Your Highness.”
When his expression went blank, she knew he did not believe her. If she did not calm Cash down and fast, things could get very nasty very quickly. Sliding her hand down Cash’s back, she continued over the back of his jeans and between his legs. She slid her fingers far enough between his legs to distract him, but not so far that anyone else would figure out what she was doing. Feeling the bulge of his sac, she pressed two fingertips up and into it.
Cash sucked in a sharp breath and froze. As she continued to rub against his balls, he shifted, moving his legs closer together and trapping Zoe’s hand between them. Her mound warmed and tingled as if her mate-to-be reached over and had cupped his hand over it. Her pussy clenched, and her juices began to flow. When her inner thighs grew damp and she began to smell her own arousal, Zoe wished she wore panties on a more regular basis.
With a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on Luka. The king appeared amused, as if he knew what a sticky situation she had fallen into.
“Zoe is my personal advisor and my wife. I depend on her counsel regarding many issues, both public and private. Over the years we have been together, she has become indispensable to me and, by extension, to all those I rule over.”
“Uh-huh,” Cash said, sounding unimpressed and more than a little distracted. “But she is not your mate, so why did you marry her?”
When her fingers pressed harder against the back of his balls, he took a deep breath and changed his tone slightly. “Zoe is my mate. My claim on her trumps yours in the shifter world. You are going to have to divorce her and find yourself another advisor, Your Highness.”
Zoe did not know if it was Cash’s words or his snarky tone that upset Luka more. The king pulled in a sharp breath and stiffened. She knew he was ready to call out the man beside her for a knock-down, drag-out fight that could leave her without a mate.
Knowing she needed to stop them before blood covered the ground, she pulled away from Cash and stepped between them. Cash may have been bigger and stronger, but Luka had a dozen or more years of experience in his favor.
* * * *
When Zoe stepped away from his side, Cash felt her loss immediately and wanted to jerk her back. Before he could, Goldie moved to stand beside her. His cousin glared at him, her Alpha in full power mode. “She is not your mate yet, and I suggest you change your tone. Now.”
“But, Goldie,” Cash began, but snapped his jaw shut when her frown deepened and her eyes flashed amber.
“We all understand that you and Queen Zoe are mates, but she has a prior commitment to King Luka. Until he releases her from that, you will not interfere with her duties or claim her as your mate. Understand?”
Put that way, Cash had to agree. After huffing a sigh, he reluctantly nodded. Goldie then turned to the king. “Is that a satisfactory solution to you, Your Highness?”
“Yes, but I have conditions on their mating.”
“Conditions? On me? Claiming my own mate? You have got to be kidding.”
Though she did not say anything, Goldie shot Cash a look that had him once again snapping his jaw closed. Instead, he ground his teeth. She watched him for another few seconds before gesturing toward the French doors that led directly into the library.
“I think we should take this conversation inside before the mosquitoes carry us away,” she said.
Cash stepped back and watched the king speak quietly to his Betas. He then waved Silver and Goldie into the little circle and continued speaking. There was a lot of head bobbing before Silver handed Zoe her shoes. Then he turned and motioned for the Betas to follow him. They disappeared around the side of the house to the gate that was the most direct route to the village.
Once his men were out of sight, Luka offered Zoe his arm. Cash ground his molars together so hard he was amazed they did not shatter under the pressure, as his mate took the king’s arm without a peek in his direction. Goldie then led the way inside, leaving Cash alone and miserably aroused on the patio. It took several long, deep breaths before Cash got himself back under control.
Entering the library less than a minute later, Cash scanned the room as he always did, assessing the situation i
n regards to potential threats to his Alpha as he had been trained to do since arriving on the island eighteen years ago. He had only been seven years old at the time, but Grandfather had seen something in him that screamed, I am Beta, just as he had seen that Goldie was to be his replacement as Alpha of the Pyrate Pack.
Goldie stood in the doorway speaking with his sister, Diamond, no doubt asking for iced tea or drinks to be brought. Zoe and King Luka were in the far corner of the room holding a soft but intense conversation. His mate did not look happy. Cash fought an urge to race to her side and step in.
What intrigued Cash even more was that the king seemed unable to take his eyes from his sister the entire time she was in the room. Once she disappeared to the hallway, he walked to where she had stood and took a deep breath. Interesting.
He jumped when Goldie took him by the arm and led him to the nearest couch. Without words but with an expression that said he would do as she commanded, she pointed to the far end of the couch. With a disgruntled huff, Cash sat down, but he could not look away from Zoe, as she seemed to be lecturing the king about something. Without meaning to, he listened in but could not understand a word of what she was saying, as it was in some foreign language.
A moment later, King Luka took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. He looked sad but resigned as he nodded. Obviously, whatever she said had gotten through to him.
A moment later, Diamond returned with a tray of tall glasses filled with ice, and a pitcher of iced tea. A deep growl filled the room at her appearance. It was not a threatening growl, so Cash did not immediately respond. Especially since Goldie stopped in front of him and blocked his view of the king.
Since he could not see his mate or her husband, he watched his sister. She was the youngest and most protected of the six cousins, and if he had his way, she would remain that way until she met her mate.
Diamond looked around, her eyes going wide, and she paled. She never stopped looking in the direction of where King Luka stood. He thought she shivered before setting the tray in her hand down on the first table she came to and quickly retreating.
The growling ceased as quickly as it had begun once the door was closed behind her.
Zoe left the king’s side and crossed the room with a sensuous grace that had Cash’s cock once again pushing hard at the front of his jeans. He watched closely as she came to him and sat down on the couch right beside him.
“Relax, mate,” she said, patting his knee. “Everything will be fine.”
“But you’re married,” he pointed out.
“All is not as it appears,” she responded cryptically as she ran her fingertips up the inseam of his jeans.
Cash turned his head to question her, but looking in her eyes caused the connection between brain and mouth to short out. Instead of speaking, he grunted a disbelieving, “Uh-huh.”
“You’re not much of a talker, are you?”
Cash shrugged but laid his hand over hers, where it had stopped just inches from his scrotum. “Prefer action to words.”
He met her gaze with a grin and saw that Zoe wanted to respond, but before she could, King Luka settled into the overstuffed club chair facing them over the coffee table. He still did not look happy, but at least he no longer looked like he wanted to challenge Cash to a fight to the death. He slouched back in the chair, appearing once again at ease, yet completely aware of everything that was going on in the room.
“Zoe has convinced me to step back and not dispute you claiming her as your mate,” he began. “But until another comes along, I may need to consult with her on occasion. We will work out the marriage versus mating issues later, once Zoe has made up her mind as to whether or not she will accept you as her mate.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Cash said with a nod, though the hand not laying on Zoe’s closed into a fist to keep himself restrained. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to take my mate for a walk and get to know her better.”
The king nodded and waved a hand in dismissal. “Just remember there will be no claiming of your mate until she asks you for it, and preferably after we talk again.”
Though Cash wanted to disagree, he simply stood and helped Zoe to her feet.
After nodding to the King Luka and then to Goldie, Cash led his mate from the library. Only when they reached the front door did he stop. Suddenly he was nervous about being able to maintain control once they were alone. How far could he push the boundaries without claiming her or pissing off the king?
Turning to face the woman who had followed him without hesitation or question, he looked into her eyes. The peace he saw in them seemed to leap out of her and into him, filling him as well.
“Zoe?”
“Yes, Cash.”
“I’m not royalty. I’m not rich. I doubt I ever will be. I like my life here on Pyrate Island. If we have to follow the king around for a while until he finds your replacement, I guess I can do that. I’ll put up with anything as long as I know you’re happy. Question is, will you be happy with me?”
Cash froze once he finished speaking, amazed at how much he had revealed in just a few words. Never before had he emotionally exposed himself to anyone like he just had to this woman he had just met, but already knew he would spend the rest of his life loving.
* * * *
Zoe read not only Cash’s expression, but felt the truth that resonated from his heart to her own. He would be content as long as she was. If there was one thing that she had learned from being surrounded by shifters for the past ten years, it was that mates were highly prized and treasured. Her own heart sang, confirming this was the man she had been waiting her entire life for. Cash Pyrate was her other half.
The smile she had been wearing since recognizing Cash for the mate he was widened even further. “Yes, Cash, I’m fine with all of this. The fates have brought us together to spend our lives together for a reason. Whether we are here on Pyrate Island or somewhere else doesn’t matter, as long as we are together.”
“But what about you being married?”
“Don’t worry about that. Luka and I have an understanding.”
Though he looked stunned by her easy acceptance of being mates, she felt his heartbeat speed up. A moment later, the front of his jeans twitched and tented with what appeared to be an impressive erection. She could not wait to see him naked. In the next instant, she wondered if he would be disappointed when he discovered her secret. When she lifted her gaze back to his face, she found he looked as hungry and horny as she felt.
Raising one eyebrow, she licked her lips nervously, earning a deep, sexy growl from her mate-to-be. “How about we postpone our tour of the village until later?” she said in a tone just above a whisper.
“What would you like to do instead?” he asked. From the twinkle in his eyes and the sexy grin on his lips, he had to know exactly what she was thinking.
Zoe’s heart began to gallop as she tried to remember any of the pickup lines from the erotic romance books she had read over the past few years. As a well-protected married virgin, she had a lot of book knowledge about sex but no practical hands-on experience. Then she realized she would not be able to play sexual games with Cash. First because she did not know how to, and second, because they had already moved way past the stage of flirting and sexual innuendos.
“I thought you could give me a tour of the house instead? Or maybe you could just kiss me?”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Zoe flinched and closed her eyes with embarrassment. Her tone had not been flirtatious or sexy or anything like she wanted it to sound like. She sounded as if kissing Cash would be a chore she would somehow try to get through, when she knew from looking at the man’s mouth that it would be anything but a hardship.
Her eyes flew open again when Cash gave another sexy growl before stepping closer and closing the small distance between them. She did not fight when he wrapped his arms around her, though by the dark, intense expression in his eyes, she wondered if maybe she
should.
“Get it over with?” he said.
His tone rose with disbelief as he pulled her closer and closer. One arm wrapped around her waist while the other traveled up her back to slide his fingers under her hair and cup the back of her neck in his big palm. He then tilted her head back until she was looking into his eyes. “A first kiss, or any kiss for that matter, is special. I have a feeling ours will be explosive. I know I’m going to have a damn hard time keeping my hands off of you after this.”
With that gentle chastisement, Cash tilted his head slightly to the right and closed the last inch between their lips.
Chapter 3
Zoe braced herself, half expecting him to attack and devour her from the lips down. Instead, he paused with their lips a millimeter apart. He took a deep breath through his mouth, as if pulling her essence into his lungs. When he exhaled, she breathed in, taking his breath into her body. The intimate act sent hot shivers of need through her entire being.
In the next instant, Cash brushed his lips over hers as soft and gentle as one would stroke a newborn kitten. With each pass, electricity shot out from where his skin rubbed against hers. By the third stroke, her body filled with a white-hot energy she had never felt before. She thought she felt his wolf pacing with nervous excitement, anxious to claim its mate.
Zoe was not sure how to react, though she knew she needed more than just gentle lip-to-lip contact. On his next pass, she extended her tongue so the tip stroked over his bottom lip as it slid by.
The taste of sexy, hungry man and tightly leashed wolf caused her pussy to clench and her nipples to throb with the building want. With a quick intake of breath for courage, she parted her lips further, hoping he would understand her silent message of, more, please.
She whimpered a small sound of protest when Cash pulled back instead. Forcing her eyes open, she stared at him, trying to read his expression.
Cash [Pyrate's Treasure 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2