Beck (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 2)

by Harmony Raines

  “That must be difficult seeing your loved one in jail.” Kassia groaned. “I suppose I should feel sorry for Travis’s family. They are in the same position. Only what Travis did wasn’t an accident. He’d been using women to smuggle diamonds for months.”

  “I can’t imagine what Lim’s going through.” He took a long, shuddering breath. “At first the guilt was immense. But I couldn’t have lied for him. There were other witnesses. My only guilt is that I didn’t see how things would play out.”

  “No, you did the right thing,” Kassia reassured him.

  “So why does it feel as if I betrayed him?” Beck turned around, tears in his eyes.

  “Because you empathize with him. You can see yourself in him and wonder if you had been in his place, would you have acted in the same way.” Kassia voiced her own concern. “Would you attack the person who is stalking me? If you were confronted by someone hurting me, how far would you go?”

  His voice was hoarse. “That’s what scares me more than anything. It scares me because in one split second my actions could mean everything that I have, everything that I love, could be ripped away from me. Or what if I simply see red and lose control?”

  Kassia went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Leaning her head on his back, she said, “That won’t happen. You are in control. I trust you and I trust in you.”

  “No one knows that for sure.” He turned around to face her and lowered his head, seeking her lips.

  She kissed him, her fingers laced together at the nape of his neck as she pressed her body close to his. If only they could stay like this forever with the world and her stalker shut outside. Here, in Beck’s arms, there was no danger to either of them.

  Although, she suspected, as she nipped his bottom lip and he groaned against her, it would not take much for Beck to lose control with her. In the most intimate way.

  Chapter Seventeen – Beck

  Being with Kassia calmed him. She soothed his soul. He only hoped he would never do anything that might rip them apart.

  I won’t let that happen, his bear replied.

  Beck let go of his fears. With his mate in his arms, he needed to focus on the present, on the things he knew to be real. Not on a past that could not be changed or a future that was unwritten.

  However, there was one part of his future he could write.

  “I want you,” Beck whispered in his mate’s ear.

  “I know.” She pulled away from him, her breasts heaving as if she’d been running. But she would never run from him, he would never give her a reason to. “Why don’t we go upstairs?”

  Beck followed her gaze as she glanced at the window that overlooked the backyard. She was worried there might be someone out there, someone spying on them. His temper flared but he let go of his anger. They would figure this out, they would find the person who was harassing his mate.

  Unless they have already left town, his bear reminded him.

  True, with no more messages to her phone, it was possible whoever sent the original photos had just done so to cause Kassia distress. No more.

  With the damage done and Kassia’s confidence wrecked, they’d left.

  “It would be a pity to waste having an empty house all to ourselves.” He smiled in a way that he hoped looked seductive. This was all new to him. Being with the woman of his dreams. About to make love to her.

  “It would.” She nodded and took hold of his hand, leading him out of the kitchen and along the hallway. Kassia hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. Letting go of his hand, she went to the front door and checked that it was locked. “So we don’t get disturbed.”

  He nodded, his concern for her dampening his arousal. At least until she came back to him, took hold of his hand, and set her foot down on the bottom stair. As she transferred her weight forward, she turned and kissed his lips.

  It was a brief kiss, her lips brushing lightly against his, but his body exploded, and his need for her consumed him. Beck longed to scoop her up in his arms and carry her to her room. There he’d lay her down on her bed and strip every stitch of clothing from her body until she was completely naked before him.

  “Coming?” Kassia whispered, her breath a soft caress against his skin.

  He chuckled. “Try and stop me.”

  She giggled as she turned from him and led him upstairs to her room. “This is it.”

  Beck glanced around Betsy’s guest room while Kassia dropped his hand and went to the window. She looked out briefly before she yanked the curtains closed, shutting out the world.

  “It’s a nice room,” Beck said lamely as he glanced at the flowery bedspread, faded from the sun but not worn from too much use. “Betsy doesn’t get many visitors.”

  “Only me.” Kassia shrugged her shoulders. “Am I not enough?”

  “More than enough.” Beck went to her, his fingers caressing her skin as he unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her pale soft skin. Lowering his head, he kissed the swell of her breasts, inhaling her scent as he ran his tongue over her curves. “Much more.”

  Kassia entwined her fingers in his hair as he slipped her shirt off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Her bra soon followed, the clasp no match for his eager hands. She gasped and pressed forward as he lowered his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth, his tongue rolling around the taut bud, driving her crazy with need.

  Slowly, she regained control of her senses and as Beck tortured her breasts with his mouth and fingers, Kassia reached between their bodies and unbuckled his belt. When his jeans pooled on the floor, Beck stepped sideways out of them and kicked them to one side.

  The breath hissed through his teeth as Kassia wrapped her hand around his hardened length and stroked her fingers up and down. Beck shivered, his arousal threatening to peak. But he wanted to be inside her, to fill her with his essence and make a child with her.

  Maybe it was asking too much for him to plant his seed inside his mate the first time he claimed her, but a bear could hope.

  Lifting his head, he released her nipple from his mouth, and Kassia took a small step backward, her eyes misted as if she were in a trance. She uncurled her fingers from around his hard length as he reached for the hem of his shirt and dragged it over his head.

  Taking a step forward, he reached down and unbuttoned her black pants and pushed them down over her curvy hips. She wriggled delightfully as she pushed them down her over her thighs and stepped out of them.

  Beck caressed her hips and the curve of her bottom as he guided her toward the bed. He couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to explore every inch of her body, find every single one of her erogenous zones and make her moan in absolute pleasure.

  The back of Kassia’s knees hit the edge of the bed and she sat down, her voluptuous breasts jiggling as she bounced on the mattress. Beck groaned, his hardened length stiff to the point of physical pain as the need to enter her, to claim her, overtook him.

  Curling his fingers around the elastic of her panties, he yanked them down over her thighs. Kassia leaned back on the bed and lifted her feet, pulling them out of the silky fabric one at a time. She shuffled backward as he placed his hands on the bed and crawled after her like a predator stalking his prey.

  Kassia’s cheeks flushed pink and she gulped as their eyes locked and she read the deep desire he could not hide. In one fluid motion, she opened her thighs and he nestled his body between them, entering her, filling her with his hard length as if they had done this a thousand times.

  But this was the first time. The first time he’d been with his mate, the first time he’d claimed her. But it wouldn’t be the last.

  He thrust forward, filling her completely, the friction between their bodies ramping up his arousal. Beck fought for control as he kissed Kassia’s lips, his tongue darting inside her mouth as he mimicked the movement of his hips as he lunged forward before pulling back out of her.

  Kassia slid her feet up toward her hips, adjusting the angle of her body as Beck thrust
into her. She gasped as he pressed against her mound, stimulating her intimately as he climbed toward his climax. Each touch of her fingers as she squeezed his flesh, each caress of her breath across his skin drove him insane.

  They moved as one, kissing, stroking, caressing each other as their arousal grew. Kassia’s breath on his neck sent shivers down his spine, as her teeth grazed his earlobe, he thought he would explode, but he held on, pushing her higher, needing her to reach her climax before he came.

  Very chivalrous, his bear chuckled, but it wasn’t about chivalry, it was about knowing he could master his body, master his reflexes. If he could contain his arousal and conquer his need to come, then he could conquer anything life threw his way.

  Or so he told himself.

  Kassia gasped and arched her back as her inner walls tightened around him. He jumped and then jerked forward, caught off guard as she came, her muscles pulsing around him, setting off a chain reaction in his body.

  Beck cried out, his body tense as his seed spurted deep inside her. With fingers curled, he gripped the pillow beneath her head, balling it into a fist as he came. Kassia was lost to the sensations rushing through her body and he slid his hand along her thigh and lifted her leg, thrusting deeper, impaling her on his hardness over and over again.

  As his orgasm subsided, he rocked his hips back and forth, small movements as he slid in and out of her.

  Kassia lay beneath him, her breasts heaving as her own orgasm subsided and she came back down to earth.

  “That was unexpected,” she whispered against his ear.

  “In a good way, I hope.” He lifted his head and looked down at her beautiful face.

  “Very good.” She slipped her hand around his neck and kissed his lips tenderly. “I don’t think any man has ever satisfied me quite so fully.”

  “That’s because no other man is made for you.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “We are a perfect fit.” He flexed his hips and she jumped as he hardened inside her once more.

  “Perfect, huh?” She squeezed her inner muscles, gripping him tightly as he moved in and out of her. He was hard, ready to take her again. Ready to make her cry out his name in pleasure.

  “Fate decreed we must be together.” He chuckled as she rolled her eyes. “You can’t be a nonbeliever since we found each other, and you know I’m the man for you.”

  “Well, I thought I’d take you for a test drive before I decided if you really were the one for me,” she teased as he flexed his hips, increasing the rhythm of his movements with each forward thrust.

  “And did I pass your test?” Beck asked.

  “You might need a retake.” Kassia bit down on her lower lip as he moved deeper inside her, each stroke longer and harder.

  “Always happy to oblige.” Beck slipped his hand under the small of her back and held her close, pinning her to the bed as he took her again.

  Kassia stroked his back, her fingers pressing into his flesh as she urged him on. They raced together toward their climax, two mates connected on every level. He kissed her, their tongues entwined as he tasted her. Beck wanted to immerse himself completely in his mate. He wanted to commit every detail of her to memory and never forget a moment he spent with her.

  Kassia wrapped her legs around him. Did she feel the same? He never wanted this moment to end, he never wanted to let her go. He didn’t want to live in a world without her. As he came, filling her with his seed, he caught a glimpse of his life before Kassia, and realized how dull and faded it was compared to his life now. It was as if the sun had poked out from behind a cloud and shone down on them, casting the world in a more vibrant light.

  Colors popped, the flowers on the bedspread didn’t seem quite so faded and then winter twilight outside didn’t seem to mute the distant view of the mountains. The scent of her skin, the touch of her fingers, everything was heightened and not in the usual shifter way. This was deeper and yet more subtle.

  Kassia had brought him to life.

  Beck wanted to live that life and all the new experiences that came with having a mate. Marriage, kids, the entire package

  “Hey, where did you go?” She touched his cheek, her lips pressed to his.

  “I was thinking of how damn happy I am to have found you and the life we’re going to have together.” His eyes came into focus and he looked down on her beautiful face. He drank in the curve of her cheek, the softness of her jaw and the way her eyes sparkled like diamonds. “You’re crying.”

  “I’m happy.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I didn’t think I’d ever be really happy again. I didn’t think I’d be able to trust a man completely, that Travis had ruined that for me.” Kassia lifted her head and kissed his shoulder. “You’ve changed all that. I trust you, Beck, and I trust in you.”

  “So, I did pass the test?” A smile crept across his face.

  “Oh, yeah. I think you get a commendation, too.” She snuggled against him and closed her eyes. “You’re a keeper.”

  “You needed sex to tell you that?” he teased.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said sleepily. “I wanted the whole package.”

  “That’s no less than you deserve,” Beck told her as his eyes dropped and he drifted off to sleep with the woman of his dreams in his arms.

  Chapter Eighteen – Kassia

  Darkness surrounded Kassia as she opened her eyes. Something was beeping.

  “It’s my phone.” Beck stirred beside her and memories of their lovemaking came flooding back. She turned over and slipped her arm around his waist as he reached for his jeans which were scattered across the floor with the rest of their clothes. “I expect it’s Mac wondering where we are.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen.

  “It is late.” Kassia brushed the hair back from her face and sat up. “I didn’t realize we’d slept so long.” Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Kassia got up and gathered her clothes from the floor. “What’s wrong?”

  Beck didn’t answer, he simply stared at his phone. Fear prickled along her spine as she pulled on her clothes and went to him.

  “Beck.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. He was so tense, it was as if he were carved out of the same stone as the mountains. “Beck, what’s wrong?”

  He jerked back, his head tilting up to look at her. “I just got this.”

  She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked over his shoulder at his phone. It was an image of Hex, bound and gagged, lying unconscious on the ground. “What?”

  Beck shook his head. “It’s got to be a hoax, right?”

  “You think Hex set this up?” Her heart hammered so hard in her chest, it was as if it were trying to burst out of her ribcage. “Is that the sort of thing he’d do?”

  Beck stared at the image on his phone. “No.” His voice was hoarse as he stood up and tapped his phone screen. “Mac.”

  “Beck, we were wondering where you two had gotten off to. But we figured you were entertaining each other.” Mac’s insinuation was clear. “Are you coming home, or staying over at Betsy’s house?”

  “Mac, I got a message on my phone.” His voice was raw, savage, and a shiver of apprehension passed through Kassia. “A photo… It’s Hex.”

  “One moment.” Mac was silent but the sound of a door closing told Kassia he was going somewhere private. “What kind of photo?”

  “It’s Hex.” Beck’s voice nearly broke as he spoke but he kept calm.

  “What about Hex?” Mac asked suspiciously.

  “Where is he? Is he there with you?” Beck asked hopefully.

  “No, he went back to town. Martha had a craving for ice cream. We suspect she’s pregnant…” Mac’s voice trailed off. “What photo, Beck?”

  Beck’s phone beeped again, and he tapped the screen to check it. “Shit.”

  “Beck, what photo?” Mac ground out.

  “Someone has him,” Beck’s face was deathly pale.

  “Why would anyone have Hex?” Kassia asked in disbelief. “H
e has no real connection to me.”

  “I don’t think this has anything to do with you,” Beck told her gently.

  “But the images sent to my phone. That was a threat, right?” Kassia raked her hand through her hair. “I don’t understand how the two can be linked. Yet how can they not be linked?”

  “I think those images were a decoy.” Beck held his phone up to his mouth and spoke quietly. “Can you get out of the house? Come up with an excuse to buy us some time.”

  “On it. I’ll tell everyone a tree has come down and I’ve asked Hex to help me.” Mac’s voice had a steely edge. “If anything happens to him, I’ll tear the world apart.”

  “It won’t.” Beck’s breath shuddered through his body. “I’m sure whoever has him wants me instead.”

  Or they wanted to inflict pain on Beck, Kassia hid her thoughts. There was no point worrying Beck unnecessarily. They would just have to deal with the situation as it unfolded.

  “Can you tell my aunt I’m coming, too?” Kassia asked Mac.

  “No!” Beck rounded on her. “I need to know you are safe.”

  “I’ll be safe. With you.” Kassia wasn’t going to argue with Beck. But as she walked to the door, he caught hold of her arm and pulled her back to him.

  “Please. What if I can’t keep you safe?” Beck asked as he ended the call with Mac and threw his phone down on the bed.

  “And what if you need me there to keep you safe?” Kassia asked. “You keep saying we met for a reason and what if that reason is that you need me by your side through all of this?”

  His grip on her arm loosened but his expression remained tortured. “I can’t risk losing you.”

  “And I can’t risk losing you.” She stepped forward and pressed her body against his as she cupped his face in her hands. “I want to be there for you. We’re a team, right?”

  “Kassia.” His voice broke and he leaned his forehead against hers. “I don’t know what we’ll face. I don’t even know who we’ll face. There might be one person, there might be a group. If I can’t protect you…”