In Her Mate's Arms Page 6

  As soon as she bared his skin all her thoughts and worries about this room, this place, completely fled from her mind. Nothing else mattered except this was her mate and she hungered for his touch. Stroking his chest, she managed to roll him over to his back and pressed her advantage. She straddled his hips, leaning forward to nuzzle the whorls of hair curling between his pectorals. He smelled of the woods, a fresh run and the musk of the wolf. She drew the scent deeply into his lungs before swiping his nipples with her tongue. Her mate. Hers. She growled possessively.

  He laughed and pulled her shirt over her head. Then, he reached behind her and unfastened her bra. Both were discarded somewhere off the bed and she watched, as if it were happening to another person, when he reached up to cup her breasts. The smile on his oh-so-kissable lips had her leaning forward, pressing the globes into his hand and finding his mouth with her own. They lay tangled together, bodies and limbs, mouths moving across each other until she could hardly breathe for the need building within her. She needed her mate.

  She sat up and unfastened her jeans, realizing belatedly that she’d have to move in order to move them. Then, as if he’d read her mind, he flipped her onto her back and as she lifted her hips, he swept her pants from her. They were quickly followed by her underwear, bound for a moment by her shoes, which he also removed so she lay bare for her mate.

  She reached for him, needed him as naked as she, and so when both of them had removed pants and underwear, only then did they come together. She parted her legs for him, not needing any foreplay as she was already wet and ready for him. Her sensitive, slick folds ached for his touch, so when he moved between her legs, she accepted him, lifting her hips so that the head of his cock rested against her.

  “I wanted our first time here to be slow.”

  She smiled. “We have plenty of time.” Then, she grabbed his ass and pulled him toward her.

  He filled her with a single, smooth thrust and she saw that he tried to hold himself back from the tenseness of his body. She didn’t want that. Not now. Not when this moment was finally here. Squeezing his ass, she bucked against him.

  “Fuck me, mate,” she growled. “You can go slow next time.”

  He laughed and claimed her mouth as he thrust hard into her. She welcomed him, the way he stretched and filled her and frankly, completed her. She met his thrusts, tightening around him. She moaned when the kiss parted, followed quickly by his shuddering groan. The sounds of sex filled the room, echoing a creaking of the mattress as he pounded her faster and faster.

  “You’re mine!” he growled, his alpha maleness emerging. “Mine.” He nipped her shoulder.

  She cried out, the pleasure-pain of his bite and the knowledge that he’d no doubt leave a red mark she’d have to savor.

  He sucked on her skin, making sure to leave his brand on her skin. Grabbing her hips, he drove faster into her and Kacie gave herself over to her mate’s love. Her orgasm hit her hard and fast, making her scream her pleasure as she clung to him. Her world shattered until the only thing that remained was Sloan and the pleasure he gave her.

  He didn’t let up. Instead, he continued to thrust into her, taking his own pleasure higher even as he never quite let hers go. She tried to rest, to take a moment, and yet he was there, bringing her to crest again until she came this time with a softer, yet no less powerful orgasm. He was…her everything…and only when she nipped his shoulder back, wanting to mark him in the way that he marked her, did he finally stiffen above her and come, filling her.

  He slumped down beside her and pulled her against his chest. “I love you,” he said, nuzzling her hair. “It seems crazy. But the instant I saw you, I knew. No matter what happened, you were my mate.” He kissed her temple.

  She sighed and snuggled even closer to him. “I love you too. I think I was afraid, and maybe I shouldn’t have been, not with the power of your pack at my back. But I felt the same way. I just tried to forget, to not cause any problems. But I don’t think I did, really.”

  “You’ll move here with me? We’ll find space for everything. I can set you up with your own den, your own she cave if you like. We’ll change the bed—”

  She kissed him, silencing his rambling words. When she pulled back, she grinned. “Yes. It won’t take long to get my things from the safe house. Later, we can take our time and move things out of the storage unit. I’ll move in with you and the bed is perfect. You’re in it.”

  He stood and offered his hand. “Then just wait until you see the shower.”

  Laughing, she joined him and spent a very long time admiring all the pleasures found in, and out of the shower.

  ~* * *~

  Three weeks later…

  Kacie finished moving the last box into the first empty room in Sloan’s wing. She’d already unpacked a lot of it, choosing to donate her pots and pans since they had a wonderful set of high-end cooking utensils. She kept her favorite trivet, one of a wolf howling at the moon with a holiday wreath around the edge that said Have a Happy Howlidays and insisted that yes, she used it year round. Her clothes hardly occupied part of one dresser and the closet, and with a few touches, like some pretty statues and a crystal vase filled with flowers that Carmen had sent as a surprise to them, had softened the masculine bedroom.

  She stepped back from the bookshelf, admiring the arrangement of books and photos. Her desk, a cheap student model she’d used throughout college, looked awkward in the room, and she thought about buying herself a better one out of her paycheck. Her job went well. Jacob’s clinic treated a mix of household pets with a few larger animals thrown in the mix. She’d held a horse until the sedative had kicked in, an experience that had been made better by the animal’s good behavior. She’d comforted a young boy while the vet had cleaned an abscess on a pet rabbit, and then talked a new puppy owner through vaccine protocol in the very next visit.

  Most of all, she had a home. She had a pack who loved and supported her. Jerri had welcomed her into the family with open arms. The alpha had come by and offered his support. Even Carmen had reached out beyond the flowers. By leaving Hat Rock, she’d come out of the shadows. And, she’d found her mate.

  She scented him as he stepped into their wing, and she stepped into the doorway of the room. “Hey, babe. You’re home early.”

  He lengthened his strides as he came to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. “My shift ended and I had to get home to my mate.” He kissed her. “I missed you.”

  She wound her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him again. “I missed you too. Have I told you lately that I love you?”

  “Only about half a dozen times today, but I love you more every time I hear it. I love you.” He swept her into his arms and carried her down the hall. She leaned against his chest, knowing she was exactly where she wanted to be forever—safe in her mate’s arms.

  Turn the page for an excerpt from Always Her Wolf

  Always Her Wolf

  Twenty years ago Travis Locke had been a young werewolf who accepted that his alpha had forbidden him to be with his mate, Stacia Summerwood. But the old alpha is dead and when Stacia comes to see if old flames can indeed be rekindled, Travis is eager to rediscover his mate in every way possible. But the time spent apart meant lives created, and when Travis' past collides with their future, will he trust his mate to know that she's always been his?Note: This is a sexy mature romance story set in the Shifters United universe where each story stands alone. This book was originally published as part of an anthology.

  Check it out at Amazon and in KU: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SBP36L9

  Chapter One

  Travis stepped off the boat and crossed the dock, exhausted to the bone. After taking his alpha out on the water all day to relax, all he wanted was to go home, fry up a hamburger, shower, strip, and fall into bed. He had an early morning tour booked and would need to be back at the marina before dawn. He stopped at the locked door to the shop, and it took a moment for him t
o register the woman standing there. Damn, he must be tired. No, not woman—wolf.

  He breathed deeply and the musk and orange scent of her punched him in the gut. He drew the scent into his lungs, his cock hardening in response. Stacia. His eyes met hers, and even behind wide sunglasses, he remembered their deep blue hue. Her lips were painted in a kissable coral, and the lines around the corners of her mouth, and no doubt the corners of her eyes too, only made her seem sexier. It’d been twenty-five years, maybe even thirty, since they’d seen each other, and he’d been barely out of high school then. His beast still recognized her. He recognized her.

  “Hello, Travis,” she said and that throaty, husky voice only tightened his cock even more.

  “Stacia. This is…a surprise.” He fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door. “It’s been a long time.”

  “I know. And I’m sorry. My pack recently joined the Shifters United treaty and well, I heard Carmen was alpha now.”

  “The old man passed away a few years ago.” He pushed the door open and turned on the light. “Would you like to come in? I could get us something to drink. Was just doing to check messages before heading home. I’ve been on the water all day.”

  “I planned on checking in with Carmen just to let her know I’m here. As a courtesy.”

  To see if she held the same concerns that her father had about Stacia’s continued presence. He doubted it, not with Carmen finding her mate. If the old man knew, he would be spinning in his grave. He’d always hoped that she’d end up with someone else. With him, Travis mused, but Carmen had never seen him that way and eventually he’d met Lydia, and there was a fuckton of water under that bridge. He drew a deep breath and steeled himself against another hit of Stacia’s natural essence.

  “That’s good, though she has a mate now, and probably would be happy to catch up with you. It’s been a long time.” He felt like a broken record. “Let me check these.” He picked up the handset and hit the message button. Only one left a message and it was his repair guy about a boat part. He’d call him back tomorrow. He glanced at the computer. Any of the emails could be handled tomorrow. “Thanks,” he said when he shut down his computer. “What can I do for you?”

  “I thought maybe we could get dinner? Catch up.”

  That was forward. He liked that. “My place okay? I was about to head home.”

  She grinned and the sexy tilt of her lips made him wonder what they’d look like wrapped around his cock. It’d been a long time. Maybe she was just passing through or decided to visit. “Sounds great. Why don’t I follow you? I don’t suppose you live in the same place?”

  He shook his head. After his parents passed he sold the house. “Nah, but not far away. That sounds good. You ready?” He grabbed his car keys and made sure his cell was in his pocket.

  “Yeah.”

  It was an odd meeting he thought as he walked to his car. No hug. No kiss in recognition. No ring on her finger or the smell of another wolf on her. So why hadn’t he staked his claim since he hadn’t been allowed to so long ago? Because he was a gentleman and she hadn’t offered. Why now? The question burned in his mind, though her response about the treaty, the crazy idea his alpha had about bringing peace to all the shifters, and damn if she wasn’t achieving it, certainly made sense. He pulled onto the highway, noticing Stacia had a luxury SUV, one that had cost more than one of his boats. He gave a low whistle. Whatever she’d done with her life, she’d apparently done it well.

  He turned off and drove through the wooded subdivision where he and a lot of other shifters lived. It backed up to some woods and a park. He pulled into his driveway and tried to imagine his home through her eyes. A small ranch house, no second story, no kids toys in the front yard unlike his neighbors. Each lot was an acre, so the small house appeared oddly placed, as if it might have been the first of more construction. It had been. He’d bought this house, a small model, and the adjacent lot so he had two acres and plenty of space. He activated the garage door and entered. By the time he got out of his SUV, she’d parked and stood. He invited her inside, watching her glance around at his sparse garage, most everything was back at the shop, then unlocked the door and led her inside.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I was going to cook up some hamburgers. I hope that sounds good to you. I’m starving.” He hung his keys on the hook by the door and bent over to unlace his boots. When he stood, he realized she’d been looking at his ass.

  “I’m hungry too,” she purred and he suspected it wasn’t for food.

  Before they got that far, he needed fuel. He washed his hands, then grabbed a package of hamburger from the fridge. He expertly made patties and dropped them on his stove top grill, then chopped up salad ingredients and whisked up a vinaigrette.

  “You cook?” She dipped her finger into the dressing and brought it to her mouth. She had to know she was killing him, because she popped the finger between those luscious lips and sucked it clean. “That’s delicious.”

  If he kissed her right now, he’d taste the dressing. He turned back to the burgers before he could act on the impulse.

  “How can I help?”

  “I’ve got it. Thanks.” It’d been a long time since he’d cooked, and there was some macho satisfaction in cooking for his woman, providing for her. He pulled two plates down, grabbed the package of sesame seed buns from the top of the fridge, and set it on the table along with salad bowls and silverware, returning to the stove just in time to flip the burgers. Stacia grabbed the bowl of salad and curette of dressing and carried them both to the table and sat down.

  “Aren’t you curious as to why I’m here?”

  He put the spatula down. “I am. I also figured you’d tell me when you’re ready. A lot has happened in the time you’ve been gone.” He closed his eyes against the too-real pain of loss from Lydia and reminded himself that was far in the past. When he opened his eyes, he realized Stacia was giving him a curious look. He turned off the grill, flipped the burgers onto buns, added a slice of tomato and lettuce, then carried the plates to the table. “Mustard? Mayo?”

  “This is good. Thanks.” She took a bite and made a tiny moan of satisfaction. “This food is amazing. And it was probably foolish of me to show up here after all our time apart. I had to see you. With Carmen’s father gone…”

  “You thought there might be a chance.” He leaned over and brushed a crumb from the corner of her mouth. “Do you know how many times I lay in bed thinking about seeing you again? Wondering what would happen if you ever came back into this area? Wondering where you went and what you were doing?”

  “Probably as many as I did. You’ve got a charter company. You always did love the water.”

  “It’s an escape,” he said simply. “On the ocean it’s just me and my clients, or sometimes just me. Boats provide a way to run that four paws just can’t.”

  “What are you running from, Travis?”

  Need growled low in his stomach. “The fact that even as I married, I never stopped wanting you. You’re my mate, Stacia. You really think I could forget you?” As if his words released a tight leash he’d placed on himself, he moved toward her and captured her lips in a hard kiss. He tasted the meal he’d cooked on her lips, the heady flavor reminding him that he’d fed his mate. He’d cared for her. The primal instinct to take care of all his mate’s needs roared through him. Cupping her face, he tilted her head for better access. Travis swept his tongue along the seam of her lips, and growled a little in his throat as she opened for him.

  His mate wanted him. Some things never changed and there were some things time only made sweeter. The first brush of her tongue against his sent electric shocks down his spine. He skimmed his fingers over her side, stopping when her hand closed around his arm. He pulled back and struggled to get his breathing under control.

  “Food’s getting cold. We’ll have time for this later.” Her eyes, heavy-lidded with lust, told him she still wanted him, as did the hint of her arousal perfuming the air. Da
mn his extra sensitive wolfen nose. He’d always been one of the better trackers of the pack, and this time, the trail led right to his aroused mate.

  He grunted something incoherent and returned to his seat. The sexy grin on her face only made his cock pound and he had to turn away to focus on his food. He gulped down his burger, and a second one, in just a few bites, then ate his salad more leisurely. He sipped the iced tea he’d poured. “What brings you back here?” he asked once he’d sated his physical hunger. “You never said.”

  “I got a new job at a firm in Bellingham.”

  Well that didn’t explain a lot, except that she was pretty close. The Lime Kiln pack had the islands and all the coastline north of Bellingham in their territory. “Can I ask what you do?” Small talk never was his strong suit. He tried with his clients, though on the water it was easier. He could point out wildlife, reference points, even the occasional whale. Most people were too caught up in the beauty that they never really talked about themselves. Besides, other than for the duration of his trips, he really didn’t care. With Stacia, he cared. A lot.

  “I’m an engineer. I work primarily on government projects. Roads. Sewer lines. Bridges. Some buildings. I check plans over and make sure they’re up to code and able to do what they’re meant to do.”

  She’d always had a keen mind, and he wasn’t surprised that she’d put it to good use. “Sounds interesting.”

  She shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich. For someone who was worried about food getting cold, she sure wasn’t eating very quickly. She finished the last few bites. “Mostly boring as hell. But it pays well and has steady hours.”

  He nodded, not sure what to say to that. He’d always expected she’d follow her dreams. Go big or go…home. Except there hadn’t been a home for her, not until Carmen’s father passed away.