The Bear's Forbidden Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 4) (23 page)

“I’m in charge here, so I’ll go as fast or as slow as I please, missy.”

“If you’re trying to turn me on, don’t waste your time. I’m ready.”

He stopped drying her and leaned closer. “This isn’t a race; it’s a slow seduction—assuming I can wait that long. Rest assured I want you right now, but this is a special night, and I want us to enjoy it to the fullest. Who knows when we’ll return here?”

“I like romance as much as the next, but I suck at expressing my feelings. You’re so good at it.”

He smiled. “You’re pulling the Changeling card on me?” He held up a hand. “Don’t answer. That’s all the more reason why I need to take my time. Someone needs to show you what loving is all about.”

She inwardly groaned, and as hard as it was to say nothing and not move, she remained still. Finally, he finished drying her breasts and stomach. If he’d been content to finish the job by drying her back, she might have lasted, but when he dragged the towel between her legs, she lost it. Her bones cracked and her teeth sharpened.

Don’t shift.

Needing some control, Ainsley grabbed his hard shaft and directed him out of the bathroom. How she thought that would help reduce her desires, she didn’t know. She stared at the dark floral pattern on the floor to help stop her shift from happening.

“What are you doing?” he asked. Jackson didn’t sound too concerned, nor did he swat away her hand.

“Clearly, someone who wants to get laid needs to be in charge.”

“Is that so?” As if she’d lit his fire, he lifted her up and tossed her onto the bed then shook a finger at her. “Don’t ever think I don’t want to be with you. I’m working hard just to stay in human form.”

“So am I.” She grabbed his cock again, needing the connection. “Stay right here while I tempt you.”

“Merely looking at you tempts me. Your smell tempts me. Your luscious—”

“Okay, okay.” He wasn’t making this any easier.

She sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over, and dragged her tongue up the length of his cock. He groaned and grabbed her shoulder. When she glanced upward, his brows rose as if he couldn’t believe she’d just done that. Hell, after a few swipes, he’d be so close to the edge that he’d have to impale her.

The mere thought of him driving his cock into her and then biting her, made her body heat and her inner walls spasm with intense need. Returning to his glorious length, she flicked her tongue across the tip of his cock, and his hard shaft twitched. This was fun, but it was also testing her resolve. If only she could pretend to be indifferent, she could really make him squirm. Too bad, every part of her was radiating blue.

She grabbed the base of his cock and pumped her fist. He sucked in a breath, and his sharpened nails dug into her skin. When she looked up once more, his eyes were closed. As she lifted her hand once more, he grunted. Victory was near!

Wanting to taste him, she sucked on his cock hard. Two seconds later, a huge blast of cum shot out of him. Holy crap! She could barely swallow fast enough to keep up with the flow. When he finished exploding, she leaned back on her elbows. “I can’t believe you came.”

His hands straddling her on the bed, he leaned close. “What did you expect? I’ve been with you for close to a full day, touching, rubbing, and smelling your delicious scent. I’ve seen your kindness and your considerate actions, despite you trying to play tough with me. Well, news flash. I might be a shifter, but I’m also a man. I couldn’t take the temptation any longer.”

She glanced down at his dick and was delighted that it hadn’t deflated at all. “I trust you are up for more?” She wanted him so badly.

“I can go all night long, my invisible witch.” He slid a hand under her legs and lifted her more fully onto the bed. Like an animal hunting its prey, he crawled on top of her. “I want to see how long you last.”

“I’ll admit I’m weak around you. I give myself maybe fifteen seconds, so if you want to go straight to the final episode, I’m good with that.”

He grinned and then nabbed her earlobe. “That so? Well, I’m not. Now that I’m partially defused, I can last a lot longer.”

Oh, shit.

His mere touch made her want to do all sorts of nasty things with him, but first, she wanted to sink her teeth into his neck and be transported to paradise.

Wait a minute.
Did I really think that?

Clearly, Jackson had robbed her of all thought. His nibbling on her ear, coupled with his palm caressing her breast, was almost too much to handle. She spread her legs wide, hoping he’d get the hint, but he seemed content to kiss her and then drag kisses down her neck.

“I can’t get enough of your scent,” he said.

Even better to drive him to the brink with
. Too bad there wasn’t a pump attached to her body like on a spray can of perfume that would send her scent straight into him.

Nabbing his earlobe, she then wrapped her arms around his waist and drew him close. When his hard chest pressed against her breasts, she nearly combusted, and she had to force herself to stay strong. How was it possible that she was seconds from climaxing, yet they’d barely begun?

As if he could read her mind—or else he could tell how excited she was from her blue glow—Jackson lowered his lips and kissed her with such urgency that she couldn’t take it any longer. Ainsley wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips, begging for his cock.

With their tongues plunging to some imaginary beat, her aura grew and grew. “Please, Jackson.”

“Please what?”

He knew. “I want you.”

His grin exposed his sharp teeth, and her body nearly detonated. “Then you shall have me.”

Her heart pounded at this monumental step. Her whole life, she’d adjusted to the idea that she’d be alone. Then Shamus came to town, and she’d met Jackson. Now, they would join and become mates for life.

Tears welled on her eyes. As if he understood what she was experiencing, he swiped away the brimming tears. “Let me love you,” he said in the softest, sweetest tone.

“Please.”

Cupping her face, he kissed her gently at first, and then with more urgency. When she lowered her feet to the mattress, he aimed his cock at her entrance and plunged in.

Holy Hades. Fire scorched her insides and a feral urge to mate encompassed her. The room glowed blue as he stretched her wide. Ainsley grabbed his shoulders and hung on for dear life, her nails growing and her teeth sharpening.

Not only did her body seem to be altering from the inside, her emotions were running out of control. It might have been from the lack of sleep, being in a town that held wonder as well as disappointment, or perhaps, it was the process of mating, but she was totally overwhelmed with passion.

Love, love, mate, mate.

Where had that thought come from?

Jackson broke the kiss and lowered his face to her neck. Her pulse soared. Surrounded by the most intense sexual haze ever, she pressed on her heels and lifted her hips to meet each thrust.

He drove into her, and Ainsley could almost feel the union form between them. Desire flowed. Nails sharp, she dragged them down his back, scraping his skin. She opened her mouth to draw in more air.

“I need you, Ainsley.”

He needed her? No one had ever said that to her before. On the next thrust, it was as if some kind of a magnet drew her to his neck. As she bit him, her blue aura encased both of them, and when his incisors sank into her neck, emotion swamped her completely. Her climax claimed her so hard that she visibly shook—or else it was because Jackson’s cock had exploded again.

Her vision swam, and her senses heightened. Seconds passed before she remembered to breathe.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Her lips wobbled, but she managed to smile. “I’m more than okay.”

Jackson smiled at her as they lay there letting their heart rates return to normal. Leaning over, he ran his finger down her cheek and then kissed her sweetly before slipping out of bed and heading to the bathroom. Something about the marking on the back of his shoulder seemed different. When he returned with a cloth to clean her up, she motioned for him to turn around.

When he did, joy spread through her. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“What?” he asked then turned back to face her.

“The marking on your back changed. You now have a Wendayan vine underneath your bear paw print.” She was thrilled at the physical manifestation of their mating. “It really happened!”

“For real?” He grinned. “Let me see yours.”

She twisted around. “Holy crap. Instead of the wolf print on one side and the vine on the other, yours have combined. The vine is under the wolf paw too.”

Ainsley rolled onto her back and raised her arms. “I think that calls for another celebration.”

“You, my mate, may be the death of me. But trust me, I’ll love every minute of it.”

‡

F
lying back to
the States had been pure torture. If Jackson thought delivering ashes to Uncle Gordon had been hard, sitting next to his mate and not touching her had taken every ounce of his control.

To keep his mind off his need, he focused on what came next—getting Ainsley to move in with him. No way would he agree to live in her insanely small apartment. Not only was the location unsecure, the shower alone would have been enough to dissuade him. The shifter compound could better protect her from any Changeling attack. As much as he wanted to discuss a lot of things with her on the plane, he had to be content to wait until they landed.

Making the trip over one weekend had been crazy, but Ainsley was dedicated to her job. She’d explained that a few patients were in serious need of her treatments, so he couldn’t fault her for wanting to be there for them. He also wanted to return to his work.

When they finally stepped foot on US soil, he was exhausted but happy to be home. It was early afternoon, and Jackson was eager to convince Ainsley to move in with him. If she balked, he’d have to use some persuasive tactics. At least, he’d look forward to that.

Once they settled into his car, he maneuvered out of the airport. “Do you feel any different after mating?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, but I can say I’m hornier that I was before.” She reached over and squeezed his leg. That was the last thing he needed—intimate touches from her.

“That makes two of us, which brings up my next topic. Now that we’re mated, I’d like you to move in with me.” Her shoulders stiffened, and he could physically feel her angst.
“What is it?”
he telepathed.

She whipped around toward him and smiled.
“I heard you!”

When her voice came in loud and clear, his damn pulse soared. “We’re mates, but I’m sensing a resistance to the idea of you moving in with me. Why is that?”

She looked out the car’s side window. “Are we ready for that?”

“I am.” Hell, even if he wasn’t, he didn’t want to spend another minute away from her. “But we can take it slow if you want.”

Please say no, that you can’t live without me.

She smiled. “I heard that.”

“Good.”

He hoped that once she thought about it, Ainsley would see the wisdom of his suggestion.

“I just need a few days,” she said, her voice soft and rather distant. She twisted toward him. “Don’t get me wrong. My body is climbing the walls right now to be with you. Hell, my hair is tingling, my teeth are about to show, and my wolf is crying for me to say yes.”

“Then why don’t you?” He honestly didn’t understand.

“I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

He glanced over at her. “Do you think I’d leave you? I won’t, I promise.”

“I know. I can’t explain it.”

Pushing her wouldn’t serve either of them. Poor Ainsley had gone through so much already. Not only did she move to a new town and start a new job, she’d finally reconnected with her old friend only for him to be murdered. Add in finding a mate and being cleansed on top of that, and he was surprised she hadn’t had a break down.

When they arrived at her place, he seemed to have developed amnesia about all the stress she’d recently experienced since he wasn’t ready to be apart. With the engine in neutral, he twisted toward her. “How about you spending the night with me? Or maybe a few days to see if I drive you crazy?”

Her brows rose. “How do you know I won’t drive
you
crazy.”

“Never. Come on. What do you say? I’ll be at work much of the time, and you have your job, but it’ll be easier to learn about each other if we’re sharing the same space. You tell me about your day, and I’ll tell you about mine.”

Jackson was at a loss about what else to add. He’d never asked a woman to move in with him before.

She blew out a breath then grabbed her stomach. “I want to so much, but I’m scared. I can tell you if I say no, my wolf will claw me to death from the inside. So yes!” She grinned. “How about I shower, pack for a few days, and then drive over to your place? We can take it day by day.”

He liked that she was willing to find a win-win solution. “Sounds like a plan.”

After turning off the ignition, he slipped out the driver’s side and retrieved her luggage from the back.