by R. E. Butler
She walked backward to the bed and he followed, not breaking the kiss until she stopped moving. He curled his hands under the hem of her top and lifted it, smiling at the gray lace bra.
“It matches my elephant,” he said, tucking a finger around the bow between the cups and giving it a gentle tug.
“I love gray, it’s my favorite color.”
That was possibly the coolest coincidence he’d ever heard. Now he wanted to redecorate the bedroom in all gray tones. Anything to make his mate blissfully happy.
She rose onto her toes and kissed him, feathering her lips across his as a purr rumbled in her chest. He found the button of her skirt and unfastened it, sliding the zipper down and gently pushing the material until it slipped over her hips and down to the floor. He was digging the hell out of the kiss, but he absolutely had to know if she was also wearing matching panties.
Suddenly nothing was as important as knowing that.
With a nibble to her bottom lip, he broke the kiss and rested his hands on her hips, over top of the thin strap of her bikini panties, the same sexy gray as her bra.
“Fuck yes,” he murmured.
The smile she gave him was all she-devil and angel mixed up together.
“Like that they match?” she whispered. “I feel like I was psychic when I put them on this morning.”
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen, second only to you climbing the fence to get to me.”
She kissed down his chest, slowly dropping to her knees, curling her fingers in the waistband of his pants and undoing the button and zipper. His immediate thought was that he wanted to make her come first, because he wanted her to know that he would always put her needs over his own. But watching her bite her bottom lip as she drew his jeans down his legs and freed his throbbing length was all it took for him to stay exactly where he was. She wanted to touch him and taste him, and he’d let her do it for however long she wanted. He’d never seen anyone look as sexy as her, covered in gray lace with eyes that were a gorgeous burnished copper and simmering with passion.
He toed off his boots and stepped from his jeans. She was on her knees, her hair cascading down her back like a golden waterfall, licking her lips like the temptress she was. She grasped his cock with one hand, slowly wrapping her warm fingers around him as she kissed the head. She licked her lips and cast her gaze up to meet his as she opened her mouth and took him inside.
She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, easing away from his cock until only the head was in her mouth, resting on the tip of her tongue as she tossed her bra aside and then dove on him again. He slid his hands into her hair and groaned at the sight of her lush breasts bouncing with her movements as she worked her mouth up and down. He had to grind his teeth together against the pleasure that bloomed in him. She purred, and he felt the vibrations against his cock and he nearly pitched forward with the overwhelming sensations.
Her tongue traced little circles around him and then the wet heat of her mouth was gone. She whispered, “I want you to finish inside me.”
“I want that, too.”
He lifted her onto the bed and she stretched out, arching her back as he dragged her panties down her legs and threw them aside. He pushed her knees up and back, spreading her wide so he could fit his shoulders between her thighs. His mouth watered at the sight of her wet, pink heat. He played a finger through her wetness, her soft curls damp with her arousal and her clit just begging to be sucked. She let out a shuddering moan as he lightly rubbed her clit. Then he pushed two fingers into her pussy and lowered his head, laving the tight bud with his tongue. She moaned loudly and curled her toes against his shoulder. Her pussy clutched his fingers as he licked and sucked her clit, driving her swiftly to climax. She shattered under him, his name on her lips and her fingers fisting his hair as she came.
He sucked his fingers into his mouth and she tasted so sweet and so perfect, that he could have come on the spot himself if he hadn’t wanted to finish buried deep in her.
Climbing up her body, he kissed a path up her stomach and between her breasts, grasping the globes and kissing first one nipple and then the other. Her legs caught his hips and her heels dug into his ass as he rose up above her and smiled. His cock was so hard he knew he wouldn’t last long.
Her skin was dewy and glowing, and her eyes were bright with passion. No one on the planet had a lovelier or sexier mate than him. He slid a hand under her back and cupped her shoulder, driving into her pussy with a hard, deep thrust. She felt so good that his eyes crossed, and his elephant was trumpeting in his mind in triumph. As he moved within her, he kissed her, eating her whimpers and moans, fueling the fire that grew between them. He’d never experienced anything so powerful and so amazing before.
Her nails dug into his shoulders, her eyes glittering with happiness, and she moaned, her fangs gleaming. He tilted his head, exposing his throat, and just as she struck, sinking her sharp teeth into his neck, he came, the climax so hot and hard that he felt like there were waves pouring over him. The bite was painful and painless at the same time, twisting around the pleasure that filled him.
She pulled from his neck with a loud purr, and he rolled to his back, taking her with him. She laughed and rose over him, her breasts tipped with tight nipples, and her skin glowing. He placed his thumb on her clit and she snarled affectionately.
“Again?” she whispered, leaning forward and planting her hands on his chest. Her nails dug into his skin a little, and he liked the sting.
“Again and again,” he promised.
When she fell apart again, writhing on top of him like a live wire, he rolled her under him and bit her on the neck, overcome with the desire to mark her. It wasn’t an elephant thing; it was a male thing. He wanted his mark on her, even though he knew it wouldn’t last because he didn’t have fangs.
“Yes, oh, fuck,” she whispered, clutching him as he bit her neck and then kissed the bruise he’d left behind.
He nuzzled the mark, feeling like he was ten feet tall right then. His woman, all blissed out and gorgeous, wearing his mark on her throat.
He didn’t think life could get any better than that.
Gently, he kissed her lips. “You’re mine, Rhapsody.”
She smiled against his mouth. “You’re mine, too, Kelley.”
Chapter 7
Rhapsody was as content as she’d ever been in her life, snuggled up next to her mate, the sweet scent of their combined passion still hanging in the air, her neck lightly throbbing from where he’d bitten her with his blunt teeth. He was amazing. He’d touched her in ways that she’d never experienced. She wasn’t a virgin, but she hadn’t had a lot of lovers, and no one had ever taken care of her the way that Kelley had.
She shivered as passion flared within her. Kelley hugged her a little closer and drew the blanket up higher over her shoulder.
“Are you cold, sweetness?”
“Just replaying things in my head,” she said, tipping her head up to look at him.
He wore the sexy, satisfied expression of a male who knew he’d made his female happy.
“My parents told me that when there’s a mate match, the connection is deep right away. That nothing matters but being with your other half in any and every way. I wasn’t sure what that would be like, but being with you isn’t like anything I’ve ever experienced before,” he said.
She smiled, happy in the knowledge that he was as affected by their lovemaking as she had been. “I think it’s supposed to be that way. If we could have amazing sex with everyone, then finding our soulmate wouldn’t make a difference.”
“Good point.”
“Are your parents soulmates?”
“No. I was raised in a traveling circus. It’s my father’s family’s circus, and he met my mother when they came into the town she lived in for a show.”
Her brows rose. “A traveling shifter circus? That’s cool as hell. Is it just elephants?”
“My parents’ memory runs the circu
s, but there are a few other shifter types there – bears and wolves. The memory is large. My dad has six sisters and they all have kids, so I have a big family.”
“How did you end up here? Didn’t you want to stay with your family?”
“The alpha, Alistair, is my uncle. He’s been here for years, and when I turned eighteen and I was kind of tired of the traveling, he invited me to join his memory. The circus will be down in Delaware in a couple weeks, so we can go visit together.”
“I’d like to meet them.”
He nodded. “When I joined the zoo, they made sure to come by close enough every year so we can get together.”
“Were you a performer? What did you do?”
He chuckled. “Yes, I performed, but mostly when I was younger. My dad or one of the other adults would lead elephants in a performance. We wore the sequined head pieces, and sometimes a female would ride one of us in her human form.”
“I’d love to see that,” she said as she sat up. “That sounds so amazing.”
“My parents would have definitely put you in a show if you were in the circus. They would have loved to have a big cat show.”
She looked at the clock on the nightstand. “The memory has to stay in the paddock until eight, when the tours are over?”
“They stay in their shift until the last Jeep is returned to the start of the trail and the humans are all away from the safari. Then they’ll go into the sheds and shift.”
“I’m a little hungry. Could we get something to eat?”
“Sure. I’m hungry, too. Let’s go topside and get dinner in the employee cafeteria, then I can take you on a tour of the zoo.”
“Oh, that sounds fun!” She climbed off the bed and grabbed her clothes. “Oh, dang it.”
“What?”
“I don’t have shoes. I left my sandals at the fence when I took them off.”
He hummed, his brows drawing down. “I’ll call the tour operators and see what the wolves did with them. They wouldn’t have left them for the humans to see. Too bad my shoes are far too big for your tiny feet.”
She wiggled her pink-painted toenails. “Yeah. I should get my stuff from the hotel, too.”
“I can borrow one of the park’s SUVs after we eat and we can go get your things.”
She finished getting dressed and used the bathroom to freshen up while he made the call. When she came out of the bathroom, he was tucking a short-sleeved tee into his jeans.
“Your sandals are at the security office. We needed to stop in there anyway to introduce you to the security officers and get an ID badge. We can do that first and then eat.”
“Sounds like a plan. What do I need an ID badge for?”
“Whenever you’re topside, you’ll want to have the badge on you. It’s just part of the park’s security. Eventually, everyone will know you and you won’t have to worry about it, but for the time being, the ID gets you into the park anytime, day or night.”
They walked out of the house and across the main room.
“Are all the private areas set up like this?”
“Yeah, they’re made to mimic the natural habitat of each shifter. The gorillas’ is awesome, their houses are built above the ground in metal trees.”
“That sounds very cool, but the savannah is good, too.”
“You like the woods, though.”
He opened the door that led out to the stairwell that would take them up to the employee cafeteria. “I think my cat’s happy that we’re here, and we don’t need any woods. But, I have a question about that.”
“Sure.”
He unlocked the door to the stairwell and held it open for her.
“When will I be able to shift?”
“Whenever you want.
The door shut behind them with a soft thud, and she looked up the stairwell for a moment and then turned to face Kelley.
“But where?”
He opened his mouth and then hummed instead of speaking. His brow furrowed and he said, “I assume that you can shift in the elephant paddock whenever you want or need to, as long as the park is closed. But we need to check with the alphas.”
“You’d shift with me, right?”
“Of course.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
When they reached the top of the stairs, he unlocked a door, which opened into a small corridor with another security door and keypad.
“The employee lounge has one-way glass for the windows,” he said as he opened the door for her. “So, it lets in the light but also keeps humans from seeing anything. They serve three meals a day here, plus hot and cold drinks, and snacks.”
The cafeteria was empty. They walked across the room, weaving around the tables and chairs. When they reached the door leading outside, he dropped to one knee. “I don’t want you to step on something or get hurt walking barefoot, so I’ll give you a piggy back ride.”
She smiled at how thoughtful he was, and then realized that her skirt was too short for her to be hanging onto his back.
“I’m going to flash my undies if I get on your back.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Damn. Hold on, I think there might be a shirt or jacket we can borrow. If not, you can use mine.”
They looked for something for her to wrap around her waist behind the counter that held wrapped sandwiches and plates of what smelled like pot roast and mashed potatoes. He straightened with a piece of fabric in his hand that he’d lifted from a drawer.
“Yep, I’m brilliant.”
He handed it to her and she saw it was a long-sleeved, blue camo top, like the ones the wolves wore on the tour.
“Who is Ezra?” she asked, looking at the name embroidered on the pocket.
“One of the pack enforcers.”
“What’s an enforcer do?” she asked as she tied the sleeves of the shirt around her waist.
“I guess the best way to describe them is that they’re the highest ranked males in the pack and the alpha relies on them to keep the others in line.”
“Do the other groups have that kind of ranking?”
“Not really. But the wolves are the biggest group in the zoo. They have fifty members. The next largest group is the bears with twenty.”
“I think I’m ready now and I won’t be flashing my bits to anyone.”
He grinned. She climbed onto his back and said, “I think we should call it an elephant back ride.”
“We’ll call it an EBR for short,” he quipped, pushing open the door and stepping outside.
He carried her toward a small building that had a sign that read Security Office. The door swung open and a male smiled at them. “This is so totally like Cinderella.”
“What?” Kelley asked as they followed him inside.
“You know, with the missing shoe?”
Rhapsody giggled. “That’s awesome.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not the storyline,” Kelley said, shaking his head.
“You’re still my prince charming,” she murmured.
He released her legs and she lowered to the floor, straightening with a smile.
“I’m Lucius,” the male said as he moved behind a counter and picked up her sandals.
She took them and put them on. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s a wonderful thing to find each other the way you did.”
“Can you take her photo for the ID?”
“Sure thing. It’ll take me an hour to get the ID ready.”
“We’re going to grab a meal in the cafeteria.”
“You should eat in the park,” he said as he instructed her where to stand. “There’s a pulled pork barbecue sandwich at the stall by the candy shop that is amazing.”
She smiled for her picture and then took Kelley’s hand. “Do you like barbecue?” she asked him.
“Definitely. You?”
“Oh yes.”
“Then thanks for the tip,” Kelley said, shaking Lucius’s hand.
“You betcha,�
� he said. “Stop back in an hour for the ID.”
They first picked up sandwiches from the food stall, along with drinks and a basket of fries to share. Then they found a picnic table in a shady spot to sit and eat. When she’d finished the most amazing barbecue sandwich of her life, they tossed their trash and went on a tour of the park, and their last stop was the candy shop, which was run by Lexy and her two assistants, Trina and Jenni. Rhapsody knew the two humans were mates to shifters, and a quick sniff told her that Jenni was a lioness. She was wearing an engagement ring on her finger, and Rhapsody figured she must be the female in the zoo who was mated to a human.
“Have some taffy on the house,” Lexy said when the shop was empty of the human family who had come in to shop. “I’m so happy you two met on the tour!”
“That’s so cool,” Trina said. “It’s been discouraging to the others when it went so long without anyone finding their other half. The dry spell may be over.”
“I hope it is,” Kelley said. “There’s a lot of lonely people here.”
“But not you anymore,” Rhapsody said.
“Never again,” he said with a wink.
“Are you going to work with Kelley?” Lexy asked.
Trina elbowed her. “She’s only been here for a few hours and you’re already putting her to work?”
“I’m just asking,” Lexy said.
“I think so,” Rhapsody said. “But I haven’t met everyone officially yet.”
“We need to have a girls’ night so we can all get to know each other better,” Trina said.
“That sounds awesome,” Jenni said. “We could ask Adrianna and Celeste to join us.
“Count me in,” Rhapsody said.
“Time to go get your ID and pick up your stuff,” Kelley said. “Thanks, ladies. See you.”
“It was so nice to meet you all,” Rhapsody said. “And thanks for the taffy.”
