“I love you, Laurel,” he said, both an expression of feeling and a promise.
“I love you too, Asher,” she said, mustering what breath she could to speak.
This was it. Once they were finished, they would be mated. Together forever.
It was the best thing she could ever have hoped to imagine.
Laurel’s wolf howled, ready to be one with her alpha protector. Not waiting for him, she moved her hips against him, and Asher moved into her with renewed strength and speed, thrusting faster and faster. The hot, wet friction was unlike anything, and the faster he went, the harder she pushed with her hips, increasing the sensation.
Asher’s breathing became more intense, and she could see his strong, thick arms tensed with exertion. She couldn’t wait to be the one watching her mate going for the first time with her.
Her own body was already so sensitive she had to take deep breaths just to keep ahold of herself. But as Asher appeared to be reaching his limit, he reached down once more, stroking up against her center even as all the sensation was reaching its peak.
Damned man will never stop, will he?
It was the last thing that went through Laurel’s mind as she was overtaken by the most powerful orgasm of her life. And just a moment after, she could feel her body tense and then explode with sensation. Then she felt Asher push all the way in and then tense as he came over the edge with her.
It was pure ecstasy. Beyond description. Her entire body, every nerve and every cell, shook with pleasure that coursed through her all at once as she cried Asher’s name to the heavens. And inside her, Asher’s thick hardness filled her with warmth and satisfaction that coupled with her own orgasm to make pure perfection. Asher wrapped his arms around her as they rode out the pleasure that burned inside each of them, separately and together.
Her wolf howled long and hard, and in her mind, she could hear Asher’s wolf howl in response, the two of them united forever and satisfied to be so.
Asher pumped once more into her, and Laurel enjoyed the elated high that so many orgasms, given to her by this man, brought her. Her body felt light as a feather yet completely exhausted of all pleasure she could have received at one time like this.
For just a minute, Asher stayed inside her, and she relished being with her now mate, looking forward to many more nights like this with him.
Asher came out slowly, then grabbed his huge leather jacket from the front seat and covered the both of them with it, snuggling around her as they scrunched together in the back seat of Asher’s car. He nuzzled the back of her neck and held her close.
“Mine,” he said. “Finally.”
“I’ll say,” she replied, cuddling closer.
In a minute, they would head home. The house would finally be their house, not just the place both of them lived. They would tell their friends about it, and congratulations would be shared. Everyone would know they weren’t just coworkers and best friends, but mated lovers now starting a family of their own.
Nothing would be the same, and Laurel liked that.
But for now, she just wanted to feel Asher’s warmth surrounding her and enjoy the feeling of safety from anything and everything in the world, a feeling that only he could bring.
“Damn,” Asher said. “I thought mating you would somehow make me less overprotective, more secure.” He hugged her tight and growled. “But I think it’s made me worse.”
She laughed. “That’s okay. I’m used to it at this point.” She turned to look up at him, brushing her hand against the day’s worth of stubble on his strong jaw. “I think I’d miss it if you stopped.”
“Good,” he said, nuzzling the top of her head. “Because I don’t think I ever can. At this point, even thinking about other men looking at you is making me furious.”
“Sorry,” she said. “People are going to look. I have a job. You can’t lock me in the basement.”
“True,” he said, looking disappointed, which made her laugh.
“But it’s okay,” she said. “You’ll be there for me, and I’ll be there for you.”
“What would I need you to protect me from?” he asked, looking puzzled as his strong arms encircled her.
“Yourself,” she said simply. “When you forget how much I love you.”
He blinked in surprise and then grinned. “Fair enough. All right, you protect me, and I’ll protect you. As long as you stay with me forever, I think I’ll be okay.”
She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I think I can do that.”
She pulled his arms tighter around her and relaxed into the leather and the soft rhythm of his breath. Forever with her alpha protector? She couldn’t think of anything better.
Epilogue
Laurel grinned as she watched Asher wrestle with the Little Wolves class. Martial arts studios often called their youngest courses things like “little wolves” or “little tigers”, but in this case the meaning was literal.
It was a class of young wolf shifters. And in the battle between them and Asher, they were winning.
She stifled a laugh as they worked together to knock his feet out from under him and then pile on top of him, growling fiercely though they were in human form.
One was the son of his oldest brother, Lucas, with dark hair and fierce green eyes. Then there were the twin daughters from his brother Jordan, with reddish black hair and blue eyes like their mother’s. All of them ranged from three to five years old, and there were three others as well, the offspring of several of Asher’s friends from an alpha challenge he’d attended. They were there in exchange for helping Asher get information about Dane.
One of them, an imperious little blond girl, was commanding the others in using Asher’s belt to tie him up while his cousins, a short, tanned boy with curly amber hair and amber eyes, and a girl with dark hair and blue eyes, sat on his legs, pinning him.
Asher sent her an exasperated glare and she just laughed, throwing her head back at the adorable sight of her disgruntled mate nearly lost beneath the sight of all of the rampaging cubs.
Would this change his opinion of what she intended to tell him after class? They’d only been mated for a few months.
It might come as a bit of a shock.
She strode over reluctantly to rescue her mate from the situation he was in. The rough little cubs had managed to roll him onto his face and tie his hands behind his back, and despite his frustrated growls, she knew it was only his intense gentleness toward little ones that was letting them get away with this.
She smirked down and then clapped her hands, drawing the munchkins’ attention. Six sweet, attentive little faces looked up at her.
“Now, that wasn’t nice,” she said. “You should untie Uncle Asher.”
The twins who were the daughters of Asher’s brother Jordan turned up their nose at the idea. “No. He started it.”
“Yeah, he said we’re little!” The little blond girl who seemed to be the ring leader said.
Asher grumbled something unintelligible and she laughed, knowing it was probably something not safe for kid’s ears. She grabbed one under each arm, snarling though they were, and carried them off the mat. When they moved as if to head back, she stuck out a finger.
“Now, that’s my mate, and you don’t want to make me upset, do you?”
They blinked up at her and then shook their heads. She had a way with kids. So did Asher, as long as they weren’t kids who knew him. As soon as they realized what a softie he was, it was all over.
She waved for the other kids to follow and they narrowed their eyes at her and stayed by their quarry, who was wriggling to get free.
She sighed. “Who wants after-class treats?” she called, going to the mini fridge to pull out ice pops.
That did it, the other four almost tripped over their short, chubby legs trying to reach her now, and she heard Asher let out a gruff sigh of relief. After she got the kids situated in chairs with their treats, she walked out over the mat to her mate.
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She crouched next to him as he rolled on his arms to look up at her. “You okay?” she asked.
“My hero,” he muttered, waiting for her to untie him. “I can’t believe you gave them treats.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have hurt their pride.”
“They are little,” he said. “And besides, they need to know who’s boss.”
She eyed him. “Hm. I’m sure they do now.”
“Untie me,” he said tersely, eyes glowing now that she was close. She felt a familiar heat that always rose in her when she was near, and could feel blood move into her cheeks.
“I don’t know, you look great as you are.” She loved the look of his gi slightly falling off his incredible shoulders, his buff arms rippling with tension as he struggled.
He growled. “The little monsters had alpha strength. Not fair.”
“Hm, yeah. Iron skin isn’t much of a benefit in this situation.” She brushed his hair back and he shuddered slightly, at her mercy.
“Mommy, what is aunt Laurel doing to Master Vale?”
Both her and Asher’s gazes snapped to the door, where Lucas and his wife Lily were walking in, the first to pick up their kid.
“I don’t know,” Lucas’s loud voice thundered, sounding angry. “Doesn’t look like something appropriate in front of kids though.”
Asher snarled. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Laurel laughed and untied him.
“We’ll finish this later,” he said, flashing her a grin that said he wasn’t going to let her get away with teasing him and not immediately untying him.
“I look forward to it,” she said, standing and reaching down a hand. He took it and she pulled him to his feet. He stretched and then walked to the door.
“I’ll wait for the parents,” he said. “You okay tidying up the class?”
She nodded gratefully. He knew she was more comfortable doing that than meeting wolves she didn’t know. Plus his friends were intimidating. Wolves with the kind of bloodlines even her dad had envied. Their wives seemed nice, and maybe she’d get to know them eventually, but for now she just wanted to focus on cleaning up and what would happen between her and Asher once everyone else was gone for the day.
A little while later, they were alone in the dojo.
Asher closed and locked the doors, and shrugged out of his gi top without saying a word. He was wearing a tight tee shirt that made her mouth water. But then he grabbed the black fabric belt the kids had used on him earlier. And marched toward her ominously.
She giggled and turned to run, but he caught her easily, trapping her against one of the punching bags she’d tried to hide behind.
“Uh oh,” she said.
“Uh oh is right,” he said, but his eyes were full of mirth as he reached around her with the belt, trying to tie her to the bag. “Now you’re all mine.”
She laughed. “Okay. But before you tie that too tight around my waist, there’s something you should know.”
He raised an eyebrow and stopped. “What do you mean?”
She leaned forward and whispered it in his ear, and the belt dropped out of his hands as he stepped back and looked down her body in shock. Then he came forward and squeezed her into a hug, lifting her in the air and spinning her around as he shouted with joy.
When he finally set her down, she was dizzy and she glared at him. But it was hard to be mad when he looked so overjoyed that they were having a cub.
“Do you know what it is yet?” he asked. “Wait, no, that’ll be a long time yet.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t believe it. This is amazing.” He scooped her up again but remembered to be gentle this time. He sat down with her in his arms, cradling her in his lap as he sat cross-legged.
He rested his head on hers. “Damn, even with those brats earlier tying me up, I don’t think I could ever hear better news in my life.”
She grinned. “I was a bit worried about telling you.”
His hand rested protectively over her stomach as he shook his head. “Never be worried with me. I’ll always take care of you.”
“Hopefully he’ll be a little more well-behaved, although if he’s anything like his dad…”
Asher laughed. “Yeah. Well, they’re worse in groups anyway. Not that I’d complain if you popped out a few more.”
She swatted at him playfully and he went back to just holding her in his arms and enjoying the moment.
“Damn,” he said, shaking his head again.
“What?” she asked, feeling warm and content against his chest, within his strong arms. She knew he’d take care of her and any cub that came around.
“I’m going to be unbearably protective now, aren’t I?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Probably. I like that about you though. Means me and our cub will always be safe.”
He growled. “That’s good. I’ll try to reign myself in though.”
She turned in his arms and touch his face, turning it to face hers. “Asher Vale, you can be just who you are. I love you with all the ridiculousness inside you.”
He pressed his lips together, not knowing what to say. He pulled her in again. “And I love you for putting up with me.”
“Well, there are some definite benefits,” she said, wriggling against him.
His body tensed and then he grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? You interested in going home and exploring some of those benefits now?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Hot damn,” he said, picking her up in his arms and striding out of the dojo to the car.
He started the engine and sighed. “Damn, whenever I drive this car all I can think of is mating you in the back of it.”
Blood rushed to her face. “Yeah. Me too.”
“You interested in taking a detour?” he asked, pulling off the main road that led back to the mansion.
She giggled. “I just might be.”
He slung an arm around her and drove to a place where they could be alone. And then he showed his mate once again all the benefits of putting up with his ridiculousness.
In the back seat.
* * *
* * *
Thank you for reading my Wolf Protector series! I so appreciate your support and would love a review if you enjoyed it.
If you haven’t read the other two books in the series, they are here:
Alpha Champion (Lucas’s story)
Alpha Hero (Jordan’s story)
I have a sample on the next page of my most recent release, on sale for .99. It’s a menage starring two big bad dragon shifters, and is available now on Amazon!
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Thanks again so much!
Terry
Sample of Double Dragons
Chapter 1
“Just put her in the bag.”
The frightening words jolted Melissa Jones out of the book she was reading.
Just who was trying to put whom in a bag?
The library was eerily dark all around her. She’d stayed late, reading, as she often did after work, because she tended to get caught up in books and because there was no one waiting at home for her.
Being assistant librarian with a key to all the books in the world was truly the perfect job.
Until a bunch of thugs had to come along and ruin it.
Her heart pounded as she plastered herself to the wall and risked a look out the side window.
A large group of the some of the biggest, meanest-looking men she’d ever seen was partially blocking the window. As she moved to the other side to get a better look, she realized there were at least a dozen. All angry, all fierce. All twice her size or more.
And they were looking down at something in the center that she couldn’t make out. Something that was whimpering in a heart-wrenching way. They’d said words like “kidnapping,” “slavery,” and “valuable.�
� And the growls and mewls she heard seemed to be coming from a human child—girl, she thought, though she couldn’t see properly.
Human traffickers. And even though she was woefully unequipped to take them on, she would sooner cut out her own heart than walk away without trying to stop them. No child deserved something like this. No human for that matter.
Melissa took a deep breath and considered her options.
At 5’4” with an amply curvaceous figure and no athletic ability to speak of, she knew she wasn’t the best option for a hero. But she also knew with the slow response of police in the little town, the group could be gone and untraceable by the time they arrived.
She heard another yelp from outside and felt her heart thump hard inside her.
Despite her fear, her heart hammered in approval as she walked stubbornly to the door and opened it wide, drawing the men’s attention to her instead of their prey.
“You there,” she said, trying to figure out what one would say to human traffickers. “Stop what you’re doing.”
The man closest to her straightened to full height and stared at her with glowing yellow eyes. The rest of the men followed suit. Most were wearing dingy black leather and had longish, shaggy hair and unshaven faces. Their eyes gleamed as they stepped between her and their prey, blocking her view and eyeing her with thinly veiled rage and something a little more predatory.
She clenched her hands into fists at her side and tried to stay calm, despite being hopelessly outnumbered. “I’ve called the police,” she lied. “Just get out of here.”
“Not until we take what’s ours,” the leader said. “If I were you, I’d just turn around and go straight back into that library, little lady.” He flashed a sneering grin at her, his teeth looking more like fangs. She took a hesitant half step back but then held her ground, pointing a finger at them.
“No, you need to leave her alone and move on,” she said, still hearing little yelps and growls from whatever they were hiding.
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