by Celia Kyle
It didn’t remember losing someone she loved. It didn’t recall the utter desolation she’d experienced when her parents had given up. It’d been Stella’s human half that’d dealt with that pain. It was Stella’s human half that bore the emotional scars of loss. Her jaguar didn’t remember nights spent crying. Nights spent so fucking lonely she thought she’d shatter beneath the grief that weighed her down.
Cole jerked away from her hand and sneezed, shaking his head while he brought his paw up to rub the end of his nose. His wiggling gave her the chance to escape, and she hurriedly crawled to her feet. She spun and marched back to the cabin, ignoring the tiger’s disapproving roar. It could get as pissy as it wanted. Stella didn’t give a damn.
Though she should have at least kept some of her attention on the striped asshole.
Chapter Thirty-one
The tiger’s claws dug into the soft dirt and grass, feline body quick to catch up to its mate. He took advantage of the animal’s speed, but Cole refused to let the furry pain in the ass retain control.
He flexed and stretched his human consciousness, expanding to shove the big cat from the forefront of their shared mind. He battled the beast, mental arms wrapping around the tiger’s chest just before he stood and launched the animal over his shoulder. He body-slammed the idiot feline, distracting it just enough to reclaim possession.
Cole didn’t hesitate to take the reins. He secured the tiger with mental chains while his human awareness pushed forward. Between one stride and the next, he went from four paws to two feet as he reclaimed his body. Orange, black, and white fur receded, revealing his tanned skin to the bright sunlight. Paws transformed to feet and hands while his cat’s legs returned to their normal human shape. His head narrowed and face rearranged, snout receding while his tiger’s fangs shortened and turned dull.
He chased after her, leaves, grass, and dirt stuck to the soles of his feet. The occasional twig dug into his calloused skin, but that small hint of pain didn’t matter to him. Not when the only thing that did matter was Stella. Stella who continued to stomp toward the cabin.
“Stella.” He called out to her, hoping that hearing his voice—instead of the tiger’s chuffing—would get her to stop. It didn’t.
“Stella! Just a second.” He picked up his pace, breaking into a jog to catch her. His cat urged him to pounce again. Idiot. Cole shoved the tiger deeper into his mind until its roars sounded more like the cries of a young kitten.
Once he was close enough, he reached out, his touch gentle yet firm when his fingers met her elbow. “Just gimme a minute, Stella.”
Stella paused but didn’t turn to face him. “What?”
“Uh…”
He stared at the back of her head, at her lopsided, water-soaked ponytail and the random curls that’d fallen free of her hair tie. Her clothes clung to her body, fabric drenched in lake water. Silt and bits of grass peppered her calves, while dirt stuck to the bottom of her feet. Her scent no longer drifted to him on the wind, sweet aroma replaced by the stink of lake water and the decay of vegetation.
She snorted and shook her head, taking a step forward.
He needed to think of something to say. Fast. His tiger released a series of chuffs and then a snort, the animal finding way too much pleasure in Cole’s failings. The little shit. It’d been the one that had gotten them into this mess, and now Cole had to clean it up.
Cole’s mind dove for the gutter, fantasies of getting Stella in a shower and bathing her body flooding his thoughts. But imagining her naked and slick with water wouldn’t get him any closer to his goal—mating. Mating a woman he didn’t deserve. One who was too good for him but he hoped would accept him anyway.
He moved forward slowly, making sure she heard his approach so she could move if she desired. But Stella remained in place, back straight and body tense. With infinite care, he cupped her shoulders and slid his palms down her arms. He gently rubbed her arms, giving her some of his warmth. He realized now that he’d been an idiot to listen to the cat. What the hell did it know about interacting with his mate’s human half? If Stella had been on four legs, the tiger might have convinced her to mate with a playful game. Since she had been in human form, all he’d done was annoy her.
“I’m sorry.” He murmured the two words, putting every ounce of tumultuous emotion in the syllables. “That was…” He sighed and dropped his head forward. He curled inward and rested his forehand on the base of her neck. “That was stupid.”
“What was stupid?”
“Coming out here as a cat. Shoving you in the lake.” She relaxed the tiniest bit, and he risked reaching around her. “Acting like a dumbass when I actually came out here to have a serious conversation. Take your pick.”
She snorted and shook her head. “All of the above?”
“I deserve that.” He winced and then sighed. “That and more. I…”
Stella slowly turned in his embrace, and he loosened his grip, allowing her to move freely. “You’re”—her attention flicked down and then sprang back up to meet his gaze—“naked.”
His lips twitched, but he suppressed the smile that threatened to take over. “It was all the cat’s idea, I assure you. It thought…” Another sigh. Now that he’d let the tiger’s reasoning replay in his mind, he realized how truly dumb he’d been. “It thought teasing and pouncing on you was the perfect way to get your attention.” He grimaced. “It was flirting with you, your jaguar.”
She quirked a brow, skepticism obvious in her expression. “Flirting?”
“I never said he was the most mature cat.”
“And yet you let him have control?” she drawled. “Why did he feel the need to flirt?” She stepped closer, her cold, wet body flush with his. Any hint of arousal due to her nearness vanished when they touched. The cold stomped on his body’s responses to Stella’s proximity. “What was its endgame—your endgame?”
He slid his arms from around her waist, skated his palms up her biceps, and didn’t stop until he reached her heart-shaped face. It was time for Cole to go balls-to-the-wall, rock-out-with-his-cock-out honest. “It wants you for its mate. I want you for my mate.”
He couldn’t blame her for being skeptical. For the little frown on her lips and the wrinkles that formed between her brows. Or the way her eyes narrowed. Not enough to convey anger, but she didn’t exactly look happy, either.
He lifted his hand from her cheek and brushed away those little lines between her eyebrows. “I’m sure you doubt me. I haven’t given you any reason to think that this was heading in a ‘permanent’ direction, but…” He ghosted his fingertips over her skin to her hairline and softly tickled the short strands that framed her face. “You want to know what we’re doing?” He leaned down and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. “If I have my way, we’re mating.”
“Cole…” she whispered, a mixture of hope and heartache in her voice that tore him in two.
“You’re mine, Stella Moore, but fair warning…I’m an ass, my tiger is an immature little shit, and I spend my time surrounded by guys with guns who are just as bad or worse.” He brushed his lips across hers, teasing them both with the soft caress. “But when I’m not annoying the hell out of you, I’m gonna make you so fucking happy.”
Stella’s laugh burst from her lips, and she leaned away, letting her delight fill the air. And he held on, his grip sure and steady while she let him take her weight. She trusted him not to let her fall. Trusted. Him. No one but his team had ever trusted him so much, and the ties between him and his teammates were forged in blood and sweat.
His connection to Stella…formed the same way. They’d bled and fought side by side to get off that island. She’d stayed by his side while he recovered. Now it seemed she’d forgiven him for being such a hopeless example of a typical male. The operative word, though, was “seemed.” He might make her laugh, but she hadn’t agreed to mate him. His tiger wasn’t letting her go until she agreed, and he didn’t give a damn how stalkery that sounded
.
Her body trembled with her laughter, wet cloth stroking his, and somehow his cock managed to harden despite the chill from her touch. And not just a little hard, either. This wasn’t just a chubby. It was a full-on, soul-deep, raw craving for her.
“What do you say, Stella?”
“You’re crazy.”
He nodded. There was no doubt about that. He was in SHOC, after all. It wasn’t like the organization attracted men that were sane. “Yeah, but that’s not an answer. Mate me.”
At least not the one he wanted.
“Cole, we…”
He kissed her, pressure gentle with lips barely parted. Just enough to capture a quick taste. “Mate me.”
“But…”
He went for her again, lapping at the seam of her lips and gathering the sweetness he found there. “Mate me.”
“We hardly…”
The next kiss delved deeper, slipping into her mouth and gathering every hint of her taste he could find. He showed her how much he craved her, how badly he needed her, and the depth of his hunger. As quickly as he’d fallen into their kiss, he ended the meeting of their mouths. “From the moment I saw you in that ballroom you were mine. It didn’t matter that I was surrounded by humans who wanted to kill me. All I could see was you. All I could think about was making you mine.” Voice hoarse, strained by the strength of his emotions, he tried again. “You deserve so much better than a scarred, violent tiger with homicidal tendencies, but I can’t stand the idea of anyone else touching you. Mate me.”
Stella didn’t say a word at first. Her green eyes still remained focused on his, and his gut clenched when he realized that tears spilled over her lashes to form damp trails on her cheeks.
“Stella, I’m—”
She was the one to interrupt that time. She was the one to press a finger to his lips while her mouth formed a wide smile. She was the one to give him the greatest gift he’d ever known.
“Yes.”
* * *
Stella was probably stupid for agreeing, but she couldn’t have stopped herself had she tried. Her jaguar roared for Cole, and her body ached to become one with his. She forgot about the lake, the water soaking her clothes, and the dirt and grass on her feet. Instead, all she noticed was Cole’s scent, his taste, the feel of his bare skin beneath her palms.
He swept her into his arms, his shifter strength easily carrying her up the porch steps and into the house and then farther, to the bedroom they’d shared. Shared, yet they’d never gone this far. She’d never accepted what he offered so willingly. She was more than willing now. She craved his body, his bite. The feel of him piercing her…She shuddered, and her pussy clenched. Arousal burned a path along her nerves, sparking them to life one after another. It raced through her, sinking into her blood and bones.
He reached the bed and lowered her legs to the ground, not even pausing before he grasped the bottom of her tee. But she snatched it from him and he froze. “Stella? I thought…”
She grinned and gave him a quick kiss and a wink. “I’ve got the top; you work on the bottoms.”
She tugged on the wet fabric, pulling until the top whipped free of her head. She reached behind herself and fought with her bra, the hooks determined to clam jam her.
Cole didn’t seem to have that same trouble. Her pants fell to the ground without a hitch, leaving her bare from the waist down. “Fuck, Stella. No panties.”
He leaned forward and nuzzled her closely cropped curls, breathing deep and then releasing his breath with a slow sigh. “You smell so good.” His tongue flicked out, teasing the top of her slit, and she shuddered.
“Cole…” She reached for his shoulders, gripping them so she wouldn’t suddenly topple. “You…I’m…”
He grasped her thighs and pushed her until she fell back against the bed, and then she found him between her legs.
“What are you doing?”
He grinned. “You’ll see.”
Suddenly she realized her condition, the dirt clinging to her and her body covered in lake water. “Cole, I should shower before—”
Cole pressed his face to her pussy, tongue delving between her sex lips and lapping at her sensitive flesh. He moaned and licked her harder, increasing the pressure of his attentions. She forgot about whatever she’d been saying. This—his touch—was too overwhelming to think beyond the rolls of pleasure he gave her.
He sucked on her clit, flicking the nub and teasing the bundle of nerves. His rapid flicks and rhythmic strokes urged her toward release, giving her more and more pleasure with his every movement.
He moved farther south, circling her core and sliding into her before retracing his path. He made love to her with his mouth, giving and taking pleasure in equal measure.
Stella cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples, enjoying that added sting. With each tug, she rolled her hips, reveling in Cole’s intimate attentions. He growled and moaned against her flesh, voicing his pleasure as she took her own from him.
She eased closer and closer to the precipice, all-encompassing pleasure drawing her to the edge. And she wanted it. Wanted to gather every snippet of bliss he was willing to give.
But not like this. She reached down and tugged on his hair, pulling until he finally released her clit. She withdrew one hand and propped herself on her elbow, meeting his amber stare. “I want to come with you in me. Fuck me. Claim me. Mate me.”
Those eyes flared brighter—hotter—and she soon found herself in the middle of the bed on her back, legs splayed, with Cole between them. He sat on his heels and stroked his cock, the thick length hard and topped with a droplet of pre-come. He slid his palm from base to tip and back again, tugging on his dick and squeezing the tip.
“Is this what you want, Stella? You don’t want to come on my mouth? You want my cock?”
She kept her eyes trained on his hand, unable to tear her stare away. “Yes.”
Up and down, then up again. Squeeze. Stroke. Down. Up. Squeeze. She imagined riding him, squeezing his shaft with her muscles and making him shout her name.
He rubbed his thumb across the head of his dick, gathering the bit of moisture, and she licked her lips. She wanted to taste him, to savor him, and Cole gave her the chance. He held out his hand, and she quickly sat up, lips parted.
She sucked his thumb into her mouth, licking and lapping at the digit as if it were his cock. She pretended it was him in her mouth, so she suckled him, teased him, and imagined the feel of his hardness on her tongue. Her pussy clenched once more, her center hard and aching to be filled.
Stella couldn’t remain still, too desperate for her mate. She released his thumb with a soft pop and moved before he even realized she’d changed positions. He remained sitting on his heels while she climbed atop him, straddled his lap, and sank onto his length.
“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck…” She took more and more of him in, his cock stroking her inner sheath and stretching her almost to the point of pain. “Fuck, you’re inside me.”
“Shit. Stella.” A claw-tipped hand grasped her hip, nails digging into her flesh. “Don’t stop. Keep taking more of me.”
And she did. She lowered her body until their hips met and his cock was fully seated. She rolled her hips and gasped at the pleasure, at the way it made her pussy clench and her body shudder.
“God dammit,” he rasped. “You’re so wet. So hot.”
She rocked her hips back and forth, sliding up and down his shaft until she found a rhythm she liked. Her clit rubbed against him each time she lowered herself, the bundle of nerves singing with each touch. She rippled around him, milking his thick cock and body begging for his come.
Cole’s attention transferred to where their bodies met, his gaze unmoving. “Do you know what it’s like to see my dick in you? Mine.” He growled then, his tiger pushing forward. “My mate.”
Stella couldn’t do more than pant a single word. “Yours.”
He growled again and lifted his hips, meeting her on the downstr
oke. He slammed their bodies together, flesh hitting flesh in the very best of ways. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a cage of his flesh, and then changed their position. Now she lay beneath him, Cole’s larger body hovering above hers.
He fucked her then, cock slamming into her with every word. “Mine. Mine. Mine.”
And he didn’t stop. He kept pounding into her, his growls adding to the ecstasy she found in his arms.
“Yours. Fuck me. Fuck, Cole…Your cock.” It was perfect, stretching and filling her in a way that made her want to scream and cry.
She trembled in his arms, the growing pleasure snatching any hint of her ability to control herself.
And still he went on, giving her more and more with every flex of muscle. She met him stroke for stroke, giving them both the pleasure they craved.
“Give it to me, Stella. Come for me.”
“Yes,” she hissed, unable to stop herself.
Cole changed his angle then, a small lift of her hips and tilt of his and then…“Fuck. So good.”
The head of his cock skated over her G-spot, stroking her inner walls and urging her to fall over the edge. He wanted her to come, and she wanted to fall apart in his arms.
Again and again and again…Her body shook, nipples hardened, and her pussy now milked his dick in time with his thrusts. Her body craved this male, craved his possession.
“Cole. Gonna…” So close. So fucking close to coming. She could feel the first tingles that announced release.
“Yes. Now. Come for me.” Sweat dripped from his brow, proving how hard he worked to give her pleasure, and he somehow picked up his pace again. The bed slammed against the wall, and she had no doubt there’d be damage, but…
Stella lost herself to the spiraling bliss. She embraced it with open arms and leapt off the edge of the cliff. Her body trembled, toes curling and muscles shaking as she screamed Cole’s name.
