Unstoppable

by R. L. Mathewson

  “I want to keep you safe, mo ghrá,” Kale said, filling the first vial with blood before quickly switching it out.

  “Because you’re being paid?” she asked, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice even as she told herself that she’d watched too many movies, but how else could she explain why an incredibly sexy shifter who’d gone out of his way to let her know that she was just a job suddenly couldn’t keep his hands off her? She-

  “I’m not being paid,” Kale said quietly as he finished filling the vial and grabbed another one, leaving her…confused.

  “Then why are you doing this?”

  “You know why,” Kale murmured as he grabbed another vial.

  “No, I don’t,” she admitted, watching him as he finished filling up the last few vials.

  When Kale was done, he carefully removed the needle and taped a small gauze pad to her arm to stop the bleeding. She watched as he started placing everything back in his backpack while Ashley sat there, trying to tell herself that it didn’t matter why he was doing this, but she needed to know so that when he left her like everyone else did, it wouldn’t hurt as much. If this was just a job, it would make this easier when he moved on to the next job and if it wasn’t…

  She would be fine, Ashley told herself, repeating the last thing that her mother said to her before-

  “Drink this,” Kale said, grabbing the thermos that she’d forgotten about off the nightstand and handed it to her.

  “What’s this?” she asked, her fangs sliding down when the intoxicating aroma of his blood hit her, only to frown when she caught Jacob’s scent.

  “It should help,” Kale said absently as he made quick work of cleaning up his mess.

  “I thought I wasn’t supposed to drink Jacob’s blood,” Ashley pointed out, mostly so that she didn’t say something to give away just how pathetic she really was.

  She liked Kale, probably more than she should. Definitely more than she should, Ashley amended a moment later when she spotted the mating mark on her wrist, reminding her just how incredibly stupid this was. She was mated whether she liked it or not. Her mate might not want her, but she remembered enough from her time growing up in her mother’s Pack to know that this wasn’t going to end well.

  “You need it,” Kale said absently as he focused his attention on his phone while she sipped the blood, noting that the blood was still warm as she found herself wondering about her mate.

  It was stupid, but…

  “Who’s my mate, Kale?” Ashley found herself asking.

  She watched as Kale went still and before she could wonder about that, he was swiping through messages on his phone, looking bored as he asked, “Did you change your mind?”

  “About wanting a mate?” Ashley asked, shaking her head. “No, but I think it would be a good idea if I knew at least something about him. I want to know if I have to worry about him showing up one day claiming rights that I have no plans on giving him.”

  Nodding absently, Kale said, “He doesn’t want a mate.”

  “And if he changes his mind?” Ashley asked, taking another sip of blood as she watched him.

  “He won’t,” Kale assured her, shaking his head as he placed his phone on the nightstand.

  Absently nodding, Ashley stared down at the thermos in her hands as she said, “I don’t remember much from my time in my mother’s Pack, but I remember enough to know just how badly this could end if my mate suddenly decided that he wants me.”

  “Do you really think that I would ever let anyone hurt you?” Kale asked quietly, drawing her attention to find him watching her through silver eyes.

  “It’s not your job to protect me, Kale,” Ashley found herself saying as she went to take another sip only to find the thermos plucked from her hand and Kale reaching for her.

  In a matter of seconds, Kale had her pulled onto his lap and biting back a moan when he leaned in and kissed her. “Let’s get something straight right now,” he said as he shifted her on his lap while she was forced to grab hold of her towel when it threatened to fall off, “it will always be my job to protect you.”

  “Why?” she asked, wondering why he even cared.

  “Because you drive me out of my fucking mind,” Kale said as he placed his hands on her knees and slid them over her bare thighs until they reached the edge of the towel and then, slowly, pulled his hands back while she sat there, watching his hands move over her.

  “Do you have any idea how much I want you?” Kale asked as she was forced to grab hold of his shoulders with trembling hands, unable to help but notice just how good his hands felt on her.

  “No,” Ashley mumbled, swallowing hard as she sat there, wondering what he would do next, only to moan when he leaned in and kissed her throat.

  “Do you want me to tell you?” Kale asked in a seductive whisper as the light brogue that always teased his words became thicker, causing a shiver to tear through her body as her breath caught in her throat.

  She was nodding before she realized what she was doing. Kale released an incredibly sexy chuckle as he rewarded her with a kiss against the side of her neck while she sat there, holding on to him as he continued running his hands over her thighs.

  “I think about you, probably more than I should, but I can’t stop,” Kale admitted with another brush of his lips against her neck as his fingertips trailed across her skin. “Do you think about me, Ashley?” he asked as his hands reached the edge of the towel and this time, he grabbed hold of it and slowly pulled the towel away, leaving her completely naked. Definitely a first for her, Ashley thought numbly.

  As soon as her towel was gone, he was back to running his hands over her thighs, leaving her struggling to catch her breath. His fingertips continued to slowly tease a path down her thighs as she felt his lips press against her neck and-

  “Yes,” was torn from her lips on a moan when she felt his fangs press against her neck.

  Chapter 36

  “Kale,” came the softly murmured plea that had Kale struggling to stay in control. It would be the easiest fucking thing in the world to give in and bite her, marking his claim and letting her know just how fucking much he wanted her. She was his mate and it was fucking killing him that he couldn’t claim her, but she didn’t want a mate and he…

  Wasn’t willing to risk losing her.

  Forcing his fangs back was probably one of the hardest things that he’d ever done, but he did it for her. He kissed her neck as he slid his hands back up her thighs and over her hips as he made his way towards her back, tracing the curves of her body as he went. Her skin was so fucking soft, Kale thought as he kissed her neck while he allowed his palms to slide down her back, listening as her breath caught only to groan as the sweet scent of her sex teased him.

  God, he wanted her.

  He wanted to find out exactly how good it would feel to lose himself in her. He’d never wanted anything more than he wanted her. She was like a drug and he couldn’t get enough, and something told him that he never would.

  “Do you have any idea how many times I thought about touching you like this?” Kale asked in a daze as he moved his hands down her back until even that wasn’t enough and he finally allowed himself more.

  “Oh, god…” Ashley whispered softly as he slowly slid his hands over her ass.

  Kissing her neck, Kale gently squeezed her ass and couldn’t believe just how good it felt to touch her. It was so much better than he’d imagined, Kale thought only to groan when Ashley shifted in his arms until she was pressed against him.

  “You feel so good, mo ghrá,” Kale bit out on a groan as he used his hold to pull her tightly against him, a groan escaping him when the move caressed his cock through his jeans. Pressing one last kiss against her throat, Kale watched her lick her lips hungrily as he moved his hands over her.

  “I-I’ve never done this before,” Ashley admitted, worrying her bottom lip.

  “Do you want me to stop?” Kale asked, knowing that it would kill him to stop
touching her, and he really didn’t want to stop touching her, but he would if that’s what she needed.

  “No, I want you to go faster,” she said, surprising a chuckle out of him.

  “This isn’t fast enough for you, mo ghrá?” Kale asked teasingly as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

  “I’d really like you to move faster,” Ashley said, nodding solemnly and making him smile.

  “Yeah?” Kale asked softly as he gently squeezed her ass.

  “A lot faster,” she amended only to mutter, “Oh, god,” when he used his hold to slowly move her against him, making sure that she knew just how badly he wanted her.

  “Is this fast enough?” Kale asked, watching her.

  “I suppose this will have to do,” Ashley said, licking her lips on a moan as he took his time moving her against him while he watched her as her eyes flickered silver and her breath caught in her throat. She was so fucking beautiful, Kale thought, kissing her cheek as he pulled his head back and-

  Nearly fucking came when Ashley reached up and cupped his face, pulling him back in for a kiss that turned hungry as soon as their lips touched. She was definitely going to be the death of him, Kale thought on a groan as he felt her take over, moving against him as the scent of her sex became sweeter, letting him know just how fucking wet she was.

  “You feel so good,” Ashley said on a moan as she continued grinding against him.

  As good as she felt moving against him, he’d been dreaming about something else for months now and he was done waiting. Holding her tightly against him, Kale stood up and carried her the short distance to the bed and was surprised by how difficult it was to let her go. For a moment, he stood there, holding her in his arms as he kissed her, wondering if she had any idea how many times he’d thought about her, how many times he’d imagined holding her in his arms, and just how dangerous this addiction was.

  They shouldn’t be doing this, but no matter how many times he told himself that, he couldn’t seem to care. He knew exactly how dangerous this was, knew just how fucking weak she was making him, but he didn’t care, not when she was whimpering his name as he gently placed her down on the bed.

  He allowed himself one last kiss as he knelt down on the floor between her legs and-

  Groaned when Ashley took the move as an invitation to slide off the bed, giving him no other choice but to move back until he found himself falling onto his back with his mate following him. He landed on the soft carpet with a chuckle as Ashley leaned down and kissed him.

  “I love your smile,” Ashley said, smiling against his lips as Kale cupped her face in his hands.

  “Do you now?” Kale asked as he found himself wondering if she had any idea just how beautiful she was.

  “You don’t smile enough,” she said with a teasing smile as she leaned back down and brushed her lips against his.

  “I never had a reason to before,” Kale said, watching as her eyes turned silver.

  “And you do now?” Ashley whispered, her expression softening as she looked at him.

  “God, yes,” he said, leaning up to kiss her as he sat up, giving her no choice but to do the same.

  Wrapping his arms around her, Kale kept moving until he was back on his knees and was able to place her on the bed. When he moved to pull back, she stopped him with a kiss that left him with no choice but to stay where he was as she wrapped her arms around him. He’d never enjoyed kissing a woman before, never thought that it could be this good, but as he knelt there, holding his mate in his arms, Kale realized the reason why.

  None of them had been her.

  He also knew that this hold that she had on him had nothing to do with their mating and everything to do with the woman that he realized he couldn’t live without. A mating between shifters had nothing to do with finding the one and everything to do with ensuring that their species survived. Most mated couples barely tolerated each other, only coming together for sex and avoiding each other whenever they could.

  He could count on one hand the number of happily mated couples that he’d come across over the years and his parents weren’t one of them. They’d respected each other, worked together to take care of their children, and helped protect their Pack, but they never loved each other. His mother’s face had never lit up when she saw his father the way that Ashley’s did when she saw him.

  It didn’t help that his father had never been able to get over being forced to watch as the woman that he’d loved was mated to another man. Kale saw the pain in his father’s eyes every time he saw her, but he never said a word or took it out on his mate. He simply did his duty by his mate, protecting her, taking care of her through her mating heats, and making sure that she had everything that she needed for their children.

  He couldn’t do that to Ashley.

  While he’d never wanted a mate, Kale had one now and she was…

  Everything to him.

  Ashley was a hopeless romantic, who loved romance movies, romance novels, and had been forced to watch as the world passed her by. She wanted a happily ever after and he was going to do everything within his power to give it to her. He was going to take his time learning her body, what she liked and didn’t like, and he was going to enjoy every fucking minute of it.

  With that in mind, Kale brushed his lips against hers one last time before he pulled back. “Lie down, mo ghrá,” he said softly as he leaned in and kissed her neck, unable to help himself.

  “Are you ever going to tell me what that means?” Ashley asked on a soft moan as he followed her as she lay down, kissing a path from her neck down to her navel.

  “No,” Kale said as he pressed one last kiss just above her navel before he stood up and couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw the way that she was glaring up at him.

  So fucking adorable, Kale thought as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside.

  “I could always look it up,” Ashley pointed out, licking her lips nervously as he allowed his gaze to move away from her beautiful face and found himself groaning when his eyes landed on large teardrop-shaped breasts tipped with light pink nipples.

  “You could,” Kale murmured absently as he slowly shifted his attention down the soft swell of her belly, taking in the curve of her hips, the way that his legs kept her thighs apart, giving him one hell of a view of the prettiest little pussy that he’d ever seen in his life. A soft blush teased her swollen lips, making them look incredibly soft and so fucking smooth that he was unable to resist reaching down and running his fingertips between them.

  A soft moan drew his attention to find Ashley covering her eyes with her hands. “I have told you that I haven’t done anything like this before, right?” she asked, only to release another moan when he shifted his hand so that he was tracing her wet slit with the pad of his thumb.

  “Do you want me to stop, mo ghrá?” Kale asked, watching her as he continued to slowly run his thumb between her legs, looking for any signs that she didn’t want to do this. There was a slight pause, and then, she was shaking her head.

  “What do you want me to do, Ashley?” he asked, already moving to kneel back down on the floor between her legs.

  “I want you to keep touching me,” she whispered softly as he found himself watching his thumb move over her, every swipe of his thumb causing her lips to part and giving him a view of her little pink clit.

  He should ease her into this with soft touches and teasing kisses as he worked his way back up to her mouth, Kale told himself even as he leaned forward, knowing that he couldn’t wait another minute to find out just how sweet she was.

  Chapter 37

  It was finally happening, Ashley realized while she lay there with her hands covering her face as she found herself alternating between nodding and shaking her head for some reason.

  She was ready.

  It was time, Ashley told herself as she felt his thumb move over her, teasing her lips apart right around the time that she decided that it was time to start lying to herself. That, o
f course, led her to tell herself that this wasn’t a big deal. It was just sex. Plenty of people had sex and at forty-five years old, this really wasn’t a big deal.

  She was….

  Definitely over-thinking this, Ashley realized as she slowly exhaled while she lay there, waiting for Kale to get on with it. That led her to wonder what she was supposed to do with her hands since she didn’t think that covering her eyes was conveying the right message. Maybe she should…she should…

  Oh. God.

  “Do you have any idea how many times I imagined doing this?” Kale asked on a groan, only to follow that up by tracing her slit with the tip of his tongue again, and since she really didn’t think that he was looking for an answer, she settled for lying there, struggling to remember how to breathe.

  Maybe she wasn’t ready for this after all, Ashley thought as she was forced to grab hold of the comforter and…moan when he did it again. When she felt his tongue and god, did that feel good, trace her slit again, she felt her body begin to relax. This was so much better than she thought it would be, Ashley thought, licking her lips on a moan when she felt his tongue slide between her slit and found a spot that had her breath catching and her back arching off the bed.

  She felt Kale’s groan as his tongue slid over her clit, sending pleasure through her body. She never thought it could feel this good, Ashley thought, unable to help but moan as he focused his attention on that one spot. He teased her clit, licked it, and gently suckled on it, driving her crazy. She wasn’t sure when she released the hold that she had on the comforter or when she began running her fingers through his hair, moaning his name, but she knew the moment that she screamed his name.

  That felt so good, Ashley thought, moaning as Kale slid his tongue back inside her. For so long, she’d told herself that this would never happen, knew that it couldn’t happen and after her transition, she hadn’t allowed herself to think past the fact that she was finally safe. She didn’t want to think about her transition, the changes that came with it, or what the future held and every time she found herself thinking about any of it…