Her sudden interest made him suspicious, and usually he walked away when people asked him about his past. But he couldn’t leave, not when Amelia was standing there. Oh no, he wasn’t leaving without her number. At least. “Not much to tell,” he began. “I enlisted when I was eighteen. A year later after surviving the training, they started sending me out on missions.” All three women were hanging on his every word, but all he really cared about was impressing Amelia. “I’m actually leading my own team soon. A special squad of shifters. First ever in the history of the SEALs.”
“You’re a polar bear, right?” Kate asked.
“Kate,” Amelia warned. “It’s not polite to ask.”
“What?” Kate shrugged. “Polar bears are the largest bears in the world, you know. Well, except … never mind. But, it’s obvious. Look at the size of him! And he’s related to Tim.”
“I’m sorry for my friend’s rudeness,” Amelia said.
“It’s all right. I am what I am. So,” he nodded at Kate’s shot glass. “Why don’t you knock that back and I’ll get you a refill?”
“Really?” Kate drank the entire thing and clapped her hands together with glee. “How about another one? Or three?”
Mason laughed. “Coming right up.”
When he returned with the said shots, Kate drank all three in succession, slamming the shot glasses down on the table as she finished each one. It wasn’t that he wanted to get the wolf shifter smashed, but right now, he was desperate for a reason to stay with Amelia. He offered to buy Kate three more shots, and then eventually the whole bottle, then another. Kate was a shifter, so it took a helluva lot of liquor to get her wasted. About an hour later, she was finally rip-roaring drunk.
“Aaannnnd I kicked the guy out of my dorm room!” Kate slurred, her eyes glassed over. “He was a total douchebag!” She swung her head toward Mason. “You’re not going to be a douche toward my friend, are you? You’re going to treat her right? Since you are—”
“Kate!” Amelia’s face went red.
“What? You’re his mmm!—” Whatever she was about to say was muffled as Sybil clamped her hand over her mouth.
“Sorry about Kate,” Sybil said. “I think I should take her home now.”
Mason silently agreed as he took a sip of his beer. “Drive safe, then.” Sybil hadn’t had any more than the one glass of wine he got her, and being a shifter, she probably had burned off any alcohol in her system.
“Noooo! This was supposed to be my super special birthday night,” Kate moaned. “I even got us the matching outfits!”
Amelia wagged a finger at her. “You need to learn to hold your alcohol.”
“I’ll burn it off in an hour or two,” Kate said.
“And who knows what trouble you’ll get into in that time?” Sybil admonished. “I’ll see you later, Amelia. Stay safe.” Sybil’s tone was teasing, with a hint of seriousness. “Let’s go, you lush,” she said to Kate.
“But it’s only nine,” Kate whined.
“Shut it. Party’s over!” Sybil dragged her friend away, ignoring the she-wolf’s protests.
Mason glanced at Amelia, who stared after her friends until they disappeared through the exit. Finally, he was alone with her. He wasn’t going to be an asshole and try to coax Amelia away when she was celebrating with her friends, but he had hoped to get some alone time with her at some point. Maybe she wouldn’t want to leave too soon. “Interesting friends you got there.”
She laughed, the sound making him feel warm inside. “That’s one way of putting it.” Her baby blue eyes sparkled with mischief.
“How’d you all get together? A bear, a wolf, and a … uh …” He still didn’t know what the heck Sybil was.
“A dragon.”
“A dra—what?” He waited to see if she was kidding. When her expression didn’t change, he realized she wasn’t kidding. Fucking A. That tiny little thing was a dragon? “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.” She flashed him a smile. “But don’t you worry; she hasn’t eaten any of my boyfriends. Yet.” Amelia must have realized what that implied and went red.
Mason thought that was adorable. “Do you have one? A boyfriend, I mean.” She shook her head, and the tightness in his chest loosened. “Good.”
She blushed again. “Well, I should probably go—”
“Stay.”
Mine.
Oh yes, she was going to be his all right.
The entire night, he’d felt drunk; not on alcohol, but on Amelia. Her honeysuckle and fur scent was intoxicating, and he could hardly keep his eyes off her. Once or twice, he touched her “accidentally”—his knuckles brushing against her hand when he handed her her beer, or his fingers grazing across the strip of bare skin on her back exposed by her top when he nudged her aside. It had sent the blood straight to his cock, and he knew there was no way he was going to leave tonight with just her number.
“I guess I could have one more drink,” she said. “But why don’t you let me buy you one? You’ve been buying all our drinks, in case you don’t think I noticed.”
“I’m glad you did,” he said. He didn’t care about the money though; he hardly had time to spend his pay since he was always on missions. But somehow, showing her he could spend money without a care was important, like he was telling her he could provide for her. “All right. It’s a modern world, right? Women can pay too.”
She smirked at him. “All right, you male feminist, let’s go get that drink.”
They walked over to the bar, and when he put a hand on the small of her back, she didn’t protest, which he took as a good sign. Amelia signaled the bartender for two more beers, which the young man delivered quickly. She passed one glass to Mason.
“Thanks, beautiful,” he said.
“You don’t mean—”
“I do.” He put the glass down without even taking a drink then leaned close to her. “I think you’re the most beautiful woman in here. And the sexiest.” Her breath hitched when he placed his palm on her lower back, feeling the warm skin there. “This outfit you’re wearing”—he slipped his hand under the leather top—“made me think you were a bad girl when you walked in here.”
“What makes you think I’m not?” There was a challenge in her eyes.
“I think you’re sweet. And I bet you taste sweet too.”
“Only one way to find out.”
He stifled the growl, slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, molding her soft curves to him before leaning down to press his lips to hers. Jesus, she tasted as good as she looked. Warm, soft, and so willing. Her arms snaked up over his chest and around his neck, and she moved her head back so he could deepen the kiss. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, wanting more and more of her. When she pulled away, the loss of her lips made him groan.
Shit. He didn’t normally lose his head this fast, but damn it, she was intoxicating. “I’m sorry.”
“For kissing me?” she asked.
“I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t—”
“No!” She placed her hand on his chest. “I mean. I just thought,” she looked around, a wary look on her face. “I want to be alone. With you. Do you have your own place? I don’t live by myself.”
Holy fucking moly. Mason thought he heard wrong, but the glitter of desire in her eyes told him he wasn’t dreaming. Amelia wanted to go home with him. Wanted him. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who felt that instant attraction and need. “I have a room at the Blackstone Motel.”
“Will you … take me there?” she asked in a breathy voice.
He didn’t answer her, but instead dragged her across the room and out the door. His ride was parked right by the door, thank fuck, as he wasn’t sure he would make it another second without slamming her against something and having his way with her.
“This is you?” she asked, her eyes going wide.
Mason nodded and glanced back at his shiny new Harley. It was his prized possession now, the one luxury h
e owned. He’d never owned anything so expensive, but he figured it was a good reward for his promotion. He’d ridden it all the way here to show Tim. The old man was going to freak when he saw it. Tim loved Harleys and owned two custom models that he fixed up himself. During those months he stayed in Blackstone, his uncle taught him everything he knew about motorcycles.
“Jesus,” she muttered, then looked him up and down. “You really are the whole bad boy package.”
“Bad boy package?” he asked, glancing down at his outfit. He was just wearing his usual outfit out of uniform—leather jacket, white shirt, holey jeans, and riding boots.
“Yeah, that’s what Kate called it,” she huffed.
With a wicked smile, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, leaning down until he was just inches from her face. “If you want me to be a bad boy, I’ll be a bad boy.”
“I just want you.”
He needed to kiss her again, and so he did. Slanting his lips against hers, he kissed her, full and deep, showing her how much he wanted her too. Hot damn, he couldn’t get enough. It took all his strength to pull back, especially when all he wanted to do was bend her over his bike. “Still want to come home with me?”
She nodded. “Let’s go.”
Mason got on his bike, and waited for her to climb on behind him. He wasn’t sure how they got to his motel room without crashing, especially with her arms around his waist and her luscious body pressed up against him. They barely made it up to his room, and as soon as the door crashed shut behind him, Mason slipped his arms around her and lifted her up. Amelia wrapped her long, lean legs around his waist. He could smell her arousal and feel the heat of her core despite the layers of clothing between them.
They landed on the bed and started ripping off each other’s clothes. Off went her leather top and his shirt. As he unbuttoned his jeans, she shucked off hers and tossed them to the side.
Fuck, she was incredible, lying on the bed, her hair spread out and wearing only matching black underwear. He was so mesmerized by her he nearly forgot what he was doing until she glanced down at his hands. Remembering the task at hand, he finished off the rest of the buttons and shoved his pants and underwear down in one motion.
She sucked in a breath as her eyes landed on his thick cock, which was already fully hard at this point. He crawled over her, pushing her further up the bed.
“Mason,” she whispered, reaching out to touch his face. Fingers brushed across his cheeks tenderly.
He closed his eyes then bent down, capturing her mouth in another kiss. This time, it was slow and sweet, his tongue tracing the fullness of her soft lips. At odds with his kiss, his hands moved urgently, as if trying to touch every inch of her all at once. He yanked down the cups of her bra, caressing her breasts. Her tits were just the right size and fullness in his hands, and the nipples were already tight with desire.
When he moved a hand down over her belly and down between her legs, she shivered and moaned into his mouth the moment his fingers grazed over her mound. He slipped his hand under the lace panties. Jesus. She was soaked.
Amelia thrust her hips up, and he obliged, slipping a finger into her. She was slick and hot, and he couldn’t wait to get inside her. But first, he needed to see her fall apart.
He pulled his mouth away from hers and moved down between her legs. Ripping the panties off her, he pressed his mouth to her wet pussy lips. Fuck, she was even sweeter down here and her scent fully enveloped him until he couldn’t smell anything but her honeysuckle scent, fur, and arousal. He teased her with his tongue, the tip lashing against the tightened bud of her clit. Amelia cried out his name, her fingers digging into his hair as he licked at her until she was shuddering with her first orgasm.
“You’re fucking incredible.” He looked up at her, her face flushed as she came down from her pleasure.
“I need you, Mason,” she panted, reaching down toward him. “Please.”
He would have been happy just eating her out the rest of the night, but his dick was so hard it was almost painful. With a grunt, he got up, grabbed his discarded jeans from the floor, and took out the condom from his wallet. He quickly rolled it on and positioned himself between her legs.
Amelia’s arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down for another searing kiss. Grabbing his cock with one hand, he pushed the tip right at her entrance, pushing and sliding inside of her slowly to allow her to adjust to him. She sighed against his mouth, a soft cry ripping from her lips as soon as he was fully inside her. God, she felt even better than he had imagined.
He slid his palms under her, lifting her hips as he began to move so he could get as deep as he possibly could. She cried out and mewled as he moved deep inside her, his pelvis hitting her clit at just the right angle.
“Mason, oh God! Fuck me harder.”
And he obliged, thrusting into her savagely, loving the fact that she could take him and match him. Her fingernails raked down his back, the pain blurring with pleasure in his mind as his brain fried from the pure sensation. When she reached down between them to stroke her clit in time with his thrusts, he growled and fucked her even harder.
He could feel the tension building up in his body, and he urged her on, his fingers digging deeper into the soft flesh of her ass as he angled her body so she could take more of him inside her. When he felt her shudder and tighten around him, he didn’t stop, despite the sweat building on his brow and the ache in his muscles. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except Amelia and her pleasure.
Her orgasm was a beautiful thing, her skin growing flushed and her eyes closing shut as her body shook and her pussy squeezed around him. He gave her a few seconds before he let out a roar and slammed into her as he came. His arms went around her torso, holding her close as he rode out his orgasm. When he felt wrung out and the fatigue set into his body, he collapsed on top of her.
They lay there in silence for a few minutes, until Mason felt Amelia shift. He rolled away from her, his breathing heavy, and she cuddled up to his side. He found himself stroking her hair and pulling her closer. She laid her head on his chest, her soft cheek pressed to his damp skin.
Mason had never felt like this. Like he never, ever wanted to leave her. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily fall for Amelia. But then again, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Chapter One
Present day
Amelia Walker tossed the wadded up paper towel into the trash can and gave herself one last cursory glance in the mirror before turning away and walking out of the ladies room of The Den.
It was a Friday night, so the shifter bar was packed. Amelia was glad to see that despite the growth of Blackstone and all the other bars and restaurants she’d seen popping up around town, the people here still patronized The Den. It took a while before she finally felt comfortable enough to step foot inside, but she wasn’t going to let one bad thing ruin a lifetime’s worth of good memories of this place. Her parents had their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary here. Dad took her here for her first beer. Various friends had their birthday or engagement parties here. No way she was going to let that one bad thing dictate what she could do or where she could go.
Which was why she’d decided to come back to Blackstone. Living in Messina Springs for the last four years had been good for her—not only for herself, but for her career. After graduating with her architectural degree, she needed to do a couple years of training anyway. The architectural firm, Moore & Jenkins, gave her more than enough hours of hands-on training on drafting, rendering, modeling, and other things she needed before applying to take the tests to get her license.
But, she knew she was needed here in Blackstone. Her family needed her. With everything that had happened in the last few months, Amelia wanted to be here, to protect her family and be right here with them if shit ever went down again. And nothing, not even one bad thing, would stop her.
“Do you think the proposal went well?” Amelia asked as she arrived back at their table.
Sybil Lennox was standing around the cocktail table with Dutchy Forrester. While Sybil was her oldest friend, Dutchy had only been in town for a few months. Warm and friendly, Dutchy had easily been accepted into the fold, and they all hung out regularly. Amelia thought she’d be more jealous of having a newcomer join their circle, but her friends never made her feel like she was being replaced.
Well, if she was jealous of Dutchy, it was because the petite redhead was just so cute and dainty, while Amelia felt like a clumsy giant compared to her. Her towering height had always made her feel insecure, especially throughout middle school when she was as tall, or taller than most boys her age.
“They’re not back yet,” Sybil answered with an eye roll. “So I can only imagine—” Her expression soured. “Never mind. I don’t want to imagine.”
“You know Kate will tell us in detail anyway,” Dutchy said with a giggle.
Amelia grinned. “I’m glad for her.” She could never begrudge Kate any happiness, especially considering what had happened to the she-wolf in the past.
“Hopefully she’ll mellow down,” Sybil said. But, when she and Amelia looked at each other, they both burst out laughing.
“Hell will freeze over first,” Amelia said, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes.
“Or Petros will—” Sybil’s expression changed, her mouth shutting and her lips forming a thin line.
“Sybil?” Amelia frowned and waved a hand in front of her friend’s face. “Are you all right?”
Smoke began to curl out of Sybil’s nose and a flash of gold scales rippled over her arms before disappearing back into skin. Uh-oh. Not a good sign. Dutchy gave Amelia a nervous glance. “Sybil? Are you okay?”
“Whatever you do, don’t turn around.” Sybil’s teeth were gritted together and Amelia could feel her trying to control her dragon.
“Why not?” Of course now, she had to turn around. And then she figured out the reason for Sybil’s outrage.
The Blackstone She-Bear: Blackstone Mountain Book 7 Page 2
