Taming His Mate

by M. Limoges

  “I’m not leaving you alone tonight.” He ran the back of his forefinger over her cheek.

  Before she could protest, he slammed the door and crossed in front of the truck, his intense gaze locked on her the entire way. The weight of his stare sent a nervous flutter to her lower belly.

  She leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. For once, she wasn’t sure she could resist Stephen tonight.

  ***

  Surprisingly, Kate hadn’t argued when he’d brought her to his home rather than hers. After her numerous reassurances she was fine, he’d retreated into his bathroom to shower in the hopes he’d shake some of his unspent tension, but to no avail. His muscles pulsed with the need to punch something or someone. Specifically, the assholes who’d dared to touch his mate.

  Stephen swiped the fog away from the bathroom mirror, leaned against the sink, and stared at his reflection. Anxiety stood out in the lines of his face while his dilated pupils almost dominated the splash of color in his eyes. Below the surface, his restless Wolf paced. As he struggled to maintain his control, his body vibrated with tension.

  He tried to dispel the image of that human bastard’s hands on her from his mind, but it was no use. Every primal instinct inside him demanded blood. There was no question of whether or not his and the man’s paths would cross again. Stephen would make certain they did. The Collins bastard had sealed his fate when he’d laid his hands on Kate.

  Straightening, Stephen grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and opened the bathroom door. Immediately, his gaze fell on Kate’s sleeping form in his bed. Faced away from him, she lay curled on her side in the same position he’d left her in before his shower.

  Stephen moved to the empty side of the bed and eased down on top of the covers, careful not to wake her. He couldn’t bring himself to leave her side. His gaze swept over the dark hair spilling across his pillow, then traced the feminine line of her body down to the gentle swell of her hips.

  Shifter men notoriously guarded their mates, and Stephen was no different. Even though he’d not claimed Kate yet, she was still his to honor and protect. If something had happened to her tonight, he would’ve lost it altogether.

  The bed shifted beneath him, and fabric rustled as she turned to face him. The bathroom light he’d left on illuminated her features in the darkened room. Her tired eyes focused on him, and she laid her hand on his bare chest. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the soft touch.

  “Is everything okay?” Her husky voice washed over him.

  “Go back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “You didn’t.” Her fingers moved over his skin. “Stay with me?”

  Air whooshed out of his lungs at her words. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sunshine.”

  Her hand slid down to his stomach. “Please, Stephen.”

  How the hell was he supposed to ignore that?

  She shifted and rolled onto her opposite side, leaving him to stare at the delicate curve of her back. Against his better judgment, he eased beneath the covers, close enough that the heat from her body saturated him. And yet he didn’t dare touch her. He couldn’t, not without taking more than she was willing to offer.

  Unfortunately, Kate had no qualms about sliding the last inch backward until her frame molded against his. He attempted to shift his groin out of reach, but she scooted her ass against his hardening length, the towel he wore and the T-shirt and boxer shorts he’d given her hardly a barrier between them. He gritted his teeth as a wave of lust shot straight to his dick. Fuck, she was playing with fire.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” He growled into her hair and wrapped his arm around her waist.

  She stiffened, and her breathing grew labored, causing the undersides of her breasts to graze his forearm. “No.” She rasped. “I don’t feel like fighting tonight. I want you.”

  His heart kicked a swift beat in his chest. Christ, he’d waited years for her to say those very words, but this wasn’t the right time. After the night she’d had, she needed the rest.

  He tightened his grip around her middle. “Go to sleep, Kate.”

  “But—”

  “Sleep.” He kissed the back of her head.

  Stephen smiled when she expelled a tiny humph. He closed his eyes, willed his dick to behave, and prayed sleep would be swift. Either way, he anticipated a long night.

  Chapter Five

  “Stephen.”

  The low moan tugged Stephen from his restless sleep, and his eyes snapped open. With Kate lying in his arms, he drowsily reasoned he was dreaming until her leg rubbed against his calf and his name drifted from her lips.

  Holy shit.

  He swallowed hard and attempted to rouse her. “Kate.”

  She moaned again and pressed her barely-covered ass against the length of his erection. He hissed in surprise. The towel he’d worn to bed was long gone.

  For fuck’s sake, he wasn’t a damn saint.

  He jostled her awake. “Kate.”

  She stirred and clutched the arm wrapped around her stomach.

  “Stephen?” Confusion colored her sleepy voice.

  “Uh…yeah, still here.”

  She shifted, the movement torturous to his male parts, and he pinned her with his leg.

  “Don’t move,” he snapped.

  Kate lifted her arm behind her and froze when her fingertips brushed over his naked hip. “Are you…? Were we…?”

  “No.” He gritted his teeth. “Just don’t move, by all that is holy in this world.”

  “Oh.” Her hand continued its exploration, slipping over his ass. “Um, Stephen?”

  “Kate.” Christ, he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could bear. Every gulp of air he took was filled with the sweet scent of honeysuckle and her arousal. He tried to lift away from her, but her fingernails dug into his ass.

  “Stay with me.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Please, Stephen. Just one night.”

  Well, fuck. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? As if he would ever deny her anything. He would concede to her request, not that it was a hardship, but it wouldn’t be for just one night.

  He let his hand drift down her stomach, beneath the boxers she wore, and dip to her sex. He closed his eyes, lost in the feel of her soft, heated skin.

  “I like that you’re bare here, Sunshine. It’s sexy as hell.” Stephen threw off the covers and helped her upright. Once he pulled his T-shirt over her head and the boxers off her slim legs, he eased her onto her back and soaked up his first sight of her nude. The glow from the bathroom light gleamed on her smooth, milky skin. She lay completely still as he traced his fingertips over each soft dip and curve of naked frame, learning the contours and committing them to memory. His imagination had been nowhere close to the reality.

  Christ, she was breathtaking.

  He cupped one of her plump breasts in his palm, rubbing his thumb over the hardened nipple. Desperate for a taste, he leaned over and latched onto the taut peak, suckling the sensitive flesh. She buried her fingers in his hair, tugging him closer.

  His exploration continued as he ran his mouth down her body, lingering to feather kisses along the gentle swell of her stomach. Anxious to taste the pussy he’d dreamt of for years, he repositioned himself between her thighs, his head hovering above his own little slice of heaven. At once, he felt her tense and tighten her legs around his shoulders.

  “Relax. Just enjoy. Let me enjoy.”

  Stephen laid an arm over her abdomen and ran his hand over her belly while he arranged his other arm beneath her hips, bringing her heated center closer to his mouth. He lowered his head and parted the lips of her sex with his tongue. As he traced over her pussy, he almost came with his first taste.

  He’d been right all along. Sunshine. She tasted of sunshine after the rain on a late summer’s afternoon. Man and Wolf growled in appreciation. He circled her clit with long, languid strokes, making her shudder
in his arms.

  She moved against his mouth and sank her hand in his hair. “Stephen, I need you. Please.”

  He was more than happy to oblige.

  Taking his time, he worked his way up her body until his hardened length rested between her thighs. His cock slid along her damp pussy with spine-tingling friction, which left them both gasping.

  Trembling, Stephen tried to steady his racing heart. Five years he’d waited to be exactly where he was, and damn if he wasn’t about to come before he made it inside of her. He couldn’t wait any longer.

  His hand dipped between her thighs, and he positioned the head of his cock at her entrance. He captured her mouth with a searing kiss. His tongue slipped inside the same moment he nudged her opening with a gentle push.

  She gasped against his mouth. “Stephen.”

  He licked the tender skin behind her ear. “Stay with me, Sunshine.”

  Determined for her to feel nothing but pleasure, he reached down to caress her clit as he worked the length of his cock inside her. Once he was buried in her tight pussy, he paused.

  Sweat poured from his scalp and rolled down his back while he shook with need. Passion clawed at his control, urging him to move, but he refused to cause her more pain than was necessary.

  “You alright?” He scanned her features, searching for any sign of discomfort. Thank ever-loving God she gifted him with a smile that damn near made his heart flip over in his chest.

  “Aren’t you supposed to move?”

  Despite the tension running through him, he laughed. He tucked his arms beneath her, holding her against his chest as he eased out of her, then slid back into her welcoming warmth. She made a low hum of pleasure.

  He trailed his lips over her jaw. “Give me your mouth, Sunshine.”

  Kate lifted her head and melded her mouth to his. His tongue delved past her lips as he found a steady rhythm. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked awkwardly beneath him, while he continued to pump in and out of her pussy, each thrust longer and harder than the last.

  “Yes. Oh, God, yes.” The husky sound of her voice shot straight to his balls.

  After all the years of waiting for his mate, this one fucking moment was everything. Nothing else compared to the feel of her silken heat wrapped around his cock.

  “Slip your hand between us. Touch yourself for me.”

  She did as he requested, easing her hand between their writhing bodies until she reached her clit. With each caress, her fingertips grazed his length while he slipped in and out of her. And damn if it wasn’t the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced in his life.

  For once, he abandoned control and allowed himself to let go and revel in the wild, untamed beauty of his mate. Latching onto throat, he sucked and nipped at the sensitive skin as his thrusts became more forceful. Her pussy rippled along his cock, signaling she was close to her release. When he thought he couldn’t wait any longer, her back arched, pushing her breasts firm against his chest, and she splintered apart in his arms.

  Instinct drove him to put his mark on her, to possess her for once and for all. His canines lengthened into two twin sets of sharp points. With one final hard thrust, he buried himself deep inside his mate and sank his teeth into her shoulder, marking her as his own for the rest of their lives. Once his teeth penetrated the soft flesh, he clutched her tight to his frame and emptied his seed inside her. Nothing had ever felt more right in his existence.

  ***

  Wavering between euphoria and full-blown panic, Kate panted to catch her breath. She couldn’t believe he’d marked her.

  Stephen trembled against her as he crushed her to his body. His teeth slid from her shoulder, and he placed a gentle kiss on his mark.

  He nuzzled her neck. “I love you, Sunshine. Always have. Always will.”

  The heartfelt words she’d only dreamt of hearing nearly destroyed her.

  Oh, God, she couldn’t do this.

  She squirmed in his arms until he loosened his hold. He slid from her body, and she winced at the twinge between her thighs. Once free, she jumped from the bed and darted into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her.

  Kate leaned against the sink and sucked in breath after deep breath, trying to suppress the panic attack threatening to drop her to her knees. Twisting on the cold tap, she threw water on her face to cool her flushed cheeks.

  Shit, what had she done?

  Her eyes burned with unshed tears, and she hung her head in humiliation. How could she have been so stupid? What the hell could she tell him? Sorry, you’ve mated a worthless shifter who can’t even shift. Hope you don’t hate the hell out of me.

  A knock on the door startled her. “Kate, open up.”

  Crap, where the hell was she supposed to go? She was in Stephen’s house, holed up in the bathroom like a loser.

  “No.” She glared at the door.

  “Come on, Sunshine.”

  “Go away.”

  “Kate, open the door.”

  “No!”

  “Stand back.”

  Before she could respond, the door flew open, banging against the wall. She gaped as Stephen’s naked form filled the doorway.

  His brows were furrowed over his gleaming eyes. He marched forward and grabbed her upper arms in a gentle but firm grip. It was then she comprehended anger hadn’t driven him to break through the door. It was concern.

  “What’s wrong? You bolted out of bed. I thought I’d hurt you.”

  “I….”

  “Christ, Kate. You’re killing me. You always run from me. Me. Your mate. For once, just tell me what the hell I’m doing wrong, so I can fix it.”

  If he’d spoken the words in anger, she could’ve found her backbone and snapped at him. Instead, his words were that of a man at his wit’s end.

  “You shouldn’t have marked me.” Her voice shook.

  He jerked his head back is if she’d slapped him, and his face twisted with a dark scowl. “Why not? You’re mine. I’m yours. You gave yourself to me. I just felt you come apart in my arms. How can you stand here and tell me I shouldn’t have claimed you as my own?”

  “Because I can’t shift!”

  Chapter Six

  Stephen’s grip fell away from Kate’s arms, and he took a hesitant step backward. Kate’s heart wrenched, and she almost screamed at the distance he placed between them. She’d imagined his reaction a hundred times over, but the reality hurt far worse.

  Brows furrowed, he averted his gaze, studying the tile floor beneath her feet. In an almost absent manner, he rubbed the nape of his neck. Just when Kate couldn’t stand his reticence any longer, he dropped his arm against his bare thigh and lifted his gaze to hers.

  A scowl darkened his face. Anger flashed in his blue eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  Kate cringed at the harshness in his tone. Somewhere, deep inside, a tiny part of her heart, one that secretly harbored the illusion she and Stephen had a future together, shattered into pieces. This was why she’d chosen to never speak of her affliction. Not to mention why she’d kept her feelings for him to herself.

  She cleared her throat in order to speak around the lump there. “I have to get out of here.”

  His head jerked back. “What? Why? We need to talk.”

  “What’s the use?” Turning away from his reproachful stare, she braced her palms against the sink once more. She glanced in the mirror, noting her swollen lips, tousled hair, and the fresh bite on her shoulder. Her cheeks burned with the memory of what they’d done in his bed only a few minutes before. She pushed away from the counter. “I’m leaving.”

  He grabbed her upper arm and stepped close. The heat of his body chased away the chill in her bones. For one moment, she closed her eyes, wishing he would wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be alright. But that wasn’t going to happen now that he knew the truth about her.

  “I can’t believe you, Kate. You should’ve told me something as important as t
his.”

  “Why the hell would I? I knew you’d see me differently if I did.” She gathered her nerve and spun to face him. “And you do. I can see it in your face.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

  “You’ve just proven exactly what you think of me. You backed away from me real damn quick.” She cursed the crack in her voice. “It was my mistake sleeping with you, but you fucked up by marking me. Well, you’ve finally gotten what you wanted from me. You’re stuck with a defective shifter as a mate. When the pack finds out….” Kate rubbed at the dull ache in her temple. “I tried to spare you this, but you couldn’t leave it alone. You wouldn’t leave me alone. Well, I hope you’re happy.”

  His features transformed into a stony mask of indifference in the blink of an eye. “You done? Can I speak now?”

  Kate didn’t bother giving him a chance. To be honest, she didn’t think she could bear to hear what he might say. Instead, she jerked her arm free and stormed into the bedroom, grabbing her clothes from the chair in the corner where she’d laid them.

  Across the room, where he stood in the doorway, she felt his gaze track her every move. God, she had to get out of there. Hurrying, she dressed in record time and bolted toward the bedroom door.

  “Kate.”

  She ignored his gruff voice and rushed into the hallway and down the stairs. Fumbling with the front door locks, she panicked when it wouldn’t easily open. She just wanted to get away before he came after her. At the moment, there was no way she could talk to him without breaking down. When the stubborn lock slid free, she sighed in relief and yanked the door open, rushing outside.

  Kate hurried along one of the foot trails leading to her house, her tears blurring the scenery. It was foolish to think she could spend one blissful night in his arms without consequences. Now she was marked and had no damn clue what to do about Stephen.