by Danica Avet
So instead of grilling him, she wiggled closer to him. She’d take what she could get and force herself to be happy with it.
“Are you gonna use that thing, or what?” she asked in a husky whisper.
In answer to her question, he gripped her leg and pulled it over his, spreading her open for him. Her heart thumped. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. She wasn’t sure she could take him again so soo—
He slid into her to the hilt, the coarse hair of his groin brushing against her ass. “God, you feel so good,” he purred in her ear. “I could stay in you all night.”
Daisy’s head lolled on his arm, pleasure arcing through her. His cock massaged every sensitive inch of her pussy, stretching her in the best way. She moaned when he started a slow thrust and retreat.
“You’re so wet,” he whispered against her skin, his tongue flicking across her earlobe. “But you’re always wet for me, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she panted as he tortured her with his body.
She strained to get closer, to pull him deeper, harder, but he kept up a slow, steady pace. His hand coasted up her leg, bypassing her throbbing clit. Daisy twitched, she wanted him to get her off now. The damn man kept going until he’d cupped her breast, his fingers plucking at the nipple in time with his thrusts.
“Ram,” she protested. “I need to come. Please.”
“Touch yourself,” he whispered in a voice filled with sin. “Touch that pretty clit while I fuck you.”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, yet her hand slid down her belly until she came in contact with her sleek sex. Ram continued powering into her in his lazy rhythm but she needed release. The first tentative stroke of her finger over her clit made her shiver.
“That’s right, baby. Do it again. I can feel your pussy clamping on me.” He plucked at her nipple again. “Come for me, Daisy. Let me feel you milk my cock.”
Mindless from the sound of his hoarse voice commanding her to pleasure herself, Daisy circled her clit with her finger. She moaned in the back of her throat, her head falling back. She stroked the tender flesh faster and faster, her body racing for completion. Ram’s thrusts remained slow and steady, compounding the pleasure shrieking through her with the force of an F5 tornado.
“Ram!” she screamed when she slipped off the edge of the world.
Her body shuddered, her inner muscles clenching around his cock, sparking off another wave of pleasure so intense she almost blacked out. Ram groaned behind her, the sound vibrating through her.
With rough hands he rolled her to her stomach, grabbed her hips and pounded into her. The sharp slap of skin on skin punctuated her wails of pleasure and Ram’s grunts of effort. He slammed into her faster and harder before diving deep, his hips pressed hard to her ass as his cock jerked inside her. His hands gripped her hips hard, no doubt leaving bruises, but she’d worry about that later. His loud, prolonged groan sounded around the room when he emptied into her body.
He slumped over her, both of them breathing heavily. Daisy melted into the mattress, unable to feel anything except a pleasant throb from the aftermath of her pleasure. She groaned when he separated their bodies. He flopped next to her, nearly edging her out of the bed. He caught her and spooned her up tight against him.
She rested her head on his hard biceps with a loud yawn.
“Sing me one of your favorite songs,” she murmured.
He huffed out a breath. “Damn woman, I can barely breathe. Besides, I roar and scream more than sing these days.”
“I don’t care,” she insisted. “Sing me your favorite.”
He cleared his throat a couple of times before he crooned, of all things, Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. His voice wasn’t smooth like Bob Marley’s but she loved it. The deep rasp lulled her into sleep where she dreamed about waking up with Ram every morning, his hair spiked around his head, his amber eyes sleepy and content.
*
A tapping sound broke through Daisy’s panty-wetting dream about Ram and handcuffs and feathers. She frowned without opening her eyes, soothed by the warmth of the body next to her and the arm wrapped around her, anchoring her in place.
She knew what had happened between her and Ram hadn’t been a dream. The throbbing in her neck and the almost painful sensitivity between her legs was enough proof that she’d allowed him to claim her the night before. The faintest hint of copper in her mouth assured her that she’d left her mark on him as well. A smile of pure enjoyment curled her lips. They were mated. But the smile faded. There was no going back now.
Sure, mates could deny each other, could live separately but they would always long for each other. They could have sex, but it wouldn’t be fulfilling with anyone but their mate. She and Ram had cemented their commitment to each other in the most basic, animalistic way shifters could. She knew several shifters who waited years before marking their mates to make sure they were compatible.
The tapping continued, interrupting her slightly panicked thoughts. She squinted against the bright light in her bedroom then closed her eyes again. It had to be nearly noon judging by the sunlight cascading through her window.
The tapping sound grew louder and faster. She frowned and forced her eyes open. Blinking rapidly against the bright light, she tried to pinpoint the sound. If her faucet was leaking again, she’d—
“Daddy?” she squeaked, grabbing for the covers with frantic hands.
She woke Ram, who stretched his whole body with a contented groan. Daisy couldn’t even look at him, her entire focus on her father standing in her doorway. Ram’s arm snaked around her waist again as he nuzzled her throat.
“Mornin’, baby,” he mumbled in a low, intimate tone.
Thomas’ face went from angry to furious. A muscle ticked in his jaw and his soft brown eyes narrowed on the lion wrapped around her like a python.
She nudged Ram with her elbow, shooting him a dark glare, though it was damn hard to look pissed off when confronted with his sexy smile. Her heart stuttered in her chest. His rumpled hair fell over his sated amber eyes. A dark shadow lined his jaw. He looked sexy and dangerous and happy. But it was the glow of warmth in his eyes that threatened to make her melt into a puddle.
Daisy almost blurted out she loved him but her daddy cleared his throat loudly.
Ram froze and the warmth in his eyes disappeared behind anger and ice. He swiveled his neck to look over his shoulder.
“Shit,” he whispered.
A hysterical giggle threatened but Daisy swallowed it back. Neither male would appreciate her humor at a time like this. Maybe later she could share how funny she found it that her lion lover seemed intimidated by her much smaller, bobcat dad.
“Sheriff Picou,” Ram said in a respectful voice as he sat up, the sheet pooling around his hips.
“Lion,” Thomas drawled in a low, dangerous tone. “I’d like to know when you’re plannin’ on marryin’ my daughter.”
Daisy gasped in outrage. “Daddy!”
“I don’t wanna hear it, Daisy Lynn. I’m talkin’ to the lion and he better be answerin’ me the way I want,” he warned as his hand rest on the butt of his service revolver.
“I have every intention of marrying your daughter,” Ram said to Daisy’s utter shock.
She blinked at his profile, noting the set of his jaw. He was serious. Shaking her head to clear it of the insanity going on inside, she tried again. “Daddy, I’m thirty-three years old. I think I’m allowed to decide these things for myself.”
Ram stiffened, pivoting his head to glare at her. “You’re not going to marry me?” he asked incredulously.
Okay, now she was getting pissed. “You haven’t asked me! You and my father are talking about it. No one ever mentioned it to me.”
“Dammit, Daisy, are you trying to get me killed?” Ram accused when Thomas growled.
She wouldn’t let him distract her. She rolled out of bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around her. Ram snatched the comforter before it fell and pooled i
t over his lap, glaring at her all the while.
“I’m not getting married to anyone just because my daddy threatens to shoot them.”
“Daisy Lynn Picou!” her mother shouted from the hallway.
The scent of angry mama bear preceded her, nearly knocking Daisy off her feet. Her mother appeared in the doorway behind her husband, easily able to take in the room over her mate’s head. Her eyes swept over Ram, lingered with appreciation and then landed on Daisy.
“Looks like you marked your mate and he marked you,” her mama observed in a satisfied tone. “The only thing now is to get married. I’ll call Father Bryan to reserve St. Patrick Church as soon as possible. Ramsey, cher, are you Catholic? I forgot to ask last night.”
Ram shook his head. “No ma’am. I’m uh, Baptist.”
Daisy wanted to hit him.
Her mother looked disappointed. “Well, that’s okay I suppose. Now, do you have anyone you want to invite to the wedding? I’ll have to send out invitations soon.” She pulled a little tablet from her purse. “I need to call Francine and tell her Kitty’s gonna have to come home to make Daisy’s dress. She promised to do that if my baby ever got married. And I’ll have to call Zack Trahan to order the cake. I swear that tiger makes the best wedding cake I’ve ever tasted,” she sighed as she scribbled her notes.
“I’m not getting married!” Daisy screamed at them.
Ram’s lips tightened and a flash of hurt crossed his face before it settled into an impassive mask. Her heart ached. She wanted to marry him. Well, she thought she did. She couldn’t really be sure since it wasn’t something they’d talked about. Everything was too sudden. She’d only come to the realization that she loved him last night. The mark they’d given each other was more binding than human marriage anyway.
She didn’t understand why her—
Her mother sighed, “I was afraid we were gonna have to do this. Get her, Thomas.”
Daisy’s wiry father tackled her to the ground and slapped handcuffs on her showing he still had it to be sheriff.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“We’re only doin’ this for your own good,” Thomas said with a stiff smile. He pulled his ticket book out of his pocket and started writing. “Now, I noticed your parish-issued handcuffs mixed in the bedcovers and I can only assume you used them for uh, non-official business. I’m lockin’ you up until you’re really sorry about abusing your office, or you agree to happily marry this lion.”
Daisy blinked at her father, then over at her mother, who was still writing in her tablet. “Mama? What the hell is going on?”
Her mother sighed again and closed her tablet. “You always were more stubborn than any Lebeau in history, except maybe Fleur, Daisy Lynn. And you overthink everything. It was cute when you were four or five but you’re gettin’ too old to pussyfoot around anymore. I want grandbabies and this lion loves you enough to put up with your crankiness. We’re giving you to him.” She turned to Ram whose jaw was hanging open. “Just to let you know, Ramsey, there are no refunds and no exchanges once you marry her.”
Thomas pulled Daisy to her feet. She wanted to fight him, but respect for her parents had been drilled into her head since she was a baby. Instead, she settled for glaring at her dad first, then at her mother, her bottom lip sticking out in a resentful pout.
Her mama shook her head. “Wipe that bourder off your face, cher, this is goin’ to work out fine.”
But they weren’t finished yet. Thomas pulled her cuffs off the bed and slapped them on Ram’s wrists. Daisy’s mouth fell open in shock.
“What’re you arresting him for?” she demanded as she struggled to hold her sheet up.
Thomas grinned. “For assaulting an officer of the law.”
“What?” she and Ram shouted at the same time.
Her daddy ignored them, motioning to his wife. “Baby, could you hold the lion for me? I don’t think he’d be stupid enough to give you trouble.” When her mother was in place, beaming at a startled Ram, Thomas turned back to Daisy. “And don’t think I didn’t see that mark on your neck or your butt. He assaulted one of my deputies and he’ll pay for that.”
Embarrassed and stunned by the sudden turn of events, Daisy looked at Ram. He was frowning, but looked more thoughtful than angry.
When their gazes connected, he shrugged. “I did bite your ass,” he confessed with a sharp grin.
Her daddy’s face darkened. Well, hell.
Ram felt no shame to be led out of his mate’s house with his hands cuffed in front of him. There were no reporters waiting for them, though he was sure it would get out soon. Not that he cared at this point. Daisy was his and always would be. The only thing he was grateful for was the clothing he wore. It was one thing to be handcuffed naked with your mate and another to be handcuffed and naked with her parents. Claudette had tossed Ram his boxers, which were the only things Daisy hadn’t managed to shred the night before, insisting she was too old to see what he had to offer.
Daisy had gaped at her mother, her eyes wide with shock. Her father had allowed her to put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She hadn’t looked at Ram once since he admitted to biting her ass. It didn’t matter.
They were mated. All that was left was to marry her. If her parents hadn’t interrupted when they did, he would’ve already had her agreement and none of this arresting bullshit would have happened.
He glanced over at his mate once they were loaded in the back of the cruiser, but she stared out her window. She kept her body stiff as a board to avoid leaning into him. Ram clenched his back teeth together to keep from snarling. She had to be embarrassed to be caught in bed with a male by her parents. She had to be mortified to be carted back to her place of work like a criminal. He repeated those things to himself the entire drive to Maison Rouge and tried to appease his lion who wanted to break the cuffs and grab his mate.
He could almost feel her slipping away from him. When he thought about how perfect things had been before they fell asleep the second time, he wanted to bang his head on the window. He should have asked her to marry him then, but he’d been too charmed by her dream of being a model and outraged on her behalf. Oh, and drained from the amazing sex.
What was wrong with the people in this town anyway? Why couldn’t they see what a treasure she was? Not that he would have wanted her to show off her amazing body on a runway for thousands of people to see. And she wouldn’t have been the same person without being a cop. Just like he wouldn’t have been the same person if his dad hadn’t been such a douche.
Ram sighed and turned to look out his own window. She might be furious and embarrassed now, but he’d get around it. She belonged with him and neither Ram nor his lion were about to let her go.
Chapter Nine
Daisy glared over at Ram in the next holding cell. He’d stretched out on the long bench, his big body relaxed. He’d gone to sleep as soon as her daddy locked the cell door behind him, leaving Daisy to sit in silence. She glared at the camera above the door leading back to the offices.
God, what was she going to do? The love she felt for Ram was a hundred times stronger than anything she’d ever felt for Kyle. She wanted to marry him, she was pretty sure she did at least, except he hadn’t asked her. He’d only mentioned marriage when her daddy showed up with his gun riding his hip.
A loud yawn and groan broke into her thoughts. She glanced at Ram to see him stretching on the bench. “Sleep well?” she asked in a tight voice.
He swung his legs around and sat up on the bench. “You wore me out last night.”
The distant sound of snickering and laughter floated from the direction of the station. Her coworkers no doubt loved this, seeing Daisy Picou locked up with a male because of illegal use of parish property. Her cheeks burned. Before bringing them into the holding cells, her dad had tossed Ram a bright orange jumpsuit. Thank god because sitting next to him in the car with him wearing nothing but his boxers had driven her insane.
“So, have you made up your mind yet?” Ram asked around another loud yawn.
Daisy jumped at the question and stared at him hard. “What do you mean?”
He peered at her with raised eyebrows. “Marry me or stay in jail? Have you decided which you’re going to do?”
She clamped her lips shut and refused to answer, looking away from his perceptive amber eyes. She refused to marry anyone who was forced into it. That would be just as bad as mating someone who mated you on accident.
Sure, Ram had seemed happy to wake up with her this morning but that had been the aftereffects of great sex. It didn’t mean he still wanted her as his mate. Forever. Her brain kept hearing his husky voice whispering that word over and over again. She wanted forever and happy-ever-after and everything. But she wouldn’t have it if his hand was forced.
After a while he stopped asking her questions or trying to talk to her. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he’d go back to sleep and she could somehow talk her dad into acting like a police officer instead of an outraged father.
Silence descended, punctuated by the ticking of the clock against the far wall of the cellblock. Daisy fought the urge to look at Ram, despite sensing his gaze on her. If she looked at him, she’d cave and beg him to marry her.
Then he started singing softly, the words a bare whisper of sound. Her body instantly heated as he sang Three Little Birds in his husky voice, reminding her of what they’d been doing before he sang it for her last night.
She twitched with the need to move closer. They were under surveillance by her coworkers and probably her parents. They were in jail because her father wanted him to marry her. She couldn’t trap him that way. She refused to.
“Please stop,” she whispered, tormented by the sheer sensuality of his voice and the lyrics.
The song stopped abruptly, leaving a charge-filled silence behind.
“I’m so sorry,” Daisy whispered.
Ram hadn’t taken his eyes off her since the moment he’d awakened. She hadn’t moved the entire time, sitting on the bench with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms clinging to her legs. The baggy sweats and oversized T-shirt she wore made her look petite and somewhat fragile.
