Sassy Ever After: You Bet Your Sass

by Melanie James

  With each thrust of his fingers, her breaths slowed, sounding more like gasps as she fought for air. Her body felt like it would implode if she didn’t find her release soon. Chills raced over her body as he pushed the material of her dress to the side and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth.

  “You look so fucking hot right now. I want you to come all over my fingers so I can lick your sweet, sweet juices off.”

  Sofia ran her fingers up and down his chest, wanting to feel more of him before working her way down to the G-string, finding his hardened length. She was astonished by how much she wanted to run her tongue over it, wondering what he tasted like. Freeing his erection from the torture device, she wrapped her fingers around the base, sliding her hand up and down.

  “Yeah, baby. That’s it. You want to feel my cock inside you?”

  “Yes.” Sofia wasn’t about to deny the animalistic attraction she had to Lars. And if he was into her curves, why the fuck should she? She’d write it off as a night of fun and nothing more. There was no need to get her hopes up, only to have them come crashing back down later.

  Lars pressed his thumb against her clit and sent her flying to the moon. Stars exploded all around her as her climax crested at an all-time high. His lips collided with hers once again, swallowing the moans that sprang from her mouth.

  Sofia held on for dear life, not knowing how hard she would crash back to earth, as her orgasm continued for far longer than she had ever experienced during solo play. Her entire body shook beneath him as his erotic attention continued.

  Just when she thought he was out of tricks, Lars began to circle her ass with one of his fingers. Fear danced through her at the thought of what he was about to do.

  “Relax. I promise I’ll be gentle with you.”

  Goddess, how could she deny this man who made her feel so good? Maybe he was right. He seemed to know her body better than she did. Perhaps it was something she might enjoy.

  Sofia did as instructed, sucking in a deep breath as she felt his finger pushing past the tight barrier. The pain she expected never surfaced. Instead, she raced toward a second climax.

  “That’s it, baby.” Lars pressed his fingers deep into her pussy and ass. “You look so beautiful all filled up and stretched out. I can’t wait for that to be my cock deep inside you.”

  “Yes! Please!” Sofia shouted.

  As her climaxes slowly subsided, Sofia felt like a pile of mush. Never had her body been worked over so thoroughly in such a short amount of time.

  “Thank you.” Blushing, she readjusted her dress and tried to compose herself. She had no idea what else she was supposed to say after such an amazing orgasm.

  Lars laughed and said, “There’s no need to thank me. Trust me—the pleasure was all mine. It’s something I’d love to continue later tonight. Somewhere a bit less crowded.”

  Chapter Ten

  With his arm wrapped around her lower back, Lars returned Sofia to her friends on shaky legs and with a sly-ass smile on her face—the knowing smile of a woman whose world had just been rocked. Thoroughly.

  “We’ll continue this later.” Lars kissed her hand before heading back toward the stage.

  Sofia tried to contain the blush that stained her cheeks, but it was freaking impossible. Her friends knew her too well. Not only that, but they could smell her arousal a mile away. Shifters were nosy bitches like that. But she loved them anyway.

  Thankfully, they waited until Lars was out of earshot before the grilling started.

  “Spill it, girl. What the hell happened in there?” Chloe demanded.

  “And what exactly are you guys going to continue later?” Alexa asked with a smirk.

  “I bet you wish you knew!” Sofia laughed at her friends. She could give up the goods, but she wanted to save the details for another time. Her mind and body were still reeling from what had just happened with Lars.

  “Fine, be that way. But at least tell us—are you hooking up with him later?” Gabby took a sip of her beer.

  Was she? Sofia honestly didn’t know. Had he actually been serious when he made the offer of continuing later, or was it just something he had said so as not to hurt her feelings? What if he walked away, never to be seen again? Would she be okay with that?

  “I honestly haven’t decided yet. I’m not even sure he really wants to hook up later, or if he just feels obligated.”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “Girl, you can’t possibly be that blind and naive. I know you have a brain in there! That guy has the serious fucking hots for you. You think any other woman in here is getting off during a private lap dance? Look around you. Open your eyes!”

  Sofia shrugged and scanned the premises as Chloe suggested. Of the women she saw exiting the private booths, she had to admit that none of them looked anywhere near as happy or shaky as she had upon her departure from the secluded area. The other thing she noticed was that none of the other dancers escorted the women back to their tables. The strippers stayed hidden away behind the curtain, waiting for the next patron to enter.

  “Maybe. Hell, I have no idea. I’m kind of new to all of this. I’ve only ever dated human guys. You know that. I don’t know what to expect from wild-ass shifters.” Sofia felt defensive over the dates she’d chosen throughout her life.

  “You do realize you are one of those crazy-ass shifters, right? We all are. Why are you always hating on your own species?” Alexa questioned.

  “Maybe because I’ve always felt like the worst shifter on the planet? You’re all so damn competitive. You want to fight for a mate, fight over dinner, blah, blah, blah. I’m more of the ‘stay the hell out of it’ type. Not that I wouldn’t fight for the one that I love, but most shifters seem to take that shit to the extreme. Especially the males.”

  Alexa twisted her fingers around Sofia’s. “We are a rowdy bunch, there’s no doubt about it, but that doesn’t make us all bad. And there are some pretty damn good males in our species as well. You can’t write them all off just because of a few bad experiences growing up.”

  Sofia shrugged. “I guess.” Being with one of her own kind had been something she struggled with all of her teen and adult life. The possessive bullshit and constant fighting in the shifter world had driven her nuts. Human males had always seemed more relaxed, level-headed.

  “Anyway, I don’t think you should let an opportunity like this pass you by. Even if all you do is have sex with the guy, he’s good for your ego. You need to know what it’s like to be with someone who isn’t an asshole, someone who doesn’t make you feel bad about your body.” Alexa squeezed Sofia’s hand.

  “She’s right, you know. The guys you’ve been with haven’t been the best for you, and not because they were human. They weren’t good for you because they didn’t know how to fully appreciate you.” Chloe kissed Sofia on the cheek. “You are beautiful, funny as hell, successful, and independent. If someone can’t accept all of those traits, walk away fast, honey, and don’t look back!”

  Her friends, as always, had given her a lot to think about. A lot to consider. Which was crazy. It wasn’t as if she were looking to start a life with Lars or anything. If he actually meant what he said about hooking up later, it would be a night of hot sex and fun.

  That was something she had never had. The only times Sofia ever had sex was in a relationship, and there had been so few of those over the years.

  “Why are you even debating this?” her wolf wondered.

  “Because you know just as well as I do that he’s a shifter, one of us. I’ve never been comfortable around males of our species.”

  “Look, I know Rusty violated both of us. How could I ever forget that? It was the most humiliating experience I’ve ever lived through, and I still think you should have let me rip his damn heart out.”

  Rusty. It was a name that Sofia had never wanted to hear again, and she certainly didn’t appreciate her wolf flashing the memories of that horrific event through their shared mind. They had been so young when it hap
pened.

  “Can we just forget it? Please?”

  But it was too late. Once the images popped into her mind, there was no forgetting the sadistic fucker who had violated her and her trust.

  Sofia had known Rusty her whole life. He had been her best friend’s brother. She’d crushed on him hard over the years, but always seemed invisible to the boy she swore she’d one day marry.

  She remained invisible to Rusty until the sleepover that changed her life forever. An evening of fun and games at her best friend’s house quickly turned into her worst nightmare when Rusty came home drunk from a party with his friends and forced himself on her, stealing her innocence. Afterward, he blamed his wolf, saying the beast had forced him to do it. To this day, Sofia didn’t know what had been worse: Rusty’s violation, or her best friend’s reaction when she found Sofia huddled in the bathroom, covered in blood and crying. Her friend had blamed her for her brother’s actions, saying Sofia had somehow bewitched Rusty.

  That was the day Sofia had withdrawn from the shifter community.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lars had somehow managed to survive his first night as a male entertainer. The only reason it had even been tolerable was that he knew his mate was in the crowd, hopefully watching every sway of his hips and every pump of his pelvis.

  Finishing the last few hours of his shift had been a herculean effort on his part. All he wanted to do was bury his cock deep inside his mate while completing the mating ceremony. Her sweet taste clung to his mouth, and left him wanting so much more.

  The last thing Lars had expected to find in Blue Creek was his mate, but lo and behold, there she was. Fine as hell with soft luscious curves in all the right places. Maybe he’d have to thank Taavi when he returned to Black Paw instead of kicking his ass.

  Lars made his way to the front of the bar where he’d asked Sofia to wait for him. His wolf sniffed, searching for her, but failed to pick up her scent. He did, however, locate one of her friends.

  “Where’s Sofia?” Lars asked the woman.

  “She wanted to hit the ladies room. She’ll be right back.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m Chloe, by the way.”

  “Lars, nice to meet you.” He offered his hand in greeting, but she ignored it, choosing instead to look at him like he was a piece of shit she’d scraped off the floor.

  “So what’s your deal?”

  “What do you mean?” Lars took offense to Chloe’s attitude.

  “I’ve never seen you around town before. And I know for a fact that your behavior with Sofia tonight was not what generally happens at strip clubs. So, I’ll ask again: What’s your deal? What do you want with Sofia?”

  A smile spread across Lars’ face. Chloe had been pleasant when he’d spoken to her earlier in the evening. The attitude she was throwing at him had confused him briefly, but now it all made sense. She was trying to protect her friend. He could admire that.

  “You’re right. You haven’t seen me around town. I’m from Black Paw pack. And as far as Sofia goes, she’s my mate.”

  Lars watched as Chloe’s eyes damn near bugged out of her head. Her mouth flopped open and closed again.

  “Your what?” Chloe stammered.

  “My mate.”

  “You’re certain?”

  Lars laughed. “Of course I’m certain. Is this a problem?”

  Chloe pulled up a chair at the bar, looking a little shaken at Lars’ admission. “Look, Lars, Sofia has been through a lot lately, and I’m not entirely sure how she’s going to react when she finds out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  To Lars’ frustration Chloe zipped her lips as Sofia, Alexa, and Gabby made their way back to the bar.

  “What do you think she was going to say?” Lars asked his wolf.

  “I have no idea, and don’t really care as long as Sofia becomes our mate tonight!”

  How Lars would have loved to have had Tanner—with his mind reading capabilities—by his side, but that was an impossibility. Instead, he’d have to take Chloe’s ominous warning at face value: that Sofia’d been through a lot lately.

  As she drew closer to him, he tried to discern the look on her face. Was it surprise? Shock? Disappointment? Gods, he wished Tanner was here.

  Lars quickly closed the distance between them, and kissed her hand.

  “Lars!” Sofia exclaimed. “I’m surprised to see you.”

  “Why? I told you I’d meet you here after my shift.”

  “I didn’t—” Sofia started to speak, then stopped.

  “You didn’t what?”

  “I didn’t think you were serious. You know, that you wanted to meet up with me after your shift. I wouldn’t have been hurt if that were the case. I mean, I’m sure it was just part of your show.”

  Lars couldn’t understand why Sofia had expected him to back out of their plans. Was it something that happened to her regularly?

  “There was nothing that we did that was part of the show. There’s something very special about you, and I want to spend time with you.” Lars chose to keep a few cards up his sleeve, wanting to be alone with his mate for the big reveal. Although he had to admit, he was surprised her wolf hadn’t picked up the fact that she was his mate. The animal had to have known. Was it a case of Sofia not listening to her wolf?

  Chapter Twelve

  Good God Almighty. That man made her melt with a single smile. And the kiss he placed on her hand—sweet Jesus. Sofia swore it traveled straight to her core, making her want to beg for the hardest, hottest, most ass-slapping sex known to man or shifter.

  She wanted his enormous toned, tanned arms holding her tight while he fucked her until she screamed her release. Never before had such sharp feelings or need plowed through her body. What was it about him that sent her into a tailspin the second he came into eyesight?

  The ride back to her house was short and sweet. Her friends begged her to exercise caution, taking a stranger home—all except for Chloe with her all knowing grin. She acted like she knew something the rest of them didn’t. Sofia blew off the thought, promising herself to text Chloe in the morning to get to the bottom of it.

  Her issue at the moment was leaving the bathroom in the stupid nightie she had thought she looked cute in. One look in the mirror, however, confirmed that she’d been off of her rocker when she’d bought it at the mall. Sam was right: Nighties like this one were meant for skinny girls, not a full-figured woman with boobs that were ready to pop out of the top, and a belly that wasn’t exactly flat.

  She wasn’t about to run back to her closet to search for something else. That would raise Lars’ suspicions, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with. Tonight was supposed to be about fun and fucking—not her hang-ups and how she felt inferior because of her weight.

  Sucking in a deep breath and filling her lungs as much as she could, Sofia reached for the door. Her heart pounded against her ribs and her legs shook with each baby-step she took toward the living room, where she’d told Lars to make himself comfortable.

  As soon as she rounded the corner, Lars jumped to his feet, his golden eyes glowing. His canines lengthened, leaving his voice thick and filled with lust. “You look amazing.”

  He was on her in an instant, to her surprise, lifting her off the carpet and carrying her to the oversized lounge chair. His lips slanted over hers as he carefully placed her on the chair. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, touching, feeling, squeezing, caressing.

  Every nerve in her body worked overtime trying to catalogue the simultaneous sensations. Moan after moan flew from Sofia’s mouth as she greedily pawed at Lars, wanting more of everything he had to offer, and all of what he was giving.

  “I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind all evening. You have my cock so fucking hard right now.” Lars tore through the fabric of her nightgown, exposing her ample chest. His hand slid down to her pussy, pushing the thin panties to the side, feeling her warmth—all the while kissing and
sucking on her breasts.

  Christ, he drove her nuts. It was a feeling that was completely foreign to her. Sure, there were guys she liked, ones she’d thought were hot and had truly been interested in. But those feelings were nothing compared to what she felt when she was around Lars.

  Anticipation stole through her, wondering what it would be like to feel his cock stretching her pussy. Whatever it was about this man that called to her, there was only one thing she knew for certain: She had to have him.

  “Tell me what you want, Sofia,” Lars demanded.

  “I want you to fuck me, please.”

  “Mmmm. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  Sofia panted as his pants seemed to disappear into thin air, allowing the tip of his cock to press against her, begging for entrance. Instead of diving right in and getting the party started as she had expected, he slowly, methodically, relentlessly teased her by sliding in just a tiny bit and then back out, rubbing his cock up to her clit and back down to her entrance.

  It drove her fucking wild. She wanted to throttle him!

  Her pussy was soaked. Her frame quivered with need. Lust overwhelmed the entirety of her mind, body, and soul. A growl reverberated from her chest. She could feel her eyes glowing as her wolf pushed to the forefront.

  The actions of her wolf startled Sofia. Never before had the wolf given a flying fuck when she hooked up with a guy. She had no idea why Lars would be any different.

  “Because he is MINE!”

  With that thought, her wolf urged her on. Sofia was done waiting for Lars to make his move. On his next downstroke and tease, she latched on to his ass and circled her hips, groaning as his cock slid home.

  “Fuck! Yes,” Lars growled in her ear. “A little bit impatient, are we?”

  “I’d apologize, but I’m not even remotely sorry. Besides, no one likes a tease.”

  “I’ll have to remember that.” Lars slid his cock all the way out, then slowly back in.