by Kim Fox
Joan sighed. “Just no one else fall in love with me, okay?” she said. “I know it’s hard because I’m so damned awesome but please don’t.”
“Too late,” Ashton said, sticking his tongue all the way out. He leaned towards her with his tongue hanging down and his mouth wide open as she squealed and tried to get away.
“What the hell?” Rhett shouted when he saw Ashton sitting in his seat and trying to make out with his girl. “Not you too.”
“You better run,” Joan said with a smile. “Thanks for making me feel better.”
“No problem,” Ashton said, grabbing as many beers as he could hold from the cooler. “You can repay me by stopping your man from killing me.”
Ashton darted away, disappearing into the darkness before the skin shifter could get to him.
It was too hard to be around people anyway. All he wanted to talk about, all he wanted to think about, was Lauren. He couldn’t get her out of his mind.
His inner grizzly grumbled his approval as Ashton thought back to how good she looked in her bikini.
“You can say that again,” he mumbled to his grumbling bear.
He walked around aimlessly, counting the hours until he would be able to see her again when he got a whiff of something familiar: vanilla and caramel.
His head darted towards the scent and he let out a soft moan when he saw her standing there, watching him.
“Beer?” he asked, holding out a can with a smile on his face.
“I’d love one,” she said, walking over and taking it from his hand. Her fingers brushed over his as she took it, making his heart speed up.
“What are you doing up?” he asked after she opened it and took a sip. They began walking slowly, taking turns glancing at each other.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, “and my friends were starting to get on my nerves.”
“Well,” Ashton said with a smile. “I’m glad they did.”
She raised her can of beer and clinked it with his. “Me too.”
It was a nice mild night with just a hint of a chill, which gave him an excuse to stay close to Lauren so she could get some of his body heat. They gazed up at the millions of stars overhead as they walked, chatting easily along the way.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” she said, looking around at the dark forest.
Ashton tried to picture what it looked like through her eyes. As a shifter, he could see almost everything in the darkness but he had heard that humans couldn’t see a thing.
“When are you leaving?” he asked, just blurting it out. He had been thinking about it for so long and had to know, even though he really didn’t want to know the answer. Any length of time that she would give would be too short. A hundred years would have been too short.
She sighed as her eyes dropped down to the grass that she was walking on. He didn’t want to ruin the lightness of the mood but it was something that had to come out. He had to prepare himself for the devastation that would surely come when she left.
“We leave Monday morning,” she said with another sigh. “But I can come visit anytime,” she said, darting her eyes up to his. “I mean, if you want me to. I don’t have to either.”
“No,” he said, smiling at her. “I’d like that.”
They walked in a comfortable silence, heading past the ranch towards a meadow that Ashton knew was hiding over the hill in front of them. It was a gorgeous meadow with wildflowers and a nice breeze during the day and a perfect place to gaze at stars during the night.
“Wow,” she gasped when they made it to the crest of the hill. She was staring at the meadow which was full of wildflowers draped in moonlight, but he was staring at her. Nothing was more beautiful than her smile.
“Come,” he said, taking her hand and guiding her down the hill.
Lauren had a permanent smile on her face as she walked through the shin-high grass, trying not to step on any of the flowers.
Their bodies just seemed to come together, slipping into the curves of each other’s embrace which seemed to be designed perfectly for one another.
Ashton closed his eyes as he held her close, never wanting to let her go.
She tilted her chin up, looking into his eyes with a grin. “I think I need mouth to mouth again.”
Ashton smiled as he leaned down, sealing her lips with his. She’s too perfect.
There had to be a catch.
There is. She’s leaving in two days.
He didn’t let that depressing fact upset him. Nothing could upset him with Lauren’s lips on his.
She moaned as she pressed her breasts against his chest, making him kiss her even harder.
Ashton swept her short black hair to the side and kissed her neck, making her shiver with each soft kiss on her warm skin.
“Oh, Ashton,” she moaned as he left a trail of warm kisses down her neck. “I don’t want this to end.”
He knew exactly how she felt. He had been feeling the same aching thing every second of the day.
“I feel the same way,” he said between kisses.
He held her arms and leaned back, looking at her soft eyes shining in the moonlight. Could she be any more beautiful?
“I don’t want it to end either,” he said, taking deep heavy breaths. “Do you want to sta-”
A force grabbed him, seizing him from the inside out. Wha-
He couldn’t move his arms, his feet were planted to the ground like his shoes were cemented to the earth. His eyes were locked on Lauren and he couldn’t pry them off even if he had wanted to.
The bright moon and stars in the spectacular night sky began to fade to a dark black behind her, taking the meadow and the mountains with it.
All that he could see was her.
But he could see it all so clearly now.
She was the one.
He could see her bright and beautiful against the dark background as his bear bonded to her, as they joined souls forever.
A strong pull flowed out of him, wrapped around Lauren’s shaking body and returned, sinking back into him with impenetrable hooks.
After a few seconds when it released, his legs wobbled and he almost fell to the ground in shock.
“Are you okay?” she asked, looking frightened.
“I’m better than okay,” he replied.
Of course he was.
Lauren was his mate.
***
“What was that?” Lauren asked, trying to shake out her trembling hands. She had thought that he was having a heart attack or worse, that he was going to phase into his bear and eat her.
Ashton wasn’t taking his eyes off of her. He just kept staring at her like he was seeing a different person.
“Ashton,” she whispered. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head out and steadied himself on his legs that seemed to be back to normal.
“Wow,” he said, smiling as he stood up straight and looked at her. “I guess we won’t be separating after all.”
Lauren raised an eyebrow at him. What the hell is going on? He was acting so strange that it was making her kind of nervous.
“Do you know about a shifter’s bond?” he asked softly.
Did she know about a shifter’s bond? Of course, she did. She was stuck in the car having to listen to Brenna, Summer, and Pam talk about shifter bonding and mates for six hours. She knew way more than she cared to know.
“Oh, my God,” she gasped, taking a step back when she realized what he was talking about. “Did you just bond? To me?”
He nodded.
It should have been scary. It was way too soon. She barely knew him. She should have been freaking out to know that a bear shifter had just been thrust into her life forever in a very intimate way, but she wasn’t.
It didn’t feel scary and it didn’t feel too soon.
It felt right.
Her heart began thumping in her chest as she looked at him. She felt different, like she could sense the pull, like she had somehow bonded to h
im as well.
She was about to ask him about it when he swooped in, cupping her cheeks with his strong hands and gently pulling her in for a kiss.
The passion and intensity of his kiss took Lauren by surprise but she wasn’t complaining. It was exactly how she was feeling inside.
It was an end of the movie kiss like nothing she’d ever felt before.
She moaned into his mouth as the heat swirling through her settled between her legs, making her inch as close as possible to him.
His strong arms wrapped possessively around her, holding her excited body against his. Her knees went weak as her heart pounded in her chest, just like his was doing.
“Ashton,” she whispered as they broke apart for a much-needed breath. “I’m yours if you want me.”
“And I’m yours,” he answered before crushing his lips to hers, claiming her in a wildly hungry kiss. “Forever.”
Lauren melted into him, her body on fire.
His powerful hands slid up under her shirt, sliding over her warm skin and bringing up goosebumps. Her own wandering hands slid down his hard abs and over his jeans where his hard erection was jutting out against his pants.
He let out a throaty groan as she pressed her open palm against his cock and dragged it up his hard shaft. He was so big. So hard.
She stroked him up and down, wanting to feel the real thing, wanting to go to the next level.
They lowered to the ground, settling on their knees as he struggled to take off her shirt without breaking their kiss.
Lauren ripped her lips away and yanked off her shirt, tossing it onto the grass behind her. Her hungry lips were back on his in a heartbeat as they fumbled with each other’s belt buckles.
After a few frustrating seconds, they pulled apart and ripped off their clothes as quickly as possible. She was left in her bra and underwear and him in his boxer briefs, with his hard cock jutting out against the black fabric.
She leaned back to admire his body for a second. He was so massive with a huge tank of a chest and sexy shredded abs that made her wet pussy pulse with the view.
His own heated eyes were locked on her chest, her breasts spilling out of her bra.
It was time to make his eyes really pop out of his head.
She reached behind her back slowly and unclasped her bra, letting it slide down her arms. He let out a groan when her breasts spilled free, her nipples hardening even more against the chill of the night air.
“I’m so lucky,” he whispered, to himself or to her she didn’t know, as he stared at her round breasts that were tingling with desire. “I can’t believe I have someone so beautiful and perfect for my mate.”
He moved in quick, his hands caressing her throbbing breasts as his greedy lips and excited tongue kissed, licked and nipped her stiff little nipples.
“Oh, Ashton,” she moaned as she threaded her fingers through his hair, staring up at the sky but seeing nothing. All she could focus on was the incessant throbbing between her legs and her mate’s warm tongue circling her achingly hard nipples.
Her mischievous hand was back, sliding up his muscular thighs and rubbing his thick cock. She grabbed the waistband of his underwear and yanked them down, letting his tempting dick spring free.
Ashton was both big and strong but she pushed him aside and lowered her head to taste him, taking a quick look at his long beautiful cock before taking him into her mouth.
“Fuck,” he hissed through gritted teeth as she swirled her tongue around him, enjoying the velvety softness of his skin.
She opened wider and pushed him in until her throat burned and her eyes watered. Her panties were drenched with her arousal as she sucked his dick, making him moan and grunt his approval.
Her tongue massaged his shaft, licking up and down as she sucked. She could have stayed like that all night, taking care of her man and leaving no part of his thick cock untouched by her wet mouth.
“Alright,” he finally moaned, pushing her away. She didn’t get off of his dick without a fight.
“Come here,” he said, lying down on the soft grass.
Lauren leaned back and wiped the wetness from the corners of her mouth as she looked down at him lying in the grass. He was a work of art with hard sculpted muscles, his tattoos making him look even sexier.
He gripped his hard cock and held it up, watching her with a heated gaze as she stood up and hooked her fingers into her panties.
“Fuck,” he moaned, his dark eyes lighting up as she slid her panties down her thick legs. She stepped out of her underwear and straddled him, lowering her spread pussy over his cock.
Just the anticipation of it made her weak in the knees. It made her clit ache with need.
“Mmmm,” she moaned as he dragged the tip of his cock over her pussy, pressing it against her clit. He parted her silky folds and raised his hips as he pushed up inside of her.
“Oh, Ashton,” she gasped as she smacked her palm onto his flexed abs and dropped her shaking knees onto the soft grass.
He was so big, much larger than anyone that she’d ever felt before. It had been so long and it felt like it was her first time again, the burning, the nerves, the excitement.
She lowered her hips slowly, taking one delicious inch at a time until he was all the way in. She ground her aching clit on his hard pelvis as he reached up and caressed her breasts with his strong hands.
It was too perfect. This is how I want us to always be.
His hands moved down to her ass, gripping her cheeks as she rode him up and down.
He filled her completely but she was still tilting her hips for more. Every drop of her hips made her back arch out, made her teeth grit, and made her pussy burn with ecstasy.
The cool wind felt nice against her hot sweaty skin as she rode him, making her nipples even harder.
Ashton began thrusting his hips up, meeting her stroke for stroke. Each thrust came up faster, harder, deeper and stronger until she was panting for breath, ready for the sweetest release.
He squeezed her ass cheek with a firm grip as his rhythm ramped up to a pounding.
“I’m going to come,” she moaned, pressing her palm against his hard abs as the pressure within her sped up, begging to be released.
“Do it,” he moaned, his pleading eyes meeting hers. “Come on my dick. I want to feel your pussy tighten around me.”
She clenched her jaw closed as she held her breath, riding him as hard as she could. His grunts ripped out of him as his whole body flexed. He was on the verge, just like her.
“Yeah,” she moaned, squeezing her eyes closed as her pussy contracted. She knew what was coming, and it was coming on fast.
“Fuck!” she screamed as her orgasm exploded within her, tearing through her body as she threw her head back and cried out again.
It had been so long. It was so intense.
Her legs were trembling so hard that she had to lean on his hard abs with her hand as the orgasm overtook her.
Ashton thrust his hips up with one last stroke, making her cry out in bliss. He clung to her body as he grunted, releasing deep inside of her.
“Mmmm,” she moaned, feeling his warm cum coat her insides. She didn’t want to move. She wanted this surreal moment to last forever.
Ashton’s tense body relaxed as his orgasm passed. He reached up and grabbed her, kissing every available inch of her heated skin as he pulled her down into his protective embrace.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered into her ear as he rubbed her back, his cock softening inside of her.
She was still breathing too hard to answer so she just rested her cheek on his chest, smiling as she listened to the pounding of his heart.
If this is what it means to be a mate, then sign me up. For life.
Lauren had never had a night like this before. It was pure magic.
She didn’t know if it was the sex, or the bond, or the beautiful night sky, but she was falling for him.
In a big way.
And by the
way he was holding her so tightly, it seemed like he was falling for her too.
nine
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Brenna asked, turning as Lauren hung back close to the entrance of the inn.
“Oh, she wants to come,” Pam said with a giggle. “That’s why she’s staying.”
Lauren chuckled as her cheeks heated up. Well, she has a point there.
“Fine,” Brenna said, hooking an arm through Pam and Summer’s arms. “Let’s leave her here. We’re going to be on TV!”
Sure you are. Lauren hoped that they would but she couldn’t see Matt, Paul, and James actually getting a television deal for their show. It was a good premise for a show, and probably one that the TV studios would be interested in, but those three guys just didn’t seem very smart.
“Just be careful,” Lauren said, stepping forward with butterflies in her stomach. “It could be dangerous.”
She held her breath as she watched the three guys loading up their Jeep with the camera equipment.
“We’ll be fine,” Summer said, turning with a smile. “You found a shifter and it worked out well for you!”
Lauren sighed. It’s not the shifters that I’m afraid of.
She had a bad feeling about those guys and she didn’t want her friends anywhere near them. It didn’t help when she saw Matt move a long heavy bag which was the exact shape of a rifle.
“You’re such a mom,” she muttered to herself as the girls arrived at the Jeep, flipping their hair as they talked to the guys.
After a few minutes of talking, the three of them jumped into Pam’s car and followed the boys out.
Now, where’s my new mate?
She looked around for Ashton with a lightness in her chest. Last night in the meadow had been pure bliss.
It seemed like it was a love scene out of a classic movie or a wonderful romance book. It couldn’t possibly be real life.
But it had been real life and Lauren was still walking on air.
She walked to the inn, wondering what was going to happen after she left on Monday. At six hours away, The Wilde Ranch was too far to drive to for a two day weekend and she couldn’t afford to fly over here with her measly salary but she knew that they would make it work somehow.
