by VA Dold
Seth clasped her hands in both of his. “Ask me anything.”
“Is your home planet nice?”
“From what I’ve heard, Sirius B is beautiful. Not that I remember it. The drawback to incarnating on Earth is we forget our past lives. I only know what Luperca has told me, and what I’m beginning to remember. Apparently, she’s reversing the amnesia from our minds.”
“Well, the amnesia part sucks, but at least she’s letting you remember again. I wonder why that is?”
“I have no idea.” Seth paused and took a deep breath. “So, I have to ask, do you still want to claim me?”
“From what you’ve told me, I need the speed, strength, and healing abilities of a shifter to fight the rogue, right?”
Seth nodded. “And all the other shifter gifts as well as your personal ability. Which as an energy element will come in rather handy in a fight.”
Sara cupped his face, her palm soft and warm on his cheek. “Like I said before, I would be proud to stand at your side and claim you as mine. Your otherworldly heritage just makes you more interesting.”
Seth let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I was afraid you’d change your mind. Now that I’ve found you, I can’t lose you.”
If Sara had to spend one more day at home watching daytime TV, she’d go mad. Thus, she was back at work, hiding in her office. She’d snuck in early and stayed out of sight making as little sound as possible. Randy would send her home if he caught sight of her, so she kept the overhead lights off and used only her desk lamp.
The few curious officers that saw her come in had quickly averted their gaze. Thank God she could trust them not to rat her out. Many of them had been out on leave and knew exactly how she felt.
She was reviewing a file when a loud sigh came from the direction of her door. Shit. She knew that sigh. She was so busted. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d go away?
Little did her boss know, Seth had healed her injuries when she left the hospital. He didn’t even wait for them to get home. Mumbling something about not being able to take it another minute, he healed her right there in the hospital parking lot.
“Sara? What the hell are you doing here?” Randy’s gruff voice demanded her attention.
The chief stomped in and slammed the door. She didn’t have to look at him to know he had his hands on his hips and wore a frown. She’d seen that expression on his face often enough.
“Give me a break, Randy. Sitting at home was driving me insane. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re recovering from a gunshot wound. One that almost killed you. Hell, you were only released from the hospital yesterday. If you won’t follow your doctor’s orders, you’ll follow mine. As of right now, you’re on leave. I don’t want to see you back here for at least two weeks and then only if you have a psych release.”
“R-a-n-d-y,” Sara stretched his name like a whiny child.
The chief crossed his arms and widened his stance. “This isn’t up for discussion, Detective Adams.” Then he turned his head to address Seth who was sitting silently in the chair that was provided days before. “Mr. Le Beau, if you would be so kind as to ensure Sara returns home?”
Seth rose to his full height and grabbed his jacket draped over the back of the chair. “It would be my pleasure.”
“Thank you.” Randy turned on his heel and stomped away. Leaving Sara gaping at the empty doorway.
Seth held out his hand to Sara. “Shall we?”
She took it allowing him to pull her to her feet. “This sucks.”
He leaned in close and whispered, “It doesn’t have to be a jail sentence. I know several very enjoyable ways to pass the time.”
She slapped his chest, and her lips twitched as she tried to suppress a smile. “Pervert.”
“Only for you, mon amour. As a matter of fact, we can—practice—” he waggled his brows, “the claiming and discuss your training.”
She tipped her head and she gazed up at him thoughtfully. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
CHAPTER TEN
Seth threw his car into park and killed the engine. It had been a long, silent ride home from the station, and he was ready for a breath of fresh air. As he reached for his door, Sara broke the silence, and he paused. She didn’t look his way. Rather she stared out the windshield with unfocused eyes as if watching a dream unfold in her mind’s eye.
“Despite what you may believe, I’m very aware that I may not survive the coming fight and as such may have a finite amount of time left on this Earth. If we’re meant to be, which the mating signs insist we are, then we deserve a little happiness. I want to live this day and any others I’m blessed with to their fullest. Like most people, I looked forward to getting married and starting a family. Being claimed by you may be the closest I ever get to that dream.” She fell silent again and then turned her head and looked him in the eye. “I fought against it, but I’m afraid I’ve lost the battle. I care for you, Seth Le Beau, deeply. And I claim you as my mate.”
He couldn’t breathe or look away from her gaze. His wildest dreams were there. A happy stretch of life he’d never expected to have. Sure she had acquiesced while on her sickbed and admitted she must become a shifter in order to fight the rogue. But now, if his ears did not deceive, she wanted him. She cared for him. Which was as close as she may ever get to saying I love you. But in Sara speak; she was saying just that, and he spoke fluent Sara Adams.
Seth brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them one by one. She was giving him the greatest gift—herself. “I want to make this memorable for you, mon amour. What I have in mind may be a pale substitute for a wedding, but if you are willing to give me twenty minutes, I would like to do what I can.”
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and instantly his attention was on her mouth, craving a taste. “I have to admit, I’m curious about what you have planned. How about, you do—whatever,” she waved her hand, “and I’ll see if I can find a couple steaks in the freezer. If we are going to do this, we need a nice dinner after. Dianne warned me that I may have a large appetite after the conversion.”
“Sounds like a plan. I promised I could be ready in twenty minutes, so we’d better get moving.” Seth rushed to Sara’s door and offered his hand. The moment she was clear of the car he swept her into his arms and ran for the door.
“In a hurry, much?” she asked as she laughed at his inability to unlock the door and snarling at the keys.
Seth managed to find the correct key and rushed into the house. He slipped her feet to the floor so she could reset the alarm as he flipped the lock into place. Then he spun Sara around trapping her between the door and his raging body.
Fang rumbled a possessive growl from his throat.
Tasting his mate’s sweet lips, drowning in her scent, was an all-consuming priority as he claimed her lips with his own. The brave woman in his arms was about to become his.
Soft moans, increased in volume as tongues tangoed and hands roamed.
After a long minute he lifted his head, and smiled. “You care for me.”
Sara blinked at the unexpected statement. She lifted a hand to cup his cheek. “More than I care to admit, wolfman. Despite efforts to avoid emotional involvement, I’m falling for you. And I can't seem to stop.”
His heart soared with a mixture of elation and hope. He placed his hand over hers and moved her palm to kiss the very center. “I’ve fallen for you as well.”
“I’ve…” she paused, closed her eyes, and took a shaky breath. Then she met his eyes again. “I’ve never felt this way before, and frankly, it scares the living crap out of me.”
Seth took her face in both hands. “You own my heart and soul, mate. There’s nothing to fear when it comes to our relationship.”
Sara exhaled and nodded. “I trust you, Seth.”
“Good. Now kiss me.” He kissed her deeply, then growled and kissed his way down her neck to the sweet spot whe
re he would leave his mark, and nipped her lightly.
Fang’s stark need pushed him to complete the claiming immediately, but he wanted to savor their mate. “I better get a move on if I’m going to have everything ready in the time.” He made for the hallway and paused. “No peeking, mon amour.” Then he was gone from sight.
As promised, twenty minutes later Seth snuck into the kitchen where she was planning their dinner and scooped her into his arms. Marching toward his room, he stumbled when she kissed the spot where she would mark him, and she playfully bit down. Sara giggled when he growled and kicked the bedroom door closed.
She nuzzled his neck and whispered in his ear, “I kind of like the Neanderthal approach.”
“Good, because I’m feeling a little caveman,” he said huskily as he claimed her mouth, fusing lips to lips.
Seth’s incredible kisses were great, but she needed more. She laced her fingers through his hair, tilted her head, and deepened the kiss. Their tongues dueled and danced until their lungs labored for breath.
Sara pulled back when he stopped moving and blinked. She blinked again. “Incredible.”
Strings of white fairy lights ran from the walls to the ceiling light forming what looked like the peak of a sultan’s tent. Candles in every conceivable shape, size, and color flickered on the dresser, side tables, and windowsills. A huge bouquet of red roses graced the center of the dresser, with petals strewn across the bed sheets.
“Where did you get flowers?”
“I had them delivered.”
“When?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
She frowned at him. “We didn’t get a delivery.”
“Sure we did. I had them come to the window instead of the front door.”
“How did you get roses delivered so quickly?”
“With a little bit of monetary incentive, you can make anything happen.”
“You’re an incredibly sexy, crazy man, Mr. Le Beau.”
“Yes, I am. So, do I pass your romance test?”
“With flying colors,” she whispered against his lips and kissed him again.
After a minute, He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re one hell of a kisser, Miss Adams.”
Sara grinned and wiggled. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, Mr. Le Beau. Let me down, and I’ll show you.”
He cocked a brow and grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
She pushed against his chest and backed him toward the bed. He followed her lead and stopped a few feet short of the mattress when she gripped the front of his shirt and claimed his lips again.
“Strip…for…me…wolfman,” she said between kisses.
Seth obliged by reaching between their bodies for the buttons on his shirt. One by one, his deft fingers worked them free. As the last button popped, his shirt fell open. Sara ran her hands up his bared chest and pushed the shirt from his shoulders and down his arms. It dropped to the floor, leaving no barrier between her seeking fingers and his warm flesh. Everywhere she touched tiny glimmers of light sparked.
“Mmm,” she hummed, retaining his lips, as he trailed his hands down her back and over her hips to tug her shirt free of her slacks. His fingers worked the buttons on her shirt, pulling the garment from her body as her hands dropped to the waistband of his leathers riding low on his hips.
“Sara,” he groaned into her mouth when she dragged her nails over his erection and popped the top button.
She popped the buttons stretched to capacity by his hard length one by one. Then ran her hands around his hips, palms against his bare skin. She reversed the direction of her exploration stopping just short of the prize. With a wicked grin, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband.
One last kiss and she began to free him of his pants. She slid them from his hips, down his thighs, and went to her knees to push them to his ankles.
Seth lifted his left foot free, then kick his leathers aside with his right. Standing above her with his glowing, hypnotic eyes, he presented a wicked temptation. When she licked her lips, his erection twitched.
“Sara,” he groaned again. “This isn’t a good idea.”
“I disagree.” She raised her eyebrows in challenge to make her point.
His muscles quivered and clenched under her light touch. The pads of her fingers skimmed his erection lighting off more tiny electrical stimulations, and his hard length jumped as he sucked in his breath. With every caress, his erection twitched, bouncing against her lips as she leaned in. She traced the length of him before closing her fist around him one finger at a time and taking him into her mouth.
Oh, God, mon amour. We must be careful.
I think you can control yourself while I have a little fun.
Seth moaned, thrusting his hips as she took him deeper.
Waves of electricity arched from her to his most tender area. Sara was intrigued by the fact that the tiny shocks weren’t painful, but more of a stimulating nature. Sweat bloomed over his abdomen and thighs warning her to ease off, or she would ruin the entire evening. She pulled back to give him time to catch his breath and gather his control.
When he opened his eyes and tried to pull her to her feet, she smiled and shook her head. She knew how to keep a man on the very edge and yet not tip him over. She brought him to the brink over and over again until he was reduced to whimpering.
Abruptly, his hands gripped her shoulders and forced her to her feet.
“Hey. I wasn’t finished.”
He kissed her softly and growled, “Perhaps not. But I almost was, and we can’t have that.”
He ran his hands down her arms and drifted up her rib cage. When he got to the edge of her bra, he followed it around to the clasp in the back and popped it. Kissing his way across her collarbone, he slid the straps from her shoulders and peeled the satin away.
He lifted his head to gaze at her half-naked form. “So beautiful, mon amour. So incredibly beautiful.”
His palms skimmed the outside of her breasts and trailed down her ribcage to her slacks. With the flick of his wrist, the button popped, and the zipper inched down. He ran his hands over her hips, inside her panties, and then pushed them, along with her slacks, down her thighs until they fell to her ankles so she could step out of them. His chest rumbled as he brought his mouth back to hers.
Our mate is perfection, Fang growled, licking his chops.
She most certainly is.
Sara squeaked as Seth scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way to the bed. He gently laid her upon it and watched her stretch out on the soft mattress. Then she took his hand and drew him down. He followed eagerly. Drinking in the sight of his mate, safe, healed, and in his bed.
Her skin was flushed with arousal, but he didn’t rush in to stake his claim. He had the rest of his life to rush if that was what his mate wanted. Right now, he wanted to paint the picture of this memory on his mind’s eye to savor over and over. He stroked the silky strands of her hair. The candlelight colored the strands a lovely shade of gold. Her eyebrows were two perfect arches over her soft, languid olive colored eyes. He ran a fingertip over her cheekbones. The shadows cast in the dim light accentuated them. Lower still, her lips were rosy from their kisses.
“What are you doing?” Sara asked, her voice husky.
“Hush woman. I’m committing your loveliness to memory. We will only do the claiming once, and I want to remember every detail.”
She smiled and ran her hands over his chest as his eyes dropped lower. “You truly are a romantic. I’m a very lucky woman.”
He ran his finger down the column of her neck to her breastbone. “I’ve been telling you that all along.”
“I like slow,” she whispered, tracing his nipples as he outlined her breast and skimmed her belly.
“Mmm, me too.” He slid his palm around her hip and over the curve of her shapely backside. “Tu es mon rêve, ma déesse. You’re my dream and my goddess. My Venus. And I intend to
worship you.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Slowly, he worked his gaze back to her eyes and claimed her lips softly, lovingly. He tunneled his fingers in her silky hair. His tongue stroked and danced languorously with hers.
Sara felt Seth’s leashed passion in his gentle touch and caressing waves of deep emotion. Her heart stuttered and skipped a beat. He loved her. He truly did.
“I want you so badly I ache, but I’m going to try to take this slow,” he whispered against her lips, then trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck.
She tipped her head and gave him full access to nibble and nuzzle to his content. Her neck, especially the nape, had always been an erogenous zone for her. He could kiss her there all day long as far as she was concerned.
She shivered when he ran his fang across her pulse point. “Mmm, I like that.”
“You’ll like it even more after the claiming. The bite mark will forever be a sensitive spot that when kissed or stroked is like the strongest aphrodisiac imaginable.”
Seth breathed in deeply. Exhaling warm moist breath over her sensitized skin. “Your caramel and vanilla bouquet drives me wild. All I have to do is smell you.”
“Your amber scent does the same to me. I catch one whiff, and I can hardly keep my hands to myself.” She rubbed her thigh against his, thrusting her breasts up in invitation.
He obliged by cupping one and stroking her taut peak.
Sara’s head pressed harder into the pillow, as she let out a little moan.
“I love that sound,” he said, moving his hand up to the other breast. “Make it for me again, mon amour.”
He rolled her nipple, and she moaned a second time.
“That’s it,” he rumbled, his chest vibrating against her side. “Sweet mercy, that pushes me to the very edge.”
With each caress, a tiny zing of electrical pleasure sensitized her nipples further. Sara clutched Seth's hair, pulling his mouth closer to her aching breasts, willing him to ease the need he’d fueled.
He rumbled with pleasure from her touch.
