by Terra Wolf
His tongue made a trail between my breasts, tracing a line to my navel. I couldn’t help the purr that passed over my lips as he licked just above my waistband.
“I like how your tiger sounds,” he teased.
I let another purr vibrate from my throat as he kissed my stomach, stopping to nip and suck my skin.
“Ohh, Gavin.” I wiggled under the heat of his tongue. His teeth pulled on the top of my running shorts.
He was taking his time, savoring the moment, or torturing me to death. His tongue was driving me wild. He licked along my hipbone. My hips tucked under me as I started a slow rhythm of rocking against his movements. The shorts inched down as his mouth met my skin and his fingers massaged between my legs.
He ripped the sides of the lacy panties I was wearing and pushed the fabric out of his way as he pried my legs wider, finding his way between the slickness, gliding one finger, then two inside me. I was already lost in the wave of sensations. I was naked on his bed while he worshipped my body with his mouth, his fingers drawing circles, leading me to the crest of ecstasy.
When his tongue began to lap between my folds, I gripped at his shoulders, needing something to keep me from floating off the bed.
“God,” I moaned, knowing I was so close to exploding. I had been wound so tightly for so long, it wouldn’t take much to send me over, especially not with a tongue like that.
He buried his head between my legs, his fingers pumping harder as I clawed at his shoulders, screaming his name toward the ceiling. The electric pulses started deep in my core and carried through my limbs. Gavin sucked hard against my clit, while I clenched and held on to the orgasm.
As my breathing finally slowed, his head rose and he kissed my stomach, making his way to my breasts.
“I could taste you and kiss you all night,” he growled. “You know this is my honey. You taste so sweet between your legs,” he said, clamping down on the other nipple. I bucked again.
“Please fuck me. Please,” I begged. My body was hot and wet.
I had never thought about what it would be like to be with a bear, but suddenly, it seemed like my best idea yet. My muscles were vibrating and everything between my legs wanted him. I wanted to be filled. I wanted the nearness of him.
And it wasn’t just any bear. It was Gavin. The man who had sworn to protect me. The man who was risking his life for me.
He reached for the zipper on his jeans, and within seconds, they were in a pile on the floor. I sat up quickly, tearing the boxer briefs from his sculpted body. And holy shit, did he have a perfect body. He was athletic and toned. His legs were strong and long. And then I looked down. His cock was hard and thick, pulsing for me.
I wanted it. I wanted all of it deep inside me.
His lips landed on mine, and his kiss was slow and deliberate. He explored the corners of my mouth, tasting me with tenderness. He broke away, propping himself on his elbow as he reached into the nightstand.
My chest heaved as I watched him rip into the foil packet and roll the condom over his erection. He sat back on his knees, and I admired him. The way his muscles contoured across his chest. The way his waist rippled with the indentations of abs. He was gorgeous. And this gorgeous, hot body guard was getting ready to fuck me.
He leaned forward, dragging his lips against mine, and I moaned, feeling him settle between my legs.
“So wet, so ready,” he growled in my ear. It only made me wetter. He nudged his cock against my entrance, and I tipped my hips forward, wanting him to take me.
He pulled my hands over my head, and I widened my legs as he thrust powerfully inside me.
“Oh, fuck,” he growled.
But we had already lost control. We wanted to take it slow. But the instant his cock was inside me, it lit a fire that raged through my blood. I could control the tiger in me about as much as he could control his bear. I was drunk with him. His smell, his mouth, his taste.
He pumped in and out of me as I clawed to match his pace. I wanted him deeper and harder. He bit my neck and I grabbed his ass, slamming him to new depths in my core. My nipples perked as my orgasm began to build. It coiled around my core as I struggled to keep it at bay. I wanted this to last all night. I wanted it to last forever. But I couldn’t hold on any longer.
“Gavin,” I moaned as the vibration struck me. I gripped hard around his shaft, feeling how perfectly we fit together. He slowed his thrusts, only taking me to newer heights.
“Yes, like that,” he growled in my ear. “Come, baby.”
And I let go in his arms. My body surrendered to the beautiful waves as he pushed deep inside me, shuddering and panting my name as he released himself.
He kissed me once before collapsing in an exhausted heap on top of me, our sweaty bodies heated from each other, glowing from the most amazing sex I’d ever had.
Gavin rolled on his side, tucking me under his arm. And I slept in his arms all night.
15
Gavin
The sun filtered through the blinds, casting stripes across Tasha’s hair. I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to wake her. For the first time all week, she had slept through the night. No nightmares. No bad dreams tearing her in two.
She stirred quietly, stretching her legs, then untucking her hands. She rolled to face me.
“Good morning.” She smiled.
“Good morning.” I brushed her hair from her face, mesmerized once again by the lavender in her eyes. I would never get tired of that color. I felt like a different man staring into them.
She bit lightly on her lower lip. “So, about last night…”
I pulled her naked body to mine, feeling the heat of her skin as she aligned against me. My cock immediately jerked to life, needing her, wanting her. I wanted to fuck her all morning.
She smiled, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Aren’t we going to talk about what happened?”
My bear was restless for her. Aching to feel her pulse around me. Hear her scream in my ear. Hold her while she came, hot and wet.
“I’d rather make you purr.” I waggled my eyebrows as I leaned in to kiss her throat.
She shoved lightly on my chest. “Gavin…” Her words trailed off as my hand coasted over her body, teasing her breasts, dipping low between her legs. I smiled when I felt the wetness against her clit as I flicked over it.
“But if you want to talk first,” I teased.
She shook her head, throwing her leg over my waist. And it happened so fast, I didn’t have time to reach for the condoms. I was plunged deep inside her, feeling her wrap around my cock. I grabbed her ass, thrusting with force as she rocked into me.
“Fuck, Tasha. What are you doing?” I groaned. “You feel so amazing like this.” I buried my head in her neck, inhaling her hair, kissing along her shoulder.
My bear knew there was no barrier between us, and all I could think about was filling her with my seed. Claiming her. Making her mine. This wasn’t just sex, this was about forever. I wanted to lose control and drive myself in her with every ounce of force I had. I wanted her to be my mate.
I pulled out, teasing my cock at her entrance, stretching her in wide circles.
“Gavin, please, please. I want you back inside me,” she purred. “You’re hard, baby.”
“My bear wants you. I want to claim you.” I slid my cock against her clit, coating myself with her honey, before dipping inside her again.
“Oh, fuck, yes. Yes.” She groaned.
“Do you mean that?”
She nodded, rocking her hips into me, clenching my shaft. “I do.”
I looked into her eyes. I was going to make this woman my mate. I would fill her with my essence. Give her my cubs. Share our shifter bond. I’d fuck her all day if she’d let me.
I kissed her gently, feeling my chest swell with the enormity of the moment.
“Make me yours, Gavin,” she whispered. “Make me your mate.”
I kissed her, tasting her lips. My fingers twirled one of her ni
pples back and forth. “My bear has certain needs,” I growled.
She arched her back. “Your bear can have me.”
I leaned down to suck her tit into my mouth. I loved the swells of her breasts and how her nipples hardened in my mouth. She was fucking incredible. Every inch of her.
My cell rang next to the bed. I hesitated for a second. “It can go to voicemail.” I pulled her other nipple into my mouth as I pumped in and out of her. I was only warming things up before I claimed her.
But then the phone rang again. “You better check. It could be about the hearing,” she warned. “You have to get it.”
I rolled away from her, letting my cock slide out of its favorite piece of heaven, and glared at the phone. It was Harrison.
“Yeah, what is it?” I couldn’t exactly tell him about the moment he was ruining.
“We have a problem.”
I sat straight up, turning my back to Tasha. I covered the mouthpiece. “I’ll be right back.” I walked out of the bedroom and stopped in front of the fireplace.
“What is it?” I rubbed the back of my neck, knowing something was wrong.
“It’s Purest. They know Tasha is with you.”
I clenched my jaw. “How is that possible?”
“There’s a leak, Gavin. Someone in our unit.”
“Damn it. Our location is top-level clearance personnel only. Who? I’m going to kill him.”
“It’s being handled. That’s not what your focus should be. Are you and Tasha in the original location?”
I glanced around the cabin. “Yeah. We haven’t moved.”
“I think you need to get out of there.” Harrison had never sounded more serious. “They’re going to be looking for you. They know you’ll lead them to her.”
“Shit.” Instinctively, I reached to touch my gun, but I was bare and naked. The gun was somewhere on my bedroom floor.
“Call me when you have your new location. Just get her out of there before they find you.”
“How much time do you think we have?” I didn’t have a plan B. The cabin had always been the safe house, and now we had to leave before she was discovered.
“Maybe the day, but I’d start packing. I don’t know how long the snitch was working for them.”
Every nerve in my body tensed. Just the thought of someone tracking Tasha made me want to unleash my bear on someone. I could tear heads off, starting with the bastard who took money to rat us out.
“Okay, I’ll let you know, man. Thanks for the call.”
“Be safe.”
“We will.” I hung up and tossed my phone on the couch. How was I going to tell Tasha we had to run again?
I walked back to the bedroom. She had pulled the sheet to her chest, covering her beautiful body.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I sat next to her. God, if I hadn’t picked up the phone, she’d be my mate right now. She’d be mine forever. But she’d also be in more danger. I could have cost her her life. I hung my head.
“We need to pack up. We have to leave.”
Her eyes widened. “Is it the hearing? Are they ready for me to testify?” There was hope in her voice.
I was about to crush it.
“No. It’s not the grand jury. Our location has been compromised. We need to pack up and get out as soon as we can.”
“We have to leave the cabin? But I thought you said no one could find us out here. You said there was no way they would know to look for me this far from the city.”
I reached for her, wanting to erase the panic. “Hey, I promised you I would keep you safe. That’s truer now than ever.” I cupped her face between my hands. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. But you have to trust me, Tash. Trust that I know how to do my job. Trust that your life means everything to me.”
“Oh my God.” She shuddered, pulling away. “I knew this was a mistake. I knew I shouldn’t have let my guard down.” Her eyes filled with tears. “And I was about to… about to let you…”
The last words drove into my lungs like a knife between my ribs. “Hey, I meant everything I said. I meant it. I want you. All of you. Last night changed everything between us. I know that, and you know that.” I wasn’t going to let her pull away and start building the wall between us again. I wrapped her in my arms, situating her in my lap. “But right now, I have to keep you safe. When the trial’s over, when the danger’s gone… this is going to happen. We are going to happen.” I kissed her forehead.
“Gavin, it’s never going to be over.”
I kissed her, feeling her lips soft on mine. “I’ll make sure it’s over. I promise.”
“That’s not a promise you can make. I don’t know if I can believe that,” she whispered.
“You will.” I sat back on the bed. “Now, get dressed and go pack. We’ve got to get out of here. I pulled on my shirt, attaching my gun holster and sliding the weapon into place.
16
Tasha
Gavin had gone back into full cop mode ever since the phone rang this morning. We were on the run. All week I had resented the cabin, but as we drove away, I realized what a sweet haven it had been. I had been able to breathe there. Walk in the woods. And fall in love.
I looked over at him. His sunglasses hid the concern in his eyes. He was scared. He wouldn’t admit it, and he wouldn’t tell me, but I could see it on his face. Sense it from his body. Someone was hunting us and he was angry as hell.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“South.”
“Could you be more specific?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and turned down the radio. “Tacoma.”
“What’s in Tacoma?”
“I have a buddy who has a condo on the water. He’s in the military and deployed right now. No one can track us there.”
I crossed my arms. “That’s what you said about the cabin.”
I knew I sounded bitter, but I didn’t really give a shit. I was mad. Mad that I had started to find peace. For the first time since being rescued from Purest, I didn’t have a nightmare. Last night, I slept in Gavin’s arms, knowing I was safe. Knowing he would keep the pain away. Knowing he wouldn’t let a damn thing happen to me. I didn’t want to leave the cabin. Now, I was worried things had changed between us. We had almost declared each other mates. We were seconds away from bonding ourselves together for life. Right now, we didn’t feel like those same people. It was as if the week in the cabin had never happened.
He pulled his shades down and looked at me. “It will be safe.”
“Do you think he has cable?”
“Probably.”
“Well, at least that’s something we didn’t have at the cabin.” I looked out the window, watching the tall trees blur past as we drew closer to civilization.
I didn’t know how to think or how to feel. I was scared for my life. Scared to testify in front of the grand jury. I was dreading getting up on the stand and reliving the horrors of the Purest experiments. But at the same time, I had found someone. Someone I was willing to give myself to. Forever.
I reached over for his hand, needing to feel the warmth of his strong fingers twined in mine.
“Tash, I can’t. We can’t.” He moved his hand to the console. “I can’t think straight like this. I need all my focus on this mission.”
He said mission, like I wasn’t a person. As if I wasn’t the woman he fucked into oblivion last night. I dared a tear to fall. I dared myself to show one ounce of emotion in front of him.
I stared out the window, closing my heart and mind to Gavin.
17
Gavin
I parked underneath the building in the parking garage. My buddy, Pax, had been gone for two months on a six-month tour. While he was gone, he had told me I could use the place, and he didn’t mind having someone stop by now and then to check on it.
The condo was on the bay, overlooking a private marina. I opened the door, making way for Tasha to step inside.
/> She had been quiet most of the ride here. I didn’t know what I expected. I asked her to be my mate this morning, and now, I was shuttling her into hiding again. I couldn’t even touch her.
She drove me wild. Her skin made me burn. Her kisses made me lose all control. I couldn’t function like that while we were evading Purest. I had convinced myself in a moment of passion that I could love her and protect her, but after one night with her, I realized she was addicting. She made me drunk. And all I could think about was drinking more. There was no way to protect her like that.
I dropped her suitcase in the master suite. “You can have this room.”
She stared at me. “Separate rooms?”
I quickly carried my bag into the guest room. “Yeah, I think it’s for the best.”
Before I could tell her all the reasons we had to keep our hands off each other, she slammed the door in my face and turned the lock. I stood on the other side. I deserved it. When this was over, I swore I would make it up to her. I would make her my mate. I would give her everything I promised. First, I had to keep her alive.
18
Tasha
I had to get out of this condo. Sure it had a beautiful view, but who cared about that when I was stuck with a man who wouldn’t look at me. I paced in front of the windows, watching the sailboats bob in their slips. What if I just shoved off and sailed away on one of those?
No one would think I’d sail off to the Pacific. I could go anywhere. I could escape Purest. I could escape my family. I could escape Gavin. My heart panged. He was the last one I wanted to run away from.
For the first time in my life, I had envisioned giving someone the shifter side of myself. And I had wanted it more than anything.
