by Ashlee Sinn
“Max, I want you so bad,” I whispered.
He didn’t reply, and instead sucked on my other nipple until I shook my head back and forth a few times. “I have to touch you.”
“No.” He’d let his dominance out on that command, forcing me to obey even if it would kill me.
A few kisses on the neck, a suck on my earlobe, and then Max started sliding down my body again. This time, he stopped right between my legs and sucked in a deep breath. Blowing a little bit of hot air on my clit had me writhing beneath him in desperation once more. I doubted this was still a part of his move, and instead I knew where we were going next.
And just as I had that thought, Max’s mouth pressed against my folds. His tongue pushed inside my entry and his nose brushed perfectly against my clit. He licked up and down my sex several times before turning all of his attention to my clit. Lifting my ass with his hands, he pushed his face deeper in between my legs.
“Oh my,” I breathed, unable to think straight. I’d never allowed a man to do this to me before and didn’t know what to expect. But I had a feeling Max was beyond perfect at pleasuring women this way and I intended to enjoy every single moment. His finger slipped inside and wiggled back and forth in time with what he was doing with his tongue on my clit. The heat started to build between my legs, and I played with my own nipples as I let him take me back to that place. Seconds later, the orgasm exploded inside of me. I screamed into the air while the waves built and as Max continued to caress the most sensitive areas with his tongue.
“Max,” I breathed, writhing and shuddering on that rock. “More!” I begged.
Using his fingers to still play with my sex, he growled as he climbed up onto his knees and straddled my hips. With his cock in his hand, he stroked it hard and fast. His lips parted as he watched me continue to enjoy the pleasure he’d brought to me for a third time today. I smiled up at him and watched him rub himself. It was such a turn on, seeing him take control of both of us, that my own waves of ecstasy continued to shatter my skin.
A low rumble built in Max’s chest, growing as he increased his speed. Stroking up and down, up and down, he shouted my name when he came on my stomach and my chest. I closed my eyes and let all of my inhibitions go so I could simply enjoy this very intimate moment. His hot seed covered my skin and the sounds of his release filled my ears with love. If a man could share this kind of moment with me, I knew I wanted to keep him forever.
As Max finished, he let out a deep breath and bent forward so he could kiss me. I smiled into his lips, enjoying the moment and not wanting it to end. “So, I may have adjusted my move a little,” he teased.
“Um hmm,” I breathed in content.
He laughed and sat back up on his knees. “We should go swimming again. You’re a mess.”
I propped myself up on my elbows and looked down at my stomach. “Yes, I am.”
Max jumped to his feet and scooped me up into his arms. “Let me take care of you.” He started to make his way toward the water’s edge, not even flinching when his toes hit the chilled lake.
“I think I would like that very much.” I rested my head against his chest and draped my arms over his neck.
I would very much like to have Max Larkin take care of me the rest of my life. This day had been so perfect, I never wanted it to end. Even when the water shocked me with the temperature, I still had Max holding on tight and not letting go. Could a girl even ask for anything more?
No, she couldn’t. And right there, in that moment, I decided that Eagle Creek, Alaska was going to be my home forever.
For two weeks, we locked ourselves in my cabin and banged like bunnies. It was the most perfect two weeks ever, even when I had to leave to get food or help Rhys with something in the camp. He was super irritated with both me and Donovan but I didn’t care. I totally understood why our alpha had done the exact same thing with Mariah. There was something to be said about blocking out the rest of the world and just enjoying each other. Fawn was my other. My other half. The better part of me. The mate I’d always wanted. Or at least I was hoping she’d be my mate for life.
She’d gone back to work today, mumbling something about using all her sick time. I needed to do the same in a few more weeks when the fishing season started back up. But until then, I worked hard at making Eagle Creek and my cabin a home for the both of us. I cleared out a few drawers for her things. I bought a basket to organize all of her woman products in the bathroom. And I’d started to learn what types of snacks were her favorite. Thankfully, her shifter appetite matched my own, and I loved having her cook for me.
I’d enjoyed everything about Fawn since that day on the lake. In fact, I’d enjoyed her so much, I made one special trip into town. There was a small antique store there, and in the jewelry section, I’d found the perfect ring. Made of rubies and diamonds and in an oval shape, it was perfect for my Fawn. Unique and beautiful and precious.
And I couldn’t wait to ask her to be mine forever.
Fawn’s high heels clinked on the porch before she opened the door. She worked for a local lawyer and hated that she had to dress up each day. But I secretly loved seeing her all professional and done up. As the front door opened and closed, I rushed to her side and picked her up in a bear hug.
Giggling, Fawn kissed me and rubbed her hands through my hair. She must have learned that, as a panther, I loved that kind of touch because she did it all the time now. “You seem happy.”
“I am very happy to see you.” Nuzzling her neck, I loved the way she squirmed in my arms when I hit a ticklish spot.
“Are you always going to welcome me home like this?” she asked.
“Every time I’m here.” When the season started, I might have to leave for several days at a time. But that was still a few weeks away and I wasn’t ready to even start thinking about that yet. I kissed her again before setting her down. “Let’s go out tonight. I want to take you on a proper date.”
She laughed and pressed her hands against my pecks. I simply couldn’t get enough of her touch. “I thought we skipped past all of that dating stuff.”
“Well, I’d like to treat you to dinner and you can call it what you want.”
“I’d call it a fantastic idea. Just give me a few minutes to change.”
I watched as she sauntered over to the bed and started stripping out of her clothes. My boner immediately grew and despite having reservations in thirty minutes, I thought we could slip in a quickie and still get there in time. Thankfully, Fawn agreed. And after I’d bent her over the side of the bed and fucked her from behind like she loved, we showered, jumped in my truck, and made it to the restaurant with just a minute to spare.
I’d picked Italian. Fawn was a big fan of the pasta dishes and this place had been a local favorite for more than twenty years—or so I’d heard. We’d just order a bottle of wine and our food when I finally got up the courage to have a conversation I’d been avoiding. Looking across the table at my beautiful raven—her green eyes appearing larger than normal because of the way she did her eye makeup, her hair hanging freely over her shoulders, parted to the side, and shining like a piece of onyx—I finally found my nerve.
“Fawn, I need to tell you something. About my past.”
She stopped buttering a piece of bread on the little plate in front of her and bit her lips. “Okay, I don’t like the sound of that. Please don’t tell me you have a secret wife or baby or occupation.” She’d smiled like she was teasing me, but I could hear the concern in her voice. I knew her too well.
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Taking a swig of my wine, I swallowed the liquid courage and continued. “Remember when you asked me why I came to Eagle Creek? If I was running away or trying to find something?”
“I do.”
“Well, honestly, I think it was a little of both.” I swallowed another sip of wine. “I belonged to a panther pride once. In Oregon.”
“Okay,” she said with a hint of suspicion.
�
��I belonged to a pride but I wasn’t a good member. In fact, I was a piece of shit.”
She chuckled. “I find that very hard to believe.”
“Well, believe it. I was a kid when I joined and I turned into the most obnoxious little fuck. I stole things. I fought with everyone.” I paused before saying the last part. “And I got arrested. A lot.”
Fawn almost spit out her drink. “Are you serious? I’m dating a bad boy panther?”
“No. Not a bad boy. Just a punk.”
Wiggling her brows, Fawn rubbed her leg against mine under the table. “I don’t know, Max. I kind of like the bad boy thing.”
Trying to stay focused, I shook my head. “I did some really stupid shit, Fawn. Like things that got me some time and things that I would never tolerate in Eagle Creek.”
“Like what?”
As much as I hated confessing, I was glad that she’d asked. It meant she cared. “Selling drugs. Drunk and disorderly. Assault.”
“Assault?”
“Yeah. I beat the shit out of some human at the strip club. I wasn’t proud. I almost killed him. But I’d been high and drunk and feeling like I ruled the world because I was making good bank. That was also the last night I got wasted. And it was the last time I got arrested.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Are you going to leave me?” I heard the way my voice shook and hated it. But I also hated the way her emerald eyes filled with tears.
Fawn placed her hands on top of mine and shook her head back and forth several times. “No way, Max. Of course I wouldn’t leave you because of something you did in your past.”
“I’m not proud of it.”
“And that’s allowed. You’re allowed to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.”
I huffed a laugh and squeezed her hands. “Thank you for saying that. I’ve been so scared to tell you.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Fawn’s gentle smile disappeared. “And since you’ve been so honest with me, there’s something I need to tell you, too.”
“Okay,” I said, hating the way my stomach twisted in fear. “You don’t have a secret wife or baby or occupation, do you?”
She tried to smile, but her lips barely moved. “I wasn’t running away from just my family’s business. I was running away from an arranged marriage.”
My heart clenched. My panther rose to the surface. I would kill anyone who forced my little bird into a marriage. “Is that common for ravens?”
“Not really,” she said. Holding her breath, I could see the contemplation playing out on her face. Should she tell me more? Had she already said too much. When she lifted her wine glass, I wrapped my fingers through hers in support. “Most raven families have been…diluted. Their members have married outside their species or even married humans.”
“But not yours.”
“No, not mine. The Marlows have a very long and very pure bloodline. They frown upon anyone mating outside the raven species. Even if it means keeping it within the family.”
“Incest?” Anger stirred my animal while disgust flitted through my bones.
“Not exactly. But there aren’t many pure lines left.” She hesitated again, biting her lips and staring up at the ceiling. “I was promised to my third cousin, Roman Kaplan.”
“Kaplan,” I mused. “Why does that last name sound so familiar?”
“Because they’re loaded. And they’re political royalty.”
“Yep, that’s why. Wasn’t there a Senator Kaplan that people talked about as a presidential hopeful a few years ago?”
“That was Roman’s mother. But she decided not to run for fear of what might happen when all the shifter stuff started coming out.” Fawn sucked in a deep breath. “But now that I’m registered, the Marlow name is in the books, and I think it’s going to be hard for the Kaplans to stay hidden.”
“They haven’t come out?” It was a risky move. More and more government dollars were being spent on shifter relations and policies. I was surprised, given their connections, they’d been able to keep things quiet.
Fawn shook her head. “No, but they had a plan. After Roman and I…well, after we would be married, they were going to make a big family announcement to all their supporters and friends in Washington. The hope was that Roman would enter politics as the first official raven shifter.” She waved her hands in front of her face and shook her head. “And I would get to play dutiful wife.”
The way her face crinkled up in disgust at the word wife, had me grabbing my pocket where her ring sat tightly in its box. “Do you not want to be someone’s wife?”
Her sharp gaze found mine quickly. “No, I’m not saying that at all. I just don’t want to be an accessory. And if I married Roman, that’s exactly what I’d be. All I would be to him is the person to take care of his schedule, dress up all pretty, and schmooze the donors.” Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to smile. “I’d be trapped.”
“Is Roman a bad man?” I didn’t know why those words found their way out of my mouth, but I had to ask.
Fawn shrugged. “No, not really. He’d always been kind to me and all of the girls said he was handsome. But I never saw it because I never wanted to have that choice taken away from me. I’d always planned on leaving before my parents could force the marriage.”
“What happened to them? Your parents?”
“Because I left?”
I nodded and prepared myself for what she might say.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I haven’t heard from them in two months.”
“Does that make you sad? You smell sad.”
She huffed an unamused chuckle. “Sure. I love my parents and I miss them. But they just wouldn’t listen to me.”
“And what would they say if you married someone other than a raven?” The moment of truth was here, and I could feel my panther hanging on her every word, wondering if she would ever accept us.
“They’d probably disown me.”
“Really?”
She tried that smile again. “They’re very traditional. I’m an only child and if I don’t keep the pure bloodline going, no one will.”
My palms dripped with moisture as I contemplated what to do next. Fawn was sad, but not as upset as I would have thought possible. She didn’t seem to be angry about her parents, just…disconnected. Like she’d already accepted her fate. With a swig of my wine for courage, I pulled out the tiny box and set it on the table between us.
Fawn, in the middle of taking a bite of bread, froze. Her eyes went wide and her gaze danced between the box and my face, her lips forming a perfect little “O” of surprise.
“Fawn, these last few weeks with you have been the best of my life. I know I may not have a lot to offer you right now, but I can promise you I will cherish you like the precious little bird you are. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. I just want you by my side because you make me a better person. My panther is calm with you. My life is full with you in it. I want you to be mine forever. I love you, Fawn.”
The words caught in my throat as I looked across the table and saw the tears in her bright green eyes. One by one, they trickled down her cheeks while she watched me closely. “Are you asking me to marry you?” she whispered.
I reached forward, opened the box, and held out the ring. “Yes, I am. Will you marry me, Fawn Marlow?”
Her voice choked with sobs but her head bobbed up and down over and over with her answer. “Yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”
Jumping to my feet, I rushed to the other side of the table and picked her up tightly in my arms. Kissing her neck, cheeks, and lips, I didn’t care who was watching us now. She giggled against my skin but returned every single kiss. Her hands brushed over my hair, my neck, and my back, bringing out the purr and exciting my panther in ways I never thought possible. People clapped as I placed the ring on her finger.
It was the most perfect moment in my life.
“I
love you,” I whispered to my new fiancé.
“I love you more,” she said in return.
And as we sat back down to enjoy our date and discuss our future, I had to pinch myself a thousand times. Fawn Marlow was the perfect mate for me. How had I ever gotten so lucky? Everything was falling into place. Everything was happening just the way it should.
Everything was perfect.
I woke up early, nerves still fired up from the excitement last night. Max had proposed to me. Even after I’d told him what I’d been running from, he’d accepted me into his home and his heart. And I loved him so much, I thought I’d burst.
Glancing down at the beautiful ring, I twirled it a few times to let the early morning light sparkle in the diamonds. I’d never thought about what kind of ring I wanted because I’d only ever thought about how I could avoid marrying Roman. But dammit if Max hadn’t chosen the perfect stone in the perfect setting for me. It was almost scary how well we knew each other.
Bounding down the stairs of his cabin, I started my morning run. Max was still asleep, but I’d been too wired to keep my eyes shut. I still had two hours before I needed to be at work and the forest was calling for me. I’d thought about taking flight, but my body was so full of energy, I decided on a run instead.
The ground pounded beneath my feet as I cleared the camp and headed down the long, dirt road that would take me out to the main highway. It was a welcomed sensation, keeping me grounded as my thoughts drifted back and forth between planning a wedding and finding the nerve to call my parents. I knew they wouldn’t approve. And the fact that they hadn’t called me at all since I’d left…well, that just showed how little they cared for me in the first place.
No, that wasn’t true. They loved me. They just loved our family’s name more. I still remember the day they told me about their promise to the Kaplans. I was in third grade and had just finished soccer practice. Mom and dad were waiting on the porch when I got home, and they immediately ushered me to the living room where Roman and his parents, along with one of our raven elders, sat like statues. I’d grown up in a funeral home, and the first thing I thought was that someone had died. They looked so somber and distanced…a familiar expression in our home of death. But no. Unfortunately, no one had died.
