“Hello,” she said, her voice light and airy. “I’ve been wondering what this is about. Did you like the story?”
“I loved it,” I said honestly. “It was perfect. I’m constantly amazed by you.”
She blushed even deeper red at the compliment, smiling nonetheless.
“Thank you, Eli,” she said softly, looking at me with adoration writ all over her face.
“I wanted to talk to you,” I said, taking her hand in mine and kissing her fingers.
“About?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. She looked a little apprehensive, but I soothed her by kissing her mouth.
“I love you,” I said, my heart beating fast. “I’ve never felt this way about anybody before.”
“Oh,” she said, her lips parted. Her eyes were dancing, filled with joy.
“I want you to be my mate,” I told her. “My partner. I want to be with you, Emilia, if you’ll let me.”
She looked at me breathlessly, biting her lip. Then her face burst into a radiant smile, and she leaned forward to plant a kiss on my cheek.
“Of course,” she said. “Yes, Eli. I love you more than anything.”
My heart swelled. Those were exactly the words I’d wanted to hear. I sat there and gazed at her, reading her face, hoping it was true. The sweet look she gave me was absolutely genuine, and I felt myself relax. I leaned in to kiss her again, our lips locked together in a passionate embrace. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, ignoring the other people in the restaurant. All that mattered was her, touching her, loving her until the end of my days. She kissed me back, and when she pulled away, she was smiling brightly.
“So this is it,” she said. “You’re mine.”
“I’m yours,” I promised, and kissed her again. We left the café then and went back to her place to celebrate by making hot, passionate love to each other for most of the night. She fell asleep with her face pressed against my chest, and I spent the rest of the night reveling in her touch, my heart swollen with love.
Animal Prince
~ Bonus Story ~
A Bear Shifter Romance
Hudson
I am a Prince. No, seriously, I am. I’m a bear-shifter and in order to take the throne and become king in my clan, I have to take a mate—which will never happen. I don’t do long-term and I’m definitely not looking to settle down.
One night, no attachments, sounds simple right?
Well, it was, until I saw her.
Fay
When I saw him that first night, I knew I wanted him to take me. I might not date—too afraid of getting hurt—but a girl has needs. One night together is all I expected, but when he wants more, I run.
But I don’t get far.
Hudson wants me and won’t stop until I’m his, but can I accept Hudson and his bear? And when I’m in danger, will Hudson come in time to save me?
Can love conquer all?
* * *
Hudson
I know I’m here with someone, but I can’t help but watch the girl with the flaming red hair dance with her date on the dance floor. She’s beautiful, captivating, and she has stolen all my senses and seems to have no intention to give it back. From the moment my gaze came into contact with her form I was smitten.
Then our eyes meet for the first time and I was lost.
As if knowing I’m thinking about her right now, she glances my way. Her blue eyes practically glow underneath the moonlight and the smirk she throws my way—a smirk that shows she knows I’m enchanted by her—makes my shaft stir in my pants. She then proceeds to grind her ass against her date’s groin and his eyes widen in shock. Considering the fact that she smacked his hands away earlier when he tried to grab her waist, I don’t blame him for being stunned either.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to strangle the human myself for touching what is mine. I clench my fists and growl low in my throat at her actions and I swear that the feisty sprite is silently laughing at my anger. She’s going to get it once I get my hands on her tonight. And I have every intention to have her underneath me at one point this evening. If I’m anything, it’s persistent, and I always get what I want.
And I want her.
“You’re supposed to be on a date with me, Hudson.” Amelia hisses out, standing up from our table, and then throws her napkin down on top of the table in fury. She glares at me as she grabs her purse and shakes her head. “I don’t know why you asked me to accompany you to this stupid benefit charity if all you were going to do was watch some other girl dance. You’re supposed to be giving me attention! Look at me!” she gestures down at her too short skirt and barely there top. “I did all this for you and you’re treating me like a piece of gum at the bottom of your shoe!”
I narrow my eyes at Amelia and she’s smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Her shifter instincts have her averting her gaze from mine. “I do not appreciate your tone, Amelia, and I’ll remind you, just once, who you are taking to. I am your Prince, not your boyfriend. Remember your place.”
Amelia grinds her teeth together, obviously wanting to tell me to fuck off, but nods her head in understanding. “I’m sorry for my offending tone, Prince. I meant you no disrespect.” she doesn’t look into my eyes as she speaks and I growl my approval. She might be new to our clan, but she has enough sense not to stare directly into my eyes when I’m pissed. “I’m just upset that I finally gained a date with you, but you don’t seem to be enjoying my company.” she pouts and I roll my eyes.
This is why I don’t date or ask women out to dinners anymore. From the first night, they expect so much of you, even if you’re clearly not interested. Hell, this isn’t even a date and Amelia is already acting like a needy girlfriend who needs my constant attention and pouts and whines when she doesn’t get it.
“The reason why I asked you to accompany me here tonight is not because I want to fuck you, Amelia.” she blushes and I shake my head, knowing I dodged a bullet with this one. I don’t do timid, submissive girls. I like my woman to have more bite. Glancing up, I see the red-haired beauty now arguing with the man she came here with and my body is anxious to go over there to make sure she’s okay. I turn my focus back to Amelia and sigh when I see she’s glaring at me for looking at the girl again. “I invited you here to discuss including some of your pieces in my store, since my sister Laney isn’t here to do this meeting herself. I specifically recall telling you this and I know for a fact that I did not lead you on or gave you the idea I wanted anything more from you. But after your behavior, I do not think I’m interested in your pieces any longer.”
Amelia’s face brightens in fury. “I said I was sorry!”
I shake my head and sigh. “I don’t mix business with pleasure, Amelia, and I’m afraid that if I decide to work with you, you’ll try to blur those lines.” her face flushes again and I know my assumption is correct. “I do not like to play games, Amelia, and above all, I do not like working with people who are high maintenance. Odd, considering I work in the fashion industry, but still true.”
“I’m not high maintenance, Hudson.” she twirls a piece of hair and looks up at me from under her lashes. Classic. Since I said no, she’s going to try to seduce me so I change my mind, or decide I do mix business and pleasure. She probably thinks I’m playing hard to get but that is so not the case here. “I know I’m just a clan member, a weak one at that, but we can be good together,” she grins up at me and trails a shaking finger down my shirt until she reaches the top of my slacks. Grabbing her hand, I push it away and she frowns. “I don’t understand what that girl has what I don’t? I can please you; Hudson, and I’ve wanted a chance to show you that from the moment I laid eyes on you. Forget the line and take me instead. That way business won’t be mixed with pleasure.”
I laugh out humorlessly. “That’s why I’m not going to add your line into my store, besides the fact that you’re high maintenance. You choose pleasure over business, which is a turn-off, Amelia.” her jaw drops open, shocked
that I’m turning down free sex, and honestly, I’m surprising myself as well, but I know I’m making the right choice. I’m an asshole, but I never play games with the woman I’m with and the only woman I want beneath me tonight is the woman who is rapidly walking away from my sight right at this current moment. “I can’t do this right now, Amelia. Just know that if you want people to respect your line, you have to respect yourself first.”
With those parting words, I wander off in the direction the woman went in. Entering the mansion, which is owned by one of the charity’s board directors, I take a deep breath and follow the girl's scent upstairs. Everyone is outside right now, so the building it quiet and empty.
Perfect.
“I knew you were watching me, handsome.” a feminine voice rings out in the hallway as the woman who has caught my attention leans against the doorframe of a bedroom with a knowing smirk on her face. “I was worried you didn’t see what direction I was going, considering you were having a pretty intense conversation with the blonde girl you were with. Please tell me she’s not your girlfriend or wife because I don’t do men who are taken.”
I cough to cover up my laugh and shake my head at her. “She’s an associate.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “That could be true, but just because she isn’t your wife or girlfriend, doesn’t mean you don’t have one.”
Now I can’t help the laugh that slips out. “No wife or girlfriend. Well, unless you’re talking about my dog, Minnie. I’ve been told many times in the past that we fight like an old married couple, but we always make up before bedtime so she can cuddle by my feet.”
She chuckles softy. “You’re cute and funny?” she shakes her head. “There has to be something wrong with you. No one looks that perfect and has a good personality too. Aren’t you going to ask about the guy I came here with?”
I shrug. “I know everything I need to. He’s not your boyfriend, or your husband, because if he was, you wouldn’t have been eye-fucking me all night, silently taunting me to come chase after you.” her eyes blaze with heat, but I’m not done yet. “And even if he was your boyfriend, it wouldn’t have stopped me from pursuing you. There’s something so familiar and hypnotizing about you. I feel as if I’m under your spell and never want to wake up to reality.”
“I had a feeling you were a charmer.” she comments, but the way her lips curve up slightly tells me she likes what I said. “I knew you’ll try to talk to me tonight and attempt to seduce me.” she grins and tilts her head to the side. “That’s why I left my date and told him things weren’t working out. I wanted to give you all my attention.”
“What else do you know about me?” I ask, my pulse racing just by talking to her.
She chuckles. “I know enough from watching you tonight. I know you have been staring at me from the moment you laid eyes on me tonight. I know that every time our gazes crossed, your member twitched in your pants. And, you know what else I know?” she gestures me to come to her with her index finger and when I do, she grabs the front of my shirt and pulls my face down towards hers until we’re only a breath apart. She licks her lips and I can’t help but follow the movement. “I know you want me. Question is…are you going to do something about it?”
This time, I can’t contain my growl and it rips out of my throat as I grab her and throw her over my shoulder. Slamming the door to the room behind us, I place her down on the ground, but before she can take a single step, I back her against the door and ravage her sassy little mouth with mine.
She moans against my mouth and I deepen the kiss, my shaft stiffening when she hops up and wraps her legs around my waist. I reach down and do what I’ve been dying to do all night—I grab her ample ass and grind myself against her covered mound.
“What’s your name, beautiful?” I ask her in-between kisses, dying to know her name.
“Fay.” she whispers and pulls back slightly. Her blue eye stare intently into mine, and my heart begins to beat rapidly. I feel my bear roar with pleasure at hearing her name and it’s at this moment I realize why I’m so enthralled by Fay...she’s my mate. Her eyes soften, as if sensing my inner turmoil, and she caresses my cheek softly. “What’s your name, handsome?”
I swallow past the lump in the throat and try to calm my racing heart. The reality that I found my mate, the other half of me, both excites me and freaks me the fuck out. My father lost it when my mother died and I vowed to never fall in love, so I’ll never experience the pain he went through, but now that I found her, I don’t know what I should do. Should I walk away now, before one of us ends up getting hurt? Or do I stay with the only woman who has made my head dizzy with want and causes my heart to race with hope?
After a moment, my bear and I both agree we cannot turn our backs on our mate.
We need to claim her as ours.
I kiss Fay softly now and let our noses touch in affection. I’ve just met this girl and already my beast has calmed and I feel at peace with myself. “My name is Hudson. Remember that name, because I’m about to make you scream it in a second.”
Fay smirks and bites my lip in defiance, eyes sparkling in humor. “Bring it on, handsome. I think you have finally met your match.”
I laugh. “You have no idea, beautiful.”
Fay
Hudson pushes me onto the bed and removes his shirt. I take a minute to ogle his muscled chest and arms, finding it hot that underneath that expensive designer suit he was wearing, he’s covered in tattoos. He has dozens of them all over his arms, back, and chest, but the tattoo that catches my attention the most is the bear claw on his right bicep. I reach out and trace the tattoo.
“Bears are my favorite animals.” I’m not sure why I tell him this little fact about myself, considering we’re not going to see each other after this night, but for some reason I do, and I’m happy I did; especially when Hudson grins widely at me.
“I’m pleased by that.” he crawls towards me on the bed and I sit up to remove my dress. When it’s off, I allow his eyes to roam all over my body and I know from the gleam in his eyes not to cover myself with my hands because he would just rip them away so he could continue to eat me up with his eyes.
I’m a curvy girl, with large breasts, thick—yet toned—thighs, and a plentiful ass. My waist is small, but my hips are anything but. Men have told me that I’m beautiful in the past, but watching Hudson’s eyes darken with lust as he examines my body, I definitely believe their words now. “I can’t believe I’ve found you.” My brows furrow in confusion and he chuckles. “Never mind. Now, take off your bra and I’ll assist you out of your panties.”
I smirk. “That’s mighty kind of you.”
Hudson shrugs as he rips my thong in two. I gasp at him, pissed that he ripped my favorite silk thong apart, and he chuckles with amusement. The caveman. “It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it.”
“Is that the only thing that’s hard right now?” I ask, as I reach down and grab the belt on his pants, tugging him to me. I unbuckle it and have his pants off in less than a minute. He helps me remove his pants and I reach inside his boxer-briefs, grip his stiff swollen shaft, and proceed to massage his long and thick length in my hand. Hudson groans and I smirk, loving the power I have over him right now. “It seems that something here is hard as well, but I think I can fix that. Would that be okay, Hudson?” I ask, blinking at him with fake innocence. “Would you like for me to make the ache go away?”
“Fuck yes.” Hudson grinds out through his teeth and makes a weird growling noise.
It’s the same sound I’ve been hearing him make from the moment we finally started talking to each other. It’s animalistic, raw, and for some reason, it’s turning me on. Damn, I didn’t mean for that thought to rhyme, but at the same time, it’s a pretty good one. I can probably write a poem about how nice Hudson’s shaft is, but I think that would be a little weird.
I go to the edge of the bed and climb off, making sure to give Hudson my back so he can admire my magnificent ass. W
hen he makes that growling noise again, I grin and get onto my knees on the floor, and turn my body around so I’m now facing the bed sheets. “Come and sit on the edge of the bed, Hudson. I’ll kiss your ache and make it go away.”
Hudson comes over to the edge of the bed and his beautiful chocolate brown eyes heat up once I settle myself between his legs and grip his shaft into my hand again. “God, I love when you touch me.” he mutters out, eyes glazing over with need. “Hopefully that sexy as hell mouth of yours has another use besides being a smart-ass.”
I smile. “Challenge accepted. I hope you’re prepared to scream my name, Hudson. I promise it’s going to be the only thing you remember in a moment.” I say, echoing his words from earlier.
I tilt my head down and take Hudson fully into my mouth until the tip of him hits the back of my throat. I make sure to breath through my nose, so I don’t gag, and I relax my throat—loving the feeling of him in my mouth.
Hudson groans, grabs my long, red hair into his hands, and pulls hard enough to make me whimper. But the pain is causing my body to grow wet with pleasure, so I endure his tugging, moaning my need every time he tugs on it roughly.
Hudson guides my head up and down his swollen shaft and when his body begins to shake with his upcoming orgasm, he pulls my head back, and his swollen shaft leaves my mouth with an audible pop. He pulls me off my knees and throws me once again on the bed.
I’m about to chew him out for throwing me like a rag-doll when my eyes meet his and widen. His eyes are dilated and are focused solely on me. He’s no longer smiling and has a serious expression on his face. When he climbs onto the bed, he grabs my right ankle, and pulls on it until my body slides down the bed towards him.
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