Then he held her hips and began to move her, and she arched back and gave herself over to the pleasure building deep inside.
Every move brought powerful friction and a deep, aching need for fulfillment, a need to go over the edge with him in her arms.
She felt so full of him, so surrounded by him, as one hand grasped her hip while the other moved up to her back, pulling her forward so he could put her nipple into his mouth, sucking lightly.
She moaned, throwing her head back even as he continued to pull her close, all the while creating lightning sparking inside.
“Mine,” he said in a low voice, and she felt a small jolt of something on her back, followed by a wave of pleasure unlike anything she’d felt.
“Yes.” She gasped.
“Forever,” he said, and she felt another jolt.
“Yes.”
He pulled back and pushed inside, going deep, making her ache with the sheer pleasure of it, so intense she could barely breathe.
“Oh, Hunter.”
He thrust again, slowly increasing his tempo, as she felt another mark on her back. “I love you.”
“You, too,” she said, barely capable of speech as he kept his fingertips gripping her hip while his mouth still sucked at her nipple. Between that and his hand making little scratches on her back, she felt overwhelmed by sensation from head to toe.
He made one final mark, and then his hand left her back to come down so both could hold her waist, moving up to play with her breasts and then down to her hips so he could hold her and thrust in.
Oh God, it felt too good to believe it, and she knew she couldn’t hold on much longer in this steam and this heat. She was so full, so achy, so tense that she could feel her release about to take over. It took everything she had to hold it back.
“Come for me,” he said quietly, thrusting in one more time, and she did, arching back in his arms and letting out a stifled scream.
He pulled her back in, biting into her shoulder as he jerked, spasming inside her in wet spurts that only heightened the waves of release surging from her center, spreading to enervate her entire body.
She felt like she would faint from the strength of it, but thanks to him, she managed to stay upright as stars exploded behind her eyes and her mind was filled with the image of a cougar watching her in the night.
As the last of her pleasure hit her, she buried her head in his shoulder, resisting the urge to cry. She’d found a new world, been saved from the monster, and gotten a new love in the process.
How could anything ever be more right?
He swore as the last shockwave hit him and nuzzled the top of her head as they both calmed down, plastered together and naked, covered in steam and sweat.
She rested her hand lazily on his chest, still loving the feel of him inside her. “So what word did you write on my back?”
“I drew two hearts, locked together,” he said quietly. “It’s cheesy. I know.”
“No, it sounds perfect,” she said quietly.
“You’re perfect. Before you, I had nothing. You made the world have meaning for me.”
“Aw, Hunter.” She snuggled in against him, wanting to stay close like this forever. “I don’t even know what to say. That’s so sweet.”
“I know. So just stay here with me. You don’t have to say anything. Just rest here in my arms and spend the rest of my life with me and put up with my friends and let me fix up your house and protect you forever and make love like this as often as we can. That’s not too much to ask, right?”
“No,” she said playfully, resting her head on his chest. “That sounds just perfect to me.”
Epilogue
Kelly smiled as she looked out at all the fall foliage turning beautiful shades of orange and brown.
Hunter came up behind her, wrapping one arm affectionately around her waist as the other placed a coffee in her hand. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” she said, walking out onto her now-reinforced front deck and pulling him with her. “I think it’s going well out there. Even Grayson likes the view.”
Hunter snorted, allowing her to pull him out to be with his friends. He’d been in the kitchen all morning, making breakfast, uncharacteristically serious about getting everything right.
He’d moved in with her after the bear fight, and he’d spent every day since either working on the house, spending time with her, or posing for the painting she’d done of his cougar.
He still liked to patrol the woods around their house sometimes, checking for any rogue wildlife, and she still liked to see his sleek cougar out there, silky fur gleaming even in the dark.
The painting she’d made hung over the fireplace. It was Hunter, sitting back on his haunches, surrounded by trees with the moon above him. He’d protested her placement of it at first, slightly embarrassed to see himself in such a prominent place all the time. But she’d insisted, so the painting stayed where it was.
Giving her a smile every time she walked by it.
Painting had been so much easier ever since Hunter had gotten rid of the bear and moved in with her. She could paint the woods easily, without worry that a giant bear was going to run out and attack her.
Her mother was bothering her constantly to bring Hunter to meet them or to let her and her dad fly out, but Kelly just wanted to continue to get to know Hunter on her own terms. She was still enjoying her time with him alone.
Then again, whenever they wanted company, they had it.
In the evenings, they often went over to Garrett’s or to the bar for cards and drinks. Grayson was in the process of picking out a place for his own house, and Garrett and Hunter had promised to help him get it up before the snow fell in a few months.
She sat in a chair by Dawn, listening to her and Garrett talk about what they were looking forward to in their first winter, as Grayson and April chimed in as well.
Hunter had insisted on a large set of comfortable patio furniture for the deck, and it had turned out to be a great buy.
She sat on one of the loveseats, and Hunter joined her so they were thigh to thigh. Warmth moved through her at his closeness, and she was pretty sure she was never going to get over how good everything about him felt.
His kisses, his hugs, his words of encouragement. She’d already told him she’d come to the work site with lunch every day if it would help him support Grayson. She didn’t feel like she would ever be able to repay him for what he’d done.
But Hunter didn’t seem worried about it. He beamed whenever she was around, grinned whenever she touched him, and looked as if he felt like the luckiest man alive whenever he saw her.
So Kelly just felt grateful and tried to always appreciate him as much as she could.
“So how’s the pack doing?” Hunter asked. “I know the new beta took over.”
“Yes,” Grayson said. “I think they’ll do okay. Candace has stepped things up as well. I’m sure she’ll be alpha female now that Brett is alpha male. Apparently, he has wanted to mate her for a long time now.”
“I’m glad it’s working out,” Dawn said. “How is your work going, April?”
April smiled. “It’s interesting studying a shifter wolf pack instead of a regular one, and I’m sure I won’t be able to publish my research anywhere, but I’m definitely enjoying it a lot.”
“Aw,” Dawn said, snuggling into Garrett’s arm. “I’m glad.”
“Breakfast is ready,” Hunter said, stretching. “Though it seems a shame to go inside when we have such a beautiful view.”
Grayson nodded, eyeing the landscape around them. “I think I’ll build out here. Just a little way up the road.”
“I don’t think so, stinky wolf,” Hunter said, frowning. “I don’t need dog scent up in my space.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t stop me.”
Kelly tried not to smile as the two argued. Privately, she knew Hunter was kind of hoping Grayson would live close. Not enough to mark up his territory, obviously, but Hun
ter really valued his friends.
“Fine, as long as you aren’t on top of me,” Hunter said, folding his arms as Grayson stood, presumably to go get a plate.
“The last thing I would want is to ever be on top of you,” Grayson retorted.
“I’d like to see it,” April said, grinning at Kelly surreptitiously.
“Me, too,” Kelly said, stifling a laugh.
“What do you mean?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah, what’s so funny?” Grayson folded his arms, grey eyes narrowed impatiently.
“Nothing,” Dawn said, waving a hand. “You guys go get breakfast. We girls deserve to relax out here after putting up with all that.”
Kelly smiled as the guys did as they were told, Garrett looking reluctant to leave Dawn for even a moment. Before he left, he placed a kiss on her head, giving her a tender look.
“What’s that about?” Kelly asked curiously. Yes, all of them were pretty physical with their mates, but that was something different.
Dawn put a hand over her stomach and flushed so deeply it almost matched the ruddy hair on her head. “We’re supposed to be keeping it a secret. It’s pretty early yet…”
“You’re pregnant?” Kelly said, standing up excitedly to go sit by her friend. “How far along?”
“That’s amazing,” April said. “I was curious to see how that would go, though I wasn’t interested in rushing it myself.”
“We were just waiting to see what happened,” Dawn said. “I guess we got lucky. We both have been wanting to start a family. No need to delay.”
An odd warmth moved through Kelly as she sat by her friend, watching her glow as she looked over in the direction of the kitchen and her husband.
“I guess Garrett might need help to build a nursery,” April said, smiling. “Somehow, I don’t think anyone will mind.”
Kelly grinned. “The guys are going to be so excited they won’t be able to think of anything else. Oh my gosh, is it going to look like a little bear cub?”
“I don’t think so,” Dawn said. “Garrett said with a human mother, it will probably stay human until it’s a toddler, when we might see its first shift. If it’s a shifter, that is.”
“Is it possible it won’t be?”
Dawn shrugged. “I mean, there are no guarantees, but I’ll love it no matter what. After all, Garrett and I made it.”
“I hope it’s a girl,” Kelly said. “That would be so cute.”
“I hope it’s twins,” April said mischievously. “One of each.”
Dawn just smiled patiently. “I don’t mind as long as everything goes perfectly. But then again, I’m not worried as long as I have my friends around.”
The three girls came in for a quick hug, then pulled back as they heard the men join them back on the deck again.
“Worry about what?” Hunter asked, sitting on the loveseat and handing a plate to Kelly when she came over to join him.
“Dawn has news,” April said, taking a plate from Grayson.
“You tell them,” Dawn said, nudging Garrett, who had brought her a gigantic plate.
Garrett took a deep breath. “We’re pregnant.”
Grayson’s eyes narrowed on Garrett’s taut middle. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
Hunter barked out a laugh. “It’s a phrase, you nincompoop.” He got up and threw his arms around Garrett. “So happy for you, man.”
Grayson stared for a moment before joining them as well, patting them awkwardly on the back before they grabbed him and pulled him into the bear hug.
“I’m happy for you,” Grayson told Garrett sincerely as the three of them finally pulled back.
“I’m happy, too,” Garrett said. “Happy to have my friends all around me. Happy we all found love and peace in this place.”
“Yeah,” Grayson said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands over April’s.
“I’m working on it with Kelly,” Hunter said. “She isn’t sure she wants kittens yet. But I’ll be happy to babysit for a bear.”
Kelly grinned. Sometimes the world she’d joined still sounded so whimsical. So strange. “No kittens yet, Hunter. But maybe soon.”
“Seriously?” He looked at the upstairs window. “Because I can kick these guys out if—”
“We’re staying,” Grayson said tersely. “We drove all the way out here, after all.”
“I never thought things would go like this,” Hunter said pensively. “That we’d all settle down in the same place, living close. But it’s nice.”
“It always felt more like a family than a group of friends,” Grayson said quietly. “I’m glad it will stay that way for some time.”
“To family,” Hunter said, raising his orange juice. “Both those with us now and those who come after and anyone we happen to love.”
“That’s right,” Garrett said, lifting his glass to meet Hunter’s toast. “To family, because it’s more than just blood.”
The rest of them raised their glasses in silence, grins all around, and then drank their juice.
The conversation progressed to the nursery and how to build it at the same time as Grayson’s house.
Kelly looked around at the group and knew she had never been happier, and once again, she marveled at the fact that Hunter had given this to her.
She’d never be able to pay him back for this, no matter how much she worried for him, took care of him, or loved him in the years to come.
But she was certainly going to try.
* * *
* * *
I hope you enjoyed Kelly and Hunter’s story! If you did, I’d love it if you could give a review to help other readers find it. This is the last in the series, so I’m on to my next idea!
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Did you miss the first or second books in the series? If so, get them here:
Love at Furst Sight (Built Fur Love 1)
Mine Furever (Built Fur Love 2)
Also, if you haven’t tried my Nightmare Dragons series, I suggest you give the first one a try!
Midnight (Nightmare Dragons Book 1)
Elusive billionaire Nathan Lancaster knows two things when he meets Lillian Goss. First, he wants her badly. Second, without his help, she's doomed to die.
Now he isn't willing to let her out of his sight. Not until he's sure she is safe, and he has had time to figure out why a small human means so much to a monster like him.
Lillian Goss suspects the powerful Lancaster family is hiding something. When she finds Nathan, media golden boy and everyone's favorite bachelor, in the background of crime scene photos, she's determined to get the scoop. Now if only she can keep from falling for Nathan when he promises her the exclusive of a lifetime, but only on his terms, and in his mansion.
The more Lillian gets to know Nathan, the more complicated her feelings get for a man who's much lonelier than anyone knows. But as attraction burns hot between them, and an unknown stalker enters the picture, one question arises for Lillian... Where does Nathan go after midnight?
Midnight is the first book in the Nightmare Dragons series. These books contain intense themes, mystery and sexy, tortured shifter heroes who do more than go bump in the night.
MY BOOKS WILL NEVER CONTAIN: Cheating, unfaithful heroes, or an ending that is anything but happy.
Midnight (Nightmare Dragons Book 1)
Sample of Midnight
Nathan Lancaster could hardly believe this was happening. Not this year. Not again.
“She’s not coming, is she?” Nathan’s brother Dare leaned back on his lawn chair and looked up at the sky where vivid lights sparkled in contrast to the pure darkness all around them.
The large boat rocked slightly, and the three men waiting on the roof simply waited in silence for another few moments.
“The stars are bright tonight,” Theo said.
Nathan was pensive as th
e weight of their situation slowly settled around them.
In his heart, he’d known this could be a possibility, but he’d never truly considered it. The thought that after all of this—the waiting, the work—it could be for nothing made him feel colder than the water sloshing around them.
It was fall, a time when most wouldn’t bring a houseboat onto the lake, but Nathan and his brothers didn’t really have a flexible time frame.
In fact, it was a time frame that should have expired. Two years ago, if Nathan’s calculations were correct. That first night, after so much waiting, had been intense with shock and agony. Loss. Hopelessness. And then he and his brothers had regrouped. Perhaps they had miscounted. It had been many years, after all. Perhaps they had lost track. It was a very small possibility but better than the alternative.
That they had been forgotten. That it had all been for nothing.
Then what was the point of remaining in this world?
Dare’s shoulder-length blond hair whipped in the wind as the night air stirred. His boyish good looks belied a heart that was darker than either Nathan’s or Theo’s. Just like Theo’s calm composure hid a heart that was icy cold.
As for Nathan’s heart, he didn’t know much about it. He’d been told he was soulless, that all of them were. Abominations. Never meant to be in existence. Meant to be destroyed. Yet there had been a chance… and they’d worked and worked and…
His hand slid over the small ledger in his pocket. Over the many years, it had changed as methods of recording things in writing had changed. But the records were the same. The information just as pertinent. And he was finally at the point where he knew their creator couldn’t deny him.
But now, two years after the date they’d agreed on, Nathan realized deep in his soul that she wasn’t coming.
He tilted his head to look over at Dare, measuring his words carefully because Dare had been known to go off at the slightest provocation. “No, I don’t think she is. I don’t think she will. Maybe it’s time for all of us to move on.”
Theo was quiet, but a muscle at the side of his mouth tightened and he kept his muscled arms folded as he stared at the sky. On his wrist was a nice watch, the kind humans admired. They all had access to unlimited wealth if they wanted it. That came from living as long as they had.
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