And just like that Jaxon Stanopolis realized he had met his mate.
Leaning in, he pulled in a deep breath. Her scent, like oranges and honey, filled his lungs and his cougar began to pace with the need to pounce.
Shifting so close his lips were right next to her ear, he whispered, “So, what do they call you when they don’t call you Mom?”
Chapter 2
Looking into a pair of the darkest eyes she had ever seen, Gwen’s breathing stopped and her brain froze as she fell into their black-brown depths. Pulling her focus back, she took in swarthy dark looks, square jaw, and full lips surrounded by a golden-blond mustache and goatee.
He was a Grecian god with blond hair. For the first time in years, her sex drive shifted from neutral into high gear. Shifting in her chair, she felt her pussy clench as it overflowed.
This was the Jax her son had been talking about since joining the department? How had she never met him before? And why was he looking at her like she was the only woman in the room?
Sanity returned after a moment, and she wondered if maybe he had an older brother or cousin who looked like him and oozed the same virile manliness.
His slow blink broke the connection, allowing her brain to click back into gear. She gasped at her rude behavior.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she apologized softly as she tried unsuccessfully to pull her hand from where he still held it in his.
“Why?” he asked. His smile appeared genuine while his expression was one of confusion.
“For…um…well. Oh, never mind,” she said, still trying to get all her brain cells focused on something other than a mental image what he would look like spread across the white sheets of her bed.
Still he did not release her hand. Instead, he used the connection to pull her from her chair as he straightened. “Why don’t we dance and you can answer my question?”
Gwen looked to her son, but he was still lost in conversation with the young lady who had been flirting with him since five minutes after they sat down.
The reason she had agreed to coming out returned in a flash. She wanted to get out, meet new people, and dance. And this beautiful man was offering all three. It was not like she would be going home with him.
“All right,” she said softly. “Thank you. I’d love to dance.”
It had been years since she had been on a dance floor with a partner. She hoped he would take it easy on her and not expect perfection. Once they reached the edge of the open area in the center of the room, which served as a dance floor, she hesitated as the song ended.
When a classic Alabama song came on, she smiled ruefully and wondered if maybe they should sit this one out as well. “Lady Down on Love” described her perfectly, but not for the reasons named in the song. Before she could tell him of her change of heart, Jax gently turned her to face him.
Looking up into dark, dark eyes that seemed to see into her heart, Gwen lost her train of thought. Instead of pulling away and returning to her seat, she allowed him to slip his other arm around her waist. His fingers spread across her back, but only his pinky rested below the waistband of her skirt. He stepped closer, but not too close, as if leaving room for propriety’s sake. Absently, she wondered how many times a night his laid-back, no-pressure approach seduced women into offering much, much more than they normally would.
She was surprised how well they fit together. He was tall and broad and oh so muscular, and she was anything but. Her husband had been tall and thin, but dancing together had always been awkward. With Jax it instantly felt comfortable and very, very right. He guided her to the middle of the dance floor then began to move slowly with the music.
She remained stiff and tense in his arms, afraid of what might happen if she relaxed. She was not sure what she was anticipating, but warm, tingly, feelings of intense arousal were nowhere on the list of expectations. Jax did not take push for advantage, though from his expression she thought he was as attracted to her as she was to him. Other than bringing their linked hands up to rest against the front of his shoulder, Jax made no other move to close the last two inches that separated their bodies.
When she finally took a breath and relaxed marginally, he dropped his head forward and brushed his cheek against her temple. “Answer my question, please,” he requested softly.
“Which question?” she answered. Taking the initiative, she shifted closer until her breasts pressed lightly against his chest.
It had been a long time since a man had wrapped himself around her in a relatively nonerotic manner. Jax tightened his hold and shifted even closer, and all at once Gwen needed more. So much more. Her pussy clenched with a need to feel him pressed skin to skin against her, around her, and in her. She needed their hearts to beat as one as they breathed the essence of the other in.
“What do people call you when they don’t call you Mom?” In the last few seconds, his voice had dropped and grown growly.
She drew in a sharp breath when her nipples tightened and pressed more firmly against her bra. The song ended before she could respond. When she tried to step back, his arms firmed against her, holding her in place.
“Don’t go yet,” he murmured, rubbing his cheek up and down the side of her head as if trying to rub his scent on her.
And oh what a scent it was, too, like freshly mown spring grass and summer rain after a long, hot day. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed and stopped trying to gain her freedom. Truth be told, for the first time all evening, she was having fun.
“Gwenalynn Ford. Gwen. Or Miz Ford if you want to be formal,” she said, tilting her head to see his face.
He smiled, like a child receiving an early birthday present. “Gwenalynn, I like that. And I bet no one ever calls you that, do they?”
Gwen shook her head. “Only my mother when she was really, really mad. Everyone else just called me Gwen.”
That admission earned her an even brighter grin, and then he stepped back and bowed, reminding her of the hero knights in old movies about the days of queens and nights and ladies fair. “My fair Lady Gwenalynn, would you be interested—”
“Come on, Mom, we’re leaving,” Grant interrupted as he joined them on the dance floor. The blonde was wrapped around him like plastic wrap.
Gwen jerked at her son’s abrupt behavior. The low-pitched growl that emanated from Jax as he straightened and glared at her son had her looking from one man to the other. Grant held his ground, staring darkly at his friend. Was Grant afraid something might happen between her and the bartender?
Gwen knew she had to stop this before something bad happened and someone got hurt. Or Jax lost his job. Before she could speak up, Jax stepped around her, putting himself between Gwen and her son.
“But,” Gwen said though both men ignored her. She tried to pull her arm from Grant’s grip, but he held tight.
“I’ll see that she gets home safely,” Jax said, his voice low and hard.
“But,” Gwen started again, but both men ignored her.
Grant studied the man, his expression growing darker for a moment before he smiled and nodded. “Just make sure she doesn’t go home with anyone else.”
Jax nodded. “Don’t worry. She’s safe with me.”
With that, Grant released her arm and disappeared into the crowd that now filled the dance floor and dancing around them, apparently oblivious that her son had just abandoned her to a stranger’s care.
Jax turned back. This time he wrapped one arm around her waist while his other lay up the center of her back like a warm log. He wrapped his big hand around the back of her neck and began to dance again.
Though his body pressed firmly against hers and she could feel a long, hard cock pressed into the flesh of her hip, she no longer wanted to dance. But she was not sure she could break his embrace without hurting herself or making an even bigger scene, and that was the last thing she wanted. Deciding to soak in the warm embrace while she could, she slid her arms around the waist of his jeans then down his over his t
ight ass. With a sigh, she slipped her hands into the back pockets of his well-fitting jeans.
Hearing and feeling him sigh as she relaxed deeper into his arms, she allowed him to continue guiding her around the dance floor.
* * * *
The subtle scent of his mate’s arousal filled Jax with a sense of need unlike anything he had ever felt before. Gwenalynn Ford had no idea how her life had changed just by walking into the bar tonight. When she slid her hands into his pockets, his caged cougar purred and settled somewhat though what they really wanted, both man and cat, was to take their mate somewhere private and claim her as soon as possible.
But she had been drinking, he was still at work, and they needed to talk before any full-on mate claiming happened. He also knew that, as an older woman who had apparently been hurt in the past, his lovely Gwenalynn would need more than a “Hello, my name is Jaxon and I’m your life mate,” before she would allow him anywhere near her bed.
After their third dance together, Jax could not put it off any longer. He had to get back to work. Taking Gwen’s hand in his, he led her to the corner of the bar where the waitresses’ station was. A pointed look at a young man had him jumping off the nearest barstool and walking away.
Pulling Gwen around to stand in front of him, he lifted her easily onto the stool then brushed a quick kiss on her lips. When she looked shocked, he wondered why. Had no one ever showed her casual affection before?
She shifted and apparently got comfortable before lifting one hand and making a “come here” gesture with two fingers.
He leaned in and tried to look confident as he met her pale-brown eyes that glowed with her confusion.
“Why did you do that? Send Grant away, I mean,” she asked, her voice soft around the edges. “He was my designated driver.”
“I want to talk to you, spend time with you, get to know you better,” he answered honestly.
His comment made her frown. The expression looked so cute that he wanted to cuddle her close as he assured her everything would be all right.
“Why?”
Jax blinked at the odd question. “Why wouldn’t I? You are a lovely woman, and I find myself attracted to you.”
Attracted, hell, his inner beast snarled. You are my mate and I’d love to lay you across this bar and claim you here and now, and I don’t give a fuck who might be standing around watching.
When she laughed, and not in a good way, he found himself frowning. Then she shook her head and smiled at him indulgently. “I’m also old enough to be your…well, your aunt, I guess.”
Jax grinned then laughed. Then, not able to help himself any longer, he leaned in and brushed another quick kiss over her lips. “So you’re a beautiful older woman. I still want to talk with you, learn everything about you.”
Gwen looked skeptical, but shrugged. “I guess I have no choice since you sent my ride off without me.”
“Good girl,” Jax praised before leaning in for another, slightly longer touching of lips on lips.
The only problem with wanting to spend time with Gwen was that his job interfered. For the last two and a half hours until closing, he did not get a chance to pepper her with some of the questions he had. But she surprised him. Instead of disappearing the first time he turned his back, she ordered a glass of ginger ale, settled in, and talked to everyone who came into her realm. And it seemed as though nearly every person in the bar found their way to her side at one moment or another, usually when Jax was busy at the other end of the bar.
By the time the last customers were shooed out the door, Jax was ready to throw his mate over his shoulder, carry her out the back door to the alley, and take her leaning up against the building’s brick wall. Every time he had looked her way, she had been watching him, which made his cock a few degrees harder, until it was hard as a rock and had been for more than an hour.
After going through his closing routine as quickly as possible, Jax finally ducked out from behind the bar. She remained right where he had left her, looking relaxed and happy though somewhat dazed. He could not tell if it was the alcohol she had drunk earlier or a people overload, but when he reached for her, she practically fell off the chair into his arms.
“Steady there, sweetheart,” he said with a chuckle. “Don’t want you to end up in the ER because you fell down and hurt something that I can’t kiss better.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and though her mouth opened several times, she never said a word. She squeaked when he lifted her into his arms and carried her across the bar.
Though his car was in the parking lot out back, he led her out the front door that the bouncer held open for him. “Night, Samo.”
“Have a good evening,” the bouncer said with a broad grin.
Once they were on the sidewalk, Jax set her down, dropped one arm over Gwen’s shoulders, and pulled her into his side. She fit there like they were made for one another. Then he headed down the block to where the twenty-four-hour diner’s lights still glowed.
“Where are we going?”
“Breakfast,” he said cryptically. “I’m starving, and I thought we could get something to eat and talk since we didn’t get a chance while I worked.”
He felt her head tilt back. Turning his head, he smiled down at her. She looked like such an innocent even though he knew she was at least ten years older than his own twenty-nine years. He was surprised when she did not argue. Instead, she studied him in the orangey-yellow light from the streetlights. When she tripped over an uneven spot in the sidewalk, she turned her head back, dropping it forward to watch her footing the rest of the way to the diner.
Chapter 3
It was nearly dawn before he turned his SUV into the entrance to her neighborhood. “Wow, this is really nice,” he commented absently. His cock began to soften when he realized that even though she was his mate, she would never want him. He was a city servant and worked as a bartender to keep the ends meeting in the middle.
He followed her softly spoken directions to her big brick house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Pulling in, he parked and flipped off all the lights. The house was huge and beautiful, and not something he would ever be able to afford even if he wanted such a showplace.
“Thanks, I guess. My husband chose it and bought it while Grant and I were still living in Denver. Except for pictures, I didn’t see it until the day we moved it. Then when he died I found out he had mortgage insurance. It’s a bit too high-toned for my taste, but it’s paid for. And with the housing market the way it is, I’m stuck here for now.”
That bit of news went a long way to ease Jax’s intimidation. He did not want to think that his mate was one of those snooty society matrons, though he had learned from their long, rambling conversation over breakfast that she was as down-to-Earth as his own parents. Though it was still too soon to claim his mate, his cougar demanded he at least hold her a bit before going home to his cold, lonely bed. He reached down and moved his seat back as far as it would go before shifting the steering wheel out of the way.
“What are you doing?” Gwen asked as he reached over, unlatched her seatbelt, and pulled her across the center console and into his lap. “No, I’m too heavy.”
“No, you are perfect,” he countered as he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her in for a kiss.
Her lips were soft and plump under his. He smiled when they parted on a soft sigh, and her tongue emerged to lick at his bottom lip. He returned the caress then stroked between hers. Tilting his head a bit further, he took the kiss deeper, thoroughly exploring and tasting his mate. His cock grew even harder than it had been all night, and the head grew wet with pre-cum.
His cougar silently howled in triumph as her free arm wound around his neck and began to kiss him back. Soon they were dueling back and forth from his mouth to hers, stroking and tasting and teasing. His hands began to move over her clothes, cupping her breasts, brushing down over her belly, hip, and thigh to the bare skin just above her knee.
She stiffen
ed when his hand began to slide back up her outer thigh, pushing her skirt up her leg as he went. He had almost reached the crease where thigh met hip when she tore her lips from his. “No,” she said, her hand coming down from his body to grab his wrist.
He stopped then stroked back down again, studying her closely in the available dim light. He stroked up again as he studied her.
She looked shocked.
She looked scared.
She looked aroused as hell.
When a tear rolled over her bottom lid and then down her cheek, he felt like a monster. “Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured. The hand on her leg moved to her head, and he urged her to rest it on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as her left hand reached up and rested on the center of his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Shhh.” He ran his hand up and down her back in what he hoped was a soothing touch. “I’m sorry. I pushed too hard.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m just wa-a-ay out of practice when it comes to men and making out and how soon is soon enough to go how far but not too far.” She sounded lost and confused. “I never was very man-savvy, and nowadays it seems like things are so complicated.”
Though they were destined to be together for life, he wanted her to be comfortable. His cougar would just have to remember that anything worth having was worth waiting for.
“Sweetheart, you’re perfect just the way you are. However much you want, whatever speed you want to take things is fine with me. I want you to be happy and comfortable so you won’t regret anything later on.”
Cougar Desires [Cougarlicious 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2
