His cougar yowled with happiness. His human side fought to keep from slamming his cock into her and taking her hard and fast. Instead he leaned down and kissed her. Long, slow kisses that went deeper by the second but he worked hard to keep the pace relaxed and easy. His good intentions splintered when she wrapped her arms and legs around him and pulled him closer.
When he broke the kiss to catch his breath, they were both breathing hard. She squeezed her thighs tight around his hips as she looked deep into his eyes. “Fuck me, Jaxon. Oh, God, please claim me now.”
With a wiggle of his hips, he maneuvered the head of his cock into the hot warmth of her opening. He began slowly pressing forward, taking a deep breath as her burning hot pussy welcomed him. He thought he heard something beyond the bedroom door, but whatever it was could wait until after he claimed his life mate.
Gwen had a hard time keeping her eyes open as Jax began to slide in and out of her, filling her comfortably full with each forward thrust. It felt so good, so right, so perfect. From the moment she had seen in him the bar, she knew there was something special about him. As his hips began to move faster and stronger, she watched as his expression changed. His eyes changed to the amber cat’s eyes she had seen earlier, and when he began to pant with his exertions, she saw that his eyeteeth had dropped.
“What…what are you going to… How are you going to claim me?” she panted, running her palms up and down his sides, savoring the feel of his muscles rippling under the skin.
Jax smiled and leaned closer until he was over her and his face was buried in the side of his neck. She arched as he brushed his mustache up and down the side of her neck. His hips never stopped moving, and she found herself racing toward completion.
Then he whispered in her ear. “In just a minute I’m going to bite you right here,” he said, licking at the spot where shoulder and neck joined. “My mark will be with you for the rest of your days and will let everyone know that you belong to me.”
The dark words barely penetrated her lust as he shifted to rest on his elbows and moved his hands to cover her breasts. The combination of his mustache brushing her skin, his fingers playing with her tits, and his cock driving into her swollen, overly sensitive pussy proved too much for Gwen.
“Come, sweetheart. Come for your mate,” he growled.
Twin pricks of pain at the base of her neck ignited something powerfully erotic that she had never felt before. With a high-pitched scream, she tightened her arms, legs, and pussy around Jax and came.
* * * *
He was so close to the edge of his sanity that the taste of her blood combined with her entire being squeezing him sent Jax flying. He strained and held off just long enough to lick the bite mark closed before lifting his head and roaring with his own release. Keeping his body suspended over his mate, he watched her as he slowed the pace of his hips though he did not stop. It felt to good moving in and out of her heat.
Hearing another sound, this time closer, pulled at his attention, but he was so focused on watching his woman, gauging her reactions, that he barely heard the door swing open. He was easing his cock out so he could collapse on the bed and hold her when a familiar voice growled, “Mom, why is…what the fuck?”
A second later someone shoved him off of Gwen. He snarled with pain as the head of his cock was pulled from his mate and then oomphed when a body landed on him then rolled with him off the bed to the floor before beginning to punch his chest and shoulders.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Anger flared in Jax at someone daring to interrupt them, and the fight was on. It took a few seconds to realize he was fighting Grant. With that, Jax tried to reel his anger in so that he did not hurt the younger man. Having been a star on his high school wrestling team gave him an advantage. In less than a minute, he had their intruder under control.
Chapter 7
Gwen screamed, half in surprise and half in pain, as Jax’s cock was jerked out of her sideways just before a body landed heavily across her middle then used her as leverage before disappearing again. Her body’s responses of arousal, pain, and fear fought one another, making her reactions slower than usual. By the time she sat up then crawled across the bed, the fight was over. Jax sat in the middle of her son’s back with Grant’s hands pulled behind him.
“Are you all right?” she asked though she was not sure who exactly she was addressing.
“I’m fine,” Jax answered at the same time Grant said, “What the fuck, Mom?”
Jax growled deep in his chest as he tightened his hold until the younger man shook his head. “Sorry, Mom.”
Her fear gone, Gwen’s emotions shifted into embarrassed outrage. Climbing from the bed, she walked around Jax, stopping once she could see her son’s face. “You’re sorry? For what? For swearing at me? Or for coming into my room uninvited and unannounced? Or attacking my guest?”
“Mom, please,” Grant said, turning his head away once he realized his mother was naked. “Tell your boy toy to let me up. We can talk in the living room, after you put something on.”
Looking to Jax, who looked like he wanted to tear her son apart, Gwen shrugged before heading into the bathroom. Since she did not own a bathrobe, she pulled on the oversized T-shirt and bicycle shorts hanging on the hook near the shower. This was her normal lounging around the house outfit and would do for what she hoped was a very short conversation with her son.
By the time she emerged, Grant was gone from her room. Jax sat on the bed fully clothed and tying the laces on his sneakers.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, crossing to kneel in front of him. Laying her hands on his thighs, she looked at him, but his expression was unreadable. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said with a rueful grin. “Next time we’ll be sure and lock the door. And Grant should have known better than to walk into his mother’s bedroom without invitation.”
“I thought he did, but then again, maybe not,” she said, brushing two fingertips over a reddened area just below Jax’s left eye that looked like it might bruise. “Are you really all right?”
He surprised her when he took her hand in his, turned it over, and licked the center of her palm. It sent shivers of renewed lust through her. Releasing her hand, he leaned down and kissed her lips. “I’m fine, my beautiful mate. Probably better than Grant. After all, not only has he just seen his mother naked, she was also with a man having sex. Probably not the vision he expected first thing in the morning.”
Gwen stared at him, amazed at how easygoing he was about the situation. “How can you be so understanding and relaxed about this? On one hand I want to throttle the boy for interrupting us while at the same time I want to hide under the bed until he’s married and has kids of his own.”
Jax laughed and stood before reaching down to lift her to her feet. “I can afford to be. I just claimed my mate. I’m a happy, happy, happy man right now.”
Gwen was once again amazed at his strength as he did not make a sound or look like he was straining in the least, and she was no lightweight. Once they were both upright, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. She took several deep breaths, relaxing as his scent filled her lungs. She thought she also felt his confident assurance soak into her skin. Suddenly she was relaxed and content and feeling like she could handle anything the world wanted to dish out to her.
“So what do I do about Grant?” she asked, snuggling deeper into his embrace.
“Whatever you think is best,” Jax said. “He is your son and an adult, though I think it’s time you demand he take you off the mommy pedestal he has you on and treat you with the same respect I know you treat him with.”
Gwen found herself nodding. “What do I tell him about us?”
Jax shrugged. “Whatever you feel you need to. I just ask that you not tell him about my cougar.”
“You’re going to leave now, aren’t you?”
“Do you want me to stay? I don’t know
if that will go over well, but I’ll do whatever you want me to,”
“But what about the claiming?” Gwen said, rubbing her cheek against his chest and palms up and down his back. She could feel the warmth of him through his T-shirt, and she wished she could open up his skin and climb in with him.
She felt him kiss the top of her head as his arms tightened around her. “Don’t worry. Now that I’ve claimed you, I’m not about to let you go again. The only thing that will separate us now would be one of us dying.”
Gwen tilted her head back and started up at him as her eyes filled with tears. “Please don’t talk about dying. I know we just met, but I don’t think I could go on if something happened to you.”
“Shhh, sweetheart. Nothing is going to happen to me. I’m working a shift and a half starting at seven tonight. How about we go out to dinner Monday night?”
Gwen thought about it a moment. “How about I cook you dinner here instead and we stay in, relax and maybe watch a movie,” she offered.
“Whatever my mate desires,” he said with a smile before leaning down and leaving a smacking kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’ll try to call you tonight.”
Stepping back, he took her hand and walked with her to the front door. Another hug and long kiss there and then he left. Closing the door behind him, Gwen turned and leaned against it, feeling like a schoolgirl with her first crush. She wanted to go with him, be with him instead of facing Grant and his disapproving anger.
She could hear him slamming around in the kitchen, no doubt his anger growing. Taking a deep breath, she tried to mentally prepare herself for a fight. Her stomach knotted in nervous tension as she considered several possible outcomes of the discussion she and her son were about to have.
Stepping into the great room that made up the bulk of the house, she stopped and studied the mature young man at the stove. He looked so grown up. Where had her little boy gone? He glanced over his shoulder just then, his expression bland and unreadable. Without a word, he reached over and punched the button on the coffeemaker.
“Thanks,” she said.
He nodded then returned to the stove and continued stirring something that smelled like cheesy eggs. She sat in ever-increasing tension as he finished cooking and plated the food. He set one plate and her favorite coffee mug in front of her before handing her a fork, still without saying a word. Picking up his own plate, he retreated to the far side of the room, leaned against the counter, and began to eat.
Scrambled eggs with bacon bits and cheese. Grant’s favorite comfort breakfast. She picked at her food and barely sipped at her coffee though she needed the caffeine it offered. All the while she watched Grant devour his food like it was his last meal. Only after he rinsed his plate off and put it in the dishwasher did he look directly at her.
Moving to stand on the other side of the bar, he planted his feet, crossed his arms over his chest, and frowned at her, disapproval visible in every line of his body. “What the hell were you thinking? I can’t believe you were fucking Jaxon Stanopolis? Don’t you know he’s only seven years older than I am?”
Chapter 8
Jax had settled in at the station for a thirty-six-hour shift when it hit him. He did not have Gwen’s phone number. And he was pretty sure Grant would not give it to him. Pulling his notebook computer out of his briefcase, he went to the workstation in the bay. It was after dinner and the rest of the crew was watching a movie in the break room, so he had the bay to himself.
It took several frustrated attempts before his searching yielded him her number. And since it was not technically legal to search that particular city database for personal reasons, he plugged the number into his phone and shut down his computer as quickly as possible.
The echoing sound of footsteps marching across the bay kept him from calling her to confirm he had found the right Gwenalynn Ford. Clicking his phone off, he slipped it in his pocket and turned just as Grant came around the front of the auxiliary pumper. Standing slowly, Jax took a deep breath and released it to keep himself loose while mentally preparing for whatever Grant might throw at him.
Grant walked up to him but, instead of throwing a left hook at him, took up the stance of a disapproving father. Feet planted wide, arms crossed over his chest, expression solemn, he reminded Jax of his father when he had announced he was going to be a firefighting bartender for a living.
Though he was tempted to mirror Grant’s stance, instead, Jax kept his hands at his sides and tried to appear nonthreatening. Then he waited. Obviously Grant had something on his mind and he would just have to wait him out to find out what. He stared into his young friend’s eyes and saw pain, fear, and anger there.
Finally Grant took a deep breath and released it slowly. “She doesn’t know I’m here. I want to know what your intentions are.”
Jax wanted to burst out laughing but bit the inside of his cheek and held it in. Though sounding like a father from the 1950s, Gwen’s son looked deadly serious.
Jax had only one answer for him. “That’s between me and her.” And until they could talk and he could tell her everything about mates, that was all he would say.
Grant’s eyes blazed with anger as his complexion reddened. “That’s not a fucking answer. Is she just going to be another notch on your belt? Another honey to tell stories about when you’re bored on shift? If all she is to you is another cunt to fuck, then I want you to stay the hell away from her.”
Appalled by the way the young man was talking about his mother, Jax allowed a little of his alpha cougar to shine through as he leaned in toward the young man. He kept his voice soft so his words would not echo through the bay and be overheard by anyone else. “Watch your mouth. This is your mother you’re talking about, not some wild little chickie who sleeps with every bartender and bouncer in town for free drinks.”
Before Grant could respond with more than a sharp indignant intake of breath, the echoing silence of the bay filled with deafening bongs and bells. It went on so long that a chill of fear went up Jax’s spine. Then the dispatcher began calling out stations and trucks to an apartment complex that was just a couple blocks from Gwen’s house.
Jax ran to the pumper he had been assigned to drive that shift and pulled on his waiting turnout gear. Grant raced to his truck parked just outside. By the time the rest of the crew joined them in the bay, both men were dressed and climbing into the truck. Another minute and the others joined them in the cab. Jax followed the command SUV from the building with lights flashing and sirens blaring.
He concentrated on driving around and between cars that stopped in the middle of the road instead of pulling over. He heard the others ask Grant why he was there when he was not on the schedule to work until the next morning.
Glancing in the mirror, he saw Grant shrug and say something noncommittal. At the corner before they reached the complex, he stopped the truck long enough for the three other men in the cab to jump out and get to their assigned tasks. As he eased closer to the building and into position, he looked in the mirror again and met Grant’s gaze.
This would be Grant’s first real test of keeping his cool while in the middle of an inferno. Until now he had always been assigned to work around the edges of a fire scene, vehicle control, manning fireplugs, or helping to keep crowd out of harm’s way.
“Your call, hoss,” he said, using the headsets built into their helmets. “Crowd control or fire containment?”
“Containment,” Grant responded without hesitation.
Jax nodded. “You’re with me then.”
* * * *
Gwen heard the sirens and stepped out onto the front porch to try and track them. But they were growing louder, which meant they were coming closer. Too close. Looking in the sunset sky filled with oranges, reds, and purples, she saw black smoke rising from the next block over where the apartment complex part of the development was. Just then more sirens began to sing out. Whatever was going on, it was bad.
Jax needed her.
&
nbsp; With the certainty that he was in danger and she had to get to him, Gwen raced back inside. An intense feeling of dread had her shoving her feet into her sneakers after she shoved off her shorts. After stripping off her T-shirt, she jerked on a pair of panties, a denim skirt, bra, and T-shirt. Grabbing her purse, she detoured and packed her tablet and cell phone in it before running out, barely pausing to pull the front door closed behind her.
Jax needed her.
She trotted down at the sidewalk, something unexplainable pulling at her, demanding she get to Jax ASAP. Though she was horribly out of shape and gasping for breath after the first half block, she forced herself to keep moving. Fear for her mate held her in its grip. She had to get to Jax and make sure he was safe.
For the first time since Grant had started as a teenager volunteer, she did not worry about her son. Her entire focus was on her mate.
She was weak-kneed, sweating, and gasping for breath when she finally reached the crowd that surrounded the fire trucks. Pushing her way through to the front, Gwen swept the area, looking for her mate. But in their bulky turnout gear and helmets, all the men looked alike.
Without knowing why, she began to edge closer to one of the trucks. It was a pumper, if she remembered correctly from Grant’s many excited explanations about which trucks did which jobs.
Staring into faces as best she could, she did not see anyone familiar. But then why would she? Grant kept her very separated from his work life, as if she had plague or something. She understood that he did not want coworkers thinking he was a mama’s boy or something equally humiliating.
“Where are you?” she muttered. “If you’re here, Jaxon Stanopolis, show yourself.”
As if he had heard her demand, a man walked around the back of the truck. Gwen gasped, and the painful knot in her gut eased a little. He did not look in her direction. She could see by his expression that his entire focus was the job. He pulled on an air tank with the assistance of another firefighter then helped the other man on with his tank. She did not spare the other man a glance until he turned and looked directly at her.
Cougar Desires [Cougarlicious 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 5
