Avery and Her Wolf [Shifters Revealed 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Suzette Rose Cauler

  “That sounds frustrating.”

  “To put it mildly.”

  “I don’t have any answers for you, but I’ll help you find them. Maybe my parents will know where to start looking.” If his parents knew of a human child who’d lived among shifters, they hadn’t told him about it. Still, it was possible they’d gotten wind of something at some point and just hadn’t mentioned it, especially if it happened when he was a child. And particularly because humans living among shifters would have been perceived as a threat.

  “You would help me?” Just like that, the slump was gone and she smiled at him. It hit him squarely in the chest and he ended up clenching his hands to keep himself from grabbing her. She wasn’t a wolf, he kept reminding himself, so he needed to take it slow. “You’d ask your parents for me?

  “Of course I’ll help you.” You’re my mate. “And you can ask them yourself.”

  Her face lit up even more. “I’ll get to meet them? My God, you have no idea how excited that makes me. After all these years of questioning myself and not being able to share my thoughts with the people closest to me. Finally, I’ll have some proof.”

  She’d better slow down on that one. “You will get to meet them, Avery. You, because you’re my mate. But you can’t tell anyone about us. Not a single word. You write what the world thinks is fiction, and that’s how it has to stay.”

  Again with the obvious disappointment. He expected her to argue on the secrecy thing, but when she opened her mouth, it was to challenge him in an entirely different way.

  “About this mate business…”

  Here it comes. Chase sighed. Couldn’t they just skip the part where they debated the fact that she was his? Humans. “What about it? You’re mine.” He shrugged. “Why waste time talking about it when we could be…enjoying it?”

  “I’m not yours. We just met. I won’t deny that I’m attracted to you, but if you think I’m just going to agree to be your wife—”

  “Mate.”

  “Same difference.”

  “No, it’s not the same. My mate will become a part of me, one with me. Nothing will separate us because I won’t allow it to. I’ll walk through fire for my mate, kill anyone who tries to harm her. I’d cross the earth to get to you if you needed me, Avery, because you’re my mate, not just a wife. And when our time is up on this earth, I’ll chase you down in the afterlife so I can be with you again. Married couples get divorced. It’s not the same thing.”

  She seemed speechless for a moment, but then found her voice rather than surrendering like he hoped she would. “So I’m your mate. Just like that? I have no say in this? We’re just together forever from this point on?”

  He thought about saying yes. “You’re my mate, but we’re not mated. We will be mated when I claim you as mine.”

  “Oh, no way. That’s so not happening.”

  “It will happen, and there’s no reason to be afraid. I’ll mark you at the height of the most powerful climax you’ve ever had.” He grinned when she squirmed at the mention of climax. “You will barely feel a thing. And what you do feel, you will love.”

  “How do you know that? And you don’t know what kind of climaxes I’ve had so far. Maybe I’ve already had the climax to top all climaxes and you’ve missed the boat.”

  Chase growled at the thought of someone else making her come, but he knew no one ever had or ever could make her come as hard as he would. “I know because that’s the way it is with the claiming. When it’s done right, the female doesn’t experience pain. And as for how it will be between us, we’re mates, so your body was meant for mine.”

  “I’m not going to sleep with you tonight.”

  “I didn’t say anything about sleeping, but you will. You’ll sleep in my arms after I take you.”

  “Stop. Just…don’t.” She got up from the chair she’d been sitting in and walked over to look out the window.

  It was dark outside and light inside. He knew she couldn’t see much of anything. “Don’t what?”

  “Stop saying you’re going to take me.” A visible shiver ran through her body and the scent of her arousal thickened in the air. “I don’t fuck on the first…I don’t even know what to call this. We haven’t even been on a date, yet you expect me to become your wife to the fourth power. And you’re a wolf. I can’t just go fucking a wolf I barely even know.”

  He couldn’t help laughing at that. “You don’t want me? You haven’t wanted me from the moment we met? You felt the beginning of the mate bond, too. I know you did. You just couldn’t recognize it for what it was.”

  “Now you’re talking crazy.”

  His mate didn’t have a poker face. Chase got up, and joined her at the window. He was going to spend the night inside her. She wanted him. It was written all over her face each time she looked at him. She just needed to admit it. “Look at me, Avery.”

  “I don’t want to.” Her voice sounded small and rather petulant.

  He laughed. “Turn around and look at me—now.”

  She faced him, sighing heavily as if he’d asked her to shove a stalled car up a hill by herself. “Okay, what?”

  “I didn’t want to come here. My brother, being the alpha, sent me, so I came, already counting the minutes until I could leave. But as soon as I saw you—no, that’s not right, the moment I got close to you, I knew you were mine. I want you more than anything or anyone I’ve ever wanted before. I know we’re perfect for each other. Every inch of my body knows it. Every inch of your body knows it. I’m meant to spend my entire life loving you, making love to you, taking care of your every need. There is no doubt in my mind about this, Avery.”

  “And if I say no?”

  “I won’t force you.” His jaw clenched at the thought of what he was about to say. “If you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me, it will be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I’ll walk out of here tonight, go back to my cabin and sleep alone.”

  “And you’ll forget about me being your mate? Just like that?”

  Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? “I can’t forget. I could never forget. But if you can honestly say you don’t want me, I’ll let you sleep alone until you do.”

  “This is crazy.”

  “Look at me, Avery. Look at me and say you don’t want me in your bed tonight.”

  * * * *

  Avery didn’t want to look at him, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Holy hell. His eyes promised her a night like she’d never had and his body seemed tense with the effort of holding back. Avery had never been a good liar, and she’d always been curious. She couldn’t help wondering if a night with him would live up to his claims, wild as they were. Yes, damn it, she wanted him to make her come.

  Then there were those strange feelings she’d had the first time they’d met. The ones that made her send him away as quickly as possible. But although Avery spent so much time creating characters and giving her imagination freedom to fly, she was nowhere near flighty enough to go ‘Okay, I’m your mate now’ to a man, or shifter, she’d only just met.

  Her right hand had a mind of its own. It was already reaching for the towel around his waist. Avery blamed it on the fact that she hadn’t been properly fucked in so long, or maybe all the excitement of finding out that wolf shifters really did exist. Whatever it was, she put her fingers around the top of the towel and pulled until it fell away.

  Chase didn’t say a word, but she could feel his eyes watching her as she took her time examining him from the waist down. Could she even take so much cock? Her pussy got wet just thinking about it and her mouth followed suit. Oh fuck, was she really drooling in front of him?

  When Avery finally met his eyes again, she’d made up her mind. “I’ve never been much for lies. I want you in my bed. I want you to show me that everything you said isn’t just extraordinary cockiness on your part.”

  He reached for her, but she put up both hands to stop him, pressing against his chest, the oh-so-heavi
ly-muscled chest that she really, really wanted to lick. “You can stay tonight and take me, as you call it, if and only if you can do that without claiming me. I’m not going to be your mate, just like that.” She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

  Avery closed her mouth to get a handle on the drooling thing, but her mouth dropped open again when he stepped away from her, bending over to pick up the towel she’d discarded.

  “Then…” He looked as if he would choke on whatever he was going to say. “I’ll see you tomorrow. You’re mine and you’ll come to see that, but this is how things are done. We mate and I mark you. One without the other isn’t enough to complete the bond.”

  “So you’re just going to leave?” No fucking way. He wasn’t going to get her all revved up and then leave her alone to spend another night with her vibrator. “You’re kidding, right?”

  The look he gave her was hot enough to singe her clothes off. “I want more than just your body. I want every part of you.”

  “Well, that’s not on the table. I’m not in the market for an insta-mate.”

  He growled at her, and it gave her goose bumps, but she stood her ground. She wondered if he knew growling like an animal just made her hotter for him. “Growling won’t change my mind.”

  “Like I said, I can wait.” He headed for the door.

  “You can’t be serious.” No way was he just going to leave. It was a bluff.

  “I told you. It’s all or nothing.”

  She’d call his bluff, and he’d give up and give her the proper fucking he’d promised. “Then it’s nothing.”

  Chase reached for the door knob, snarling, actually snarling, which brought Roscoe’s head up from where he’d been resting. Chase glanced at the dog then opened the door.

  “What’s the problem? I’m saying you can fuck me.”

  “That’s not enough.”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

  Her answer came in the form of a firmly shut door.

  Chapter 6

  Avery couldn’t sit still. She had a real live wolf shifter just across the lake from her. And that wasn’t all. She had an incredibly sexy man who wanted to not only fuck her but tie himself to her for good. He’d been right. She’d felt something. She’d been feeling a whole lot of something since they’d met, but that didn’t mean she had to be his mate.

  The moment Chase had left, she’d gone to her study and let her fingers fly, recording everything that had happened from the moment she saw him invading her trashcans. It had been hard to do, what with the way her body remained on edge. He’d said he could put an end to her new nympho status, and she badly needed him to. If she didn’t get some real relief, she was going to wear her vibrator out completely.

  Avery shut down her computer and went to search for her camera. She often took it on walks to photograph wildlife. It could even record short videos. He’d said no photos, and definitely no video, but she had to get at least one. She’d find a way to sneak it. If she could get one in mid-shift, even better. How could she pass up the chance to prove to the people who’d called her crazy that she’d been right along? If nothing else, she needed to prove to her aunt and uncle that they’d been wrong about her. But first, she had to take care of the desperate heat in her body, and her vibrator wasn’t going to cut it.

  She’d use Chase’s own tactics on him. Now that she’d decided to fuck him, she wasn’t letting him go that easily.

  * * * *

  After the fastest shower known to mankind, she dressed in a clean pair of shorts and a slinky tank top. She wasn’t traipsing through the woods in her nightgown, but she could look a little more tempting. A quick brush of her hair, a better scrunchie, and a once-over to make sure Roscoe had all he needed, and she was out the door for the longish walk to Chase’s rental.

  When she finally reached his front door, she was out of breath with anticipation. Fortunately, he didn’t keep her waiting too long, opening the door in a pair of boxers. It didn’t look like he’d been to sleep yet.

  “Avery.” He ran a hand over his dark hair, looking surprised to see her. “Changed your mind?”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she took a chapter from his book and walked in like she owned the place, which she did. He closed the door, staring at her with the eyes she’d dreamt about so many times already. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the scrunchie out of her ponytail and shook her hair loose over her shoulders.

  “Look at me, Chase.” She pulled her tank over her head, tossing it to the floor. Her nipples didn’t have to stiffen when the air hit them. They were already there. “I’m giving myself to you. All except for one thing that you really can’t expect any sane person to agree to, anyway.”

  She watched him as he clenched and unclenched his fists almost in rhythm with the anticipatory pulsing of her clit. Her hands went to the snap of her shorts and she unzipped them slowly. “If you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me, that you’re sure we’re destined to be together, but you’re going to forgo spending the night with me just because I won’t let you claim me on the first non-date…” She pulled her shorts down and stepped out of them. “If you can look me in the eye and tell me that, Chase, then I’ll leave tonight without another word.”

  Avery stood in the living room of the rental in nothing but her panties, feeling exceptionally vulnerable and exquisitely powerful. Chase growled at her again, and she was musing over how often he did that when he crossed the room in what felt like a split second and lifted her against him. She was so caught up in the thrill of her breasts crushing against his chest that she didn’t even argue when he said, “Mine.”

  * * * *

  One minute Avery was crushed up against Chase, and the next she was pinned against the wall by two-hundred-plus pounds of wolf man. His kiss was intense, possessive. With every stroke of his lips and glide of his tongue, he claimed her, and she went with it, holding on to him for dear life. When he released her mouth, he found that spot on her neck, the one that made her knees weaken and her toes curl. His hands gripped her ass and squeezed, then lifted her off the ground. Avery wrapped her legs around him, feeling his cock pressing between her legs, growing hotter and wetter by the minute as she waited for him to take her.

  “Bed.” He didn’t seem capable of more than single syllables just then as he carried her through the cabin to one of the bedrooms. His lips never stopped their exploration of her neck, her ear, her collarbone during the short trip.

  Chase laid her on the bed and came down upon her immediately, covering her with his bulk. Avery was more than ready for him and whimpered as he littered the tops of her breasts with hot kisses before cupping her breasts in his hands, pushing them together and trailing his tongue through the valley he’d created between them. He flicked her nipples then and she arched off the bed, seeking more of his touch. He pushed her back down and took one of her nipples into his mouth, licking and sucking until she thought she would die from desire, right then and there.

  When he moved on to the other nipple, he reached into her thong at the same time, fingering her slit and running his finger down to glide through the wetness there. Avery cried out as his wet fingers found her clit and stroked her expertly.

  He pulled back to look into her eyes. “You’re already so wet for me.” He stroked the wetness at her entrance again then pushed a finger inside. “And so damned tight.”

  She nodded rapidly. Yes, wet, tight… “Take me,” she blurted out, beginning to move against his hand as he finger-fucked her, first with one finger, then two, then three.

  “Just let me stretch you a little more. I need to get you ready first.”

  She was more than ready, and she wanted his cock to stretch her. His fingers felt amazing, but he had her panting like a dog with the need for more. He had the magic touch, and Avery had never come so close to coming from a man’s finger. He knew just when to flick with his thumb, just when to plunge in and out of her pussy,
and just when to…just when to grind the heel of his hand against her throbbing clit. She felt completely and utterly surrounded by him, from his incredibly woodsy, masculine scent to the kisses that seemed to be everywhere at once. Her lips, her ear, her neck, her belly, her hips—he neglected nothing.

  Avery was going to come, hard, just as he’d promised, before he even put his cock inside her. “Chase,” she said, breathless with anticipation. “Chase, I’m going to—”

  The words were on the tip of her tongue but never made it past her lips. He seemed to know she was close because he sped up his hand motions, bringing his mouth back to hers. She wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life, digging her fingers into his back when the sensations became too much.

  He tore his lips away from hers. “Go ahead. Come for me, Avery.”

  Avery didn’t come on command, nor did she think it was even possible, but she came pretty damned close. It probably had nothing to do with those words or the memory of him saying them in her dreams, but within seconds, she was coming, her whole body tense as she arched her back, grinding her pussy into the source of her pleasure. He took her mouth again as she climaxed, swallowing her cries of pleasure and continuing to stroke her pussy as she shivered and shook in his arms.

  * * * *

  Chase smiled against her lips in satisfaction. As tight as her pussy felt around his fingers, he knew he had to make her come first. When that silken glove wrapped around his cock and squeezed for the first time, it would be hard to hold on for long, and the fact that she was his mate would make it that much harder, especially since he had to keep his head about marking her. His wolf would want to sink his teeth into her as he came, and it would be a battle to hold the beast in him at bay.

  He didn’t give her the time to come down from her release. Continuing to fuck her with his fingers until he felt the contractions in her pussy weaken, he surged up over her and entered her in one sure, deep thrust. Her gasp as he pushed inside her stilled him and her pussy squeezed him hot and hard, just like he’d known it would.