by E A Price
Gunner slid his fingers over her thighs, rubbing his fingers over her flesh as his tongue mercilessly plundered her channel. Remorselessly, he licked at her, lapped at her, sucked and nibbled her clit, alternating between fast and slow, and once or twice stopping to just blow on her – that almost had her shooting off the bed.
It wasn’t long before Erin felt her body tensing, and then shaking, preparing itself. Gunner sensed the change in her, as she readied for her climax, and he sped up his movements, eager to push her over the edge. Within seconds, she gasped, and her body held still as she hit her peak. Then she was flying. She screamed and writhed as pleasure cascaded through every inch of her. Even then he didn’t stop, he continued his marvelous assault as her body thrashed in ecstasy.
Erin collapsed onto the bed; she felt like a sobbing, quivering mess. Gunner stood up towering over her. She must have looked a sight. But, if the lust etched into his face was anything to go by, he certainly wasn’t put off.
Never taking his darkened eyes off her, gracefully, he slipped out of his jeans. She didn’t even bother to hide her gasp as she saw his thick, hard manhood straining toward her. No wonder he was so cocky! In proportion nothing, he was freaking huge.
Gunner grinned at her reaction as he dipped his fingers inside her sex. She held her breath for a second as she expected him to start massaging her inner flesh, but he didn’t. No, he covered his fingers in her honey and then began smoothing it over his member. He did this repeatedly as she watched, entranced. She was amazed to see him grow even bigger.
“We’ll go slow,” he rasped huskily.
Erin nodded. At that point, she didn’t care. She wanted him inside her, and she’d have agreed to absolutely anything he said. She licked her lips in anticipation, and he groaned.
“Get in the middle of the bed,” he ordered.
Erin scooted up as if to get away from him. But escape was the last thing on her mind. He knelt one leg on the bed and slowly crawled over her. His eyes were the dark brown of his beast and Erin shivered at the thought of being taken by this man. She’d never been with a shifter before, and the thought of being with a man half controlled by a wild animal was thrilling.
Gunner covered her body with his, careful not to crush her. Her legs instinctively parted for him, and he nestled between her thighs, sighing as he did.
“If you need me to stop, just say the word,” he breathed.
Erin rolled her eyes impatiently. “I will, please just…”
She was about to tell him to hurry, but she caught herself. Gunner got her meaning though, and the smug look on his face was almost unbearable. She couldn’t stand to see that and surprised him by kissing him. She raked her fingers through his hair as she nibbled on his bottom lip. Judging by the shudder that coursed through his huge frame, he liked that.
Distracted by his sinful tongue, she didn’t even realize Gunner had reached down between them and was aligning their sexes until she felt the blunt tip press against her entrance. Instinct told her to tense, but she willed herself to relax. She wanted this, more than she wanted air at that moment, and nothing, not even her shy, scaredy-cat nature was going to stand in the way.
Erin hooked her legs round him and tried to pull him toward her. She sensed his satisfaction and was pleased when he started moving inside her. He was big; there was no denying it, but it wasn’t painful, not in the least. Her flesh parted for every inch that pushed inside her. And with every inch came a stronger feeling of rightness.
When he was finally fully seated in her body, she broke his ardent kiss and threw her head back to let out a sultry moan. Yes, this was how it should be. Taking him inside just felt so right, so perfect, like it was meant to be.
She lifted her eyes to his face and was dazzled by the look he gave her. Hungry yet also reverent? It was too much for her. She clutched her inner muscles, tightening around him even more, and he let out a lusty groan.
“Oh, Erin,” he breathed.
Slowly, he withdrew part way and then thrust back inside her. She moaned again, and a deep rumble vibrated through his chest. She rubbed her hands over his muscles, enjoying the feel of his silken skin under her fingers. He plunged in and out of her, snarling softly as her body undulated beneath him.
Gunner rocked inside her, and she moaned every time he filled her. His beautiful body, his patience, and rough sensuality obliterated all of her past trysts. Not that there had been many. She wanted this moment to last forever, to be endlessly excited, but she knew she couldn’t. Her body was already trembling with the promise of a climax even more satisfying than the last. And, oh, she wanted him to come, she wanted to reciprocate the amazing release he had given her.
Instinctively, she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts; her legs dug into his waist urging him to go faster. With a roar, he did. He sped up his movements until he was crashing against her body.
“Are you okay?” he gasped as he drove in and out of her.
He was concerned about her, but he needn’t have been. No way did she want him to stop. “Don’t stop…” she whimpered.
Gunner flashed her a predatory grin as he swiveled his hips. He grazed her clit, once, twice and she screamed as an orgasm thundered through her.
She bucked against him, clawing at his shoulders, rippling and tightening around his cock, buried so deeply inside her. It was the most intense sensation, and she was caught between wanting it to end and needing to ride out the waves.
It was too much for Gunner; with one final plunge inside her body, he stilled and bellowed her name as he reached his own completion. They clung to one another as they shook and trembled through the aftershocks.
Finally calming, he twisted onto his side, keeping his softening manhood firmly sheathed inside her. He hooked her leg over his hip and ran his hand up and down her smooth skin as his sex pulsed and softened.
Erin marveled that even at half-mast he filled her. It was strange yet comforting to feel him still within her. It somehow felt more intimate than when they were actually having sex. Probably the post coital bliss she’d only ever read about. Her other partners would already have been zipping up their pants by now. She’d half-expected Gunner to just up and run too. She wouldn’t have minded if he did. Heck, a wooly mammoth could run through her living room at that moment, and she’d just smile and wave at it. Good sex, no, great sex, was certainly enough to make you forget your troubles, momentarily at least.
She considered telling him that it was okay if he wanted to go; he didn’t have to stay if he didn’t want to. He certainly didn’t owe her anything. But, oh, the hands cupping and massaging her ass felt so good; the feel of his hard chest against her breasts felt so pleasant. Maybe just a few more minutes.
“You okay, babe?” he rumbled.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“I didn’t hurt you?”
“No.”
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
Erin slapped his arm as forcefully as she could, which wasn’t very at that moment in time. No, at that moment, she felt almost boneless.
“You’re just fishing for compliments.”
“True,” he chuckled. “You were amazing.”
Gunner placed a kiss on the top of her head and dang it if her sex didn’t just start fluttering. Forget the ecstasy she’d just been given, she was ready for more. So greedy!
Apparently she wasn’t the only one. Erin let out a garbled ‘ooh’ as he swelled inside her.
“Round two, babe?” he asked smugly.
What she wouldn’t give to do something about that damn smug tone. Maybe after…
“Yes, please,” she murmured.
Well, she was only human.
Chapter Eight
Gunner jerked awake as Erin started mumbling and twitching. Disorientated for a couple of seconds, he soon recalled the events that had led him to this unfamiliar bed and smiled.
He hadn’t intended to spend the night with her. He’d only intended to drive her home as usual
, but that look of hopefulness when she’d offered him coffee made him pause. He’d never dated a human, but he’d been told that the invitation to have coffee was actually code for something else. But, given that it was Cutter who told him that he couldn’t be certain as to the truth, so he’d been careful as to his next move. The shifters he’d been with had never bothered with a code. When he’d taken them home they’d eagerly blurted out, ‘let’s fuck,’ and he was never in any doubt as to what they wanted. But then most of them did just want a meaningless coupling; it was rare for them to look to him to become anything more.
Of course, when Erin had confessed she didn’t have coffee, he knew what she had meant. And lord, he hadn’t been able to stop himself. His bear had pushed him, and he’d given in, uncaring as to the consequences, uncaring as to his previous resolves. Not that he could possibly regret what had happened. The feel of her body entwined with his had been breathtaking. He’d never known such… fulfillment. Something he was keen to repeat as soon as damn possible.
Erin had fallen asleep in his arms, but during the course of the night, she had somehow managed to work her way over to the other side of the bed. And if her frantic little movements were anything to go by, she was having a bad dream.
He reached over and gently pulled her closer to him. His bear whimpered at the painful moans she emitted as her sleeping face scrunched up. He guessed she dreamed about the horrific things she saw in her visions. It troubled him to know that he could never do anything about that. If punching something could make her gifts any easier to handle he would, but sadly, life wasn’t that easy. He settled for running his thumb down her forehead and making soothing hushing noises. He’d seen his mother do that for his nephew once, and was gratified when Erin seemed to calm. He pressed a kiss to her temple and slipped out of bed.
Gunner gave himself a quick tour of her apartment and was altogether unhappy with what he found. The place was shabby. The wallpaper was peeling in several places, the furniture looked like it had been rescued from underneath an overpass – presumably after being thrown over the overpass - and the kitchen appliances looked like they had never worked properly even when they were new – back in the 1970s. What was Erin thinking living there?
He shook his head and peeked into her refrigerator. It was disturbingly bare, containing little more than orange juice, milk teetering on the edge of being out of date and some leftover Chinese food. Jeez. He moved onto the rest of her kitchen, becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the contents.
Gunner closed his eyes and banged his head against a shelf. Taking care of his little mate was even harder than he thought. He was all for eating junk food. Hey, he could down two dozen donuts in one go without pausing to take a breath. But, seriously, that had to be combined with proper meals like a nice slab of juicy meat, some mashed potatoes, green beans, crusty bread slathered in butter… Mmmm, his bear rumbled happily at the thought. The scrappy bits of food in Erin’s kitchen could barely even be called food. Microwave meals, noodle pots, and cheap ass corn chips were not filling or nutritious.
He needed to make sure she started eating better. It wasn’t the only thing he needed to change. He really needed to improve the locks on her apartment. He’d wanted to before now, but had been hesitant about it, fearing that it might have been crossing a line. Instead, he’d dropped hint after hint in the hope that she might be spurred into doing something herself. No such luck. She was perilously oblivious to safety matters. Something he intended to change.
Then there was this nonsense about her getting around on the bus. He was trying to drive her everywhere that he could, but he was aware that he couldn’t be with her all the time. If he couldn’t persuade her to get her own car, then he’d find a way to make her use his. He’d borrow one of the Agency SUVs. As a team leader, he was entitled.
Gunner wondered how she would react to these proposed changes. It wasn’t like he was trying to change her - he wouldn’t dream of it - but he wanted to improve her life. Isn’t that what mates were supposed to do?
He was cut off from his thoughts when he heard a confused whine from the bedroom. He quickly made his way back there to find his disheveled little human half-awake and frowning at his empty side of the bed.
She caught sight of him in the doorway. “Are you leaving?”
“Nah, babe.”
He sidled over to the bed and slid under the covers. He moved her round, so they were spooning and wrapped his burly arms around her small frame.
“Good,” she mumbled and then promptly fell asleep.
Yes, it was good.
*
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Erin jumped at the softly spoken words. She felt like a thief in the night, slinking out of bed and leaving her lover. Yes, her lover. There, she thought it. Although, there was no way in hell she would say it out loud. It would most likely send Gunner running for the hills if he knew she thought of him that way.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to wake you. I forgot that I’m supposed to be seeing my family for lunch today. It’s kind of a party to celebrate my sister’s engagement. Tons of my family will be there.” It wasn’t how she wanted to spend her Saturday, but she didn’t exactly have a choice.
She’d stayed in bed as long as she could before she absolutely had to get up. She’d spent an hour watching Gunner sleep; memorizing every inch of his perfect body and completely mesmerized by the rise and fall of his massive chest. Being with him had been, what? Incredible? Outstanding? But, just lying in bed with him, that was more comforting than anything she had ever hoped for. He hadn’t run off under the pretext of needing to get up early the next day; unlike the others, he’d stayed with her for the whole night. Not that she’d ever really wanted her exes to spend the night. No, there was only one man in the world she wanted in her bed and, dagnammit, by some miracle, there he was.
Gunner’s forehead creased as he sought out his watch. “Lunch? It’s 9am.”
She knew that. She wouldn’t have been anywhere but in that bed if it weren’t necessary.
“I know, but I have to get a bus to the coach station and then a coach that’ll get me there for about 11.00. I don’t want to be late. I don’t really get along with my family, and I don’t want to make things worse.”
He scowled at her. “Have you even had breakfast yet?”
Erin prickled at his response. What did that matter to him? “No, I’ll probably get a breakfast burrito on the way.”
His eyes narrowed at her. “Where do they live?”
“Feather Point.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “That’s like an hour away by car.”
“For people who have cars, sure.”
He whipped the covers off his naked frame and Erin blinked at him. How, oh how, had she tricked this god-like man into her bed? As she recalled, he seemed to want to be there. It was mind boggling.
“I’ll drive you,” he said simply.
“You’ll what?” she spluttered.
He shrugged and strode into the bathroom; she scuttled after him as he stepped into the shower. After a few minutes, it was clear that she was just watching him showering. Although she was enjoying herself as he soaped up his massive muscles, common sense kicked in and she dragged herself out of there before the urge to jump in and scrub his back became too much.
Minutes later, as she paced her apartment wringing her hands, he strode out of the bathroom, with a big grin on his face and smelling like her shampoo. He collected his clothes and pulled them on. Fleetingly, she thought it was a shame to cover up such yummy flesh.
Erin bit her lip. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t want to feel like I’m making you do this.”
He frowned as he came to stand in front of her. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.”
“You didn’t want to accept me onto your team.”
She immediately regretted her words, but rather than the anger she feared, he merely chuckled softly and wrapped a strand
of her hair round his fingers.
“Fair point, but if I really didn’t want to be on the same team as you, I could have quit. I’m glad the Director hired you. And as for this morning, you’re not asking, I’m offering.”
“Thank you.” She warmed at his words. He was ‘glad’ to have met her. Alright, it wasn’t exactly romantic, but it was better than what he could have said.
“Will you introduce me to your parents?”
Erin couldn’t help it. Her eyes bulged at that. He wanted to meet her parents! Did he want to be permanently involved? Or was he just curious as to the people who had brought such a basket case into the world?
Gunner’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t regret last night, do you?”
“What? No, of course not, it was… it was wonderful.” Something she wanted to repeat over and over again, and then a few more times after that to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.
He sighed, in relief she thought. “Good, so let’s go see your parents.”
“Oh, umm, yes, let’s.”
Why did she feel like she was being railroaded? But then why was she so happy about that? Part of her seemed to think that if he met her family, it would be harder for him just to walk away and tell her it was a one-night stand.
He took her hand and started pulling her to the door; she had just enough time to grab her purse. “We’ll get a proper breakfast on the way,” he declared.
His tone implied that arguing the matter was absolutely futile, so she simply murmured in agreement.
*
Gunner stared at Erin, and she had trouble meeting his gaze. He assumed because of embarrassment, but he couldn’t be sure. Perhaps because of memories of the previous night. Whatever it was, his bear didn’t like it one bit. He feared that she was trying to pull away.
Reluctantly, he dragged his eyes away from her and started attacking his breakfast with gusto. She’d been amazed at just how much food he’d ordered, and he’s been amazed at how little she’d ordered.
