With his cat pressuring him to obey, Aidan slapped her ass cheek once before running a hand over her hip. Leaning slightly to extend his reach, he nuzzled her leg next to his face, kissed it gently, and then brushed her clit and then again.
“Mm, yes. Harder.”
Pressing against her nub, Claire arched her back as she screamed his name.
Aidan didn’t stop moving, loving the feel of her spasming around his dick.
As Claire came down from her orgasm, he let go of his control, slamming into her pussy before pulling back and repeating the process all over again.
The pressure was building at the base of his spine and his cat wanted to brand her.
Between the wet heat of Claire’s pussy, her scent, and feel of her soft skin against his, Aidan agreed with his cougar and finally let go. Roaring her name, he stilled and filled her with his seed.
His cougar was smug. She would carry his scent for hours, at least.
After his cock gave one final spasm, he leaned over Claire’s body and kissed her damp shoulder. “Holy hell, woman, you nearly killed me.”
A chuckled rumbled under his lips before she answered, “Glad you think that way, because I rather thought it was the other way around.”
“So I take it by your screams you like the shifter way.”
Claire battled a smile. “Maybe, but if you expect me to beg every night, you’re in for a surprise.”
“Hell, I’ll settle for every other night.”
His female shook her head. “Men.”
Pulling out, he moved up and rolled Claire on top of him. “Hey, you could always do your payback later. I won’t complain.”
Shaking her head again, Claire snuggled into his chest and he held her close in silence. The quiet wasn’t strained, though, but rather comfortable. He could only imagine what was running through her mind.
Breathing in her scent as he kissed her hair, both man and cat were content in a way Aidan hadn’t believed he could be again. A soft, warm female with spirit had dropped into his life and made him feel again. Not only that, she was intelligent and Chloe adored her.
Claire was his second chance.
His human may not know it yet, but whatever it took, he wasn’t letting her go. Fuck the authorities and their bullshit laws. He was keeping her.
Chapter Thirteen
Listening to Aidan’s heartbeat, Claire’s brain slowly started working again. While sore, she would love to go a few more rounds until Aidan reached his promised four orgasms. Yet she couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.
Here she was enjoying the clever and playful shifter at her side while his daughter had no idea how her life would soon change forever.
Rubbing her hand through Aidan’s light spattering of chest hair, she sighed. “As much as I want to spend the rest of the day with you, we need to get our story straight and talk to Chloe. I’ll take a rain check on the other orgasms you owe me.”
Aidan stroked her hip in silence. Just as Claire was about to speak up again, his voice rumbled inside his chest, “I love that you think of my daughter over your own needs. You’re a special kind of woman, Claire Davis.”
Lifting her head, she looked up into his eyes. “Considering you agreed to play the part of my fiancé, I would say you’re a special kind of man.”
He squeezed her hip. “Oh, I’m not going to be playing the part. You’re mine, Claire. I’m keeping you.”
She waited for panic or outrage, but nothing came. If anything, her heart skipped a beat in agreement. Choosing her words carefully, she asked, “It’s only been a couple days. How can you be sure?”
Hooking a finger under her chin, his eyes flashed amber. “Because you’re smart, sexy, and don’t put up with my shit. I also feel lighter than I have since Emily’s death. Not only that, I’ve seen how you act with Chloe. You treat her as your own daughter, and I can see Chloe likes you. All of that in one package is pretty rare. Why the hell would I give it up?” He moved his thumb to her lower lip. “Outside forces might have pushed us together, but being assigned to retrieve you was the best fucking thing that has happened to me in a long while. Give me a chance, Claire, and I will treat you like the queen you are.” He pulled her lower lip and released. “Or, rather, should I say president? You are rather used to being in charge.”
Claire finally let out the breath she’d been holding and smiled. “I’m glad you realize that now, because I’m not ever going to be some weak, doormat of a woman. I’m always going to keep you on your toes, Aidan Scott, if you’ll have me.”
Aidan lifted her chin a fraction and searched her eyes. Claire wasn’t sure where the words had come from considering it’d been two days, but everything just felt right with Aidan in a way she’d never felt before. Hell, the one man she’d been with for a year hadn’t synced with Claire as much as Aidan had in the past two days.
She may be thirty-one years old, but as she waited for Aidan’s reply, her heart beat overtime as if she were a teenage girl asking a boy out on a date. It hadn’t been done often in her time, and the result could be unpredictable.
Then Aidan grinned and relief flooded her body. “You do realize what this means, then?”
Okay, that wasn’t the response she expected. “What?”
Aidan leaned down until his face was mere inches from hers. “That we’re going to fight for marriage equality for real.”
She blinked. Marriage. The word didn’t scare her. Rather, it made their success all the more critical. “If that is a proposal, Aidan Scott, then you need to up your game.”
Laughing, Aidan scooted back and pulled Claire upright until she was sitting at his side. Cupping her cheek, he cleared his throat. “Well, seeing as it’s illegal for now, asking seems unnecessary.”
She glared. “Insufferable shifter.”
He winked. “Yep, and you’re stuck with me, my little human because I won’t take no for an answer.”
Rolling her eyes, she sighed. “I can see you’re not going to make this easy on me.”
“No.” He drew her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. “But you wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Battling a grin, she lost. “Will you do all the cooking, at least?”
“Oh, I think I could manage that.” He leaned in until his lips were a hair’s breadth from hers. “Kiss me to seal the deal, then.”
Placing a gentle kiss on his lips, she pulled away. Aidan growled, but Claire shook her head. “No more for now. We need to get our facts straight for the clan and then talk to Chloe.”
Squeezing her close, Aidan murmured, “The facts are pretty simple. You prodded and pushed until I couldn’t help but notice you.”
“Okay, that makes me sound desperate, like I wanted to trap you or something.”
Grinning, he caressed her cheek. “Other shifters will understand, so you’ll have to think of the human way to explain things.”
“Well, most human females will see your face and think I went after you because of your hotness.”
He frowned. “Hotness? At thirty-nine, I’m nearly ancient by human media standards.”
Claire bit his lip. It was cute the way Aidan doubted his sexiness. To be honest, once they were in public, Claire was going to have her hands full keeping other women away. “They say forty is the new thirty.” She winked. “You’re in your prime, which I can very much attest to if asked.”
With a grunt, he replied, “Fine. But getting back to the story, I think the truth is best. You may not realize it, but you’re irresistible, Claire, and any man who doesn’t realize that is a fool.”
Aidan’s eyes were honest and it warmed her heart. He was definitely a keeper. “Look at you being all romantic. It’s a far cry from the verbally stunted shifter who walked naked with me in the snow.”
“Like you can complain. I saw you check out my cock more than once.”
Claire’s cheeks heated. “Yes, well, it was hard to miss.”
He grinned. “Was it
, now?” Her cheeks grew even hotter at being called out. Aidan laughed and kissed her nose. “As much as I love seeing you shy and embarrassed for a change, we should probably clean up and talk with Chloe. I want her to hear the information from us and not through the grapevine.”
“I agree, and not just because it will stop you from teasing me some more.”
After giving Claire a quick, rough kiss, he slid her off his lap. “Oh, I will be doing a lot more teasing. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Crawling off the bed, she stood and looked down at him. “Good, because that means war and I intend to win.”
With a growl, he reached for her but Claire moved out of the way and rushed to the bathroom door. She paused long enough to say, “Showering together will distract you, so you can shower at your place. I’ll come over when I’m done, after you’ve left.”
He strode toward the door, but she shut and locked it. At his growl, she giggled. Yes, being with Aidan Scott would never be dull.
~~~
Aidan walked home to his apartment, hand-in-hand with his daughter. Her silence worried him, but Aidan’s brother had assured him that Chloe didn’t know about the photo.
Yet glancing down at his daughter, her inner cat must sense the tension in the clan. Just because Chloe didn’t know about the leaked photo didn’t mean everyone else was ignorant, too.
Squeezing Chloe’s hand, he wanted to make her smile. “Did you want left over enchiladas for dinner? I know how you love them reheated.”
Chloe shook her head, her mop of tight curls bouncing. “No, there’s not enough for everyone. Claire’s coming to dinner, isn’t she? It would be mean to eat them in front of her.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Yes, Claire will be eating dinner with us. Do you have any recommendations? Since you survived my ‘learning to cook’ phase, you know better than anyone what to avoid. I don’t want to make her sick.”
Chloe smiled up at him. “Then don’t make stew. The meat always turns out weird and the carrots too mushy.”
“Okay, no stew. How about chow mein?”
At the mention of her second favorite food, Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Yes, we should definitely have chow mein.” Her look grew suspicious. “You never make enchiladas and chow mein back-to-back. You say it will spoil me and everyone should learn to eat things they don’t like very much.”
Damn. His daughter was too smart for her own good.
As they made the final turn to their apartment, he picked up his pace. “Well, I can make curry, if you like.”
Chloe scrunched up her nose. “That is another food you shouldn’t make Claire. You always make it too spicy.”
Arriving at the door, he nodded as he turned the knob. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Claire was sitting on the sofa, her hair still damp from the shower. She wore his baggy sweatshirt and a pair of yoga pants, no doubt to taunt him with the shape of her legs.
Thankfully, Chloe raced over to Claire before he could think too much about his human’s legs and Chloe clapped her hands. “Guess what Daddy’s making for dinner?”
Claire sat up straighter with a smile. “Something good, I hope.”
Chloe nodded. “Yes, chow mein. It’s another specialty. I think he wants to spoil you so you’ll stay.” Chloe glanced over her shoulder at her dad and then back to whisper, “But I hope it works. I like you Claire. Daddy smiles more when you’re around.”
Aidan watched as Claire’s face softened. Then his human tucked some curls behind Chloe’s ear. “So you want me to stay, then, if I could?”
Chloe nodded. “Yes, but Lauren says it’s difficult for humans to live here. Only because she stays all the time can our clan protect her.” His daughter sat on the edge of the sofa and touched Claire’s hair. “Are you going to stay all the time? Daddy would be happy and you would make a good mommy.”
Aidan held his breath. Chloe was always bold with words, but he could hear the thread of longing in her voice.
Claire framed Chloe’s face with her hands. “I would like it very much, but only if you don’t mind. I would be living with you and your daddy and I don’t want to ruin things. After all, you two have been a team for a long time before I came.”
Without hesitation, Chloe answered, “Yes, but our team has room for more. You should stay. Then you can help me with my paper flowers. I want to learn how to make a really good one by myself that isn’t all crumpled.”
Aidan wished he could leave it at that, but he needed to make sure his daughter fully understood the situation. He walked over to her and crouched until he was eye level. Staring into his daughter’s amber eyes, he kept his voice cautious. “Chloe, love, if Claire stays, she’ll be my mate.”
His daughter bobbed her head. “I like that. Then maybe I can have a little brother or sister. I’ve always wanted one. Then I’d have someone to play with all the time.”
Aidan blinked. “What?”
Chloe shrugged. “You can’t have a baby by yourself. You need a female.”
Aidan cleared his throat. “Claire might not have any children. Is that the only reason you want her to stay?”
Chloe glanced to Claire and back to him. “No, you also act different around Claire. You laugh and smile. Jeff’s parents always laugh and smile together, so I hoped Claire would stay. I don’t like you sad, Daddy.”
His throat closed with emotion as he pulled his daughter into a hug. After kissing her hair, he whispered, “You’re the best daughter in the world, Chloe Nicole Scott. I love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy.” Chloe leaned back and there was mischief in her eyes. “Maybe tomorrow you can cook me lasagna as a reward.”
Laughing, he looked to Claire and explained, “Lasagna is her third favorite food. She’s determined to go down the list.”
Claire smiled and then winked at Chloe. “Well, your daddy has agreed to cook every day, so you can help me plan the dinners.”
He sighed. “It’s going to be two against one from now on, isn’t it?”
Chloe patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I will sometimes be on your side, just so you don’t get lonely.”
As everyone laughed, Aidan moved until he could hug Chloe with one arm and Claire with the other. Through a strange web of events, he finally had a family again and he would do whatever it took to protect them. There was no way in hell he was going to lose them if he could help it.
Chapter Fourteen
The next evening, Aidan guided Claire and Chloe into the main meeting area. While Claire knew it was usually used for announcements and clan gatherings, she hadn’t expected a large cavern full of stalactites glowing with soft lighting. Or, to find a large stage decorated in evergreen boughs, ribbon, and gold and silver draping material.
Aidan nodded toward the stage. “That’s for us, Claire.”
While she was determined to stay with Aidan, seeing the stage made everything seem more real and her stomach flipped.
Everything will be fine. Sure, she had no idea what to expect living with DarkStalker long term, but Aidan, Kian, and even little Chloe would help her through it all.
Pushing aside her nervousness, she replied, “It’s beautiful. Although, if those decorations are just for a claiming ceremony, I can’t imagine what they would be for a mating ceremony.”
Chloe spoke up. “It’s much simpler. But I hope you don’t mind blood. The cutting palms and holding hands part is a little gross.”
Claire had researched shifter mating ceremonies as part of her job. After all, the problem was human law not recognizing the matings as a legal marriage, which in the case of human-shifter pairings, should grant certain privileges. She only hoped when her time came, she could cut her palm without flinching.
Provided, of course, she wasn’t arrested first.
Rather than think about the work she and Aidan had to do before November, she focused on the empty space. “Where is everyone, by the way? It’s really empty with just us.”
Aidan motioned toward the stage with his head. “We’ll stand up there, and then everyone will be allowed in. The point of the claiming ceremony is to show the entire clan that you belong to me.”
As they approached the stage, she raised an eyebrow. “So, I’m property then? Are you going to sell me if I don’t behave?”
Chloe giggled. “No, silly. Daddy can’t sell you. He belongs to you too. Shifter mates belong to each other.”
Her soon-to-be stepdaughter’s giggles were infectious and Claire couldn’t help but smile. “Well, that I can live with. Although, your daddy belongs to more than just me. He belongs to both of us.”
Chloe nodded. “Yes, so we need to protect him.”
Aidan rolled his eyes. “I’m standing right here. Did you conveniently forget that I’m one of the head sentries? I can protect myself.”
Chloe beat her to the punch. “Our job is to protect you from sadness.”
They ascended the few steps to the stage and Aidan moved them both in front of him before releasing their hands. “Somehow, I don’t think it’s sadness I’ll need protecting from.”
Grinning, Claire tilted her head. “What, are you afraid of little old us?”
He grunted. “The two of you together will bring trouble.”
Claire was about to tease her man further when the giant wooden doors at the far side of the cavern opened. Kian and Trinity slipped in and then the door closed behind them.
Immediately, the playfulness and ease disappeared. Even Chloe straightened her shoulders as Kian approached, his limp in no way diminishing the control and dominance he exuded. Being steady all the time for the sake of the clan had to be exhausting.
For the first time, it hit Claire how lonely being clan leader could be.
Then Trinity wrapped an arm around Kian’s waist and Claire realized DarkStalker’s leader would always have his mate to lean upon.
Kian smiled and nodded at each of them in turn. “Everyone’s waiting, if you’re prepared.”
Resisting the Cougar (Cascade Shifters #2) Page 12
