No Passing Zone: Chosen Book 24

by J. D. Light

  "Is it life and death?" I asked, my chest heaving with my panting breaths, as my hands moved over the planes of his back.

  "Maybe a little." He sucked on my bottom lip, making me whimper, and I started shaking my head.

  "Not a good enough reason."

  I couldn't stop right then. Not for anything. I'd never craved something so much in my life as the feel of him against me. I needed more. I needed us both naked and pressed together. I needed to see him and feel him.

  "Please," I groaned, hoping he would know what it was that I needed.

  Groaning he pulled back looking down into my face with the same need I felt swimming just under the surface of my skin.

  He pushed himself off of me, immediately going for the fly of his pants as he danced around trying to toe his shoes off, and I finally got to see his naked chest.

  I was completely stunned. I knew by the way he carried himself sometimes that he was actually pretty self-conscious about his size, but that could only be because he'd never seen himself the way I was getting to see him.

  His muscles were thick, and though he wasn't lean and chiseled, they were obvious and absolutely spectacular.

  He finally managed to get his clothing off, and I just continued to stare, mouth open and eyes wide as I took him all in. And there was a lot to take in. The man was definitely proportionate, and my ass flexed instinctively at the prospect of his dick sliding inside.

  I'd never had sex before. Obviously, since I'd never been kissed or even wanted to be touched in the past, but I'd definitely had toys, though even my biggest dildo hadn't been near the size of the man in front of me.

  He bit his lip, a blush moving over his skin, and I couldn't help but smile as his cheeks, neck and chest turned a familiar shade of pink.

  God, how could I be falling for the man so quickly? How could I derive such happiness from his blushes?

  He bent slowly to pull his socks off, and even the way the muscles in his thick legs bunched made my body tingle with need.

  His eyes fell to my shorts and I knew my shy rhino wouldn't ask me to take them off. He was far too worried about making me feel uncomfortable, and the fact that he cared so much about how I felt made my chest ache with the need to have him in my life. And definitely back in my bed.

  I eased my shorts and underwear down at the same time, watching his face intently as he continued to look me over again and again, not ignoring my scars as I would have thought, but letting his eyes move over them in the same way he did the rest of me. Like they were just as beautiful to him somehow.

  When I was fully naked and lying before him on the bed, I watched in awe as his dick flexed hard and a thick drop of pre-cum slid over his plump head, clinging to the ridge.

  I licked my lips, wanting a taste, wondering if the scarred-up corner of my mouth would allow me to open my lips far enough to wrap around his glorious cock, so I could taste him more intimately than I had already.

  "Wow," he said huskily, his gaze almost dazed as he moved toward me, settling his knees between mine.

  He eased himself slowly down on top of me, one hand bracing him against the bed so he wouldn't fall on me, while the other landed low on my abs before slowly moving up the center of my body, until he pressed a thumb beneath my chin, lowering himself more fully onto me, and pressing his mouth to my neck.

  I whined, loving the way his body felt against mine, but wishing his mouth was against the right side of my neck so I could feel more. My nipple brushed against his chest and I tried to press it more firmly to him, arching my back.

  The move made our lower bodies press together and the pre-cum that rolled onto my stomach immediately smeared between us as I rocked against him. His cock pressed against my thigh, hard and I dug my fingers into his back, needing to pull him closer, somehow.

  He pressed a kiss to my jaw before nuzzling his face against mine, and I continued to rock against him. The heat of his breath sank inside my ear canal, making me shiver pleasantly, before realization made cold settle hard in my stomach, and I turned my head quickly, clutching him hard, and hoping I didn't hurt him.

  Freezing, he pulled back, eyes wide as he looked at me. I swallowed hard when he gripped my chin, turning my head back the way it was before, leaning down to press his lips against the skin just below my ear canal, and I tried to pull away again.

  "Sh, Malik," he whispered, his lips dragging softly against my skin. "Stop, okay? I think you are the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my life. This doesn't change that." He pressed forward again, his breath tickling the inside of my ear and making goosebumps pop up all over my body. "God! I love the way you feel against me," he groaned, making me whimper.

  He'd seen it all. He'd seen every ugly thing about me, and he was still there, still kissing my ruined skin and talking to me like he wanted me. And not just a little, either.

  Turning my head, I took his mouth again, pouring all the happiness I never thought I'd get to feel into the kiss, letting him know how much he meant to me.

  He groaned, rocking his hips against me, putting exquisite pressure on my cock. I moaned, needing more. When I reached down, Rowe pulled his hips back, allowing me access to our dicks. I shifted my hips and lined our lengths up, grasping them together, and we both groaned into the kiss.

  Everything in me tightened, and my balls drew up. My spine bowed and I jerked my head back shouting out my release as his mouth landed on my neck, and he grunted against my throat as his cum joined mine between us.

  "Fuck," he panted against my throat, his shoulders shaking slightly.

  He took a few moments to move backward and off of me, clearly spent. When he finally did, I chuckled at the blush that crept across his skin when he looked down between us at the mess we'd made, and he quickly moved to get us a towel, coming back to clean me off before rewetting it and cleaning himself.

  Something about that seemed sweet and one hundred percent Rowe, and I moved up the bed, completely uncaring of my nudity.

  "You're staying in here," I told him when he came back into the room, and my body tried to respond at the sight of him, completely naked, his still partially swollen dick bobbing in front of him enticingly.

  "Okay." He smiled shyly, his face happy and also red as he bypassed his clothes and climbed up in bed, peeling the covers back so we could both get under them.

  I turned to face him, not surprised to find him watching me with emotion-filled eyes. I loved that about him. And with the insecurities mostly out of the way, I could more easily enjoy the look for what it really was, someone finding me appealing… attractive.

  "What?" I asked, after he spent a few moments opening and shutting his mouth, clearly wanting to say something, but because he was Rowe, probably worried about hurting my feelings or offending me in some way.

  He licked his lips, swallowing hard. "Was I really your first kiss?" he asked on a whisper, his cheeks warming quickly.

  Shouldn't I be the one blushing here?

  Chuckling, I scooted closer, pressing my body against his and sighing happily when his arm pulled me even closer, and I tucked my head under his chin, my eyes feeling heavy.

  "Yeah," I said on a yawn, my jaw cracking. "I'm not usually okay with people touching me." He stiffened, and started to pull away, but I grabbed him. "No! Don't stop." I burrowed closer, letting him see that I was where I wanted to be. "I like it when you touch me."

  "I'm only thirty-seven," he said quietly, and I frowned through my sleepy haze, wondering what that had to do with anything. "I've only been with two people."

  "Oh," I said, a little surprised. I guessed when I thought about it, that made sense. With him being that young and that shy, it was actually pretty understandable, but I had just assumed he'd been like most of the other shifters I'd heard talk about sex.

  "They were… not special, or even all that good. I was nervous and shy, and I think they were expecting me to be a bit more forceful than I am." He paused, cringing. "Sorry, I just meant to tell you
that I didn't kiss either of them either, and the peck on the lips I got in sixth grade from a girl who was dared doesn't really count to me."

  "Are you telling me I was your first kiss too?" I asked, smiling against the skin of his chest.

  "Yeah. But I can't imagine a kiss being any better," he said softly. "I think I might already be addicted to kissing you."

  I sighed happily, letting my eyes close completely and my body sag against his. "Me too," I said as I fell asleep, my body feeling completely sated and happy, and my mind and heart feeling settled and content.

  Chapter Four

  "You're my mate," I blurted, right there in the middle of the fucking bread aisle, cringing when I could almost hear every shifter in the entire store grind to a complete halt.

  There was a stunned moment as Malik spun slowly in my direction, blinking owlishly, and then I watched out of the corner of my eyes as heads started appearing around the endcaps, every bit as wide-eyed and shocked as Malik.

  "What?" he whispered after a moment. "How?" His eyes widened, and he quickly looked around, lowering his voice before stepping closer, motioning back and forth between our crotches spastically, his voice going high. "That mated us?"

  Not wanting to be too dramatic… well, more dramatic that I was already being, I refrained from smacking myself in the forehead with my palm. Shaking my head, I sighed. "No. The other kind of mate."

  Of course, that was the conclusion he'd jumped to. Braden had already warned me that it had taken him a little bit to get his mind wrapped around the different types of mates. The man hadn't grown up a shifter and had been introduced into the shifter world with the threat of being mated off to someone he didn't even know.

  He blinked for a moment, the shock slowly starting to clear from his face. "Like Braden and Meyers?"

  I nodded, licking my lips. "Yeah."

  I knew this could go either way. I still wasn't sure how convinced I was that Malik might even be interested in a mate. I maybe was about to get beaten to death with an Italian loaf.

  Dropping his chin to his chest, he took a deep breath, huffing out a small laugh before shaking his head and looking back up at me. "Anyone ever tell you that your timing is fucking terrible?"

  I glanced around at all the smirking heads watching us and cringed again, knowing I was blushing by the stinging heat in my cheeks and ears. "Sorry," I whispered. "I was going to tell you last night… but we got distracted."

  "And again this morning," he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, making our audience snicker and my face get hotter.

  He frowned down the aisle, pursing his lips. "Well, at least in the middle of the grocery store you know I can't really jump you."

  I bit my lip, trying to fight a smile, but I could feel the happiness trying to bubble out of me, my body almost vibrating with it. "You want to jump me?" I asked, stepping closer and pulling him into my arms. "I was a little worried you'd run."

  His smile was breathtaking, and I wished he could see it. If he could see the way he looked right then, he'd never worry about his scars ever again, because they honestly didn’t matter. His smile was so fucking radiant, I was willing to bet there wasn't a soul in the room that even realized he had scars.

  "Wait!" he said suddenly. "Do you want to claim me?"

  "Yes, definitely," I said, nodding, hoping like crazy that it was the right answer, because I was leaning in for a kiss, and I really didn't want to get head-butted in the face.

  He wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me hard. It would have been a beautiful moment, if it wasn't for the grumbles coming from the shifters who'd apparently hoped for the Italian bread scenario and seemed to be quite disappointed by the outcome.

  "Do I need to worry about you causing trouble again?" Someone asked from behind me, and I eased away from my mate, pressing another quick kiss to his lips before turning to find a tall lean man with dark brown hair, watching my mate with amusement in his blue-green eyes.

  He wasn't big and bulky like me, and he could definitely be classified as pretty, though his fit body and the way he carried himself, definitely depicted a man who knew how to move. He smelled like tiger, and when he moved forward, he prowled like a cat.

  I knew one thing for damn sure, I didn't like the way he talked to my mate like they were friends.

  "Who the hell are you?" I growled, not usually one to be prone to violence when not warranted by a threat made to someone else, but feeling more than a little bit like I could get used to the idea pretty quick

  Malik gripped my shirt, jerking me back to him so he could snuggle against my chest as he frowned over at the man, curling his lip. "Don't you ever leave?"

  The man chuckled before giving me his attention. "I'm River. And no, I don't leave. Not unless he does."

  My mate and I looked in the direction he pointed to the handsome cashier. The blond was in the middle of ringing up a little old lady with purple hair and a purple sequined bag, giving her a giant smile as the woman went on and on about her lovely granddaughter that she would love to introduce him to.

  "Wait," Malik said, narrowing his eyes on the guy and tilting his head to the side. "I think I know him."

  "Logan Fisher," River grumbled, glaring daggers at the matchmaking grandmother and pursing his lips. "He's on the list."

  "That's right." Malik turned back to River, giving the man his attention, but it was hard to get too jealous when he was standing with his arms wrapped around my waist, one hand rubbing circles on my lower back, and nuzzling his cheek against the front of my T-shirt absently. "Has anyone showed up for him?"

  River shook his head, his attention finally off the handsome young man, and back on us. "No." He took a moment to raise an eyebrow at us, his lips twitching in amusement. "I don't think they know where to find him. He originally bought a ticket back to Arizona but found out his parents hadn't even filed a missing person's report."

  The kid glanced over at us, tilting his head to the side to study the three of us for a moment before giving River a nod.

  “It's something they've been looking for lately with the ones they save, because a few of the chosen who were captured nearly went right back to homes where their parents or siblings or other family members were more than willing to sell them right back into human trafficking like it's not one of the most horrific things you could do to a person." Shaking his head, he sighed. "I wasn't there when Grayson had to explain to him that his parents hadn't told the police he was missing, and what it could possibly imply, but Grayson said he just sighed and nodded, like it wasn't even that much of a surprise. He decided not to take the chance, so he stayed, but as far as most people know, he was headed to Arizona the last time anyone around here saw him. I think Grayson decided to keep it secret so if the parents ever called and asked someone without him around, they wouldn't give the information away."

  "Do you think that was what really happened with his parents?" Malik asked, squeezing me tighter.

  River shrugged, watching the boy as he helped another customer. "Don't know. But if they weren't even looking for him, something was up. They either knew exactly where he'd gone, or they didn't care."

  "Yeah," I grumbled, wishing it was as simple to help a human who'd been abandoned by their parents as it was to help a skunk. "Does he know you're assigned to watch him?"

  "Yeah, he does now." Rivers smiled crookedly. "I overheard him telling one of the younger streak members that he was starting to get nervous about the guy that always seemed to be watching him, so I thought I should probably tell him." The smile dropped from his face, and he swallowed. "I tried telling him he was my mate, but he laughed directly in my face."

  "You tried telling him he was your mate?" Malik said, incredulously. "Why would you lie about that?"

  I had to admit, as much as I was for some reason starting to like River, who I just then realized I'd seen in the store before, doing exactly what he was doing right then, watching Logan intently, lying to the man about being his ma
te seemed like a sin.

  "I didn't," he said quietly, glancing around. "He actually is my mate, but he didn't believe me. I thought he was going to pass out laughing."

  "Ouch," Malik said, echoing my thoughts.

  I didn't know what I would have done if Malik had laughed in my face. It had to feel a little like rejection.

  "Yeah," River said on a sigh, still watching his mate.

  "You don't know why he might have found that funny?" Malik asked, once again echoing my thoughts.

  "I'm thinking maybe he's straight? I don't know. I haven't seen him with anyone, and he doesn't seem interested when people hit on him, which is all the time," he growled, looking irritated. "I'm just kinda dreading the day he does find someone he's interested in."

  "You're not going to give up, right?" Malik asked, his voice sounding fierce, almost angry. Like the thought personally offended him. "He's your mate."

  If it wasn't for the fact that I really didn't want to give the assholes who'd been rooting against me earlier, the satisfaction of letting them see Malik beat me with a loaf of bread, I'd probably laugh at the fact that less than twenty-four hours ago, I would have bet anything that Malik Newton would have never been so adamant about the sanctity of matehood.

  "I might not have a choice," River said sadly. "If he finds somebody else, I'm gonna need to have someone else step in and take over his protection. He is my mate. Above everything else, seeing him be happy is my main goal, but if his happiness lies with someone else, I also can't sit around and watch it." He licked his lips and sighed. "For now, though, he seems to at least like being around me, so I'll take what I can get, right?"

  "Yeah," Malik said, sounding like he understood the sentiment, making me curious. "Good luck, River. I'm glad I didn't kick you in the balls like I was trying to."

  River chuckled, shaking his head. "I have a younger brother. He's a bit feisty like you. That was his favorite move every time I had to drag him out of a bar fight. I learned fast how to protect those."

  We walked away, my mate looking sad, and I put one arm around him, while pushing the cart with the other hand.