Spring Feve

by Emerald Wright

  Hurry slow human, his bear snarled. Hurry.

  I hear you, boy, he said. He ran his tongue over his fangs. He didn’t know if he could control the urge to bite her. Not in this setting, not with the taste of her arousal still lingering in his mouth.

  He pulled her to the edge of the boulder and pushed her knees back. He’d hurt her if he crawled on top of her and pressed her delicate skin into the rough surface of the rock even with the protection of the blanket. Besides, he wanted to watch as he took her. He pushed her legs back towards her chest, the movement stretching her open. His hand trembled as he guided the head of his cock to her entrance. He watched as his cock slowly disappeared into her pussy. It was the most erotic moment of his life. Even if his bear was clawing at him, demanding that he thrust inside her and claim her completely. Fast.

  Being exposed left Paige feeling both shy and so turned on she felt the juices seeping from her pussy and coating the area between her pussy and ass. Watching Quinn’s face, Paige saw the color darken his high cheekbones, his nostrils flare. Muscles flexed and clenched in his shoulders and chest.

  “So. Damn. Tight.”

  Paige felt the sting of his possession, her body stretched by his size. She felt as if he filled her completely. She was wrong. He thrust forward and sank deeper inside her. She whimpered and he stopped, taking in huge gulps of air. His fingers bit into the flesh of her knees as he held her splayed wide and open for his possession.

  “Just a little more, baby. Let me in just a little more.” His words went straight to her core and she felt her body relax.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He slammed forward, taking her completely. She screamed, swearing she could feel the head of his cock touch the edge of her womb. He let go of her knees and fell forward, catching his weight with the open palms of his hands beside her head. His eyes glowed golden, all traces of the beautiful brown gone. “Mine.”

  He moved his hips just once and Paige came. It was so unexpected and so sudden she felt like she was flying off to the stars above her. He bowed his head and took a hardened nipple into his mouth. He sucked it as he moved, pulling out, then thrusting back in. “You are mine, Paige Matthews. Mine.” The rhythm he set drove her wild.

  Now and forever, she thought, and she told him the only way she could. She gave herself to Quinn Blackwood, heart, body, and soul. Her orgasm didn’t end, it couldn’t with all the sensations rolling through her. She rode it the edge, crying out his name. Her hoarse cries echoed around the glen.

  The cry of his name called to his bear. If possible he felt his cock grow, thicken as it thrust in and out of her body. Sensation upon sensation spread out from the base of his spine. He felt his animal rise, unfurl inside him. As he continued to thrust inside her, taking her deeper and deeper with each stroke, something inside him shifted. He’d always been close to the animal that lived within him, aware of the animal’s presence, its very soul. Now. Now he felt as if they were merging together. Blending together to claim their mate. He hadn’t felt this intense joining since his first shift. He looked down at Paige, her head thrown back, her body open and responsive to his claiming. His fangs descended and he sought the sweet hollow of her neck. “Mate.”

  He sank his teeth into her sweet flesh, tasting the blood of his mate for the very first time. He thrust hard and deep bringing on his release as he pumped his seed inside her. He had claimed her. His fangs retracted and he licked the wounds on her neck, bathing them with his saliva, healing the bites. He cupped the back of her head in his hands. Her eyes were still closed and her breathing still labored. He cursed his roughness. But the night, her, the shift—had all called to him, telling him he needed to mate with her. Tonight. Then. There. “Did I hurt you, baby?”

  She opened her eyes, the green color shining as brightly as the stars above. She shook her head, the movement rubbing the thick strands of her hair against his fingers. “No,” she said softly. “Do it again.”

  He laughed, amazed by this woman. The one the fates had given him. He vowed then and there to show her how much he loved her, needed her, in this lifetime and the next. His cock was still hard and he flexed his hips. He might have done as she asked and taken her again if she hadn’t grimaced. “Shit.”

  He rose back up, the muscles of her pussy still clenching around his hard flesh. He watched as he pulled out of her perfect body. His cock glistened with their mingled juices, red from the intensity of their fuck. The vein along the underside throbbed, telling him he needed to fuck her again. The lips of her pussy were swollen and puffy from the pounding of his possession. He forced himself to continue to pull away instead of thrusting back inside. He groaned when his cock left her body with a slight pop. Reaching down, he lifted her to her feet. As he helped her, he felt a wetness on her back and turned her sideways. “What the fuck?”

  Large welts covered her back and the skin was broken in several places. Even with the protection of the blanket, he’d still hurt her. He pulled her into his arms, stroking her back carefully. “God, Paige, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It’s nothing, Quinn.”

  “It damn well is something.” His voice was grim and his face closed. He let her go and stalked to where he’d removed his clothes before he shifted. He jerked on his jeans, then bundled her into his shirt. Her panties were shreds of satin at the base of the boulder. Without a word, he picked her up and carried her through the woods to where he’d parked the truck.

  Paige studied the firm line of Quinn’s jaw as he made his way through the woods. She knew he was upset about the scraps she’d gotten on her back, but what had he expected? He’d taken her on top of a boulder. The strange thing was she hadn’t felt the bite of the rock cutting through the blanket and into her skin. Had felt nothing except the press of his body as he’d taken her. Driving her to a place she’d never been. She wanted to tell him that. Tell him she was right where she belonged. Right where she wanted to be. She wanted to say she loved him.

  But she couldn’t. She didn’t want to bind him to her with words of love. Make him feel responsible for her happiness. The words that should have been the sweetest to share between lovers would weigh him down with a mantle of responsibility. Why? Because he still needed to find his mate.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  PAIGE WOKE THE next morning before her alarm sounded. Usually, the clock made progressively louder noises before she finally smacked it into silence. This morning the warmth at her back had her waking up quickly.

  Oh man, she thought, that was a hot, hard cock pressing against her lower back. As she became aware of her position, she realized she not only had a cock pressing against her, but a heavy hand cupping her breast and a large thigh thrown across her hip. She was surrounded by a bear shifter.

  “What time is it, sweetheart?

  Paige’s heart turned over at Quinn’s question. It was so normal, so couply. So something she wanted every morning of her life. It was almost too rich to bear, waking up with Quinn by her side, instead of all alone in her bed.

  Before she could answer, he was kissing her shoulder, pushing her hair out of the way to expose the side of her neck. His teeth scraped across the bite mark he’d given her last night. With one smooth movement, she found herself turned belly down on the bed, his hard body covering hers. Last night after he’d bathed her, he’d licked each individual wound on her back until she’d been hurting with wanting, and not from her wounds. He hadn’t taken her. Not then. Instead, he’d used his hands and oh-so-talented tongue to bring her fulfillment. But later, deeper into the night, he’d reached for her. Again. And again. Each possession had gotten sharper, the last almost brutal because she’d been so sore. She’d loved it. She’d taken him inside each and every time and had begged for more.

  This morning, his lips moved over her back tending to each bump and bruise again. He licked down the indentation of her spine, one inch at a time. Without warning, his hands gripped her hips and pulled until
her ass was in the air, her knees pushed forward and her legs spread wide. Her wet pussy was exposed to his hungry gaze.

  “Oh, yeah, baby, that’s what I wanted to see.” He gave her a soft kiss at the base of her spine. “You wet and wanting.”

  His hands spread across her cheeks, his large palms easily covering most of her flesh. It made her feel so feminine because her ass was not small by any means. Yet his hands were palming her butt like a basketball. His thumbs brushed her outer pussy lips and Paige shivered. She’d never had sex this way. The men she’d been with—all two of them—had never initiated it and she’d been too shy to suggest it. Pulling her pillow close she hugged it to her breasts.

  Quinn fell forward supporting his weight. She felt the press of his hard body all along hers. And his engorged dick. She could swear she felt it throbbing where it pressed against her slit. “Are you sure?”

  “What?” she turned her head until the side of his face was visible. Concern shone from his eyes.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” Even as he spoke, he bumped against her as if he couldn’t control his body’s natural instincts to mate.

  “You won’t.” True, she was sore this morning. He was not a small man and last night in the woods had been the first time she’d taken him. Not to mention the times during the night. This morning she felt empty. She needed him. She moved her hips, thrusting into his shallow movements.

  Without moving his weight from her back, he guided his cock into her opening with one hand. She gasped as the blunt head spread her, her flesh more tender than she’d anticipated.

  “I knew it was too soon.” He went to move away.

  Her hand grasped the muscular forearm by her head. “No. I want this.”

  And she did. This may be the last time she had this opportunity. She’d experienced more last night than she had in her whole twenty-eight years of existence. Pleasure, joy, even fear and pain. This was probably the last opportunity she’d have to love such a man. She knew he couldn’t give her anything permanent. He was born a shifter. A bear shifter, the rarest of them all. He would find another bear when the time came to settle down and have a family. No, she wanted this. She wanted it bad.

  Arching her hips, she took a few more inches inside, his width stretching her. It burned, but she wanted it. She needed it. “Please, Quinn. Fuck me.”

  Quinn didn’t know whether to laugh or possibly cry. He wanted to plunge himself into Paige’s heat, pound into her over and over again until she screamed his name. But he didn’t want to cause her pain. He straightened and his hands found a handhold on the upper curve of her hips and he lifted her as he pushed himself inside.

  A faint purring sound of pleasure throbbed in her throat and her pussy tightened around his cock. He wanted to take it slow, easy, make sure she felt no pain. It was impossible; what his body and all his screaming senses demanded was a mating, a fusing of two bodies in heated necessity. Not giving into that compulsive need was beyond his control. Especially when his bear was clawing at him, wanting to burst through to claim his mate again. A hot burst of need burned in his veins. He wanted it to last forever, hungry for more of the unfamiliar, all-consuming obsession. His body ached intolerably and he knew he’d go completely out of his mind if he delayed much longer.

  Quinn made a rough sound, a muted roar and drove inside her, vowing to make it up to her afterwards. Ha, he thought. He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to take it slow and easy with Paige. When his cock was buried deep in her pussy, he lost all control. It shattered at the first feel of her hot, tight channel on his swollen dick.

  Paige caught her breath at the abrupt action but willingly pushed back against him. One of Quinn’s hands tangled in her thick hair, arching her neck as she arched her back. She could feel a tremor in him, like something stretched too tightly. Sweat dripped from his chest, mingling with the beads of moisture she felt forming along her spine. She knew the effort it was taking to control his bear. He was all the way inside. “More, Quinn, I want more.”

  His pace exploded. He took her over, and over again. It felt so good, and hurt so bad, she wanted to cry. It stole her breath and her will and all her strength, leaving her nothing except the burning hunger he had created in her and instincts born a millennium ago. She felt her body spasm and screamed. Her nails dug into his arm convulsively. She couldn’t believe how he was making her feel. He released the hard grip he’d had on her hips and leaned forward.

  “Mine.” Still gripping her hair in one hand, he exposed her neck. “All mine.”

  As his teeth sank into her flesh, he brushed his thumb over her throbbing clit. It was like throwing dry timber on a fire. Pleasure washed over her in burning waves, each one stronger than the last. His touch grew harder and a burst of raw sensation shot through her. Instinct took over and she let go as the tension shattered again. Her body clenched in exquisite pain, trapping him briefly inside her. He didn’t still, he kept taking her, fucking her. Mating her. She felt his release rush through him as he emptied himself inside.

  Quinn held her until the spasms of his release dimmed to a deep throb. Pressing kisses down her back, he straightened from his protective slump over her body. He withdrew as gently as he could, knowing the sensation would hurt. Hell, he felt rubbed raw. He lay back down on his side, taking her in his arms. The feel of her lush buttocks against his cock made the fucker start to swell again. Damn, he had to get himself under control. She was human and couldn’t stand the rigors of a marathon bout of sex with a bear shifter. Heck, it had been a damn long time since he’d wanted to go after a woman twenty-four seven. If he ever had. He remembered some wild times in his early twenties, but nothing compared to his need now.

  She lay soft and warm against him. Perfection. “You okay, baby?”

  “Mmm, mmm.”

  “We need to talk about mates, Paige.”

  “Okay.” The word was a whispered mumbling.

  “You are my mate, Paige.”

  Only a light snore greeted his statement. He brushed the hair back from her face. He’d done it again. Let the opportunity slip away to actually say the words. He’d told her last night. Every time he’d taken her, he’d told her she was his. He knew her first resistance in believing she was indeed his true ate would be the time factor. They had only met a little over a week ago, much too soon for a man to declare his undying love. He knew there was an immense amount of misinformation in the human realm about shifter mating. One such misconception was that he should have carried her off to ravish her that first night.

  He’d wanted to, damn, how he’d wanted to, but he hadn’t wanted to scare her. At least that’s what he’d told himself. Perhaps he was suffering from a little shifter misinformation as well. Was he disappointed that she hadn’t felt the same instant connection? Paige was human and the mating instinct was not part of her DNA. His bear had made his presence known to her that first night and every time they’d been together since. He knew it hadn’t been enough to allay her fears. Perhaps because the man hadn’t shown his attraction? His bear mocked him. Foolish man.

  She turned, snuggling against him. He immediately missed the feel of her ass nestled against him. The swell of her breasts pressed against his chest more than made up for the loss.

  Quinn lay awake a few more minutes, his handsome face split with a wide grin. Even if she didn’t know it, he’d mated with Paige, poured his scent inside her, marked her with his seed. He worried briefly about the lack of protection and the choice he’d inadvertently taken away from her by marking her.

  Boy, was he going to owe his sister big time for setting him up on this blind date.

  Quinn watched as Paige walked out of the bathroom already dressed. She moved quietly and he realized she didn’t know he was awake. He’d been awake since she’d first slipped from the bed. Since she hadn’t wakened him, he’d given her the time to herself.

  He watched as she brushed her hair, memorizing the curve of her arm as she
stroked the brush through the long brown locks. She was the woman fate had handed him and he was damn glad. To him, her body was perfection. From the full, lush thrust of her breasts and the swell of her hips and thighs to the gentle curve of her belly. Perfect.

  “Leave it down,” he ordered.

  She turned around and smiled. She was always smiling and it warmed his heart. His sister had assured him she was sweet and warm, but he hadn’t believed her. Women were not sweet and warm, not after a while. Paige was genuine and sincere.

  “Did I wake you? I wasn’t sure what time you needed to get up.”

  “I’m already up, baby.” He lifted the sheet from his body revealing the erection that had forced him from sleep. Instead of her warm, sweet body beside him, she was halfway across the room dressed in a neat white blouse and navy blue pants. Her office clothes. Clothes so prim and proper it made him want to extend his claws and rip them from her body, revealing her curves. His curves. His woman.

  “Come back to bed.”

  “No.” She shook her brush at him. “Cover yourself.”

  “Why, sweetheart?” Instead of doing what she demanded, he wrapped his hand around his cock and stroked his long length. It had been years since he’d felt so full and heavy. Oh, he enjoyed sex, always had, hopefully always would. With Paige, it was more than sex; it was a sharing of souls, a basic primal need to mate. There was that word again. He continued to stroke himself, groaning as he imagined her stripping and straddling his legs, taking him deep inside, her breasts bouncing from the force of his thrusts.

  “Oh, baby,” he moaned. He couldn’t stop the tide of release washing over him. He stared directly into her eyes as he stroked himself to orgasm. His cum splashed across his stomach.