He moved the digit, in and out, while treating her clit to more torture. Short sucks and quick nips. A second finger joined the first and her womb quivered. The edge of ecstasy loomed in front of her. He raced her toward it.
Her core tightened. The tension became more than she could handle. She whimpered and squirmed, tried to get away, but Rafe held her still with a hand on her ass and his fingers lodged as deep as they’d go in her core. He dragged them back, held her open. With a hard flick of his tongue on her clit, he slammed his fingers into her sheath. His palm smacked her lips. The orgasm whipped through her. She screamed. Ripples traveled up her sheath, squeezing his fingers pressing deep inside her. The waves traveled into her womb, spread out to encompass her body. Her breath caught and she savored each one—it didn’t ease the emptiness.
More. She needed more.
“Rafe,” she begged.
He pressed a hand to the center of her chest and pushed. She fell onto the bed. The sound of a zipper and the clunking of shoes reached her ears. She scrambled backward, didn’t get far. He grabbed her ankles and dragged her back. The jerky movement of his hands as he skimmed them up her thighs betrayed his excitement. He shoved her legs apart and his aroused member followed the path his hands had.
She grabbed at his shoulders, needing her anchor, needing him. He tensed but the low groan that spilled from his throat assured her the bite of her nails was welcomed. She tightened her grip just to pull another rough sound from his mouth. He rewarded her with one as he settled into the space between her legs.
So close, but he didn’t move. He panted with his head hung so she felt the strands of his hair against her skin. “You sure?”
That he asked her instead of taking what he wanted floored her, left her in a state of awe. She closed her eyes, tried to think and give him an answer, but with her core quivering and clenching on air, all she felt was an unbearable sense of emptiness. The feeling amplified the ache in her womb, built the need settling within her.
She was missing something essential and when the head of his cock slid through her wet seam she knew exactly what it was she craved. She widened her legs and invited him in with a pull on his tight ass. She couldn’t find the right words, was afraid of the emotion in her heart.
He kissed her at the same time as he thrust forward. She gasped and tensed under him. This was what she wanted, but the burn in her muscles was almost as sharp as what she’d experienced when she’d lost her virginity. She’d been without sex too long and Rafe’s cock felt impossibly large. Panic settled over her. The fear she wouldn’t be able to accept him fully grew. He stilled, gave her the chance to adjust.
“So damn tight.” He pulled back and rolled his hips to work more of his cock inside. “Strangling, baby. Feels good.”
The praise warmed her, eased some of the involuntary tensing and more of his cock parted her muscles. He paused, their bodies only partially joined, and kissed her. Their tongues stroked slowly while he rocked into her, forcing her to accept him. He stretched her with the short thrusts, each one pushing him deeper.
The movement of his mouth over hers urged her to relax and allow him entry into her body. It was an assault on her senses she couldn’t resist. The tight grip of her muscles around his cock lessened. With one more steady push, he joined them fully.
“Fucking perfect,” he growled. “Knew it would be. Knew you’d be special.”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close. His heated declaration made her heart flip over, a dangerous reaction to have while fucking. It meant this wasn’t a simple coming together for shared pleasure. It was more but with the shaft inside her jerking whenever she squirmed and the warmth of his breath on her cheek making her body tingle, she couldn’t work up the energy to care.
Rafe filled her more completely than any man ever had. With his balls pressed to her wet flesh and the head of his cock resting at the mouth of her womb, he fit her so damn well she couldn’t help wondering if god had made him just for her. The awe of that thought lasted only a moment. He moved and her focus returned to the man who worked her body as if he knew every pleasure point she had.
A tilt of his hips and he dragged the rigid flesh through her sheath. She squeezed her inner muscles in an attempt to hold him clasped inside, but he pulled back, left her empty. She lifted her hips, hoping to capture the head. He met her and with a rough push, he parted her muscles, seating his rod. Her breath escaped on a shaky sigh. It felt so damn good to have him lodged deep. She didn’t want him to move. But he did and his slow strokes ignited different needs, ones that grew with each stroke.
In and out he thrust while she followed each retreat. Flesh slapped and the sounds of sex filled her ears. His pants and groans matched hers. The steady drive of his hips took her higher until the peak loomed in front of her. Colors danced across her eyes—gold and brown with flecks of blue and green. Her core tightened on Rafe’s cock and the hues behind her eyelids swirled, left her dizzy, floating on the edge where only pleasure existed. The first ripples of her orgasm traveled along her sheath into her womb. She reached for the abyss but Rafe pushed back on his elbows and yanked her away from it.
He changed the angle of his thrusts, quickened the pace and pounded into her. His cock seemed to grow larger. The burn returned. He stretched her, filled her so completely every nerve was touched and stimulated by him. Once again, she hovered on the edge. His rough thrusts wouldn’t let her fall. With short, quick thumps to her cervix, he pushed her higher than she thought she could go. Each bump reverberated into her womb, tightening her body. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. He commanded her, forced her to take more, ride the line where pleasure and pain mixed. Trusting in him, she widened her hips, dug her nails into his ass and held on.
As if waiting for her acceptance, he groaned her name and stilled with his cock lodged deep. The orgasm caught her by surprise. Her sheath clamped down and waves whipped up her body. She screamed and Rafe grunted. He thrust once more and came. Hot bursts of his release filled her. Each jerk of his cock sent another rippling contraction though her body. On and on it lasted until the shaft inside her spilled its last drop.
Sensations returned. Rafe’s hot, slick skin pressed to hers. Their breathing slowed. She heard the ticking of a clock somewhere in the room. It helped ground her. She focused on it, allowed the darkness in the room to cocoon her. When Rafe collapsed on top of her body, she wrapped her arms around him.
Peace filled her along with contentment. What they’d just shared was nothing short of amazing. Sated, all she wanted to do was sleep in Rafe’s arms.
Rafe kissed her closed eyelids. “Beautiful, Jasmine. So beautiful.”
She sighed. His words added to the warm feeling spreading through her. “Rafe, I…I don’t know what to say. That was…”
“Special. That’s what it was. Now rest and let me hold you. You’re safe with me.”
She did feel safe, at peace, and if there was one thing she’d learned in life it was that happiness was rare. You had to grab on to it, enjoy it while you could because tomorrow it might not be there. Like Rafe. He wasn’t from the area. This was a short affair, maybe a one-time deal. She’d known that when she’d agreed to come to a hotel with him. She pushed the sadness away. No use worrying about tomorrow’s pain when her body still hummed from the best orgasm a man had ever given her.
She just couldn’t shake the feeling that when reality came crashing back, she’d regret tonight.
Chapter Nine
Rafe rolled off his female’s body. The move separated them and the loss of Jasmine’s warmth was sharp. Immediate. He tugged her against his chest to lessen the ache. It wasn’t enough. He wanted to stay locked inside her wet, welcoming haven for eternity. The thought shocked him and so did the realization of what they shared.
He found release inside a woman. A first. A damn significant first.
Five hundred years of bedding females. Countless partners. Nameless, faceless lover
s who accepted his cock with eager abandon and not one ever enticed him to finish the act. Gods, some days he’d tried. Fucked a woman until he’d wanted to collapse, until she’d begged him to come, but he never did. Every time he pulled out and jerked off, the only damn way he’d been able to orgasm.
It was his nature, part of what he was. His animal spirits wouldn’t allow him to give his seed away. Because once he marked a womb, it became his. And so did the woman. He tightened his hold on his unconscious female, the one his cats chose to bear his children, their cubs.
“Jasmine,” he breathed her name. The reverence in his tone matched what he felt.
Five centuries he’d roamed the earth and every damn minute of it led up to this moment and this woman. His one. Not a destined mate. Royals didn’t have those. Merely, she was the one to capture his interest, the one who had the potential to bring him to heel, become his devotion, his life, his damn obsession.
A royal could mate with anyone as long as both man and beast were in agreement. Once the mate bite was made and the female’s womb marked, their animal natures took over. Desire. Lust. That’s all that was needed to bring them together. It was simple, really. But love? Love was a factor few shifters considered, but when it struck it strengthened the mate bond, made it special. Heaven on earth was what he’d heard some males say. The drive that would make a male do anything and everything if it kept his female sated, safe and happy.
He wasn’t foolish enough to say he loved Jasmine. How could he? He’d just met the woman yesterday, but he also wasn’t foolish enough to say he wouldn’t. The groundwork was laid. Already, he was fascinated by her. Her voice, scent, taste. All those things intrigued him. And the urge to fill her, bring her pleasure and spill his seed over and over was a damn good indicator. It was only a matter of time until he loved her. He knew, felt the potential of what they might share. It was instinctual and if the feeling was allowed to grow, essential.
Rafe nuzzled her cheek and rubbed his scent into her skin. He inhaled and luxuriated in the joint smells. Not good enough. That claim was temporary. It would wash off with her next shower. Unacceptable. He dragged a fang along the column of her neck, bleeding her. She whimpered but he licked the cut in the next instant, healing the wound and locking his scent into her flesh—a claim that would last much, much longer. It satisfied his possessiveness. For now.
He rolled her to her back and crawled into the space between her legs. Sitting on his bent legs, he took in the sight his female made. Jasmine was blessed with softness and lush curves. She had a body made to cushion the hardness of a man. He ran his hands up the plumpness of her thighs, savored their softness. They felt wonderful wrapped around his waist. He moved his hand to the curve of her hip. When she walked, the sway of her bottom was enough to bring him to the brink. He traced the swell of her belly, pressed his palm to the spot his children would someday grow…if he completed the mate bond.
He flicked his gaze to her shoulder. The reddened indentations of where his fangs had fit tormented him with possibilities. If he finished their union, four raised scars would be seared into her skin there. His bite. He reached up and brushed his fingertips over the tiny cuts. If he’d bitten harder, he could’ve pushed his essence into her body—the one he’d inherited from the goddess—and severed her tie to the human god. Without a claim to heaven, his cats’ spirits could enter her soul, leave a piece of themselves behind and tie her to him.
In reality, it was a simple process—steal her from her god then link their souls—but it was the step in between that terrified him. In order for his cats to join with their human host, she had to be near death. So if he wanted Jasmine as his mate, not just a lover, he’d have to kill her. Simple. He snorted. Far from it. The risks involved were the reason so few royals took human mates. If the chosen female rejected her male’s cats or if she died before the joining could form, not only would she lose her life but her soul as well. No heaven. No eternal peace. No nothing. Poof. She’d just fade away.
Rafe ran a trembling hand down his face. He didn’t want to focus on the what-ifs right now. He’d just found the one woman to capture his attention. He wanted to enjoy that…but the damn choices hung over his head like a pendulum. Later, he’d worry about it later. No matter what, Jasmine was his. He marked her womb. He was keeping her. Whether that entitled him to share in her lifespan or his immortal one was a decision to be made after he got to know her.
He ran a hand through the damp strands of his hair and turned his attention back to Jasmine, where it belonged. The sight of the glistening lips of her sex made his mouth water. He craved her taste. All feline shifters loved oral sex, but with Jasmine it bordered on obsession. He might just be addicted to her. He grinned. It wasn’t a bad addiction, not if it pleased his female.
He reached forward and swiped a finger through her slick seam. Even asleep, she arched into his touch. He sucked on the finger and pondered what Jasmine’s unconscious state meant. For mates, it was a common occurrence and meant the male did his job—pleasured his female. But Jasmine wasn’t his mate. Not yet. Maybe not ever. So what did it mean? She had been through a lot over the past two days, the worry over her children, the stress of a friend’s death. Perhaps she was tired. She had slept late this morning. It made sense. And the honorable thing to do would be to let her sleep…except he was hard again. His balls were heavy. He ached.
Rafe slid a finger into her core. She arched, accepting him, but it was his name exclaimed on a soft moan that made his decision. He crawled over her body, lined his cock up and drove home. Damn, being inside Jasmine was heaven.
He slowly moved and her lashes fluttered. Drowsy, unfocused gray eyes traveled over his face. “Rafe,” she breathed.
“My Jasmine,” he declared and bent over her body to kiss her. The angle pushed him deeper. He hit that spot inside that made ripples travel over his cock. Eyes closed, he relished the sensation but the urge to bring them both pleasure became undeniable.
He thrust and she lifted her hips to meet his driving push. On a long breathy sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and slid delicate fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp. Between her caresses and the sensation of her silken glove squeezing his cock, he hovered on the brink, release imminent. He fought it, focused on the female beneath him. His female. He savored every brush of her body, every soft moan that slipped free. She became his entire focus.
The orgasm built within her. He felt the subtle change in the way her sheath gripped his shaft. The hitch to her breathing and the frantic movement of her tongue as she kissed him, encouraged him to meet her pace, but he didn’t. He fucked her steadily. When she came, he bit his cheek, rode out the vise-like grip squeezing him then pushed past muscles that still quivered from her release.
She lay limp beneath him for only a moment before she moved, matching him and countering the motion of his thrusts. The pressure built and tingles skipped down his spine. Not yet. He wasn’t ready, he wanted to savor this joining for as long as he could.
He sat back, pulled her up with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, linking her ankles at the base of his spine, and slid her arms over his shoulders. He matched the embrace, wrapping his arms around her, and held her while he rocked into her. He couldn’t move as deeply in this position but it was a different kind a pleasure. The sweet, unhurried kind that allowed him to savor the woman in his arms. He kissed her while they ground their hips together and the twining of their tongues was as welcome as the way she fisted him.
Waves swept through her sheath, undulating ripples that tore his seed free. He pushed up once and grunted, the jerking of his cock seeming unending as he came with Jasmine. When her orgasm eased, so did his. This time, he tucked his female’s body close and tried to follow her into sleep, but he couldn’t shake the worry that hovered on the edge of his mind.
Guilt rose and fed the anxiety. Jasmine was now his. No matter what happened tomorrow, he’d never let her go, never let her seek out another man
. She didn’t know her lover was a shifter, didn’t know her life had changed tonight. And if he decided she was the female he wanted tied to him for all eternity, she didn’t know he’d be the one to kill her.
He should’ve told her, been honest with her. Kade had recognized the signs—the fascination, the need to be close to her—and if he were honest so had he. But the idea of scaring her off terrified him. No matter. He had her now. His seed filled Jasmine’s womb. His arms held her. She wasn’t going anywhere, not ever again.
Chapter Ten
Jazz opened her eyes and smiled as the memories of last night replayed in her drowsy, sated mind. She’d had sex with Rafe. Raw and gritty, then sweet and slow. Sex better than she’d ever had. It had been so damn perfect she would’ve cried from sheer happiness if she hadn’t been moaning and screaming his name.
He’d worked her body, made her soar and reach that point where only pleasure existed. Rafe was a phenomenal lover and last night was one she’d never forget…but it was over. She had to get on with her life. She couldn’t spend all day in bed with him, no matter how much she wanted to.
Carefully, she lifted the thick arm holding her and slipped away. Still asleep, Rafe reached for her. The sight made butterflies take flight in her belly. She shoved a pillow at his searching fingers. He grabbed hold of it and pulled it against him. His nose twitched and his brows pinched, but he settled back into sleep with the scrunched pillow as a substitute for her.
She sat back on her bent legs and looked over her lover’s body. God, he was gorgeous. At first glance, she’d thought he had a healthy tan but unless he walked around naked a lot, the deep burnished gold was his natural skin tone. And in the muted light seeping from around the drapes, his body shone as if liquid gold was spread over his skin. Delicious. She wouldn’t mind licking every inch while she mapped the ridges and dips of his frame.
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