by Alexa Riley
I’ve never had a jealous moment in my life. I’ve seen other mated shifters get jealous when other males get too close to their mates, but I seem to get jealous of everything when it comes to Lola. I want her attention on me. Maybe I’d let myself go too long being alone and now I want to soak up every moment of having a mate.
“The wireless modem will be here tomorrow,” she reminds me for the third time this week.
When she’d told me she ran an online business doing graphics for brochures and making business cards, I made sure she had whatever she needed to keep doing that.
I was just thankful that she did something that would keep her at home with me. Locked away in our cabin. I’d never been so happy to have a cabin out in the middle of nowhere before. I thought I enjoyed isolation before, but now I fucking love it.
I wasn't too happy when a man came to install the internet she needed. He had beady eyes and kept looking at my Lola. She’d just rolled her eyes at me when I growled at him. Lucky for me, she seems to think my jealousy and protectiveness over her are cute. Even after I made her wait in the bathroom until he was gone.
Over the past few weeks I’ve learned more and more about her. She has shitty parents. Every time I think about it, I want to track them down and rip them apart with my bare hands. Someone like Lola should be cherished and taken care of. I will gladly take that place, even if she gives me a heart attack with her clumsiness at times.
She wants a family that cares about each other, and I will give her that. I’ll prove to her that I will give her everything so she’ll never leave me.
“Don’t you have work to do?”
I grunt my response. I do. I took her to town last weekend to meet Stone and some of the townspeople. I dropped off some orders and picked up a few more, but I can’t seem to pull myself away from the house.
I know I’m going to have to start to let loose a little, but the thought of something happening to her because I wasn’t around to make sure she was okay scares the ever-loving shit out of me. I couldn’t go back to the life I had before. Odd how I relished that life weeks ago, but now the idea would be my worst nightmare.
I love her, but Lola is damn clumsy. Just today I stopped her from walking into the door, and then she tripped over nothing. Nothing. Just fell right over her own feet. I’m starting to think I was made to be a shifter just so I’m fast enough to keep her little ass safe.
I growled at her when I caught her from hitting the floor. She just shrugged it off like it was no big deal. “Must have been daydreaming about you,” she’d said.
“I’ll do it after your device comes tomorrow. Have you—”
She cuts me off, already knowing what I’m going to ask. “Yes, I checked the tracking and it will be here tomorrow. We just have to go to the post office in town.”
I don’t know what a wireless modem is. I just know it means she can move her work area out to the barn where I do all my wood carving. Then I can keep her near me.
“Come here,” she says, eyes still trained on the computer.
I’m instantly on my feet moving towards her. I’d had her in my lap while she worked, but she’d made me put her down because I couldn’t stop touching and licking her, which led to us on the floor or back in the bed.
I should feel guilty. Her body is so little, and I just keep pinning her down and taking her. I can’t seem to get enough of my scent on her.
I look over her shoulder to a screen that reads, Wooded Designs. I see pictures of different things I’ve made, some from the house, some I’d shown her out in the barn, and some I took to town.
“Now people can just place orders online and even send requests.” She clicks through more pages, showing me.
“You made this for me?” I feel a little guilty that I’ve been growling at her looking at her laptop when this whole time she’d been doing something for me.
She beams up at me. “Yes. You like it? I’ll keep track of everything for you. All you have to do is make the stuff and tell me project dates and things.” The smile lights up her whole face.
Just like that, she makes me lose control. I can’t stop myself from picking her up and molding my mouth to hers. Her legs come around my waist as I pushed my tongue inside her mouth.
I hold her tightly to me, wanting to feel every curve of her body. I push her back against the wall, and I can tell by the smell of her desire that she’s ready for me. It fills the air, making my nostrils flare and my hunger to be inside of her uncontrollable.
I need inside her. Now.
Reaching between us, I free my cock, yanking her shirt up roughly. I pull the panties she has on to the side and slide right into her. Her little body is always ready to take me. Her legs always parting to give us what we both need.
I growl into her mouth as I plunge in and out of her. My tongue matches the movements. Her fist-tight pussy grips me in a possessive hold. I start moving faster, pounding deep into her cervix with each hard thrust. I want to fill her there. The pleasure is almost more than I can take. I want to get lost and to let myself go over the edge, but I want to watch her go first.
When I feel her contract around me, I pull my mouth from her, wanting to hear the sounds of her pleasure as she cums while I drive in and out of her.
She screams my name, her body jerking under mine, but I don’t stop. I want another one. Her eyes start to fall closed, her lush lips parting. I bend a little, nipping her at my mate mark, making her jerk away.
“Another,” I demand.
“I don’t think I can.”
I growl, knowing I’ll get it. I wonder how many times I can make her cum before I do.
Chapter Ten
Lola
We’ve fallen into a comfortable rhythm, Bleu and I. It’s been a little over a month since he saved me, and it’s been the most wonderful time of my life. Every morning I wake up wrapped in his arms, and we spend our days side by side. I sit at the desk he made me in his woodworking shop and take care of our businesses. I answer his emails and try to put requests on the books, but he fills up so fast now.
“You’ve got three more requests for the sweetheart bench.”
I smile at him over the laptop and he grunts as he goes back to what he was doing. He made us a bench to cuddle on for the front porch, and I posted a picture of it online. But as soon as the first request came in for one, he said no. That was meant for me, and no one else would have it. I have the picture on the website showing his craftsmanship, but people keep trying to buy it.
Checking my emails, I sort through the junk and follow up with clients. When the email I’ve been waiting on pops up, I start to smile but bite my lip to keep from doing so.
“Bleu, I’m getting kind of hungry.”
It’s all I have to say and he pops up from what he’s doing and walks towards the house without a word. It’s kind of funny how he does that, but I can’t help but love it. All I have to do is mention one little thing about wanting to eat and he’s bringing me a giant plate of food.
As soon as I hear the door click shut, I’m in motion. It’s taken me all week to set this in place, and I want it to be absolutely perfect. I scurry around the shop, getting it ready, and just as I finish I hear him wiggle the doorknob.
I dart behind my desk, and I’m thanking my lucky stars I didn’t trip along the way, or it would have sent Bleu running. I try to control my breathing and act calm as he strides in with a tray of snacks for us. I say “us” because there’s enough for ten people, but he thinks this is how much I should eat.
“Here you go, my mate.” He kisses me on the lips as he places the food in front of me.
I pull up a blank page on my computer and type random letters and words, trying to look busy as he goes back to work. After just a second he makes a noise and I stop typing. I look out from behind my computer and pretend not to notice anything is wrong.
“Thanks for the snack. I was starting to feel weak,” I joke, but he doesn’t look up. “Everything okay
, Bleu?” Trying to keep my tone even is an effort.
“Just looking at the requests you left for me. It’s odd, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten asked to do one of these before.”
I stand up and casually walk over to where he is standing, holding several pieces of paper in his hand. Each week I print out the requests for him, and he picks and chooses what he feels like doing next, and then I schedule it on the calendar.
“Which one is it? There were so many I didn’t really get a good look at them all.”
He looks at me and then looks back to the paper. “This one on top.”
I move beside him and take the paper from his hands. I know this image well. I searched for days to find the perfect one.
“Oh, how pretty.” I hand him the paper underneath the picture. It’s a printout of the email I just got. He takes it from me, and I make a humming sound as I look at the picture. “Maybe you could do one for practice first.”
“Lola?”
Looking up, I see Bleu’s gaze is glued to the paper in front of him. I give him another moment to let it register, and I stand there with the biggest grin on my face, waiting for it to click.
“Lola. Is this...does this mean…?” He stammers over his words and then looks to me with big watery eyes.
I start to cry, immediately moved by his expression, and just nod my head. He drops the email from the shifter doctor I saw two days ago confirming I’m six weeks pregnant with our bear cub, and scoops me up in his arms.
“A baby? We’re going to have a baby?”
“Yes,” I say in a thick voice as he buries his face in my neck.
I can feel the joy rolling over him in waves, because it passes to me as well. Last week when we’d gone into town to drop off some orders, we went next door to see the clan doctor and get a checkup. I’d told Bleu it was to make sure I was okay to have children, but I had suspected I was already pregnant. I slipped the doctor a note when Bleu wasn’t looking and explained I wanted to surprise him. Thankfully, she played along, and as we were leaving she said she would email me with some follow-up questions.
I feel his lips on my neck and then he’s looking into my eyes. The gold is swimming in tears of joy, and I swear I could almost burst from happiness in this moment. His mouth comes down on mine, and the sweet kiss turns passionate in half a second. Suddenly, I’m being laid out on one of his woodworking tables and he’s slipping off my leggings. He’s hurriedly unbuckling his jeans and getting his cock inside me as fast as he can.
When he enters me, I’m wet and ready like I always am for him. I moan at his thickness and look up into his eyes. His big hand rests on my lower belly as he eases in and out of me. His face is tender, but there’s still the raw need there, too. His passion shows as we couple and celebrate the next chapter in our lives.
He makes me cum three times on that table before he finally carries me to the house. But not before he grabs up the picture of the baby crib I had printed out and given to him. I knew this would be the first of many things he would make for our little cub, and I’m sure he’ll start working on it the second he lets me out of bed.
Epilogue
Lola
Three months Later…
I dance around the kitchen letting my new dress flare out all around me. I’ve never been much of a dress girl, but with my baby belly it’s much easier to wear them, and they’ve grown on me. Not to mention my mate loves them, too. I’ve even developed the small habit of not wearing panties under them when we’re at home. It drives him crazy in the best of ways.
I pick up one of the cookies I just iced and take a big bite. I moan at the delicious taste. My addiction to icing has gone to all-new levels. I lick my lips thinking about how I could lick this off my mate. My body starts to tingle at the idea. All the different places I could put it on him… It would drive him crazy. I smile thinking about it.
I bounce toward the door when I hear a car come up the driveaway. He was faster than I thought he’d be. Bleu had to run to town to pick some stuff up from the store and drop off a delivery. I’ve now banned myself from going to the store because I can’t stop myself from trying to buy everything, and Bleu is no help in the matter. He just encourages me, telling me I need to get bigger. Getting bigger right now is not something I need help with. Shifter babies develop faster than human babies, and I already look like I’m full term. Which I pretty much am for a shifter baby.
I swing the door open, ready to throw myself at my mate, but freeze when I see a man I don’t recognize standing there.
“Hi,” I say, a little shocked. No one comes around here. Heck, Bleu doesn't even like a delivery people to come here. It’s why we pick all our mail up in town at a PO box. My mate is the jealous, possessive type to the extreme. I don’t know who this man is, but I need to get him out of here and hope the wind blows away any trace of him once he’s gone. My bear will not be happy if when he gets home he smells another man has been here. Though the sex will be crazy hot. Not that it’s not always crazy hot, but when the lick of jealousy grabs him he’s relentless in marking me for the next twenty-four hours.
“I’m looking for a Lola,” he says.
A load growl sounds from behind the man, and like always when I hear that sound, my nipples tighten with need, only this time I gasp when I feel wetness. I look down to see that I’ve leaked. A first for me. I stare at the small wet spots in shook. My breast milk is coming in already.
“No one looks for Lola but me,” Bleu rumbles loudly. I can’t fight the giggle at his ridiculous comment. The man turns slowly to look at Bleu. “Step away from her.” Somehow his voice is even more deadly than before.
The man raises his hands. “I’m just looking for her, man. There was a missing person’s report filed on her.” The man drops the papers he has in his hands and takes a few steps back from me. He almost falls down the porch steps. I don’t blame him. Bleu is big. Crazy big. Heck, the man is a bear shifter.
“You want my mate,” Bleu growls. I should not think it’s cute that he thinks everyone in the whole world wants me, but I do.
“Bleu, come here,” I say in the sweetest voice I can muster. He does as I ask. He’s by my side instantly, but his eyes never leave the man.
“I’m fine. I’m not missing,” I tell the man. I never thought about someone reporting me missing before now. I’d left a note for my mother. To be honest, I didn’t think she would care that I was gone. If anything, she just misses someone cleaning up after her. Sadly, I don’t miss her at all, and she’s not someone I want in my life anymore. Neither does our baby boy, who will be here very soon. In fact, she is someone who wouldn’t be able to keep the secret of what my baby and mate are.
I was told it’s hard for baby shifters to control their shifts. Having her around my son will not be an option. I stand firm on this. Besides, Bleu gets irritated when I bring up my shitty parents. He hates that I went through that. Can’t wrap his mind around my mom not cherishing me.
“Tell anyone where she is and I’ll hunt you down.” Bleu’s words even make my skin break out in goose bumps.
“Not a word.” The man turns, runs toward his car and jumps in. Gravel flies up as the man peels down our long driveway as he tries to get away from Bleu as fast as possible.
“Your jealousy is at an all-time high,” I laugh as I turn to look at him. I place my hands on his chest, knowing my touch will cool him down. It always does. My mate might get hot off the top, but I know I can always bring him back. Tame my beast.
He licks his lips, his nostrils flaring “What is that smell?” His breathing grows deep. “It’s you.” He takes a step back from me, his eyes going to my breasts and reminding me that I leaked. Before I can respond, he’s pulling me into the house and slamming the door behind his.
My dress goes flying over my head and is quickly tossed away. Bleu rumbles deep in his chest. “You answered the door with no panties on.” His eyes darken. Or bra, but I don’t say that out loud.
�
��I thought it was you.” I stick out my bottom lip in a small pout that always works to get me out of trouble.
Bleu licks his lips, his eyes trained on my tits. He seems to have forgotten everything else. I look down to see a drop of breast milk escaping my nipple. Before it can drop away and hit my stomach, Bleu’s mouth latches onto me, giving a hard suck.
I moan and my knees give out. I don’t fall, though. I never fall now that I have Bleu. He would never allow it. He lifts me easily and carries me through the house.
“Grab the icing!” I yell out, pointing to the container on the counter. Bleu doesn't even ask why. He just does as I ask like always. He can never not give me something I want. If he’s going to lick stuff from my body, I should get to do the same.
Epilogue
Bleu
Another 10 months later…
A low growl rumbles from my chest, making my eyes fly open. My bear is completely alert. The delicious smell of my mate fills my lungs, but this is different. I suck in another deep breath, trying to make sure I’m catching the right scent coming from her little body. Warmth fills me when I realize what it is I’m smelling from her.
Pregnant. I take another deep breath, catching not just the scent of one baby but two. Twins. I swear my heart skips a beat with excitement. Lola is going to be over the moon.
I smile, looking down at my mate, who is wrapped in my arms, her blonde hair spread out all around us as she sleeps. Her lips are parted ever so slightly, making me want to kiss her. Sometimes I still can’t believe fate brought her to me, that I went from wanting to be alone to now wanting to fill our home with our children.
