by E A Price
Lauren blushed. She doubted she wouldn’t want to. While her relationship with Carrick was still new and she still wasn’t entirely comfortable in his presence, she couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed the pleasure he had given her. Before a few days ago, she would have sworn that eating mint fudge ice cream was the closest thing to heaven on earth. But now she knew the truth – orgasms were even better. For all her worries about her future with Carrick, her physical attraction to him was growing every second in his company.
“Why don’t we just share a room?” Truthfully, it hadn’t occurred to her, but they hadn’t actually slept together at all. After sex, she fell asleep and woke up alone. When she napped, he might be beside her, but he wasn’t sleeping.
He gave her an almost eager look before he shook his head. “I sleep better alone.”
“I usually sleep better with someone beside me.”
“What?!” he snapped, eyes flashing violently.
Lauren blinked at him. “I share a bed with my sister. I mean, I used to.”
“Oh.” He deflated, and she wondered at his sudden anger. He already knew she was a virgin on their mating night. What on earth did he have to be jealous about?
Carrick rubbed his head, trying to pretend he wasn’t embarrassed by his outburst. “My room’s across the hall. I’ll leave you to get unpacked.”
“Am I allowed to go in your room?”
He frowned. “This is your house; you can go anywhere.”
“So no hidden dungeon in the basement?” she quipped, immediately wishing she hadn’t.
Carrick looked at her keenly. “When were you in the beta’s house?”
“I didn’t mean it like that…” Lauren opened her suitcase, staring at her clothes and possessions. It was a pitiful collection of items.
“But that’s why you said it.”
“Maybe,” she muttered.
“You’re mated now. You won’t be cleaning anyone else’s house or doing their laundry.”
“Just yours?”
“Yes! No, ours – and we’ll both do it. I’m not useless.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do with my days?”
“Fuck, Lauren, whatever you want!” he snarled before calming. “Why don’t you look into community college? You once said you were interested.”
She wondered at him remembering that. In fact, she couldn’t recall actually telling him directly. Maybe he had asked other people about her, too. “You wouldn’t mind if I went?”
“No.”
“You wouldn’t mind if I studied and didn’t have time to cook and clean?”
“No.”
“You wouldn’t mind having to pay for it?”
“No! For fuck… no, okay?” Carrick ran his hands over his head. “You can do what you want as long as I know where you are.”
He turned to leave before pausing. “But I don’t want you near unmated males, understood?”
“I…”
His eyes flashed, and she acquiesced. He nodded and closed the door behind him.
Lauren sank onto the bed considering what Carrick had told her. Separate bedrooms? Perhaps that was for the best. Would she be able to sleep with him next to her? Actually, yeah, she probably could. The last few nights she had been so tired she had fallen asleep instantly. For the past few days they had also been bathing together – would they still shower together now? She was surprised to find that she was disappointed that they probably wouldn’t. Her tiger seemed somewhat put out that he didn’t want to try sharing a bedroom. If they only ever came together for sex and meals, they would barely see each other. The thought might have been reassuring a week ago, but now she was mated to him, and she didn’t want them to be strangers.
Would this house warm into a home? Or would she be as cold and lonely as she felt at that moment?
*
“This one’s half off.” Lauren held up a baggy shirt, two sizes too large for her and his tiger didn’t bother trying to contain the sneer.
“Just get what you want,” he said impatiently, and for the fourth time.
Carrick cracked his neck and ignored the interested looks from female shoppers. The mall wasn’t located in a shifter heavy area; they probably didn’t see a guy as large as him around very often. Plus, people always seemed to be fascinated by his scars. Hell only knows why – they were just scars. But people seemed to want to stare at them – as if they were something special.
Lauren never had. Sure, she looked at them. Had ever since she first met him. But she never looked away in embarrassment, never looked at him in pity. He remembered the day he gave her a driving lesson, the first time she touched one of them, the way her finger lingered over his skin. She was lucky he managed to hang onto his tiger that day. The beast was all for taking her in the car.
Lauren bit her lip as she held up a pair of jeans with big cartoon flowers on the ass. “These are on sale.”
“They’re hideous,” he snapped. “If you buy them, I’m burning them.”
A few of the female shoppers tut-tutted at him, but what little patience he had fled long ago and his tiger was stalking, wanting to get Lauren home and away from there.
Wanted to get her into bed, wanted to feel her soft heat around him, squeezing him, milking him, showing him pleasure he’d never felt before. His previous couplings had been animalistic, and he thought he needed that to be satisfied. But it was different with Lauren, better somehow. He had worried his tiger would be disappointed in their slower couplings, but he was wrong. With every touch, his beast wanted her more and more.
Lauren put the jeans down and picked up a pair five times the price. They were dark blue and would tightly cling to her curves. “What about these?” she asked pointedly, perhaps expecting him to complain about the price.
“Fine. Get them. Get more than one.”
She gazed at him suspiciously for a moment before she slowly picked up another pair in a different color.
“Maybe I’ll get three.”
“Fine!” he exclaimed angrily.
Carrick knew that Lauren’s family was large and low ranked, and didn’t exactly get a huge amount of the pride earnings, but he didn’t realize how bad it was until he saw Lauren’s clothes. It hadn’t occurred to him how little she had until he saw her suitcase.
Well, it was different now. Lauren was his mate, and he wanted to make her happy in anyway he could. She may not be happy with him as a mate, but surely he could compensate in other ways. Which is why he insisted they go shopping.
Of course, now Lauren was being stubborn. Why wouldn’t she just get what she wanted? Nope, she had to keep zeroing in on ugly garments just because they were cheap.
“Can I help you with anything?” asked a worried sales clerk.
His tiger almost snarled at her to butt out, but Carrick could see this might not be a bad thing. Before Lauren could politely tell her no thank you, Carrick slapped the credit card into her hand.
The young woman goggled at him.
“My mate needs new clothes. Make sure she gets everything she needs. I’ll be outside.”
He strode out of there. Women’s clothing stores were the worst. Actually, this was his first time inside one, but it seemed to have been created in such a way to make men want to run for the damn hills.
Hopefully the sales girl would sort her out. She was there to push people into spending money.
A flash of memory came to him, and he slowed. Another store, much like the one he’d been in. Pink and soft. He was being dragged through it by a lithe blonde female.
“C’mon, baby, show me what you think of my new underwear.”
She smirked at him as she pulled him into a changing room and drew him in for a kiss. He ran his hands over her supple body, and she moaned into his mouth before pressing her hand against his swelling sex.
The wisp of memory fluttered away, and his tiger rumbled unhappily, not liking it at all. Shocked, he stopped walking, making grumbling shoppers step around hi
m.
He remembered something new from his previous life. It had been so long; he didn’t think he ever would remember a pleasant memory. A pretty blonde, an erotic encounter in a store… The remembered encounter should have made him happier than it did. But no, his tiger wasn’t happy at all at seeing the blonde woman. He thought of Lauren for a moment, her sweetness, her pretty face, giving him comfort, and he wondered if that was it – guilt at thinking of another woman while his mating to her was still so new. But that wasn’t it - well, not entirely it. His tiger was agitated for a different reason. One neither of them could quite put their finger or claw on.
Nineteen
Lauren had at first been annoyed at Carrick leaving her, but as Olivia the sales clerk suggested items and found clothes that would suit her figure, she realized he had done her a favor.
She had started ignoring the price tags and instead focused on the pretty clothes that actually looked nice on her larger frame. For once, she actually took pride in her appearance and found herself in jeans, boots and a red sweater that looked quite nice on her.
Olivia beamed at her as Lauren looked at her reflection.
“Much better,” she said, folding Lauren’s old clothes with just a hint of disdain.
“Can I wear this out the store?”
“Of course. You look amazing. Seriously. I wish I had your bust. Your boyfriend’s going to flip when he sees you looking so hot.”
“I don’t know about that,” she blushed. Though she’d never worn anything so tight, and she had to admit that her old clothes did make her look like a misshapen lump. This was indeed much better.
“Are you kidding? He couldn’t take his eyes off you before; he’s going to love you in this.” Olivia winked. “I’ll go ring up your purchases.”
Lauren fiddled with her bra straps. Having a bra that was actually in her size was a novelty. She had no idea her breasts were supposed to feel this comfortable! On seeing the faded underwear she was wearing, Olivia insisted on getting her some of that, too. Lauren now had new trousers, shirts, t-shirts, skirts, sweaters, dresses, pajamas, socks, panties, bras and a couple of pairs of shoes. While Olivia brought her item after item, telling her how wonderful she looked in each, it had been overwhelming. Now she and her tiger fretted that it was too much.
Buy anything you like Carrick insisted.
Surely he didn’t expect her to go this mad, though. Would he be furious with her? Her tiger purred at her. She actually doubted he would. Not like the way her father would be if she dared splurge.
Since they mated, Carrick had snapped and snarled, but as she got to know him, she found it hard to muster much fear or resentment for him. Not the way she did for her father or the late alpha.
Carrick had a short fuse, and while he wasn’t always easy company, she didn’t fear he would lash out physically.
Would he be pleased with her new look? Would he desire her? Her beast chuffed, hoping he would. Strange she thought. A year ago she would have cringed at the thought of Carrick lusting after her. But they were mated now; he’d seen and done things to her no other male had. Or probably ever would added her tiger. The thought that he would desire her more than any other female was… pleasing, and something she wanted.
Part of her wondered whether it had been the alpha who pushed Carrick into mating her. Since the alpha was gone, Carrick could easily change his mind about them being together. He may not want her anymore. He may send her back to her parents.
Lauren shuddered. While she missed Lois and hoped that she could spend as much time with her little sister as she used to, she couldn’t abide returning to her parents as a failure.
You couldn’t even keep him happy for a week, Lauren.
Tired of your fat ass already, Lauren?
No one will ever want you, Lauren.
Her tiger yowled indignantly. No, Carrick did want her. She saw it in his eyes every time they had sex, and the moments before they were about to have sex, and while they bathed together, and while they were eating… He definitely wanted her.
She was going to make her mating work, no matter what.
*
Lauren fumbled with her many bags, and when Carrick caught sight of her, he loped over to her in a couple of long, easy strides.
She waited for a moment to see if he would rebuke her for buying too much, but he didn’t. Wordlessly, he took all of her purchases from her, easily collecting the bags in his large hands.
“Get what you wanted?” he asked roughly.
“Umm hmmm.”
Lauren took a step back and smoothed her hands over her new sweater, waiting to see if he would compliment her, but he seemed a little distracted. His eyes were clouded over, and he barely looked at her.
“I decided to wear some of the clothes out of the store,” she said pointedly.
Carrick nodded and finally looked her up and down.
“Do I look okay?”
His tense shoulders relaxed a little, and her tiger trilled as she scented his burgeoning arousal. “Yes,” he grunted.
She took that as a compliment from Carrick.
“Are you finished?” he asked, as he gazed at the other shoppers.
“I ah…”
Carrick snapped back to hers, his eyes narrowed in irritation, but when he spoke it was softly. “You need something else?”
“Actually, I was wondering if we could get something to eat. I haven’t had anything since breakfast, and I love the China Garden restaurant here.” It was just extremely rare that she ever got to go. Usually, only on one of her brothers’ birthdays – her brothers got to celebrate, but neither she nor Lois were given the option. Considering how few females there were in the pride, Lauren sometimes wondered at her parents’ attitude to their two daughters.
“Sure,” he said as he looked around himself warily. “But I’d rather take the food back to the house.”
Lauren rolled her shoulders, unconcerned. “Okay, I could eat their food anywhere – it’s that delicious.”
Carrick nodded slightly distracted.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, wondering if he really was regretting giving her a credit card.
He looked at her, indecision written on his face. “I just remembered something I thought I’d forgotten,” he said at last.
“Oh.” She hesitated. “Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
“Something from your old life? Something you want to talk about?”
“No.” He sighed and looked her up and down again. Her tiger swished her tail as Carrick’s scent permeated with his lust. “Let’s get you home,” he said with a little more urgency.
*
Carrick almost didn’t go to her room. The memory had thrown him for a loop, and part of him was obsessed with trying to figure out when it happened, where it happened, and more importantly, who the woman was. But a larger part of him, including his horny tiger, just wanted to be with Lauren.
Getting her new clothes might not have been the best move. She was always pretty, but seeing her decked out in figure-hugging jeans and a sweater that practically caressed her round breasts was just asking for trouble. The moment she stepped out the store heads were turning in her direction. More males were looking at her – big, sexy blondes garnered a lot of attention, apparently. While he didn’t blame the males for looking, his tiger wanted to disembowel the lot of them for daring to look at what belonged to him.
But the clothes seemed to make her happy, and that was what mattered.
He wondered at the other blonde from his memory. What was she? Former girlfriend? Former mate? His chest clenched. Was he mated before Lauren? His tiger sneered. It didn’t matter now. He had Lauren. Whatever the other female once was didn’t matter anymore.
With purpose, he banged on Lauren’s door.
She had been surprised by the separate rooms, but he was doing it for her sake. He still dreamed of his time in the cage, and his dreams could be downrigh
t violent. The least he could do for her was allow her uninterrupted sleep.
“Come in,” she called.
Lauren was hanging up the rest of her new clothes. She smiled bashfully at him. “Thank you for all these. They’re really lovely.” She admiringly stroked a purple sweater.
His tiger grunted in disagreement. No, the clothes were nice. Lauren was lovely.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he grumbled. She’d already done so quite a few times, and it wasn’t necessary. “It’s your money too; you can do what you like with it.”
“I suppose so,” she said without much conviction.
She was still wearing her jeans and sweater, but now she was barefoot, padding around her room, sorting through her new clothes.
Carrick lowered his bulk onto the bed and watched her for a few moments. Her skin glowed with happiness, and he felt inordinately proud that he had a hand in making her feel that way.
Lauren stopped abruptly and gazed at him, clutching a blue dress in her hands. “Do you want to…” Her voice trailed off.
Carrick nodded, wondering if she would tell him to get lost. A part of him still felt like he was forcing her. Neither of them had a choice on their mating night – they had to consummate their relationship otherwise their mating would have been void, and the alpha could have passed Lauren to another male. Not that Carrick needed any encouragement to be with her. But, if things had been different, he could have offered to wait until they got to know each other better. Though, if he was completely honest, there was never a chance in hell that he would have said something stupid and noble like that.
However, now that they were settling into their mating, she needed to know she didn’t just have to lie back and let him do whatever the hell he wanted. He tried to make it clear earlier that if she wasn’t in the mood, she just had to say the word. Though, he hoped she wouldn’t. His desire had been burning within him since the store, and he wanted her fiercely.
Lauren swallowed and hung up the dress before slowly moving towards him. Unease rolled off her, and his tiger growled unhappily. He had hoped she was enjoying their couplings enough to have gotten over her initial misgivings.
