by Cara Wylde
“What is?”
“To see you all grown up like this.”
Olivia laughed. “What do you mean? I’m 26.”
“Oh, and you think you’re so old! You think you’ve seen everything!” Miranda laughed, but then fixed Liv with a serious look in her eyes. “I’m proud of you. You’re taking things slowly, assessing the situation, putting Liam’s wellbeing at the top of your priority list. Not long ago, you were the only one up there.”
Liv chuckled.
“Honestly,” Miranda continued. “I’m proud of you.” She took Liv’s hand in hers and squeezed her fingers lightly. “You go have fun on your date, enjoy the weekend, and test the hell out of this Tristan guy. Liam deserves the best. He already has the most amazing mother. He deserves a father to match her.”
“Thank you.”
Olivia finished her coffee, then went to get ready. It took her an hour to shower, pick the most flattering little black dress she owned, and make herself up. She wasn’t a huge fan of ridiculously high heels, but Miranda’s black pumps did add the final touch to her sophisticated outfit. No wonder Tristan’s jaw dropped when he saw her. And given that he had a more-than-generous package, he couldn’t quite hide his excitement from Olivia’s prying eyes. She made it her mission to talk in double entendres all evening, until Tristan was so horny and frustrated that he couldn’t wait to drive back to Andes, throw her over his shoulder, and only drop her when they reached his bed.
It wasn’t Tristan’s lucky day, unfortunately. His lion-shifters had decided to throw a bonfire party that very night, and Tristan and Olivia had to spend at least a couple of hours with them. Liv was more than excited. She hadn’t gone to a party since Liam was born, and when they arrived at the foot of the Catskills and she heard the music and saw everyone drinking and dancing, her heart started beating faster, her blood boiling with adrenaline, and her body eager to mingle with the other heated bodies and move in the rhythm of the music. She had been too much of a party girl to miss this unexpected occasion, and Tristan couldn’t say “no” to her. Not when she jumped out of the car and started walking towards the members of his pride, rolling her hips and shoulders sensually, warming up her muscles for a at least an hour of uninterrupted dancing.
Seeing her like this, beautiful and confident, making her way through the small crowd, accepting a glass of wine from a lioness and drinking it while dancing and exchanging pleasantries with those around her, Tristan came to a conclusion that scared him, but at the same time made him feel more exalted than he had ever been in his life: this woman belonged here, with him and his pride. Even though Olivia Jensen was only human, she had the strong, determined personality of a true lioness. He was still reluctant to think of her as his mate, although his lion had made his decision on that a long time ago, but he had an overwhelming feeling that she was the woman he had been looking for, waiting for when he had grown too tired to keep looking. Still, he was holding back. Or doing his best to keep a leveled head. She hadn’t answered any of his questions yet. She was still the wonderfully mysterious being who had stolen his heart two years ago and had knocked on his door when he had lost all hope he would ever see her again. So, he did the only thing that made sense then: followed her through the crowd.
Olivia danced until she couldn’t feel her feet anymore. To her chagrin, she didn’t have the stamina she used to, and her sister’s pumps made things more difficult than necessary. She told Tristan she needed a break, and went to find Camille.
The blonde girl was sitting on the grass, under an old, mighty tree, with her back against the rough bark and a glass of gin in her hand. Olivia took off her pumps, fussed a bit with her dress, then sat down next to Camille.
“Hey there,” she said. “Why don’t you join us?”
Camille finally turned and graced her with a small smile. Anyone could tell it wasn’t genuine.
“I don’t feel like dancing tonight.”
Olivia wondered if she wasn’t, in fact, bothering her. Camille hadn’t told her to leave her alone, but she didn’t seem very enthusiastic about her company, either. Nonetheless, she decided she should stay. The young woman intrigued her, especially because every time she saw her, or even thought about her, she felt the unexplainable urge to protect her.
“So… Tristan told him you work for him. That you’re a chemist.”
“Sort of… I guess.”
Olivia cocked an eyebrow. “You’re just as vague as he is.”
“My job is hard to explain.”
Liv nodded. They were both silent for a long moment. The girl didn’t expand on the subject, and Olivia didn’t know what to say next. She was trying her hardest not to make it another question. Eventually, she thought the best way to bond with her might be to tell her random things about herself.
“Mine is pretty straightforward. I work in the PR department of a British company.”
“British?”
“Yes. I live in London. I’m only in New York for a month, visiting my sister and her children.”
Camille’s whole face brightened all of a sudden. She moved around a bit, changing her position to face Olivia.
“Does that mean you’re going back?”
“Well, I have to, don’t I?” Olivia laughed. “It’s enough I took a month of vacation when all my other colleagues can barely take a week off.”
“Why did you move to London? If I were to choose, I’d definitely stay in the US.”
Liv shrugged. That was always a difficult question. She couldn’t tell her the truth, but she didn’t want to lie to her, either. She wanted to be friends with Camille, and lying was never a good way to start a friendship.
“I needed a change. I was almost 24 and had no idea what to do with my life. My family here was never very supportive, but I had an aunt in London who had always been there for me. When I left, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to adapt there, but I hoped I’d at least find some peace to think and come up with a plan. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with London, and once I did, everything came naturally.”
“Do you have a good relationship with your family now?”
“Oh, it’s functional.” Liv smiled thinking about her earlier conversation with Miranda. “Getting better every day. My sister and I have been apart for so long that we’ve forgotten about all the little, stupid things we used to fight over when we were younger. I have to admit it was usually my fault. I’ve always been the selfish one.”
Camille was lost in thought for a moment. “I would have loved to have a sister,” she whispered. “Maybe I do have one, and I just don’t know it.”
Liv’s heart sank a little. “What do you mean?”
“I’m an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage and never met my parents. Sometimes I think… what if they had another child after me? Did they abandon him or her, too?”
“Oh… wow. I… I’m sorry.”
Olivia didn’t know what to say. There were no right words in such situations.
“It’s fine,” said Camille. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“I’m here to listen, if you want to talk about it.”
“There isn’t much more to say, actually. I’m grateful to Tristan for taking me in. I love it here. The mountains, the people, the fact that we all live like a big, happy family… I couldn’t ask for more.”
“Tristan took you in… as in, he adopted you?”
Camille smiled bitterly. It took her a second too long to answer.
“Yes, yes he did.”
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Oh.”
Liv didn’t know how old Tristan was, but he didn’t look older than 30. He could have been 35, but that was quite a stretch. She couldn’t make complicated calculations after having had too many glasses of wine, but something didn’t sound exactly right. Camille’s soft voice brought her back to the present.
“He’s nice. Tristan. He’s the
nicest person I know. He takes care of me, of everyone around him. I don’t know how much they appreciate it, but I do. I know how it’s like to have no one, to grow up believing your parents didn’t want you, that for some unfathomable reason, you weren’t worthy of their love and they chose to get rid of you.”
Olivia opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“It’s fine, really. You don’t have to say anything,” insisted Camille. “I’m over it, in fact. I’m just telling you these things so you’d understand how good Tristan is.”
“He’s been good to me, too,” said Liv. She bit the inside of her cheek before saying what she had actually wanted to say for a few minutes. “But I don’t think he was very nice to you the other day.”
“What other day?”
“You know… when we met. He asked you what you were working on, and I don’t think he did it in a very pleasant tone.”
Camille turned away from Olivia and finished the gin in her glass.
“He was only afraid I might be working on something dangerous.”
Her explanation didn’t sound very convincing to Olivia.
Camille sensed the woman’s reticence, and added: “He truly cares about me. His only fault is that he doesn’t know how to express it. Sometimes, he comes off as harsh and authoritarian, but once you get to know him, you understand what he actually means when he behaves like that. And I know him very well.”
That was when Olivia realized she might have gotten Camille all wrong. The girl was in love with Tristan. There was no doubt about it. The way she talked about him, the way she found excuses for his obviously misplaced behavior… That was love, and nothing else. Blind, hopeless love. She knew Tristan didn’t feel the same for Camille. Or… had she gotten him all wrong, too?
Camille stood up abruptly and headed to the party.
“I’m getting a new glass of gin.”
She didn’t ask Olivia if she wanted anything, and didn’t mention whether she was coming back or not. She simply walked away and left her there, under the old tree.
Liv searched the crowd for Tristan, but couldn’t spot him. She felt too tired to stand up, walk over and look for him properly, so she leaned her head on the thick trunk and got lost in the immensity of the sky and the calming brightness of the stars. Tristan found her later, as she was sure he would.
“I missed you,” he whispered in her ear.
His husky voice sent a wave of lust right to her core.
She smiled. “I don’t think I can stand, let alone walk.”
He laughed. “I’ll have to carry you, then.”
Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck when he picked her up.
“Hey! Don’t forget about my shoes!”
He lowered her carefully so she could grab them by the heels.
***
Tristan set Olivia on his bed and took a step back to admire her curvaceous body in the tight black dress. He couldn’t wait to see what was underneath it. She had great taste in lingerie, and he was almost sure her bra and panties were all delicate, sexy black lace.
Olivia let him stare at her for a while, enjoying the attention. The look in his intense blue eyes said he considered her the most beautiful woman in the world, and that made Liv feel confident and comfortable in her own skin. She had long accepted her size, her generous curves, large hips, and heavy breasts. When she was younger, around 18, she would look in the mirror for hours, study every inch of herself, and scowl at every roll around her waist, and every imperfection she could spot. She had tried a couple of diets, but they had made her sad and frustrated. Little by little, she understood that the solution to her being dissatisfied with herself was to work on her perfective, and not on her body. Once she accepted that it was fine to have a couple of extra pounds and that she could still look smashing if she knew how to choose her clothes, Olivia became the strong, assertive woman so many men started to fall in love with. They loved her body, but they adored her attitude. She was a challenge for them, and she knew that was what drew them in like flies. Of course, once she figured that out, she took her role to a whole new level.
“You’re breathtaking,” said Tristan in a husky voice.
He took a step towards her, but Olivia stopped him on time by placing her bare foot on his crotch. He moaned when she massaged his erection through his rough jeans.
“What else?” she asked.
Tristan laughed. She wasn’t going to be impressed by just one compliment, was she?
“Ravishing. Wonderful, amazing…”
Olivia pressed harder, making him bite his lip. “Those are just synonyms.”
“… manipulative goddess,” he moaned.
She smiled mischievously. “Really?”
“Yeah… you know exactly what you’re doing.”
“That. Is. True.” She marked every word with a hard stroke.
Tristan closed his eyes. His lion was thrashing underneath his skin, the female’s teasing too much for the powerful, stubborn beast. His animal side urged him to slap her foot away, climb on top of her, tear her dress and lingerie to pieces, and take her hard and fast, claim her as his mate. His human side, however, was more sensible. He had been the one to take control until now, and he was curious to see what would happen if he relinquished some of that control to her.
Olivia removed her foot and moved closer to the edge of the bed, her eyes now at the same level with his crotch.
Tristan shuddered when her nimble fingers started working on his belt and zipper. He looked down at her hands, then at her face. Her brows were slightly furrowed in concentration. Once the belt was off and the zipper was down, she reached inside and pulled his hard cock out. He moaned at the feel of her cold fingers on his heated skin.
Liv licked her lips, but took her time to enjoy the sheer size and weight of his manhood. She ran the tips of her fingers up and down his length, cupped his balls gently, then went back up and spread the small beads of pre-cum all over the engorged head. Unable to resist the temptation a second longer, she closed her eyes and licked the tip, moaning in appreciation of his unique taste.
“Olivia,” he whispered.
She ignored him. She didn’t care what he wanted, anyway. All she cared about was her desire to lick, bite, and swallow, even at the expense of having to wait until he could go again. She opened her mouth as wide as she could and slipped the thick, long cock inside until the head hit the back of her throat. He was bigger than any guy she had been with, but she relaxed her throat and took all the length in, slowly, carefully. She stopped for a second, moaned around the shaft, and smiled when she felt his entire body tense. She repeated the trick, then moved her lips up his cock, rolled her tongue over the tip, then started bobbing her head up and down, faster and faster, sucking harder, all the while massaging his round balls with her hand.
“If you keep doing that…” he said.
Liv squeezed the base of his cock and continued her ministrations. She could feel he wouldn’t last long. It had only taken her a few minutes to figure out what drove him insane, and now that she had the upper hand, she sucked and licked and massaged with newfound enthusiasm.
“Oh God… yes… that feels so good. Please don’t stop.”
Tristan grabbed the back of her head, his fingers digging into her rich brown hair. He struggled to keep his beast in check. It growled inside him, his chest trembling with concealed force, and he made sure to cover up the possible noise with his own moans and encouragements. The delicious pressure… he couldn’t take it anymore. He threw his head back and grunted as he shot long streams of seed down her throat.
Liv swallowed greedily, at the same time focusing on keeping up the pace until he was done. She cleaned him thoroughly, the tip of her tongue pushing against the tiny slit, as if she was hoping more would come out. To her surprise, he wasn’t going soft.
Tristan leaned over her, took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and kissed her deeply, tasting himself on her lips and tongue. She moaned
, opened her mouth, and allowed him to push her on top of the covers. In the process, he got rid of his jeans completely, then pulled his T-shirt over his head.
Olivia’s hands immediately started exploring his wide chest, pressing, caressing, following the ridge of every muscle. She could do this for hours and never get bored of his body. She let him peel the dress off her, then the bra and panties, with which he took his time. His hands and lips left goosebumps on her sensitive skin. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in his touches, licks, nips, and kisses.
He worshiped her curves patiently, and when he finally climbed back on top of her, not an inch of her skin had been left untouched. He claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss.
Olivia let her hand explore lower and lower, until she found his cock, as hard and ready as ever. She broke the kiss and smiled up at him.
“Wow! So fast?”
Tristan laughed and kissed her nose.
“With you? Always. As many times as you want.”
She squeezed his cock appreciatively.
Gently, he turned her around. Olivia followed his lead and used her knees and arms to hold herself up. When he slapped her butt, she pushed her hips farther up to give him better access.
Tristan slapped her again and marveled at the perfect way in which her skin jiggled. His cock grew harder, and he couldn’t wait to be inside her, to stretch her pussy to the limit and pound her until he coated her walls with his seed. He took hold of her hips and held her in place as he entered her. She was wet and warm, and he moaned when he was finally buried to the hilt.
“Mmm… Tristan. Move.”
He complied, pulling out almost completely, then slamming back in.
They built a steady rhythm, Olivia meeting his every thrust, moving her hips as much as the position allowed her, her fists holding onto the pillow for dear life. Her moans and screams filled the room. She was so loud that she was sure the neighbors could hear her, so she bit down on the pillow.
“Don’t,” Tristan said between heavy breaths. “I want to hear you.”
She did as she was told, and soon the whole house was filled with the sound of their lovemaking. The bed was rocking so hard that Liv was afraid it might break. She screamed even louder when her orgasm hit her, almost taking her by surprise. Tristan kept going until she came back from her height only to rise up again. Her walls clenched and unclenched around his cock, the second orgasm more powerful than the first.
