by Kyle, Celia
More and more he gave her, each push and pull timed to match her breathing, fingers sliding in and out with ease, her juices easing the way. Her pussy pulsed, a quick squeeze and release, while his mouth never ceased.
“Yes, more, please…”
Neal released her clit with one last lick, but his thumb quickly resumed its place, circled her bundle of nerves in time with his penetration. “Everything you want, Carly… Keep those eyes one me… Good girl… Want you to come on my hand and then I’ll fuck you. You want that, don’t you?”
As if he needed to ask.
He pulled his fingers free and replaced the two with three, pushing into her without finesse and stretching her almost to the point of pain. “Don’t you?”
Okay, apparently he did need to ask.
“Yes, fuck yes.”
Pleasure built then, grew within her with every thrust and retreat, with every rotation of his thumb. She worked with him, rocked her hips in time with his hand, fucked herself on his fingers as if it were his cock.
“God, you’re so beautiful.”
She moaned, the truth behind his words increasing her pleasure tenfold. Shifting her weight, she cupped her breast, kneaded the fleshy mound, mimicked what he’d done to her only moments ago. Her arousal rose higher with her soft touch.
Carly’s climax drew closer, the promised bliss increasing with every passing second, intensifying with her every breath. She was panting now, hips rocking furiously while his fingers pistoned in and out of her hole, the wet squelching sounds of his movements filling the clearing.
“My mate.”
She gasped, the truth shoving her closer to climax. Her passion was raising higher and higher still until she felt sure she’d die from it. The molten sensations of bliss inched closer, the fiery pleasure pulsed through her body, crawling into every inch of her soul and grabbing hold with both hands.
God, she was going to come. Cream his hand, scream his name, and embrace the pleasure of his touch.
She increased her pace and Neal followed her, matched her thrust for thrust as she chased her orgasm. It was so close she could nearly taste the pleasure, relish the flavor on her tongue.
His lion’s eyes bore into hers, watched her from behind his human skin, stalked her from within, and the cat’s presence sent another shudder of ecstasy down her spine. The feline, so fierce and strong, watched her as she neared completion.
Spasms of animalistic need coursed through her veins, the rabbit within reaching eagerly for her lion mate, and Carly went along for the ride. She let the furry bunny out to play, let it show herself through her eyes and meet her mate for the first time.
Neal’s eyes flared in recognition and it seemed to spur him on, shoving pleasure at her in waves as he growled and purred. “Mine.”
An uncontrollable tremor coursed through pussy.
“Mine.”
Her heat clenched on his fingers.
“Mine.”
She arched, hips stilled, and he didn’t falter, tempo continuing. Her orgasm was there, in sight, and so close she could nearly touch the unknown pleasure. It had never been this good, this overwhelming. Then again, it had never been Neal.
“Mine.”
More and more he gave, shoved at her and poured into her body until every breath was accompanied by a shudder that stole her control.
She gasped and writhed yet kept her gaze trained on him. Always on him.
Carly rose higher and higher, closer to the edge, the precipice, the very brink of unadulterated pleasure, and then…
Neal flashed his fangs, his fully distended canines. “Mine.”
She came, the ultimate release overtook her in a great sweep, a fierce tornado that she couldn’t outrun and his name escaped her lips. She shuddered and moaned, the rhythmic spasms of delicious bliss poured through her like molten lava, burning her from the inside out and branding her as his.
Because she was.
Each swell of rapture was followed by another and then another and then…
She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think past the next beat of her heart while he continued his ministrations, his pace never faltering.
“Mine.” His single word sent another wave of ecstasy along her spine and he followed with a rough push of his fingers, an increase of pressure on her clit, and she screamed the first word that formed in her mind.
“Yours!”
* * *
Neal couldn’t hold back any longer. Not with the cat on the edge and her little rabbit so close that his lion could sense her just beneath Carly’s skin.
With her scream, he didn’t hesitate. He left his place between her thighs, crawled up her body, and pushed into her welcoming heat. She surrounded him with her silken wetness, her tight pussy fitting him like a custom made glove.
His.
Pleasure, unknown and untold, embraced him with this first possession, wrapped around his body and sent his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
Oh, god, his mate. His.
She was it for him, the woman made for him and the only one who’d be in his life.
His.
Carly scratched him, hissed at him like a bunny in she-cat clothing and bared her little teeth as if he should be worried about her bite.
Neal flexed his hips, reveled in the pleasure, but also watched the waves of emotion cross his mate’s features…the twinges of bliss, the overwhelming arousal…the moment that his cock stroked that perfect spot within her…
“Neal!”
And there it was.
He repeated the move, his body undulating in a gentle wave while he moved in and out of her sleek heat. His cat wanted to stay deep within her, fill her, and never leave the sanctuary of her body.
Neal had to agree.
He plunged in and out, his cock stroking her walls while she clenched around him, milked his shaft with the tremors of her impending orgasm. Oh, she’d come again…and again…and… Well, he had some high hopes for the night.
With any luck, she’d be a fully satisfied and deliriously happy mate come morning.
Neal withdrew and pushed forward, body braced as he hovered above his mate, careful not to crush her. Carly was all wanton curves, lush and seductive in her own way, and now she was his. Well, she would be in the next few minutes, anyway.
Pleasure built in him, his cock throbbed, each retreat and thrust causing another swell of ecstasy to surround him, his cock, his balls. The pressure was growing, breath-by-breath it increased, and he dug his claws into the soft dirt beneath him. He couldn’t come. Not yet. They’d come together or he’d die trying.
Just a little longer…
Carly’s pussy clenched around him, tightened until he wasn’t sure if she’d crush him or not, and he groaned. “Carly…”
She gasped, her cunt tightening around him once again. “Mine.” She repeated the word, followed by another spasm. “Mine.” Then again. “Mine.”
“Yes, Carly. Yours.”
Neal’s orgasm was nearing, growing with every pulse of her pussy around him. His balls became high and tight, snug against his body while the pleasure of being inside her swelled.
His dick throbbed, pounded, and twitched in time with his heartbeat until he couldn’t distinguish one from the other. In and out, over and again.
His breath came in great pants, his lungs heaving while he continued making love to his mate…his mate.
God, he wanted to come. Pour himself into her and sink his teeth into her flesh. She’d be his then. Well and truly his.
Carly shifted beneath him and then her hips were rising to meet his every thrust, their bodies working in tandem to bring them the most pleasure. “Neal… So close.”
Thank god.
He lowered his body, rhythm never failing, and scraped the line of her neck, drew his fang along the vulnerable column until he found the spot he’d mark. His place and no one else’s.
Her pussy fluttered around him, milked him in vicious waves, and then…<
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And then her teeth were on his skin, slicing through it like butter and settling deep into the flesh of his shoulder.
Fuck, fuck, fuck…
His orgasm slammed into him then. Shoved him over the edge and the building pleasure of his release poured from him, freed his cum, and he filled his mate. His mate.
With each wave of ecstasy, each shattering ounce of bliss coursing through his veins, Neal pierced Carly’s vulnerable flesh, slid his teeth beneath the skin, and claimed her as his.
His.
God, he was a possessive ass. But he didn’t really care.
The lion inside roared its approval. They’d chosen a good mate, the perfect mother for their cubs.
Neal’s hips continued to shift, his orgasm unending as he nipped and sucked his mark, while Carly did the same to him. Their bodies didn’t seem to want to relinquish the tides of pleasure and he rode it, savored every sensation that throbbed through him.
It was Carly who withdrew first, her tiny, razor sharp teeth easing from his shoulder, and a final shuddering wave of pleasure zipped through him as her tongue slid over the wound. With equal care, he released her, treated her battered skin to the same treatment.
Neal slumped, exhausted, sated, and, for once, his damned cat wasn’t trying to rip him apart from the inside out. Nope. Not when he’d finally gotten his teeth into Carly and claimed her as his mate.
Damn, but he’d been driving himself crazy over her. He’d practically stalked the rabbit and craved any little tidbits about her life that he could pry from his woman’s best friend and the pride’s prima, Maya.
It’d been Maya who’d told him about Carly’s plan to stay furry for the Gaian Moon and hide in the forest.
Now he had her.
With a deep, heaving breath, he held Carly as he rolled to his back, tugging her with him and tucking her into his side. From shoulder to knee (damn, she was short) he was molded to curve upon curve of her luscious body. He knew she was self-conscious about her weight, but he loved every rounded inch of her. He imagined her swollen with his cubs, maybe a nice little girl kit now and again, and his cock twitched.
He couldn’t wait.
Carly’s breathing was deep and even; her eyes were closed and her plump lower lip called to him, but he resisted. He’d exhausted her, no doubt.
Instead, he brushed a delicate kiss across her brow and settled in for a nice nap in the glade, his lion ever at the ready in the back of his mind. Nothing would separate him from his mate ever again. Not even Carly.
With a last huff of breath, he let gentle sleep overtake him, his last few words coming out as a sigh. “Thank you, darlin’.”
Chapter 3
The hot French vanilla cappuccino slid down Carly’s throat, warming her from the inside out, chasing away the chill of the morning. She ached in several delicious places, but even the pleasurable memories of the previous night couldn’t banish the hurt and disappointment that had blossomed in her chest.
Darlin’.
She was now mated to a man who was more comfortable beneath a skirt than standing tall. A particular blonde’s skirt.
She took another sip, let the soothing sweet taste flow over her taste buds.
The sound of knuckles hitting the wood of her back door cut through the silence of her kitchen. “Carly? Baby? Open the door.”
She snorted. ‘Baby’? So, she was ‘baby’ now. At least that was an improvement.
She ignored him. She couldn’t deal with him right then. Part of her—the furry bunny part—was overjoyed with the results of last night. Her freakin’ rabbit was hopping around in her mind, squeaking and jumping, rolling on her back now and again and just acting like a lovesick fool.
Heh. Love. No, love had nothing to do with a mating. Nope, it was all instinctual, animal attraction. Hearts never came into play. Sure, maybe someday…
Carly heard Neal’s deep sigh and forced herself to remain still. The rabbit wanted to comfort her mate, rub all over him, and make him smile.
“Carly—” The ringing of a cell phone cut him off and she forced herself not to listen, afraid she’d hear another ‘darlin’’. “Hello?” His voice held more than a hint of annoyance.
A fierce pounding on her front door brought Carly to her feet. She could still hear Neal in the back yard, so it wasn’t the cowboy out front. She dropped the cup on the table before turning toward the front of the house. Another round of thumping and she increased her pace.
Geez, the visitor was impatient.
At the door, she peeked through one of the windows on each side of the portal and then rushed to let her visitor—no, visitors—in.
The very second the door swung wide, she was embraced in a big ole lion hug by her best friend, Maya, and nearly had the life squeezed out of her. Head on Maya’s shoulder, she stared at the four men still standing on her porch and raised her eyebrows.
After the Gaian Moon, most shifters were dead to the world for a while. Bumping uglies all night could do that to a body. But here stood four of the randiest men she knew and the pride’s prima, bright and early. Sure, maybe Maya’s mate had taken it easy on her since she was six months pregnant with twins, but from what she’d heard, her BFF’s guards were like energizer bunnies—er, lions.
“So, uh…”
The four men shrugged their shoulders.
All righty, then.
When the sounds of sniffles and hiccups reached her ears, Carly figured it might be some hormonal thing and figured she’d focus on soothing the woman.
She wrapped her arms around Maya’s shoulders, stroked her back and tried for a bit of levity, teased her friend about her mate. “Hey, it can’t be that bad. It’s not his fault he’s got erectile dysfunction. He’s old, right? We’ll get him some little blue pills and it’ll be all good. We can even order them online without a prescription from Mexico or Canada or something.”
Her friend stiffened in her arms.
Gotcha.
Maya shoved her away and held her at arm’s length, fire in her eyes. “Ohmagawd. He does not have ED. How could you…” She shook her head, narrowed her eyes. “You’re just trying to get me to quit crying.” She huffed. “Fine. I’m a tad emotional, but I totally have a good reason.”
Maya breezed past her and toward the back of her house. Probably to hunt up some ice cream.
Carly really needed to buy stock in Ben & Jerry’s. Seriously.
With a grumbled “Come in,” she followed Maya’s trail down the hallway and found the woman just as she’d suspected: carton of ice cream in hand and feet propped up on one of the chairs.
“Sure, beyotch, make yourself at home.”
She waved the spoon at Carly. “Thank you for such a warm welcome.” She scooped another mound of the ice cream into her mouth. “And if you’d been through what I’d been through this morning, you’d know that this stuff is totally earned. I even had a reason for crying this time.”
Carly raised a brow.
Maya stuck her tongue out. “I did. There was…”
Her words trailed off and Carly figured that she’d just realized that she had Neal camped out in her back yard. Through the walls, she could hear Maya’s guards joining her mate out back.
Her mate.
Gah.
But no, God was not being gracious and kind this morning. Nope. She watched as Maya’s nostrils flared and her friend took a nice, deep breath.
Oh. Joy.
And in three…two…one…
“You mated!” Maya squealed and raced around the table, arms stretched wide.
Okay, she waddled, but the end was still the same: she was engulfed in a great big lion hug once again, her friend rocking them back and forth in a happy dance.
Carly wasn’t all that happy. Mostly. Okay, a little happy, but a little of a lot of sad. Half and half?
Maya released her and then slumped into the seat right next to Carly. “It was last night, right? Why didn’t you call? I would have totally woke
n up for that.” She leaned forward and sniffed. “And Neal? Really? I didn’t…I had no… But you’ve been around each other before and…” She waved a hand in the air. “Doesn’t matter. You’re mated!” Her eyes widened. “We have to plan a party, send out announcements and—“
“No, My. No.” Carly shook her head. Determined.
“But…” She poked out her lower lip.
Carly lowered her voice to a whisper, not wanting the guys out back to hear. Neal, in particular. “You know how I feel about Neal. You know…” She swallowed, blinked back the tears. She was acting like a stupid, stupid girl. She’d dreamt of love and mating going hand in hand. Instead, her heart was breaking more and more with each beat. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He called me ‘darlin’’. When it was over, he called me ‘darlin’’. Like I was just some… And he still has the blonde hanging around, even after we met and…”
Maya gasped, covered her mouth with her hand and then reached for her, pulled her close. They’d talked about Neal in broad strokes before and she’d always made her feelings abundantly clear. “Oh, Carly. I’m sorry. But, maybe you should give him a chance to expl—“ A fierce roar, louder even than the pride’s prime had ever released, poured from the backyard and through the kitchen and Maya’s face went white. “Oh. They told him. I was trying to stall. I don’t feel like crying again so quickly.”
Carly’s eyes snapped open wide. “Told him what? What’s going on?”
Guilt and more than a hint of sadness wiggled its way into Maya’s expression. “They…” She licked her lips. “They found… You see… Near Ian’s house…”
“Spit it out, My.”
“There was a death last night, and it wasn’t pretty.” A tear slid from the corner of her friend’s eye and Carly’s heartbeat picked up, racing and nearly bursting from her chest. God, they’d decided to mix with the lions this time around, see if they could improve lion-rabbit relations as well as finagle a few extra babies to strengthen the warren and pride. She prayed a lion hadn’t gotten too rough and…
Maya opened her mouth and anything she might have said was cut off by the cracking and breaking of wood as Neal shredded the back door.
