Guardian (Wolf Shifter Romance): Reckless Desires (Alpha Protectors Book 1) (13 page)

I
couldn’t believe it
. He still wanted me.
Me
. Not the image.

Could I really have everything I’d ever wanted?

A low growl vibrated across my lips. “What are you thinking about now?”

My tongue chased his in a slow duel, buying time.

He wasn’t fooled, I could tell, but he played along, his arms dragging me to the edge of the bed so that he was crouched between my legs. Deepening the kiss, his hands smoothed up my legs until they gripped the top of my thighs, thumbs circling dangerously close to exactly where I wanted them.

“Cole?” His name was a gasp as a jolt of lust seized me, his thumbs gliding even closer still.

“What now?” He growled, his lips never leaving mine. “I’m a little busy.”

“Do you really want me for your mate?”

“Yes.”

“
Really?”

He pulled away, his eyes burning with heat. “Goddammit woman! That’s exactly what I’m trying to do here—prove it to you!”

“Oh!”

“
Oh
, she says,” he muttered, tugging me closer even still. “Let me show you how much I love you.”

“You
love
me?”

This time when he pulled away his expression was one of pure confusion. “Didn’t you know?”

“You haven’t said.”

“Oh.”

“
Oh
, he says,” I mocked. Him being on his knees put him at the perfect height. I rocked my hips, grinding against his denim-clad cock.

“Tasha,” he bit out on a groan. “I love you, I love you, I love you. Please don’t make me tell you why
now
.”

“I think I know why.” I pulled at his T-shirt, tugging it off over his head. Muscles rippled across his skin. There was a scattering of hair dusting his chiseled chest.

“Go on, enlighten me.”

“Because I love you too.”

“Best...” he returned the favor, stripping me of my sweatshirt, “explanation...” he reached around and unhooked my bra, “
ever
,” he declared.

He pressed me back onto the bed, his bare chest crushing my breasts, his skin warm and unyielding against my softness.

I heard a soft thud, followed by another as he toed his boots off and they hit the floor. Then his mouth pressed against mine and everything ceased to matter except him, us, now.

His arms closed around me in a cradle, his hands tangling in my hair as he angled my head. His tongue lapped at my mouth, his lips moving and pressing.

I dug my nails into his back as I arched underneath him, offering myself to him. His only flaw was that he was
too
honorable. He had put what he believed to be my safety before his own needs.

Well, they were my needs now, too. Time to stop messing around.

I ripped my mouth away, my words coming out in a pant, “You better not up and leave this time, Mister.”

“Abso-
fucking
-lutely no way I’m going anywhere,” he groaned, his hand sliding between us and inside my yoga pants.

Thank God for stretchy pants!

His finger slid between my legs, parting my wet folds before rubbing in murderously slow circles around my clit.

I wriggled, sucking in a breath every time he came dangerously close of actually hitting the jackpot.
Just a little closer…
I wriggled a little more.

A strangled cry tore from my lips as he pressed down hard, rubbing back and forth, and electrifying waves of heat shot through me.

“Greedy,” he murmured, capturing my cry with his lips. “And so sensitive,” he added, his fingers probing at my entrance.

“Are you complaining?” I gasped out, trying to do my little wriggle dance again to no avail.

“Nope. I’m a very lucky man.” His fingers speared deep inside me without warning, driving any remaining breath from my body. Showing no mercy, he rotated his fingers inside of me as though searching for something.

Pleasure-pain ricocheted through me, too much to feel, too much to stand. This time I was doing the wriggle dance in reverse.

“Hold on in there,” he whispered, his fingers still driving me upward toward a peak I wasn’t sure I wanted to reach.

“I can’t,” I cried, my legs stretching and spasming under his weight, my hips bucking against his hand not listening to my mind screaming
slow down, it’s too much!

“Let go, I’ll catch you.”

Let go of what?
Then everything splintered, my orgasm flooding through me, more powerful than anything I had ever felt or dreamed of. My back bowed, my head thrashing, and the moans spilling from my mouth low and feral.

“Beautiful,” he said, placing a tender kiss on the side of my mouth.

I cracked open one eye, scared to look. “What was that?”

“What you’re going to be getting every day from now on, sweetheart.”

His weight lifted off me and gentle hands tugged at my pants, peeling them off my quivering legs along with my panties, leaving me naked, exposed.

My hands automatically flew to cover myself.

“Don’t.” His voice was hoarse.

This time I cracked open both eyes. He stood at the foot of the bed, his face full of wonder as he stared at me. Hooking his thumb in his waistband, he popped the buttons one by one.

As if with a mind of its own, my hand drifted up and across my stomach, grazing the underside of my breast, revealing myself to him.

“Like I said,
beautiful,
” he growled, shoving his jeans down and off in a smooth slide. His cock sprung out, thick and long and pointing straight at me.

Saliva pooled in my mouth.
Just a quick taste…
Rolling over, I crawled across the bed toward him.

He remained completely still, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths, his eyes riveted by the slow sway of my full, heavy breasts. “Tasha?”

“Let me,” I whispered, closing my hand around his shaft and squeezing. My tongue darted out, swirling around the head. The smell of him, musk and man, surrounded me. I took a deep breath, dragging him into my lungs.

My mate
. The man who would move heaven and earth to make me happy, who would walk away if I needed him to, who would die for me.

Mine…
If I had been a shifter, the whispered thought would have been a growl.

I tongued his cock, swallowing him whole and sucking as hard as I could.

A loud roar echoed through the room, splintering the silence. He jerked once, a short thrust driving him deeper into my mouth, then fighting for control, he pulled back.

I grabbed his ass, sinking my nails in to halt his retreat. I wanted this,
needed
it. He had made me lose control, and now it was payback time.

“Tasha, sweetheart,” he groaned as I slid my lips along his shaft, my tongue cupping and stroking.

Weight settled on my head, fingers sliding and holding on, not pressing, just anchoring.

I sped up, frantically pulling air in through my nose, his taste driving me wild, his soft groans spurring me on.

“Tasha, stop. Please. I need to be inside you.” His low plea sent a shiver rippling down my spine, the tingling stirring the liquid heat deep inside my core.

Pulling away reluctantly, I stared up at him through lowered eyelashes. “Isn’t it tradition to have a mating hunt?” It was a sexually charged chase to catch and bed your mate. I had heard stories about them, but most couples kept details private, for obvious reasons.

He paused, one knee already on the bed. “Do you want to?”

I scooted back, considering his question. “I think we’ve chased each other enough already, don’t you?”

“Thank fuck for that. If I don’t get inside you in the next ten seconds—”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Summoning up my courage, I let my legs fall open.

The look on his face was worth the split second of excruciating embarrassment.

He fell on me, wicked words of endearment falling from his lips as he surged between my thighs, his cock sliding into place and thrusting deep inside me. Strong arms circled me, cushioning me as he started to move, his hips pivoting and crashing forward with greedy abandon.

The feel of him sliding deep inside me, fucking deeper with every stroke, had me gasping his name like a prayer. I wrapped my legs around his hips, digging my heels into his ass, urging him on.
Faster, harder…more.

Pressure built inside me, churning and rolling through my limbs, tightening my skin until the softest caress, the graze of skin against skin, had me twisting for release.

Dipping his head, he licked a path around my breast, zeroing in on my hardened nipple. Taking the mound in his mouth, he sucked, each pull a direct link to my core, the liquid fire building.

Then I felt the edge of his teeth, the sharp sting of pleasure spliced with pain, and it threw me over the edge, my grip on reality shattering for the second time as I came in pulsating waves.

“Tasha, look at me.” His voice was strained, need etched into every syllable.

I forced my eyes open.

Emerald green captured me. “Do you really want this? To be my mate?” His mouth was strained, his thrusts jerky as he tried to hold back from claiming me completely.

Trying to put me first, as always.

Swiveling his hips, he forced another moan from me.

Reaching up, I cupped his cheek, the rough stubble on his jaw like sandpaper against my skin. “Now, tomorrow, and always,” I whispered. I tilted my head back, exposing the long line of my neck.

“Now, tomorrow, and always,” he echoed.

A sharp sting brushed the base of my neck, just above my collarbone, then smooth lips kissed away the hurt.

“I take you Natasha Silk—”

“
Sands
,” I corrected. “My real name is Natasha Sands.”

He grinned at me. “I like it. It suits you.”

“Not for long,” I moaned as his hips started to move again.

“As I was saying, I take you to be my true mate. Now, tomorrow, and always.” He groaned, his spine bowing as a shudder worked through him.

“Cole,” I murmured, “I’m pretty sure those aren’t the words.”

“The exact words don’t matter, not really. Just that you accept me as your mate. I liked your version.” He winked at me, his grin cocky now.

“Did you know that
before
you said them?”

“Nope. But I know for sure now. Now, are we going to talk or…” His hand dipped between us, stroking through my wetness to thumb my clit.

“I take you, Cole Colstone, to be my true mate. Now, tomorrow, and always,” I blurted out.

Emotions crashed into me, the world narrowing as the very essence of the man above me merged with my own.
The soul bond!
I could feel it, a link binding us together, heart to heart, soul to soul. Colors cascaded around me, filtering through the bond, showing me his desires and wants and needs.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Beautiful is an overrated word, I’ve decided. You’re exquisite, Natasha Colstone.”

A thrill jolted through me at my new name on his lips. “Are we going to talk all day, or…” I teased, seeing the smug expression on his face, one I was pretty sure was reflected on my own.

His lips came crashing down on mine, swallowing my pithy reply. Stroking deep inside me his tongue mimicked his thrusts, driving deeper and faster. His thumb rubbed around and across my aching clit, driving me higher and higher.

No way I was coming again…
The thought had barely crossed my mind and I was exploding, nerves firing and muscles clenching.

His hips jerked, his stroke stuttering, and then he was filling me in hot, long spurts as he came on an ear-deafening roar.

We collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs, skin slick with sweat. He rolled over, tucking me into his side. I stroked a hand across his chest, my finger swirling around a flat nipple in a figure eight, hardly able to wrap my head around the fact that he was really mine. And I was his.

It was the new beginning I’d been looking for all this time.

“Happy?” he murmured, looking pretty pleased with himself.

“You know I am,” I replied, tugging him down for a kiss. “Now, how about making me
even more
happy?”

His answering chuckle morphed into a groan as the hand I had been sliding down his stomach reached its target.

“Anything for you,” he replied, his grin fading and eyes lighting up in anticipation.

I
pulled
the bag of chips over, silently offering one to Tasha, who declined with a wave of her hand. She was seated on my lap, something I had thought an excellent idea at first. Now, every time she wriggled I had to fight the urge to drag her back upstairs to finish what she was starting.

“You’re doing that on purpose,” I whispered in her ear as she wriggled yet again.

“What are you going to do about it?” she murmured back, her voice husky and inviting.

“Jeez, you guys are starting to make me wish I had a room all to myself!” Angel snapped, his fingers drumming the table.

“Ignore them,” Greg offered, his eyes glued to his screen.

“Yeah, just ignore us,” I offered with a smirk. A soft
thwack
hit my chest. I glowered at my mate. “Ow! What did I do?”

Tasha frowned at me. “Don’t tease them.”

“Yes, listen to your mate—don’t tease the poor, single, lonely shifters,” Vin piped up from where he was propped up the wall in the corner of the room. He sounded like he was joking, but I could hear the longing underneath the good-natured jibe.

The only one who didn’t seem bothered by our mating was Abel, but you could never tell with him. He
had
nodded, something I took to mean approval? Who knew.

“Where the hell are they?” I grumbled.

“Here.” Jason’s clipped voice preceded him, and then he appeared in the room.

He was a strange-looking motherfucker, all white hair and sharp features, but Macey liked him well enough. So he was all right in my book. And he’d do for a boss.

“Assignments.” He threw a set of manila envelopes down on the table.

“Hey, guys,” Macey said, strolling in after him. She was grinning from ear to ear, a bit like a Cheshire cat. “Congratulations,” she murmured, coming over to give Tasha and me a hug. “We’ll have to get together soon, have a girly day. The testosterone around here can be a little suffocating at times. You’ve been warned!” she added, speaking directly to Tasha.

“I’d like that,” Tasha replied.

“Can I come too?” Scarlett called from where she was perched on the edge of the countertop.

“Sure thing! The more the merrier.”

I shuffled in my chair, suddenly anxious.
Great. What’s the worst that could happen? Comparing notes?

Macey strolled over to her mate and tucked herself under his arm. “Treat yourself, guys!” she quipped, indicating the envelopes with a sweep of her hand. Then they left, the door swinging shut behind them.

“What do you suppose she meant by that?” Vin muttered, grabbing the envelope with his name on it.

“With Macey? Fuck only knows.” Angel winced, peeking inside his envelope. “Looks like I’m leaving right now.” His chair grated on the stone floor as he stood up. “Laters.” He tossed a cocky salute our way and stalked out.

One by one each member of the team exited the room to make their preparations.

“Where’s yours?” Tasha murmured, her tongue darting out to lick at my ear.

“Okay, I’m outta here,” Scarlett muttered, darting out of the door.

“I asked for some leave,” I murmured. “After all, we can’t go anywhere, the police might want to question us further. Though, with the full confession on tape, I doubt it.”

Her brows arched, a devilish glint lighting her eyes. “The perfect excuse. So, we’ll have the whole house to ourselves?”

“Except for Scarlett, of course.”

“Of course. She might be persuaded to leave—”

“I heard that!” Scarlett’s voice called from the next room.

“Call it a mating present,” I called back.

I took her answering
harrumph
to be a good sign.

“A house all to ourselves…how will we keep from getting bored?” Tasha murmured.

I hugged her tightly, running a finger down her arm. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on getting out of bed for at least a week.”

“Hmm, I think I forgot to mention earlier, do you remember what you made me promise?” she whispered.

“Promise?” I racked my brain until a memory sparked. My mouth fell open.
She hadn’t. Had she?
I slid my hand over her ass, feeling for the telltale line of her underwear, but found none. “You’ve been sitting there, all this time—?”

She nodded, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Does that door have a lock?”

“I’ll barricade the fucker if I have to,” I growled, sending a silent thank you to whoever might be listening. I cupped her jaw, pulling her lips down to meet mine.

Her peal of laughter morphed into a low groan. Then a soft sigh as her arms reached up and curled around my neck.

She broke away with a gasp, leaning back, her eyes glowing with happiness. “Love me, Cole.” It was a soft demand, one I couldn’t wait to satisfy.

I nipped at her neck, working my way up to her jaw. “Always, my love.”

* * *

**
Happy Ever After guaranteed
**

It is recommended that you read this series in order, starting with the short prequel
Found: True Mates Book 0.5
, then
Promised: True Mates Book 1
.