UnexpectedFind (8 page)

He groaned and brushed his lips over her sex. With his nose
buried in her curls, she felt each breath he took. The heated wash of air fed
the lust. Everything Rafe did—the way he rubbed circles into her calf with a
thumb, the murmurs of his enjoyment—added to the act. Lost to him, she jumped
when he slid a finger down her slick cleft and dipped it into her core.

He moved the digit, in and out, while treating her clit to
more torture. Short sucks and quick nips. A second finger joined the first and
her womb quivered. The edge of ecstasy loomed in front of her. He raced her
toward it.

Her core tightened. The tension became more than she could
handle. She whimpered and squirmed, tried to get away, but Rafe held her still
with a hand on her ass and his fingers lodged as deep as they’d go in her core.
He dragged them back, held her open. With a hard flick of his tongue on her
clit, he slammed his fingers into her sheath. His palm smacked her lips. The
orgasm whipped through her. She screamed. Ripples traveled up her sheath,
squeezing his fingers pressing deep inside her. The waves traveled into her
womb, spread out to encompass her body. Her breath caught and she savored each
one—it didn’t ease the emptiness.

More. She needed more.

“Rafe,” she begged.

He pressed a hand to the center of her chest and pushed. She
fell onto the bed. The sound of a zipper and the clunking of shoes reached her
ears. She scrambled backward, didn’t get far. He grabbed her ankles and dragged
her back. The jerky movement of his hands as he skimmed them up her thighs
betrayed his excitement. He shoved her legs apart and his aroused member
followed the path his hands had.

She grabbed at his shoulders, needing her anchor, needing
him. He tensed but the low groan that spilled from his throat assured her the
bite of her nails was welcomed. She tightened her grip just to pull another
rough sound from his mouth. He rewarded her with one as he settled into the
space between her legs.

So close, but he didn’t move. He panted with his head hung
so she felt the strands of his hair against her skin. “You sure?”

That he asked her instead of taking what he wanted floored
her, left her in a state of awe. She closed her eyes, tried to think and give
him an answer, but with her core quivering and clenching on air, all she felt
was an unbearable sense of emptiness. The feeling amplified the ache in her
womb, built the need settling within her.

She was missing something essential and when the head of his
cock slid through her wet seam she knew exactly what it was she craved. She
widened her legs and invited him in with a pull on his tight ass. She couldn’t
find the right words, was afraid of the emotion in her heart.

He kissed her at the same time as he thrust forward. She
gasped and tensed under him. This was what she wanted, but the burn in her
muscles was almost as sharp as what she’d experienced when she’d lost her virginity.
She’d been without sex too long and Rafe’s cock felt impossibly large. Panic
settled over her. The fear she wouldn’t be able to accept him fully grew. He
stilled, gave her the chance to adjust.

“So damn tight.” He pulled back and rolled his hips to work
more of his cock inside. “Strangling, baby. Feels good.”

The praise warmed her, eased some of the involuntary tensing
and more of his cock parted her muscles. He paused, their bodies only partially
joined, and kissed her. Their tongues stroked slowly while he rocked into her,
forcing her to accept him. He stretched her with the short thrusts, each one
pushing him deeper.

The movement of his mouth over hers urged her to relax and
allow him entry into her body. It was an assault on her senses she couldn’t
resist. The tight grip of her muscles around his cock lessened. With one more
steady push, he joined them fully.

“Fucking perfect,” he growled. “Knew it would be. Knew you’d
be special.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close.
His heated declaration made her heart flip over, a dangerous reaction to have
while fucking. It meant this wasn’t a simple coming together for shared
pleasure. It was more but with the shaft inside her jerking whenever she
squirmed and the warmth of his breath on her cheek making her body tingle, she
couldn’t work up the energy to care.

Rafe filled her more completely than any man ever had. With
his balls pressed to her wet flesh and the head of his cock resting at the
mouth of her womb, he fit her so damn well she couldn’t help wondering if god
had made him just for her. The awe of that thought lasted only a moment. He
moved and her focus returned to the man who worked her body as if he knew every
pleasure point she had.

A tilt of his hips and he dragged the rigid flesh through
her sheath. She squeezed her inner muscles in an attempt to hold him clasped
inside, but he pulled back, left her empty. She lifted her hips, hoping to
capture the head. He met her and with a rough push, he parted her muscles, seating
his rod. Her breath escaped on a shaky sigh. It felt so damn good to have him
lodged deep. She didn’t want him to move. But he did and his slow strokes
ignited different needs, ones that grew with each stroke.

In and out he thrust while she followed each retreat. Flesh
slapped and the sounds of sex filled her ears. His pants and groans matched
hers. The steady drive of his hips took her higher until the peak loomed in
front of her. Colors danced across her eyes—gold and brown with flecks of blue
and green. Her core tightened on Rafe’s cock and the hues behind her eyelids
swirled, left her dizzy, floating on the edge where only pleasure existed. The
first ripples of her orgasm traveled along her sheath into her womb. She
reached for the abyss but Rafe pushed back on his elbows and yanked her away
from it.

He changed the angle of his thrusts, quickened the pace and
pounded into her. His cock seemed to grow larger. The burn returned. He
stretched her, filled her so completely every nerve was touched and stimulated
by him. Once again, she hovered on the edge. His rough thrusts wouldn’t let her
fall. With short, quick thumps to her cervix, he pushed her higher than she
thought she could go. Each bump reverberated into her womb, tightening her
body. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. He commanded her, forced her to take
more, ride the line where pleasure and pain mixed. Trusting in him, she widened
her hips, dug her nails into his ass and held on.

As if waiting for her acceptance, he groaned her name and
stilled with his cock lodged deep. The orgasm caught her by surprise. Her
sheath clamped down and waves whipped up her body. She screamed and Rafe
grunted. He thrust once more and came. Hot bursts of his release filled her.
Each jerk of his cock sent another rippling contraction though her body. On and
on it lasted until the shaft inside her spilled its last drop.

Sensations returned. Rafe’s hot, slick skin pressed to hers.
Their breathing slowed. She heard the ticking of a clock somewhere in the room.
It helped ground her. She focused on it, allowed the darkness in the room to
cocoon her. When Rafe collapsed on top of her body, she wrapped her arms around
him.

Peace filled her along with contentment. What they’d just
shared was nothing short of amazing. Sated, all she wanted to do was sleep in
Rafe’s arms.

Rafe kissed her closed eyelids. “Beautiful, Jasmine. So
beautiful.”

She sighed. His words added to the warm feeling spreading
through her. “Rafe, I…I don’t know what to say. That was…”

“Special. That’s what it was. Now rest and let me hold you.
You’re safe with me.”

She did feel safe, at peace, and if there was one thing she’d
learned in life it was that happiness was rare. You had to grab on to it, enjoy
it while you could because tomorrow it might not be there. Like Rafe. He wasn’t
from the area. This was a short affair, maybe a one-time deal. She’d known that
when she’d agreed to come to a hotel with him. She pushed the sadness away. No
use worrying about tomorrow’s pain when her body still hummed from the best orgasm
a man had ever given her.

She just couldn’t shake the feeling that when reality came
crashing back, she’d regret tonight.

Rafe rolled off his female’s body. The move separated them
and the loss of Jasmine’s warmth was sharp. Immediate. He tugged her against
his chest to lessen the ache. It wasn’t enough. He wanted to stay locked inside
her wet, welcoming haven for eternity. The thought shocked him and so did the
realization of what they shared.

He found release inside a woman. A first. A damn significant
first.

Five hundred years of bedding females. Countless partners.
Nameless, faceless lovers who accepted his cock with eager abandon and not one
ever enticed him to finish the act. Gods, some days he’d tried. Fucked a woman
until he’d wanted to collapse, until she’d begged him to come, but he never
did. Every time he pulled out and jerked off, the only damn way he’d been able
to orgasm.

It was his nature, part of what he was. His animal spirits
wouldn’t allow him to give his seed away. Because once he marked a womb, it
became his. And so did the woman. He tightened his hold on his unconscious
female, the one his cats chose to bear his children, their cubs.

“Jasmine,” he breathed her name. The reverence in his tone
matched what he felt.

Five centuries he’d roamed the earth and every damn minute
of it led up to this moment and this woman.
His one.
Not a destined
mate. Royals didn’t have those. Merely, she was the one to capture his
interest, the one who had the
potential
to bring him to heel, become his
devotion, his life, his damn obsession.

A royal could mate with anyone as long as both man and beast
were in agreement. Once the mate bite was made and the female’s womb marked,
their animal natures took over. Desire. Lust. That’s all that was needed to
bring them together. It was simple, really. But love? Love was a factor few
shifters considered, but when it struck it strengthened the mate bond, made it
special. Heaven on earth was what he’d heard some males say. The drive that
would make a male do anything and everything if it kept his female sated, safe
and happy.

He wasn’t foolish enough to say he loved Jasmine. How could
he? He’d just met the woman yesterday, but he also wasn’t foolish enough to say
he wouldn’t. The groundwork was laid. Already, he was fascinated by her. Her
voice, scent, taste. All those things intrigued him. And the urge to fill her,
bring her pleasure and spill his seed over and over was a damn good indicator.
It was only a matter of time until he loved her. He knew, felt the potential of
what they might share. It was instinctual and if the feeling was allowed to
grow, essential.

Rafe nuzzled her cheek and rubbed
his
scent into her
skin. He inhaled and luxuriated in the joint smells. Not good enough. That
claim was temporary. It would wash off with her next shower. Unacceptable. He
dragged a fang along the column of her neck, bleeding her. She whimpered but he
licked the cut in the next instant, healing the wound and locking his scent
into her flesh—a claim that would last much, much longer. It satisfied his
possessiveness. For now.

He rolled her to her back and crawled into the space between
her legs. Sitting on his bent legs, he took in the sight his female made.
Jasmine was blessed with softness and lush curves. She had a body made to
cushion the hardness of a man. He ran his hands up the plumpness of her thighs,
savored their softness. They felt wonderful wrapped around his waist. He moved
his hand to the curve of her hip. When she walked, the sway of her bottom was
enough to bring him to the brink. He traced the swell of her belly, pressed his
palm to the spot his children would someday grow…if he completed the mate bond.

He flicked his gaze to her shoulder. The reddened
indentations of where his fangs had fit tormented him with possibilities.
If
he finished their union, four raised scars would be seared into her skin there.
His bite. He reached up and brushed his fingertips over the tiny cuts. If he’d
bitten harder, he could’ve pushed his essence into her body—the one he’d
inherited from the goddess—and severed her tie to the human god. Without a
claim to heaven, his cats’ spirits could enter her soul, leave a piece of
themselves behind and tie her to him.

In reality, it was a simple process—steal her from her god
then link their souls—but it was the step in between that terrified him. In
order for his cats to join with their human host, she had to be near death. So
if he wanted Jasmine as his mate, not just a lover, he’d have to kill her.
Simple.
He snorted. Far from it. The risks involved were the reason so few royals took
human mates. If the chosen female rejected her male’s cats or if she died
before the joining could form, not only would she lose her life but her soul as
well. No heaven. No eternal peace. No nothing. Poof. She’d just fade away.

Rafe ran a trembling hand down his face. He didn’t want to
focus on the what-ifs right now. He’d just found the one woman to capture his
attention. He wanted to enjoy that…but the damn choices hung over his head like
a pendulum. Later, he’d worry about it later. No matter what, Jasmine was his.
He marked her womb. He was keeping her. Whether that entitled him to share in
her lifespan or his immortal one was a decision to be made after he got to know
her.

He ran a hand through the damp strands of his hair and
turned his attention back to Jasmine, where it belonged. The sight of the
glistening lips of her sex made his mouth water. He craved her taste. All
feline shifters loved oral sex, but with Jasmine it bordered on obsession. He
might just be addicted to her. He grinned. It wasn’t a bad addiction, not if it
pleased his female.

He reached forward and swiped a finger through her slick
seam. Even asleep, she arched into his touch. He sucked on the finger and pondered
what Jasmine’s unconscious state meant. For mates, it was a common occurrence
and meant the male did his job—pleasured his female. But Jasmine wasn’t his
mate. Not yet. Maybe not ever. So what did it mean? She had been through a lot
over the past two days, the worry over her children, the stress of a friend’s
death. Perhaps she was tired. She had slept late this morning. It made sense.
And the honorable thing to do would be to let her sleep…except he was hard
again. His balls were heavy. He ached.

Rafe slid a finger into her core. She arched, accepting him,
but it was his name exclaimed on a soft moan that made his decision. He crawled
over her body, lined his cock up and drove home. Damn, being inside Jasmine was
heaven.

He slowly moved and her lashes fluttered. Drowsy, unfocused
gray eyes traveled over his face. “Rafe,” she breathed.

“My Jasmine,” he declared and bent over her body to kiss
her. The angle pushed him deeper. He hit that spot inside that made ripples
travel over his cock. Eyes closed, he relished the sensation but the urge to
bring them both pleasure became undeniable.

He thrust and she lifted her hips to meet his driving push.
On a long breathy sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and slid delicate
fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp. Between her caresses and the
sensation of her silken glove squeezing his cock, he hovered on the brink,
release imminent. He fought it, focused on the female beneath him.
His
female.
He savored every brush of her body, every soft moan that slipped
free. She became his entire focus.

The orgasm built within her. He felt the subtle change in
the way her sheath gripped his shaft. The hitch to her breathing and the
frantic movement of her tongue as she kissed him, encouraged him to meet her
pace, but he didn’t. He fucked her steadily. When she came, he bit his cheek,
rode out the vise-like grip squeezing him then pushed past muscles that still
quivered from her release.

She lay limp beneath him for only a moment before she moved,
matching him and countering the motion of his thrusts. The pressure built and
tingles skipped down his spine. Not yet. He wasn’t ready, he wanted to savor
this joining for as long as he could.

He sat back, pulled her up with him. She wrapped her legs
around his waist, linking her ankles at the base of his spine, and slid her
arms over his shoulders. He matched the embrace, wrapping his arms around her,
and held her while he rocked into her. He couldn’t move as deeply in this
position but it was a different kind a pleasure. The sweet, unhurried kind that
allowed him to savor the woman in his arms. He kissed her while they ground
their hips together and the twining of their tongues was as welcome as the way
she fisted him.

Waves swept through her sheath, undulating ripples that tore
his seed free. He pushed up once and grunted, the jerking of his cock seeming
unending as he came with Jasmine. When her orgasm eased, so did his. This time,
he tucked his female’s body close and tried to follow her into sleep, but he
couldn’t shake the worry that hovered on the edge of his mind.

Guilt rose and fed the anxiety. Jasmine was now his. No
matter what happened tomorrow, he’d never let her go, never let her seek out
another man. She didn’t know her lover was a shifter, didn’t know her life had
changed tonight. And if he decided she was the female he wanted tied to him for
all eternity, she didn’t know he’d be the one to kill her.

He should’ve told her, been honest with her. Kade had
recognized the signs—the fascination, the need to be close to her—and if he
were honest so had he. But the idea of scaring her off terrified him. No
matter. He had her now. His seed filled Jasmine’s womb. His arms held her. She
wasn’t going anywhere, not ever again.