Slade Read online

  But he couldn’t. Not yet.

  She moaned and any pain he might have still felt from his injuries was wiped away by the sound of her passion. His hands moved over her, looking for fastenings and not really succeeding. The sound of tearing cloth didn’t really register over the joy of feeling her bare skin against his hands, against his chest.

  He cupped her breasts, ripping the flimsy bra off her shoulders and then pulling until the metal clasps in the back bent or tore off under his power. Even in his rush to get her naked, he was careful not to put any strain against her delicate skin. He’d rather die than hurt her in any way.

  The bra came off and then her soft breasts were in his hands, in his mouth, as she writhed against him. Her legs rose and parted, surrounding him with her warmth, encouraging him without words to claim the place he so wanted to go.

  He paused, reveling in the feel of her against him. Her breasts were soft, pointed at the tips, ready for him. Excited. Her whole body shivered as he sucked her deep into his mouth, using his tongue to play with her nipple, his other hand mirroring the effect on the other side.

  She was so deliciously feminine against his questing fingers and tongue. She tasted divine. Her skin held the flavor of ambrosia to his starved senses. He loved hearing her little sighs and the feel of her trembling beneath him.

  But he wanted more. And judging by the way she responded to him, she did too.

  Slade’s hands moved downward, over her hips. The soft, full skirt she wore was no hindrance to his quest. He blessed her choice in clothing, yanking the soft cotton down over her hips rather than bunching it up around her middle. It would only get in the way later. Coaxing her legs together for a moment, he stretched the elastic waistband of the peasant skirt down and over her long, shapely legs.

  She helped, kicking the wad of fabric away from her feet once he pushed it past her knees. Her panties went with it and then she was bare against him. She parted her thighs eagerly as he sought his place between them.

  He still wore his pants, but that was easily remedied. What really mattered now was that she wanted the same thing he did. That she was as ready for him as he was for her.

  “Kitten, if you want to stop, tell me now.” He was a desperate man.

  She seemed to be beyond words as her hands sought and found the fastening of his pants. She worked with ferocity, if not a lot of skill, to open his fly and push the offending fabric out of her way. Slade felt a growl rise in his chest—a growl of full-on desire—as he helped her reveal his cock. His undeniable desire for her delectable body.

  And then her hand was fisted around him and he had to shut his eyes, the pleasure was so intense. She rubbed and grasped, pulling him toward her. She seemed desperate for what he too wanted above all things in heaven and earth.

  He wanted her.

  To be inside her. To make love with her. To be the man who brought her pleasure and fulfilled her every desire.

  There was no time to lose. No time to wait. Slade moved over her, feeling her wet, eager heat beneath him as her hand withdrew from around his ready cock.

  Thank the Goddess. She was ready and oh-so-exquisitely willing.

  He slid into her with a sigh of relief and a growl of claim. He was putting his mark upon her—not in obvious ways, but in the ways of his people. His scent would become part of her skin. His magic would touch and blend with her own.

  Already he could feel their power combining and twining. Welcoming and intensifying everything between them.

  Never had Slade expected to find a woman who could match him on so many levels. And yet… here she was. Beneath him. Around him. Part of him as he was now part of her.

  Home.

  Slade growled as he realized he had, in all likelihood, found his mate.

  “Slade!” Her whispered plea brought him out of the fog of discovery and back to the matter at hand. Kate wasn’t a shifter woman to understand how fast fate could decide the rest of their lives. She would have to be wooed.

  And there was no time like the present to begin to impress her with his skill as a lover. The rest would come… in time. He prayed.

  Slade moved within her, sparing a moment to tease her clit with one finger while he levered slightly away from her body. He wanted to see these first moments of claiming. To remember them forever. He wanted to bask in the feel, sight and scent of her, of them, together. This moment would change the rest of his life—if he could only convince her of his sincerity.

  And his desire. In all likelihood, that would be the easy part. He got hard every time he looked at her. Now that they were together, he wouldn’t be shy about letting her know it.

  He stroked in and out of her tight sheath, loving the feel of her. His finger played with her clit, and he noted what made her whimper and what made her moan. He loved the little sounds she made as his cock reached the stopping point—inside her as far as he could go. And he soon discovered that little spot inside that made her shiver in ecstasy every time he managed to hit it. He made it his personal goal to hit it as often as possible.

  She came around him in a shivering fulfillment as he stroked deeper still, opening to him as her body relaxed into his possession. He lowered his body over her, wanting more. Now that he was certain of her pleasure, he would take a bit for himself.

  There would be plenty to go around this night of nights.

  “Look at me, Kate,” he whispered as he brought his chest over hers, rubbing lightly against her breasts. He felt the renewed excitement in her quivering body, surrounding him, surrendering to him.

  She opened her eyes and their gazes met. Held. Merged.

  “Slade?” She seemed uncertain, but willing to follow where he led. How did he get so blessed as to have a woman like this? He would thank the Goddess every day for the miracle of Kate.

  “Hold on to me, kitten. I’m going to take you again and I don’t want you to be afraid. I might bite, but it won’t hurt. I promise.”

  Her smile lit his world as her arms went around his neck, drawing him even closer.

  “I know you would never hurt me, Slade. In fact, I really like what you’ve done so far. Keep going.” Her teasing expression challenged him and he liked the fact that she could play with him while he was still hard inside her. Cats liked to play.

  Slade lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her while his body began a steady rhythm, picking up speed and power as he went along. His lips strayed down her jaw to her ear, and then to her neck.

  As the moment of crisis approached, he knew she was with him once more. Her beautiful body responded so perfectly to his every desire. It was as if she had truly been made just for him.

  And perhaps she had been. It was said there was a perfect match for everyone. Slade believed now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Kate was it for him.

  He nipped the delicate skin of her neck, just at the join where the shoulder began. She seemed to like it, so he bit a little harder. And then… as climax approached, he let loose and truly bit down, drawing a tiny bit of her blood.

  The taste of it and the feel of her orgasm brought about his own frenzy. Together, they shouted their pleasure to the heavens as he surged into her one last time. She received all he had to give and gave it back, tenfold.

  Pleasure spiraled and peaked like nothing he’d ever felt before. Slade knew, nothing would ever rival this feeling. No woman would ever replace Kate in his heart, his mind, or his bed, forevermore.

  Kate napped after the amazing orgasm stole her breath and all her sanity. Slade was like no one and nothing else she’d ever experienced. He was in a class totally by himself. And he’d taken her places she never imagined existed. And wanted to visit again and again.

  He had moved them to the center of the big bed, tucking them both under the incongruously frilly blanket and bedspread. His body was hot as a furnace and she knew he probably didn’t need the blanket to stay warm, but his actions spoke of his care of her wellbeing. She was only human and he didn’t take any
chance that she would feel cold.

  What a sweetheart of a man. Though if she ever said that to him out loud, he’d probably scoff.

  He was a protector. A soldier, yes, but something even deeper inside him made him want to help as well as protect. It seemed to be his very nature. His calling and his birthright.

  What a guy. There was nothing she found as attractive as that combination.

  Except maybe his haunting blue eyes, spectacular body and handsomely chiseled face.

  She ran her hands over his chest, moving slightly so she could see where her fingers were doing the walking. A dark mark low on the skin just under his heart caught her attention. She traced the tattoo with her fingers and wasn’t surprised to hear his breathing change from the even, low pace of sleep to the more rapid cadence of wakefulness.

  “Why do you have the word trust tattooed under your heart?” she asked in a sleepy voice. She was still feeling the slumberous effects of his lovemaking and the whole world had a rosy glow.

  “It’s a reminder,” he answered. His voice was low, intimate, gravely. Sexy.

  Rawr.

  Her body came alive just thinking about what he’d done to her before. Just like that, she was ready for more.

  “A reminder of what?” She had a hard time focusing on the discussion they were having, but she felt it important to understand why he’d mark himself permanently in such a way. It must have great meaning to him, and anything that meant that much to him, she wanted to understand.

  “To trust my heart,” he said, turning to her and placing soft kisses along her jaw. “It was a lesson I learned young and didn’t want to forget.”

  She wanted to ask what he meant, but his head dipped lower and he took her nipple into his mouth, blotting out all thought of what they’d been talking about. She’d get back to it later… sometime… maybe.

  He made a feast of her body, taking time to perform a detailed exploration that made her toes curl and her body yearn for him. He drove her passion higher, laving her skin with that amazingly talented tongue of his. She learned to appreciate his tongue and his hands as he ran them all over her body, arousing, cajoling, enticing.

  When he dropped lower, tearing the covers off her as he went, she began to shiver. And when he pushed her legs apart, holding her gaze with those blue, blue eyes, she almost came on the spot. He moved closer, lowering his head but holding her gaze.

  And then his tongue delved between her thighs. Slade licked her clit, swirling his tongue around it in heady circles before moving lower, sliding into her passage. He fucked her with his tongue, which penetrated deeper and harder than she had expected.

  She’d have to ask him about that. He was a shapeshifter, after all. Maybe he could shift just parts of himself? She wasn’t sure. But something extraordinary was definitely going on where his tongue entered and retreated over and over again until she cried out and bucked against him.

  Big hands held her thighs, controlling her involuntary movements and keeping the connection between his mouth and her body. Kate had never felt the like.

  She gasped for air when he finally released her, stalking up her body to join his mouth to hers. She tasted herself on his lips and felt the rumble of what could only be described as a purr as his chest rubbed against her breasts.

  She had just come but already her body was thrumming with renewed arousal. Or maybe it had never left—just been momentarily satisfied but never quenched.

  Kate ran her hands over his muscular shoulders and wherever she could reach. His skin was hot against her palms, comforting and somehow protective. She felt like nothing could harm her when she was in his arms. No problem from the outside world could intrude into the space between their straining bodies. There was only room for them. The two of them. Together.

  She gasped when he abruptly left her, levering his large body over her for a moment. Then his hands went to her hips and simply lifted, urging her up, positioning her body as if she were a doll. He was so strong. It was a big turn-on for her that he could be so powerful, yet so gentle and careful not to hurt her. He was tempering that great strength for her. Taming the inner beast. Showing her the pussycat inside the wildcat.

  He flipped her over and brought her to her knees on the mattress, bent at the waist so that her torso was supported by her arms and her ass was sticking up in the air. He growled low in his throat and the sound turned her on.

  “Now that’s what I like to see,” he rasped behind her. “Warm pussy, ready and waiting for me.”

  She looked over her shoulder to meet his gaze. Something about him made her feel confident. Daring.

  She smiled at him and swayed her hips in invitation.

  “So what are you waiting for?” she prompted, wanting to play with fire, to push him just a little bit.

  His big hands settled at her hips and he positioned himself behind her.

  “If that’s the way you feel about it, the wait is over, kitten.” He winked at her before sliding home from behind. She cried out at the new sensations. It felt so good this way.

  Although, she’d bet every way he chose to take her would feel amazing. He was just that good. She would love testing that theory in every possible position for as long as he was willing to experiment. It could take forever.

  And wouldn’t that be fun?

  He started slow but she couldn’t last. Not when he seemed to make certain to rub over her G spot at every stroke. She came twice in small completions, but they weren’t enough. He kept going, driving her higher.

  His hands came around her body and squeezed her nipples, cupping her breasts. The added pressure and the increase in his pace made her whimper with need on every stroke.

  “Slade!” she cried out, wanting him to give her the ecstasy that was just out of her reach. She needed him to take her there, to show her the way to nirvana.

  He growled and grunted as he dug into her in short, sharp thrusts that sent her straight over the edge. She screamed this time as she came, nearly blacking out from the exquisite pleasure that went on and on… and on.

  She was just barely aware of him holding her throughout the most amazing orgasm of her life and after, tucking her back under the covers, still wrapped tightly in his arms. Sleep claimed her between one sigh of exhausted delight and the next and she knew no more until morning.

  Chapter Nine

  “Much as I’d love to stay here all day and explore this thing between us even more…” Slade stretched like the cat that shared his soul as he yawned. No doubt about it, they were both going to be tired today.

  “Yeah, I know. We have a lot of work to do.” She sat up and skittered out of the bed before he could grab her.

  She was a little self conscious about how she looked—and probably smelled—this morning after the debauchery of the night before. She knew shifter senses were much more acute than human noses, ears and eyes. Cleaning up a bit before facing him seemed the wisest course of action. Kate scooted into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, giggling when she heard him grumble good naturedly on the other side of the door.

  Although she didn’t normally use the small, downstairs bathroom for her morning wake-up ritual, she had stocked it for guests with all the amenities. She took care of more urgent matters before brushing her teeth and then hopping in the shower for a quick wash.

  Well, it was supposed to be a quick wash, but as soon as she pulled the flowery curtain closed, she heard the bathroom door open. A moment later, Slade joined her in the shower, which was in a tub enclosure. There was plenty of room for them both, though the water only sluiced down from the shower head at the faucet end of the tub.

  His grin turned her inside out and just like that, she wanted him again. Her thighs felt like rubber after all the unaccustomed exercise of the night before, but nothing mattered when he took her into his arms and kissed her under the warm spray of water.

  He turned so that the water fell over his back, only a fine spray of mist getting to her, which made
the atmosphere somehow more magical, more intimate. A hint of steam, the touch of mist and the enchanting trickle of water on skin. That was the soundtrack for his renewed seduction this morning.

  Personally, she thought she might never be able to hear the sound of a shower the same way again after this experience. At least, she hoped more of that life-altering sex was in store for her this fine, fine morning.

  Only a few hours in his bed and she was becoming greedy for more. For all she could get, if truth be told. She would take him any way she could get him. Now, later… forever, if there was any way possible.

  But thoughts of the future would come later. For now, she was in his arms and she wanted everything he could give her at this moment. A stolen moment out of time.

  Before they had to go back to work. To the very important task ahead of them.

  To his credit, Slade took a few moments to soap up her body, sliding repeatedly over her breasts and down between her legs, hitting all the strategic spots in between. He let her rinse before he turned her abruptly in his arms and took her up against the wall.

  His hunger was such that it was like they hadn’t come together—repeatedly—the night before at all. He was ravenous and she enjoyed being nibbled on and rammed into as if he would never get enough of her.

  They came together in shuddering bliss, the warm water cascading around them. Her back was to the wall just to the side of the shower head and the water sluiced down over them like warm raindrops. It was all too much against her sensitive skin and she came again just from the aftermath.

  Slade growled low in his throat and grinned at her as his dick hardened once again inside her. Kate had observed all kinds of things about shifter recovery time the night before and was learning even more this morning, much to her continued delight.

  Slade didn’t even bother shutting off the water before lifting her in his arms and stepping out of the tub. The bathroom was small, but there was a tiny bit of counter space just beside the door. Slade lowered her wet bottom to the countertop, arranging her so that he could continue the onslaught that it seemed had only just begun. Again.