Fated Mate Page 4

  White lace slid off her shoulders, falling to the floor. Her breasts sprang forward, the furled nipples grazing his chest. She looked at him with eyes full of what must be trust but was more likely too much whiskey. His breath caught.

  Damn. She was beautiful.

  Aaron growled, grabbed the towel, and quick-turned her around so her tempting front faced the flames. If he truly believed in a deity, he’d think he was testing him. But this was just the vicious claws of fate, the same ones that had sunk deep into him months ago, reminding him—he was at their mercy.

  Gwynn’s long legs had deceived him. He’d thought she was tall, but now that she wasn’t facing him her head came to just below his chin. If he pulled her in and tucked her into his torso, her curves would nestle between his thighs. And his cock would skim just above the curve of her ass.

  Perfect.

  His hands trembled as he started with her hair, rubbing the wet silky strands, squeezing them between the towel until the worst of the water and the mud was absorbed. She smelled of flowers, something not too sweet, but nice. Something familiar...roses, and a hint of spice.

  Aaron paused, inhaling, taking in her scent, memorizing it, before he moved to her arms. He rubbed and chafed each graceful limb until the mud was gone. Then he worked his way down her the smooth skin of her back, all the way to the temptation of her ass.

  He scrubbed the rough towel across her curvy hips, to stimulate color and warmth into her skin. At least, that’s what he told himself, but he couldn’t resist letting skimming his finger in an ‘accidental’ touch when he discovered the mole at the top of her left butt cheek.

  He squatted down behind her, his mouth watering at the sudden desire to sink his teeth into the curve of her flesh. Just one bite...

  Another shudder racked through him and he clutched the towel, fighting his cock for control.

  “Aaron?”

  “Almost done, honey.” He forced himself to work the towel down her sleek strong legs. She’d done a nice job keeping up with him despite her slick sneakers and the high altitude. He marveled at her shape, trying not to notice the trembling of her thighs as he slipped the towel quickly between them. In and out. Was she trembling from the effort of holding her up? Or trembling because she was aroused?

  He wished he could be sure.

  Swallowing again, he stood and turned her around. Each rosy pink nipple was tipped with a shining drop of water that had dripped from her hair. A deep quake ripped through him.

  Damn. He should have done the front first.

  “Where’re you from, Gwynn?”

  He took more time than he should, lifting and drying each breast with care, stroking the sides as he made sure every perfect inch was dry.

  “Denver.” She wavered toward him like a breeze. Her eyes were half closed, heavy with exhaustion, whiskey, or desire, but they were focused on his, the pupils dark and wide.

  Aaron couldn’t resist any longer. He had to have a taste.

  He brushed his lips across her full pink mouth, and she quivered.

  Warm, female scent rose up from between her legs and he went iron-hard. Just under his skin, his wolf pulsed, pushing him to take her. This woman wanted him. She was soft and willing. She was theirs...

  “Fuck!” Fighting for supremacy over his need, knowing he would eventually lose, he sucked in air and blew it out. He knew right from wrong, but with Gwynn naked and soft in front of him, it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. He was a degenerate, a savage, a beast.

  But he had to try.

  He took a step back. “How’re you doing?”

  “Sttttill c-c-cold.”

  His smile was tight. “Well, honey, I’ll take care of that. Don’t worry.”

  He wrapped her nudity up in a wool blanket, warmed by the fire. He topped off her mug. Handed it back and noted her sips were bigger. “That whiskey doing its job?”

  Her lips twitched up. “Y-y-yeah.”

  Aaron frowned. Yes, her lips were soft and pink, but they had a blue tint to them, even in the firelight. Shit. She needed to get warm now. And he had few choices—not enough warm water to get her temp up. No electric blankets. Just the fire and the whiskey...and one wolf shifter so hot, his skin was burning.

  “Hang on, honey. I’ve got a plan.” He stripped off his clothes and pulled on a dry pair of boxers. It would be excruciating, but there was only one way left to get her body temp up.

  “W-w-what are you d-doing?” Her narrowed eyes took him in, her whole body shaking with tremors.

  “Look, I know this is weird, but the quickest way to get you warm is body heat.” He couldn’t do anything about the erection tent in his boxers, except hold the extra blanket in front. And hope not to scare her.

  “N-n-no way.” She backed away, clutching the mug and her blanket.

  “You’re going into shock.” He was afraid she was already there. “We need to warm you up.” He waited.

  When she took another step back, her knuckles turning white on the handle of the mug, he knew she got it. “Just g-g-give me the other blanket. I’ll b-b-be fine. I’m w-w-warmer already.”

  “Yeah, right.” He reached out across the gap and touched her arctic cheek, stroking the smooth skin with a single gentle finger. “Don’t be stubborn. Skin to skin would be better, but I’ve put on a pair of shorts. I promise, I’ll be a gentleman.” He tried to look trustworthy. “I know you don’t know me, but you need to warm up.”

  She didn’t move.

  “You just let me take off all your clothes and rub you down. Now you’re skittish?”

  Another deep shiver racked her body.

  “Fuck it.” He took the mug away. She’d drunk almost the entire thing. “You don’t know what you need.” Five minutes, and he’d bet she’d be out. She was almost dead on her feet. Patience, that was all he needed here. He was an experienced hunter and he knew—if you gave the prey enough time, it always came out into the open.

  He was wrong. It only took two minutes, during which her eyelids drooped lower and lower. “Come on, honey. You need to sit down.” He led her over to the couch.

  This time she didn’t protest, stumbling after him and collapsing next to him onto the cushions. He peeled her off her blanket and pulled her frigid body down close, re-wrapping the two of them into a cocoon.

  She stiffened, but she stayed there, an icy Popsicle against his skin that only temporarily solved the problem of his arousal.

  “I’m so c-c-cold, Aaron.”

  “Shush. You’ll be warm soon.” He held her, crooning low reassurances as her body racked with shivers. Finally, the hard shaking slowed down and she sighed, melting into him. His chest to her back, her ass nestled where he’d wanted it—tight against his groin. His balled-up hands only millimeters away from her breasts. It took all he had not to touch.

  Aaron pressed his face into Gwynn’s hair, taking in the scent of her shampoo and letting it flow through him—the scent an aphrodisiac. He shifted his position slightly, only sending more blood to his aching cock. Damn his wolf’s protective instincts—this was going to be a long night.

  Chapter Four

  Gwynn wasn’t asleep. The artificial warmth of the whiskey warmed her up inside, but tucked in against Aaron’s heat, she was too revved up to sleep. She was safe, warm, and more than a little drunk, with a rock-solid man pressed against her—length to length. Thigh to thigh.

  She could have toweled herself dry. Could have stopped him. Knew, somehow, deep inside, he would have stopped if she’d said word one. But he’d been so diligent, almost as if he cared. Each drop of water he’d removed made her feel cherished, made her want to pretend this was real.

  Tears welled up and she blinked them back into her choked throat.

  That a complete stranger would treat her so well, after her own father had been so horrible, was almost enough to cause her to break.

  She’d always thought the way to the good life was in staying with the safe men. The business guys with stea
dy jobs and practical cars whose only goal was to succeed. They would never leave, never abandon, never risk. But they always did. Even staying with the boring safe guys, she’d never had a man who put her first. And way too many who’d put her dead last.

  After today, she wouldn’t blame fate any longer, she’d put the blame square on Daddy Dearest. Look how she’d trusted him, even against her better judgment. How could she expect to know what a good man looked like when he was her role model?

  But now, tucked in this stranger’s arms, she felt safer than she could remember. Aaron had rescued her from a bad situation. He’d opened his home and taken care of her. He’d placed himself in a position that was obviously difficult for him. The solid erection wedged between them told her—the man was definitely aroused.

  Heat poured off of his skin and set her off like a torch. Strong arms wrapped around her, strong hands hovered next to her waist, her breasts. If she moved, just a little, his hands would skim her nipples.

  Her breath hitched.

  Why not? What did she have to lose? The shocking idea tightened the nubs almost into pain and sent liquid rushing into her pussy.

  Maybe it was the liquor. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was simply the need for one human being for another. She didn’t know, and right now, she didn’t care. She arched her back, rubbing her hardened nipples against the curly hair on his arms. Pleasure slid through her like the hot whiskey singing in her veins.

  She did it again, luxuriating in the rasp of his hair sending arousal through her entire body. Mmm, yes. Her hips convulsed and her ass pushed back against his erection.

  She shuddered.

  He felt good. So good she did it again, this time purposely rubbing her backside against the weight resting between her ass cheeks.

  Aaron’s arms tightened into a vise, their grip heightening her arousal. “Do you know what you’re doing?” His voice was a low growl in her ear, his lips softly vibrating against her neck. “I said I would be a gentleman, but I have limits.”

  She bent her neck forward, rounded her vertebrae and nudged against him.

  “This is your only warning, Gwynn. Is this what you want?” He pushed his hips into her ass, his large cock pushing between her cheeks.

  She gasped.

  “You need to answer me.” His voice was strained. “Come morning, I’m not going to be accused of taking advantage of you. You need to tell me you want this. Say it—you...want...me.”

  This was the moment of truth. She might be tipsy, but she knew what she wanted—Aaron. Right here. Right now. He’d been nothing but kind, in his own rough way. Now she needed more. She would take more.

  “I want you.”

  He turned her around on the tight real estate of the couch, until they were face to face, eye to eye, his gaze reflecting the sparks in the fire. She brushed her mouth against his, relishing in the rasp of his facial hair against her soft skin. He moaned. “Christ.” And his tongue swept between her lips.

  The kiss shockwaved into her system. How long had it been since she’d kissed a man like this. Despite her past boyfriends, the answer had to be—never.

  He pulled back.

  “Fuck.” The word hummed with tension. “I don’t know why I’m asking this, but...why? Why are you doing this?”

  “Do you want me to tell you how bad my day was? How tired and lost and alone I feel? Does it matter to you?”

  “I know it shouldn’t. I’m a man and you are so, so sweet. I should just take what you’re offering and let the rest of it be damned.” He ran a hand through his hair. His over-long bangs fell from his fingers, leaving it sexily mussed over concerned gray eyes. “But yes, it matters.”

  “I want to wipe today out. I want to feel safe. I don’t want to think about how lousy my family is or what I have to face tomorrow. Today, you treated me better than any man I’ve ever known. And the crazy thing is you don’t even know me or anything about me.” She placed a hand on his chest, stroking her fingers through the curls of his hair, thrilled at his cock’s bob of response. “I want this, Aaron. I want you.”

  She’d never had to defend her desire for sex before. She waited for the verdict.

  “Christ. I know better.” He shook his head. “I should leave you here, go outside, and run in the snow until I drop. But if saving you from frostbite and drying you off is the best a man has ever treated you...” His eyes narrowed, changing his gaze into something intense. “Honey, that settles it. I’m going to rock your world.”

  This overconfident sexist attitude was typical of the kind of man she stayed away from, but his words made her skin burn.

  Their mouths came together in a hot tangle of lips and tongues. She couldn’t get enough of his whiskey taste. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed, shaking as if he inhaled pure arousal. He kissed down her neck and paused, his hot mouth over the pulse in her throat.

  His teeth skimmed her flesh.

  Her already primed body quaked. Her nipples were dry and hot and tight. She wanted his mouth on them, wanted him to suck and make them wet. She took his hand and guided it to her breast, placing his fingers on her tight bud.

  “More, I need more.”

  “Okay, honey. God, I wish I could ask you to slow down, but there’s no way I can.” He took her nipple between his fingers and rolled it, increasing the pressure. The moan shuddered through her lips.

  “Harder?” He pinched and her body arched in delight.

  “Yes!”

  He smiled in the firelight. Pinching and rolling until she gasped with the pleasure-pain. “Aaron,” she begged.

  He growled and lowered his mouth to her breast, sucking her nipple in and pleasuring it between his lips and tongue and teeth. Gwynn arched, her body bowing back, pushing her breast harder into his mouth. She couldn’t stop the small whimpers sliding out of her throat.

  And she didn’t want to.

  Aaron took her other breast in his free hand and worked that nipple while his mouth played the first one, and a mini-climax rolled through her, shaking her to her core like a storm.

  “Better, baby?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Not enough. Take these off.” She tugged at his shorts. She needed to wipe out the memory of this terrible day, needed his body pressed against her, on her, around her. Needed his cock deep inside taking her over so she wouldn’t think about anything else.

  He helped her ease his boxers down. She had no time to appreciate the hard muscle of his body before he gripped her hips and shifted her on top of him. She reached down between them and took his length in her hand. Ignoring his hiss at her touch, she placed him right where she wanted him, not inside, but pressed hard between her folds. She slid along his length and he jerked, then chuckled.

  “Slow down, honey. I want to be there for the end.”

  He felt good. More than good. He felt right as she slid wet folds up and down his length. For the first time in forever, there were no inhibitions. No should or should nots. For the first time she could let go and trust this man to take her where she wanted to go.

  She rubbed her clit harder and faster against him, her climax building higher and deeper. His fingers dug into her hips, rocking her back and forth against his cock until her whole body tightened and she seized up, and came.

  Gwynn collapsed on top of Aaron. He nuzzled her hair and rolled her to the side so he could move on top of her. She was content. That had been one of the best orgasms she’d ever had. Now he’d take his pleasure.

  But instead he moved back to her breasts, sucking both of her sensitive nipples into his wet mouth. She lurched at the ripple of arousal cascading directly to her core. He didn’t stop there, but moved down her ribs. Placing small, sucking kisses along her waist until finally he dipped his tongue into her belly button.

  She whimpered, twisting her fists in the blanket.

  “Easy, honey. We’ve more to go.”

  She forced her brain to think, to form words. “What do you mean?”
br />   “We’re not done yet. I told you, I’m going to rock your world.” He licked and sucked his way down the skin of her abdomen, to the hair at the top of her mound, then slid his moist molten mouth over her clit.

  A sob tore from her throat. She’d thought she was finished, but this was so much more than she was ready for. Gwynn ground her clit into his mouth and he sucked harder. Red lights pulsed behind her closed lids. He pushed his fingers into her slit.

  Her body twisted and quaked into an explosion.

  “Ah yeah, honey, that’s right.”

  Gwynn spread her legs wider, ready for him to push his fingers in deeper, but instead, he took them away. She almost shrieked her protest at his abandonment.

  “Aaron, please.” Her desperation was almost too much. She’d come—she’d come twice—but she wanted more.

  “I know, honey. I know. But I can’t wait any longer.”

  At his words, she trembled. She wanted him next to her, on top of her, touching her. She wanted his smooth, hard cock inside her pussy.

  He was back in a moment with a condom, and then he was where she wanted him. His muscular forearms braced on either side of her and his cock pushed between her legs. She opened for him, gripping his hips and raising hers.

  He slid inside and groaned. “Oh honey, you feel good.”

  His hands twined in her hair and he began to move. She met him thrust for thrust, yet another orgasm taking her down. His grip in her hair tightened and he convulsed and cried out, and climaxed, the thrust of his body triggering her again. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she screamed and shuddered and shattered—and came.

  AARON EXTRICATED HIMSELF from the warm, sleepy tangle on the couch and tucked the blankets back around Gwynn. What the hell had he done?

  He stirred the fire and threw a couple extra logs on, watching the flames spurt up. He didn’t need this complication, couldn’t even think this through. He should have resisted her, but what kind of man could resist such soft, sexy seduction?