Page 44

Amari

I scowl at Carla as she scarfs down her cheeseburger as if starving.

I’m willing to take whatever Carla throws my way—she’s the most stubborn, strong-willed woman I’ve ever met—but I won’t tolerate her starving herself.

I can’t stop the stupid smile that creeps across my face when she downs a glass of juice that I’ve poured for her.

I stuff my hands in my pockets, wondering what’s next for us.

I have my woman. She’s so strong yet so fragile at the same time.

I have to find Kemnebi and get him to show the children there’s more to me than just being a whore. When Tofi ran off instead of showing me what it would take to lift the veil, I knew I was in trouble. But one problem at a time.

When she’s finished, Carla tries to stand and clean up, but I quickly grab her plate and cup, taking them into the kitchen and washing them along with the pan.

She’s quiet for a moment, then she finally stands, watching me.

When I’m finished, I put the dishes and pans away and wipe the counters down, then turn off the kitchen light.

“You’re staying?” she questions, and I grin, approaching her and pulling her into my arms.

“Of course I’m staying,” I say, pressing a kiss against her cheek.

I take her hand and pull her up the stairs to her bedroom.

Once inside, I look at the bed and smile, the memories of last night, the beauty of our lovemaking, the passion.

I want to feel it all over again. Carla clutches my hand, swallowing, looking at me as if she’s unsure what to do next.

I lean in, grinning, and place a gentle kiss on her forehead, then take her hand that I’m still holding and pull it to my lips, gently kissing the back of it.

“Go ahead with your bedtime routine,” I say, gesturing toward the bathroom.

She does, looking back at me as she goes into the bathroom.

I take off my shoes and unbutton my pants, then walk around to the bed and lie down.

The bed still smells like our lovemaking.

She’s not in there long, brushing her teeth, washing her face, then she steps out and walks over to the bed, climbing in beside me.

I pull her into my arms as she rests her head against me, listening to the steady rhythm of my heart while I play in her hair.

“I love the sound of your heart,” she says softly, her ear pressed against me. “How does it feel? Do you feel different now?”

I smile softly, continuing to stroke her soft curls. “Yes, everything feels different. The way my blood flows in my veins to the way I see the world. It’s amazing how much can change in such a short period of time.”

I switch it around, curious about her well-being. “How are you feeling? Are you sore?”

“A little,” she admits, “but it’s manageable.”

Carla sits up and looks into my eyes with a grin that makes my newly beating heart skip. Her playfulness is something I hadn’t expected, and I find myself craving more of it.

“Rain check on the bear shifter style sexy role play,” I tell her with a wink, “but I haven’t forgotten. You’ll see what I have in store for you soon enough.”

“When can we do that again? Make love?” she asks, her voice soft but eager.

I smile and gently stroke her cheek, loving the way she leans into my touch. “As badly as I want to be inside you again, let’s give your body a couple of days to rest.”

Carla pouts her lips playfully, then rests her head back against me. The weight of her feels right, like she was meant to be there.

“I’m afraid to go to sleep,” she whispers, her fingers lightly tracing patterns against me. “That I’ll wake up again and you won’t be there.”

I cup her face and gently lift her so that our eyes meet. I need her to see the truth in mine. “I’m not leaving you again, Carla. Last night, I had to.”

“But you did come back,” she says, her eyebrows drawing together. “You just didn’t stay.”

“Because I came back covered in blood,” I explain. “I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Why did you do that?” she asks, sitting up and glaring at me.

I just grin at her lovingly. She is maddeningly beautiful when she gets angry with me. Her green eyes flash, and her cheeks flush with color. I want to kiss her again, but I know we need to have this conversation.

“What you did was reckless,” she continues. “You could have gotten Tofi, and the other children hurt.”

“I could never—” I start, but she’s already scooting away from me.

I sit up, frowning at the distance between us.

A thousand years of longing for a mate, and distance is not something I’m willing to accept or tolerate.

I grip her hips firmly, lifting her effortlessly as if she weighs no more than paper, and place her in my lap so that she’s straddling me.

She yelps and gasps, placing her hands against me for balance.

“No, Amari. This is serious. You can’t blow me off.”

“I’m not ignoring you, Carla,” I snap back. “I’ll admit, I shouldn’t have taken our children over the border.”

“Our children?” she questions, raising an eyebrow, and I grin widely at her.

“Yes, our children. They call me Daddy, so that’s who I am. And before you decide to argue this fact, consider Tofi. I think she’s a bit of a Daddy’s girl.”

“You...” she starts to growl, but I quickly cup her face and sit up, pulling her into a sweet kiss that quickly ends our argument.

Her lips are so soft against mine, yielding and warm.

I deepen the kiss, my tongue seeking entrance, which she grants with a soft moan.

I tangle my tongue with hers, tasting the sweetness of her, like peaches and honey.

My heart swells with pride when she grinds against me, her body desperate for some type of friction.

I pull my lips away from her, gently stroking her cheek, watching her pout a little from the loss of contact.

“I know what you need, baby,” I say, then lean in and brush my tongue over the claim mark on her neck, a mark she’s going to carry for eternity.

She shudders in my arms, her body responding to me even as her mind might still be uncertain. I lift her off my lap, and she pouts even more. I grin at her reaction.

“Don’t pout, angel,” I say. “Take off your panties.”

Carla stares at me nervously for a moment, but not for long.

She complies, lifting her hips and pulling up her nightgown.

She pulls her panties down and off her ankles, tossing them off the bed, looking at me, nervously biting her lip.

I hate that she bites her lip—it makes me want to bite it for her.

I grin wickedly at her, then motion with my finger for her to come to me.

She starts to climb into my lap, but I stop her, picking her up and flipping her over, sitting her back on top of me so her back is facing me but she’s still straddling me.

She rests her hands on my legs, pushing herself upright and looking back at me, unsure of herself.

“What are you doing?” she asks, looking over her shoulder.

I smile and grip her hips, not answering her, pulling her back, pushing up her nightgown so that her ass is exposed. Just before I start to pull her up to position her over my face, she squirms and wiggles.

“No, Amari,” she says, and I laugh at that.

I smooth my hands over her soft ass cheeks, admiring the view. I’ve longed for days to have her in this position. “I want you to relax, Carla. Let me take the lead and just feel.”

I lift up and gently press a kiss against each of her ass cheeks. She moans and grips my legs.

“I want you to ride my tongue, Carla,” I command, and Carla gasps and tries to wiggle away from me, but I dig my nails into her hips, causing her to flinch and push her ass right into my face.

The way her sweet, juicy, plump ass bumps against me, it’s like heaven right at my doorstep.

I grip her hips harder, pulling her down onto my face, burying my nose and mouth between her ass cheeks.

The scent of her is intoxicating—musky, sweet, and all woman.

I drag my tongue from her core up to her ass, savoring the taste of her, the way she jerks and gasps above me.

“That’s it, baby,” I growl against her flesh. “Let me taste all of you.”

I spread her ass cheeks with my hands, exposing her completely to me. She whimpers, trying to pull away, but I hold her firm.

“Don’t you dare move,” I warn, then plunge my tongue into her pussy, feeling her clench around me. “Fuck, you taste so good.”

I work my tongue in and out of her, relishing the way she gets wetter with each thrust. Her juices coat my chin, my beard, but I don’t care. I could drown in her and die a happy man.

“Amari,” she moans, her hips starting to move of their own accord, grinding down onto my face.

“That’s it,” I encourage her. “Ride my face. Use me for your pleasure.”

She starts to move more confidently now, her ass pressing down, her heat sliding against my mouth and nose. I alternate between sucking on her clit and thrusting my tongue inside her, keeping her guessing, keeping her on edge.

“Oh, God,” she cries out when I suck her clit hard, flicking it with my tongue.

I pull back just enough to speak. “Next time, I’m going to fuck this pussy so hard you’ll feel me for days,” I promise, then dive back in, licking her from front to back, lingering on her clit.

Her thighs begin to shake on either side of my head, a sure sign she’s close. I slip a finger into her warmth while I focus my tongue on her clit, and she nearly screams.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me. Come on my face.”

She obeys, her body convulsing, her core clenching around my finger as she grinds her ass against my face. I keep licking her through it, prolonging her pleasure, until she tries to pull away, oversensitive.

But I’m not done with her yet.

I hold her in place, waiting just until her breathing starts to normalize, then I spread her ass cheeks again and slide my tongue up to her tight hole. She jerks in surprise.

“Amari! What are you—oh!”

I circle her ass with my tongue, teasing the tight ring of muscle before dipping just the tip inside. She makes a sound I’ve never heard before—half gasp, half moan—and it drives me wild. My dick is straining painfully against my boxer briefs, so hard I might just come untouched.

“You like that, don’t you?” I ask, knowing the answer from the way she’s pushing back against me. “Such a dirty girl. Wait until you see all the things I’m going to do to this perfect ass.”

I thrust my tongue into her ass a bit deeper while reaching around to rub her clit with my thumb. She’s panting now, rocking back and forth between my tongue and my thumb, chasing another orgasm.

I feel her shift, one of her hands leaving my leg, moving toward my straining erection. As much as I want her to touch me, to stroke me, to do anything to alleviate the pressure, I know I’ll lose control if she does. I’m already on the edge, my boxer briefs damp with pre-cum.

I pull back and slap her ass lightly. “No touching, angel. This is all about you.”

She whines in protest, but I distract her by diving back in, this time focusing entirely on her center. I thrust my tongue as deep as it will go, teasing her with it, then switch to sucking on her clit, alternating between the two until she’s a quivering mess above me.

“Please, Amari,” she begs, though I’m not sure if she’s asking me to stop or to continue.

“Please what?” I ask, my voice muffled against her flesh. “Please make you come again? Please fuck you with my tongue until you can’t think straight? Tell me what you want, Carla.”

“I want—I need—” she can’t seem to form a coherent thought, which only inflates my ego further.

“I know exactly what you need,” I tell her, then focus on her clit, sucking and licking while I slip two fingers into her warmth, curling them to hit that spot inside her that makes her see stars.

The combination is too much for her. She comes again, harder this time, her whole body shaking as she cries out my name. I nearly come in my boxer briefs from the sound alone, her pleasure feeding mine in a feedback loop of desire.

After her second orgasm, she rolls off me and collapses on her back.

I sit up, licking my lips, savoring the last taste of her.

I stare at her for a long moment, taking in her flushed face, her heaving chest, the sheen of sweat on her skin.

Then I pick her up and reposition her on the bed so she’s resting against me.

“Wow,” she manages to say between breaths.

“Yes, wow,” I agree with a satisfied grin. “But there’s more.”

Her eyes go wide, and I laugh, holding her close as my heart flutters. It’s the most beautiful sound in the world.

“Not tonight,” I assure her. “We have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to see King Amir,” she says, fear creeping into her voice. “I’m afraid he’s going to tell me bad news.”

“That’s not possible because my heart beats for you, only you,” I tell her, running my hand up and down her back. “This is only a confirmation, something you need to know and hear.”

Carla nods and rests her head against me. Then, out of nowhere, she asks, “Do you sleep in a coffin?”

I burst out laughing at the question, but Carla seems to be dead serious, watching me with genuine curiosity in her eyes.

“Sometimes,” I admit with a grin.

“I don’t know how this is going to work out,” she says softly.

“I have faith in Fate that everything will fall into place,” I tell her, tightening my arms around her. “But right now, I need you to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she says, and the words fill me with more satisfaction than any physical pleasure ever could.

I gently rub her back and ask, “How are you feeling?”

Carla doesn’t look back up at me but says, “Amazing. Like it’s the most beautiful feeling in the world.”

I gently rub her back and lick my lips, already missing the taste of her. Right now, I have to put my personal desires aside, because I don’t just desire Carla for her body. I want all of her, need all of her.

She lets out a loud yawn, then drifts off to sleep against me, her hand digging into my shirt, clutched against my beating heart. I’m not keeping her on Wintermoon. No, I refuse to have her, and our children caged off on a land full of supernaturals who don’t want to be bothered with her.

Carla stirs against me, and I hold her tighter. I lift my head and press my lips into her hair, giving her a loving kiss.

I grin and stare up at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts.

Finally, I have her, my fated mate, and Fate has been preparing me for her for all this time, and I didn’t even know it.

A sinister grin hits my face, and I chuckle to myself.

I’m looking forward to when she’s well enough for us to be intimate again.

She ran from me, and I can’t wait to show her just how good I am at fucking like a bear.