Page 11 of Roman (Destined Paranormals #7)

Chapter 11

Roman

A t Beau’s question, my tiger roared in my mind. Our mate wanted us. He was ready. The human side had to stop and question things though. Did he truly know what he was asking for? It couldn’t be undone. Once we exchanged bites, we would forever be linked together.

Then he had to go and tell me just how innocent he was. Not that I hadn’t suspected. Master Edison had said much the same thing this morning, and at Beau’s words, my body went through a range of emotions: nervousness, elation, and, of course, immense desire. My mate was completely untouched. I would be the only one to ever know him in that way. It wasn’t that I was so old-fashioned that I demanded my mate be innocent, but he was, and that did things to me that I wouldn’t have expected.

“Did I say something wrong? I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?”

At the sound of Beau’s voice, I finally snapped out of my thoughts. “No, you’re fine. What you said didn’t upset me; I’m just trying not to mess things up.” I took a deep breath to not only calm myself but hopefully get my tiger to shut up. “I don’t want to rush things between us.” I looked at Beau, who appeared like he was about to cry. “I’m not saying I won’t claim you. I will. I just want to make sure this is what you want. We can’t undo it once we claim one another, and I don’t want you to have any regrets.” I didn’t know how else to say it. I had a feeling he knew what he was asking but possibly wasn’t considering exactly what it would mean.

“We can wait,” Beau said quietly.

I wanted to kick myself just then, and my tiger roared in my mind at me. “Let’s go inside, all right? I think this is something we should discuss in there and not in the garage.”

Beau nodded and started to reach for the door. I stopped him with a gentle hand on his other arm.

“I’ll be right around. Just give me a moment.” I didn’t wait for another response and slid from the vehicle before I rushed around it to open his door. When he gave me a smile, I felt a bit of relief, but it was short-lived. I could scent that Beau was no longer as happy as he’d been just a bit ago. He now scented a bit apprehensive, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the possibility of what we might possibly be about to do or if he was concerned he’d upset me in some way. No matter my own feelings about it, I needed him to be reassured, so I led him from the garage and into the house, where I hoped to be able to convince him that I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Oh, wow,” Beau said as we entered the house and he got a look of the inside.

“It’s pretty great, isn’t it?” I asked as I gestured to the kitchen, which wasn’t far away. “I’ve been told I’m not a terrible cook. I’m really great at simple things, but if you want anything gourmet, we will need to go out and get it somewhere.”

“I don’t need anything fancy,” Beau said.

He might not need it, but I wanted to give him everything. I was already planning on taking him out for a nice meal sometime in the very near future; I just needed to find out what he liked most. My tiger’s need to spoil our mate was strong, and the hope was that Beau would let me pamper him as much as possible. “Do you have a favorite food? Something you would pick to eat over anything else?”

Beau smiled at me. “Apples. I absolutely love them. I think that’s why I have them in so many things at the bakery. Which isn’t right of me because I know not everyone likes apples.”

There were people that didn’t like apples? “I’m not sure how many dislike apples on Treasure Ridge. It was one of the most purchased fruits when I ran the store. We were always restocking them.” Beau’s eyes lit up. I gestured to the back room. “Can we talk? For just a bit? I want to discuss some things before I start supper.”

The happiness on Beau’s face disappeared. I absolutely didn’t want that, and I mentally kicked myself as Beau walked away from me. He was going exactly where I’d gestured, and I knew I needed to fix this without hesitation. It was easy enough to catch up with him—the house wasn’t that large. When he made it to the couch and turned, I was right there and cupped his cheeks. His mouth parted with a quiet squeak, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I stared into his eyes as I slowly lowered my face to within an inch of his.

“Don’t ever doubt that I want you, Beau,” I whispered to him. “I’ll claim you right now if that is your wish. But it cannot be undone, and my tiger isn’t going to allow you to not be with us all the time once he’s claimed you as ours.” Beau’s eyes looked unfocused just before he closed them, and I felt him gently push his face upward toward me. I took that as permission and closed the distance between us.

When my lips finally touched Beau’s, I felt a tingle on my lips that slowly moved through me. I had never felt anything like it before and had to wonder if it was Beau or my imagination. Either way, I kept the kiss soft and short, not wanting to push too much too fast. When I applied just a bit of pressure, Beau gasped, and I slowly reached out with my tongue and touched his upper lip. At that, he moaned and seemed to melt into me. I moved my hands from his face to his shoulders and then around his back to hold him to me. But that was where both my hands and the kiss stopped. I pulled back, smiling when Beau’s face reached for mine.

“Now that you’ve had your first kiss, I hope it wasn’t a disappointment. I do plan on doing much more soon and often.”

Beau blinked at me and then smiled. His eyes had darkened, and his cheeks were flushed, and he looked absolutely delectable. “Yes,” he said, his words barely a whisper. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes. I want more. All of it.” His words were surer and louder this time.

“I have no issue with that. But you need to understand what it means.”

Beau nodded. “It means that I get to live here with you in this beautiful house and that we’re going to have a baby, and I’m not sure what will happen about that with my job, but we can figure it out later. I want all of that, Roman. I didn’t come here to find my mate, but I’m happy I have.”

“And what of your brother? If he has issues with us, with what fate decides to gift us, where will you be?”

Beau tilted his head to the side. “I don’t understand what Evan has to do with us.”

“You were crying at someone named Lukan’s last night because you were arguing with your brother because of me. I’m not sure if that is because you found your mate or if it’s because of another reason. Either way, I don’t want any issues with you and your brother because of me. I was overly harsh with my brothers and their mates when they first scented them. It was difficult for me to let go and realize I wasn’t the only one that would be protecting them from then on out.”

Beau shook his head. “I’m good with Evan. He and I had a talk. He apologized, and although I haven’t fully forgiven him yet, I have accepted his apology, and he’s happy for me. For us. There will be no issues with Evan. He’s going to do his thing, and I’m going to do mine.”

I wanted nothing more than to sweep him up into my arms and take him to what would be our bedroom and break the bed in properly. I argued with myself as to why I shouldn’t and realized that there was no reason to. Beau had said he wanted that—us. He was willing to be claimed here and now, so why was I arguing with myself? I shook my head before I did exactly what I, no, we both wanted. I bent down and easily swept Beau up into my arms. He made an adorable squeak, and I chuckled.

“I promise I won’t drop you,” I told him as he wrapped his arms around my neck and held on tightly.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m taking you to our bedroom. You said you wanted me to claim you, and I don’t plan on doing it in the den. The couch is comfortable, but we have a brand-new bed that was gifted to us and I can think of no other way to break in.” I smiled down at Beau.

“Really? You’re going to claim me?”

“You stated that was what you wanted, and I see no reason to wait. My tiger is pushing me hard to not let you out of our sight until I at least claim you. I’m not teaching for the summer, so I have time to spend with you. Do you have any objections?”

Beau’s eyes widened impossibly big before he shook his head. I’d reached the top of the stairs and nodded at him with a smile before I hurried down the hallway. Once at our bedroom door, I turned sideways and carefully maneuvered through before I walked toward the bed. Once there, I carefully set Beau down on it and took a step back.

I reached for my shirt and quickly pulled it off over my head. That and my shoes were as far as I was planning on going until I had Beau naked and I’d spent some time exploring his body and showing him just how much pleasure I could bring him. Well, that was the plan. It seemed like Beau had other ideas because by the time I had my shirt off, he was tossing his to the foot of the bed. I took a step back before I wagged a finger at him while shaking my head.

“Not that I’m upset you are as eager as you seem to be, but I very much wanted to be the person to undress you.” I made sure I looked up and down Beau’s slim torso, and he noticed that I did. When I made it to the waistband of his pants, I couldn’t help but see that the front of them seemed to be fuller than they were earlier. Definitely eager, and I wanted a taste. I growled as I moved closer, and Beau made another squeak as I gently pushed him onto his back.

“You aren’t…it won’t hurt, will it?”

I froze. “What do you mean?”

“Umm…you just growled, and, well, it didn’t sound like you. Your tiger won’t hurt me, right?”

I shook my head. “My tiger would die for you, Beau,” I told him. “I’ve heard that the initial piercing when being bitten can sting and sometimes hurt. But that quickly changes, and it becomes the complete opposite, and it will bring immense pleasure.” I held myself steady as I waited for his next comments.

“I’m sorry,” he said, surprising me.

“What for?”

“I’ve never done any of this before. And I know sex can hurt too, but when you growled, I guess my mind kind of blanked out, and I was only thinking about your tiger biting me.”

I sat up until I was kneeling on the bed beside my mate. “Would you feel better if you met him first? He very much wants to meet you, and I know he’s going to rub on you and mark you in his own way, but he doesn’t want to hurt you, nor does he want to bite you. It’s just me, but still him.” I furrowed my brow a bit. “I’m not really explaining that all that well.”

“No, you are. I get it. But I want to wait, I think. I want to meet him, but I also want to be able to talk to you while you’re in your other form. We will be able to do that, right?”

I smiled down at my mate as I leaned back down to where I was hovering over him once more. “We absolutely will.” There were some couples that struggled to form that connection, but I had no doubts that Beau and I would be able to figure it out.

“Can we try again?” Beau asked as he held his arms up toward me.

In response, I smiled as I moved to where I was lying beside him. “We absolutely can,” I said as I trailed a finger down the center of his chest. I leaned in and kissed his shoulder. “If I do anything that upsets you or makes you uncomfortable, speak up. The absolute last thing I want is for you to not enjoy some aspect of our claiming one another.”

“Okay,” Beau said quietly.

I heard his breath hitch as my finger wandered from his stomach to his nipple. The bud hardened, and Beau inhaled deeply while my finger gently circled around it. I could scent his increasing arousal, and when I leaned down and licked over the same nipple, Beau let out a noise that had me smiling.

I licked over it twice more before I closed my lips around it and sucked gently. Beau’s fingers threaded into my hair and held on as he made a gasping sound and then a loud moan. His body spasmed beside me, and then I scented something I hadn’t expected. At least not yet. I smiled around his nipple before I pushed up and looked down at my mate. Damn, he was sexy as hell in the aftermath of his orgasm.

Beau’s cheeks were flushed, and his eyes closed tightly. He was absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn’t help but want a taste of his lips. He was my mate, and I wasn’t going to let the situation keep me from getting that taste, so I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back for all of a second before he gasped and turned his head to the side. He made a noise that I didn’t care for, and then words I never wanted to hear from him again came from him.

“I’m sorry.”

I leaned down and kissed his shoulder where it met his neck. Exactly where I intended to put my claiming bite. “For what?” I asked against his warm skin. “For enjoying yourself? Don’t ever apologize for that when you’re with me. That is the entire point of us being together. For you to get as much enjoyment as possible.”

Beau turned his head away. “But I…it was too soon. Too early.”

I chuckled. “Only if you feel that way. I have plans to make you come multiple times before I finally claim you. That was just the first one. How many more do you think I can get from you before we claim one another?” That had Beau looking back at me. I smiled at him from where I was gently kissing his shoulder. “It’s going to be fun learning just where else on your body is a hot spot like that.” It would too. I was looking forward to exploring his body and finding out just where else could make him come with something as simple as kisses and sucking.

“You’re not mad?”

I pushed up onto my elbow and looked down at my mate. “Not even a little. I love that you are excited and I can give you pleasure like that. I want to always bring you happiness and pleasure. That’s how alphas are wired. We want to protect, to provide. Be it pleasure, comfort, safety, reassurance, all of it. That is all I wish for you, Beau.” He had to be getting a bit uncomfortable at this point, so I pushed up from where I was lying beside him and reached for the waistband of his jeans. “We also want to care for our mates. And you must be getting uncomfortable with what is in your pants at this point.”

I had his pants open in a moment, and when I encountered a pair of dark blue briefs, I smiled. There was an obvious wet spot on the front; some had managed to leak out above the waistband of his briefs. I couldn’t help it: I needed a taste. I leaned down without a thought, other than to taste my mate in that way. When my tongue lapped up the white fluid on Beau’s lower stomach, he gasped. Immediately after, his fingers threaded into my hair and tugged. I looked up his torso at him and raised an eyebrow in question.

“You…are you sure? I would never expect that from you.”

I sighed and sat up. “I can see we’ll need to have a complete conversation about sexual pleasure and how I want to give you all that I can, in any and every way possible.”

“But you’re the alpha. I don’t expect you to do that to me. I’m supposed to do that to you.”

I shook my head. “I would never ask or expect you to do anything to me that I myself wasn’t willing to provide to you in return. I very much look forward to sucking and tasting you, in all areas. If you have been taught that alphas don’t do these things to and for their omegas, I’m sorry you were told such things.”

Beau’s eyes widened even more. “You honestly want to do those things to me?”

I chuckled as I reached out and swiped a finger through what was left of the mess that was on Beau’s lower stomach. I brought it to my mouth and sucked my fingers. The taste had me closing my eyes, and I honestly couldn’t wait to suck him to completion. When I opened my eyes, I had to blink a few times because my tiger very much wanted to take over and have me pounce on our mate and hurry up and claim him. “I very much desire to do those things to you. Always. But only if you are comfortable with me doing so. I understand you are new to all of this, but I hope we can explore things together.”

Beau pushed up onto his elbows and looked at me. “I want you to do everything to me.” He bit his lower lip, and it was the sexiest thing I’d seen in a very long time. “I liked you licking me, and my cock felt ready to explode again at just the thought of you licking me there.” Beau took a deep breath, and I could see just how nervous he was. I wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in my arms and reassure him in every way possible. “Will you teach me how to do it to you? I want to try.”

“Oh, sweetness. I will happily let you do anything to me you wish. And if you have any questions, don’t ever feel ashamed to ask. I only want you to be comfortable as well as confident in all things we do together. We will both be learning over the next several weeks, but I am certain that we will know exactly what the other needs and desires in no time.” It would help once we claimed one another. He would be able to access my thoughts and I his. That was something I very much was looking forward to.

“Can we start over? I want to do all of these things with you, but I think I’ve pretty much killed the mood with all of my questions.”

I smiled at Beau. “We absolutely can start over. How about we take a bath? It’s a great way to relax, and we can get you cleaned up. Not only that, but it will give me an excuse to rub hands all over your soapy body.”

Beau’s eyebrows rose. “That sounds…yes, please.”

I smiled at my mate before I rolled off the bed. When I reached for him, sliding my arms under his legs and his upper back, Beau didn’t squeak this time. He giggled, and it was an absolutely wonderful sound. One I hoped to hear again and again in our lifetime together. But first, I wanted to make him moan as I filled him with my aching cock. I knew I’d never get tired of hearing Beau moan as he came because of the pleasure I was giving him. I was already counting all of the ways I was going to do so—starting with soaping him up in the tub.