Tameka's Smile

Chapter Four

Tameka woke to the news that she had not one, but two flat tires. Yawning widely while wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she stretched. “What are you talking about? I just put four new tires on my car before driving here. They can’t be flat.”

“They are. Both of the back tires,” he said grimly.

Tameka jolted fully awake. “Let me see.” She hopped out of bed, realized she was naked, and glanced around for something to wear.

Chad tossed her his shirt. “Here, put this on.” She hesitated a moment, then checked to make sure all the stains from yesterday washed out. His uniform shirt, Polo in style, came to mid-thigh on her. She slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops and headed for the door, Chad one step behind.

When she saw her car, she muttered words under her breath that would have had her former pastor flinching and giving her a stern look. “Those were brand new tires. Not even a month old.

How am I supposed to get to work? I only have one spare.” She felt like kicking her car.

“What time do you need to be there? I can drive you into town, pick up another tire, and change them while you’re at work. I’m off today, remember?”

She forgot about her anger when she remembered why he was off today. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tight. “How you doing today?” He lifted her head from his chest and bent down to kiss her.

“Better, thanks to you.”

Tameka snatched her head away and covered her mouth.

“Morning breath,” she mumbled through her hand.

His eyes narrowed and his chest swelled. “If you won’t let me kiss those lips, I’ll just have kiss your other set. Either way, I’m getting my morning kiss.”

Her eyes widened over the top of her hand as his meaning sank in. She took a step back. “Let me just brush my…Chad!” He swept her off of her feet and placed her on the hood of her car. While she tried to find purchase on the slippery surface, he pried open her thighs and dove in for his kiss. The kiss went on, long and deep, until she was screaming his name.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I first met you that day by the road,” he said as his pants hit the ground. He draped her legs over his shoulders and plunged home.

Tameka sighed as she entered the town’s limits, remembering the way Chad took her on the hood of the car an hour earlier. She was getting wet just thinking of it. The things this man did to her, the way he made her respond, was beyond comprehension.

As they neared the shop, she noticed a crowd of men hanging around the entrance. She sat up straight in her seat. Dear Lord, look at them. Pure beef cake material. There wasn’t an ugly one in the bunch. She unconsciously fanned herself. Man, they grew ‘em big in the mountains. If she’d known the men were this attractive, she’d have made it a point to visit Momma E. while she was still alive. “Hubba, hubba. Come to momma,” she murmured.

Chad slammed on brakes and shoved the gear into park.

“Son of a …” The expression on his face did not bode well.

Tameka fumbled for the door handle, eyes still trying to take in all of the eye candy in front of her.

He laid his hand on her arm. “Stay put.” As he got out of the car and came around the front, they became the center of attention.

“Wonder what they want?” she asked the empty car.

“Is that her?” she heard one of them ask.

“Don’t know. Can’t see through the glare on the windshield,” another responded.

“Can’t be. She wouldn’t be with him. Least wise, not this quick. She just got here and she’s kept mostly to herself. Nobody moves that fast, ‘cept maybe Alex and that was different.” She couldn’t see which one offered this opinion.

Tameka forgot about the men when a rumble that sounded suspiciously like a growl rolled out of Chad. He seemed to grow larger before her eyes. Some of the men looked wary. She could have sworn a few growled back. What on earth was going on?

Chad held the door open. As she exited the car, Lulu came out. “Time to go, fellas. Barber’s not on duty ‘til tomorrow. Be sure to make your appointment with Mona before leaving.” Then she opened the shop door. “You, inside. You can leave now. You’ve already set yours. No need to linger.” There were more inside? Tameka stared. All these men wanted haircuts? She tried to pull her arm loose from the grip Chad had on it. Instead of letting go, he pulled her closer to his body. It didn’t take a Ph.D. to recognize the “hands off, mine!” vibe he was sending.

She unconsciously looked at Lulu, appealing for help, only to find Lulu gazing at her with speculation and a hint of amusement in her expression. No help there.

“Chad,” she hissed, “you can let go.”

He dropped her arm and placed his arm around her shoulder, tucking her close. This must be what a football feels like. At his action, some of the men wandered off. Others gave her the once over, then met Chad’s look, stare for stare. Tired of the foolishness, she elbowed him in the side, jerked loose, and reached inside of the car for her things.

One of the men let loose with a piercing wolf whistle.

“Damn, look at that ass,” someone commented.

Tameka snapped upright, almost hitting her head on the roof of the car. She searched the men, eyes narrowed. “Who said that? Who did that?” she snapped.

She couldn’t tell which of the men made the comment, but the culprit who whistled still had his fingers to his lips. She marched right up to the big, burly fellow with the overgrown, sandy blond hair and got right in his face. “Do I look like a dog to you?”

“No, but you damn sure can be my bitch,” someone in the crowd said.

Tameka’s gasp was drowned out by the vicious snarling coming from behind her. The man she’d confronted paled.

Distracted and just a bit concerned, Tameka turned to see what he was looking at. She thought she would have noticed a dog in their midst, and from the sound of it, a rather large one.

Mona suddenly appeared on her right and Lulu on her left.

“Let’s go inside and get out of this heat.” They took hold of her arms and all but dragged her to the door.

“Wait! I need my stuff. And what’s going on? Why is that man taking off his shirt? Ow, Lulu. Watch the arm. You’re stronger than you look.”

The last was said as Lulu lifted her off her feet and carried her into the shop, calling out orders as she went. “Betty, call Alex and tell him to get down here, NOW!”

“Kiesha’s closer,” Mona said.

“But she’s pregnant. Call Alex,” Betty said.

In the background, Tameka could hear snarling and growling, mixed in with meaty thuds. Sounded like a pack of dogs fighting. She never got the chance to see if her supposition was correct. Lulu dragged her to the storeroom door and opened it.

“Don’t you worry about a thing. Here, check and make sure I have all you need for tomorrow. There’s a long line of men wanting haircuts and you wouldn’t want to run out.” She thrust Tameka inside and slammed the door shut.

Once she caught her balance, Tameka spun around and immediately tried to turn the knob. It wouldn’t budge. “Lulu, open this door! What’s going on out there?” Bam! Bam! Bam!

She pounded on the door. Finally, she gave it a good, hard kick.

She laid her forehead against the door and gave it a couple of thumps. “Why did I come here? These people are crazy!

Check the supplies. Hmph! All I need to cut hair is a pair of clippers. She knows that.”

Not one to continue to bang her head against a stone wall, she realized she wasn’t getting out of this room until Lulu got good and ready. She rubbed her throbbing arm.

Dang, that woman was strong.

Chad was in the midst of a three-on-one fight when a surge of metaphysical power forced him to his belly. Two of the shifters he’d been fighting with shifted back to their human form and laid there panting. The third one was paralyzed like him.

“What the hell is going on here? Fighting in the street like animals, in broad daylight were anyone can see. HAVE YOU

LOST YOUR MINDS?” The last was said in a roar.

Chad had only been a part of the Raven pack for two years, but he’d never seen the Alpha this pissed. Alex Wolfe looked close to changing himself. His short black hair stood up on end and his normally black eyes glowed gold with power.

He looked around. He wasn’t the only one watching the Alpha closely. In addition to his own, there were at least three other groups that must have been fighting as well.

“Woman…mate,” one of the shifters gasped out.

Chad’s wolf growled, hackles raised. If he could have moved, he would have attacked, in spite of Alex.

“Chad.” That’s all Alex said and Chad shifted back to human.

“Mine,” he growled.

“Have you marked her?”

“Yes.” It came out guttural. His wolf was still close to the surface.

“She hasn’t accepted,” a male shifter protested. “He’s not marked. That means we still have a chance.” Chad snarled, pushed up on his forearms, and felt his eyes change and jaw elongate.

Alex looked at him sharply. “Stand down.” Chad subsided, but it was extremely difficult. His wolf fought him all the way. It knew what it wanted and wasn’t going to let anyone take her away.

Lulu came to the door. “Alpha,” she greeted him.

“Ms. Lulu,” he said, nodding his head respectfully.

“The woman they’re fighting over is human,” she continued.

Alex closed his eyes and swore under his breath. Then he pinned Chad with a stare. “You marked her, knowing she was human?”

“Mate,” was all Chad could say.

Alex’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “A true mate?”

Chad didn’t know what he was talking about, but it didn’t matter what he didn’t know. He said what he did. “Mine.” Alex studied him for a minute, then sighed and shook his head. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Chad rose to his knees, but kept his head lowered. “She belongs to me. That’s the only thing here that really matters.” Alex pulled out his cell phone. A quick push of the button then, “Kiesha, I need you to come to the salon. We have a situation…human female…newly mated…she doesn’t know.” He rolled his eyes. “The barbershop. Come now. Fuss later.” He flipped the phone closed.

“You and I need to have a talk,” he told Chad. “The rest of you,” he looked around, “go home. This one’s off limits.” The shifters grumbled as they put their clothes back on, some of them casting angry looks at him before leaving. Chad dressed as well, wondering what happened now. The alpha was supporting his claim, which surprised him. But even if he hadn’t, Chad wasn’t giving Tameka up. They’d have to kill him.

A tentative knock sounded at the door before it slowly opened. “Tameka?”

Having passed ticked minutes ago and now seriously pissed off, Tameka stayed where she was, arms crossed, seated on a box at the back of the storeroom, non-responsive.

A beautiful, plus-sized, bi-racial woman with golden-brown hair and a protruding stomach entered the room, stopping when she got a good look at Tameka’s expression. “Damn, I told them you’d be pissed. What the hell were they thinking?” The unexpected empathy loosened her tongue. “That’s what I’d like to know,” she growled.

The woman came further into the room. “I know you’re angry—with good reason, might I add—but they meant no harm.

If you give me a chance, I’d like to explain. My name’s Kiesha, by the way.”

Tameka’s temper began to calm in the face of the understanding Kiesha was displaying. “By all means, explain away,” she said with a wave of her hand.

Kiesha sighed. “There’s no way to do this but to just blurt it out. You’ll think I’m crazy as hell but believe me, I’m not. The reason they hustled you in here away from everyone and locked you in was to get you away from the fight brewing outside.” She sat up straight. “What fight? The men?” Kiesha snorted. “Those men, as you called them, are werewolves, and they were preparing to tear each other limb from limb for the right to claim you.”

Tameka’s eyes narrowed. She was nobody’s fool.

“Werewolves. Right.”

The other woman just smiled. “I know just how you feel. I didn’t believe either, at first. Having one change before your very eyes tends to make a believer out of even me. You’ll see.” The confidence in Kiesha’s voice shook some of Tameka’s certainty that she was being toyed with. Werewolves? She’d heard and seen some strange things in her former line of work.

Could she be…? She shook her head. No, absolutely not. She squared her shoulders. “That’s the best you’ve got?” Kiesha laughed. “Oh, I like you. You’re strong. You’ll need every bit of that strength to deal with these men, especially that one that’s claiming you. That one’s an alpha, through and through, if I don’t miss my guess.”

“Who? Chad?”

“I don’t know all of their names yet. Tall, blond-haired, green eyes, looks like a serial killer?”

Tameka nodded. “That’s Chad.”

“Damn, girl. You sure can pick ‘em. I wouldn’t trade my Alex for anyone in the world, but damn, your man is hot, and deadly. The best kind.” She gave a mock shiver of fear that was spoiled by the lascivious grin on her face.

She couldn’t help but laugh at her antics. “I know what you mean, but he’s not mine. We’re just friends.” Kiesha shuffled her feet. “Yeah, about that ‘just friends’

thing. We need to have a talk. There’s something you should know.”

Tameka immediately sobered. “I thought we were talking.”

“Oh, honey, you have no idea. I need to sit down. This is may take a while.”

“We haven’t spent much time together since you joined the pack. I knew you needed space, time to adjust to us all, so I didn’t push. Maybe that was a mistake.” Alex crossed over and leaned his back against the patrol car.

“What I’m about to tell you now is something every shifter knows, or should know.” He stopped again and rubbed his hand over his face, as though trying to decide where to begin.

Chad stood at attention—shoulders squared, back ramrod straight, arms at his side—watching Alex’s every move. He might not be used to pack hierarchy, but he knew how to treat a superior officer.

Alex must have noticed how he was standing. “At ease, soldier. You’re not in the service anymore.” He waited until Chad relaxed his stance before continuing.

“This woman—your mate—when you first met, the sexual attraction was overwhelming? Her scent, everything about her spoke to you and your wolf?”

Chad went from alert to confused, to wary as Alex described their first meeting exactly. “How did you…?” Alex held out a hand, stopping him. “And when you got your first taste of her, it went straight to your head. You could think of nothing but marking and claiming her, right? Whenever you’re around her for more than two seconds, your only thought is to mount her, and the feelings getting stronger, not weaker.” Chad nodded slowly. “How…?”

“Do I know?” Alex interrupted. “If you’d been raised among us, you’d know, too. That woman…”

“Tameka,” Lulu supplied.

Chad forgot she was present until she spoke.

“Tameka,” Alex continued,” is your true mate, the one woman in all of creation made to complete you. The humans call them soul mates. Vamps call them Chosen. The things I just described are the signs of a true mate. First comes the mating fever. That’s the part where you two can’t keep your hands off of each other. More than just lust, it serves a deeper purpose. Each time the two of you mate, or exchange body fluids, she becomes more like you.”

“What does that mean?” Chad couldn’t help but to ask.

“She’s becoming a shifter like you,” Lulu explained.

The information floored Chad and he staggered over to the car, bracing his palms on it, head hanging down.

“The mating fever does more than change Tameka’s DNA, it ensures that the two of you stay together long enough for the mate bond to take effect. That’s the part where she accepts you as her mate.”

“I am her mate,” he snarled.

“That’s true, but…” Alex was interrupted by a scream of pure rage, followed by the slamming of a door.

Tameka stormed outside, murder in her eyes. Alex quickly got out of her way. “What the hell have you been telling these people?” She walked up and jabbed Chad in the shoulder with her index finger.

“I am NOT your woman, or ‘mate,’” she made quotation marks with her fingers, “as she,” Tameka jabbed a thumb over her shoulder in Kiesha’s direction, “calls it. I belong to me.

That’s it. No one else.”

She paced back and forth in front of him, hands gesturing.

“Damn it, I moved here for peace and quiet, not to get mixed up with a bunch of crazy mountain folks, and believe me, I know crazy. I have a Ph.D. in it.”

“She doesn’t believe me,” Kiesha murmured in an aside to Lulu.

“Her grandmother said she wouldn’t,” Lulu commented.

Tameka spun around and pinned them with a glare. “All of you, get this through your head. Keep your little delusions about being werewolves, shifters, et cetera. Hell, you can be leprechauns for all I care and have tea daily with imaginary friends while wearing tinfoil helmets that let you communicate with the little green men orbiting the planet. Just leave me out of it.” She surveyed them all with her hands on her hips, then shook her head and threw up her hands in disgust. “I’ve got work to do.

She stalked toward the shop.

“Uh, Tameka?” Kiesha said as she drew even with her, casting worried glances in his direction. “Challenging werewolves…not smart.”

Tameka rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Whatever.”

He’d heard enough. She was his and it was high time she realized it. With one leap, he was instantly behind her. He had her hands handcuffed behind her back in the blink of an eye.

“What…oomph!”

He flipped her over his shoulder and carried her to the back of his squad car.

“She tried to warn you,” Lulu said with a laugh.

Opening the door, he tossed her gently inside and shut the door.

“Alex, can he do that?” Kiesha asked.

“Apparently so,” Alex replied with an amused look on his face.

From the back of the car, Tameka hollered, “Let me out of here, Chad. Swear to God, I’m reporting you this time.”

“This time?” Lulu asked, eyebrow arched.

“Long story,” he muttered as he walked around to the driver’s side.

“Bet it’s a good one, too.” Lulu chuckled. “You tell Tameka not to worry about the shop. Tomorrow’s soon enough to start.

You go handle business.”

Another muffled shriek sounded from the car, then thumps as she kicked the door.

Chad slid his mirrored shades onto his grim looking face, opened the door and got inside.

As he backed out of the parking space, Lulu remarked, “It’s a good thing that cage is between them. Meka would tear him apart if she could reach him.”

Kiesha crossed her arms over her chest and nibbled her lip.

“Are you sure she’ll be okay, Alex? Maybe we should stop him.

He’s such a loner. What do we really know about him?”

“Kiesha, you know we can’t interfere with the bonding process. Besides, Chad Wilson is a good man who’s been alone for far too long. That woman is the best thing that could have happened to him. She’s his One. He’d die before letting anyone, including himself, hurt her.”

Tameka couldn’t believe she’d been reduced to shrieking like a banshee. What was it about this man that he always brought out the worst in her? If her former patients could see her now, they’d think she was the one in need of a shrink.

She took as deep, calming breath. What was it she always told her patients? Don’t give away your power. You can’t control other people’s actions, but you can control how you respond to them. It was time to take her own advice. “Chad, uncuff me and turn me loose. Do you know how many laws you’re breaking?

Kidnapping is the least of them. Just take me back to the shop and we’ll forget this ever happened.” She spoke clearly and precisely.

He ignored her.

Tameka immediately lost some of her hard earned composure. Damn, she hated being ignored. Yell at her, cuss at her, hell, even spit at her—she didn’t care, as long as she got some type of acknowledgement.

He slowed, turned a corner, and she fell over onto her side.

She didn’t have the energy to struggle back into a seated position again. “You can’t keep me handcuffed forever. Eventually, you’ll have to let me go, and when you do…” She left the rest of her threat open as she contemplated all of the things she could do to get even. And to think, she’d been so caring and sympathetic with him last night. This was her reward?

She closed her eyes and silently counted to ten. She wasn’t going to beg the man to talk to her. She’d said what she had to say and now she was done with it. Done with him. Yeah, the sex was great and all, but she didn’t need the hassle.

Besides, there was something not quite right about Chad.

All of her warning signals were going off. She’d counseled numerous women against getting involved with men just like him. Possessive men who latched on to women quickly, who thought they owned them. Men who just moved in and took over.

The women she’d counseled always came to her bewildered, not knowing how or when the men had taken over their lives, but suddenly he was in control and she couldn’t breathe unless he gave the say so. Not me, sister. You’d better believe she was getting out if this now. The blinders were off.

Great sex did not a relationship make. It had been kind of nice while it lasted, though.

Tameka had no idea where they were or where they were headed. They hadn’t traveled far before Chad turned off onto what must have been a dirt road. She could tell by all the ruts and bumps they went over. Couldn’t have been more than an overgrown path from the way bushes scraped the sides of the car.

Where the hell was he taking her? It was enough to make her struggle to sit up.

They traveled for another ten minutes before coming to a stop in front of one of those little hunting cabins her grandmother had told her about.

Chad ignored his fuming mate while he pondered Alex’s words. There was still a lot he didn’t understand about this true mate business, but his mind latched onto one thing and one thing only: with each exchange of body fluids, Tameka came closer to accepting him as mate. If that’s what it took to keep his woman, he’d flood her system with his DNA and speed up the process.

Before today was over, she’d know to whom she belonged.

Body fluid meant semen, but also meant saliva. He could only produce so much sperm at a time, but he had an endless supply of spit. He just needed to get it into her, and he knew just how to do it.

He got out and opened the rear door. Reaching in, he unlocked the handcuffs and rubbed the skin around her wrists, before helping her out of the cruiser.

“Where are we?”

“My place.” His wolf was agitated at the underlying coldness in her tone. He could smell her anger. She’d just have to get over it. There was no room for hostility in his plans.

“Why are we here? Take me back to the shop. Better yet, take me home,” she demanded.

“I need to talk with you privately. If you still want to go home when we’re finished, I’ll take you then.” He hoped she would consent. Either way, he was keeping her with him until he was ready to let her go, which might be never. He kept his face neutral, as though the decision were up to her.

She debated for a long period of time before sighing.

“Fine.”

He opened the door. She stalked inside, glanced around—

perhaps looking for a place to sit, then went and sat on the shelf in front of the fireplace, arms crossed over her chest.

Looking around, he wondered what she thought. With the exception of the bathroom, his cabin was one big room, dominated by the king sized pedestal bed in the middle of the room. There was a massive fireplace along one wall. The tiny kitchenette in one corner held a small fridge, microwave, and island counter/bar that doubled as his table. It had wood floors, wood paneling, and exposed wood beams in the ceiling. It was just what it looked like, a hunting lodge. Off the back was a mudroom that doubled as his closet.

“You wanted to talk. So talk.”

Her words caused him to focus on the task at hand.

Underneath her obvious anger, he could smell uncertainty and wariness. Both man and beast were angered that she could possibly fear him when he’d give his life for hers. He went and knelt before her. She drew back a bit, a movement so slight he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been watching her so intently.

“I’m sorry.” He stated it baldly.

“For what?” she asked guardedly.

His mate was a suspicious creature. He committed that to memory for future dealings. “That my actions upset you.” Her eyes narrowed and her hands went to her hips. “So, you’re not remorseful for what you did. You’re just sorry it made me mad.”

Challenged, his wolf demanded he dominate. He caged her in with his hands and leaned forward, smiling inwardly when she refused to move. “I am who I am. I won’t apologize for my actions, just how they made you feel. I wouldn’t deliberately do anything to hurt or scare you. My actions today did both, and for that I sincerely apologize. I want you to know that you’re safe with me.”

She met him stare for stare and he felt his wolf move behind his eyes. She blinked, then lowered her gaze and looked away.

His wolf was satisfied by her submission.

“I’m a wolf. There are a lot of things I do you won’t understand. Hell, I don’t always understand, but I’ve learned to accept.”

Tameka rolled her eyes. “Not that werewolf thing again. If that’s what you want to discuss, I’m out of here.”

“Okay. Marry me.”

“What!” She looked shocked, and not in a good way.

“Hear me out. I was raised in foster care, so I’m not really sure how this family stuff works. I have money. I can take care of you. In the service I lived in base housing, and spent all my time working. Same here. This house belongs to the pack. I work a lot of hours and only come here to rest.” When he paused to gather his words, she jumped in. “You can’t want to marry me. You barely know me.” She no longer smelled angry, just confused.

“I know that I’ve never wanted a woman the way that I want you. I know that my wolf recognizes you as his mate. I know I’ll take care of you and any children we may have, and I’ll be faithful. You may have to school me from time to time because I have no experience with this family thing. Hell, I’ve never had a relationship so I’m bound to screw up occasionally, but I’ll always give you my best,” he finished earnestly.

She held up her hand. “Wait. You’ve never had a girlfriend, lover… anything?”

“No.”

“How old are you?” She looked concerned. Maybe he shouldn’t have confessed that last bit.

“Thirty-two.”

She shook her head. “I know you’re no virgin. You’re too good a lover for me to believe that.”

His cock, already standing at attention, leapt in his pants at her praise and he moved closer, crowding her against the wall.

“I’ve had women, but those were nothing more than a series of sexual encounters.”

Tameka held out a hand and pressed it against his chest, holding him off, then snatched it back. “Slow your roll. We’re talking. Don’t get sidetracked.”

He sank back onto his heels, still watching her intently.

She shook her head. “Why me?”

“You’re my mate.”

She rubbed her hand over her face, then sighed. “This is crazy. We’ve only known each other four days. There’s no way I can make a decision like that.”

“Remember I asked.” That was all the warning he gave.

He lunged up, snagged her by the nape, and dragged her to his mouth. He devoured her, shoving his tongue deep into her mouth, remembering what Alex said about the exchange of body fluids. Like tinder to a lit match, Tameka went up in flames, just like he anticipated. She reached up and grabbed him by the hair, then tackled him to the floor. The scent of animal lust rose sharply into the air.

Chad waited until she was out of control, clawing at his clothes to get to the skin beneath before he made his move. He flipped her onto her back, the soft faux fur rug cushioning her landing. In an economy of motion, he stripped her out of her t-shirt and bra, then did the same with her shoes, leggings and panties. When she was naked, he dove back in for another kiss.

“Chad, take this off.” She tugged at his shirt. “I need to touch you.”

“Not yet,” he muttered against her mouth. If he stripped, he’d lose focus. Had to stick to his plan.

She opened her mouth to protest and he kissed her again. If she could still think, she wasn’t aroused enough. He slid a hand between their bodies and slid his fingers into her sheath and crooked them, looking for her trigger. He knew he’d found it when she jerked like she’d been jolted by a live wire. A few strokes and she came screaming, all over his hand.

While she was deep in the throes of her orgasm, Chad allowed his incisors to elongate and bite her deep on the tendon of her right shoulder, drawing blood. He packed the wound with his saliva, knowing from the previous times he’d bitten her this would heal just as quickly. Keeping her arousal peaked with his stroking fingers, he did the same thing to her left shoulder when she exploded again.

Allowing her a moment to catch her breath, he nibbled and bit a path down to her breasts, breaking the skin but being sure to heal each wound with a moist swipe of the tongue.

“What are you doing to me?” she gasped.

“Loving you.”

“By biting me?” she panted.

He thought fast. “Kama Sutra. Biting increases your arousal and your pleasure.”

“Increases…? Oh God, you’re trying to kill me,” she moaned.

Chad smiled as he licked a path around her left breast, then engulfed the whole thing in his mouth. He alternated between suckling deeply and placing stinging bites around the nipple. To distract Tameka from what he was about to do, he lightly stroked her clit.

She arched wildly beneath him, clutching his head to her breast and pumping her hips. Her breath came in gasps and pants before hitching slightly. “You…I need…” she muttered incoherently.

…to accept me as mate, he finished for her in his mind.

After he finished today, that would no longer be an issue. He switched to her neglected breast, still flicking her clit, keeping her body on the edge of an orgasm. Each small bite of pain only pushed her arousal higher. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

When he thought she’d had enough, he pinched her clit, and at the same time bit down hard on her breast, leaving a perfect ring of bloody teeth marks. He packed the wound with his saliva until it began to heal before his eyes. If filling her with his DNA is what it took for her to accept him, he’d make sure she got a mouth full of the stuff.

While she recovered, he rose and ripped off his uniform.

His cock stood out straight and heavy from his body. He massaged his scrotum, ready to empty this load into her waiting channel and prepare her for the next. Dropping to his knees before her, he spread her thighs wide and dragged her up his legs until their pelvises met. With one hand he positioned his pulsing erection at her entrance, then slid home.

He immediately set up a pounding rhythm, racing for the finish line. Today he planned to come as many times in as short a timeframe as his body would allow. His goal was to fill Tameka with his sperm. There would be time for finesse later.

When he’d come hard, he pulled out, ignoring Tameka’s groan of disappointment, and flipped her onto her stomach, ass up in the air. He covered her with his body, fingering her saturated sheath while sinking his teeth all over her back and hips. Realizing he was hard again, he guided himself home. With one hand he turned her head to the side and pinned her to the floor. Then he locked his teeth onto her shoulder and covered her in a dominant position. He didn’t release her or let her up until he’d taken her two more times.

By then, he’d lost the feeling in both legs and knew she had to be just as tired. Too exhausted to move, he simply hooked an arm around his mate’s waist and fell over onto his side, pulling her with him. He’d come four times, and even now his body was connected with hers, keeping in the sperm.

He wasn’t sure how much of his DNA she’d absorb through his semen, if any. So, as an added precaution, there wasn’t a soft spot on her body—with the exception of her feet, hands, and face—that he hadn’t sunk his teeth into and then licked. He’d lost track of the number of times she’d orgasmed.

Breathing heavy, he held her to him. They’d nap, then talk, and everything would be fine. She’d understand how much he needed her, and she’d accept him for the wolf he was.

Her quiet voice came out of the semi-darkness. “Take me home.”