Taming His Mate (6 page)

“I have to see her.” He jumped to his feet
and managed a step toward the door before Jace caught his arm.

“Can I give you a bit of advice first?”

He glanced at his friend in question.

“Take a shower.” Jace waved a hand in front
of his face. “You definitely smell like you’ve been dragged through
the woods.”

Kate wiped the counter for the thousandth
time. Though the joints in her arms burned and her body was ready
to call it a day, she continued to scrub down every surface in her
kitchen.

A portion of her anxiety had evaporated once
she’d managed to pull Stephen into her house and bolt the door.
Even after Jace assured her all three of the hunters had been dealt
with and Gee swore Stephen was unharmed, Kate remained on edge.
Restless mess was a more apt description.

The only way to stop her hands from shaking
was to clean something. And still, she kept seeing that asshole
standing over Stephen with his rifle aimed at his head. What if she
had failed to protect him? What if the other hunters had found them
before she’d gotten them both to safety? Too many
what ifs
ran through her mind.

Then there was the matter of what was left
unsaid between them. She hadn’t forgotten why he’d been in the
woods in the first place. However, her self-pity was miles away
from what it had been three hours earlier. In fact, she was pretty
sure it was apprehension turning her stomach in knots.

Kate threw the dishcloth in the sink and
leaned against the counter. Dropping her head, she rubbed the knot
of tension at her nape. A few stiff drinks, a long soak in the tub,
and a full night of sleep sounded heavenly at the moment. Suddenly,
a warm hand covered hers. Startled, she whirled around and almost
smacked into Stephen’s bare chest.

He leaned into her, pressing the small of her
back into the countertop. Fresh out of the shower, she inhaled the
crisp cleanness of his tanned skin. His short, sandy-blond hair
stuck out at angles as though he hadn’t bothered to comb it. She
balled her hands into fists to keep from reaching up to smooth it
in place.

“Hey, Sunshine.”

The warmth in his voice and lopsided grin he
wore drew a shiver from her. She couldn’t make her mouth form a
proper sentence to save her soul. Those blue eyes of his captured
her and wouldn’t let go.

“Are you two about to get physical or
what?”

Jace’s voice shattered the trance. She
squeezed from in between Stephen and the counter, her cheeks
heating.

“Damn it, Jace. Why do you always have to
sneak up on people?” She shoved past him and yanked open the
refrigerator.

“Uh-uh, come here.” He snagged her around the
middle and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Give me a hug before I
take off.”

Kate wrapped her arms around his waist and
rested her head on his chest. “Thank you. For everything.” And she
truly meant it. Her brother hadn’t hesitated to help when she’d
called.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head.
“Anything for you, sis. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” She lifted her head and
pecked his cheek.

“Alright, you two get some rest. Michelle and
I will drop by later to check on you.” With one last pat to her
back, he crossed the kitchen, cuffing Stephen on the shoulder on
his way out.

The slam of the back door punctuated the
silence in the kitchen, reminding Kate she was all alone with
Stephen again. All of a sudden, her stomach pitched with nerves.
Crap, she didn’t even know what to say to him.

“Kate.”

The deep timbre of his voice did funny things
to her insides. God, she couldn’t do this today. She was too much
of a wreck to have a civilized discussion with him. Feigning
indifference, she marched to the sink, twisting on the faucet to
rinse out her dishtowel.

She didn’t bother turning when she spoke. “I
don’t have it in me to fight with you today.”

Warm, solid arms slid around her, and the wet
cloth fell from her grasp. She tried to twist away, but he held
onto her hips with a firm grip and buried his nose in her hair.

“I don’t want to fight either, Sunshine.” His
breath bathed her ear in warmth. “Come rest with me a little
while.”

Too tired to make a fuss, Kate allowed
Stephen to lead her out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and down the
hall to her bedroom. Bemused, she stumbled to a halt when they
entered her room.

“You changed the sheets?”

He shrugged and glanced away, but not before
she spied the stain of color on his cheeks. “Your brother said I
didn’t smell too pretty, so I thought the least I could do was
clean up.”

Despite her nervousness, she laughed. “Sorry.
I couldn’t help it. You were too heavy to carry.”

Grinning, he squeezed her hand. “You could’ve
dragged me through a mile of shit, and I’d still be eternally
grateful for what you did to help me. I might not be here if it
hadn’t been for you and your quick thinking. You saved my life,
Kate.”

Uncomfortable with the odd praise, Kate
fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “About last night—”

“Wait.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her
into his side. “Come lie with me.”

***

Stephen watched uncertainty play over Kate’s
features before she gave in. He guided her toward the bed, and when
she would’ve crawled beneath the fresh linens, he stopped her.

“Take your clothes off first.”

She threw him a scandalized look, and he bit
his lip to stifle his laughter. Before she could mutter a
complaint, he jerked her close and kissed her open mouth, sinking
his tongue into her delicious heat. Just when she responded and
melted against him, he drew back and stared down into her flustered
face.

“No fighting, remember?”

Her mouth flapped open and closed twice
before she frowned. However, she shocked the hell out of him by
complying with his request. Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, she
yanked it over her head and tossed it on the floor, followed by her
bra, jeans, and panties.

When every stitch of clothing was gone, she
grumbled. “Happy?”

Stephen laughed. He spun her around and
swatted her bare ass, pleased at her little squeal of surprise.
“Sure as hell am.”

Once Kate was settled on the bed, he eased
his jeans over his hips. Her gaze tracked over his nude frame,
lingering on his erection. Anxious to feel her smooth skin against
his, he wasted no time reclining on the bed beside her. Damn, he
couldn’t wait to lose himself inside the silken heat of her body
once more. But first, he needed to clear the air between them.

Stephen shifted over her, pinning her in
place. “We need to talk.”

“Stephen, can it wai—”

He seized her mouth with a roughness that
stole the air from their lungs. Caught in the snare of carnal
passion, neither would cede control of the kiss. With a move he
never would’ve predicted, she flipped their positions. She ended
their kiss with a sharp nip to his lower lip. Planting her hands on
his chest, she rose over him, straddling his hips.

Stephen paused and absorbed the beautiful
view above him. Her long, brown hair fell around her shoulders in a
soft cascade. A sexy smile formed on her lips while her warm hazel
eyes held a hint of mischief. Her breasts hung heavy, the nipples
hardened into two dusky pink points he couldn’t wait to wrap his
mouth around.

Holding onto the small of her back, he
shifted upright and used his other arm for leverage, moving up the
bed until his spine rested against the headboard. Hands on her
hips, he pulled her closer until her hot center rested over the
length of his cock. He gritted his teeth and shoved aside the urge
to bury himself inside her.

First, he had to know. “Why didn’t you trust
me enough to tell me sooner, Kate?”

He wanted to talk now? While she was poised
over his erection? Kate almost laughed. She wiggled against him
then gasped when the ridge of his cock slid along her clit,
inciting a pulse of pleasure through her entire body.

Stephen held onto her hips, restraining her
movement. “Please, Kate. Talk to me.”

The soft plea and genuine concern in his gaze
was all it took. She couldn’t run any longer.

“Okay….” She sighed and distractedly caressed
the soft trail of blond hair on his belly. “No one knows except
you. Not even Jace or our parents. Well, I’m sure Gee knows, but
only because he guessed.”

Stephen tucked a strand of hair behind her
ear, the intimate gesture increasing the drum of her heart.

“When I figured out I couldn’t shift, I was
terrified how the pack would respond. I’d seen how they treated a
pack member who couldn’t shift when I was younger. So, I’m scared
to death of what they might do when they find out. It’s safer for
me to hide it from everyone.” She frowned. “That includes my
family. And you. I didn’t want any of you to see me as a failure
any more than I already saw myself.”

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his
gaze. “You’re
not
a failure. Never think that again. Got
it?”

When she nodded, he laid his hand on her
thigh and ran the tips of his fingers along her skin. “I understand
why you’re frightened, Kate, but the pack isn’t under Magnum’s
tyranny any longer. Drew made sure of that. You don’t have anything
to fear. If you would’ve just trusted me enough to tell me, I
could’ve helped you through everything. You have to know your
family or I would never treat you differently. You know that,
right?”

“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” She bit her lip.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should’ve told you sooner.”

“Hell yes, you should’ve. There’s nothing you
can say to me that will make me turn away from you.”

“But this morning….”

“This morning you ran away before you gave me
a chance to explain. I could’ve spared you years of worry if you’d
have just trusted me sooner.” He framed her face in his hands and
placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “This is the reason you’ve never
accepted my claim, isn’t it?”

“I can’t be the mate you want or deserve,
Stephen.”

“Kate, if there’s one thing you can always
count on, it’s the fact I’m damn lucky to have you as my mate. We
may piss each other off from time to time, but I’ll never stop
wanting you. What you and I have is forever. Whether you can shift
or not doesn’t matter one damn bit.” He grabbed her hand, settling
it over the steady thump of his heart. “I’ll always love you with
everything I have in me, Sunshine. There’s no changing what I feel
for you. My heart is yours. It always will be.”

Tears slipped from her eyes. Her heart
swelled. How could she have ever doubted him? This beautiful man
had stuck by her side for years, irritating her, making her laugh,
pushing her limits, but always remained constant and sure, his love
never wavering.

She cupped his strong jaw, his soft stubble
tickling her palms. “Oh, Stephen, I love you so much. I have for
years. I thought I wouldn’t be the right mate for you, but I don’t
want to live without you any longer. I can’t.”

“Then you won’t. Trust me with your heart as
I’ve trusted you with mine.” He leaned his forehead against hers
while his luminous blue gaze seared her to her soul. “Mate with me,
Sunshine. Claim me as your own.”

The words invoked a flare of possessive need
in her. He was hers, damn it. Nothing would change that, and no one
could take him from her. He was her rightful mate. No matter how
much she’d fought the inevitable, their fate was destined, and she
was tired of running from it.

She trailed her hands up his chest and over
his broad shoulders to twine around his neck. Tugging his face
toward hers, she slid her tongue along the seam of his mouth. When
he parted his lips, she kissed him, pouring every bit of the
longing and desire she’d held at bay for him over the years into
the action.

Kate couldn’t stop the flood of emotion any
more than she could prevent her hips from shifting against his lap.
With a slight reposition, his thick erection slipped between the
outer lips of her sex. Releasing his mouth, she tossed her head
back and rocked against him, the sensual friction making her more
aroused and wetter with each intimate slide.

Stephen cupped her breasts in the palms of
his hands with a gentle squeeze. Lowering his head, he twirled his
tongue around one nipple then drew it into his mouth, sucking and
nipping at her sensitive flesh.

Each pull of his mouth made her ache to have
him fill her. She grabbed his short hair and hauled his face to
hers. His tongue plunged into her mouth while his hands gripped her
ass, moving her against his erection in an unrelenting rhythm. When
she broke their kiss to suck in air, he licked across the line of
her jaw to her ear.

“Put me inside you. I need to feel you
wrapped around my cock.”

Emboldened by his words, she reached between
them and closed her hand around his steely erection, feeling her
own dampness on his hot flesh. He gripped her waist to help steady
her as she rose enough to press the swollen head into her entrance.
Once the tip slipped inside, he jerked her down onto his lap,
burying his entire length inside her and drawing a cry from the
both of them.

Some primal part of her demanded more. She
wanted to drive him as wild as he’d driven her that morning. At
that moment, she understood the desire to mark, to claim
possession. She
needed
to have her mark of ownership on
him.

Kate leaned forward and placed open-mouthed
kisses along his neck. Lifting her hips, she allowed his length to
almost slide completely out of her then she sank down on his thick
cock again. Pleasure spiraled through her, tension building in her
core.