The Alpha's Temporary Mate(41)

Chloe had meant to stay awake until Kieran finished his hunt. Truly she  had. But despite her best intentions, she was asleep by the time her  head hit the pillow. She'd pay for her exertions the next day when her  tired muscles were forced back to life.

That time came far sooner than she expected, when lips running down her throat roused her to consciousness.

A body pressed down on hers as those clever lips trailed over her skin.

"Kieran," she breathed.

"You looked so tempting," he whispered in her ear. "I couldn't resist."

"Mmm," she said, raising her hands to frame his face. "Good."

His hair was wet against her fingers, signaling a recent shower.

"How was your event?"

"I wanted it over with," he replied. "My quarry wasn't in the woods."

"No, it was trying to recover from a day keeping up with werewolves."

"You weren't complaining about my stamina last night."

She grinned, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "True. Going to try to prove your mettle again?"

"Wolves love a challenge." He kissed her before she could think of anything else to say.

Closing her eyes, Chloe relaxed into his embrace. Her tongue flicked out  to tangle with his as he deepened the kiss. Desire woke within her,  obviously not caring that she should be tired. All Kieran had to do was  run his lips over hers and she was ready and willing to play any game he  devised.                       
       
           



       

Her hand slipped between their bodies to find he'd come to bed naked.

"Thinking ahead?" she murmured as her hand closed around his already erect cock.

"A wise man is always prepared."

"Precisely why I'm wearing an easily removable nightie," she replied  before doing exactly that. Tugging the cotton over her head, she dropped  the dress to the floor and returned her attention to her lover.

"What do you like?" she asked as she stroked him.

"Everything you do," he replied.

Chloe pressed her lips to his jaw as she rubbed her thumb over the crown  of his cock. The way his body stiffened in pleasure was gratifying to  say the least.

"I take it that worked," she whispered.

"Again."

Grinning, she complied.

Her focus was broken when his fingers stroked along her slit. Tilting  her head back, she tried to concentrate on bringing him pleasure while  he did his best to distract her.

His thumb brushed over her clit before one finger delved into her. There  was nothing she could do to stop the cry that erupted from her mouth at  the sensation. When his free hand moved to play with her breasts, the  rhythm of her hand faltered.

"Getting hard to remember what I was doing," she warned, rocking against his fingers as he pressed into her.

"Good," he said, running his lips up her throat. "Means I'm doing something right."

"Mm." A second finger joined the first to send spikes of pleasure through her.

"More," she told him. "Please."

He shifted his position, catching one of her legs and hooking it over  his hip. Kieran slid into her without any more urging. Chloe bit her lip  at the slow, steady rhythm he took. He rocked into her not with the  frenzied passion of the night before, but with a tenderness that flamed  her desire higher.

She moved beneath him to lock her legs around his waist. His guttural  groan filled her ears as she pressed her heels into his back, driving  him deeper into her.

"Just like that," she breathed, undulating under him.

He bent down to catch her lips as he rocked within her. Framing his face  with her hands, she returned the kiss with enthusiasm. Maybe it was  their surroundings, but this embrace was far different from their first  time under the stars. That had been a desperate, consuming need followed  by a night of exploring every inch of each other's bodies.

This was different. Intimate. Kieran touched her as if she were precious.

Loved.

"Yes," she whispered as he increased his speed. "A little more."

They rocked together, striving toward their mutual release.

"Come with me, witchling," he whispered to her.

Chloe arched her head back, her fingers digging into his shoulders. So close.

A few more strokes were all it took. She flew apart in his arms as her  climax over came her. Holding on to her partner, she tried to ride out  the sensations flooding her body. Kieran's harsh groans filled her ears  as he found the same release she had.

He collapsed by her side, pulling her close even as he stayed pressed inside her.

"Good way to wake up," she said.

Kieran rested his forehead against hers. "Agreed."

"Kieran, I-" She stopped, biting back the words the endorphins flooding her body pushed her to say.

"What?"

"Nothing," she murmured. Wrapping her arms around him, she nestled against his chest. "Nothing at all."

No need to borrow trouble. Not when lying in his arms was as close to perfection as she'd ever found.





Chapter Eighteen

The smile wouldn't leave her face. Chloe pulled her coat closer around  her as she sat on a picnic table. The lake lay before her, sparkling in  the sunshine. Kieran was meeting with a few of his advisors, and she  hadn't wanted to be in the way. Besides, after the athletics of last  night she needed a few hours to recharge before she'd be ready for  soccer games and pack bonding.

A scratching noise reached her ears. Turning, she saw a white wolf trotting out of the woods.

"Hello," she called as the beautiful creature moved closer.

She'd seen most of the pack in their wolf forms, and while there were  some with white patches, none were the pure snow white of this wolf.

"Who would you be?" she asked as it stopped before her. "I don't think we've met yet."

Even as she said the words, she remembered seeing a flash of white the  night Kieran had chased her through the woods. Had this wolf been there?

"You're welcome to my coat if you'd like to change," she offered. Not  that weres had much of an issue with nudity. Still, she shrugged out of  the coat and held it out.                       
       
           



       

The wolf tilted its head before it began to transform.

She could see the process a thousand times and still never get bored  with it. Seeing a wolf change into a human was like watching an optical  illusion you couldn't quite explain. Her eyes tried to reconcile two  forms overlapping each other, but her brain didn't have the capacity to  explain the phenomena. Instead she just watched in appreciation as the  white wolf faded away, leaving a naked woman in its place.

"Thank you," the woman said, rising to her feet.

As she held out her coat, Chloe had to admit the woman was just as  stunning as her wolf form had been. Long black hair hung to her trim  waist. Every inch of her body was lithe and honed, with legs that seemed  impossibly long. The woman took the coat and tossed it around her  perfect body. It fell to mid-thigh and Chloe couldn't help but think it  added another layer of sex appeal to a woman who looked like she'd  stepped out of some lucky man's fantasy.

"I haven't seen you around," she said.

Clear blue eyes flicked to her. "I've kept to myself. It's been a while since I attended a gathering such as this."

"Well, you're welcome to join me," she said, shifting to the side.

Inclining her head, the woman climbed onto the tabletop with her.

"I've missed this place," she said. "I stayed away too long."

"It's beautiful," Chloe agreed. "I wasn't sure about coming here, but I'm glad I was able to see the Clearwater land."

"The alpha brought you."

She nodded. "We thought it was time his people met me."

"Because he's serious about you."

A soft smile curved her lips. "I hope so."

The nameless woman studied her for a long moment before sighing. "It's been a long time since he was happy."

"Yes."

"So he told you his tale, has he?"

"Enough of it," she replied. "It's taken him a long time to get to the point where he can let someone else in."

"It was her fault," the woman said. "She was too young to be what Kieran  needed. Selfish and undisciplined, she didn't understand what it meant  for an alpha to rule."

"Did you know her?" Chloe asked. "Lisette, that is?"

"Oh yes. I knew her." She tilted her face up to the sun. "She's been  traveling the world, you know. Trying to figure out what went wrong. She  thought if she could fix herself, maybe she could fix their  relationship."

A shiver ran down her spine. Lisette always seemed like a phantom  presence. One she'd never come across in real life. She was a ghost from  the past that Chloe had never expected to reemerge. If Lisette had  spent decades trying to become what Kieran and the pack needed, she'd be  a formidable opponent indeed.