Grayslake: More than Mated: A Bite of Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) (8 page)

I felt his teeth clamp against my shoulder. “Fuck,” he roared.

He thrust again taking me into a realm of desire I’d never experienced. With each rush of passion, I knew we were being tied together with an invisible thread. It wrapped around us, looping our limbs and bodies together. There was something new and carnal blistering under my skin. I pushed against him, needing him, wanting him.

“Ohh, Case,” I whimpered.

His fingers threaded through mine, taking them over my head as he met my body’s rhythm with certain power. He pushed deep and I cried out, relishing the intimacy we shared.

The sweat dripped from his chest.

“Cadence, I want you. Only you.
This
bond.”

I nodded eagerly. Whatever he wanted. Whatever he needed. My body was his.

“I’m yours, Case.”

The next kiss was rough, but I bit at his lips as if he was drawing the hellcat out of me. I didn’t want him to stop. We’d come so far together. Learning. Baiting. Flirting. And now loving.

A slow hiss escaped my lips as his teeth clamped over my breast. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“Taking you,” he answered lowly. “Fucking you until you’re mine.”

“Yes. God, yes. All of that.” I twisted wildly, feeling my core begin to unleash. “Case, I’m going to come again. It’s too intense.”

“Not without me.”

I looked in his eyes as they held me with more desire than I knew existed. All the hues of green sparkled as I tipped my hips toward him, offering him the deepest angle.

He grinned as his final thrust took us both over the edge. There was a glittery shimmer in his eyes as we both rocked in the pleasure of what we had given each other. I thought I might have even purred. I smiled at him as our breathing slowed to a normal pace and eventually he rested next to me. Our bodies twitched with aftershocks as the swing began to still.

He tucked me under his arm and I nuzzled against the heat of his chest. I’d never felt so exhausted or so happy.

19

Case

Cadence laid in my arms. I traced the line of her throat along her shoulder with my fingers. God, she was beautiful. She sighed and I moved my touch to the other side of her body.

My jaguar felt satisfied. His restlessness had finally been tamed, but not his desire.

The swing swayed gently with the breeze. I saw Cadence shiver and pull the quilt to her chest.

“Better?” I asked.

“Mmmhmm. I like the swing,” she giggled.

“I got it for you.”

“You did not.”

“Oh, I did, darlin’. For this exact occasion.”

“Seduction central?”

“Is there any other reason to hang a bed swing?”

She nuzzled against my chest. “I guess not.”

My fingers pressed gently against the skin on her shoulder. “Did I hurt you?” I asked.

“No? But I thought you were going to bite me.”

I laughed. “No. Not a cat shifter thing. I got a little carried away and got too rough, but no actual biting.” Her skin was bruised and might be purple tomorrow, but there were no puncture marks.

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

I tried to straighten my leg. It was pinned under her. I heard my phone vibrate. It was buried in my jeans pocket on the other side of the porch. I wasn’t going to move her to get it. But then I thought about who might be calling.

“Shit,” I murmured.

“What’s wrong?” Cadence tried to sit up. The quilt slipped and I growled at the sight of her perfect breasts in the fading candlelight. The candles were down to two wax stubs.

“Nothing.” I nipped at her neck and shoulder.

I couldn’t leave now. Not at the moment my jaguar had found what he had been looking for. My tongue eased over her nipple until it perked under my encouragement.

“Ohh,” she moaned.

I took the hardened peak between my teeth, sucking and biting at quick intervals until Cadence began to rock her hips toward me. She was fucking hot.

The swing moved faster as our movements became more hurried. I flipped her on her back so I could stare into those waves of blue. I knew now that blue had always been my favorite color. And I would watch those shades of blue sparkle and shimmer while I buried myself inside her. Making her mine, over and over.

***

I heard Cadence start the shower. She was humming something. I pulled out my phone to call Noah. He needed to know I wasn’t going to be in Charleston right away. My plans changed.

“Hey, man,” he answered.

“Anything new?” I asked.

“No. Donovan is still sitting on a numbers game.”

“I had something come up. I’m not driving to Charleston for a few days. I need you to handle this for me.”

“You aren’t?” I knew he’d be surprised.

“Not now. If Donovan needs me, I’ll be there. I’ll call Josh and Drew if you think it’s best.”

Noah waited for a minute. “No. We could be off on the sightings. That’s the problem. The Litchfields are sneaky bastards.”

“I know they are.” I didn’t have the sudden itch to pick up and leave Grayslake.

“You need any help where you are?” he offered.

I grinned. “No, I think I’ve got this covered. I just need some more time.”

There was a lot to sort out with Cadence. How in the hell were we going to make this work? I liked Grayslake, but it couldn’t be my headquarters. I had to travel to Charleston, eventually. I couldn’t put off the inevitable.

And what about her? Her entire life was wrapped up in this town. She even had special status from the bear clan. Her business was here.

Fuck. We were going to have to have one of those discussions.

“All right. Call if you need me, man.”

I shook my head. I didn’t want Noah anywhere near here. “I will. Thanks.”

The water turned off and I peeked my head inside the bathroom to see Cadence wrapping a towel around her chest.

“Hey, we need to talk.”

She bit her lip. “You sound serious.”

“I am.”

“Should I get dressed or is this an emergency?”

“Emergency or not, you are not getting dressed.” I lifted her from the shower, letting the towel fall between us to the floor.

“Case,” she squealed.

I changed my mind. We could talk later.

20

Cadence

I didn’t know it was possible to feel so connected to another person. When he breathed I breathed. His pain was mine. His happiness was my victory too. We faced each other at the kitchen table. Case had made coffee. We had finally worked our way down the stairs after another round of off-the-charts epic sex. Two straight days with Case and I felt like a completely different woman.

“So here’s the deal. I have to go to Charleston.” He stated it plainly.

“What?” I wanted to grab him and tell him to take it back.

“Shifter politics. It’s my territory. I have to protect it. I’ve been sending soldiers, but I think the situation is out of control. They need me there before it gets worse.”

“I see.” I chewed my bottom lip.

“And I can’t decide if you should go or not.”

My stomach flipped. “You want me to go with you?”

“Yes and no.” He sat back in his chair. “You’ll either be a complete distraction if I take you with me.” He winked. “Or I’ll be miserable with you here in Grayslake.”

“I want to go,” I blurted it out.

He laughed. “I think I want you to, too, but what about your catering? The clan?”

I don’t know how in that second I had forgotten about all of those things. I pressed my lips together. “I’ve got a month until the clan has another party. I can go until then. And then I need a few days to get the order together.”

“How often do you do these clan dinners?”

“One a month,” I answered.

His brow furrowed. “Ok. Done.”

“Done? What does that mean?”

“We’ll spend one week a month in Grayslake.”

“What? Wait. One week a month for how long? It’s just decided like that? You decided?”

He shrugged. “What else do you want to figure out?”

I scowled, apparently it was contagious. “I think you’re so used to being a king that you don’t realize there are other people to consider. This was not a discussion. Do I just do whatever you want now? Are we together?”

He folded his arms and looked at me. “I thought after the past two days that was decided.”

It was. He was right. I was completely and totally in love with him. I wanted him. I needed him. The thought of him going to Charleston even for one night almost gave me a panic attack. I had my shifter and I was being a complete idiot. I wasn’t used to his royal commands. But I wasn’t the kind of girl to follow a man wherever he went—or was I?

“Do not tell me you’ve changed your mind.”

His hard stare was replaced by something else. There was a sliver of panic. I saw the hurt. He was trying to hide it, but I could feel it.

“Oh God, no. No, Case. Not that at all. I’m sorry.” I crawled into his lap and wrapped my arms around him. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Not only had I hurt him, but I had reminded him that relationships weren’t permanent.
Shit.

“You didn’t.”

I held him, trying to soothe the pain I had caused. I never wanted him to think I was trying him out like a new pair of shoes. I had no intention of returning him or trading him in for another pair. I just wanted a say.

“I was only bringing up the point that we haven’t really talked about the future and this is new. New to me. I thought we’d talk more about our future. Together.”

“In my world, what we’ve done for the past two days seals the future.”

“It does?”

“Yeah, babe.” He traced over my bottom lip with his thumb. “You are mine. I am yours. It’s a done deal.”

“I am yours.” I smiled. “Done deal.” I kissed his cheek. “I want to be wherever you are.”

“Then we should pack. I told Noah it might be another week, but I think I need to get down there.”

“We’re going to Charleston today?”

“Ok. Yeah. We’ll swing by your place and pick up what you need.”

I nodded. “I’ve never been to Charleston.”

“Sorry to take you on the brink of a war.”

“It’s fine. I’m excited to go somewhere. And we still get to come back to Grayslake?”

He looked around the house. “Yes. I have a lot of work to do here. It’s not finished. And there are a bunch of damn kittens that live in the barn now. So I think that means we have to come back.”

“Kittens?”

He smiled. “Mmmhmm.”

“I want one of those with you,” I whispered.

“We call them cubs, baby.” He kissed me until I was breathless.

I didn’t know how that worked. Could I have a shifter child? Could he get me pregnant? What were the laws on that? More questions. More and more questions.

“But do you?” I stopped him mid-kiss.

“As soon as we get through this war there is nothing I want more than for you and me to start a family. And our cubs can spend all their summers in Grayslake.” He smiled.

“Me too. I want all of that.”

There was an undeniably flutter in my core. I wanted to be the one to give Case the Maddox legacy. I wanted to give him a baby more than I wanted anything. I pouted at the thought of having to wait because some stupid clan couldn’t keep their paws off Charleston. I wanted his baby now.

“Cadence, we’re going to put off packing for a little while.” His voice was stern. I thought something had happened.

“What’s wrong?” I searched his eyes for an explanation.

“I’m so fucking turned on right now I have to take you upstairs. Understand?”

I nodded. “Yes.” My chest heaved. There was an ache in my body. “Do we have to wait?”

His lips crashed against mine as he picked me up and carried me up the stairs. I clung to his neck, taking each kiss while he climbed each step.

He pressed his forehead to mine and I heard his heavy sigh. “After the war.”

I nodded. It made sense. It was logical and practical. And safe.

That was what good kings did. And good fathers. He wanted our future baby to be safe.

“But lots of practice, right?” I grinned.

He nipped at my throat while he shoved open the bedroom door. “Nothing but practice, baby.” He waggled his eyebrows, raking over my body with a hungry gaze.

Oh God. I was going to die from complete happiness. Somehow it had happened. All the things I didn’t think were possible, were. All the dreams I didn’t think could come true, did. Case Maddox was right. I wasn’t going to end up the Grayslake spinster. Not at all. I was his queen.

***

Hi Reader!

Thanks SO much for reading
A Bite of Love
. I really hope you enjoyed it, if so and you want to find out more about Case, Cadence and my cat-shifters, head on over to my
Amazon Page
to find more sexy shifter stories!

Or take a look at these other Grayslake Books….

UnBearable Secrets from Terra Wolf

Family drama and bear politics has driven Olivia Bradwick on a vacation to Grayslake. Finally, she can enjoy some peace and quiet, or so she thinks. When the handyman at the local B&B stumbles into her bathroom, she realizes he might be the escape she came looking for. But Sam isn’t as innocent as his seems and Olivia must decide if she can trust him at all.

Sam Hunter is running. He’s left home and all of his Louisiana comforts behind for a life of solitude. He truly believes it’s the only way to not end up like his blood thirsty father. But when a cute little werebear shows up at the B&B he can’t help but fall for her. He knows that if he claims her though, it’ll ruin everything.

Olivia and Sam both have skeletons in their closets. Together they must decide if they can overcome their past to be together in this Romeo and Juliet-esque landscape.

Dirty Lion Bastard from Renee George

Curvy tiger shifter Scottie Monroe, along with her mom and Aunt Tig, own the Pitch & Paw Bar and Motel--a neutral safe haven for shifters who want to avoid conflicts as they pass through the area. Scottie has a hard fast rule. No hooking up with the customers, but that was before tall, dark, and flirty Shane Largos walked through her door. 
Shane, a lion shifter, has travelled to Georgia to find the man who walked out on his human mother after getting her pregnant, leaving her with a bastard shifter son, and no pride to protect either of them. Shane plans to challenge his father, as is his right, even if it means he’ll probably be killed.
From the moment Shane meets Scottie, his animal and human side want her more than he wants air to breathe. A lie of omission leads to a night of scorching passion, but when Scottie discovers Shane’s real purpose for coming to Georgia, she is determined to save him from himself, even if it means putting herself in harms way. 
Can Shane’s love for Scottie overshadow his long standing anger? Or is hate and revenge stronger than a shifter’s instinct to claim his mate.

Bears Do It Better from Jessie Lane

Misha and Borys sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G …
Misha falls in lust at first sight with the big, sexy bear shifter, but she doesn't have time for his mating nonsense. Raised in Russia by tiger shifters, she came to America to follow up on her first real lead for finding her biological family.
Borys wants the smokin’ hot bear who recently wandered into town. Now all he has to do is convince Misha that she’s meant to be his. The stubborn woman won’t give him the time of day, though, saying she’s looking for her kin.
His biggest problem? He might be the family she's looking for.

Unbearable Love from K. Collins

Lily Love is running—from her father—from her future husband—from her life. When a message flashes across her computer screen claiming open season in Grayslake, she takes her only chance to experience life before her father drags her back to Montana to bear an heir for the clan. Once in Grayslake, her quest for anonymity vanishes when she’s forced to register at the sheriff’s office as a guest. It’s there she meets Eli Silver. Big, tall, and grumbly, Eli prickles her senses in ways she can’t explain. 
Werebear Eli Silver lives alone in the woods. After a painful betrayal, he’s sworn off love for good and is happiest when it’s just him and his bees. Or so he thinks, until a curvy, beautiful woman walks into his life and stings him right in the heart. Every roaring cell of his body wants to claim Lily, there’s only one problem—she’s not willing to commit. 
With the past swarming around them, can Eli and Lily dig deep to find the courage their love requires? Find out in Unbearable Love.

Bear Up from Mina Carter

Girl meets boy = classic love story. Girl meets bear... Wait, what?
Small town girl Kacie has always known there was something odd about Lizards Lick, but she doesn't expect that oddity to almost claim her life or land her in the arms of her long-term crush; hot veteran Dean. Okay, he's nuts but she can't argue with that, not with a body like his or when he's whispering things like 'fated' and 'destiny'. Even if he does claim to be a werebear...
She's his mate, but she's human. He's so screwed...
Leader of the Lizard Lick bear clan, Dean is between a rock and a hard place. His fated mate is human but he daren't claim her. The elitist asshats in the clan would have kittens. But when an attack brings her over into the bear world, he's out of time and out of options. Even worse, the town has an rogue bear problem and internal clan politics that put Kacie in the crossfire.
Forced to fight battles on all fronts, Dean must bear up or risk losing her forever...

Make Her Howl from Flora Dare
When you’ve loved and lost a fated mate, can you dare to hope for a second chance? 
After her human mate was tragically killed years ago, wolf shifter Magda fled Grayslake and all it meant. She only returned to protect her adopted daughter and she’s determined to stay out of local shifter politics. 
Marc has spent years protecting Grayslake’s shifters after a tragedy of his own. When Magda walks into his life, his inner wolf awakens. He never thought it possible, but she’s living proof that miracles happen. She’s his mate. 
Now he just has to convince her that everyone gets a second chance at love.