Hook, Line, and Mated (5 page)

Chapter Nine

After lunch Easton had wanted to spend more time with her, and he’d been surprised she’d agreed to go for a ride with him. He didn’t have any plans on where to go, but once in the vehicle he’d just driven until the familiar back road up the mountain came in view.

He drove up a steep incline before making another right, the interior of the vehicle quiet since neither was talking. He was keeping his animal back, making sure his moose didn’t give off any scents of wanting his mate. He didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she might be. They had time for mating, for claiming. But it was hard to keep his hands off of her.

Only minutes later the Sweet Water Lake came into view. Pulling to a stop and cutting the engine, he didn’t make a move to get out right away. “I come up here a lot when I just want to get away from everything and everyone.” He looked over at her, and saw she already had her gaze locked on his.

“You come up here a lot then? You seem like you like your space.” The way she said it wasn’t an accusation.

He nodded. “Yeah, I do, and I’ve gotten the reputation in town as being a frigid asshole.”

She chuckled softly. “I don’t think they’ve really seen the real you.” Her cheeks turned pink after she spoke, as if she didn’t mean to say that. She cleared her throat. “I feel the same way at times, like I just need to get away.” She faced forward.

The sound of the wind blowing right outside of the vehicle could be heard, especially clear because he was a shifter. He didn’t want his mate to feel uncomfortable with him, and Easton would do everything in his power to make sure she never felt like that.

He climbed out of the truck, and stood there, seeing if she wanted to come out with him. She glanced at him, and when she smiled everything in him roared out at the pleasure he got from that one gesture. Easton shut the door and walked over to the passenger side, opened the door, and held his hand out for her to take. He’d much prefer to grab her around the waist and help her out, but he could be a gentleman toward his mate.

He stood there a moment, just holding her hand, feeling that connection move through him. She was the one to take her hand from his, but she smiled up at him. Easton cleared his throat and headed toward the ledge of the mountain. The lake could be seen, as well as part of Sweet Water.

Jessie moved up beside him a moment later, and together they just stood there, neither speaking. The smells of the wilderness around them, of the stillness, had a calming effect.

The scenery was breathtaking, and although he’d been to this spot many times over, having his mate beside him, experiencing this, had a whole different feeling moving inside of him.

Moving a little closer to the cliff, she kept a few feet between them, despite the fact he wanted her close to him, holding her, inhaling her scent. The emotions that came from her were calm, but also slightly tremulous, and even though he didn’t really know much about her because they hadn’t gotten that deep into conversation at the restaurant, he still felt like he knew his mate in what mattered.

“I’d like to apologize for running out the way I did when we first met.”

He looked at her, but she had her focus on the lake.

“That wasn’t right, but I was going through a lot of things, and I guess my emotions were pretty hectic.” She looked at him then, her face a mask of sadness, but also … hope.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for. I ran out, as well, when I first saw you at the diner. I didn’t know how to grasp the whole mating thing. I’ve been a recluse my whole life, and knowing I had someone who was just for me, a mate that I was responsible for, had confusion taking control.”

She smiled at him, and he felt a little lighter for telling her that. He didn’t know if he’d ever be a good mate, but he’d sure as hell try to make this female so damn happy she’d never worry or question if being with him was the right thing to do.

“When my mom died I was really young. My dad skipped out on us well before that, and I don’t remember him much.”

He didn’t say anything, just let her open up to him. Easton was glad she was able to be honest with him, because that’s what he wanted right now, and knew that’s what she could give him.

“After my mom died I moved in with my Aunt Brenna. She was the only good thing in my life, and was the only supportive one I ever really had after my mom died. She used to say it was us against everyone else.”

He saw her smile softly, and knew she was thinking about her aunt, about maybe the happy memories she had. It was clear Brenna was gone, if not from the scent of Jessie’s sadness, then by the way she was talking about her.

“It was Brenna who told me to leave Sweet Water and go to college, to make something of myself and never regret anything.” Jessie sounded sad, but there was also the fresh, clean scent of her resolve, of her strength.

“And then my aunt passed away, and that’s why I came back here.”

Easton wanted to pull her in so damn badly, but he refrained.

“That’s why I wasn’t ready for this whole mate thing, why I just ran. I have a lot of shit on my plate, and my emotions are just running wild.”

He stared into her eyes, and as the wind blew a stray piece of hair across her face, he reached out and pushed it away. He meant to pull his hand away after that, but he lingered, brushing his finger along her cheek, reveling in the smoothness in her flesh, the fact he got this jolt in his body at that small touch.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and when he went to move his hand away she reached up and took it, keeping it on her cheek. His heart pounded, his whole body ready for her, primed to claim her.

“It’s okay. Your touch makes me feel … grounded.”

Yeah, he knew what she meant, how that felt.

“I never wanted a mate, if I’m being truthful,” he said, not ashamed to admit anything to this female.

“I didn’t think I’d ever want one either, and as much as I fight this, which is a losing battle, I like the idea of you being around, of us being a team.”

“I like that, too, Jessie.” He saw the way her pulse jumped below her ear, saw the way her lips parted the longer they looked at each other, and smelled her blossoming arousal for him. It was like they were locked in this trance, neither able to move, to speak, and the attraction, the mating pulling them closer together.

“Thank you for being understanding, for giving me space when I wasn’t forthcoming on what my problem with this was.”

“I’d do anything for you,” he said, meaning every word. He hadn’t even realized how much he’d mean that until she came along. He saw her bone-searing need reflected back at him, and knew she wouldn’t stop what he was about to do. Jessie needed this as much as he did. He reached out, gripped the nape of her neck in a gentle hold, and pulled her closer. She rested her hands on his chest, her mouth still parted, her breathing coming in short pants.

“If I’m being honest, I don’t want to fight this as much as I say. With each passing day it gets harder.”

He still cupped her cheek, smoothing his thumb over her skin. “I know, Jessie. It’s the same for me.” He tilted her head back, not able to drag his gaze away from her mouth. Her lips were red, lush, and the gloss she wore on them smelled of strawberry.

His animal rose up as he took in the long, graceful arch of her neck. He wanted to mark her, to let everyone know, shifter and human alike, that this was his female. He moved closer, running the tip of his nose up her throat, inhaling deeply. His mark would look really good on her, would have it cemented that she was truly his. He inhaled again, and again, and knew he’d never get enough. She smelled sweet and clean, and all fucking his.

“
Mine
.” The word came from him on its own, as if his animal didn’t give a fuck that he was buried deep, and that Easton was human right now. “You’re mine, Jessie.” But she purred, fucking purred, for him, and that had this low, deep sound of need leaving him.

He tightened his hold on her, not wanting to hurt her, but also wanting her to know she was his. His animal was right there, telling him, demanding that he make Jessie theirs. “Do you want that, Jessie, want to be mine?” he asked, his voice distorted as his animal rose, as the need to shift was starting to break through his human side.

She gasped, and said, “This is so crazy, but yes, Easton, I want to be yours.”

He made another low sound in his throat. “You’re fucking mine.” He ran his teeth over her flesh, loved that she reached out and held onto his biceps, as if she needed stability. He pulled her closer, knew he could feel his erection prod her belly. He couldn’t help it, couldn’t help he was hard as fuck for her. Since seeing her in that diner he’d had this raging hard-on for Jessie, and knew she’d be the only one that could give him release.

“You feel how hard I am for you?”

She nodded, and he fucking loved that she closed her eyes, and breathed out roughly.

“You’re so hard.”

He growled low. “You see what you do to me?”

She nodded again.

“But I’m not going to push you, not make the claiming happen until you’re totally ready for that, baby.”

“Easton,” she whispered his name, her animal right there.  She opened her eyes, and he saw the flash of the feline.

“I won’t be a bastard to you.”

“And even though we don’t know each other, I know you’d never be one to me, Easton. I can sense that you’re a good guy.”

The sound of her heart beating fast, of her honesty, the way she looked at him, shouldn’t have turned him on, but it did. “I might be a good man, Jessie, but if anyone came between us, anyone or anything thought of hurting you, I’d fucking kill them.” He hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but the fact remained he wanted to be honest with her in all things. “That should scare you, have you running from me, because I may not always be that good guy.”

“But you would to me,” she said without phrasing it like a question.

“I’ll always be the good guy with you, mate.” His moose rose up violently. Easton might not be what others considered a powerful animal shifter, but his moose could hold its own, take down any other animal that came up against him, and he’d protect his mate like nothing else on this planet. The animal inside of him fought for ultimate supremacy. He would have shifted right then if his human side wasn’t just as strong as the alpha bastard inside of him.

“I really want to kiss you right now, Jessie.”

Her chest rose and fell hard, and he dipped his gaze down to see her large breasts press against her shirt. What he wanted to tell her, what he wanted to do to her, was a hell of a lot dirtier than what he’d just said. But he’d start off slow if she allowed him that one gift.

The material of her shirt was snug against her chest, and even though he could see the outline of her bra, the constraint did nothing to hide the fact her nipples were hard. His mouth watered, and his hands itched to touch every part of her.

“I think I want you to kiss me, Easton.”

He wrapped his other hand around her hip and moved them backward until she was pressed against the side of the SUV. Letting go of her nape and taking a small step back allowed Easton to get a grip on himself and his animal. He didn’t want to scare her, didn’t want to show her how alpha he really wanted to be with her.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Jessie. I couldn’t have hoped for a more beautiful mate.” He scented that she was wet for him. His dick hardened impossibly further, the tip getting wet from his pre-cum. God damn, he wanted her right now.

“Touch me, Easton,” she whispered softly. “Kiss me.”

The need to be with his mate, and the fact that with every passing day that desire to succumb to each other only grew, had Easton breaking in two. She was strong and had willpower to rival any grown shifter male, to rival his own, but he was her mate, and chemistry, biology, and fate dictated that they were made for each other in every way possible. There was no denying, no backtracking, and no running when it came to them coming together eventually. It was inevitable.

He didn’t deny himself any longer, didn’t deny his mate either. Taking the back of her head again, twisting the strands in his hand, he pulled her close to him and claimed her mouth for the first time. A grunt of pleasure left him at the first touch of his lips to hers. She gasped, which had her mouth opening further and allowing him to delve his tongue inside. Sweetness invaded his taste buds, filling his mouth, and having him crave more, needing more.

Over and over he made love to her mouth, used his lips and tongue to tease and torment them both, stroking every part that made her up. He loved that she rubbed against him, as if she needed to get even closer. Easton kept kissing her, unable to stop. He moved his hands down her back, over the nice, big and round curve of her ass, and slipped a palm under each cheek. Maybe he should have gone slower, told himself to do just that, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t help himself. And the way she moaned told him she liked this, too, maybe even wanted more.

“I want you so badly.” He palmed her ass a little harder when she didn’t tell him to stop. “It’s good, baby.”

She made a humming noise against his mouth, and tilted her head to deepen the kiss. For several long drugging moments all they did was explore and memorize each other with their hands and mouths. He was hard, needed to be inside of her, but despite the fact she was willingly kissing him back, there was a part of her she was keeping reserved. He couldn’t blame her though, and he was a bastard for kissing her, grabbing her like this, after she just recently lost someone she cared about.