The Fairy Tales Collection (31 page)

He stared silently at her, embarrassment
rushing through him when Belle’s gaze dropped to his hand still cupping Rowan’s
breast.  He yanked it out from under her shirt but stayed where he was between
Rowan’s thighs.  He was suddenly horrified by his actions but his cock was
still erect and extremely noticeable against his jeans.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t realize
that my ma – that Rowan had company.”

“She doesn’t,” Ella said.  “We were just
leaving.”

She grabbed Belle’s hand and dragged her
toward the front door.  “Nice seeing you, Rafe.  Rowan, we’ll talk to you later
this week.”

They walked out of the apartment, slamming
the front door behind them, and Rafe stepped away from Rowan.  He gave her a
shameful look as she hopped down from the counter.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You need to listen to me when I tell you
to stop, Rafe.”

“I know,” he said hoarsely.  “It won’t
happen again, I promise.”

“It will,” she said.  “Especially if you
keep waiting until you’re so damn horny for me that you can’t control
yourself.  Not that I mind how hot you are for me but I’ll feel really bad if I
have to beat the crap out of you because you aren’t listening to me.”

A small grin crossed his face and she
scowled at him.  “I can take you, Rafe.”

“I know,” he said.  She probably could. 
Not because she was stronger or faster than him – his mate was tough but she
was no match for him – but because he would never do anything to hurt her nor
could he deny her what she wanted.  If that meant allowing her to beat the shit
out of him, so be it.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

His wolf howled in delight when Rowan
stripped off her shirt.  She studied the clean cut through her bra strap and
gave him a thoughtful look that made him extremely nervous.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll buy you a new one,” he
said.  “Do you want me to go?  I can leave.”

He hoped she wouldn’t say yes.  Truthfully,
he wasn’t entirely certain he could leave.  He needed to be with his mate and
not just for sex.  Being away from her was a physical ache now and he was almost
frantic to be with her.

“Of course I don’t,” she said.  “I want to
fuck you just as much as you want to fuck me.  Why didn’t you come by last
night?”

“I – well, I shouldn’t …”

He trailed off again and she sighed before walking
toward the bedroom.  “Come with me, Mr. Taggert.”

He followed her like an eager puppy – he
was surprised his tongue wasn’t just hanging out of his mouth – and when she
flicked open her bra and dropped it to the floor before wiggling out of her
jean shorts and panties, he groaned harshly.

“Take off your clothes, Rafe,” she said.

He shed his clothes and she admired the way
his cock stood out from his body before patting the bed.  “Lie down on your
side.”

He did what she asked, moaning loudly when
she curled onto her side next to him, her head next to his crotch and her pussy
only inches from his face.  He inhaled deeply, then cried out hoarsely when her
warm, wet mouth slid down his cock.  Her hand squeezed the base of his cock as
she licked around the ridge before sucking firmly.

He moaned and panted and then growled
loudly when she stopped sucking.  She sat up a little and gave him a pointed
look before raising her top leg slightly.  “Eat my pussy, Rafe.”

“Yes, my mate,” he rasped before holding up
her leg and leaning forward.  He buried his face in her pussy, licking and
sucking at her clit as she cried out with pleasure.  Her mouth surrounded his
cock again and he intensified his efforts, sucking at her clit as she sucked at
his cock, before sliding two fingers deep into her wet core.

She made a muffled sound of pleasure around
his cock before sucking aggressively and pumping the base of him with her
hand.  He let his fangs pop out and brushed them against the wet lips of her
pussy before using his fingers to part her lips.  He licked her clit with soft,
wet strokes of his tongue before swiping the tips of his fangs against it.  He
growled with satisfaction when she shrieked around his cock, her entire body
shuddering, and warm wetness covered his face and mouth.  He licked her clean as
she trembled against him before collapsing on her back. One hand still held his
dick and she stroked him lazily as she panted and stared up at the ceiling.

“Jesus, I think I just came in less than a
minute,” she said.  “You – you do this thing where… fuck, I don’t even know
what it is but it feels incredible.”

He retracted his fangs before kissing the
top of her pussy and smiling at her.  “I want to make you feel good.”

“Oh, you do,” she said with a small grin. 
“Lie on your back.  I want to be on top, okay?”

“Whatever you want, my mate,” he said as he
rolled to his back.

An odd look crossed her face and he cursed
inwardly.  He hadn’t meant to do that, it had just popped out before he could
stop it, but he couldn’t keep calling her his mate.  Normal people didn’t do
that and sooner or later she would ask him about it and then what the fuck
would he say?  What human used the term ‘mate’ as an endearment?

Besides, he told himself as she climbed onto
him and straddled his hips, she wasn’t his mate no matter what his wolf
thought.  He couldn’t take her as his mate, not when he was old enough to be
her father and not with…

“Fuck!”  He shouted with pleasure, his
hands digging into her hips as she lowered her tiny pussy down his cock.  He
watched his dick slide into her, watched the way her lips stretched around him
and nearly climaxed right there.

He looked up at the ceiling, trying to
ignore the wet, tight feel of his mate as she braced her hands on his chest and
moved slowly up and down. 

“Look at me, honey,” she murmured.

He stared at her, his eyes glowing green
and the stubble on his face thickening to a beard, and she smiled sweetly at
him.  “I love how thick you are, Rafe.”

He bit his bottom lip and willed his fangs
to stay hidden as he moved his hips in slow thrusts.  She moaned and rode his
gentle movements, her fingers digging into his chest as he cupped her breasts
and tugged her nipples.

“Oh God,” she muttered before bracing her
hands on either side of his head and leaning over him.  She kissed him deeply,
sliding her tongue into his mouth to taste and tease, and he moved a little
harder and faster, holding her around the waist as he thrust.

She released his mouth, her head falling
back to expose her throat and he licked his lips before looking away.  He wouldn’t
mark her.  He
couldn’t
mark her.

“It feels so good,” she murmured again as
she reached down and rubbed her clit.

The sight of her small hand rubbing at her
pussy sent a surge of lust through him and he licked her collarbone before
whispering, “I like pleasing my mate.”

She smiled at him as he pushed and
retreated.  “Oh believe me, handsome, your mate is very pleased.”

He growled happily before threading one
hand through her red hair.  “You are my mate.  Say it.”

“I’m your mate,” she said obediently.

Hearing her say she was his mate destroyed
the tenuous grasp of his control and he fucked her roughly, driving in and out
of her as she clung to him with one hand and rubbed at her clit with the other.
He growled and roared and made a long drawn-out howl as her pussy squeezed
around him and his climax rushed through him.  He held her tightly, pumping in
and out of her as she came with a soft little cry and squeezed around him,
before collapsing in a panting, sweating heap on the bed.  She crumpled against
him, resting her face on his chest and he stroked her hair, running his fingers
through it repeatedly as he waited for his pulse to subside to a normal rate.

She sat up a little, resting her elbows on
his chest, before saying in a demanding voice, “You’re staying the night.”

“Yes, my ma – “

He stopped, clearing his throat nervously
as she grinned at him.  “What’s with the ‘my mate’ thing, Rafe?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

She arched her eyebrow at him and he cursed
his stupidity before saying, “It’s just a weird endearment that I use.”

“So you call every woman you sleep with
your mate?” She asked.

He shook his head and she tapped him
lightly on the chest.  “How many women have you called your mate, Rafe?”

“Rowan, what does it matter?  I don’t – “

“Tell me,” she insisted.

Unable to deny her anything, he said, “Only
you.”

A grin crossed her face and she rolled off
of him, curling up next to him and running her fingers through the hair on his
chest.  “You are so smitten with me, Rafe Taggert.”

He should have argued but instead he pulled
her closer and kissed her forehead.  “Rest, Rowan.”

“Not tired,” she said. 

He laughed and stroked her smooth back. 
“How did you learn to fight?”

“Nana taught me the basics of boxing when I
was about fourteen.  I practiced with her until I turned eighteen and then she
introduced me to Joey Miller.”

“From Miller’s Gym?”  He asked curiously.

She nodded.  “Yes.  He’s been training me
ever since.”

“Are you trying to go pro?”

“No.  It’s just really good for getting the
aggression out, and I like knowing I can protect myself,” she replied.

“How did your grandmother learn to box?”

She grinned at him.  “I don’t know.  I
never asked.  But she taught my mom and my aunt to box when they were kids and
Joey says that in her youth Nana was the best female boxer he ever met.  Said
she could have made a career from it but then she met my grandpa and walked
away from it.”

“Do you think she regrets it?”

“No.  She loved grandpa very much.  He was
twelve years older than her and – “

Rafe jerked against her.  “He was that much
older than her?”

Rowan grinned at him.  “Yes.  He was
anxious to start a family right after they were married and nana decided he was
more important than her boxing career.”

He stared silently at the ceiling as Rowan
traced circles on his flat stomach.  “Apparently going after older men is in my
genes.”

He rolled his eyes and she laughed and
kissed his chest as he squeezed her firm ass.  “You’re close to your entire
family?”

She nodded.  “We’re pretty close.  Mom and
dad moved to Newport almost a year ago so I only see them a few times a month
now but I text a lot with them.”

“Why did they move?”  He asked.

“Dad’s firm asked him to be the head of
their new division in Newport.  It’s not permanent – only about three years –
and then they’ll probably move back here.  They didn’t sell their house, just
rented it out.”

“How come you didn’t move into the house?” 
He asked.

She shrugged.  “I like my little
apartment.  The house is way too big for one person.”

He stared at the ceiling again.  His den
was small, the cabin only a two bedroom with a tiny living room and kitchen by
today’s standards, and he wondered if his mate would be happy there or demand
something larger.

He sighed inwardly.  It didn’t matter what
Rowan wanted – she would never see his den.  He really had to stop living in a
stupid fantasy world where Rowan belonged to him.  She might be saying she
wanted only him now but when he was an old man and she was still young, she
would leave him and he’d turn into his father – bitter and hateful toward his
mate, hell, toward humans in general.

Forget the age difference – do you
really think you can hide your wolf side from her forever?  You act like she
won’t freak out when she finds out you’re not human.  Jesus, man, get your fucking
head out of the clouds.  There is no future for the two of you.

“What about you?”

He shook his head briefly and Rowan cupped
his face and pressed her mouth against his when he didn’t say anything.  “Tell
me,” she whispered.

“There is nothing to tell,” he lied.

She cupped his face again and stroked his
jawline with her thumb.  “Tell me about your family,” she said.  “I want to
know more about my mate.”

His wolf growled happily and he wrapped his
arms around her waist and held her tightly.  “You think of me as your mate?”

She smiled at him and affectionately rubbed
the tip of her nose against his.  “Yes.  Although I usually say boyfriend, but
I can work with mate.”

“I imagine you already know about my
family,” he said.  “Small town secrets never stay secrets for long.”

“I know that you left for a year with your
mother and then returned alone.  I know your family lives across the river but
that you don’t speak with them.  Why not?”

“My father is angry with me for leaving
with my mother,” Rafe said.

“Even after all these years?”  She asked.