Warrior Invasion: A Science Fiction Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 10) (21 page)

His words should have embarrassed her, but instead they emboldened her. She rocked again, rubbing herself against his hardness, pressing her breasts forward again and he gladly filled his mouth with them once more.

She ground down on him in wanton need as he pulled on her nipples gently, flicking the tip of one each time she rocked her clit against him. The dueling sensations soon built to a fevered rhythm and she cried out as she came, wetting the front of his pants with the proof of her pleasure as she threw her head back, panting his name.

As the waves diminished, she laid her head on his shoulder, both spent and embarrassed. She didn't know what to do next, she just knew she didn't want to move from his heated embrace or show her face.

His soft words in her ears didn't help her at all.

"That was, by far, the sexiest, most sensual, most erotic thing I have ever seen. Thank you Bella, for trusting me with your pleasure like that. I am honored."

Aww hell, now she really didn't know what to say, or want to expose her face to him. She couldn't believe she'd let herself go like that. That she'd pleasured herself against him like that.

She'd heard people talking, over the years, so she assumed that there was a tit-for-tat to these things, and the thought scared her. But she wanted to at least acknowledge it.

"If you want to... I mean, if you need to relieve..."

He stopped her, and she was both grateful, and confused.

"Bella, no. Please, don't. I don't expect a thing from you, really. Just let me enjoy your enjoyment. That's all I want. Actually, that's not true. There is one other thing I'd ask of you..."

She knew it!

Here it comes,
she braced herself.

"Don't hide yourself from me tomorrow, not because of tonight. Don't lock me out after this. Treat me as you always have, and I'll treat you the same. Don't let this change anything between us, Bella. That's all I ask. Can you do that? Can we be ok, no matter what does or doesn't happen between us again?"

She nodded into his shoulder.

"Good, now look at me."

After a second, she sat up straighter, half dreading and half curious to see his face now, after she'd let herself go with him.

He smiled into her eyes, and she couldn't help but to smile shyly back. He kissed her, softly, tenderly. Then he helped her rearrange herself on his lap, so she wasn't straddling him anymore but was sitting close beside him, with her legs draped over his and his arm around her, holding her to him as he started to speak.

"So, they've been running you ragged, huh? Tell me about it."

So she did.

* * *

B
ella felt confused
, mortified, and excited to see Mac again the next night, all at the same time. The night before kept playing over and over on a loop inside her head all day as she helped out with baby Ash and helped plan and organize for Keelyn and Bane's wedding, which was coming up way too fast, in her opinion.

There was no way they were going to get everything done in the almost nonexistent time-line Keelyn had demanded. Usually wedding planning took, on average, an entire year. But no, Keelyn was dead set on giving them a month, total.

Now Bella was grateful for the speed for one reason, she'd barely be showing when the entire town showed up for it. Her dress should still fit rather well, since she was only in her second trimester. The puking had passed, thankfully. And in the time that had already passed since Keelyn got back, with her entourage in tow, everyone in town had had plenty of time to learn about her situation through the grapevine. So she shouldn't have to fend off any awkward questions in that regard.

Although, she though with a quiet grin, she had a feeling Mac was going to glue himself to her side for the whole event anyway, daring anyone to make her feel uncomfortable without having to deal with him to get to her.

She laughed as she remembered one such brave, or stupid, she wasn't sure, person who'd dared speak rudely to her on one of their trips into town. One look from Mac, after he'd pulled himself up to his full height and leveled a dark look in the offender's direction was all it took to shut her down almost before she'd even gotten started.

Mac,
she thought with a happy sigh.
Who'd have thought I of all people could find happiness like I'd found with him?

She knew she was lucky, and she didn't want to do anything to mess that up.

Like last night,
she thought
. I should have pushed to make him happy. He was so selfless after my orgasm, but surely he'd been suffering?
Maybe tonight?

She was nervous as she waited for him out on the swing. Other than Sammy, who she really tried to push out of her mind as not counting in the slightest, Mac was the first person she'd ever had any kind of physical encounter with. She'd kissed a few of the boys from town, and one of the brothers from next door, but nothing had ever gone beyond mostly innocent kisses.

Mac was the only one who'd ever kissed her quite like
that
. He was also the only one to have access to her naked breasts and
certainly
the only one she'd ever rubbed herself to orgasm against. She felt her face redden as she remembered it, and tried to control her embarrassed but erotic thoughts as she heard the door open and waited for Mac to come join her.

"Good evening, Bella."

"Mac," she acknowledged him with a smile as he sat down beside her.

He seemed a bit stiffer than he usually did, more tense.

She thought maybe he was as nervous about this as she was. Maybe he regretted last night?

Surely not,
she thought.

She didn't have much in the way of experience with such matters, but she was quite sure that the males rarely regretted carnal moments. If any regrets were to be had, they should be hers, she knew, from conversations with friends and overhearing things through the years.

Maybe he was nervous that she would have regrets?

She started to speak, to reassure him that that wasn't the case.

"Mac, I hope..."

"Bella, I need..."

They spoke at the same time, and they both stopped when they heard the other speaking.

"What were you saying, Mac? Go ahead," she said, figuring she could use a minute to decide how to say something as delicate as, "I have no regrets, beyond leaving you frustrated last night."

"I was just going to tell you that I have something important I need to tell you," he said awkwardly, with an uncomfortable laugh at his own words. "It's about me, and Naythan, and Bane. And it's big."

He stopped, taking a deep breath and turning toward her, facing her on the swing.

He looked so earnest. His eyes were kind of sad, and he seemed braced for the worst.

She wanted to comfort him, to tell him that whatever it was, it would be fine. She also wanted to kiss him, to show him that she wouldn't withdraw from him, like he'd been afraid of last night. Her words tumbled over themselves in her mind, and she meant to say, 'what is it you need to tell me?' But instead of her mouth moving to form the words, she surprised herself by leaning forward and kissing him.

He stayed as still as a statue as her lips pressed against his, and for a few heartbeats she thought maybe she'd just made a very big mistake.

But then, right as she started to pull away, to apologize, he reacted. He pulled her close, his arms reaching out to her and wrapping around her, tugging her onto his lap and kissing her hard and deep, like if he didn't do it now he'd never get the chance to again.

His hands caressed her face and pressed against her back, hugging her tight. He broke the heated kiss after a few minutes, kissing her neck as she wrapped her arm around him and whispered in his ear.

"I didn't mean to interrupt what you were saying. I just really wanted to kiss you again. Was that alright?"

"It was more than alright, my sweet. There will never be a time, ever, that I wouldn't prefer your lips against mine over damn near anything in the world."

She didn't know what to say to that, so she turned her face into his neck and did to him what she so enjoyed when he did it to her.

She bit him.

She nipped gently at first, on a spot just below his ear. It was a good spot, as it was hard yet giving under her teeth. She flicked her tongue out to taste him, he was warm, and salty.

He squirmed under her hips, and she felt a low rumble start up in his chest.

She went with instinct and a need to please him as well as explore him, so she bit down again. Harder this time, scraping her teeth against his neck as her tongue licked him, and then she started to suck.

The growly rumbling she'd heard deep in his chest got louder. With a primal roar he grabbed her, pressing her backwards and down, soon her back was against the seat of the swing as his hands somehow pinned her wrists above her head.

He was between her thighs, but this time, instead of her being on top, in control, he was. He was heavy, and growling, and pinning her down with one hand as his other started to wander. He squeezed her ass, somehow getting his hand under her and pressing himself against her as his other hand still held her wrists tight.

She started to struggle underneath him, confused and overwhelmed, but he didn't seem to notice.

He started kissing his way down her neck, over the swells of her breasts, but it wasn't like last night. No, it was more like the other time, with Sammy.

She tried to speak, to tell him to slow down, but he tugged the neckline of her top down, and this time when his hand found her breast she couldn't breathe.

She freed a hand and found the back of his head, gripping his hair tight and trying to pull him away from her, but it egged him on. The growl reached her ears again, and she finally pulled some air into her lungs.

And then she started to scream.

Chapter 8

Mac felt his mate bite and suck his neck, and all was lost. He felt his bear react, wanting out, wanting to claim what was his and drag her to his den. His human side prevailed, reminding the bear that they were days from the den, and they had to take it slow.

Then Bella was under him, her hips bucking against his, her breathing ragged. He reached to free her breasts, to bare her sweet skin to his mouth and taste her again. He heard her gasp and he met her need with a growl in return, to tell her how much he wanted her, needed her.

And then she screamed.

He jumped off of her, confused and panicking. She inhaled deeply once again, and looked set to yell even louder, so he covered her mouth with his hand. And immediately regretted it when her teeth bit into his flesh as her eyes lost the look of any and all rational thought.

She looked like prey did, escape, fear and adrenaline making her eyes go wide and unfocused.

"Bella! Bella it's just me! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! Talk to me, please. If you let go of my palm with your teeth, I'll move my hand. I panicked and tried to silence you quickly, I just didn't want everyone inside running out here loaded for bear, if you know what I mean. Your screams will bring Bane and Naythan in full on, ass-kicking, protective mode, and I'd bet your mom and sisters as well. Keelyn will come running with that bow, and who knows what Ivy has, she kinda scares me. I was just trying to keep that from happening, that's all. Please don't scream. Not like that."

She kept her teeth buried in his flesh, but he watched as her huge, rounded eyes lost just enough of her panic to think it through. She nodded, her teeth biting deeper as her head moved.

"I'll let go, I promise. I never meant to hurt you. I'd never purposely hurt you. Not ever. Can I move my hand? Will you talk to me?
Can
you talk to me?"

She nodded again, against his palm.

"I'd never, ever hurt you Bella."

She just nodded harder.

He took his hand from her mouth, backing away from her with his palms out, facing her.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know... I mean, I didn't think..."

"Mac, I..."

She sat up as she spoke, backing up from him until her butt was as far away from him as possible on the swing. He guessed even that wasn't far enough away, because she stood up then, and backed up more.

"Talk to me, Bella. Did I hurt you?"

"No, not really. You just scared me. I shouldn't have screamed but I couldn't..."

"It's ok. I should have gone slower, like last night. It's just that when you bit me like that, I really liked it, that's all. I thought you were enjoying... I'm so sorry."

"I was enjoying it, Mac. At first. I felt bad last night, about leaving you frustrated. I was planning on, well, not leaving you frustrated tonight... somehow. But then you growled, and you pinned me down. I couldn't move, and you were so heavy. Your hands were everywhere. And instead of you, I started seeing him... and..."

"Sammy?"

She nodded and his heart broke in half.

The last thing he'd ever want to remind her of was him. His bear started to rumble inside him, wanting to break free and hunt down the one who hurt his Bella so badly. He wanted to chase him through the woods, and swipe him down with one paw. He wanted to rip Sammy apart with claws and teeth, to defend his mate, but he couldn't.