Convincing the Cougar Read online

  She moaned. "More. Give me more, Kian."

  "No. First, I want to feel the weight of your tits in my hands."

  He started a slow path up her legs then her belly, and with his long arms, finally reached her breasts. He covered them with his hands, and she leaned into his touch. Even through the slip of lace between them, she loved the feel of her hard nipples against the roughness of his palms.

  He squeezed hard—just the way she liked it—and she whispered, "Yes."

  He released her right breast only to grip her nipple and twist. "I've always loved how sensitive your nipples are." He rolled her right one, the combination of his touch and the friction added by the lace making her moan. "I could make you come right now by simply playing with your tits. But that's not how I want to say goodbye to you, Trinity."

  She looked down at him and let every bit of her desire show on her face. "Then hurry up and show me. Four months without your touch is a long time."

  He gave one last squeeze to her left breast before both of his hands went to her back. They trailed slowly, rubbing as they went, until they rested on her ass. He continued to rub her cheeks, and Trinity arched her back. Then his hands were gone, only to return with a hard slap.

  She squeaked and resisted a scowl. Normally, she'd threaten him with payback, but that would signal how she expected them to have a future. She couldn't risk spooking him.

  Instead, she tried another tactic. "You'd better hurry, or Sy and the others will arrive before you get a chance to finish your goodbye fuck."

  He narrowed his eyes and squeezed her ass. "If you have time to think of other men, then I think it's time to take off the kid gloves."

  "Why are you still talking?"

  He growled at that, and she resisted a smile. But once he leaned in and nipped her inner thigh, she forgot whatever taunt she was about to say. When his hot tongue lapped up her juices from her skin as if he was starving, she sucked in a breath and titled her hips forward in invitation.

  Chapter Two

  Kian kept a firm grip on Trinity's ass as he leaned in and licked her liquid desire off her left thigh, and then the right. While it'd only been four months, her taste was addictive. The faint traces on her thighs weren't enough—his cock throbbed in anticipation of lapping her juices straight from her pussy.

  Still, he was determined to not only make this last, but make his mate forget about anything—or anyone. But then Trin had to go and tilt her hips toward him, and his restraint snapped. He wanted to fuck her so badly his balls ached, but it would take too long to stand up, shed his clothes, and pound into her pussy with his dick. Instead, he thrust his tongue into her hot, wet center and groaned as Trinity's musky scent filled his nose and her sweet taste invaded his mouth.

  With each thrust or twirl of his tongue, her moans of pleasure grew louder. But he wasn't about to let her come yet. This was the last time he'd ever have the chance to pleasure his mate, and he wanted just a little bit longer with her like this, at the mercy of his tongue, his teeth, and his fingers.

  He rubbed her ass before moving his hands to her belly. After slowly removing his tongue from her core, he finally moved his hands to spread her pussy lips wide and gently stroke her inner pink folds. Trinity's heart rate ticked up, letting him know she was still horny enough to have forgotten all about his leg.

  After giving two slow licks, he moved his fingers to expose her hard little clit. He leaned down, took it between his teeth, and gently bit down.

  Trinity cried out, and a sense of satisfaction coursed through him. He might not be able to do many of the things he could do before the bear attack, but he could still tease his mate into a frenzy.

  Normally, she'd flip him onto his back at this point and take his cock into her mouth. But due to her restraints, she was forced to stay where she was. He kind of liked this turn of events.

  Trin was close. Done with teasing, he released her hard nub from his teeth and used his tongue to worry the slick, sensitive skin. With each pass and swirl, his mate started to whimper. He increased his pace until Trinity's moan was high-pitched enough that he bit her clit again and she screamed.

  He quickly thrust two fingers into her pussy and started to fuck her, the spasms grabbing his fingers. When she finally stilled and closed her eyes with a blissful moan, his hand was covered in her juices. He removed his fingers and said, "Trin."

  She opened her sexy, dark brown eyes. They were half-lidded, her long, lowered eyelashes making her appear more feminine than the fierce huntress she was.

  Those eyes watched as he raised his drenched fingers to his mouth and sucked them deep. He never broke eye contact as he licked every last drop of her essence off of his skin.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw her clench her fist. Whenever he'd gone down on her before, Trin had always liked to thread her fingers through his hair. But he was glad she couldn't do it this time—the tender gesture might lessen his resolve about releasing her from their mate vows.

  He removed his fingers inch-by-inch, the desire in Trinity's eyes reminding him of his own throbbing cock. Suddenly, all he could think about was feeling her hot and tight around his dick as she came.

  After one last lick of his lips, he purred, "Your honey is better than I remember, Trin. I wish I could eat you all day and make you come until you can't take it anymore." He moved his hands to her hips and brushed the sensitive skin with his fingers. "But right now, I need to fuck you."

  Trinity was grateful for the material tied around her wrists; her legs would probably buckle without the support.

  She was boneless. She'd been right—having Kian do anything to her was better than even the most advanced electronic toy she could find. Vibrators were great, but she would never love them like she did the man kneeling before her.

  She'd never realized how much she'd taken him for granted before the bear attack.

  He called her name and she opened her eyes. She watched him suck every last drop of her juices off his fingers before telling her he wanted to fuck her. Despite her recent mind-blowing orgasm, her pussy lips started to throb again in anticipation. "Please, Kian, fuck me. Hard."

  She half-expected him to tell her to close her eyes again, but he gripped her waist and slowly rose on his good leg until she had to look up into his eyes. His dark, wavy hair now hung down to caress his cheeks. Combined with his light green eyes, now filled with tenderness, she decided she would never give up this clever, gorgeous man. If it was the last thing she did, Trinity would make sure he realized he could still lead the clan, lame leg and all.

  He caressed her cheek, and she leaned into the touch as he whispered, "First, I'm going to cut you free."

  After extending a claw on his free hand, he swiped through the material and Trinity's arms fell to her side. They started to tingle as blood rushed back to her fingertips, but she forgot about everything else when Kian placed his hands on her upper arms and started to rub up and down. The friction caused a warmth to extend to places far lower than her arms.

  He whispered her name as he moved to stand behind her. She heard him unzip and shed his jeans before pressing his hot erection up against her ass. His hand came around her to cup her breasts. She tilted her head to the side in invitation, and his day-old whiskers brushed against her skin as he nuzzled her neck.

  She was about to tell him to hurry up when twigs snapped in the distance. They both froze, their hunter instincts kicking in.

  Trinity scanned the surroundings with her eyes, hoping her keen cougar eyesight would reveal who or what had made the noise, but she saw nothing. She laid her hand against Kian's thigh and tapped it twice—the signal they used to ask if they'd spotted anything.

  He shook his head against her neck to keep up appearances. Since they didn't want to let on that they knew anything, Trinity slowly turned to face Kian. She pulled down his head and whispered, "With only the two of us, it's probably best to let them come to us."

  Cougars worked best at waiting for the bes
t opportunity to strike to conserve their energy.

  He kissed her check before moving to her ear. "At the first sign of trouble, you shift and go get help."

  She nodded, trusting his judgment in the situation, and looked at the foliage behind her mate's body. In early fall at this elevation of the Cascade mountain range, the underbrush was heavy with greenery, making it nearly impossible to see anyone lying in wait.

  Still, she'd lived in these mountains since she was six years old. If an intruder was in their territory, Trinity would have the advantage.

  Kian kept a tight grip on Trinity and hoped the noise was just his brother being overly loud, signaling for them to make themselves decent. Cougars didn't have the strongest sense of smell, but he and Trin had more than permeated the area with scents of sex to the point even a human would be able to smell them.

  Normally, he would offer his shirt to his mate, but he didn't want to impede her shift any more than necessary. The split second it took for them to rip clothes from their bodies could end up costing a life.

  There was another rustle. This time he could tell the sound came from behind him.

  He moved his hands up and unhooked her bra. His sensual touch from earlier was replaced with pragmatism; this way Trinity would have an extra second to try to successfully get some help.

  The rustling drew closer. If he waited any longer, it might be too late. It was time to act.

  He whispered, "On three, shift and run. One, two, three!"

  Trinity dashed away and he turned as her body started to morph into her cougar form. It'd been months since he'd seen her beautiful tan fur, but he'd drink in her lovely cat form later. Just as he turned to face the threat, three gray wolves rushed out of the trees.

  What the hell? The local wolf-shifter clan—GreyFire—always steered clear of this side of the mountain.

  He focused on his own shift. His hands became paws, his muzzle extended from his face, and his legs became powerful hind legs. He ignored the throbbing pain in his bone as his lame leg shifted. He had barely finished changing when a wolf went for his throat.

  He rolled out of the way and onto his feet before hissing at the three wolves. They paused a second at the sound, long enough for him to realize their eyes were glowing purple.

  Wolf-shifter eyes never glowed purple.

  Then all three charged him at once. Kian managed to catch one by the neck and toss him against the tree. But, as the wolf landed in a still heap, the other two bit him—one on his flank, and the other on his lame leg.

  He screamed in pain as the wolf's teeth dug into his leg, but he soon managed to twist his body out of the wolves' grip. He used his good hind leg to jump over the two wolves to the nearest tree. He couldn't go as high as if both of his legs worked properly, but it was high enough. Gripping the branch with his claws, he managed to swing his hind legs up and pull himself up.

  The wolves jumped and tried to scramble up the tree, but their legs weren't built for climbing, and they kept falling down. Kian watched and waited for the opportune moment to strike.

  One of the wolves landed on the other after a failed attempt to climb the tree, and the bottom wolf growled at his companion. The growling wolf went for the throat of the other, and Kian saw his chance.

  He landed behind the two wolves. Ignoring the pain in his right leg, Kian opened his jaw and went for the back of the head of the nearest wolf. His teeth sunk in until he heard bone crack as his fangs permeated the skull and the brain. The wolf went lifeless.

  The remaining wolf blinked at the sudden change of events. Before Kian could make his next move, he heard a series of cougar calls behind him and streaks of tan raced past to pin the remaining wolf down.

  One cougar rubbed up against his side, stopping to nuzzle his face. Even in cat form, he'd know Trinity's scent anywhere.

  He nuzzled in return before stepping away to shift. His paws became hands, his arms elongated, and he slowly grew until he was standing naked in front of ten of his clan members.

  Not caring who saw him limp, he walked over to the wolf pinned on the ground and narrowed his eyes. "Shift back. Now."

  The glowing purple eyes stared at him without comprehension. The wolf was too large to be a wild animal, and even rogue shifters would understand his words. His gut told him something else was going on here.

  He looked at the three cats keeping the wolf in place. "Find a way to make him shift back. Once he starts talking, come find me."

  His clan members nodded, and Kian turned toward Trinity.

  Trinity held her breath, afraid that if she moved or made a noise Kian would realize how he was acting.

  The self-loathing recluse from an hour ago was gone. In his place was the quick-thinking warrior leader that had captured her heart.

  After he barked his orders at the clan members she had brought with her to help, he turned toward her and stared. He'd seen her this way millions of times, but right now, it felt like the first time all over again.

  She walked up to him and his hand went to her head. He scratched behind her ears and she couldn't help but purr.

  He squatted down, took her face in his hands and whispered, "I've missed your purr, Trin."

  She rubbed his face and purred louder. In the past, she had always hated how cougars could purr but not roar. Right now, however, she was glad she could express her happiness with her mate.

  Kian gave her one last scratch before he stood up and said to both her and the other clan members, "I'll be in my den. Make sure that whoever comes with new information makes their presence known well ahead of time."

  The cougars gave their low growls of agreement.

  Kian looked down at her. "Come, Trin. Let's go home."

  With his head high, her mate started walking and she followed.

  Chapter Three

  Trinity and Kian's den was a set of rooms located deep inside the mountain. Clan DarkStalker lived in the wilds of the Cascade Mountains, but thanks to their use and development of geothermal energy, they had electricity and most modern amenities. It gave the cougar-shifters the best of both worlds—the freedom and space to run wild while still allowing them to be a part of the twenty-first century.

  When they finally reached their den, Trinity sat her ass down on the carpet in the main living area and swished her tail. In cat form, she couldn't distract Kian, and right now, she wanted to see how he handled himself after the fight with the wolves.

  Kian paced the room. Once the adrenaline was gone, would he morph back into the man who was willing to let her go? Or would he finally realize he was the same man as before the bear attack? Sure, he had a few kinks to work out, but he'd just killed two less-than-sane wolf-shifters. She didn't doubt his clever mind could come up with a way to use his lameness to his advantage.

  Her mate finally stopped and faced her. She tilted her head in that feline way most people couldn't resist. Kian, however, frowned and said, "Your gorgeous dark amber eyes aren't going to work on me, Trin." She swished her tail and he sighed. "I know what you're thinking—the fight I just had proves I'm still capable of leading this clan."

  She gave a chirp in agreement.

  Kian ran a hand through his hair. "I'll admit, it was thrilling to shift again and make split-second decisions in the heat of battle. But, Trin, what if it was a one-off whim? Those wolves pinpointed my lame leg straightaway and went for it. If it had been a bear-shifter instead, I wouldn't have survived."

  She went over to him and rubbed against his hip. His hand came down and scratched her head. "You know how beautiful you are in cat form, but you've always been my partner. Right now, I need to hear your voice."

  She gave a low whistle and walked a few feet away. Imagining her human form, her legs and arms began to change until she was standing upright, naked.

  Kian stared at her, his expression uncertain. The sexual heat from earlier was gone. Right now, his eyes were soliciting her advice.

  She walked over and placed a hand on his face
. "You know what I'll say, dear heart. I believe in you. I always have. But until you believe in yourself, you'll continue to doubt and second-guess yourself every step of the way." She laid her other hand over his heart. "What do you feel, in here? Your instinct is what helped win me in the first place."

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. "Well, someone had to show you that you weren't invincible. You were beating the shit out of all of the young males back then."

  She raised an eyebrow. "You barely won that fight, mister. And did you conveniently forget how I've bested you a few times since then?"

  He placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her close. "Oh, I remember."

  The heat had returned to his eyes, reminding her of a few of their hot and sweaty make-up sex sessions. The combination of his gaze and the memories sent a rush through her body, straight to her core, but somehow she managed to keep her head. "No, Kian. Until you figure out what you're going to do with yourself, I'm not going to be a willing partner."

  As Kian met Trinity's steely gaze, he knew she wouldn't back down. As much as they'd had fun in the clearing, she had been willing. He would never take her against her will.

  "Shit, Trin. Sometimes I wish you weren't so stubborn." She gave him her 'look' and he squeezed her tighter against him. "Okay, that's a lie."

  "Do you want to hear what I honestly think?"

  "Don't I always?"

  "Not recently, no. You've ignored me and anything I've had to say for months."

  Underneath her steely tone, he could hear her hurt. "I was trying to protect you, Trin. You deserve someone who can still beat you in a cougar fight, and I don't think I can anymore."

  "Stop it. This doubting shit isn't you. Did you already forget what just happened with those wolves? Just think, if you pretended to be extremely lame from the get-go, an opponent would underestimate you. Then, when you showed your true badass cougar self, they'd be unprepared and you'd take them."