Chapter 36

Chapter 36

“Kale,” came the softly murmured plea that had Kale struggling to stay in control. It would be the easiest fucking thing in the world to give in and bite her, marking his claim and letting her know just how fucking much he wanted her. She was his mate and it was fucking killing him that he couldn’t claim her, but she didn’t want a mate and he…

Wasn’t willing to risk losing her.

Forcing his fangs back was probably one of the hardest things that he’d ever done, but he did it for her. He kissed her neck as he slid his hands back up her thighs and over her hips as he made his way towards her back, tracing the curves of her body as he went. Her skin was so fucking soft, Kale thought as he kissed her neck while he allowed his palms to slide down her back, listening as her breath caught only to groan as the sweet scent of her sex teased him.

God, he wanted her.

He wanted to find out exactly how good it would feel to lose himself in her. He’d never wanted anything more than he wanted her. She was like a drug and he couldn’t get enough, and something told him that he never would.

“Do you have any idea how many times I thought about touching you like this?” Kale asked in a daze as he moved his hands down her back until even that wasn’t enough and he finally allowed himself more.

“Oh, god…” Ashley whispered softly as he slowly slid his hands over her ass.

Kissing her neck, Kale gently squeezed her ass and couldn’t believe just how good it felt to touch her. It was so much better than he’d imagined, Kale thought only to groan when Ashley shifted in his arms until she was pressed against him.

“You feel so good, mo ghrá,” Kale bit out on a groan as he used his hold to pull her tightly against him, a groan escaping him when the move caressed his cock through his jeans. Pressing one last kiss against her throat, Kale watched her lick her lips hungrily as he moved his hands over her.

“I-I’ve never done this before,” Ashley admitted, worrying her bottom lip.

“Do you want me to stop?” Kale asked, knowing that it would kill him to stop touching her, and he really didn’t want to stop touching her, but he would if that’s what she needed.

“No, I want you to go faster,” she said, surprising a chuckle out of him.

“This isn’t fast enough for you, mo ghrá?” Kale asked teasingly as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“I’d really like you to move faster,” Ashley said, nodding solemnly and making him smile.

“Yeah?” Kale asked softly as he gently squeezed her ass.

“A lot faster,” she amended only to mutter, “Oh, god,” when he used his hold to slowly move her against him, making sure that she knew just how badly he wanted her.

“Is this fast enough?” Kale asked, watching her.

“I suppose this will have to do,” Ashley said, licking her lips on a moan as he took his time moving her against him while he watched her as her eyes flickered silver and her breath caught in her throat. She was so fucking beautiful, Kale thought, kissing her cheek as he pulled his head back and-

Nearly fucking came when Ashley reached up and cupped his face, pulling him back in for a kiss that turned hungry as soon as their lips touched. She was definitely going to be the death of him, Kale thought on a groan as he felt her take over, moving against him as the scent of her sex became sweeter, letting him know just how fucking wet she was.

“You feel so good,” Ashley said on a moan as she continued grinding against him.

As good as she felt moving against him, he’d been dreaming about something else for months now and he was done waiting. Holding her tightly against him, Kale stood up and carried her the short distance to the bed and was surprised by how difficult it was to let her go. For a moment, he stood there, holding her in his arms as he kissed her, wondering if she had any idea how many times he’d thought about her, how many times he’d imagined holding her in his arms, and just how dangerous this addiction was.

They shouldn’t be doing this, but no matter how many times he told himself that, he couldn’t seem to care. He knew exactly how dangerous this was, knew just how fucking weak she was making him, but he didn’t care, not when she was whimpering his name as he gently placed her down on the bed.

He allowed himself one last kiss as he knelt down on the floor between her legs and-

Groaned when Ashley took the move as an invitation to slide off the bed, giving him no other choice but to move back until he found himself falling onto his back with his mate following him. He landed on the soft carpet with a chuckle as Ashley leaned down and kissed him.

“I love your smile,” Ashley said, smiling against his lips as Kale cupped her face in his hands.

“Do you now?” Kale asked as he found himself wondering if she had any idea just how beautiful she was.

“You don’t smile enough,” she said with a teasing smile as she leaned back down and brushed her lips against his.

“I never had a reason to before,” Kale said, watching as her eyes turned silver.

“And you do now?” Ashley whispered, her expression softening as she looked at him.

“God, yes,” he said, leaning up to kiss her as he sat up, giving her no choice but to do the same.

Wrapping his arms around her, Kale kept moving until he was back on his knees and was able to place her on the bed. When he moved to pull back, she stopped him with a kiss that left him with no choice but to stay where he was as she wrapped her arms around him. He’d never enjoyed kissing a woman before, never thought that it could be this good, but as he knelt there, holding his mate in his arms, Kale realized the reason why.

None of them had been her.

He also knew that this hold that she had on him had nothing to do with their mating and everything to do with the woman that he realized he couldn’t live without. A mating between shifters had nothing to do with finding the one and everything to do with ensuring that their species survived. Most mated couples barely tolerated each other, only coming together for sex and avoiding each other whenever they could.

He could count on one hand the number of happily mated couples that he’d come across over the years and his parents weren’t one of them. They’d respected each other, worked together to take care of their children, and helped protect their Pack, but they never loved each other. His mother’s face had never lit up when she saw his father the way that Ashley’s did when she saw him.

It didn’t help that his father had never been able to get over being forced to watch as the woman that he’d loved was mated to another man. Kale saw the pain in his father’s eyes every time he saw her, but he never said a word or took it out on his mate. He simply did his duty by his mate, protecting her, taking care of her through her mating heats, and making sure that she had everything that she needed for their children.

He couldn’t do that to Ashley.

While he’d never wanted a mate, Kale had one now and she was…

Everything to him.

Ashley was a hopeless romantic, who loved romance movies, romance novels, and had been forced to watch as the world passed her by. She wanted a happily ever after and he was going to do everything within his power to give it to her. He was going to take his time learning her body, what she liked and didn’t like, and he was going to enjoy every fucking minute of it.

With that in mind, Kale brushed his lips against hers one last time before he pulled back. “Lie down, mo ghrá,” he said softly as he leaned in and kissed her neck, unable to help himself.

“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?” Ashley asked on a soft moan as he followed her as she lay down, kissing a path from her neck down to her navel.

“No,” Kale said as he pressed one last kiss just above her navel before he stood up and couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw the way that she was glaring up at him.

So fucking adorable, Kale thought as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside.

“I could always look it up,” Ashley pointed out, licking her lips nervously as he allowed his gaze to move away from her beautiful face and found himself groaning when his eyes landed on large teardrop-shaped breasts tipped with light pink nipples.

“You could,” Kale murmured absently as he slowly shifted his attention down the soft swell of her belly, taking in the curve of her hips, the way that his legs kept her thighs apart, giving him one hell of a view of the prettiest little pussy that he’d ever seen in his life. A soft blush teased her swollen lips, making them look incredibly soft and so fucking smooth that he was unable to resist reaching down and running his fingertips between them.

A soft moan drew his attention to find Ashley covering her eyes with her hands. “I have told you that I haven’t done anything like this before, right?” she asked, only to release another moan when he shifted his hand so that he was tracing her wet slit with the pad of his thumb.

“Do you want me to stop, mo ghrá?” Kale asked, watching her as he continued to slowly run his thumb between her legs, looking for any signs that she didn’t want to do this. There was a slight pause, and then, she was shaking her head.

“What do you want me to do, Ashley?” he asked, already moving to kneel back down on the floor between her legs.

“I want you to keep touching me,” she whispered softly as he found himself watching his thumb move over her, every swipe of his thumb causing her lips to part and giving him a view of her little pink clit.

He should ease her into this with soft touches and teasing kisses as he worked his way back up to her mouth, Kale told himself even as he leaned forward, knowing that he couldn’t wait another minute to find out just how sweet she was.