Goal: A Mate (Bachelor Auction #2) Read online

  He placed her on her feet and ushered her inside. Patience warred with eagerness to show her what he’d done. She stripped out of her coat, hung it up on the hook bolted to the wall. Then she removed her cell phone and placed it on a side table next to the couch. Finally she went over to hold her hands up to the fire.

  “So, what did Reenie want?” Brandon came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. Just the press of her ass against his groin brought a moan to his lips. Fire laced his veins as need pooled in his cock, thickening the shaft until his jeans felt tight and uncomfortable. She pushed her hips back, bumping his growing erection.

  “She wanted me to meet with Madison Weston, the lioness who’s mated to Pierce. We found out why the cat shifters were after us. It seems they feel we were poaching on their unofficial turf.” She leaned back into him, allowing him to accept her weight.

  Brandon snorted. “Doesn’t sound like a good enough response.”

  “I can understand it.” She snuggled into him. “Think about if Pierce had gone to an out-of-towner to coach the local team instead of you. Wouldn’t you be pissed? Since you’ve made it a point to promote local talent to all the teams you were on?”

  Brandon let her argument sink in as his desire increased. The constant rock and rub of her hips against his didn’t help matters. “Yeah,” he gasped out. “I can imagine being pissed.”

  She laughed. “By that ridge I’m feeling, you can imagine more than that. Anyway, there’s a possibility we can nip things in the bud. Why’d you go see my father?”

  “What?”

  She turned in his arms. Her breasts pressed against his chest. She tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him. “Claim. Bite. Fuck. Mate,” the wolf chanted in his head. He lowered his mouth to nuzzle along her carotid artery. His nose traced the vein as her mating heat and musk rose up. He wanted to find the source, to tear her clothes to ribbons and bury his face in her core until she came all over his chin. With a growl, he nipped his way along her throat.

  Kelly moaned and threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him close. He took his time, dragging his lips over her silken flesh until he reached the neckline of her sweater.

  “Damn it.” Frustrated over the barrier between himself and her, he grabbed the hem and lifted it up her torso, up her arms, and over her head, dropping it to the floor before going back to what he was doing. She pressed herself against him.

  “Brandon,” she murmured. “More.”

  He ran his hands up and down her sides and over her back. His fingers touched the panels of her bra. With a low growl, he grabbed the straps and pulled. The silk and elastic broke under the force. He reached around to her back and did the same to the hook and eyelet closure, causing the scrap of fabric to float down to the floor. With bites and nips, he took his time moving down her body, tugging at small patches of flesh, marking her with red spots.

  “Mine. All mine.” He cupped one of her breasts, holding the globe and lifting it up to his mouth while he traced the contours until he reached the center. First, he flicked the thick nub with his tongue. Teasing her until he drew tiny whimpers and mewling sounds from her as she wriggled against him. He tugged on the tip, drawing it deeper into his mouth. It wasn’t enough for him. He needed her to be louder, to really let go.

  He released her nipple, stooped down, picked her up, and carried her through the house to the bedroom. With care, he deposited her on the mattress and went about securing her arms over her head before tying off her ankles.

  She tugged on her bonds, looking from one to the other and then back at him. “What—?”

  “I want you screaming, mate. I want you to give in to your passion. So I wanted to try something new.” He stripped out of his shirt, shoes, and socks. The pants would stay as a way to keep him in control. Getting naked would only give the beast an excuse to act out. With each second that passed, he could feel the animal trying to rise further and higher in his body. He flexed his hand, closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing. In and out, slow and steady. His heart pounded against his rib cage and his blood pulsed with arousal. Heat pooled in his groin and seeped into his dick. His balls throbbed.

  Pinpricks of fire pinged around his body, bursting here and there and all over. Pain spiraled out of the center of his palms and up and down his arms. His legs shook as he struggled to stay upright. It was as if gravity were pulling him down to the floor. He rolled his shoulders and neck, determined not to lose control. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. His muscles twitched.

  “Brandon, breathe. Focus on me, on what you want to do with me.” Kelly’s voice slipped past the tension and reached the center of him, touching his wolf. The animal paused, stopped, and cocked its head.

  “I want you to kiss me, Brandon. Come here and kiss me,” she whispered.

  He opened his eyes and moved forward, bent over the bed, lowered his head and touched her lips with his. The touch was soft and sweet, at first setting off tendrils of warmth from the point of contact that burned hotter with each second that passed. Her mouth opened and her tongue snaked out; he met it without reservation as it twisted and taunted him for more. He traced the ridges of her teeth, tickled the roof of her mouth. She giggled and pulled her head away.

  “Now claim me if you can.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  “Oh, you think I can’t? I’ll show you.” He straightened up and grabbed the bottle of cinnamon oil. “Tell me if it gets too much. Just say stop.”

  She tugged on her bonds. A shredding sound cracked through the air. He winced. Maybe he should’ve used leather. To distract her, he shook a few drops out onto his index finger and traced a line from her chin, down the center of her throat and across her chest. After a second, she gasped. Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated. She swallowed.

  “Brandon!”

  “Do you want me to stop?” He had to know now.

  “No. Just, act fast.” She wriggled around on the bed. He grabbed an ice cube and let the water drip on her chin and down her neck before touching it to her skin. She sucked in air and her movements slowed down. He followed the trail with kisses and licks, repeating the process, taking care of where he put the oil and using the ice and his mouth to soothe away the warmth. His tongue burned from the heat of the spice. He could only imagine what she was going through. She writhed, begged, and moaned.

  “Brandon, more. Please, more.” The sound of her bonds ripping cut through the air. A glance at them showed they were hanging on by a thread.

  To stave off a loss of control, he climbed onto the bed and straddled her waist. He slid down her body until he covered her. She lifted her head and met his mouth, but he didn’t stay there long. He moved down her body once more, this time with no oil or ice. He circled her breasts one at a time, pausing to dab oil on the tips before lapping it up. Then he used the cube, following it with more flicks of his tongue. She shuddered under him; whimpers, animalistic sounds, and whispers fell from her lips.

  He blazed a path over her stomach to her mound, where he buried his face in her sex, lapping up her juices. Her hips rocked against his mouth. Her legs quivered and the bed shook underneath him. In the distance, he heard the faded sound of the last of the threads being ripped from her bonds.

  She grabbed his hair and tugged. He allowed her to pull, trailing kisses up her body until his face was over hers once more. She grabbed his shoulders and rolled him onto his back. There was a wolfish grin on her lips and a glint of amber in her eyes. The wolf was ready and close to breaking out. Her musk swirled in the air along with his.

  He groaned as she straddled him and ground her pussy against his groin. “Want this? Need this?”

  She raked her newly sharpened nails over his chest. He arched his back and groaned as pleasure and pain flickered back and forth. She held him down with her strength alone. Kelly lowered her head until their lips were a whisper away. He lifted his hips and rubbed his erection against her pussy. She groaned and shut her eyes. Muscles straine
d against her neck and her body shook over him. He used this moment to grab her hips and roll on top of her, pinning her to the bed.

  He grabbed her wrists and raised them over her head, holding them with one hand while he used his other to undo his belt and fly. Finally he reached in and pulled his cock out. He ran the flared crown over her slick nether lips. “Want this? Need this?”

  She groaned and pushed her hips up. “Please, I need you. Fuck me. Take me. Mark me.”

  Her mouth opened wide, and he saw her teeth had sharpened. She was ready to claim him again. Pleasure zipped along his spine. He groaned and positioned the head of his penis at her entrance. She tried to move down and take him inside of her, but he pulled back.

  “Be still,” he snarled.

  She bucked against his hold and tried to yank her hands down. He let out a low warning growl. She gave one right back. Her eyes shifted from espresso brown to amber before she tilted her head back and let out a howl.

  “Mark me!” Her voice had become low, deep, and graveled. A light pelt of caramel brown fur rippled over her skin. Her nose flattened and her eyes became larger as her ears flattened. She snapped her jaws at him and snarled. “Fuck me and claim me or let me find someone who isn’t so weak.”

  The mental chain that held the beast snapped and the wolf surfaced. Lava poured into his body as he went through a partial shift.

  “Don’t go too far,” he ordered the animal.

  His mouth felt as if he’d been punched over and over again and was being split from the inside out. His ears burned and his face was afire as liquid heat poured into his limbs. He increased his grip on her wrists and pressed them to the bed. She wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed, stealing some of his air.

  “Oh no you don’t,” he grumbled, voice richer, lower in register.

  She tightened her hold on him, drawing him closer to her body, bringing his dick close to sinking into her vagina. He took a kiss—biting, sucking, licking, nipping her lips in the process as she drew him closer. His cock sunk into her wet heat, giving in to their mutual desires. With no time to pause or take it back, he pulled out and drove in deeper. The hold her legs had on him loosened, but the heels of her feet dug into the backs of his thighs.

  Kelly pulled her head back. “More. Harder. Fuck me, my mate.” She urged him on, voice breathy and husky.

  “Mine,” he growled, as he picked up the pace and fucked her harder and faster, pounding her pussy. “Mine.”

  He let out a roughened howl, letting the animal fill his mind. On instinct, he lowered his head and nuzzled her shoulder before opening his mouth wide, teeth already sharpened, and bit down. His grip on her wrists tightened. His claws sunk into her skin. With his other hand, he gripped her hip with a firm grasp. A huge wave took form, made of fire and passion. It was filled with the howls of the pack as he claimed his mate. Tingles raced around his balls, up and down his legs, traced a finger up and down her spine, circled his head, and met once more in his groin.

  He came with a muffled cry as he poured his seed into her body. Her vaginal walls fluttered and clenched him tight as she followed him into pleasure. Darkness danced in the periphery of his vision. His hips continued to pump.

  “Mine.”

  The word reverberated throughout out his body as his world settled. It was as if a circle had closed. A fire burned in his heart, one that could never be put out or taken from him. Kelly was claimed. For the rest of the night they would drowse, wake, fuck, and do it all over again until they had no energy left. Somewhere in all of that, they had returned to their human forms, and he hadn’t even gotten to use more of the cinnamon oil. The ice was now a bucket of lukewarm water and the vibrator was forgotten.

  It had all been worth it. As he let sleep take him for the fourth time, he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “I love you, Kelly,” he whispered.

  “Love you too, wolfy. Now shut up.” She snuggled into his side.

  Chapter Ten

  Kelly lay in bed. A fire crackled in the hearth across the room. This was the last day of their stay at the cabin, and she didn’t want to go. She didn’t even want to move. Her body ached in places that hadn’t been used in ages, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Her shoulder was where the pain was most potent. The bite mark had stopped bleeding and her body was accepting the brand well. She felt the pull that had always been between them snap shut and a sense of safety and confidence fill her. He was hers. All hers. She couldn’t stop the smile that curved her lips.

  Even after being awake for two hours, she hadn’t been able to stop grinning. Her muscles tensed as she curled up into a ball. A small sound started in her chest and grew in weight and strength with each passing second, until she couldn’t help but let it out. A whoop of happiness came out.

  The sound of heavy footsteps rushing to the room pounded toward her, and Brandon came in frying pan in one hand and spatula in the other. “Honey? You OK?”

  She sat up, not caring that she was showing off the rolls of her body or her messy hair, and shoved off the covers. She swung her legs over the side and ran up to him at half speed, crashing lightly into him.

  “Oomph, honey?” Brandon dropped kisses on the top of her head.

  She inhaled the scents of cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee. Behind him drifted the aroma of bacon and eggs. Her stomach rumbled in appreciation.

  “It’s OK.” She rose on tiptoes and kissed his mouth, tasting the mint he’d used when he brushed his teeth. “I was just excited over the knowledge that you belong to me. You’re all mine. No one can break us up or take you from me, no matter what.” She’d never thought about it before, but being mated to him removed all her excuses. She had to face all of her feelings for him head on, including some spots of jealousy she’d had over the years when he’d gone on dates with other women.

  “I was always yours, honey. I just needed you to come to that conclusion, maybe with a little help.” He grinned back at her.

  “Yeah, yeah. Lord it over me. You were right.” She gave him a light smack on the arm. “I’m going to go shower and wash my hair, and then we’ll have breakfast.”

  “OK. But we also need to talk.” He gave her another kiss on the top of her head before he turned and walked away.

  Boy, did they ever. She headed to the bathroom, turned on the water, and rummaged through her bag to find the clothes and underwear she’d wear that day. Brandon would protest, but she didn’t want to romp around the cabin naked. The place still had cold spots in it. It was a good place for seclusion, but not so much for spending the whole of winter in. She hung up the clothes and put out her panties and bra, then climbed into the shower stall.

  Kelly sighed as the hot water poured over her. With a moan she let the warmth seep into her muscles, taking away some of her pain. The wound throbbed on her shoulder and some of the dried blood washed away. With care, she cleaned herself up and washed her hair. Tension ebbed away and relaxation took its place. Everything in her world felt settled. She wanted to wake up with Brandon every day and go to bed with him each night.

  Tears blurred her vision as an ache in her chest started. It was more than just being claimed by him. This was about having no more excuses. It wasn’t just wanting this; it was needing it. She couldn’t let her father or Alberto take this away. Not when they’d just found it.

  Today was the first day of them being a mated couple, and she refused to let it be the last. She rinsed her hair, squeezed out the excess water, and then turned off the shower. She opened the door to find Brandon standing before her, holding a towel out for her, a smile on his face.

  “Hey, beautiful. Here you go. Let me wrap you up.”

  She allowed him to help her dry off and towel off her tresses. “Thanks.” She gifted him with a kiss on the cheek. “Let me finish up here and then I’ll join you.”

  “Don’t take too long. Breakfast will get cold.” He pressed his lips to hers before departing.


  Once he was gone, she noticed a small black velvet gift box on the sink counter. She shook her head and lifted the lid with curiosity. This was supposed to be his birthday weekend, yet she was the one receiving gifts?

  A beautiful set of peacock pearl earrings sat on black foam backing. Tears filled her eyes. Her father would give her mother a piece of pearl jewelry for her birthday, one to mark each year they were mated. She’d died before he’d been able to give her the set of earrings that would complete the set. Her mother’s jewelry had passed on to Kelly, but she’d never been able to buy the final piece herself. It had always felt as though she were treading on sacred ground. Brandon was continuing the tradition with her, even if this would be their only time to do this.

  She picked up the box and carried it over to her makeup table where she set it down. She went about moisturizing her skin with cocoa butter oil and then drying and styling her hair. It took awhile, but she wanted to look good for him, even if it was for breakfast and they weren’t going anywhere.

  Once she was dressed, she finished off her outfit with the earrings. She felt beautiful, adored, and centered. A fire sparked to life in her belly. She wasn’t going to let anyone take this away from her.

  When she arrived in the kitchen, the table was set up and a fire was crackling in the hearth in the living room. Brandon pulled out a chair for her, which she slipped into. “Thank you.”

  He shrugged and took a seat across from her. “Before I claimed you, you asked me what I was doing with your father. How could you tell I visited him this morning?”

  “Some of his tobacco scent clung to you, and I could smell it when you got close to me.” She began cutting up her waffles.

  “Ah, OK. Should’ve known. I went to tell him about a possible way out of this, but he put his foot down. He refused to even think about changing things up for us. I can’t lose you, baby, and I won’t. Now that I have you, I will fight to keep you.” Determination created hard lines on Brandon’s face and his eyes flashed to molten copper.