Caleb's Mate Read online

  “Okay.”

  “Say it. Say you’re mine.”

  “I’m yours.” The words came out stronger than she expected, and she lifted her hands to his chest, smoothing them up and down his pecs.

  Caleb grabbed her waist. “Legs around me.”

  She wrapped her entire body around him.

  His hands were on her butt and her back as he moved through the kitchen and the living room, aiming for the stairs. Ten seconds later, they were in her room, him kicking the door closed and then locking it. He somehow found the light switch and turned it on.

  Her arousal shot through the roof as he dropped her on the bed and then tugged her shirt off. When his hands went to her shorts, she batted him away. “I’ve got it. You need to undress yourself.”

  “Bossy.” He smirked, but he took a step back and yanked off his clothes in record time. Damn, his body was amazing. Every inch of him. Strong and virile. Sexy. She’d never been this attracted to anyone. Of course, she’d never been under the weird spell of a claiming before either.

  Caleb grabbed her waist and hauled her to the middle of the bed, coming over her. He nudged her legs apart and settled between them, his torso pressing into her wet sex as his mouth descended.

  She opened for him as they connected, craving the taste of him, the feel of his tongue, his scent. Every inhalation filled her with more of him. Never enough. Intoxicating. She was hypnotized, and she didn’t care.

  She wrapped her legs around his middle and arched her pussy upward, needing more friction. She needed his hands on her. Or his mouth. Or his cock. She didn’t care. Anything. Something.

  He angled his head to one side to deepen the kiss, one hand cupping her head, one hand molding to her breast. When he broke the kiss, she felt bereft for a moment, but then his lips wrapped around her nipple and sucked.

  She moaned loudly, arching her chest. She gripped his back with both hands, her fingers digging into his muscles. More. That was the only word she could focus on. More. Moremoremore.

  This wasn’t enough. How had she even managed to keep from having sex with him before? They’d slept together naked last night. Suddenly now, she couldn’t stop herself. “Caleb…” she cried out in desperation.

  His mouth popped free of her nipple, and he kissed a path to her ear. “It’s intense. I know. I feel it too,” he whispered.

  “Why?” She swallowed, grasping at him, tugging him, begging with her body for him to take her. “Why is it different?”

  “Because you’re all in now.” His lips moved back down her neck, and he became more desperate too, scooting down her body, suckling her breasts while alternately fondling them.

  She gasped, whimpering, grasping at his hair, pulling him closer. Her pussy contracted, needing to be filled.

  Caleb moved at a fevered pace, kissing a path down her belly until he grabbed her hips, shoved her legs wider with his elbows at her thighs, and buried his face in her pussy.

  She screamed. Her hands landed on his shoulders. “Caleb.”

  He sucked her clit into his mouth and then thrust his tongue into her channel. His fingers found her folds and pulled them open, stroking her labia as he devoured her.

  The frenzy was maddening, and moments later, she was coming. Hard and fast. She couldn’t breathe or think. All she knew was the intense pleasure that washed through her with every pulse of her orgasm.

  But it didn’t subside. This need. It didn’t abate. It grew stronger.

  “Caleb.” She shoved at his shoulders. “Please. Jesus. You’re killing me.”

  He released her and lifted off her, sliding to stand on the floor.

  She sucked in oxygen, panting, trying to focus on him. What the hell was he doing? She blinked as he grabbed his jeans, patted the pockets, and then held up a condom.

  Jesus. Fuck. She wouldn’t have thought of that. Her mind was so gone for him that she would have let him take her bare and never even flinched. Thank God he had more brain cells.

  His hands were shaking as he tried to open the foil packet. He had to flip it over a few times before he was able to roll it down his thick length. Finally, he was back, his body over hers, his cock lined up with her greedy entrance. He stared at her. “Can’t hold back, baby.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t.”

  His eyes slid closed as he thrust all the way into her. A second later, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she stopped breathing. He was deep. It was tight. So fucking good. The best feeling she’d ever had. She wanted to memorize this moment, this first time with him.

  And then her emotions slammed into her, and she needed friction. “Move. God. Please. Caleb. Please.” She screamed that last word.

  He dropped his lips to hers and kissed her urgently while he pulled almost out and then slammed back in.

  She grabbed his back with her fingers, wrapped her legs around him, tried to get closer. She was insatiable. Even having sex with him wasn’t enough. She would never want to stop.

  Caleb moaned into her mouth, kissing her with so much emotion. His hand trailed down to reach between them, finding and rubbing her clit.

  She cried out against his mouth. Instantly, she was on the edge again, and there was no way to stop the tsunami. It came at her full force, forcing her body to accept it. Contract and pulse. The orgasm was even more powerful than the last one, and something in the air changed. As if they switched dimensions.

  A few moments later, Caleb plunged deep and held himself inside her. His face was tight, and he stopped breathing. She knew when he came because his body shook like hers had, in sync with the waves of pleasure as they consumed him.

  Chapter 20

  “Layla was right.” That was the first thing she could think to say when she finally managed to find her voice. Caleb was still inside her, his hands on her face, his eyes holding hers.

  “About what?” He played with a lock of her curls.

  “She said we should come to Canyon Springs and have sex with shifters because she figured they were better lovers than regular humans.”

  He tipped his head back and laughed, the vibrations shaking her body, making her want him all over again.

  She lifted her hips, grinding her sex against the base of his cock and moaning. “Lord. How could I possibly have the energy to go again?” she murmured.

  He slid his hand down her belly and found her clit. “It’s the secret potion,” he teased. “Luckily, I have an entire caldron of it at home. You’ll never stop craving me.”

  She moaned as he thrummed her swollen nub. It should have been sensitive, but instead, she didn’t want him to stop. “Part of me hopes you’re joking. Part of me hopes you’re not.”

  He laughed again as he circled her clit.

  She finally shoved at him. “Stop that. I’m turning into a nymphomaniac. I can’t think when you do that.”

  “Thinking is overrated.” He pulled his hand away though and slid out of her, his face filled with renewed bliss. “Damn, even pulling out of you feels good.” He scooted off the bed and pointed at her. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  She watched his fantastic ass as he padded across the room toward the door. He hesitated a moment, head tipped to one side, inhaling deeply. She didn’t even have to ask. He was making sure they were alone. When he opened the door and disappeared into the hallway, she sighed. The room felt empty without him, irrationally lonely.

  When he returned two minutes later, he was holding a wash cloth, and he climbed between her legs and gently cleaned her swollen flesh.

  She whimpered. “You’re going to have to lighten up on the magic potion if you ever want me to leave the bedroom.”

  He wiggled his brows as he dropped the cloth on the floor and climbed over her. “Why would I want you to leave the bedroom?”

  She giggled, reaching for him, flattening her palms on his back and his chest as he settled on his side, one leg between hers, his chin on his palm. He reached for a lock of her hair again and played wi
th hit absently. His gaze met hers, his expression serious. “The stories were right. That was powerful. I would be devastated if you left me.”

  She nodded, smoothing her hand from his chest to his cheek. “Then we won’t test it.”

  He blew out a breath. “I don’t care if it’s too soon or sounds ridiculous. I love you.”

  She nodded, choking up. “I love you too.”

  His eyes slid closed, and he smiled.

  “Hey, you never answered my question earlier.”

  “Which question was that. I was singularly focused.”

  “If we have kids, will they be able to shift?”

  “Probably. They’ll be ¾. Not a guarantee. But likely.”

  “Interesting. Not sure how I feel about that. The little rascals will be more perceptive than me and take advantage of me.”

  He drew circles absently on her chest with one finger. “I think all kids do that. By default, we’ll be ignorant. They’ll tell us every day.”

  She giggled. It was weird even contemplating children. She’d never thought much about it before. She’d been busy working. Plus, she’d never had a relationship that was serious enough to consider offspring.

  In this twisted world, she was discussing procreating with a man she’d known two days. She shook thoughts of the future from her head. There was a lot to deal with in the here and now. “Layla…” she whispered.

  “I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “I’m sure she is too. She’s stronger than me. But it feels strange that I kinda made life decisions without telling her. What if she’s not on the same page? What if she doesn’t want to stay in Canyon Springs?” Elena sucked in a breath. “What if she repeats the sins of the past and leaves me here, breaking our bond.”

  “Elena… You know her better than that. She’s not prejudiced like your grandmother was.”

  Elena sighed. “I feel bad about how much time we’ve spent together since we arrived. This was supposed to be a week of hanging out together. Laughing. Drinking. Reconnecting. We haven’t seen each other in a year. So far the only time we’ve spent together was the drive here from the airport.”

  “Well, the good news is that you don’t have to jam your reacquaintance into one week anymore.” He kissed her cheek and then nuzzled her neck.

  “Assuming she’s on the same page.” Elena chewed on her bottom lip, worrying.

  “You could call her if you want.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to mess with her own come to Jesus. I’ll just wait. Eventually she’ll come back here.”

  “I agree.”

  Elena snuggled in closer to Caleb. She’d never felt so content in her life. Home.

  She closed her eyes and took several slow deep breaths, forcing herself to relax while her heartbeat fell into sync with Caleb’s. Layla was fine. She was strong. She would make the right decisions for her. It would all be okay. It had to be. They were sisters. Elena would never let them become separated like Marge and Mabel.

  Never. It was out of the question.

  Epilogue

  Two months later…

  * * *

  “We really need to thank the service that packed up Mabel’s belongings for us. I can’t believe how organized this all is.” Elena stepped over one box in the storage unit and reached for another.

  Layla was sitting on the ground near the entrance, going through a box of papers. “You’re gonna want to see this.”

  Elena spun around to find Layla holding up a book. “What is it?”

  “A journal. Like a diary.”

  Elena’s eyes bugged open. “Seriously? Grandma Mabel’s?”

  “Yep.” Layla lowered her gaze and started flipping through the pages while Elena climbed back in her direction.

  “Holy shit,” Layla declared, loud enough that the guys showed up at the entrance. Caleb and Hunter had wandered off a few minutes before, needing to stretch their legs. In truth, they had to be bored. They’d insisted on coming with Elena and Layla to go through their grandmother’s belongings though.

  Granted, Elena hadn’t been disappointed. Even after two months, she didn’t like to be separated from Caleb for any longer than necessary. To the amusement of half the town apparently. For shifters, the intense magnetism was nothing new. They all experienced it when they met their mates, but for Elena, it was still unnerving. Just plain strange.

  “What is it?” Hunter asked as he leaned over Layla’s shoulder.

  She was scanning down the pages, flipping them every few moments. By the time Elena reached her side and plopped down on the concrete next to her, Layla was near the end of the journal. She was breathing heavily when she spoke. “Her journal reads just like Marge’s letters. Telling her sister all the things she was missing. No animosity anywhere. She was just as sad and lonely.”

  “Why did she do it then?” Elena asked, leaning over to read the page Layla was on for herself.

  “It got harder and harder over time for her to reach out and admit her stupidity. She was afraid Marge wouldn’t want to see her.”

  A tear ran down Elena’s cheek. “That’s so sad. Marge wrote the same thing in her letters. She wanted to come visit. Force Mabel to see reason over the years. But she was afraid of rejection and wouldn’t take the risk. It was especially sad after Marge’s mate died. She missed Mabel even more, but Mabel was an unknown wildcard, and Canyon Springs was Marge’s family.”

  Caleb squatted next to Elena and wrapped an arm around her. “Marge was a beloved member of the community. She was such an amazing woman. Everyone knew her. She would give a stranger the shirt off her back if they needed it.”

  Hunter nodded. “Even after Josiah died, she was never alone. People visited her every day. She had her clubs and women’s groups too. And Josiah’s family adored her. Many of their nieces and nephews ran through that house while they were growing up.”

  Elena lifted her face to Caleb and smiled through her tears. “I love having all those letters. Especially the ones she kept from her nieces and nephews when they wrote to her. I get it. She had family. She wasn’t alone.”

  Layla reached out and grabbed Elena’s hand and squeezed it. “The important thing is that the cycle breaks with you and me. We will never allow anything to come between us.”

  Elena nodded. “I keep thinking I should start a journal myself. Imagine if we had written to each other or at least sent emails for the two years we were apart. Instead, we both pretended everything was great, when really we were both struggling and unhappy. Afraid to tell each other. I hate that we were lacking so badly in communication that you sold everything and left LA when you came to Canyon Springs, and I never even knew it. I never want that lack of communication to get between us again.”

  Layla leaned in to Elena. “It won’t. I promise. No secrets. I’ll call you every day and tell you what a failure I am at acting from now on,” she teased.

  Elena laughed. “And when my book comes out, I’ll let you know how badly it’s selling.”

  Hunter chuckled. “Both of you stop it. Elena, your book is going to kick ass, no matter what anyone says. And Layla…” He cupped her face and tipped it toward his. “The kids in Canyon Springs are beyond lucky to have an actual actress working in their theater department. Don’t sell yourself short.”

  Layla sighed. “What I’m learning is that I’m woefully unprepared to work with kids. Thank God Elena will be in town to help me with my own.”

  Elena chuckled. “Kids? You pregnant?”

  “Nope. And not planning on it for a while. I’m having too much fun. Just saying. What about you?”

  Elena shook her head. “I’m too greedy with Caleb’s time still.”

  Caleb leaned closer, cupped her face, and kissed her gently. “You can be greedy and share the love you know.”

  “He’s right,” Hunter agreed.

  Elena looked at Layla and they both laughed. “Until we get Aunt Marge’s house cleaned out and figure out what to do with it, w
e don’t have time for kids.”

  If anyone would have told them two months ago that they would quit their jobs, move to Canyon Springs, and marry into a shifter community, they would have laughed their asses off. To think both those men were clamoring for kids already was beyond comical.

  Fate dealt them a strange hand. Elena hadn’t seen it coming. But she had fully embraced it. Researching for her book filled her days. Multiple rounds of sex all over the house filled her evenings.

  Eventually they would have kids. Several if Caleb had his way. But for right now, her life was rich and full. It didn’t get any better than this.

  Please enjoy the first chapter from the next book in the series, Hunter’s Mate.

  Layla glanced around her dingy apartment as she closed her suitcase and yanked it off her bed to land with a thud on the floor. It was a small, one-room, studio apartment in a not-so-great neighborhood in Los Angeles county. She’d been living there two years, ever since graduating from college.

  When she’d arrived with her brand-new theater degree, she’d had high aspirations of auditions and casting calls. She’d visualized finding an agent and pimping herself out all over the city until she got her big break.

  The idea of being on stage or in a studio dramatically pretending to be whatever the script called for had thrilled Layla from the time she was a young girl. The truth was, however, that she’d barely seen a glimpse of that action. The competition was stiff. It seemed like there were ten thousand people just like her in Los Angeles with the same degree and high hopes. All of them far more accomplished than she.

  Sure, she’d been in a few commercials and had some minor roles in the background of a movie or two, but she’d worked her ass off for two years, barely making ends meet and too embarrassed to admit defeat, even to her sister.

  Elena wasn’t just a sister. She was her identical twin. The two of them had been inseparable for their entire lives. They’d even gone to the same college. But their lives went in different directions, and though they’d promised to talk on the phone every day, their calls had gotten farther apart over the months.