Page 20 of The Scarred Heart

“More,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “I want to see all of my beautiful mate.”

Her eyes darkened and a smile ghosted her lips. Her fingertips played over the waistband of her jeans and she undid the button and zipper, never taking her eyes from his. When they were on the floor, he reached for his own, but she took over, some of her trembling easing as she stripped him to his boxers and let his clothing land with hers. Her white panties matched the bra, simple but lovely.

He moved in close and kissed her, nibbling on her lower lip and wrapping his arms around her as she melted against him. He undid her bra and stroked her back with both hands, feeling the ridges of scars under his fingers. She stiffened immediately, but he sucked on her tongue and growled softly, never stopping the movement of his hands, and she relaxed by slow degrees until she was melting into him again. Her hands traced his back as well, finding the scars of his battles and the pain that he’d endured. It was only a shadow of her pain, though. He’d had the ability to fight; sometimes he’d simply not been the best in a match. The odds had been stacked against her from the beginning.

Her nails grazed his shoulders and they parted long enough for her to let him pull her bra off. Lifting her into his arms, he laid her gently on the bed and stretched out next to her. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps as he laid one hand on her stomach and stroked her hair with the other. He kissed her full lips, delving his tongue into her mouth, and then pressed his lips to her nose and each eyelid before kissing down her jaw to her ear.

“You’re amazing, sweetheart,” he murmured. She gripped his forearm, her nails digging in slightly, but she didn’t push his hand away as he slowly drew it up her stomach and cupped her breast. Her nipple hardened under his thumb as he rubbed circles around it. She wiggled on the bed, and he smiled to himself. He liked that she was losing herself to pleasure, and that he was the first one to touch her, to see her, this way.

He kissed down her throat to her shoulder and across her collarbone. Then he leaned over her, pressing her nipple gently between his finger and thumb and tugging lightly. He watched her face as her eyes opened; the amber had receded some, and he knew that she was getting more comfortable with him. Her wolf was slowly stepping back because Kammie didn’t need her as much.

Lowering his head, he released his hold on her nipple and pecked it briefly before slowly drawing it into his mouth. It was firm against his tongue, tightening further as he sucked on it and rested his hand on her waist, kneading the soft flesh. She inhaled deeply, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders as he left one nipple and moved to the other, licking and sucking it to tight perfection as she wiggled under him.

He lifted slightly to look at her torso, and the scars that told a story of a ravaged child and a pack unwilling to help. She tensed immediately when he began to trace one of them with his fingertip, but he stared into her eyes and let his finger memorize the shape and feel of it. She relaxed slowly as he moved from scar to scar, touching them and then moving on. He absolutely didn’t pity her. He was sorry for what she’d endured, but she was the strongest female he’d ever met, and he was proud of her for the woman she’d become.

He moved down her body slowly, kissing and touching his way to the edge of her panties. He looked up and their eyes met, hers so full of raw emotion that he felt as if she were literally offering him her heart and begging him not to hurt her.

His bear paced, wanting to both cuddle her and ravage her. He hooked her panties with his fingers and slowly drew them down her legs, then picked up one foot and pulled her sock off. Her toes were painted dark red. He kissed her toes and her instep, and she laughed. Taking the same care with her other foot, he ringed her ankles with his fingers and pushed gently, spreading her wide before him as her knees bent and her legs parted. Her pussy was beautifully bare and glistening with arousal. He moved his hands slowly up the outside of her legs, trailing patterns over her flesh until he’d touched every inch of her from ankle to thigh. He bent and kissed her knees, alternating between her parted thighs as he kissed toward her center, loving the way she trembled as he drew near. He inhaled, sorting through the scents that surrounded him and finding no trace of fear—just arousal and passion.

He parted her pussy to expose the pearl of her clit and flicked his tongue over it. He sucked on it lightly, flicking the tip with his tongue as her thighs tightened against his head. Lifting from the bud, he moved his finger quickly, rubbing it just right as she gasped and writhed under him. Her nipples pebbled tightly as her body flushed and she came, her back arching and her hands clawing at the blanket.

He slipped his hands under her, cupping her butt and lifting her to his mouth, eager to taste her. Her thighs slid over his shoulders as he tongued her core, lapping and licking, feasting on her as if she were the best thing he’d ever tasted, which she was.

He slowly lowered her body to the bed, giving her cheeks a squeeze before wrapping one hand around her thigh and pushing it wide. He stared down at her pussy as he slid two fingers into her hot, wet depths. Her pussy hugged his fingers, and he grinned, casting a glance at her to find her eyes bright amber and her fangs peeking from her parted lips as she panted for breath. She was completely aroused, her wolf riding high from her orgasm and her body primed for mating. But he wasn’t done yet. He wanted her to know he would always see to her pleasure first.

He curled his fingers inside, stroking her soft walls, watching until her body tensed and she gasped. He knew he’d found the place to make her fall apart. Rubbing his fingers over that spot, he moved his other hand to her clit and began to rub the tight bud in time to his strokes inside, driving her swiftly toward the height of pleasure. Her pussy creamed around his fingers. She grabbed hold of his arm with both hands, her nails the dark color of her wolf’s claws as she dug them into his flesh and held on.

Giving her everything he had, he concentrated on driving her to the edge and over. When she came, she screamed his name so loudly that her voice cracked and tears leaked from her closed eyes. He’d never seen anything more beautiful than his mate coming around his fingers.

She grabbed his shoulders and tugged, and he let her pull him up her body. She caged his hips with her legs as he planted his hands on either side of her head and gazed down at her. He lowered his head and kissed the tears from her cheeks first and then her mouth. Their lips parted and their tongues met, sliding and dancing together. She tugged on his lower half with her legs, and he grinned, easing from her mouth and smiling down at her.

“Make love to me, Row,” she said in a husky tone.

He growled her name as he angled his hips and his dick nudged her pussy. He kept his gaze locked to hers as he pushed inside the tight confines of her body. He wanted to close his eyes and savor every inch that he claimed, but watching her eyes glaze over with passion and happiness was far better. Sliding his arms under her as he thrust forward, he held her close while their bodies wed tightly and he buried himself to the hilt. She crossed her ankles behind his back and tugged, her hands gliding over his shoulders as he loomed over her.

He could’ve stayed there forever, buried deep and unmoving, because the feeling of her soft heat around him was the most toe-curling, amazing thing he’d ever experienced. But more powerful than that was the connection that continued to blaze between them. She was hisadara, the perfect mate for him, and this was just the beginning of their lives together.

He slid out of her slowly, his hands cupping her shoulders to hold her more closely as he pushed back in. Her knees hugged his sides as he began to move slowly in and out. Each push forward made his gums tingle, and each pull backward made him want to roar.

He began to increase his pace and she held to him tightly, relaxing into his hold as he pushed them both toward release. Her hips tilted, changing the angle of his thrusts, and he felt her pussy clench his every time his body brushed against her clit. He kissed her throat and then sucked on her flesh, feeling her pulse thunder under his tongue as they moved together, thrusting and rubbing and touching. Her thighs tightened on his waist as his fangs emerged, scraping her throat. Bears didn’t mark this way, but wolves did, and he wanted her to have everything that he could give her.

Her head tilted, exposing her throat to him, and he growled as his fangs emerged completely and the idea of marking her drove his bear nuts. He struck, burying his fangs where her neck and shoulder joined. She howled as she came, her pussy clenching his cock and pulling his climax from him. He came buried deeply in her, her body vibrating as she growled and hugged him close with her arms and legs. He eased his fangs from her neck and licked the wound as she shivered. His dick spasmed and he arched into her, which made her moan, her fingers scratching his back as she writhed.

He’d never come so hard or so much. He lifted his head from her neck and looked down at her. Her eyes were clear amber, beautiful and bright, and the connection between them deepened.

“You’re mine, Kammie.”

She blinked and tears slipped from her eyes. “You’re mine, too, Row.”

He rolled gently onto his back, bringing her with him. She lay across him limply, her face glowing with happiness. His bear rumbled its approval. Row stroked her back, gentling her from the heights of their combined pleasure.

They were starting off their new life together in the best of ways, and he couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring.

CHAPTERSIX

Kammie woke slowly, aware that she was entirely naked, with a man—also naked—holding her tightly. It wasn’t just any man who held her exposed body so close and tenderly, even in sleep; it was her mate. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, her fingertips lightly tracing the top of Row’s hand, which was planted firmly on her lower stomach, and searched for unease and fear. She didn’t find any. She was entirely comfortable with Row now, and the freedom of not worrying about him seeing her scars was liberating on a level she hadn’t expected.

Row’s hand flexed against her stomach. Her wolf growled happily as Kammie slipped onto her back and Row rose above her. He smiled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. “Morning,” he said, his voice a deep rumble that made every feminine instinct inside her cheer.

---