Chapter 12
12
CONNOR
Ben kissed me hard and leaned against my chest. His tongue teased between my lips and then invaded when I gave him room. He wrapped his arms around my neck and held me still while he plundered my mouth with his tongue.
I groaned, and he pulled back. "You can't just say things like that and then kiss me like that," I said. "I'll come too soon."
His laugh sounded downright wicked, and he kissed me again. "I've heard stamina only improves with practice."
"I hope so." I kissed him this time, cupping his cheeks. "Lots and lots of practice."
"You didn't exactly answer me about being a virgin," he whispered against my lips after another tiny kiss.
I tried to get some distance between us and only managed to knock my head against the padded leather headboard. "My best friend growing up was a beta. We fooled around a lot, and he was my first everything. Since then, it's been mostly betas and the occasional alpha when I'm desperate to be topped."
"You weren't joking about being vers?"
"Why would I joke about that?"
With wide eyes and mouth working a mile a minute, he spoke in squeaks and squawks, none of which made sense.
"You're my mate," I said. "I want to be honest with you. Always."
He frowned. "I don't know what being mates means yet. I read it, but it still seems surreal." He sat back on his heels and pulled on the hem of his shirt. "I can tell you I want to be your mate, and I'll do my best to tell you the truth, too."
"And right now, you want to fuck me?"
His lips curved into the sweetest smile I'd ever seen. "Definitely. Let me get a condom."
I slid down the bed, repositioning him as I went so his legs were between my spread ones.
"We don't need a condom," I said once we were settled. "Shifters don't get human diseases, and I can't get pregnant."
He kissed me again, stealing my breath as he claimed me more thoroughly than any mating mark could.
"I need you naked, Connor."
He sat up to unbutton his shirt, and I did the same. Then, he hopped off the bed, displaying his backside to me as he shucked off his pants and underwear all at once. He stayed bent over to remove his socks, and I forgot what I was doing.
"Connor," he chided when he stood. "Pants. Off. Now."
This was really happening. Ben followed my every move as I unhooked the button of my corduroy pants, unzipped the zipper over my rock-solid cock, and tried to slide my pants and briefs down my hips at the same time, like he did. My cock got stuck in my waistband, and then it slapped my belly with a hard thwack.
Instead of laughing, Ben still looked like he was the wolf in this relationship, and he wanted to eat me up.
"It's been a while," I whispered. "Go easy on me?"
"I'm going to take my time," Ben promised, kneeling on the bed to help me kick off the rest of my clothes. He positioned himself between my legs and stroked his cock while he stared down at me. "You're so gorgeous."
I grinned up at him. "No, you are."
He stroked his cock again, and his other hand snaked behind him, returning with slick-covered fingers. "Will this be all right?"
"Better than," I said. I hoped the words made sense to him, because they seemed like nonsense in my brain mush. My mate wanted to paint me with his slick, and then his cum, and I was here for it.
His slick had cooled a little by the time he made it to my puckered hole. When he smeared it around my rim, I instantly relaxed.
"More." I sounded needy, but I didn't care. I needed him inside me.
"I've got you, baby."
Ben's eyes widened at the term of endearment, but I loved it. "Yes. I'm your baby, your cum slut, whatever you need tonight."
"Baby," he repeated. "I think we'll stick with that, for now."
Did it seem odd for a man several inches shorter than me to call me baby? Not at all, especially since he was my mate.
He eased a finger inside, and I squirmed, trying to take in more than he was giving me.
"Need more," I whispered.
"I don't want to hurt you. You're the one who said to go slow."
"I was wrong," I whined.
He laughed and inserted another finger. The stretch burned a little, but then it turned to pleasure when his fingers ghosted over my prostate.
We repeated the same pattern again when he inserted a third finger, a little burn at first but then immense pleasure when he curled all three fingers. I almost launched off the bed.
"Please, please, please," I blubbered.
His fingers vanished, leaving me open and aching. He swiped them along his crack and returned to coat his cock with a generous dose of slick.
"Gonna make it good for you, babe," he said.
I'd never been anyone's baby, babe, anything before. I wasn't too proud to admit I loved it. Whatever Ben wanted to call me, I wanted him to keep going.
"Please," I whined as he lined up with my entrance.
"I've got you." He leaned over me, using gravity to aid him as he sank into me. He tucked his knees under my ass and shoved a pillow under my back with an apologetic grin. "Sorry. It's been a while since I've done this."
"Same," was the only word I could muster. In my head, I was still begging him to fill me up already. I helped as best I could, pulling my knees up and to the sides to give him better access to my ass.
He took my invitation, stretching his legs out behind him and sinking the rest of the way inside me. He pinned my cock between us, which felt so good when he pulled back.
"Ready for me to move?"
"Yes!"
He laughed and snapped his hips. "Like that?"
"Again. More. Harder."
Ben's gaze morphed from trepidation to bliss in a few strokes. "You feel amazing, baby. So tight on my cock."
I canted my hips to meet each thrust and closed my eyes to enjoy the glide of his cock in and out of me. Artificial lubricants had nothing on my mate's slick. It felt so good inside me.
He lifted on one elbow, changing the angle. I dropped my hands from his shoulders to his hips, pulling him tight against me. His cock hit my prostate just right, sending chills through my entire body.
I loved the sound of our bodies slapping together and the delicious smell of sex and slick as Ben neared his release. When he took my cock in hand, I saw stars behind my eyelids.
"Not gonna last, babe," he said. "Need you to come with me."
"F-u-u-ck." His words brought me to the edge, along with the glide of his thumb over the head of my cock as he nailed my prostate.
The stars were back behind my eyelids as pleasure roared through me, and hot cum jetted between us.
Ben's hip movements stuttered, and then he froze above me with a grunt.
My eyes were a little misty when I opened them. I cupped the back of his head and pulled him down for a kiss. He flopped on top of me, trapping my cock and expanding knot between us.
He chuffed a laugh. "Your knot tickles, baby."
"You wouldn't say that if it was inside you."
He groaned. "Is it weird that I want it now? I've dreaded having sex with an alpha all my life because they would want to knot me, but yours …"
He rolled off me, onto his side, and grasped the thickening girth near the base. His gaze was full of fire. "Do you have any alpha condoms in your fanny pack? If not, I can grab some at the lodge."
"We promised to stay here tonight," I reminded him.
He flopped onto his back with a sigh.
"We should sleep, anyway," I said. "It's been a long couple of days."
"When we get home," Ben promised, "I want this," he wrapped his fingers around my knot again, giving it a stroke, "inside me."
"Anything you want."
He rolled back toward me, resting his head on my shoulder and draping his leg over my cock, pinning it once more. "You mean that."
I couldn't really remember what I'd said, so I grunted in agreement.
"You'd do anything for me, even go back to Phoenix?"
"If that's what you wanted," I said. "I don't want to go. I would probably end up moving to California to be closer to you, but I wouldn't stalk you or anything. I'd just hope I came across your scent now and then."
"That's depressing." His breath ghosted across my chest when he laughed. "I don't want you to go back to Phoenix, either. I was thinking of setting you up in a hotel in Laguna Niguel while we get everything sorted between us."
"That sounds wonderful." It wasn't living with Ben, but it was the next best thing. I had permission to stay in his orbit. That was good enough for me.