Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
COLT
I n the distance the thunder rolled. The sky had darkened, and lightning flashed. The second time the thunder crashed, sounding as if it were right on top of her, she flinched.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart? Scared of a little storm?” Colt’s tone was teasing, but his eyes searched hers for something deeper.
“No,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the sound of the storm that was brewing. “But how you make me feel? That’s another story.”
“No need to feel afraid. I will shelter you from whatever storms the Texas range might throw at you. You will always be safe with me.” His fingers brushed hers, a spark that had nothing to do with the lightning flashing outside.
“Damn you, Colt.” It was a whisper meant for the thunder, for the rain, for the horses quietly munching their feed behind them. But most of all, it was meant for the man who made her forget the storm raging outside, focusing instead on the one brewing between them.
Colt backed away, unhitching the horse and putting it away before returning to her. His hand reached out and wrapped around her arm with a strength that left little doubt as to what was going to happen. Before she could speak another word, he drew her close and his lips crashed against hers, fierce and demanding. Briar’s mind urged her to push him away, but her traitorous body refused to comply. Instead, she parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slip inside, teasing, insistent, and she melted into the kiss like ice under a relentless sun.
Without breaking contact, Colt stripped her out of her clothes, rendering her as naked as he was. He scooped her up in his arms and felt her pulse racing wilder than the wind outside. Before she could protest, he grabbed a clean blanket and laid it down, creating a bed of sorts. He wanted to make her comfortable, but the truth was, he’d been dreaming of this moment from the moment she’d entered the dining hall.
“Stop,” she whispered against his mouth, even as her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer. It was a feeble attempt, a token protest he was sure she knew he’d ignore. She was his and she would surrender to the hunger he’d denied for so long.
Colt’s hands were quick and deliberate, pulling her down onto the soft blanket. His fingers, calloused from work on the ranch, traced the curve of her neck as his lips blazed a trail behind his fingers, igniting fires along her collarbone.
“God, Briar,” he groaned as her mouth followed her fingertips, tasting his skin as if it were some fine cuisine she meant to savor. He knew he tasted of salt and sweat, a flavor that spoke of sun-soaked days working in the elements.
His touch was relentless, teasing her nipples into tight peaks, his fingers mirroring the movements of her own as she explored the expanse of his chest. His rough hands slid up the inside of her leg to her sex. He slid two fingers inside her while his palm pressed against her clit, a motion that made her undulate her hips in response.
Her hand snaked down his torso to wrap around his cock, hard and ready, an affirmation of his own need. His flesh was hot and pulsing in her grip, and she seemed to revel in the power of having him unravel beneath her touch.
“Fuck, Briar,” he hissed, head thrown back as if in agony. “You’re killing me. You know that?”
“Then let’s die together,” she whispered fiercely, locking eyes with him.
“Briar,” he breathed out, knowing there would be no stopping now—at least not until they’d both found their release in the storm of what lay between them.
The moment her hand wrapped around him, something in Colt shifted. His fingers continued their relentless dance inside her, driving her to the edge of sanity. The way she stroked his cock matched the rhythm of his fingers, firm and insistent, and he reveled in the power she exerted over him. He let the control slip from his grasp a little bit with every caress.
“Keep going,” he urged between labored breaths. “Just like that…you might make me come right here, but I’ve got a much better idea.”
He didn’t give her a chance to think about what that better idea might be. The coil in his belly tightened, pleasure building to an almost unbearable intensity. He suckled at her nipple, using his fingers to increase her pleasure. Colt whispered encouragement, urging her on, until she arched her back and gasped, her pussy clamping down on his fingers, as she cried out and waves of ecstasy washed over her.
Colt silenced her cries with a deep kiss, swallowing the sounds of her release, his own hand slick with proof of her undoing. He rolled to his back and pulled her on top of him.
“Perfection,” Colt groaned as Briar positioned herself over his cock and slowly sank down his length, taking all of him.
He began to move, each stroke up making him groan as her eager hips moved back down to impale herself on him over and over. Colt watched her, his lips hot and wet from the kisses she bestowed on him each time she seated herself. She leaned over him, her hands on his shoulders, taking him deeper inside.
“I don’t know how you ride a horse, baby, but you can ride me anytime,” he murmured, his hands gripping her hips and controlling her movements. She smiled and fought to take his length faster, harder, and deep as she could.
“Colt,” she moaned with a sigh, one that echoed the emotions that were swirling within them both. But none of that mattered. For the moment, they were simply two people caught in a storm of their own making, each wanting and needing the other more than they had tried so hard to deny.
The rhythm of their movements became a language of their own, each roll of her hips a word, every thrust of his a sentence. Colt’s hands were firm on her waist, guiding her, urging her into a dance as old as time. She leaned into him, his desire palpable in the way he devoured her with his eyes before his attention dropped to where her body welcomed his touch most.
“Ah, Briar,” he muttered, fingers slipping between them, finding that sweet spot that turned her moans into cries. His touch was different now, more insistent, demanding even, as if he could coax her pleasure from her with sheer will.
“More, Colt.” The words escaped her without thought, her focus narrowing to the sensations he elicited from her core, amplified by the tightness of her sheath around him. Nothing had ever felt so exquisite or so right in his whole damn life.
“Damn, girl,” he groaned, his free hand leaving her hip to capture her breast, leaning up so his mouth could follow suit. The swirl of his tongue on the tip of her nipple made her shiver, and he found himself losing form and thought as she unraveled again beneath his touch.
She wasn’t some sheltered maiden. She knew what was at stake, but in this moment, nothing existed beyond the stable walls, nothing beyond the heat of their bodies entwined. Briar collapsed forward, bracing herself against his chest as his lips latched onto her other nipple, sending jolts of ecstasy straight to her core.
“You’re going to make me come, Briar,” he gasped between kisses, his voice strained with the effort of holding back. “But I can’t stop watching you. You’re so beautiful like this.”
“Then don’t stop,” she whispered back, her voice a ragged plea.
He was past caring, past reasoning. There was just the two of them and the relentless pursuit of release. Their movements grew desperate, frantic, as if they were chasing the storm outside, racing it to its peak. When he felt that familiar sizzle at the base of his spine, he knew his time had run out as he gasped for air, his heart pounding like it wanted to break out of his chest. The shavings beneath them shifted in protest as they defied the storm outside. Colt’s hands, rough and urgent, gripped her hips, guiding her, urging her on.
“Briar,” he panted, his voice a husky whisper that made her tremble despite the heat between them. “I need you. I can’t hold on.”
“Then don’t,” she breathed, bending low over him. Her lips found the salt of his skin, tasting the stormy mix of sweat and desire as she licked a path along his neck, catching his earlobe gently between her teeth. With a flick of her tongue, she whispered the command that would unleash them both. “Come.”
It was like she’d lit a fuse. Colt bucked beneath her, his control snapping as he let out a guttural moan. His body tensed, and then he shattered, releasing himself into her in hot, pulsing waves. She seemed to feel each spasm and part of him soared at the way they seemed to complete each other.
“God, Briar.” he groaned, his eyes locking onto hers, green, stormy and full of wonder.
“Shh,” she soothed, riding him through it, making sure he gave her everything he had to give.
The barn creaked around them, settling back into calm as the storm passed over. But within these walls, a new tempest was just beginning.
Colt’s guttural cry ripped through the quiet of the stable, raw and primal. His back arched off the blanket, muscles straining, as he drove up into her one final, decisive time. His breath hitched, chest heaving, riding out the last wave of their storm together.
“Briar,” he gasped, his eyes fluttering open to meet hers.
He nodded without another word and helped her to disentangle herself from him, the cool air of the barn a stark contrast against his heated skin. Standing up, he pulled her to her feet, clutching her face between his hands and giving her a passionate kiss. He grabbed a denim shirt that was hanging outside the stall and wrapped it around her. Lifting her in his arms, he strode from the barn, heading toward the house.
Colt held Briar close against his chest as he climbed the stairs, each step solid and purposeful. Her warm body was cradled in his arms, her scent—a mix of lavender, earth, and something uniquely her—filling his lungs. It soothed the primal part of him, the part that had surged to the surface the moment she’d tried to leave him. His wolf hummed with satisfaction. She was right where she belonged.
He kicked open the door to his room, the hinges groaning in protest, and carried her inside, setting her gently on the edge of the bed. The denim shirt he’d draped around her hung loose, slipping slightly off her shoulder, giving him a glimpse of her soft skin. His pulse quickened at the sight, but he forced himself to stay focused.
She needed answers—and so did he.
Colt walked back to the door and closed it behind them. He returned to the bed, crouching in front of her, resting his hands on her bare thighs. The heat of her skin seeped into his palms, grounding him, but also reminding him how close he’d come to losing her. His wolf snarled at the thought, still riding the edge of frustration.
“I’m sorry about Elle,” he said, his voice low, steady. “She’ll be dealt with. She had no right to say those things to you.”
Briar crossed her arms, her brow arched skeptically. “Dealt with?”
He nodded, his jaw tight. “She won’t interfere again. Not with us.” His gaze darkened. “I should’ve shut that down sooner, but I didn’t. That’s on me.” He ran his thumb gently along her knee, soothing, but his voice was laced with steel. “But she won’t be a problem anymore.”
Briar’s lips pressed into a thin line, doubt lingering in her eyes. “You can’t just say that.”
Colt’s wolf surged beneath his skin, ready to tear through anyone foolish enough to stand between him and his mate. He smiled grimly. “You forget, I am alpha. Elle has been a problem for a while, and I should have sent her away long before now.”
“I don’t want to be the cause of her being banished…”
“You won’t be. Elle is responsible for what she did—no one else.”
The truth was simple: there was no engagement, no promises to anyone else. Briar was the only one who mattered. She always had been, even before he knew who she was or understood exactly what she was to him.
He shifted closer, sliding his hands up her thighs to her waist, watching her carefully. “But before we go any further, I need to know something.” His voice dropped, rough with intensity. “Do you understand what it means to be claimed by an alpha wolf?”
Her breath caught, but she held his gaze. He saw the flicker of fear, of uncertainty—but beneath it was something else, something deeper.
“I know,” she whispered, her voice steady even as she rested her hands on his shoulders.
A slow grin spread across his face, satisfaction curling through him. “Good,” he murmured.
Her lips parted, and for a brief second, he saw the war inside her—the tug-of-war between reason and instinct, between fear and desire. And he knew, right then, that it didn’t matter what she tried to tell herself. She felt it, too.
He leaned in, brushing a kiss along the curve of her jaw. “I’ve waited long enough, Briar,” he whispered, his breath warm against her skin. “I’m done waiting.”
She didn’t push him away. In fact, she seemed to melt, the tension in her shoulders loosening as his lips moved from her jaw to her mouth. He kissed her slowly, savoring the taste of her—like wild honey and magic, like something he’d never be able to get enough of.
When he pulled back, she looked dazed, her green eyes wide, her breath shallow.
“You’re not as surprised as I thought you’d be,” Colt murmured, his thumb tracing the curve of her bottom lip.
Briar blinked, a small, wry smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I’m a witch. I knew things like shifters existed. I just never thought I’d meet one.”
Colt chuckled, his wolf rumbling in approval. “Well, now you’ve met one,” he said softly, brushing a stray curl from her face. “And you’re mine.”
Her expression flickered—uncertainty mingling with something he couldn’t quite name. “You know... a witch and a shifter... it’s forbidden.”
Colt grinned, unbothered by her warning. “Good thing I don’t give a damn about rules.”
Her brows lifted, clearly caught off guard by his bluntness.
“As alpha,” he continued, his voice low and sure, “I make the rules. And anyone who doesn’t like it?” He gave a slow shrug, his grin widening. “They can be damned.”
The disbelief in her eyes was almost comical, but beneath it, Colt could see something else—something he’d been waiting for. A spark of acceptance, of surrender.
He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against hers. “You’re my fated mate, Briar,” he whispered, the words rough with emotion. “And I’ll be claiming you.” He paused, his golden eyes steady on hers. “I’ll give you a little time to wrap your head around it, but not too much.”
Her breath hitched, and Colt felt the tension between them shift, crackling with a dangerous kind of energy.
“I mean it,” he murmured, his voice low and full of promise. “You’re mine. And I’m not waiting much longer.”
Briar stared at him, her green eyes wide, her lips slightly parted. For a moment, he thought she might argue—might try to push him away again.
But instead, she leaned forward, her arms wrapping around his neck as she kissed him. It wasn’t tentative or unsure—it was full of fire, of passion, of everything she hadn’t been able to say with words.
Colt groaned into the kiss, pulling her closer, his hands roaming over her curves with the kind of possessiveness that came from knowing she was his, and his alone. When they finally broke apart, Colt could feel his heart pounding as his wolf howled in triumph.
“Elle can wait,” Colt murmured, his voice a low growl. “Right now, it’s just you and me.”
He crawled up onto the bed beside her, scooping her up in his arms and cradling her against his chest like she belonged there—and she did. Briar let out a soft, breathless laugh, her hands clutching at his shoulders.
“You’re impossible,” she whispered, but there was no heat in her words—only affection.
“Maybe.” Colt grinned, his eyes dark with promise. “But I’m yours.”
And with that, he leaned down and kissed her, ready to show her just how serious he was.