Cash [Pyrate's Treasure 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

“I think we should take this conversation inside before the mosquitoes carry us away,” she said.

Cash stepped back and watched the king speak quietly to his Betas. He then waved Silver and Goldie into the little circle and continued speaking. There was a lot of head bobbing before Silver handed Zoe her shoes. Then he turned and motioned for the Betas to follow him. They disappeared around the side of the house to the gate that was the most direct route to the village.

Once his men were out of sight, Luka offered Zoe his arm. Cash ground his molars together so hard he was amazed they did not shatter under the pressure, as his mate took the king’s arm without a peek in his direction. Goldie then led the way inside, leaving Cash alone and miserably aroused on the patio. It took several long, deep breaths before Cash got himself back under control.

Entering the library less than a minute later, Cash scanned the room as he always did, assessing the situation in regards to potential threats to his Alpha as he had been trained to do since arriving on the island eighteen years ago. He had only been seven years old at the time, but Grandfather had seen something in him that screamed,
I am Beta,
just as he had seen that Goldie was to be his replacement as Alpha of the Pyrate Pack.

Goldie stood in the doorway speaking with his sister, Diamond, no doubt asking for iced tea or drinks to be brought. Zoe and King Luka were in the far corner of the room holding a soft but intense conversation. His mate did not look happy. Cash fought an urge to race to her side and step in.

What intrigued Cash even more was that the king seemed unable to take his eyes from his sister the entire time she was in the room. Once she disappeared to the hallway, he walked to where she had stood and took a deep breath. Interesting.

He jumped when Goldie took him by the arm and led him to the nearest couch. Without words but with an expression that said he
would
do as she commanded, she pointed to the far end of the couch. With a disgruntled huff, Cash sat down, but he could not look away from Zoe, as she seemed to be lecturing the king about something. Without meaning to, he listened in but could not understand a word of what she was saying, as it was in some foreign language.

A moment later, King Luka took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. He looked sad but resigned as he nodded. Obviously, whatever she said had gotten through to him.

A moment later, Diamond returned with a tray of tall glasses filled with ice, and a pitcher of iced tea. A deep growl filled the room at her appearance. It was not a threatening growl, so Cash did not immediately respond. Especially since Goldie stopped in front of him and blocked his view of the king.

Since he could not see his mate or her husband, he watched his sister. She was the youngest and most protected of the six cousins, and if he had his way, she would remain that way until she met her mate.

Diamond looked around, her eyes going wide, and she paled. She never stopped looking in the direction of where King Luka stood. He thought she shivered before setting the tray in her hand down on the first table she came to and quickly retreating.

The growling ceased as quickly as it had begun once the door was closed behind her.

Zoe left the king’s side and crossed the room with a sensuous grace that had Cash’s cock once again pushing hard at the front of his jeans. He watched closely as she came to him and sat down on the couch right beside him.

“Relax, mate,” she said, patting his knee. “Everything will be fine.”

“But you’re married,” he pointed out.

“All is not as it appears,” she responded cryptically as she ran her fingertips up the inseam of his jeans.

Cash turned his head to question her, but looking in her eyes caused the connection between brain and mouth to short out. Instead of speaking, he grunted a disbelieving, “Uh-huh.”

“You’re not much of a talker, are you?”

Cash shrugged but laid his hand over hers, where it had stopped just inches from his scrotum. “Prefer action to words.”

He met her gaze with a grin and saw that Zoe wanted to respond, but before she could, King Luka settled into the overstuffed club chair facing them over the coffee table. He still did not look happy, but at least he no longer looked like he wanted to challenge Cash to a fight to the death. He slouched back in the chair, appearing once again at ease, yet completely aware of everything that was going on in the room.

“Zoe has convinced me to step back and not dispute you claiming her as your mate,” he began. “But until another comes along, I may need to consult with her on occasion. We will work out the marriage versus mating issues later, once Zoe has made up her mind as to whether or not she will accept you as her mate.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Cash said with a nod, though the hand not laying on Zoe’s closed into a fist to keep himself restrained. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to take my mate for a walk and get to know her better.”

The king nodded and waved a hand in dismissal. “Just remember there will be no claiming of your mate until she asks you for it, and preferably after we talk again.”

Though Cash wanted to disagree, he simply stood and helped Zoe to her feet.

After nodding to the King Luka and then to Goldie, Cash led his mate from the library. Only when they reached the front door did he stop. Suddenly he was nervous about being able to maintain control once they were alone. How far could he push the boundaries without claiming her or pissing off the king?

Turning to face the woman who had followed him without hesitation or question, he looked into her eyes. The peace he saw in them seemed to leap out of her and into him, filling him as well.

“Zoe?”

“Yes, Cash.”

“I’m not royalty. I’m not rich. I doubt I ever will be. I like my life here on Pyrate Island. If we have to follow the king around for a while until he finds your replacement, I guess I can do that. I’ll put up with anything as long as I know you’re happy. Question is, will you be happy with me?”

Cash froze once he finished speaking, amazed at how much he had revealed in just a few words. Never before had he emotionally exposed himself to anyone like he just had to this woman he had just met, but already knew he would spend the rest of his life loving.

* * * *

Zoe read not only Cash’s expression, but felt the truth that resonated from his heart to her own. He would be content as long as she was. If there was one thing that she had learned from being surrounded by shifters for the past ten years, it was that mates were highly prized and treasured. Her own heart sang, confirming this was the man she had been waiting her entire life for. Cash Pyrate was her other half.

The smile she had been wearing since recognizing Cash for the mate he was widened even further. “Yes, Cash, I’m fine with all of this. The fates have brought us together to spend our lives together for a reason. Whether we are here on Pyrate Island or somewhere else doesn’t matter, as long as we are together.”

“But what about you being married?”

“Don’t worry about that. Luka and I have an understanding.”

Though he looked stunned by her easy acceptance of being mates, she felt his heartbeat speed up. A moment later, the front of his jeans twitched and tented with what appeared to be an impressive erection. She could not wait to see him naked. In the next instant, she wondered if he would be disappointed when he discovered her secret. When she lifted her gaze back to his face, she found he looked as hungry and horny as she felt.

Raising one eyebrow, she licked her lips nervously, earning a deep, sexy growl from her mate-to-be. “How about we postpone our tour of the village until later?” she said in a tone just above a whisper.

“What would you like to do instead?” he asked. From the twinkle in his eyes and the sexy grin on his lips, he had to know exactly what she was thinking.

Zoe’s heart began to gallop as she tried to remember any of the pickup lines from the erotic romance books she had read over the past few years. As a well-protected married virgin, she had a lot of book knowledge about sex but no practical hands-on experience. Then she realized she would not be able to play sexual games with Cash. First because she did not know how to, and second, because they had already moved way past the stage of flirting and sexual innuendos.

“I thought you could give me a tour of the house instead? Or maybe you could just kiss me?”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Zoe flinched and closed her eyes with embarrassment. Her tone had not been flirtatious or sexy or anything like she wanted it to sound like. She sounded as if kissing Cash would be a chore she would somehow try to get through, when she knew from looking at the man’s mouth that it would be anything but a hardship.

Her eyes flew open again when Cash gave another sexy growl before stepping closer and closing the small distance between them. She did not fight when he wrapped his arms around her, though by the dark, intense expression in his eyes, she wondered if maybe she should.

“Get it over with?” he said.

His tone rose with disbelief as he pulled her closer and closer. One arm wrapped around her waist while the other traveled up her back to slide his fingers under her hair and cup the back of her neck in his big palm. He then tilted her head back until she was looking into his eyes. “A first kiss, or any kiss for that matter, is special. I have a feeling ours will be explosive. I know I’m going to have a damn hard time keeping my hands off of you after this.”

With that gentle chastisement, Cash tilted his head slightly to the right and closed the last inch between their lips.

Zoe braced herself, half expecting him to attack and devour her from the lips down. Instead, he paused with their lips a millimeter apart. He took a deep breath through his mouth, as if pulling her essence into his lungs. When he exhaled, she breathed in, taking his breath into her body. The intimate act sent hot shivers of need through her entire being.

In the next instant, Cash brushed his lips over hers as soft and gentle as one would stroke a newborn kitten. With each pass, electricity shot out from where his skin rubbed against hers. By the third stroke, her body filled with a white-hot energy she had never felt before. She thought she felt his wolf pacing with nervous excitement, anxious to claim its mate.

Zoe was not sure how to react, though she knew she needed more than just gentle lip-to-lip contact. On his next pass, she extended her tongue so the tip stroked over his bottom lip as it slid by.

The taste of sexy, hungry man and tightly leashed wolf caused her pussy to clench and her nipples to throb with the building want. With a quick intake of breath for courage, she parted her lips further, hoping he would understand her silent message of,
more, please.

She whimpered a small sound of protest when Cash pulled back instead. Forcing her eyes open, she stared at him, trying to read his expression.

Had he figured out her secret already? Had her utter lack of experience turned him off? Or was something else at play here?

Then she heard it. Voices came from down the hall and were growing louder by the second.

“Should we hide?” she whispered, her cheeks burning.

Cash looked deep into her eyes for an eternal second and a half. Taking her hand in his, he led her away from the front door and across the foyer. Entering the first open door they came to, he pushed the door closed behind them. Looking around, Zoe thought it was some kind of formal meeting room. Except for a tall, odd-looking table in the center of the floor, the room was empty. Would the others follow them into this room as well?

Cash must have thought so. He led her around the table and through an opening in the curtains that covered the wall to their left. She followed willingly and found they were standing in a small alcove.

Once he checked to make certain the curtains had closed behind them, Cash wrapped himself around her, snugging her close so she ended up leaning against his broad chest. Zoe sighed as a feeling of security flowed over her. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. With a deep breath, she knew without a doubt that no other man’s hug would ever give her what this man, her mate, gave her.

When she looked up at him, he lowered his head and picked up where they had left off in the foyer. Only this kiss was different. Where the other was tender, this one was driven by power, hunger, and raw sexuality.

Zoe could not help but moan softly as his tongue parted her lips and drove through them like a warm wind on a cold day. The passion that had been pent up for her entire twenty-eight years exploded past the barriers she had containing it, and she returned his passion with a matching fervor.

The kiss may have been a mating of lips, teeth, and tongues, but she felt its effect throughout her body. Fire lit up every nerve ending in her being. If this was what came from a simple kiss, how would she survive having sex with her gorgeous mate?

* * * *

Cash had no idea how much time passed before he finally backed away. He wanted, no, needed to get them somewhere they would not be interrupted. The move earned him a soft growl and frown from the woman pressed so close to his body a mosquito’s wing could not come between them.