Taming His Mate (3 page)

“Ladies, can I have a moment of privacy with
my mate?” He barely registered the gruff voice as his own.

The pair giggled and scurried from the
restroom, whispering to each other. He flipped the lock on the
bathroom door then set his mate on the bathroom counter. Before one
enraged word left her throat, he slammed his lips over hers.
Roughly spreading her legs apart, he moved in between her thighs,
shoving his hard, denim-covered erection against her center the
same time his tongue plunged inside her mouth.

Far from the reaction he expected out of her,
she arched into him and wrapped her legs around his waist. She sank
her fingers into his short hair and ground herself against the
bulge in his pants.

Devouring her mouth, he kissed her with every
bit of passion she evoked in him. Their tongues tangled in a
delicious duel, replacing every shred of fury pumping through his
bloodstream with white-hot lust.

Holy fucking shit, she was a living flame in
his arms.

Stephen’s hands went to the waist of her
jeans and popped the metal tab free. He slid his hand beneath the
lacey band of her panties, and nearly came in his pants when he
brushed over the smooth, heated skin of her sex. Fuck, he couldn’t
wait to taste that silken flesh.

When he ran his fingers along the seam of her
damp pussy and pressed his palm against her clit, she tore her
mouth free from his.

“We have to stop.” Kate balled the hem of his
shirt in her clenched hands.

Yeah, they needed to stop, but for an
entirely different reason than she imagined.

Not above using devious means to get what he
wanted, he’d made it his business to know about the men she’d
casually dated when she was younger. There wasn’t a doubt in his
mind his little mate was still a virgin. With that in mind, he
wanted their first time to be memorable. For her to know she’d only
ever receive pleasure in his arms. Even though his dick was ready
to burst, she deserved more than a quick fuck in a public
restroom.

Stephen pulled back and huffed out a shaky
breath, stirring the hairs at the top of her head. He leaned his
forehead against hers.

“I want to make love to you, Kate.” Unable to
resist, he continued to caress her clit with light strokes.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head
against the mirror behind her. “We can’t.”

Lowering his head, he nuzzled the side of her
neck and kissed his way up to her mouth. “Why not, Sunshine? Let me
love you.”

Kate moved her hips against him and pulled
his face to hers. He obliged, seizing her lips with a carnal kiss.
Her passionate response addled his self-control.

Christ, he wanted to feel her touch.

Stephen eased his fingers from her damp heat
and worked the button and zipper of his jeans open. When his cock
sprang free of its restraint, he released her mouth with one last
nip. His hands settled over hers on his chest, and he guided one
down to his hardened length. Her fingertips tentatively brushed the
swollen head, and he groaned and tugged her against his body.

Then she squirmed from in between him and the
counter, moving toward the door. Terrified he’d harmed her in some
way, he turned to face her with his arms lifted in the air. Tears
gathered in her hazel eyes as she fumbled with the button on her
jeans. He took a step toward her to right whatever wrong he’d
done.

“No!” She threw out a shaky hand to ward him
off. “I’m sorry, but this was a mistake.”

He could only gape as she backed toward the
door, threw the lock, and bolted from the women’s restroom. When he
snapped out of his stupor, he wondered if he’d grown a second head
and glanced down at his straining erection.

What the fuck just happened?

Then it hit him. She was running away from
him,
again
. Damn it, she wasn’t getting away from him
tonight if his aching balls were any testament.

With no small amount of discomfort, he shoved
his dick back into his pants and zipped up then went in pursuit of
his runaway mate for the last fucking time.

Kate’s cheeks burned as she pushed through
her grinning packmates to the safety of the front door. Of course,
the entire bar had witnessed Stephen haul her into the
bathroom.

She escaped to the cool night air outside.
Sucking in several steadying breaths, she chastised herself for her
lack of control. What the hell had she been thinking?

One look, one damn touch, and she was ready
to toss all her inhibitions out of the window and surrender to
Stephen. To give in to something that could never last between
them. Crap, she had to get out of here before she did something
foolish like run straight back into his arms.

Kate rushed across the street to her car
parked two blocks away. She lowered her head as she walked, digging
in her pants pocket for her keys. Preoccupied, she slammed into a
solid chest. With an apology on her lips, she glanced up into a
face she’d never laid eyes on. A face she recognized as human. One
that didn’t belong in the small, protected shifter town of Los
Lobos. Every alarm in her body blared a warning.

Whether she could shift or not, she still had
an obligation to protect the pack’s secrecy at all costs. She spun
to head back to the bar, but another two equally large human males
stood behind her. She darted her gaze around, but the three
strangers moved in closer, effectively blocking her escape.

“Where you going, sweetheart?” The human in
front of her laughed and tugged a lock of her hair. “We just wanted
to ask you a few questions, that’s all.”

Panic kicked her heart rate into overdrive.
She tried to move aside, but one of the men behind her grabbed her
upper arms, his fingers digging into her flesh hard enough to leave
bruises. The man in front of her stepped closer, an angry sneer
marring his ugly face.

“You Los Lobos folks aren’t too hospitable,
are ya?” His face radiated a menace that scared the shit out of
her. She might have a chance against one, but there was no way she
could take on three men with any odds of success. If only she could
shift….

“A friend stopped here a few weeks ago, and
we haven’t heard from him since. Mind telling me if you’ve seen
him?”

Despite the fear thrumming through her body,
she glared at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. No
one’s passed through here recently.”

“Somehow, I don’t think I believe you,
sweetheart. We’ve been watching this town for a while.”

The grip on her arms tightened, preventing
her from pulling free. It was evident she wouldn’t make it to the
bar, so she did the next best thing. She screamed at the top of her
lungs. The human piece of shit in front of her slapped a rough hand
over her mouth, cutting off her yell.

“I know for a fact Marston was here. I spoke
to him while he was camped in the woods on the north side of town a
few weeks ago.” His hot breath reeked of garlic and whiskey, and
Kate gagged behind the hand over her mouth. “That’s right. I
know
there are strange, unnatural things happening in this
town, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. And you’re going to
tell me what the hell I want to know one way or another.”

His cruel gaze swept over her body, making
her skin crawl. He raised his other hand to cover her chest,
squeezing her breast in a painful grasp. “You’re a pretty little
thing, you know. How about we have a bit of fun, John?”

“Get the fuck away from her.”

Kate had never been so elated to hear
Stephen’s voice than she was in that moment.

The bastard’s hands fell away, and the grip
on her shoulders disappeared. Off balance and shaken, she would’ve
fallen on her face had Stephen’s strong arms not wrapped around
her. She sagged against him as he led her to where her brother,
Damien, Gee, and a few other imposing members of their pack had
gathered. Each man wore the mask of a predator, waiting for any
excuse to rip into the human males who’d trespassed onto their
territory and touched one of their own.

One of the humans raised his hands in
surrender. “We’re just looking for our friend. That’s all.”

Stephen shoved Kate behind his back, and she
clung to him like a lifeline.

“I don’t give a shit what the hell you’re
looking for. Get the fuck out of Los Lobos. You’re not welcome
here.”

The man who’d threatened her straightened his
shoulders. “We’re not leaving until we get the answers we came
for.”

Behind her, a low growl pierced the air. With
his brows lowered in a scary-ass glare, Gee took an intimidating
step forward. “I’d advise you to get the fuck out of our town.”

Narrowing his eyes, the human scanned their
group. “I’ll see ya around.”

No one budged a single muscle until the trio
of humans loaded into their SUV parked across the road and sped
down the dark stretch of highway leading to Collins. Intuition told
Kate this wasn’t the last they would see of the men.

Had Marston somehow managed to tell others
what he’d witnessed in the woods before the pack made the asshole
disappear for good? They knew far more than they should. Their open
hostility was a clear indication. These had to be the hunters
Stephen spoke of a few days ago.

Before she could think more of it, Stephen’s
concerned face filled her vision.

“Are you alright?” His warm palm cupped her
cheek.

Regardless of her best effort not to cry,
tears welled in her eyes. “I’m okay. Just a bit shaken.” She bit
her lip. “They know something, Stephen. What if they come
back?”

The next instant she was crushed against his
chest. “It’ll be alright. The pack’s protected, and I won’t ever
let anything happen to you, Sunshine.”

His tender words unleashed a tide of despair
in her. With her head tucked against his neck, tears continued to
track down her cheeks. She wanted to apologize for running away
from him. For not having the ability to protect herself like other
shifters. And more important, for not being the mate he
deserved.

Kate pushed away from him and dried her eyes
with her shirtsleeves. “I just want to go home.”

“I’ll take you.”

She glanced up. “I can drive myself.”

The muscle along his jaw ticked, and he wore
an expression that cautioned her not to argue. “I said I’ll take
you.”

Since there would be no changing his mind,
she simply nodded. The shifters around them closed ranks.

Jace touched her elbow. “You okay?”

She nodded and opened her mouth to answer,
but Stephen cut her off. “I’m taking Kate home, so she can get some
rest. We’ll stop by tomorrow and pick up her car.”

“Michelle and I can take her.”

“No.” Stephen leveled a hard stare at her
brother, who answered with a lift of his brows.

Gee rolled his eyes. “Since you don’t need me
any longer, duty calls.” He lumbered back inside the bar, followed
by a chuckling Damien who saluted as he filed passed.

Jace placed a kiss on her forehead. “Call me
if you need me.”

Kate allowed Stephen to lead her down the
sidewalk to his truck. His deep blue eyes never left hers as he
settled her in the passenger seat and secured her seatbelt.

“I’m not leaving you alone tonight.” He ran
the back of his forefinger over her cheek.

Before she could protest, he slammed the door
and crossed in front of the truck, his intense gaze locked on her
the entire way. The weight of his stare sent a nervous flutter to
her lower belly.

She leaned her head against the headrest and
closed her eyes. For once, she wasn’t sure she could resist Stephen
tonight.

***

Surprisingly, Kate hadn’t argued when he’d
brought her to his home rather than hers. After her numerous
reassurances she was fine, he’d retreated into his bathroom to
shower in the hopes he’d shake some of his unspent tension, but to
no avail. His muscles pulsed with the need to punch something or
someone. Specifically, the assholes who’d dared to touch his
mate.

Stephen swiped the fog away from the bathroom
mirror, leaned against the sink, and stared at his reflection.
Anxiety stood out in the lines of his face while his dilated pupils
almost dominated the splash of color in his eyes. Below the
surface, his restless Wolf paced. As he struggled to maintain his
control, his body vibrated with tension.

He tried to dispel the image of that human
bastard’s hands on her from his mind, but it was no use. Every
primal instinct inside him demanded blood. There was no question of
whether or not his and the man’s paths would cross again. Stephen
would make certain they did. The Collins bastard had sealed his
fate when he’d laid his hands on Kate.

Straightening, Stephen grabbed a towel,
wrapped it around his waist, and opened the bathroom door.
Immediately, his gaze fell on Kate’s sleeping form in his bed.
Faced away from him, she lay curled on her side in the same
position he’d left her in before his shower.

Stephen moved to the empty side of the bed
and eased down on top of the covers, careful not to wake her. He
couldn’t bring himself to leave her side. His gaze swept over the
dark hair spilling across his pillow, then traced the feminine line
of her body down to the gentle swell of her hips.

Shifter men notoriously guarded their mates,
and Stephen was no different. Even though he’d not claimed Kate
yet, she was still his to honor and protect. If something had
happened to her tonight, he would’ve lost it altogether.

The bed shifted beneath him, and fabric
rustled as she turned to face him. The bathroom light he’d left on
illuminated her features in the darkened room. Her tired eyes
focused on him, and she laid her hand on his bare chest. He closed
his eyes for a moment, savoring the soft touch.