Emerald [Pyrate's Treasure 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (7 page)

Her arousal raced through her as he began to piston in and out of her. She could not reach him to feel his skin, so her hands moved to cover her breasts. She pinched her nipples then rolled them between two fingers. Fire shot through her body adding to the heat and power already gathered between her legs.

“Come for me, gypsy,” Nick said. He slid a finger down between her legs and flicked it back and forth over her clit.

Emerald screamed as her release rose up and slammed through her. Tingling electricity shot out from her clit through every nerve in her body. She heard Nick groan low in his chest as he thrust even deeper twice more before stilling with his cock buried as deep inside her as he could get it.

Long before she was ready to lose him, Nick eased from her pussy. She was so boneless she could not complain when he moved away. A moment later, he returned with a warm wet cloth and cleaned her up.

She was nearly asleep when he pulled the covers up and over her before crawling into bed beside her. When he pulled her into his arms, she sighed as she settled her head on his shoulder without hesitation.

Nick’s heartbeat sounded under her ear. The strong, steady sound and the feel of her mate’s arms securely wrapped around her relaxed her into a deep, well-deserved sleep.

Emerald woke slowly, feeling as if she had slept hours longer than her normal seven hours. She felt so relaxed the muscles of her body protested when she took a deep breath and tried to move. For the first time since following her passion to be a writer, she did not feel the usual franticness to jump out of bed and race to her computer. Instead, she just wanted to lie here and enjoy the soul-deep peace that filled her.

Opening her eyes, she stared across the room. It took a moment before she recognized her surroundings as Goldie’s old room. Then she recalled the events of the previous evening.

Nick.

Her mate.

She had met and claimed her life mate.

Shifting her legs, she considered getting out of bed and going to her room to fix coffee for her mate. Before she could move more than two inches, an arm she had not realized was wrapped around her tightened around her middle.

“Good morning,” a deep, dark, sleepy male voice murmured in her ear.

He shifted even closer. She could not help but smile when a half-hard cock pressed into the valley between her ass cheeks. Her thigh muscles tightened with a twinge of pain as her pussy dampened in response to his touch and his voice.

“Good morning,” she returned softly. “What time is it?”

All at once she was afraid to look at the man who would be by her side for the rest of her life.

What if he was having second thoughts about their mating? What if he no longer wanted her now that night was over? What would she do if he ran back to wherever it was he came from? Would she then be destined for a lonely life without him? Or would she waste away and die of a broken heart after he left to return to his life? Or could she find the strength to leave the precious island she had not been away from in eight years to go with him?

“Eleven-thirty,” he whispered after consulting the watch on his wrist. “Relax, Emerald. It will all work out.”

“How did you know?”

“I can almost hear the wheels turning in there.” He stroked two fingers over her temple.

Emerald lost track of her thoughts when he began dropping a line of kisses across the top of her shoulder and up her neck. She fought to hold still as his morning beard tickled her. The arm bracketing her middle shifted higher on her body, and his hand covered her breast. He made no other moves, but her nipples beaded, and her pussy overflowed with renewed hunger for her mate.

“Sleep well?” he whispered before taking her earlobe between his lips and sucking on it gently.

“Uh-huh,” she moaned.

“How are you feeling?”

“Caffeine deprived, hungry, and a little sore,” she admitted, too relaxed to consider filtering her response. She normally hid from the family until after her first cup of coffee because her brain did not fully function until then.

She squeaked when he pulled her over to lay flat on the mattress. “What are you doing?” she asked when he pulled back the covers and moved to kneel on the mattress beside her hip.

He did not answer as he began running his hands over her body. “Oh my God, you’ve got bruises,” he exclaimed when he reached her hips.

“Really? They don’t hurt,” she said.

She looked down where he was laying butterfly kisses on her skin. There were numerous bruises the size and shape of fingertips on each hip, but they did not hurt.

Once he finished anointing the discolored skin, he crawled back up her body to crouch just above her. His cock kissed her belly as he laid a trail of kisses down her forehead, nose, and cheeks before meeting her lips in a long, leisurely good morning kiss. When he finally raised his head, they were both breathing hard.

“Good morning, Emerald,” he whispered.

“Good morning, Nick,” she returned.

She slid her hands down his sides to his hips and then around to massage his ass. She hoped to light his fire even though she wondered if her body would be able to follow through with what her heart wanted.

Instead, Nick rolled away with a low groan. “Out of my bed, woman, before you start something you’re in no shape to finish right now.”

* * * *

An hour later, Emerald stopped just down the hall from the dining room for a moment to prepare herself for what she knew was about to come. She wiped suddenly sweaty hands down the sides of the short denim jumper that ended at midthigh. Nick had taken advantage of her caffeine-depleted state to talk her into a shared hot shower.

She ended up horny when he refused to participate in any sexual foreplay while they were hot and wet. Instead, he soaped them both up, and rinsed them thoroughly before he pulled her out of the shower. After drying them both completely, he pulled her behind him into her closet.

The hot water alleviated her soreness, but her brain remained fogged from the lack of caffeine. When he handed her a short blue denim dress, she agreed without thinking. She tried to argue when he helped her into it without allowing her to put on bra or panties, but he kissed her into submission.

“Knowing you’re naked under that cute little dress is going to keep me on edge all day,” he said before pulling her into his room and dressing in a pair of tan slacks and a blue button-down Oxford shirt with a pair of loafers.

“You okay?” he asked, lifting her chin so she stared into his eyes.

“I’m fine.” She dropped her gaze to his chin as she lied.

“No, you’re not,” he said before brushing a kiss across her lips. “We’ll talk later about your penchant for lying. I won’t tolerate it, and if I have to spank you to get you stop, I will.”

Emerald’s eyes flashed to his and went wide when she saw his solemn expression. “Spank me? No way are you going to spank me,” she said, her voice soft but intense.

Nick smiled, looking wolfish and dominant. “We’ll see about that. I know you’re nervous about something, but don’t worry. I can handle it. I’m known as a shark in my business circles.”

Emerald could not help the chuff of laughter. “That’s the human world, mate. You’re about to face a room full of wolves who have grown up together and taken care of each other for the last eighteen years. They’re also a little overprotective of me since—” She broke off and dropped her head to stare at the
V
of his collarbone.

“Since when, gypsy?”

Emerald shook her head, not wanting to have that discussion now. She wanted her past to stay in the past and not taint this new relationship with her mate.

“Never mind,” she said, forcing herself to smile before turning away. “I need coffee.”

She yelped when Nick swatted her left ass cheek none too gently.

“You will tell me about this, later,” he said, his voice low and growly, “or that spanking will become a reality.”

With a sigh, Emerald nodded. “All right.”

Taking his hand, she led him the rest of the way down the hall and into the dining room. She felt a burning break out over her entire body when she found her entire family had gathered for lunch. Even Goldie and her mate had joined the family. When they appeared in the doorway, all conversations stopped. Every head turned in their direction except for Silver and Edward, and no one looked happy.

“Good morning, children,” Edward greeted them with a wide smile.

“Good morning, Grandfather. Nick, this is my family. My sister, Goldie, and her mate and my cousins Caleb, Diamond, Ruby, and Cash. You’ve already met Silver and my grandfather, Edward.” Each member of her family raised their hand in response to their name. “Everyone, this is my mate, Nick Christopher.”

* * * *

Nick nodded to each of Emerald’s family as she ticked off their names, but otherwise remained silent. He felt a suspicion fill the air, especially when his woman shifted closer and her hand tightened around his. He squeezed her hand, trying to console her. For the first time since waking up with her in his arms, he felt a moment of nervousness. Though Silver and Edward each wore big welcoming grins, the others looked too solemn for what should be a happy occasion.

“Welcome to the family, Nick,” Edward said before waving to the sideboard along one wall of the large room. “Help yourself to lunch.”

“Coffee first,” Emerald murmured before releasing his hand and walking through the door on the opposite side of the room from the food.

When the swinging door closed behind her, Nick wondered if he was safe in the room of shape-shifting wolves without his mate beside him.

“So, Nick,” Goldie asked, sounding too casual as she looked across the table at him. “What brings you to Pyrate Island?”

Nick cut a look at Silver, who suddenly found his half-empty plate very interesting.

“I came to discuss some business with Emerald. Someone submitted several of Emerald’s stories to me. When I asked her to come to my office for a meeting to discuss her future as an author, I was informed that if I wanted a meeting I had to come here. So, here I am.”

“What do you do? Where do you come from?” Diamond asked, not trying to disguise the suspicious tone in her voice.

“I’m a literary agent. I live and work in New York City,” Nick answered as Emerald pushed open the kitchen door. She carried a large mug between her hands.

His gaze went to her when she stopped halfway through the door. She met his gaze, and her eyes widened. Then she went pale and her hands began to shake.

Cash was next. “Are you going to make Emmy go back there with you now that the two of you are mates?”

That gave Nick a moment of pause. Since meeting his mate, he had given no thought to the future, his career, or anything beyond scratching the horny itch that still plagued him since looking into her angelic face.

Instead of answering the question, he rounded the table, stopping long enough to shake Edward’s hand. “If you don’t mind, sir, Emerald and I need to talk before your family finishes this interrogation.”

Edward glanced from him to the open kitchen door and back again. “Go,” he said with a regal nod.

“Thank you,” Nick said.

He continued around the table, but before he reached the doorway, it silently swung closed again. Pushing through the doorway, he followed his black-haired gypsy across the kitchen. She put one mug down in order to open the door before walking out onto the patio. He picked up the mug and took a deep breath of the steam before taking a sip.

Stepping through the door, he pulled the door closed and crossed the patio to where Emerald stood staring out into the woods.

“My mate is a literary agent who lives and works in New York,” she said softly.

“And mine is a beautiful writer of extraordinary children’s books. What’s the problem?” Nick could feel eyes watching them from the house and decided they needed a bit more privacy for what might be the most delicate and important negotiations of his life.

Wrapping his free arm around her shoulders, he urged her to walk with him. Since he did not know the woods and had no destination in mind except to be alone with his mate so they could talk, he allowed her to pick a path that led into the woods.

The longer they walked, the more panicked Emerald grew. How was she supposed to keep her mate if he lived and worked five hundred miles away? Would he expect her to leave and go with him to the city? How would she survive in a city with all those strangers?

They had both finished their coffee by the time they reached a small clearing in the woods. To one side of the sandy area sat a bench where her grandfather often came to be alone and think. On the other were several logs where the cousins would sit when they came with him and he shared stories of their family. She was not surprised when Nick led her to the bench and sat down.

When she moved to sit beside him, he pulled her so she landed on his lap. He swung her feet so they rested on the bench beside his hips and she sat across his thighs. When she squirmed to escape, he wrapped one arm around her back. His other hand slid between her thighs to hold her in place.