Her Mates (2 page)

* * * *

She kept glancing up at him through her long, thick lashes. His dusty trail-worn clothes were well made, though very dirty. He looked like any other mountain man who flooded the towns she had been in recently. She had many propositions from these mountain men to go with them to their home for about every job imaginable. She was down to her last dollar, and something about this man instilled trust. She didn’t understand the reasoning. He even smelled good, for goodness sakes, which was odd.

“Hello Mr. Dupries my name is Alice Purcell. What would my job be?” she asked in a small voice. The relief that she felt almost made her giddy. She listened to his list of duties and nodded her head every now and then. She really didn’t care what the duties were, as long as they got her away from the wagon train.

“I have a few things to pick up at the mercantile, and then I was heading out. Do you have much baggage to take?” he asked as he gently took her arm and headed in that direction.

“I have one bag that the wagon train leader is holding for me,” she said as she struggled to keep up with his stride. He must have noticed, as he slowed down and sent a look of apology down to her.

She found herself right back where she started. This time, she entered the store with a lighter heart. She followed Brand around, helping him choose the additional supplies he needed. She picked out items that he wanted and set them on the counter. With the last item placed on the counter, Brand paid the clerk and they carried the purchases out to the packhorse, hooked up beside the store.

She helped him secure everything, all the while taking little peeks at him from under her lashes. He was so large. By far the biggest man she had ever met. He moved with such smoothness, grace even, for such a huge man. She could spend hours just watching him walk. God, what is wrong with me? She asked herself, trying to control the fluttering in her stomach.

She had so many questions for him but wanted to put as many miles between her and the wagon train as possible, so she stopped herself before asking.

This was so unlike her, she thought.
Why am I, all of a sudden, so trusting? This is not me.

Even though he had been nice and courteous and he’d given her a way out of there, away from an inconceivable fate, she questioned her sanity.

His very touch seemed to lighten her heart. With every breath she took, his smell made her more relaxed than she had been in months.

She felt safe.

The clerk walked out to them and handed Brand a small package that he placed in his coat pocket. When the clerk turned to her to wish her luck, she smiled and thanked him.

Brand walked over to his horse and, before she could ask, lifted her up onto its rump. She gave a small gasp as he quickly mounted in front of her. The horse was a huge, beautiful buckskin that didn’t even fidget with the added weight. She had never seen such a large horse. Though given the giant who owned him, she could see the need for such a big animal. He fastened the lead rope to his pommel and headed over to the wagon train.

All activity stopped as they rode up. Several of the men sent glares their way. The train leader hurried up to them, clearly agitated.

“Get off that horse, you stupid girl,” the leader barked out. “You know you don’t have to do this. There have been a couple of good offers for you. You can even choose between them.”

* * * *

Brand felt her tighten her hands around his waist and tremble. His protective instincts came to full force as he took in several of the lecherous expressions on the surrounding men. He guessed the offers were not to her liking.

He smoothly dismounted and placed a restraining hand on Alice’s thigh to keep her mounted. His towering height and ominous expression caused several of the men to rethink their position and beat a hasty retreat. The leader was either overconfident or just plain stupid as he tried to maneuver around him to reach for his mate. His progress suddenly halted as Brand smoothly stepped into his path.

Brand let the monster, which was always near the surface, bleed into his eyes when the man finally looked up at him. He smiled slowly when the man backed up and noticeably swallowed.

The leader said, after finding his voice, “The girl is under my protection ever since her father was killed in a wagon accident. I have made it so she has a protector.”

Brand looked at each man and finally settled his heavy gaze again on the man in front of him. “I will make myself very clear. The girl is now under my protection. If any man wants to object, they can, of course, do so, but I would highly recommend against it.”

“Alice,” someone said in a small voice from between the wagons. The voice belonged to an old woman who had gone unnoticed in the tension-filled atmosphere. She made her way over to the horse, totally ignoring the towering giant in front of her.

“Is this what you want, Alice?” she asked.

“Yes, Mrs. Willis, this is totally my decision, and thank-you again for all your kindness when my father died. I don’t know what I would have done without you.

“I need my bag, Mr. Taylor,” Alice said to the leader.

He huffed off to retrieve it and all but threw the bag at Brand. Brand caught it without flinching and secured it to the packhorse.

Mrs. Willis grabbed his arm and halted his remounting. He looked down into brown eyes filled with determination. “Take care of the girl, sir, or you will be sorry.”

That this came from a woman barely reaching his belt would have been hilarious if not for the tingle that traveled from her hands to his arm. He saw her eyes widen when his beast answered back in a surge of power. She smiled up at him and squeezed his arm.

“You and your brothers will be wonderful mates to my girl,” she whispered, to his astonishment.

He quickly mounted and headed out of town as rapidly as he could. He was spooked by the old woman but understood that there were certain powers out there that sometimes mystified even him. He felt Alice rest her head against his back in exhaustion. He smiled in relief as the town fell farther behind him. He could taste her scent on his tongue.

He needed to get to the homestead as soon as possible. The longer they were together, the faster the mating heat would come upon her. The trigger was ingrained so when a male found his mate, she would be unable to resist the mounting. Alice being human didn’t change that. When he and his brothers bit her in the heat cycle, she would change. A she-bear’s viciousness wasn’t just in the protection of her cubs but also to protect herself against unmated males. When true mates came together, the heat enabled the chosen males to safely bind her to them. He estimated he had about twelve hours before the thrall would start. With the extra load and his passenger, that was going to cut it close.

He put his horse into a trot to quicken the journey. He reached behind him to secure her hands around his waist as she mumbled. He felt her hardened nipples dig into his back. He softly placed his hand on the naked part of her leg that was exposed when her skirt rose when she straddled the horse. He stroked her in wonder. He moved his hand away from temptation, not wanting to wake her up.

Whenever he felt the horse begin to tire, he stopped and made Alice walk around to get the kinks out of her legs. She asked questions about his home, which he answered as he watched her.

“The ranch is about a thousand acres of prime grazing land. We breed cattle and horses. I have four other brothers who share the responsibilities. The oldest is Seth. Then there is me, followed by the twins, Jean-Paul and Jason. Then the baby is Francis. We have a sister, Beth, who moved north with her new family,” he rattled on at one stop to distract her. He fed her and, when she was done, helped her clean the plates.

He watched her busy herself at his horse, trying to hide the clutching of her stomach. He could see the little convulsions her body unintentionally produced. His beast almost showed himself when her hips started undulating softly. He turned away and clamped down on his rising arousal with rigid determination. He knew what was happening to her and tried to keep his excitement down. He pretended to ignore her when she looked his way. Only when she seemed calmer did he approach her to restart the journey.

The trees became steadily denser as they climbed deeper into the mountains. He tried to concentrate on his surroundings, vigilant for any danger. His mate made it difficult with her every movement.

He finally had to stop the horse due to her continuous shivering. He lifted her down and rubbed her calves and thighs as she protested. She moaned softly as he dug into her soft thighs, kneading the muscles to lessen the ache. He kept at it even when she tried to push his hands away. Her cheeks blossomed with color in obvious embarrassment. He used his thumbs to dig into her muscles, working the digit back and forth to loosen the tension. Only when she started to relax did he stop molding the muscles. He helped her stand and guided her over to the trees.

“You’re not used to riding, and it can be painful to walk around after dismounting. I want you to anyway because it will loosen your legs up. We are almost there, about another two to three hours.” He continued speaking as she walked around in a circle, clutching her stomach and shaking out her legs as he demanded her to do.

Before mounting again, he took the package from his pocket, opened it, and handed her a honey drop. She gave a happy cry as she popped the morsel into her mouth and moaned. The sound caused his erection to intensify as he watched her eyes close and her mouth suck the sweet. He tortured himself as he handed her another just to watch her reaction. She licked her lips, catching the little bits he could see glistening there. He couldn’t wait to taste her.

She thanked him, hugging his arm to her chest. She turned with haste to busy herself in the preparation of mounting the horse.

He closed his eyes as the scent of her arousal perfumed the air. She probably didn’t realize that she moved her hips slowly again. The mating heat was starting. He picked her up and placed her on the horse, making her gasp. He knew the friction of the saddle was causing her discomfort. She plucked at her skirt and glanced at him through her lashes. He tightened the straps and went to check the pack before coming over to mount.

“What is the horse’s name?” she asked as she unconsciously rubbed her breasts with her arm.

“Buck,” he answered and smiled as she gave a trilling laugh that traveled right to his cock. He quickly mounted to hide his erection.

“Hold on tight. I’m going to run him for a while,” was all the warning he gave her before he touched his heels to the withers. He started in a controlled gallop that the packhorse could keep. He felt her grab on tightly. He heard her moan and sob as she ground herself against the horse’s rump.

The familiar terrain flashed by as he tried to control his urges. The smell was overpowering. His cock stood straight up and throbbed. She rubbed her breasts against his back, causing him to groan.

* * * *

When the horse stepped sideways, she clutched his back tighter. She couldn’t believe the position she was in at this moment. The man had been nothing but kind to her. She almost sobbed at the sudden clenching that happened between her thighs. Every time she touched and smelled Brand, her nipples hardened and the place between her legs pulsed and clenched. The horse sidestepped again, and without thought, she pressed closer to his back.

A sudden curse filled the air, and Brand abruptly turned in the saddle, grasped her, and pulled her to sit sideways on his lap. She gasped and cried out as she suddenly found herself flattened against his front. He grabbed a handful of her hair and captured her cries in his mouth as he consumed her lips. She fought to get closer as sensations never before felt coursed throughout her body. He ignored her struggles as he maneuvered her to straddle his front. He lifted her skirt and swiftly ripped her undergarments out of the way. She squirmed and held him as she felt him between her legs. Her wet center soaked his fingers as he manipulated her little bud in a fast, furious rhythm. She moaned loudly as she felt him insert a finger deep into her body. He kissed her deeply, pulling in her tongue to suck and bite it. She lifted her arm to hold his head as she rode his fingers. From deep in her chest, she felt herself growl. Biting at his lips, she demanded he go faster with frantic movement of her hips. She shattered all of a sudden from an intense shower of sensations coursing through her body that left her suddenly limp.

He used her docility to dismount with her in his arms. He quickly laid her down and lifted her skirt. Before she could sit up, he had his mouth at the junction of her thighs and began to devour her. She opened her eyes wide and cried out as his lips and tongue plundered her depths. His head buried under her skirts, so she couldn’t see him, but, oh, could she feel him. He held her bottom cheeks in his huge palms as his shoulders held her legs open and wide for him. She screamed and fell back on the ground as another wave crashed over her. She lifted her hips into his ravishing mouth, trying to get closer. He was relentless as he sucked all the cream her body produced.

She lay there, with liquid for muscles, when he came out from the depth of her skirt. She didn’t try to stop him when, piece by piece, her clothes came off her body. He undid her braid and pulled all the pins out, combing his fingers through the tresses.

Her entire body felt like at any moment it was going to splinter into a thousand pieces. Her mind was chaotic, flashing from one thought to the next.

She could only look on as he then took his clothes off. Oh god, he was huge everywhere, causing a sudden gush of wetness to rush out of her pussy. His thick bronzed shoulders and wide, hairy chest slowly tapered down to muscular hips and tree-trunk legs. She started to pant a little as she beheld his cock, seeing that it stood straight up to his stomach. It was so large and thick. Her internal muscles somehow recognized it as a friendly weapon when they clenched and rippled in ecstasy. She should have been frightened but could only wait in anticipation for his next touch. He didn’t keep her waiting as he placed himself between her splayed thighs and rested his cock at the junction of her legs. His swollen cock, which she could feel against her sensitive folds, pulsed between her legs. He leveled himself up onto his arms and stared down into her slumberous eyes. Her breasts, flush against his hairy chest, tingled and sent little shockwaves deep inside her.

He leaned down and slowly captured her lips and used his tongue to caress hers. She gently began to suckle his tongue, tasting her essence. He deepened the kiss and became aggressive at her surrender. He molded her plush breast in his hand and took the nipple between his fingers to twist and pull it. She lifted her whole body at each sensation. He broke away from the kiss to take the morsel into his mouth to nibble and suck on. She grasped his hair and pulled him closer as she ground her mound against his cock.

His penetration into the virgin territory unleashed her heat.

She became a wild thing, screaming and bucking as she shattered repeatedly. She raked nails down his chest and back as she fucked him. He cursed, pulled out, and flipped her to come at her from behind. Her hair flared around her body, creating a temporary hidden shelter. He grabbed a handful as he pounded into her unrestrained. She encouraged him in a raging voice as she pushed her backside against him. He continued to pound into her as her internal muscles milked his cock. She tried to get at him with her nails. He quickly secured her hands behind her back. He reached under her to manipulate her bud in a hard caress that sent her spiraling out of control. She bucked and screamed as the orgasm broke over her continually. This time she fainted.