Joining the Jaguar: BBW Paranormal Jaguar Shifter Romance (7 page)

***

Sarah woke up warm and cozy, held in strong arms, snuggled against a broad chest. It felt so good, it took long minutes until she realized she wasn't dreaming.

Sarah opened her eyes. Somehow, Jake had ended up under the covers after all, and their bodies had shifted together in the night. She could feel the moment Jake woke up. All his muscles tensed up at once.

"Sorry," he said, quickly pulling back the arm he'd wrapped around her. She missed it instantly.

Her racing heart had settled down overnight. The things that had happened yesterday felt almost like a dream, like something she could barely believe had actually happened to her.

Jake was watching her intently. His dark hair was softly tousled with sleep. She felt a little lurch in her chest at how badly she wanted to touch him again.

Don't even think about it,
she told herself, reminding herself viciously of the horrified look on his face
after they'd had sex the first time. She didn't ever want him looking at her that way again.

"Good morning. How are you doing?" Jake asked.

"A lot better than last night," Sarah said honestly. "Thank you so much for staying with me. You didn't have to, I'm sorry I was such a mess."

"You were incredibly brave. And it was my fault they went after you. Their problem's with me, not you. If anyone needs to apologize, it's me."

"I'm glad you're standing up to them. I'm glad I can help with that, even a little bit." She smiled at him.

"How did you find me so quickly?" she asked.

Jake winced. "It's a long story," he muttered.

"So tell me the short version."

"The first time we slept together, we, um." He was blushing violently. She'd never seen him at a loss for words before. He was usually so confident and sure of himself. Jake took a deep breath. "There was a bond formed. Between us."

"What, like a mating bond?" Sarah asked incredulously. "But I'm not a shifter!"

"You don't have to be," he said. "Only one needs to be a shifter, in a mated pair."

A bond? She'd heard of mate bonds. It was the thing romantic movies were made of. Shifters mated for life, when they found the one person their soul called to. But how could that be?

"You didn't even like me!" Sarah said.

"That's not true," Jake said, wincing. "That's another thing I should probably apologize for. I was terrible to you the day we've met. I'm so sorry. We've had some pretty bad experiences with doctors over here, but I should never have treated you the way I did. I thought you might be spying for the bikers."

"What? Why?"

She listened, wide-eyed, while he told her about the man who'd owned the office before her, and the things he'd done.

"That incompetent jerk! I can't even believe
…
No wonder you were worried!"

"It wasn't fair to you, though," Jake said. "You hadn't done anything wrong. And I knew you'd do great the minute I saw you with Jeremy. After that, I couldn't... I couldn't resist you. I got too attached. I'm so sorry."

"But how can we be bonded? I didn't
—
"

"It's a one-sided bond," Jake said. "It's only on my side. I won't ever bother you about it, I promise. I know you don't want me."

"What?" Sarah said in confusion.

"It's fine," Jake said. "You don't have to worry about it. Just because I love you
—
"

"You love me?" She stared at him, wide-eyed. She could hardly believe she'd heard that right. He'd said it so casually, as if it was a basic fact of life to him.

Jake sighed. "Yes. The bond couldn't have formed if I didn't. Like I said, I promise I won't bother you with my feelings."

"But why didn't you just say so?" Sarah asked, glaring at him. All this time she'd thought he didn't want her, that he regretted what had been the single most mind-blowing sexual experience of her life.

"I didn't think you'd want to hear it," Jake said. He was frowning in confusion.

"I do," she said. "Jake, I love you, too."

His entire face lit up with hope. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course! I love you."

He gave her a brilliant smile. "We really got our wires crossed, didn't we? I'm so sorry I didn't say anything earlier."

She gave him a sly grin. "You could make it up to me."

She shoved back the covers, and then realized belatedly that she'd probably just gotten a little ahead of herself. She was only wearing the old t-shirt and pair of pajama pants she'd thrown on last night, not even a bra. And while nature had been pretty generous with her breasts, they did always need a little bit of help to get into the perky shape they were supposed to be. She wasn't exactly presenting herself in her sexiest way here.

But Jake didn't seem to mind. He was looking at her hungrily. "God, you're so beautiful," he said.

Her t-shirt had ridden up a little, baring the soft, rounded curve of her belly. Sarah reached out to nudge it down, embarrassed. But Jake caught her hand and leaned over to press a kiss to the naked patch of skin. "Gorgeous," he said, smiling.

Sarah squirmed a little, embarrassed, even as his lips lit her sensitive skin on fire with desire. Jake kissed his way up the curve of her belly, pushing her t-shirt out of the way. He kissed the side of her breast, her nipple, her neck, worshipping her with his mouth. She'd never felt so desired.

Jake undressed her with careful, reverent hands. Sarah let her legs fall open under his hungry gaze. He kissed the inside of her thighs. Sarah held her breath in anticipation until Jake finally put his mouth on her. He pressed his tongue against her aching clit.

Sarah arched her back, crying out. Even after just one time, he already knew what she liked. Jake slid one finger inside her, crooking it up at exactly the right angle, setting off fireworks inside her. The pleasure rose to an overwhelming peak until she came with a cry.

Jake surged up to kiss her again. She could taste herself in his mouth. Sarah yanked at his shirt, shoving it back off his shoulders. Jake took over from there, quickly taking off his clothes until he was entirely, gloriously naked.

Sarah drank in the sight of his smooth, muscled chest and the sleek, powerful muscles of his arm and legs. His big hard cock. Oh God, she wanted to feel him inside her again. Even though she'd just come, her entire body ached for him.

Sarah wrapped her legs around Jake's hips. When he finally pushed inside her, it felt like a circuit closing, like two broken halves finally becoming whole again. Jake shuddered all over, gasping, and she knew he felt it, too. They moved together like one body, and when they finally came, she could feel his pleasure lighting up her entire body.

Jake fell forward, still braced above her on trembling arms. He was breathing heavily. He looked stunned, overwhelmed. His powerful body shimmered with sweat.

"That was amazing," Sarah said.

Jake slowly slid out of her. She let him go with a pang of regret, but the feeling of joining, of completeness, didn't diminish. She looked up at him in wonder.

"It's almost like I can still feel you," she said.

She hardly felt like she was making much sense, but he nodded at her as if he knew exactly what she meant.

"It's the bond," he said. "The bond completed." His smile lit up his entire face.

"You mean we're mated?" That was incredible. A mating bond meant they were destined to be together, made for each other; neither of them would ever have to be alone ever again.

"Yes," Jake said. He was beaming, overwhelmed and happy, and Sarah found herself smiling back with joy. "Mated for life."

***

A note from Zoe Chant

Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please
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Please click on the title to write a review of Joining the Jaguar. I love hearing what my readers think! It helps me decide what to write next.

The cover of
Joining the Jaguar
was designed by Augusta Scarlett.

Cover credits:

Jaguar: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / dpreezg
Model: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / artofphoto

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