TUCKER: Valley Enforcers, #3 (23 page)

His hooded, hungry gaze darkened. “Are you ready for me? There’s no turning back after this, Emily.”

“I’ve been ready.” I sat up a little and pressed a hand against his chest. His heartbeat was rapid under my fingertips. I tilted my head, waiting for a kiss. “Forever.”

His lips were satin and full of promise. “Forever.”

Tucker nudged my legs apart and positioned himself at my entrance. I wanted to close my eyes with anticipation, but I held his gaze while he pushed forward. I gripped the blankets beneath us as he filled me, completing me with a warmth I never wanted to forget. Tucker’s abs contracted, drawing my eyes down to the spot where our bodies connected. His body moved on its own, flexing into a few shallow strokes. It was erotic and magic and completely ours.

Unable to hold himself back, he hunched over me. He braced one arm above the bed and the other beside my head while I wrapped my legs around him, hooking them like a lock that would keep him inside me forever. He didn’t torture me with slow, deep strokes. Nor did he give me the fast, rough coupling my body craved. Somewhere in between, Tucker proved that he knew what we both needed.

We had a silent understanding of what was to come. However intimate our lovemaking was, it would be short lived. It was like we’d been robbed of oxygen for weeks and finally had a source of life. Our coupling was just as much a necessity as it was a need.

I felt complete with him inside of me. My wolf was at the surface, urging me to draw my claws and dig into his skin. Brand him. Make him mine in the name of the stars.

Tucker’s breathless pants and strained groans were driving me insane. I scratched my nails down his back, making him curve into me more. His torso smashed into my breasts, giving my nipples much needed friction. I was close to losing my mind. Knowing when I came Tucker would sink his teeth into me turned me on even more.

I tilted my head, craning it as far to the side as I could to grant him access to my collarbone. “I’m so close, Tucker. Give me your mark. Give me your seed. Fuck, give me
you
.”

“Thank fuck. I’m barely holding on,” He ground out, voice hoarse, before his tongue lapped at my sensitive skin. I sensed he wanted to take his time and worship the area, but we were losing time.

I felt the pressure of his teeth as he elongated them. They grazed against my skin, keeping the space that would forever brand me as his taut. My release hit me like a brick wall. I didn’t even have time to warn Tucker that it was coming. My body pulsed and his teeth sunk into me. I swear, the world exploded. I saw nothing but white. Felt nothing but rolling waves of pleasure. Heard nothing but a ringing in my own ears. I faded in and out for the faintest moment before my mind returned.

The tremors stopped and my body went slack, but Tucker kept his jaw clamped down on my collarbone. I held on, not sure if I was even alive anymore. He didn’t release me when he came; in fact, he bit harder. It stung, and I knew that the mark would scar beautifully. His cry was loud, though muffled by my skin. His hand slid from the headboard and cradled my head while he bucked, filling me with an incredible warmth.

Stars, it was like nothing I’d ever felt before. Yet, I still felt incomplete. I didn’t want to move, but my wolf cried out inside of me. She threatened to shift, prickling my skin with a drive to complete the claiming ritual. Then it burned. I was on fire; it felt like my flesh was being stripped from my bones. Bugs crawled over my skin. The fullness I felt disappeared, making me feel like a shell of a being.

“Tucker,” I demanded frantically. “Tucker, I need to claim you or I’ll go crazy.”

He must’ve felt the same fleeting sense of being whole that I did because he snapped to attention, removing his mouth and rolling until I was straddling him. My thighs screamed, my muscles not ready for the movement. I felt as tired and hollow as I did back in the cage, but I knew the second I made him mine, I’d feel the euphoric bliss again.

I shifted my hand, drawing my claws. “I love you, Tucker. You are mine. With the stars as my witness, I claim you as my mate.”

Not wanting to hurt him more than I had to, I dug my claws into his chest and pulled swiftly. To his credit, he didn’t cry out or buck beneath me. His hands gripped my waist, but the second my razor blade like claws punctured his skin, they slid to my thighs and then back up again. He massaged the skin like I was the one who needed comforting, not him. Or maybe the move soothed him. Whatever the reason, the gentle affection filled my heart with joy.

I retracted my claws and applied pressure to the spot, letting the syrupy blood suction my hand to his skin. It was macabre, but I’d never been more in love.

After what felt like hours, he whispered a fierce declaration. “Mine.”

“Yours,” I replied, smiling at the way it sounded on my lips.

Reluctantly, I scooted off of him and held my bloody hand to my chest. The area around my own mark was tender and red, but I welcomed the pain. By the time we woke up I’d feel nothing but fullness – wholeness – and the wound would quickly heal to a scar that was a statement of commitment. Tucker guided me to the bathroom. I leaned against the wall while he cleaned the blood from his chest. He stared at the mark I left with a marveling sense of awe before turning to me, beaming with pride. I washed my hand and collarbone while he wiped up the traces of our lovemaking from between my legs.

When we finally got back to the bedroom, I stole a look at the clock. We’d only get about four hours of sleep, but I didn’t regret a single minute of my night. My hair was still damp, but our bodies were dry. We pushed the throw blankets to the ground and slid under the heavy down comforter, immediately seeking the other’s warmth. As much as I wanted to stay awake and bask in the love radiating from his body, my day was catching up to me. Tucker apparently felt the same way. He whispered a sleepy “I love you, Emily” before his light snores tickled my ear. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Tucker and I weren’t without flaws. Our love was fast, but it was real. I didn’t expect perfection. I knew we’d trip and fall, but I didn’t fear an ending. Our souls were tied together as much as our hearts were. We had our whole lives ahead of us; it was as scary as it was exhilarating. Tucker was my guiding light, and he burned brighter than any shooting star. Whatever the future brought, however bumpy the rollercoaster was, I knew my mate would always pick me up when I fell. We created magic, and we did it together. 

For each book I write, I create a special playlist of songs inspired by the characters.

• Fineshrine – Purity Ring
  
• Weak – Wet
  
• Bridges – Broods
  
• Fingerprints – Kita Klane
  
• Over & Over – Smallpools
  
• Goat – French For Rabbits
  
• Fall In Love – Phantogram
  
• Omen – Disclosure, Sam Smith
  
• I Belong in Your Arms – Chairlift
  
• Trojans – Atlas Genius
  
• Forever – Youngblood Hawke
  
• Next In Line – Walk the Moon
  
• Under The Sheets – Ellie Goulding
  
• Give Me Something – Jarryd James
  
• Rollercoaster – Bleachers, Charli XCX
  
• Fire Meet Gasoline – Sia
  
• Flesh without Blood – Grimes
  
• Drowning – Banks
  
• Tough Love – Jessie Ware
  

Abi Walters lives in Ohio with her husband and action figure collection. A fan of all things supernatural and weird since a young age, she loves writing about shifters and magic. She is a confessed bibliophile and loves discovering new book boyfriends to fall in love with.

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awalterswrites

Or check out my website at
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As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my book. As an avid reader myself, I know how much content is out there! If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

I hope you enjoyed reading Tucker’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it!