Zach (Blackbeary Creek Book 4) Read online

  Fuck!

  She was tight, but he’d been right about her being made for him. Her pussy fit him like a glove, and once he was buried balls deep inside her, he took a deep, calming breath.

  And then anther.

  If he moved, he would come, and he didn’t want their first time to go down like that. Their first time was supposed to be special.

  “Zach?”

  He hated the worry she tried to cover up.

  “Yeah, Princess?”

  “Are you…is everything okay?”

  “Everything is more than okay,” he said, looking into her eyes. “In fact, everything is perfect. Maybe too perfect.”

  “What do you mean, ‘too perfect?’”

  Her voice was full of skepticism, and he hated the fact that he was losing her.

  Time to tell the truth.

  “I mean, the way your pussy is hugging my dick feels amazing, beyond anything that I’ve ever experienced before, and I can’t go slow. Hell, I can’t even move. If I move, it’s going to be hard and fast, and over way too soon.”

  “So, we’ll go slow next time,” she smiled.

  “No, I—”

  She clenched her already tight channel, and he couldn’t stop the impending explosion.

  He pulled his cock out of her pussy, and then thrust back in hard enough to inch her up the couch. Rory let go of his shoulders, moved her hands above her head, and pressed her palms against the armrest.

  Her quick thinking kept them in place, and he enjoyed the view of her breasts bouncing wildly between them while he thrust his hips in and out of her cunt at warp speed.

  Her pussy tightened around his cock in an erratic rhythm, and somehow, he managed to hold back until she orgasmed again. Once his mate flew off the edge, he joined her and roared his release so loud the windows on her tiny apartment shook from the force.

  “Oh my god,” she said, once their breathing resembled something normal. “That was amazing.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed.

  He’d never had an orgasm like that, and words were hard to come by.

  “I like the sound you make when you come.”

  “That was all you,” he said. “I’ve never made that sound during sex before.”

  Of course, he’d made the sound in his bear form, but he couldn’t tell her that yet.

  “I loved it,” she laughed, “although, I’m sure the neighbors are wondering if I’ve got a bear locked up in here.”

  The pure joy on her face made him smile, but he didn’t say anything else. Not responding wasn’t technically a lie, and though he would tell her about his animal soon, now was not the time.

  As much as he hated to leave her core, his arms were trembling, and he didn’t want to collapse on top of her. He slowly pulled out of her cunt, laid beside her on the couch, and pulled her on top of him.

  She tried to scramble away, but he locked his arms around her.

  “Zach,” she worried. “Let me go. I’ll crush you.”

  “Hardly,” he chuckled. “I need to catch my breath, and I want to hold you, Princess. Lay here with me for a few minutes, and then we can move to the bedroom.”

  “Okay.”

  He didn’t expect her to give up so easily, but she immediately relaxed and lowered her head to his chest. He placed a chaste kiss on top of her head, and closed his eyes.

  Everything in his world was perfect.

  Chapter Four

  The annoying beep of the alarm woke Rory out of a dead sleep, and she silently cursed the little black box as she rolled out of Zach’s warm embrace and reached for the snooze button. She could only stay in bed for five more minutes, but in Zach’s arms, it was totally worth it.

  They’d both fallen asleep after he’d insisted she cover him like a blanket, but sometime in the middle of the night, he’d carried her to the bedroom and loved her body slowly.

  The second time lacked all of the urgency and foreplay of the first, but it was much more intimate. He’d laid her on the bed, crawled on top of her, and entered her eager channel in one smooth, controlled glide. It had been a joining of seasoned lovers, not an impulsive one-night stand.

  As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to stay in his arms forever.

  “Good morning, Princess.”

  She looked up to see him smiling down at her.

  “Good morning,” she replied. “I’m sorry, but I only have five more minutes, and then I have to get ready for work.”

  “Forget work,” he said, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. “Stay in bed with me all day.”

  God, she wanted to, but that was exactly why she couldn’t.

  “I can’t,” she laughed. “Responsibilities, food, electricity and all that.”

  “Fine,” he conceded. “How about dinner then? I’m having a barbeque tonight at my house, and I’d really like you to meet my cl—family.”

  “Your family?” she asked, pulling back to get a better look at him. “Don’t you think that’s a little premature?”

  “No, and they’re not actually my family, well, except for my cousin Aiden, but he won’t be there,” he explained. “It’s the guys I work with. The owner of Club Ryan, and a few of the other guys who work there, are my most trusted friends. We’re all really close.”

  “I don’t know…”

  It was too much—too soon—and yet she really wanted to go.

  To his credit, Zach didn’t try to cajole her into giving a positive reply, or force her into answering sooner. His patience, and seemingly carefree attitude, weighed heavily in her decision.

  “Okay,” she finally agreed.

  “Awesome,” he cheered.

  The alarm chose that second to sound again, and she turned it off and left the bed. Zach followed her lead, and after a few more toe-curling kisses, and a detailed list of directions to his home, she said goodbye to him at the door.

  As soon as he left, the fear she still carried around tried to douse her excitement, but she refused to give in to the negative thoughts. Zach was an amazing man, and she liked being with him. While she thought meeting his family was a little extreme, she would like to meet his friends.

  Why? It’s just a one-night stand!

  Except, it didn’t feel like a one-night stand, and now she wasn’t sure if she wanted it to be one. Zach had been right when he’d said there was something between them, and she wanted to—probably—see where their relationship might go.

  Shit!

  The thought of being in a relationship again scared her to death, and she forced herself to push all thoughts of Zach out of her mind. He was kind and caring, they’d had great sex, and now he wanted her to meet his friends. It wasn’t the end of the world, nor was it the beginning of something she had no control over.

  No man would ever rule her life again.

  She made her own decisions.

  Always.

  With the affirmations fully in place, she jumped in the shower, ate a larger than normal breakfast, and headed off to work with her head held high.

  She would do her job, and then after, she would go to a friendly barbecue at Zach’s house, and if the night happened to end in his bed, well then…hell yeah.

  Her achy body was a permanent reminder that he knew exactly what he was doing. In fact, she’d never been pleasured so thoroughly.

  Damn!

  If she didn’t get him out of her head, it was going to be a very long day.

  ***

  Zach left the apartment, and practically bounced all the way to his car. The rising sun was slowly pushing the darkness away, and he wanted to roar into the early morning light and let every being, both man and animal, know he’d spent the night with his mate.

  The elevated energy flowing through him wasn’t like anything he’d ever felt before, and he knew it wasn’t rational behavior. He rarely boasted about his sex life, or anything else, to anyone except Aiden, and even then, he only shared the basics.

  He knew he had to get his emotions
under control, but that didn’t mean he had to stay completely silent. He sat in his SUV, unlocked his phone, and pressed the most used button.

  Aiden answered on the third ring.

  “It’s seven o’clock in the morning,” Aiden snarled. “This better be good.”

  “It is,” Zach laughed. “I spent the night with Rory.”

  “Hang on.”

  Zach waited and listened to the sounds of rustling fabric and Aiden breathing.

  “Okay,” Aiden said. “I didn’t want to wake Liddy. Does she know about us? Are you guys mated yet? When do I get to meet her?”

  “No, no, and as soon as you get back. I’m having her over for a barbeque tonight to meet everyone else. It feels really weird not having you meet her first, but I can’t wait.”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

  Aiden had already met his mate, so he understood the desperate man Zach had turned into since meeting Rory three days ago. The frantic need to be with her every second was even worse now that he’d touched her.

  “Do you want us to come back early?”

  “No,” Zach laughed. “Liddy would kill me. Especially after what happened on Saturday. She wasn’t too happy about that knife wound.”

  “True,” Aiden said, “but this she would understand.”

  “Thanks man,” Zach replied. “I appreciate it, but no. I just wanted you to know.”

  He meant it, too.

  He wanted Aiden to meet Rory as soon as possible, but it didn’t have to be tonight. In fact, his alpha, Tristian, should be the one to meet her first, but he and Aiden were closer, and it felt strange having her meet everyone else without at least telling his cousin what was going on.

  “Okay,” Aiden said, “but as soon as we get back, the four of us need to have dinner. Unless, of course, you think I might make her uncomfortable.”

  “If you do,” Zach promised, “then she’ll have to get over it. Dinner sounds great.”

  He wanted to say that his mate would never be afraid of Aiden, but he knew better than to make sweeping declarations about mates from watching his other clan members find their other halves. Not one pairing had gone totally according to plan, but luckily, things always did work out in the end. If Rory didn’t like Aiden at first, she would grow to love him over time.

  “Awesome,” Aiden said. “I’m going back to bed. Shift into your bear, and go for a run before you do anything else. It will be easier to talk to Tristian, and get your shopping done, along with anything else you have to do, when you don’t feel so restless.”

  “You’re right,” Zach said. “Thanks for the reminder. Right now, I feel like my skin is two sizes too small.”

  “It will get easier,” Aiden laughed. “See you Sunday.”

  “See you.”

  Zach hung up the phone, started his SUV, and looked at Rory’s car.

  The urge to wait and make sure she got into the vehicle safely swamped him, but he tapped down the feeling. If she came out of her apartment and saw him waiting for her, he knew he would lose most of the trust he’d gained the night before. He had to move.

  He turned the steering wheel, and forced himself to make the drive home.

  A few minutes later, he turned down the long, asphalt driveway that signaled he was on clan land, and parked his SUV in front of his home. Food and water were his first priorities, but then he needed to take Aiden’s advice and run. He didn’t want to be strung out when Rory arrived later. Even more so because they wouldn’t be alone.

  She was going to meet his clan, his family, and everything needed to be perfect.

  Including him.

  He needed to be the best version of himself when she arrived, and connecting with his bear beforehand was the only way to make that happen.

  He ate a quick breakfast, exited his home through the backdoor, and walked across the clearing toward the surrounding forest.

  Their clan’s land extended from the main road all the way to the creek the town had been named after in the middle of the forest, but they always exercised caution when shifting forms. Trespassers were rare, but sometimes full humans crossed the creek and wandered onto their land by accident.

  Once he made sure the coast was clear, he shifted into his bear and enjoyed his other form until his empty stomach indicated it was time for lunch. He could have stayed longer, and hunted down a rabbit or a squirrel, but he preferred the eating habits of his human side, and he had other things to do.

  He lumbered back to where he’d left his clothes, shifted forms, and got dressed.

  On his way back to his home, he saw Tristian waiting for him on the back porch of the main house. The grand home was larger than the four smaller houses that surrounded it, and at one point, when Club Ryan was brand new, the whole clan had lived there. Though he was happy to now have his own place, that house held a lot of memories, and more were created every day.

  It wasn’t just his alpha’s home, and the home he shared with his mate, it was the main hub of the clan, and where most clan business was conducted.

  Zach walked straight up the steps, and sat down in the empty chair next to Tristian.

  “Good news?” Tristian asked.

  “I spent the night at Rory’s, and she’s coming over tonight to meet everyone.”

  “Barbeque at your house?”

  “You know it,” Zach laughed.

  “What about Aiden?”

  “He’s still coming home on Sunday. He’ll meet her when he gets back.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

  Though each man in the clan was a dominant male, they weren’t all born to lead, nor did they want to. Tristian was different. He’d been a leader since birth, and though the differences were subtle, there was a reason they’d all sworn allegiance to him as their clan alpha.

  Zach knew that Tristian could order Aiden home, and though the man usually didn’t get involved in their personal lives, or operate with force and strict rules, he could if necessary.

  He appreciated the man’s unwavering support.

  “Yeah,” Zach laughed. “He offered, but I declined. I don’t want to ruin his vacation, and there will be plenty of time for her to get to know him and Liddy once they get back.”

  “Okay, just checking,” Tristian nodded. “So, what’s for dinner?”

  “I’m thinking burgers,” Zach said. “It’s pretty hard to mess those up.”

  “True, but buy extra anyway,” Tristian laughed.

  “Funny,” Zach replied, deadpan.

  He always bought, and made, plenty of food for his clan, but he heeded Tristian’s advice and made a mental note to pick up extras. Nothing would go to waste, and having extra food around would go a long way toward easing his mind.

  With his alpha’s blessing, all of the pieces were falling into place, and after a quick text to Ethan and Graham, he started on the short to-do list he needed to finish before Rory arrived.

  ***

  Rory turned down the nearly hidden driveway that matched Zach’s description, and carefully drove down the paved road. Dense trees surrounded the lane on either side, but she could see a grand house in the distance, ensuring she’d taken the right exit.

  The road suddenly ended, and she found herself in a huge clearing carefully landscaped with five beautiful homes. The grand home, the one she’d seen from the path, stood slightly taller than the others, but it was nearly twice as wide. The age of the older building was evident next to the other, newer homes, but it was still in great condition.

  Like Zach had described, there were two homes on each side of the grand house, and she checked her notes again to verify Zach’s was all the way on the right. Once she confirmed where he lived, she parked her car next to the SUV out front, and slowly exited her vehicle.

  The arc-like placement of the homes, along with the seclusion offered by the land, reminded her of some kind of cult, and she was grateful for the fact that Zach hadn’t been the one to bring her here. With her own ca
r present, she didn’t have to depend on anyone, and she could leave whenever she wanted to.

  “I know it seems weird at first, but you’ll get used to it.”

  Rory turned in the direction of the female voice, and smiled at the friendly looking woman walking toward her. The woman stood about an inch taller than her, with brown hair, brown eyes, and plenty of curves. A big muscular man, with blond hair and glasses, walked by her side, and towered over her by at least half a foot.

  “Hi, I’m Tegan,” the woman said, reaching out her hand, “but everyone calls me Tee, and this is my best friend, Graham.”

  Rory shook Tee’s hand, and then shook Graham’s. Up close, she could see that behind the glasses, Graham had the most amazing violet eyes, and she briefly wondered why he didn’t wear contacts instead. Not that the glasses took away from his looks in any way. Like Zach, he was gorgeous, but in a completely different way.

  “It’s nice to meet you both,” she said. “I’m Rory.”

  “Come on inside,” Tee said. “Zach will be happy you’re here, and you can meet everyone else.”

  She was a little disappointed Zach hadn’t met her out front, but considering he was the host of the party, even though everyone lived within walking distance, she really couldn’t fault him for not waiting by the door for her arrival.

  She followed Tegan and Graham up the stairs, and was surprised when another man met them at the door. She was even more shocked when Tee placed a chaste kiss on his lips. The second man was taller than Graham by an inch, but he was much wider with dark brown hair and green eyes.

  So, they really are best friends?

  Even though Tee had introduced Graham as her best friend, she hadn’t expected the woman to fall into the arms of another man. In her experience, most men couldn’t handle a woman who claimed a man as their best friend.

  “Rory, this is Ethan, my boyfriend.”

  “Hi Rory,” Ethan said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” she said, taking his extended hand.