Her Bear Protector [The Protectors 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  With his hand in her hair, he held her immobile and fucked her mouth to his pleasure. The deeply buried submissive part of her, which she had only ever indulged in by reading BDSM romances, bloomed to life, and relished his possession. It made her arousal spike again until she was so close to coming, the slightest touch to her clit would send her over the edge. She pumped the bottom of his shaft with one hand, and massaged his balls with the other. Tiny spurts of his cum were her reward, and she lost her rhythm as Ronan growled and really fucked her.

  “Yes, such a good girl. I’m going to come. Fuck, yes.”

  The strangled words were all the warning she got, before he shot his seed down the back of her throat and she swallowed rapidly so as not to choke. Even so, some of his cum escaped her mouth, dribbled down her chin and into her cleavage, and she grew warm inside at the thought of his so visibly marking her.

  After what seemed like a never-ending stream of cum, he eventually released his hold on her hair and pulled her off his still remarkably hard shaft. Before she could even blink Ronan had her sat on his lap, and kissed her.

  His tongue sought entry into her mouth as though it was his god given right and she could only surrender to his possession of her. A rumble went through him when she went limp in his arms, and he deepened the kiss, fucking her mouth like she wanted him to fuck her pussy. His dick hardened further under her ass, and she wriggled her hips in a desperate attempt to get that rock solid erection closer to where she needed it to be. She inwardly cursed the sodden fabric of her thong for being in her way. Ronan stopped her from tugging the offending material away by grasping her hand and pinning it behind her back. He released his hold on her hair and did the same with her other hand, not once breaking the toe-curling kiss. By the time he finally did, they were both gasping for air, and he had her so effectively pinned that she couldn’t move. Daren’t move under the intensity of his gaze. Incisors fully extended, he looked more bear than man at this moment, and a whimper of need escaped Tina’s lips when he dipped his head and inhaled against her sweat slicked skin. He ran the tips of his incisors up and down the sensitive skin there, and her stomach tightened in delicious anticipation. Did she really want him to bite her? Was she ready to be his mate?

  As though he sensed her scrambled thoughts, Ronan pulled back after licking that area, and he closed his eyes and shook his head. Tina didn’t dare move. He seemed so on edge right now, as though his bear was fighting to emerge. His muscles bulged and tensed, and she could swear he grew bigger, taller in front of her eyes.

  “Tell me you’re mine, Tina. Tell me that you want me to fuck you over this bar. That you’ll welcome my hand on your ass, and that you’re ready to submit to me in this.” His hold on her wrists grew painful as his claws ran out in his agitation and she nodded.

  Ronan opened his eyes and the heat in those glowing orbs scorched her skin. She couldn’t have looked away if her life depended on it, and maybe right now it did. Surely if she agreed to this, her life would never be the same again.

  “I need to hear you say the words, babe.”

  His voice came out as more of a growl, further proof of how much this meant to him.

  “Will you bite me?” she asked, and he shook his head.

  “No. There are things about me you don’t know. I will not force this bond on you, ever.” His bear roared with so much intensity the vibrations trembled through Tina and she tried to wiggle her hips again, but to no avail. It seemed his bear didn’t like what he had said, and for once Tina was in agreement with the animal. Surely he shouldn’t be able to help himself, and bite her anyway? That was the way it worked, at least in her books. Then again, she didn’t really want him to simply go ahead and do that, did she? Jeez, make up your mind already.

  Tina’s mental reprimand achieved bugger all to sort out her conflicting emotions, and neither did his next words.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to. Trust me, my jaw aches with the need to sink my teeth into your soft flesh, to feel you come apart around my cock while I fuck you senseless, but when I do, and believe me, I will.” He smiled grimly at her sharp intake of breath. “Make no mistake about it. You’re mine, Tina. You’re my mate, mating bite or not, and nothing will change that, but when the time comes for me to cement that bond between us, it will be with you being fully aware of what that entails.”

  She blinked away tears, and he smiled and kissed them off her face with so much unexpected tenderness her heart clenched inside her chest. She couldn’t be falling in love with him, could she? Lust was one thing. She was more than ready to scratch that itch, and to experience firsthand what it meant to submit. The mere thought of it had her grow even wetter like some sort of a wanton woman. Never before had she been this turned on, so ready and needy, despite her earlier orgasm.

  Love, however, no she wasn’t ready for that. Not at all.

  “I can almost see the thoughts swirling in your head, babe. I’m still waiting for your answer. Are you ready to submit to me?”

  His voice dropped even further and took on that edge of steel that she couldn’t resist.

  “Ye-es.” Tina struggled to even get that word out of her parched throat and Ronan’s harsh features lit up in a brilliant smile that warmed her soul. She was in so much trouble here. Not the physical kind. She had no doubt that Ronan wouldn’t hurt her. It was there in the careful way he held her, with enough force to immobilize her, in the gentle way he transferred her wrists into one hand and cupped her chin. He rubbed the callused pad of his thumb over her bottom lip and she opened up at his wordless insistence and sucked the digit into her mouth, twirling her tongue around his. His eyes darkened and his smile grew sinful.

  “Minx, you’ll pay for that.”

  A delicious tremble of anticipation shook her body and he kissed her nose and withdrew his thumb.

  Tina pouted and he shook his head at her.

  “So we’re clear. Are you certain you agree to me spanking your ass? I won’t hurt you—much.”

  “How much?” She had to ask, hating the tremble in her voice, but she really didn’t do pain. She stubbed her toe yesterday and she’d almost cried like a baby.

  “Enough to make you wet, to bring the blood rushing to the surface, until your butt is a stinging mass of sensation. Trust me?”

  Tina swallowed hard, and he nodded.

  “What if it’s too much?” Tina rolled her eyes at herself. She wanted this, didn’t she? Why then was she throwing so many obstacles in the way?

  Fortunately Ronan didn’t seem to mind her questions. He simply smiled at her and released her wrists. Bereft of his touch Tina felt awkward, sat on his lap in her underwear and his shirt, and she scrambled off him. The fact that he let her didn’t make her feel any better. Had she failed at the first hurdle? Would he not want her now, after all? Ronan, too, stood up and pulled his jeans back up. He left them undone, however, and somehow the sight of his erect cock jutting through the gap was the most erotic sight ever. Her breasts grew achy and her already hard nipples tightened further. He noticed, of course, and his gaze went straight to her breasts. It lingered there, like a hot caress.

  “You really have the most fantastic tits, babe.”

  He grinned and raised his gaze back up to her face slowly. Her skin burned at his quiet perusal, and by the time he spoke again, she had trouble drawing air into her lungs. The kitchen seemed devoid of oxygen all of a sudden, as she waited for his next move. The urge to fidget almost overtook her, but something in his gaze stopped her.

  “Are you familiar with the traffic lights system, Tina?” he asked and she blinked and nodded. “Which is? Use your words, babe.”

  “Green for okay, orange, if I need a breather, red for stop.”

  “Good girl.” The way he said that made Tina feel all kinds of happy inside. It was really quite ridiculous.

  “I can see you’re still thinking too much about this. Time to take you out of your head for a bit.” He stepped up to her, grabbed her by th
e collar of her shirt, and yanked her upward. The unexpected move meant that she teetered precariously on her tiptoes and she had to grab his bulging biceps for support. The other one of his hands squeezed her ass cheeks and then delivered a stinging swat to one side.

  Tina gasped at the sharp pain, and it was at the tip of her tongue to cry red, before he massaged that sting away, and heat blossomed under his hand. He did the same to her other butt cheek, and this time Tina moaned.

  Ronan chuckled into her neck and she froze when his hand on her ass dipped lower. One of his large fingers slipped under the elastic of her drenched thong, and she dug her fingernails into his biceps when he ran that single digit through her wet slit. He skimmed her hole and then withdrew. Heat filled her face when he held his glistening finger up in the air, and then licked it clean.

  “Hmmm, delicious. I knew you would be.” His eyes glittered in triumph and before she could grasp his intention he ripped his shirt clean off her. With a few flicks of his claws her bra found the same fate. Her nipples firmed even more, and with a wicked grin he picked her up and deposited her on top of the bar, and then sucked one rigid tip into his mouth. Everything inside of her grew tense at the contact of his hot mouth on her breast. As though her nipples were attached to her clit by livewires every suck of his shot darts of white-hot arousal straight to her clit, and when he rolled her other nipple between his fingers, she grasped his head by his hair to keep him there. The sharp pinch to her nipple hurt, and she let go of him. Ronan shook his head at her, and she paled when he pulled the belt out of his jeans with deliberate slowness.

  “What are you going to with that?” she asked.

  “What do you think I’m going to do with that, babe? You’ve been a naughty girl, and you know what happens to naughty girls.” His grin chilled her. Surely he wouldn’t use that belt on her.

  Spots swam in front of her vision and she screamed, “Red, red, so fuckin’ red.”

  Chapter Six

  Ronan swore, chucked the belt on the floor, and wrapped his girl into a bear hug. What on earth had he triggered? Tina clung to him, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs, and he cursed himself for all kinds of a fool. Talk about ruining the moment.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m useless at this. I should go home.”

  She hiccupped in between sobs, and Ronan’s bear roared his fury.

  “You’re not going anywhere, until we’ve properly talked about this.” He cupped her tear-soaked face in his hands, and the misery in her eyes tore at his soul. “You’ve triggered, that’s all. If this is anyone’s fault it’s mine. We should have talked about this more. Are you listening to me, babe?”

  She tried to nod, but her gaze remained riveted to the floor and his abandoned belt. He had to get her away from here, but where to take her? The living room floor was still littered in debris, which only left the bedroom. She might not appreciate that either, but the spare room was full of boxes, so it would have to do.

  “Let’s take this somewhere else.”

  She shrieked when he picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen. Taking the stairs three at a time he covered the distance to his bedroom in no time and shouldered the door open. Tina clung to him like a limpet, sobs still shaking her soft frame. The bed was out of the question, which left the old fashioned armless rocking chair in the corner.

  “Hold on, babe.” He shifted her higher so that he had a hand free, grabbed a blanket from the bottom of the bed, and dropped down into the chair. It squeaked under their combined weight and he settled his precious bundle more comfortably on his lap, wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, and set the chair to rock.

  The seesawing motion seemed to calm Tina down and she snuggled deeper into his embrace, while he murmured soft nothings into her hair.

  Eventually Tina stopped crying, and he tipped her head up to make her look at him.

  “Ready to talk about it yet?” he asked.

  A shudder went through Tina, and she tried to squirm away from him, but he wouldn’t let her.

  “It was the belt, right?” He knew it had been, but he needed her to talk about it. “Answer me, girl.”

  Tina started and slowly nodded.

  “Yes, I thought…I thought.” She shook her head and looked so young and vulnerable at this moment, his chest felt tight. God, how he wanted to protect her from all the evil in this world. And she had no idea what was out there. The village and the surrounding area were safe once again, but for how long was anyone’s guess. Peace never lasted long when you were one of the protectors.

  He shook his head to clear it of the depressing thoughts, and focused back on the trembling woman in his arms.

  “You thought what, babe? I need you to tell me. Let’s get this out in the open.”

  Tina shivered and he pulled the blanket closer around her, as she stared into space seemingly reliving some horror of her past. His bear grew restless, itching for a fight, to do serious damage to whoever the cretin was who put that forlorn look in his mate’s eyes. Ronan took a deep breath, pulling her intoxicating scent deep into his lungs, and his animal calmed. She was here on his lap, and he would help her through whatever was bothering her.

  “I thought you were going to hit me with it.” The halting words were barely above a whisper, but thanks to his enhanced hearing Ronan heard them loud and clear. His bear bared his teeth, and started pacing again, but Ronan was in full control and allowed none of his inner agitation to show. Instead he slowly rubbed up and down Tina’s spine in an effort to ground her in the presence.

  “Like he used to do.”

  Another sob escaped and silent tears streaked down her face. Ronan wanted nothing more than to kiss them off her face, to reassure her that he would never do that, but now was not the time.

  “Go on, I’m listening. Let it all out, babe.”

  She glanced at him, and gave him a wan smile. That little show of spirit showed her inner strength more clearly than anything, and pride filled him at her courage.

  “Are you sure you want to hear all this? It’s a long boring tale of my childhood.”

  Ronan simply raised an eyebrow, and looked at her, and another ghost of a smile kicked up the corner of her plump lips.

  “I told you I grew up on a council estate, right?” At his nod she sighed and continued. “Well, this one wasn’t pretty, but it was home. The neighboring ones were much better, and I always wished we lived there. Anyway, Mum worked all the hours under the sun to help get the money to buy the place, under the right to buy scheme. Why, I’m not really sure. I guess she wanted to leave me a legacy. We couldn’t get a transfer out of there, and if we owned the place, at least it gave us some collateral.” She shrugged her shoulders and swiped the tears away. “She was so proud the day the mortgage came through, but it meant money was tighter than ever, and she had to work even harder. One of her jobs, she had several, see, was to work in the local corner shop in the evening. When dad worked the night shift, I used to come with her and sleep on a blow-up bed in the back.”

  She stopped talking and worried her lips with her bottom teeth. Ronan’s stomach churned at the emotions he sensed in her. He knew her next words would tell him something awful. On impulse he drew her closer into him, and after a moment of resistance she relaxed and curled into him with her head on his shoulder. The soft puffs of her exhalations ghosted across his skin and brought with it more of her sweet floral scent. It provided peace of sorts for Ronan. The past couldn’t hurt her anymore, not when she was in his arms.

  “There had been a spate of armed robberies in the neighborhood, and that night they picked on our store. I woke up to gunshots and mum’s screaming. When it all went quiet I dared to come out of the back. Mum was lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing. I didn’t know what to do, so I simply held her, and cried. She died in my arms before the ambulance got there. One of the neighbors must have called it. Anyway, her last words to me were to make me promise to look after dad. And she said
that she loved me.”

  Tina’s voice broke on the last few words and she stared to cry again. Silent, soft, powerful tears and his heart broke for her childhood self.

  “How old were you, when this happened?” he asked.

  “I was eight.”

  Ronan swore and his muscles coiled as his bear roared to be let out, to seek revenge for his mate. Tina sat up slightly and ran her fingertips over Ronan’s clenched jaw, and then kissed him. It was a mere brush of her lips against his, but it was enough to bring his focus back on her. She smiled at him.

  “It’s okay, you know.”

  “None of this is okay.” He frowned down on her and barely resisted the urge to take her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. ““How can you say this is okay? You lost your mum in a brutal attack, and—”

  Her fingers on his lips stopped his little outraged tirade, as did the new tears glistening on her eyelashes.

  “What I mean is there is no need to go all macho alpha bear over this. All this happened a long time ago, and besides they did catch the guys that did it. They went down for a long time. Last I heard they were still in prison, so at least they paid for their crimes.”

  Ronan’s bear snorted his annoyance and for once Ronan was in full agreement with his animal.

  “Besides they were only teenagers themselves fuelling their drug habit, not some hardened criminals. They were as much the victim here, as we were.”

  There was a quiet conviction behind her words, and Ronan could only stare at her in wonder.

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” he finally said when the silence between them grew uncomfortable.

  Tina shook her head in denial.

  “No, I’m not. If I had been I would have been able to help my father more, and he would have never turned back to drinking.”

  This time Ronan did take her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake.