Craving Eden Read online

  Moving to the left, he suckled her erect nipple through her lacy bra, the one thing she splurged on for herself over the years.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jake meant what he said. Living without her had been like a nightmare from which he couldn’t awaken.

  Nothing would stop him from committing the cara'voh if she left him again. Not even his daughter would be enough to withhold the mind-numbing grief.

  That was why it was imperative he found her ex-husband and proved to the unbelievable asshole that Eden and Harper were completely and irrevocably out of his reach.

  He gazed down at the woman lying beneath him, her breath coming in short, harsh pants. A slight sheen of perspiration dotted her brow, her golden blonde eyelashes crescents on her creamy skin.

  Finding her ex would have to wait. Now, Jake needed to reclaim his mate, and when he was through, there would be no doubt in his woman's mind just where she belonged.

  No matter what Eden might think, the fates never made mistakes.

  She was his. She belonged to him as much as he belonged to her. Somewhere along the line, destiny decided they should be together.

  Their mingling scents didn't lie. Jake hadn’t been able to stop himself from marking Eden all those years ago, and he would do so again with no regrets. Perhaps then she would never again doubt where she belonged.

  He gazed down at the smooth, creamy skin of her shoulder. He could still see the tiny scar where he pre-marked her before. When he finally irrevocably tied them together, the mark would become the alpha mate’s seal. The wolven magic would change the four small punctures into what would appear to be an intricate-looking Celtic tattoo.

  His gums ached as his teeth shifted and grew. This time when he marked Eden, it would be no small nip. This time he planned to tie her to him whether she liked it or not. If she submitted to him today, he would take what was his and damn the consequences.

  “Do you agree to this, Eden?”

  “Agree?” She frowned. ”Agree to what?” She tossed her head on the comforter, her violet eyes glazed with desire. Her body trembled beneath him as he skimmed his hands over her tender flesh.

  “To mate with me, to fuck me. To allow us both the release we need.” Jake knew it was unfair not to add more to his explanation than the sex, but he didn't care. He was beyond caring. The beast in him drove him hard. Before, he’d listened to his heart, his humanity. This time he would let the wolf take over.

  She might not realize it yet because she still couldn’t see past her fear of her ex-husband, but she trusted him. She trusted him to keep her daughter safe, and that gave him the edge he needed.

  According to their people’s laws, a male could not take a female against her will. If she truly rejected his claim, the fates would not seal them together, no matter how much he might want it.

  He wanted to give her a conscious choice, but he didn’t dare. The hunger Jake felt deep inside for Eden went far beyond need or lust.

  It was an innate, insatiable craving to feel her against him, to be inside her body, heart, and mind. He longed to see her carrying his cubs, to watch her body grow large with his children, and witness their births.

  Jake needed the rest of his life with Eden, and he would be damned if he let her run from him again without a fucking fight.

  “Yes.” She sighed and squirmed beneath him, causing his cock to throb and beg for release.

  Jake clenched his teeth and held himself still, his heart pounding in his ears.

  “Please, Jake.”

  “If it’s really what you want, then, it's past time to remove the rest of your clothes.”

  He released the front clasp on her bra and watched her full breasts tumble free. The tight pink tips drew his gaze, and he licked his dry lips. His mouth watered as he remembered their sweet flavor.

  Jake loved the feel of her soft flesh pressed against his chest. Clothed or unclothed, he reveled in the sensation of his mate’s body touching his.

  Eden was his True Mate. True Mates were rare among his people. There was one and only one, and it was never guaranteed to find one.

  Never would he take Eden for granted. Never would he lose sight of the gift the fates had blessed him with when he found his little spitfire.

  One hand covered her swollen breast, the hard nipple jutting into his palm. He pressed his lower body deeper between her legs, her intimate heat seeping through their clothes.

  Leaning down, he captured her other nipple in his mouth and sucked voraciously. Nothing could appease the hunger in him, the way having his mouth on her flesh did.

  Eden groaned beneath him, her head thrashing on the bed. She squeezed her eyes closed, her breath coming in short erratic pants. “Don’t make me wait.”

  The sweet sound of her voice was his undoing. All of a sudden, he could no longer withhold the beast. His hands shifted slightly, bringing out claws strong and sharp enough to tear denim. With a low growl, he stripped the offending garments from her body.

  Jake needed her more now than he ever had. He craved her more than he ever thought possible.

  It seemed as though craving Eden had become a way of life for him. The hunger for her snuck up on him ten years ago when he least expected it, like an appetite he could never assuage.

  He longed for her every day. He dreamed of her every night, and wanted, needed her by his side every minute of his life.

  He inhaled deeply, loving the scent of her arousal in the air. He wanted nothing more than to bury his head between her silky thighs and wallow in her very being.

  “You next,” she said, panting as he ripped the last of her garments from her beautiful woman’s body.

  Leaving her for but a moment, he ripped his slacks off, shreds of cloth going everywhere as he lowered himself to his knees beside the bed.

  Grasping her legs, he drew them apart. Fitting his shoulders between them, he leaned forward and took one long, slow swipe at her creamy flesh.

  He almost groaned when her delightful flavor burst over his tongue. It felt as though he’d waited a lifetime to taste her again.

  Jake smiled when she groaned and fisted her hands in the comforter. How had he forgotten how responsive Eden was?

  It surprised him to discover how much he needed this. For years, Jake had longed to touch Eden again. He yearned to hold her in his arms, to smell her, and taste her. He had needed it for so long he was half-afraid this was all a dream.

  Driven by the insatiable need to mark Eden, to mate her, and make her irrevocably his, Jake took a deep breath and reveled in her scent before he buried his face between her thighs and snaked his tongue inside her.

  Eden let out a small scream before she thrust her hand in her mouth to muffle the sound as though the noises she made were too loud.

  Her cries of ecstasy didn’t matter. His home was so far off the road, she could scream the house down, and no one would hear her.

  Jake vowed she would make those sounds again and again before they were through. He pressed closer, wallowed in her scent, and her flavor bursting on his tongue, as he continued to lave her silken flesh with abandon. One thing was certain. This was a day Eden wouldn’t soon forget.

  Chapter Twelve

  Eden lost herself in sensation. She could barely breathe through such intense desire. How had she managed to live so long without his touch?

  Jake always knew what to do. He always knew how to move just so, to cause the most pleasure, that would drive her screaming into orgasm. No one had ever aroused her the way he could, and she didn’t want anyone else to try.

  She could feel her climax building even now. The warm tingling moved up from her feet to engulf her body in flames of pure ecstasy.

  No one had ever made her feel the way Jake did. No one else ever tried. She put such thoughts from her mind as he continued to suck her clit and drive his tongue deep inside her.

  Eden supposed if she’d have thought about it before, she would have realized that he wasn't entirely what he se
emed. How could anyone sense so much about another without some kind of magical or preternatural power?

  Jake always had an exceptionally long tongue. That should have been a hint as well. That same long tongue never failed to bring Eden to a screaming orgasm, which was what she was headed for now.

  Every stroke of his velvety tongue drove her closer to the precipice. Soon, she would reach the pinnacle and soar over the edge into ecstasy.

  Emotions she had long since denied swamped her. Respect and desire washed through her. Raising herself onto her elbows, she stared at the top of Jake’s head, and a tidal wave of love and respect washed over her.

  How could she ever leave him again? She loved Jake, had always loved him, and when she left Haven this time, she would leave the rest of her heart behind.

  She would leave so much of herself behind in Haven, Eden wasn't sure there would be anything left to carry her through the trying days to come when she would lead Edward and his people away from her daughter and the man she still loved.

  What would she do without him when she left Haven? Eden wanted Jake, needed him, with an intensity she never thought possible and didn't know she possessed.

  When Jake began to suck her clit again, her body stiffened and arched, her back rising off the bed as she screamed out her release. As ordered, Eden screamed his name over and over while he tunneled his fingers up her channel, pressing upward toward her navel. It intensified the sensation and sent her over the edge once again.

  When Jake crawled up her inert form, she saw that his teeth had grown. His incisors were longer, sharper than a human's, and she could also see he intended to bite her. Eden closed her eyes, accepting what he was, what he intended to do. He wanted to mark her. He'd done that already, ten years ago, on the night she left him.

  She still bore the small scar on her shoulder. It had been a constant reminder of all that she had lost over the years. This time, she wouldn't sneak out while Jake slept. This time, she would stay and let him take her again and again, as many times as he wanted in the next seven days.

  After her time was up, she would be brave and tell him she had to go instead of stealing away in the middle of the night without a goodbye.

  “I didn't think you would want me after so many years, after… everything.” Eden gazed up at his intense green eyes that seemed to worship her and knew she would be the luckiest woman alive if she could stay here with him and their daughter forever.

  Jake settled his hips between hers and growled against her neck. “Did you think the few extra pounds you added would detract from your allure? If so, think again, sweetheart. It only makes you more attractive in my book. You're a strong, healthy female. Not one of my people would complain about a little or a lot of extra meat on a woman's bones.”

  He licked the mark he left on her before. “I told you when I gave you this mark that I was yours for life. That nothing could ever come between us. As much as I would love to punish you for running away that night, I can't. You are my mate, and my wolf wants nothing more than to take you in every way imaginable and make you ours forever.”

  “Please, Jake,” she whimpered and closed her eyes as he lowered himself between her spread thighs, his erection resting hard and thick against her mound. Her empty sex clenched with the need to have him inside her.

  “Keep your eyes open, baby.” His voice was rough, demanding. “Watch me as I fuck you. I want you to know it's me driving my cock deep into your tight pussy.” He moved lower, pressing his shaft against her opening. “Say my name when you come, tell me you want me and no other. Tell me you belong to me and no other.”

  His voice was little more than a growl by the time he finished, and Eden knew this was no mere request. She took it for the order it was.

  The wolf in him, the Alpha, needed, demanded to know she didn't want another man. She couldn't blame him for his worry. After all, ten years ago, she had run from his bed and almost straight into another man's arms, though it had never been what she intended.

  Besides, he was the only man she wanted. He was the only man she would ever want. It was no hardship to tell him she would be his forever.

  Liquid heat pooled low in her middle, her sex clenched, driving the moisture lower still as it slid sinuously from her empty vagina.

  Eden felt herself grow even wetter as he stared down at her, his expression unreadable, his green eyes so dark and intense.

  A small part of her wanted his dominance. She wasn't sure she could give in to him, but a tiny part of her wanted him to try, just the same.

  The longer he stared down at her, the more aroused Eden became. His gaze alternated between her breasts and the spot where her shoulder met her collarbone. Eden waited almost impatiently for the pleasure-pain of his bite.

  The last time he marked her, his bite drove her over the edge, into an ecstasy she didn't know was possible.

  Her orgasm had been so forceful, their passions running so deep, it frightened her. It was another reason she ran.

  This time, she wanted it. Even invited it, knowing she would take whatever part of Jake he would share with her.

  Afterward, she would cherish each memory he had given her after she left. It was painfully obvious Jake hoped to hold her, to keep her with him. Eden also knew that in seven days, she must go.

  She had no real choice.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jake released a low growl of triumph when Eden let out a slow, shuddering breath while he continued to caress her breasts and nibble the mark just above her clavicle.

  He discovered how every touch, every one of his light caresses, caused another deep sigh of pleasure, and he craved those little noises almost as much as he hungered for her body.

  Nothing rode him harder than his need for her. The desire to put a voice to her pleasure, to listen to her soft moans and breathy sighs was a compulsion he didn’t want to shake.

  The wolf in him yearned to hear his name on her lips as he gave her another orgasm. Most of all, Jake needed to feel his cock repeatedly sinking inside her as he thrust them both into the throes of oblivion.

  Nothing could describe the sensation when his lips met hers again. Compelled, he was unable to keep from sipping the sweet nectar of her lips. He thrust inside her mouth, stroking against her tongue, soft wet velvet against his.

  Slowly, her arms snaked around his neck, drawing him closer, and he deepened their kiss.

  Jake almost lost control when Eden's hand slid down his arm, then slipped between their bodies. Her lithe fingers skimmed over his stomach, and grasped his shaft.

  When she stroked his length, Jake was certain he would lose his mind. One thing was sure. If she didn't stop, he would embarrass himself, and their union would be over before it truly began.

  Jake's hips jerked involuntarily at the sensation of her soft hand, gliding over his thick cock. His sac drew up, tight and heavy against him, and he wanted nothing more than to drive into her and spill his seed deep into her womb.

  Eden shuddered and gasped when he nibbled his way down her neck and chest. His mouth closed over the erect tip of her right breast, and she moaned. The sound of her intense pleasure ratcheted his arousal higher and higher. It was an aphrodisiac all its own.

  Jake pulled back, releasing her breast. He gave the erect nipple one last long swipe of his tongue before meeting her gaze.

  “Tell me you want me,” he said before turning his attention back to her breasts. His tongue teased, his teeth giving sharp little nips, causing her silky skin to pebble. “Say it,” he ordered. “Tell me how much you want me.”

  “I want you, Jake.” Her body trembled beneath him, her head thrashing on the bed as though she didn't want to admit it. “I've wanted you more than anyone. I need you more than I have ever needed anyone.”

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her to tell him she loved him. Jake wanted to hear that as much as he needed her beneath him, with her body spread open for him like some long-ago sacrifice.

&
nbsp; Cupping her breast, Jake alternated between them, first sucking on one, and then the other while he sank his fingers deep between her legs. Eden arched up, thrusting her hips, silently begging him to enter her.

  He wanted this. He needed to make Eden want him, hunger for him as much as he craved her. Only then would he enter her and give them both what they needed.

  “Please, Jake. Come inside me.”

  “Why, because you want me to fuck you? I can do that with my fingers.” He thrust three of his fingers deep inside her. “See?”

  “Because I need you to come inside me. I need you to make love to me. Mark me.” Pausing, she looked up into his eyes and bit her lip. “Mate me, Jake.”

  That was the invitation he had been waiting to hear. Eden needed to accept him as her mate. After it was done, she could not say he had taken the choice from her. It didn't matter that she had no idea what she had just done, and later it would be too late to take it back.

  Jake wasted no more time. He thrust himself inside her, groaning at the feel of her tight channel closing around his hard cock like a wet velvet fist. Nothing in his life had ever prepared him for how he would feel with his mate's tight flesh clasped around his hard shaft once again as he pistoned in and out of her.

  He nearly lost what little bit of control he’d managed to hang onto when she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, changing the angle of his entry and drawing him deeper inside her tender body.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Eden knew Jake was the best. At least he was for her. She also knew he could be merciless when it came to doling out pleasure.

  He could have kept her on the edge of an orgasm for hours. He’d done it before. How many times had he kept her shuddering with need, begging him to enter her before he would put an end to the torment?