Mated To The Mountain Lion Read online

  I brought her cabbage soup and slowly worked her up to solid foods, and after the first week of her recuperation, she was eating my homemade macaroni and cheese. I ran her baths every evening and made sure to keep her favorite bath salts in stock, and whenever she started racking up dirty towels and laundry, I made sure to wash and dry them with fabric softener so they would be comfortable against her skin when she slept. Her body was still tired, and we were still changing bandages on her head, but little by little, I saw the Autumn I remembered emerging.

  I constantly had to remind her that she needed assistance walking down the stairs and that we could always watch a movie in her room. Whenever we watched a movie though, by the time it was over, she was always slumped over in my lap, dead asleep in my grip.

  I watched her breaths rise and fall numerous times over the course of that first week. Studying her up-close only added to the beauty I saw in her face. The light crow’s feet emerging around her eyes only added to the wondrous time etched on her face, and her skin was even softer than I imagined. For all the times I’d woken up alone and without her, I made sure to be there-- holding her close and keeping her safe-- for whenever she woke up from those naps.

  A part of me wanted to watch her stretch and groan with sleep, and a part of me didn’t want her to feel as lonely as I felt whenever I woke up alone. Even if she didn’t think I deserved better than that, I knew she did.

  “You hungry?” she would croak upon waking.

  “Whatcha in the mood for?” I would ask.

  She’d throw out a few suggestions that would make me chuckle, like steak and potatoes, lobster and noodles, hibachi stir fry and a stiff drink. Then we’d settle on something easier for her stomach, like soup, rice and beans, or the occasional reheated cabbage soup broth.

  “It’s just so good,” she’d say, gulping it down.

  I couldn’t help but watch her lips wrap around those glasses and that bowl. She was so beautiful, even in her bandaged state, and it killed me to think that she had been in serious danger without me around. It was no one’s fault, and Lord knows I don’t blame anything but the snake for it, but I had come within millimeters of losing her, and the only thing it did was make me pay attention to her more.

  Like when her hips swayed when she walked or when her hair billowed when she turned around.

  Hell, she even managed to puke gracefully.

  But one night, I saw it in her eyes. One night I rushed into her room because I heard her calling out for me. Being a shifter, my hearing was naturally better than most. But since Autumn moved in, I had been hyper-alert, practically hearing every move she made just so that I could know immediately when something was wrong. When I got to her room, she was thrashing around, half-naked and tossing her covers in the midst of a nightmare. I sat on the edge of her bed, desperate to get her to stop moving around so damn much. She still had a concussion from what the doctor said when he had come by the day before, and strenuous movements were still too risky for her.

  “Autumn,” I said strongly, “Autumn, wake up!”

  “Help! Dallas!” she yelled.

  “Autumn!” I roared, nerves almost triggering my shifting. I took a deep breath to calm myself and then grasped her shoulders, shaking her lightly. When her eyes finally flew open, she darted up and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Oh, my God,” she breathed.

  She was trembling, and all I could do was hold her close. I turned my lips into her face and peppered her cheek with kisses, and when I caught my tears with her lips, I began running my hands up and down her back. I tried to not pay attention to the fact that her bare tits were pressed against me, but I could feel them puckering against my naked chest even as I sat there comforting her in the middle of the night.

  “You wanna talk about it?” I asked. But she shook her head no. Then she turned her lips into my neck and lightly grazed her teeth against my skin.

  “Autumn…” I warned, feeling myself growing underneath my flannel pajama pants. If she didn’t stop, I’d have some serious problems restraining myself.

  “Oh, Dallas,” she sighed. Her fingernails lightly dug into the skin of my back, and I had to bite back the groan rising up in my throat. When she pulled away, her eyes flicker to my lips.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  “Yes. I always am when you’re around.”

  She leaned into my lips, tasting like the sweet tea she’d had with dinner. Her breath smelled of biscuits and honey, and the smell of her essence wafted from between her legs. I knew she couldn’t be jostled, and I knew I had to be gentle, but dear God I’d wanted her since the moment she crossed into my home, and damn it, I was about to be as gentle as I could if it meant feeling her against me again.

  I slowly dragged my lips down her neck while I laid her back onto her bed. When I got to her nipples, I slowly pulled one between my lips. I felt her arch into me, and I slipped my hands underneath the small of her back, kissing down the clothed front of her body as my dick began to grow beneath the fabric of my pajama pants.

  “You’re fucking beautiful, Autumn,” I murmured into her belly button. Her hands dropped down and wrapped themselves in my hair, and I knew exactly where I was headed. I slowly pulled her pajama shorts down and groaned when I realized she wasn’t wearing underwear. This woman was gonna be the death of me, and I was gonna enjoy every second of silence death had to offer as long as I got to sink my body into hers one last time.

  Just once.

  I spread her legs and watched her glistening pussy bare itself for me, and when I bent in to lick a thick stripe up her slit, she rolled her hips into my face. I ran my hands up her body before I found her hands, and when I interlaced our fingers together, it just felt right. Like the other part of my puzzle had been found and the picture was now complete and easy to identify.

  My tongue had memorized every crevice and droplet of her cavern, and when I began to dance my tongue along her swollen clit, her body begin to pick up its thrusting pace. I buried my hands into her hips and held her to the bed, desperate to keep her as still as I could while her pleasure washed over her. Her thighs locked along my cheeks and her hands pulled me in deeper to her, and when I flicked her clit one last time I felt my dick beginning to leak through my pants while her entire body convulsed underneath my tongue’s ministrations.

  Her juices poured into my mouth, and I gulped her down, desperate for one last taste from her fountain of youth before she’d force reality to set in again.

  “Fuck, Dallas. Yes. Just… good god.”

  Her legs collapsed beside my face, and my eyes fluttered up to hers. I could see how hard her chest was panting even while her body laid there, bare and covered in sweat just for me. I rose up and shoved my pajama pants down, freeing my rock-hard cock begging to be inside of her. When she opened her eyes, she simply sighed at me and smiled.

  “I need you,” she whispered lightly, and it was all I needed. I dropped down onto her body and planted my hands on her head. When I lined myself up with her swollen pussy, I pushed in with no problem. Her eyes fluttered shut, and a groan fell from my lips. My balls were pressed against her ass, and slowly, I began to rock my hips into hers.

  Her pussy was so tight and so warm, I made sure to keep a languid pace because I didn’t want to hurt her.

  I just wanted to love her.

  “Jesus, Autumn,” I whispered. Her hands flew to my back and pulled me in closer to her. I dipped my face into the crook of her neck while she panted in my ear. She lazily raised her hips to meet mine, and soon I could hear the telltale panting in her breath while she slowly climbed to the top. My dick was twitching inside of her, and my balls were pulling into my body, and all of a sudden her pussy walls were fluttering around me and sucking me deeper into her body.

  “Oh, Dallas. God, don’t stop. Right-... right there.”

  Her words of encouragement spurred me on, and I slowly picked up my pace. My body rocked against hers, and our skin slapped togeth
er, and pretty soon I reared back onto my heels and pulled her closer for better leverage. Her body was shaking and her tits were bouncing, and her fingernails dug into the meat of my thighs while her mouth peeled open in ecstasy.

  “Yes! Dallas!” she cried out while her pussy milked me dry. I clenched my jaw and slammed myself deep into her before I filled her to the brim and spilled out onto the bed. My cum was dripping down the inside of her thighs, and I could smell our scents intermingled with one another, and when I dropped down beside her, she cuddled close to me and slid her leg within mine. I ran my fingers through her hair, and she gazed deeply into my eyes, and for the first time since college, I could fully admit to myself what was happening.

  I could fully admit I was in love with Autumn.

  And all I could do was pray to God that she was there when I woke up in the morning.

  Chapter 14: Autumn

  I woke up next to Dallas that morning, and everything felt right with the world. There he was, sleeping soundly while his muscular chiseled chest rose and fell with his breaths. Watching him, I couldn’t help but dance my fingertips along the crest of his pecs. He’d always been handsome, but rodeos, farms, and time had been kind to his body. He’d tacked on more muscle than I ever thought a man of his stature would have, and I reveled in the bite marks that cascaded over his shoulders and chest.

  He had been taking such excellent care of me over these past three weeks, making me food and drawing me baths every night. My parents were coming by as often as they could, and he let them in with no issues and no fuss. Every time I turned around, I had clean clothes folded in my drawers and, my toiletries were slowly replenishing themselves. Plus, his cabbage soup was the best and I had to consciously make sure to keep my mouth shut about it whenever my mother was around so that she wouldn’t get jealous. Honest to God, nothing was as good as Mom’s cooking when I was in Paris and I had missed it terribly, but Dallas certainly knew his way around a kitchen and could give my Mom a run for her money. I could feel the little paunch in my gut that wouldn’t recede starting to grow even more.

  “You gotta stop feeding me all this food,” I complained, although lightheartedly.

  “Nothing wrong with a little meat on someone’s bones,” Dallas said with a smirk.

  “Yeah, well, the fashion world isn’t kind to women who don’t keep themselves physically together.”

  He shrugged. “Then maybe they just need to redefine their physical standards.”

  Today was my third doctor’s appointment, and each one had told me I was healing well. The gauze finally came off in the second week, but I still wasn’t allowed to travel or do anything strenuous. Dallas had cradled my head when we made love, and his tongue had sent me to places I’d never found when I ran away to Paris. The moans and groans that fell from his lips whenever he was between my legs were nothing short of catastrophically beautiful. Since that first night, we’d made love several times over the course of the week and every time we woke up next to one another, I felt safe and cherished like I’d felt back in college.

  Nevertheless, guilt started to bubble in my stomach while we rode in his truck to the doctor’s office. Today would be the day that they would tell me whether I could travel or not, and we both knew that. I was due back in Paris at the end of next week, and I knew there were still so many unanswered questions between us. My heart fluttered whenever his lips touched my skin and every time we woke up next to one another, I couldn’t help the smile that peeled across my face. Yet now, I was going to have to leave him again and go halfway around the world to continue pursuing my dreams.

  He deserved better than that, and at the very least, he deserved answers.

  “Dallas, do you think-”

  “We’re about ten minutes out from the doctor,” he said, giving no smile or indication that he was ready for what the doctor had to say, which told me everything I needed to know.

  He knew what was coming, and still had no answers about the last time I’d left him. Well, the time before last time.

  Fuck, I was a terrible person.

  “Dallas, maybe we could go get some food after and-”

  “Let’s just see what the doctor says first, all right? There’s been a bit more… jostling… this week, and I want to make sure you’re all right.”

  He reached over and grabbed my hand, and my heart began to speed up. He traced comforting circles around the top of my skin, and part of me wanted to pull this truck over and crawl into his lap. I wasn’t ready to talk about this, but I knew we had to, and now I got the feeling that Dallas wanted to avoid it at all costs.

  My stomach lurched, making me increasingly nauseous.

  When we pulled into the doctor’s office, I had to lean against the truck door to steady myself.

  “You all right?” Dallas asked.

  “Just fine,” I said with a sigh. Dallas gave me a searching look that indicated he didn’t entirely believe me, but said nothing. Moments later, we walked hand-in-hand into the doctor’s office. Once inside, I was seen immediately called into the examination room.

  I reluctantly let go of Dallas’s hand and headed back by myself, where a few tests were performed before they took a bit of blood. I had lights shined in my eyes, and they looked into my ears. I followed fingers and got my reflexes checked, and when the doctor was finally done, she stood back and smiled.

  “You’re healing beautifully, and we got your test results back from the procedures you had done at the hospital a couple of days ago.”

  “Oh? Well, what do they look like? How’s all the swelling?”

  “Nonexistent. Your brain looks like it’s finally healed, and you’ll be just fine to travel next week.”

  “Oh.”

  The memories of Dallas began to rush through my head. Memories of him holding me so close, touching me, and waking up to his smile danced through my mind, along with memories of him bringing me breakfast in bed and huddling down into the covers while we watched television together. I recalled how a few days ago, I’d heard commotion among the animals, so I wrapped a blanket around my naked body and made way for the window, where I watched him mount one of his horses bareback and go after a bull that was terrorizing a small newly born calf. In that moment, I saw a glimpse of the man who lived for the thrill. I watched him bring out a whip and a rope to physically drag the bull away from the calf. And after he finally had the bull controlled, I watched him hop off the horse and scoop the little calf up into his arms.

  I knew I was in a hell of a lot of trouble when I thought, in that very moment, that he looked so good with small animals in his arms, that he would look even better with a small child in them.

  The doctor patted my shoulder before writing some things on her pad and leaving. She left the door slightly opened, and I knew that Dallas would come bursting in just seconds later. My heart beamed at the protective role he had adopted when it came to taking care of me, but tears sprang to my eyes when I realized I’d have to tell him that

  I was cleared to travel and would be leaving again soon.

  I thought about things I’d missed out on with him while in Paris—rodeos I never watched him ride in, dinners I’d missed, vacations we could have taken lounging around on the beach, and hospital trips with his dad, where he could’ve used my support. I knew he’d inevitably been the rock of his family when his father’s health declined for the worst. But even those who were rock-solid needed a foundation to stand on.

  I wondered who Dallas’s foundation was and if he sunk himself into different women to forget, or if he stayed away from women like I stayed away from men. I wondered if my presence penetrated his life like he still did mine. I had no right to claim him…No right to ask anything of him, really, other than to forgive me.

  And part of me felt I didn’t even have the right to ask him that.

  I owed him answers and I needed to be ready to give him those answers. I needed to brace for his anger and be prepared for the fact that he might throw me out.
That he might get so angry and feel so betrayed that my shit would end up out on his front lawn by the time I get him calmed down long enough to talk. I’d made assumptions about him back in college whenever I’d left my life behind to go to Paris, and I knew exactly how Dallas felt about people assuming things about him.

  I had to stop being so fucking scared and just talk with him.

  He had questions, and I had answers he deserved, so it was my turn to take care of him. It was my turn to give him what he needed, even if it meant possibly destroying the greatest thing I’d ever built since I’d left for Paris after graduation.

  But really, me going back to work at the end of next week would destroy that anyway. I was walking into a massive amount of work that had to be done on my end, and I probably wouldn't come back until next summer to visit my family.

  Dallas deserved better than a string of summer romances with one used-up woman.

  “Knock, knock,” Dallas said as he slowly stepped through the door with a massive smile on his face. “The doctor told me you were doing well.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “She uh… she says everything seems to be healing just fine.”

  “How’s the swelling?”

  “Looks to be almost gone.”

  “Good! That’s good. Any more restrictions?”

  There it was, the question that would lead to all sorts of other questions. I’d tell him there were no restrictions and it would dawn on him that I could go back to work. And then he would wanna know what I did for work. That’s when I’d have to tell him I worked for a prominent fashion designer in Paris, which would make him curious. He’d ask how long I’d been working in Paris, and I’d have to tell him five years. And that’s when he’d do the math and it would happen…