STORY EXCERPT

The hike through the thick forest of the Cascade Mountains had been a long one. But they had finally reached their goal; a small encampment set in a clearing on the edge of the trees. Five battle-hardened warriors slowly inched their way toward the edge of the trees north of the small clearing. They made no sound, not even a rustle in the leaves. Theirs was a mission of secrecy.

“Well, would you look at that,” Sam whispered to Cole, indicating the people standing around the firelight in the encampment. “I thought they only had the boy. Who’s the girl?”

Cole stared at the young woman who seemed to be talking to the largest man in the group around the fire. He felt his body harden in response to the vision before him.

He knew immediately deep down in the depths of his soul that she belonged to him that she was made for him. The tightening of his body told him that she belonged to him as no other woman ever had. She was his mate, the other part of his soul.

“She’s a brave little thing,” Sam stated as he watched the woman push the small boy behind her for protection.

“She’s magnificent!” Cole said, a small hitch in his voice. Cole shook himself free of his lust induced trance at Sam’s words and focused again on what was happening in the small clearing.

The woman seemed to be arguing with the leader of the group. The leader that Cole knew well. It was Yuri Nirov, one of the men on their crime watch list. The man was a thug. He belonged to no specific crime syndicate, except whoever paid the highest price. Yuri’s only cause was his own greed.

As he glanced around to the other two men surrounding the campfire he recognized the others as well, Yuri’s two brothers, Oni and Sten. They were all in this together. They had kidnapped the son of a high placed diplomat who was working in Seattle, Washington with the United States government on a highly secretive peace initiative. And, it would seem the woman also.

Cole concentrated on the conversation between Yuri and the woman but they were too far away to hear what was being said, but Cole didn’t think it could be good. The dark haired leader seemed to be angry at whatever the woman was saying. His arms were motioning furiously as she spoke.

Cole felt a deadly rage race through his body as the man backhanded the woman, nearly throwing her to the ground. The woman turned her head back to the leader, wiping her lips on the back of her hand. She glanced down at the trail of blood on her hand and then to the leader. A smile began to form on her lips as she said something else to him.

“He dies!” Cole hissed out between clenched teeth.

“Well, duh!” Sam replied, a little confused as to why that was even an issue. Seeing the rigid posture of Cole’s body as he glanced over at him, a thought suddenly occurred to him. “What about the woman?” he asked.

“She’s mine.” Cole growled.

“So, that’s the way it is, huh,” Sam said thoughtfully, amusement clearly ringing in his voice.

Cole turned his head to scowl at Sam. “Do you have a problem with this?” Cole snarled, beyond irritated.

“Hell no, take the woman. But have you discussed this with Bear?” Sam laughed.

Cole looked at the smirk on Sam’s face. “He knows.” And Cole meant it. Bear was in the same lust filled condition. Cole could feel it even across the field from where his brother was positioned, no doubt watching the woman as intently as he was. 

“There’s movement below,” whispered a man laying flat to the ground beside Cole and Sam. Both swung their gaze back to the scene in the clearing.

“I don’t like this,” stated Sam, “I don’t like this at all.”

They watched as the leader grabbed the young woman by her arm and began walking away from the campfire toward a small grouping of large rocks to the south of where they were hiding. The leader was quite a bit taller than the woman and was nearly dragging her behind him. Her ankle length skirt seemed to be tangling in her legs with every step she took.

Cole took in the situation in a glance. “Sam, Caleb, Nick, get the boy. Bear, come with me.” Knowing his words would be followed precisely; Cole and Bear began to slowly make their way south of the camp, following the man and woman.

Cole could feel several emotions surge through his body as he quietly made his way through the underbrush. There was rage at the man for hitting the woman, and a sure knowledge that he would enjoy feeling the man’s last breath leave his body. There was fear that he would not be in time to save the woman destined to be his. And there was still an overwhelming sense of hunger for the woman.

Cole and Bear silently worked their way through the underbrush following the pair through the dense forest trees. As they crept forward they could see Yuri and the woman standing in a small clearing a few yards ahead. Yuri was holding a large knife in his hands, pointing it at the woman. The evil smirk on Yuri’s face sent a cold shiver down Cole’s back.

“Do you agree that she is ours?” Cole asked Bear.

ADULT EXCERPT

Mari turned away from the windows and walked to one of the other two doors in the room. Behind door number one was a bathroom, although Mari was pretty sure her entire bedroom at home would easily fit into this personal spa. Double sinks, large walk in shower with at least six showerheads, and the world’s largest sunken tub surrounded by a white tiled landing. That left door number two.

Closing the bathroom door Mari took a step toward the last door when it suddenly opened and one of the biggest men Mari had ever seen stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. Mari instantly recognized him as one of the men that had rescued her.

She didn’t know whether to be afraid of his size or aroused. If the wetness gathering between her legs was anything to go by, her body definitely had an opinion. Just looking at him made her libido jump up and down screaming, “yippee!”

He was gorgeous. Every muscular inch of his darkly tanned six foot three frame proclaimed his sensuality. Mari just itched to find out if he was hiding tan lines behind the faded denim jeans plastered to thick powerful thighs, or if he sunbathed in the nude. A white shirt was stretched tightly across his sinewy chest and his shoulders were easily twice the width of hers.

His facial features were finely sculpted like a roman gladiator with a hint of morning stubble gracing his square jaw. And his sandy brown hair was short but not so short that Mari couldn’t grab a handful while dragging him into a long, bone-clenching kiss, which sounded like a perfect idea to Mari.

She knew she had to be dreaming when she felt his momentary surprise as her lips met his before his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. Oh yeah, he was hard all over, especially that long hard part of him pressed against her stomach. As his tongue swept inside of her mouth, Mari’s body broke out into a hallelujah chorus. His large hands were everywhere, down her back, in her hair, past the curve of her hip.

When he reached her naked butt Mari felt a shudder rake through his body before he picked her up in his arms, centering his hard erection against her heated center and wrapping her legs around his waist. This was heaven.

Every touch of his hands left an inferno in their wake. Mari was on fire and had no intention of putting out the flames. No one had ever wanted her like this. She certainly wasn’t going to say no when the man of her dreams couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of her. She’d had wanted to touch him since the moment she had seen him in the forest. If this was a dream, she hoped she never woke up.

Cole nearly leapt to the bed to deposit the little fireball in his arms onto the bed. With one hand wrapped in her hair he used the other to unbutton his jeans and push them out of the way, freeing his aching cock before following her down onto the bed. As small as Mari was compared to him, he still seemed to fit perfectly between her thighs.

Feeling the slick heat of her caress, his cock Cole knew he had to be inside of her immediately or he would die. There was no time for foreplay. He wouldn’t survive it.

Cole pulled his lips from hers long enough to gaze into her passion filled ones. While foreplay was out of the question at this stage, he had to have her acceptance before he could take her like he wanted to. “Mari, baby—”

Mari’s only response was to wrap her legs around his waist, pulling his body even closer, if that was even possible.

He groaned as he felt himself sink into her heated folds. She was all fire and silk, wrapping tightly around his burning cock. Oh God, she was so tight. He was damn glad she wasn’t a virgin. He didn’t have the strength to take things slow.

“You feel so good.” Cole grabbed Mari’s hip, holding her in place as he began to slowly thrust into the tight grip of her body.

Cole tried to go slow, to take her easily, but as her body began to tremble as she climaxed, he knew he was lost. “Oh yeah, baby, just like that.” He was in heaven.

“Oh, fuck, Mari.” Grabbing both of her hips, Cole gave up all sense of control and thrust into her over and over again until fireworks exploded behind his eyes and he spilled his seed into her womb.

Cole vaguely noted that Mari had reached another climax as he continued pumping into her for several moments. She felt so good wrapped around his cock; he never wanted it to end. He buried his face in her sweet smelling hair until he could bring himself to stop.