Promised: True Mates Book 1 (BBW Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance) (A Craggstone Paranormal Romance) by Olivia Arran Read Free Book Online Page A

whispered, leaning forward and pressing my lips to hers.

    * * *
    Kara
    J ames’s lips covered mine , firm and deliciously warm, a hard pressure, yet not insistent. My lips tingled and opened in response, and I succumbed, pressing my body closer to his. My breasts molded against his hard chest as his arms pulled me closer. Deepening the kiss, he shifted, angling even closer. I felt his cock, hard and ready, brush against my hip. From deep within my wolf stirred, rushing toward the surface, metaphorically sniffing at the air. His male muskiness enveloped me, cascading over my senses and causing my wolf to reel with pleasure. From deep within I felt her bat impishly, testing my resolve and pushing me to act, to let her play.
    Gasping for breath, I pushed James away. The lure was too strong. My wolf had never reacted like this with anyone before — anyone but James. God, what if he was right? A yearning — deep within my soul that I didn’t know I had — flared to life. The need to be held, to be wanted — to be loved. Love? What was that?
    “What’s going on in that head of yours?” James asked, lightly tapping his knuckles against my forehead. His breathing was ragged, the rise and fall of his chest mesmerizing me for a brief moment.
    Wrenching my eyes to meet his, my own widened, shocked at the raw need reflected in his. Hands trembling, I reached up and gently brushed a lock of hair from his face.
    Immediately capturing my hand with his, he threaded our fingers together to cup his cheek.
    “You felt it, didn’t you?” He nuzzled his cheek into my hand, lightly abrading my fingers with his stubble. My skin tingled just from this small act of touching. The touch felt so personal, more than the kiss that we had just shared — like something a mate would do to show that he cared. Then he lightly pressed a kiss into my palm, and my breath hitched as my heart fractured, just a little.
    “I…I felt something,” I admitted. I couldn’t lie to him, not when everyone had lied to me. I couldn’t bring myself to stoop to their level. I wanted to live my life the best way I could, and that started with being honest. And looking after myself, first. No one else would — or had. “There are things you still don’t know about me—”
    “Kara, I—”
    “No. Stop, please. I can’t—” My throat felt tight, like the air was too thick, “—I just need some space, some time to think. I just don’t know what to do at the moment. You might be…we might be…but I might not be what you expected in a mate.”
    Reaching out, James gently shuffled me back against the railing, caging me between his arms. “You will not run from me this time. Tell me what you felt,” he softly ordered, his tone carrying the weight of his power as Alpha.
    Immediately, my wolf bristled at his dominance and bore her metaphysical teeth in a growl. Outwardly, my brows arched as my lips pursed.
    “There she is,” James said, with a grin.
    “What?”
    “My alpha-mate,” he chuckled. “This is one of the many reasons why I am sure you are the one for me. You may feel broken, but you are not. You may believe you are worth less than other females, but your soul — both halves — does not believe this. Deep, deep inside, you know you are my equal.” He raised his hand cutting off my denial. “As you just proved. You did not cower, you did not submit and grovel.” He laughed, a deep and joyous sound, his whole face lighting up. “You told me to fuck off—”
    “No, I didn’t!”
    “I heard her,” he stated. “Between her growl and your face, you told me and my alpha-ness to take a running jump.” Grabbing my hips, he leaned his full weight against me. “And I liked it — a lot.”
    His weight blanketed me, wrapping me in warmth. I could feel his cock digging into my stomach as he shifted against me, thick and hard. Heat erupted, shooting through my veins, liquefying my limbs. Beads of sweat formed in an instant, trickling down