Rough It Up by Emma Hillman

left.”
    “Oh. Can anyone do that?” She couldn’t remember her stepbrothers ever mentioning this. Considering the number of times they’d maimed themselves as teenagers, dirt-bike riding or plain-old being stupid, this was a bit odd. Surely, if the only thing they could have done was shift, they would have. Right?
    “No. Only the strongest members of the Pride can heal themselves when they shift.”
    “Oh,” she repeated, but this time the two letters held such a maelstrom of emotions, she saw his lion seep into his eyes. “That’s, huh, good.”
    He shook his head. “Do you believe me now?”
    “I guess.”
    He chuckled softly and bent down to capture her mouth once again. The fire inside her, banked during their conversation, roared back to life. She slid her fingers into his hair and kissed him back with all her might. All her love. No, she contradicted herself inwardly. She didn’t love him. Not yet. She was just in lust with him because, well, he was her mate and…
    “Stop thinking,” he admonished, nudging her face up so he could kiss a path down her neck.
    She leaned back and grabbed her knees, holding herself up to his inspection. He groaned and fell on her breasts, sucking on one nipple until it hardened. He did it all over again to her other breast, loving her with his mouth, her moans ringing in the otherwise silent house.
    When his hand slid between her thighs, she nearly shouted. His thumb pressed against her clit, two of his fingers slipping inside her at the same time. She keened and nearly fell off his lap.
    He wrapped an arm behind her back but didn’t stop his caresses. Lost in the way he was making her feel, she started rocking her hips up and down, forcing his fingers deeper into her. He sucked on her nipple, even going as far as biting on the tender skin. It was too much. She opened her mouth to tell him, but instead she moaned.
    He laughed, the sound husky and so very male, she shivered.
    “Jay!” She was so close. So damn close. She could feel the orgasm building inside her, that amazing wave of fire spreading throughout her limbs, up her thighs, deep within her.
    One flick of his thumb over her clit, and she exploded.
     
    He didn’t give her time to come back down, simply grabbed her hips and pulled her closer. Muscles bunched, he lifted her up…and made her fall right onto his cock. He hissed, she groaned. She fitted him so well, he thought dazedly as he luxuriated in the feel of her walls stretching around his pulsating length.
    “God, you feel so good,” Alexa purred, rubbing her chest against his.
    “Ride me, darlin’. I want you to ride me.”
    She opened her eyes and grinned. “Oh boy.”
    She looked far too happy at the prospect, and maybe he should have worried, but all his blood had rushed to his cock, and he couldn’t think anymore. He just watched as she sat up straighter and started circling her hips, all the better to brush her clit against his pubic bone. It felt good, there was no denying it, especially with how wet she was. But he wanted more.
    “Ride me!” he snapped.
    She shuddered at his tone but obeyed him nonetheless. He was so shocked it’d worked that he stared at her for a full minute without moving. Sensing that she was going to stop, he palmed her waist and thrust up.
    She let her head fall back, her hair brushing his hands. So soft. She was so soft everywhere.
    “You feel so good, sweetheart,” he murmured against her skin.
    She mumbled something back, but it became quite clear her mind was on other things. Her movements became frenzied. Her walls tightened around his cock. Her nails dug into his biceps.
    Knowing she was close made him lose control. He gave one final thrust, stopping only when he was to the deep of her, the head of his shaft nudging her womb. Her walls clenched around him as her climax hit, triggering his own release. He came with thick, sharp jets inside her, intense pleasure, relief, overwhelming him.
    He closed his eyes and