Authors: Ariana Hawkes
Two weeks later
Magnus and Andrea skipped hand in hand through the forest. She was bubbling with excitement, and, from Magnus’s excited chatter, she knew he felt the same. They held their breath as they rounded the corner of the track, and, finally, there it was: the new cabin. It was absolutely stunning. The bears had made it to their exact specifications and finished it in beautiful varnished maple wood. It fitted in so harmoniously with the rest of the forest that it wouldn’t be obvious to passersby, but it was also a masterpiece in elegance. They walked up to the front door. There was a wooden heart carved into the door, and a wreath of spring flowers hanging from a hook. The guys had left the key in the lock. Magnus turned the door handle and opened the door wide.
“Wait,” he said, as Andrea stepped towards the threshold. He bent down and swept her into his arms, before carrying her into the house. “Welcome to our new home, my beautiful mate,” he said. He held her at the foot of their new curved staircase, and they kissed. At last, he deposited her gently on the ground, and they ran around, exploring.
Everything was perfect. The bears hadn’t missed or skimped on anything. The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living room were immaculate. And then there was the spa room. It was lined with a mosaic of beautiful blue tiles.
“How did they do all this so fast?” Andrea asked.
“Beats me,” Magnus said cheerfully. He went over to the hot tub and turned the faucets on. “But it would be rude not to try it out at least, wouldn’t it?” Andrea opened the cupboards and squeaked in excitement to see that they were already filled with towels.
“When did you do this?” she said.
“Oh, I had it all organized yesterday,” he said airily. “I wanted everything to be perfect for you arrival.” She threw her arms around him.
“Magnus, you’re so amazing and thoughtful,” she said.
“That’s because you’re my mate and your smallest wish is my command,” he said.
“Oh, I love you.”
“I love you too baby.” He encircled her with his strong, muscular arms, making her feel like she was the only girl in the world. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, still unable to believe that all of this was real.
The hot tub was ready and they undressed each other quickly, taking turns to strip off one item of clothing at a time. They paused, taking a moment to feast their eyes on each other, before they jumped in. Andrea didn’t think she’d ever tire of staring at Magnus’s gorgeous body. He seemed to have grown even more muscular over the past few days, following lots of long runs in the forest. His pecs, biceps, abs, thighs, everything was perfectly honed. And his cock was always ready for her. As soon as he saw her naked, he was hard and eager to mate with her. He loved her body; she was beginning to believe it, and to be less shy about him seeing it. They climbed into the tub and sat entwined in each other’s arms as powerful jets massaged them all over.
“This is bliss,” Andrea said, in perfect contentment. “Do you think the baby likes it?”
“I think he loves it,” Magnus answered.
“He?”
“It smells like a he.” Andrea raised an eyebrow.
“It’s enough of a stretch that you can smell that I’m pregnant, never mind the gender of the baby.”
“Of course I can smell that you’re pregnant. Your scent has changed markedly in the past few days. But to be honest, after all the sex we had while you were in season, I’d be very surprised if you weren’t.”
“True,” Andrea replied, and her clit jumped as she thought of all the hot, sensual and downright dirty things they’d got up to during their mating frenzy. After the first time they’d mated while she was in season – according to Magnus anyway – she’d felt something – an intense warmth in her womb, almost a spark, as if two things had collided and generated more heat than they each possessed in themselves. She didn’t know for sure that it was a baby, but she badly wanted it to be.
“I guess I’d better stay off the champagne at the party,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t think a small glass will hurt you. Shifter babies are ultra resilient.”
“And how about sex?” she said, as his hand slid from her shoulder to her breast.
“Sex is definitely to be recommended,” he said solemnly. “It’s well known to strengthen the fetus.”
“Is that right?” she said, as his other hand slipped between her thighs.
“It is.” He kept his smoldering golden eyes on hers while he caressed her clit with feather-light strokes and rolled her sensitive nipples between finger and thumb. Moments later, her lips parted and her breathing became ragged. He dipped a finger inside her and she shuddered.
“You’re so wet, baby,” he crooned.
“That’s because I want you, Magnus,” she replied coolly.
“You do?”
“Yes. I want you to fill me with your big hard cock, until I can’t take any more.” He gave a little purr.
“How?”
“Any way you want.” His pupils dilated with desire as he lifted her up and turned her around. She rested her elbows on the edge of the tub and the rest of her body floated in the deep pool of water as he held onto her hips and penetrated her from behind in a single, careful thrust. Magnus liked to take her from behind most often, and she loved it too. Loved the animalistic, primal feeling of it, loved to feel his huge, masculine body arched over hers, loved to feel his cock driving into her pussy while his hands roamed all over her body. He varied his tempo, some strokes long and slow, others quick, others hard and pounding, driving her crazy, until he hit the one that perfectly matched her own body’s rhythm and brought her to the point of a multi-colored explosion of shooting stars. It felt amazing to be in the water, to have her whole body supported by it, so she could relax and surrender herself to the incredible climax that Magnus had coaxed out of her. He came soon after, with an unrestrained roar. She sensed that his animal was barely below the surface, as if it was bursting to get out of him.
“You’re right,” he agreed when she told him. “It’s because it’s the first time we’ve mated in our new house. The lion likes to claim his territory.”
“Mmm, I like that,” she said, stroking his pecs and sexy abs.
*
The following afternoon, the doorbell rang and Melissa and Kristin stood on the doorstep, accompanied by Harley and Roman.
“Nice place!” Kristin said, as they came in with hugs and kisses and each handed over their housewarming gifts. Magnus dragged the guys off to look at his new pool table, while the girls explored the house.
“I’m so glad you found your mate, Andrea,” Melissa said. “Magnus is obviously an amazing guy.”
“He is,” Andrea replied, eyes glittering. “I’m totally head over heels. Or should that be head over paws? I still can’t believe he’s real, or that I deserve him.” She looked at her two friends in turn. “I owe you guys so much,” she said. “Thank you so, so much for being patient with me for all those years when I was awful. And for trusting me with the shifter secret. I never would’ve found Magnus without you.”
“Of course, hun,” Kristin said warmly. “I never doubted that you had a good heart. Your parents just put way too much pressure on you, that was all.”
“Thank you,” Andrea said again, and pulled them into a group hug. “You ladies are the best, and I’m so happy to be living here in Hope Valley with you.”
The doorbell rang again and Andrea opened the door to let Dina and Lauren in, along with their mates. She’d only met them once before, but liked them immediately. Dina was such a sweetheart. She was soft and kind-natured and funny – and just about to give birth. She was due any time, and her belly was impossibly big. Lauren was great fun – always wise cracking and full of sassy advice. Their mates were the bear shifters who’d built the cabin – Logan and Connor. Connor carried his and Lauren’s baby, Willow, in a sling on his chest. She was asleep, her long eyelashes splayed across her sweet baby cheeks. They looked like the perfect family. Andrea’s heart warmed at the sight of them. She couldn’t wait to have that experience with Magnus.
The rest of the bear clan turned up a little later, bringing crates of beer and lots of meat for the barbecue. Everyone said how amazing the house was, and the bears all beamed with pride.
Tamika was last to arrive, and she got a round of applause.
“I think you should be crowned Queen of the Shifters,” Andrea said, hugging her. “You bring so much happiness to people here.”
“Oh everyone does that for themselves when they decide to live in Hope Valley. I just give them a helping hand, darling,” Tamika said in her offhand way. “I like to call it the Hope Valley effect.”
The champagne came out and everyone toasted Tamika and ‘The Hope Valley effect’.
“To us, my beautiful, amazing mate,” Magnus whispered in Andrea’s ear, sharing a private toast with her. Andrea let the champagne touch her mouth, feeling the bubbles bursting on her lips, but no more. She didn’t want to take any chances with her pregnancy. Magnus wrapped his arms around her waist, and she sighed, reveling in the happiness of being loved and protected by her mate. And together, they surrounded the tiny little seed growing in her belly.
THE END
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review, even if it’s only a line or two; it’ll make all the difference, and it will be greatly appreciated.
Turn the page to get your free book!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever.
The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out…
“This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story.”
Sign up to her
mailing list
to be notified when her next book is coming out!
She also loves to connect with her readers, and you can reach her here on
Facebook
,
Twitter
and
www.arianahawkes.com
.
Want to read more from Ariana?
Turn the page for more books by Ariana Hawkes, including the other parts of the Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love Dating App Romances.
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Dina
The first book in the Hope Valley Dating app series
Curvy Dina Taylor hates the idea of online dating. It’s something kids do, not 36-year old women, whose boyfriends have left them for the office intern. But her best friend Lauren has a secret she’s bursting to share: there are men out there who absolutely love voluptuous girls like her. All Dina has to do is tap Shiftr, the cute little paw-print app that Lauren has just installed on her phone.
In the time it takes Dina to get over her shock that there are guys who can shift into animals, she’s hit up by Logan – a dark-eyed bear-guy with a torso like sculpted marble and eyes like pools of lust. He tells her that he feels a magnetic connection to her, but before she can tell him that the feeling’s mutual, her clumsy thumb swipes the wrong way, and he’s gone.
Dina is distraught, but Tamika, the creator of Shiftr has a cunning plan that may just bring them together again. Will Dina find the sexy Logan in the midst of the eccentric matchmaker’s beautiful, opulent summer garden party? And will they discover that they’re fated to be together?