K O L B E

When I woke up the next day, Beau had me plastered against his chest. His two arms were like boa constrictors, firmly holding my small form against his large, well-muscled body. I could hazily remember the events of the night but I did not recall getting into bed with Beau. Not that I was complaining. His warmth was more than welcome and I always felt at ease in his embrace. I could get used to waking up in his arms every day.

"You're awake," The large man said, causing me to jump out of my skin. His deep laugh reverberated through me as he found amusement in my startled expression. I blushed and hid my face in his toned chest "Good morning, Kolbe," my mate chuckled after he had calmed down a bit. Beau attempted to coax me into to looking at him, but I stubbornly refused. My face was redder than a tomato and I didn't want him to laugh at me any more than he already had. "Come on, Kolbe, I didn't mean to startle you, I'm sorry." He apologized softly, amusement still evident in his voice.

I looked up with a pout, avoiding his playful gaze. He poked my protruding lip with a smirk that looked way too attractive to be legal. 

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, pulling my hand that was on his chest to his lips and placing a kiss on my wrist. My blush grew as a tremor went through me. That was the first time his lips touched my skin and goosebumps rose as a response.

"You laughed at me," I murmured, my lips pursing. I didn't want to admit how much that embarrassed me. I wanted Beau to find me desirable not keep me around just for laughs.

"I'm sorry, baby, but you should have seen your face," Beau said apologetically. I pouted, looking at him from the corner of my eye. He brushed some of my shoulder length hair from my eyes, a soft smile on his face. "You're adorable, did you know that?" the chocolate male asked, rolling over onto his back with me still in his arms. I blushed for the umpteenth time, my hands curling shyly against his broad chest.

The too big shirt I was wearing had ridden up during the transition causing our skin to come into contact. He played with the waistband of the boxer's I was wearing absentmindedly as our gazes locked in a staring match.

"Beau, am I on your arm?" I asked in concern. I could feel something long and hard pressing against me and I was worried that I was making him uncomfortable

My mate looked up at me with a heavy-lidded gaze, the right side of his lips curving up slightly.

"That's not my arm." I blinked owlishly, tilting my head to the side. Well if it wasn't his arm then... My whole face flushed scarlet as I sat up quickly almost giving myself whiplash. Beau laughed lightly, rubbing my thigh comfortingly.

"I-I'm sorry, B-Beau," I stuttered out nervously, "I-I'm hurting you aren't I?" Oh, goddess, he's probably in pain. I attempted to move off of him, but Beau grabbed my hips firmly and sat up so our chests rubbed against each other yet again.

"Not at all, baby, " he whispered, gripping my chin when he realized I was avoiding his gaze again. He gently turned my face to his, causing our eyes to meet. I shifted nervously in his lap after a few moments of simply staring at each other. He groaned, both hands landing on my waist to stop my movements yet again.

"I'm so sorry, Beau!" I bit my lip. This morning was so embarrassing. My hips moved again, despite me trying to keep perfectly still. 

"Fuck," he growled under his breath, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them. A fire seemed to have ignited in Beau's eyes. "You're hell bent on testing my control, aren't you?" He muttered as his face drew closer to mine. I gulped, his proximity was making my blood heat up. 

"I-I don't know what you mean," I responded shakily as my cheeks turned a cherry color.

Beau groaned low in his throat and a shiver raced down my spine. I gasped at the unfamiliar sensation. The big man shook his head as if to clear it and pulled away, increasing the space between us. He heaved a sigh before meeting my eyes with his once again.

"Let's get up before I do something I won't regret." He stated, looking me up and down. I scrambled off his lap awkwardly, diving back under the covers. I felt the bed shift as he stood before tugging on the blanket I was hiding under. I was so mortified, I didn't want to come out. I think I made him mad. If I hadn't messed things up by hurting him we probably wouldn't be in this situation. "Kolbe, come out," He tugged on the blankets again. 

"Nooo, you're mad at me," I whined, wigging away from where he stood on the side of the bed. I heard him sigh and my heart plummeted. I was really getting on his nerves, wasn't I? I'm such a bad mate.

"Baby, I'm not mad. Come out." He said softly.

"Are you sure you're not mad?" Beau chuckled and tugged on the blanket one more time.

"I'm definitely not mad, Kolbe, but if you feel bad, you can come out here and fix it." My mate responded teasingly. 

I peaked my head out from under the covers. "I can?" I asked hopefully. He nodded, smirking, "How?"

"Come over here and I will show you." He said crossing his arms. I licked my lips weighing the options. Go over there and possibly embarrass my self further, or possibly redeem myself and make my mate happy again. I climbed out of the bed and walked over to Beau slowly. He had a smile on his face, he looked so good standing there shirtless, in a pair of low riding sweats with his hands on his hips as he waited for me to close the distance between us. When I was right in front of him he pulled me into his chest, causing a squeal to fly past my lips. 

"You really are too fuckin' cute." He growled in my ear. 

"You're not upset anymore?" I asked peaking up at him through my lashes timidly.

"I was never was, baby," He picked me up and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, m arms circling his neck. His hands cupped my bottom, keeping me in place. I felt his shaft pressing against me again, he was impossibly big. It was no wonder I had mistaken it for his arm. "Just don't wiggle around anymore, otherwise I won't be held accountable for my actions." I nodded quickly in agreement even though I wasn't sure what he meant by that.

He walked us into his en-suite bathroom before setting me down on my feet. He passed me my toothbrush after he wet it and applied toothpaste. I have a small 'thank you' before putting the plastic in my mouth. We brushed our teeth in a comfortable silence. I thought it was cool how there were two sinks in the large marble counter, there wasn't anything like it in my house when I was growing up.

Beau quickly finished up when he heard his phone ringing from the room. I followed a moment later once I was done rinsing off my toothbrush and placing it back where it belonged. Walking into the room, my eyes instantly found my mates pacing form. 

"Alright Ro, see you in a minute. Love you too, bye." He removed the phone from his ear, smiling at me when he noticed my presence. "Rowan wants us to go with her to the mall today. We need to get you some clothes anyway." He said looking me in the eyes. I frowned not liking the thought of wearing anything that didn't have Beau's scent on it. Beau looked at me concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Your clothes...they smell like you." To prove my point I pulled the collar if his shirt to my nose, inhaling deeply as my eyes fluttered shut on their own, a soft sigh escaping me. "I-I like the scent, it makes me feel safe," I said softly, opening my eyes slowly. Beau swallowed thickly a small crease forming on his brow. He reached out a large hand, pushing my hair from eyes and stroking my cheek gently.

"Okay, let's make a deal," he began "you can wear my clothes at home and the clothes I buy for you when we go out. How does that sound?" He bargained, removing his touch. I nibbled on my lip in thought. I would wear his clothes all the time if I could but if it would make him happy, I will wear other clothes...even if they don't have his scent on it. With a sigh of defeat, I nodded my head, releasing the collar of his shirt it fell back into place against my neck.

"Okay," I agreed.

"Alright, lemme just see if I can find anything that doesn't look like you're swimming in it. " I tried not to pout. "I think Miguel might have left some clothes behind..." He trailed off as he went back into the bathroom to look in his walk-in closet. I didn't follow, instead went to sit on the bed.  Part of me wanted to curl back up into the covers but I refrained and instead pulled a pillow into my lap as I hugged it to my chest, taking in deep breaths of Beau's lingering scent. A moment later Beau returned with a pair of jeans and a shirt.

 "They're probably still a little too big, but at least they will fit better." He handed me the articles of clothing. I took them, despite the fact that the scent of an unknown male lingered in the fabric. 

"You and Miguel used to... live together?" I asked curiously. Beau nodded, as he scratched the back of his head. 

"We were together for a while but, it didn't work out." He sighed, a rueful smile pulling at his lips. 

"What happened?" I was interested in finding out why this person who obviously meant so much to Beau was no longer in his life. Selfishly I wanted to know what Miguel had done to lose Beau's interest. I didn't want to make the same mistake. Was that wrong of me? I don't know. My experience with humans was limited, to say the least. I wonder if it was weird for me to ask about his ex.

"We fell out of love. He moved away to pursue his dreams. The end." He surmised, folding his arms against his chest and leaning against the wall. Beau watched me with a curious glint in his eyes, drinking in my reaction to his words. 

"That's so sad." I pouted. A smile quirked at the edge of Beau's lips as if he was trying not to laugh. Would me and Beau fall out of love? Is it even possible for mates to lose love for one another? We hadn't even fallen in love yet and I was already worried about the future of our relationship. Were we in a relationship... what does a relationship even entail? 

"I guess, but people grow apart all the time." Beau shrugged as if we were talking about the weather and discussing the forecast for the week.

"But you loved him." I persisted. 

"I did." He agreed gruffly. His brown eyes held patience as if he knew that I was trying to wrap my head around the logic of it all.

"But now you're not together."

"We're not."

"Don't you miss him." I murmured, ignoring the flash of the worry that crept into my heart. Worry from the possibility that I would fail as a mate and drive him back to his former lover.

"There were times that I did. But it's been three years and I have moved on." Beau explained flashing me a small smile.

"B-but-" Beau sighed, pushing off of the wall and walking over to where I sat. He leaned down until our noses nearly touched. Gripping my chin, he tilted my face up. Whatever I was about to say died on my lips as his proximity caused my brain to short circuit. 

"I don't want Miguel, Kolbe. I want you." He whispered, before closing the rest of the distance. Beau's lips pressed against mine softly. I gasped allowing his tongue to slip into my mouth and stroke mine. He took his time exploring my wet orifice, leaving nothing untouched. My heart was racing but my body felt slow and sluggish. I had never felt anything so good before. It was foreign to me. The feel of his smooth lips and tentative yet bold tongue both working together caused my brain to fizzle and my blood to heat.

What was this called again? Kissing. It felt like he was doing more than just kissing me. It felt like he was devouring me slowly. I was enjoying every second of it.  A strange sound bubbled up my throat, one that I had never made before. Beau released a deep rumbling groan in response and I felt a weird tightening sensation in my stomach.  

Beau pulled away and we gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, then his mouth descended onto my neck. I tilted my head over baring more of the column to him in submission. 

"Beau," I whimpered, another strange sound, bubbling past my lips. I clutched at his large broad shoulders weakly.  "Please..." I don't even know what I was asking for, I knew that I needed more and I wanted my mate to give it to me.

"Damn," He growled, pulling away. Suddenly I was on my back with Beau hovering over me. His large hands slowly pushed up the shirt that I was wearing, revealing the caramel flesh that lay underneath. My nipples hardened as they were exposed to the air, Beau looked down at my chest hungrily and I couldn't help but squirm under his gaze. "Fuck, you're beautiful, Kolbe." he breathed before taking a straining nipple into his mouth. I gasped as his teeth grazed the pert flesh before he soothed the sting with a flick of his warm tongue.

"B-Beau, mmmph..." I mewled. Beau's hands gripped my waist, his thick fingers digging into my skin as he turned his attention from my nipples to the rest of my chest, he placed hot open-mouthed kisses on the expanse, randomly alternating to sucking on the sensitive skin there. I felt weird, my whole body felt impossibly warm and my face felt like it was on fire. I also couldn't help but notice the stiffness in my boxers, or should I say Beau's boxers. 

I squirmed under him trying to keep up with all the new emotions I was feeling. I was on sensory overload. Beau pulled away causing me to whimper in protest. Beau licked his lips, his brown eyes dark and hooded as he stared down at me. His jaw was clenched as if he was holding himself back.

"You're too tempting for your own good." He rumbled softly, leaning down to place a soft chaste kiss on my lips. Just as quickly as his lips were there, they were gone. "Come on, let's go before I eat you." My mate pulled me up before placing kisses on my knuckles on each hand.

"E-Eat me?" I squeaked, my voice coming out small and airy. Beau just smirked, pulling me the rest of the way off of the bed. Our chests met as he pulled me against him, wrapping an arm around me to keep us pressed together.

"Yes, eat you." He smirked at my glazed expression. Something about the way he said it made me think that I would enjoy being eaten. 

‹ AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'm so sorry I took so long to post this chapter. It was like I fell off my groove for writing once I completed the Tiger's Omega. I also have not one but TWO jobs now, I'm busy, but not so busy as to neglect a story for damn near two months. (I'm so sorry) Feel free to cuss me out in the comments I deserve it.

If I ever take this long to update again cuss me out on my profile page, in a private message, in the comments, wherever, if I'm slacking let me know. I can't apologize enough for the wait.

This chapter is just a filler so I'm not too mad that I'm not in love with it. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. 

I promise I won't take so long to update the next chapter.

J.T.