“I’m Jesse”—the well-built male with dark eyes and stubble for hair was clearly the leader of the three—“this is Bracken”—a tall male with playful eyes and an equally playful smile nodded at Nick—“and this is Zander.” The blond, athletically built male gave a slight incline of his head.
“I’m not interested in trying to take over here, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Yeah, we noticed you haven’t joined Hadley,” said Jesse. Quietly—most likely because the human extremists were close by—he added, “He believes the humans are running a game preserve where they hunt shifters.”
Nick also kept his voice quiet. “I know, he told me.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Yes. You should be careful that you aren’t the next shifters to be taken.”
Jesse exchanged a look with the others. “We aren’t sure we can trust him.”
“I can’t vouch for his nature; I don’t know him. But I do believe he’s being honest about the game preserve. In any case, you guys need to watch your back, because if Hadley’s not after you, the humans will be.” Finally, the three males nodded and walked away. As Nick went to hop into the driver’s seat, he asked Derren, “Do you think they’ll stop hovering around us now?”
Smiling, Derren shook his head. “You really don’t know why they linger?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask.”
“They see you and all the power radiating off you, and they’re drawn to you, just like their wolves are. You could provide them with the guidance and direction they need, and they sense that.”
“I’m not here to form a pack. I’m here for Shaya.”
“I know that, and I’ve explained it to them.”
“Good.” Nick slid into the car and was just about to close the door when Derren spoke again.
“Have fun.”
Nick grinned. He’d be having all kinds of fun.
Neither he nor Shaya said a word during the journey to her home. Anticipation built inside him and licked over the surface of his entire body. Shaya’s own anticipation was like a buzz in the air, seducing his wolf with its intensity. The scents of their arousal filled the car, which suddenly felt much smaller than it was. As such, it was a relief to finally get out of it.
Having helped Shaya out of the car, he let her take the lead as they advanced up the path. When she unlocked the front door and held it open for him, he paused. “Be sure that you want this, Shay. Be absolutely positive. I can hold off on claiming you until you’re ready…but if I walk through that door, I am going to fuck you. Not soft and slow, but hard and deep. Over and over, until neither of us can move. Are you ready for that?”
He hoped to God that the extent of his dominance didn’t unnerve her because he was who he was, and he truly didn’t know how to tone it down. He half-expected her to fidget nervously, considering his words. What she did instead was shoot him a sexy grin and stroll inside, leaving the door wide open in invitation. That was all Nick needed.
Shaya was a calm, practical female who was not reduced to being tongue-tied and shaky at just a guy’s presence. But as she and Nick stood in the hallway like two cowboys about to have a showdown, it was exactly what happened. His intensity and power wrapped around her like a cloak—not just his power as an alpha, but his masculine power. It seized and overwhelmed both her body and her mind, and she felt totally captivated by it and by him.
Shaya’s need to have him and be taken by him was primal and potent, making it hard to keep her breathing even and her hands steady. Her mouth was suddenly bone-dry, and her heart was pounding. He hadn’t even touched her, and yet she felt owned at the possessiveness now blazing from his eyes. Then he spoke, and his even, deep, authoritative tone made her and her wolf snap to total attention.
“Come here. Last night, I pounced on you. This time, I want you to come to me.”
And she had every intention of doing just that, but she also wanted to test him, wanted to see exactly how much she could get away with. It was in her nature to push boundaries.
“Shay,” he drawled warningly. “Come to me. Show me this is what you want. Show me you can handle this.” Pride filled him when she straightened her spine before coming toward him. When she was finally before him, she boldly met his gaze. “Very good.”
The drive to possess her in every way had him wanting to hungrily ravish her again. The only thing that kept it in check was that, having waited so long for this, he wanted to savor every minute. He wanted to familiarize himself with every inch of this body that had been made for him. He could sense that Shaya, on the other hand, was too highly strung to last through the savoring. She needed the edge taken off.
When his hands roughly slid into Shaya’s hair and he licked along the seam of her mouth, she gladly opened for him. Immediately his tongue delved inside and he groaned. He didn’t coax a response from her, he took it. Took it with the confidence of a guy who owned his sexuality and knew exactly what he wanted and just how to get it. Took it like no other guy had come close to doing before now.
Shaya sank into the kiss, locking her arms around his neck and scratching at his nape. A growl rumbled up his chest, teasing her pebbled nipples. As his hands palmed her ass and lifted her, she wrapped her legs around him. The breath left her lungs as he abruptly pinned her against the wall, snuggling his hard cock against her clit. She moaned and scratched at him as he rocked against her, irritable and restless as the tension that had been building within her all evening reached boiling point.
He whispered hotly in her ear as he agonizingly slowly lowered her zipper. “I’m going to fuck you, Shay. Very soon I’m going to bury every inch of my cock inside you. And I’m going to do it as many times as I want. Because I can. And you’re going to love it, baby, I promise you. But right now, I need you to come for me right here.” Then he slid his hand inside her panties and speared two fingers inside her. That was all it took: she’d been hanging on the edge so long that she shattered with a loud cry. He held her there until the reverberations stopped racking her body, dabbing soft kisses on her face, and then he carried her upstairs.
The second they were inside her bedroom, he slowly lowered her feet to the hardwood floor. Shaya swayed slightly, double-blinking—that had been one disorienting orgasm. She held still as Nick slowly removed her silver sequined top, black pants, and white lacy underwear, like he was unwrapping a delicate birthday gift. Then he was circling her with a predatory glint in his eyes, making her feel like prey, and it sent a shiver running through both her and her wolf.
Raking his gaze over every bare inch of her delectable body, Nick swallowed hard, and a surge of possessiveness swamped him. She was amazingly beautiful, all smoothly shaped muscle and curved in all the right places. Her breasts would fit just right in his hands, the same way her luscious ass did. Coming to stand in front of her, he bit her lip. “I have so many plans for this pretty mouth, but they can wait for another time. Now, I want you to lie on your back on the bed for me with your arms above your head.” She backed up until she reached the bed and then slid demurely onto the white satin sheets, but the usual impish benevolence was in her eyes.
When he didn’t do anything other than stare at her, she asked, “Are you going to join me, or shall I take care of myself?”
He arched a brow at her, his expression stern. “You don’t get to touch yourself unless I say you can. Now be a good girl and spread your legs for me.” Instead, she stared at him. He knew she was testing him, and he had every intention of starting as he meant to go on. “I don’t like repeating myself, baby. Don’t make me flip you over and spank your ass.”
“That actually sounds promising, especially when the alternative is you just staring at me.”
He loomed over her. “How’s this for an alternative: I’m going to explore every single inch of you until I know your body better than you do. I want to know what makes you moan, what makes you squirm, how much pain you like.” Every shifter liked the bite of
pain, but he wanted to know just how much Shaya liked and could take. He stood upright. “Now, I believe I asked you to do something for me.” After a few seconds, she finally spread her legs. He loved that she was completely bald and smooth.
With his intense gaze still trained on Shaya, he began removing his clothes. She knew her eyes were roving over him hungrily. The angles and slopes and indents of his amazing body all spoke of pure power. She had a particular urge to trail her fingers along the slim line of golden crispy hairs on his well-defined, solidly built chest that led to an impressive yet intimidating erection. Hmmm, maybe she should.
When she sat up and reached for his cock, Nick caught her hand and shook his head. “Lie back and put your arms above your head. I don’t want you touching me until I’m done exploring.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “Aw, do you suffer from premature ejaculation? Will one touch set you off?”
His brow lifted. “Taunting me, baby?” He shook his head disapprovingly. “You really don’t want to do that. Now, do as I asked.”
The order rang with enough dominance to make her wolf shiver in delight. “Can’t we just skip the exploring part?” Shaya complained, though she did as he said.
Nick got onto the bed and crawled on top of her, placing a hand on either side of her head. “I’ll give you what you want soon. Just a little longer, and then you can have it.” When he looked at her expectantly, she gripped the bars of the headboard. “Very good,” he praised, nipping her lip.
Shaya shuddered as his body finally settled over hers, loving the skin-to-skin contact. His powerful build blanketed her own petite figure, making her feel crowded yet safe—both of which increased her arousal. He took her mouth in a scorching, lingering kiss while cupping and shaping her breast, feathering his thumb over her nipple. Then he tweaked and pinched and plucked at it, making her writhe and moan. God, he was good.
“I love that little noise you make. Let’s see if we can make you do it again.” Switching to her other breast, Nick lavished it with the same treatment, applying just the right amount of pressure to her nipple that he’d learned she liked. “And there’s that sound I love again.” He slowly glutted himself on her body, licking, kissing, nipping, stroking, and massaging—learning her, marking her, memorizing everything she liked and how she liked it.
Drawn by the scent of her, he settled himself between her legs, and growled at how wet and swollen she was. “I love the way you smell.” Spreading her folds, he blew on her clit and then bit it gently; she practically jumped from the bed. Driving one finger deep inside her, he swirled it around and then withdrew it to circle the puckered hole lower down. “Has anyone ever been here before, Shay?”
He’d asked it so casually that Shaya could almost believe her answer was inconsequential. But she knew better. Male shifters liked to claim their mates in every way possible, including anally, and dominant males in particular liked for that to be virgin territory. They wanted their mates to have saved something for them to be theirs and theirs alone. “No.”
Satisfaction welled up in him. “One day, I’m going to take you there. We’ll work up to that. Now, I’m going to taste you. But I don’t want you to come. Not yet.”
Over and over, he licked and sipped, drowning in her flavor—he’d discovered last night that she did taste as sweet as she smelled, and it was intoxicating. Then he stabbed his tongue inside her and flicked at her walls teasingly. Each time she moaned his name, he growled softly and approvingly. Soon her leg muscles began to quiver, and she was whimpering. Sensing that she was about to come in spite of his order, he nipped her thigh and held those sparkling gray-blue eyes. “Fight it.”
“Stop being a teasing prick!”
He tsked, smiling. “Now that wasn’t very nice.”
“So? Are you suddenly sensitive?”
Chuckling, Nick drove one finger inside her. She gasped and arched. “No, baby, but your body clearly is right now.” Her low growl made him chuckle again. As her walls began to flutter around his finger, he withdrew it. “Fight it.”
“You total ba—” She broke off as she was suddenly flipped onto her stomach and a hand twice came down sharply on her ass. She jerked and gasped as the burn turned to the most delicious pain, making heat explode in her stomach and bloom lower. Glancing over her shoulder, she scowled.
“I’ll do it again if I have to,” Nick warned her, blowing on the red mark left by his hand—a brand. “What you haven’t quite accepted yet, baby, is that this body is mine. All mine. You’ll only come when I’m finished playing with it. Of course, if you really want to come that badly, one little word will be enough to get you what you want.” When he flipped her back over, he collared her throat and gently but firmly pressed her down onto the mattress. Keeping a tight grip on her throat, he used his free hand to thrust a finger inside her. “For someone who doesn’t like waiting or being spanked, you’re pretty damn wet.”
Shaya growled at the combination of amusement, appreciation, and smugness in his voice. “I won’t beg. And I don’t like being spanked for having my own mind.”
“Really? Look how wet you are.” He brought his finger to her face, showing her how coated it was in her own juices.
Two can play the sexual torment game. Hoping to drive him to the edge, Shaya flicked out her tongue and licked his finger.
His grip on her throat flexed. “Sly little bitch.”
She did it again, this time closing her mouth over his finger and sucking.
“Fuck.” He forcefully thrust his tongue into her mouth in a mimic of what he intended to do to her body. He pinched her nipple hard the way she liked it, again wrenching that amazing fucking sound from her throat. Then he was sucking the taut bud into his mouth, loving the taste and texture of her. “If you want to come, all you have to do is say please.”
“Keep dreaming, Beavis.” She wanted to slap herself for how breathy she sounded. Oh, she was pathetic.
Nick shrugged carelessly. “If that’s the way you want it.” Then he drew her nipple into his mouth and suckled.
For what could have been hours—Shaya had absolutely no idea—he tortured her. Tortured her until her entire body was trembling and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He’d worked her into a sensual frenzy until she was so sensitive that the slightest contact had her arching from the bed. She hadn’t thought it was possible to feel so empty. She had never been more aware of that part of her body. But no matter how much she whined or cursed him, he wouldn’t let her come.
“All you have to do is say please, baby,” he reminded her before biting the curve of her breast and sucking to leave a mark. “One word…and you can have what you want.”
Shaya tried to ignore his seductive voice. Tried to ignore his mouth on her breast and his teeth plucking at her nipples. Tried to ignore it when he thrust against her and pinched her clit. Tried, but wasn’t successful. Maybe she should just say please this once. She wouldn’t really be begging, she would just be repeating what he asked her to say, right? That wasn’t the same thing at all.
Watching her squirm and writhe and hearing her seductive moans, Nick knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Looming over her, he fisted his other hand in her hair and wrenched back her head, forcing her to look at him. His eyes pinned hers. “Say it, Shay.”
“Please.”
He smiled at how begrudgingly it was said. “I don’t think that was very sincere. You know what I want from you.”
She did. It wasn’t about the begging, it was about what the begging signified—he wanted her to submit, to accept that she was his.
Nick kissed and bit his way down her body and settled between her legs again. Her sweet scent lured him like nothing else could. “Don’t make me leave you hanging and come all over you instead. Don’t think I won’t do that.”
Oh, she believed him. The promise to do that was right there in his expression.
He flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue. “Say it. Now.”
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She quivered at the dominance coating that demand. After a long pause, she submissively went lax. “Please.” Suddenly his mouth latched onto her clit at the same time as one finger plunged into her. Her entire body seemed to convulse as her long-awaited orgasm hit. She cried out and clenched her fists hard around the bars of the headboard as it tore through her. Once the aftershocks eased, she sagged into the bed, feeling drained.
“Look at me, Shay.” The second she met his gaze, he slammed into her, groaning as her muscles tightened around him. “Fuck.” Jaw clenched, he fucked her hard and deep, pounding her into the mattress. After only three harsh strokes she came, but he didn’t let up. He continued pumping his hips at a frantic pace that had Shaya crying out and clinging to him, just like he wanted. “Your pussy is squeezing me so tight. Like it never wants to let go.”
That’s probably because it doesn’t, thought Shaya. The feeling of finally having him inside her was incredible. He was heat. He was strength. He was intensity. She shaped his back with her hands, liking how his sleek muscles bunched under her touch as he pumped in and out of her. The ravenous hunger that had been haunting and riding them for so long was now finally being quenched and slaked…and it felt a hundred times better than she could ever have imagined.
“Only I can make you feel this way, Shay. Only me, only your mate.”
She heard what he didn’t say; that it wouldn’t matter if she refused to accept his claim and lived her life with someone else—never would anyone fit her or satisfy her the way he did. She knew that was true. It had never felt like this before. Not once. This was what it was to be truly taken. As much as she feared the power it gave him, he did own her on some level, and she would always belong to him whether he was in her life or not. “That works both ways, Beavis.”
Nick bit her lip. “Yes, it does.” He groaned as she clawed at the skin of his back. “That’s it, Shay, mark me.” He groaned again as she dragged her claws across his upper back, deep enough to leave permanent brands there. Satisfaction filled both him and his wolf—she might not intend to officially claim him yet, but she cared enough to leave her brands on him.