Harley could only stare at him. “You’ve got things all planned out, huh?”
“I’ve had this planned for a long time. The moment you stepped into California, you sealed your fate. There was no way you were leaving. I’d decided to give you another week at most to come to me; if you didn’t, I would have gone to you.” But if Cassidy hadn’t had that vision, he’d have been too late to claim Harley; she’d have been dead. Just the thought made his throat burn.
“I thought you only came because of the car bomb,” she mumbled, surprised.
“Think about it, baby, why else would I have fucking peppermint tea bags? The cupboards are stocked with foods you like. I wanted you to have what you like and need. Jesus, I picked this fucking lodge out of all the others because of that damn tree out there—because I knew you’d love it and I knew one day I’d bring you here. When a team came out to restore and modernize all the lodges three years ago, I had them build that reading alcove for you.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” she breathed.
“Deadly.” He cupped her throat. “I’ve wanted you since I was fourteen and too young and messed up to do much about it. You had that permanent frown, black lipstick, skull earrings, and dark clothes. You acted like you didn’t give a fuck about anything, but I knew that was bullshit. You gave a fuck about Mia and tried to help her. You gave a fuck about your mother and tried to get her sober. You gave a fuck that your pride was a joke and you felt helpless that you couldn’t change that.” He combed his fingers through her hair. “You were so strong and you didn’t seem to see it, just like you didn’t see that I wanted you. And you wanted me, didn’t you?”
“Maybe. I can’t remember.”
He smiled at the dry response. “I want you more now than I did back then, and I won’t be satisfied until I have every part of you.” He gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Every. Part.”
Yeah, but what if she gave him every part and he couldn’t give the same in return? She tried to keep her tone sensitive as she spoke. “I know this is a hard subject for you, but I’m going to bring it up because this needs to be said. I’m sorry that you lost your mate. I can’t even begin to understand how soul wrecking that must have been for you, even though you were only kids and hadn’t bonded. While I understand and sympathize—”
“You refuse to be second best,” he finished.
She blinked. “Well, I wouldn’t have worded it that coldly.”
“It’s not cold. It’s fair. Just the same, I have no intention of being second best for you.”
“It’s a little different with me. I never met my mate. You did. You spent a lot of years with her. You made plans with her, envisioned a life with her, and no doubt had deep feelings for her. I don’t want to be a substitute. It sounds bitchy and selfish, and I hate that. But I know myself, Jesse. I know that I would grow to resent being a stand-in—that resentment would twist me inside, and then I’d make us both miserable.”
Maybe she’d have a point if she and Torrie were anything alike, but they weren’t. “You’re not selfish. Bitchy, yeah, but I kind of like that.” So did his wolf. “There’s something you’re not considering. Her death changed me; I’m not the person I would have been if she’d lived. And the person I am now . . . I wouldn’t have suited her. I would have hurt her.”
“What do you mean?”
He clamped his hands around Harley’s hips. “She didn’t have the type of personality that could withstand the person I am today. Not because she was a submissive wolf.” Although submissives were physically weaker than dominants, they could be mentally stronger and braver—his Alpha female was a perfect example of that. But Torrie had been nothing like Shaya, who pushed back when her mate became too forceful. “Torrie was very passive and hated confrontation so much that she always backed down. She could never have dealt with this version of me.”
“Jesse . . . I get what you’re saying, but the inescapable fact is that fate paired you with a submissive female because, deep inside, it’s what you need. Submissives are built for the kind of relationship you want where one leads and the other follows. Dominants feels challenged by those types of relationships. We’d drive each other insane.”
He traced her hip bones with this thumbs. “I like control in a relationship, I admit that, but not the kind of control that means my female isn’t my equal. I want and need a female who’ll stand up and fight, demand to be considered and call me on my bullshit. That’s you, baby. So stop overthinking this and do what you should have done three years ago.”
“What’s that?”
“Admit that you belong to me.”
Harley swallowed. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking of me?”
“I do. I’m asking you to forsake your true mate. I’m asking you to step back into a world that let you down. I’m asking you to give me every part of you. And I’m asking you to accept every part of me—a lot of those parts are dark and broken.” When he said it aloud, he realized just what a shit deal she was getting.
“We all have parts that are dark and broken.”
He knew she was not only comforting him; she was warning him. He didn’t give a fuck how many dark or broken parts she had—he wanted her as she was.
“I can’t promise you I’ll be happy in a pack, Jesse. They’re a lot like prides and—”
“Yours wasn’t anything like a real pride, so how can you know that you won’t be happy here when it’s something you’ve never been part of before?”
She couldn’t deny that he made a good point. Hell, her “pride” hadn’t even had territory to call its own. There was an Alpha and a Beta but no enforcers. She sighed. “I need time to think.”
Think? He did not like the sound of that. “No thinking.”
“Jesse—”
“You’ve had three years to think. Plenty of time to come to terms with what I want from you.” He couldn’t, wouldn’t, wait any longer.
She growled, exasperated. He was too damn pushy—always forging ahead because he was so secure in his convictions. It didn’t bother her cat as much as it did Harley; the margay admired his perseverance and was drawn to his strength. She viewed him as a good potential mate—one she cared for.
“Jesse, feeling possessive and sexually attracted to me isn’t a reason to mate with me, and it’s definitely not a reason for me to accept you as a mate.”
“You know this is more than that,” he rumbled. “You’re more important to me than anything. Anything. I care about you. And I know you care for me, Harley, or you’d have walked away from this conversation long ago. Admit it, if you didn’t want to be here, you’d have slit my throat while I slept. In fact, no, you’d have done it while I was awake. But you didn’t, just like you didn’t object to staying in this lodge with me. You want to be right where you are.”
“Part of me does,” she admitted, because honesty deserved honesty.
“What about the other part?”
Even though he’d claimed to care for her . . . “It’s worried that you can’t be happy in a relationship with a female who won’t follow your lead.” He hadn’t said he loved her, but she didn’t put a lot of stock in that word. Her father used it all the time.
Jesse combed his fingers through her hair. “Baby, I like that you have your own mind. I like that you’re strong, smart, and willful. All I want is to make you feel safe, take care of you, and be your strength when you need it. Is that so bad?”
Something inside her melted. Her cat, a lover of indulgence, liked the idea of him caring for her when she needed it. “No, it’s not bad. But I’ll still buck every time you try to take over.”
“Of course you will. And I’d be lying if I said I won’t make you crazy—I’m bad at compromising and I like having my own way. I’ll push every hot button you have. But you’ve got to admit, it will make things interesting.” His hand slid up to span her neck. “Tell me you don’t want this.” He flexed his grip on her throat. “Tell me I’m
not what you want. Say it and mean it.” She couldn’t; he could see it in her eyes. “Then kiss me, Harley.” She didn’t, and he growled, “Fucking kiss me.”
The order made her spine snap straight. “If you want a kiss, you’d better get it yourself.”
With a growl, Jesse palmed her ass and pulled her flush against him, but he didn’t kiss her hard. He sipped and licked at her mouth, tasting and savoring her. She tasted of everything he’d wanted since he was fourteen. Tasted like sin. Tasted like his. She inhaled sharply as he slipped his hand under her T-shirt and possessively palmed her breast. Her scent warmed and ripened with need, making his whole body tighten.
“Your scent is like a fucking zap to my cock.” Jesse bit her lip hard. She didn’t jerk away like she had last night, and he growled in approval. “Give me your throat, Harley.” It was a demand that held a dare.
His dominant tone made her nipples tighten, but hell if she’d submit to that extent. She dug her fingers into his shoulders. “If that’s what you want from your female, you should go get yourself a submissive.”
“The only female I’m interested in claiming is you. Yes, that’s right, you’re about to get claimed.” One second, she was plastered against him and the next she’d somehow broke his hold and was five feet away. “Come here.”
“It’s one thing to fuck me. It’s another to claim me.”
“Yes, sweetheart, I’m well aware of that.”
She backed up as he prowled toward her. “If you leave a claiming mark, it’ll never fade.”
“I know.” He lunged, but she evaded him and continued to backpedal.
“That means if you decide this relationship isn’t working for you and then you choose another mate, she’s gonna be pretty damn pissed that you once officially claimed someone else. And my partner would be just as pissed to see that mark every day.”
He growled. “There will be no one else for me. Only you.” She bumped into the dining table, so he lunged again; he grabbed her, spun her, and trapped her against the wall, his front to her back. He bit her earlobe. “And there’ll be no one else for you. Only me.” She struggled against him, all elbows. He turned her to face him and slammed his body against hers, pinning her to the wall with her hands above her head. “There’s nowhere to go, Harley.”
She curled her upper lip. “The bite won’t mean anything if I don’t accept your claim.”
“You’ll accept it.” He rocked his hips, thrusting against her clit. She gasped. “Because you know you’re mine.” Defiance flared in her eyes. He tightened his grip on her wrists. “Tell me you’re not, Harley. Say those words. I dare you.” But she didn’t. “You can’t, can you?”
No, she couldn’t. He was offering her what she’d always wanted but had never dared to hope for. Her cat wanted him just as much. Being his mate wouldn’t be easy—in fact, it could very well test her sanity—but she knew it would be harder to walk away than it would be to take a chance. And, well, it was hard to hold out against him when he was crowding her this way, sending raw need coursing through her. Still . . . “If you fuck me over I will claw your face right off your skull.”
Jesse had no idea why he found it hot when she threatened him, but he decided not to question it. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He slammed his mouth down on hers, driving his tongue inside, feasting and consuming, and she gave as good as she got. He moved his mouth to her ear, rubbing his cheek against hers. “Open your jeans.” He released her wrists and she slowly did as he’d asked. “Very good.”
He thrust his hand into her panties and slid a finger between her folds, finding her deliciously wet. “This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to fuck you with my finger and make you come. You’re not going to move. You’re going to stay still and take what I give you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then you’d better give me something good.”
He collared her throat as he plunged his finger in and out of her, watching every flicker of emotion cross her face. She held still, though her thighs trembled. “Such a good girl,” he whispered against her mouth, driving a second finger inside. “I’ve dreamed about this pussy. Dreamed of it milking my cock. Is that what it wants, baby?” Her response was a moan. “You know what else I dreamed of? This gorgeous mouth. One day, I’ll fuck that too.”
She growled. Dominant females gave oral sex in their own time, so he could damn well wait until she was ready.
Bunching a hand in her hair, he snatched her head aside to expose her throat. “Anything I want. You’ll give me anything I want.” Ignoring the warning prick of her claws, he licked, kissed, sucked, and nipped at her neck—knowing how sensitive it was. Soon enough, she was like melted wax in his arms and her pussy was getting tighter around his fingers.
“That’s it, baby, come.” He upped the pace of his thrusts, ruthlessly hitting her G-spot. “Come, Harley.” With a throaty cry, she came all over his hand, her pussy quivering around his fingers. His cock throbbed, needing to be in her. Possessing her. Claiming her.
Sucking his fingers clean, he hummed. “Like warm honey.”
“You’re good with those hands.” She licked her lips. “But then, so am I.” Harley snapped open his fly. He was full and long and thick. Remembering what he liked, she used both hands to jack him off, keeping her grip tight and doing a gentle twisting motion each time she headed to the base. Resting his forehead against hers, he growled and thrust into her hands, taking the control—not surprising.
Knowing he was going to come soon if she didn’t stop, Jesse stilled and clamped his hand around hers. “I don’t want to come all over your hands. I want to claim you. But first . . .” With a growl, he clawed off her T-shirt and bra. Her breasts were round and full and soft. Lifting her, he drew a nipple into his mouth, rolling the taut bud on his tongue.
Harley’s head fell back as he drove her insane with his mouth, licking his way from nipple to nipple as he devoured each one. Just like that night at the hotel, his teeth grazed and bit. His tongue laved and swirled. His calloused fingers stroked and dug into her skin. She needed more, wanted his cock inside her, but she was still half dressed. “Jesse,” she rasped.
The one word was a demand. Jesse might have made her wait, but the need to claim her was pounding through him. He carried her to the bedroom and over to the foot of the bed, but he didn’t lay her on the mattress. He let her slide down his body until her feet touched the floor. There, they quickly shed the rest of their clothes. Fuck, she was beautiful. Perfect breasts. Wicked curves. Toned abdomen. And long, shapely legs he knew felt good wrapped around him.
Jesse sucked at the patch of skin beneath her ear. “Turn around and bend over.”
Harley was too busy drinking in all his sleek, tanned skin and roped muscles. There wasn’t an ounce of fat, just pure hard muscle and untamed power. She smoothed her hands up his solid chest as she licked along his collarbone and gave it a sharp nip.
“Baby,” he rumbled. “Turn around and bend over. I won’t ask again.”
Defiantly taking her sweet time about it, Harley did as he’d asked. She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Do it now.” But he didn’t, the bastard.
Instead, Jesse crouched behind her and used his thumbs to part her slick folds. “So pretty.” He took a long lick and groaned. “Your taste drives me crazy.” He pumped his tongue into her pussy, wanting more of her taste on his tongue. But he didn’t let her come; he stopped just as she reached her peak . . . and then he smiled when she cursed the fuck out of him. “That’s not nice.” Jesse nipped her ass hard enough to leave a mark. No one else would see it, but they would know it was there; she’d remember who this ass belonged to.
As he rose behind her and the head of his cock bumped her folds, Harley bit her lip. “About fucking time.” But he didn’t thrust inside her. Instead, he licked along her spine and danced his tongue over the owl tattoo on her upper back. “Jesse,” she drawled warningly.
“What do you need, baby?”
&nb
sp; “I need to come.”
“That’s the wrong answer.”
She ground her teeth. “I need you to make me come.” She sucked in a breath as he fed her an inch of his cock, stretching her until it burned. She didn’t care. She needed . . . “More.”
Jesse groaned as he sank into the tightest, hottest pussy he’d ever fucked. His pussy. He’d missed it, dreamed of it, jacked off to the memory of how it felt around him. Balls deep, he groaned, digging his fingers into her hips. “On your elbows, baby.”
Harley glared at him over her shoulder. “That position sounds a little too submissive for my liking.” He smiled, but it was a smile that made her nervous.
“I accept that you’re a dominant female, sweetheart. But you’re never gonna be dominant in this bedroom.” Then he was hammering into her. Hard. Fast. Going deep enough to hurt. He was ruthless and demanding, knowing she could take it, knowing she wanted it. Her pussy clutched and squeezed him as she arched into every thrust. Fuck, he loved how hot and slick she was. “Who’s in you, Harley? Who’s fucking you, owning you, right now?” When she didn’t answer, Jesse stopped midthrust and gave her ass a sharp slap. “Answer the fucking question.”
Goddamn son of a bitch. That confirmed it—no caution lights in his head at all. Shooting him another glare over her shoulder, she hissed at the warning prick of his claws. “You might claim me, Jesse, but that doesn’t mean you own me.” Again, he gave her another of those unnerving smiles.
Jesse slowly reared back. “Baby, that’s exactly what it means.” He slammed home with a grunt. “And you know it.”
Harley twisted and slashed his chest with her claws, drawing blood. His eyes flashed wolf, making her cat rise to the fore for a mere second. Then Jesse slapped her ass again and resumed furiously powering into her. She fisted the bedsheet, thrusting her hips back to meet every possessive stroke. He took her without mercy, gave her no reprieve. Her cat loved every minute of it.