She was willing.
He was more than ready.
Fuck it. Time to stop thinking.
He settled between her legs and she drew her knees up, planting her feet onto the mattress and raising her buttocks, her creamy slit caressing his cock.
Her passion unraveled him. His control slipped. Sliding past her swollen pussy lips, he plunged his cock deep.
She cried out and Conner stilled, realizing he'd just pushed past a barrier that he hadn't expected to be there. Shit! Katya was a virgin!
Was a virgin. But not any longer. He'd breached the barrier and buried himself inside her tight sheath. It pulsed around him, trembling, seething like a volcano about to erupt.
"You didn't tell me," he said, kissing the tears that slid along her temple. He was afraid to move.
"Not necessary to tell," she said, speaking through gasps. "I wanted this. Virginity is inconsequential. Quit talking and fuck me."
Once again, she amazed him. And just about killed him as her pussy spasmed around his dick. He moved back and speared her again, this time more slowly, giving her body a chance to adjust.
Slick fluids rushed from her and she wrapped her legs around him, drawing upward, closer, taking his cock as if it had been created just for her cunt. She was a perfect fit for him. Tight, squeezing, drenched with cream. He moved again, mindful of her pleasure as he stroked in and out, scraping that tight little ball inside her pussy.
"Oh, oh, God, Conner, more." She grasped his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh. He drove harder now, assured that he wouldn't hurt her. Her panting cries and whimpers signaled her pleasure and he wanted her release more than his own.
Grinding his shaft deep inside her, he let it pulse, let that magical spot feel his flesh against it, the hard ridges catapulting her into a keening wail. Her eyes flew open and she met his gaze. Primal lust filled the dark orbs. The human in her receded, the wolf appearing, fierce and hungry. She sucked in her lower lip, her small, even teeth biting down until she drew blood. Her expression tight and determined, she lifted her buttocks, demanding her release.
Her fierce reaction to his strokes had him struggling to keep the wolf at bay. Her eyes glittered and he knew she struggled, too. He wanted to stay human, to ride out this maelstrom of emotion and sensation without losing control. As it was, Katya had already shredded most of the human restraint he had. Her whimpering demands, her urgent pleas for release were his undoing. His balls drew up tight, pulsing with the need to jettison his cum inside her, to mark her in the primal way.
It was time to make her his.
Katya had no idea it would be like this. Fierce, uncontrollable, this desperate urge to relieve the tension coiling tight and hot inside her. Her pussy quaked around Conner's thick shaft, his ridged cock scraping along her sensitive g-spot. Her body spilled copious fluids as she creamed and spasmed over and over again.
And yet these sensations were just a prelude to what was coming. She knew it, he knew it, and it was driving her mad. Release hovered close and no matter how much she tensed and willed it to happen, it teased her, toyed with her, forcing a passion that she wasn't prepared for.
Through the haze of awareness she recognized Conner as the only man to drive these feelings through her body. She knew she'd question that later, as she'd question the choices she made. But right now, the brandy had done its job, giving her tunnel vision. The only thing that mattered was Conner. His skin brushing against hers, his cock powering in and out of her pussy, his mouth covering hers and tasting the blood she'd spilled when she bit her lip.
He tore his lips from her mouth and grazed her neck, reaching underneath to gather her buttocks in his hands, tilting her pelvis upward so he could drive in deeper. She screamed, finally riding the roller coaster of her release. When he bit down on the flesh of her shoulder, her climax hit like a rushing wave, drowning her in sensation she felt deep in her womb.
Conner growled against her, his canines emerging and slicing into her skin. A cry tore from her lips as the sensation served to catapult her into a second orgasm, this time taking him along. He reared back and drove hard, spilling hot jets of fluid inside her.
Even after they'd come he continued to move inside her. Slowly, taking her mouth in a kiss that drove all reason from her mind. His hands moved over her skin, light caresses that lulled her, relaxed her.
Conner rolled off and drew her against his chest, wrapping the blanket over them both.
The last thing she remembered was his lips against her hair as he pressed a tender kiss to her temple. Then she finally gave up, the night, the brandy and the haze of pleasure winning out over her desire to remain awake. She sank into blissful oblivion.
Conner felt Katya finally relaxing against him. When he heard her deep, even breathing, he knew she'd fallen asleep. Too bad he couldn't follow her so easily. Thoughts ran rampant through his mind. Thoughts that demanded examination.
Like what he was going to do now that he'd mated with her. Because despite wanting to think this had just been sex, he knew it had gone much deeper than that. The protective, possessive, wolf part of him demanded that no other man touch her. Ever.
And he sure as hell wasn't ready for that. Not yet, not with her and most definitely not here. This wasn't in the grand plan for him. He was supposed to mate eventually. He'd be assigned to an area by his parents and have to search out a pack and mate there.
They sure as hell hadn't told him it would be Romania. So his gut reaction about Katya had to be wrong. It was probably due to what happened to her tonight with Peter. Since he'd witnessed it and stopped it, he just felt protective toward her. That and the fact she'd just gifted him with her virginity had to be the reason he was so emotional. Because God knew he wasn't typically emotional about fucking.
He wasn't her mate, he was sure of it.
Satisfied that he'd worked out the scenario with logic, he allowed his body to relax. Wrapping his arms tighter around Katya, he inhaled the sweet scent of her skin and closed his eyes, drifting into the darkness.
*
Katya drifted slowly into consciousness, blinking her eyes and frowning at her dry mouth. She needed water. And a shower, because she was sticky all over.
What the hell had she done last night? She focused on the predawn light sifting in through the French doors, then stilled as realized that she lay next to a strong, warm body.
Heat suffused her skin as she realized who that body belonged to. She shut her eyes, willing what had happened to be nothing but a dream.
But she knew it was real, realized what she had done.
Oh, God, now what?
Conner jerked to a sitting position as a frantic knock and a loud female voice sounded at the front door. He jumped out of bed and quickly shot a look in her direction as if in warning to stay put. Katya heard Elena's voice after Conner opened the door. She followed Conner into the bedroom, a worried look on her face.
"I couldn't find anyone else. Where's Peter? I can't find Katya. Conner, have you--"
Katya sat up in bed just as Elena turned toward her. Her face went pale as she looked over at Conner's naked body and then back to Katya.
"What have you done, cousin?" Elena asked in Romanian.
"Speak English, Elena. It is rude to leave him out of the conversation."
"Are you certain he's going to want to hear what is said?"
Katya glanced at Conner, unable to resist the feminine sigh as she stared at his naked body. Unashamed, he put his hands on his hips and regarded them both with a frown.
"Peter attacked me last night," Katya explained. "Badly."
Elena's eyes widened and she flew to the bed, grasping Katya's hands. "Are you injured?"
"He beat me, tried to rape me, but Conner stepped in before he managed it."
Elena squeezed Katya's hand, then glanced over at Conner, her gaze centered on his crotch. Katya followed Elena's eyes, seeing the dried bloodstained evidence of her former virginity all over Conner'
s cock.
"You had sex with him," Elena whispered.
"Yes."
"Does he know what this means?"
"Could somebody please tell me what the hell you two are talking about?" he asked.
"Elena, leave us alone, please."
"But I don't think--"
"I'll be fine. I need to talk to Conner alone."
Elena cast a dubious look at Conner, then shrugged. "Scream if you need me. I'll hear you."
After Elena turned and walked out, Conner turned to Katya, one brow arched in a way that had her thinking about wicked hot sex, not telling him the truth.
"Well?"
She swallowed, desperate for a glass of water. Her head felt like a knife had been inserted into her temple and was stuck there. Her mouth was a desert and her pussy was sore. A rather pleasant soreness, though. Despite the ramifications, she didn't regret what happened last night.
But Conner would hate her when he found out.
"I need you to know that I would never have done this under normal circumstances." She hoped he believed her. Entrapment wasn't in her nature. It had to be the trauma, the brandy that had fogged her senses, obliterating her normal common sense. She hadn't waited all these years for the right man just to fall into bed with the wrong one. There was a reason she'd given her virginity so easily to Conner. Unfortunately, even she didn't know what that reason was. How was she supposed to explain it to him?
"Done what?"
"I've remained a virgin all these years for a specific reason."
"And that reason is?"
Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm the princess of Braslieu, the sole surviving heir to the land and holdings of the Braslieu family and the only remaining royal in the dynasty."
His eyes widened. "You're the princess."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I don't tell anyone. No one outside those who live in Braslieu knows the identity of the royal family. It's a secret."
He frowned, furrows appearing on his forehead. "Okay, I don't get it. What does that have to do with your virginity?"
This was where it was going to get ugly. She already knew it, but there was no way to prepare him for it. "I remained a virgin because according to custom, the man who takes my virginity is my mate and will rule Braslieu beside me."
For a moment, he didn't move, his facial expression revealing nothing. Then, a slight tic jumped at his temple, his eyes narrowed and he said, "Wanna run that by me again?"
She looked down at her lap, clasping her hands together, feeling horrible because of what she'd done. When she looked at him again, she felt his anger, his confusion, his doubt.
"Last night you mated with the Princess of Braslieu, Conner. We are bound for all eternity now."
The blood drained from Conner's body, leaving a cold, empty chill in its stead.
Mated. Bound. Eternity. He didn't want to hear those words, didn't care for the implication that something occurred that was outside his control, outside his knowledge.
"How could you do that?" he asked, unable to believe that the warm, passionate woman last night could be so deceptive.
"I didn't. Not purposely, anyway. It had to be the brandy, the shock, everything combined together to make me forget that I wasn't supposed to have sex."
He choked out a laugh, reaching for his jeans and sliding them on. He yanked the zipper up and glared at her. "Give me a break, Katya. You didn't remember you were a virgin? You conveniently forgot that having sex meant binding you to the man forever? Do I look that stupid?"
"You don't look stupid at all. I'm sorry, Conner. I didn't mean for this to happen. You have to believe me."
Right now he didn't know what to believe. Could he have been that far off base about Katya? Granted, she had been traumatized last night. No one would set up a scene like the one he'd come upon. No way. It was obvious she wasn't willing to give up her virginity to Peter.
But how could she so easily give it up to him? Peter was her lifelong friend, a Romanian. Whereas Conner was a stranger. And she'd fought Peter until she'd ended up bloodied and bruised because she didn't want to give him her virginity.
Unless... No. No fucking way. No woman was that devious.
Yeah, Conner was a stranger. A rich, connected stranger who could give the Braslieus everything they needed and more. A sanctuary for the wolves. Political connections to battle their government.
God, he was stupid.
"Please tell me what you're thinking," she said, her voice a whisper.
He shot a look over at her, his body reacting to the sight of her naked breasts, pink-tipped nipples jutting high and tight, her mouth swollen from his kisses and her hair in sexy disarray around her shoulders.
She was a seductress. The best he'd ever seen.
Because she'd just seduced his free will right out from under him. "I'm thinking you set this whole thing up just to entrap me."
She paled, her eyes wide. "Set you up? How?"
He paced the room, feeling cornered. "After Peter attacked you and I came in, you realized the only way to protect yourself from him, and to secure your family's financial future and the safety of the wolves was to seduce me."
Her frown wasn't the least bit convincing. "You're insane. I would never do anything like that. Conner, I was barely coherent after the attack. And the brandy. I should have never had so much to drink. I didn't know what I was doing."
"You knew exactly what you were doing. I just didn't give you credit for being the conniving bitch you really are. I fell for it. You're good, I'll give you that. But if you think I'm going to lie down and give up my freedom just because you fucked me last night, you're mistaken, princess. I want nothing more to do with you or your family."
Katya forced back the tears, the raw, aching pain lancing her heart like an open wound. Conner's accusations hurt. She understood his anger. She'd have felt the same way if their roles were reversed. But the fact he thought she deliberately gave up her virginity to trap him into bonding with her was ridiculous. And insulting. "Conner, I would never force someone to do what they didn't want to do. Not knowingly, anyway. What happened last night was an accident."
He smirked. "What happened last night was a calculated plan concocted by a coldhearted bitch."
She'd heard enough. She stood, grabbing the discarded blanket from her bed and wrapping it around herself. "I'm not staying to listen to this."
"Good, because I'm not staying either. Find yourself another mate, sweetheart. And while you're at it, another benefactor. Because you won't see a dime from the Devlin Foundation for this venture. You played a high stakes game and gambled your virginity. Too bad it didn't pay off in the big bucks you were looking for."
Right now she hoped to hell he'd leave. Anger suffused her and she was afraid to say any more or linger any longer. "Obviously what you and I experienced last night was completely different, Conner. I did what I did because it seemed natural to do so. Something I've never felt with another man. I thought you felt it, too... That mating frenzy, that feeling of destiny between us. I was wrong. Dead wrong."
She turned and stalked out the door, refusing to stay and see his reaction or listen to him spout more insults about her character. He could go straight to hell. She never wanted to see him again.
As far as her virginity and bonding, she'd have to figure something out. Rules and dynasty be damned. She'd rather be tied up naked and paraded through Bucharest than be mated to Conner Devlin.
Chapter Five
Conner paced the cottage, irritated at the smirk on Noah's face. "What the fuck do you find funny about this situation?"
Noah crossed his arms and stretched his legs. "The fact you haven't packed up and left yet. It's been half a day. Plenty of time to arrange for a car to Bucharest. So what's holding you back?"
He wished he knew. Possibly the thought of bursting a blood vessel in mid-flight. Anger made his pulse jet through his veins, the one at his tem
ple throbbing incessantly.
"How could I be so fucking stupid?"
"Seems to come naturally to you," Noah deadpanned.
"Funny." He had absolutely no intention of staying in Romania, no matter what happened with Katya last night. He refused to be forced into a bond that he hadn't chosen.
Maybe he had felt mated to her last night, but that was a mistake on his part. He'd gotten his signals confused. His feelings for her had been just some weird aftershock of her trauma. But so much of this debacle didn't make any fucking sense. No way would she have set herself up to be assaulted like that. The thought occurred to him but he'd immediately discarded it. No woman would put herself through that. Besides, he'd seen genuine horror and rage on Katya's face when he'd found Peter on top of her. That kind of extreme emotion couldn't be faked.
He truly believed that after she'd gotten over the situation with Peter, she thought she could entrap him by enticing him into bed. After all, she was gorgeous and it was obvious he was attracted to her.
Then again, why had she run last night outside? Why not stay and let him take her right then?
"Fuck. I'm confused."
"Well, duh."
"Quit helping me, Noah. None of this makes sense. Katya doesn't make sense."
Noah shrugged. "Either you believe her story or you don't. You do have some responsibility here, Conner. You know damn well Mom and Dad aren't going to let you just walk away from this. It was your dick in her last night."
Conner whirled on him. "If you'd fucked her, what would you do?"
"I wouldn't have fucked her. I can smell virginity on a woman and I stay far, far away from that trap."
"Yeah, right. You'd have done the same thing I did, given the circumstances. And then you'd be faced with the same dilemma."
"Nah, I'm not as nice as you. As soon as she said she was okay, I'd have hightailed it out of her room. But no, you had to go and play hero. Look where that got you. Next time try my approach--fuck the ones that are experienced. You can tell which ones. Like Elena. Should have chosen her instead. She sure as hell isn't a virgin."
Conner shook his head. Despite Noah's insistence that he was a heartless bastard, Conner knew better. But arguing what ifs with his brother wasn't going to give him the answers he sought. He hadn't seen Katya since she'd stormed out of his room this morning. For all he knew, she'd checked out.