His lips moved instantly, placing a kiss at the tip of her curls while his hands pulled her thighs apart. She would have fallen if he wasn’t holding her, if she wasn’t resting her hands in his hair.
“You’re going to do this standing?”
He nodded with a growl. “I want to feel your legs shake.”
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she murmured as he lowered his mouth to lap between her folds. She hadn’t thought he’d be able to reach, but he did, flicking his tongue over her clit deftly in a way that made her want to melt into the ground.
“Fuck,” she said as a bolt of pleasure went through her. “That’s strong.”
“My mate has a dirty mouth,” he said, smirking up at her, his lips wet from her juices. “I like it.”
“Mate?” She was gasping now as he lapped at her, his rough tongue taking her to new heights of pleasure as she fought to not fold forward completely in a ball of goo.
“Mine,” he said, flicking his tongue against her. Then he moved closer, kissing her nub and then sucking it, making her knees nearly collapse. But with his hands on her hips, she couldn’t. “It means you’re mine. All mine. For always.”
She gasped. Of course any woman would want to hear that from such a kind, sexy man. But how could he mean it when he hadn’t known her that long?
Still, she sort of understood him because she felt like that, too. It didn’t matter that she’d only just met him. She couldn’t imagine life without him around.
As his tongue played at her center voraciously, she found it hard to hold on. A vortex of pleasure inside her was getting tighter and tighter, and she didn’t know what would happen when she came, standing as she was.
His golden eyes looked up at her. “Mine,” he growled as his tongue suddenly stilled.
“Yours,” she said instantly, desperate for him to start again.
“Good girl,” he said, licking straight down, finally making her come.
She screamed as she arched, feeling pleasure so strong she could barely stand it shooting through her, almost taking her out of the world.
She was falling, falling, but then caught in his arms as he stood with her, letting her writhe against his chest. “So strong. I can’t…”
“Shh,” he said, stroking her hair back as he caught her lips in a kiss, muffling her next scream.
When she’d finally calmed, she looked up at him, realizing her toes weren’t even touching the floor, that he was completely holding her up.
His strength was just magical sometimes.
His glowing eyes were so hot.
“You… I would have gotten you drunk sooner if I’d known you would be like this.”
“I could be like this without drinking,” he said, setting her down but keeping her pinned against the door. “I could get drunk on you.” He buried his nose in her hair. “Everything about you is perfect.”
“You’re super hot drunk,” she said, brushing his hair back, more for the excuse to feel it than anything else.
He let out another adorable growl. “Only with you. You make me feel things I never have before. Things I’m afraid to feel when I’m not buzzed.”
She gasped as he came forward, laving her neck and placing possessive kisses there. When he sucked, she was sure he would leave marks.
“But I do feel them, though,” he said, sucking here and there again, moving along her neck and bare shoulders. “No matter what, I’m aware of how I feel about you, how much I want to make you mine.”
He pulled back to look at his handiwork, deep satisfaction in his beautiful, golden eyes. “Perfect. I want to mark you all over. You have no idea. But for now, this will have to do.”
She couldn’t look down far enough to see her probable hickeys, but she didn’t mind that they were there. “Mm.” She reached a hand up to graze his neck. “Can I mark you, too?”
His eyes closed tightly, as if he were trying to hold something back, and she heard a low vibration from his throat like a growl that was too low to hear. “Not yet you can’t.”
“What do you mean?” She blinked up at him.
He just shook his head, gathering her in his arms. “I can’t wait any longer. I need more of you, right now.”
“Finally,” she said, letting him carry her into the bedroom and plop her down on the bed. She laughed as he hurriedly struggled to pull off his clothing, tossing away his shirt and nearly tripping as he stepped out of his pants.
Her jaw dropped when he was down to his underwear, and her gaze couldn’t help following up hard, muscular thighs to a distinct bulge in his tight black boxer briefs.
She ran her tongue over her lower lip, her heart nearly stopping as he reached for the waistband to pull them down.
He glanced at her for a moment, but when he saw her expression, his eyes only heated even more, and he pulled down his underwear.
She bit her lip as his hardness sprang free, huge and strong and pulsing. All for her.
As he walked forward, all cocky, devoted masculine strength, she felt like she was Jell-O, helpless to stop her own response.
Her arms reached up for him as he crawled over her on the bed, both of them naked as the day they were born.
Yet it felt so right, and as she pulled him closer so they were chest to chest for a moment, she couldn’t get enough of the feel of his skin against hers.
But his hard length against her belly reminded her she could have so much more.
She spread her legs beneath him and writhed, hoping to tease him as much as he had her.
He let out a low growl and moved against her, his hand coming between them to feel at her warm cleft. He let out a groan as his fingers dipped into her wetness, betraying how ready she was for him to come inside.
“God, so beautiful,” he said. “I can’t even believe all of this is for me.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” she said, wetting her lips as his finger withdrew, leaving her empty.
She wanted him deep inside her with an ache that she didn’t think would ever abate.
He reached over to the bedside table and fumbled to pull a drawer open. Then he rummaged inside, pulling out a packet.
Protection, of course.
Though, as he pushed himself up and knelt over her, his scowl at the packet mirrored everything she felt. She wanted to be close against him. She didn’t want anything to keep them apart.
But he was right. This was safer. Though a part of her yearned to have everything with him, to feel his seed inside her, to one day even have his kids, she knew this wasn’t the time.
As he rolled on the condom, her eyes widened at the sight of his hard length. So thick, so perfectly shaped. So beautiful, just like he was.
She lay back on the bed, snuggling into the pillow and covers and getting comfortable so she could enjoy every minute of what was to come.
Max tenderly brushed one of her curls back, then put a hand on either side of her head as he positioned himself over her. “Are you ready? Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’ve never wanted anything so much.”
He nodded and then slowly pushed inside her, filling her with his rigid, thick length.
She spread her legs a little wider to accommodate him, gasping at his sheer girth. But when he was settled, fully inside her, filling her from every angle and making little unknown nerves light up, she relaxed into the pleasure that was already beginning to build.
Then she looked up into his eyes, seeing that he’d closed them and his jaw was tight, his whole face dark with focus.
When they opened again, she could swear the irises had changed slightly, but perhaps it was a trick of the light.
Still, they were gold, as always, and focused on only her.
Just as she thought she could barely take any more of the moment, he began to move, swiftly pulling almost all the way out before pushing back in again, lighting her up.
She wrapped her legs around his back, trying to hold on to him to make sure he couldn’t
go all the way out.
He let out a little growl and then thrust in and out again, this time a little harder. She reached up to put her hands on his shoulders, holding on as he continued to thrust, shaking her down to her core.
She was so wet for him that they glided easily, despite the tight fit caused by his size.
She’d never felt anything like it, like every single move could make her so close to exploding with warmth. So at home, so close to him in every way, while nearly driven crazy by the sensations filling her body from head to toe.
“So beautiful,” he said, beginning to thrust harder. Then harder again. She felt something break inside her and had to bite her lips in order to hold on. Suddenly, he was so much warmer, and the connection much rawer and rougher. She didn’t have time to think of what it meant as he took her higher, past previous heights of pleasure she’d thought impossible before.
Then, with one final thrust, she couldn’t take it anymore and dug her nails into his shoulders as she found her release. More like her release had found her, crashing over her, nearly drowning her, forcing her to hold on to him for dear life as pleasure almost too hard to stand engulfed her from head to toe.
She was underwater with him, unable to see, feel, or breathe anything but him. Unable to even think clearly. Unable to look at anything but his eyes burning into hers as he found his own release.
He jerked, pumping into her, spurring on her own climax as his rhythmic movements matched the last of her waves.
“Max.” She gasped against his shoulder as he fell against her, still trembling from his release. She clutched his back, never wanting to let go. “I love you.”
His hands wrapped around her, trapping her against his chest, and she felt his nails dig slightly into her back, the tips oddly sharp. “I… I…” He stayed there, lost for words, as she simply enjoyed the feel of him. “I can’t do this,” he said in a low growl.
Then he pushed up and away from her, as if he’d been burned.
The quick withdrawal of his body left her cold, and she grabbed a sheet to pull over her. It hurt to have him move away from her when she was still pulsing from the greatest pleasure of her life.
“Can’t do what?” She pushed herself up on the bed, keeping the sheet around her. “What can’t you?”
She felt something warm between her legs and looked down to see the condom broken in half.
Max looked down at it, and his eyes bulged. Then he glanced between her legs at the place they’d come together. “Wait. Turn around.”
“What?” She stared up at him, unsure what he could mean.
He came forward, gently taking her shoulders to turn her so he could look behind her. “I need to see your back.”
Whatever he saw seemed to relieve him, because he sat back with a sigh, slumping next to her on the bed with his hands over his face.
“That was a close one.” He took a deep breath and released it, then picked up the condom in his hands. “Though, I guess we could still be in trouble with this.”
She kept the sheet around her, feeling oddly vulnerable at his response. “What do you mean? There are always risks with sex. I’ll get the morning after pill if you want me to.”
He blinked. “What?”
“If you’re worried I’ll get pregnant.”
His jaw dropped, and it took him a second to pull himself together. Then he dragged her forward into his arms. “No. I’m not worried about it.” His hands were gentle as they roved over her back. “I just… I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You have an STD or something?” She laughed nervously. “I mean, we were having an amazing time, and you just freaked out.”
“I just want to be respectful of you,” Max said. “You deserve that. A man who is careful until you are sure what you want.”
She wanted him. She was pretty sure of that, even if she knew a lot of the world might think her foolish. She hadn’t known there would be a great love out there for her, but now that she felt there was, she wanted to grab on with both hands.
“I’m not afraid,” she said. “Besides, I shouldn’t be fertile right now, based on where I am in my cycle. Do I need to get tested for anything?”
He shook his head. “No. Do I?”
She shook her head, smiling slightly at his obviously pleased response. “Oh, you.”
“Yes, me,” he said, rolling over and pulling her in against him. “Jealous. Possessive. Hard to deal with. And I almost went too far.”
“What do you mean too far?”
He let her roll onto her back and propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her. “You don’t know enough about me. I don’t know how to tell you the rest.”
“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.”
He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not that it’s bad. It’s just that it’s different.” He rolled onto his back next to her and took her hand in his.
She could still hear club music pulsing in the distance, and it seemed to go along with the beat of her heart.
How fast would his be beating?
“You’re everything, Jackie,” he said. “Everything I could want. Hopefully soon, I can tell you the rest.”
Her heart sped up a bit, wondering what he meant. What he still needed to tell her that he couldn’t tell her yet.
Her brain told her she should hold back a bit, wait until it was safe to commit.
But her heart told her that was bullshit and as long as she kept her hand in his, things would be all right.
Chapter 21
Max had almost fallen asleep holding Jackie when he was disrupted by the sound of his phone.
Moving gently, trying not to disturb his sleeping mate, Max reached for the buzzing object on his nightstand, wondering who would dare to bother him right now.
Anyone who’d seen him leave the club in a drunken, horny rampage would know he’d still be busy right now.
God, things had been too close with that broken condom. He knew by her scent that she wasn’t fertile, which made things less complicated, though he couldn’t help but be a little sad at the thought there would be no baby.
At least not yet. After he told her what he was, there would be plenty of time to make cubs.
But he’d nearly sunk his claws in, nearly made things final before all the world, without her ever giving him consent.
She’d agreed to have sex with him, but she hadn’t agreed to be his mate.
Even though the desire was deep inside him, he wanted to do everything right. That meant lining things up with Lock as soon as he could.
Heck, with the ID showing it was Club Crimson calling, maybe they were letting him know Lock showed up.
That would be convenient.
He moved away from the bed and into the hallway so his mate wouldn’t be disturbed and then answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Max?” The voice was Benny’s, and it sounded urgent. “Can you get over here right away?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Lock is hurt. We were having an after-hours meeting, and someone dumped him on the doorstep.” Benny’s voice was harried, which was odd because he was rarely disturbed. “We need your help.”
Max nodded, then realized Benny couldn’t see him. Still drowsy, he ran a hand through his hair. “I can be over in ten. Will he be all right?”
“He has incredible healing power, but uh… I don’t know.”
“I’ll be right there,” Max said, hanging up. He looked over at the bedroom, hoping he could get ready without waking his mate. Hopefully, she would forgive him for leaving right after they’d made love.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t even wake up before he was back.
He hurried to the closet and grabbed an outfit, just jeans and a sweatshirt, and then walked past his sleeping mate and out of his apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him.
A myriad of thoughts ran through his head as he hurried down the stairs and across the street to Club Crimson. It wasn’t
uncommon for things to get rowdy at the after-hours meetings that were reserved for invite-only shifters.
He didn’t usually go to those meetings because he wasn’t exactly diplomatic and Benny didn’t need him around.
But now that someone had attacked Lock…
Max supposed it was past due, given Lock’s reputation. But what did anyone have to gain by beating up a rake? All Max knew was he didn’t want it to affect his mating.
When he reached the door to Club Crimson, he saw that the lights were off, except for a few at the back.
He knocked at the front door and saw Harley come over to unlock it, her green eyes wide with alarm. When she saw him, she let out a sigh, hugging him as she let him in.
“Really sorry to bother you,” she said. “It’s just…”
“Yeah,” Max said roughly. “It’s important. Where’s Lock?”
Harley gestured to the back of the dance floor, where two tables were pushed together and Lock’s motionless body was splayed over them both.
Lock was lying on his back, and Max was relieved to see his chest rising and falling, if only weakly.
Benny was in front of him, cutting off his shirt. As Max moved closer, he could see a lot of blood, mainly pooling beneath Lock’s head.
“Someone hit him,” Max murmured, coming closer, not liking the dark blotches all over Lock’s face.
“That’s an understatement,” Benny said. “Come on. We’ve got to get his clothes off. See if there are any other injuries.”
“Should we call someone?” Max asked, wondering who could even help.
Benny ran his hands through his thick, dark hair. “I don’t know who we could call. He’s wanted by the wolf Tribunal, the human government, and some dragon groups as well.” He eyed Lock warily. “The scoundrel.”
“I guess with his healing ability, he didn’t need much medical assistance in the past,” Harley said quietly.
“With all those people looking for him, I’m surprised you haven’t turned him in,” Max said quietly.
“He has a goal,” Benny retorted. “One I understand. And he’s not the man he used to be.” Benny almost had Lock’s shirt open when a bloody hand suddenly covered his.
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