“It’s alright,” Regina began.
Monica became aware of another set of footsteps. She heard Regina’s chair scrape against the floor as she pushed it back.
“I’ll just take this to go and leave the two of you alone.” There was a smug tone in Regina’s voice that pulled Monica’s head off the table.
She came face to face with Nikolai as he dropped into the seat across from her. Regina snatched her crepe away from Nikolai, sashaying out the door after waving them goodbye. She even threw a wink in Monica’s direction as the door closed behind her.
“Well, this isn’t what I wanted,” Monica grumbled.
She’d honestly planned on avoiding him for a while. The way he’d taken over her mind after the night before had been too much. She was already lost, adrift in a sea of confusion. Adding their relationship, whatever it was, to the mess only made it worse.
“I believe you owe me an apology,” Nikolai began, setting his chin on his open palm. There was that trademark grin, toothy and cocky. Monica felt the urge to kiss it off his face.
As if summoned by her own lusty thoughts, she remembered sitting on the edge of his couch, his head between her legs as his tongue did wonderfully awful things to her. Her cheeks began to warm, and a smile crossed Nikolai’s face as if he could read her mind. She crossed her legs and did her best to fight back the heat on her cheeks.
“I wanted to talk to Regina.” Monica reiterated.
Nikolai shrugged. “That’s too bad. How about you take that crepe to go and we try this date thing one more time?”
“How about you drag your shifter back here, so I can finish talking to her?” Monica held fast to what she’d wanted, even as what she wanted quickly changed into the man across from her.
“Nah, she has to go back to work. Who am I to screw with her job?”
“Her Alpha.”
He smiled, that cocky grin, and reached to help her out of her seat. She took his hand as if it were second nature. Before she knew it, he tugged her out of the seat and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Her body hummed with desire. What was this? Was it only an unsated need? Or, was it something greater than she’d ever known?
It was hard to tell, as they walked out of the café. Monica knew little about affection and love. The last time she’d felt affection had been at her mother’s side, decades ago. At the time, she’d been human. Life had been difficult, but not quite as dangerous as the world she belonged to now.
It was shameful to think that Oscar’s Pack traded little in affection. There was a solidarity that kept them together, but affection and friendship was unheard of. The thought made her lean closer to Nikolai. It made her crave what little he could offer, as if she could get a taste and then leave. A part of her knew she might never be sated, but she couldn’t keep Nikolai forever.
Could she?
His fingers twined with hers as they walked. He kept his chin high, his eyes ahead, even as his thumb gently rubbed over the back of her hand. Did he crave her affection the way she craved his? Or, was this only a small respite amid the civil war his pack faced?
***
He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh, but Monica kept her lips in a thin line as they walked. As much as he struggled, he could find no jokes inside himself that might bring a burst of laughter out of her. It made him ache, made him close to begging.
Still, he held her hand and looked forward. His craving for her had only grown more intense over the night. He’d gripped himself and thought of her, of the things she’d jokingly offered over the phone. The release had helped, but not as much as he would have liked.
Monica still danced through his mind. The shifter of another pack held his heart, whether he liked it or not. He knew he was a fool, but he would do whatever it took to keep her safe. Since her help the night before, a small voice had whispered that she was no longer safe. Even if she was of another pack, Alex knew of her existence. He knew she would help Nikolai.
Nikolai should have been putting together the pieces of his crumbling Pack, but he couldn’t do it while his mind ached for Monica. Perhaps, he’d considered, his mind would work better if he went back to her. If she was nearby, he wouldn’t think of her so much and it would leave room for logical thought.
Of course, he hadn’t thought of his bear. The beast salivated in Monica’s direction. It wanted nothing more than to find a shaded alcove to push her into.
“So, what did you have planned for this date? Because if this is all you had planned, I could be just as happy with the dildo you left in my possession.”
Nikolai hissed. “You wouldn’t use that thing.”
She cocked a brow and smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
His core contracted. “I would be more than happy to serve you again. All you have to do is ask.”
He grinned when her cheeks darkened. It was a beautiful sight, the wine-colored shade of red creeping across her face made him drunk. He could do so much more than make her blush.
“Anyway, this date?”
“You have two choices. We could drive up the coast to Big Sur or we could go back to my place.” He wiggled his brows.
Monica laughed. The sound lifted his soul. It was a breath of fresh air for a man who felt as though he was suffocating. “Shouldn’t you be hunting a certain asshole?”
Nikolai shrugged. For all he cared, Alex could be the death of himself. Surely, the insane shifter would end at his own hand. All Nikolai had to do was wait for it to happen. Then, the shifters who had backed him would come crawling back and Nikolai could properly banish them.
“I have all the time in the world for you.”
She looked away, but he caught the grin on her lips. “Fine. A road trip sounds nice.”
Chapter Twelve
On one side, greenery blurred past. On the other, the ocean stretched for miles. California was gorgeous in so many ways. If they kept going, speeding past all of their problems, the scenery would change into dry deserts filled with the wildly hopeful and determined. Eventually, they would run into the pack that expelled Miles, but until then, the wonder of California would continue to astonish Monica.
The drive was nicer than she’d thought. They sped down the winding path with the windows down. She put her feet out the window, Nikolai smiling at her as his eyes strayed from the road to take in the woman seated beside him.
It felt like they were the only two people in the universe. She reveled in the moment. There was no confusion, no torment of her soul. She wasn’t tugged in too many directions, wasn’t aching for something she couldn’t have.
“What was it that made you call on Regina?” Nikolai asked, finally. “I didn’t peg you for the girls’ day kind of woman.”
Monica shook her head, pushed her hair back from her face as the wind tugged at it. She’d had plans, a way of helping Nikolai in his fight, and had hoped Regina would help her. All the sketches were finished, she’d even started prepping stencils. She’d wanted to show Regina, but she would settle for asking her over the phone later.
“That’s none of your business, sir.”
Nikolai pulled the truck onto the side of the road. Monica thought he would argue with her, until she realized they’d arrived. The great arches of natural stone stood over the crashing waves. A waterfall trickled off one of the arches, catching the light to create a prismatic spray.
Lia would have felt home here. It fell under the selkie’s jurisdiction, as the entire coast belonged to her. Monica would have to take her, sometime. She kicked her door open and slid out into the open air. The sound of the waves, humming all around her, quieted the trouble in her soul.
Nikolai came around, leaning against his truck, and pulled her into his arms. He held her gently. His cheek rubbed against her hair, making the cat inside her purr happily. She couldn’t help but hold his hands. The touch, affectionate and hungry, was unlike anything she could get from her Pack. She leaned back against him, greedily accepting his touch.
And yet, she was still here with him. She’d followed the Alpha of another pack into the middle of nowhere. The night before, she’d helped defend his home and let him pleasure her on his couch. She’d even planned a way to help him win the love of his pack.
There was more to what she was feeling than a simple craving for attention.
The sun arched high in the sky when they decided to walk down the hill. The cliff behind them cast a shadow over the sand, creating a bubble of shade they could lounge in. Monica tried to put distance between them but found herself crashing into him time and time again. He would laugh, put his hands on her shoulders to straighten her out, and wait for it to happen again.
Once they reached the sand, away from the road and any prying eyes, Monica couldn’t stand it anymore. She spun on him and threw her arms around his neck. They stumbled into the cliff face. Nikolai growled, his hands tightening on her. When she looked up at him, his eyes burned with an echo of the hunger she felt.
She threw caution to the wind and kissed him. At first, her kiss was hungry. As hungry as the first time he’d kissed her. He lifted her, so she could wrap her legs around him, and spun around so that her back was against the stone. It was cool, parts of it jutting into her back. She didn’t care. All she cared about was Nikolai.
His tongue filled her mouth, reaching deep inside her. She groaned into him and it spurred a hungry force inside him. He reached for her arms, holding them above her head so she could not play with the soft length of his hair or scratch her nails along his back. He laughed and leaned in to bite the tender skin of her neck. He licked her skin like he couldn’t get enough of the taste of her.
Monica groaned with ecstasy. She was a woman starved of water and he was a big, tall drink. She couldn’t get enough. Struggling against his grip, she bit her tongue. It was difficult not to beg when faced with such a man. Her legs wrapped around his narrow waist, hooked behind his back so that Nikolai could explore her at his leisure.
It was all too slow for her. Her body burned with an intense hunger that gnawed at her from the inside out. She craved skin against skin, her hands on his body. She wanted to press her lips to his and feel the hunger inside him.
Dissatisfied, she yanked one hand free of his grasp. He growled against her skin, but she ignored him and reached for the hem of his shirt. The thick fabric of his t-shirt was in the way. Monica needed the sensation of skin on skin, the feeling of their bodies sparking like flint so that they could die in the flames of their desires. Her back arched into him as she tugged the fabric higher and higher.
Nikolai leaned back to let her pull it over his head. The shirt was lost in the sand, his shoulders revealed to the open air. They were covered in tattoos, images of dragons wrapping across his left shoulder. Monica let her hand trail over the inked creatures. On the other side was a winding design made of thorns that seemed to pierce into his skin, as if he constantly bore the pain of who he was.
She snaked her hand behind his head and pressed his lips to hers. She would take that pain from him, make it disappear into nothing so that he would know the bliss that was rising through her. Never once would she have suspected love would feel like this. It made her feel as though she could take on the world.
Nothing could take her down, not as long as she stood beside Nikolai.
There’d been a time in her life when she thought power was enough. Being the mate of her Alpha would grant her the greatest power. No one would ever look down on her again, but she never thought it would be a stunted power. As she licked at Nikolai’s lips, nibbled and tasted them, she got a feel for the kind of power that came with love.
They were each other’s shields against the world. Whatever pain he felt, she would gladly bear if only to see him smile and laugh. The words caught in her throat. They were trapped there as he kissed her. Monica swallowed them down and decided to use them another time.
Finally, Nikolai stumbled back from the cliff face. He held her to his body with one strong arm behind her back. Monica never stopped tasting his skin, from the hollow of his collarbone to the small space behind his ear. He shuddered, fingers digging like greedy claws into her lower back, when she drew his ear lobe into her mouth.
He fumbled toward a small patch of silken grass in the shade. Together, they fell. They were a mess of limbs, of flying clothes as they struggled to get closer to one another.
When they found themselves wearing nothing more than thin layers of underwear, Nikolai paused. He held himself over Monica, palms pressed against the grass while his bright eyes studied her. She stifled her groan of frustration, clenching her fists to keep from pulling him down.
“Truth be told, this wasn’t exactly the date I had planned.”
Monica’s response began with a guttural growl. Unable to control her hands any longer, she touched his chest and let them slide over his shoulders. “Do you hear me complaining?”
She would be in a moment, if he didn’t kiss her, if he didn’t give her what she craved. His groin pressed into hers. She was sure he could feel the pulsing need between her legs. It overtook her body, made her feel like a ticking time bomb. The sensation was stronger than when he’d used his tongue. Perhaps it was stronger because he’d used his tongue before.
Now, Monica knew she would be getting the whole package. She wanted it more than anything in that moment. She used her feet to push the waistband of his boxer briefs over his hips.
Looking between them to see what she’d revealed, her breath hitched. “That is…”
Nikolai froze. She could feel the apprehension in his arms, but he had no need for it.
“You could put that oversized dildo to shame. I didn’t…I didn’t think real dicks came in that size!”
Monica swallowed, wondering if she could take everything Nikolai had to offer. His cock, hard and absolutely ready, pressed against her lower stomach. With each press of his hips, her mouth grew dry and her groin grew wetter. She wanted it, wanted to try, but wasn’t sure she would be able to please Nikolai with what she had to offer.
“I’m going to warn you now,” Monica began, even though her throat was growing tighter. “I haven’t… uh, I haven’t had sex in a while. So, I might be a bit tight.”
Nikolai ducked his head. He pressed a tender kiss to her collar bone. It sent a ball of fireworks rocketing from her chest to her core, where it exploded with electric warmth. Unable to stop herself, Monica let out a small purr. He paused, a grin on his lips as he drank in the sound.
“If I knew you would purr, I would have tried harder.” He laid another kiss on the opposite collar bone. “We can follow whatever pace you set. If you want to stop, we can do that, too.”
She heard the reluctance in his voice at the last line, felt it echo inside herself. She tightened her grip on him and refused to let go. They weren’t going to stop. She wasn’t finished—wouldn’t be until he was as deep inside her as she could take.
“Just be nice to my bra and panties. I like these ones.”
Nikolai leaned back to take her in. Monica never thought this was where she’d find herself, but she suspected her panther knew all along. It pulled her toward Nikolai with every step. The conniving beast chose the cream-colored lingerie that popped against her dark Latina skin because it knew Nikolai would drink it in. He ran a fingertip along the underwire of her bra before rising to trace the tiny black polka-dots above her nipple.
She shuddered at his touch, another purr slipping out of her.
“That’s right. Purr for me, kitty cat.”
Her purr turned into a growl. Monica bucked and rolled them over. Nikolai’s eyes were wide with surprise when he found himself beneath her. He reached and plucked a piece of grass from her hair before tugging at the back of her neck for a kiss. She ground h
er hips into him, letting the soft satin of her panties glide over his long cock.
Nikolai groaned into her mouth. He arched into her, pressing his cock into her labia in search of the spot that would spark her fire. There was still too much fabric between them. Nikolai reached behind her, fingers sliding up her spine, to unlatch her bra. It fell away, forgotten in the grass. Her breasts bounced, free from their captivity.
Greedily, Nikolai palmed both. His rough thumb grazed over her nipples, exploring and worshipping them. He touched her like he couldn’t get enough. He would never have his fill of her, not if she could help it. She’d make him beg for her over and over. She wanted him to come back to her, time and time again because she knew she wouldn’t ever get her fill of him, either.
She slid her panties down. The cool, ocean air kissed her bare skin. Above, they could hear the sound of passing cars. Engines revved and roared past them. One slowed down and came to a rumbling stop above. Both shifters paused, their eyes rolling toward the cliff above them.
Nikolai covered her breasts with his hands, reflexively. Monica could feel her heart thundering in her rib cage. It felt like it bounced against each rib as they waited, listening for the sound of footsteps or voices. A smile slipped over Monica’s face as laughter at their predicament rose.
She’d never made love outside. There was a thrill, the fear of being caught with a cock between her legs, that only made her excitement grow. Slowly, Monica lifted her hips. She lowered herself over Nikolai’s cock. Inch by inch, moment by silent moment, she took him into herself.
The car above didn’t move, still humming above their heads. The soft murmur of voices never came any closer, so Monica began rocking her hips. Her head fell back. She surprised herself, able to take all of him with only minimal pain. It quickly faded as the pulse of pleasure overtook her body. She rode him, teeth shut tight against the groans that threatened to escape her.
Her True Alpha Mate Page 9
