by Thorne, Elle
“You’ve got me. All of me.” His own voice was more husky with passion than hers as he pulled her pants down, not bothering to unbutton them, ripping the button loose, sending it flying. Clad in panties alone, she stood waiting for him.
He led her to a shorter boulder, took his pants off and folded them. Seating her on the cushion they provided, he spread her legs apart, moving her full thighs with such tenderness she felt more moisture building. He leaned forward, inhaling, his chest filling with air. He was a sprinkled-with-hair, muscle-bound picture of maleness.
His face close to her breast, he moved the short distance and took her nipple in his mouth, making her think of the waves that crested in the ocean when she’d visited the coast during a storm. His scruffy beard was a rough caress that, when coupled with the sharp nips he was giving her tiny nubs, made voltage travel the distance to her clit, setting it on fire with an intensity that made her moan.
“I have to taste your pussy. I need your sweetness to fill my mouth.” He traveled his tongue to dip between her breasts then scorched her skin as he traversed southward. Pushing her legs open even more, he stared at her sleek rosiness.
He ran his tongue over his lower lip, almost throwing Veila into an orgasm at the idea of his tongue being on her—in her.
He spread her open with his thumbs, and the coolness of the air touched her heated flesh, causing her to quiver.
Mark lowered his head, his breath warm, countering the cool air on her pussy, caressing her lips. A shiver traveled the length of Veila’s body. He pushed her back farther, his arms under her thighs, her legs hooked over wide shoulders. She was fully exposed and a feast for his lion vision, even in the dimness. Knowing he was surveying her entrance and enjoying the slick pink and redness he found between her legs, watching his face as lust traveled over it, making his dark eyes even darker, his olive skin flushed with desire… All of it was too much. Veila whimpered with a need for him.
He blew on her clit, making it twitch, making her legs jump.
“Please, Mark.”
“Please, what? Suck your clit? Fuck your pussy with my tongue? Lick your lips? Bite your clit?”
“God, yes, yes. Please. Dammit.”
Who was this woman? This demanding, sex-crazed woman? Who was she? Or was she simply Mark-crazed?
He sucked on the swollen little button of her desire then licked her from ass to pussy with a long, hard swipe of his tongue. He reversed course, letting just the tip of his tongue travel the same distance, allowing it to penetrate her entrance enough to create a whimper deep within her which came out in a long moan. When the tip of his tongue touched the rosebud of her ass, she flinched and grabbed his head, bringing him closer and raising his face to her pussy.
She gasped as he drove his tongue deep inside her. A rumble from his chest turned her on even more, drowning out the sound of the waterfall nearby.
He plunged two fingers into her while he sucked on her tender, swollen bud and sent her into a frenzy. Nails digging into the boulder, fingers becoming raw from the effort, she thrashed as a climactic wave overtook her, sending her off a cliff of pleasure. Throwing her head back, she roared her pleasure, sure she could be heard throughout the entire floor. He rubbed her thighs then climbed onto the long boulder, his body covering hers.
She lay there, immobile and recuperating for a few moments. She panted and tried to catch her breath.
“My turn.” She locked her lips on his, taking control of the situation, and reached for his pants, cupped his crotch, and found a supersized hardness.
“Christ.” He was huge. He rose halfway, but she pushed him back and unzipped his pants, easing him out.
She stared into his eyes, their depths glowing with an amber-colored light. She shimmied down his body and studied his thickness. His slit glistened with pre-cum as she lowered her head. She touched the tip of her tongue to the large pearl of moisture.
Saltiness, maleness, and musk slid over her tongue, firing her desire all over again. She licked the rim of his mushroom head and was rewarded with a groan that grew into a loud growl when she snugly wrapped her lips around his cock’s cap. A slight sucking made his growl deepen and become more intense.
Before she knew what had happened, Mark had hooked his hands beneath her arms and pulled her up his body, her pussy trailing over his thighs.
With their lips locked in a kiss, she tasted herself while she straddled him, his cock tucked between her nether lips. She leaned back, pushing off his chest, and rose, preparing to glide onto his length. With a sudden drop, she speared herself on his shaft, his girth causing her to cry out, stretching her more than she’d ever been stretched before.
She rocked on his cock, her breasts swaying temptingly close to his face. Mark reached out, grabbed her breasts, and fondled them, taking her nipples between his fingers and thumbs, tweaking them roughly, pulling on them and pinching them, then rolling the hardened nubs between his fingers.
“God. I love that.” She rocked harder to match the desire he was building in her. Pressing on his chest for leverage, she pushed herself up then slammed herself down on his cock again.
“Fuuuuck.” The word was long and drawn out. He grunted once then flipped her. “I can’t do this. I need you. I need to fill you with every bit of me.”
“Do it. Now.”
Her words spurred him forward. With one fierce push, he was buried balls-deep, his flesh slapping against hers mercilessly as he pummeled her pussy, filling her and punishing both of them with the intensity of his thrusts.
“I want to make you mine, forever.” He panted the words out.
“Do it. I want you to.”
“I don’t want to complicate your life. I love you too much. I can wait.”
She didn’t want to wait, but knowing he cared enough to wait for it to be the right time for her affirmed everything her tigress already knew about him and his lion.
Veila shoved backward, taking him deeper, then used her legs to bring her forward and then back, meeting him thrust for thrust.
Longer.
Deeper.
Faster.
“God, you’re tight.”
The sounds of their sex, the slapping of skin against sweaty skin, the panting and grunting, her moans, his groans, all of it was becoming too much for her.
Her final moan became one sound, long, getting louder, nonstop, almost a howl when she felt her body clamp down on his cock, her channel holding him tight, her body pulsing moisture out, making the slapping, slurping noises louder.
With one fierce grab of her hips, he pulled her tight against him and stilled while his cock pulsated streams of his essence deep within her.
She gripped the rock, digging her nails into it, her head thrown back, her ass against him, as another orgasm rippled throughout her body, taking her to a new place, one where he already was.
Chapter Fifteen
“You know why I didn’t bond with you?” Mark asked Veila. He wanted to be sure she understood what his motives and plans were.
“Hmm?” Her voice was hushed, as if she was tired and drifting.
Both of them were still naked, lying on the boulder, and, finally, Mark noticed it was heated. That’s why they weren’t chilled. They thought of everything when they designed this place, didn’t they?
He continued, “I don’t want you to feel you have to rush into any decisions. I know you have a lot going on, what with this big meeting and all.”
She rose, planting her arms on his chest, looking into his eyes. She told him about her father’s visit, her brother quitting, everything that had transpired.
“Holy hell.” And she was down here with him. He didn’t minimize what that meant to him and to her. “What can I do to help?”
A hint of a smile crossed her face, but it wasn’t a joyful one. “Nothing. Interesting, though…” Another look—maybe it was trepidation—crossed her face. “I’m no different than Vax in my father’s eyes. I’m with a lion shifter.”
>
He put a finger under her chin and raised her face to be sure she was looking into his eyes. “You’re with a lion shifter. For life. There’s no going back.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” She sighed. “I called my brother Rafe. I left him a message. Told him shit was hitting the fan.”
“That’s all you said?”
“I never had a chance to call him again because, then, even more shit hit the fan.” She traced tiny patterns in the hair on his chest. “I have a plan.”
Chapter Sixteen
Veila stretched then opened her eyes. Her body ached from being on the rock all night. She reached out to put her arm across Mark’s chest.
Nothing. A boulder, semi-warm from the heating element.
No Mark.
She looked for his clothes, hoping he’d gotten up to stretch and his clothes were there, but they were gone, too.
“What the fuck?” she growled, knowing it was her tigress’s sentiment as well. How could her tigress not notice he’d gotten up and left sometime during the night?
She was pissed. Had Mark used her? She didn’t think he was like that.
Her tigress growled at Veila’s thought process. What else could it be? The man was gone after a one-night stand.
Should she just be happy she’d had a night of passion? It had been a long time since she’d had sex, after all. No. she wasn’t happy about that at all. She wasn’t looking for a piece of ass, an easy lay. In fact, she wasn’t looking for anything at all.
Fucker.
Her tigress snarled.
Fuck you, too. Veila was pissed at the world now, including her tigress.
* * *
Veila decided the best way to deal with her anger toward Mark was to be productive. And maybe to vent a little. First order of business: Sophie.
Veila walked into Sophie’s place, using her code on the keypad. It was dark, and Sophie was exactly where Veila had figured she’d be—still in bed, after closing After Dark. It was only nine o’clock in the morning, after all.
Veila strode into the bedroom, where the shades had been pulled shut. She sat in the wing chair and waited. She had no doubt Sophie’s tigress would let her know someone was in the room.
Sophie’s eyes fluttered open. She took a second to focus then sat up. “Hey.” Her voice was sleep-muffled. “Thanks for dumping Dad on me last night at After Dark.”
“Thanks for dicking me and Vax over yesterday. Father showed up ready for heads to roll.”
“At the meeting?”
“Yeah, where else? And now Vax has quit. He and Callie packed and left.”
Sophie’s face crumpled into an ugly-cry. “He quit? He can’t quit. He didn’t say good-bye or anything?”
“Wait. This isn’t about him saying good-bye to you. It’s about us. All of us. Vax is gone. And I’m leaving. I’m sure Father will have you and Lila run After Dark and the rest of our businesses here.” Veila rose from the chair and began to pace from one end of the bedroom to the other, doing semi-circles around the bed.
“Whaaaat?” The word came out as a long, drawn-out wail. “You can’t.”
“Sure I can.” Veila shrugged. She knew she was being a bitch and maybe overreacting toward her half-sister, but she’d had enough of her father. She hadn’t had enough of Mark, but, evidently, he’d decided he had, since he’d left without a word or a note. Now, she wasn’t going to watch her very best friend in the world, her big brother Vax, being dicked over by their father again. She was passing on that.
“I’m going to lie down.” She headed to the front door. “I didn’t sleep last night.”
“Tossing and turning?” Sophie asked.
If only it were so simple. “Something like that.”
“You know I can smell him.” Sophie followed her into the front room.
Veila whirled around, standing by the breakfast bar. “Who?” Fuck. Damn. She cursed herself for being so dumb. She should have showered first.
“Whoever you were tossing and turning with last night.” There was no judgment in Sophie’s tone.
Tears erupted from Veila’s eyes. “I have to go.” The words were torn from her throat in an attempt to keep from sobbing. She didn’t want to talk about Mark. She didn’t want to think about him. She’d been ready to bond with him last night.
“Please don’t go. You can’t break up the family like this. Can I do anything to help? ”
Veila paused. Her heart went out to her little sister. They’d had such a good life when they all came here, and now things were going to shit. Maybe she owed it to all of them to be the leader. To take charge. To make something work.
“Tell Mae, Doc, and Lézare we can resume the meeting this evening if they want. If you see Dad, tell him…” Veila tapped on the granite countertop. Rat-a-tat. Her French-manicured nails machine-gunned on the hard surface. “Just tell him…” Damn. She didn’t know what to say.
“I’ll keep him busy,” Sophie offered.
“If you can buy me some time, that would be great. I need to figure out where the hell Vax is and bring him back. I don’t want to run this place myself. This wasn’t in the plans for me.”
Veila went to her apartment and crawled into bed. The scent of her passionate night with Mark was still on her body and in her nostrils.
A set of hard ebony eyes and full lips crossed her mind. She smiled … then scowled.
Chapter Seventeen
Mark used the key card to let himself into the hotel room. Mason lay on the bed, shirt off, in a pair of sweats. He flicked the remote, turning the TV off. “Where the hell have you been? Your phone’s off. I thought the Tieros had you. I called our guys in.”
That was all Mark needed, Martinez security showing up on the Tieros’ doorstep. That would take the feud to the next level. “Oh, shit. Tell them to come here instead. Damn.”
Mason sniffed, his nostrils flaring. His brows shot upward in a questioning look. “So where were you?”
Mark chewed on his lip and strode to the window, where he pushed the curtain aside to look at the Dallas cityscape. He purposefully kept his face averted from Mason’s scrutinizing gaze. “I was talking to a friend.”
A scoffing laugh came from behind him. “Female?”
As if Mason couldn’t smell. “Yeah.” Mark headed toward the bathroom. A shower should fix this issue, though he didn’t want to wash her scent away.
“You motherfucker. You were getting laid while I worried you were fighting the Tieros?” Mason didn’t sound too angry, but his voice held a note of concern.
“No. No. It’s not like that. I wasn’t getting laid.” Not just getting laid. “I was talking to someone.”
“Sure you were. Right. Who were you talking to?”
“Veila Tiero.”
“Sure you were. Yeah, right. And I was talking to Evie Arceneaux.” Mason stumbled over Evie’s name. A sure sign that saying her name still put a hitch in his throat.
Mark turned to look at his brother so Mason could see the sincerity in his eyes. “I really was. In Sanctuary.”
“Okay, I believe you. I guess.” Mason studied him suspiciously. “What about the feud?”
Mark shrugged. Who gave a crap about some old man who’d been jilted ages ago? “I need to do something to help her. She’s in a jam.”
“They don’t even want us here, and you want to help her?” Mason nodded, but the way he nodded was as if he thought Mark had lost his senses.
“I know. It’s crazy.” Mark ran his fingers through his hair then scrubbed his hand over his face, the rough stubble making a scratchy sound. “There’s something about her.”
“Don’t even think about it. They don’t crossbreed. They don’t interspecies mix. At all. They don’t even like to have humans as mates.”
“I think there’s going to be a change.”
Chapter Eighteen
Veila heard Vax’s voice. It must have been a dream because, how could that be? That must be what had awaken
ed her.
She heard it again. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she leaped out of bed. That definitely sounded like Vax.
She threw open her apartment door leading to the main hallway.
Sophie. She was talking to—
“Rafe?”
Her half-brother Rafe turned around.
“What are you doing here?”
“I got your message. Then Dad called. He asked me to come down here to run After Dark.”
The first thing Veila felt was a searing anger that burned through her body straight to her core. She wasn’t supposed to run the club? She didn’t want to. Hell, no, but the slap in the face of his insult stung.
She frowned. “So you’re taking over?”
Rafe didn’t answer. “Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? All Dad said is that Vax left.”
“He was pretty much pushed to it. Father gave him an ultimatum.” Veila realized she was waving her hands. Jeez, so Italian. Just like her father after all. “He has to make a choice. After Dark or Callie.”
“I guess it’s clear what choice he made.” Rafe’s expression darkened, his dark-blue eyes turning indigo.
Veila knew Rafe had fallen in love with Callie. Clearly, he still carried a torch for her.
“Exactly. Vax handed me the keys and walked out. They packed and left.”
“Then what?”
“Father told me I’d be taking over.” She had never called their father “Dad” the way Rafe, Sophie, and Lila did. Probably because she had experienced a different side of him. She had noticed long ago Vax did the same.
“So why the hell did Dad call me? Why am I here?” Rafe leaned back against the wall. His chest was still wide and his shoulders broad, but he seemed less vibrant, less alive.
It was as though the love he had for Callie extinguished a certain light within Rafe. Veila mourned for her little brother. He was in the middle of a heartbreak.
“I don’t know why he called you here. I guess he doesn’t want me running things. Actually, you know what? Hang on.” Veila slipped into her apartment and grabbed her keys off the counter. “Take these. I don’t want them. I’m obviously not worthy.” She handed Rafe her keys. “Tell them I’ll move out within the week.”
