by Milly Taiden
How in the world did they get into a sexual conversation two minutes after meeting? Who did that? And why did she want to drag him to her place and demand he fulfill his promises?
The sound of a person on a speaker asking people to sit down for dinner stopped any further sex talks. Thank god. She might have given in and embraced living on the wild side by having a quickie with her neighbor. What the hell? She still might.
He offered her his arm and led her to their table. Mrs. Wilder had sat them with the men Maya had met earlier. No matter where she sat, she’d be surrounded by men. She felt like the female Hugh Hefner. Hot men all over the place.
Gerri winked at her from across the table. “Isn’t this a lovely ball, Maya?”
She nodded. Her voice didn’t work at that moment—not when Noah had a hand on her leg and slowly rubbed her thigh back and forth. She should be outraged. Or upset. Something! She barely knew him. There was zero outrage though. Not even a smidgen showed up to make her feel less easy. Nope. Instead, she imagined him lifting her skirt and doing even worse things to her already trembling legs.
People spoke around them, but she couldn’t keep up. All she could manage was a smile here or there with her mind firmly focused on his hand: the smooth sliding up and down that drugged her into quiet anticipation.
He leaned forward, his scent all but driving her crazy. That combination of man, wild and seduction she never knew could turn her on so much. The bodice of her dress felt so tight she had a hard time catching her breath. His fingers bit into her large thigh, tugging her legs open. Oh good gracious, things were going to get interesting.
The suit jacket rubbed on her bare arm. He came forward, his head right by her ear. “I like your body. You’re so sexy.”
She gulped at the dryness in her throat and turned to look into his golden eyes. The hunger she saw there stopped her from making light of his words. He meant it—he found her desirable. It was so new. “You do?”
She hadn’t meant to sound so surprised. She didn’t know any men to act this possessive over her. Her. Bud didn’t count. He was just being a jack-ass. Usually men did that for other women. Maya wasn’t just a big girl; she was what most men considered to be boring. She didn’t do wild, crazy things. Most of her life was spent trying to just enjoy peace and quiet.
He lifted his lips in such a wicked grin she had a hard time glancing away, back to his overpowering gaze. “I do. I find you fascinating.”
At that she laughed. Hard. She shook her head and giggled every time she tried to speak. “Me? You find me fascinating. You have to be confusing me with someone else. Trust me, Noah. There’s nothing fascinating about me.”
His hand on her thigh moved up until she swallowed back a moan. He was so close to her need she couldn’t stop herself from opening her legs wider. She was so easy.
“There’s a lot about you that I find fascinating. You’re so carefree. I don’t recall a time when I was ever like that.”
She struggled a breath into her lungs. “I’m boring. That’s what carefree translates to in my world. Boring. There’s nothing special going on in my life.”
He shook his head, the light glinting off his shiny, blond strands made her want to slide her fingers through his hair.
“You’re interesting. A life of drama does not make a person interesting. Living quietly doesn’t mean you’re boring. It just means you know what you like and don’t like.”
She sighed. The bodice of her strapless dress felt tight against her aching nipples. She wanted to tear the gown off and get Noah naked. He continued to stare at her with his probing gaze, making her feel flustered and hot.
“What, um, what do you do?” She cleared her throat. “For a living, that is.”
“Noah is a video game designer,” Gerri said from across the table.
Maya glanced at the older woman, noticing her wide grin and the quick wink Gerri sent her way. If she wasn’t aware Gerri was a shifter, she’d have asked how the hell she’d heard her question. Maya had barely heard the words come out of her own mouth.
“Really?” she asked with awe. “What kind of games do you design?”
“He does the ‘Soldier’ shoot-em-up series,” Gerri interjected a second time. “They’re super popular.”
Maya’s eyes widened. “Everyone knows those games. I have a nephew who asks for them the minute they’re available for pre-order. You made those?”
She knew she sounded like a gushing fan, but from the way her nephew described the games and what she’d seen of him playing them, Noah had some serious talent. Now it made sense why the guy in the games could go from man to panther and back. She thought that had been a clever way to disguise the hit man in the games.
Noah glared at Gerri, which only had the old woman laughing. “Stop being so shy and accept a compliment, Noah. She likes your work.”
“I’m sorry.” Maya winced. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I’m just shocked. That’s a very popular series.”
“He still doesn’t understand his success. He lives the life of a recluse.” Gerri laughed. “What you said is probably the biggest shock of his life.” She lifted a wine glass. “I told you those games are sold to people all over the world, including our own backyard, Noah.”
FOUR
Noah couldn’t glance away from Maya. She looked dazzling in the golden dress. Her brown skin appeared to glow under the soft lights of the giant ballroom. He wanted so badly to rub his nose on the curve of her neck and take one long whiff of her scent, hold it in and memorize it forever. His panther had much dirtier ideas in mind, like getting her naked and fucked.
“You must be the most popular guy amongst your friends.” Maya laughed, lifting a wine glass to her full lips and taking a sip. “I bet everyone wants to know what game you’re working on next.”
If she only knew he had no friends. Hell, aside from Gerri, he had no family. He had nothing, not that it bothered him. Panthers were loners by nature. He liked to lead a solitary life, and until he met her, he hadn’t wanted to be with any one woman long term. Sex had been a simple act to get rid of the basic urges. Now all he thought about was Maya. Her body. Her voice. Her smile. It all drove him to distraction on a daily basis. He should have had his latest game done by now, but the moment she got home, he forgot all about work to focus on her blinds.
“He’s shy,” Gerri said.
He needed to get Maya out of there, before Gerri told her his full life story. Maya didn’t need to hear that he’d been abandoned as a kid only to be raised by Gerri and her husband. Even though they’d been a different species, they’d given him the care he needed. It didn’t change the fact that Noah was quiet and kept to himself.
He slid his hand up and down Maya’s thigh, loving the way it shook under his fingers. He loved the scent of her arousal, wanted more of it. But he didn’t want to make her more turned on when so many others were near. The panther in him wanted her to himself. Neither he nor his animal liked to share.
Their dinners were sitting on the table; neither was eating. He wanted her alone, away from the group.
Leaning into her shoulder, he whispered by her ear. “Want to take a breather?”
She turned her face slowly to his. Need sparked bright in her eyes, pushing the animal in him to act. He stood, pushing his chair back, and grabbed her hand.
“Go on. I’m sure you’ll have something better to eat...later.” Gerri grinned.
Maya nodded and let him lead her out of the large hall. He led her through open French doors into the giant garden maze outside. His control on the panther slipped when she squeezed his hand. “This is so beautiful. I had no idea Gerri owned this place.”
He gulped back the uncontrollable urge to roar. To take. To possess. Her. Instead, he marched into the darkened maze, letting the cool air wash over him, taming the animal inside.
“Gerri has been a big benefactor for many who don’t have families,” he said as form of conversation. He let go
She frowned at her hand, the one he’d let go of, but said nothing. He hated that he didn’t know how to be the smooth talker other men were. He wasn’t into lying to women to get them into his bed. He said what he felt. Most of the time, the words weren’t soft or sweet. That hadn’t been a problem, until now. Now he wanted to say nice things to make Maya see him in a different light than what he was. A loner. A wild animal that couldn’t be tamed.
She moved closer to him, stopping some feet from the fountain, and glanced around in a circle. “Gerri is very nice. Have you known her long?”
“You could say that.”
He watched her fold her hands in front of her, twining her fingers in a show of nerves. “Why did you break up with your boyfriend?”
She stopped and glanced at his face, eyebrows raised high. “I’m sorry?”
“You had a boyfriend. I remember him when you first moved in. Why did you break up?”
Her facial features turned stony. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
He moved forward, his animal roaring for a taste of her. “Anything that has to do with you is my business.”
The small hitch in her breath made him grin. “You can be as sexy as you want, but don’t give me any of that macho crap. I’m not your business. I just met you. In case you didn’t know, saying shit like that can freak a woman out. I’m not into men who think they’ll tell me what to do.”
He stopped a foot away from her, loving the way her eyes flashed with anger. She was damn sexy, even more when this side of her came out: when that self-assurance she normally didn’t show made an appearance.
“You are my business. Everything about you is.” He could tell that’s not what she wanted to hear.
She glared, curling her hands into fists at her sides. “Does that normally work for you?”
He grinned. “I don’t need lines.”
“Wow. What happened to the shy guy Gerri mentioned back there?” she asked with a lift of a beautiful dark brow.
“I’m still that guy, but when it comes to you, I won’t relent. You’re my business.” He stepped closer, almost lost in the scent of her need. “From the top of your beautiful dark hair, to every single curve down your body.”
She inhaled sharply and swiped her pretty pink tongue over her luscious bottom lip. His cock hardened in his dress pants, making it obvious how much he wanted her.
“You’re kind of full of yourself, aren’t you?”
He lifted his left hand, cupping her neck and tugging her into him. Then he curled his right hand around her waist and held her flush against his. He waited, mostly to see if she’d object. She probably didn’t even realize that she leaned forward, bringing her face closer for him to kiss.
There was no hesitation. He brought his lips down over hers and kissed her. An unexpected spark fizzed in his blood, turning his already hungry panther desperate for more of his mate. She moaned. The small sound opened a path of dark need he’d never felt for another woman before.
Noah had kissed his fair share of women in the past, but there had never been this instant desire for more of her. For all of her. He’d never had to fight his animal until he thought he’d lose all control of his panther. All for a kiss, for a single taste of her lips and the hint of wine still on her tongue.
The kiss turned wilder, his touch rougher. He sucked on her tongue, nibbled on her mouth, and drank in every moan and whimper. She twined her hands behind his neck, pressing her chest on his. Need grew inside his animal, demanding more. He slid his hands down the whisper-soft fabric, caressing the curves beneath the dress, until he reached her ass. He grabbed handfuls of her cheeks and pressed her into his erection. The cushiony feel of her body on his much harder one was heaven. Perfect.
He led her back, almost lifting her into his arms. Once they reached a stone bench, he helped her until she was sitting down and he was crouched between her legs.
FIVE
Maya couldn’t breathe. Not even if her life depended on it. There was no way when a hot-as-hell panther shifter was crouched between her legs, pushing the gauzy fabric of her dress up her thighs.
“I need to taste you.”
She shouldn’t be shocked by his words, but…but they were at a massive event not more than a few yards from the main house. It was wrong to let him even say the words, wasn’t it? She placed her hands flat on the stone bench, lifting her ass and moving it to the edge of the seat. Screw wrong.
“We could get caught out here,” she mumbled, not for a second stopping him from lifting the skirt up to her waist and spreading her legs open.
“We could,” he said in a low groan, staring at the tiny panties covering her mound. “You know, you’re so wet I can tell your panties are drenched.”
Her pussy throbbed with the way his voice sounded. Rough. Low. Like he was having a hard time stopping himself from tearing the material covering her into bits.
“Noah,” she whimpered.
“That’s it. Say my name like that,” he rumbled. “Just like that. It sounds so fucking sexy. Sounds like you can’t wait for me to fuck you. To drive my cock into you and feel your pussy clamp around it.” He glanced up from staring at her crotch to meet her gaze. His eyes had gone into a blazing gold. “Let me taste you. Let me shove my tongue into your pussy and lick you.”
Whoa! The visual those words gave her left her breathless. “I don’t think—”
“You’re right.” He grazed his finger up her inner thigh, sending need blazing up her spine. “Don’t think. Don’t do anything but watch. And moan.”
The sound of soft tearing filled the air for a heartbeat, and then he was tugging on the remnants of her panties.
Cool air washed over her exposed pussy. She wanted to free her chest from the confining dress, to cup her breasts and pinch her own nipples. Better yet, she wanted him to do it.
His head lowered between her legs, and she waited with baited breath. He blew on her clit. Her belly quivered with every gasp and moan rolling out of her. She glanced up at the night sky, her body thrumming with need, her legs tense with expectation. She stared at each tiny diamond star, making the wish that this moment last forever.
He pressed his lips on her pussy, going all in. This wasn’t a soft lick or small nibble. He covered her pussy with his mouth, flattening his tongue over her clit. A loud moan pushed out of her. She widened her legs and scraped her nails on the stone bench. She wished she could grasp his hair in her hands, pressing him closer to her folds. A loud purr sounded. Holy shit! That was so sexy coming out of him. It was a combination of purr and growl, and she wanted to hear it again.
“Please...do it again,” she gasped.
He did. The sound sent vibrations from her clit to her nipples. She must look a sight. Her legs spread open, back arched, and pussy on display, but she couldn’t care less. All she wanted was more of his licks on her sex, more of his groans as he lapped at her like a starved man.
He rolled his tongue over her pussy. Up and down. Faster. Faster. Every slide pressed at her clit. Every lick pushed her that much closer to her breaking point.
“Oh, god!”
Tension curled in the pit of her belly like a restless animal, wanting to be let loose. She wiggled, pushing closer to his mouth with each rocking of her hips. She’d never felt this way. Men didn’t push her body to limits. They didn’t concern themselves with her pleasure, with ensuring she went over the edge and experienced things that made her toes curl. Noah’s lips on her folds, his fingers biting into her thighs, and his groans tugged her toward that cliff she had never known existed.
He sucked her clit between his teeth, grazing them in a soft nibble that jerked a choked scream from her chest.
“Oh!”
The tension winding inside her snapped, unfurling at a mesmerizing rate. Pleasure flowed over her like a wave of cooling bliss. She blinked, spots combined with the stars in the sky to fill her vision with bright diamonds. Wetness flowed from her channel, but Noah continued licking every single drop from her body. Her hips continued their jerky rocking on his face. Even though he wasn’t inside her, her pussy gripped at nothing, as if readying for him to fuck her.
She glanced down, sucking in shaky breaths. His clean-shaven face shone with her climax. He looked so fucking hot licking her body’s essence off his lips, like he’d been eating dessert. She leaned forward, pressed her mouth to his, and tasted herself on him. A loud rumble sounded in his chest. She tugged him closer, crawling a hand between his crouched legs and grasping his erection. Lord. Good lord he was hard. So hard and big. Her pussy clenched just thinking about him inside her.
Tearing her lips from his, she nibbled on his jaw, licking her orgasm off his face and mumbling, “Take me, Noah. Fuck me. Here. Now. Do it.”
But instead of pulling his cock out of his pants and filling her with his hardness, he stood up and yanked her to her feet.
“What the hell?”
“Shh. Someone’s coming.”
She tried to stand, but her legs wobbled. Thankfully, he wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her stay on her feet. The last thing she needed was for anyone to happen by and her to fall on her face from shaky-orgasmic-leg syndrome.
Moments later, the sound of giggles neared them, and a couple appeared out of one of the entrances to the center of the maze.
“Oops!” A woman smiled at the man beside her. “Looks like they had the same idea. It’s kind of stuffy in the ballroom.”
Maya nodded, unsure what to say. She then realized that she had no panties on. Her eyes went wide, and she glanced at the spot she’d been sitting on at the stone bench, but they weren’t there.
“We’ll leave you to enjoy the area,” Noah said, tugging her to the secondary entrance back toward the mansion.
She waved at the couple and glanced around the ground, trying to see if she saw her underwear. The last thing she needed was for the couple to find her panties. Or worse, she checked her heels to make sure she wasn’t dragging them like a piece of toilet paper.
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