Tall, Dark and Panther

by Milly Taiden

  They were a few rows away when she whispered, “My panties. Where are they?”

  Noah glanced at her, his lips lifting in a feral grin. “They’re mine now.”

  “Oh, please,” she mumbled. “Don’t tell me you have a thing for underwear.”

  He barked a laugh and hugged her to his side. “And if I do?”

  “Sexy men don’t have underwear fetishes. You’re too good-looking for that.”

  “I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.” He laughed again.

  “What do I know? I’ve never had my panties torn off me.” She tried to stand on her own, but damned if her legs didn’t still feel like jelly. What kind of witchcraft had he done with his mouth to make her bones melt? And more importantly, how could she get him to do it again?

  Once they reached the French doors he’d guided her through, he stopped and turned to face her, cupping her cheek with his hand. His mouth crashed down over hers, and she forgot all about everything, including important things like breathing and thinking. A second later, he pulled away. Bastard. She was so turned on she couldn’t see straight.

  “Let me take you home Maya.” He nuzzled her lips, giving her butterfly kisses as he spoke. “I want you on my bed. Naked. Wet. Coming for me.”

  Yes times a billion! But now that her brain had decided to remind her she barely knew him, she hesitated. Maya wasn’t an adventurous woman. The craziest thing she’d ever done had just happened. With him. She didn’t do spontaneous.

  “I don’t know...”

  He frowned, searching her face with his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure you understand the type of person I am. I don’t do…” She lifted a hand and made a circle to her surroundings. “…this.”

  “I’m not asking you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

  She took a step back and sighed. “That’s really nice of you, but I don’t have one-night stands. I’ve never had sex outside of a relationship.”

  Boy did she sound like a 1950s housewife. Better he know the truth now than to expect her to put out later and think she was a tease.

  He narrowed his eyes, and the smile that had been flirting on his lips disappeared. “I’m not asking for a one-night stand.” He slid his fingers into her hair, gripping the strands and holding her head in place. “It’s going to take more than a single night for me to lick you from head to toe. To show you that your body is fucking gorgeous as is.” He pressed a hard kiss on her lips and moved back before she got a chance to enjoy it. “It’s going to take more than one night to fuck you every way possible and make you come repeatedly. More than one night, Maya. For me to own you with my cock.”

  Oh, good god. Her throat dried to sandpaper. Anticipation curled in her belly as if his words were caresses on her body.

  “More than one night?”

  “Yes, beautiful. More than one night for me to stamp myself all over you. For you to understand this isn’t going to go away. I’m not going away. Nothing, no one can make me.”

  She gulped. She didn’t know what to say. Her brain had frozen at the mention of more than one night. Did he truly mean that? A man with his sex appeal could be out there having threesomes on a jet. That sounded a lot more exciting than going to her place.

  “Stop questioning this. Me. Us. I want you. I’ve wanted you.”

  She frowned. “What?”

  SIX

  “I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you,” he said. She saw the honesty in his gaze. He didn’t add anything to that line. There was nothing else needed. How could he have wanted her since then?

  “B-but... Really?”

  His shoulders relaxed, and he nodded. “I’d say yes, but I have a feeling you need to see things for yourself.”

  “Maya, there you are,” Gerri said, walking toward them. She stopped and pointedly stared at Noah’s hands holding Maya. “Is Noah taking you home?”

  She shook her head. Instinct had kicked in, and all she wanted was time to think about what he’d said. What he’d done. “No. I’m going to get going now.”

  Noah let go of her. A wave of emptiness crashed over her. For the time she’d been in his arms she’d felt secure, wanted, desired. All the things she’d never felt before.

  Gerri curled an arm around Maya’s and started leading her away. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

  Maya glanced over her shoulder. Noah’s bright gaze didn’t desert her until they turned a corner.

  “Maya,” Gerri said. “I just want you to know that Noah is like a son to me. You can trust him.” She patted Maya’s hand.

  “I don’t know...”

  “Forget what I’m saying,” Gerri sighed and smiled. “Trust your instincts. They will never guide you wrong. In time, you will see for yourself what a wonderful man Noah is. I don’t need to sell him to you. Just keep an open mind.”

  Maya nodded. “I will.”

  She would too. She drove home in a silent daze, her mind rolling over the events of the night. Noah. He was what every female from the age of eighteen to sixty-five would want in a man: tall and broad with a powerful body. She could tell he wasn’t one of those overly bulky men that lifted a ton of weights, but he had enough muscle to make her tongue attach to the roof of her mouth. He had those piercing blue eyes that made her want to fan herself when they were staring deep into hers.

  She got out of her car in front of the building and motioned one of the security men to park it for her. She was too tired and didn’t feel like walking in from the garage. As she stepped out of her car, she noticed a person in the shadows across the street. It was a man in a trench coat. She squinted, trying to see him better in the darkness. Then she realized who it was. Her ex, Bud.

  The security guy walked out and stopped next to her. “Is he bothering you, Ms. Zara?”

  She shook her head. “No. I think he still doesn’t understand the meaning of the word no, though.”

  “Some men are stupid like that,” the guy said, taking her car keys.

  She hurried inside and ignored Bud across the street and up to her apartment. Whatever he wanted, she wasn’t interested.

  Dropping her keys on a side table, she headed for her bedroom to remove the ball gown. Her cell phone rang.

  She sighed and answered.

  “Hello?”

  Nothing.

  “Hello?”

  Lots of heavy breathing. Then the line went dead.

  She dialed the number back and waited for the line to get picked up.

  “Hello, Maya,” Bud said.

  “Listen to me, you moron, stop calling me.”

  “What are you talking about? I haven’t called you,” he said.

  “Oh yeah? Prank calls only work if my caller ID doesn’t show your name, dumbass!”

  She hung up the phone and threw it on her sofa. What an idiot. Of all the men she’d ever dated, Bud had to be her biggest mistake. What man in his right mind thought that men got a period? He actually argued with her about it.

  She shrugged out of the dress and rushed to the kitchen for a bottle of water. She was so thirsty. The last thing she wanted was to wake up with dry mouth. Her cell phone rang again. She ignored it. Bud needed a life. Instead of arguing with him about how she knew he’d been the one who tried to prank call her, she went back to the bathroom to set up a bath.

  After a long, hot soak, she got out of the tub and ordered her favorite pizza. Once she put on her robe, she was feeling better about everything in her life. Why couldn’t Noah want her? She was a big girl, but she was sexy in her own way. Maybe not the out-there, tiny-clothes sexy, but her body was full, and she didn’t see anything wrong with it. The sound of knocking at her door had her rushing to throw on a robe. The pizza guy was never that fast.

  She ran down the hall, holding the neckline of the robe closed and her wallet in her other hand. She opened the door and gaped. It was Noah. Noah in only a pair of dress pants and no shirt. Her gaze roamed fr
om his face down his slightly hairy chest, to his washboard abs, and his unbuckled belt.

  Her gaze shot north, and she blinked. He inhaled deep and marched inside, crowding her with his large body. He pushed the door closed behind him and didn’t say anything else. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing there, but didn’t get a chance to speak.

  In a swift move, he took her lips in a blazing kiss. There was no work up, just unbridled desire. She lifted her hands, digging her nails into the back of his head. He groaned into the kiss, his tongue darting in and out of her mouth, pushing hers into submission. Hunger exploded inside her. She wanted more. Now. Though she’d been unsure before, that time had passed. She couldn’t fight her body’s need for him. It was unlike anything she’d experienced. So why reject it? Why not allow herself to feel whatever he wanted to give her? She should allow her mind to bask in the erotic bliss he offered.

  He jerked the robe open, one hand moving straight down between her legs to probe at her folds. The other hand cupped her breast, filling with her tit and tweaking her nipple. She took a breath and let it out slowly, gasping at the fingers massaging her clit, then sliding into her channel.

  He placed kisses on the corner of her mouth, gliding his mouth over her cheek and nibbling on her ear.

  “Fuck, Maya. I knew you’d feel fucking perfect in my arms.”

  She moaned, leaning her head back on the wall. She scraped her nails down to his shoulders, pulling him closer. He tugged on her nipple, twisting the little point to add friction.

  She whimpered. Pleasure warmed her blood, thickening it and slowing down the flow in her veins. Dizziness assailed her, robbing her of her ability to stand on her own two feet.

  His lips trailed down her chest, licking circles on her heated flesh. She glanced down, watching him suck her nipple into his mouth and nibble on her tiny point. Her pussy throbbed, and wetness skated down her legs. He groaned on her tit, sucking hard. Her pussy grasped at his fingers, releasing more wetness. He let go of her nipple with a resounding pop.

  “You’re so fucking wet, beautiful.”

  She met his gaze, enjoying the way he said the words, as if she were being a naughty girl. She skimmed her hands down to the edge of his pants. The already-open clip meant all she had to do was slide that zipper down and push his pants down. There was no underwear. She didn’t know if she should be shocked or aroused that he went commando. Another new one for her. Eager, she curled a hand around his shaft, pumping him from root to tip.

  “Ah, baby,” he groaned, giving her bites between her breasts. “Your hands on my cock feel amazing.”

  He felt so hard and hot. When she reached the slit at the head of his cock, a bead of moisture sat at the top. She used a thumb and rubbed it on his length, going back to pumping him with her fist.

  “You’re so big,” she said breathlessly.

  He stood to his full height, towering over her five-foot-three-inch frame. “I’m exactly the right size for your body.”

  She took shallow breaths and lifted a leg up to his waist. “Do it, Noah. Fuck me.”

  There was no hesitation. He grabbed her by her ass and lifted, anchoring her on the wall and bringing her hips down on his dick. His cock pressed at the entrance to her pussy, spreading her wide with his thickness.

  He met her gaze as he entered her slowly. Then he met her lips in a kiss and pushed forward, filling her with his cock. She squealed into the kiss, her body adjusting to his size. She felt filled by him. Her pussy throbbed.

  He pulled back and pressed forward, driving into her hard. He licked up her jaw to her ear. “That’s it. Take my cock deep. You’re fucking tight, sexy as hell.”

  She choked on a breath, her body humming with each drive. She couldn’t do more than cling to him as he plunged his cock into her, pushing her hard against the wall. “Noah,” she gasped. “More.”

  “I’ll give you more, baby,” he drove deep, rocked his hips, and propelled back. “Your pussy’s mine. Your lush body’s mine.”

  She whimpered, her muscles tensing with each angry drive. Sweet pleasure expanded in her core, twisting into knots around her heart. Another drive and a new sensation flowed through her. Vulnerability tugged at her emotions. It wasn’t the time for that. Not when he was fucking her into next week. She jerked his head down, needing a kiss to stop her from thinking too much. Expectant energy gathered in her chest, growing with every slide of his tongue over hers.

  Thrust after thrust, he pinned her against the wall and took her body like he owned her. She’d given him that power, and she wasn’t sorry. Every glide of his cock into her body was a push closer to pleasure’s edge.

  He pulled back, his hips working his dick in and out of her body. “So wet. So hot. Tell me you like my cock inside you.”

  “Like it? I love it,” she moaned. “Don’t you dare slow down. I’m so close.”

  He grumbled a laugh into her neck and licked her again. “You’re sweaty, and that’s fucking delicious.”

  “Of course it is.”

  “Fuck, baby. I love how your pussy grips my dick so tight,” he groaned. “I can’t stop thinking of coming inside you. I want to feel my cum being sucked in by your pussy. I want to fill you up with my seed.”

  She gulped. That all sounded good. “Go ahead. I’m on the pill. Come inside me.”

  He nibbled on her neck. “Your birth control won’t stop me from getting you pregnant.” He took a breath and let it out in slow bursts. “You. Pregnant.”

  “Me pregnant, what?” She asked in a breathless murmur.

  “I like that idea.” He drove deep and pulled back. Then did it again. And again. Each time his thrusts growing faster. Rougher. His cock felt bigger inside her. “I. want. You. Pregnant.”

  He was insane. But she couldn’t have cared less at that moment. “Oh, god, Noah!”

  The tightness in her core turned into a flurry of unravelling sensations. She dug her nails deep into his neck, scratching him as her orgasm took hold. Then she flew. Pleasure flowed over her, taking her with the tide.

  His hold on her ass cheeks turned painful. His drives increased in speed until she thought she was burning from the inside, until she swore his cock was a piece of steel branding her as his. She gasped for air, and he stiffened. He groaned, his lips hovering over her neck. His cock pulsed in her channel, filling her with his seed.

  They stayed there, just like that: with him inside her and pressing her against the wall, his cock firmly entrenched in her. She tried to catch her breath, running her nails into his soft hair. He raised his head from her neck and met her gaze.

  Words weren’t needed. He carried her as they were to her bedroom, depositing her on the bed and immediately laying next to her. She thought that would be the end of it, but he tugged her into his arms, her body half over his.

  “Why did you come here tonight?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

  He speared his fingers into her hair and turned her face up to look at him. “I couldn’t stay away from you.”

  SEVEN

  “I don’t understand how this works, Noah. I’ve never experienced anything like it.” She glanced down at his chest and ran her nails over his abs, watching his muscles shift under her fingertips. “You mentioned wanting me from the first time.”

  He pressed a kiss into her hair. “Shifters have an instant attraction we feel for our mates.”

  “Mates…like the person you want to be with?” she choked out. “Forever?”

  “Yes. I knew you were it for me. Even though you were with someone else.”

  She heard the irritation in his voice. “You wanted me while I was with my ex?”

  “I knew you were mine, Maya. I just had to wait until he was out of the picture.”

  She snorted. “That didn’t take long. He was a jerk.”

  “He didn’t know how special you are.”

  She lay in his arms, no weird after-sex feelings. In fact, she felt more at ease with him than she ever had w
ith Bud. “Explain how this mate business works.”

  “Are you familiar with shifters?”

  She loved hearing his voice. It had that roughness that made her skin tingle. “I am. I don’t think there’s a person that isn’t, but I haven’t ever gone out with one.”

  She had nothing against them. Shifters were very dominant and possessive, but mainly they were hot. And until Noah, she’d never met one that didn’t make her nervous.

  “There are different kinds of shifters that mate in different ways. Usually a mate means they’re committed to that one person for life.”

  “Oh, like married?” She flipped on her stomach to better look at him. “Is this marriage in the shifter world?”

  “You can say that. It’s a really deep connection between two beings. There’s no cheating. No divorce. Just each other.”

  Goosebumps broke over her skin. He said that with so much passion. Like he was the one about to get mated. “So why haven’t you mated?”

  He grinned, his lips made her girly parts all slick and warm. “I hadn’t found the right woman that could tame the panther and the man.”

  She blew a raspberry. “I don’t know how. You’re one hot tamale. I bet you’ve had a ton of women throwing clean and dirty underwear your way.”

  He laughed, his stomach muscles contracting and lifting her with each chuckle. “Clean and dirty?”

  “Well yeah. I bet in the shifter world you’re, like, super rocker status, huh?”

  He shook his head, the slow smile still on his lips. “Nope. I’m pretty quiet. I don’t go out like that, unless Gerri harasses me to death. Usually I stay home and work.”

  “You mean there’s no orgies going on in the other side of this floor?” She pouted. “Here I thought you were one of those playboys living it up.”

  “Why did you think that?” He slipped a hand up and down her back, stopping at one of her ass cheeks and grabbing a handful before moving up again.