Prowl the Night

by Crystal Jordan

  But he could smell her increased moisture, could sense the intensity of her arousal. This new position excited her. She flexed her thighs, opening herself to rub her slick flesh against his cock. He hissed, his fangs punching through his gums. The Panther within him clawed for the freedom to rut with its mate. To claim her again and again until there was no distance between them and never would be.

  Wrapping her tight in his arms, he coasted one hand down her belly to tease her clit. The wetness he found made him snarl with the need to be inside her. She made a choked sound, her hips arching to meet his stroking fingers. “Do you like this, Ciri?”

  “Of course I do.” She wriggled her ass, her dampness gliding against his cock. “You can’t tell?”

  It was his turn to choke at the sensual movement, the pleasure. She purred, casting a wicked glance over her shoulder at him. He slipped his other hand up to fondle her breast, and he watched her eyes close in ecstasy. “I can tell. I just had to hear you say you want my hands on you.”

  “I love . . .” She shivered, her fingers locking around his wrist to hold his hand tighter to her clit. “I love your hands on my skin.”

  His heart had tripped at the word love. When was the last time she’d said she loved him? When had he last said it to her? A long time. Far too long, but it didn’t feel right to voice the sentiment anymore. He knew what he felt for her, but did she still feel the same? He had no idea, and he didn’t have the guts to ask. It was the one fight he couldn’t face. He didn’t want to hear the truth, because he was terrified of what she might say. It might bring an irrevocable end to what he needed more than he needed his next breath.

  “Tomas, please. I want you inside of me.” Her talons pierced the fabric of his pants, digging into his knees.

  He bent forward and licked a path up her delicate spine. She shivered, and he watched goose bumps break out across her skin. He nipped at the edge of one shoulder blade, let her feel the sharpness of his fangs. “Oh, you’ll have me inside you, my mate.”

  She stilled at the tone in his voice, no doubt sensing that he had something interesting in mind. The she-cat would be too curious to resist. He chuckled. Slipping his hand farther between her thighs, he thrust two fingers deep into her pussy. She moaned, the sound loud in their sitting room. He liked that, the feline within him fascinated by every detail of her. Her skin, the smell of her, the feel of her, her every reaction.

  Twisting her nipples one at a time, he kept them hard little points that made her squirm the longer he played with them, the more sensitive they became. At the same time, he continued to shove his fingers into her wet sex. Every cry of his name, every one of her little movements, made fire burn in his veins. It took every ounce of his control to keep a grip on the wildness inside. Her body moved with his fingers, grinding down on his hand to increase friction. He pushed her hard and fast, felt the clench and release of her inner muscles, sensed when she was close to orgasm.

  And then he stilled his movements.

  The feline screech of a Panther ripped out of her. “Don’t stop!”

  “I’m not stopping.” He drew his fingers from her pussy and trailed them to her ass. Teasing that tight pucker, he slipped one finger in, using her own slickness to ease his path. He moved back and forth between her two channels until he could slide three digits into her. “I’m just getting started.”

  “Yes, yes, please, yes.” She shoved her hips back to take him, her pussy growing even wetter for him, her excitement a heady aphrodisiac that drove him to the edge of sanity.

  He needed her. Now. Right now. He couldn’t wait. Jerking his hands from her body, he clasped her hips and guided her backward until his cock pressed to her anus. With inexorable pressure, he forced the head of his dick into her ass.

  “Tomas.” The sound was little more than a guttural hiss, and he could sense how close the Panther was to the surface, how she struggled to control it. He liked that she grappled with the same instincts he did.

  Working his cock deeper into her anus, he groaned at the tightness of her channel closing around his shaft. It was almost too narrow for him, but it felt fucking amazing. He brought both hands up to circle her nipples, and she choked on a sob. He could feel her muscles shaking, and he decided to increase her torment.

  Gliding one palm down, he rubbed a finger over her hardened clitoris. She jerked against his hold each time he swept over the bundle of nerves. “Why aren’t you moving?”

  “You move, Ciri. Ride me.” He eased away from touching her clit, just teasing her unless she arched forward to increase the contact. She did, of course, and they both cried out at the sensation.

  She followed his lead, pressing into his stroking fingers, working herself faster and faster on his cock. Sweat slid down his skin, and he lifted his hips to drive himself deeper into her ass. The leather couch creaked under their weight, adding to the carnal symphony they created together. The sounds she made each time she forced herself down on his cock made him shudder, barely able to hold on to control.

  “I’m going to . . .”

  “Come,” he ordered, pressing down directly on her clit and shoving his dick inside her. She screamed and her inner muscles closed around him. He kept stroking her, kept thrusting into her ass. Her body heaved each time he flicked a finger over her clit. “Don’t stop moving until I tell you to. Come for me again.”

  Her hair fell forward as she bowed her back to work herself harder on his cock. The movement revealed the mate mark on her nape—the only scar that a Panther could keep. Sleep healed them of all other wounds. The magic of their race didn’t grant them longer life than a regular human, but it did guarantee them extraordinarily good health for the years they had. Ciri’s back arched, and possession swamped him. His. She wore his mark. She was his in the most fundamental claiming of their kind.

  The thought made him explode. His body locked in a tight line and he jetted come into her ass. He pinched her clit hard, and she sobbed, shaking as another orgasm thrummed through her. The clench of her muscles around his cock just dragging the sensations out for him. It was perfect. Being with her like this was the only time in his life when everything felt right, when he didn’t have to fight to prove himself.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t last beyond the time it took reality to return and all the problems to resurface and begin nagging at the back of his mind. He sighed as his high crashed. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his forehead between her shoulder blades. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, that was good.”

  He chuckled, kissed her soft skin. “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “Didn’t you?”

  Purring softly, he repeated her own words to her. “You can’t tell?”

  Whatever she might have said was drowned out when the cell phone in his pocket blasted out a loud samba. He released her and dropped his head back against the couch. It was a repeat of earlier. “Shit.”

  “Don’t pick up the phone.” The soft plea in her voice broke his heart.

  “I won’t.” He sighed, stroking a hand down her naked back. “But you know Father will just call back.”

  “I know. Just forget I said anything. I’m sure whatever he wants is more important than this.” She lifted herself off of his lap as the phone stopped ringing. The silence would only be temporary. He pushed to his feet, tossing aside what remained of his clothes.

  Twirling her into a dance as the phone began the samba again, he spun her into the bedroom. “I’m not going to forget about it. We’re going to talk. After we have a shower.”

  “Argue, you mean.” She clutched at his shoulders when he dipped her backward over his arm.

  “If that’s what it takes.” Better than her being upset and hiding it behind a wall of insufferable calm. He rolled his hips in a dance move, then swung them both around until they reached the bathroom. The tiles were a cold shock against his feet. “Let’s get cleaned up first, then we’ll worry about other things.”

  She didn’t w
ant to fight.

  They stood under the hot spray of water, washing away reminders of the sex they’d had on the couch. What she wouldn’t give to go back to that uncomplicated moment. That seemed to be all she wanted—less complication. She didn’t see why that was so wrong.

  The water ran down her body, and she couldn’t help but recall this was her third shower of the day. After she’d left Tomas in his office, she had run into Isabel, who noticed something was wrong and dragged her into the kitchens to have tea. Isabel’s domain was always a comforting place to be, and the other woman had a quietness that Ciri liked. While they were sipping tea together, Ben had joined them. Neither of them mentioned that she smelled of sex and fear. Instead, Isabel filled them with tea and sweets while Ben pulled out his laptop to show them the pictures he’d taken. It wasn’t as odd as she would have expected to have a non-shifter spend time with her. Gradually, she’d felt herself relax. While she was inside the mansion, at least, she was safe.

  An hour later, she’d felt ready to take her shower and get some design work done. That always helped her feel calm and centered. But first, she’d had to have that bath. Her own stink had been driving her nuts.

  At least this shower was for more pleasurable reasons, but that sense of serenity she’d sunk into had evaporated like steam. Because Tomas wanted to argue again.

  Dropping her head back, she let the water rush through her hair and run down her face.

  A low growl sounded from Tomas. “You look so sexy when you do that.”

  She couldn’t help her laugh, pushing away a few locks of hair that clung to her cheeks and jaw. “You always look sexy. Especially wet and naked.”

  A flush rose to her cheeks at her own bold words, but she’d found that he liked it when she spoke of her desire for him. She preferred to show him rather than tell him, so she stopped talking and started doing. If it kept the sweetness of their dinner together going a little longer, she wanted that. She wanted it badly. As badly as the Panther inside her wanted its mate. For once, she and the cat were in agreement.

  Reaching forward, she set her hands on his muscular chest. Water matted the dark curls there, and she danced her fingers over them until she touched his flat nipples. They puckered for her and she grinned. He groaned. “Your fangs are showing, Ciri.”

  “Are they?” Her smile widened and she ran her tongue down a sharp tooth. “Well, I will have to be very careful, won’t I?”

  “Madras.” His hands shot out to brace himself on the slick tile walls when she bent forward to lick his nipples. She twirled her tongue around them one at a time, shaping her lips around them. The taste of his skin, the smell of him, was something she’d never get enough of. She closed her eyes, savoring him, and made certain he felt the scrape of her fangs on his flesh.

  His hips jerked, and she groped blindly for his cock, knowing she’d find him hard and more than ready to take her. Moisture gathered between her thighs, and the shower spray running down their bodies only accentuated the anticipation thrumming through her.

  “My turn,” he rasped. His hands closed over her shoulders, jerking her upright. “I couldn’t take any more.”

  Burying his face into the crook of her neck, he bit her hard. She jolted in shock, tingles exploding down her skin as her entire body reacted to the pleasured pain. His fingers slid down to cup her hips, pulling her up until she had to wrap her legs around his waist. Every inch of her was plastered against him, the water sealing them together.

  Her nipples rubbed his chest, the hair there stimulating her sensitive flesh. He turned to press her back to the slippery wall, lifting her higher until his cock nudged the lips of her pussy. Her sex fisted, her desire ratcheting up.

  “Fuck me, Tomas.” She moaned, her head rolling against the wall. “Now.”

  He laughed, the sound strained. “As you wish.”

  Gravity would have impaled her on him, but that wasn’t good enough for them. She tightened her legs on him as he thrust upward. Crying out as he filled her to the limit, she felt her muscles clamp down on his thick length. So right. So perfect. Her flesh was already swollen from his use earlier, and if she hadn’t been so wet for him, it might have hurt.

  Slipping her fingers into the silk of his hair, she used her superhuman strength to jerk his head up for a kiss. He snarled, gold flickering in his eyes, shimmering beneath his skin, the Panther showing through on his handsome face. She sucked his lower lip into her mouth, grazed it with her fangs. His movements inside her carried the same amount of ferocity as her kiss. She shoved her tongue into his mouth, and he hammered his cock into her pussy. The feel of his claws digging into her hips sent shivers racing over her skin.

  The shower’s steam wrapped around them, caressed them, and beads of hot water cascaded down their writhing bodies. It turned her on more, drove her ever closer to the edge. Tomas filled her again and again, the angle making him hit her G-spot every time. She hissed into his mouth, the Panther struggling for freedom. She knew her eyes would have burned to the same gold as his, both of them just short of feral.

  She tilted her hips up, letting his thrusts grind his pelvis against her clit. The increased stimulation was enough to spin her into oblivion. Her pussy spasmed around his cock, one huge pulse that made her scream at the intensity of it. The sound was more cat than woman. Her orgasm continued, each convulsive wave dragging her toward the most animalistic side of her nature.

  Hilting his cock inside of her, he rotated his hips and came hard. A growl ripped from him, his talons scoring her hips as his grip turned painful. “Ciri!”

  They were shaking when it was over, the water still pouring over them. He reached out and turned off the shower. She let her forehead rest on his broad shoulder and panted, her heart pounding in her ears. The power of their coupling always took her breath away, stunned her with its force. She had never truly believed that sex was better with a mate until the first time Tomas had touched her.

  Cradling her close, he carried her out of the shower and set her on the end of their long marble vanity. The cool stone made her shiver, but it also felt good. She leaned against him as he used a soft towel to dry them both. It was wonderful to have his tender ministrations, his sweet attention. Something that was so rare, but had typified the first weeks of their courtship. Hot tears welled in her eyes at the thought, pain spilling into her heart. She swallowed hard and pressed her face to his chest so he wouldn’t notice. She wanted nothing to interrupt this moment.

  As if on cue, the sound of his cell phone carried through the bathroom door. A human might not have picked up on the noise, but she was a shifter, and the ringing scraped across her nerves. Was it so much to ask that everyone leave them in peace for the night? Just one night! But, no, members of a leading family were always on duty.

  She hissed at the second ring. “God, I hate that you can’t have a life outside of being the heir.”

  She regretted the words the moment they fell from her lips. It would only start the fight she’d wanted to avoid.

  Stiffening away from her, he met her gaze. “I can’t change who and what I am, Ciri.”

  “But you expect me to!” Her temper flared and for once she couldn’t squelch it, couldn’t hide it. The upheaval of the day had broken through her carefully constructed sense of serenity.

  His jaw tightened, a muscle beginning to tick there. “We’ve both had to deal with a lot of changes.”

  Squelching the urge to scratch his eyes out for managing to remain calm when she could not, she spat at him, “And still, you’re not the one who has to change who and what they are.”

  “What do you want me to do, Ciri?” Gold flickered in his eyes, belying his restrained tone.

  She sniffed disdainfully, hopped down from the counter, grabbed the towel from his hand to wrap around herself, and spun away. “Nothing. Forget it.”

  “Don’t do this.” He wrapped his fingers around her bicep, his grip almost painful. “Don’t turn away from me.”

&n
bsp; Jerking at his hold, she gave a futile attempt at escape. He was a male feline, much stronger than her. She snarled at him, frustration shredding her control with Panther’s claws. “I haven’t done anything. Except mate with you.”

  “And you regret that?” His question was flat, his expression going carefully blank. He released her, his hand wilting to his side. She hated that, hated herself even more for doing this to him. This was why she usually resisted arguing with him. He wanted the bad feelings out in the open, but what use was hurting each other more? It didn’t solve anything.

  She swallowed hard and tried to pull herself back together, but her tone still had a bite. “I regret that I had to give up my whole life for a man who can’t spare an hour for me unless it’s in bed.”

  He flinched, and she knew she’d hit her mark. “You know my work is important.”

  The ugly bitterness that festered in her soul poured forth. “Yes, I do. The most important thing in your life.”

  “The Prides are the most important thing.” He thrust his fingers through his wet hair, droplets flying through the air. “Without them for protection, we’d all be lost—scattered to the wind with no defense against humans discovering us and turning us into lab rats.”

  She sighed and rested a hand against the bathroom doorjamb. “Right now, I feel like I’m lost even with them.”

  “Ciri . . .”

  “Don’t worry about it.” She shook her head, closing her eyes as the purest truth came out. “I just . . . didn’t realize before we were married how very different we are.”

  His voice softened, but she could still sense his aggravation. “I had a lot less responsibility to deal with at the time. I wasn’t yet the Brazilian Pride heir, or Second in another Pride.”

  “I know.” She compressed her lips, and just felt . . . sad. Meeting his gaze, she blinked back tears. “I know.”

  A hint of desperation filled his voice, and his usual ardor animated his face. “We have a lot in common.”