But he’d back away before he’d do anything to hurt her.
The conflicting instincts were making him more tense by the second.
“Shelley?”
She held her body motionless, but she was still touching him. That gave him hope. If she wasn’t ready to go any further, he’d try again tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that until she finally trusted him. He had a feeling he could wait forever for this particular female.
“No, but I don’t want to go too far.”
A slow smile pulled at his lips. “Whatever you want. This is all about pleasure.” James lowered his head and began to caress her breasts. “Yours,” he whispered as he took the pert nipple into his mouth and sucked.
Shelley’s body was out of control. She wasn’t in heat, but her body was reacting as though it was. Every nerve ending in her skin tingled with awareness. The heat from James’s body surrounded her. His woodsy male scent teased her nostrils. It was a lure that drew her nearer, made her want to drag him atop her until he covered her from head to toe.
His hair was as soft as it looked. The texture was silky and it slid through her fingers as she desperately tried to hold him to her. The silver strands didn’t detract from his looks in any way. If anything they made him seem more masculine. Experienced. Sure.
The wet heat from his mouth closed around her straining nipple and his tongue teased the hard nub. Her core throbbed, the folds of her sex hot and wet. She ached so bad it hurt.
She wanted more but didn’t know how to ask for it.
As if sensing her unrest, James cupped her other breast in his hand while his teeth and tongue and lips paid homage to the first. And that’s exactly what it felt like to her. Paying homage.
Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked hard to force them back. James made her feel precious. Special. For the first time in her life, she felt as though she mattered.
She lost all sense of time as James touched her. The sheets were rapidly warming up or maybe it was her skin heating them. She was hot. Needy. Wanting.
Before, she’d always been made to feel ashamed of these feelings. But with James they were natural. Right.
Driven by some deep instinct, she let her fingers trail through his hair, her nails teasing his scalp. He gave a low growl of pleasure. Encouraged, she ran her fingers over the thick cords of his neck and down to his wide shoulders. Muscles rippled beneath her fingers.
James might not have the bulky build of some men, but he was all hard, lean, ropy muscle. She felt his biceps, marveling at how big they were.
There was no doubt in her mind that James was incredibly strong. But for the first time in her life, she didn’t fear a male’s strength. Right or wrong, she trusted him not to use his strength against her.
James raised his head, his golden eyes watchful. “I want to touch you between your legs.”
His blunt words frightened her even as they aroused her. She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat and nodded. She wanted this.
“The words, Shelley. Give me the words,” he insisted. She knew then he wouldn’t go forward unless she voiced her wants.
“Touch me. There.” She was almost breathless by the time she finished. Her heart was racing so fast and her breathing was increasing. If she weren’t careful, she’d pass out.
“Breathe with me,” James commanded. He placed one of her hands against his heart and took a deep breath. “In and out.”
“I’m okay,” she insisted. “I’m not having a panic attack.”
The corners of his mouth turned up in a sexy grin. “No. Then it must be arousal.”
The man was blatantly sexual, not afraid to say or do anything. Shelley could feel heat creeping up her cheeks. She couldn’t speak, but nodded.
James rolled off the mattress and tossed the covers down to the foot of the bed. Shelley felt exposed even though the only parts of her showing were her feet and her breasts. The long sleeves of the dress even covered her arms all the way to her wrists.
She was glad for that. She was self-conscious about her body. She was too thin and her skin bore the scars from her years of imprisonment. They were mostly on her back, but still, it wasn’t something she wanted James to see. Not now. Not ever.
James eased back down onto the bed beside her and slowly began to raise her dress. The fabric slid up her calves, over her knees and thighs. He didn’t stop until it was bunched around her waist, leaving her exposed from the waist down.
He eased her legs apart and knelt between her thighs. “I can smell your heat.”
She turned her head away, uncomfortable that he could smell her reaction to him.
“Look at me.” His voice was gentle, but she knew he’d sit there forever if she didn’t do as he asked.
She met his gaze and waited.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about.” He stroked his hands up and down her thighs, coming closer to the apex with each pass. “What’s happening to you is totally natural. You’re a beautiful female and you’re attracted to me as I am to you.”
It was hard to concentrate on what he was saying as his fingers teased the creases at the tops of her thighs where her legs and torso met.
“It’s mutual want. Mutual desire.” He slid his fingers through her pubic hair.
She swallowed hard as his hand continued lower.
“This is about both of us finding enjoyment in your sexual pleasure.” He stroked his fingers over the hot, slick folds of her pussy. A long, low moan spilled from her mouth. Every cell in her body seemed to be tense. Waiting.
“Open your legs and let me taste you.”
She could hear the desire, the need in his voice. It tightened her throat and made her chest ache. Wanting to give him as much as she could, she slid her legs apart, opening herself to him.
James’s chest heaved. His skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat. She knew his jeans couldn’t be comfortable at all. But she wasn’t ready to take that final step. Not yet.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. Should she put a halt to this? It wasn’t fair to James.
Before she could decide, he settled on his stomach between her thighs and licked up one side of her labia and down the other. Her hips bowed off the bed and a strangled cry broke from her throat.
Heat washed over her and her channel began to throb a primal rhythm.
“You taste sweet and salty and sexy.” James made almost a purring sound against her sex as he lapped at her swollen folds again and again. “I could spend all night eating your pussy.”
A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Her nipples were hard, tight nubs stabbing at the air. Shelley longed to rip her dress off but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
James caught the nub of nerves at the apex of her thighs between his lips and sucked. Shelley cried out, her sex spasming. She felt as though she might explode.
As if knowing exactly what she needed, James slid one thick finger into her tight channel. Her wet sheath clutched at it even as he withdrew and plunged in again.
Shelley started to pump her hips, chanting, “James, James,” over and over. He thrust his finger in and out, continuing to tease and suck her clit.
Everything inside her clenched. Hard. Then pleasure exploded through her. Her hips bucked. Her inner muscles spasmed around his finger. She threw back her head and released a cry that sounded more like a howl, but she didn’t care. She’d never felt anything like this.
Sex had been mostly quick and painful in her life. It had given her some measure of relief when she was in heat. But never had it been like this. It overwhelmed her senses, leaving her flying through the air, never wanting to come back down.
Nothing this wondrous could last and eventually she realized James had removed his hand from between her legs and was sitting beside her, watching her.
He smiled. “You okay?”
She wiggled her toes as she thought about it. Was she okay? That was such a pallid word for what she was feeling. Overwhelmed. Incre
dible. Afraid. Exhilarated.
“I’m okay.” She licked her lips, still trying to catch her breath and quiet her racing heart. “How about you?” Now that was a stupid question. The man had a huge ridge in the front of his jeans.
“I’m perfect.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Thank you for giving me such a wonderful gift.”
She brought her eyebrows together in a frown. “But you did everything.”
He shook his head. “No, you gave me your trust and the beauty of your orgasm.” He licked his finger. “You taste sweet and hot.”
She flushed but didn’t look away. It was pointless to be embarrassed after what they’d just done.
James gently eased the skirt of her dress over her legs before he buttoned the front. The material brushed against her breasts, drawing a low moan from her. Her nipples were still extremely sensitive.
He hesitated for a moment, as though he might say something, but then he shook himself and stood. The muscles of his chest gleamed with sweat and his abs rippled as he moved. “I need to take a shower. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Feeling slightly bereft, she nodded. What else could she do? Of course he needed a shower after all day. “Sure.”
James turned and headed to the bathroom. Shelley didn’t realize she was holding her breath until the door closed. She released the pent-up breath with a whoosh and stared up at the ceiling. Her body was like a live wire, sated but still aroused.
She brought her hands up and cupped her breasts through her dress. It felt good but nowhere near as good as when James had touched her. Sighing, she dropped her hands back to her sides, tensing when the shower came on in the other room.
She wasn’t sure she was ready to face James when he came out. Sitting up, she grabbed the blankets and pulled them over her. Even though she was still too warm, she felt better being covered.
Closing her eyes, she easily imagined the water rolling down James’s muscular chest. Bronze skin pulled taut over hard, lean muscle. There was no doubt about it. James Riley was prime. Uttering a groan of frustration, Shelley rolled over on her side and stared at the empty bed across from her.
James was in hell. His skin ached and his wolf was demanding release. He leaned his hands against the tiled wall and let the water beat down on his head.
His balls were full and heavy and his cock was threatening to explode. Veins pulsed and throbbed up and down his shaft and liquid seeped from the bulbous red head.
He could still taste Shelley. He licked his lips and his cock jerked. Damn, she was like nothing he’d ever tasted in his life. Sweet and spicy. A mixture that seemed made for him.
Her smell mingled with his and he’d hated to take a shower, to wash it away. He frowned as he lifted his right hand from the wall and brought it to his nose. It was faint, but it was still there. Shelley.
He curled his fingers into a fist, wanting to smash it against the wall to relieve some of the tension thrumming through him. He’d only glimpsed parts of her body, but he’d seen several small scars near her waist. And there were very old scars circling her ankles, as though she’d been chained and her skin had been rubbed raw. Repeatedly.
He wanted to roar in anger. His teeth elongated and his fingernails morphed into claws. He took a deep breath, struggling for control. Werewolves were fast healers. To have such old scars, the torture would have to have been prolonged and often.
Shelley was obviously keeping secrets from him and that could be dangerous. He had to find out more about her past, how she’d ended up working at a roadside diner with hardly any clothing or money to her name.
Because sometime during the last half hour or so, he’d had to admit to himself that Shelley was his. His mate. He’d had one in his lifetime and never expected to find another. But fate worked in mysterious ways and sometimes it sucker-punched you.
He raised his head and let the water pour over his face.
He didn’t want a mate. Didn’t want to risk the heartache that came with such a connection. But he knew himself well and knew he couldn’t let Shelley go. She was a gift beyond price and it was his job to make her want to stay with him.
And that job had begun tonight.
He wasn’t done yet. If he hoped to sleep next to Shelley, he had to do something about his massive erection. Grabbing the tiny sliver of soap that passed for a bar, he rubbed it between his hands. When he’d worked up a thick lather, he tossed it back into the built-in dish and wrapped his fingers around his shaft.
The way he was feeling this wouldn’t take long.
He closed his eyes and pictured Shelley lying on the bed before him like a treat, her full breasts tipped with tight red nipples, begging to be tasted. Her legs spread wide, her pussy gleaming with her cream.
He pumped his hand up and down his cock, working it from base to tip. His balls pulled up tighter to his body. He increased the tempo as his fantasy expanded.
He might not have seen her totally naked, but his imagination could easily make up for that. Her skin gleamed as she touched her breasts, tugging at her swollen nipples with her thumbs and forefingers.
His hand worked faster.
She opened her legs wider and arched her hips in clear invitation.
James groaned and gripped his cock hard, pumping fast. He gritted his teeth to keep from yelling while he came. White fluid shot out of the tip of his shaft, coating his hand and spilling over into the tub.
His lungs were working like a bellows as he eased his hand away and grabbed the soap. Not giving himself any more time to think, he scrubbed his body, washing away all remnants of sweat and his orgasm.
When he was done, he turned off the water and stepped out onto the cool tile floor. There was only one clean towel left, but it did the job.
He picked up his jeans and tugged them on. He hated wearing them, but he didn’t have much choice. He couldn’t go back in the room naked, not without possibly making Shelley nervous, and he didn’t wear underwear.
The jeans felt heavy and confining. His only concession to comfort was leaving them unbuttoned.
He hung up the towel and left the bathroom, flicking off the light behind him. The room was quiet with only the light whoosh from the heating unit and the soft, even sound of Shelley’s breathing. She’d fallen asleep.
He crept over to the side of the bed and stood beside it, watching her. There was nothing remarkable about her features. Her chin was a little pointy and her nose turned up slightly. But to him she was the most beautiful creature in the world.
Her heart-shaped face and dark, luminous eyes, which were closed now, fascinated him. Her rosy lips begged him to taste them. And her inner strength shone like a beacon in the night.
James reached out and clicked off the light between their beds. She was a werewolf and would be able to see perfectly in the dark if she awoke. Still, he went to the window and tugged open the drapes a bit to allow some moonlight to seep in.
Satisfied, he went back to her bed and crawled in beside her. She moved slightly but didn’t wake as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into the curve of his body. She felt right there, as if she’d always been a part of him.
James closed his eyes and sighed. It was incredible to think when he’d rolled out of bed this morning he hadn’t even known she existed.
Chapter Eight
Shelley woke slowly, feeling sleepy and warm. The alarm clock hadn’t gone off so she hadn’t slept in. She still had plenty of time before she had to get up. Lying there, she enjoyed a rare moment of well-being.
She’d spent most of her life on edge, never knowing what she was going to face from Tom Macmillan each day. Just as it had for all those years in his presence, tension crept in, depriving her of her relaxed state.
It was then she felt the weight around her waist. Sleep fled when she realized the warmth she was feeling was coming from the large male body behind her. The weight she was feeling was his arm.
Memory came flooding back in a torrent. Jam
es. Yesterday she’d lost her job and fled with him. She’d bought new clothes. Well, new to her. And she’d seen Steve Macmillan, Tom’s son.
A shiver raced down her spine. Now there was a man who was even meaner than his father. And that was saying something.
“Cold?” James tugged the covers closer, tucking them around her body.
Her face flushed as another memory sprang forward. James touching her all over, his hands and fingers pleasuring her until she’d exploded in a blazing orgasm. This time when she shivered it wasn’t from cold or fear, but from desire.
“Shelley?” James turned her to face him, but not before she felt his erection pressing against her back. He was awake and aroused. And why not? It’s not like they’d had sex last night. He’d pleasured her and she’d fallen asleep before he’d finished his shower.
Her sex throbbed. She wanted James but, at the same time, was afraid. Too much of her life had been controlled by a man. She was finally tasting freedom and wasn’t about to give it up. Not for anyone. She’d die first.
His lips brushed her forehead in a gentle caress and she sighed. All her resolve, all her good intentions, flew out the window whenever he touched her.
“You okay?” He brushed a lock of hair out of her face. Dawn hadn’t quite arrived, but the room was light enough for her to make out his features. Not that she needed the light. She had exceptional vision.
“I’m fine.” She had to say something and her thoughts were too jumbled to come up with much in the way of intelligent conversation.
“Come here.” He gently pulled her into the curve of his body, urging her to rest her head on his shoulder. His skin was firm and warm and she couldn’t resist snuggling closer and inhaling his familiar woodsy scent. She rested her hand on his stomach and the muscles of his abs rippled beneath her touch.
He didn’t pounce on her. Didn’t demand sex. James was unlike any man she’d ever known. He confused her and drew her at the same time.
He was so strong. It would be so easy to let him take care of her. But that wouldn’t do. She had to learn to stand on her own two feet. The past seven months had been a steep learning curve for her. She’d heard about things like telephones and televisions, but she’d never used either of them until she’d escaped. She could cook and clean, but she’d never operated a computer. She’d seen Tom’s friends use cell phones and laptops, but she’d never been close enough to touch one.
Legacy Found: Legacy, Book 3 Page 9
