by Mandy Harbin
“Have to taste you,” he grunted against her mouth before kissing his way south. Mercifully, one of his hands finally found her breast and she arched into his touch, moaning his name. “That’s it, angel. So responsive. All mine.”
Mine? Before she could contradict that statement, Ariel felt a tug against the top of her negligee, and then it disintegrated as it was torn from her body. He sucked one nipple into his greedy mouth and any protest of his claim died on her lips.
Rob ravished her breasts, pulling and tugging on one while he kissed and sucked the other, alternating between the two, making her clit want the same attention. She lifted her hips, trying to make contact, needing to ease the ache that was growing in her.
He tore his mouth away and stared down at her. Gazing into her eyes, he slowly thrust himself against her, grinding his cock into her core as he watched her closely. His intent stare was tender in a way, yet seemed to see right into her very soul, pulling at her defenses and controlling her need with his masterful body.
And he still was completely dressed. The fact that this man could make her want, make her crave, make her need beyond all rational thought with only his mouth and hands on her was shocking. Maybe if she got him to remove his clothing, it’d level the playing field somewhat. As long as he stayed dressed, he would keep the upper hand.
She needed that rectified right now.
“Your clothes need to come off,” she whispered, trying to emulate the stare he was giving her but feeling as though she sorely lacked the same ability.
“Yes,” he breathed.
He pushed himself against her one last time before sitting on his knees and unbuttoning his shirt, and Ariel wondered how it was scientifically possible for a man to have this perfect of a body. When he sat up and unbuttoned his pants, she could do nothing but lay there and watch, paralyzed by this powerful presence. He managed to get his pants and underwear down with little maneuvering, so when his cock sprang free, her mouth watered as she remembered the taste of him.
“Not now, angel. It’s my turn.” Her panties received the same fate as her nightie, and the scraps of material were tossed to the floor as he descended. He inhaled, groaning against her pussy, and she couldn’t help but wiggle, her body making the plea for her. He grasped her thighs, shoving them wider apart, and then licked her from ass to clit.
“Oh God, Robbie. That feels, ahh…” He stabbed his tongue into her, fucking her with his mouth as he groaned, the vibrations better than any vibrator she’d ever used before. She gasped, and he shoved his tongue into her faster and brought his thumb down to torment her clit, rubbing circles around it, but not touching it directly. She was so close to coming already that she didn’t know if she wanted him to rub her sweet spot yet, or if she should try to hold out. If she could wait, then maybe she wouldn’t seem like a whimpering, aching mess of a neglected woman. She clamped her lips shut when she felt like she couldn’t control the begging from coming out. She fisted the sheets and stiffened her legs, trying to hold off the inevitable.
Rob growled, squeezing her thighs with bruising strength, then suddenly wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked, batting it with his tongue while he knifed two fingers inside her. She screamed as stars exploded behind her eyelids, her body quaking with the force of her orgasm. He continued his ministrations while she flew and eased back on the intensity as she came off that magical high. When he stopped, she couldn’t find the strength to open her eyes, even when she heard him rummaging around in the nightstand beside her or when she felt him come over her.
“Open your eyes. Look at me, angel.” The soft command brooked no argument. When she obeyed, she had to stifle a gasp. Rob looked at her as if she were his whole world and what they were about to do would be the start of something great. She shivered, not understanding if it was fear of that possibility or excitement.
He clutched her knee, moving her leg in the process, and hooked it around his hip. When she looked down at his cock in his hand, poised at her entranced, she noticed he’d put on a condom, realizing that was what he’d probably been searching for in the nightstand.
He pushed into her slowly, letting go of her knee and his cock at the same time and propping himself up above her. He panted, and she gyrated beneath him, trying to entice him to push into her fully. He felt hard and thick, but she was too wanton to care if it’d hurt.
His head fell to her neck on a groan. “Stop, angel. Lemme work it in.” He started rocking against her, pushing into her in increments that only drove her crazy. She reached up and grabbed his ass while wrapping both legs around his hips, pulling him toward her. “Fuck, fuck!”
“Yes!” She thrust against him and rotated her hips, inviting the sting of being fully penetrated.
It was enough to unleash his beast. Well, not technically—he was still fully human, but he sank down on top of Ariel, slid his hands underneath her shoulders to hold her in place, and then he started pounding into her. She clawed at his back, seeking purchase, and anchored her knees against his waist. And just felt. Felt Rob fuck her, possess her, own her.
Take her.
With that thought, heat flooded her core and her vagina convulsed around his cock as she flew into her second orgasm.
“Fuck me, you feel like heaven.” He licked a line from her neck to her ear and sucked on her lobe. “Again,” he demanded. Rob shifted his angle and thrust into her harder, faster, and she was powerless to deny him. Her body was his to command, and she gave him what he ordered, this time screaming as she came.
He shouted, riding through her peak, and still he was relentless. He pulled out and dove, his mouth latching onto her pussy, and he mauled her as he ate at her again. She didn’t think it was possible, but he was determined to wring every climax her body had to give. It took longer this time, her body shaking with indecision, not knowing if she could do it again but aching for it. When she finally came, she felt as if her body reached a state of euphoria unlike any other, the high the sweetest experience of her life. Barely aware, she felt her body turning as Rob placed her on her hands and knees, and when he entered her again, she was still coming from before. He pounded into her with near brutal force, and all she could do was ride the high. She heard a hoarse-sounding cry and realized it was her. She’d screamed so much that her throat was hurting.
Then with a roar that shook her, she felt Rob stiffen behind her and shove impossibly deep. He lifted her up so that she was sitting on his lap and held her down onto his cock as he came, his hips jerking with the force of his climax.
When the both collapsed onto the bed, Ariel was so physically and mentally exhausted that she couldn’t fight the sleepiness that was coming over her.
The last thing she heard was Rob whispering to her as he stroked her arm.
“You are so amazing. Rest, my beautiful ma…”
The rest was lost in the darkness.
Chapter Seven
Waking up with Rob’s body cocooning hers made Ariel feel like melting into him a little more. Which was exactly why she’d slithered out from the bed, threw on some clothes, and decided to work in the main house.
She wasn’t an idiot.
If she’d stayed, she would’ve been at his mercy. Probably having more sexual relations. Granted, her body would’ve enjoyed it—she was deliciously sore this morning—but her heart, er, her head would’ve been fighting the attraction. And she needed her head focused on her task. A task that was not exactly why she was here, but more peripheral. She argued with herself that gaining this knowledge would help with her primary objective—stabilizing the Woods’ aggressive mating needs—because it’d help her grasp everything as a whole. And it was a question that niggled at her from day one.
Where did these cat shifters come from? That was what she needed to learn. And why hadn’t anyone asked this question before? As far as she thought, everyone in the know just accepted them at face value since the history of their kind died with Thomas’ parents. But her scientific mind jus
t wouldn’t concede to that. She needed concrete evidence that supported one of her theories. And said theories ran the gamut of far out possibilities, which were barrowed from comic strips, Area 51, and government lab experiments gone awry. She had other less dramatic theories, like gene mutation, or infection, or a combination of both of those things, or many other theories. She knew she was grasping at straws, but she had to start somewhere.
She’d been at it for hours, locked in the office, skipping breakfast, and hadn’t discovered anything to suggest any theory was more superior than the others. It was frustrating because she was searching blindly, but she had no other choice. She was in the middle of reading werewolf legends when she heard the handle jiggle on the small office door.
“Brought you some food,” Krista said. Mikaela followed behind her.
“I’m not hungry.” Ariel turned back to the computer.
“How’d it go last night?” Krista asked as she set a plate of fruit and croissants next to her.
Mikaela snatched up a few strawberries before leaning against the desk, facing Ariel.
She sighed, turning to face her intruders. “It went fine.”
“Funny,” Mikaela said, lifting a piece of the fruit to her mouth. “That’s exactly the same thing Rob said at breakfast.”
Ariel felt her cheeks get hot and she quickly tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to hide her embarrassment. She could talk about pretty much anything in a clinical setting, but when the attention was focused on her, she felt totally inept. Just remembering how Rob had mastered her body sent a shiver of remembered need coursing through her.
“Oh my God, you slept with him!” Krista screeched.
At the scornful look in her sister’s eyes, Ariel said, “Seduction is a necessary part of testing the compound.” She quickly grabbed a croissant to help shove any more lame excuses from spilling out. She could lie all she wanted to herself, but vocalizing that threadbare excuse made her feel even more ridiculous.
“So you feel nothing for Rob? He’s just a lab rat to you?” This was from Mikaela. Great. So now they were both ganging up on her. She needed to divert their attention and fast.
“Look, I can’t explain what’s happening with him, but maybe you can help me find some answers. I’m actually here trying to research their family history. If we know more about why they have the ability to shift in the first place, then treating them long term will be so much easier.”
“You think we’re stupid enough to fall for that evasive tactic? We’re both lawyers, for crying out loud. We’ve seen defendants do a better job when being questioned by the prosecution.” Krista crossed her arms and glared at her.
Mikaela sighed and looked at Krista. “Let’s give her a break. Rob is a big boy, and he’s not talking either.” She glanced at Ariel. “Yes, he’s not been playing Twenty Questions and it’s pissing my husband off.” Then she chucked and ate another strawberry.
Ariel took a deep breath and focused on Mikaela. It was easier than trying not to squirm under her sister’s stare. “What can you tell me about their family history?”
“Well, let’s see. Thomas’ parents died when he was very young. He doesn’t remember them. He also doesn’t talk about how he was able to mate with his wife. He’s very secretive about all that.”
“Do you think he really knows something and is hiding it from his sons?”
Krista frowned, looking over at Mikaela. “You don’t think that, do you? I couldn’t imagine Thomas being that careless where his boys are concerned.”
“No, I don’t think it’s anything like that. If I had to guess, I think he really doesn’t know anything about where he comes from. He probably stumbled into his—for lack of a better work—heritage and might’ve taken his mate in a manner he wasn’t proud of, so he doesn’t talk about it.”
“As in…you think he might’ve raped their mother?” Krista paled.
“Oh, no, no, no. If he took her against her will, then they both would be dead. Remember what happened to Eric?” Ariel frowned, trying to remember the name, and Mikaela paused. “Eric was the youngest of the brothers. He mated with a woman against her will. She attacked him after she shifted and they fought to the death.”
“So what keeps them from attacking any woman they mate?”
“Love. If a woman is willing to spend the rest of her life with one of them, then she wouldn’t attack after being mated. The men are very primal in that state, so it’s hard for them to grasp their humanity. If a woman he doesn’t love is attacking him, his natural instinct is to protect himself.”
Love. Ariel didn’t believe in love, so how could an imaginary state of mind stop two people from killing each other? She needed something more convincing than a fanciful illusion.
“Anyway, I think Josh’s parents knew each other, maybe were already sweet on each other, and Thomas mated her. You know how they get when the need to mate overtakes them. It’s not all sweet kisses and flowery words.” Mikaela giggled.
“And he’s from a different era. Where women today might get off on being dominated, thirty years ago it probably wasn’t as socially acceptable,” Ariel guessed.
“Exactly. If he’s ashamed of his mating, he wouldn’t want to talk about it. Besides, talking about how he mated with their mother has nothing to do with how he came to be the way he and his sons are.”
“True,” Ariel murmured. “I need to find the missing link that connects Thomas’ family to the shifters within it.”
“Maybe if we sneak—”
Mikaela’s sentence was cut short when the door to the office opened so hard that it hit the wall and shook the plaques hanging on it.
Ariel’s mouth fell open at the sight of Rob, panting, his work clothes disheveled, his hair mussed as if he’d been tunneling his fingers through it repeatedly.
“Out,” he snapped.
Ariel stood as if she were going to flee. No need to ask her twice. If her body hummed at the sight of him, she ignored it.
“Not you.”
“Rob, are you okay? Do you want me to get Josh?” Mikaela asked.
Rob glanced at her. “I’m fine. I need to have a word with Ariel.” He looked dead at his person of interest. “Alone.”
“I’m not leaving my sister alone with you,” Krista said, and Ariel envisioned her stomping her foot, but she couldn’t look away from Rob’s gaze to see if that theory were true.
“Toby knows I’m here too.”
As if on cue, Krista’s cell phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket and read the screen. “Let’s go,” she sighed, looking at Mikaela. Then she looked at Ariel. “We’re not going far.”
Ariel watched, stunned, as her only source of protection left her in the lion’s den with one seemingly pissed off kitty cat.
“Care to explain yourself, little one?”
* * * *
Rob was shaking he was so angry. They’d had a night filled with passion. His need had exploded around them, and Ariel had been right there with him every step of the way, begging, responding, coming apart in his arms over and over again.
Until he’d woken up alone in her bed with an erection that was so hard he could pound nails with it. Where his little waif had run off to, he didn’t know, but before he could storm out in search of her, Josh had cock blocked him. His older brother had stopped him from hunting his mate down and sternly suggested Rob give her some time to adjust. His brother had smelled her all over him, so there was no pretending nothing had happened, but that didn’t mean Rob had to provide any details—no matter how hard Josh had tried to get some answers.
So Rob had done what was expected of him. He went to breakfast. Alone. And began his workday. Irritated. He’d had every intention of leaving Ariel to her research or whatever she needed to do while she was away from him, but as the seconds ticked by and the minutes dragged on, he found himself more worked up. It was only midmorning, and he couldn’t fight the need to seek her out. He had to find out why she’d snuck o
ut on him. Yes, he was agitated because of her, but he was furious with himself for not being able to go a few hours without going to her.
“W-what do you mean?” She backed away a few steps and his lion wanted to pounce.
“Stop moving back! I’m so on edge that I won’t be able to resist the chase,” he gritted out, fisting his hands in an effort to stay immobile.
“Sorry,” she gasped, and took a tentative step toward him. He breathed a little easier. She wasn’t near close enough, but at least she’d stopped her retreat.
“Why did you leave me?”
Ariel took another hesitant step closer, and Rob released his fists, stretching out his fingers. “I have work to do, Rob. I can’t stay in bed all day.”
“I woke up at five a.m. and you were already gone. That’s hardly sleeping in, Ariel.”
“Um, I know that I—”
“Were you afraid of getting fucked again this morning? Because, angel, you would have been.” He had to touch her. He moved slowly toward her. “I would have rolled you on your back and slid deep inside you. Kissed you lazily while I took my time building your pleasure up.” He reached for her, pulling her into his arms, his mouth finding her ear. “But now, I just want to bend you over that desk and fuck you like a rutting animal. Show you who you belong to.”
She squeaked when he crushed his mouth to hers, but the sound morphed into a moan as she wrapped her arms around his back. Rob’s internal voice screamed in victory. She wanted him and he needed her. Right fucking now.
He broke the kiss and turned her so that she was facing the desk. “Keep your hands flat against the desktop.” He yanked her pants and panties down with one hand while he unbuckled his pants with his other. He shoved a finger inside her and found her ready. “God, you’re so fucking wet.”
He pulled out his finger and pushed his cock into her.
“Rob!” Her pussy clamped down on him and he stilled.
“Shit, are you too sore, angel?” No matter how much he needed to own her in this moment, he could never hurt her. He’d rather cut his own heart out.
