by Kate Douglas
“There’s no way to get out of my mess with Adam, and we’re already doing everything we can about the human.” Barrett’s pale green eyes pinned her in place with the unwavering stare only a cat could manage. “So, what are you going to do about your mess with Max?”
She didn’t know. Everything had started spinning out of whack the moment she gave in to the urge to touch the wolf, and she didn’t know if it would ever go back to normal.
She didn’t know anything anymore, and she hated that.
Max found Kira in the gym, her face set in concentration as she kicked the shit out of a punching bag. He leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and watched her in silence. The anger and frustration came off her in waves even a human could sense. Underneath that, he felt the hurt.
He winced, uncertain how to deal with Elan saying the wrong thing. Normally that was Max’s area of expertise. He took a breath and tried to smile. “Think we can talk Rhiannon into a yoga lesson? You look like you could use some relaxation.”
“I’m not interested in bending myself into a pretzel, thanks.” Kira took a hard swing at the punching bag, and her knuckles popped on impact. She grunted and hit it again. “This is very relaxing.”
“Right.” He pushed away from the door and sauntered into the room. The woman looked like she was going to explode. She was pissed at a king and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. It was the story of his childhood. He drew even with her, planting himself well within her reach. If she needed someone to take out her fury on, he’d take whatever she could dish out. He’d unleashed his own ire on the irresponsible Guard who’d let an unexamined package enter the cabin, so it was only fair she got to do the same. “You do look relaxed, sweetcheeks. Yep, cool as a cucumber. I’m sure Elan would be really impressed.”
Wordlessly, she pivoted and caught him hard in the jaw with an uppercut.
His head snapped back and he staggered a few steps, pain shooting straight to his brain. He shook it off, rolled his shoulders, and settled into a fighting stance. Offering her a grin he knew showed his wolfish side, he gestured her forward with a mocking flick of his fingers. “Okay, let’s play. C’mon, foxy. Give it to me.”
“I’ll give it to you, all right,” she muttered and advanced on him.
He moved to keep her in front of him as she circled him. Her lithe body was displayed to perfection in her tight pants and sports bra. The creamy skin was sheened with sweat, just as it had been the night before when he’d sunk his cock deep inside her.
Bad thoughts to be having when he’d taunted a dangerous woman into lashing out at him. She swung for him, and his hand snapped out to deflect in pure reflex, saving him from a broken nose. A quick shift to wolf form would heal him, but it would hurt like a bitch until he did. And he doubted she’d pause the fight to give him the opportunity to shift.
“Damn it.” She snarled at him, her fangs bared, and she slashed at him with her claws.
“I thought you were going to give it to me, foxy. Don’t be shy, now.” It was the wrong thing to say. Or the right thing, if he was hoping to piss her off more. He blocked her again, his movement making her stumble into him, her curves plastered to his front. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but not from the physical exertion.
They hit and kicked each other, landing glancing blows, neither able to gain the advantage. His heart rate skyrocketed, his breathing beginning to bellow in and out both from having his hands on her bare skin and from the grappling that brought them into full-body contact. God, but he wanted her. He spun her, shoving her away from him so she tripped and hit her knees.
A nimble leap brought her back to her feet. She whipped back around, her eyes blazed with the challenge, her fangs showing when she licked her lips.
He damn near groaned at the sight. This was a bad idea. He was going to get his ass kicked if he didn’t get a grip on his raging lust. As if he’d ever been able to do that with her. His cock was rock hard and uncomfortable as hell under the circumstances. She charged him, her fist catching him in the belly while he blocked her other hand.
“All right, enough.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her to the ground. Kicking out, she managed to flip them both until she was on top, her legs straddling his waist.
It was then that she finally noticed his erection because she froze above him, her fist half-cocked to punch him.
“Shit.” She snapped her fingers around his wrists and pinned them on either side of his head. Then she kissed him.
The sweet taste of her only made him burn. He shoved his tongue into her mouth the way he wanted to shove his dick into the hot depths of her pussy. Hard and fast. He angled his head, lifting it to deepen the kiss. Any contact he could get, he’d take.
She rode him, working herself on him through their clothing. He groaned and bucked his hips beneath her, grinding his cock into the juncture of her thighs. A moan bubbled out of her and she pressed herself into him with swift urgency. The sting of her claws digging into his wrists did nothing to quell his lust—the slight pain only added to the pleasure. Every sensation ripped through him. The female scent of her dampness, the feel of her softness rubbing against his harder body, the mewling sounds she made as they moved together.
Their tongues twined, and the kiss was an animalistic thing of lips and tongues and fangs. They bit at each other, each wanting a feral claiming of the other.
He dropped his head back to the mat. “I want you naked, Kira. I want my cock inside your tight little pussy.”
“Yes. God, yes.” She released her grip on his arms and he wasted no time reaching out to jerk her top over her head. Her small breasts spilled free, the shell pink nipples already tightening. She lay flat against him, raising her ass slightly so they could both work her pants off. His fingers curved over her buttocks, prying them apart so he could dip between them.
She shuddered when he probed at the tiny rosette of her anus. The aroma of her wetness increased, a heady aphrodisiac that made his brain short-circuit. He slipped his fingers down into her pussy, working them deep. Her hips undulated, following his lead with a whimper that drove him wild.
“Nooo,” she moaned when he dragged his fingers out of her sex. Using her juices to ease his way, he pressed two digits into the tight ring of her anus. She jolted as he twisted his hand and scissored his fingers to widen her for entry.
“I’m going to fuck you here.” His voice was so guttural, he barely recognized the sound.
Yes. Her mental voice was soft, and her claws dug into his shoulders, but she gave a decisive nod.
Pushing her, he rolled her off him and onto her hands and knees. Dampness gleamed on the lips of her pussy. An irresistible temptation, just as everything had been with her since the moment she’d kissed him two days ago. He bent forward, flicked his tongue over her swollen clit, and sucked those sleek lips.
She moaned, her moisture flowing into his mouth. He lapped up the cream, hoping he was making her as crazy as she made him. Leaning back, he abandoned her pussy for the darker pleasures that awaited him. He ripped open his pants with one hand while he used the fingers of his other hand to press for entrance into her ass. Trailing wetness from her sex to her anus, he made slow circles on her flesh until he could slide three digits easily in and out of her rear passage.
“Now, Max.”
“Don’t say I never do anything for you.” He withdrew his hand and patted her buttock. “Such a pretty little ass.”
She snorted out a laugh. “You always harass me, Delacourt. Shut your mouth for once and hurry up.”
Taking his cock in his fist, he rubbed the head up and down her slit. “Shut my mouth before I put my foot in it, is that right?”
“Yep.” She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling with repressed laughter.
“Well, that’s fair.” They both cracked up, but their amusement was cut short when he pressed his dick into her anus. The initial resistance of her muscles made him grit his teeth as he bore do
wn on her. She snarled, silver shimmering on her skin as she wrestled with her fox for control. He knew the feeling.
Small thrusts of his hips pushed his cock inch by inch into her ass. God, she was tight. He wasn’t sure she could take all of him. He shuddered, and beads of sweat slid down his face and chest. “Do you want more, Kira?”
“Yes, more,” she groaned.
She dropped lower, her cheek pressing to the mat and her back arching to allow him deeper. He took all the access she gave him, driving his cock into her until his balls pressed against her slick flesh.
The animal noises she made pushed him past the edge of madness, calling to the most feral part of the wolf within. Shoving her hips back, she urged him onward. He thrust slowly at first, but quickly picked up speed and force. Their skin slapped together, the sound echoing through the gym. The smell of sex permeated the air, and he loved that it was his scent layering with hers. Possession dug its claws into his soul, but he was too far gone to notice or care. All he wanted was her. His hands slid up and down her back, and he could feel the way goose bumps broke over her skin. His strokes grew rougher, less controlled. Faster. Wilder. He battled with the need to come, and reached around her slim body to toy with her clit.
“I’m coming, Max. I’m coming!”
He could feel it. The deep contractions made her inner muscles clench and release on his cock, the tight passage squeezing him almost past bearing. The fetters on his restraint snapped abruptly and he hammered into her ass until their cries of completion mingled in the room. His come spurted into her, heat rippling over his limbs with each wave of orgasm that slammed into him.
“Are you okay?” he croaked. His heart still pounded so loudly, he could barely hear anything else.
“Um. I think so. Yeah.” She collapsed beneath him, and they both groaned as he slid out of her. Shivering and sighing, a slight grin curled her lips. The sight made something sweet and warm squeeze his chest, and it felt far too amazing. Far too much like something he could never deserve. She hummed softly. “I’m good.”
Well, that made one of them. Heaving himself to the side, he managed not to crash down on top of her. He flung an arm over his eyes. Shit. As he had every other time he’d given into the need to touch her, he asked himself what the hell he was doing. Sex was one thing, but this was already too deep for his liking. Most women never saw all of him. They never saw the rougher edges. The man who’d killed and the guilt and emotional fallout that often came with that. They saw the mask—the easy charmer. Kira knew the darker sides of him, the secrets. Most of them, anyway. What had he been thinking to even dream that he could have a simple affair with her? She was his friend, and now she was his lover. This wasn’t a quick fuck. It was more.
And that thought alone was enough to freeze the blood in his veins.
5
“Kira.”
She froze in the hallway outside Elan and Rhiannon’s suite. It had been two days since the kitchen incident, and she’d buried herself in tracking down who had switched the delivery, allowing other Guards to protect the king and queen. Cowardice, she knew, but she just didn’t want to face it. There was a lot she didn’t want to face lately. Everything had gotten so mixed up, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it.
Pulling in a deep breath, she smoothed her expression, turned to look at Elan, and straightened to soldierly attention. “Yes, sire?”
A pained look crossed his leonine features. “Don’t do that.”
“Sire?” She arched her brows, her posture not relaxing for a moment. Her dad would have been proud, and she didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
“Don’t treat me like my father.”
Her mouth worked for a moment before she could get words out. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Come in, please.” He stepped back and held the door open for her to pass through. Rhiannon perched on a chair in the sitting room. The woman practically vibrated in place, but she seemed determined to let Elan have his say without interference.
He gestured eloquently with his hands, drawing her attention away from his wife. “I was a jackass and I’m sorry. You know I don’t think it’s right to treat people the way my father did. I was completely in the wrong and I have no excuses. I’m sorry.”
Kira’s lips twisted and her eyes dropped to the carpet. She shouldn’t say anything, just accept his apology at face value and walk away. Her dad would have told her to reveal nothing, to give the king nothing, to deny that she had any feelings at all. Her job was to serve, and that was all. If a powerful person knew you cared, they could use that against you. They could take what you weren’t willing to give. When her father had worked for King Phillip, she would have agreed. Now she had to take a chance that her friendship wasn’t misplaced. If it was, she’d rather know now so she could decide what to do from here. Her palms felt slick with cold sweat and her belly knotted tight. She swallowed hard, the words squeezing past a throat that didn’t want to work. “It hurt. What you said.”
She felt Elan flinch. “I know. I make no excuses for myself. I was wrong. I hope you know how much I value you, how much Rhiannon and I value your friendship.”
“Thank you.” The air deflated in her lungs. Elan wasn’t like his father, she knew that, but ... God, everything was spinning out of whack lately.
His gaze cut to his wife and softened. Rhiannon shot to her feet and moved forward to slip her hand into his. “I’m the one who should thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
Kira nodded, but said nothing more.
“I hope you can forgive me.” His amber eyes, only a shade or two darker than Max’s, reflected his remorse.
“And me.” Rhiannon lined herself up beside the king. “I should have kicked him on the spot. I was still pretty shaken up.”
Kira tried to form her face into a tight smile and knew she failed. “You both were. I understand.”
“But we were still jerks. Elan for what he said, and me for what I didn’t. What happened wasn’t your fault, and we know that you and Max are doing the best you can to keep us safe. You’re the best at what you do, and we know that, too.”
She pulled in a shaky breath. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Rhiannon’s gaze was frank when she looked at Kira. “Now tell me why you’ve gotten distant lately. And don’t say it was Elan having his dorkfest. It started before that. I thought we were friends.”
Kira folded her hands behind her back and tried not to appear uncomfortable. “We were.”
“We are.”
But, in the end, she now worked for Rhiannon. They weren’t on equal footing anymore.
“It started in little ways, at first,” the queen continued. “But now, all you talk to me about is Guard stuff. I talked about being in Portland and being Between and planning the wedding, and you put everything in terms of safety and security. You let Genesee be my maid of honor without so much as a protest. In fact, you bowed out completely.”
“Max was already the best man. Someone had to be in charge of the Guard.”
“And Barrett couldn’t do it?” Rhiannon shook her head. “No, you’ve backed off and I want to know why.”
“She’s trying to get some professional distance.” Elan sighed. “You’d have to have met Seaton to understand.”
He was right. It was a slap in the face to realize it. God, she hadn’t even seen it until they pointed it out. How much had she taken her consummate servant parent’s words and actions to heart? Was that what she really believed, that she had to have distance with the royal family in order to serve them? That didn’t seem to be the case with Max, or she wouldn’t be sleeping with him, and it would mean losing Rhiannon as a close friend.
“I have met Seaton. Kira Seaton.” Rhiannon’s gesture encompassed Kira from head to toe.
“He means my dad.” She shrugged the tension out of her shoulders and forced herself to relax her stiff pose. “He was the butler at the palace.”
&n
bsp; “Why didn’t I know that?”
“You never asked.”
Rhiannon’s green eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t have answered if I had.”
“True.” An unapologetic grin curved Kira’s lips, and she let it widen when Rhiannon’s eyes narrowed further.
She huffed and jammed her fists down on her hips. “Well, knock it off. You’re one of my best friends and I don’t give a damn if I’m queen or not. That doesn’t change a thing. There are going to be enough people acting weirdly because I married the lion king without adding my friends to the list. None of that professional distance crap.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Kira!”
“Sorry, you were spewing orders like a queen.” Kira tilted her head. “I call it like I see it.”
Rhiannon opened her mouth for a moment, then snapped it shut. Her expression went from annoyed to speculative in under a second, which Kira knew from experience meant the other woman was about to do something unpredictable. Rhiannon didn’t disappoint. She grinned. “Well, fine. If we’re calling it like we see it, then we should talk about how you’re finally getting busy with Max. About damn time.”
“It’s temporary.”
Her mouth opened and Kira could tell she was going to say something sarcastic, but then their eyes met and the queen’s face sobered. “That’s too bad.”
Discomfort wound through Kira, and her shoulders twitched in a shrug. “It’s fine. I’m fine. We’re fine.”
Rhiannon pushed back her long red hair. “Yeah, that’s really convincing.”
“I think the lady protests too much.” Elan slung an arm around his wife’s waist and drew her close, but he pinned Kira in place with his gaze.
Kira pulled a sour face. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to mind your own business?”
“You have, many times.” He grinned, and for a moment, he looked so much like Max, it startled her. “I just didn’t listen.”
