by Misty Malloy
Oh, yeah? Well, you can come and get it, then, big boy. You wanted to run tonight, so we’ll run.
Mia rose, standing strong on her lean, powerful legs. She belted out the loudest roar she could muster. Then she turned on her heels and bolted down the path.
She had no problem with the jaguar devouring every inch of her body tonight. But he’d have to catch her, first.
***
Tristan took her to his favorite place in the canyon. Mia, a much faster runner, had finally let him catch up to her. Now, he led her toward the thick grove of trees, and she followed behind him. Desire surged through his veins, a stark contrast to the lightly gurgling sounds of the creek as it trickled through the dense crop of foliage.
He neared the edge of the creek and turned back to look at her. Damn. She was beautiful. Her fur shimmered in the moonlight, and her amber eyes glowed bright with fire. But there was nothing he’d rather do than to see her in her human form, naked and wet for him. He nuzzled her shoulder, a loud rumbly purr vibrating in his body. He needed to have her. Now.
He jumped onto a large, flat boulder near the water. Gazing momentarily into the wide expanse of night sky, he thought about all the times he’d laid on this rock to watch the stars. This was his spot. His plan had been to bring Mia here after their run and to then take her home with him, later, to his warm soft bed. But with lust pounding a steady, insistent beat in his skull, he knew there was no way he was going to be able to keep his hands off her. Once he started to shift, he realized this was the first time he had brought anyone here.
The familiar sensations of the change soon overtook him. The cracking of bone and twisting of sinews brought on a brief flash of pain. His fur and canines receded, his body morphing back into that of a human. The shift only took a few seconds but left him panting, his chest heaving.
Mia crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, having already shifted into human form. She stood, and Tristan hungrily gazed at her. She was golden and toned and supple, her perky breasts full and voluptuous. Goddamn good enough to eat. In less than two seconds, she had jumped onto the rock and joined him. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Well, I guess you caught me.” She smiled under her lashes at him. “Do you want your reward?”
Tristan kissed her. Hard. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she eagerly met it with her own. Her tongue moved across his, stroking and tasting and teasing. He pulled her roughly toward him, squeezing the two luscious orbs of her ass cheeks while her breasts pressed against his chest.
Mia moaned into his mouth. She wriggled up against his hard, aching cock and Tristan groaned, a low guttural sound from deep within his throat. She moved her hips, creating even more friction between them, and licked his bottom lip. Pulling away, she laughed, a husky, sexy laugh that dripped of honey.
What a tease. But he and his cat couldn’t deny they found it fucking hot. Tristan growled. With his hand tangled in her hair, he pulled her closer to, once again, crush his mouth to hers. Mia could tease him all she wanted, as long as she understood she belonged to him tonight.
Tristan grazed his teeth along the edge of her jawline. He planted kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, continuing even farther toward the valley between her breasts. She arched, removing any space between her body and his. He grasped her left breast in his hand, pinching and rolling her nipple, while his other hand dipped between her legs to find the moist warmth of her pussy. Mia whimpered when he glided his fingers inside her. She clutched tightly at his hair.
Fuck, she was so wet. The sweet scent of her arousal intoxicated him. His fingers, slick with her juices, slid easily in and out of her.
Take her. Now. His cat teetered on the edge, ready to lap at her cream. Ready to plunge inside her wet, quivering heat. Tristan held on to his control with every ounce of his strength. No. Not yet.
He took her right nipple into his mouth. Using his tongue, he laved in circles around the taut bud and closed down to suck upon it tightly.
Mia gasped in pleasure. “Tristan. Please….”
“What is it that you want, Mia?” Tristan kneeled, barely noticing the hard, rocky surface. He kissed her stomach. Dipping even lower, he kissed the top of her smooth mound. Heat emanated from between her legs. Using the cream from her pussy, he traced a circle around her clitoris.
She gyrated her hips toward him. “Mmm. I want….” She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair.
He blew lightly on her clit, his face only a few inches away. She shuddered, and he looked up at her. “You want what? Tell me.”
Her eyes burned a bright, confident amber. She smiled at him and pushed his head back down. “I want you to lick my pussy.”
Tristan growled deep again. He placed an open-mouthed kiss on the wet folds of her sex. Her cream filled his mouth, and he took in the rich, sweet scent of her. Mia purred, deep from within her chest. It rumbled through him and urged him on.
Using long, languid strokes, Tristan licked her from her entrance to her clit. Mia gasped, and he groaned in response, flicking against the tiny bundle of nerve endings after each stroke. He spread her lips apart with his fingers, opening her even farther to expose her beautiful pink pussy.
He slowly circled her clit with his tongue and lightly nipped on her sensitive nub before sucking it into his mouth. He licked and sucked her, alternating until Mia’s moans filled the night air. She clutched at his hair, bucking her hips toward his mouth as the orgasm claimed her.
She stood, shuddering, the waves of her release slowly easing. Tristan held her by the lean curves of her hips and sat back on his heels. He leaned forward to give her one more, long lick along the crease of her folds. God, she tasted so good.
Mia laughed and pushed him onto his ass. “You’re really good at that, you know?” Leaning down to kiss him, she licked her juices off his lips. She grasped his swollen cock and slid her hand along its engorged length. Tristan groaned.
Tristan’s cat protested loudly. Do it now. What the fuck are you waiting for? He reached for Mia’s hips to flip her over, but she quickly placed her hands on his chest and pushed him to the ground. She straddled him. Gazing down at him, she traced her fingers around her nipples.
Oh, fuck. The start of a deep purr rumbled in his chest. He didn’t expect the night to start off with her taking control. But he couldn’t deny it. He and his cat kind of liked it. The hard rock dug uncomfortably into his bare back and ass, but, hell, he didn’t care. Not with a beautiful lioness on top of him only millimeters away from his cock. He gripped her firmly around her hips to guide her on top of him….
Shit!
He needed a condom. His brain was fuzzy, and his dick was currently doing all the thinking. Think, dammit…think! A big sigh of relief left his body. He remembered his wallet, right on top of his pile of folded clothes. He always left it underneath the boulder when he shifted in the canyon.
“My wallet,” he said, his voice coming out low and ragged. Mia looked at him, first in surprise, then understanding crossed the features of her face. “Right underneath this rock.” He tried to rise, but she pushed him gently to the ground.
“I’ll get it.”
Stretched out, and, with her ass in the air, she reached over to where he’d pointed. A few moments later, he was ripping a foil packet open and rolling on a condom.
Mia hovered above him then lowered herself, taking him inside of her. Her warm, moist walls surrounded him. She rocked her hips, back and forth, and slowly gyrated on top of him.
Her beautiful breasts jiggled above him. Reaching up, he cupped them in his hands. He circled his thumbs around the turgid pink peaks and rolled her nipples until she gasped.
She squeezed around his shaft with her inner muscles. Tristan groaned. There was nothing hotter than Mia on top of him—her eyes half closed, her breathing shallow, while she milked his cock for all it was worth. He gripped her hips and pulled her toward him, urging her on.
/> Mia increased her pace, sliding up and down on him. He grabbed her ass cheeks while she bounced, her hair wild, her eyes watching him with pure desire. Reaching between her legs, he rubbed her swollen clit, moving his fingers in a steady motion as she continued to ride him. She moaned and threw her head back.
Tristan growled, his cat’s carnal instincts bubbling to the surface. Okay, kitten, now it’s our turn. He grabbed her waist and flipped her over. She gasped in surprise and then laughed, spreading her legs wide for him, her pretty pussy glistening in the moonlight.
He leaned over her with his cock poised at her entrance. He slipped his tongue into her mouth as he simultaneously penetrated her, being surrounded once again in her delicious wetness.
His cock glided in with a smooth thrust. Mia arched underneath him, her nails digging roughly into the muscles of his back. He pulled his cock all the way out then plunged it in again.
“Oh, God, Tristan. Just like that. Don’t stop.”
She rested her calves on his shoulders. He continued to fill her with smooth, rhythmic strokes. He let out a guttural moan, his easy thrusts quickening speed. She thrust her pelvis toward him to meet each of his strokes. He rocked his hips, his balls slapping her ass.
Fuck, this woman drove him crazy. He knew he wanted her to be his. Yes, she’s yours. Claim her. She’s your mate.
Mate. No. He didn’t want to think about that right now. He pushed the thought out of his mind, his thrusts becoming harder and faster, plunging into her again and again. With each stroke, he rubbed his pelvis roughly against her clit. Mia writhed underneath him and cried out in pleasure.
The coil of energy in his lower abdomen expanded, and his balls tightened. Tristan kissed Mia’s neck and stopped at the soft, delicate spot between her neck and her shoulder. Instinct took over again, and his canines lengthened.
Do it! Take her.
Tristan, battling his cat, pushed himself back onto his arms. She clutched him, fisting her fingers in his hair, and her muscles clenched around his cock. Her whimpers turned into wails, echoing off the walls of the canyon, as the orgasm crashed over her. He shuddered a moment later, his entire body stiffening, groaning with his own climax.
His chest heaving, he flopped over and lay on the rock. He lightly ran a hand down her belly, across the swell of her hip, and then along her thigh. Far above him, the stars twinkled. He’d always liked watching them, but they were much better after sex.
Mia turned onto her side. She winked at him. “That was pretty amazing. But for next time, can we maybe not do it on this rock again?”
Tristan laughed. “Good idea. How about a nice, soft bed at my house?”
Where he sure as hell wasn’t going to try to bite her again. All of this mate shit was really messing with his head.
Chapter Seven
Mia watched Tristan’s chest rise and fall, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and steady. She pulled the covers of his bed up to her chin. The cool night air of the desert blew in from his open bedroom window, and she snuggled under the crispness of his sheets, enjoying the smell of him that lingered everywhere.
How was he asleep and she wide awake? She grabbed her cellphone off the nightstand. Two a.m. Mia let out a big breath. His eyelids fluttered, and she stilled. She didn’t want to wake him.
It took all her willpower to not reach out and touch him. God, he was a mouthful of pure heaven. And his stamina? Incredible. Her pussy was still deliciously sore and throbbing after their third round.
The slickness between her legs reminded her of her insistent arousal. Ohhh. There was no doubt about it—she could go for a round four. Mia wanted him again—his big, muscular body on top of her, inside of her. She wanted him behind her, gripping her hips and plunging into her, taking control of her very being.
Her first instinct was to challenge him, to fight for dominance. She was a lioness! But there was something about him that felt right. To simply melt into him, to let him take her as he pleased. She enjoyed it more than she ever thought she would. She trusted him completely. He would never hurt her.
It wasn’t his actions that scared her. It was the fact Drea was right—she liked him. Much more than she should. She realized that now, and that was never going to fly.
She hated the thought of her father making all of the choices, but her loyalty to the pride came first. Disobeying her father was complete grounds for being disowned from her family. She couldn’t reject Asher. She would never be allowed to go home again.
She flipped through a few family photos on her phone. How could she deal with never seeing her mom again? Her sisters? This was her first time away from home, and, even though it had been less than a week, she missed them. She couldn’t bear the thought of being cut off from them.
Mia slowly eased out of the bed and padded softly on the wooden floor. She grabbed her clothes off a nearby chair. Her duty to her family surpassed everything else, and she simply had to accept it. Which meant this thing with Tristan—whatever it was—needed to end. Right away.
***
Tristan kept his eyes closed until he heard the front door click shut. She was gone. Fuck. He sighed and ran his hands across his face, down over the rough stubble of his jaw.
He had hoped she was only getting up to pee, or to get some water or something. But when she’d started grabbing her clothes, he’d known what was happening. Maybe he should have tried to stop her. But what was he supposed to have said? Stay?
He sighed in exasperation. Yes. That’s exactly what he should have done. Asked her to stay the night with him. Or asked why she was leaving. Anything, really—he should have said something. Why had he pretended to be sleeping? If it had been another girl, he wouldn’t have cared. Maybe his ego would have been a little bruised, but nothing he would have thought twice about once morning came around.
But with Mia, things were…different. He couldn’t pretend like the events from the past few days meant nothing. She had come into his life, grabbed him by the balls, and he could no longer think straight. He’d thought it was his dick in charge and not his brain, but, now, he wasn’t so sure. He couldn’t deny his feelings for her anymore—he knew it, and his jaguar knew it.
Especially when his instinct had called for him to take her tonight. To claim her and make her his mate. He’d never felt like marking a girl before. Who the hell did that?
Mate. Even the word didn’t sound so foreign, so ridiculous to him anymore. He’d had sex with a fair share of women since starting college, but he’d never felt a connection like this one. Tonight, her strength and sizzling electricity had left him at her mercy, but then, the next moment, she’d yielded to him effortlessly. Like two puzzle pieces coming together.
Was this what it meant to have a mate? As much as Tristan wanted to pretend this was a fling, he couldn’t.
Dane was right. Mia was his mate. Tristan didn’t turn uncontrollably into his cat form for any girl, for fuck’s sake.
He needed to talk to her right away. He didn’t know why she’d decided to leave tonight, but he needed to make her understand. He grabbed a pair of jeans off the floor, quickly yanked them on then ran out the front door—only to see the taillights of Mia’s sporty black coupe driving down the street.
Shit. He should have been outside—like minutes ago—asking her to come back. His cat bristled, demanding he take its annoyance into account.
Yeah, buddy. I know. I’m a fucking asshole sometimes.
Chapter Eight
Right punch. Left punch. Front kick. Back kick! Mia followed the kickboxing instructor’s moves with an intensity she hadn’t known she had in her.
“Come on, ladies!” yelled the instructor, her blonde ponytail bobbing up and down in the front of the campus rec center’s exercise room. “Let’s do this. Now punch…and kick! Punch…and kick!” A packed roomful of sweaty girls bounced along to the loud beat of the music.
Mia wiped the sweat off her brow. She imagined her
dad’s face in front of her as she punched the air. One fist right in the nose. Did you like that, Dad? How about a nice kick to the jaw? Heeeyyy-yaww! Her tennis shoe-clad foot darted out in a fierce kick.
Not that she would ever try to punch or kick her dad in the face. But pretending to do it felt sooooo damn good.
“Are you okay?” Drea yelled over the deafening beat.
She forced herself to smile and gave Drea a thumbs-up. “Fine!” Jab. Uppercut. Front kick. If she could stop thinking and keep moving, maybe everything would be okay.
She had awakened that morning with a sinking feeling in her belly. Instead of feeling Tristan’s big, strong arms wrapped around her, she had opened her eyes to the emptiness of her tiny bed.
What did he think when he woke up and found her gone? She had tried to not spend time thinking about it because she didn’t have much choice. Quick and easy. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. Trying to explain everything to him would’ve been way too complicated.
Squat. Squat jump! Knee up. Back kick!
None of this would have been an issue if it wasn’t for the pride. And her father. And her fucking duty as the alpha’s daughter.
Last night, she was determined to do what needed to be done. She was still going to do it—but it didn’t mean she had to like it. She didn’t want to be with Asher. Could she imagine herself with him for the rest of her life? Sharing a home? Having cubs? Bickering over what movie to watch?
No. She couldn’t. All her life she’d known the plan, and she thought she was fine with it. She thought she’d be prepared. But now it was really happening? Asher seemed like a great guy, but when she tried to imagine herself with him, she drew a blank…and only Tristan’s face came into view.
She tried to swallow the big lump forming in her throat. Her mouth was so dry. Flagging Drea’s attention, she mouthed, Water, be right back, and pointed to her water bottle by the door.
