by Liv Brywood
Tears pooled in her eyes as she listened to her mom’s impassioned plea. Kim loved her more than anyone in the world, but she was right. If she left now, she’d lose everything. They did need the money and Kim was on the verge of landing the job of a lifetime.
“Your dad’s proud of you,” her mom said softly. “He’s looking down on you right now rooting for you. If you won’t do it for me, do it for him.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. Her mom always knew exactly what to say.
“I love you, Mom.”
“I know, baby. I love you to the moon and back. Now stop crying and get some sleep. Tomorrow I want you to get up and get your head in the game. If you’re already in first place, all you have to do is bring it home.”
“Okay.” Kim half-laughed, half-sniffed. “You go to sleep too. I need you ready to fight through another round of chemo. Okay?”
“Deal.”
After hanging up, Kim cried until all of the tension in her body had dissipated. As she wiped her eyes, she steeled her spine. As soon as the contest was over, she could race back to Houston. She didn’t want to let her mom down. She had to stay and fight to win. A good night’s sleep would take care of everything. But first, she needed to barricade the door in case Zack showed up.
She grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and wedged it under the doorknob. As she turned back toward the bed, a knock sounded on the door. She moved to the curtain by the front window and cautiously peeked out. Zack stood on the other side of the door.
Zack pounded on the door to the cottage. “I need to talk to you.”
“Go away,” she said.
“I’m not leaving until you let me in so I can explain.”
“Explain what?” she hollered through the door. “That you’re a violent psychopath? I don’t need you to explain that; I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Please just open the door so I can come in. I don’t want to wake everyone up.”
“Oh, now you want to be considerate?” she asked sarcastically. “Go away. I’m going to sleep.”
“I’ve never done that before,” he said.
“What?”
“I’ve never flown into a blind rage before. I’m not a violent person.”
“You could have fooled me,” she said.
“Please just open the door.”
“Why, so you can pound me into the ground too?”
His shoulders dropped. She actually thought he’d hit her? After everything they’d been through this week, she should at least trust him a little bit. What could he say now to convince her that he wasn’t dangerous?
“When I saw that guy touching you,” he said, “I just lost it. He and his brother have been trespassing on our property. They’ve been killing our cows. I could tell you didn’t want to dance with the guy, but he wouldn’t let up. I guess my protective instincts got the best of me.”
After a few seconds, the door cracked open.
“Did you really beat the shit out of him to protect me?” she asked.
“Yes.”
The door opened. She moved in the entryway and gazed at him with red-rimmed eyes.
“Have you been crying?” he asked.
“No.”
“You look like you’ve been crying. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You think I’m crying about you?” She laughed. “Trust me, I have far bigger problems than your anger issues.”
“If it’s not about what happened tonight, then why are you crying?” he asked.
It was as if he’d flipped a switch. A fresh wave of tears formed in her eyes. She wrapped one hand across her stomach while bringing the other up to cover her mouth.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. As he took a step closer, she took a step back.
“My mom called. After all of the treatments she’s been through, she still has cancer. She just got the results today.”
She swayed. He caught her elbow and guided her toward the bed. After helping her sit on the edge of it, he took a seat beside her. He laced his fingers through hers and held her hand. He half-expected her to pull away, but she seemed preoccupied with her mom’s news. He didn’t blame her. The night his mom had told him that she had cancer, he’d been devastated.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if she dies,” Kim said. “She’s all I’ve got.”
“Can the doctors do anything?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She’s already been through several rounds of chemo. When she got the results today, she panicked and left the office before he could give her any options.”
“She sounds like you,” he said.
“What?”
“You left before I could talk to you,” he said.
“What’s there to talk about?” She yanked her hand away and stood. “You should leave. I don’t know why I even let you in here.”
“It sounds like you need someone to talk to,” he said.
“I do, but I don’t trust you.”
He sighed. “I’m not normally like that. I guess my protective instincts went into overdrive.”
“I don’t need you to protect me,” she said.
“Right. I forgot. You don’t need anyone. You can do everything yourself.”
“That’s right. The only thing I need right now is for you to leave.” She crossed the room and held the door halfway open.
As he closed the distance between them, she turned her chin up in defiance. He frowned.
“I was only trying to help,” he said. “Have you ever stopped to consider that sometimes it’s nice to have someone else to lean on?”
When her bottom lip quivered, he knew he’d struck a nerve.
“I know you’re pissed off and probably still scared,” he said.
“I’m not scared.”
“Fine. Whatever. If you need anything, I’ll be in the main house.”
He passed her on his way out. The nearness of her coupled with her scent woke his bear. He quickly squashed the beast back into his chest. He could shift and go gator hunting later.
“Zack, wait.”
“What?”
“Did you really beat the hell out of that guy to protect me?” she asked.
“Yes. I don’t make it a habit to pound guys into the floor without good reason. But Gunther had it coming. He didn’t know when to leave you alone. I’m sorry I exploded. I know you have no reason to trust me after what you saw, but that’s not who I am.”
“I know.” She sighed. “That’s why seeing you like that was so shocking.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Stay,” she said softly.
He moved back into the cottage and closed the door. She gazed up at him with an expression of pure vulnerability. His bear surged forward and growled a single word: Mate.
Zack’s lips parted to expel a puff of air. His bear had to be wrong. This crazy spitfire of a woman couldn’t possibly be his mate.
“I had fun tonight, before the blood started flying,” she said. “I wish tonight could have ended differently.”
“The night’s not over yet.”
When she took a step forward, he pulled her into his arms. She rested her cheek against his chest and sighed. As he inhaled her scent, his bear repeated: Mate. Stunned, he pulled back to look at her.
“Tell me I’m not crazy for still wanting you,” she whispered.
She gazed up at him with questioning eyes. And before he could decide what to do, she pressed a searing kiss against his lips.
Chapter 9
Kim shivered as Zack slid his hands across her back and down to her waist. She’d been fully prepared to kick him out until she’d seen the dejected, kicked-puppy look in his eyes. If she hadn’t been so distraught about her mom’s news, she probably would have slammed the door in his face. But right now, she needed to be held in his strong, powerful arms.
Each scalding kiss incinerated her fear. Sure, he’d gone to rather extreme lengths to protect her, but in a way, she couldn’t
fault him. He’d been trying to help her, not hurt her. So there was no reason to be afraid. And even if there was, she was too far gone to care.
When he slipped his tongue between her lips, molten heat pooled in her sex. She backed toward the bed. Tension, frustration, and lust stoked the fire until she burned with wanton desire.
As they fell onto the bed, he ravaged her with hungry kisses. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his head back. His golden eyes captivated her. The swell of his bottom lip hung tantalizingly close to her mouth. She captured it with her teeth before gently tugging. He growled and thrust his tongue between her lips.
With one hand, he reached between them to push her shirt up over her bra. He rolled to the side and yanked her shirt over her head. She clawed at his clothes until she’d exposed his bare chest.
Chest to chest they rolled over. She straddled him and ground her hips against his. He shivered. The rigid length of his erection pushed up against her covered sex. She couldn’t wait to strip him, so she reached down to unbuckle his pants. He hissed a breath as she tugged his jeans down. She scrambled to move out of the way as she stripped him.
After tossing his jeans across the room, she turned to find his cock jutting up against a pair of blue cotton boxers. She slowly slid her fingers across his belly, reveling in the way he trembled under her touch. As she pulled his boxers down, his cock sprang free. A drop of pre-cum glistened on the tip. Without thinking, she bent to lick it.
“Shit,” he groaned.
Encouraged by his response, she licked him from tip to base and back. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head away.
“Slow down,” he whispered.
“No.”
Defiance brought her lips back to his cock. She smiled wickedly before sliding her lips down. As she sucked him into her mouth, his hips jerked. He clutched her hips so hard it hurt, but she didn’t care. She had him powerless and desperate, exactly the way she wanted him.
As she dragged her mouth up and down, curses spilled from his lips. When she added suction, he gasped.
“Don’t,” he pleaded. “I don’t want to come yet. I want to be inside you.”
“You can handle it,” she challenged.
“No. I need to feel you.”
“You will.”
“Are you trying to kill me?” he asked.
“Maybe. Less competition that way.”
“You really are a vixen.”
“But you love it,” she mumbled around the head of his cock.
She teased and tormented him for another minute. As she sat back to study his quivering form, he lunged to grab her. He flipped her onto her back and made quick work of her pants. Her panties followed, leaving her exposed and vulnerable to his kisses.
He started by brushing his lips across the inside of her thigh. She trembled and arched to meet him. After everything he’d put her through, she deserved every ounce of pleasure he could give her. And boy did he know how to please.
With lips and teeth and tongue, he took possession of her pussy. He was everywhere at once. Licking, biting, sucking. When his tongue flicked across her clit, she screamed. Blood rushed into her pelvis making her almost painfully aware of every lash of his tongue. He slid one finger inside, then another and another until he’d stuffed her.
As he curled up to stroke her G-spot, white-hot rivers of desire flooded her pussy. She drenched his fingers with her arousal. She was more than ready and desperate to have him fill her.
“Now,” she whispered.
“Not yet.”
“Please.”
“How does it feel to want?” he asked in a taunting tone.
“You’re a monster.”
“You have no idea,” he murmured against her lips.
He captured her clit, sucking mercilessly until she couldn’t hold back another second. She came with a shriek. As she shattered against his mouth, her body clenched around his fingers, pulling them deeper. She half-sobbed as exquisite release tore through her. She was still shuddering when he slid off to grab a foil packet. The fact that he’d come prepared made her want him even more.
As he tore open the packet, she spread her legs wider. She couldn’t wait to feel the rush of his cock. To be claimed by a man so virile and sexy was beyond comprehension. She’d never been with anyone as hot as Zack. He’d probably ruin her for any other man, but she couldn’t wait to be destroyed.
He crawled across her body and nudged her thighs apart with his knee. When he didn’t immediately enter her, she grabbed his ass and tugged him forward.
“I love seeing how greedy you are for my cock,” he said.
“Shut up and fuck me.”
“I had no idea you had such a dirty mouth on you.”
“Zack!”
He lunged forward, forcing the huge, rock-hard length of his cock into her in one swift motion. She cried out and wrapped her legs around his waist. It was better than she could have even imagined. He filled her so completely that she could hardly catch her breath. The moment he rocked back, she arched to recapture the sensation. He plunged into her again and again, finding a frantic, passionate rhythm.
Everything they’d been holding back exploded as he deepened his thrusts. He’d earned the right to his cocky attitude. He had stamina for days. As he pushed and pulled and coaxed her to new heights, he didn’t even break a sweat. The muscles in his arms rippled with power. His chest clenched and heaved with each thrust.
But what really stole her breath was his eyes. He was looking at her like a predator who’d finally captured his prey. There was something dark inside him just under the surface, waiting to be unleashed. She didn’t know what it was, but it sent a ripple of excitement down her spine. To be taken with such force awakened her own animalistic need. She matched him thrust for thrust in a wild display of absolute depravity. She’d never had sex this raw, this powerful, but she loved every second of it.
Erotically charged tension coiled in her sex. Nothing existed but the rise and fall of his body against hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him deeper. He pounded into her with rough thrusts until her pussy throbbed.
On the verge of absolute destruction, she screamed his name. She plunged over the precipice into an orgasm so violent that her teeth chattered together. Shockwaves of release pulsed down her pussy. It wrapped around him in a vise-like grip unlike anything she’d ever experienced. The added suction made her come so hard that the room went hazy.
He leaned down to scrape his teeth across her shoulder. After several thrusts, his garbled cry sounded in her ear. His cock pulsed as he came in a long, shuddering orgasm, only stopping when her muscles twitched one last time.
He collapsed against her. Breathing hard, he scooped her up against him and rolled onto his side. She clung to him, unable to relax enough to let go. She needed to be close to him and he seemed to have the same compulsion.
They held each other until her arms turned to jelly. She reluctantly released him and rolled onto her back. With the tips of his fingers, he traced a path across her breasts. Everywhere he touched, goose bumps popped up.
He leaned over and kissed her softly. She moaned against his lips. This had been one of the craziest nights of her life, but she’d loved every second of it. When he finally broke the kiss, she sighed.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Amazing.”
“Yeah.” He nodded in agreement. “I’ll be right back.”
He padded into the bathroom and returned a moment later.
“Stay with me,” she whispered.
“Of course.” He slid back into bed, then reached down to pull the sheets across their bodies. “I don’t think I could walk out of here even if I wanted to.”
As he pulled her into a gentle embrace, she rested her head against his chest. She could get used to having him around. It wasn’t possible, but a girl could dream. Too bad they lived so far away from each other. Nothing could come of this, but at least she’d have fun
while it lasted.
Zack wrapped his body around Kim’s curves. His cock stirred as he pressed against the softness of her butt. He never could have imagined making love to someone like her. She was a tiger in bed. Passionate, sensual, and so damn sexy he couldn’t lie next to her without wanting to slide into her heat.
As she dozed next to him, the rise and fall of her chest mesmerized him. With the softest graze of his fingers, he traced a trail from her shoulder to her hip. They fit so perfectly together, as if they’d been made for each other.
He wasn’t ready for a mate yet, not until he’d built his own home, which was too bad because she would’ve been perfectly suited to him. He admired her competitive spirit. She seemed like the type of woman who knew what she wanted and was willing to go after it. When he finally chose a mate, he wanted someone like her. Not that she was perfect. Sometimes she could be stubborn as hell, but when she wasn’t busy trying to run things, she had a great sense of humor. She challenged him in all the right ways. His bear wanted her and insisted that she was their mate, but he wasn’t convinced.
With her hair spread around her like a halo, she was one heck of a tempting angel. But it took more than physical attraction to make a good mate. She was too bristly to be his future wife. Realistically, she wasn’t a good fit to his temperament. But that didn’t stop him from dreaming about what life might be like with her by his side.
His bear growled and bared his teeth.
Mine!
His bear insisted that the woman snuggled tightly against him was his. Even more than that, she was theirs.
Settle down, he warned his bear. We can’t have her. She’s not right for us.
His bear beat against his chest with angry thumps. Maybe he was an idiot to ignore his animalistic instincts, but a long-term relationship was out of the question until he’d achieved his dream of independence.
Even if he did make her his mate, there was no guarantee that she would accept the shifter side of him. She’d been horrified by his behavior at the bar, so what would she think when she discovered his thousand-pound secret? Marrying a non-shifter wasn’t a good idea. He needed to consider the safety of his entire family. He’d be putting them at risk once she found out who they really were. He wanted to trust her, but they hadn’t known each other very long, so he couldn’t do it. Not yet. And maybe not ever.
