Reluctant Heat

by Jaden Sinclair

  “I know that look.” Dominic joined him, sitting down in a chair next to the lounger. “You’ve finally felt it.” Fox tore his eyes from his mate to Dominic. “It’s in the eyes.” He smiled.

  “Yeah, well I’m still in a bind,” Fox said. “I don’t think she’s ready yet.”

  “Fox, she’s as ready as she’s going to get with the situation. Make the move.” Dominic got back up and walked away, leaving Fox to think about his words.

  Deep down, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, Dominic was right. He needed to just get it over with. But on the flip side, he didn’t want to mess things up either. They were getting along very well living together.

  His mind filled with some ‘what ifs’. He ate diner, kept the small talk, and acted as if nothing bothered him. But every time he took a chance glance at Dominic, he saw in the man’s eyes just what Fox felt. He was on edge, holding on to his humanity by a thin thread. He needed to claim his mate fully and he needed to do it tonight. Something inside him whispered that if he didn’t, then things wouldn’t be pretty come the full moon.

  “You okay?” Lindsey asked as they walked back home, deciding to call it a night instead of joining the others on the lake.

  “Fine,” he answered.

  “You’re not acting fine. You seem a bit distracted.”

  “Maybe I am.” He gave her a quick smile.

  “About what?”

  They reached the docks when he stopped. “Maybe it’s about you.”

  “Did I do something wrong?” She frowned

  Fox reached up and touched her face. “No. you haven’t done anything wrong. I’m just finding things a bit difficult right now. That’s all.”

  “Okay, you’ve confused me now.”

  “I know. Come on, let go home.” He took her hand and finished the walk to the boat.

  Lindsey seemed to forget all about it and went to the bedroom, hopping as she took her shoes off. He stood there, watching with a grin on his face. She never seemed to notice those little things that she did, things that always put a smile on his face.

  He didn’t go back in the room. He stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, listening and smelling as she took her shower. His mind went over many things while she stood there, and memories of what he saw of her body flooded him. He could almost picture the water running down her chest, a drop of water hanging on a nipple waiting for a tongue to take it away. The thought alone had him groaning, cock thickening in pain.

  Pushing away from the counter he went into the guest room, stripped and took a quick cool shower. Slipping on a pair of sweats he kept in the room, Fox finally got the strength to go into the bedroom, which was the biggest mistake in his current condition. He knew his animal was with him. Knew that this would be it, just like Dominic told him. Tonight he wouldn’t be able to just turn the lights off, curl up next to her and go to sleep. Nope, tonight more would happen, and he didn’t feel one bit of guilt or remorse over it. He wanted her and he wanted her now!

  The water shut off and he closed his eyes. Her sweet scent filled the whole room and it did things to him. Chills escaladed down his spine, pooled between his legs, caused the sac to feel very heavy and his cock pounded in a need he never felt in his life.

  For almost two weeks now, for the most part, he had been a good boy—but not this time. No, right now Fox felt nothing but pure raw hell and this need he had to quench. He had to touch her, to hold her, fuck, he just wanted to taste her. The urges only grew stronger instead of dissipating, and he told himself that he really should turn and walk out of the room. His feet didn’t agree with him.

  Oh sweet fuck mercy, her scent was driving him nuts!

  He didn’t understand it. They were close all the time, and her scent had become a normal smell to him. Okay, sure, if he didn’t smell her around him, he’d start to panic, and that wasn’t a good thing for a shifter. But what he experienced at this second with her scent was enough to shove him into a full blown early heat.

  He stood in their bedroom,, a room where nothing but sleep happened, and she came out from the bathroom in her long T-shirt, ready for bed, hair wet, fresh scent wrapping around her, filling the room, filling his brain. Thinking didn’t happen right then, not as he stood there getting his fill of just staring at her. No, tonight he couldn’t push it back like he always did. Tonight he had to touch, to feel, to claim and conquer.

  Each night he watched her as secretly as he could. Would watch her put lotion on her legs and wonder what it would feel to have his hands running up the calves and higher, to her thighs. For his mouth to follow his hand, kissing each part of her skin. With her back to him, Lindsey would brush the long silk locks of her hair and blow dry them. The strands teasing around her neck, over the mark that he left, which would show when the shirt slipped a bit off her shoulder. It all tortured him to a point that he had to leave the room, find a spot for a bit of relief time, then hang out until she was sleeping before going back. Not this time. No, he couldn’t walk away, couldn’t leave the room.

  She stopped and, for whatever reason, turned her head to look at him, long locks of her hair spilling over her shoulder.

  “You okay?” she asked with a frown marking what he now saw as perfect eyebrows.

  Each day of these two months he saw something else of her that made her that much more perfect—just for him. The curves of her body, the silkiness of her hair, roundness of her ass, which he had this sudden urge to bite. God yes, she’s everything he ever dreamed of in a mate, and she was all his.

  Slowly, she stood up and that motion had his feet almost moving right for her. He ended up backing her up to the wall, keeping eye contact the whole time. The brush in her hand dropped to the floor, dark brown eyes widened, and her mouth opened in a silent O.

  “Fine,” he answered her. “And only going to get better.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly, hands coming up in a faint attempt to push him away, until she noticed finally that he didn’t have a shirt on.

  “I’m giving in.”

  Fox had her where he wanted her, between the wall and him. The perfect spot to touch her, to get a small amount of relief in another way. He reached up and touched her face, and she widened her eyes more when he did. He moved that hand into her hair, letting the strands slip through his fingers. Oh, they were as soft as what they appeared each night he watched her brush it. Bringing some up to his face, Fox closed his eyes and took in the sweet scent of her deep into his lungs. The animal within seemed to yell its triumph and demanded more.

  Reaching up with his other hand, he cupped her face with both, leaned in and kissed her ever so softly, a light brush of the lips, nothing more, and still not enough. Turning her head to the side, he tilted his own and really kissed her. Deep, demanding, instant, and daring at the same time. He surged his tongue into her mouth, touched her own and moaned at the pleasure it gave him, pleasure that raced down his spine and back up.

  Hunger quickly gripped its iron fist around him, and Fox could no longer fight it. She was, after all, his mate. She wore his mark, lived with him, they slept in the same bed. Now it was time to finish the claim and make Lindsey his for life.

  She kept her hands to her sides and when he reached down for them he discovered she had fisted them both. Breaking the kiss, but locking eyes with her, he pulled her hands up and placed them on his chest, right against his bare skin. He made her open those hands and press them flat against his chest.

  “Touch me,” he whispered in a slight command.

  “You—you said this wouldn’t happen,” she stuttered.

  “Touch me,” he commanded her again.

  “Fox, please.”

  He wanted to step back and give her the space that she clearly still believed she needed. The panic seemed to start to set in with what he was doing, but his animal refused to back away. With a low growl he kissed her again, let go of her hands and slid his own down the si
des of her body to the hemline of her shirt. She stiffened, rose up on her toes when he started to slowly pull up her shirt. Fox stopped when he got to her waist, slid his hands around the full curve of her ass, and squeezed as he moaned into the kiss once more.

  Picking her up didn’t take much strength at all. She felt so good in his arms, so right that he never wanted to put her down. Turning away from the wall, the kissing once more stopping, he headed right for the bed. Before he let her drop down to the mattress, Fox took hold of her shirt again, and when she went down to the bed the shirt flew up over her head and he tossed it over his shoulder. Instantly, Lindsey covered her breasts with both arms, shock spread across her face and a blush seeped into her cheeks.

  Lace! Fucking lace panties were the only thing left covering her body and it had to be lace.

  Taking several deep breaths, trying for some kind of control, Fox stared down at her and felt it all go right out the window. Lindsey also breathed fast, the fear clearly in her eyes, and that should be all there was to get him to back off. It didn’t. Instead, Fox put his thumbs into the waistband of his sweats, pulled, and let them fall down his legs to the floor. He undressed before her, not breaking eye contact with her as he stood before her, naked as the day he was born. He didn’t think her eyes could get any larger, and yet somehow they did. The blush on her cheeks deepened in color and she looked around the room, clearly with the intent of trying to leave, which wouldn’t happen. He would let her.

  Like prey to predator, Fox bent over and crawled up on the bed, hovering over her for a few seconds before lowering his body down to hers. That panic he saw in her eyes surfaced and she started to push, squirm away from him, and twist her body so she might be able to flip over and crawl away.

  “Shhh,” he tried to soothe, taking hold of her wrists with one hand, the other he brushed her hair from her face.

  “Please, don’t do this.” Her panic sounded like it increased by ten. “You promised me nothing would happen. This wouldn’t happen.”

  “I’m not him,” he told her in a low voice. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lindsey, only love you.”

  “Why?” Her voice rose in pitch. “I’m nothing special.”

  He couldn’t stop the growl that sprang forth and wished he had when she flinched under him. “Never say that. Ever! You’re very special to me.” A deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  “Fox, I can’t do this,” she whispered.

  Tears came to her eyes and he let go of her wrists, cupping her face, balancing his weight on his elbows. “Don’t cry,” he whispered, kissing her once more. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  “Yes there is.”

  “What?”

  She sniffed and a tear fell free. “Once this is all over we’ll part, and this will change everything between us.”

  It took him a few seconds for what she said to sink in. Once he understood, he wanted to smile down at her, but didn’t. Lindsey feared that after they got the shit with Ben settled, they would part and go back to being just friends. She didn’t understand that once he’d put his mark on her, everything had changed for them. It sort of surprised him that Darian hadn’t explained it better to Lindsey.

  He relaxed and touched her face, brushing the tear aside. “Once this crap with Ben is over our situation won’t change. I’ve marked you, Lindsey. That means in our world you are mine. My mate, or wife, if you want to call it that.”

  She shook her head, “N—no. Darian said that after the stuff is over, things go back as they were. We’re only pretending right now.”

  Now he smiled. “Did she now? And when did she tell you this?”

  “Right after you—you marked me. We’re not?” the color in her face now drained.

  “I think she said that so you would come here willingly.”

  “I’m going to kill her.”

  That had him chuckling. The one statement alone had her relaxing under him that she had been since he started this. “Kill her later.”

  He kissed her again, deep. He moved his free hand down her leg, skimming lower, over her knee, tugging it out so he could settle between her legs better, and then he brought the leg up over his hip. She sucked in air and broke the kiss, hands pushing against his chest.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped, eyes wide once more.

  “I’m touching my mate,” he told her.

  “Fox, this isn’t a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “I—I’m not ready for any of this. I’m not comfortable with being naked in bed with you.”

  “You’re not totally naked.” He moved so he could whisper in her ear. “Still have panties on,” he groaned, “And lace at that. Like them.”

  Lindsey turned her head away from him and again tried to push away. “We can’t do this.”

  “Why not? Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t?”

  She licked her lips and he growled low at the back of his throat. Man, what he wouldn’t give right then to have her lick him. Or better yet, to have that tongue licking along the length of his shaft. Fuck if that thought didn’t go all the way down to his balls, making them grow heavier. Hell, even his cock throbbed in pain. Thankfully, she had the panties on or he might’ve right then thrust hard into her.

  “Stop thinking so much, Linds,” he purred, rubbing his hand up and down the leg at his hip slowly. “Feel. Just feel my hand on your leg. It feels good, right?” She didn’t answer, but nodded.. “And when I move my hand to your belly...” He felt the muscle quiver and then she once more turned her head away from him. “What’s wrong now?”

  “You deserve someone perfect,” she mumbled. “Not this, not me.”

  He looked down where his hand rested right over her belly button. Once more she took her arm and covered her breasts. He saw nothing wrong with her either. She had curves and he loved curves—never had the appetite for those skinny model type girls. Fox wanted one with meat on her bones. He didn’t want to feel like he was lying on top of a skeleton, and in that single thought he knew what she was talking about. She still thought of herself as fat.

  “You are perfect for me,” he told her.

  “You just say that with the hopes of getting laid.”

  That statement had his animal surfacing again. With a low grow he took hold of her hand and moved it between their bodies, forcing her to grab the throbbing flesh dying for some attention. Once he had her hand around it color came back to her face, eyes wide open again.

  “Does this feel like I don’t want you?” he growled. “I don’t get hard for just anyone, Lindsey Laswell, and I don’t fuck skeleton women. And I swear if you ever hint, think, or even say that you’re fat to me I will put you over my knee and spank your bare ass. Am I understood?”

  Once he let go of her hand she jerked it back, tucking both over her breasts. The anger over how she thought of herself overcame him and he held her down with his weight, fisted a handful of hair, and kissed her hard. A hard tug on her arm and he’d pulled it away from her breasts and around his neck. His free hand went to her breast. He gave it a squeeze before brushing his thumb across the nipple. It hardened under his touch and her hips began to move a bit under him.

  Releasing her lips, Fox moved his mouth down her throat, over to the mark and sucked on it hard. She gasped and arched upward as much as she could with him holding her down with his body. Moving his hand down between their bodies, flat to the top line of her panties, Fox bit the mark and at the same time slid his hand inside, cupping her sex. Nails dug into his shoulders, breathing quicken and he started the assault on her senses.

  Using just the pad of his hand, he rubbed up and down, feeling the wetness form. He knew that in a matter of time he’d have her.

  A few more rubs and he brought a finger into the equation. While he moved his hand up and down, he let one single finger move between the wet lips of her sex, added another, and without giving her any hint he slid them both into her and touche
d the swollen nub of her clit with his thumb. Lindsay gasped and her nails dug more into his shoulders.

  Fox moved those fingers in and out slowly, still licking and sucking on the mark upon her shoulder. He also rubbed as much of his own body against her, hating and loving the sweet torture at the same time.

  With a low growl, he removed his hand and ripped the panties from her body. The motion jerked them both and before Lindsey could react, Fox once again kissed her deep. Instead of using his hand he took hold of the throbbing flesh between his own legs and started to rub the head up and down the wetness. He felt her tense, felt her pushing at his shoulders, but it didn’t stop him. They were too far into this now for him to just stop and take a cold shower.

  Feeling like there was enough wetness on his cock to help, Fox stopped and positioned the head against her entrance. He didn’t stop kissing her, only moved his hand back up to her breast. When she once more tried to cover herself, he stopped her and put both arms around his neck again.

  Ever so slowly he started to enter her. The walls of her vagina didn’t feel like they wanted to part for him, making things difficult and very tight. Releasing her breast he once more moved his hand down between their bodies and started to rub at the clit. Once more she squirmed and it seemed to help relax her body some, which made him entering a little easier.

  Once he touched the thin layer of her innocence, Fox didn’t stop. He pushed through it, took her cry of pain into the kiss, and kept right on going until he was fully inside her. The nails that had been at his shoulders now dug into his back and he welcomed the pain.

  Knowing that he should’ve waited to give her time, he couldn’t. He started to move. Out, in, a steady rhythm that pleased and drove him nuts at the same time. He wanted a faster tempo, yet wanted this to last as long as he could make it. With his hips moving steady, he broke the kiss, fisted her hair again, and tugged her head back in order to kiss at her throat. Hearing her heaving breathing, the slight shift of her legs, knees bending up more, it all had him picking up the pace he set for himself.