Devour

by Susan Bliler

  Wordlessly, he patted the bed beside him again and tentatively, slowly, Hillary came to him.

  He vowed, “We’ll go slow, Cupcake.”

  Her large eyes shot to his and he hated the uncertainty he saw there. It wasn’t fear reflecting in those gray depths, but something else.

  “I’ll take care of you,” he promised and he meant it. Whatever it was she needed to get through this, he’d see that she got it.

  Hillary lifted one knee up onto the bed and stalled again. Looking down at the sheets, she admitted. “I’m not usually like this.”

  His tone was gentle when he responded. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

  Head lifting, her eyes collided with his. “I don’t want you thinking that I do this. I don’t. There’s only ever been Blake and like I said, he’s not interested in me.”

  Pinching his eyes shut, Modess had to throttle the growl that was trying to wrench its way up his throat. “Hillary,” he pushed through clenched teeth before he lowered his head and slowly opened his eyes to pin her in place. “I know you’re a good person. You don’t have to sell me on it. What you do need to do though is stop talking about this Blake fuck. I’m trying to give you what you need here, but you bringing up your encounters with that other guy is making my wolf feel like we’ve got something to prove.” He lowered his chin a fraction, his eyes narrowing on her. “Trust me, you don’t want that. Now stop talking, get in this bed, and let me ease that ache that’s slowly starting to smell like actual pain.”

  She was hurting now, he knew she was. The scent of her pain was starting to mingle with the scent of her arousal perfuming the air, but her pain grew stronger by the second.

  With more calm than he actually felt, Modess waited while Hillary climbed into the bed beside him and pulled the comforter up to her chin. She blinked up at him expectantly. Goddamn, she was sexy as all get out lying beside him, needing him, but still trying to be modest.

  Turning, he planted a hand near her hip and used the other to peel the comforter down before pulling it off himself as well and casting it aside. A grin stole his lips when he saw goose bumps flash across Hillary’s skin. “I’ll be gentle. I promise.” Licking his lips, he slowly lowered to her.

  And this was it! Finally, he’d get to taste her. Mouth closing over hers, he didn’t bother lapping at the seam and asking permission. Nope, he slid his tongue into her mouth and then groaned at what met him. Her kiss was like that candy Wanda’s son, Evan, had given him a few weeks back. Pop Rocks! Yeah, that was it. Like little explosions of sugary delight on his tongue and he took his fill.

  Hillary moaned into him and it sounded like angels singing.

  He deepened the kiss but Hillary jerked back to blink up at him. “I don’t…I don’t think I can do gentle right now.” She shook her head sending fiery red hair brushing her shoulders. “I’m sorry, but I-I need it rough. Just this first time,” she tagged on quickly and then blushed bright red as if she were unsure if there’d be more than one time.

  Fuck yeah, there’d be more than one time. He’d been dying to get inside of her since the second he saw her. If he was getting a free pass right now, then he intended on showing her just how good he could be, you know, in case after her heat passed she was interested in being friends with benefits until she went back to Shadow Wolf.

  “Cupcake,” he snarled with a pained expression. “If you’re trying to turn me on, it’s working.”

  She shook her head again. “Just wanted to be clear. Also, I’m not…on anything.”

  “Dick just got harder.”

  She slapped at his chest. “Seriously, Modess. You need to know that if we do this, there’s a chance that unless you pull out…”

  She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. He knew what she was saying. Nodding jerkily he commanded, “Now stop talking.” His mouth was back on hers in the next breath, but if he thought she was joking about not wanting it gentle, he was wrong. Arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders, she pressed her breasts into him and ground her hips against his.

  Fuck! He nearly came from that one small action and that didn’t bode well for his intentions of demonstrating his sexual prowess. She released her hold with one arm and slid it between their bodies. When she gave his cock a long pull with her tiny little hand, he jerked back with a hiss. Shit! He wasn’t going to last.

  Sitting up, he pinned Hillary’s shoulders to the bed and planted a knee between her legs encouraging her to spread to give him access. When she did, he planted his other knee in the triangle and then lowered his body on top of hers. The second he released his hold on her wrists, her hands instantly fisted his hair. She writhed beneath him while soft mewls of need emitted from the back of her throat. Wanting to hear her gasp, he lowered his face and sucked on one of her nipples through the satin of her tiny little negligee. And there it was. Beneath him, Hillary bucked and then sucked in air while thrusting her chest out forcing her breast further into his mouth. Between his legs, his cock pounded like a toothache and he knew he couldn’t wait.

  Apparently, Hillary couldn’t either because she panted, “Modess! Inside! Please.”

  She didn’t need to say please. Hell, she didn’t even need to tell him what she needed because he needed it just as badly.

  Reaching down, he slid her nightgown up her thighs where it bunched at her waist. One firm tug and her panties were airborne. Without hesitation, he lowered down and was aligning himself with her slick entrance, but Hillary had other ideas. Planting her hands on his wrists where they were braced on the bed, she impaled herself on the length of him and Modess threw back his head and roared, fighting to keep from coming then and there. Damn little minx!

  Her breathing was choppy as she commanded, “Hard! Fuck me hard, Modess!”

  It was the most direct she’d ever been with him and he knew it was out of character. It was her heat. It was ruling her head right now and that was fine. He’d give her all she asked for.

  Without preamble, he pounded his hips against her, and it. was. bliss! He kept chanting in his head, Don’t come inside her, don’t come inside her. Easy enough. He only had one thing to remember, but when Hillary hiked her legs higher on his hips, taking him impossibly deeper, he nearly forgot how to breathe. A vicious growl rattled his chest and he had to clench his teeth tight to keep from shooting his release, which was odd. He’d always made sure his women came first, but Hillary’s heat was fucking with his head too.

  “Faster!”

  By the Gods, she was going to kill him! He started working faster, his cock tunneling in and out of her slick, too tight, sheath. Sweat was coating him now and had the satin of Hillary’s negligee sticking to his chest.

  “I’m gonna…”

  She didn’t even get to finish the sentence before her channel seized around him. It was too good, too much. Modess’ body tensed on his last thrust. His hands found Hillary’s hips to hold her in place so he could shoot his seed as deep into her pussy as possible. The entire time he pulsed inside of her, her channel continued to milk each drop from him until he was completely empty.

  It took long minutes of them locked like that before Hillary grinned up at him through her sooty lashes. Her smile faltered and she looked down at where they were still connected. “Shit, Modess! You weren’t supposed to…”

  She tried to scramble away from him, but something was happening to him. His hands clamped tighter on her hips and he growled, “Noooo!” It came out guttural and animalistic because his wolf was too damn close to the surface.

  “M-Modess?”

  Instantly, he was hard again and as if he hadn’t just spent himself inside of her, he started working his hips into her again.

  Hillary’s body jerked and then her nails clawed at his chest as she relaxed beneath him with a breathy, “Yessss!”

  He’d heard of this, though it’d never happened to him before. Often a female in heat could call to the male wolf sating her. He’d match her stamina to fill her ne
eds. Because he was a shifter, Modess was used to a quick recovery, but never anything this rapid. Plus, he’d forgotten to pull out, not only when she’d been dreaming, but their first time while she was awake. If he hadn’t had the willpower either of those times, there was little chance of it happening anytime thereafter. Worse, he’d nearly bitten her. It was going to be a damn struggle to keep from claiming this woman right now.

  Damn! It was going to be one long night.

  Chapter 23

  Stretching as he woke, Modess knew he’d over slept. Mid-day sun flickered across his face as it filtered through the curtains billowing on the breeze. He grinned at the reason for his tardiness. He’d only intended on giving Hillary enough so that she could sleep, but once he’d started enjoying her body, there was no stopping. She’d been equally as enthusiastic, which was a relief. He didn’t want her feeling bad about needing him to slake her hunger, worse he didn’t think he could tolerate it. It was a non-issue now.

  Ears pricking for the sound of movement, he heard the slight clatter of dishes down in the kitchen and grinned. She felt good enough to cook, which meant he’d done his job. And damn what a job it had been. Even now, excitement skittered through him at the realization that her heat was just beginning, which meant they were just beginning. By the time her heat passed, he planned on knowing and owning every inch of that woman’s body. The idea filled his chest with something warm and possessive.

  He showered and dressed quickly before making his way downstairs where he stepped into the kitchen. Hillary passed a cursory glance at him and lowered her eyes back to her task before her head snapped up and her eyes locked on him. He knew what she was staring at.

  ***

  Feeling a little nervous and awkward, Hillary was glad that Modess hadn’t stirred when she’d climbed from the bed. To keep from waking him, she gathered clothes and showered in the bathroom in the hall rather than the one in their room. She’d almost considered foregoing a shower altogether, but the scent of their sex clung to her skin and would be overbearing if they had any visitors today.

  A quick shower and a light application of makeup before she donned a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top, and then Hillary was making her way down to the kitchen. She was famished and it made sense. Modess had claimed her too many times through the night to keep count and it wasn’t like any experience she’d ever had with Blake. With Blake, she’d be lucky to get two visits a day, but Modess…She shook her head at the stamina that man had. He was a beast, and memories of the things they did had a smile curling her lips as she lifted a finger and bit her knuckle. Sexy, virile, Alpha!

  Her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed to eat. She pulled cottage bacon, eggs, cheese, bell peppers, and butter from the fridge. If she was this hungry, then Modess would be famished. She put the entire package of bacon in a skillet to cook while she started a pot of coffee and began whipping up eggs.

  She cooked in a contented daze that faltered only when she heard Modess padding down the creaky stairs. When he stepped into the kitchen, she flicked only a glance at him before looking back to her eggs, wanting to come off as casual instead of all fan-girl, but her gaze jerked back to him in a flash.

  His hair was damp from the shower and he smelled good. The soap was familiar, the musky aftershave was new, but not as new as his appearance. He’d shaved his full beard into a goatee that, if possible, made him even sexier.

  He winked at her and then crossed to the pot of coffee before rifling through the cupboard for a mug. “We got cream?”

  In a daze and unable to take her eyes off him, she walked absently to the fridge and pulled out a carton of cream without looking before crossing to hand it to him. He dumped some into his coffee, but all the while, Hillary stared at him with her mouth hanging open.

  “You…you shaved,” she stammered lamely.

  “Mmm,” he grunted and took a sip of his coffee.

  Her eyes slid from his jaw down to his throat and the now clearly visible hickey she’d given him the day before. Oh God! Brows snapping into a frown she planted her hands on her hips. “You shaved on purpose,” she accused.

  “Well, it wasn’t an accident.” He carried his coffee to the dining room and placed it on the table before going back to the kitchen. Hillary followed him in shock and watched as he divided the eggs onto two plates before adding bacon.

  “You know what I mean!”

  Grinning, he carried their plates into the dining room table and then held out her chair. He didn’t say a word as he waited. With a huff, Hillary dropped into her chair and took up her fork. She didn’t eat though, just stared at him until he finally swallowed his bite of cheesy bell pepper eggs. Quietly, he studied her and beamed, “You gave me a present. Thought it only fitting to show it off.”

  “Modess!” she pleaded, dropping her fork and lifting her hands to cover her face. “People are going to think we’re sleeping together.”

  “We are.”

  “No!” she bit out. “We’re not! I mean, we did, but that was it.”

  “Was it?” he waggled his brows at her and she cursed her damn stupid female hormones. The look he gave her had her heat churning low in her belly.

  “What are they going to think?”

  Modess kept right on eating like he didn’t even see her dilemma.

  “They’re going to think I seduced you! They’re going to think I’m trying to bag the Alpha. They’re going to think…”

  “I don’t give a fuck what they think,” he snarled, cutting her off. “And you’re not going to either because what happens in the Alpha’s house and the Alpha’s bed is no one’s fucking business.”

  She swallowed hard. He was right. He was the Alpha, so it wasn’t like anyone could give him a hard time. If they thought he favored her, then surely she’d be spared as well. “I just don’t want things to look bad for either one of us, Modess.”

  “We’re consenting adults. Neither of us is mated, and you went into heat.” He shrugged like that was explanation enough.

  Honestly, it kind of was.

  “I forced you to come to Blood Lust, Cupcake. I’ll be damned if you’re going to be uncomfortable here, especially over something I can help with.” He pointed his fork at her plate. “Now eat. I can hear your belly growling.”

  Grabbing her fork, she took a small bite and thought on his words. He was right about all of it, and besides, why should she care about what anything anyone at Shadow Wolf had to say about her? She’d be gone soon enough.

  Swallowing a bite, she peeked up at Modess. He really did look handsome with his new goatee. And that fast, a new worry hit her. How was she ever supposed to act like it didn’t bother her when it finally came time to leave?

  Chapter 24

  One week later, Hillary’s heat had finally subsided. Standing in the bright sun as it filtered through Modess’ open kitchen window, she had to admit, if only to herself, that if Modess hadn’t been there to sate her, she’d have probably gone insane. Granted, it was his fault her heat had hit so hard, but she’d never admit that to him either.

  While she was admitting things though, she also thought on how pleasant it had been to be able to spend her days with him. They’d been inseparable for the entire week and the rest of the pack seemed content to leave them to it. Hell, even Wanda had been shockingly absent from her typically frequent visits. It’d been…nice. She’d had Modess all to herself and they’d spent the week fucking and eating and fucking some more. No, it hadn’t been just fucking. It had been more than that, at least it had been to her. Modess had been so tentative and so gentle that while she’d never experienced it before, she knew it had to be what making love felt like. It hadn’t been awkward either. Every time she’d needed him, he’d seemed to sense it, and usually without her asking, he gave her what she needed without making her feel dirty about it. Afterward, he’d hold her and they’d talk about anything and everything. He was particularly interested in her life back at Shadow Wolf. At
first, she’d been reluctant to share information. It wasn’t right to divulge pack intel with other Alphas, but Modess didn’t ask like he was ever going to use what she told him. They’d grown close and damn if it wasn’t starting to feel like a real relationship. Yesterday, he’d even pulled his cot back out of the closet and said they could go back to their old sleeping arrangement now that her heat had passed. It had meant a lot because it told her he was willing to go slow. She liked it.

  Today, Modess had to go back to handling what he called Alpha duties, but he’d promised to come back for lunch and now, even the prospect of just seeing him had drunken butterflies crashing around her middle.

  Humming to herself as she poured cake batter into cupcake tins, movement out the window caught her eye. It was just Evan and a few other boys from the pack, so she went back to her business, but as her mind processed what she saw, her head jerked back up. Watching the boys out the window, her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned in disapproval. Oh, hell no! Bowl of batter set loudly on the counter, Hillary stormed through the kitchen and out the back door where she barked loudly, “HEY!”

  All three boys jumped and Evan quickly hid his hands behind his back as Hillary approached.

  “What do you boys think you’re doing?”

  “N-nothing,” one of them stammered, looking from her to Evan.

  “Nothing,” Evan stated more firmly.

  Stopping in front of them, Hillary planted her hands on her hips in her best authoritative pose and looked down her nose at Evan before holding out her hand. “Give it here.”

  Evan looked from her to his two friends before pulling his hands from behind his back and handed her the can of snuff they’d been passing around, their little lips full of the poison.

  Hillary stared at the can disapprovingly and gritted out, “Listen to me.” She bent to get closer to their eye level. “If you boys start chewing now, then it’s going to become a habit. By the time you’re young men it’ll be with you more firmly, and when you’re grown men it’ll be almost impossible to break. You don’t want to do that do yourselves.”