Hayden pulled her into a tight embrace. Getting her used to the touching was how he’d described his constant desire to caress some part of her body.
“Anything you want.”
She nodded. “Well then, what I want is for you to take a mid-afternoon break and come upstairs. Let’s see if we really are as compatible as you claim we will be. Why don’t you show me what a true mating entails?”
He sucked in a loud breath, and she grinned. She’d shocked him, and that ruled.
Chapter Five
Hayden tried to keep his hands steady. His mate wanted to go upstairs to the bedroom with him. He cleared his throat. “You sure?” The last thing he needed was to get up there and find out he’d misread the situation. Maybe she just wanted him to change a light bulb or something.
The whisper of her arousal added cinnamon to her honey scent and made him slightly dizzy. He closed his eyes for a quick second to enjoy the smell. When he looked at her again, she leaned closer. “I’m completely sure.”
“Good.” He hauled her into his arms and carried her from the room. She squealed before she covered her mouth with her hand. Behind them several of his pack members started to clap. He grinned. The humans doing the tastings had no idea what had just occurred, and that was okay. If his pack wanted to celebrate his finally getting his mate into bed they could do that. A happy Alpha meant a healthy pack.
Or maybe it didn’t. He was still new to the whole thing…
It took him half the time it usually would to get to the privacy of his rooms, and yet the seconds dragged as if they were hours.
He closed the door behind them with a bang and carried her over to the bed before setting her down. She weighed nothing, and he was extra careful—all too aware of her humanity and the ease with which he could harm her.
She stared up at him with hooded eyes. “What would happen now if I was a werewolf lady?”
He smiled. She said the cutest things. “I think we discussed this. The compatibility thing. We’ll work just fine in the bedroom.”
Better than fine. He couldn’t wait to lick her all over. Once he had her taste deep within his soul, he’d feel more content, less edgy. Or at least he hoped he would. It might put him over the edge and he’d never feel calm again because he’d want to kill anyone who even looked at her.
“I mean, if I was a werewolf, would there be something I could do for you that you would like? Something a female who was raised a werewolf would know you wanted that I don’t know?”
He laughed, tracing the gentle slope of her nose with his finger. “No. Actually, it tends to be the other way around. Females go into heat. They need a lot of sex, and they decide which man they want to provide it. For all of the male’s dominance in the werewolf world, the females rule the bedroom.”
“Is that so?” She raised her voice slightly higher when she asked that question, and he wasn’t sure what it was about. His honey human confused him.
“Yes.” He nodded. “That’s how it is.”
She pushed at his chest, and he moved. If his mate had changed her mind and wanted out, he would give it to her. Hayden would not pressure Chelsea.
“Then maybe it’s time someone took care of you.” She grinned, and he wished he could read her mind, understand what she was thinking. He could smell her arousal, that much was clear, but beyond that it was all confusing. His world had turned upside. Why hadn’t he spent more time learning to understand human women?
“How do you mean?”
She stood and stretched her arms over her head. “Scoot on down here to the edge of the bed.”
He did what she asked, still not entirely certain what his human had in mind. His interactions with the humans had never been of this nature. Maybe he should have been asking her what she would want if he’d been a human male so he could have followed what she…
His thoughts trailed off as she caressed his cock through his pants. He hissed in his breath. What was she doing? No one touched him there except himself, and since he’d met her, he’d found it relatively useless to even stroke himself.
He grabbed her hand. “What are you doing?”
Hayden wanted to bring her pleasure, wanted to see her face soften when she came—multiple times.
“I’m giving you pleasure, silly man.” She sank to her knees and tugged on his slacks after undoing his zipper. They pooled at his feet.
Did she mean what he thought she did? “Um. You don’t have to do that.” Female werewolves didn’t do that. Why would they?
“I like to. Most women do. It’s a power thing.” She grinned, raising her eyes to look at him. “It would make me happy to do this. You wouldn’t deny me a little joy, would you, Alpha-boy?”
He shook his head, suddenly unable to form words. Chelsea discarded his briefs and moved until she was on top of him. With one long movement, she stroked him from balls to the tip of his cock. Hayden jerked, his muscles spasming from the sudden sensation of pleasure surging through his body.
“I’d never stop you from doing anything you desired.” His mouth watered. He wanted her naked. Big time. “But could you do it with fewer clothes on?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You want me to go down on you naked?”
Had he really just blown it? “Too much?”
“No.” She stood up. “Kind of hot actually. Sit back there and watch me take them off for you.”
She started with her shirt. Rocking her hips from side-to-side, she made a dance of removing her clothing, as though she’d learned it in some erotic club. Maybe she had. He didn’t care where she’d picked up the skill. From this moment on, she could move like this for him anytime she wanted to, but for his eyes alone.
“Damn it.” He rubbed at his forehead. “You are so hot.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. I don’t really care. I just like how you look at me.”
Chelsea tugged her pants off and kicked them aside. She didn’t wear a bra. Was she always without one, or had they neglected to get her one when he’d acquired her clothes? He liked the thought of her bare breasts right under her shirt. He’d buy her silk and satin…
Her panties, which were pink—she tossed them aside. She stood before him totally nude, and his chest tightened. She was a sight to behold, perfection in his eyes, and he silently swore that he would never fail her. She’d been gifted to him either by an accident of fate or some special design. He really didn’t care which. Chelsea would be protected in his love for the rest of her life.
She walked toward him, and he ran his hand down her side. When she broke out in goose bumps, he grinned, glad to see he had an effect on her. His feelings had to be clear as dawn with his cock ever hardening.
Chelsea raised an eyebrow. “Your clothes now, hot stuff.”
He would have snorted at the nickname if he could have formed a response. All he could manage was to nod at her direction. He stood up and as fast as he could, removed his clothing.
“Sit back down,” she ordered. He liked this side of her. In the bedroom, she could do whatever she liked, even be in charge.
He did as she commanded, and she moved over him until she knelt in front of him again. With one hand, she lifted his cock. He sucked in his breath. How was he going to survive this? Chelsea had barely touched him, and he was all ready to come in her hand. She bent over, taking the tip of him into her warm, wet mouth.
Hayden sucked in his breath as she bent farther forward, taking him all the way into her throat. He cursed before grabbing onto the bed to restrain himself. No. He bit down on his bottom lip. The first time he came with Chelsea needed to be deep inside her pussy. As much as he loved her mouth…
“Stop, sweetheart. I want to be in you.” He cleared his throat. The sweet torture of her tongue licking him had rendered him basically mindless. “Please.”
She raised her eyes, amusement glistening in them. “All right.” She pulled off. “But it’s your loss because I’m really good at that. When you finally le
t me suck you to completion, you’re going to wish you hadn’t stopped me now.”
He laughed, the sound pounding out. “By the moon, the things you say. I love it.” With a tug, he pulled her to him and then flipped her over so that she was under him. She ran her hands over his chest, and he shuddered.
“You’re so muscular. Do you lift weights?”
Her words caught his attention, and although her eyes were guileless, the slight scent of fear tinged her scent. When he’d let her take on the blowjob, she’d been in charge. Had he taken away her comfort by reasserting himself?
“Have you changed your mind, sweetheart?” He smoothed the hair on her forehead, loving the way her brown tresses ended with the blue dye. His unique love…
“Why would you ask that?” She scrunched up her nose, and he kissed the end of it.
He would always tell her the total truth. Unless it put her life at risk. Then he’d lie every time to keep her safe. “Two reasons. The first is that you just asked me if I lifted weights. Seemed kind of off to me. And the second is that I can scent your nervousness”
“Okay.” She poked at his chest. “We’re going to have to work on you pretending that you can’t scent all my emotions because we’ll never be on even footing where that is possible.”
He stroked down her chest from her chin to her belly button. “You can see potential futures. I think you’ve got me beat.”
“And I can remember them for ten minutes.” She shrugged, and her naked breasts moved when she did. His cock jumped. Somehow he had to find the strength to be patient about this. Even with her nude and laid out in front of him like a goddess.
His good intentions flew away the second she grabbed his cock. “Does this seem like the actions of a person who doesn’t know what she wants? Even if I’m slightly nervous.”
He kissed her mouth hard, trying to show her with his passion that she need never be afraid around him. She returned his intensity, and he finally let himself relax. This was going to be okay. She was his mate, and they’d work it out.
He touched her everywhere, loving the small moans she made and the way she squirmed when he hit the right spot. Her knees seemed to be one of her most sensitive areas, and he grinned about it. Now, anytime he wanted to, he’d simply reach under the table and stroke her there, knowing he could turn her on in public.
She ran her hands up and down his back, and it made his balls harden to the point of actual pain. Chelsea bit down on his shoulder, and he shuddered as a thought plowed through his consciousness.
“I’m going to bite you.”
She smiled, showing teeth. “Yes, please.”
“No, I mean when this is ending, I’ll bite down on your shoulder. Mark you. It will be the sign of our True Mating. Anytime it starts to heal, I’m going to feel compelled to redo it. I can’t control it. One of the werewolf things.” And he really hoped it didn’t weird her out too much.
When she spoke, her voice had lowered a notch, and he didn’t detect any new alarm in her scent. “Bite me, Hayden.”
Her words fueled him forward. He slipped a hand between them and rubbed her clit. The small nub pulsated beneath his fingers, and he intensified his strokes based on the noises and movements she made. Damn if she wasn’t the most responsive lover he’d ever had.
He took her nipple in his mouth. She tasted sweet, and he sucked until it stood at attention and she groaned his name.
“Hayden. Please.”
He knew what she asked for, and it was his pleasure, his honor to give it to her. She pulled up her knees, asking for what she craved next with her body. He moved over her.
“Sweetheart.” He kissed her all over her face. “I want this so much.”
He reached past her and pulled a condom out of his bedside drawer. If she were a werewolf, he wouldn’t be able to get her pregnant unless she was in heat, but his lovely mate was human. He would protect her in any way he could. And thanks to Sal’s interference, he was prepared.
She grabbed the foil from him. “Here, let me.”
He’d take her help. His hands shook, and it might take him forever to perform such simple a task. She handled it and then spread it over his cock, rolling it down him seconds later until he was covered. Her eyes met his, and heat shimmered from them.
“Thank you.” His voice sounded hoarse.
“No.” She licked her lips. “Thank you. Or maybe that’s preliminary. I haven’t seen what you can do with that big dick yet.”
“We’ll have to do something about that.” He scooted over her until he positioned his cock right outside the entry of her hot pussy. Her words fueled him to move faster. She wanted this as much as he did.
With one quick movement, he pushed inside of her, balls deep while she took every inch of him. Her pleasure-filled gasp told him that the same ecstasy travelling through his veins must also be in hers.
He wanted to give her so much pleasure she’d never forget it, ever. Moving slowly at first, he waited until her hip movements matched his pace. Then he sped them both up. She seemed to moan the loudest when he rubbed against her clit, and so he made sure every movement he made included that maneuver.
His ears rang, and sweat formed on his back. By the moon, he craved this woman. Needed her above all things. His mouth ached, and he took a deep breath, trying to hold off the instinct as long as he could. Biting Chelsea would happen, but first he had to see to her pleasure.
“Oh, Hayden.” She squirmed beneath him. “Oh, almost.”
Her body shuddered under his, and he bit down on his lip so hard his extended canines drew blood. Damn it, he couldn’t hold off any longer. With Chelsea’s juices coating his dick, he bit down on her shoulder. She cried out his name, and her fingers dug into his back.
He tried to keep it light, but the animal in him would have none of it. The wolf wanted ownership. Chelsea belonged to him, and the permanent mark he left there would tell the world to back the fuck off. Or they’d be dead.
Her pussy clenched against his still-hardened cock. He tried to make sense of the sensation. She’d already come, and he hadn’t moved since he’d spent inside her. Was the bite doing that? Did she like the feeling?
“Oh, Hayden.” She spoke with her eyes closed. “Do that again.”
He grinned as he let go of her skin. “Count on it.”
****
Hayden wasn’t sleeping when the knock on the door came. He’d scented Sal’s approach earlier. Chelsea slept deeply next to him, her gentle snores telling him how out of it his mate remained. Hopefully whatever Sal wanted wouldn’t take up a great deal of time. He wanted to have Chelsea again before dinner. They’d had three rounds of amazing sex before she’d finally given in to exhaustion.
For his part, he was too wired to close his eyes.
He dressed quickly and cracked open the door. Sal stood looking at the floor.
“Sal?” Hayden spoke and Sal’s raised his eyes, obeying the unspoken command, and finally met his gaze. .
“I’ve had a breakthrough with the True Believers. We did as you said, traced the money starting with the car we hid in the back. And I have an address. Shall I go investigate it?”
Hayden took a deep breath. So much for an afternoon of pure sex. “No. I’ll go.”
“My Alpha…”
Hayden interrupted the complaint he knew Sal would make. “She’s my mate, and it’s my right to defend her. Text me the address. I’m not going to do anything dumb without the pack at my back to defend me. But I’m going to go look so I can see just how much planning we need to do to get them.”
Sal nodded. “We’ll take care of your mate while you’re gone. It’s only half an hour away. Online it looks like a shipping warehouse.”
“Interesting cover.” He nodded. “Tell the guys I’ll be back in a bit.”
He closed the door on Sal and stood still for a moment to steady himself. There was no way in hell he’d let any of them come with him to do what needed to be done. Although his p
ack would always be loyal, they’d also consider it being protective of him to show up even after he’d told them not to.
They’d all put their years with Lucian behind them. They weren’t torturers anymore. But if he found any of the people who had been holding his mate captive for all that time, he’d gladly sacrifice the years he’d spent reinventing himself and become the werewolf he’d been before.
Anything to get to the heart of the group that had harmed his mate and had targeted his people. He’d be damned if they ever got another try at him or anyone else he knew.
His cell phone beeped indicating that Sal had texted him the address. Chelsea mumbled something and rolled over. He crossed to the bed and bent over to kiss her on her cheek. “Sleep. I’ll see you when I get back. Everything will be better then. I promise you that.”
First, he’d find out who was after them, take care of that problem, and then they’d work on figuring out what was going on with her talents. There had to be someone else on the planet who had gone through what she did and knew what to do about it.
He’d find them. Hayden had always been good at tracking down information. It was a gift. Or maybe a curse.
Hayden closed the door behind him and headed down the stairs. He nodded at a group of tourists, and an older white-haired woman with glasses pointed at him. Hayden shook his head. The damn Wine Spectator article.
He walked to his car but stopped halfway there. A cold breeze touched the back of his neck, and he turned around, sniffing the air. There was no scent of anything out of the ordinary to catch his attention, but a shimmering object lay on the ground.
Hayden bent over to pick it up. It was some kind of necklace. Well, it was more like a totem attached to a leather strand that could be worn as a necklace. It was the design itself that caught his attention. Carved out of wood, a female werewolf stared back at him.
He sniffed the jewelry. Although the most recent scent on the piece was human and male, specifically from one of the True Believers he’d destroyed, there was also the distinct scent of female werewolf on the piece. Who the hell had it belonged to?
Dark Fates (A Paranormal Anthology) Page 19
