Leopard's Blood

by Christine Feehan

  She made a little moue with her lips, sending fire streaking like an arrow straight to his cock, or maybe it was her defiance and his need to conquer. Or just her. Just Sonia.

  "Joshua, I want to give you my word, I want to give you anything you ask for, but I'd be lying to you and I think you know that."

  He yanked open the front door and all but thrust her inside. They were going to talk his way and she was going to understand she was going to give him her word and by God, she would keep it too. He'd forgotten Molly. The woman flung herself at Sonia, nearly knocking her down.

  Swearing under his breath, he stood back and watched the two women. What were they going to say to Molly and hopefully Bastien? Sasha was capable of killing the man. If Joshua was being strictly honest with himself, he knew he could as well, given the right circumstances. The monster lurking in him was always out for blood, and if Sonia was threatened in any way, he knew he would kill to protect her.

  "I'm safe," she reassured. "Sasha thought I'd been kidnapped and he wanted to save me. He wasn't the one who'd planted the bomb. It was his father. Sasha all along worked to keep me alive when his father wanted me dead."

  "Oh, no," Molly said. "Bastien is pissed. He's after whoever kidnapped him and took me out of his house. He's really, really angry. If he finds out Sasha did it, he'll try to arrest him."

  Sonia frowned. "That wouldn't be good." She glanced over her shoulder at Joshua.

  He waited, wondering what she would say. Sasha had taken a cop prisoner. He'd sent that cop's girlfriend on an errand. Bastien would have been alone, wondering what they were doing to his woman. If that had been Joshua, and he found out who had done it, he would have killed them all. Nothing, no one, would have been safe until he got Sonia back. Even then, he would have exacted vengeance.

  "You really didn't know who took him," Sonia pointed out. "They were Russian, but they could have been hired by Blake's family. You have no real idea who they were or what they wanted. The last thing you want is for the Russian mob to come after you and Bastien, Molly. Believe me, they never stop. If they want Bastien dead because he arrests one of their own, sooner or later it will happen."

  Molly gasped and put a hand to her throat. "I didn't think about that."

  "What did you tell him?"

  "He was completely in the dark. He didn't know what they wanted and I just said they wanted you, Sonia. He's going to come here and demand to know what happened. I should call him and let him know you're safe. He's out looking for you, along with the entire police, sheriff and highway force."

  "I'm sorry, your phone was thrown out onto the road," Sonia admitted. "And mine is smashed to smithereens."

  Joshua took out his and handed it to Molly. "Call him, but if you don't want him to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life, you need to come up with a story."

  He didn't like that they were protecting Sasha, but the man could be an ally now, when his father was sure to attack, and also after when he ran the Bogomolov empire. His mind began to come up with plausible stories for Bastien; after all, it was what he did best.

  17

  SONIA gasped with every smack on her bright red bottom. He gently rubbed the heat into her decorated cheeks, all the while strumming her clit with his other hand. He'd been at this for some time. His cock felt as if it might shatter, so full and hard it was brutal waiting. Angry sex would have been a great release, but he couldn't sustain anger at her. He gave her another smack, watching her face, seeing the flush spread, the way she bit her lower lip, hearing her small, panting cry of pure need.

  "Joshua." His name came out in a breathless keen. "Please."

  "Please what?"

  "I need you in me." Each word was punctuated with her breath.

  He fucking loved that. He loved holding her right on the edge, denying her release, taking her up over and over. She was so beautiful like this. Bent over the bed, hands fisting in the sheets, her legs spread out, his thighs between them while he played with her body. While he worshiped every inch of her.

  She totally trusted him or she would never have allowed his kind of play. Why hadn't her brain remembered that trust when she'd needed it most? He gave her another smack, because just thinking about her leaving him, her talking suicide, her trading her life for his or Bastien's nearly broke him.

  It had taken hours for the cops to leave. He knew Bastien was still suspicious, but he'd dropped his interrogation, allowing the others to do the job because he was part of the investigation. During those hours, with the police invading his home, he'd watched Sonia protect her ex-husband. She'd been brilliant at it. She'd been careful never to word her story the same way twice and she'd cautioned Molly to be careful of that as well. Molly, thankfully, hadn't known much. Sonia had handled the cops like a pro. She'd be an asset to him. She'd been cool under the bombardment of questions, known when to have a small breakdown and remained adamant that she never saw those who'd taken her.

  She'd been beautiful sitting there, looking vulnerable. He'd seen more than one cop staring at her breasts, the way they jutted out under that tight tee. He'd been able to make out both nipples. When she'd moved, her breasts swayed, drawing attention to her lush curves. He'd sat with his cock a fucking rock, a steel spike with no relief. He hadn't been the only man in the room with his body out of control.

  Once he'd thought about getting a sweater or something to cover her up, but that vulnerable, fragile, sexy-as-hell look had had every man believing her bullshit--with the exception of Bastien. Joshua's admiration and respect for her grew, but he detested the fact that it was Sasha she'd been defending. By the time the cops left, his need to stake his claim on her had grown to unhealthy lengths. He'd known it, but hadn't cared. Then he'd had to wait until Bastien took Molly home.

  The moment the door was closed, he'd turned without a word, picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. He'd taken the stairs two at a time, tossed her on the bed and ripped her tee right down the front. He'd been wanting to do that for hours. Hours. He had plans. She was going to suffer. Not the way he had, but still . . .

  He'd spent an hour kissing Sonia after carrying her up to the bedroom. Kissing every inch of her. He'd needed that. Needed to feel her skin under his mouth and hands. He'd needed to know she was alive and with him. She'd cried out when he kissed her inner thighs and left strings of bright red strawberries and teeth marks, but he'd only nuzzled her clit and left her empty and needy to turn her over, a fast, abrupt move that had left her breathless.

  He'd taken the opportunity to yank her down to the edge of the bed, kick her feet apart and wedge his body between her thighs. She'd thought she was going to get him, take his cock, have him bury it deep in her slick, hot sheath. She'd been very, very wrong. He'd caught the nape of her neck and held her down.

  "Keep your arms out. Don't you dare lift them. You deserve everything you're going to get." It had been her only warning. The first smack had been hard. Hard enough to have her yelp. When he'd seen she was going to stay where he wanted, he'd plunged two fingers into her. Her keening cry was music to him. He'd known she loved this as much as he did--she liked rough. She liked the way the heat spread across all her nerve endings and sent fire straight to her core. He'd wanted to hear her say it. He needed it.

  He smacked her over and over, rubbing in the heat between each whack and strumming her clit or curling fingers to caress that sweet little spot that drove her insane. "You really love this, don't you?" he asked.

  "Yes," she whispered. "It isn't a punishment, if that's what you're thinking."

  He knew that. He was careful to control how much force he used, just enough to warm her bottom and bring every nerve ending to life. Her breath came in sobbing gasps. Wet glistened on her thighs, an invitation to his parched mouth, and he took it, leaving a series of strawberries and bite marks up her quivering thighs while he indulged his need for her addictive taste.

  He knew her. Every shudder of her body. The way her muscles rippled,
the way her breath hitched right before she toppled. Each time she got close, he stopped, taking away his hands, his mouth.

  "Joshua." His name was a long, drawn-out wail.

  She tried to lift her head and he pushed her back to the bed, holding her still. "This is your punishment for nearly killing me. For letting those bastards take you. And, baby, I can keep this shit up all night. I'm enjoying myself. Are you?"

  "No. I said I was sorry." Her voice came out a sob of need. Of pure hunger.

  His woman, needy for him. He loved that. "You make music when you're so needy, did you know that? I fuckin' love the way you sound when you're beggin' me for my cock." His tongue swiped through all that heat. She was scorching hot. "Poor deprived, very bad girl. You love my cock, don't you?"

  "Yes." She bared her teeth at him and wiped the dots of sweat on her forehead along the sheet, trying to get some relief. "You? Not so much right now."

  Sonia's eyes blazed with fire. With passion. Those beautiful lips of hers nearly sent him over the edge. He was dripping with a need of his own. He stood up, put one knee on the bed, so he was right next to her head. So his cock was inches from that mouth--the one he craved. He kept one hand on the nape of her neck, pinning her down, the other sliding over his cock. A tight fist. It felt damn good. Watching her stare with wide, desperate eyes felt even better.

  "I could barely think. Barely function. You did that to me. What if our child was inside of you? You put not only yourself but our baby in danger." Anger flared through him, bright and hot all over again, anger mixed with sheer terror. The thought of losing her, a woman who could accept him just as he was, walk by his side on a dangerous path, take whatever he wanted to give in the bedroom or anywhere else he wanted, had left a dark hole in him. The monster had crawled out. She was all brightness. Despite her past, she was still bright and happy and so sweet she took his breath. He'd almost lost that.

  He pressed the broad head of his cock against her lips. Her gasp of air was warm. It carried the hint of desperation and need. She parted her lips, her tongue touched him and he nearly blew apart. He'd never been so hard in his life. The hand at the nape of her neck bunched her hair, half lifted her head and he thrust between her parted lips, filling her mouth. So hot. So tight. Paradise.

  He moved in her, trying to force his body to be as gentle as he knew how--which wasn't much, but he watched her face. When she closed her eyes, he tightened his hold on her hair, pulling on her scalp until those impossibly long lashes lifted and he was staring directly into her eyes. They were so dark with lust he couldn't help the next thrust, his cock swelling until he knew he was going to explode.

  "Keep looking at me," he bit out.

  Fire. It was pure fire. Pure paradise. He wanted to keep feeling her mouth, her tongue, the way she sucked. The squeeze of her muscles. There was no holding back. Jet after jet rocketed down her throat. She tried to keep up, but the angle on the bed was difficult. He didn't care. He refused to let her up.

  He loved the way she looked, her eyes bright, a little dazed, that desperation still there, her hips squirming, still marked by him. There were marks all over her body--his marks proclaiming she belonged to him. He loved that she wore them under her clothes, and he knew when they faded, there would be more, new ones.

  He grinned at her, watched her lick her lips as he pulled his cock free and fisted it. "Look at that, baby, I'm still hard. That's because you're so sexy. Do you still want this?"

  She nodded. "Please."

  He stepped off the bed to stand behind her, admiring his handiwork. He loved looking at her red, round ass. She was gorgeous. He still couldn't believe he'd found her and she was so perfect for him. "You are still in trouble."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "I have plans for tonight, Sonia. Hell is coming and I'm going to need to be able to keep my mind on work, not on worrying about whether or not you put yourself in danger." He couldn't help rubbing his hand over her left cheek. It was still hot. His handprint was fading.

  "I won't."

  "You will. You're so stubborn." He bent to kiss the two indentations above her ass. "You need 'property of Joshua' tattooed right here, so every time I take you like this, every time I have to punish you like this--and I know damn well that will be plenty of times--I can look at it with satisfaction."

  He bent his head to her because all that hot nectar belonging to him was escaping. She screamed when his mouth moved on her, devouring her, suckling, tongue alternately fluttering and stabbing. He pinched her clit and she went wild, bucking against his mouth. He lifted his head. "Don't. Don't you dare come."

  "I can't stop."

  "Find a way. If you want this, control yourself." He grinned, knowing there was no control. His own cock was out of control, once again harder than a rock. He loved her. He loved her body. He loved that she let him play like this. Nothing restrained her. She could stop him anytime. One word. Getting off the bed. Anything at all to indicate the play was too rough for her and she knew he would stop instantly, but she stayed, arms stretched out, fists bunching the sheet, head thrashing, breasts pushed deep into the mattress.

  He couldn't help himself when she struggled to control her breathing, taking in deep breaths to quiet her body. He turned his head, sucking her delicate skin as high as possible on her inner thigh, not stopping until his brand was there. He did the same thing to the other side. All the while his fingers moved in and out of her, curling and then uncurling, rubbing that sweet spot and then scissoring deep. She was panting, making little mewling noises.

  He stood behind her, close, his feet spread, forcing her legs apart so she was open to him. He pushed the broad head into all that heat. She squeezed down on him, and he threw his head back. Ecstasy. Pure ecstasy. He drove deep and she screamed so loud he was afraid every one of his men would come running. It wouldn't matter if they did. Nothing could stop him. Her body surrounded him, hot scorching silk, slick with honeyed liquid, bathing him in her, gripping so tight he felt like he was in a living, silken vise, all those muscles massaging and milking.

  "I can't . . . I can't . . ." Her head thrashed, her body bucking back against his wildly.

  "Fly, baby, now. Go high." He drove deeper, lifting her hips into him, taking the lower half of her body right off the bed so he had more of an angle.

  She screamed again, a long wail of joy as her body clamped down hard, convulsing around his. Over and over, the ripples kept coming and he kept driving right through them, feeling that burning pleasure that rocked him from his toes to the top of his head. He didn't know if she had one long continuous orgasm or if the hard pistoning of his body brought her up over and over fast, but those muscles worked his cock until he had no way to stop his release.

  He'd never felt anything like it, that fire spreading through him like a storm, flames licking over his skin, through his groin, consuming him. His roar of satisfaction was nearly as loud as her screams. She milked him for every last drop, wringing him dry. He collapsed over top of her, his arms stretching out along hers to find her hands. He threaded his fingers through hers and tried not to let his body come down from that place she always took him.

  They lay there, Joshua fighting for breath, fighting to keep it together. She'd taken him over. Taken his heart. His soul. She fucking owned him. He might say it was the other way around, but he knew every inch of him belonged to her. It was terrifying.

  "Are you all right?" He pressed kisses into the nape of her neck and down her spine.

  "Yes. But I can't walk. I'm not certain I can sit either."

  He smiled and just the fact that she could make him smile when his heart beat out of control and deep inside he was panicking that he would lose her was a miracle. He rubbed her left cheek and then her right, his thumb sliding along those marks with reverence and pleasure.

  "You don't deserve to sit. You took years off my life, Sonia." He rolled off her and pressed his fingers to his eyes. "God, baby. I never want to feel like that again."<
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  She rolled to her side and put her arm around his waist. "I'm sorry, Joshua. I couldn't think beyond getting them away from you."

  "I told you what happened in Borneo. What I became. What I did. That's what got out tonight. I could have hurt a lot of people. I would have. I would have walked through a river of blood to get you back. Understand that. Understand what I'm saying to you. You don't put yourself in danger. You or our children. Not ever. You can't ever let that monster loose on the world. I'm not certain you could live with the things he's capable of doing, and I wouldn't let you go."

  There was a small silence. He opened his eyes, turned his head and looked at her. She had tears tracking down her face. "I won't, Joshua. I won't do that to you. I know it was bad in Borneo, but whatever you did, they deserved it."

  "No one deserves the things I did. A bullet in the head, yes. What I did, no. There's always going to be that darkness in me, Sonia." He hesitated, his hand reaching for hers. He waited until their fingers were threaded together. "I'm always going to need what we have now, in the bedroom. You know that, don't you?" He wanted so much more for her and he vowed he'd learn gentle. He'd learn how to touch her with the reverence he felt for her, at least sometimes.

  She nodded and leaned close to brush a kiss along his bicep. "I need it too. I wouldn't let you touch me that way if I didn't want it. I've learned a lot about myself in this last year. I've had to grow up and rely solely on myself. That was good for me. I know if you ever did something I didn't like, I'd tell you."

  He had no idea he'd been knotted up inside. Waiting for her to tell him she couldn't handle the things he needed. He should have known better. She was--everything. He brought her hand to his mouth and brushed kisses along her knuckles. "I would stop immediately. I want to give you pleasure, Sonia. I love to hear you scream my name. Making you wait heightens what you feel."

  She nuzzled his shoulder. "I'm aware of that. It's just that when you've got your hands or mouth on me, sometimes it's so intense I think I might lose my mind."