Bayou Heat Collection Two

by Alexandra Ivy

  CHAPTER 5

  Sage felt Lian stiffen, clearly shocked by her low words.

  Hell, she was shocked.

  She was the typical scholar.

  Introverted, socially awkward, and embarrassingly timid when it came to flirting.

  But somehow this man managed to bring out a side of her she didn’t even know existed.

  When she was with Lian she wanted to be the sort of bold, daring, sexually exciting woman who could drive a man crazy. It didn’t make sense. Certainly not when they were virtually strangers.

  But in this moment, she didn’t care.

  She’d been alone for so long.

  Too long.

  Now her entire body hummed with a desire that she refused to deny.

  Lifting his head, Lian searched her upturned face with a wary expression. She sensed that he expected her to have a sudden panic attack.

  Not surprising.

  She’d never been particularly courageous. Nothing at all like the Pantera females who he no doubt usually chose as his lovers.

  The thought only stiffened her spine.

  He gently cupped her cheek in his palm, his thumb stroking her lower lip.

  “You’re stressed.”

  His senses were too acute for her to lie.

  “True.”

  Regret scorched through his golden eyes. “And I’m taking advantage.”

  She frowned, rebelling at the realization he thought she was too weak to say ‘no’ to his seduction.

  Dammit.

  She might not be Xena warrior woman, but she wasn’t spineless.

  Fisting his shirt in her hands, she went on tiptoe to kiss him with a blatant need.

  “I might not be a Pantera Hunter, but I’m not completely helpless,” she warned, biting his lower lip hard enough to make him hiss with pleasure. “If I wanted to stop you, I would.”

  A sudden heat blasted from his body, his hesitation forgotten as his eyes glowed with a golden fire.

  “Ah yes, I’d nearly forgotten your little trick of trapping me in that net.” A slow, sinful smile touched his mouth as his arms tightened around her. “Someday you’re going to pay for that.”

  The tension that had gripped her since being forced from her home was seared away as she arched into the hard warmth of his body.

  “It isn’t my only trick,” she whispered, rewarded for her bashful flirtation when he gave a soft purr of appreciation and abruptly swept her off her feet.

  “I have a few of my own,” he promised, rubbing his cheek against the top of her head.

  Sometimes he was such a cat.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I need to have you someplace more comfortable.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, vaguely aware of the glossy paneling and tiled floors as he headed toward the stairs at the back of the home. She’d already discovered when she went in search of the bathroom that the house was beautifully maintained, despite the appearance from the outside, with all the modern conveniences a person could want. Now she had far more important things to occupy her mind.

  They entered the nearest bedroom that was decorated in a pale ivory and lilac. Without hesitation Lian was crossing the floor and lowering her onto the massive four-poster bed.

  Sage’s heart thundered in her chest, the spicy scent of his musk stirring her arousal until she could feel a damp heat bloom between her legs.

  Straightening, Lian stared down at her, his entire body Hunter-still as he studied her with a predatory gaze.

  She shivered, her mouth dry. Everything about this man screamed danger, but she’d never been more excited in her life.

  “You have me more comfortable,” she husked, the anticipation flowing through her like the finest aphrodisiac. “Now what are you going to do to me?”

  “First I’m going to strip off these highly unnecessary clothes.”

  Moving to plant one knee on the side of the mattress, Lian leaned down to grasp the hem of her sweatshirt, tugging it over her head with a smooth motion. He offered her a boyish grin of satisfaction as he easily performed the same service for the rest of her clothes, revealing that this was far from the first time he’d stripped a woman.

  But once she was stretched naked on the lilac comforter his amusement faded, to be replaced with an expression of savage ferocity.

  “Oh shit,” he muttered.

  She licked her lips, struggling to breathe. God. She needed to feel his hands on her skin.

  It was becoming a near painful force.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Hell no,” he growled, his heated gaze inspecting her with unnerving intensity. “You’re perfect.”

  “Aren’t you going to take off your clothes?” she urged in husky tones.

  As if sensing she wasn’t as bold as she wanted him to believe, Lian swiftly stripped off his clothing, standing in front of her like a bronzed, exquisitely sculpted work of art.

  Her eyes widened. God almighty. She’d never seen anything more beautiful. He was all male. A feral animal with his broad chest that tapered to a narrow waist and the long, muscular legs.

  On his upper right shoulder she could glimpse a stylized tattoo of a crouching puma that looked ready to pounce.

  And then there was the proud thrust of his arousal…

  Her stomach clenched, her breath hissing between her teeth.

  Okay. She needed this man.

  Now.

  “Better?” he murmured, watching as she stirred with restless frustration.

  Daringly she patted the mattress. “You should be here.”

  “Soon,” he assured her, placing a hand next to her head as he leaned over her. “First I intend to lick you from head to toe.”

  “That sounds—”

  Her words were forgotten as his lips captured the hard point of her nipple.

  She gasped as his tongue flicked over the tender tip, teasing her until she was arching in need. Good lord. She’d never felt anything so amazing.

  It was as if she’d waited her entire life for his touch.

  Licking and biting his way to her other breast, he reached up to tug her hair out of the rubber band to allow it to tumble over her shoulders.

  Instantly his fingers smoothed through the silvery strands.

  “Such glorious hair,” he sighed. “Like liquid moonlight.”

  “Can I feel yours?”

  The gold of his eyes darkened, his cat lurking just beneath the surface.

  “God, yes,” he pleaded.

  He held perfectly still as she slowly undid the long braid, delighting in the midnight texture.

  “It’s soft,” she said in a wondering tone. “And it smells like musk.”

  She combed her fingers through the long strands, allowing it to brush over her naked skin. The sensation triggered a low groan of approval from her parted lips.

  “You smell like summer. Warm days and lemonade,” he breathed, his hands tracing a scorching path over her body even as his teeth sank into the base of her throat.

  The feel of his bite should have shocked her.

  Instead she squeezed her eyes shut as her back arched with excitement.

  “Lian,” she cried out.

  “I told you I was going to taste you.” He returned his attention to her breast, tormenting the tip with his tongue as his hand eased between her legs. “Slowly.” One finger slid between her slick folds. “Thoroughly.”

  “Does it have to be slow?” she rasped as he pressed his thumb against her clit.

  “Oh sweetheart, we can go any speed you want later.” He used the edge of his teeth to bite her nipple before he soothed the small pain with nuzzling kisses. “But this first time I want to savor.”

  Her hips instinctively lifted off the mattress as his finger slid into her aching body, his thumb rubbing her sensitive bundle of nerves at a steady pace.

  “Savoring is good,” she decided, her voice thick with need.

  He gave a soft chuckle. �
��Just good?”

  She tentatively slid her hand down his back, fascinated by the heated silk of his skin. She hadn’t expected fur. Not in his human form. But who knew that he would be so smooth? And hard. And delectable.

  “Maybe excellent,” she conceded.

  “Maybe?” Nuzzling a path up her neck, he teased the corner of her mouth before he kissed her, a stark demand. Sage melted, allowing her tongue to tangle with his as his finger thrust deep inside her. “I see you’re one of those tough professors,” he at last whispered against her lips. “What does it take to get an A from you?”

  Sage scraped her nails over the rippling muscles of his back, delighted when he shuddered in pleasure.

  She could have told him that the few classes that she taught online had earned her the nickname ‘Hard-Ass Parker.’ Right now, however, she was fully prepared to be generous.

  Especially as he kissed a path down to her aching breasts, giving each nipple a lingering caress before heading ever lower.

  “Sometimes I grade on the curve,” she assured him.

  He glanced up, his eyes smoldering with a hunger that sent a thrill of anticipation inching down her spine.

  “A challenge,” he said, his expression one of wicked promise.

  Sage tried to swallow, her body vibrating with an acute tension.

  “Not really—” Her words broke off in a strangled cry as his lips skimmed down the flat plane of her stomach. Her fingers clenched in his hair, her muscles trembling with delicious anticipation. “Oh.”

  He traced the curve of her hip, the abrasive sensation of his five o’clock shadow against her skin oddly erotic.

  “I thought some extra credit would help.”

  “It’s—” She hissed as settled between her legs and licked the liquid heat that pooled in her pussy.

  Raw lust blasted through her, making her toes curl and her thoughts fracture.

  “Yes?” he teased, tugging her legs farther apart.

  “Stop talking,” she commanded, sliding her foot down his bare back.

  His eyes sparkled with mischievous humor. “Yes, Dr. Parker. I was always better with my hands.” Another mind-destroying lick. “And tongue.”

  Oh, yeah. He was really, really good with his tongue, she silently applauded.

  Running her foot up and down his back, she groaned in pleasure as he fucked her with his finger at the same time he licked her clit with skillful expertise.

  She writhed beneath him, desire spiraling toward a critical peak.

  “Lian,” she hissed in warning.

  Easily sensing she was close, Lian kissed his way back up her body, balancing on his elbows as he peered down at her.

  “I see your cat,” she murmured, hypnotized by the feral wildness that lurked deep in his eyes.

  “And he sees you.” His voice was rough as his animal prowled near the surface. “He wants you in the worst way. Are you ready?”

  She groaned, her hands cupping his face as she allowed him to see the depth of her need.

  “So ready,” she rasped, not about to confess that after years of celibacy she’d been ready for him the instant he’d snuck into her cottage.

  That was just…pathetic.

  “Thank god. I don’t think I can wait another second,” he confessed, his musk teasing at her senses. “You’ve gutted me, Dr. Parker.”

  Her fingers explored the chiseled line of his jaw before moving down to chart the broad width of his shoulders.

  “Is that bad?”

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We’re both about to find out.”

  Even prepared, Sage cried out as he angled his hips and pierced her with one smooth thrust. Good lord. She felt invaded. Stretched to the limit, until she slowly became accustomed to his large cock.

  She grasped his shoulders, shivering as his hair slid around them like a curtain of satin as he rocked in and out of her, each time thrusting deeper.

  It was slow and tender and shockingly intimate.

  She was being overwhelmed by Lian, lost in the heat and beauty of the moment.

  The thought should have terrified her. She was a reclusive spinster who never allowed anyone close. But at this moment she wanted—no, she needed—to share herself on a primitive level.

  Muttering low words of encouragement as she lifted her hips to meet his growingly urgent thrusts, Lian cupped her breasts, using his thumbs to tease at her nipples.

  Sage groaned, digging her nails into his shoulders as he hit a magical spot that made her gasp as shocking pleasure jolted through her.

  “Lian.”

  “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he muttered against her mouth, his body pressing even deeper.

  She struggled to breathe.

  She was close.

  So deliciously close.

  His hands lowered to grasp her legs, urging them around his hips as he pounded into her. At the same time, he buried his face in the curve of her neck, sinking his teeth into the tender flesh.

  She screamed as her orgasm slammed into her with shattering force at the same time Lian groaned and released his seed deep inside her.

  Bliss splintered through her before she was slowly floating back to earth, wrapping her arms around Lian.

  She held him close, wishing this moment never had to end.

  For the first time in forever, she wasn’t alone.

  ***

  Lian reluctantly pulled out of Sage’s body, pressing his lips to the mark he’d made on her neck before he was gently gathering her boneless body into his arms.

  Gutted indeed, he wryly conceded.

  It wasn’t just the savage ferocity of their lovemaking.

  That had been…spectacularly fantastic. And he fully intended to indulge his sexual hunger as frequently as Sage was willing.

  But it was the soul-deep realization that destiny had just crashed down on him that made him smile in wonderment.

  His mate.

  His cat had known from the minute he’d caught her citrusy scent, although his human nature had taken just a little longer.

  It was, after all, a life-changing event.

  Now both sides were in perfect agreement.

  This woman belonged to him.

  And he was never going to let her go.

  Silently running his fingers through the silken strands of her hair, he contemplated how long he had to wait before informing her that she was fated to spend the rest of her life with him, when the chime of his phone made him groan in frustration.

  Reluctantly releasing his hold on Sage, Lian rolled off the mattress and dug his phone out of the pocket of his jeans.

  “Damn,” he muttered, reading the text message.

  Sitting up, Sage modestly tugged the sheet up to her chin. As if he hadn’t kissed every satin inch of her pale skin.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Our escorts are almost here.”

  A satisfying hint of disappointment darkened her eyes to charcoal.

  “So soon?”

  “They were coming from Bossier City,” he said, not sharing the information that they’d been traveling through the south to gather families of the Pantera and return them to the Wildlands.

  He’d already terrified her enough, thank you very fucking much.

  “Oh.”

  Lian watched in amusement as she scrambled off the bed and hastily began to jerk on her clothes.

  Clearly she was embarrassed by the thought of getting caught in bed during the middle of the day.

  He dressed at a much more leisurely pace, anticipating the pleasure of challenging that modesty on a regular basis.

  Not that he would ever change her.

  His shy, scholarly beauty was perfect.

  But Pantera were openly affectionate creatures who craved touch from their mates. And of course, his family was extremely high maintenance when it came to demanding attention.

  It was going to be interesting to watch her adapt.

  Crossing the short
space, he smoothed her hair behind her ears and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

  “It’s okay. They’re going to wait for us in the garage,” he assured her, a stab of fear twisting his heart as he felt her stiffen beneath his touch. Lifting his head, he studied her with a growing concern. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Her lashes lowered to hide her expressive eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Blatant deflection.

  His thumbs brushed the inside of her wrists, monitoring the unsteady pulse.

  “Because we both know things just changed between us,” he said, unwilling to try to pretend their time together was anything less than life-altering.

  She kept her head lowered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He clicked his tongue, releasing her hands so he could gently tip her face up to meet his wry smile.

  “For the record, you’re a piss-poor liar.”

  She heaved a small sigh. “I need time to…process.”

  He wrinkled his nose, sliding a finger down the length of her jaw.

  “I’m pushing again.”

  “Yes.”

  “Sorry.”

  She arched a brow, her lips twitching with a burst of humor.

  “No, you aren’t.”

  Relief jolted through him. She might be stunned by the force of their attraction, but she wasn’t frightened.

  At least not yet.

  “Busted,” he admitted with a chuckle, rubbing their noses together. “It’s my nature to go for the kill, but anytime you need me to back down just tell me, sweetheart.” He stole a soft, lingering kiss. “I don’t ever want you to feel overwhelmed.”

  “Hmm.” She gave a tug on his hair. “I suspect you overwhelm most people.”

  True. He didn’t have the brooding intensity of a Raphael or Parish, but his feral power tended to make most people avoid pissing him off.

  “Not you,” he swore, holding her gaze. “Never you.”

  Unexpectedly she reached up to thread her fingers through his hair that he hadn’t bothered to braid.

  Hell, he might never braid it again if Sage liked it loose.

  And if that made him pussy-whipped…good.

  “Only in the best way,” she assured him in husky tones.

  On cue his entire body went up in flames, his erection pressing painfully against his zipper.

  “Oh hell, Dr. Parker, you might be a genius, but your timing sucks,” he growled, wrapping his arms around her so he could press her tight against his aching cock. Then, knowing it was going to leave his balls blue, he kissed her with an urgency that had both of them panting before he reluctantly released his tight hold and headed toward the door. “Wait here,” he muttered.