by Celia Kyle
Tess sniffled. “Okay.”
“Okay, what? Okay you believe me or okay don’t say it again?”
“Okay, I believe you, but I don’t think I can hear it again.” She took a deep breath, her breasts straining against her small top, and he forced his gaze to remain intent on her face. “Someday, you’ll find your mate and I’ll be barely a memory. Once things settle, I’ll hunt up a nice town where no one knows me and have a nice, boring life. I’m not meant to be with a shifter, Harding. Ever.”
There was a hard finality in her tone and his lion roared in displeasure, clawing at him and demanding that he overpower Tess. She was his mate. She would be with him. That nice town would be Ridgeville.
Sensing the overwhelming pain that seemed to wrap around her body, he swallowed the words and simply nodded. “Okay, sweet. Let’s watch some late night TV for a while then.” She pulled away from him, moving as if to stand, and he tugged her back to him. “Lemme just hold you, okay?”
“Harding…” She whined.
“Just a little.”
With a grump, she settled back against him, wiggling into place once again, and he smothered the moan that built in his chest. She had to feel his cock beneath her ass, his length fully hard and trapped between them. Yet she didn’t pull away. That action, or lack of action, gave him a spark of hope.
Maybe she wasn’t as unaffected. Maybe…
The TV glowed in the darkness, images changing as she flicked through the various channels. Every so often the rapid flick from one to another would pause and Tess would smack the remote against her palm. “Damn thing.” Another few shows sped by and then it stopped once again. “It hasn’t worked right since I whacked Jackie with it.”
Harding stiffened. “When was that?”
She pointed the remote at the TV. “Huh?” More shows passed by. “Yesterday maybe? She was being pissy.”
“About what?”
Tess shrugged. “Same bitch, different shit.”
“Uh-huh.”
Her flippant response worried him, and he made a mental note to talk with security. He knew cameras were set up within the common areas of the compound. Actually, they were in every room, but Stone had the ones in the private rooms turned off. The women had gone through enough. They didn’t need a bunch of men spying on them like Freedom had.
She didn’t look at him, but he sensed her new tension until it felt as if he held a rigid block of cement instead of cradling the relaxed woman of moments before. Harding stroked her arm, gently petting her until some of that tightness left her body. “You’ll let me know if there’s a problem? I told you that I’m here to protect you from people on the outside and inside, Tess.”
She nodded, but didn’t say anything, just kept flicking through the channels. He let her have her silence. Despite her protest, he’d made a little headway with her. He’d stated his desires. She may have rebuffed him, but she was still in his arms and wasn’t shying from his erection.
The remote stopped once again and a masculine groan followed by a feminine gasp brought his attention to the TV.
A TV showing lovely, late-night, soft-core porn.
And no rapid slap of the remote against Tess’s palm followed. Nope, but the delicate, sticky-sweet scent of her arousal did drift toward him, taunting him and his cat.
Which brought Harding to one conclusion: God hated him.
*
Oh, someone hated her. Probably God. Or else the Devil loved her. Yeah, that could be it. Now that she’d told Harding in no uncertain terms that she didn’t want him, she’d found porn. Porn that merely shoved Tess over the edge, allowing her desire to rear its ugly head. The expansion of Harding’s chest told her that he’d caught the scent of her arousal, and her cheeks heated. Damn. Damn. Damn.
She opened her mouth to… What? Tell him to stop breathing?
Before she uttered a single syllable, a soft moan and whispered words drew her attention to the screen. Oh, God. She needed to close her eyes and never open them again.
The couple was nude, the strong lines of the man’s muscles straining against his skin. A thin woman, void of any of Tess’s curves, sat on the edge of a bed with legs splayed wide. This wasn’t hard-core porn, but something that was run on premium cable, so they weren’t shown anything explicit. But she could imagine. With the way the man crouched between the woman’s thighs, the movements of his head and arms, she pictured him licking her, sucking her clit and sliding his fingers into her pussy.
Tess squirmed, body growing warmer by the second. Why now? Why did she have to land on porn while wrapped in Harding’s arms?
Part of her acknowledged that she could smack the remote and move on. Except… The devil in her wanted to watch just a tiny bit longer.
So she did.
Harding was motionless beneath her, his breathing the only hint that he was alive. His hands remained in place, firm without hurting or squeezing her. But his cock… It throbbed against her ass, pulsing and pushing. He’d been hard from the moment she was pulled onto his lap, but he thickened further with the appearance of the nude bodies.
The lithe woman slid her palm over her flat stomach, venturing higher and higher until she reached her breast. She squeezed and kneaded the small mound, occasionally pinching her nipple. A low moan filled the air, soft on the gentle breeze from the fan, and Tess couldn’t decide if it came from her or the TV. She swallowed hard. Please let it not be me.
The actress looked nothing like Tess. There were no curves or plump rolls revealing that she carried a few (or dozen) extra pounds. But she could imagine… She could imagine herself as Harding saw her: lush and beautiful. She pretended she was the woman at the end of the bed, body spread and welcoming Harding’s ministrations. He’d lap and lick her, feast on her pussy like she were the sweetest treat and then…
And then she remembered that she didn’t want him or his teasing smiles and hunky muscles. Nope. She didn’t want him, or any other man, be they human or shifter. Especially a shifter. Things could someday get out of hand, and he could bite her and then she’d Change and then…
Then they’d wonder who was worse: Tess or her father.
Closing her eyes, she raised the remote, intent on smacking it against her palm so she could change the channel. Nothing good would come of fantasies and what ifs. Nothing.
Harding’s thick, strong arms tightened around her. His hands shifted and stroked her until she realized that she no longer sat across his lap, but with her back against his chest. Her legs rested on either side of his thighs, leaving her open and spread wide.
No. No no no no. She wiggled and shifted, doing her best to bring her knees together. She was sure the scent of her cream filled the room enough without her baring all. Plus, she didn’t want to sit like the woman on the screen, the actress being driven wild by the actor’s mouth on her pussy. No, she didn’t want that. At all.
A low shush followed by “easy” ceased her struggles. She froze, waiting to hear what else Harding had to say. Because as much as she didn’t want him, she truly did. Bad idea or not. Claw tipped fingers scraped over the tops of her thighs, leaving pink welts in their wake. A shiver of desire snaked its way along her spine, that hint of pain merely adding to her need for him.
Tess tightened her hold on the remote and brought it down, intent on stopping this…this. Only one of those deadly hands wrapped around her wrist, holding her in a gentle immovable grasp. He traced her inner thigh with his free hand, his nails coming closer and closer to her pussy.
“Just give me a few minutes.” He grew even nearer until barely an inch separated his fingers from her heat. “You won’t let me have you, but let me pretend for just a few minutes.”
“Harding…” She couldn’t bite back her whine.
“Shh…”
So she remained quiet, kept her mouth shut while the woman on the screen rocked against her lover’s mouth.
And if Tess mimicked the woman’s movements in barely perceptible in
crements, rubbing her ass against Harding’s length, neither of them said anything.
She didn’t utter a sound when the actress begged for more as her small, pink nipples hardened.
And if Tess’s grew taut as well, pressing against her thin tank top until the nubs were easily seen, neither of them said anything.
Then the woman slid her hand down between her legs, disappearing from sight, but Tess could imagine what she was doing.
And if Tess’s arm twitched, jerking toward her pussy so she could rub her aching clit, neither of them said anything.
Above all, when her pussy clenched and released more of Tess’s cream, the scent permeating the air, neither of them said anything.
A shudder overtook her, and a bolt of arousal caused her limbs to jerk. Her clit twitched, silently begging for a touch that wasn’t her own. She’d never been stroked and caressed by hands that didn’t belong to her, and Harding’s closeness left her with a big case of “what if.”
Warm, moist air bathed her neck. “See something you like, Tess?”
She did. Oh, God, she did. She wanted to be that woman writhing in pleasure instead of the scared little thing she’d turned out to be. She wanted…
One of those tormenting hands ghosted over her mound, teasing her weeping pussy. Cloth still separated them, but the heat of his palm cupping the juncture of her thighs was unmistakable.
She was going to push him away. Any moment now.
Then he rubbed her. His hand stroked her in gentle, unhurried movements. Up, then down, then up again. He didn’t try and delve beneath the fabric of her shorts, didn’t push things any further. He didn’t have to. No, not when that foreign touch was enough to get her panting. No one had ever explored her body, stroked her pussy or made her feel like a desirable woman.
No one but Harding.
As the woman on the screen writhed and begged, he increased his pace. The pressure remained light, but his speed… Oh, God! He tormented and teased her, rubbing and stroking and easing her toward the edge. If he kept this up, she’d come, she’d whimper and scream his name and bring the entire compound running to her side.
She’d make him stop.
In a minute.
Because she was there, right there, right on the edge now and gathering her strength to fly off the cliff. Her untried pussy clenched and tightened on air, seeming to scream for something thick and long to slide inside.
Harding had something thick and long.
No, bad Tess.
Yes, she was very, very bad. She was wicked and naughty and…
So, very, very close to coming. The ultimate pleasure loomed, and she could almost grab the sensations. One more caress, one more stroke of his fingers over her cotton-covered pussy, and then she’d—
The hard scrape of a fang snapped her from her thoughts. The sharp tooth slid over her skin, tracing the length of her neck, and then Harding nipped her earlobe. “Tess?”
That nip. Fuck. How could she be so stupid? She’d already risked enough by being near him, but to get this close to ruining so many lives was just selfish. And stupid. Her wants and desires were nothing compared to the safety of others.
Her arousal quickly died, deflating until no hint of the desire she’d felt existed any longer. Then she jerked away from his teeth, the deadly points that carried both pleasure and so much pain for shifters. “Lemme go, Harding.”
“You smell so good, sweet.” He nuzzled her, another slide of his fangs over her vulnerable skin. It’d be so easy to let him take over, nibble and kiss her until she was willing to do whatever he wanted. But then those nips would grow more insistent. She’d seen it often enough. Shifters derived pleasure from biting while fucking, and she didn’t imagine Harding would be any different. Except biting a human, even if she wasn’t purely human, would initiate the Change, and that could never, ever be risked.
Because there was no telling what she’d become.
She’d kill herself before she released that level of crazy on the world.
Tess jerked against his hold, spine stiff while she struggled. “Lemme go.” Another yank. “Now, Harding.”
“Tess?” He hesitated for a bare second, hold easing, and she took her chance.
With a great wrench, she bolted, putting as much space as she could between them. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, suddenly feeling underdressed and exposed. The scent of her cream still surrounded her, but it was muted, distant now that her desire had fled. “You need to go.”
Need abandoned his features, and confusion took its place. How she wanted to wipe those lines away, assure him that everything was fine. But it wasn’t. She’d come so close… Even in the low light she saw the thick length of his cock straining against his sweats. Her body wanted him, craved him. That part of her that hinted at an inner-animal urged her to get closer, bathe in his flavors and give in to his every desire. But the human half wouldn’t risk it.
“You need to go, Harding.” Her voice was hoarse, pain tainting the words, but she was resolved. This wasn’t happening.
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to. You just need to walk away.” She looked away from him, hating herself.
“That’s not happening.” He growled at her, but she refused to relent.
“Yes, it is,” she snapped. “I’m being noble, damn it. It’s better if this ends before it becomes something more.” It wasn’t just the world she worried about. There was her heart to consider, too. Already she was more drawn to him than any other. There was no denying the string that tethered them together and grew shorter every day. Bit by bit, that length tugged until it was becoming harder to avoid him.
He moved quicker than she thought possible. One moment he was across the room, and the next he stood before her, over six feet of heavily-muscled male nearly touching her needy body. He buried his hands in her hair, fisting the strands and yanking her head back until she was forced to meet his gaze.
“It already is more.” His eyes paled even further. “It’s more and more and then even more.” The smooth planes of his face sharpened. “I’m never letting you go.”
She tried to shake her head in denial, but he held her fast. “You have to.”
His fangs dropped, distorting the shape of his mouth. “Never.”
A shiver overtook her, a hint of fear and intense desire warring inside her body. No one had ever wanted her like this. There’d been those that craved her, evil spurring their actions, but this was something different. It was a primal call that her body wanted to answer. Badly.
“Harding…” His name left her lips with barely a whisper and she felt her resolve crumbling. “You need to let me go. I know the Council has been looking for somewhere to send us. Tell them to find me a small town, and then you need to let me go.”
It was better that way. For everyone. If she didn’t put space between them soon, she’d do something very, very stupid.
He took a deep breath, his eyes drifting closed, and they stood there and let the seconds pass.
The soft moans and groans from the TV wrapped around them, but Tess didn’t truly connect with the actions on the screen. She only had eyes for Harding, her entire attention focused on the massive shifter. He could snap her neck without a thought, yet he held her so gently.
He didn’t look at her, his vision still masked by his lids, as he spoke. “Help me find the person who attacked me and then see if you can figure out if any of the women are still Freedom supporters. Do that, and I’ll send you away.”
Tess’s heart broke a little, a tiny piece splintering off from the whole, and she watched it fall into the black void.
It was for the best.
But why did doing what’s best hurt so fucking much?
Chapter Five
“Angry people need hugs. Or to be stabbed with sharp objects.” — Maya O’Connell, Prima of the Ridgeville Pride and woman who is more than a little bloodthirsty.
The next morning Tess dove into h
er task, intent on getting away from temptation as quickly as possible.
If only temptation hadn’t decided to plop his too-sexy ass next to her.
Initially, she’d decided that the best place to interview the women was her bedroom. With the reinforced walls to dampen the voices, it was the perfect spot to open herself up. There wasn’t a threat of being overwhelmed by the compound residents.
Then Harding had strolled in, his massive body seeming to take up half of her small room. He stood just inside the doorway, wide shoulders barely clearing the frame, and simply stared at her. Stared as if she were the sun, moon, and stars in one. Yet as quickly as the emotions flitted across his face, they disappeared into an indifferent mask.
That was good, right? Because she didn’t want to see the desire from last night. She didn’t want to see him craving her like she craved him. Nope. Not at all.
Someone needed to tell her heart that.
Tess moved deeper into the room, putting more space between them as she fought her body’s desire. It’d be so easy to give in to him. So very, very easy. And so very, very stupid.
She padded to the bed and settled on the soft mattress, leaving the desk chair to him. Or the wall. Or anywhere other than next to her. She’d have to share the bed with her first interviewee, but it was better than sharing it with Harding. Naughty, dirty things happened in beds. If he was laying with her, it would be mere seconds before they were naked.
Wiping her sweat-dampened hands on her jeans, she fought against the nervous flutter of her stomach. “Harding? What brings you here?”
Okay, that was the lamest thing to say. Ever.
The indifferent mask melted into one of pure anger. The hard lines of his cheeks joined the solid white slash of his lips. “You’re meeting with Jackie this morning.”
