She embraced it. Maybe sleep would clear her mind and help her figure out what was wrong with her and why she wished this time that nasty four-letter word would mean more.
Chapter Ten
Devin brushed his fingertips over the four raised brands seared into Lena’s shoulder. His bite. The same savage claim worn by all mated females looked beautiful against Lena’s lightly tanned skin. Seeing it should’ve filled him with peace, pride and happiness. It didn’t. Anxiety and guilt threatened to overcome him.
He’d fucked up. He hadn’t meant to bite her again. As much as he’d wanted it, they didn’t have time to complete the mating, not while her sisters were out there unprotected. Claiming her womb, however, stirred his possessive instincts. He’d simply wanted to finish what he’d started. All other thoughts had gotten pushed to the side.
She made him feel sane. By the gods, he didn’t want give that up. Couldn’t. He feared he was addicted to the woman’s scent. He was keeping her, end of discussion just as he’d told her. But…but had he acted too rashly in choosing her as his eternal mate and not simply keeping her as a lover?
He propped himself up and studied her face. Gorgeous. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever laid eyes on. She also claimed she didn’t want to mate him.
Maybe it was best she’d pulled away. It’d be a mistake sharing his cats with a woman who didn’t want him. She’d end up hating him for making her exist with not only his fragmented soul but those of the spirits bound to him. His lion snapped at him while the others growled. He squeezed his eyes shut and sent them soothing thoughts, but they made it clear they’d fight him if he allowed Lena to leave them…even through death. They refused to give up their sanity either.
They wanted the luxury of moving through her body and soul, claiming her petite frame as theirs. Everything about her—from her dainty fingers to her tiny feet—intrigued them. They literally sat on their haunches and waited for her to speak. Quite frankly, they didn’t care if she was ranting or moaning his name as long as they got to hear her voice. She was their one. They were convinced of it and wanted him to finish mating her. Now.
Their reaction solidified his actions, easing the doubt. He had to trust them and himself. Lena was his one, not merely a lover. The peace she brought was too real to be anything but the comfort of a true mate. Unfortunately after the way she reacted, he had to ensure she understood the process because if she fought him at the next step—when he took her human life—he’d lose her completely.
Waiting was best.
His predators snarled, not approving of his reasoning, but he knew of one thing guaranteed to ease their anger. Lena. He drank in her profile, the slope of her nose, the freckles on her cheeks and the plump lips he’d just kissed. His lion calmed and laid down, big head on its paws. The others followed suit.
He grinned. What would Lena say if she knew she could tame his wild, slightly unstable cats? He usually spent most of his waking hours reminding them they couldn’t rip the throats out of the people who annoyed them. Which was just about everyone besides his family.
He inhaled, needing to feel the tingle skip down his spine that her scent caused. His amusement faded, replaced by an ache only this woman spurred. He brushed kisses across her jaw until his lips found her ear. “Wake up, baby.”
“Devin.”
And yeah, he liked knowing his name was what came to her lips when she first woke, especially after the way things had ended between them.
He cupped her mound. She pushed against him. “That’s right. Your male needs you.”
She turned her head for his kiss. He took her invitation, delving deeply into her mouth and loving her hungry response to him. They moved together in perfect harmony, a dance he’d never found any other female capable of matching.
Craving more of her pleasured cries, he slipped his fingers through the short curls covering her mound and along her cleft. Plunging two into her sheath tore one of those husky moans from her lips he loved hearing. Muscles clenched around the invasion.
He took her back to the edge, fucking her hard with his fingers until she matched his thrusts. The flush staining her cheeks and the breaths sawing past her lips told him she loved what he was doing to her. His female had the most expressive face. The lust displayed there along with her scent and cries guided him, helped him bring her the most pleasure.
She was fucking perfect, his match in all things.
He paused with his fingers lodged deep. “Tell me you want me as your mate.”
She shook her head, thrashing against the pillow.
No. He wouldn’t stand for her denial. Her approval coated his hands. She wanted him. She was just stubborn. Humans could be. That much he’d learned in his lifetime, but Lena wasn’t getting away. He’d tame her. She’d accept him. Simple as that.
He crawled into the space between her legs. She bent her knees and scooted backward on her butt. He followed her, placed a hand on her belly to hold her in place. With her thighs spread wide, her swollen, slick lips glistened and tempted him. He bent his head and licked her cleft from bottom to top. She writhed under him. On the next pass, he dipped his tongue into her dripping center and curled the tip to draw her arousal into his mouth. She whimpered and stopped moving.
“Devin, please.”
He grinned against her plump lower lips. Hell yeah, she wanted him despite her fears from a few minutes ago. That was exactly what he needed to hear, her confirmation on top of the rightness his cats felt. He flattened his tongue and pierced her, enjoying the way her muscles parted for him. Slowly, he thrust and listened to her breathy pants. When they quickened, he withdrew his tongue and licked up to her clit.
She wiggled her bottom. “More. Give me more.”
He ignored her demand and leisurely licked her sex. Her cream flowed, coating his chin. Each time he swirled his tongue in her wet opening, he drew more forth. He lapped up the nectar she spilled and groaned. The sweet, earthy tang of her arousal fed the hunger that had grown from the moment he’d first scented this woman. He took his fill but sat back before she found her release.
“Don’t stop.”
“I don’t plan on it.” Not until he got what he wanted from her.
He traced the lips he’d licked with his fingers and watched her chocolate eyes haze with desire. She tore her gaze from his and glanced down the length of her body. He pressed two fingers to the mouth of her sex. She lifted her hips and his digits slipped in to the first joint. With his attention on her lust slackened features, he pushed them into her sheath. She rose to meet him. Deeper, he pressed until his palm met her lips. Her eyelids fluttered closed, a soft groan escaped. Perfect.
He pulled his fingers back until only the tips remained inside and then slammed them into her core. She gasped and he fucked her hard with them. The smack of his palm on her flesh and the wet sounds of her sex cushioning his entry filled his ears.
While he finger-fucked her, he focused on her face and watched the orgasm build. A flush crawled up her skin. The black of her pupils overtook the brown. Her pants turned breathy. The muscles massaging his fingers tensed. She was so damn beautiful. And his. No way would he let her go.
He laid a hand over her belly, pressing her hips to the bed, and stilled with his fingers impaled as far as they’d go inside her sheath. Her half-lidded brown eyes flicked to his face. Oh hell yeah, he could do this all damn day until he got the response he wanted. His stubborn female didn’t know she’d met her match in him. He had his goal. Nothing would deter him from it.
“Answer me, Lena. Tell me you’ll be my mate.”
She shook her head, tried to lift her bottom but he held her still. “No! We are not doing this again. Seduce me all damn day if you want. You won’t get me to agree.”
He growled at her refusal. “I’m the male you want. Admit it.”
Lena glared at him, managing to pull off the annoyed yet sexy look better than he thought possible. “Fine, you’re the man I want to give me
release. Right here, right now. There. Happy now?”
No. He wasn’t. She didn’t acknowledge the truth, but with her muscles quivering around his fingers, he couldn’t deny her relief. He rolled them, hitting that inner spot he knew would send her over the edge. Her body tensed. The sheath holding his fingers squeezed and released in rippling waves that massaged the two digits. Groaning his name, she arched her back. He stroked her, kept it going until her brows scrunched and she squirmed to escape his probing fingers. He pulled them out and leaned over to kiss her. She turned her head away.
He sat back and studied her carefully, his instincts warning him to tread softly. Only, he wasn’t sure why.
She drew her upper lip through her teeth and blew out a rough breath. A little pat to his chest accompanied her smirk. “That was fun. Now get off me.”
He did, licking his hand clean as he watched his female crawl off the bed. She was just going to walk away? Not talk to him?
Or yell?
He grabbed her arm. “Lena, wait.” She peered over her shoulder, one brow raised in silent question. “We should, umm, talk about what happened.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
He took in her tight lips and the narrowed eyes shooting daggers at him. He cleared his throat. “Yes, there is. The little miscommunication we had—”
“Oh, when you decided it’d be okay to bite me during sex?”
He ignored the pissed off look directed his way. I won’t let her deny me. She’s my one. Stubborn but mine.
“Biting will not be a part of our sex life. It won’t ever happen again.”
She glanced heavenward. “We do not have a sex life.” She dropped her gaze to his. “We had sex. That’s it. It doesn’t mean we’ll do it again.”
He tugged her wriggling body against him. She let out a little ‘oomph’. A hand on her ass stopped her struggles. “We will, sweet Lena, so damn often you’ll miss my cock when it’s not inside you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t do the exclusive thing. I’m sorry. It won’t work.”
He grinned and slid his fingers between her legs. Warm, wet cream met his touch. “Yes, it will.”
He dipped his fingertips into her drenched core. A swirl and her eyes closed.
“I mean it, Devin. I am not your…mate. I fucked you. That’s it. It’s over.”
He pushed his fingers into her sheath as far as they’d go. Her breath escaped in a soft sigh. “Never. You and I are only starting, my female. You will be my mate. The sooner you accept that, the better.”
She reached down and grasped his wrist. Her nails bit into his flesh and she leveled a hard glare at him. “Stop, Devin, just stop. I’ve had enough damn orgasms for one day.”
He doubted that, especially with the huskiness of her words but did as she asked.
She shuddered as he pulled his fingers out. The hazed look of lust stamped on her features tempted him to lay her back down and kiss her until she begged him to fuck her again. He didn’t. He watched her crawl off the bed. The sway of her hips drew his gaze to her tight little ass. Transfixed, he stared at the firm globes until she disappeared into the bathroom.
Groaning, he dropped back onto the bed wondering what the hell had just happened. The woman confused him. She also excited him on every damn level and kept his mind occupied. He grinned. Life with Lena would be fucking amazing. Now he just had to convince her to finish what they started.
After ten minutes, Devin gave up waiting for Lena to get out of the bathroom. He warned her not to try anything crazy—like leave him—and headed downstairs.
Hunger made his stomach growl. He’d been too concerned about her these past two nights to eat much. The lack of food had finally caught up to him. Add in all the sex and he needed nourishment. Now.
He checked the phone for a text message from Gwen and, not finding any, wandered into the kitchen. The sunny yellow walls and were covered in artwork. He grinned at the collection beautifully displayed in frames as if the creator were a world-renowned artist. Hell, maybe Molly would be one day and these early pieces would be as prized by the world as they obviously were to Lena.
He stepped closer to examine them. The first few were sloppily colored, random strokes that didn’t come close to filling in the lines of the coloring page. Going by the dates written on them, Molly’s skills had increased significantly over the six-month period. So had her handwriting. Molly had signed her name, Molly Elizabeth Burnett, to each pic, first in uneven print then in a swooping cursive many adults would struggle to achieve.
He studied each, pride welling, but stopped dead at the last frame. His heart skipped a beat.
Two lion cubs were drawn in pencil, one on each side of a jagged line. The detail in them was superb. Yeah, he hadn’t expected to see that coming from a five-year-old, but it was the image sketched above each that caught his attention and jerked his inner animals’ focus from their surroundings to the pic.
One side showed an infinity symbol, the other a string with an open pair of scissors poised to cut it.
It was downright beautiful and chilled him to the bone.
Devin traced Molly’s name and the unending line then glanced at the question mark.
He didn’t understand it but filed the information away to contemplate later. One thing he did get from the display though, Molly was damn lucky she found her way into Lena’s family.
Turning away from the wall, his gaze zeroed in on the fridge and the promise of food. He opened it and frowned. His woman mustn’t eat. He found four yogurts, enough green stuff to feed an army, a gallon of watered-down milk and a carton of egg whites. He ate three of the little yogurt cups—he had to leave something for Lena—and drank the milk.
Although it irked him to touch the food the human male had brought in his attempt to seduce Lena, he was starved and the veal and noodles dish tasted surprisingly good. With his hunger stemmed for the moment, he explored his female’s small home. It was clean, neat and comfy. Other than the few framed photos and the display in the kitchen, there wasn’t much to give him a clue as to who Lena was, what she liked to do.
This house could’ve belonged to anyone. There were no books, magazines or movies anywhere. Since she didn’t have a television, he wasn’t too surprised about the last but still…she had to have some interests. Not seeing any bothered him, but he found his first clue as soon as he walked into the library and discovered a mini museum.
Pieces of pottery and statues sat proudly displayed behind glass. Framed yellowed documents hung on the walls and row upon row of books filled a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. He looked at the dual diplomas—one for anthropology, one for the study of ancient religions—and grinned. Lena was smart and beautiful.
The soft click of shoes announced her presence. He turned, a smile on his face, took one look at the woman standing in the doorway and frowned. She had the same body and warm chocolate eyes but that was where the similarities to the female he bit ended.
The waves of her hair were straightened and parted severely to one side of her face, obscuring her features. Makeup covered up the freckles on the section not hidden. Her plump, moist lips were coated in lipstick and gunk shadowed her eyes. The spiky lashes he’d found sexy were now long, curled black swoops. Denim capris hid her lean legs and a red, sleeveless turtleneck covered up the marks of his possession.
Sure, she was beautiful. No matter what she did to her body or what she wore, he’d think the same. It was just that…she didn’t smell like the female he bit. Like this, she could’ve been any woman, not his.
He let his gaze travel over her slowly one more time and demanded, “What did you do to yourself, woman?”
One of those perfectly arched brows rose. “Umm, since Gwen hasn’t texted yet, I got dressed.” She swept a hand down her body as if he needed the visual.
He crossed his arms. Frowned some more. “Well, I don’t like it.”
She glanced at her outfit and brushed at the cotton as if it we
re dirty. Her reaction struck him as odd. He smelled the detergent she’d used. The shirt was clean.
She peeked at him through her lashes and anxiety swirled in her warm brown eyes. He scowled harder. He didn’t like seeing her upset. It agitated him. His cats tensed.
“What’s wrong with this outfit?” She tugged at the hem. “It’s what I normally wear, but I…I,” she swallowed hard, “I can put something nicer on if you want.”
Ridiculous. He shook his head. “The clothes are fine. It’s everything else.”
She smoothed a hand over her too-straight hair. “What do you mean?”
How could she not know what he meant? He strode across the room and lifted a lock of her hair. It felt…hard and sticky. He immediately dropped the strands. Bringing his fingers to his nose, he sniffed.
Grimaced.
He leaned down, drew in a deep breath and gagged. The scent of chemicals drowned out her rich fragrance. “You stink.”
She blinked at him. Her mouth hung open. She snapped it closed. “I don’t stink! I just showered.”
“Sure but then you put all this crap on.” He licked his finger and wiped it over her cheek, transferring a rosy stain onto the pad. “Look at this. It’s gross.”
He held up the finger for her to see.
Wetness hazed her eyes. “It is not gross. My makeup is top of the line.”
He grabbed a few tissues from the desk and rubbed at her cheek. She slapped his hands away.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
He yanked her body close. She wiggled in his hold and lost one of her sandals. “Getting this crap off.”
She pressed against his chest and huffed. “Let me go, Devin.”
“Not until this stuff comes off.”
She growled at him. The sound ignited his passion. He claimed her lips but the metallic and bitter taste of her lipstick ruined it. He jerked away and swiped the back of his hand over his lips. It didn’t help. The wretched flavor lingered in his mouth, obscuring her taste.
Beautiful Mistake: 2 (Royal Pride) Page 14
