by Lacey Thorn
His lips peeled back from his teeth, flashing the elongated canines as he growled again.
“Is that supposed to scare me, Tah? Because I’m telling you, all it does is make me wet.”
He was just as shocked as she was when the words left her lips.
“Oh, shit,” Logan said behind her.
She heard Reno chuckle, but her attention was on Tah and the way his eyelids dropped to half-mast. His cheeks took on a ruddy hue as he inhaled deeply, drawing the scent of her in. Lust and need ignited in his gaze. “Come here,” he commanded.
“I won’t ride without you.”
He growled again. “Reno can ride the bike. Now, come here.”
“I want Logan to ride the bike.” Logan was blond and wouldn’t be confused with Tah. Reno, on the other hand, might not be as broad as Tah, but he was still a big guy with hair the same shade.
“Fine. Now get your ass over here.”
He was pissed. And horny. Her eyes dropped to the bulge in his jeans, and God help her, she couldn’t stop her tongue from peeking out and gliding over her bottom lip. She walked to him, feeling his gaze like a caress over her. Her nipples tightened and puckered, drawing his gaze. She stopped in front of him and found herself turned and rushed into the bathroom.
He slammed the door and turned to lean down, meeting her eye-to-eye. “If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I’m going to bare your ass, bend you over my knee, and spank you.”
Her pussy creamed at the surge of lust that thought sent through her. Tah’s nostrils flared as he inhaled her need.
“Fuck!” He grunted, turning her so she faced the sink. “Brace your hands,” he commanded as he reached around and unfastened her jeans, shoving them and her panties down around her knees.
She heard the rasp of his zipper and then the broad head of his cock nudged between her thighs.
“You push me past control,” he muttered just before he pressed in.
She did her best to keep her moan quiet as he slid through her slick heat and buried his shaft deep. Her pussy flexed around him as her body stretched to accommodate.
Her eyes met his in the mirror as he slid almost out.
“Mine,” he growled and slammed back home.
She cried out with the pleasure that rocked her core. He gripped the hem of her shirt and lifted, until she raised her hands and let him peel it off over her head. Her hands dropped back down to the sink as he tossed the shirt and began a fast and furious rhythm. She rose up on her toes, wanting more, wanting deeper, harder, faster. She was so close to orgasm. Just a little more.
“Tah!” His name was a cry from her lips. Both a demand and a plea.
That purr she loved rumbled up from his chest as he bent over her. She felt the slow swipe of his tongue over the bite mark. Once. Twice. Then his teeth sank back in, and with a scream, she flew. He released her with a roar as she felt the heated splash of his cum inside her. She shuddered and shook as he jerked and spilled, laying his head against her as they both gasped for oxygen.
“We really need to talk about the fact you’re not using a condom,” she muttered when she had enough breath to talk.
He growled behind her, scraping his teeth over the mark and sending another round of tremors through her. She was just getting her breath again when he tugged free and stepped away from her. She lowered her head to the edge of the sink as he reached around her to turn the water on softly. She should move, so he could clean up. She needed to clean up too.
He caught her off guard when he put one hand on the small of her back and used the other to work a washcloth between her legs. She should be embarrassed, but she found it sweet instead.
“We really should be using condoms,” she told him.
He growled as she moved aside and began pulling her clothes on.
“I’m serious, Tah, and growling isn’t going to change that fact.”
He leaned his hips into the sink as he washed his cock. Then he dried it and tucked it away in his boxer briefs before jerking his jeans up and turning to her. He bent to grab her shirt and handed it to her, then leaned in, crowding her against the wall.
“There will be nothing between us. Ever.”
“Tah?”
“Never, Abby. You will not get your way in this.”
“It’s my decision too!”
“Tell me you don’t love how I feel inside you. Tell me you want a barrier, separating my skin from yours?”
She opened her mouth and then shut it. Damn him. She couldn’t lie to him. She wouldn’t.
“You are mine.”
“What does that have to do with using a condom?”
He shook his head. “Pay closer attention when we have sex later, and tell me if you think it will work for me to use a condom.”
“What does that mean?”
“Let’s go, Abby. We’ve taken more time than we should have.” His fingers smoothed over her cheek. “I need to get you out of here, need to get you somewhere safe, while we figure this all out.” He bent close and rubbed his nose against hers. “I don’t think I’d survive if anything happened to you.”
She shrugged off the embarrassment when they walked out and found Reno and Logan waiting on them. She had little doubt they had heard well enough to know what had taken place in the bathroom. But as she watched Tah toss his keys to Logan, she felt it was more than worth it. Tah needed her safe, and she needed him safe…and sane.
Now, they were finally on the road. Reno was driving while Tah rode shotgun. Abby was lying down across the backseat of the truck, a stolen pillow under her head, doing her part to appease Tah by staying hidden. Logan followed them on Tah’s motorcycle, so Abby had gotten her way in the end. And she’d had another round of incredible sex before they left, making her pretty content right now.
Tah had one arm slung over the seat reaching toward where she lay, his fingers playing with a long strand of her hair as he and Reno talked. She, on the other hand, was lost in the thoughts he’d planted in her mind just before they’d walked out of the bathroom.
Pay closer attention when we have sex later, and tell me if you think it will work for me to use a condom.
Now, she could think of nothing but his cock and having sex. And every heated look he sent her way told her he was more than aware of that little fact. It was driving her crazy. She could recall every position, every angle. The how, when, and where of it. But she couldn’t put her finger on what he knew but wasn’t sharing with her. Something he expected her to realize on her own.
But how could she when he was her first? It wasn’t like she could compare him to another man. She’d seen a penis before. She wasn’t so naive that she hadn’t watched a video or two and seen plenty of pictures. But Tah was the only one she’d seen up close, the only one she’d taken inside her body, sucked into her mouth. She had no comparison.
So, what was it? What was his body doing that made him think a condom wouldn’t work? She let her mind go through the information she knew about lions mating.
Lions had barbs, sharp barbs that flared out all over the penis when he was inside his mate. The barbs scraped along the female’s walls in an attempt to send her body into heat and make her ovulate. It was pleasurable during the moment for the lioness, until the lion withdrew from her, barbs still extended. This caused the lioness pain, which studies suggested was another way of forcing ovulation so conception could occur.
She would definitely know if Tah had barbs. It would be hard to miss if he was scraping and hurting her every time he pulled out. She shuddered. Please don’t let the animal emerge in that way. She was growing way too fond of sex with Tah.
He glanced over the seat at her again, and she felt her heart contract. She loved him. Was in love with him. She’d dreamed her entire life of finding him. And when she had, she’d thrown his life into chaos. Here they were on the run because of her. Harlan would have never found him if not for her. And she’d never even known the other man was watching.
&nbs
p; What did he want with Tah? Obviously, Harlan believed her stories now and thought Tah was the descendent of the alpha lion. But what did he want with Tah? Why had he tortured and shot him with adrenaline? She’d always thought Harlan was mean and selfish, but she’d never thought of him as smart. And what was the comment about hunting he’d thrown out to her? She couldn’t shake the feeling that Harlan was just a finger of a greater hand that was reaching for them.
“Let me see the phone again, Tah. I want to ask the Professor to bring some of his journals and collections with him. I’ve got some specific ones I want to look at.”
“Here use mine,” Reno said and handed his phone back to her.
She quickly dialed the number the Professor had given her, but no one answered. He probably wouldn’t answer again, since he’d told her to meet him. Pulling the number for his office from her memory, she dialed it next.
“Professor Mueller’s office,” a woman answered, and she sounded like she’d been crying and maybe still was.
“Is Professor Mueller in today?”
No question whether or not the woman was still crying now, as a sob carried over the phone.
“I’m sorry. I guess you haven’t heard. The Professor’s home blew up this morning. The police think it was a gas leak. They…they found his body inside.” The woman began to cry harder. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I shouldn’t be telling you this. I just can’t believe it. He’s gone. He’s gone.”
“Professor Mueller’s dead.” The words left Abby’s lips, and she could sense Tah turning toward her.
“I just can’t believe it.” The woman was still mumbling when Abby disconnected the call.
She went numb. She could hear Tah calling her name, but she couldn’t respond. He was dead. Because of her. Another person dead because of her and her obsession. How many more would die? She thought of Reno and Logan, of Tah. Would she be the cause of his death too?
She would have to leave him. As soon as they got to the Professor’s safe house, as soon as she knew he was going to be okay, she would leave. It was the only way to really protect him.
“Abby, look at me!” Tah’s command pulled her from the pain of her thoughts. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but forget it. This is not your fault.”
“He’s dead. I just talked to him this morning.” She laughed without any mirth. “I thought he was paranoid.” She let her inner turmoil reflect in her eyes. “I just thought he was paranoid.”
“Pull over, Reno.”
She felt the truck move as he followed Tah’s demand. The truck had barely stopped when Tah threw his door open and shifted the seat forward to reach Abby. He pulled her out and sat again, cradling her on his lap in the passenger seat. “This isn’t your fault. So stop thinking that.”
She shuddered. Her teeth clenched as she fought to hold the tears at bay. Professor Mueller had been her family. And Jess. How did she tell her friend she was the reason he was dead? They’d all gone their separate ways after Africa. Jess off to follow a lead on her wolves and Professor Mueller back to his papers and stuffy office. And she’d started her search for Tah. But she’d always known they were there if she needed them, just as they knew she was.
“Abby.” His eyes flashed brown, yellow, brown, yellow. His shoulders twitched as he rolled his neck as if fighting to keep control. “I don’t know what’s going on or why I feel like you plan to run. But I promise you, if you run, I will hunt you and find you. I will find you and do whatever I need to, to make sure you never leave me again.”
Her eyes widened. How had he sensed that? “I don’t want to be the reason you die,” she whispered.
“Then don’t leave me, Abby. Never leave me. That’s the only thing that will kill me. You’re my life. My reason to keep fighting. I’d lose everything if I lost you.” He kissed her softly on the lips. “Do you understand me? I’d cease to exist if I lost you. There is no me without you.”
Her shoulders shook with the force of her emotions, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “I won’t leave you. I promise.” He held her while she cried.
God help anyone who tried to use her to get at him. She wouldn’t run, but she would fight with everything she had. And if the time came, she didn’t doubt she would kill to protect him.
Chapter Eight
From the journal of Abby Lane
I’m at the bar again, watching Utah Pearce. I can’t stop myself. I may never find the nerve to approach him, but I’ll never be able to deny my need to see him. There is just something comforting about being in his presence, and knowing that occasionally, he looks my way and notices me…even if it’s only for a brief moment.
He brings me a coke and nachos now without asking. I’ve ordered the same thing every evening since I first came in. I’m nothing if not predictable. And isn’t that one of the reasons why a man like Utah will never give me a second glance. Predictable doesn’t seem to be a quality that attracts him.
It’s hard sometimes. To watch the women who come in and flirt with him. To know one of them will probably get lucky and leave with him. I wish it were me. I sit watching and waiting, and wish it was me he was taking home.
* * * *
Abby cuddled closer to Tah’s side in the sleeping bag. They’d finally stopped for the night. She hadn’t been prepared for the tents and other camping gear Reno and Logan had brought with them, but she was no stranger to roughing it. And as long as she was sleeping with Tah, it didn’t matter where they were.
“How did you know?” The question had been running through her mind since he’d pulled her into his lap and held her tightly, demanding she not leave him.
Tah sighed beside her, one hand wrapped around her back holding her close, while the other played with her hair.
“I don’t know how to explain it, Abby. It’s as if whatever this is inside me knew what you were thinking. It knew, and it was terrified.”
She lifted up on her elbow, so she could see his eyes. “It’s your lion, Tah. How can you still be in doubt?”
‘‘What am I supposed to do? I feel like I’m being torn in two. Every thought, every emotion is a battle of wills. And it’s all happening inside me. I’m fighting in here.” He tapped his fingers against his temple.
“That’s because you’re still fighting in here.” She rubbed over his chest above his heart. “You have to accept him, or you’ll never be whole.”
“How do I accept what I find so hard to believe?”
She was shocked by the pain and rage she saw in his gaze.
“Do you know what I felt when Reno just shrugged his shoulders and accepted that I might have a lion inside me, might turn into a lion some day? I felt rage. I hated him in that moment. The best friend I’ve ever had in my life, and I hated him.”
“He loves you.” It was easy for her to see how they acted more like brothers than friends.
“Reno may talk about me saving his ass, but he pulled mine out of the fire more than once too. His reflexes are better than any man I know. I swear he’s always known what I was going to do almost as soon as I make the choice.”
“He sounds like a great friend to have.”
“He pointed you out to me more than once. I think he knew we’d end up together.”
“I don’t think anyone would have pictured the two of us together.”
“The first time he saw you, he told me to keep my eye on you. Said he just had a feeling there was more to you than anyone would imagine.”
She gasped in surprise. “Reno said that? I remember him telling you I was looking at you again. You said I was probably looking off in space.”
“I’m sorry, Abby. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I knew you were too good for a guy like me. You’d stick around long enough for me to fall in love, then leave when you finally realized I would never be at your level.”
“My level? What the hell does that mean?”
He was making her sound like a snob. Abby might be a lot of things, but she wasn
’t snobby.
“You were right when you said you were the smartest woman I’ve ever met. I just assumed you would want more than a jarhead.”
“Tah, I’ve wanted you since the first day I walked in the door of that bar and saw you. I came in every day just to see you, to hear your voice. I would watch the women flock around you and wish I could be the lucky one you took home that night.”
“You’ll be the only woman in my life, for the rest of my life. I don’t want anyone but you.”
“I fell in love with the idea of you when I was just a child and you were no more than a story. I fell in love with you as a woman who couldn’t seem to give up the little girl’s dreams that you might exist. I walked in that door and took one look at you and felt my heart fall at your feet. Then I touched you, held you, and I knew.”
He turned on his side, so they could lie face to face. “What did you know?”
“That no fantasy compared to the flesh and blood man. That no emotion compared to the love I feel inside just looking at you.” She cradled his face in her hands and kissed him softly on the lips. “I love you, Tah. All of you. Even the parts that scare you.”
“I love you, Abby. And whatever is in here,” he placed his palm against his bare chest. “It loves you too. You seem to be the only thing we agree on.”
“What is it that scares you, Tah?”
“Other than the whole prospect of shifting into an animal?” he asked sarcastically, then sighed. “Sorry. That wasn’t fair.”
“Tah, I may understand the possibility, but it isn’t happening inside me. I can only watch you. And I’m scared.”
“I’d never hurt you. I swear.”
“I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid for you. If I could fix this, I would. I did this to you.”
“How did you do this to me?”
“If I hadn’t kept searching and looking, then no one would have been the wiser. I’m the one who couldn’t let it go, who kept searching until I found you. Then I couldn’t stay away.”
“I’m glad you couldn’t stay away.”
