by Bec McMaster
Those dark eyes blinked in surprise.
"I know what I said last night. I changed my mind." Adam took a step forward. "Jake left for the market an hour ago. I heard him and Ellie shifting around in there. We're shut in here until they return, and we have maybe an hour to kill."
Mia swallowed, her eyes darting here and there. "Well, yeah, I'm not saying no, but... why the change of heart?"
"I'm tired of fighting this," he said, instead of admitting that he knew walking away from her without being able to hold her, just once, would make him regret this moment for the rest of his life. "And I keep thinking that maybe we could handle the fallout from this."
"Okay." Suddenly she looked nervous. "I would really like it if you could just make up your mind though. You pull out on me now and I will kill you."
"It's made." He reached over his shoulder and dragged his black tank over his head. "You were right last night when you said we could both be adults about this. The truth is, we want each other. It doesn't have to go any further than that. We can share a bed like last night, so we can share our bodies. Like adults." Rational adults. And if he walked away after they got her sister back, and Jake kept his mouth shut, then she'd never know his secret.
He couldn't hurt her. Nor could he give her the curse, not unless he was in his warg form. Just one more time keeping up the pretense that he was just a man.
It all sounded so simple in his head now he'd made this decision. Why then was his gut filled with butterflies?
Because this matters more than I’m pretending it does.
Mia's eyes rounded as he dropped his tank on the floor. Suddenly he was wearing only his briefs, and there was no disguising how much she affected him. Mia slowly smiled. "No future. No expectations. Do you have protection?"
He reached for his shaving kit and plucked out a condom he'd paid ridiculous money for. Next to gunpowder, there were certain necessities that men—and women—paid a small fortune for. "It's Confederacy standard." Adam paused with his thumbs hooked in his underwear. "No regrets, Mia?"
"No regrets." She took a step toward him, plucking the condom packet from his hand and tossing it on the vanity. "Shut the door."
Relief filled him. This was happening.
Adam did. Steam curled out of the shower. A rare luxury in this part of the world. Maybe Vex kept her honored guests here. Mia reached out to turn the shower off.
"Leave the shower on." He wanted her under that water, where he could lick it from her skin. His gaze dropped to the shirt she wore. Time to stop talking in full sentences, like his brain was in control at the moment. "Then take the shirt off."
Mia's fingers curled in the hem of his shirt, but that fire lit her eyes again. The one that drove him crazy. "Or?"
He smiled, all of the nerves finally leaving him. "Or maybe I'll just have to strip it off you, nice and slowly." Adam took a step toward her. "You always have to challenge me, don't you, Mia?"
This time it was her turn to smile that slow smile that turned his knees to water. Seeing it felt like she'd punched him in the chest.
"Maybe just this once I could be obedient." Mia dragged his shirt up over her shoulders.
"I'd like to see that—" His breath caught.
The dark triangle of hair between her thighs drew his attention, then her full breasts. More than enough for a handful. She was a wet dream put together; wide hips, strong athletic thighs, a narrow waist, and broad shoulders. Everything he'd ever imagined and more. His fingers shook as he reached for her. The second the shirt cleared her head, he dragged her into his embrace, capturing the mouth that had taunted him for so long.
It was as though giving himself permission made everything about this moment blisteringly better. He didn't have to hide the fierce need inside him in this moment. It felt like he was able to let himself truly be for the first time in nine years. No hiding. No denying. No lying. He told her all of his truths with this kiss, and from the way she rubbed her breasts against his broad chest, she knew what he was telling her. Adam's hands slid down her back and cupped her ass, even as he chased her tongue. She was his in this moment. That's all that really mattered.
The desperation in her touch made him haul her closer. He wasn't the only one feeling this way. Adam groaned, and Mia swallowed up the sound, her spine bending as he tried to take more, to take all of her....
"McClain," she breathed, drawing back with a gasp for air, one hand clasping his neck to hold herself upright. Those gorgeous whiskey-brown eyes looked glazed again. This time, for all the right reasons. "Give me more."
More. He wanted everything.
Adam nudged her back against the glass shower screen. He dragged his mouth lower, unable to resist anymore, and captured her nipple between his lips, swirling his tongue around it. Mia gasped.
She captured a fistful of his hair. "I'm not very experienced," she breathed, as if he couldn't tell from her unabashed responses. Every lick of his tongue seemed to surprise her, especially the way her body reacted to it.
"That's okay." He curled his arms around her waist, kissing her mouth again. Slowly. Teasingly. Mia melted. "I'll take it slowly, Mia. I promise I'll make it good for you."
A good reminder for him too. His cock ached. He wanted her. Now. But if she wasn't used to this, then he'd need to work her body slowly, get her ready for him. Worship her. There was no time for selfishness, and Adam had never been interested in conquering women. He liked bringing pleasure first.
He pushed her under the water gently, then shucked his underwear. Mia's gaze dropped, and she smiled as his cock bobbed in response to the sudden attention. "I think he likes me."
"He definitely likes you." Adam stepped inside the shower himself. "And maybe later, you two can get a little better acquainted."
Water drove onto his skin, shattering off it. Mia slid her hands up his chest. "I remember what you said: about how you wanted my lips around your cock."
His turn to shudder. "Do you know what I want even more?"
"What?"
"To be inside you. Here." He slid a teasing finger between her legs.
Another kiss. More skin beneath his hands. Mia was slick with need. His cock threatened to erupt. It'd been a long time for him too, and this was like having all his dreams come at once.
Time to slow them both down. He turned her around, drawing her body back into the warm embrace of his own. Water sprayed off his shoulder and he kissed the back of her neck. "You're so beautiful, Mia. I've been dreaming of this." He ran his hand down over her breast, cupping the full weight in his palm. They both gasped. "But reality is so much better than wishful thinking."
"Did you ever think of me when you made yourself come?" she whispered.
"Every. Damned. Day."
That was a faint smile on her mouth as she turned her face toward him shyly. Adam cupped her hips from behind, the head of his cock brushing against her ass. All of that smooth brown skin. All his. Adam curled a hand in her hair and drew it over her shoulder, revealing the slope of her neck.
"Did you think of me?" he whispered, his heart ticking a little faster. "Did you touch yourself, Mia, and think of me?"
"Yes."
His cock jerked. "Give me the soap."
Mia shuddered, handing it to him.
Denial was a bitch. He wanted this so fucking badly that every part of him ached. But there was no way in hell he was rushing a single moment.
Adam brushed his mouth there, where the slope of her neck met her shoulder. Mia shuddered, arching her back a little, and he bit her, then suckled the skin gently.
He cupped her hip. "Hold on to the screen."
She did so.
Adam rubbed his fingers against the soap to slick them up, then brushed his hand closer to the black curls between her legs. Mia's breath hitched. "McClain."
"Adam," he breathed, and slid his index finger into the lush folds around her clit.
A shiver ran through her. Soap gleamed on her skin, and he used it to lubr
icate his touch, tracing small circles there, where it ached the most. Mia jerked, biting her own arm as she tried to hold herself up. "Oh, God," she breathed.
One arm beneath her breasts, he held her there against him, his cock sliding between the valley of her thighs and gliding through the slickness of her folds. The soap vanished in the water, leaving only her own slickness. Water sprayed off his broad shoulder as he teased both of them.
"Spread your thighs," he told her, driving a knee between her legs.
She widened her feet, leaning back against him fully. The trust in the action made something in his chest twist. Mine. Just once. Adam slid a hand down her ass, then entered her pussy from behind with a finger. God, she was tight. He rested his forehead against the back of her shoulder, working her a little. "Do you like that?"
From the way she was thrusting her hips back against him, the answer was a firm yes.
Mia shuddered. "Please."
"Can you take more?"
"Yes," she promised, and he worked a second finger inside her as she gasped.
Hot. Wet. Intense. Cum wept from the head of his cock as he rubbed it against her ass cheek. Any more of this, and he'd be over before he began.
"Turn around."
Mia obeyed.
He couldn't resist tasting her breasts again, dragging his mouth across her aching nipples. Mia moaned. "I want to touch you too."
"Later," he said, capturing her hand when she tried to curl her fingers around his cock.
Adam kissed his way south. His golden skin stood in stark contrast to the bronze of hers. Beautiful. Just beautiful. Desire pulsed through him, the warg slithering through his veins. He didn't want to be gentle right now, he just wanted to take.
But Mia was special. He wanted to make this a memory she'd never forget.
"Hold on," he breathed, and cupped her ass in both his hands.
She curled her hands backwards over the screen for balance, her thighs splaying wide. She was darker here, slick and wet. Adam nuzzled into the juncture of her thighs, breathing in her scent. The second his tongue touched her, she moaned.
"Oh, God," she breathed. "Yes!"
She’s so close.... He sucked her clit into his mouth, teasing that hard little knot with the tip of his tongue.
Mia came with a faint stifled gasp, as if, even now, she held a part of herself back.
And that wouldn't do.
One last gentle kiss against her mons, and Adam turned the shower off. Instantly they were surrounded by a curtain of heated mist. Water beaded on her skin. He licked it off, slowly rising to his feet.
"God, you make me wet."
"The next time you come," he told her, whispering the words in her ear, "I want to hear my name on your lips.”
Glazed eyes slowly focused on him.
Adam caught her in his arms, capturing her mouth. He'd lost any trace of control now. Mia bit his mouth as he hooked her legs around his hips and carried her toward the vanity. Lush breasts caressed his chest. Every inch of her stripped bare, and his for the taking. Setting her on the vanity, he kissed her once more, his ruthless fingers finding her again.
Sharp nails raked into his hair, and she gasped. "Oh, oh... oh."
Capturing her wrist, he dragged his mouth to her ear. "Turn around. Face the mirror."
A devilish light gleamed in her eyes. Mia panted openly. "Aren't you bossy?"
Always. If he was going to do this, then he wanted full control.
"Mia," he warned.
She turned, looking thoughtful again. Her broad shoulders curved down to narrow hips, and then that ass. He'd always been a breast man, but he'd make an exception for her ass. Adam dragged his fingernails over the soft flesh there. Mia bit her lip, bracing herself against the vanity.
"Are you wet?" he demanded, even though he knew the answer. She'd been dripping before.
Mia nodded, and he slapped her ass, cupping her there. She jerked in surprise.
"That's not an answer."
"Yes," she whispered.
He scraped a hand across the fogged mirror, revealing her startled face in the glass. Water droplets beaded together, and their images began to haze over again. But he could still see her. Adam bit her shoulder, tracing soothing circles on her ass where he'd slapped her with his hand. He reached for the condom and tore it open with his teeth. Its lubricated rubber slid down over the head of his cock, and then he rolled it on with one hand.
"Ever since I met you, I've barely been able to get you out of my mind," he snarled, the hot crown of his cock breaching her. "I wanted you. God, I wanted you. And maybe this is wrong. I promised I'd protect you—even from myself. But I can't be that man anymore, Mia. I'm not a saint." Just a man. One who wanted to touch heaven, just once. He flexed his hips and earned himself another inch inside her. Jesus. He couldn't stop himself, couldn't deny either of them any longer. "I want you too damned much."
Mia moaned as he slid all the way inside her, until his thighs slammed against her ass. Every molten inch of her locked around his cock like a vise. Adam lost himself in that moment, his eyelids fluttering open to find her watching him in the mirror. She'd wiped it again. All the better to watch him with.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, shaking with the need to claim more of her.
Mia shuddered. "More than okay."
He cupped her breast with one hand, damp fingers slipping over her nipple. The other slid between her thighs again, teasing her exactly where she wanted it. Mia's inner muscles locked on him like a clamp.
"Hold on," he murmured, thrusting hard within her.
Every thrust took him closer to the edge. He wound his fingers through her hair, dragging her head back to reveal her throat. Teeth skated over the smooth skin there. Mia jerked against his fingers.
"Harder," she breathed, that inner spasm locking tight around him as her body teetered on the edge. "More."
He'd leave marks on her skin with his fingers. But there was no stopping himself. Not anymore.
Mia cried out as she came, her hips jerking. She clapped a hand over his, squeezing his fingers where they lay over her hip. "Adam!"
His name on her lips. It was that which undid him.
Adam came, his cock pumping hot seed within her. Every muscle in her pussy locked around him, milking him like a glove. The world spun, white light obliterating his vision as pleasure took over.
He rested his forehead on her shoulder, shudders tripping through him as though she dragged her fingers over his ticklish spots. Mia collapsed forward on the bench, and he slid his hand up her back, fingertips grazing the roughened indentations of her spine.
Truth dawned. He'd been lying to himself when he told her he only wanted this one memory.
The truth was: he wanted all of them.
Afterwards they lay on the bed, both naked. He'd taken her a second time, sweeter this time, a little slower, staring down into her eyes as he rocked atop her, those powerful thighs locked around his hips. She'd come with his name on her lips once more, and he got to watch every moment of pleasure bloom in those glorious eyes.
Adam curled around her now, listening to the rise and fall of her breath and hating himself even as he knew he couldn't have resisted.
He'd broken his promise—not the one to Jake, but to himself.
Don't touch her. Don't take that step. He'd known even then that there was something different brewing between them. A storm of such epic proportions that he'd never felt anything like it before.
Because there couldn't be anything else.
He was going to walk away from her after this, and, despite the fact that she'd burned the memory of herself into his mind, let alone his body, he knew he'd both revere and regret this moment. It would ache inside him whenever he stared up at the stars on another long, lonely hunt. A reminder of everything he'd lost and everything that could never be.
There was a new loss festering in his heart, and it had a name. Mia.
His blunt-tipped finger traced the delic
ate shell of her ear. Mia shivered, sharing a look with him that said more than words ever could.
One moment in her bed.... Why had he ever thought it could end there? Mia was in his blood now, under his skin. Even the warg within him gloated at his possession of her, purring beneath his skin as if he'd somehow released the pressure.
"Thank you," she whispered, and pressed the gentlest kiss to his cheek. Slowly she sat up, swinging her legs over the bed. "Guess we'd better get moving."
"Yeah." Adam rocked onto his elbows. "Guess we'd better."
Nineteen
THE GOOD VIBES just kept coming.
Mia took a second shower, even though she couldn't stop feeling McClain's hands and mouth on her skin. She felt both relaxed and utterly destroyed. Her heart skittered in her chest like a newborn foal, but she didn't dare dwell too much on the rush of feeling through her veins. That way lay dragons. The rules had been simple. Once, and once only.
Even if she couldn't quite keep her eyes off him, despite the fact Jake and Ellie returned from the slave markets, bringing with them two familiar faces.
"Look who we found." Ellie grinned, dragging Sara into the room by the fingertips.
Bethany slipped through the door, looking around warily. When the girls saw Mia, both their faces lit up.
"Mia!"
She stepped forward, hugging both girls to her. Bethany sobbed on her shoulder as if she'd been trying to withhold her tears since this entire ordeal began. Mia clung to her, letting this hug act as surrogate for the one she intended to give her sister when they got Sage out of there.
Mia stroked the damp curls off Bethany's forehead. The girl was barely seventeen, a shy, sweet thing who always had her nose buried in a book. "It's okay, sweetie. You're safe now."
"I can't believe you guys came for us," Bethany whispered, wiping her eyes. "We thought we were never going to get free."
Shadows stained her eyes. No doubt those fears included others. Sara caught Bethany's hand, squeezing it gently, as though she'd been looking out for the younger girl.
Jake removed his felt hat, and wiped the sweat ring around his forehead. "Ellie filled them both in on our plans. We didn't have enough money to rescue Tom or Sonya, but nobody else was buying. They locked the pair of them back in the pens. Sonya said she'd prefer if we got these two out first."
