“No, Kori. Here.” She tightened her hold on him.
“There’s no bed, Lera.”
“Every bad experience I’ve had was in one.” She worried her lower lip. “I love the outdoors, Kori.”
“And I love you, Valera Grace,” he whispered without blinking.
She wondered then if it wasn’t true. Releasing his shirt, Lera said, “There’s a blanket on my bike.”
“I’ve got it covered.”
Lera glanced at the ground and saw a thick blanket there. Her breaths came shorter when he lowered them to it and stretched out beside her. She lay on her back, staring up at him while he gazed down upon her face.
“So beautiful, Lera,” he murmured, his brogue all thick and sexy.
She watched his gray eyes which smoldered with passion. He kissed her again. In seconds, she doubted she could recall her own name. Flames flickered and grew within her body, running though her veins with each beat of her heart.
Kori’s hand skimmed up along her side, sending shivers through her, up under the shirt she wore, his callused skin teasing her. Lera gripped his wrist, halting his movement the closer it came to her breast. His gaze hadn’t wavered from hers, and in the depths of his eyes, Lera saw endless patience and love.
He lowered his head and kissed her lightly. A gentle caress of his lips upon hers. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she dropped her hand when he moved his up again. There was a tightness in her belly she’d only felt around Kori.
“Ohh,” she moaned when he cupped a breast. The heat from his palm seared her through her bra. Spikes shot through her when his thumb swiped across the pebbled tip. “Kori?” Emotions she didn’t understand poured over her. She’d never experienced anything like this before. Ever.
“Let it go, Lera,” he said in a voice she almost couldn’t understand it was so deep and the brogue so thick. “Trust me, mo ghrá. Let go.”
He kissed his way down her neck, and Lera screamed to the air when his mouth covered the breast his hand held and sucked hard on the point. She wedged one hand into his thick hair and pressed him against her. Heart pounding, she writhed beneath him, her body telling her it wanted something. Needed something. His hand moved away from her breast, and soon, he lifted her shirt, removing it from her body.
“Beautiful, mo ghrá, you’re absolutely beautiful.”
Lera couldn’t speak. The knot in her belly grew tighter as he stared at her longer and longer. Would he be repulsed by her scarring? The heat in his gaze told her no.
“Kori, please,” she whimpered, needing him to take care of the craving she felt.
He rose up over her and moved to remove her boots. Then, his hand unzipped the side of her pants and he said, “Lift up, Lera.”
In the back of her mind, she could sense the ingrained fear rising but it didn’t overtake her. Lera kept her gaze upon the black-haired man with the most amazing gray eyes in the world. And, believed beyond all, he would never hurt her. While he pulled down her pants, Lera moved her hands to cover herself, only to find them in his grasp, halting her.
“Don’t hide yourself from me, Lera. Never hide yourself from me. You’re so beautiful.”
Kori lay beside her again and trailed one hand along her side as his other hand slipped behind her head. Shockwaves accompanied his touch, and she felt herself nearing an edge of a cliff. He kissed along the shell of her ear and whispered words she couldn’t understand. His touch was gentle. It drifted over her pussy, and she shuddered, hips rising to meet his exploring fingers. His rumbling growl filled her, and he slipped two fingers under the panties then ran them up the lips of her core before sinking them into her. One first then the other joined.
“Kori!” she gasped as pleasure exploded up from within to consume her.
His body, tense against hers, only added to the feeling of completion she began to experience.
“Fuck!” he uttered. “So blessed tight.”
Her eyes flew to his face and saw it in a grim line. His jaw set, and sweat beaded upon his brow. He swallowed and looked at her as his fingers began to move within her. Lera didn’t know how much more she could take. The blaze flared almost out of control within her. Her hand, deep in his hair, tightened as she opened her legs wider.
“Please, Kori. I…I…” Her words fell away. Lera couldn’t express what she needed.
He removed his fingers and she jumped a bit when her panties snapped under his swift jerk. Kori moved over her, and Lera mewled in the back of her throat when his bare skin touched hers. With her other hand, she grabbed his shoulder and dug her nails in. She stiffened at the feel of his shaft at her entrance. He opened his eyes and stared into her eyes.
“Lera?” he asked, his voice all graveled and strained.
She knew in that second he struggled to hold onto his control. Just like that, her fear vanished. Behind the gray of his eyes, she could see the wolf lingering. Sliding her hand from his hair to his cheek, Lera murmured, “I trust you, Kori. Show me what this is supposed to be like.”
He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t say anything. Those words from her mouth meant so much. Slow and smooth, Kori pushed into her. Her hot, slick channel gripped him in a way unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. The snug fit was almost too much, yet somehow, he managed not to explode immediately within her. He held her gaze as he remained still, allowing her to get acclimated to his size. While she wasn’t a virgin, she was extremely tight, and hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do.
Her body quivered around him, and he growled at the sensation. His wolf pushed hard but Kori kept him back. Instead, he focused on the big brown eyes staring up at him. Passion hazed and trusting.
“Lera,” he rasped.
“More, Kori.” She moved against him, and swells of electricity ran up his spine.
He withdrew a bit and watched her eyes darken. She captured her lower lip in her teeth as a soft gasp left her. And back in again. He got a rhythm going, a nice slow one. Lera’s mewls grew louder, and he could feel the walls of her pussy ripple against his cock. Dropping his head to hers, he whispered words of love to her in Gaelic as he continued to move.
Back and forth.
In and out.
Her strong fingers gripped his shoulders, and he could feel the bite of her nails in his skin. Lera undulated against him, taking him in deeper, and he bit back a curse as his need nearly overwhelmed him.
“Ohh yeah,” she purred against him.
Increasing his pace, he nipped her carotid and reveled in her explosive reaction. She came all around his thrusting length. But he wanted more, so he ground his back teeth and continued to increase speed and depth.
“K…K…Kori,” she gasped, moving with him as he drove into her.
“Lera.”
“I…need…want…please…Kori!” Lera’s voice pierced the air around him, and he lost it.
A rumble of possessiveness and lust roared up from his chest. Kori buried his face into her neck and powered hard and fast into her. His wolf driving him, Kori took what he needed. What he craved. A haze covered his eyes, and he snarled with ownership as he bit down upon her shoulder blade.
Her tight slit gripped him and milked him. He erupted deep within her, and his roar filled the air, ripped from his chest. Tremors ruled his body as he lowered it carefully to the woman below him. Her hooded eyes stared at him, full of satisfaction and contentment.
“Lera?” he asked, beginning to pull out of her.
She immediately locked her legs around him and brought him totally back in her. “Stay. I like the feel of you inside me.”
“Did I hurt you?” His gaze picked up on the bite mark on her shoulder.
“No.” A siren’s smile lifted her full lips. “Now, I know why people do this all the time. Is it always like this?”
“No.” Her mouth turned down, and a furrow appeared in her brow. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before, Lera.”
“So it wasn’t good for y
ou?” Worry bled into her gaze.
Kori kissed her lips, careful to keep most of his weight off her. “Mo ghrá, any better and I’d be dead. None before you can compare to what I’ve just experienced.”
“Have you had many women, Kori?”
He pulled out of her and dressed them both in comfortable clothes then gathered her into his arms. “Lera—”
“I’m sorry. That isn’t any of my business.”
“I’ve not been a monk, Lera, but I can tell you this, since the day I knew you were my mate, I’ve not touched another.”
She rolled on top of him, and he felt himself stiffen in response. “Can we do it again?” she asked, rubbing against him.
Hell yeah! “I don’t want you too sore, Lera.”
“And I want you again, Kori.” She nibbled along his lower lip. “I thought it was your job to keep your mate happy.”
His wolf apparently agreed with Lera for he could feel it. “My mate?” he questioned, sinking his hands into the hair on the sides of her head.
“That’s what you said. And I highly doubt you’d say such a thing just to get in my pants.”
“Do you believe we’re mates, Lera?” He ran his thumbs along her lips.
She hesitated briefly, her head tilting to the side. “I think if I were ever destined to have one, I couldn’t think of a better one than you, Kori.”
“But you don’t believe it?”
“Does it matter? From what I’ve seen, even if I don’t, you do, so that seals it.”
He shook his head. “It matters, Lera. Trust me, it matters.”
She sat up, her legs straddling his waist, and stared down at him. “I’ve never allowed myself to think I was ever going to be married, Kori, much less be a mate to anyone.”
“Me, Lera,” he growled. “My mate. Not anyone. Me.”
“When did you know?”
Kori hesitated. No secrets from my mate. “Since the day your cries filled my head.” She frowned. “I’m your angel.”
“No,” she muttered, shaking her head and beginning to get off him.
Holding her there, Kori stared into the eyes of the woman who owned his soul. “Yes, Lera. You know it was me, deep down, you know. I told you about Dane and even the scar on his wrist. I couldn’t get to you to save you so I did the best I could from a distance. Always with you.”
“But you’re not a black wolf.”
The back of his neck prickled. Did this have something to do with the intruder he scented in the area upon his arrival? “No, I’m not. You know that. I’m silver-gray with a charcoal mask. What does a black wolf have to do with anything?”
Lera looked toward the trees her, brows furrowed in concentration. “I remember the man in black who came, but there was also a wolf, solid black, who came at times.”
Kori didn’t like the sound of this. “I never came in wolf form to you, Lera.”
He sat up and held her close, the memory of the unknown wolf at her house and around here now fresh in his memory. She licked her lips and shrugged, although she wasn’t quick enough to hide her suspicion.
“So you’ve always been attached to me?” There was a hint of betrayal in her tone.
“Always, Lera. And also why I kept our interactions to a minimum.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“You deserved to have a childhood, Lera.” He brought her gaze back from the tree line to his face with a touch. “You also deserved to experience life as a young woman.”
“Is this why you agreed to help me?”
“Partly. I was selfish. I wanted to spend time with you. But yes, I agreed to help you because you are my mate.”
“You could have done it on your own, right? Gotten Rissa back.” The betrayal had been replaced by personal doubt, he could feel it leaching from her.
“Yes. But I could see you needed to do it yourself. I would love to slay all your demons, Lera, and keep you in a safe little bubble where nothing can harm you, but I know you don’t want me to. And as hard as it is for me to accept, I will respect that. You are strong, independent, and stubborn as hell. Fearless, at times. Traits I happen to find totally endearing.” He traced along her most recent scars. “But I would move the mountains themselves if it would put a smile on your face and that sparkle in your eye that I only used to see when you looked at your family.”
“I have to go home,” she whispered.
“And we will go.”
“No, Kori. I have to face my daddy alone.”
He hated that idea. “We belong together, Lera. Mates stay together.”
“I’m a big girl. I can do this myself.”
“I’m sure you can. Doesn’t mean I will like it.”
Lera leaned close. “Well, it’s a lot safer than what you let me do last time.”
He growled at her. “Didn’t like that either.” Kori kissed her hard. “And it won’t be happening again.”
Lera stared at him for a bit in silence. He brushed some hair behind her ear, smiling over how she burrowed into his touch.
“I think I knew, in a sense, that you were my angel. He always made me feel so safe, and when I was with you in person, I got that same feeling.”
“Will you do something for me, Lera?”
“Maybe. Can we have sex again?”
He smiled and shook his head. “We have the rest of our lives to have as much as you want. But it’s not sex, Lera. It’s so much more than that.”
“In that case, yes, I’ll do something for you. What do you want?”
“I want you, mo ghrá. But I want you to promise there will be no secrets between us.”
Lera sagged against him and burrowed her face into the side of his neck. “You’re already in my head, Kori. You can snoop out what you want. I should be asking you to promise that. And what does that mean?”
“You have the right to your own thoughts, Lera. I don’t snoop in them. Mo ghrá means my love.”
She smiled against his neck. “What if I have a surprise for you, Kori, and I have to keep it a secret?”
“That’s different.”
He groaned when her hands moved up his sides, nails lightly scoring him. “Can we do it again now?” she asked, kissing his jaw.
Their clothes were gone in a second, and he lowered her slowly on his cock.
“Ohhh,” she purred, her eyes fluttering back in her head.
“I agree.”
He grabbed her hips and powered up into her. Her teeth captured her lower lip as she rocked against him. She was about to kill him. Lera rolled her hips and clenched her internal muscles around him.
Damn, she’s a quick learner.
Kori watched the woman who completed him from beneath lowered lids. It was one of the most difficult things he’d ever done, letting her pick the speed. The afternoon sun shone down upon her medium brown skin, marred by the faint scars on her belly. He tightened his fingers into her hips and rose up to meet her downward strokes. Her head dropped forward, hair cascading around them and creating a private space for the two of them. His balls began to tingle.
“Lera.”
“Hmmm?”
“Stop teasing me.”
She stopped moving and leaned close to kiss him. “I like kissing you, Kori. You taste so good.”
“And I can’t wait to taste you, Lera. All of you.”
Her eyes darkened, and her pussy walls contracted. Kori stroked within her, lifting and lowering her meet his thrusts. Lera grabbed his wrists and moved, too. The slight part of her lips, the flush to her skin, how tightly she held him, all of it pushed Kori over the edge.
With one hand, he reached between them and rubbed her clit. Lera screamed and shattered around him. Three more deep strokes was all he could handle before he came with a roar and coated her womb. Lera collapsed on his chest, her heart pounding as hard as his. With a satisfied smile, Kori lifted her off of him then dressed them both before putting her back on his chest. Then, he pulled the other part of the b
lanket over them and secured his arms around her. A quick brush of lips along her forehead, and he closed his eyes.
“Rest now, mo ghrá.”
Her succulent body shifted when she sighed and gave the impression of melding right into him. He closed his eyes, more content than he’d ever been, and fell to sleep.
Only his wolf’s warning got him out of the way of the projectile that almost hit him. Rolling to his feet, prepared to defend Lera to the death if necessary, Kori froze at the realization of two things.
One, Lera again had managed to vanish without waking him. And two, this could very well be his last day breathing.
“I am going to tear you from limb to limb, Cormac MacLochlainne.” The words were uttered with deadly promise.
Chapter Ten
Lera strode through the forest, making as little sound as possible. Eyes wide and senses alert, she picked her way by some instinct. Her mind running over the fact Kori said she was his mate. Could it be so? At the edge of a glade, she paused. Cautiously, she stepped out into the sunlit area. It seemed time slowed when from the other side came the black wolf.
“You again,” she said on a sigh.
The air stilled, animals quieted, and Lera stared at the magnificent wolf, blacker than the darkest night. The light didn’t just gleam off his shiny pelt; it seemed to be absorbed by it. To black for a blue hue, it was just pure black. She knew he was not your typical canis lupus for it hovered near the size of Kori in wolf shape, perhaps even bigger. But Lera felt no fear. Quite the opposite, in fact. She felt different.
Head lowered, the creature moved effortlessly and without noise across the grassy ground. It stopped before her and stared up at her with obsidian eyes.
“I know you,” she murmured, dropping to her knees before him.
Those eyes never blinked. Lera lifted her hand to touch him but hesitated. The wolf finished the act for her. He stepped into her palm and, her fingers immersed into his thick coat. Electrical impulses shot through her, and goose bumps erupted along her skin.
‘I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, vaj.’
The voice in her head was different than Kori’s but masculine as well. However, where Kori’s could make her react in a sexual way, this one soothed and empowered.
A Love For Lera (Haikon) Page 13
