Les let go of her hand and pinched both nipples, tugging.
Brie cried out. Her body bowed, and her pussy spasmed, squeezing him tight as she came. Hot moisture drenched his shaft and slid out of her.
“Fuck.” Darien’s hips sped up as though he had no say in the matter. He pistoned in, embracing the orgasm as it blew up from his toes and shattered in his balls. He came, shooting deep inside Brie. She jerked. Her cunt clenched. He growled and bent, burying his canines in her neck. She came again, milking him until he collapsed.
Damn.
The scent of spunk filled his nose as the others reached their climaxes. He tried to lift his head twice, succeeding on the third try. Ben and Noel were wrapped in each other, kissing, their hands down the other’s pants. Jeremy and Chase sat next to each other, hands wrapped around their cocks. And Les, well, from the smell of things, he’d spilled in his underwear.
“Damn, Alpha.” Noel let go of Ben’s lips long enough to grunt. “That was some kinda hot.”
The others nodded their agreement.
Darien chuckled. “Don’t get too happy, guys. Brie won’t be inviting you to watch us on the regular, so behave.”
They pouted. He looked over at his mate. Her expression was lax, her eyes drowsy. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yes. Can they leave, please?”
He didn’t break eye contact. “You heard my mate, guys. Scram.” When it was only the two of them left, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Her pussy clenched around his softening cock. “You haven’t told me what you want. I’m your mate,” she said softly. “What does that mean?”
He cupped her jaw, kissed her forehead. “It means you’re mine. I’m yours. We’ll be a family.”
Her lashes lowered, teeth worrying her bottom lip.
“What is it?”
“A family. I want a family.”
“Then you have one.” He smiled. “The guys and I are your family, until we have us some pups.” He frowned. “Do you want pups?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes.”
“Then we’ll have them.” He kissed her lips. “You’re mine, Brie. This mating bite lasts forever. I’ll protect you, I swear.”
“Can I talk to Rory?” She sounded hesitant, probably afraid he’d say no.
“Of course, whenever you want.”
She pursed her lips. “We have so much to learn. I don’t know anything about you, about being mated.”
“Me neither, but we have time,” he told her. “We have time to learn each other, to love each other.”
She gazed up at him, eyes soft. Hopeful. “All this from a bite, huh?”
Darien paused in licking his way down her neck. “That’s all it takes. One bite.”
The End
www.avrilashton.com
TAMING DUKE
Melissa Hosack
Copyright© 2014
Chapter One
Gripping the steering wheel of her car tightly, Arika Cho ducked her head ever so slightly to glance at the rain clouds hovering ominously overhead. Her teeth burrowed into her bottom lip, and she could feel frown lines creasing her forehead. A nasty storm was approaching, and she desperately did not want to get caught out in it.
“The last thing I need is—” As if summoned by her complaints, the sky opened up with a torrent of rain. It pounded against the windshield, effectively blinding her in an instant. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”
She flicked on her windshield wipers and reached down toward her defrosters, knowing things would be fogging up before she knew it. As she did, her hand bumped a Styrofoam cup of coffee in the cup holder, and it toppled over onto the floor of the passenger seat.
“No!” she cried in frustration. She’d had her car professionally cleaned less than a week before. It was as if she’d just flushed a hundred and fifty dollars down the drain. Leaning across to the other seat, she fumbled around on the ground, trying to locate the cup. It brushed against her fingers before spinning away.
Cursing, she glanced up at the road to make sure she hadn’t strayed to the shoulder before returning to the dumped coffee. “Come … on.” At last, her searching fingers found the cup, and she snatched it up off the ground. Her fingers came away sticky. “Fantastic. This just adds to—”
In that instant, she looked up to the road in time to see a large dog race out in front of her. With a holler of alarm, she dropped the cup, returning her hands to the wheel. She slammed on the brakes. Her tires skidded against the slick pavement, a moment before she hit a puddle and hydroplaned. Her back wheels spun out, but she managed to keep control of the car.
Unfortunately, her front bumper clipped the dog. She barely heard the injured yelp over the screech of her tires, but it was there all the same. As her car came to a rocking halt, she pressed a shaking hand to her chest. “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.”
She threw the car in park and merely sat there for a moment, filled with dread. She’d hit a dog. She’d never hit anything before in her life, and now she’d hit a fluffy, cuddly, lovable dog. Shit! Running her hands through the black hair that fell nearly to her waist, she offered a silent prayer that she hadn’t killed it. She didn’t think she could live with herself if it was dead.
With a sigh, she unbuckled her seatbelt and unlocked the car door. One way or another, she needed to go out there and find out what she was dealing with. Stalling wouldn’t make the dog any less hurt … or dead.
“Son of a…” Throwing open her door, she stepped out into the pouring rain. She’d left her headlights on to illuminate the road, and in their beams lay the massive dog that had run out in front of her.
Her stomach flipped and rolled with distress. Racing through the downpour to the dog’s side, she dropped to her knees next to it. “You poor thing. I am so sorry. Unbelievably so.” She reached a hand out to the dog’s flank, and it gave a whimper of pain even at her slight touch. She cringed at the sound, but was relieved to find she hadn’t killed it. Upon closer inspection and a little prodding, she found one of its legs to be tender.
Okay. She could deal with that. A hurt leg was much better than her initial concerns. She would return the dog to its owner and pay the vet bills. It wasn’t the end of the world. She ran her hand along the dog’s throat. Upon finding no collar, she sat back on her heels. “Well, crap.”
She frowned. No collar put a kink in her plan. “Looks like you’ll be coming home with me, big boy. I’ll just have to post some flyers in town. Hopefully your mommy and daddy will see them and come get you.”
Cautiously, she made her way around the dog and attempted to lift it up into her arms. She was a tiny woman, barely hitting five-five. Her shoe size was a six, and her arms looked like they were made of twigs. She worked out four times a week, hard. It still did little to help her build muscle mass. She was a professional ballet dancer and had the slight form to prove it. Lifting the massive beast in front of her just wasn’t going to happen.
Forcing sugary sweetness into her voice, she patted the animal’s head. “Come on, boy. I need a little bit of help from you. Up to your feet, please. Into the car.”
Miraculously, the dog responded to her motivation. It climbed shakily to its feet and hobbled in the direction she guided. The back leg she’d noted to be sensitive was kept tucked up into its body. With her help, he managed to limp over to the back door of the car.
“Good boy,” she said with encouragement. “Good boy!” As the dog leapt into the backseat and curled up on the leather interior, she let out a nervous huff. She’d never had a dog before. She didn’t know the first thing about caring for a dog, especially not an injured one. Hell, she didn’t even like dogs all that much. Still, this was her fault. She was just going to have to suck it up and handle the situation accordingly.
Chapter Two
Arika ran a towel through her dripping hair and frowned in disapproval as the wet dog jumped up onto her bed. Apparently she would be changing the sheets before sleeping tonigh
t. “You’re looking better,” she observed dryly.
The dog was still limping, but in the couple minutes they’d been home, the whimpering had stopped. And if he had the strength to hop up onto the bed, he was going to be perfectly fine. Pressing her bare toes to the button that lifted the top of her hamper, she dropped the towel inside. “Looks like it’s just me and you tonight, cutie. We can curl up on the couch, maybe watch some television. How’s that sound?” She wasn’t fond of dogs and all their barking, but that didn’t mean she was oblivious to their good qualities either. If he was going to be there, the least he could do was keep her toes warm while she caught up on her favorite shows.
Lifting her soaked shirt over her head, she tossed it to the hamper. Her slacks followed. “Let me just brush my teeth and climb into some pajamas…” She disappeared into the bathroom. Snatching up her toothbrush, she squeezed toothpaste onto the bristles, dribbled some water on it from the spigot, and began vigorously scrubbing her teeth.
Padding back into her bedroom, she spoke around a mouthful of foam. “I heard a rumor that—” All thoughts of TV guest stars fled her mind as her eyes landed on the naked man reclining on her bed. The toothbrush fell from her mouth and hit the floor, and a shrill holler tore from her throat.
The man cringed as he shifted his position and began massaging his left calf. “Could you not deafen me, please? You’ve already completely fucked up my leg.”
Arika’s hand reached out to grab the doorframe for support. Her legs felt like jelly. It took every ounce of self-control not to fall to the ground in her shock. “What do you think you’re doing?” she gasped.
“Me?” The man looked up at her through a curtain of chocolate brown hair. “You’re the one who hit me with your Pontiac.”
“Hit you with…” Arika trailed off, at a loss for words. “With my…” She scowled. “What are you talking about?” As she gaped at him, she tried very hard not to look at his naked body. She failed.
Her eyes traveled voraciously over the taut muscles of his chest, over the ridiculous definition of his abdomen. Swallowing thickly, she allowed her gaze to peruse the bulging muscles of his thighs. She flitted along the thick cock that lay against his inner leg before quickly averting her eyes.
Not that it mattered. He was completely oblivious to her gawking. His head was bent over his injured leg, causing his thighs to spread and his dick to be even more visible.
Her head swam, and her face heated with embarrassment. His stark nakedness drew her attention to her own practically undressed state. With a squeak, she covered her bare waist with her hands in an unsuccessful attempt at modesty.
The sound was what finally drew his attention. He glanced up at her and then smirked in amusement. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Arika gave a squawk of indignation. She dropped her arms to her sides, then thought better of it and quickly lifted them to conceal her breasts. She crossed her arms awkwardly over the front of her body, hugging herself. “Who are you?” she demanded. “And how did you get inside my home?”
He arched a brow at her. “Name’s Duke.” He lowered his head again over his leg before giving a sigh and leaning back to properly look at her. He brought one knee up to drape his arm across and stretched the other leg out. He looked like the centerfold of some dirty magazine as he grinned up at her, not at all abashed by his nudity. “I’m the werewolf you hit with your car. And I’m here in your home because you invited me in. Remember all that, looks like you’ll be coming home with me, big boy?” The look he sent her was downright lascivious.
Arika blanched at the completely sexual overtone that statement held. The way he said it sounded so … dirty. “When I said that I…” She stuttered over her words, mortification dominating her verbal skills. “I … how… You’re a … a—” Every bit of lore she’d ever heard came slamming to the forefront of her mind. “Oh crap! And I invited you into my home! Now you’re free to come and go as you please. And—”
“That’s vampires, you idiot. Not werewolves.” He shot her an incredulous look and shook his head. “You have no idea…” Suddenly, he stopped mid-rant and cocked his head at her with a disbelieving expression. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!”
Arika’s eyes widened, and she glanced about nervously. “What is it? What now?”
Duke climbed to his feet and crossed the room in two strides of his long legs. As he did, she tried not to ogle him, but her eyes had a mind of their own. Her arms dropped to her sides as she watched his beautiful, muscular body. His thighs bulged with the movements of his legs, and his … well, it looked impressive, too. Feeling as if her brain was numb, she forced her head to lift so her gaze met his.
A strange man was in her bedroom. She knew she should be frightened of him, but he was just so damn distracting. Maybe if he put some pants on, she could scrounge up enough fear to realize this was not how a normal evening went. The last time she’d had a man in her bedroom … hell, it had been four months. Five?
Upon reaching her, Duke lowered his face over hers with a frown. “You’re aroused.”
His accusation brought a bark of nervous laughter from her throat. “What?” She was embarrassed by the shrill, panicked sound of her voice.
“You’re aroused. Completely.” His dark brown eyes searched her face. “I said the word werewolf, and your panties started getting damp.”
Arika gave a squawk of indignation. “Excuse me?” She could not believe the audacity of his statement, the sheer arrogance. Sure, her secret guilty pleasure happened to be novels where the hero was of the shapeshifting variety, but that did not mean she was aroused by Duke. Not in the least. Freaked out was a more accurate description of what she was currently feeling.
He lifted his hand to run his index finger along the cup of her bra. “Your nipples are hard.”
She shivered at the husky tone in his voice, and her eyes fluttered closed. She didn’t think she could resist him if she looked into his melted-chocolate gaze. It was so heated and sexual. “I’m just cold. My hair is wet from the storm.”
His finger glided once against across her nipple, and he gave a low sound of appreciation. “The cold could explain the nipples.” As her eyes opened, she saw him lean forward. Then his nose was in the crook of her neck. He inhaled deeply. “But the scent of your arousal is unmistakable.”
Her eyes widened in abashment. “There is no way you could possibly smell my—my—” She couldn’t bring herself to say it.
He gave a soft, low groan and slid his large palms along her waist. As he did, he dropped to a knee in front of her. “I can smell you.” His nose brushed against the sensitive flesh of her thigh, nudging along the crease of her leg. “Mmm, what a heavenly scent.” His nose drifted to the front of her panties, and he bumped against the front of her ever so gently. “You smell so sweet.”
She jumped as the tip of his tongue traveled a sensual path along the silk of her undergarments. Her legs trembled, and she gasped at the erotic zing that shot straight to her groin. “Y-you…” She swallowed in an attempt to find her voice. “You don’t even know my name. We can’t just—” She shuddered as his tongue caressed her again.
“What’s your name?” he asked with his lips brushing her panties.
“A-Arika.”
He licked her again before his eyes lifted to hers. “Nice to meet you, Arika. Are we done with introductions?”
She stared down into his eyes and held her breath. She didn’t know what to say to that. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was signing on for if she said yes.
He seemed to take her silence as confirmation, because he lowered his eyes and gently peeled her panties down her legs. She gingerly stepped out of them and watched as they disappeared over his shoulder into the room. Her eyes quickly whipped back to the top of his head as Duke ran his tongue along the folds of her pussy.
“So wet. Just like I suspected.”
His tongue delved deeper, and she gave a desperate moan of pleasure. That
seemed to be his undoing. His gentle approach evaporated as he shoved her backwards a few feet into the bedroom wall. Her back hit with a thud, and then his mouth was on her.
With his hands braced against her lower abdomen and holding her to the wall, he sucked strongly at her clit. He gave a masculine chuckle when she jumped in surprise. “Like that, huh?” With a self-assured grin, he returned to his erotic task. His mouth moved hungrily against her. Sucking. Licking. Tugging.
Arika whimpered, her head falling back to bang against the wall. She’d never had a man attend to her in such a vigorous fashion. It had her body thrumming.
Suddenly, Duke lifted her left leg, tossing it over his shoulder. This position gave him a less restricted view of her pussy. Lowering one hand, he traced her soft lips before spreading her with two fingers. His head dipped down, and he licked along her exposed flesh, groaning in approval.
With frantic pants escaping between her lips, Arika lowered her hand to his full, thick hair. She ran her fingers through it, reveling in the silky texture. His hands were so rough, as was the stubble along his jaw, but his hair was smooth and soft. She gripped a handful of it and lifted her hips to press against his mouth.
She’d never slept with a man on a whim before. She was a relationship type of girl. But her body was responding to Duke like it never had with any other man. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t her usual type. Being a dancer, many of the men she dated were in her profession. They were slim, soft, and gentle. They were strong, but they had the frame of dancers, along with manicured nails and well-trimmed hair.
Duke was the exact opposite. His flowing locks tickled along her thighs, and his stubble scraped against her groin. When he lowered a calloused finger to stroke her clitoris, she gave a ragged cry of ecstasy.
He chuckled, sliding a finger along her slit before slipping it into her depths. In and out. In and out. He stroked her inner walls while his tongue continued to flick against her clit. Then he slipped in a second finger.
Alpha's Claim Page 4
