by Unknown
“Relaxing could get me killed.” Or worse.
He spun her around to face him and the concern in his eyes annoyed her. “Not here. My home is a sanctuary, and I go out of my way to keep it peaceful.”
“It is beautiful here. You’re quite a contradiction. Cold-blooded killer and sensitive, peace-loving man. It’s very interesting.”
“What’s it going to take to convince you I’m not a cold-blooded killer? I’m a good guy.”
“Uh huh. Is that what you say to all the ladies?”
His hands stilled and fell away. She’d probably gone too far, but right now she didn’t care. He’d sprung this little road trip on her and she was still pissed.
“Let me show you where you’ll be staying. He brushed past her and for a split second she felt a twinge of regret. Maybe if things were different, or in a different life...
She grabbed her bag and followed after him. He’d only turned soft lighting on that gave off just enough light to get around, so she didn’t get to see much more of the place as she walked through. Tomorrow she’d get a better bearing on the layout of the house and any possible avenues of escape.
Chapter Six
“Here it is.” He led her into a lush bedroom that continued the natural theme of greens and browns, as well as a few sunny splashes of yellow. The fluffy white bed looked so inviting that she barely noticed anything else. She wanted nothing more right now than to get naked and cuddle up in those blankets and pillows and sleep for a nice long time. Although, now was hardly the time to let down her guard.
“Are you hungry or anything?”
“No, I’m good. I want to sleep first and then we need to have a discussion.”
He smirked at her. “Okay, well, I’ll be at the opposite end of the hall if you need anything. Just let me know.”
Lara watched him back out of the room and close the door. Confident she was finally alone, she whirled back to the bed and threw down her bag. One leap and she landed square in the middle of the mattress, face down in the cushy bedding. She flipped over and looked up, surprised to find a series of skylights instead of a plain white ceiling like she’d expected. Sprawled across the fancy bed, she admired the beautiful view of the southern sky right down to the stars twinkling above her. False or not, it gave her a sense of freedom instead of the sensation of being trapped indoors with no escape.
Lara sighed. It wouldn’t take much to get used to a place like this. If she ever settled down she’d have to borrow some of his ideas for her house, because he’d about nailed it on the head. She’d hoped her dream of revenge would ultimately give her the peace she desperately sought.
She dragged herself up and started removing her clothes. She considered her normal t-shirt and shorts for sleeping, but these sheets and blankets were so damn soft she wanted to sleep cocooned within them with no other barrier. Naked, she shivered for a moment before crawling back into the bed. Exhausted from not sleeping much for a couple of days, Lara’s head hit the pillow with a fleeting thought to the comfort of having Kane and his powerful body wrapped around her when she gave in to exhaustion and passed out.
***
Kane lay in his own bed, staring skyward. He’d given up on sleep after hours of continuous thoughts of Lara’s naked body just down the hall kept his dick so damn hard all he thought about was dragging her out of bed and bending her over it so he could be inside her. His canines lengthened at the image of claiming her in the most primal of ways, his teeth dragging along her spine as he did. Oh yeah, when he had his way not a single inch of skin would be left untouched. She’d beg him to bite her.
He threw off the covers and sat up. What the hell was the matter with him? She was just a woman, an exceptionally pretty and intelligent one, but still just a woman—and human at that. Not to mention she had a mean streak a mile wide. Somehow he needed to eradicate her from his system. Soon he would present her to the clan leaders and make his request. What happened next would be up to the council to decide. He had a hunch that the facts of the case would prove extenuating circumstances, but the gnawing at his gut told him there was more to this than met the eye. She may not be as evil as everyone thought, but she was trouble with a capital T.
He had to stop thinking about her soft eyes when he kissed her, or the scent of her arousal every time they got into an argument. Damn, she seemed as aggressive and as violent as any female from his clan. A woman with that kind of spirit had always turned him on. The harder to conquer, the sweeter the submission. Whatever the case, he had to think of something else. Maybe a shift and a run would exercise these thoughts long enough for him to get some rest.
He padded quietly to the door but stopped at the sound of running water from the direction of the guest room. He wondered what had her up so long before the crack of dawn, and despite his intentions to leave well enough alone, he headed in her direction to investigate.
He found her room already empty and moved to the bathroom door. He should leave now and not go any further...this couldn’t lead to anything good. Someone should tell his dick that, however, because it pressed against his pants, fighting for a way out.
Steam rushed over him when he opened the door and stepped in. In seconds the scent of her arousal washed over him, too, before he even spotted her through the cloud of mist. Oh fuck. Her hand was between her legs, stroking.
He should leave now. He inched closer. As the steam settled around him he spied her leaning against the wall of the shower, her head thrown back with one hand pulling at a nipple and the other rubbing furiously at her clit.
Kane bit back a groan at the epitome of every wet dream he’d ever had. Her hair was slicked back from her face and her mouth pursed into a tiny circle as she labored for breath under the onslaught of sensation running through her.
Hot damn.
Wicked need seared his dick as he lost the battle for control. He wanted to watch and he wanted to get off while he did. Watching had always been his thing but this...damn, this was by far the hottest thing he’d ever witnessed.
When her fingers slid inside her pussy he almost came in his pants right where he stood. He ripped the button loose on his jeans and quickly freed his cock, taking matters into his own hand. He stroked downward with every thrust of her hand upward until his erection ached to bursting and the need clawed him from the inside out.
Damn it, why her? Anyone but her. He was just going to have to fuck her and get this out of his system.
A snarl from the shower distracted him from his thoughts and his gaze jerked back to her profile. Her head twisted side to side as she screeched a little bit more as her own orgasm got closer.
No fucking way could he let this opportunity go by, he had to taste her as she came. He jerked open the shower door and knelt down in front of her. His hands reached around to grasp her handfuls of soft, fleshy buttocks and drew her to his mouth.
“What the—”
Her shock faded fast when his rough tongue stabbed into her pussy, rasping over her engorged clit. Her head lolled back against the tile and she let him have his way. Not like he’d planned to give her a choice.
His hands tightened on her ass until she yelped out from the pressure.
“Please...Kane.” She panted his name.
He grabbed her clit with his teeth and suckled it, her whole body tense against him. Her sexy little growls turned into a scream any banshee would have been proud of as her orgasm rocketed through her. He lapped at her folds as she flooded him with her cream while her hands scratched at his shoulders for more.
At the end of his short rope of control, Kane couldn’t hold back any longer. The beast in him clawed to be inside her, sheathed by all that tight, wet heat and juice. She cried out in protest when he left her pussy and stood to struggle with the wet denim that stubbornly clung to his legs.
Free and naked before her, he watched her gaze travel downward and light up in appreciation when she got her first look at his eager erection.
“You want
me.” Not really a question, but an assurance nonetheless.
She hissed at him in response. He suspected he could do anything he wanted right now and she wouldn’t care as long as he fucked her. Kane flipped her over, stomach to the wall so he could take her from behind. He pressed his cock between the cheeks of her ass and she whimpered. This was exactly what he’d wanted all along: her underneath him, eager to please, desperate for him. His teeth scraped her skin along her spine, desperate to bite and lick her. The urge to mark her shocked him since he’d never felt that way before, but he pushed those thoughts aside and poised the aching crown of his cock at her entrance.
But, when he grasped her hair to pull her backwards, he spied a small mark on the back of her neck. His blood chilled at the sight. “What the fuck is that?”
His angry voice must have startled her as she whipped her head around to look at him. His hands fell to his side and he stumbled back across the shower.
She had the mark. The mark of a mate.
“Kane, what’s wrong?” The alarm in her voice surprised him. “The mark on the back of your neck. Oh, God.” He opened the shower and stumbled away from her. He grabbed a towel and stomped from the room, toweling off as he went. This was so not happening to him. No.
He sank onto the bed, trying to make some sense out of an impossible situation. The water shut off and a few minutes later she emerged through the door wrapped in a towel, which did absolutely nothing to hide her lush figure. Despite the shock coursing through him, his dick still stood up hard and ready when he saw her. Now he knew why.
The chemistry between potential mates was undeniable. It was nature’s way of making certain they would procreate. They could fall in love and mate with anyone, but a natural born marked mate was an everlasting thing. If he bit her birthmark there would never be another for either one of them. Ever. Their chemistry would be linked forever. Despite knowing the consequences his entire body still ached to claim her, to take what was meant for him and bite her.
It all made so much more sense now, yet it complicated the hell out of his plans. He only wanted to get her out of his system. Now what would he do? Mating was out of the question.
“You going to explain to me what the hell that was about? Why get me all worked up like that just to leave me hanging?” Her anger lashed out at him.
He put his head in his hands, trying not to look at her. He still tasted her on his tongue and her scent, God help him, he’d never scented something as sweet and wild as her.
“Your birthmark.”
“What of it? It’s not some weird growth, it’s just a little thing I’ve had from birth. What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
She stepped up to him, mere inches away. When he raised his head he found her towel-covered breasts right in front of his face.
Must resist.
She grabbed at the fold holding the covering in place and dropped the towel. Blood drained from his face and straight to his cock.
“Lara, we can’t...”
She pushed him back on the bed and he didn’t have the will to stop her. That she still desired him after him abandoning her in need made him want her all the more.
“Don’t make me tie you, Kane.”
He barked out a laugh. “I’d like to see you try.” She crawled up on his lap and nestled her moist warmth along the length of his erection and rested her palms across his nipples. Damn vixen. He really liked this, her on top of him acting all aggressive. Sharp fingernails dug into his skin and scratched the length of his chest. He sucked in a sharp breath at the small strips of flesh she took with her. Pain mingled with lust. When she bent down and licked at his wounds he went berserk. He snarled and hissed at her.
“Damn it, woman. Do you want me to hurt you? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to draw out the beast like that?” She rose and guided his cock to her entrance.
“Good!” She slammed down on his shaft, taking all of him in one hard stroke. They both gasped and jerked against each other. When she began to move against him he grabbed her waist and took back the control. He drove upward, seating himself ever farther. From the look on her face he knew he’d touched the right spot. Her tongue panted from her mouth.
“Fuck, you’re tight.” He seethed through his teeth. In fact, she strangled him. All shred of common sense faded as he stroked in and out of her, with the sucking sounds her pussy made all he could think of. On a sudden scream probably heard for miles, her orgasm broke. Yet another reason to be glad he’d moved out here so far from everyone else. The last thing he needed right now would be for anyone to come running to investigate. Her muscles clamped down around him again, dragging all other thoughts from his brain except how good it felt to be inside her. His mate.
His mouth watered at the sight of her sweat-soaked skin as she leaned over him. His damn canines literally ached with the need to bite her, but he couldn’t do it. What would his council say? Hell, what would his brothers say? He was just supposed to fuck her and forget her.
He listened to her heart racing as her screams died out and she panted for breath. It had been such a beautiful sight; he wanted to make her come again, but the way she rode him harder and harder there was no way he’d last much longer.
“Fuck, baby, you’re going to make me come.”
“Thank Goddess, come now, with me.” With that she let out a long, low wail eerily similar to the females of his clan. Her soft skin and dewy heat connected with his on every thrust, teasing him until he too shouted out in release. He came up off the bed and found his mouth on her shoulder, the sharp tips pushing against the thin skin. Thankfully, she pushed him back to the bed and dug into him with her nails again. He shuddered and groaned and rode through the pulses and shivers of their combined orgasm.
Damn, he couldn’t remember sex ever being this intense with anyone before. When she slumped forward against his chest he didn’t even wince at the pain she caused just from touching his nail wounds. The knowledge that she had a bent for rough sex as much as he did made him grin and wrap his arms around her.
Eventually their skin cooled and she shivered against him. He gently slid from her body and tucked her into his shoulder before wrapping them both in a blanket. If nothing else, they could at least rest for a couple of hours before the sun rose.
Then they would have to talk about the impossible.
Chapter Seven
Lara woke to the sounds of nature and streaming sunlight flooding the room. Disoriented for a minute, she glanced around and remembered. Kane had brought her here, and this was his house. Relaxing back into the pillow, she admired the skylight that covered almost one hundred percent of the ceiling. Last night the starry sky had seemed surreal, but looking up now at the blue sky and moving clouds definitely gave her the illusion of being outside.
When the memories of her and Kane and their early morning hour activity hit her, she didn’t know whether to laugh or throw something. He’d entered the shower with her on the verge of a much-needed orgasm, and she’d made the split decision to fling all caution out the window and have a good time. They both needed it, and for her it had been far too long. Hell, even a few days seemed too long, and with thoughts of her and Kane in this bed, a few hours felt too long.
She jerked herself from the bed, blocking the images and the need that went with them. There were far more serious matters to attend to. She needed a plan of escape when things got ugly, and they most certainly would. Some part of her believed Kane wanted to do the right thing here, but when push came to shove she wasn’t totally sure whose side he would end up on.
She bent and stretched out her muscles, ready to get the blood pumping and the day moving.
“Damn, woman, you trying to kill me?”
She popped up, ready to smart mouth him, but the words died on her lips when she spied the gorgeous grin on his face and the lust shining in his eyes. How could he look at her like that, even now? In the cold light of day she found it impossible to put their troub
les behind them. He expected her to face his council in a Tribunal she might not be able to escape from. Only she knew better.
“How do you do that?”
“Do what?” “Think about sex when both our lives are at stake.” He should be focused on the danger, not the amazing dick he had in his pants. Unwittingly her gaze slid down. Oh hell, he already had a hard on.
“Seems like the perfect time to me. If my life is in danger I want some really hot sex before I go and you, babe, are HOT.”
She dragged her gaze back to his face. “You need a cold shower.”
“Ouch.” He clutched at his chest and she laughed as she threw one of the bed pillows at him.
“I need another shower and some food. Will it kill you to feed a hungry girl after she fucked your brains out?
A wicked and suggestive grin spread across his face. “You talk to everyone with that mouth?”
She arched her brow and did her best are you kidding me look before turning on her heel for the bathroom.
“Lara, wait. I actually came in here to tell you I’m going out for a while.”
She stopped in her tracks and turned back.
“I have to give a report this morning and I need you to stay here and stay put.”
“A report on me?” He nodded.
“Will you stay?” Damn it. If he’d ordered her to stay she would have been out the door right behind him, but the fact that he asked her to stay melted something inside of her and made her want to be here when he got back.
“Yes.” She couldn’t say more beyond the simple word. Not only did she feel suddenly vulnerable, but she didn’t want to screw this up with her normal sarcasm.
“Good.” He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. He smelled like clean soap and...
“Is that bacon that I smell?”
“You’re good, baby. Yes, I made breakfast for you. Bacon, eggs, and toast, and it’s sitting on a platter in the warm oven waiting for you.
“I think I love you.” She planted a quick kiss against his lips and wriggled from his arms in her rush to get a quick shower and the food her stomach grumbled for.
