by Nikki Winter
“You’re trying to change almost sixteen years’ worth of self-doubts and misgivings in the span of a day. This time we were lucky; this time you didn’t get hurt. But what happens when the next beast isn’t so friendly?”
He rolled his shoulders and deadpanned, “If I fuck you into submission, maybe that’ll translate over. Truly, god-like loving does wonders; bringing man and beast together… along with pelvises…”
Her lip curled.
“Too soon?” he queried innocently.
When she went to pull away, he tugged his hand until her chest bumped his own and then he tamped down on the growl building in his throat. Even covered in carnage, dirt and leaves, she made his cock harder than a Rubik’s cube in the hands of the colorblind. His Cree was effortlessly beautiful and all his.
Maddox found her mouth and listened to the little sigh of resignation she gave as his lips brushed over hers in a soft, tentative motion. Her shoulders dropped from their former place by her ears and he speared his free hand through her hair as he caught her bottom lip with his teeth and nipped it.
A low sound left her throat. The tone of it skirted across his skin and caused him to tremble as he deepened the kiss. She tasted like every sinfully good thing this world had to offer and he couldn’t allow that to slip through his fingers. His tongue stroked over the roof of her mouth and the moan that freed in response made him swing her up into his arms and take off in a dead run towards her cabin.
Her laughter vibrated against his throat. “What’re you doing?!”
“Getting you someplace where I can fuck you dumb!”
He took a leap over a fallen branch, shot past grazing deer and ignored the bits of rock and wood that he stepped on in his haste to get her to the nearest private room. Maddox had waited too long, had fantasized too long, to be smooth and romantic about it. He wanted her and he wanted her now; finesse be damned.
Catching sight of her cabin, he stepped up his speed, listening to her amused chuckles. The weightless sound of her laughter motivated him to keep moving, to keep his forward momentum.
One…two…three…
He pushed off of the ground and landed on her porch. Twisting the knob, Maddox shoved his way through the door and headed directly towards the back after kicking it closed. He marched to her bedroom and unceremoniously sat her down on the sink of her bathroom once inside. After twisting every handle that he could on the showerheads, he stripped. His sweatpants and boxer briefs were shot-putted out of the door before he reached for Cree and snatched off her tee.
The scent of her arousal mule kicked him in the gut and Maddox had to briefly stop and breathe through his mouth so he wouldn’t lose what little rationality he had left. “Shower. Inside.”
She scooted past him and stepped into the large, glass enclosed section, immediately dipping her head under the water and grabbing hold of the soap. Maddox rummaged through her medicine cabinet until he came across a box of condoms. Checking the date, he ripped one out. Once he felt as though he had some semblance of control, he migrated away from her granite countertop—which he’d been gripping strongly—and towards the siren’s call of her unclothed form. He sat the condom on the caddy hanging nearby. His fingers trailed over her shoulders as he moved in behind her. When she leaned into him, he pulled back and heard her frustrated groan.
With calm precision, Maddox took the body wash from her slippery hands and poured some into his palms. He allowed the showerheads behind him to rinse away the grime of their play before touching her. And the second he did…
Cree’s hands slapped against the tiles as Maddox kneaded his thumbs just above the rise of her ass. She gasped, pushing into his ministrations. Her buttocks brushed his groin and his vision changed at the connection of flesh. A low hiss skated between his clenched teeth and he fisted her hair, pulling her head back for the onslaught of his mouth.
The low drugging kiss became something savage the minute she spread her thighs and ground into him. Maddox almost flattened her against the wall as he pressed his chest to her spine. His palm collided with her belly and slid upwards to rest just between her breasts. One hand curved around his neck and the other found his fingers, tugging them towards her nipples. Smiling against her lips, he ran his knuckles around the areolas but avoided the beaded tips purposely. Her nails dug into his wrist and he shook her hold loose while releasing her hair and cupping her pussy with his now free hand.
Maddox slid his middle finger between the silky folds and rolled it just around her clit until she arched and keened into his mouth. He pulled the digit away then teasingly encircled the rim of her core’s opening. She grunted and attempted to control his movements but once again, he shook her off and lifted his hand away, just to bring it down over her clit, once, twice and again.
Cree’s mouth jerked away from his as she shuddered hard and her hands pounded against the shower walls with a loud call of his name. There was no greater satisfaction than watching the way her skin flushed under his touch, listening to the choppiness in her breathing, catching the aroma of lust as it wound into the steam surrounding them, enticing his sensitive nose.
He pushed a knee between her legs and spread them further, his mouth locked onto the pulse in her throat while his fingers played in the dew of her essence and the other found the condom. His cock pulsed, seeking the warmth that his hand had found so unerringly. Maddox released her briefly, sheathed himself, grasped hold of her hips and bent his knees, sliding his length against the wetness he’d been envisioning for months now.
“Cree?” he softly called, with slow sharp movements against her, watching the way the plump roundness of her cheeks shook with every slap of their flesh.
“Yeah?” she panted, head bent.
“I hereby declare this as mine and mine alone. All those who even consider challenging that will die in an agonizing end of misery and hellfire. Understood?”
She nodded jerkily. “Right. Got it. Misery. Hellfire. Yours. That’s absolutely wonderful now, in. Me. Please.”
The fact that she’d actually begged… Maddox went still then slammed into her with a ferocity that was borderline vicious. She reached around and gripped his hip as he speared her completely, his thrusts hard and merciless. This wasn’t gentle, fluid or even serene. Their movements were frantic, desperate. The more of her he had, the more he wanted.
Maddox’s hands reached for every bare part of her skin he could touch and just when he caught the hitch in her breathing—the way her pussy’s feather light embrace became a vice-like grip—he pulled back.
Cree’s head snapped around towards him, eyes glowing faintly around the irises. “You stopped,” she heaved. “Why did you stop?”
“Because I need to know something.”
“Right now?”
“Your yelling is unnecessary,” he calmly retorted, fighting the beast clawing at his insides, roaring in outrage.
“Is it? Because I kind of feel like I’m entitled at the moment!”
“Are you going to keep roaring or simply answer my question?”
He watched her jaw work. “What?”
Angling forward, he made sure her focus was solely on him. “Will I look up tomorrow and find you halfway across the country?”
A line formed between her brows as her gaze normalized. “What?”
It wasn’t the question he really wanted an answer to but it was valid enough. Asking her if she loved him would end this swiftly and brutally. With no desire to see that to happen, he decided to avoid the elephant in the room…for now. However, being well aware of the constant internal struggle Cree was experiencing, he had no doubt that if he took his eyes off her for just a moment she’d weasel away from him. She’d effectively run from her emotions, her past and the battle of her true nature.
He’d distracted her, made her laugh, but how long would it take her to get as antsy as she had yesterday? How long before she questioned her choice to stay? Maddox knew that if she disappeared he wouldn’t be respon
sible for his actions.
“Are you going to leave the minute I close my eyes?” he queried again.
“Since I just agreed that you could plant a flag on my lady business, I’m thinking no,” she said slowly. “I’m also thinking that if you keep playing cat and mouse with said lady business, you may lose your eyesight in a tragic yet justifiable ravaging of your face.”
Savage. Merciless. Callous. Honest. He needed no other confirmation. Cree had been a lot of things in the time he’d know her but a liar was nowhere on the list. Therefore, Maddox gripped the nape of her neck, her left hip and rammed home once more.
One of her palms collided with the hand wrapped about the back of her throat and held it there as she moved against him. Maddox put every ounce of ruthless, borderline inhuman power he could behind his thrusts. From the way her moans and keening cries rang out around them, bouncing off the tiled walls in waves, he knew to continue; he knew to give her everything he had until she couldn’t take anymore. Her claws were latching onto his wrist then as she screamed and came, setting off the primal side he’d tried so hard to control.
His arms went around her torso before he flattened her against the wall and used his cock to wring her dry. She never stopped crying out, never stopped coming or calling his name. Eventually he couldn’t push past the pleasure the cinch of her pussy caused and as she tumbled over one last time, he followed her, roaring.
Nine
For the first time in a long time Cree felt…satiated. She actually felt satiated. There was no restlessness, no need to move, and no desire to run to burn excess energy. No, she was content to keep still and hold her resting place against the grizzly beneath her. The snoring grizzly beneath her. If she didn’t know he was the source of said euphoria, she’d roll him off the bed then use him as a trampoline for her own amusement; however, he was. Maddox had made good on his promise to fuck her into submission. She’d never admit it out loud but he’d accomplished what she never could—he’d quieted the beasts.
And now, well, Cree had no idea what to do with herself. Did she simply lie here, resisting the urge to plug his nose? Did she go into the kitchen and make sure her fridge was stocked so he could eat once he stopped that goddamn snoring? Did she plot world domination? What was she supposed to do?
“Listen,” Maddox’s cranky voice suddenly barked, startling her. “If you’re going to sit here, swimming in all your illogical, narcissistic thoughts, could you at least do it while running your hand through my hair and flicking at the spot where my extra nipple used to be?”
She suppressed a smile. “You had a love/hate relationship with it didn’t you?”
“There were benefits,” he yawned, blinking up at her. “Take advantage of them.”
Cree shook her head. “Someone should really give you a mental evaluation at some point.”
“Already had one. It ended with my dating a klepto, which ended in her arrest in the middle of a dinner party. Needless to say, we had to part ways after that.” He looked off briefly. “I wasn’t particularly sad being that I’m pretty sure she’s the reason I opened my linen closet one day and miscellaneous items such as car rims and picture frames came tumbling out. What happened to be frightening was that the frames were all filled with pictures of men who all looked like me. I dunno if I was another mark or if she had also been a serial killer who liked to store away keepsakes.” His mouth twisted. “I still have the use of my ankles and I don’t feel occasional jabs in my back as though someone is using a voodoo doll so I’m going to assume it was the first…”
“Maddox?”
“Yes?”
“I think I liked the silence of my swimming in illogical, narcissistic thoughts better than disturbing anecdotes from your past relationships.”
“Were these thoughts centered on the choked gasps my penis caused earlier?” he queried mildly.
She tucked in her lips. “No.”
“Then me no care about them,” Maddox dismissed. He placed his arms behind his head and questioned, “Are we going to discuss the choked gasps or no?”
Cree closed her eyes. “No.”
“Now see,” he began slowly. “That doesn’t really work for me.”
That’s when she found herself flat on her back with close to 300 pounds of grizzly hovering over her. “Would you like to tell me why you’re giving attention to things aside from the majesty and power before your eyes?”
“Maybe it’s because the owner of said majesty and power is actually referring to it as majesty and power,” she retorted.
“Not liking the mocking tone, female,” he playfully growled. “Not liking it at all.”
She shrugged. “That’s your problem, now isn’t it Mr. Hinckles?”
His eyes narrowed just a bit. “You’re grinning.”
Cree nodded. “I am.”
“And it appears to be…happy.”
“It does.”
Maddox suddenly reared up. “What defenseless individual has fallen victim to your fury?!”
Bursting into laughter she stared up at him. “What?”
He jabbed a finger in her direction. “As long as I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you willingly smile unless something amused you enough for your face to give its approval and yet you sit here, eyes bright; and I’m pretty sure that if you had a tail it would be wagging. So I ask you once more, who’ve you killed?”
“No one, Tickles. I just happen to be”—she blew out a breath, searching for the right word—“content.”
Head cocking, he stared at her for a bit then gasped, “Where did you bury Anoki?!”
“Maddox—”
“No! Your explanations will not be heard! I want to know what you did with the body!”
She sat up on her elbows. “And why do you assume I would have to kill Anoki to be in a joyful mood?”
His brows lifted. “Because you love Fallon, tolerate Cade, respect Makya, like Maddox and I’ve brought you pleasure in the most incredible ways, leaving you with a glow and modelesque sheen. This means Anoki has to have seen you wrath.”
Cree sat back with a chuckle and gazed up at the ceiling. “Your logic—”
His face was suddenly there. “Is accurate,” he completed.
Shaking her head with a smirk, she reached downwards for one of his hands, placed it to her chest and questioned, “Do you feel that?”
Maddox’s lips poked out and he flicked her nipple. “I do. I also feel Mr. LongFellow’s interest.”
“Please don’t call it that,” she requested. “And I’m talking about my heartbeat.”
“Of course I’ll call it that. It’s the only proper way to refer to something so elegant and beautiful,” he murmured, now staring at his hand. “What about your heartbeat?”
She placed a palm on top of his own. “It’s not racing, it’s not stuttering.” Her fingers played over his. “It’s calm; it’s serene.”
“And this is because…?”
“The other half of me is silent,” she replied and then repeated with bubbling excitement, “It’s silent.” Cree cupped his face and locked gazes with him. “What do you see Maddox?”
He waited a beat then a smile curled his mouth. “You. All I see is you.”
That held a bevy of meaning but she understood that he was answering her question. They had yet to talk about the elephant in the room and she’d liked to avoid the large tusk bearing beast for as long as possible. Because if she reciprocated the feelings he radiated, it would make this all too real and as someone who’d learned to hide herself and her emotions, she wasn’t ready to completely pull the petals of her budding affection back as of yet. “Exactly, all you see is me.”
“Which means...” His voice trailed off then he suddenly leered.
Before he could open his mouth she placed a finger to his lips. “Don’t,” she warned.
That leer never faded. Maddox leaned up and away from her. Pounding on his chest like an undiscovered genus of Homo sapiens, he shouted, “I.
Have. The power!”
She kicked him in the thigh. “Shut it.”
His arms spread wide. “For I am strong and capable and I shall shout it from the mountain tops! I, Maddox Malisle McKenna, fucked Cree Nadie Chayton, into submission!”
That was when she reared her legs back and pushed them into his chest, shoving the big bastard onto the floor.
He jumped back up, placed his arms akimbo and glared down at her. “You dare assault your lord and master?”
She blinked. “If you’d like to see a true assault, call yourself my lord and master again.”
His mouth twisted as he leaned towards her. “I am your sovereign ruler, commander and chief, the one from which your help cometh.”
Her lips twitched but she would not laugh.
Maddox stood back and struck a pose that looked distinctly like a superhero. “I think I shall have a cape made and then I will call myself Wondercock, saver of vaginas, filler of empty spaces.”
At that point Cree really couldn’t hold it anymore. The laughter came flooding out until she was gasping, her eyes watering with the force of it. What made it worse was Maddox’s quietly asked, “What? What’s so funny?”
***
“You want me to do what now?” Cree queried around a mouthful off Japanese inspired elk teriyaki over white rise and crisp cabbage. Once she’d stopped laughing at Maddox, she’d called one of the lodge restaurants and had food brought to them. Leaving the cabin was an option before a certain grizzly had started roaring about how he wouldn’t tolerate clothes and other people ruining his post-coital glow. Insane, pretty, bastard…
“I want you to acknowledge out loud that you are not your mother.”
She watched him with her mouth slightly parted in confusion. “And this would be why…?”
“Because it’s the first step in your recovery,” he answered, cleaning out his food container and swallowing down half a bottle of German ale. “As someone who’s had to recite positive affirmations and meditate on them several times in his life, I know how good it can be for”—he waved a hand at himself—“my health.”
