by Tigris Eden
“Oh, don’t get so upset, doll, he does this all the time. Like the stray wolf he is. He goes out to scratch an itch, only to come crawling back my way. It’s no wonder I let him back at all.”
“Knock it off, Melissa,” Draven growled. Lie number two. “You knew in the beginning this could happen. We were both on board with the possibility that at any time we’d find our mates.” He squeezed Jesminda tighter in his arms. He and Melissa had both known the consequences of the type of relationship they were in. Either one of them could find their true mates at any given time. Destiny put its finger on the trigger and pulled without aim. When it hit, it hit.
“She’s mine,” he simply stated. Melissa knew he was right. He could see the knowledge in her eyes, but she continued arguing anyway.
“You’ll grow tired of her soon. She can’t produce pups. She’s human, after all.” Melissa spat the words. She’d meant them to hurt. But she’d play any card at this point, even if she didn’t realize her errors.
“He has a pup already, he doesn’t need yours.” Jes sneered.
Draven looked down at the fighter in his arms. Jes didn’t think she was strong enough for their relationship. She thought she was dead inside. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for. Her actions contradicted her words. Melissa wouldn’t be a threat to a woman who wasn’t concerned about an ex. But his island flower was defending her position by his side whether she wanted to admit it or not.
“You got her with young? She doesn’t smell like she’s ripe. If you’re trying to make me jealous, it worked okay, I’m thoroughly jealous.” She pouted and took a step toward him. She’d ignored Jes and addressed him directly. His team slowed at the entrance to the elevators. They hung back, waiting for the explosion. Melissa’s skin was a bright red, blotchy and sweaty. She was preventing her change as best she could. Still, her wolf qualities showed with distinct clarity. Her eyes were wider, dilated. Her hair was thicker and lengthened, preparing her for the change.
He made a move to step in front of Jes, to shield her from Melissa, but she took a step in front of him, blocking his ex’s progress. Melissa drew up short; the hands at her sides balled in semi-fists as she made room for her elongating nails. He knew her wolf took it as a direct challenge, and Draven tried pulling Jes into his safety, but she sidestepped him again. She was determined to stand her ground. She eyed Melissa and grinned.
“Honey, I didn’t say I was gonna keep him,” The men in the room coughed. “Look, our daughter is five years old, and as far as marking me, I didn’t ask for it.” Jesminda turned to look at him, but he didn’t hear anything past the not keeping him part. What in all the heavens above did he need to do to make her understand there was no going back? She was his and he was hers. The woman pushed all his buttons, held his heart in a vice grip. She’d squeezed too hard this time. He took a menacing step forward and shoved Jes behind him and held firmly to her wrist, when she tried to struggle. Message received and rejected. He thought. She was not going to toss him to the side. She would never be rid of him.
“Back off Melissa, it’s none of your concern, once I’m finished here with my team, I’ll stop by tomorrow to get my things, don’t fuck with me on this. I can be a real bastard and you know I can. Go home.”
Draven turned, ignoring Melissa’s fury. He bent at the waist and shoved his shoulder into his mate’s stomach lifting her off the ground. He placed one hand on her thigh and squeezed tightly, causing her to squeak. The other hand splayed over her ass in a possessive gesture. It was time he reminded her why he was alpha of this relationship and master of her universe. The others would handle Melissa. She knew about pack politics. Once a wolf found his true mate all bets were off. She could pretend she didn’t understand, but she did. He knew what irritated her most was that she was overlooked for a human. It wasn’t like that and in time she would come to understand.
21
The barbarian act was getting old, quick. She was tired of being manhandled from all sides. She’d only trembled slightly when Draven had hefted her over his shoulder. Progress. She knew she hadn’t overreacted. In a way, she was prepared for his outburst. Was she baiting him? Maybe a little. They had two hours to spare before he left. Why she’d pushed him, she wasn’t sure. One thing she did know, the man had a gorgeous back and ass. The muscles flexed and bunched as he stomped down the hall. And why was her brain clouded with arousal? Things had not been settled between the two of them. She knew he was giving her time to adjust, but really, did she want to?
She’d gone completely limp because, well, there was no use fighting a man quadruple her size. Especially if said man could turn furry at the drop of a hat. He’d never turn on her, and she knew that. Somewhere deep inside her safe corner, she’d come to realize he’d never intentionally hurt her or their daughter.
He swung back around to his men, ignoring Melissa and her current tirade. Jes had suffered from a large dose of jealousy. The entire time the other woman ran her mouth, Jes only saw two things, her hitting Melissa and Melissa hitting the floor. No dignity, whatsoever. If she’d been the one on the receiving end of Draven’s words, she would’ve left. Why stay and be further humiliated? When Melissa ignored her, the urge to stand up to her was all consuming, so she’d reacted, killing two targets with a few words. She knew Draven wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to her. He’d protect her with his own life if need be. He cared that much. Knowing that made her happy and scared in equal measure, he was so intense. Jes groaned. The hole of miscommunication was getting deeper and deeper. Wishy-washy wasn’t her. She always stuck to her plans and never deviated. She couldn’t keep Draven. She doubted any one woman could. He was the thief in the night, the wolf on the prowl, and she knew, in time, he’d get bored with her. He was different now, and she knew she couldn’t continue to hold him at arm’s length. She’d already slept with him, twice. His constant sexuality was a permanent fixture, assaulting her senses. A constant aroma wafted into her nose and played to her feminine side. The logical side of her tried to resist him at every turn. Who was she kidding? Really.
She argued a bit more with herself while studying the ass encased in black sweats. He was still wearing the Henley shirt, but every time he took a step toward the elevator, his muscles would flex and bunch under the shirt. Niiiceee. The shirt couldn’t hide his predator’s grace. It molded to his body, adapted to him. Not the other way around. He’d let the others know he’d meet them in the conference room in two hours. She figured he’d drag her back to his parents’ house where he’d give her a tongue-lashing; maybe with actual tongue? No! She had to stop thinking like that. She needed to be serious, not aroused.
She wasn’t worried, she could handle it, and she realized with a sick feeling in her gut that he no longer required her assistance. They had the location of the vampiri, and possibly Marcus and the creepy guy Oliver had called The Red Sun. It sounded like an organization, but the way Oliver said the name hinted that maybe it was someone instead of something.
Draven moved with purpose and hit the elevator button. She had to balance herself on his lower back with her arms to lift her head up. All the blood rushed forward, making her temples pound. She felt his warm hand on the cheek of her ass, squeezing it, distracting her from her thoughts.
The doors to the elevator hissed open. He walked in with her still in his arms. She was so attuned to his body and his virile masculinity that she knew exactly what was going to happen when they reached their destination. He gently adjusted her to face him. The heat from his hands seared her thighs as he wrapped her legs around his waist. She was eye level now, his amazing green to her gold.
“Now what,” she asked.
His eyes were dark and purposeful. He was thinking hard about something, and the longer she stared, the louder he growled, vibrating her breasts. The hands splayed on her thighs squeezed, ratcheting her pulse up another notch. Her nipples hardened. The elevator was too small, and the pit of her stomach hollowed at thoughts of b
eing with Draven again. Her mind may not be on board with his barbaric ways, but her body was. Draven turned and pressed her into the elevator wall his lips coming down hard, fierce. Jes surrendered, fighting was too exhausting. He wanted her, well, he could have her, but it would be on her terms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and wiggled against the hard erection cradled by her core.
“Stop moving, woman,” he groaned, pulling her tighter against him. His infectious taste made her deepen the kiss, tangling their tongues in a wet embrace. The mood of the kiss was powerful and all consuming. She didn’t want to breathe, and he wasn’t trying to let her. He explored her mouth with cruel, sure strokes. He latched onto her lips and sucked. This was him driving his point home, hard. Liquid lust threatened to burn her alive. Her skin tingled and her pussy wept moisture onto her panties. He did this to her, made her crazy on such a level she didn’t have any other choice but to hang on for the ride.
His hands moved to her waist, holding her firmly, he lifted her so that she rose a bit higher than his head. “Put your feet down, baby,” he said against her lips. She didn’t want to let go; she wanted to stay securely wrapped around him. But he was lifting her, pulling her legs free, sliding her down his body in a slow, delicious glide that had them both groaning in pleasure. His mouth traveled to her neck where he nipped and licked. Her sigh was loud, bouncing inside the small enclosure of the elevator, filling her with a need for more of him. He held her suspended between him and the wall, leaving her trapped, with the heat of him surrounding her.
His hand slid its way to one of her breasts and squeezed, a delicious sting sending sexual information through her body in pleasing jolts. She wanted him even if she wouldn’t keep him. There was nothing wrong with a small slice of happiness. A corner would be okay. Draven bent his head and continued the assault on her mouth. It brought her back from her thoughts and into the present. She wasn’t going to allow her brain to dictate her thoughts anymore because the sensation of their fused mouths and dueling tongues warmed her body and her heart.
“Give. Me. You.” He punctuated each word against her mouth. Made sure there wasn’t any chance of her misunderstanding their meaning. She wanted to, her body responded to him. Her heart beat both for him and with him. They were synced. He was the champagne to her strawberry and she was soaked full of his flavor. In the back of her head, warning bells were going off. He’d mated her. He’d attached himself to her in all ways. Why was she falling for yet another man who wanted to control her? Kidding herself wasn’t going to change the outcome. She wanted him with a desperation that bordered on insanity, but she was too afraid to dive fully into the pool. Right now, she just wanted to get her feet wet.
Jes struggled in his arms, tried to push him back. The wall that was his chest wasn’t moving, and panic set in. The world was threatening to go black. Breathe, dammit. Once again, a man had tied himself to her and she’d done the same. A deeper part of her knew he would never hurt her like Marcus had. The analytical side of her knew it was wrong to hold Draven at a distance and push her issues off on him. Making him suffer her attitude, which should’ve only been reserved for Marcus, wasn’t fair. But damn, if her instincts weren’t in fight or flight mode; his advances were invited, the relationship, not so much. Her insides were on fire for him, but her mind, the logical Jesminda Zealand, reared her head. She had nothing to offer him. She was a shell of her former self. Why couldn’t he see that?
They had a daughter, and most people would say that was enough to make their relationship work, but she knew the ugly truth of it. Relationships based on children did one of two things, they either brought endless joy and happiness, or they were Band-Aids used as an excuse. She didn’t want the Band-Aid version for her daughter. She’d rather Faith be filled with love by both parents, even if they couldn’t be together.
She knew Draven would put their daughter first. She understood being a wolf’s mate was a serious thing. But she wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. She didn’t know if it was something that could be broken, or if he was tied to her indefinitely. He’d said wolves mated for life. It was territory uncharted for her on all accounts.
“Give. Me. You,” he said again against the hollow of her throat. His voice strained with lust. The words rumbled against her skin in a delicious wave. He’d been reduced to a caveman. Normally, she’d be flattered, but having him in this mode meant he wasn’t much for talking. She pulled his head up to meet her eyes. All of their hopes, dreams, and their future were reflected in emerald pools of want. He was going to demand this from her; no matter what argument she threw in his face.
“What if I can’t, Draven?”
“What if you can?” he replied back.
Their foreheads touched, and Jes took a deep breath. His scent uniquely him - male arrogance, mixed with an overabundance of confidence and strength. He was every girl’s fantasy and every man’s nightmare. The smell of feminine and male arousal wrapped around them in the elevator, the mixture potent, a drugging combination to her senses. Her body wanted to be penetrated by him, hard. Aggressively taken and not given the decision to choose. In this she would give, she’d let him take her. Her heart wasn’t ready, regardless if he’d carved a spot out for himself, a place right next to Faith.
“Everything about you is right for me, Jesminda,” Draven said. “You move me in ways I never thought to be moved. And even if you hadn’t birthed our daughter, I would still have marked you as mine,” he whispered against her lips. His hands buried in her hair and the massaging of her scalp sent tingles through her body.
With his eyes still closed, he kissed the corner of her mouth where his lips lingered, warm and soft on her skin. He was an animal, but he was also a man. Communication was important in all matters of a relationship. He’d never mentioned the words love or devotion. He’d offered her security, and told her he’d fix things for them, that she wouldn’t be helpless. He’d teach her to fight, stand up for herself. The terms of their relationship had not been explained. He’d made the decision without even consulting her. The word love made her heart freeze over. She couldn’t hear it, and it was good he hadn’t said the words. Maybe he knew?
“What makes me the right choice? Why didn’t I get a choice in the matter?” she asked.
“You’re a strong, capable female. All these years, you’ve cared for our daughter, kept her safe. Even though you don’t realize it, you’re afraid of nothing, and you fear no one. It takes a lot of courage and strength to do what you did, bear the things no woman should. I see the way you care for our child, and can’t wait to see you swell with others. I know the fierceness you have for Faith would be the same for any man you give your heart to. And I’m selfish for taking the choice from you, but fate is fate, and the wolf,, as well as the man, recognize you as ours. Ours to protect, ours to satisfy and make happy, and ours to lo-,” He didn’t get a chance to say the words that were sure to destroy every ounce of sanity she had left.
“Don’t. Don’t say it. I’m broken. There isn’t enough in here.” She held her chest. “Not for you. I only have room for Faith. Do you understand? There’s too much going on and I’m being pulled under. I can’t stop, and soon I’ll drown.” She pleaded for him to understand.
“You are not that woman. I don’t see you like that at all.”
“You’re so stubborn.” That earned her a smile. She almost smiled back, but pushed forward, he needed to understand. “Faith is the only thing I know right now. There are days when I just want to curl up and let the waves of oblivion crash over me, take me into the darkness of the abyss. I’m dead inside. Faith is the only thing keeping me alive.” It was embarrassing to admit, but all of it was true.
Draven took a deep breath and kissed her soundly on the lips. “I know what you’ve gone through; I can’t imagine someone like you having to go through that. When I first laid eyes on you, they were filled with so much happiness. Let me give that back to you. We don’t have to rush into fits of devo
tion. I know how I feel about you, and I know somewhere inside you feel the same way. Don’t I deserve a chance? Don’t you?”
“Give me time,” she answered, burying her head in his neck.
“You have all my time. But by the time you have it all figured out, we’ll be on pup number three.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She couldn’t help but laugh at that. The elevator dinged as it hit the top floor and the two of them stepped off, hand and hand.
“Just be with me,” he said as he kissed her hand.
22
A slow heat started at the base of her stomach and crept with slow pleasuring tides as she stepped into Draven’s arms. The room was sparse, with just a bed, table, and chairs, and a small shower stall and toilet. It served its purpose, she guessed, to house the team when it was necessary to stay at the building, and she needed a shower, bad.
Draven’s lips were soft and warm. The last two times they’d been together had been swift and fast, but pleasurable all the same. He was paying a great detail of attention to where her neck and shoulder met. Peppering open mouth kisses along her skin. He’d move from one place on her shoulder and then he was divesting her of her shirt and turning her around, her back to his front. He knelt, caressing her back with his lips, all the way down to the base of her spine. Oh, shit that felt good!
“Two hours isn’t nearly enough time…to do the things I want to do to you…but we will make do,” he whispered against her skin. He stood; his hands had a mind of their own as they made their way down her body, to rest possessively at her hips. Tugging her closer, he banded one arm around, across her breasts; the other went around her waist. Her head fell back on his shoulder. He enveloped her in his care, made her feel safe. The strong, steady beat of his heart calmed her.
