by Vonna Harper
If her words had made an impact on him, she couldn’t tell by his expression. “All right, all right,” she repeated, stalling because, somehow, she had to pull herself together. “You say Garrin isn’t looking for me. What is he doing?”
“No.”
No? What kind of response was that? Mind spinning, she dropped her hands to her sides. Not touching him made it easier to think, marginally. “Oh, God. You didn’t—what did you and Anaba do to him?”
“Nothing.”
Was that a silent yet she was hearing? “Damn it, I’m trying to make sense of things, but you aren’t making it easy. You were willing to admit that you, or Cougar, and your friend, spied on Garrin, but that’s as far as it goes? What the hell did you tell me anything for?”
“You asked.”
Had she? She wasn’t sure. Even more disconcerting, her clothes were suddenly too tight. “He’s all right?” she asked, because if she didn’t say anything, her ability to reason might shatter.
“For now.”
“For now? Why are you threatening him?”
“It isn’t a threat.”
How many times was this conversation going to spiral off in unexpected directions? Even more important, how long before she didn’t care about talking? It was his fault, damn it! The least he could do was put on some clothes.
“He was doing something you don’t approve of, wasn’t he? Something you have no intention of telling me about. Fine, fine.” Stifling the urge to punch him, she nevertheless clenched her fist. “I should have taken off while I had the chance. I just thought, hell, I guess I thought we needed to talk one more time before I did.”
“You aren’t leaving.”
“How are you going to stop me, Hok’ee, or should I say Cougar? By tying me up again?”
Night had slipped in while they were talking, making it nearly impossible for her to read his expression. Just the same, she was positive that was exactly what he intended to do if she took so much as a step toward the opening.
Having his ropes around her would take the decision-making out of her hands. Once more she’d become his his sex toy.
His possession, yes, that’s what she’d turn into.
Freedom lost, will gone.
An emotion she couldn’t put a name to flowed into her. Without parents to anchor her, freedom and will had become everything to her. Without those things, was she still human? But maybe he didn’t care. All that mattered to him was her body.
About to push him as maybe he’d never been pushed, she planted her palms on his chest and shoved. Although he didn’t give way, neither did he retaliate. Only half-comprehending what she was doing, she slid around him and started for the opening. The night called to her, promising cool isolation and necessary time alone with her thoughts. She needed solitude as she’d never needed anything in life.
“Kai, don’t.”
Don’t respond. And whatever you do, don’t speak his name or look back at him.
Night, she silently repeated. Heed the night’s call.
Close, so close, cool air on her cheeks and throat, and the wilderness waiting. Hotly alive, she nevertheless kept her pace measured. She was in the entrance now with Hok’ee behind her, and maybe the rest of her life ahead of her.
Then his arms snaked around her waist, and he lifted her off her feet. Fighting but not sure whether she was fighting him or herself, she dug her nails into his forearms and tried to kick back.
Growling low and long, he hauled her back into his space, his world. Angry and excited, she twisted in his grip. Still growling, he tightened his hold so her spine was smashed against his chest. She gave thought to thrusting her buttocks at him and hopefully striking his cock, but before she could, he threw her from him. Her hands hit the bed first, followed by her breasts. She was bent at the waist, her feet still on the floor. Pushing his legs against the back of hers, he easily prevented her from slipping free.
Leaning over her, he planted his hands over her shoulder blades and held her until her struggles quieted. He’d done this to her before, and she’d survived. Maybe not emotionally, but at least with her heart still beating.
A beating heart, yes, that’s what she’d been thinking about before he’d overwhelmed her. She’d been trying to determine whether man or Cougar was in control. She still didn’t know the answer.
Hot pain at the back of her head brought tears to her eyes. Once again he’d taken hold of her hair and was pulling her upright with his handle. When he had her in position, he released her, but then grabbed her shirt and yanked it over her head.
“Damn you!” Twisting as best she could, she glared at him, but the night was his friend. The only thing she knew was that his legs still anchored hers to the bed—and she was naked from the waist up.
Another shove between her shoulder blades sent her into the bed again, this time facedown with her arms out, as if she were doing a belly flop. Feeling his weight shift, she turned her head to the side. Ah, air!
Then his fingers closed around her left wrist and pulled her arm behind her. “Damn you, no!” Feeling the rope on her forearm, she cursed him once more. Before she fully comprehended what he was about, he’d lashed her hands, one over the other, so they rested on the small of her back.
Captured, again. Helpless once more.
“That’s so you won’t hurt yourself,” he explained, and brought her upright.
“How considerate of you. Overbearing and unfair, but considerate.”
Was that a chuckle? If so, could she take that as proof that Hok’ee was still in charge of the body behind her?
His breath trickled over her neck and down her spine. Remnants of her earlier anger pooled in her belly but did little to distract her from the sensation. When he released her arms, she remained in place. Despite her jeans, his legs continued to heat hers. Between the moist air on her back and the pressure on her calves, she swore she was losing her mind. Her breasts felt heavy, her belly tight.
When he changed position so he was at her side, she turned in that direction. He was little more than dark muscle and height, strength and fire. She didn’t need to ask why he’d overpowered her—the answer lay in his presence. Cougar demanded his own energy and space. He’d claimed his share of her in the only way that resonated with the predator.
And it didn’t matter whether she wanted to be claimed.
A human hand took hold of her bound wrists and lifted, forcing her to lean forward. Another human hand circled the breast closest to the man and drew it from her body. Unable to remain motionless after all, she repeatedly shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Someone other than herself was responsible for her jerky rocking, someone who knew how to handle the energy inside her.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do with you,” he said. “All the way back I kept asking myself the question, and not just because Anaba had put it to me.”
Something in his tone spoke to her, but when she tried to look up at him, her hair fell forward, nearly blinding her. Damn it, why hadn’t she hacked it off years ago? Just because her mother had worn hers the same way? After a moment, he released her breast and repositioned her hair so it rested on the back of her neck. She didn’t hate it so much.
“I couldn’t just let you walk away; that might be the only thing I did know.”
“Why not?” Speaking with her head down forced her to swallow so she wouldn’t drool.
“Because you’d return to him.”
“Him? Garrin, you mean?”
When he didn’t respond, she knew she’d guessed right, but surely Hok’ee wasn’t jealous of Garrin. Despite the heady distraction of Hok’ee’s presence, she mentally sent feelers from her body into Hok’ee’s, or rather, she went in search of Cougar.
He was there, of course, his strength sliding through human veins.
Come to me, please. Let me into your thoughts. I know they’re there, and that you’re more than an animal.
Cougar’s strength grew with eac
h second, and yet it was different from before. Yes, he was a predator, but for the first time, something else was being revealed via the animal form.
What are you trying to tell me? Whatever it is, you can trust me with it. Cougar, I might be the only living organism capable of understanding you. I think you know that.
For a moment she believed Cougar was going to respond. Then she sensed a withdrawing.
No! Don’t do that to both of us, she begged Cougar. There’s no need for you to be afraid, to—
“He’s gone,” Hok’ee said softly.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I never do.”
16
Touched by the loneliness behind his words, Kai swallowed around an unexpected lump. Maybe he understood what she was going through because once more he helped her straighten. “Does Cougar ever talk to you?” she asked.
“Not in words, if that’s what you mean.”
“It isn’t. Can you understand what he’s thinking?”
“Sometimes I believe I can. It might just be my attempts to reach what can’t be reached. He’s an animal after all.”
But was that the only thing Cougar was? She might have spoken if not for the night. It had taken over everything while she wasn’t paying attention, and now she and Hok’ee were locked in a sightless world.
He wasn’t touching her, not that it made any difference, because he continued to dominate her existence. With Hok’ee so all-powerful, she had no choice but to release Cougar from her mind. This man existed in a vacuum he had no control over. Not only did he not have a past, his future was empty—except for her.
That’s why he’d lashed her wrists together again, to keep her with him. As for why he’d removed her shirt—
Stumbling a bit in the attempt, she sank to her knees, facing him. There, her cheek on his thigh, rubbing it because she had no other way of touching him. He ran his hand into her hair as he’d done before, and she wondered if she’d ever cut her hair again. If he wanted it long and loose, she’d give him that.
Straightening, she turned her head so she could nuzzle the powerful thigh with her nose. When he drew in a sharp breath, she felt rewarded.
Sticking out her tongue, she licked where she’d nuzzled, or rather she hoped it was the same spot. Her tongue told her she’d reached the inside of his thigh where the skin resembled silk, and the hairs were wonderfully fine. He shifted his weight, taking her thoughts back a few minutes to when she’d done the same thing.
Not having use of her hands was an erotic experience. She was both captive and, hopefully, captor. As long as he kept moving restlessly, she could believe she had him off balance. Maybe nearly as off balance as she felt.
Reaching and licking threatened to wear out her tongue and put pressure on her jaw, but even when she winced, she continued to lay damp trails on the satin flesh. His hand remained in her hair, and while she couldn’t hear enough of his breathing to judge his restraint, his taut thigh muscles told her what she needed to know. So she’d gotten through to him. She might have, so far, left a certain part of his anatomy alone, but the point had been made. All he had to do was wait, anticipate.
Service him.
The thought made her a little uneasy. Leaning back took her away from him, but the increased distance did little to help her regain her equilibrium. Not being able to see him had something to do with it of course, but even more unsettling was her reaction to having knelt before him. Agreeing to suck a man’s cock was one thing, but it would be dangerously easy for him to force her to that thing, service him.
Could she? Did she truly want to open her mouth and settle it over his cock, arch her neck and back to make the alignment perfect, to risk gagging and turn all the power over to him.
She could bite. Yes, that’s it. If he forced the invasion, she’d close her teeth around him, and—
No, she’d never do that. And he knew it. Damn it, he must!
Sitting in the dark, an image crystallized in her mind. He’d thrown a strap around her neck, a strap that became a leash and made it simple for him to control her as an owner controls his dog. He’d tighten his hold, and then let her know she’d do what he wanted, how and when he wanted. He’d pull her toward his widespread legs, pulling up or down until he was satisfied with the positioning. Once she’d complied by sucking him deep, he’d demonstrate what he wanted by tugging and releasing, tugging and releasing. Short on breath, she’d struggle to obey.
Not just obey, not just comply. She, his pet, would suck and suck because doing so set her flesh on fire. It wouldn’t matter that her cunt remained untouched. She’d feel his arousal throughout her. Faster and faster she’d work, her cheeks bulging, eyes tearing, breasts shaking, her world revolving around the hot meat. His pleasure her only goal, she’d lick and bathe and worship.
Closer he’d come, release and relief nipping at his nerve endings, his breathing sounding as if he was dying. Now her cheeks burned, her thighs ached from supporting her body, and her pussy—
Reaching out blindly, she opened her mouth wide. Her first attempt resulted in his cock sliding along her left cheek. She rocked back, then forward. This time his rod pressed against her upper teeth, prompting her to try once more.
Huge. Massive. Thick and long. Hard and velvet at the same time. Tasting of him, and this unspoiled land. Flattening her tongue and, when she continued to welcome him in, jabbing the back of her throat. Fighting not to gag, she backed off a half inch, but closed her lips around his meat to keep him in her.
His fingers tugged at her hair, forcing her to arch her neck. The strain along the sides of her neck and mouth made her work at concentrating on him. Her arms were useless, wonderfully useless. Letting need guide her, she took back the half inch of him she’d given up. Even as his cock touched her throat, she began another withdrawal, only this time she kept the movement deliberate. Bit by bit she found a rhythm, a dance. Her saliva coated him, easing her journeys.
If he was still responsible for her arched neck, she wasn’t aware of it. Her body became a well-oiled machine. Deep she took him, followed by measured retreat, followed by letting him invade her again. His cock dominated, not just her mouth, but her consciousness. She lived for his quick and harsh breathing, and the loud, sloppy sounds she was making.
This was primitive and primal, woman feeding off man, pushing his sexual limits, part worshipping, part leading the dance. She loved to hear him grunt and groan, to know as deep down as it went that he had no thoughts beyond her. He might have roped her again, but what did that matter? She was in charge.
Of everything except her own body.
Lips slack now, she commanded her tongue to cup as much of him as possible. That done, she advanced and retreated until she lost count and the back of her neck burned. She sounded like a starving animal wolfing down its first meal in weeks, and she lost touch with ounce after ounce and inch after inch of her body. Where were her arms and legs, her breasts? Only her cunt, her hot running cunt remained.
That, and the two of them groaning and snarling.
“Enough!” he rasped. Planting a hand on her forehead, he forced her off him. Not content with his freedom, he kept pushing until she tipped sideways. Without use of her hands, she landed awkwardly on the floor with her right shoulder under her.
“Damn it, what was that—”
Before she could finish, he’d straddled her. Teeth clenched, she waited for his next move.
“You liked that, didn’t you?” he demanded. “Taking me to the edge.”
“You liked it, too. Don’t tell me you didn’t.”
“You don’t know what I’m feeling. You never can.”
His tone had changed during the last two sentences. It was almost as if someone else was speaking. Heat seared her. Cougar!
“I wasn’t making fun of you,” she tried. As uncomfortable as being on her side with her arms behind her was, she didn’t try to move. “I’d never do that.”
“That’s not what I
said.”
“Then what—you didn’t like me doing that, taking you to the edge?”
His silence gave her the answer she needed, or rather it supplied her with a partial one.
“I wanted to give you pleasure, Hok’ee. Can’t you understand that?” She deliberately called him by name in an attempt to determine how much of Cougar remained at the forefront. “It wasn’t that complicated. At least I didn’t intend it that way.”
“Not complicated?”
He was right. Everything between them was multi-layered. Darn it, she was becoming more and more uncomfortable, but even if his legs weren’t on either side of her head, how could she sit up? “What do you want me to say?” she asked.
“Maybe nothing.” With that, he stepped back. Then he reached down and hauled her to her feet.
She felt small in his grasp, even smaller than before. Her mouth dried at the thought that Cougar might be responsible. At the same time, being surrounded by this complex creature pulled her back into herself. She’d become more than a little turned on while he was in her mouth. The hot buzzing hadn’t died when he’d shoved her away. Far from it, the sensation was still there, insisting on being acknowledged.
What was it about being under Hok’ee’s control that turned her so damnably hungry? The thrill of danger maybe?
After turning her from him, he took hold of her tethered wrists and forced her arms up. She offered no resistance as he returned her to the bed, not stopping until her knees pressed against it. A quick, strong push, and she fell forward. This time the bed hit her at mid-thigh, which meant she was deeply bent over with her breasts smashed on what passed for a mattress, her ass high in the air. By keeping her arms up, he had no trouble anchoring her in place. Unfortunately, or maybe not, she couldn’t see him.
“It’s a little different now, isn’t it?” he asked. “Tables turned.”
“They’ve been turned since the beginning,” she ground out. “If this is your idea of fair—”
“I’m not interested in fair.”
Then what, she wanted to ask, but she already knew. No matter how much he’d learned about her, and she about him, his goal hadn’t changed. Cougar’s goal remained the same. He wanted, hell, he demanded control because he didn’t know any other way.
