by Rosanna Leo
Dismissing thoughts of Connor and Elaine, Fleur took a deep breath and stepped onto the path leading out of the clearing. She’d explain to Jani how she felt and clear the lust-riddled air between them. What was the worst that could happen? He’d professed to being her friend. Friends listened. Friends cared, right?
Maybe, just maybe, something wonderful would happen. Perhaps, in sharing her feelings, she’d convince Jani to stay in Ontario. Maybe he’d ask her to accompany him to Hungary. Hell, she’d go. She’d always wanted to see the world. She didn’t know the first thing about Hungary, but it had to be a great place if it bred men like Jani.
Then again, perhaps he’d tell her to take a flying leap and spend the next few hours pointing and laughing at her.
Whatever the outcome, she would tell him he was her mate.
Her inner wolf licked its lips, crouching in anticipation. The creature pursed its lips and let out a howl of excitement. Fleur had to put a hand over her own mouth so she didn’t follow suit.
Something told her convincing Jani of the truth might end up being too much fun for her own good.
* * * *
Jani was sitting on the front step of his cabin when she returned. Seeing him there waiting, shrouded in darkness, almost made her lose her resolve. It was one of those moments when Fleur wished she didn’t possess shifter senses. If she were human, she wouldn’t notice his clenched jaw in the darkness from fifty paces away. She wouldn’t see the line of tension in his shoulders or the concern in his eyes. She could remain oblivious just a minute or two longer.
However, with her canine sensibilities, she smelled the slight tang of his determination, even before he stood and stalked toward her. Her pulse skipped as he drew closer. Her palms moistened. Everything in her body cried out for him to possess her.
Fleur planted her feet on her ground and attempted to control the situation. “Jani. There’s something I need to say to you.”
He continued marching toward her.
She put out a hand. “I said I need to talk to you.”
At ten paces, he smiled, his eyes flashing like those of his spirit animal.
He wasn’t about to listen, was he? Jani reached for the hem of his shirt as he walked and whipped it over his head, tossing it into a nearby bush. The sight of his chest, that muscled expanse of golden skin, made her forget what she was about to say. What had Elaine mentioned? Right now, in the presence of Jani’s pecs, she could barely remember what Elaine looked like. Fleur’s breath hitched and she scratched her head in an attempt to remember something, anything. “Ah, nuts.”
Jani clasped her about the waist, pulling her up against his body. She knew him to be a strong man, but something about being enfolded in his arms made him seem even bigger, unrelenting. Her breasts flattened against his chest but her nipples still stiffened with the contact. He moved one of his legs between hers and it felt so good there she had to resist writhing atop it. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek.
“I can’t leave,” he whispered, “without touching you. I can’t leave without making you come, even if it’s just once.”
With his words, her memory returned, as well as her apprehension. “Jani, I…”
“Don’t talk. Please. Just let me do this. Let me pleasure you.”
She’d had a speech prepared but the words didn’t seem to matter anymore, not with Jani half-naked, begging to pleasure her. Her wolf, insane with desire, howled and then bowed its head to him in submission. Fleur gave into temptation and writhed upon his thigh.
She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, grinned, and smoothed a shaking hand up his biceps. Perhaps her speech about mates and fate could wait for a while.
After all, a girl had needs. If she’d learned anything in her time, it was to take advantage of an opportunity, especially the naked ones.
* * * *
Duty. Jani had always been passionate about fulfilling his duty. Some might say he was a slave to duty.
When he was a young man and his uncle ruled their shifter tribe, a sense of familial duty was beaten into him. Literally. Like his cousin Anton, he was raised to respect allegiances and his elders, and not to question authority, no matter how perverted it might be.
When his rebellious sister started experimenting with drugs, their parents told Jani it was his duty to rein her in. It was his duty to rescue Hanna from a world he neither condoned nor understood. When she’d died, her body ravaged by drugs, their parents had made it clear he’d failed in his duty. It appeared they held him to a higher standard, but were content ignoring their children’s welfare so they could fritter away their time at court.
When Anton took the throne, after years of corruption and waste, Jani had once more experienced a swell of pride. He’d taken an oath to support the Grand Prince of the federation of Hungarian tribes and hadn’t left Anton’s side. He’d done whatever he needed to do to instill a sense of peace in their people, even if it meant rooting out the troublemakers and showing them the errors of their ways. He’d fought for Anton, negotiated for Anton, and he would die for Anton.
The same cousin who now urged him to make a choice, a decision that could result in leaving Fleur behind.
Sometimes, duty sucked.
Jani was no fool. Patrik Bartha might be a known troublemaker in their circles, but he wasn’t exactly Genghis Khan. He was just one opinionated, loud-mouthed man. Jani had dealt with him before and had hoped Bartha would have learned from their previous interactions. His colleague and friend Attila was just as capable a shifter as Jani, and Attila would have no problem taking care of the situation.
Tell him, his tiger demanded. Tell Anton Fleur is our mate. We need to stay with her.
He could do so. Jani knew he could talk to Anton, that he could simply tell him, “I need more time.”
If he’d said as much, Anton would have given his blessing and would have carried on with his day. They trusted each other, after all.
Then why was Jani hesitant to act?
Perhaps it was because he’d never forgotten what his parents said to him the day Hanna died. Pol and Tereza Fodor, nobles in the court of Anton’s degenerate father, had turned up their noses at their only remaining child. His father, the domineering presence that loomed over Jani’s childhood, had said, “As Hanna is dead, so too are you dead to us.”
They’d been true to their word, never speaking to him again.
He’d felt the chill of their presence at court functions here and there, but once Anton assumed power, they’d recognized the era of privilege was over. The Fodors had retreated to a mountain chalet, where they resided still. Alone, bitter, and begrudging him life, all because he couldn’t save a woman who didn’t want to be saved.
A part of him worried, was terrified, he’d destroy Fleur by initiating a physical relationship with her. She was vulnerable and he was destined to leave her sooner or later. After saving her from the man who would have killed her, he couldn’t be the one to stab her in the heart now.
For he had to leave. Didn’t he? Bartha notwithstanding, Jani had a life, a function, in Budapest. Fleur was on the verge of creating a life here. She might not know it yet, but she was surrounded by friends on Gemini Island. People who would help her in the trials ahead. Even if she came with him to Hungary, what would she do there? If he asked her to uproot her life for him, he might very well send her spiraling back into herself, into the dark place over which August Crane had such control.
Marci went to Hungary with Anton, his tiger argued. Why can’t Fleur come with us?
Because Fleur is not Marci, Jani countered. She needs more…help.
You are the one who needs help, the angry tiger sulked.
No. Fleur needed stability and familiarity and friends, and she needed to make her home here. She deserved the opportunity to blossom, to spread her wings and find herself.
What rubbish, his tiger said. What she needs is us.
At this moment
, all Jani needed was to find a home inside her. If he didn’t, he’d go insane.
Just one taste. Okay, maybe just a couple of hours with her naked body would be better. He would then let her continue with her life. Hopefully God would forgive him his reckless actions. Hopefully Fleur would forgive him.
All these thoughts barreled through Jani’s head as he swept her up into his arms and carried her into his cabin. He’d grown tired of considering his duty. All he wanted right now was to put his stamp on her body and soul so she’d never forget him.
He kicked the door shut behind them. Fleur opened her mouth to speak, so he kissed her hard, cutting off all conversation. Sliding his tongue into her delicious mouth, he took ownership. There was no restraint in her kiss, either. She opened willingly to him, moaning in encouragement. Her heart beat so loudly and seemed to match the rhythm of his own. When he nipped at her bottom lip, he was conscious of his tiger rumbling in ecstasy inside him and had to be careful not to drool all over her.
With the early morning light starting to peer in through the blinds, Jani walked into his bedroom.
“Bed,” she urged between kisses.
“I do know where I’m going, mindenem.”
She stopped kissing his neck to look at him. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Just an expression.” Jani reddened. The endearment had just slipped out. No need to tell her it meant my everything.
Ah, shit. I do need help. As foolhardy as it might be to admit out loud Fleur had become his reason for being, Jani couldn’t fool himself any longer. Whether he traveled to Budapest or not, he wouldn’t forget her. No matter how many women he sought to console himself with, he’d constantly compare them to her. His tiger was right.
Jani and Fleur were connected. He hadn’t bothered to label it until today, but their hearts beat in sync. He liked the tone of her voice and the curve of her hip. He’d absorbed her fears as his own and he wanted, more than anything, to put a smile on her face. He wanted the woman, obsessed over her, and needed to be the inspiration of her greatest orgasm ever.
He’d deal with the repercussions later.
He laid her on his bed and would have joined her there immediately had he not been struck with the surreal beauty of the situation. Fleur Bissette on his bed, her hair messed and her dark eyes half closed in desire. No other sight, no matter how splendid, would ever rival it. She rested her head on his pillow and her brown hair spilled over it.
She held out a hand to him. “Please.”
Her plea unmanned him. Jani would have fallen to his knees if the bed hadn’t been there, supporting him. He knelt on the edge of it and crawled between her legs. Only then did he notice her streaked face. “You’ve been crying.”
“I’ve never cried so much in my fucking life.”
With a finger, he traced one of the streaks. “I made you cry.”
“No, not you. Just everything. The sadness here, the pain…it’s all hitting me at once.”
He undid his belt and slipped the strip of leather from his waist. When her pretty mouth fell open, he wanted to shout in triumph. “Let me take your sadness away.”
She sat up and touched her hand to his stomach, twirling her fingertips in the hairs leading to his crotch. “I’ll be sad if you don’t kiss me again.”
Her knowing smile sent all the blood racing to his cock. Feeling hard as iron, he ached to shed his pants but needed to taste her lips again first. Jani urged her downward and covered her body with his own, surrendering to need and greed and the worst temptation he’d ever known. His kiss, although gentler this time, was no less fervent. As he took her mouth, he forgot to breathe and existed only in their lip lock. She felt so soft beneath him, so welcoming. Her legs wound around his waist and they rocked. His dick ached to sink into her softness and each of her movements made him madder. Each quiet caress only served to make him desperate for deeper contact.
He would come, just like this, almost fully clothed, if he wasn’t careful. That wouldn’t do. Jani needed to bring Fleur to completion first.
He rose above her and tugged at her T-shirt. “You need to be naked.”
She sat up and knelt in front of him, removing her shirt. “Oh,” she teased. “So now I have too many clothes on, huh?”
“Just take them off before I rip them off. I’m trying very hard to be gentle right now.”
She was just about to unhook her bra but stopped, almost giving him a heart attack from suspense. “Why do you feel the need to be so gentle with me?”
“Because no one else has ever shown you tenderness. Because you deserve it. And because I’m scared of letting my tiger out, in case he hurts you.”
Her lips quirked into a lopsided smile. “If you make me cry again, I swear to God, I’ll deck you.”
“I don’t want you to cry. Fleur, I’ve seen you recoil from my touch because of how Crane hurt you. When you shrink from me, it breaks my heart.”
“You’re not like him. I know you wouldn’t raise a hand to me.”
“I promised I’d never hurt you.”
“And I believe you.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not still worried,” he admitted.
Fleur crept closer on her knees, until hers were wedged between his own. Her fingers danced up his thigh. “If our situation was different, Jani, if we had no worries, would you make love to me or would you fuck me?”
His tiger hurled itself against his body and Jani’s head pounded from the impact. He took a bracing breath to steady the beast inside. “I would fuck you so hard.”
She hooked her fingers in his waistband and dragged him against her. “That’s what I want from you right now. Make me forget everything else. Fuck me like you aren’t scared of breaking me.”
All thought flew out of Jani’s head as he took her mouth in a fierce kiss, nipping her lips and feasting on her neck. The predator inside him longed to sink its teeth into her delicate skin, marking her as its own, and Jani had no choice but to give the tiger a bit of what it needed. He tugged at her skin with his teeth, almost to the point of breaking the skin, testing her. Would she take all of him even if it left her breathless and bruised?
He’d been so afraid of getting lumped into the same category as Crane. He didn’t want Fleur equating their passion with Crane’s savagery, and yet Fleur responded to his frenzied desire. She crawled atop him, straddling him, and ground down on his erection, moaning every time he allowed her to snatch a breath.
Sometimes it was so easy to forget a hungry wolf resided inside her. She was no weak human wallflower and had been battling her own primal hunger. As he unhooked and tore at her bra, a distinctly-canine growl erupted low in her throat.
Yes! He brought out the beast in her.
He took a second to marvel at her full breasts and dusky nipples. So goddamned beautiful. He palmed them and brought his lips to each, tasting the sensitive skin.
Fleur bucked atop him and squealed when he brought his teeth down on her nipples. “That’s it. That’s just how I like it.”
“Rough?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
Jani caressed her bottom lip with his thumb and then inserted it into her mouth for her to suck. “That’s how I like it too, little wolf.”
In one quick movement, he flipped her over, taking charge. He loved the idea of Fleur asserting herself, but not this time. As they fucked for the first time, he would control their lovemaking and he’d make sure she got everything she needed. Every groan, every quiver, every last sigh and scream. He’d give them all to her, and then he’d give them to her all over again.
She arched her back, giving him better access to her breasts, and he took advantage. Her nipples were so warm, so sweet, he couldn’t decide which to suckle first. Closing his mouth around one, he held her tight and increased pressure until her sighs morphed into throaty groans.
He rolled onto his side, bringing her with him, never losing contact
with her breast. He smoothed one hand up her thigh toward her ass and clutched it. Her curves drove him to the point of insanity. He’d spent so much time contemplating them, masturbating to their image, but to hold her was another thing altogether.
Spurred on by her plea for rough love, he sucked hard on her nipple and landed a resounding crack on her ass.
“Oh, God. Jani!”
His blood racing, he smoothed his fingers between the crack of her ass and toward her pussy. Because she wore jeans, he pressed harder, wanting her to feel his touch through the tough fabric. Fleur moaned and thrust her pelvis into his hand.
Feeling out of breath already, he tore himself away from her breast. “Jeans. Off.”
She rolled off him and he stood at the edge of the bed. As she fumbled with the top button, he divested himself of his own pants and underwear. He was naked before she had a chance to push her jeans over her hips, so he gave her a hand, dragging them down her legs and taking her panties with them. Unable to take his eyes off her, he tossed the clothes over his shoulder.
Jani touched her thigh, squeezing her luscious flesh. “Such beauty,” he said quietly. “It defies reason.”
Fleur’s eyes crinkled, as if she’d never been given such a compliment. Her lips moved and she appeared to be choosing her words.
Jani gave her no time to think. He knelt at the edge of the bed and pulled her ass against his chest. Spreading her legs, he lowered his head and tasted her. He closed his eyes, drunk on her scent and her feminine flavor. Each time he dipped his tongue between her lips, his tiger roared in approval.
Our mate. Our woman. Tell Anton to shove Patrik Bartha up his ass.
Jani was suddenly inclined to agree with the greedy creature. His Fleur, his mate, was delicious, sweeter than the most decadent dessert. She put chocolate and whipped cream to shame.
With each lick, he knew he had a problem. Jani could never return home to Budapest, at least not without Fleur at his side. He’d suspected as much when he freed her from Crane’s clutches. He’d guessed it when he spent two weeks searching for her. Now that their bodies had made contact, he could no longer deny the truth.
