Daphne nodded.
“And nothing you do will make me think otherwise. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He growled. “As far as doing anything with another man, those days are over. No one but me touches you, get it?” He leaned over and kissed her. “You’re mine, Daphne. And I’m yours. We were meant to be together. Like you said, it’s destiny.”
She nodded, unable to speak. Her mind was a muddle of thoughts, arousal, and dismay. She doubted her own sanity.
If she was in her right mind, she’d think this was just the sex talking. Most likely, his hormones on a rampage, staking his claim on her. But in the depths of her heart, she felt the same way. She wanted to mark him with her scent, to insure no woman would ever touch her man.
Her mate.
Not her boyfriend, or her husband, but mate. What an odd choice of word, but it was the only one that suited the intensity of her feelings for this man.
In the morning, this would look different. She’d come to her senses, and so would he. Tony would wake up and regret he’d said those things about him and her. Like all the other men in her life, he’d decide she wasn’t the woman he really wanted for the long haul. She’d never been anyone’s “forever” girl.
“My place or yours?” Tony asked.
She glanced over at him as he pushed his glasses up his nose in that familiar and touching gesture, and her heart warmed.
Well, if he was crazy enough to want her, who was she to question it?
“Mmm?” She’d missed his question.
“I said, your place or mine? We have the rest of the bet to settle.” He winked.
If she said her place, he’d just leave in the morning or sneak out once she’d fallen asleep. Could she stand that rejection? If she said his place, she could check him out some more, and he’d have to ask her to leave, take her home, or put her out. Talk about rejection.
Neither seemed like a good choice. “You choose,” she replied.
“My place. I want you in my bed.” He nodded and grinned, looking so very pleased. “I want your scent on my sheets.”
And her heart leaped at the thought she’d made him happy.
What was she worried about? They were perfect for each other. She’d finally found a wonderful man, and he actually wanted her. Thought she was luscious and sexy. Loved her body and loved to watch her eat.
She let her own happiness wash over her, letting go of all doubts, except that one little niggling worry, the one she could never seem to shake.
What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Seven
Daphne recognized where Tony drove them to, on the outskirts of town closest to the state highway. A few new shopping strips had been built, along with a large apartment complex. Several three-story buildings surrounded a clubhouse and pool, with parking in front of each building.
He pulled into the drive, and the iron gate spanning the entry automatically opened.
“How do you like living here?” She’d never seen herself in an apartment, with people so close to each other, and its limited space. However, she liked the idea of no maintenance, especially when something in her house broke.
“I guess it’s okay for now. I’m just renting until I find a place to buy or build.” He shrugged. “I like your house.”
“Thanks. How much room do you have?”
Tony parked, and they got out. “About a thousand square feet. It’s big for a one-bedroom, but it has a study for my work with the business. I only man the front counter a few days a week, but the rest of the time I’m working on the books at my home computer.”
“Oh, that’s good. What do your brothers do?” she asked as he led her to a flight of stairs to the second floor.
“Max handles the employees and the equipment. Diego…well, he’s our sales guy. His job is to bring in new clients, advertising, that sort of thing. But his true love is firefighting. He’s with the Sleeping Dog fire department.” They turned left and walked toward the end of the building.
“Well, I made his sales job easy, didn’t I?” She laughed. “I approached Tres Lobos.”
“Yeah, and I’m sure he’d thank you, but trust me, it wouldn’t have taken him long to scout you out and try to get your business.” Tony stopped in front of the last door. “This is me.”
“Nice. No neighbors on one side.”
“Right. Once I got in, I realized I should have taken one on the third floor. The guy above me walks like he’s got lead feet.” He shook his head, unlocked the door, and stepped aside. “Come on in.”
Daphne believed how a man lived told a lot about him. If a guy was a slob in his own home, a woman could expect to spend her life cleaning up after him. But something told her Tony’s place would be neat and clean, even before they walked inside.
She didn’t expect perfection.
“Wow! Tony, this place is just beautiful.” She did a slow turn in the living room. Masculine leather furniture dominated the room, along with several built-in bookshelves filled with books and photos artfully arranged. The kitchen opened to a small breakfast area, with a café-style table and chairs. It looked as if it belonged in a magazine.
“Thanks.” He ducked his head.
“Did you hire a designer?” Not even her place looked this good.
“No! I’d never do that. I just pick out what I like.” He shrugged. “No big deal. Have a seat on the couch, and I’ll get us something to drink. Wine?”
“Sure.” While he uncorked the bottle and poured the drinks, instead of sitting, she wandered around, looking at all the pictures. “This is one of you and your brothers?” Each brother hung an arm over Tony’s shoulder as he grinned into the camera. From the cap and gown he wore, it had to be his college graduation.
“Yeah. The day I graduated from Rice.” He brought her a glass of merlot. She swirled the dark liquid, then took a sip. For now, their tryst at the restaurant seemed to have taken the edge off their arousals, and she found herself relaxing.
“Mmm. Good.” She looked at a few more. A family portrait—his parents and the three boys, in their teens—grabbed her attention.
“You look like your father,” she remarked. “But I can see your mother in your eyes.”
He stood next to her and touched the frame with his finger, giving it a loving caress. “That was the last picture we took as a family. We gave them such a hard time about taking any more. Said we were too big for that stuff.” He took a deep drink. “Stupid teenagers.” His voice sounded angry, yet sad.
She put out her hand and took his. “Hey, no one knows what lies ahead, right?”
“Right.” He exhaled and gave her hand a squeeze. Then he moved to another shelf. “Here’s one. There’s Max, Diego, and me with our abuela.” A new warmth filled his voice, making Daphne smile. A mature woman with salt-and-pepper hair wound on top of her head sat with the young men around her, all of them beaming with happiness and pride.
“She’s lovely. Your mother’s mom, right?”
“How can you tell?”
“Your mom looks just like her.” She bumped his shoulder. “Where’s your father’s family?”
He got quiet. “They’re dead. My dad was an only child, so when he married, he wanted lots of kids. Our family has a long history here in Sleeping Dog.”
“From that picture, I can see he loved all of you deeply. And he was proud of you too.”
“Yeah. He made sure we always knew he loved us.” Tony smiled, then led her away. “Enough about my family. I think we came here for something a little more personal. Just between you and me?” They headed to the couch.
She sat, crossed her legs, and put her drink on the coffee table. The leather felt cool at first, then warmed to her body temperature. Tony sat next to her, put his glass down by hers, and slung his arm over her shoulders.
“Watch.” He picked up a remote and pushed a button. On the wall opposite, a fireplace sprang to life. “Gas. One of the reasons I got this place. I have to
have a fire in the winter.”
“Nice.” She nestled under his arm, feeling protected and safe.
They sat for a while, watching the fire. Although it wasn’t late, her head nodded. Well-fed, satisfied sexually, it was all she could do to keep her eyes open.
Tony touched her chin and turned her face to his. “Daphne, baby,” he whispered. She looked up into dark-brown eyes, not the amber ones she’d seen in the restaurant.
Then his lips were on hers, kissing her so tenderly, starting off slow and soft, as if he had all the time in the world to build back the excitement in her body. And with the way she responded to his touch, it wouldn’t take long.
She went from drowsy to alert and aroused in only a few kisses. A swipe of his tongue across her lips begged for entry, and she opened to him, eager to taste him again. He licked and explored her mouth, sucking her tongue with gentle motions meant to stir her. It worked.
Her pussy clenched in anticipation of what would surely happen later, and her nipples ached to be touched.
They kissed, each kiss building on the next, going deeper and reaching further and further into a state of complete and utter arousal, their bodies humming with need. At least hers hummed.
His erection pushed against his jeans, and she drifted her hand to it just as his roamed over her leg, past her stocking, to explore the bare thigh above it. They stroked each other, petting, until he took her by the waist and pulled her to him. On her knees, she straddled his hips, moving her pussy against the hard ridge behind his jeans.
“God, Tony.” She ground their bodies together, eager to feel more than rough fabric against her most tender flesh, but she had to admit the friction was delicious.
He leaned back to undo his belt. She slipped back on his thighs, reached down, pushed his hands away, slid the belt from its loops, and tossed it to the side. Then she undid each of the buttons until she could fold back the opening, exposing a pair of black briefs, damp from his cum. His dick strained to get free.
It was all hers and, from the silhouette of it, it would be a glorious thing, a thing she wanted in her hand, in her mouth, in her pussy.
∙•∙
“Oh damn, baby.” Tony gasped as Daphne reached in and took his cock in her hand. The strength of her grasp, the warmth of her skin as she palmed it, took his breath away. With a few slow slides up and down his length, he was leaking, hard, and ready to fuck.
She made some sort of sound deep in her throat, and his wolf answered with a growl. He thrust his hips, fucking himself in the tight ring of her hand as her thumb brushed over the swollen head, dragging precum across it. She bent over, brought her mouth to it, and licked.
“You taste so good, babe.” Her voice had deepened, and her eyes filled with lust and desire. She jerked him once more, then held him fast in her hand. “This is mine, Antonio. Mine. It belongs to me, understand?”
“God, yes. All yours.” He could barely speak or think for all the blood pooled in his cock.
“The only place it belongs is right here, in my hand. And if it’s not in my hand…” She slid off his thighs to the floor, still holding his dick in her hand. “It belongs in my mouth.” Then she swallowed his cock.
Tony howled.
His hips thrust up, but she held him back with one hand, the other twisting around his dick as her mouth sucked him. Her tongue flicked across the bundle of nerves under the head, and he groaned.
Looking down, he watched as she bobbed her dark head up and down on his prick, giving him the most glorious blowjob he’d ever had. His wolf raged, and his eyes changed as he edged closer to his other form.
A form she couldn’t see. Not now. Not yet.
He had to stop her, but goddamn he didn’t want it to end. Not until he came. He wanted to empty into her, and he wanted her to swallow his jizz down. But his control teetered on the edge, and if he fell over, she’d never be his.
He pushed her away. “Hey, baby, slow down. I want to make this last.”
She sat back, lust-filled gaze boring into him, her hair tossed around her head, looking wild and feral. “I plan on making you come several times tonight.”
He groaned.
Tony pulled her to him, took her in a deep kiss, plundered her mouth, and tasted his own flavor on her tongue. His dick begged for more.
“Bedroom. Now.” He gave her a slap on the bottom, loving the way her round ass felt under his hand. What would it feel like with nothing between them? How would it look with his handprint, pink against her luscious skin?
She got up and waited for him to lead the way. He pulled her toward the door, then, almost there, he swung her up into his arms and kicked the door open. It flew back, hit the wall, and he strode through.
“Strip,” he ordered as he set her on her feet. God, he’d never felt so powerful and in control before with anyone, but she made him feel like a god. Like an alpha. And he knew, even if he’d never be the leader of their pack, with her, he’d always be her alpha male. And once he’d mated with her, there would be no way for her to deny him. She’d be his mate—forever.
Chapter Eight
Antonio strode to a brown leather club chair and sat. His legs splayed open, his pants undone, his cock stiff and thick and dark red. A true work of art. A thing of beauty. He was everything she’d dreamed of, laid out for her to sample.
Timidity washed over her. She wasn’t the kind of woman to do these things, yet there she was, doing them. Doing what she’d fantasized about so many times. All because with Antonio, she felt safe.
Daphne closed her eyes and let her restraint go. No quiet girl. No timid creature. She would be a huntress. A wild animal. A predator.
Tossing her head, she swung her hair over her shoulder, then pulled the blouse over her head, exposing the black lace bra that barely held her breasts in place.
Antonio widened his eyes, licked at his lips, and clenched the arms of the cushioned chair with his hands.
She turned around, her ass to him, and unzipped the skirt, the zipper slowly making its way down, clik clik echoing in the room. Only Antonio’s panting sounded above it.
Wiggling her hips, she worked the skirt off to expose her bare ass, the merry widow she wore black against her pale skin.
Antonio groaned. “Fuck.”
“We’ll get to that soon enough.” She leered over her shoulder at him and winked.
He stroked himself, moving his fist steadily up and down. “Not soon enough.”
She spun around. “Boots on or off?”
He gasped. “On.”
Taking small, hip-swinging steps, she approached him, coming right up to between his legs, as he followed every move she made. Then she leaned over, placed her hands on his spread legs, and whispered, “Feel like a rodeo, cowboy?”
“Sure. But now, we do the first go ’round.” He traced his finger over the swell of her breast, down her belly to the dark mound of hair between her legs.
“Turn around,” he ordered. She turned away from him.
“Bend over.” She did, putting her hands on her knees and sticking her ass toward his face. She’d never done this before, exposed herself this way to a man.
She couldn’t help the way her pussy leaked with excitement from the sound of his voice and the way he commanded her, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He reached between her legs, nudging them farther apart. He ran his finger back and forth, teasing her, using the moisture he gathered to delve into her slit, gentle at first, then feeling his way over each of her petals until he uncovered her clit.
“There it is, sweet thing.” He rubbed it, and Daphne groaned. She spread her legs even more. He slipped his finger inside her and, right before he bit her on the ass, he licked her cheek.
He sucked on her flesh, surely bringing up a mark, as he finger-fucked her. And she was completely helpless. Completely in his control. Completely at his mercy.
Completely his.
“I need you inside me, Tony,” she begged him. “I need to fee
l you inside me.”
“Not yet.” He licked her mark, then spread her cheeks apart and blew a puff of warm breath over her puckered opening.
A thrill rushed through her, followed by guilt. She knew what he wanted to do to her, but she’d never let anyone touch her there before. Would she let him?
His finger, still wet with her moisture, swirled around her opening, teasing her, sending all the nerves surrounding it into overdrive.
“Oh God, Tony.” She growled and thrust herself at him, eager for him to do to her what she was ashamed she wanted. She wanted him to penetrate her ass.
He pushed on her opening, then backed off. Just as she whimpered, he ran his tongue over it, and she rose onto her toes, howling. He replaced his finger and pushed inside. Her body parted and let him in.
It was naughty, and so so so fucking nice. “Oh, sweet God, it’s good.” She gasped and pushed back, fucking herself on his rigid finger.
He spread his hand open, and another finger rubbed against her clit.
Daphne’s legs nearly gave out. Tony worked her clit and ass, and so many nerves fired in her body, she thought she’d explode.
And she did.
Legs trembling, body shuddering, she coiled tight, then came.
Over and over, as each pussy-clenching, ass-pulsing wave of ecstasy washed over her, she rode his hand to her pleasure’s end. When she stopped, she moaned, and her legs gave out. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her down onto his lap as he stroked her hair from her face.
“Oh. My. God.” She snuggled into his body, her legs curled up in his lap, her arms around his neck, her face buried against his shoulder. “Tony.”
“I know, baby. So good. God, I loved feeling you come on my finger. I could feel your tunnel spasming around it, holding me so tight.” He breathed into her hair.
“Mmm.” She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. All she could manage now was a few throaty purrs.
He petted her as she regained her senses.
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