by Multiple
Edge tugged at her nipple, and she ground her pelvis into his hardening erection. He bit and teased until she cried out his name and quaked against him in a wave of what she hoped was her first orgasm of the night.
Edge switched to her other breast and trailed his hand down her now hot skin until he found the band of her sweats. He leaned her back against the arm of the couch as he fumbled with the heavy material. Edge turned her into some mindless female, who only wanted the pleasure this male could give her.
Ivy’s legs were spread, and he settled his knee between them with the other foot on the floor.
His body hovered over hers, and the heat of his cock seared her through his jeans.
Ivy was almost naked now as he pushed her clothes from her legs and drew them off her ankles. Edge replaced his knee mere inches from her throbbing folds as he tossed away the sweats. She brought her hands up to cover her body, but he stopped her before she could.
Ivy lay under him fully naked now, and he swept her body in an appreciative gaze that made her heart thrill with pleasure. Edge pulled her hands over her head as he lowered his head to brush his lips over her ear.
“You’re beautiful.” His words made her chest fill with a sunshine that made her want to giggle. “Leave your hands here.” Maybe he wanted her completely at his mercy, the position was interesting and made her vulnerable to his explorations.
A faint heat stole up her cheeks at his command. Edge’s tongue was soft as he kissed her throat and chest, then lower as he dipped his tongue into her belly button. He nipped at her hipbone and she groaned, arching under him.
Ignoring his request, Ivy reached for his jeans. Her hand brushed his erection, and he hissed as sensation ripped through his body.
Edge moved her hands away and leaned down over her body. “Leave your hands here. Please.” His voice sounded like gravel to her ears, and he placed her hands firmly back above her head. Edge tasted her mouth again and ran his hands over her body.
“Please, Edge.” She begged him to give her the release she so desperately needed as he explored lower and found her tender folds.
She was slick with need, and his fingers slid easily through her pussy.
Ivy could smell her own need, rich and musky, the heady scent enveloped her. Ivy’s heart somersaulted in her chest with something very close to bliss.
Edge glided his fingers through her nether lips separating them gently. She was slick with hot moisture that she hoped invited him to slide a finger inside her. Her sheath clenched around his invasion. Would his swollen cock even fit inside her small body?
Goose bumps crawled over her skin, and a quiver of delight raced around inside her chest.
Her arms clutched him to her as he worked his finger in and out of her. Ivy gasped, and she was close to falling over the edge of orgasm. He moved his thumb to massage her sensitive clit and pushed another finger inside her.
She was stretched slightly around him, and his fingers slid easily into her slick heat again as he increased the rhythm.
“Ooh. Yes! Edge!” She writhed in his arms as he pumped his fingers inside her. Her orgasm crested and flowed warm and slick over his hand as she cried out. Her nails dug into his back as the last waves of pleasure pulsed through her small body. Edge eased his fingers from her.
Edge closed his eyes, and his nostrils flared as if he was catching her scent. Her body still pulsed with heat and tiny shudders made her tremble against his arms.
Ivy watched totally enthralled as Edge licked her climax from his fingers. Her breath caught in her throat as his tongue glided slowly over each fingertip before he sucked it into his mouth for a second then slowly pulled it from his lips to lick the next one. She had never seen a male savor a female like this, and it stirred something deep inside her even as it made her throb with excitement.
That he would want to taste her badly enough to lick her from his fingers, amazed Ivy. Her body was sated but tense as she lay on the couch under Edge. She still burned with the sexual need that had her heart tripping in her chest, and her core spasmed inside her body.
Edge leaned back down and kissed her on the temple. His erection, confined inside his now tight jeans, pushed against her thigh, and she wiggled to move closer to him.
Edge moved his legs and sat back on the couch. He winced as he adjusted his erection. Ivy grabbed her shirt off the floor and pulled it on over her head. Desire burned under Edge’s thick dark eyelashes, but he wouldn’t take her tonight. Edge would wait for the full moon. He had satisfied her need, but would wait for the mating moon to take his own pleasure.
Ivy almost smiled. So he would to stick to the rules of mating. “Pleasure your female before yourself.” Whoever came up with that one was a genius. She stretched like the cat she was. Ivy was a little embarrassed about the whole thing, though. She hadn’t been with a male in so long she had nearly forgotten what being pleasured by a male was like.
“Edge, I don’t usually…” she started, but he stopped her before she could tell him that she wasn’t like a normal female, promiscuity didn’t rule her life. Hell, she’d only had sex a few times, so being with him like this was different for her.
“Ivy.” He placed a finger on her lips and the look on his face said he thought she was crazy for speaking up. “Don’t forget we are Were, we feel differently and more quickly.” His hand cupped the side of her face, and she nuzzled into his warm touch. “You don’t have to justify it to yourself, okay? Just enjoy it. This is what a male should do for you.” He caressed her lower lip with his thumb making her body tingle with anticipation. She wanted to draw his thumb into her mouth and suck on it, as it was her tongue darted out and brushed the tip of it. “But I understand. It’s been a long time for me, too.”
She glanced away slightly embarrassed by his admission, and he turned her chin toward him.
“I’m not too proud to admit that, lately, females haven’t interested me that much, until I met you, that is.” He leaned into her and affixed another scorching kiss to her already swollen lips. Ivy’s heart raced at his sweet words. He admitted that she was different from other females. Could he be her mate? Would she finally know true happiness without the shadow of Chad’s death to darken her heart? Hope swelled inside her breast pressing out every doubt she had until her entire body soared somewhere in the clouds and all she knew was Edge’s touch on her body. Her senses were on fire. Her body was still tight and heavy with need that made her pussy wet. He slowly released her and stood up.
“Did you want to try Ian again?”
“Oh, yes. I forgot.” Ivy grabbed the phone and dialed her brother.
Edge paced to the window and stared out as if he inspected the night, his hands stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans. What could he be thinking about that made his eyebrows furrow like that? Ivy bit at her fingernail as she mulled over what could be going though his mind.
Ian picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Ian, it’s me. Can you spend the night here?” Ivy ran her hand over her ponytail as she sat on the couch.
“What happened?” Ian’s voice was a low rumble, his tiger nature growling to protect her even through the phone.
“I’ll explain when you get here.” Ivy glanced down and realized she was still half naked. Edge still stood with his face to the window, but had crossed his arms over his chest. She reached for the sweats.
“Are you alone? Why did you wait to call me until now, it’s already late.” His voice was edged with anger. He was upset because he thought she was alone.
“I’m not alone, just come over.” At the comment, Edge glanced over his shoulder at her.
Ivy said goodbye and hung up, then dressed slowly to allow Edge’s gaze to linger over her body for a little longer. She enjoyed the way his attention burned over her skin.
“That’s such a crime.”
“What?” She glanced around confused.
“
Covering up all that delicious skin that I want to taste again.” Edge growled and crossed the distance between them in a flash. He pinned her back against the couch so quickly her head spun. Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck tangling her fingers in his hair, and her legs latched around his waist, cradling him with her body.
Ivy and Edge were so engrossed in a kiss that was changing into to fondling again that they almost didn’t hear the knock on the door. Edge broke off the kiss, and Ivy growled deep inside her throat as she tried to catch him before he maneuvered away. Edge walked to the door.
Ivy sat up on the couch. Ian entered the door with his eyebrows raised in obvious surprise as he glanced between Edge and Ivy.
“I should go, it’s late,” Edge said and started out the door.
Ivy fought the feeling of guilt that surged through her. She was no good at relationships in general. Actually, she hadn’t had much experience at all. Things moved so fast for a Were that she was usually in bed with a male before she realized it had gone too far and wasn’t what she wanted. Another mating rule fell into place as Ivy realized he made her feel wanted, and he had followed all the rules, not to mention the way his hands moved over her body sent little tingles of pleasure tripping up her center. She jumped up with tears of delight in her eyes from how Edge had made her feel and rushed after him before he made it off the porch.
“Edge, wait.” Her shaky voice betrayed her emotions.
Edge turned and gazed down into her eyes.
“Thank you.” She reached up to gently stroke the stubble on his cheek. “You’re playing by all the rules.”
He cupped her face in his large strong hands and dipped his head to place a soft kiss on her lips. Her heart tumbled over its self at the gentle act. Then he straightened and smiled.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at eight?” His eyes roamed over her face as if searching for something.
Warmth enveloped her chest as love filled her up and she grinned.
“Eight.” She bit her lip between her teeth.
He stepped off the small porch, and Ivy stood watching until he climbed on his motorcycle and roared off into the night.
Ivy shut the door with a sigh and locked the dead bolt. She leaned against the wood and her heart beat hard. Edge was…Wow. Her thoughts bubbled around her head and made her giddy, like a teenager in love.
A throat being cleared broke her revelry. That’s when she remembered Ian.
Ian’s smile stretched wide across his face showing his neat rows of white teeth.
“Told you so.” Ian’s hands were planted on hips, and he raised an eyebrow, just daring her to contradict his statement.
“Ian, I don’t want to hear it.” He was so close she could hear his heart beating, but her embarrassment at being caught had her fleeing up the stairs with Ian close behind her.
“I can smell him all over you. Do you know what the living room smells like?” He laughed as he ended the question, making it sound more rhetorical than serious.
“I’m not listening, Ian.” She slammed her hands over her ears as she raced toward the bathroom.
Ian plucked her off the carpet and hauled her into her bedroom where he spun her around in his arms before he stared into her eyes.
“My baby sis got some.” He laughed as he spun her swinging her like she was a child.
Ivy beat at Ian’s shoulders. Even as she began to laugh in amusement, she fought it back trying not to allow all her happiness show. She socked him in the chest.
“Drop me now! You are such a male!” Ivy complained as Ian laughed and plunked her butt on her bed.
“Admit it, you like him.” Ian poked her in the chest with his index finger. “Say it, say it.” He put his hand to his ear. Suddenly Ian had turned into a cub all over again teasing and aggravating her to no end.
Ivy fought the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him as she had always done when they were cubs.
Ivy mumbled at him because she didn’t want to admit he had been right about Edge.
“What? I couldn’t hear that, Iv. Louder please?”
Ivy jumped off the bed and socked him in the arm as hard as she could.
“Ow.” He rubbed his arm.
“Fine! You were right. He’s amazing.” She shook her hand to fend off the soreness now coating her knuckles.
“Then why are you hitting me?” Ian whined like a cub, too.
Chapter Five
Ivy stepped out of her bathroom and found Ian seated on her bed. He had her high school yearbook open in his lap.
“You gonna’ tell me what happened?” He turned a page.
The stress Mark had brought settled back onto her shoulders.
She picked the note she had found taped to her door up off her dresser and handed the paper to Ian. She clenched her jaw against the nausea that seeing the note churned up inside her stomach.
“Mark left that on my door. What am I going to do?”
Ian straightened the note and smoothed the half sheet of paper out. His eyes scanned the page, and his face turned red in anger as his lip pulled up in a snarl.
“Not you, we. What are we going to do?” He crumpled the note and pitched the paper into the wastebasket by the door. “I won’t leave you here alone, but we need to catch him.” He ran his hand through his hair. That was a sure sign he was frustrated. “God, Mark pisses me off.” He stood and paced from the window to the doorway, his hands behind his back as he watched his steps.
“We knew he might find you one day, but he’s not going to get to you. I still don’t understand what was in the Alpha’s head when he made that deal with the Werewolves.” He stopped in front of Ivy.
Ivy pulled Ian down to sit on the bed next to her and laid her head on his shoulder.
“He made the deal to keep me alive.” Ivy blew out a tired breath and rubbed Ian’s back. She wanted him to calm down, there was nothing either of them could do right now. Her eyes stung as tears of frustration tried to form. She was so sick of everything that had transpired because she couldn’t control herself. “How could the Alpha know that having me ostracized when I came of age wouldn’t stop Mark from coming after me?”
“That’s a question no one can answer. The whole pack sat idly by for years and allowed Mark to torment you. As if having to leave the pack wasn’t bad enough, allowing Mark to harass you as a punishment was just uncalled for, especially when none of them even lifted a finger to stop him.” Ian’s hands fisted against his knees, his voice raw and rough with his anger. “The deal the Alpha made can’t protect you anymore now that you’re out of pack territory. I just thought Mark would take longer to find you.”
Hot tears ran silently down her cheeks. Hurt filled her chest because everyone that had supposedly loved her, well, everyone but Ian, had stepped aside and willingly allowed Mark harass her for the two years she’d had left at her parent’s ranch…all in the name of punishment. The pain was like having her essence ripped from her body. Her own family had permitted the harassment even though females were supposed to be the most important thing in the pack.
Ivy realized she was the only one who knew what actually happened that night. Her memory tugged as the dream from last night started to replay inside her head and all the missing pieces fell into place. No one besides her knew what Chad had tried to do to her.
There was some law about killing humans, but at the time there had been no preplanning with her tiger. Chad was going to rape her that night. Fear so deep that the sensation chilled her even now had made her seize up in terror. A memory of him ripping her panties from her hovered inside her head. Her pack didn’t know Chad had been about to steal her virginity and Ivy hadn’t remembered at the time. The pack medicine man had told her parents that the incident had traumatized her into blocking the memory of Chad’s death from herself.
Ian’s fingers stroked through her damp hair.
“I just know I’ll have to kill Mark.” Ivy’s voice was
barely a whisper. A burning ache in her gut told her she would have to kill or be killed. Ivy wasn’t prepared to do that, to take another life. “Ian, I remembered.”
Ian’s hand stopped stroking her hair now and the whole world seemed to stop suddenly.
Ian didn’t breathe at all or at least she didn’t feel his rib cage expand next to her.
“I remembered everything.” The room was so quiet she could have heard a feather land on the floor.
Ian turned and gathered Ivy into his arms. A shame so deep that tears formed in her eyes and choked her throat shuddered through her.
“He called me a ‘tiger whore’. He said I thought I was better than him.” Ivy’s shoulders trembled at the remembrance of his words. He had known what she was. That knowledge stuck out suddenly. “How could he have known I was a tiger?” Bits and pieces of the story bumped around inside her head. She didn’t want to tell him all the details, however, it would only make him hurt worse. “You know, I’ve always known I killed him. I guess that’s why I didn’t fight when they kicked me out of that pack.” Ivy still cried against Ian’s chest.
“You know I can’t stand seeing you cry.” Ian’s voice was lower and gentler than earlier when he had teased her. He shushed her now.
The front doorknob rattled. Then, a loud banging shook the downstairs windows. Ivy quaked as her gaze shot to Ian for help.
“What do we do?” She bit her lip and more tears fell from her eyes. Panic choked off her air as the banging escalated.
Ian’s face was a hard, cold mask, his mouth pulled tight into a white line as he stood up and stepped over the book that had fallen to the floor.
Without a word, he stalked out of the room and down the stairs, fists clenched at his sides.
Instinct told her Mark was the one beating on her door. Ivy stayed close on Ian’s heels even though anxiety tightened like a rope around her chest, she couldn’t allow Ian to face Mark alone.
The person on the other side beat on the door and the wood creaked.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ian threw the door open.
