“Oh, I’m not going anywhere without you,” Green said, his voice deep, hard. “And I really don’t give a shit about Russell’s pain.”
Eadan pointed at Green. “I’m with him. Now, get your ass back in his car. You’re going home with him tonight. Then you’re heading out with us to South America. Don’t think about arguing or I’ll knock your ass out with a spell and you’ll wake up married to Green. Understood?”
“What? Now you suddenly want me to go home with a man I just met?” She tossed her hands in the air. “I surrender. I’m just going to say this—fuck whoever hears me. If you force me to leave with Green, there is a better-than-average chance the man will end up dead. I’m getting the sense you kind of like the guy, Eadan. Do you want to see him after someone who is more powerful than Daddy gets a hold of him?”
Eadan stilled. “I don’t know any Fae who is more powerful than Dad.”
“I do. The man is ruthless. He’ll cut down anyone between him and his goal. Don’t ask me to sacrifice the man I love just because you like him better than Russell.”
There was a collective gasp. Melanie glanced from her brother to Green. Both looked shocked. She shrugged. “What? Why are you guys staring at me like that?”
Green looked at Eadan. “Did she just say that she…?”
Eadan nodded. “Never in my life have I heard the girl utter that about any man, other than her father. Well, there was that invisible friend she loved.” His gaze shot to Green’s. “Whoa. Umm, on the count of three, catch her. This won’t hurt her, but it’ll piss her off when she comes to. One. Two. Three.”
Darkness swallowed Melanie as Eadan’s power wrapped around her.
Chapter Eleven
Melanie woke to the soft sounds of someone playing a piano. She glanced around the large white room in awe. It was beautiful. The ceiling was vaulted and the windows along the left wall went from the floor up. The bed was bigger than any she’d ever been in, and considering the number of beds Melanie had awoken to find herself in, that was saying a lot. It was still dark out and she wasn’t sure how much time had passed.
She glanced down to find herself wearing one of her favorite nightgowns. The light pink silk gown was slit up the side and had spaghetti straps. It was like wearing nothing and she loved it.
Climbing out of the bed, Melanie listened to the sound of the music playing and smiled. She didn’t need to be told whose bedroom she was in. She vividly remembered Eadan threatening to put a sleep spell on her. She also remembered his threat—she’d wake up married to Green. The thought had terrified her when he said it. Now, as she headed for the door, all she could think about was being near Green.
She opened the door and stepped out into the large hallway. The sound of music filtered in from the other end, so she headed in that direction. The hallway seemed to go on forever, making her wonder how many people lived in the house. The sound of the piano being played grew louder as she approached a large, half-circular staircase. As she headed down it, she spotted Green in what looked to be a formal living room, sitting with his back to her while he played. The room was amazing, but nothing compared to the sight of him.
Her breath caught as she stared at him. It was the first time she’d seen him without a shirt on and it hit her just how muscular he was. He looked as though he were chiseled from the same marble of the floor under his seat. Perfection. Plain and simple. The dark black wood of the piano he sat at only added to the sleek, streamlined, sensual look Green put out.
The black silk pajama bottoms he wore rode low in the back, showing that he had dimples just above his ass cheeks. The urge to rush forward and run her hands over him was great. She managed to control it only slightly as she walked slowly toward him. His head dipped a little as he played, indicating just how into it he was.
She wasn’t familiar with the piece he was playing, but she knew enough to know it was full of emotion. Raw. Powerful, like him. Melanie slid her hands over his shoulders and rubbed gently. The feel of his warm skin beneath her fingertips left her drawing in a deep breath, fighting to keep her breathing even.
Green stopped playing and stiffened. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll…”
Her nipples hardened to pebble-like peaks as they grazed against his back. Melanie put her lips to his ear and kissed it. The urge to bite it was strong, so she gave in and nipped playfully at it. “Don’t stop, please.”
His breathing grew shallow and he refused to look at her. “I can’t be by you if you’re in that and I’m only in—”
Run away. Don’t fall for him.
Ignoring her inner voice, Melanie slipped the straps of her nightgown down her shoulders and let it fall to the floor in a silken puddle. She lifted it with her foot and plucked it from her toe. She let out a sultry laugh as she dropped it in Green’s lap.
“There. Problem one out of the way. You take yours off and we’ll have everything worked out.”
Green stared down at the nightgown and put his hands out on the piano top. He bowed his head and it was easy to see him straining. The fact that his knuckles were turning white only added to the matter. “Melanie, I can’t fight the beast in me forever. It wants to claim you for its own. I want to claim you too.”
“Well, I’ve never heard a man refer to the urge to fuck me quite that way, but I’m game if you are, Thad.”
He shook his head. “No. You don’t understand. Hell, I don’t even understand it. I controlled the beast easily when we were together before. Never once did I have to push you away to keep from marking you, from sinking my teeth into your smooth skin as I sank my cock deep within you. I was able to keep that side of myself from you. Why now? Why can’t I control it around you now?”
Her brow furrowed as she slid her hands into his dark red hair. “Honey, I think the sight of you makes my brain fuzzy, because you’re not making any sense to me. I keep fighting this nagging voice in my head that’s telling me to run. To avoid you at all costs. You scare me, yet when I woke to find myself in your bedroom, I was upset you weren’t there with me.”
“Melanie, I won’t tie you to me. You don’t really want that. There is no way I can be with you and keep the beast caged. Please put your clothes back on and give me some time to be alone.”
“How long was I asleep?” she asked, biting back tears as he rejected her.
“About two hours. Why?”
Two hours? That meant it was still technically her birthday. Barely, but it counted. The irony wasn’t lost on her. “You were my bright spot on this day too,” she whispered, low enough a human couldn’t hear her. “Okay, I’m going to go lie back down for a while. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Reaching out, she went to grab the nightgown and yelped when Green caught her wrist. He drew her into his arms and onto his lap before she could even blink. “Thad?”
His eye seemed to flicker with varying shades of emerald. “Don’t be afraid of me, Melanie. I can’t control it around you.”
She knew she should be terrified of what she was seeing, but the feel of his hands on her body left her hissing out as she tipped her head back. “I want you inside me.”
“Melanie.”
She shifted on his lap and swung one leg around so she was left straddling him. The feel of his hard erection just beneath the surface of his pajama bottoms spurred her onward. Green closed his eyes and moved his hands off her.
“I can’t do this. I can’t be gentle with you. It’s been over sixty years since I’ve had sex, and even then I didn’t have to fight the urge to claim you on a supernatural level.”
Sixty years? Supernatural level?
Images of Lance turning into something animal-like while she was with him flooded back to her. Her mind said run. It wanted her to put as much distance between them as possible. Her heart, which never chimed in when it came to matters of men, refused to let her move or be scared of Green.
“You’re not human, are you?”
“No,” he bit out, keeping his e
yes closed.
“I’m not human either, Green.”
“I know.” He still refused to meet her gaze.
“Yet you want me to leave you alone because you think I don’t want you or that I’ll be scared of you?”
His jaw tightened. “That, and if I do take you, Melanie, it will mean you’re my wife. You don’t want marriage. You don’t want a man like me for eternity. You have no desire to spend your life with any one man, let alone me.”
Everything he said was true, or at least she thought it had been. It didn’t feel true anymore. The idea of knowing he’d always be there didn’t scare her as it should. It comforted her.
This is a man I could love.
Shocked by her own thoughts, Melanie went to scramble off Green’s lap. He caught her waist and held her in place. “I’m sorry, baby. I am. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out what I am. I’ll call Wilson to come and get you. I’ll—”
Outraged that he’d try to push her off on another man, Melanie slapped him hard in the face. His eyes snapped open and she glared at him. “Thaddeus Chandler Green, I am not scared of you. I’m scared of how I feel for you. I just met you. I shouldn’t want to spend the rest of however long of a life I have with you. And how dare you try to hand me over to Wilson!”
His brows rose. “You want to spend the rest of your life with me? I’m boring. I’m not like the men you date. I don’t run around kicking in doors and getting so shit-faced I can hardly stand.”
Melanie snorted. “No, you just run around punching men nonstop. Big difference. For a genius, you are really lacking in the intelligence department at the moment. Really. You are. Why would you ever want anything to do with me beyond sex? I have nothing to offer anyone, especially not a man like you. You’re amazing. I can’t hold a candle to you, Thad.”
He slid one arm around her waist and lifted her a bit. She thought he was going to move her off his lap. When she felt the head of his cock pressing against her wet core, she knew differently.
His eyes locked with hers. “If we do this, I won’t be able to be gentle the first time, and there is a better-than-average chance I’ll partially shift. I’ll sink my teeth into you and fill you so full of my cum that your head might spin.” He drew in a ragged breath. “This is your chance to walk away. There is no going back. Once I claim you, you are my mate, my wife, until the end of our days, Melanie. Do you still want me?”
“Yes,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him. The second she pressed her mouth to his, Green slid his tongue in. Fire exploded throughout her body and she ate at his mouth, hungry for even more. His cock mirrored his tongue, thrusting into her body with a force that made her yelp into his mouth. His girth left Melanie feeling as if Green might actually tear her up the center. She cried out as the pain from having something the size of his cock in her moved through her. What felt like an eternity for her body to adjust to his cock was merely seconds.
Letting out a long breath, Melanie tipped her head back. “Oh gawd, Thad.”
Green growled and nipped playfully at her neck. “You’re so tight.”
A slow, sexy smile covered her mouth as he kissed her lips. It always amazed men just how tight she was. It came from the blood of the nymphs that coursed through her veins. The minute she was settled over his massive cock, Green held her hips firmly, not allowing her any movement.
She met his gaze and found his emerald green eyes swirling. His breathing was irregular and his jaw set. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his and released her power, letting it coat him, and hopefully giving him some much needed control over the beast he was fighting.
Green’s eyes widened as he returned her kiss. She laced her tongue around his and began to ride him, slow at first, doing her best to get used to his size. He growled as he thrust his hips up and fucked her hard, fast and furious. He filled her so completely that Melanie could barely form a thought above how good it felt. The next thing she knew, Green had her pressed against the keyboard as he knocked the piano bench away and rose to his feet, never once exiting her body. He pumped harder, thrusting her into the piano. Random notes played as she clung to him, desperate to accept all he offered.
“Mine,” he ground out, moving his aggressive kisses to her neck.
He made her so wet, so hot for him, that Melanie couldn’t recall a time she’d ever been this close to coming so soon after a man entered her body. Everything about him excited her. His smell. His hard body. His long, thick cock. She couldn’t get enough.
“Mine.” Green yanked on her hips, driving her body onto his with such a force she could scarcely remember to breathe. The sounds of sex sounded around her. Not only could she feel their powerful joining, she could hear the wet slickness of their bodies as they became one. So much pleasure. So much power. She never wanted it to end.
“Tell me,” he gritted his teeth, “that you’re mine, Melanie.” Green took her body with a force she never in a million years expected him to do. What should have been too painful for her to enjoy was anything but. It was exactly what she needed. He was exactly what she needed.
She melted beneath him. Seeing Green’s dominant side shine through made Melanie want to submit fully and forever. It was something she never did. Yet she surrendered to it. “Yes, yours, Thad. Always yours.”
Pleasure built deep within her abdomen and Melanie knew she was close to coming. Green fucked her with the fierceness of a possessed man and she loved every second of it. His passion was raw. There were no guards, no defenses, no books to hide behind. Just Thad.
Green pummeled her body with his. Taking hold of the sides of his face, Melanie brought his lips to hers and kissed him passionately. His tongue stroked her mouth to ecstasy, doing little to stop her impending orgasm. Her power continued to run over him, hopefully giving him the edge he needed to stay in control of his beast. She wasn’t afraid of him or what he carried, but Melanie didn’t want to share Green with the beast, at least not yet. She just wanted him.
He felt so good, so right inside her that Melanie couldn’t hide her moans. The minute they escaped, Green let out an animalistic growl and took her with so much strength she wasn’t sure how she didn’t break. The strangest thing of all was that Melanie wanted even more. “Harder,” she panted.
Green obliged. Her orgasm tore through her with an intensity she’d never felt before. Never had it felt this good to be with a man, this right. Her pussy began to spasm uncontrollably, clenching down on Green’s cock. Slamming into her, he went to the hilt and stilled. An explosion of hot warmth filled her and she knew then he was coming as well. Having never allowed a man to release his cum in her, Melanie was a bit shocked at how much Green seemed to have and how very warm it was.
Chapter Twelve
Green stayed rooted in Melanie, continuing to fill her with his seed. It was surreal. He’d thought for sure he’d lose control and bite her. He didn’t and he knew why. Melanie had helped him control the beast with her magik so the man could be with her. “Thank you.”
A sultry laugh came from her as she clung to him. “No, thank you.”
The woman was too much. Too perfect. He caressed her gently, staying deep within her, and knew he’d filled her so full of cum that their combined juices were now seeping from their joined bodies. She wiggled a bit and his cock came to life, hardening instantly.
A slow smile curved over her lips. “Mmm, insatiable. I like that in a man.”
“Are you sore?” he asked, knowing he was rougher than he’d wanted to be with her. In truth, he’d been rougher than he’d ever been with Elizabeth.
A pang of guilt tore through him. Elizabeth had been the woman he’d pledged his life to, yet he’d never felt like this with her. Yet here she was, back as part of Melanie. Had he not witnessed the marvel of it all, Green wouldn’t have believed they were really the same person. A piece of him was ashamed of how intense his feelings for Melanie were. If he didn’t know better, he’d say he loved her more than he’d ever lo
ved Elizabeth. That couldn’t be right. He’d only just met Melanie, and even though she was his wife reincarnated, he’d seen enough to know she wasn’t “his” Elizabeth.
Melanie purred ever so softly. “I’m a little sore, but I want more.” Her brow creased and he could sense a question waiting to come out.
Leaning forward, Green captured a nipple in his mouth and sucked gently before letting it go. “Tell me what’s wrong. Do you regret it?”
“No,” she said, and he knew she was telling the truth. “I just never thought I’d get married, let alone do it in a rather unconventional way.”
It took everything in Green not to tell Melanie that they were not husband and wife yet. He had to bite her, claim her fully for them to be a mated pair. Her magik had aided in keeping the beast within him at bay so it could be just the two of them.
She ran her hands through his hair. “Tell me that you don’t regret it, Green. Your eyes look troubled.”
“I’m a little surprised you’re taking being my wife so well,” he said, wanting to test the water with Melanie. Not only that, but his unease about Elizabeth and feelings of betrayal were fast becoming almost impossible to bear.
Her cheeks flared pink as she glanced away. “Umm, Thad?”
“Yes.”
“Would you be willing to marry me in a church so my family can be there? My dad’s a diehard fan of handfasting if you prefer that, but I’d like them to be able to be part of it somehow. I think my father gave up hope I’d ever settle down. I’d like to do it soon, if you don’t mind.”
His chest tightened. “You want to say vows in front of friends and family?”
Melanie nodded, and his heart soared. She wanted him and wanted others to know it. He kissed her lips and began to slide in and out of her slowly. “Yes, honey. We can do that. We can do anything you want.”
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