A moment or two later, he spoke again. “Smells pretty good.”
The slight smile she wore widened as she imagined him unscrewing the lid from the bottle and sniffing the bubble bath. She would never tell a soul but hold that little bit of knowledge as if it were the sweetest secret.
Gabe reached over to turn on a floor lamp, surveying the living room with a critical eye. True to his word, Joe McKinnon had sent out two cowboys from the Wolf Creek Ranch late in the afternoon to replace the broken windows. Maria, the McKinnon’s housekeeper had come along for the ride and though Gabe protested, she’d insisted on helping with the mess left behind from Kat’s implosion. They were good people, these brother and sister lycans who called Cloverfield, Texas, home. Truth to tell, he hadn’t had much time to be introspective until now. Consumed with worry and trying like hell not to show it, he made sure Katalin was settled in a nice warm bathtub and when she’d finished, he led her back to her bed, naturally under protest, and tucked her in for a nap. Gods knew he wasn’t a genius but then he hadn’t needed to be to realize that the use of her telekinesis zapped her energy. Poor little thing had been asleep for hours.
Gabe looked around the neat-as-a-pin room recalling that once this little cabin had belonged to Martha Bennet who’d later become the consummated mate of their king, Silas MacAdam. They now lived in Silas’ ancestral castle in Scotland and since the cabin was isolated from town yet still close to the ranch, it had only made sense for Katalin to hang her hat here. Rationally, he knew she was safe here. Hell, everyone in town knew of her rare gifts and accepted her as one of their own. Both she and her sister, Sara, had been welcomed into the pack with open arms. Good folks.
After checking the security of the windows, he went into the kitchen and took a plate of food from the fridge and nuked it in the microwave. Carrying the food along with a tall glass of iced tea, he paused in the doorway of the bedroom. Her curly reddish hair spread across the pale sheets like a shiny flag. She was so damn still and Gabe knew she had to be exhausted but hell, the woman had to eat. When he approached the side of the bed and set the plate on her nightstand, her eyes fluttered open.
“Gabe,” she whispered. The sound went through him like a song. Gingerly, he sat at the edge of the bed and settled his palm against her hair. Damn, it was soft. “How long did I sleep?”
“Quite awhile but that’s okay. You needed it. Are you always this wiped out after these things happen?”
She frowned a little. “Nothing quite this violent has ever happened to me before. It was always just small incidents but this time…”
“Shh. Don’t think about it now. Come on, honey, sit up. You need to eat something.” Gabe helped her sit and fluffed pillows to support her back though he suspected she would’ve preferred to handle things herself. Tough shit. He handed her a plate of grilled chicken that was covered with some kind of fruit stuff. Looked to him like pineapple and mango. A side of steamed green beans topped off the meal. “Here you go,” he said, handing her a fork and tucking a napkin into the top of the oversize tee shirt she wore.
Smiling Kat removed the napkin and placed it in her lap. “Did you make this?”
“Hell no. I can’t cook for shit. Do you remember Maria? Quinn and Joe’s housekeeper?”
“Sure I do.” Kat cut into the chicken and chewed for a minute. Her eyes closed as she smiled. “Mmm. Awesome. She made this?”
Gabe smiled at her enjoyment of the food and wondered when she’d last eaten. Yeah, to say he was a tad overprotective was an understatement but hell, he’d waited his entire long, long life for a mate. He wanted her safe. “Yeah, she came over with a couple of the men from the ranch and helped with the cleanup. She figured you’d be hungry later. Damn woman wanted to stay and take care of you but I told her no.”
“I hope you were nice about it.”
He was almost insulted but then he realized that, yeah, he could sound kinda mean sometimes. “Sure I was.”
Kat patted his hand as if to take the sting out of her words and then shook her head. “It’s so embarrassing to lose control like this.”
“Not your fault. We’ll figure this out together.”
“I was never like this before,” she mused. “Suddenly I was just so mad. It just burned through me and I couldn’t stop it.”
“Figure frustration has been building for quite some time, don’t you think? All this power and no way to control it. You are in a new place, with new people. Hell darlin’, your whole life has changed. You have a lot to deal with. But I think we have to face the fact that your powers are growing.”
Finished with her meal, Kat handed off her plate and leaned back to look at him. She looked so damn sweet sitting there with that little frown on her face. His heart thumped. “It’s pretty scary.”
“We’ll get through it together. I’m not leaving you alone.”
She shook her head and reached for his hand. It kinda startled him because he purely wasn’t used to people voluntarily touching him. He liked it. Gabe felt the curl of her fingers and lightly squeezed in return. “You can’t babysit me 24/7. People depend on you.”
“Nah, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like Cloverfield and the surrounding county is a hotbed of crime. I drive through the human populated towns in the area once a day just to make sure everything is okay but I’m here most of the time. If I need to, I’ll take on a deputy. Besides you’ll be at work during the day and hanging out in the school library should be a fairly stable environment.”
“True. Do you think you can help me? Any ideas?”
Well now. Wasn’t that just the million dollar question? He had some thoughts about that. He went quiet for a minute before staring her dead in the eye. “I’ve been thinking on this some, darlin’,” he began watching her steadily. “It seems to me that when we are close you are calm. Do you remember the other night when I held you? The lamp moved but I talked you through it and things settled down.”
“I remember,” she whispered. “I got really calm.” Her eyes flashed into his filled with recognition. “Yes. We were close and you held me tightly. When you spoke to me it was as if that energy went still for a minute.”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it too. I don’t want to push you but I believe that you’ll get a firmer grip on things through sex.”
“Sex?” Her face flamed with color and he wished he could take back what he’d said. The very last thing he wanted to do was push her away. “You mean consummate things?”
Among their kind, mates observed a “consummation ceremony”. From what he knew it was heady, highly erotic and intense. When eventually he fucked her in the consummation rites his cock would swell inside her, locking them together in a battle of lust that would go on for a very long time. He would sink his teeth into her neck as she climaxed repeatedly and at the end of things, she would shift into her wolf. Gabe’s cock hardened behind the zipper of his jeans at the thought of taking her in every imaginable way. She would be hot and creamy around him, vaginal muscles fluttering wildly as he made her scream with pleasure. Yanking his mind back to the current conversation, he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, hoping to soothe her. “I think it’s too soon for that but believe me, honey, it will come. For now, we should get used to each other’s touch and I’m not about to lie to you, I need to fuck you. I’ve wanted you for too damn long. If you are ready for this, gods know, I sure as hell am.”
Kat slammed her eyes shut. “I don’t know much about this stuff.”
Gabe reached for her and drew her against his chest. Beneath the cotton of her tee shirt, she was braless. He breathed in the scent of soap and bubble bath, loving the way her breasts felt against him. “Why would you? I know you’ve been sheltered for most of your life and no man but me has touched you. Are you afraid?”
Her head moved against him as she shook it. “Not really. I feel safe with you but I worry I won’t be enough. You’ve lived over two hundred years. You’ve had women. How can I ever h
ope to measure up?”
Stunned to his core, he drew back and looked at her. “Let’s get this straight. I think about you night and day. I want to fuck you so badly you occupy my every waking thought and at night you are in my dreams. You don’t have to be experienced for me to wade through fire to claim you. Don’t you get it? You’re mine, Kat.”
Needing to get through to her, dying for her, Gabe took her lips in a savage kiss. At once she opened to him and he took instant advantage, plundering the recesses of her mouth with his tongue. His teeth nibbled at her lips and when she sighed responsively, he angled his face for a firmer touch. His breathing ratcheted up a notch when with a subtle movement, Katalin pressed tighter. In her innocence, she rubbed her diamond-hard nipples against the front of his tee shirt. They burned him like a brand and needing more from her, he lifted one hand to cup one breast.
“Small,” she whispered, breaking the kiss. Kat made a soft whimpering sound as he continued to manipulate her soft flesh.
“Hmm?”
“Small. They are small.”
Gabe kept up the pressure, moving his fingers over her nipple, plucking lightly. He kissed her cheek and held his lips there. Smiling, he rolled the firm bud. “Not small,” he said. “Delicate. Hell, you are so slender I worry I’ll crush you. Everything about you is perfect.”
A sliver of moonlight swept through the windows casting mysterious, sultry shadows through the room and Gabe wanted nothing more than to climb onto the bed with her but she deserved better than a quick, rushed fuck. The moment demanded more. Much more. Reaching below the sheets that lay rumpled across her lap, he grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Kat gasped and instantly folded her arms over her chest.
“Uh-uh. You won’t hide from me, darlin’. I won’t have it and you’re beautiful. The prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Come on now.” Gently he unfolded her arms and looked his fill. He was right about her breasts. They were pale, delicate and crowned with tight pink nipples that he was dying to taste. Bending low he pulled one into his mouth and sucked lightly. “Fucking delicious.”
Gabe continued to suck her, tonguing her lightly, alternating the pressure until her body heat practically scalded him. Her fingers swept through his hair, digging in to bring him closer. “Hang on, darlin’,” he whispered against the moist nub of her nipple. “You have to give me ten minutes, you hear?”
“Ten minutes? Are you trying to kill me here?” Kat’s breath came out in staccato little pants.
“I’m not coming to you without cleaning up, Katalin. You deserve better.”
“Oh.”
Reluctantly he released her and stood. “Settle back. Think about what I’ve been doing to you and how you feel about that. When I come back in this room I want you naked and waiting for me.”
Chapter Three
Katalin slid her eyes over his broad, broad shoulders and admired the silky length of his golden hair as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. A more powerful-looking man had never been born and a shiver raced over Katalin’s flesh as she realized what would happen between them very soon now. She pushed her hair back from her face wondering if she was ready for this.
Yes.
While it was true she had no real knowledge of what sex would feel like and how her body might respond, she wasn’t totally ignorant. She still remembered the times when her sister, Sara, would manage to sneak romance novels into their small cabin and together they would huddle together in the bed they shared reading naughty passages and giggling like loons. If Anton—she refused to call him Father—had known, there would have been serious trouble for both of them. That Sara defied him and brought the books into the house was a testament to her bravery.
Kat had never been brave. Never. That was all about to change tonight.
Standing from the bed she picked up the tee shirt Gabe had pulled from her and carefully folded it. She removed her panties and placed them, along with the tee shirt on top of her dresser. Naked, she walked to the window and carefully peeking behind the curtain, stared out at the night as water from the Gabe’s shower blasted out a warning tune. Tonight she promised herself, she would reclaim her life.
The refrain of her childhood ran through her mind.
Be careful, Katalin.
Be quiet, Katalin.
Don’t let him see what you can do, sweetheart. Please be cautious, quiet and still.
Before she could talk, the words had been emblazoned on her mind and mutinous displays of temper such as moving a cup or book across the room had meant punishment from her frightened mother.
Anton couldn’t know. The safety of them all depended upon it.
In the end, in a moment of carelessness on her part, Anton realized she’d come into her power. All hell had broken loose that night. Shoving trembling fingers through her hair, she pushed the nightmare to the back of her mind.
Thanks to Sara and Cactus, Anton was dead. Kat drew in a heavy breath and swore she would face the rest of her life without fear and part of that was mating with the man destiny had chosen for her. No longer would she hide in the shadows in fear of someone discovering the existence of her vile and dangerous gift. Kat wanted to live and she somehow, deep in her heart, knew that Gabriel held the key to her freedom and that peace she told him she wanted.
The door to the bathroom opened and Gabe stepped naked into the room. Turning from the window, Kat gathered her courage and walked to him stopping only a few feet away. If he was surprised by her actions, it didn’t register on his rugged face. His dark gaze locked on her face before lowering down the length of her naked body. For an instant that shy girl she’d always been tried to resurface but Katalin ruthlessly pushed her away.
His eyes paused at her breasts then moved to her belly and lower. Another shiver caught her up and she realized she held her breath. Her heartbeat accelerated to an impossible rate and a framed picture rattled on the wall.
“Don’t look at it. Look at me,” he said. “Focus on me alone.”
Katalin licked her lips and struggled to slow her heart rate through the steady breathing taught to her by Dee Santos. “Okay.”
Gabriel stepped close enough that his body heat whipped around her, warming her, heating her blood. Cupping her cheek, he stared down at her and it was impossible to mistake the pride and possession burning in his gaze. “Listen to what I’m going to tell you. You are the most beautiful creature the gods have ever made. Believe it.”
Bending low he took her mouth in a kiss meant burn, meant to pleasure, meant to bring any woman to her knees. Ferociously, he ate at her lips, torturing them with tiny nibbles and then he plunged his tongue deep, staking his claim. Her inhibitions shattered as he pressed her body to his and lifted her up into his arms. Gabriel carried her to the bed and with one hand, reached down to toss the rumpled sheets to the foot of the bed. When he’d arranged her to his satisfaction, he stood looking at her. “I want this to be good for you. Are you scared?”
“No. No, I’m not.”
Relief settled over his features and her heart melted, but that quick reaction was soon replaced by awe. She’d seen his body before but again she took in the corrugated muscle of his abs, his brawny chest, the strength displayed in his neck. His arms were corded and stronger than any she’d ever seen. Her gaze zeroed down to focus on his heavy cock. Truly an instrument of pleasure assuming size really did matter. The whimsical thought skittered away when Gabe came down beside her on the bed and took her mouth again. His hand cupped a breast, thumbing the nipple into gemlike hardness and she wondered vaguely why she’d ever worried about being small. Pleasure radiated from his touch, from the tiny circular pattern he traced there. Gabe leaned down and slipped the nipple into his mouth to suck and a tiny sound skipped from her lips as she sent curious fingers into his thick hair to hold on for the ride.
More. She wanted more. Harder. Firmer. Wilder.
Sucking strongly, then lighter, he teased her with his lips, tongue and teeth as
passion swamped her, dragging her under. As if stroked by invisible fingers, her pussy responded growing drenched with need.
She felt empty and knew only Gabriel could ease her.
His hand cruised the flesh of her ribs and belly, finally settling over her pussy. Gabe slid one finger with seductive slowness over her slit and Kat went still. “Easy now,” he said his voice raw and heavy. “If I do something you don’t like, tell me. Gods you’re creamy.”
He stroked that wicked finger through the petals of her cunt and helplessly, she arched against his touch, her back bowing as she sought more and then he gave it to her. Parting her labia, his touch grew firm, wicked, he plucked the tender knot of her clit, circling the slick bundle of nerves until she gasped. Lust flashed through her system.
Kat cried out. A small, tinkling sound followed as a bottle from her dresser hit the floor.
Suddenly Gabe’s face was near hers. “Forget it. Listen to the sound of my voice. Concentrate only on the touch of my fingers, my mouth. Focus everything inside you on the way you feel.”
“Just touch me again. Please.”
Gabe stared into her eyes and she saw lust, tenderness too, swimming there as he breached her channel with one big finger. Kat went still as he pushed deeper then slightly withdrew only to add another. Need tore through her as she moved, meeting each thrust. Moving his luscious mouth down the center of her body, trailing open-mouthed kisses over her flesh, he stopped finally at her belly to rub the spot with his cheek.
Tenderness. Need. Satisfaction.
His emotions swamped her, curling through her body like a slow, sexy song and then his mouth moved lower. Gabe adjusted his position until he kneeled between her spread thighs. Shadows moved over his face as he looked down at her body. An innocent like her should have been mortified. Nothing about her, aside from her preternatural gift, had ever been outrageous but there was no shame, no embarrassment. Instead heat bloomed through her core sending a fresh flood of moisture to drench her pussy.
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