“Why did you have to go alone, Luna? We can go out all you want, baby, just not alone,” his palms were sweating, half expecting her to pull away when he reached for her, cradling her against his chest. “Luna?”
“The drugs kept the memories away, Sage. I…I felt the love inside your mother for you and suddenly it was all there. All the memories…everything that I wasn’t allowed to have anymore. Everything that ended when he took me from my grandmother.”
Sage wasn’t sure when she would finally give into the tears, the anger that had to be burning inside her. His palm stroked over her head where it rested on his shoulder.
“A problem with memories. We can’t choose to just have the good ones inside us,” he said quietly.
“I thought…if I could just be my cat for a while…and pretend I was with her like I had been, playing and laughing…so I went out,” she swallowed, her head shaking. “I’m sorry. I forgot,” she repeated.
“We can go out every night after dinner, Luna,” Sage assured her, about to invite her on the hunt with the pack but not sure she was quite ready for that aspect of her animal yet. His lips brushed her head at the same time the kettle began its ascension, forcing her to her feet.
“Would you like tea?”
“Secret…I hate tea unless it’s iced and sweet. My mother seems to believe it’s good for me, though,” Sage stood up, following her into the kitchen. He could see the little smile playing over her lips despite the haunted look in her eyes.
She lifted a new plastic bottle of honey from the cabinet and let some loose to float into the hot steaming cup.
“You’ve been working hard around here. I didn’t invite you so you could be a maid,” Sage was glad when his comment brought a little smile, the sadness in her eyes gone for now.
“It’s kind of fun, though. I never could before,” she carried the cup to the window box and sunk onto the cushions, one palm up and on the thick double panes to feel the cold night. “Mrs. Fellows was always in charge of everything. Where to put something, what to buy, how to arrange the furniture. You don’t seem to mind.”
“No ruffles. I can’t stand ruffles,” he said grimly, keeping his features bland when she laughed at him. “But you do what you want with the house, Luna. And I will work on being less messy.”
“I appreciate the concession,” she offered demurely, peeking at him through her lashes.
“I’ve never mated before, Luna,” he winked at her, wanting to tease her back to laughing with him. “I’m a little new to behaving like a good housemate.”
He wasn’t sure why but his comment brought silence. He could sense her discomfort, something new coming from Luna.
“What’s wrong, Luna?” He’d waited a several long minutes before asking, watching her sip her tea and stare into the night.
“I don’t like the idea that…I understand why you did it. To give me the protection of the pack,” She said quietly, unable to look at him. “But you can stop it. You can…”
“I knew what I was doing, Luna,” he said without hesitation, unable to stop the hint of anger in his voice. “It isn’t something I’ll willingly cancel unless…unless you honestly want to be free.”
“I want to believe it’s what you wanted in your life,” she wrapped both hands around the cup, staring into the almost empty cup. “I’ve never dated. Never had a boyfriend. All those growing up things. When…when boys…men…first began to kiss me, I stared at them and didn’t move. I knew what they were doing, but I didn’t know how I was supposed to react, how I was supposed to behave. I learned the movements. Reading, mimicking…but it isn’t like that when you kiss me.”
“I won’t lie to you, Luna. I’ve already listened to Jess tell me I behaved like an idiot,” he met the wide, simply curious look from her. “But he knew just as I did, there was no way to give you pack protection unless you were someone’s mate. And I want you to be mine.”
“You sound very sure.”
“I knew the first time you returned my kiss. Your taste is different, your feel, your scent,” he watched his words echo in her eyes. “As if it were designed just for me.”
“I…I could be a shrew,” she returned, trying to find her footing. All he’d said. Every word she’d heard in her own mind about him.
“I’m pretty sure a shrew would have me doing my own laundry,” he let the corner of his mouth tilt. “At the very least, she’d make me go to the grocery store.”
This time she had to laugh. Laugh and stand up, carrying her cup to the sink and letting the water soak in it.
“So you take a mate to avoid household chores,” she returned, tapping the light switch and holding her hand out to him. His fingers slid into hers as if they were meant to be together, she realized, the words he’d spoken still in her thoughts.
“If that’s all I needed, I’d have mated when I left home,” he let her go ahead of him up the stairs, his head tipped to the side and realizing there was nothing beneath his large tee shirt but Luna. That low growl broke from his throat while he was still wincing at the sudden hardness in his crouch.
“I’m thinking that growl has a cause,” Luna stopped half way up the stairs, giggling when he missed the step and they ended up sprawled on the landing.
“You…are the cause of that growl,” he had barely enough time to throw his palms out and keep himself from crushing her. “You’re walking around in my shirt. Is there anything underneath it?”
Luna bit her cheek but didn’t back away from the intensity in his stare.
“Me.” Her smile softened when the growl broke from lips barely parted. “I could tell you my only pair of panties is hanging in the laundry room…but I’m not sure that would help the growl.”
“You’re trying to kill me,” he mumbled, easing slowly forward until she was forced back onto the floor. His hips met her center, those long, bare legs parted to make room for him. It was the first time he was grateful for having a wide landing.
Wide enough for him to shift to the side and pull her over him.
Luna blinked and stared down at him, the shirt she wore no longer between her and his jeans. She felt the rough fabric rub against her when his palms moved to her hips, slipping beneath the tee shirt and holding her still even when she tried moving against him. She knew what she wanted. Knew which part of her she wanted pressed and stroked. She’d tried often enough on her own and never was able to get it right.
“Why are you doing that? Let go,” she demanded, the bow shape of her mouth and petulant sound in her voice dragging a rough laugh from him.
“Demanding little thing,” Sage didn’t try holding her in place, instead he slid his hands along the slender curve of her back, down again to the firm globes of her behind. The behind she was flexing against him. He could smell her arousal; he could feel the plump lips of her sex and knew her scent would be on these jeans until they were washed. Her heat, her dampness was seeping from her, thick, sensual and fragrant and soaking his jeans and driving him insane.
“I can feel it,” she whispered hoarsely, a tiny groan breaking from her lips as she gulped in air. “Sage…I’ve tried…and it feels so good but…”
Sage stared at the half closed lashes, the flush tinting her cheeks. Her hands were clenched tightly against his chest while her hips moved, thrusting down and rubbing. Dense was the word that broke into his head finally, realizing what she was trying to vocalize.
He let his hand slide around one breast, trapping the pebble sized nipple already hard and sensitive. He let it scrape over the center of his palm, stroked it and pulled, his reward a pleased little mewl from deep in her throat. Her breathing was becoming more and more ragged, the angle she was trying to find with her hips just not right.
He slid his free hand between them, his fingers slipping between the swollen petals, just seeking moisture, just pulling some of the thick syrup free and using it to help her over the edge. His fingers stroked over the aroused nub, the part she had been trying to rub
against him. Fingers circled it, teased it and pressed just above it, her breath caught and held even as her chest rose and fell erratically, trying to gulp in air.
Sage continued his pressure, continued stroking and teasing her nipple and was treated to the most sensual display he’d ever seen. Her fingers opened against his chest and then clenched, gripping his tee shirt as her body arched and thrust against his fingers. He was watching her soar. Just for him.
“Oh, god…Sage…thank you…” soft, husky and breathless, sparkling green eyes gazed down at him, a low simmer of hunger still filling the flushed cheeks.
He felt the tension leaving her, saw her take an easier breath and relax, his palms moving to ease her against him. One palm stroked over the faint sheen of moisture that coated her face, over her hair and onto her neck. He kissed her forehead.
Luna tipped her face toward him, her mouth covering his as she hitched her body higher. She pressed her palms over his chest and into the hair at the sides of his head, holding him and delivering the passion he’d awakened in her. She thrust her tongue into his mouth, fencing and demanding. It was her turn to demand in life, she decided and Sage wanted her with a passion she thought would never be hers.
“More,” she whispered through their kiss, her head tipped back as his mouth ranged over the exposed throat and onto the mark he’d given her. As if her body knew how much more there was to explore, it shivered in anticipation.
“Wicked, demanding little thing,” he chuckled, wrapping his left arm around her waist and using his right hand to lever them into a sitting position so he could climb to his feet. “Hold on, baby,” he ordered gruffly, the little yelp from her turned into a giggle when he stood up, carrying her up the remaining few stairs to the second floor.
Luna gave herself over to learning about him, taking in the wild scent surrounding him that surged when she dragged her tongue along his throat. She nipped his ear, the thrilling tingle shooting through her when her action brought another low growl. It seemed to race straight to her clit and she swore she felt herself dampen even more than she already was. She wiggled against him, both his palms cupping her ass, holding her tightly.
She blinked up at him when he sat her on the edge of the bed, the shirt she wore quickly pulled over her head and dropped behind him. His followed when she scrambled to her knees and pulled his shirt high over his chest. Her hands were busy exploring the contours of his body, so different than her own. It was exciting when his breathing caught, her kisses ranging across his chest, her touch going from the broad shoulders to the band of denim.
She lifted her eyes from the naturally tanned flesh, watching his gaze darken when her fingers trailed along the band of his jeans. She flipped the brass button, boldly pressing her palm down the outline of his cock beneath the fabric.
Sage was amazed at the power in the shudder that took him at her touch. He was dazzled at the boldness shining in her eyes.
A sweet excitement burst free when she realized the power in her hands. Eyes clear and wide and unafraid.
She wasn’t a frightened child, wasn’t that what she kept telling him?
Was he a curiosity that she’d work out of her system? That thought had burst into his mind several times since he realized she belonged to him.
Sage bent slightly, sucking the hard point of one nipple into his mouth, pulled it in deep; stroked it with his tongue, tasting and hungry for those little sexy noises she was making. Hungry for the demanding thrust of her chest against his mouth.
More. He could hear her thinking it and chuckled, vibrating the nipple before moving to taste the other. He felt the tiniest hint of claws on his shoulders, her breathing soft little pants of her own hunger, her own needs.
Chapter Fifteen
His demanding little mate, came the snarling voice inside him, the wolf wanting what was his. Wanted what he knew was destined even before the man was willing to accept.
Luna groaned against the mouth teasing her nipples, first one then the other, as if they knew one was being neglected. Surprise, a little fear and a lot of emotions flooded through her in a way she’d never known before.
“God, you’re beautiful…” Sage murmured, kissing down her ribs and onto her stomach, the hot scent that was Luna drowning him when he dragged in a hungry, deep draft of breath. He tried slowing himself, searched for the desperate control he’d always clung to. He pressed his cheek against her stomach, his palms cupping her ass. “And the perfect little ass…”
Luna wondered if she’d have hand prints there. Eventually, she thought with a small laugh, her hands stroking over his head as they both worked to breathe in the rush of heat that was searing into their hearts.
“Hardly little…” There was strength in his touch, in the kneading of his palms, teasing fingers sliding along the center between her legs.
“Shh…this is my fantasy and you’re my mate,” he growled, the vibrations rippling over her skin. Soft, deliciously caramel colored. Almost the shade of her cat, a delightful mix of platinum and tawny down, so soft beneath his fingers. “Stand up,” he ordered gruffly.
Luna blinked at him, more than a little confused. She was kneeling on the bed, kissing him.
“On the bed?” A shiver raced through her, his hands moving to her waist and lifting her. Her palms immediately went to his shoulders, her eyes wide and staring as he leaned closer. She watched him take in a slow, deep breath. Her eyes closed, her chest rising and supping in a deep draft of air when she realized his intent.
“Mine,” he whispered, warm breath caressing the soft feminine flesh.
He thought he’d imagined it when he stroked her earlier, but his lips moved over the completely shaved mound, the masculine growl rumbling deeper, his tongue out and tracing the crevice that separated the swollen lips. “Ahh…Luna…”
His fingers touched the soft, bare flesh exposed to him, parting the puffy petals before he allowed his tongue to take in her nectar. The sweet, savory taste shooting through the last of his control. His hands were immediately on her hips when the rasping touch of his tongue on her clit made her jump and whimper above him.
Later, he promised himself, his hands back on her behind and lifting her, taking a step back and letting her slender form slide down his face until his mouth took hers, sharing her taste with her in a long, deep kiss she returned hungrily.
“More, Sage,” she whispered, nipping at his lip and dragging her tongue around his mouth. “I want you…all of you…please…”
He lifted his head, standing up and groaning when her hands were on his jeans, shoving and pushing them down his legs as far as she could reach.
She pulled roughly at the fabric, ignoring the male laugh from above her. She wanted to see him, feel him. All that muscle and strength, rippling beneath her hands. Fine, dark hairs tickled her palms when her eyes finally took in the male.
Luna lay her cheek against his stomach, as he had done to her, one hand out to stroke her fingers along the hard, pulsing length of him.
Pure strength and male. Her head cocked slightly to the side, a wild feminine surge coursing through her when his groan broke from him, low and hungry when she sent her tongue out to swipe along the soft, curved tip of his cock.
“Jesus, woman…you think I have control…” His groan ripped from inside him.
Tasting. Sampling. Exploring.
Luna held the solid male shaft, turning her head and sucking the crest between her lips. Feminine pride surged when his body hardened, lengthened and gave a slight jump.
His hands had moved to her head, fingers spearing her hair.
Her mouth was hot as she played with the length of him, her tongue licking heavily along his cock before she let her mouth sink over him once more.
The man in him wanted her to stop. Too soon, he told himself. She’s so innocent…but that very innocence explored, suckled and stroked the burning flesh with her tongue. His hands tightened on her hair, groaning loudly at the pleasure sweeping into him.
She heard her name pulled from deep inside him, a low growl of letters that formed her name, rough and vibrating with need. Her fingers closed around the thick shaft, stroking while his hands held her head in place, gently guiding her, teaching her how to please him, how to make him insane with need.
But she also learned what her teasing of him was doing to her.
The intense pleasure he’d shown her minutes before was building again. The tightening inside her, the clenching, demanding signs her body shot straight through her. She felt and caught the musky scent of the hot moisture between her legs.
She felt her insides clenching, demanding all he had to give her and more. So much more. All hers, she realized, finally sinking her mouth over him and delighting in the louder growl from above her. She choked a little, gulped air and finally figured out how things were supposed to work. She established a little motion, taking him in deep, sweeping her tongue around and along the length and teasingly retreating.
Sage knew his feet were trapped in his jeans but each time that hot mouth stroked over him, suckled along him, every muscle in his body threatened to implode.
He felt the boiling, felt the heavy sacks tightening and gripped her shoulders, pulling her up and taking her mouth with a savage kiss that continued when he turned and fell back onto the bed. Her body fell over his, but this time with nothing between them. Her hips knew how to move now, knew what she wanted and how to make it hers.
But he didn’t mind helping her along at all. His hands went to her ass, pulling the swollen cleft of her sex along his shaft. Hot syrup struck his flesh, branded him with her scent when she shifted just the right way, trapping the blunt head in the small opening and pressing down.
Too many voices crashed inside his head. Warning, advising, chastising…then there was the woman and his wolf.
Devil Hills: #2 Luna & Lydia Page 13
