by Lacey Thorn
“Relax,” he ordered. “Let me work on coaxing that scream.”
Chapter Five
Xandra buried her hands in Declan’s thick locks and held on. There wasn’t much more she could do other than close her eyes and bite her bottom lip to withhold the scream he seemed dead set on pulling from her. His hands cupped her naked buttocks, while his mouth licked and sucked at her bare folds. He nuzzled until her clit brushed his lips. He sucked the kernel in and worked it with his tongue, driving her need impossibly higher.
“Declan,” she cried, fingers clenching in his hair.
He gave a husky chuckle, flicked her bud with his tongue and pulled back. His shirt was up and over his head in seconds. He grabbed his backpack, something she hadn’t even noticed he had with him, and pulled out a lone blanket. He flipped it open and placed it on the ground then caught her to him and lowered her atop it. He wadded his shirt and put it under her head then took her lips before she could comment.
His hands were everywhere, tugging clothing and limbs equally as he stripped them both. She was on fire with a need she’d never experienced before. She could feel her bear pressing along her skin, just as eager for the coming sex as Xandra was. Sex. That’s all this was, all it could be. If she had to keep reminding herself of that, so be it.
His fingers brushed her core again and she lifted up, reaching for his touch. His lips skimmed over her throat then across her shoulder. She arched up, letting her hair drag the blanket, offering her throat and breasts to him. Declan drew back. Sliding his hands beneath her to keep her breasts on display.
“You have an amazing body. I want to taste every inch of you.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
“Next time,” he vowed, moving over her.
His thighs forced hers farther apart, and she felt the thick length of his cock against her. He slid a hand between them, fingers thrusting into her as his head dipped and one nipple was sucked into his mouth. Each tug felt as if it reached into her core and had her eager to feel more than his fingers thrusting inside her.
“Declan.” His name was a plea for more.
He released her with a harsh groan, moving back up to reclaim her mouth. She already craved his kiss. He had her sex clenching in anticipation. He wasn’t the only one who wanted to taste every inch. She wanted to taste and touch, to explore all the nooks and crannies of his masculine frame. There was so much of him to explore.
She moaned, hands roaming over him, touching every inch of him she could. He was firm and hard, solid with muscle. A smattering of dark hair spread between his pecs and trailed in a line down his stomach. She ran her hands through it, finding his nipples and scraping them with her nails.
He groaned, moving his hips until his cock stroked through the slick juices coating her pussy. The thick length teased her, rubbing up to tap her clit then gliding back. She wanted it inside her, buried deep.
She gripped his shoulders, using the hold to lift herself into him, wrapping her legs around his waist and grinding against his cock.
“Now, Declan,” she demanded.
He reached down to adjust himself, and she felt the head press into her opening. They both seemed to catch their breath as he moved into position. He braced one hand by her shoulder then slid his other palm from his cock to her hip, grasping and squeezing it as he surged deep. They both moaned. She wiggled, struggling to accommodate him. He was impossibly thick, and her channel was snug. He pulled back, his cock leaving her body briefly only to plunge back inside, filling her depths and making her cry out with ecstasy.
He rode her hard and fast, taking everything she had and giving her all of him. She smelled the mating scent pouring off her skin and couldn’t stop herself from nuzzling against his neck, marking him. She couldn’t fight her bear, him and the pleasure he brought her. Sex. She repeated the word in her head even as she rubbed her nose against the base of his throat. It was sex, not mating.
He growled over her as if he could read her thoughts. He took possession of her mouth again, emptying every thought from her mind save one…him. She lost herself in him. The way his cock felt moving in and out of her. The slide of his chest over hers and the way his chest hair rasped over her nipples. The slick glide of skin against skin set every nerve ending strumming. It overwhelmed her, opened her up so that all she could do was feel, which was something she’d done her best to shut off for the last five years.
“Me,” he whispered, once again seeming to read her mind. “Focus on me.” He thrust deep, grinding their pelvises together. “And this.”
His hands buried in her hair, and he pulled at her locks, canting her head back and diving for her throat. He licked and sucked, and she knew she’d bear his marks when he was done. She didn’t care. The scrape and bite of his teeth, the suction of his lips, were exactly what she needed to ground her to this moment.
“Declan!” His name was a cry of need, a demand for more and he responded in kind.
“I’ve got you,” he crooned then he rolled, urging her to unwind her legs from his waist and turning them so she lay atop him. “Ride me. Take what you need.” He leaned up, cupping her face as he searched her eyes. “Stay right here with me. Just the two of us.”
She nodded, and the brush of his lips was a gentle contrast to the powerful coming together of their bodies. He lay back down then held his hands up to her. She braced her palms against his, lacing their fingers. She settled her weight on her knees and rose over him, feeling his cock brush her channel until only the head remained tucked inside her body. Then, with a moan, she surged down until every inch of Declan filled her.
She rode with abandon, following his order and taking what she needed. She hoped she gave him as much in return. She closed her eyes, letting his hands be her guide. Her breath kicked up, and she increased her tempo until she moved in a frenzy, the promise of orgasm hovering just out of reach.
“Let go,” Declan urged. “Let it all go.”
She shook her head, biting into her bottom lip as she struggled to hold on to her control. She could take pleasure without letting go. She had to. If she let go of everything she held inside, she’d shatter and she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to put herself back together.
“Xandra.”
She blinked her eyes open and met Declan’s dark-blue gaze. He pulled her lower until their hands were at his chest then slid his palms from hers and pressed her fingers to the broad warmth of his skin. She felt the racing beat of his heart beneath her touch. He slid his hands down her sides until he gripped her hips. He held her to him, moving his hips and thrusting hard and fast up into her.
“Don’t stop,” she urged, and he shook his head.
“Not until we both get what we need.”
She dropped her head between her hands and rubbed against his chest, breathing in the scent rising from his skin. She licked over him, tasting his skin. She nuzzled and sucked, finding his nipples and plying them with her mouth as he had hers. Declan groaned, his breath a harsh gasp as she scraped him with her teeth then took one between her teeth, biting softly.
He powered up into her, her touch seeming to make him lose the control he’d been holding onto. He became the animal, and she responded in kind. They took and claimed. She bit his chest, nails digging in as they fucked one another, and she knew he’d bear her marks, as well.
He slid one hand to rub along the top of her folds until his fingers brushed her clitoris. He stroked her there, forcing her to give up the remainder of her control. She flew, soaring unbelievably higher. She bit Declan at the base of his neck needing to pull him with her, afraid to fly alone.
She broke, her body shuddering as pleasure stole her senses. No, as Declan stole her senses. She was blind to everything else. She smelled only him, felt only him, tasted only him. And as he joined her, it was his roar of completion that filled her ears.
Long moments later, she heard sobs and was revolted to realize they were coming from her.
“Let me go,”
she pleaded, pushing against him, but his arms were around her and he refused to follow her command.
“Never,” he vowed. “You’ll never be alone again. I’ve got you.”
“No.” She shook her head furiously. No one had her. Not anymore. She’d never need or love anyone that much.
“I’ve got you,” he crooned in her ear again.
She continued shaking her head. She needed no one. She didn’t deserve to have anyone. She’d failed. She’d been unable to help her father protect them, unable to save her mother or baby sister. Their blood stained her hands no matter how many times she washed them. There would be no mate. Not for her. No matter what her bear and the man beneath her thought.
“Let it go,” he urged again. “Talk to me, Xandra. Let me in.”
“I can’t.”
She buried her head in his neck and tried to choke off the sobs still escaping her. Talking about what had happened wouldn’t change the reality of it. Her parents and baby sister would still be murdered. Her brother would still be out of reach. Her sisters… Well, according to Declan, her sisters were safe with the Holloways. She didn’t need to worry about them anymore. Revenge. That was where her head needed to be. Not buried in Declan’s neck inhaling a scent she didn’t want to acknowledge.
“Xandra—”
“Stop,” she ordered, interrupting whatever he’d been about to say. “Just hold me, Declan. That’s all I want.”
He gave a sigh as if he disagreed, but his arms surrounded her. She lay there, letting the stroke of his hands soothe her. Fatigue weighed her down. Her body had been on high alert for so long. She wanted desperately to give in and trust in Declan to protect them. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t allow herself.
“We should probably get dressed,” she suggested and found herself flipped onto her back with a fully aroused Declan looming over her.
“Did I give you the impression I was through with you?”
He slipped back inside her, surging deep and holding there while he held her gaze. Declan seemed big on watching her eyes while they fucked, making her wonder what her expression might reveal. He rode her hard, driving her up again and again, while denying himself. He pulled out and rolled her to her stomach, urging her to rise to her knees before thrusting inside her again. She growled, lowering her chest to the ground and rocking back into each drive of his hips.
“Fuck me harder, Declan,” she ordered.
He grabbed her hair with one hand and tugged her head back up. She fisted her hands in the lone blanket beneath them, doing her best to keep his thrusts from moving them across the ground. She came twice more, her body going fluid with the last orgasm.
“I want to see your face,” Declan whispered. He eased out and gently helped her maneuver onto her back again. He dipped his head and took her lips first, kissing her with soft, slow caresses. He nibbled along her jaw then down her neck until his lips reached her nipples. He moved back and forth between them, sucking and nipping. When her breathing had kicked up again, he slid back into place between her thighs.
His cock eased back in, gliding through her slick channel. He rested his weight on one elbow and cupped her face with his other hand. He peppered her face with kisses as he stroked in and out.
Nothing in her life had prepared her for Declan Holloway. She couldn’t seem to shut him out. He made her feel things she didn’t want to. He made her want things she never had. As he collapsed atop her, she knew she’d have to sneak away as soon as he went to sleep. She couldn’t stay.
He reached for her three more times that night, showing her pleasure as she’d never known. Though she tried to stay awake, his arms felt too good, his chest a solid pillow under her cheek, and exhaustion tugged her under while she was still waiting for sleep to claim him.
Chapter Six
Declan watched Xandra sleep. He was tired but had refused to shut his eyes during the night. Every time he’d reached for her, she’d turned to him, opening herself to whatever he needed. He’d sensed her holding back from him, but no matter how he touched her, how he pleasured her, she wouldn’t let him inside the most intimate parts of herself—her heart and mind.
They’d dressed in the wee hours of the morning, and Xandra had fallen to sleep almost instantly. He’d wanted to exhaust her, feared she run if he didn’t, but the truth was he hadn’t been able to not reach for her. No matter what she believed when it came to mating, they belonged to one another. Her scent surrounded them both, proclaiming their bond to any nearby shifters.
“She still sleeping?” Brock asked, careful to keep his back to where Declan lay holding Xandra.
Declan eased away from her, and his heart caught when she reached for him, unwilling to let go. He wasn’t sure it was an action she’d allow herself if she were awake.
“Yeah. How’re you feeling? Head better?” Declan sat up and felt his dick surge back to life when Xandra moved her head into his lap, her cheek rubbing over his crotch as she settled against him.
“All better,” Brock said, turning to face Declan. “I…uh…know you two were up most of the night. Not sure when you’ll want to start heading back toward the car.”
“Soon,” Declan replied. “Xandra can rest during the drive. Then crash when we get back to the house.” He glanced down at the deep shadows under her eyes. “She’s exhausted. I don’t know the last time she really slept.”
“Do you believe Lawrence locked her up? Drugged her?” Brock asked.
“She wouldn’t lie,” Declan declared. “Lawrence is a dead man when I find him.”
“Laramie said that pleasure would belong to all the unmated males in our pack.” Bock inhaled and lifted his brows. “It appears you no longer fit that description.”
“He hurt her,” Declan stated, letting his gaze skim over Xandra. “Not just physically.”
Brock nodded. “He’ll pay. You know none of us will rest until our pack is avenged.”
Declan nodded but said nothing. If he found Lawrence first, he made no promises that he wouldn’t rip the man apart.
“Why do you think he did it?” Brock asked. “What could possibly prompt an elder of the pack to work with our enemy to try to kill us off? What could Lawrence possibly gain from all this? I mean, I get what the hunters get from the attacks. They’ve wanted us dead forever. But what does he get?”
Declan shrugged. “We’ll find out eventually, and we’ll deal with it. In the meantime, we need to get going.” He glanced down at Xandra, who had been slowly sliding her head off him. “As soon as Xandra is willing to admit she’s awake, we’ll pack up and head out.”
Those big brown eyes flashed open as she pushed completely away and sat up beside him. Declan took inventory of her as she stretched. His gaze snagged on her full breasts. The way they lifted and pressed into the vee of her shirt. His mouth watered with the desire to taste her again. There was so much more he wanted to explore with her. Soon, he promised himself.
“I’m ready when you guys are,” she said and used Declan’s shoulder to push to her feet beside him. “The sooner we get to Hollowville, the sooner I can find the son-of-a-bitch responsible for killing my family.”
“Hollowville?” Brock questioned with a snort of laughter.
“That’s nothing,” Declan said. “Why don’t you tell him your affectionate nickname for my family?”
“Bite me,” Xandra ordered dryly.
He surged to his feet beside her and pulled her close before she could move away. He leaned in and nipped her throat softly.
“Careful, love. I’ve discovered I have quite a taste for you.”
“I’m not your love,” she growled, but he felt her shiver at his touch, saw the telltale signs of arousal her body couldn’t hide. She could protest all she wanted, but eventually, she’d be unable to deny what was taking place between them.
Declan had half a mind to devour her. To claim her mouth and remind her of everything they’d done overnight. He wanted to jerk her hips into alignment with his
so she felt the ridge of his cock where he was hard and ready for her again. He wanted to fuck her until the only word she could utter was his name, over and over again.
Brock cleared his throat. “Whenever you two are ready.” He glanced back and forth between them before settling his gaze onto Declan. “I’ll just wait over there.” He moved away, heading back the way he’d come.
Xandra bent and snapped up the blanket they’d been lying on, wadding it into a ball and shoving it into his stomach. He bent with an oomph as his breath escaped him, but he snagged an arm around Xandra’s waist as she made to move past him.
“How do you feel this morning?”
“Seriously?” she scoffed. “You think a night of fucking wore me out? Don’t worry, I handled every inch of you just fine.”
He growled. “I know you did. Keep it up, and you’ll be handling it again, real soon.”
Her gaze dropped to the bulge in his jeans, and a flush rose on her cheeks. She darted a glance toward where Brock had disappeared then flicked those gorgeous eyes back up to meet his.
“Your brother’s waiting for us.”
“Brock’s used to waiting. A little longer won’t hurt him.”
Xandra opened her mouth but was cut off by the ringing of a phone. Declan heaved a sigh and grabbed his backpack. The phone had ceased by the time he pulled it out but started ringing again almost immediately.
“Calling to check on me again, big brother?” The words were clipped.
“Check yourself, little brother,” Laramie replied. “I’m about five miles out, and I can smell the scent of your mating from here.”
“Fuck,” Declan growled, coming to alert. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
“I wanted to take a look around Lawrence’s house. See if I could find anything interesting.”
