She pressed a hand to her belly, Daxon noted, and wondered if the thought of carrying his child terrified or aroused her. An appealing idea, he realized. Her flat tummy rounding into a beautiful bump, swelling with his litter.
His cock flexed in agreement. Daxon hissed out a pained breath when Baylee’s fingers tightened savagely around him. In defense, he covered her hand with his, squeezed it lightly. “You might want to ease off him a little, baby.”
Her eyes widened in horror as she glanced down at him. Her hand released him as though he ignited into flame. “God, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t think I’m ready for this, Daxon. This is all too much.”
The beast snarled viciously; Daxon closed a hand around its chain and yanked it brutally hard. He’d been afraid this would happen. “Okay. I’m not angry,” he said quietly when she sniffled. “Did you think I’d be angry with you for saying no?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I feel as though I don’t know anything anymore. I came out here for a run to clear my head before the big night, and instead find out there’s a whole new world out there I knew nothing about.” She covered her eyes with her hand, stifled a sob. “Are they all real?”
“They?”
“Vampires, werewolves, goddamn pixies?” Her hand dropped. “Oh Christ, witches?”
“Real, real, real as far as I’m aware, and yes, real.”
Before he could stop her, Baylee leaped to her feet, eyes wild and distressed. She stepped back when he rose slowly, hands held to keep him away. “I’m not ready to have my world turned upside down, Daxon. I’m sorry, I really am, but I can’t...”
“Baylee, don’t run.” Daxon infused his voice with dominance. He watched her quiver, braced on the edge of bolting, and spoke in low, soothing tones. “I understand where you’re coming from. You don’t need to run from this or from me. Remember what I told you? I’ll never harm you.”
“I’m not afraid of you.” Baylee said bravely, then her gaze dropped to his cock. “Much. I just can’t comprehend how you can look like this,” her hand gestured to him from head to toe, “and yet be all grrrr.” She bared her teeth and curled her hands into claws as an impression of his panther.
“DNA, that’s all it is, Baylee. Will you come sit back down with me? Just to talk,” he added quickly. “If you still want to go later, I’ll take you home myself.”
“No sex?”
His lips twitched at the disappointment in her voice. “Sex is still on the table if you want it to be. Right now, I’m more interested in keeping you in my life.”
Something changed in her; Daxon saw the moment she made her decision. Shoulders snapped straight, her body language altered from nervous to assertive. A purr rumbled from his chest; he liked her this way.
“I still want sex.”
The purr deepened. “But?”
“You might be gone tomorrow. All this is so damned surreal, I’m not convinced I’m not dreaming so when I wake up, you might not be here. We’re going to have dream sex.” Her tone suggested complete and utter seriousness. “I’m not going to worry over the rest of it, because it’s not real.”
“I really think we should talk about this, Baylee.”
“No more talk,” she said firmly, and pulled her hoody over her head.
Daxon ground his teeth together painfully to stop himself from lunging for her and ripping her clothes away himself. “Baylee.”
SHE LIKED THIS DREAM reality. Everything slipped into place and made sense. A world full of shapeshifters and mythological creatures? Come on, no one in their right mind would believe that. The only options she had were either dreams or hallucinations.
She much preferred dreams.
Daxon’s jaw clenched tight as he bit off her name in two sharp syllables. She couldn’t tell if he was aroused or mad, but by the way his lethal weapon pointed at her, she’d vote for aroused.
The hoody landed at his feet with a thump, followed swiftly by the arrival of her damp T-shirt. The sexiness she’d wondered about earlier hit her full force when his eyes dilated, eclipsing the green she’d forever associate with the panther.
Oh yes, she thought headily, she could get used to dreamland.
Her fingers deftly attacked the hooks on her bra, wrested them free, and slipped her breasts’ last defense down her arms. In the real world, she’d have cringed away from exposing herself this way, retreated from the wet, throaty growl emanating from a visibly shaking Daxon.
“You’re the first guy to see me like this.” She surprised herself with the huskiness of her voice. Seductive, melodic, a siren of the forest drawing him to her. “I always imagined I’d be embarrassed, standing like this in front of a man.” She let the bra fall to the floor, reached up and tweaked the aching points of her breasts.
“Baylee.” Daxon took a violent step forward, hands clenched into fists at his sides. “You’ve deluded yourself into thinking you’re dreaming. It’s just shock. You want to do this, fine. But be aware it’s not what you think.”
She sighed and dropped her hands to the waistband of her jogging pants, thumbs tucking inside. She wiggled teasingly, tongue between teeth, pushing the material down along with her panties. “Guess you don’t want to be the one who does this then, I presume?”
Fire bathed her in heat, cast her in light. Baylee toed her sneakers off, stepped out of the puddle of cloth as it pooled around her feet. Naked, she smiled at Daxon with the confidence of a woman reborn.
“Witch,” he muttered, prowling toward her with feline focus.
She became the naked mouse to his naked cat, Baylee realized with a smug smile. Did she run, taunt and tease him in the protection of the circle and the flames, or stand and let him catch her where she stood?
Mischievousness filled her, made her light and happy. She darted past him, squealing out a laugh when his fingertips grazed her hip. Spinning, her black hair floating out behind her, she turned to face him again. To her delight, she’d made him...enthusiastic about the game.
A sweep of her hand moved her hair around her back. Hipshot, she flicked a nail over her nipple and didn’t have to emphasize the moan of pleasure. Through half-closed lids, she watched Daxon’s nostrils flare as he breathed deep. “Do I smell good, pussy cat?”
The grin he gave her sent erotic chills running down her spine. The satisfied expression of a hunter who knew he would have his prey, one way or the other. “You’ll call me Master, baby, when I’m licking all that cream from your pussy. You’ll scream it when I fuck you.”
Something faltered inside her, hesitated. She’d baited the beast and now he wanted his prize. “You have to catch me first.”
Daxon patted a hand on his chest. “Me, panther. You, naked woman. Pretty good guarantee I’m going to get my hands on you in the next couple minutes, Baylee. All over you. Inside you. I’ll find every...single...pleasure...point...” Each word accompanied a step toward her. “Every tantalizing spot that makes you squirm, and I’ll exploit each and every one.”
Lulled by his purring, she swayed in place, listening to his voice play with the words. Her thighs tightened against the sudden pulse of moisture threatening to slide free. “Daxon.”
“My family call me Dax,” he said easily, eyes roaming her body until they locked unerringly onto the source of her wetness. “Are you going to let me touch you now, Baylee, or would you rather play tag a little longer?”
She whimpered but stood still. Her body betrayed her, craving the touch of his hands. The heat of his skin seared into her waist as he grasped her lightly by the hips. “I wasn’t supposed to be out here alone with you.”
“No? Says who?” His warm breath touched her neck, his lips by her ear. Teeth nipped at her lobe, sucked it into his mouth.
“Allix. Made me promise to stay in public.” Baylee gasped the words, her fingers digging into his biceps. Her skin burned, pressed for the first time against the muscled masterpiece of Dax. “Touch me, please. Dax, I can’t...I don’t know what to do.”
He transferred his grip to her bottom, lifted her effortlessly. “Legs around my waist, baby.”
She obeyed, and they both groaned as his cock brushed tantalizingly against the wet seam of her pussy. “Do it now, Dax. Just like this. Right now.” She yelped as one big hand clapped down on her right buttock with savage impact.
“Your first time,” Daxon reminded her as he sat on the edge of the sofa beneath the stars. “You don’t penetrate a virgin pussy without some form of foreplay, baby. That’s just cruel.”
“Is that some shapeshifter rule?” Baylee found the new position gave her enough room to rub herself against his shaft.
Daxon grunted, pinned her hips down to stop her from teasing him. Much to her disappointment. “No, not a rule. Common sense—after all, we don’t want to tear that pretty little sheath, do we?—and personal morals.” His hand cupped her, fingertips sliding through silky warm liquid. “This isn’t a dream, Baylee. I could damage you if I rush things.”
Through the haze of desire, the pump of blood in her veins so rich and intoxicating, Baylee lost sight of sensibilities. Her body screamed for him, desperate to mate, to experience the connection between them at its fullest.
“Daxon, you’re killing me,” she whined.
“Here, then.” One long finger breached her, pushing deep in a single thrust.
Baylee’s head fell back, mouth open. She clung to him, riding that single digit. She cried out when he withdrew, shouted his name as he shoved two fingers back inside, stretching her, striking every nerve she possessed.
Not a dream. Oh God, not a dream. She hadn’t listened, hadn’t wanted to hear him, but she heard him now. Not a dream. Beautiful reality. Her hips bucked, fighting the sudden jolt of pleasure deep within her as his fingers curled up against her vaginal wall with brutal expertise. “Holy...Daxon!”
Light flashed and dimmed, filling her head and spilling over to wash her body in a tide of explicit sensation. Muscles tensed, capturing orgasm in their hold and relishing every second of pleasure.
Baylee heard a keening cry, an unadulterated herald of delight, before she collapsed forward, sprawling over Dax with her head tucked between his neck and shoulder. Her lips curved weakly when he nuzzled against her hair.
“Hell of a singing voice you’ve got there, baby,” he murmured.
She managed a chuckle. “Wait till I wow you with my operatic prowess. I can shatter glass with the right incentive.”
“I bet.” His arms banded around her, kept her tight to him as he rolled them so his body covered hers on the length of the sofa. “I like you loose and limp, Baylee. Submissive, willing. A delicate rosebud on the verge of unfurling, blossoming, thriving.”
His wondrous body shifted, wickedly carved muscles rippling as he braced himself over her. He rubbed his nose tenderly against hers before capturing her mouth in a brutally soft kiss, caging her heart in his grasp.
She didn’t fear the fall, simply accepted it and offered it freely. Dax might not know her heart belonged to him now, and he might not want it, but Baylee couldn’t take it back. She found she wasn’t inclined to try. Daxon would claim her body and the price she paid was love.
His hand cupped her bottom, tilted her hips as the kiss grew stronger. The bond between them deepened, twining love and trust into passion. It burned bright within her, raging like wildfire. She wound her arms tight around his neck, pressing her sensitive breasts against his hard chest, humming quietly in satisfaction when damp skin slipped over damp skin.
Dax groaned into her mouth. “I’ll hurt you the first time, Baylee; it can’t be helped. Do you understand me?”
Sparks, she thought in delight as her skin bloomed with them. The hotter she burned, the more sparks appeared. His voice shimmered like rainbows on water; the words meant nothing. The cadence, the inflection, lured her into trusting blissfulness.
“I’m yours,” she said quietly, dreamily. “I trust you, Dax.”
“Tell me that again when we’re done,” he growled and set his teeth against her shoulder.
When he bit down, marking her as his, Baylee arched into the pain with a cry. She acknowledged his cock notching between her lower lips, dismissed it when his teeth broke skin.
Her world split into two as quickly as his erection cleaved her apart. The pain stunned her for a moment, blinded her, rendered her mute. She clawed at his back, scouring the muscles with fingernails. She heard him gasp, heard him curse, and dug her nails in harder.
“So tight, Baylee.” Daxon leaned back to watch her eyes, hips rocking as he worked his way deeper inside. His voice dropped several octaves, turning his normally seductive tone into something else, something compelling and primal. “It won’t hurt much longer, I promise.”
Baylee’s voice returned enough to whimper in discomfort. A sense of fullness, of being stretched and completed, washed over her. She stared up at the stars in the dark sky and saw herself reflected there; wanton, open, a man who was not human between her thighs.
His arm slipped beneath her, changed the angle of penetration until pain became secondary to the glorious hum of orgasm building from where they joined. Dax thrust deep, hitting the end of her, then held himself immobile.
“My brave girl,” he crooned into her ear. “Taking all my cock like this. Do you know what it means to me for you to take all of me? All I can feel is you; all I see is you. There’s only you, Baylee.” His mouth moved down her throat, suckled on her pulse. “How do you feel? Are you in pain?”
“Not anymore.” She panted, a strained groan escaping her as inner muscles clamped down on him, released, clamped down and released. “Feeling very...in tune with you right now.”
“Perfect.” Rumbling vibrations in his chest transferred into her. Purring. Happy, honest-to-God purring. “Will you trust me if I say the worst is over now?”
No hesitation. “Yes.”
“Clever girl.”
Baylee hissed in a breath as Daxon began to move, slow withdrawals and lazy thrusts, yet barely seemed to alter the pressure inside her. Her hands slipped down his back to cup his taut ass, gripped him tightly. “Dax, please. I don’t think you could hurt me if you tried.”
“I’ll prove you wrong one day soon,” he promised wickedly. “This time, the first time, we’ll break you in gently. You’re going to feel me inside you for the next day or so, Baylee; you don’t want me to make it worse.”
She shivered at the thought. Feeling like this? She could handle it.
Dax picked up a rhythm, building steadily, waiting for her to catch up and follow. After a few confusing moments, she relaxed and stopped trying to force what she didn’t know. Her hips rocked of their own volition, rising to meet his thrusts, falling away when he retreated.
How had she missed this? Such an important part of life and she’d lost so many chances to fulfill her body’s natural needs. Him, she decided as his inward drives grew harder but no faster. She’d been waiting for him. Her pussy tightened, fluttering wildly as his cock stroked over something inside her that made her toes curl.
“You can come, Baylee.” Dax growled the words over the wet slap of flesh connecting with flesh. “I can feel you reaching for it. Take hold of it. Fucking own it, the way I own you.”
He knew. He knew he held her heart, she realized. She shattered on the next stroke, falling apart in a shower of sparks and plaintive cries. He gave her no reprieve, driving into her over and over, spurring the orgasm to greater heights, drawing it out until she lost her hold on reality.
“Beautiful. I could watch you come until the world ends,” Dax ground out. “Innocent. How can you be so fucking innocent?”
A smile touched her mouth as she gazed blurrily at the stars. They spun and danced in happy circles, reflecting the whirlwind of emotion prancing inside her. She reached a hand toward them, trying to touch the carousel of joy and wondered if catching one could ever come close to how she felt.
Power radiated from deep inside her, the hea
rt of her. Throbbing, warm power that felt like mercury in her veins. She pulled Dax down to her, kissed him fiercely and felt his body respond.
She sensed the split second his control snapped like fragile wires. He became the beast he chained inside, hammering himself inside her like the devil, hands bruising, his mouth burning hotter than any brand when it touched her skin.
She gasped when he swelled inside her, her body revving up a gear to match his ferocity. Trembling on the edge of release, she wrapped herself around him and held on. “Take it, Dax. You want it, it’s close.” Breathless mewling broke her words into pieces. “Fucking own it, like I own you.”
His roar echoed through the woods, one of triumphant victory. His body became rock beneath her hands, muscles straining with the force of his orgasm. “With me, Baylee. Come with me.”
She imagined herself bursting into a figure of pure fire, ignited by the sparks beneath her skin. Heat enveloped her completely as she relinquished her tenuous grip on her own climax and sent her cry of release ricocheting around the clearing.
She heard him calling her name, and struggled to open her eyes. Exhaustion weighed her down as effectively as his body on top of her. When she shifted slightly, she became aware of the fact they were still joined in a very intimate way.
“What happened? Did you come?” That seemed to be an important question to ask; she couldn’t remember a lot toward the end. “You did, right? Don’t tell me I’m so lousy a lay you didn’t get to, you know.”
Daxon chuckled. “Baby, you’ll never be labelled a lousy lay, trust me. We both came, don’t you remember? Any of it?”
“No, not really.” Little flashes came back to her. “Not clearly.”
“My little witch, giving me a gift I can’t ever repay,” he said proudly, stroking her hair away from her face. “So much innocence contained in this sexy little body. How is it no one ever snatched you up?”
Wild: Hangman's Haunt Book 1 Page 6
