by Milly Taiden
Soft light seeped through the notches in the rock wall, making the space much too hot for him if he was going to stand next to her in only a towel. She stared into his eyes. Was she wanting to ask him a question? They hadn’t said a word since the near fatality. Nothing he could say would express what he felt, which was every emotion possible. To his surprise, she opened the blanket around her and let it fall to the floor.
14
Juliet had never felt so loved as she had at the hands of her mate. She was right pegging him as born for her. She had never fallen in love before and now she was buried in it without so much as a first date. None of that courting stuff was necessary. Her heart told her he was the one. And his actions showed her what he wasn’t saying. Who needed words when you could read it in the eyes?
Yes, this would be their first night together of many more to come. She wanted his touches to reaffirm she was here. Nothing brings a person more alive than almost dying. And she wanted to feel life and all the sensations this man would bring her.
Standing beside the bed with Tevrik in front of her, she dropped the blanket, letting him know, without doubt, what she wanted. She almost laughed when his eyes widened and tried not to scan down her body, but they did.
She knelt and pulled off his muddy jeans. As suspected, he was commando. What rugged mountain man wore underwear? Not that she really knew, but hers wouldn’t. He’d see them as unnecessary and just something else to wash.
He’d cleaned the crud off his chest from her ruined coat, so he was good enough to eat. Time to partake in the meal. Juliet grabbed him around the shirt and pulled his lips to hers. His mouth was hot, she wanted more of him. Needed more of him.
Juliet loved the feel of his lips on hers. If she’d had any doubt about wanting him, it had gone out the window at that point. The feral way his gaze swept her face made her shiver in need.
“I’m going to take what’s mine, Juliet. You.” His words skyrocketed her need off this planet.
Desire and lust pushed her at this point. Then his lips were all over her, not the soft, sweet kisses from her bath but ones that left her trembling with need. He gently laid her on the bed and crawled over her and started kissing his way down her body again.
He bit down on her belly. His downward travels stopped when he reached her bare pussy. He licked her inner thigh and she groaned. “I’ve been dreaming of having a taste of you, Juliet. So badly.”
She bit her lip. Words stuck in her throat. Her legs spread wider as if to give him the hint. His lip curled in a fuck-a-licious grin.
“Know what I want?” He licked closer to her pussy but not close enough. God, that was nowhere near close enough and she might lose her mind if he didn’t hurry it up. She almost yelled at him. Did he fucking need a map? He was bent on torturing her.
Jesus, how she needed to come. Her legs already shook from her lack of control over her muscles.
He was going to kill her from sexual frustration. She lifted her hands to her nipples and pinched, the bite of pain adding to the ever-growing need in her body.
“I want to feel your pussy soaking my face.”
Oh. My. God.
A sharp electric current shot right to her clit, making it twitch. Her body trembled and all he’d done was a few licks around her pussy. At this rate, she’d never make it another five minutes.
He licked at the crease between her pussy and her leg. So close but still so far.
“Please, Tevrik,” she moaned. She let go of her nipples and gripped clumps of his short hair.
“Ah, fuck, baby.” He licked over her pussy lips. “Wiggle those hips and show me how much you like my tongue on your clit.”
She whimpered, pressing close to his mouth—if that were possible—and waited. If he didn’t do more, she’d be the first woman she knew to come with words alone.
“You are so fucking gorgeous, Juliet. I’m so hard seeing you slick, hot, and wet,” he groaned. He rubbed his face on her slick folds. “You smell delicious, like an amazing memory. Only you’re real and this won’t be a dream that goes away when I wake up. You’ll be mine. All mine.”
The ragged sounds of her breaths filled her ears. She couldn’t think. All she could do was hope he’d lick her again. Soon.
She spread her legs even wider. “Tevrik . . .”
His gaze caught hers at the moment he flattened his tongue and licked a slow trail up to her clit. It ended with an agonizing suck of her tiny hard nub.
“Yesss.”
Her nipples puckered so damn tight.
Everything was perfect as long as he was doing those wonderful things to her body.
Tevrik licked her clit in quick hard swipes. One after another, they left her breathless and begging.
Her body tensed so fast it caught her off guard.
“Oh . . . oh . . . my . . .” She choked the words out.
Tevrik reached his hands up to cup her breasts and tweak her nipples. The feel of his calloused fingers added a new dimension of painful pleasure. Desire flowed through her in waves of heat and fire, and a storm raged in her core, pushing her closer to the edge. She rocked her hips, rolling them back and forth on his face.
“That’s it,” he muttered between licks and sucks. “Ride my face.”
She liked the sound of his voice. Liked the way he encouraged her to be naughty. Not that any encouragement was necessary. She was one lick away from coming on his face and that thought alone made her even hotter.
“Come, baby.” He pushed his tongue into her sex. She almost came on the spot. “Once you do, I promise to lick up every bit of your sweetness.”
She wanted that oh so badly. Her body vibrated with the need to ride the orgasm wave. She was at the peak; a little push and she’d go over.
Tevrik’s actions got more aggressive. He pressed his tongue over her clit and then sucked her harder.
Her body trembled with his low growl over her sensitive flesh. That definitely caught her off guard and pushed her into the abyss.
She screamed. Her back bowed. Her head thrashed with the eruption of pleasure rushing her body.
Her breath reeled, pumping hard into her lungs. She kept coming, her orgasms pushing each other until she was spent and almost falling asleep from the amount of energy she’d expended.
He pulled her into his arms and held her close.
“Tell me what you want now, beautiful.”
She rolled him onto his back and placed a leg on either side of him and slid his cock into her entrance.
“You. I want you. Deep.”
She rode him hard, her body gliding up and down and tensing with every slide down. He was hot and thick, pulsing deep inside her. He gripped her hips with every single slam down.
“Do it, baby. Ride me.”
She wiggled more. He helped her, biting his fingers into her hips and lifting and dropping her on his cock.
With every slam, she moaned and whimpered his name. He grunted, telling her how much he loved her curves. How gorgeous her body was. Then she was going faster and faster, her body slick with perspiration and the tension inside her ready to snap.
She slammed down a final time, taking him as deep as she could. Pleasure flowed as tightness snapped.
He growled, lifting his hips, driving deeper into her. His cock felt harder, hotter, and bigger inside her. Then he was spilling his seed into her. She took large gulps of air while her pussy contracted around his cock.
“That’s it, baby. Take it. Take me.” He yanked her head down and met her lips for a ferocious kiss.
15
Tevrik woke with a warm body tucked into him. The smell of soapberries filled his senses. His eyes opened to see a head of blond hair, tangled and a mess, on his pillow. It was true; he wasn’t dreaming. His mate was here. His heart expanded with so much happiness. Then he remembered he had to send her away. His chest tightened, constricting his breathing.
It was the right thing to do. Hell, he couldn’t even keep her safe for a ful
l twenty-four hours. She almost died on him last night. He would’ve followed her to the grave had that been the case. His wolf thought it strange that he was willing to die with her, but not willing to live with her.
Dammit, he didn’t want her to go. He wanted to keep her beside him forever. But he had nothing to offer her. Not even a real home to live in. If only that fucking hunter hadn’t been around, his life would be completely different.
He would’ve had prestige, power, and wealth as the pack leader. His father had always said he would retire early so Mom and he could travel. And to think that Tevrik thought he was ready to take his father’s place. Stupid, idiotic, fucking teenager. He knew nothing then. Nothing.
Now he was spending the rest of his life paying for it. No. He wouldn’t condemn his mate to his fate. He’d let her go to find a real life. His wolf howled in his head, but it knew Tevrik was right. This wasn’t the time to be selfish, after all this time he matured, but he hadn’t atoned for his mistakes. The mistakes of youth for which the adult must pay.
Juliet moved in his arms, the little minx wiggling her wonderful ass against his crotch. Even after making love three times that night, he was hard in an instant, ready to take her. She moaned and pushed back into him when he pressed his filled cock to her ass.
“Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Mmm,” she hummed, “deliciously sore.”
He realized he was squeezing her upper body and whipped his arms from her to stop the pain in her ribs. She laughed and grabbed his hand hovering over her. “No, silly. Not here. Down there.” She twitched her hips. “I love it.”
A huge sense of satisfaction rolled through him knowing he had made his mate happy. He snuggled more into her, relishing her warmth and scent.
“Tell me about your family again,” Juliet said. His knee-jerk reaction had him pulling away from her.
“Why?” he answered.
She rolled over to face him. “Because there’s something going on there you don’t want to talk about.”
He schooled his face to keep his anger and shame hidden. “You’re right. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But you have to if you want things to get better,” she came back.
“What do you mean, get better? I’m happy with things as they are.”
“Tevrik Awulf,” she reprimanded, “you can’t bullshit a bullshitter. I see right through that poker face of yours. You’re angry and hurt because of something. You can’t begin healing until you open up to let the pain go.”
Dammit, he was a fucking open book to her. He should’ve known he couldn’t hide anything from his mate. Not only was she caring, but smart. Too smart for him to try to fool. He sighed and buried his face in her hair.
“It’s not anything really,” he said. “When I was seventeen, we had. . .a falling out, of sorts.” When he kissed her neck, hoping to entice her mind on something else, she pulled his earlobe.
“I know what you’re trying, buddy, and it ain’t working. When was the last time you saw your family?”
He sighed again. “When I was seventeen.”
Juliet bolted up, covers slipping down her chest until her hand caught them. “That has to be fifteen years ago at least.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, “that’s about right.”
She fell back onto the pillow. “Tevrik, that’s horrible. You must miss them so much.” Her warm hand rubbed his cheek. He kissed her palm and shrugged.
“Like the entire town, I’m sure they have no desire to see me again. So I’ve stayed away.” His thoughts went to what Petey and James said the other day: The pack is better off without you. No one wants you around.
“The town?” she asked. “How can a whole town not want you back? What did you do? Rob a bank?”
He laughed. “If only it had been that simple. Money is easy to return.”
“What happened that you couldn’t return?” she replied.
“Juliet,” he groaned, “let it go. Let’s make love one last time before I take you to the airport.”
“Take me to the airport?” She pulled away from him and sat up. “You want me to go?”
“Juliet—”
“Was that the plan all along?” she snapped. “Get into my pants then send me on my merry fucking way?”
“Yes,” he shook his head, confused on what happened to draw her anger, “wait. I meant no.”
She whipped the blankets off and shot out of the bed. “I get it. Being out here alone, any woman who comes along, you take advantage of.”
“No, Juliet. That’s not true,” he said, climbing out of bed after her. She turned the corner of the fireplace and stopped.
“You washed my clothes for me?” The hurt in her voice tore at him. He had gotten up while she slept during the night and scrubbed down her muddy garments and draped them in front of the fire to dry. She hurried away from him. “Never mind. Thank you.” The anger was back.
Fuck. He had to smooth this over. “Juliet, listen—”
“No,” she replied, “I don’t want to hear another word from your mouth.”
“Juliet, please,” he said.
“This is over and I don’t want to see you again.” She grabbed her clothes and changed in the bathroom. “And the sad thing is I thought we were soul mates. God, am I a fucking idiot or what?”
Soul mates? Did she mean mates? How could she know that? No, soul mates were just a romantic idea humans had. She didn’t mean shifter mates. Well, he didn’t have to worry about her running from finding out what he was.
After dressing, she stomped across the cabin and out the front door.
Fuck. Where the hell was she going? Tevrik put on clothes and started up his snowcat. Having gone into town not too long ago, it started up right away. He saw her on the tundra, not too far. He put the vehicle in gear and headed her way.
Was he doing the right thing? With her big fancy job, he was sure she would hate giving all that up to be with him. Yes, he was doing the right thing. She would see in hindsight that he was doing this for her. God knows it wasn’t for him. He and his wolf were slowly dying inside.
He pulled up alongside her and leaned over to open the passenger door.
“Juliet, let’s talk about this,” he said.
“What is there to talk about?” she hollered, still walking. “The roads are clear and it’s time for me to get back to my life.”
Yes, that was what needed to happen, but he couldn’t say it out loud. That would make it real. “Juliet, please, get in.”
“No,” she said, not even looking at him.
“You’re going the wrong way.”
After a few more steps, she stopped and huffed. “Fine. But I don’t want to hear one word from you or I’m out.”
He slid his fingers across his lips like he was zipping them closed. She climbed inside and closed the door. He turned the snowcat around and headed the other direction. He asked, “Do you need to get the truck you drove up to your snow location?”
She chewed on her lower lip, gazing out the window. “I’ll call the rental place and have them get it. I want to be gone as soon as possible.” Her words were short and sharp, cutting into him.
But really, how did he think she was going to react? She never said anything about them staying together. Never said anything about moving up here.
What the fuck was he doing? Of all times he needed his mother and father, this would be it. He needed advice on something he had no idea how to fix. Maybe it was now beyond being repaired.
16
The man infuriated her. Treated her like a whore, kicking her out of bed the next morning. Well, she wasn’t having that. She’d leave first. She didn’t need him, but she wanted him. Two different things.
She sat in the warm snow vehicle as the wolf boy drove toward town. It was about a two-hour journey and she was exhausted from frustration and a broken heart. Not to mention hungry. As things started to become familiar, she knew they were c
lose to town.
“Can we stop at the general store,” she asked, “so I can get a couple protein bars and juice? Then you can drop me off at the condo my company rents. My stuff is there. You don’t have to go all the way to the airport.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she kept her face turned toward the window. No reason to let him know how badly she was hurting inside. Wait. He was a damn shifter. He could smell exactly how she felt, yet he offered no words of consolation or comfort. But she did tell him not to say a word. She let a heavy sigh. This was so complicated.
Tevrik parked in the small lot for the store. Instead of waiting for him, she opened her own door and hopped out. Being a good distance from the mountains, the air was warmer and the breeze wasn’t so constant.
He held the store door open for her and she walked through with a mumbled thank you. The inside was bigger than what it looked on the outside. The place was an eclectic mix of merchandise from food to clothes and toys to caribou mating calls.
Mating calls. Whatever. She didn’t believe in mates anymore. What Raven told her about being inseparable wasn’t correct. Maybe with her men, but not with Tevrik. She missed Raven and wanted to talk to her.
She hadn’t thought about her cell phone until now. Not that there was a cell signal where they were in the mountains. The device she used to transmit the data to the lab worked off stationary satellites—made especially for remote locations with no coverage. That she knew was lost in the avalanche. But what about her personal phone.
Oh, shit. She’d better call Raven soon. The last time Juliet hadn’t responded to her messages, Raven came all the way to Alaska looking for her. Then, when Raven ignored her mother’s messages, her mom brought the entire Alaskan national guard to rescue them. She didn’t want a repeat of that.