His to Seek

by Elena Aitken

  Which was really too bad, because she looked incredibly sexy and Cyrus’s cock had definitely noticed her nakedness.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cyrus continued when she still didn’t speak. “Your grandfather…the clan…I get it. It must be a lot to absorb. And then Liam…holy shit, that was intense. And we need to talk about—”

  “You don’t get anything.” She spun around and pressed a finger into his chest. Her eyes flashed with the anger that had been building all day. She narrowed her eyes, but for the life of him, Cyrus could not figure out why her anger had been directed toward him.

  “Hey.” He took her finger and lifted it from his chest before curling his larger hand over hers. “I do. Your brother was totally out of line.” He kissed her hand softly, and reached for the edge of her towel. “And I promise you, Natalia. I will never let him threaten you like that again.” His bear growled deep inside him at the memory of Natalia’s brother baring his teeth toward his mate. His mate. “Never again. I will rip his head off if he ever so much as looks at you sideways again.” He swallowed hard, working to control his own bear, which had grown restless and ultra-protective. “I’ll keep you safe. Always. That’s my vow to—”

  “That’s just it!” She yanked away from him and pulled her hand back. She turned her back to him and stalked to the other side of the room before spinning around on her heel again and glaring at him. “That’s the whole problem. I don’t need you to protect me!”

  “But…Nat…” Cyrus took a stumbling step backward, as if he’d been slapped. “What are you talking about? That’s my job. I’m your mate.”

  Just like it was her job to be at his side. It wasn’t a thought he’d ever had consciously before, but it took shape in his mind, as if it had always been there.

  “It is not your job to take care of me.” She took two steps toward him. Her eyes flashed with anger and passion. “I don’t need your protection.” She jabbed a finger in his direction before standing up straight.

  She pulled her shoulders back, which Cyrus couldn’t help but notice had the very sexy effect of pressing her ample breasts forward. The towel afforded him a healthy helping of cleavage. But it was definitely not the time to notice. He forced himself not to look and instead focus on the very feisty and very worked-up woman in front of him.

  “I am a strong, alpha female grizzly and I do not need you or anyone else to protect me.”

  He stood in silence for a moment before letting out a breath. This was not an argument he was going to win. “You’re right,” he said after a moment. “You definitely don’t need anyone to protect you or fight your battles for you.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  He reached out again for her, only a little bit cautious that she’d slap his hand away. She didn’t and he traced the top of her towel with one finger. “You are the strongest, sexiest grizzly I know.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “No,” he said a moment later. “You are the strongest, sexiest woman I’ve ever met. You are fierce, but kind. Strong, but soft in all the right places.” He let his finger dip below the towel to her breast as he spoke. “And you definitely don’t need me to protect you.” He stepped closer so there was barely an inch of space between them. “It was instinct and I’m sorry.” He leaned in and breathed the words into her ears before kissing the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

  She moaned, just a little, but it was enough to spur him on.

  “You’re strong.” He pressed a kiss to her neck and sucked—just a little—of the skin between his lips. “Sexy.” He kissed again, lower this time. “Passionate.” This time, his kiss landed on the swell of her breast where he’d marked her while his fingers moved to deftly release the towel that covered her. “And most importantly…” He moved his mouth over a nipple and sucked it into his mouth, causing her to moan again—louder this time. “You’re mine.” He nipped down—not hard, just enough to get her attention.

  “Dammit, Cyrus.”

  He lifted his head and licked his lips at the delectable treat she presented in front of him.

  “I can’t stay upset with you.”

  He grinned. “That’s the idea.” Before she could say another word, he lifted her and carried her easily to the bed, where he deposited her on the soft comforter. “But I’m not finished with my strong, sexy, passionate grizzly yet.”

  Natalia was all of those things and so much more. But he needed her to understand one thing.

  She was his in all ways and there were things he could give her and do for her that no one else could.

  He stood over her naked, curvy, irresistible body and his cock thickened in need. There’d be time for that later. First, he had a point to prove. Cyrus took each of Nat’s legs in his hand and spread them so she was open to him.

  “What are you—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips and shook his head slightly to silence her.

  “As much as you are all of those things, my love,” he kept his voice low as he crawled onto the bed between her legs, “never forget that you’re mine.”

  She squirmed and tried to move her legs together but Cyrus held her fast with a hand on each thigh. “Cyrus, I—”

  He silenced her with a gentle bite to her inner thigh, a move that made her tremble beneath him. The intoxicating scent of her arousal filled the air.

  “I was wrong to think even for the slightest moment that you needed me to protect you,” he said. “But I’m not wrong in knowing that you need me.” He didn’t wait for her to say anything, but with his hands still on her thighs, he moved to her pussy and, as slowly as he could, licked down her wet center.

  Above him, she groaned and squirmed, but he held her in place as he took a moment to savor the taste of her nectar. It took all of the self-control he could muster, but after a moment, Cyrus turned his head and kissed the inside of her thigh. He moved painstakingly slowly to make sure every kiss and nibble and suck had the desired effect of driving her crazy.

  It did.

  “Please, Cyrus.”

  He grinned against her sex. “Please what?” He blew slowly on her clit, and she tried to jerk back.

  “Please fuck me.”

  He laughed. “That’s not what this is about, love.”

  She groaned and Cyrus had to bite back his laughter. His in-control mate was completely out of control of the situation. It drove her crazy, but excited the fuck out of him. But he wasn’t completely unreasonable. Besides, if he didn’t make her come soon, he might lose control himself.

  Using his tongue, he kissed and licked and sucked until Nat’s entire body vibrated beneath him. Only when Cyrus could feel how close she was to losing it did he release his grip on her thighs and press first one, and then another finger into her tight, warm opening. She gasped in a mixture of relief and need, but she needed more. He curled his fingers so they’d hit the spot he knew would put her over the edge.

  It didn’t take long before he felt her body clench around his fingers as Natalia’s release loomed. In response, he sucked her hard nub into his mouth and increased his attentions. Moments later, her orgasm exploded through her. Her fingers threaded his thick hair and she pulled as she cried out and let the climax overtake her. Pleased with himself, Cyrus lapped up her delicious juices before pulling himself up and over her. Like a satisfied cat, he licked his lips and grinned down at her.

  “See? You’ll always need me.”

  Damn. Would she ever!

  If needing Cyrus meant orgasms like that, she’d need him all day long. But that was a different kind of need and as good as it felt, she needed him to understand how she really felt.

  Natalia reached up and cupped her mate’s cheek. “You’re right. I’m always going to need you.”

  He smiled and kissed her quickly before dropping to the bed next to her. “Good. Because I’m always going to be here for you.” He propped himself up on one elbow. “Always, Nat. You know that, right?”

  She did. She felt it in her bones. And
although she’d meant what she’d said earlier that she didn’t need him to protect her, it was nice to know that he was there. If she needed him. It was a big if. She’d never needed a man before. In fact, she’d never needed anyone before. Not in the way that Cyrus was talking about. And it scared the hell out of her.

  “I know,” she said after a minute. “Thank you for that.”

  “Are we still talking about sex?” His grin was mischievous as it lit up his handsome face.

  “Cyrus.” She swatted at him, but he caught her wrist in one hand and pulled her into him. “I’m serious.”

  “So am I, Nat.” He kissed her before releasing her so she could see him. “I love you and as my mate, I will always be there for you. Maybe I overstepped earlier with your brother, but you can’t blame me entirely. It’s my bear.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “But we do need to talk about all of this.”

  She dropped her eyes and took a moment to pull herself together. Her emotions had taken her off guard earlier. She’d never before had a man try to protect her or defend her. It was strange. But not entirely unpleasant. Not that she was ready to admit that to Cyrus, but it hadn’t been completely awful knowing that he was there and had her back. No, he more than had her back. Like he’d said, he would have ripped Liam’s head off if he’d threatened her again. And to her surprise, his protectiveness had been pretty damn sexy. But it wasn’t just that moment that had sent her emotions into overdrive.

  She’d agreed to be the alpha of the Jackson clan.

  Had she really done that?

  She looked up at Cyrus, for the first time realizing what that would mean. They’d talked about going to Alaska, handling his business and…they could still do all that. It would just look a little different. Surely they’d be able to work it all out.

  “I…” She shook her head. “I told my…”

  “You told him yes,” Cyrus finished for her.

  “I did.”

  They sat in silence for a moment. She searched his face for a clue as to how he felt about her new leadership position, but he didn’t give anything away.

  “What do you—”

  Before she could finish the question, a loud blaring came from the dresser, interrupting her.

  “Dammit.” He pulled back. “Ignore it.” He reached for her and kissed her hard but the continually obnoxious noise of his cell phone was too distracting.

  Nat pulled away. “I can’t.” She shook her head. “Can you turn—” As suddenly as the noise had started, it was over. “That’s better.” She smiled and reached for him once more, but again the noise started. This time, Nat rolled to the side and with an exasperated sigh, got out of bed and marched across the room to the dresser and the offending cell phone.

  “Nat!” Cyrus jumped up. “Don’t answer it.”

  She grabbed the phone.

  “Seriously,” he said again. “We need to—”

  She pressed the button to answer the call and turned to him with raised eyebrows and a look of triumph as she spoke into the phone. “Who is this and why do you insist on disturbing me while I’m trying to—”

  “My name is Phillip Malone.” The voice was stern and it didn’t take much to realize whoever belonged to that voice was not impressed. “I’m Cyrus Steele’s business manager and basically the man who is trying to keep his empire from collapsing.” The smile on her face fell as Phillip continued talking. “I assume you are the reason he’s not answering any of his calls and is blowing off all his meetings?”

  Nat turned away from Cyrus, but not before she heard him sigh and sit back down on the bed.

  “I don’t know what you’re—”

  “Look,” Phillip interrupted her. “I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice woman,” he continued. “But Cyrus has responsibilities. Thousands of people are depending on him to not destroy what his father built. People’s jobs and lives are at stake. Never mind the millions of people who are depending on him and his solar-powered clean water initiative. I’m sure he’s having a lot of fun in the mountains doing whatever it is that you do in Montana, but I need him here. The world needs him here.”

  It might have been an exaggeration, but when Nat turned around to see Cyrus with his head in his hands, looking at the floor, it didn’t feel like an exaggeration. It felt exactly like the truth.

  “What…I don’t…”

  “I’ll be sending a plane for him. Make sure he doesn’t miss these meetings,” Phillip said. “I know he’s feeling a little…well, I don’t know what he’s feeling, to be honest. I’m just trying to keep all the balls in the air, Miss—”

  “Natalia. Natalia Jackson.” Her voice sounded small to her ears as she listened to this man who was clearly passionate about whatever it was that Cyrus was supposed to be doing instead of being here with her.

  “Okay, Natalia,” Phillip said. “I assume he values your opinion. I’m going to send through the flight information. Make sure he gets on the plane. It’s crucial. Can you do that?”

  She watched her mate and finally he lifted his head and looked at her. It was then that she saw the truth in his eyes. He had obligations. People were depending on him. And he was letting them all down.

  Because of her.

  “Okay,” she said after a moment. “I’ll do it.” She pressed the button to disconnect the call and clutched the phone in her hand.

  They stared at each other from across the room. Finally, Cyrus spoke. “I assume that was Phillip.”

  She nodded.

  “I told you not to answer it.”

  Nat shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “Why didn’t you tell me? About all the meetings? Your obligations? Cyrus…”

  He stood and crossed the distance to her but she held her hands back from him. “You should have told me.”

  You should have known.

  She should have. How could she have been so stupid not to realize that a man like Cyrus Steele couldn’t just ignore the world and hide out in the remote Montana mountains with her? The truth was, she did know. At least, on some level she did. She was just choosing to ignore that reality because as soon as she acknowledged it, everything would change.

  The way it was about to.

  She never should have answered that call. No. He never should have let her answer that call. He never should have let Phillip talk to her. There was no telling what he’d said to her.

  No. That wasn’t true.

  It would be easy to villainize Phillip. But it wasn’t his fault. Cyrus knew the man would never say anything to Natalia that wasn’t true. He’d never say anything to her that was hurtful. It wasn’t Phillip’s style.

  Besides, he didn’t have to embellish the truth. It was bad enough all on its own. Cyrus had responsibilities.

  Responsibilities that he was shirking. And it couldn’t last for much longer.

  And knowing the kind of person Natalia was, she wouldn’t like that at all.

  “I should have told you about all of it,” he said after a minute. “I know that and I’m sorry. I was going to tell you about the meetings, but there just hasn’t been a lot of time and then with…well, with everything that’s been happening…” He shook his head. His explanation sounded lame, even to his own ears. “I should have just told you. The truth is, Natalia, I have a lot of people depending on me. Whether I like it or not.” He dropped his gaze. That was a conversation for another day. “But I also have this really important project I’m working on.”

  “The fresh water.”

  He nodded. “Yes. The fresh water. It’s exciting and it could mean the difference between having clean drinking water—or not—for thousands and maybe millions of people one day. But before it can get going, I need to deal with the details and the contractors won’t sign off until I give them some face time. Earlier I organized some videoconference meetings and I thought those would take care of it but if Phillip is calling—”

  “Go,” she interrupted him. “If he’s calling
, it’s important. You have to go.”

  “You need me here with you and the clan…” He couldn’t finish the thought because that would be admitting out loud to a reality he didn’t want to face. The reality that there was no way Cyrus could stay in Montana. And there was no way she could leave.

  But she would have to.

  Her place is by your side.

  Again, his bear roared to life.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said quickly, as if she didn’t realize what exactly was happening. “Remember, I don’t need you to protect me.”

  “No.” He took her hand. “But you do need me. Remember?” She blushed. “You’re my mate, Natalia. You can’t stay.”

  “I have to.” Her smile was easy. She doesn’t get it. “I need to be here for my grandfather,” she continued. “And there’s so much to do. I guess I’ll have to tell the others and hopefully they’ll be supportive, but you never know.” She turned and walked to the dresser, where she started rifling through the drawers for something to wear. “And then of course there’s Grandfather. I don’t know how much time he has and I think it’s important that he get a chance to—”

  “No.”

  Cyrus tried to control his bear, but the more Natalia spoke, the more agitated he got.

  “And then there’s Liam.” Nat continued talking as she buttoned a long plaid shirt. “I don’t know what to do about him, but I guess that’ll be part of—”

  “No!” The roar filled the room and Nat stumbled backward, a pair of leggings in her hand.

  She turned and leaned up against the dresser. “Cyrus! What on—”

  “No,” he said again. He managed to control his bear long enough to keep the roar from his voice, but only barely. “I told you, I’m not leaving you here.” He had no idea where this caveman act was coming from, but he couldn’t have stopped it if he’d tried. She was his mate, dammit, and her place was by his side. “I realize the timing isn’t ideal and the situation is far from perfect, but you are my mate, Natalia.”