by KT Strange
It felt like something had popped into place between us. Maybe nearly dying had done it. Probably.
I wriggled around, trying to get comfortable.
“Do you mind?” Eli asked, amused annoyance lacing his words.
“Not at all,” I replied and then settled with a sigh. “That’s perfect.” The quilt was heavy and thick, thick enough to keep out the cold and trap our body heat in. I snuggled down until just my nose and above were peeking out, and closed my eyes.
“How’d you do it?” Eli’s voice was quiet over the rise of and fall of the wind in the trees. The stars winked overhead, and the crickets were a sparkling background noise muffled by the soft grasses.
“Do what?” I’d nearly been asleep, and my brain was foggy, trying to make sense of what he was asking.
“Leave everything behind? Your family, your friends.”
“Staying hurt too much. It felt like I was dying inside. I knew, well, I knew exactly how little I was worth to my family, and so I just left.”
Eli made a thoughtful noise, deep in his chest.
“And the guys,” he hesitated, so unlike him that I sat up to look at him. He was gazing heavenward, the moon casting a silver line down the profile of his face. “They’re your family now.” He didn’t look at me, his throat tight when he swallowed hard.
I reached out, my fingers tracing a line across his forehead, flicking a blond curl out of the way.
“You’re part of that, the pack,” I teased him, “in case you haven’t noticed.” He looked at me, and I swear blind that the stars reflected in his eyes right then. I took a breath. “You’re my family too, Eli. If you want to be.”
He went still, and I raked my fingers through his hair. We never got this close, and I could almost feel his heartbeat under my touch. He let out a low groan, and then lifted up on one arm, pulling me in close.
“Yours.” His gaze dropped to my lips, and then back up to my eyes. The pound of my pulse was so loud it almost drowned out the crickets. “You think I don’t want that?”
“I—”
“Darcy,” he whispered and then his mouth melted over mine. His arm banded on my waist, crushing me into his chest so hard I could barely breathe. Warmth bloomed inside me and it felt like everything we’d done, every argument, every dirty look, was melting away. In the background, I knew that all of our problems were still there but as his fingers threaded through my hair and he cupped the back of my head like I was something so precious? I just stopped caring about what had happened in the past.
The kiss turned hard, urgent, my fingers grabbing at his shirt, and his hands sliding down my back, to cup my ass through my jeans. The heat he was throwing off sank into my skin, making me shiver.
I moaned, and he went still for a moment, pulling away an inch to gaze at me. His eyes half-shut as he leaned in, brushing a soft kiss across my forehead. The arousal that had been building inside me fizzled away as he lay me down and then flopped onto his back beside me.
Lying there, my breathing heavy, I wanted to ask him why he’d stopped.
So I did.
“Eli—” I rolled over on my side. His eyes flashed, light flickering in them as he looked at me. “You keep stopping on me and I’m going to get the impression you don’t want every inch of this super not-toned body,” I teased, trying to keep it light and my insecurities on the back burner. None of the other guys seemed to have a problem with my curves, but maybe Eli…
That thought short circuited as he reached for me, kissing me hard.
“I don’t want to stop,” he said, “but I’m worried you want me to.”
He loomed over me, his weight pressing me down. It was the best kind of pressure.
“Why would I want that?”
He closed his eyes.
“Because the things I want to do to you, sweetheart, they’re not exactly polite.”
Heat spread from my belly all the way up my chest, and I tried not to squirm my thighs together.
“Maybe I want you to be rude,” I whispered. His eyes opened, thick lashes casting a shadow over his baby-blues, and my heart jumped into my throat and stayed there, thudding away.
“What I want from you is for you to do what I tell you, and not give me any of that sass Finn’s always putting up with,” his voice was sultry, wrapping around the base of my spine and making my skin tingle.
“Like… like… dom stuff? Like you wanna… dominate me?” I squeaked the words out and felt ridiculous, but it was so hot, the image of him holding me down. That moment when he’d told me to stay, and I’d stayed just because it was him, played over and over in my mind.
He bent his head, his lips brushing along my temple.
“You wanna act out, I’ll make you regret it. You do what I tell you to do, and I promise you, you won’t ever leave my bed unsatisfied.”
I swallowed hard.
“That’s… um, that’s an offer.” My cheeks were so hot, and so was the tight spot inside of me, longing for whatever it was he was wanting to give me. Hell, I’d take it all. I felt him smile against my skin, and shivered when he dragged his fingers over my body.
“Take your shirt off,” he said. There was no mistaking the demand in his voice. I sat up as he pulled away from me.
“You gotta do it too,” I said, my face heating up. He tilted his head to the side and I bit my lip. “Please?”
“Since you asked nicely.” His shirt was off in a heartbeat and he settled on his knees, watching me intently. “Darcy. Quit stalling.”
I gulped for air, feeling dizzy. His muscles were criminally sexy. I tugged my shirt off, wishing that my stomach didn’t have such a curve to it where it pinched in at the waistband of my jeans. Eli’s expression didn’t register any hint that he didn’t like what he saw. When my fingers moved to my stomach, his eyes narrowed.
“I want to see all of you,” his voice was dangerous, and I let my fingers rest at the button of my jeans. “Those too.”
“Eli—”
He moved so fast, I was pressed down into the blankets.
“We’ll work on your listening skills,” he said. “Later. When I can think straight.”
“Uhn?” Words were not my strong suit just then. He kissed me hard, his tongue demanding entry to my mouth. His hands were rough on my jeans, yanking them open. It hurt in a way that seemed to ratchet up my excitement and I squirmed out of my pant legs. “Controlled alpha wolf not in control of himself?” I taunted breathlessly.
Big mistake.
He growled, the sound vibrating through my body. He yanked my bra down my shoulders. He was so strong, he could’ve hurt me if he wanted, but even if he was losing it he was still holding himself back.
His mouth found the soft spot below my ear and I moaned. His teeth grazed my neck and I went still.
He chuckled.
“Oh I’m not taking you that easy,” he said. I shuddered, aching for that painful-sweet feeling of a wolf bonding me with a bite. It’d be the last time I ever felt it, and maybe that’s what made the anticipation that much more intense. “You think I don’t have control?”
My nipples hardened in the cold air, and he covered them over with his hands.
“Evidence would suggest that you don’t,” I said, not hating how his eyes closed with frustration.
“You’ll be the death of me,” he said and kissed me again, robbing me of air as I arched under him. His palms were rough and calloused over my breasts, sending sparks of pleasure right down to my pussy. He kissed the hollow of my throat before licking down my chest, and up the swell of my breast. I had a second before his lips closed around one nipple, and I raked my fingers through his hair, wanting more from him than he was giving me.
The sound of my own hectic breathing filled my ears, and I held him there, even when he growled at me.
His tongue curled around the heavy curve of my breast, before he blew cool air over my damp skin.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He chuckled, r
eaching up to untangle my fingers from his hair. “Do I need to remind you who’s got who pinned to the ground, here?” The affection in his eyes crowded out everything else.
“I just… can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“What if I do it wrong?” Nerves fluttered around in my stomach and I swallowed hard. “What if I’m not what you want?”
“That’s not possible,” he said, pausing for a moment, even though I could feel how hard he was against my thigh, through his jeans. “You’re everything, and I mean everything, I want.” His hand cupped the back of my neck, and he gazed down into my eyes, his expression sweetly earnest. “When I say I want you to listen to me, to obey me, it’s only because watching you do what I tell you to do is beautiful. That trust you give me is a gift.”
My throat was tight.
“I—”
“Darcy,” his voice was soft. “Will you submit to me?”
I closed my eyes, letting his weight soothe me. My fingers fell to his hips, tugging at his waistband.
“Off.”
“Please,” he reminded me.
“Off, please,” I said. “I want to feel you.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He was doing that rumbly purr-thing, the soft vibrations easing my nerves. He shifted over me, pulling his jeans down. When I moved to touch him, he made a noise and I stopped. “Hands above your head,” he commanded. I kept my eyes shut, lifting my arms and letting them settle on the blanket above my head. I could almost touch the grass.
A moan exploded from the back of my throat when his mouth engulfed my other breast, his teeth dragging over the nipple until I writhed. He tapped my hip.
“Stay still.”
That order was so hard to obey but I took a breath and bit my lip. The only thing I could do wrong, really, was to not listen. So I listened, even as his hands skimmed my stomach, feeling me naked under him. Every time he moved the cold air would rush in against my skin and it would prickle with goose bumps. His hands smoothed over me, warming for a moment. The sensations were making it hard to stay still.
“Good girl,” his words warmed me and I moaned, opening my eyes enough to peek at him. I was naked on the blanket, his body over mine. He kissed me again, sweetly, and spread my thighs.
I jerked, my hips reaching for him. His eyes flashed in the dark light of the moon and I froze.
“Shit—”
He moved so fast, the next moment I was sprawled on my stomach, his hand finding its way between me and the ground.
“And you were doing so well,” he said as my fingers grabbed at the edge of the blanket. He was hard against the curve of my ass, and I bit my lip when I felt him drag the head of his cock down between my thighs.
He thrust into me and my back arched. His hands kept me from moving, from escaping, the thick stretch of him overwhelming me.
“Next time,” his words were so even with just the faint hint of strain in them, “you’ll listen.” His hand smacked against my hip and I jerked. He grabbed my wrists, keeping them pinned to the ground as he started fucking me, a rough pace that stopped my breath. His other hand was pressing up into my belly, just above my pussy, a pressure that made every thrust of his cock inside me somehow more.
After a minute I was gasping, and I desperately tried to meet him, struggling for purchase on the blankets. He kept me still with his body, controlling how much I could move, as he pulled half out and fucked me in slow, shallow thrusts until I was shuddering.
“Please, please,” I begged.
His mouth brushed over the back of my neck and I froze. I felt his teeth, and then—
He groaned and thrust into me hard, hands leaving where they held me in order to grab onto my hips. He pulled me back into him, and shuddered into me with a deep moan, his hips stuttering. I worked a hand underneath me, desperate to come as he did, my fingers stroking over my clit until that crest of pleasure broke inside me and I was gasping, my cheek pressed into the blanket as I lay under him.
He thrust into me again, his hand swatting the curve of my ass.
“I didn’t say you could come,” he whispered into my ear as he covered me with his body. I was shaking from the adrenaline, all my muscles sore and achy.
“Um, um, I thought that was the name of the game, y’know, it’s not polite to not let a girl orgasm, that’s just rude—”
His fingers closed over my mouth, and his lips traced the edge of my ear.
“Free pass this time. Next time, you ask. I was going to go all night, but now I think that’s all you get.” He pulled out of me and I bit my lip, rubbing my thighs together. I was soaking wet. I felt the blanket pull up over me and his heavy warmth as he curled up around me.
I shifted, burrowing my face into my pillow, still feeling shaky and overwhelmed from what had just happened between us. His arm held my hip in place as he pulled me even closer.
He could keep going all night?
That thought turned me on even as it scared the crap out of me. My mind floated, remembering the ghost of his teeth on my neck. He hadn’t bonded me, either, even though I was ready for it, and he knew how much I loved him, that this was it for me. Him taking me would make the pack complete.
Exhaustion tugged at me though. That question would have to wait for later.
Seventeen
Darcy
“Hey sweetheart.”
Warmth spilled over my face. The sun smacked me and I scrunched my eyes closed tighter. My whole body felt relaxed, even after sleeping a night on the ground outdoors. The sexy shenanigans Eli had gotten up to with me had really taken care of business.
I cracked one eye open. He was leaning over me, shifting so he’d block out the sun blinding me.
The expression on his face knocked the air out of me. He looked so open and relaxed thatI’d have mistaken him for Finn if he hadn’t been smirking.
His hands worked under my shoulders and I sighed, letting him pull me up for a kiss. The scent of grass was thick around us, sun-warmed and perfect.
“I don’t know how I slept so good last night,” I said as I sat up, stretching my arms toward the blue sky above me. Eli was naked, and I shamelessly watched the play of light over his muscles, his skin tight and flawless, his cock hanging heavy between his thighs.
There was no evidence of the damage that Dragonpack had done to him. That ugly memory, along with their insane attempt to kill me, was hopefully behind us. Far, far behind us.
And in front? This new world where Eli opened up to me like I could never have even wished for.
“You were comfortable?” Eli reached out his hand, raking through my messy curls, before his thumb worked its way onto the back of my neck. He rubbed it in slow circles, and I let my chin drop to my chest and moaned as his raw heat and the gentle movements loosened any knots that were left.
“You’re warm enough to keep me comfy even at night.”
He smiled, eyes crinkling as I lifted my head.
“Just wait until you’re surrounded by five furry wolves. You might just overheat.”
I lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah that’s only going to happen if I somehow manage to make a heartstone, and so far I’m solidly striking out in that quarter.”
Eli turned his face up to sun, his chest rising and falling slowly.
“I’m beginning to think with you, anything’s possible,” he murmured, and my stomach fluttered with the pure belief in his tone. I leaned up against his side, and he pulled me in for an embrace that felt sheltering and freeing all at once. We could tackle anything together. At least it felt like that.
“I hate to interrupt this moment,” he said as he turned his head, his words buzzy into the shell of my ear. “But I think we should get going.”
“Noooo,” I groaned. Here, in this secluded field, all the problems we were facing were so far away. But Finn deserved better. The pack deserved to know we were okay. “If we have to.”
“We don’t have to do anything,” Eli
said, looking down at me with eyes that glittered with intense feeling. My breath caught.
“Isn’t against like, pack rules to steal the mate away from the others?”
His lips quirked.
“They’d have to catch me to take it out of my hide,” he said, and then he shook his head with a laugh. “But they would. They’d find us eventually and I’d get the shit kicked out of me. I’d probably let them.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You guys are so aggro,” I grumbled and then got to my feet. “Animals.”
The crack of his hand across the curve of my ass caught me surprise, and I glanced back at him where he sat on his haunches.
“You think just cause of last night you can go around spanking me whenever you like?” I demanded, my cheeks flushing hard. He stood up, towering over me.
“Not only do I think it, I know you like it,” he said. “Wasn’t sure about you at first, but over time I got the impression that you need a few boundaries in your life to bump up against.”
I would have rolled my eyes again and sassed him back, but he was kissing me, his hands wrapping around my throat, his thumbs stroking along my collarbones. His skin branded mine with heat, and I relaxed into it, surprising him by flicking my tongue into his mouth when he took a breath.
“Brat,” he said, pulling away and folding up our blankets. I grabbed the pillows and sauntered to the van, knowing he was watching the sway of my hips as I did. He tossed me my clothes and I got dressed, liking the way he watched me as I did. He was slower, zipping up his jeans, his eyes burning my skin the entire time.
“C’mon,” I said, opening the door, “you wanted to get on the road so bad. Let’s go bust Finn outta jail.”
“That’s not how it’s going to work,” Eli protested as he shifted into the driver’s seat. With our blankets thrown in the back, he got the motor going as I clicked myself in.
“Well I can pretend,” I said, not wanting to fully look our serious situation in the face. Last night and this morning had been a much needed diversion after feeling terrified and stressed out for too long. Now reality was quickly washing over me, like someone had doused me in cold water.