by C. D. Gorri
The three-quarter moon hung low in the sky, bathing them both in pale blue moonlight and she swore she saw his Wolf staring into her eyes a second before Elia gave in to the need that had slowly been building since the moment he switched his fur for skin.
“The hell with it,” she whispered and reached up on tiptoe to press her lips to the hard slash of his mouth.
Conall groaned but still his hands remained at his sides. All it took was one glance down for her to see how his fists trembled with the effort it took for him not to touch her. She smiled against his mouth and pressed her body flush against his, moaning as tiny electrical zings danced along her nerves where her skin touched his.
“Mmm,” she moaned and pushed her tongue past his lips and into the warm cavern of his mouth.
Elia had kissed a boy before, but kissing Conall was so much more than that youthful experience. His chest rumbled and she felt that growl all the way to her core.
“Conall, touch me,” she begged, and wasn’t ashamed of it in the least.
Her body was on fire, and for the first time in her life Elia knew what it meant to truly want. She wanted him. Desire and lust burned through her, as did another feeling. One that was unfamiliar as it was unexpected.
Her heart rejoiced as his large hands slowly, carefully reached out and touched her waist. So respectful. So dang boring!
“Conall,” she whimpered and reached out with her hands to tug his head closer, “kiss me.”
“I am, love,” he whispered and tentatively touched his tongue to hers.
It was more whisper than kiss, but oh she reveled in it, loved the taste of him, and she wanted more. Elia was all woman in this and she wanted him to kiss her as a man kissed a woman he wanted. Deeply, completely, and so dang hard that her toes would be curled forevermore. This patient petting was beginning to get on her nerves.
Grrr.
Chapter 8
Conall didn’t know if this was real or some magic spell the moonlight had cast on him, but whatever it was, he was not letting go. Elia Spark was in his arms and it was more than he could ever have hoped for.
“Conall, kiss me,” she said.
Mate, his Wolf growled, impatient with his slow handling of her. Brows furrowed he tried to rein in his beast, but the animal wanted him to claim her then and there. Every nerve ending in his body was firing at a hundred percent with just that sweet meeting of lips. He wanted to drag her down to the ground, to cover her with his bulk, and love, yes love, every inch of her.
Fuck. He had to slow down, but it was kind of hard. And he meant that in every sense of the word. His cock was like a steel rod, desperate to sink into her heat. It pulsed and throbbed, leaking precum in anticipation of that sweet ecstasy he knew she could bring him. And when she pressed her supple curves to him and raked her nails down his shoulders, all the way to his ass, he almost came.
Fucking hell! His cock throbbed against her stomach and need coursed through his veins like red hot lava. She was so tempting. His own personal seductress. And he was hanging on by a thread. Who knew being noble would border on painful?
“Conall,” she growled his name this time.
Her Wolf was evident. The animal side to her dual nature wanted to seal their impending mating and he was hard pressed not to take what the she-Wolf offered. His own beast growled in response at his delay.
But how could he do that? How could he take what she wasn’t ready to give? The sound of his name on her lips was almost too much. Yes, he wanted her. He would have to be dead not to. Then again, he would probably still want her even after his body gave out.
Time, he reminded himself and his Wolf, she needs time.
“Slow down, baby, we have all the time in the world. I want you to be sure before we do anything you might regret,” he murmured against her sweet lips.
“I thought you Americans were all about instant gratification,” she growled impatiently, and tilted her head as he nibbled her earlobe and neck.
He couldn’t help himself. She was simply too good to resist, but Conall wasn’t a masochist. Either he mated her then and there, and she hated him for it, or he had to step back. Now.
It was probably the most difficult decision he’d ever made. The heady scent of her arousal filled his nostrils and he never felt such desire. Shit. Conall was going to hate himself later, when his balls threatened to turn blue permanently, but this was the right thing to do. He placed his hands on Elia’s waist, and set her firmly apart from his body.
“Hey now, how about we slow down? Talk for a bit?” he pressed his forehead against hers and tried to regain some control.
Both of them were breathing heavy despite having done very little beyond kissing. He supposed it was to be expected between mates. The heady scent of her arousal seemed to wrap itself around his cock, making him pulse and ache with the need to be buried between her warm, soft folds.
“Talk? Now?” she asked and he couldn’t tell if she was angry or merely frustrated. Maybe both.
“Yeah. Just for a bit.”
“I don’t understand, don’t you want me?” she frowned.
The scent of her confusion was almost painful to breathe in. Shit. He was doing this all wrong. How could he show her he was sensitive to her needs by denying them? Could she really think he didn’t want her?
“Elia, I want you more than anything,” he began.
“Then why aren’t you takin’ me already? Are you sure you want me? Maybe it is just stupid mating fever, and you are having second thoughts after all,” she exhaled harshly.
“No! It is not that. Look, if I take you now, will you respect me in the morning?” he tried to make a joke at the end, but it fell flat.
“Conall,” she rolled her eyes, “I thought we were mates, how can you just stop then?”
“We are mates! Don’t ever doubt that. Look, Dib told me about your old Pack. The way they treat women.”
“So? And now you decided you don’t want to claim me, is that it?”
“No!” he shouted, “Of course, I want to claim you! Woman, my cock is so hard I could use it to hammer nails through wood.”
“Aye,” her gaze dropped, “but you don’t seem to want me enough to use it now, do you?” she frowned and he growled in frustration.
“Damn it, I am doing this all wrong, come here,” he grunted and tugged her down to sit on the side of the pond with him.
“Ooof,” she slipped on the wet dirt and fell into his shoulder.
“Sorry,” he must have tugged too hard. Shit.
“It’s fine. Not your fault, Conall, I just slipped.”
“I should have been more careful,” he shook his head.
“Forget about it, please, just explain this to me, because I am having a hard time understanding. If you are my fated mate-”
“I am, Elia, I swear it-”
“And if I am yours-”
“You are. There is no one else for me. I have never come close to this feeling with anyone ever. Only you.”
“Then why won’t you sleep with me?” her gold-flecked eyed peered into his, and Conall sucked in a breath to organize his scattered thoughts.
“Look, I’ve never had such a frank discussion about sex, and I am probably gonna do this wrong. All I can say is that I do want you. You have to know that is a fact,” he gestured to his still hard as fuck cock.
The damn thing throbbed under her watchful gaze and he almost came just from the intensity of her stare. He couldn’t imagine how good it was going to feel when she finally touched him. For fuck’s sake, he had to stop thinking about sex. He was trying to be a gentleman.
“Noted. At least, physically you seem to want me,” she nodded and licked her lips.
He damn near went mad at the sight of her pink tongue darting out to lick her bottom lip. Wait. What did she just say?
“Of course, I want you physically, but that isn’t all I want. Why do you think I am waiting to claim you?”
“I don’t know maybe
the idea of being permanently tied to a chubby Irish Wolf with a big mouth who’d rather wear jeans than dresses is more distasteful than you would like me to believe?”
“What the hell are you talking about? First off, you are not chubby, you are gorgeous. Second, I don’t give a shit what you want to wear, as long as I am the one who gets to tear off your clothes when the sun sets and we fall into bed together. Third, there isn’t a single thing about you that I find distasteful, baby,” he growled the last and as if to prove his point dipped his head for a long, hard kiss that left them both whimpering with need.
“I guess this is mating fever then?” she asked and Conall broke the kiss and sat back next to her.
It was difficult to ignore their naked state, but for the sake of their future together, he managed to do just that. Something Rafe had told him once niggled in the back of his mind. According to his Alpha, Charley was Rafe’s best friend. Conall had never understood what he meant, but now that he was sitting there with his own mate, he wanted just that.
“You are my fated mate, Elia. I know it’s soon for you, but I need you to know this is not just base instinct with me. Yes, my Wolf recognizes and wants you, but so does the man.”
“What are you on about, Conall?” she asked and he could see her confusion.
“I am telling you that I love you-”
“You can’t love me! You don’t know me,” she yelled and he didn’t blame her.
“I know. I know it seems incredible, but look at me, please,” he begged, “I know you. I look at you and my heart damn near bursts with happiness.”
“That’s not your heart, surely you know the difference,” she spat.
“Elia, I understand why you would say that, but it is true. My love for you grows every minute I’m with you. I am not asking you to profess the same, but there it is. I love you, and that means there is no walking away for me.”
“Conall, I don’t need you to say you love me. I am here now ready and willing to have sex with you-”
“Please, sweet,” he growled and closed his eyes against a wave of lust, “let me finish. I just need you to hear me. I know it is fast, but that’s the way it is with our kind. Instant mates sometimes means instant love. I love you. If I mate you now I need you to know that.”
“Fine, but I won’t be owned. I won’t let a man tell me what to do,” she said and he heard the fear behind the anger.
“I am not like the men you grew up with, Elia,” he wanted to reach out and hold her, but held still.
He needed her to trust him. If she flinched away, his heart would break. Who knew he was so fucking sensitive? Shit.
“You got that right, if I was sitting naked with any of the men who still lived back in my village, I’d be mated already,” she murmured and he couldn’t help the growl that followed.
“I don’t want to hear about you naked with any other men. I, my Wolf can’t take it,” he explained.
“Conall,” she took his hand and seemed to wait for his eyes to meet hers, “there has never been anyone.”
“What?” he asked. He wasn’t quite sure he understood and was almost scared to question.
“I mean, I’m a virgin. Where I come from, men and women sleep around at their own peril. The village is very devout in their religious beliefs. No sex before marriage. We don’t even Change together during our runs.”
“You’re a virgin?” he asked, stuck on that one fact.
“Yes,” she rolled her eyes and shrugged which directed his gaze to the lovely plump mounds of her perfect breasts as they swayed with the gesture.
“My eyes are up here, boyo,” she snapped her fingers in his face and it was his turn to blush.
“I, uh, well, that is, I am not a virgin,” he felt compelled to explain.
“Yeah, I got that much from lookin’ at ya.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, please, like I’m gonna feed that massive ego of yours,” she said, and he whimpered in response, “ugh, fine, you know you’re fit. A good-lookin’ lad and all that.”
“You think so?”
“Shut up,” she said, and reached out a hand as if to push him, but he caught it before she could connect and lifted it to his lips.
“Thank you,” he said, and kissed the soft flesh of her palm, keeping hold of her hand when she would’ve pulled it back.
“I don’t understand. You seem to want me , but then you pull away,” she spoke honestly, and he felt both relieved and blessed by her trust in him.
“Elia, I assure you it is not for lack of wanting you. I just need for you to be sure it’s me you want back-”
“I should think that was obvious,” she gestured between their naked bodies and he smiled.
“Baby, for the first time in my life I am being serious,” he exhaled and ran a hand over his head, “If you let me claim you, I will never, ever let you go. My Wolf won’t allow it, and neither will my human side,” he growled the last sentence and his Wolf surged forward.
“Is that right?” she asked a little breathlessly.
“Mine,” he growled and let his Wolf show in his eyes and voice.
“I see,” she nodded, but turned her head away.
Chapter 9
Fuck, that hurt, but he tried to understand it from her point of view. He could hardly imagine how overwhelmed she must feel. It pained him to think he had caused her any confusion or doubt. He wanted her so damn bad, but he needed her to understand what it would mean.
Conall was stuck between a rock and a hard place. As if on cue, his cock throbbed, and he pushed the thing down while her head was turned. What the hell had happened to him? He’d gone from confident ladies’ man to pussy-whipped in a day and he hadn’t even claimed her yet!
Fucking shit. The guys were going to chew his ass out for this. Oddly enough, that wasn’t important. Right then, all he was concerned with was whether Elia was alright.
He wanted to know what she was thinking and how she felt. He wanted her to believe him when he said he loved her. Cause he did. Fuckin’ hell, he did. If she didn’t feel the same, fuck, he never thought of that. He’d probably go nuts.
No, his Wolf growled. The animal pushed more feelings at him, but basically the message was this. You will work to make her love us. Solid plan, he thought.
His beast was more than possessive about the gorgeous Irish spitfire already. True, she was a she-Wolf, but they had been raised in vastly different places. Her Pack was run by a corrupted fiend. Surely, she needed space and time, and Conall vowed to give it to her. Even if his Wolf was tearing him apart from the inside out.
Mine. Mate. It seemed his Wolf thought physical pleasure would make her love him. Possible, but doubtful. She needed time.
Patience, he told the animal. He just had to wait for her to accept the truth. They were fated mates, and even better, they were friends. Hopefully soon, they would be lovers. But not until she was ready.
So, yes, patience. He would have to wait. What else could he do? He’d already confessed his love like some stupid pup, but it was true. Voicing it had only proven that it was indeed love that he felt for the dark-haired seductress.
Everything about her seemed to call to him. Her eyes, her lips, those outrageous curves. But it was more than that too. He liked her frankness. She was outspoken and funny without meaning to be. And he loved her sense of style. She was everything he never knew he wanted and she meant so much more than a night by the pond. He had to make her see that without making her hate him.
“Elia?”
“Um, can we go now? I need to think about all this,” she tucked her hair behind her ear.
Conall sucked in some oxygen. It was like he was momentarily hypnotized by the innocent movement. Her fingertips brushed her cheek lightly, making their way down her neck before returning to rest on her thigh. He wanted to follow their path desperately with his hands, his mouth, his tongue, fuck, even his teeth.
She was so lovely. All fresh peaches and cr
eam skin that smelled like rain and warm summer days. Elia, her name whispered through his mind and he realized it was his Wolf calling out to her.
“Of course, we can do whatever you want,” he nodded slowly, taking a second to accept that nothing would get resolved that night, “let me just grab our clothes.”
In truth, he was amazed at how relaxed she’d been sitting next to him on the soft patchy grass that grew next to the swimming pond where he’d played as a pup. He’d expected her to be shy, to cover up, but they’d been so caught up in conversation she seemingly forgot her nudity.
Of course, the way her eyes strayed to certain parts of him every now and then led him to believe she was very aware of his own nudity even if she had forgotten hers. Conall gulped. He was only human.
Well, partly that is. His Wolf preened at the compliment. The beast more than happy that his human side tempted their pretty female. His cock grew even harder under her glittery gold glare. It was primal. It was instinctual. He would not apologize for it, but damn, if he wasn’t gonna have a case of the bluest balls in all of New Jersey by the time the night was through.
Shit, the way things were going, the little minx was going to have him begging for a taste sooner than later. There went the foolish bet he’d made on the private jet.
He was already willing to do anything for her. Hell, even beg. But he would not rush her or force her to accept his claim. She needed time to get to know him better. Sure, she seemed curious about sec, but what virgin wouldn’t be? Waiting was the right thing to do.
Even if his Wolf wanted to kick his own ass for delaying their claim. Fated mates were meant to be, what could go wrong? Time could only make her appreciate his better qualities. Or so he hoped.
“It’s okay. If our clothes are too far, you don’t have to bother. I think I am getting used to being nude,” she shrugged and looked down at her body which made him follow suit.