One Wild Vegas Night

by SJ Thomas

  “No, just knocked out.” He looked down at the floor and then back up at her. “I’m sorry you had to see me change like that, see me attack him.”

  Hannah’s head whipped around to face him, her eyes flashing with something hard. “Don’t be sorry for defending yourself. Richard had a knife.”

  Sol’s breath caught at her reaction. “Yes, but I still wish you hadn’t seen me like that. I didn’t want the first time you saw my other side to be so violent.”

  She didn’t answer, just moved to Richard’s prone body and nudged him gingerly with her foot. She looked down at him for several seconds and then turned to face Sol.

  “If you hadn’t changed, he would have killed you. You did what you had to do.”

  Sol released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “He was strong for a human.”

  Her mouth set into a bitter line. “He was insane, which probably helped. What do we do with him?”

  “I can take care of him.”

  “What does that mean?” Her voice was sharp.

  “I can fix this so he never bothers us again.” Sol moved to the phone.

  “What? Wait, who are you calling?”

  “The cleaners. They specialize in covering up things like this.”

  “So, what, does your kind attack humans regularly?”

  The condemnation in Hannah’s tone turned his stomach. With a heavy sigh he turned to face her. “No, we don’t. None of us condone attacking anyone, but you have to understand our nature. We are powerful creatures heavily ruled by our animal instincts. If we are challenged, or a mate or family member is threatened, we will attack and sometimes humans get hurt, even killed.”

  Her skin flushed at his words and she dropped her gaze from his. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t judge you. Richard attacked first and you stopped when I asked.”

  Sol nodded. “And you have no idea how hard that was for me.”

  Hannah’s head jerked up at his tone, her eyes going wide, but she didn’t answer him. Sol ran his hands through his hair. “Look, why don’t you go and wait in the bedroom until this is all cleared up?”

  Hannah swallowed and nodded, casting one last look at Richard before heading to the bedroom. Sol watched her go with a sense of dread. He’d kept her safe, but had he just driven her away for good?

  CHAPTER SIX

  Hannah moved to the bedroom in a daze, sinking to the mattress, her eyes staring blankly at the wall. Her mind was on the edge of shutting down, unable to process everything that had happened since she’d walked into the bar last night. Was it only yesterday? It seems like a lifetime ago.

  Low murmurs from next door told her Sol was on the phone to the cleaners. She shuddered. They had people who specialized in cleaning up attacks and dead bodies? Dear God. Just what is his kind like?

  She thought back to Sol after he’d changed. One minute he’d been lying there, looking furious as Richard attacked her, and the next he’d turned into the most enormous jaguar, his body rippling with coiled strength, his stunning spotted coat gleaming. Beautiful and terrifying at the same time. And yet, looking at him, she knew it was still Sol, her body still reacting to his presence even in his other form.

  She also thought about the moment she’d struck Richard with the vase. She’d been terrified as the two men fought, but when she’d seen Richard about to stab Sol, all she could think about was stopping it. For the first time in her life she’d fought back against Richard—to save Sol.

  The door opening made her jump but it was only Sol. “Perdón.” He shook his head. “Sorry, I just need to put some pants on before the cleaners arrive.” He moved to the closet and pulled out a pair of tracksuit bottoms, which he quickly slipped on. He cast her one longing glance and then headed back out.

  Hannah knew they needed to talk, but her mind was still racing. She didn’t even know where to begin with him. In less than twenty-four hours, he’d taught her to salsa, given her the best sex of her life, married her, savaged her ex-husband, and proven to her that shifters were real. Just what did you say to that?

  So she sat in silence, staring ahead, tracing patterns in the wallpaper. Just thinking over everything that had happened.

  From the other room came the sound of knocking. She heard Sol pad across to the door, heard the rumble of low voices, footsteps moving across the carpet. She tried not to think about what they were doing, just kept tracing patterns. More noises, urgent murmurs, and then the door opening and closing.

  Sol walked back into the room, his expression grim. He looked tired, she realized.

  “Is it all taken care of?”

  “Si. Richard is gone and the room has been cleaned up.”

  “What will they do with him?”

  “The cleaners will heal Richard’s wounds and then take him to another country. They’ll leave him there, after delivering a very clear threat that if he ever comes near us again it won’t just be me he has to worry about.”

  Hannah shivered at the menace in Sol’s tone. “So he’s really gone?”

  “Yes, we’ll never see him again. No one will ever know.”

  “No one except us,” she replied in a bitter tone.

  Sol’s fists clenched at her words, his shoulders tensed. “It had to be done. I am not going to apologize for protecting us both.”

  She looked at him sharply. He was right; he had protected them, twice, and she was still judging him. He looked at her in silence, the pain in his expression making her insides twist. With a shake of his head, he turned toward the door.

  “Sol?” He paused and looked at her.

  “What?” He snapped, his tone harsh.

  Hannah looked down at her hands, took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, again. I shouldn’t criticize. You saved me and you got Richard out of my life for good.” She looked up at him. “Thank you.”

  His eyes widened, his taut features relaxing slightly. “I would do anything to protect you, Hannah, you have to know that.”

  She shook her head. “It’s funny. I came to Vegas to celebrate my freedom, but part of me always suspected Richard would find me eventually. Now he’s really gone, because of you.” She gave a small laugh. “I’m married again but I’m freer than I’ve ever been.”

  Sol’s eyes burned with something, hope maybe, and it set her heart thudding in response. God, he was so handsome, so strong. He would protect her, kill for her. Would always keep her safe.

  “I’m not saying I fully accept all this, us being married.” She shook her head. “Or mated, but I like you a lot, Sol. I feel things with you I’ve never felt with anyone. I don’t understand all of this, what you are, but I might be willing to learn.”

  His expression lit up, his dark features suffusing with warmth, and she felt a pulse of desire shoot through her. But then his expression dropped. “Before we go any further together I have to tell you something.” It was his turn to take a deep breath, as if he were searching for strength. “I was supposed to be mated today.”

  Her mouth fell open, an irrational stab of jealously piercing her. “You’re engaged to someone else? You—”

  Sol raised his hand, cutting off the insult dancing on her tongue. “Wait, let me finish. I didn’t want to be mated; I can’t stand the female I was supposed to join with, but we were promised to each other when we were children.”

  “What, like an arranged marriage? Why?”

  “Because I’m rare. A pure-blood jaguar. My parents arranged for me to mate with another pure-blood jaguar to breed more jaguars.”

  She shook her head. “But that’s crazy. Forcing you to marry, mate with, someone you hate.”

  He gave a pained laugh. “Welcome to my world.”

  Hannah pondered this for a moment. “So if we are really mated like you say, does that mean you can’t mate this other woman?”

  Sol’s lips curled into a smile. “Yes, that’s exactly what it means. We can only have one mate.” His eyes blazed with emotion as he spoke.

  “Well
, then aren’t your parents going to be pissed?”

  He laughed again, though this time with amusement. “Yes. I’ve already told my father and he was angry but accepted it. My mother will hate it and Anita and her family will be furious, but there’s nothing they can do about it. You say I’ve set you free? Well you’ve done the same for me. You’ve freed me from marrying a female I have no love or desire for. So gracias.”

  “This is still crazy, though; you expect us to make this work? To be a…mated couple?”

  “I know it’s hard, but yes. I’m sorry, Hannah, but I can’t let you go. I have to be where you are, protecting you, loving you. I am yours in every way now.” Sol’s expression turned possessive, heated, and something equally hot shot through her in response. The sensible part of her still said this was crazy, could never work, but the wilder part of her, the part that had come to life since she’d met Sol, was telling her to go for it.

  She stood, took one step toward him, stopped. Sol’s body went rigid as he watched her, eyes dark with emotion. Tension filled the room, heat and electricity building between them.

  And then she was running to him, throwing herself into his arms and kissing him frantically in between mumbled words. “I’m so sorry. Richard made me take him to you. I was so scared you’d get hurt. I just wanted you safe. I just want to be with you.”

  Sol’s arms tightened around her and, before she could say anything else, his mouth descended on hers, their lips pressed together firmly. She clung to him, his skin feeling so good under her hands, that delicious pine and spice scent wrapping round her. Sol’s tongue flicked at her lips and she parted for him, met his tongue with hers, the two of them fitting together perfectly.

  Lust gripped them both hard, the overwhelming sense of arousal and desire that comes after moments of life and death, moments where you almost lose everything that matters, and in realizing you’ve survived you need to celebrate with a powerful affirmation of life.

  Her low moan mixed with his hungry groan and then Sol spun them round and pressed her back to the wall, covering her with his body. His skin was so hot, his now familiar scent so delicious, and her whole being burned with need for him.

  She pushed Sol’s pants down while he pulled at her jeans with frantic tugs. Hannah was about to push him away so she could remove them when a tearing noise told her she didn’t need to worry. With a growl Sol lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him into her.

  Sol slid home with one single stroke, joining them together in one undeniable movement. He held her gaze while he took her with a savage intensity. Hannah had never been taken so hard, so thoroughly, and she loved it. Each thrust pushed out the horrors of her past; each thrust was a promise of the future they could have together.

  As Sol moved inside her Hannah felt her climax edge nearer, that tightness growing until it was almost unbearable. Sol’s face was tense with concentration; his eyes blazed with so much passion they almost glowed.

  Gazes locked, bodies moving as one, they came together, Sol’s cock pulsating as her inner walls clamped down on him. Hannah felt him come deep inside her, the sensation extending the pleasure washing through her, and they clutched each other tightly, locked together by the intensity of the moment, the world around them faded into nothing.

  When their release finally passed, they slumped together, faces buried in each other’s necks, chests rising and falling with panting breaths. Sol pulled back first, looking at her with something she thought might approach love.

  Love? Can that come so soon? Looking into his eyes she wasn’t sure, but right here, right now, she thought how much she wanted to stick around and find out.

  Sol lifted her from him, sliding out before lowering her down. Her legs were shaky, so she held on to him, drawing strength from the warmth of his body. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “I definitely can’t let you go now.”

  She laughed against him. “After that, I’m not sure I want you to.”

  He pulled back and lifted her chin up, tilting her face so he could look right into her eyes. “We can make this work, Hannah, I know it. I will be good to you. I promise.”

  She smiled up at him, feeling something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Peace.

  “We’re going to try.” Standing on tiptoe, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

  Sol rewarded her with a dizzying smile. “So what do you want to do now? We’ll have to go and see my people soon, and you’ll have to meet my parents of course, but we can put that off for a few days.”

  Thinking about meeting his parents made her nervous, but she pushed it aside for now. After all, they were technically on their honeymoon. The thought made her smile and she slid her arms around his neck. “Well, since we’re still in Vegas, let’s go wild.”

  “Fine with me.” With a husky laugh, Sol picked her up and began to carry her to the bed.

  She lightly punched his chest. “Hey, I didn’t mean more sex. I meant let’s hit the casinos or go see a show.” Her voice was indignant as she struggled against his hold, though her body hummed with excitement.

  Sol’s expression was smoldering as he looked down at her. “Believe me, Hannah, I’m the wildest thing in this town, and if wild is what my mate wants, then wild is what she’ll get.”

  Her mouth fell open, but looking up at him, she couldn’t deny his words. With his hair disheveled, his expression ablaze with lust, and his dark eyes flashing with need, he was the wildest, sexiest man she’d ever seen.

  With a contented sigh, Hannah stopped struggling. She pressed her hand to his bare chest, feeling the power that thrummed within him. Exciting, scary, and wonderful at the same time. She wasn’t sure what would happen in the future, but for now Hannah was happy to let Sol take her to bed and show her just how wild he could be.

  Other Books by SJ Thomas

  Available from Breathless Press

  In the Ravaged anthology

  Pleasure Bound

  In the Freaky Flashes anthology

  Strength’s Curse

  Coming Soon

  Alpha Chase

  Oh Christmas Tree

  BIOGRAPHY

  Writing sizzling paranormal romance and erotica and dark paranormal horror SJ Thomas has had short stories published in several anthologies and has a whole notebook full of ideas for future works. One Wild Vegas Night is her first stand alone release.

  SJ lives in the South West of England with her wonderful husband and a very spoilt Springer Spaniel. She has a full time day job so has to fit her writing in whenever she can, although like every author she would love to write full time one day. When not writing or working she loves to read and enjoys walking, geocaching and surfing badly.

  More details about SJ’s current and future works can be found at the following links and she is always happy to chat via Facebook or email.

  www.sjthomaswpr.weebly.com

  www.facebook.com/sjthomaswpr

  twitter@SJThomas25

  sjthomaswpr@hotmail.co.uk