by E A Price
“Oh, I agree,” he breathed deeply and with feeling, “I’m just imagining my beautiful Saint Ariel using it.”
“Don’t call me that,” she muttered. “Don’t call me that now.”
“Why not?”
Ariel shrugged. She didn’t want to ruin the mood, but she was a little peeved at the nickname. “It’s silly. People call me that to make fun of me.”
Mal let out an animalistic hoot that had her reindeer quivering. “I don’t care about other people.” She squeaked as he pushed a finger inside her. “Saint Ariel is sexy, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”
She moaned as he pushed another digit inside. He leaned over and kissed her, and gratefully, she clasped his shoulders, pressing her fingers into his silken, hard body. Her toes curled as he twirled his fingers inside her.
Mal groaned against her lips, and her beast scented his growing arousal. It was so incredible to think that this sexym, handsome male was attracted to her – that he wanted her. He could have had just about any female in the herd – and yet, he wanted her. Holy moly – maybe Saint Ariel was sexy!
His fingers were careful, slowly exploring, slowly opening her sex. Ariel found herself rocking against them, clenching her inner muscles, hoping he would move faster, wishing his fingers were longer! Maybe she was innocent to men, but she had enjoyed plenty of orgasms. It was just that the kindling inside her, the stirring pleasure had never been so wonderfully intense. Her limited experience was nothing compared to the feelings he awakened with merely his fingers. Inner muscles, inner sensitive spots she never knew existed roused as his fingers caressed them.
Mal pushed another finger inside, and she rippled in delight. She ran her fingers down his chest, dancing over his scars, marveling at the acreage of taut muscles, loving the way he trembled under her touch. She delved through the dusting of chest hair, and traveled down, down, down…
He groaned and released her mouth. His free hand clasped one of her wrists. “Take it easy, baby,” he purred.
“Hmm?” Words were not easy given what his other hand was doing.
“Been a while for me – I’m kind of on the edge.”
She circled his navel with a finger of her free hand. “How long?”
“A few years… maybe five. Maybe since our kiss,” he admitted, casually and without a hint of embarrassment.
“Five?” she gasped. “But that’s so long!”
Mal laughed. “You haven’t been with anyone since we met either.”
“But I’m me, and you’re you!”
“Glad we got that sorted out,” he teased. He freed her wrist and used his hand to circle her waist, pulling her to the edge of the couch, pulling her closer to him. His hand rested on her rear, lightly caressing her cheeks.
Her shock at hearing that Mal – walking sex on legs – had been celibate since he kissed her gave way to a certain amount of pleasure. He really hadn’t wanted to be with anyone since her. Both woman and beast were thrilled. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had, wouldn’t have made a difference to her, but still, she felt her adoration of him grow even stronger.
“You’re amazing,” she muttered and pressed another kiss to his lips.
“Baby, you amaze me.” He grinned and kissed her again.
Gently, he removed his fingers, and she shuddered in expectation. She was surprised that she wasn’t more nervous – she had a panic attack before she took her driving test. But she wasn’t nervous about this and didn’t worry that she wouldn’t be good enough. She knew that no matter what, this would be wonderful. For once, she had no doubts about herself.
He grasped his sex, giving it a long pull. “Just let me know if I’m hurting you.”
“Oh you won’t, my vibrator is huge.” Ariel gave herself a mental slap – she really needed to run things through her head before she said them out loud.
Mal chuckled. “Good to know – I will try to live up to my predecessor.”
Ariel smoothed her hands over his chest, shaking her head. “I’m sorry.” Lord, she was such a dork.
“Don’t be.” His eyes flickered up and down her flushed body. “I reckon my ego can take it.”
He pulled her slightly closer to him, shuffling her to where he wanted her. She cooed as the blunt tip of his manhood kissed her entrance. His magnificent chest rose and fell, and she could feel the rapid beat of his heart under her fingertips.
“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed as he pushed inside her.
She hissed as every glorious inch of him determinedly pressed into her body. Every inch of her trembled, reveling in the almost unbearable fullness. The feeling of being joined with him was amazing, so much more than anything she had ever experienced. Her heart bloomed with love, and oh, she wished they could be like this forever.
Mal exhaled in satisfaction as he came to rest inside her fully. He ran his hands over her thighs and pressed kisses to her shoulder.
“S’good,” she muttered dazedly.
“Very good,” he agreed in amusement as he gently nipped her neck.
He pulled his hips back and gently pressed inside again, eliciting a strangled moan from her as her body rippled in satisfaction. Mal needn’t have been worried; there was no pain here. No, the feelings he gave her were blissful.
He did it again, and again and again, slowly stroking inside her as his hands kneaded her thighs, and his lips grazed her neck. Her hands roamed free over his chest, delighting in finally managing to get her greedy little hooves on him, and determined to take her fill of him.
Goodness, this was so much better than she could have imagined. Obviously, she had found her pleasure before, but it had been born of a mechanical need. It had never been this sweet. There had never been this slow burn, this determinedly unhurried build up to it. She could feel her climax stirring, readying as her arousal grew towards it. But this was no race; there was no urgency to get there – to the ultimate prize. No, it was the journey, and it was just as important as the destination.
Ariel giggled at her thoughts, and Mal lifted his head to look at her, a tender look on his face that was so alien and yet so perfect on him.
She grasped his shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss. He groaned against her lips, and she felt a subtle shift in his body. His muscles tensed a little more under her fingers, and his hips moved a little more quickly, a little more forcefully.
Mal hitched her thighs around her waist; and taking the encouragement, she locked her legs around him. His hand moved to her ass, and she giggled against his lips, pulling away and smiling.
“I can’t believe Malachi Jones, enforcer and hunter, is touching my butt,” she breathed.
“I can’t believe Ariel Connors, herd princess and saint, is letting me touch her gorgeous butt,” he rumbled.
Ariel preened. “Not as gorgeous as yours,” she retorted. Feeling brave, she slipped her hands round to touch his rock-hard behind.
Mal’s jaw dropped in mock-surprise. “I can’t believe Ariel Connors is touching my butt!”
She laughed and kissed him again. He leaned a little closer to her, and her hands moved to his back, pulling him as close as possible, trying to lock him against her body. He couldn’t thrust as deeply as before, but he was driving into her more forcefully, stoking the kindling fire inside her, making her body quiver as he touched those wonderfully sweet spots.
Ariel wished she could last a little longer, wished it could go on and on, but both her body and her beast were now hurtling toward their completion, begging for release. She could feel her body tensing, her inner muscles tightening. Mal could feel the change in her too. He hissed, and his hips moved almost violently as he determinedly rocked against her.
Her fingers pressed into his back with bruising force as her body started shaking. The delirious pleasure and the growing tension were almost too much to bear. Control slipped away from her as she careened towards her heavenly end. Then, it washed through her and she was flying.
Her inne
r beast howled as Ariel cried in happiness and Mal roared to his own end. Whatever else was happening, or was going to happen, at that moment, everything was perfect.
Chapter Nineteen
Mal stroked his fingers up and down Ariel’s arm. Her skin was almost unbelievably soft; it was beautiful to the touch. She wriggled a little in his arms and smiled.
They had zipped their sleeping bags together, but finding themselves a little warm, they were merely laying on top of them. He definitely preferred that – it really was a crime to cover her loveliness. He now wondered how he had managed to not leer at her at every herd run they attended. He certainly wouldn’t be doing the polite, oblivious thing in the future – no siree!
He couldn’t believe no other male had wanted her – well, other than Hollis who was a little nuts. He didn’t care whether she was a virgin or not before him – it made no matter what she did before she met him. But he cared what happened after. Since he met Ariel, he hadn’t been with another female; he couldn’t bring himself to do it, not when his thoughts and desires were all for her. But he always assumed she would meet someone; that she would get over whatever she felt for him. She was so young when they met – he thought she would grow out of it. But that never happened. She was consistently sweet, consistently kind, and consistently his apparently.
Mal stiffened and looked up as he heard a sound outside. His reindeer hooted, but on sniffing the air, he relaxed.
“What was it?” murmured Ariel.
“Possum.”
“Hmm.”
Mal kissed the spot below her ear. “You can sleep if you want.”
He wasn’t planning on sleeping until the hunters arrived. Plus, he was enjoying having her naked and in his arms – he didn’t want to waste time sleeping when he could be doing that instead.
“I will, soon, I’m just enjoying myself right now.”
Mal and his reindeer grunted in agreement.
“Hungry?”
“Hmm, a little.” Ariel turned back to look at him, a mischievous look on her face. “Do we have any marshmallows left?”
He hooted with laughter and caught her lips for a kiss, but within seconds, he pulled back abruptly. His reindeer stomped his paws.
Ariel’s face flickered in confusion. “What?”
“I hear a vehicle.”
He held painfully still, listening, and waiting. He hoped it was just park rangers going about their business – and would, therefore, move on. Alas, the vehicle stopped outside their cabin.
Mal groaned. “Someone’s here.”
“The hunters?”
Yes, he wanted the hunters to turn up – but seriously, what kind of crappy timing was this? Though, it may not be them…
“Maybe.”
He got to his feet and pulled Ariel up. She scampered to her bag, while he scrambled for his. She dragged out an oversized t-shirt while he found his gun.
“How did you know you’d need your gun?”
Mal shrugged. “Couple of nights with Burke – seemed likely I would.”
Ariel grinned, but her beatific expression vanished at the sound of pounding on the door. His reindeer howled in agitation while Mal sniffed and almost gagged at the abundance of cologne. He had never met a hunter who would go around wearing that much scent – too much perfume would get them noticed by suspicious shifters. Most hunters tended towards the other end of scent scale – when on a hunt, bathing happened on a very irregular basis.
“Get behind the couch,” he ordered.
She did as she was told, no arguments. Someone banged again.
Mal pointed his gun at the door. “Who is it?” he yelled. Anything short of a hunter identification code would result in a bullet through the door and possibly some vital organ.
“Hollis,” came the reply.
“Hollis?” His reindeer huffed, urging him to take the shot. Could it be that Teena was right about Hollis – was he a more significant threat than Mal had considered? Maybe he really was out of practice where hunting was concerned.
“Hollis?” repeated Ariel from behind the couch.
“Ariel, I need to talk to you. I’m sorry about what happened, and I really don’t want…”
“Now isn’t a good time!” shouted Ariel.
Hollis, as seemed to be his usual behavior, was not to be put off so easily. “I need to see you, babe. You need to know that I still…”
Mal grunted. He did not want to listen to this, even if it was only a ruse to get into the cabin. Quickly, he slipped over to the door, and promptly, unlocked it, hauling Hollis inside, tossing the irritating male to the floor.
If Hollis was calculating or dangerous he was doing an excellent job of covering it up – as he sprawled on the floor with a mangled bouquet clutched in his hand, he appeared quite harmless. Still, Mal had a gun trained on him – Hollis could just be very good at seeming like an idiot.
On noticing that Mal was holding a gun, Hollis let out a loud swear. On seeing that Mal was naked, his eyes bulged, and he let out an even louder swear.
“Is everything okay?” asked Ariel, the top of her head peeked above the couch, and on seeing Hollis, she slowly rose to her feet.
“No, it is not!” howled Hollis. He waved his arm around, making flower petals fly. “Why is he naked? Why are you only wearing a t-shirt? What is going on here? Are you cheating on me?”
“Hollis, we’re not a couple,” said Ariel slowly.
Mal tightened, surprised as his chest squeezed painfully on hearing that – even if they had never gotten close to being a couple.
“So it’s just sex then!” spluttered Hollis. “You’re not even together!”
Ariel rolled her eyes. “Hollis I meant that you and I,” she waggled her finger between the two of them to try and make it as clear as possible, “are not a couple. We never were, and as you recall, I told you I didn’t want to mate you.”
Mal was once again surprised to find himself relieved to hear this.
“Well, what about you and him?” sneered Hollis, jutting his chin at Mal in what Mal imagined was supposed to be threatening, but was more like cartoon-villain amusing.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Well, I don’t see how our relationship can withstand what you’ve done.”
He started a litany of complaints about what he could have done to deserve such a mean girlfriend as Ariel – it was all nonsense of course.
Ariel caught Mal’s eye and gave him a helpless look; neither of them was listening to Hollis. Mal lowered his gun. He could definitely see this guy getting locked up – for stalking and trying to date women against their wills, but he didn’t seem like the type to silently sneak up on Ariel and attack her from behind. By the sounds of it, he couldn’t do anything silently.
Mal was considering his options, or rather he was planning on literally throwing Hollis out the door when fear slithered down his spine.
He growled and dove toward Ariel, knocking her to the ground, covering her with his body while bullets ripped through the window. Screaming permeated the cabin – all courtesy of Hollis. Ariel, beneath Mal, merely panted and clutched at him.
“What the hell is wrong with you people?!” cried Hollis.
The shooting stopped, and they heard Hollis scramble through the cabin and slam the door to the bathroom, locking it behind him.
Mal raised his head, scanning the cabin for bullet holes. The shooter didn’t have sight of them, so either they had thermal goggles – something much more sophisticated than he gave the crow shifters credit for – or they were aiming, wildly given that the direction of the bullets. He would guess wild aim.
His inner reindeer howled. “Stay here,” ordered Mal.
Ariel gasped, and he thought she would argue, but she didn’t, she just donned a determined look and nodded. Ariel wasn’t about to waste time for that sort of thing – she knew he wouldn’t change his mind. She was practical and sensible, and yeah, he loved her for it.
Ma
l didn’t want to waste time either, but he allowed himself a short kiss from her – it could be their last. Then, he jumped to his feet and ran to the cabin door. His reindeer hooted at the sound of retreating footsteps.
He grunted and threw himself through the door. Urgency and fury propelled him on. There was no love of the chase, no delight in the hunt; there was only determination to catch and stop whoever had dared threaten Ariel’s life.
If this had been a regular hunt, he would have been severely disappointed by just how quickly he caught them. Sure, they were fast, and they covered a fair distance, but he took them down in less than a minute.
His reindeer hooted as he loomed over the fallen body of… who the hell was this? He grasped the young female by the back of her sweater and hauled her up, dangling her as she scowled and hissed at him. She was a shifter, but not a crow; nope, she was a moose.
“Who the hell are you?” demanded Mal.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she gritted, pure loathing seeping out of every inch of her.
“Yes, that’s why I asked,” he said wearily.
How many times had he caught someone and they said something idiotic back to him? How many times had he gone through this? She tried to kick him in the groin and resignedly, he held her a little further away from him. He had loved his life as a hunter, and had desperately wanted to get back to it – but, maybe, he was actually a little tired of it.
Her eyes flickered back to the direction of the cabin, and she gave him a supremely smug look. “My name’s Danielle Evans.”
Both man and beast froze at the name. Shit.
Chapter Twenty
Ariel glanced at the locked bathroom door. It didn’t seem like Hollis was coming out any time soon – not that she was sure Hollis would be any good in this situation anyway. She squirmed against her captor, but all that resulted in was a sharp jab to her side with the gun he was holding.
Her reindeer hissed and groaned at the same time. Ariel had started making a desultory attempt at tidying the cabin – something to take her mind off of whatever was happening to Mal – when this big ape grabbed her from behind. Big ape wasn’t accurate; she could scent this guy was a moose shifter. She wished she couldn’t scent him – he clearly hadn’t washed in days. Ugh, she would need an hour-long shower to get rid of the body odor he was brushing up against her. If Hollis ever got out of the bathroom, that is.