by Renee Rose
She wrapped her arms around her middle and thrust her jaw forward in a mild show of defiance.
He quelled it immediately by tugging her off the dresser and pulling his soft oversized shirt over her head. The low growling sound in his throat was all about her bare breasts, which he stared at with a hunger that renewed her confidence.
He snaked one arm around her waist and yanked her against his body at the same time he pinched one of her nipples between his fingers, hard.
She gasped in pain and surprise.
“Okay, princess. I’ll make you a deal. If you bend over quietly and hold your position like a good girl, I will go easy on you.”
“And if I don’t?” she croaked.
His jean-clad cock pressed against her belly, hard and thick. He slid his hand down from her waist to her ass and squeezed. “If you can’t hold still, then I’m going to tie you up with that rope over there. Because if I have to wrestle you, I will lose all control. You’ll end up with my cock buried between your legs and my teeth in your shoulder. Then you’d be stuck submitting to me for the rest of your life, and I don’t think either of us wants that.”
The pleasure of his intense desire died with his last words.
He didn’t want to be mated to her.
Of course he didn’t. He hated her. She was just a stuck-up, pain-in-the-ass human. They may have a physical attraction, but it ended there.
She shoved at his chest. “I would never let that happen.”
Cody grabbed her wrists and spun her around, holding them in the small of her back. “Rope it is.” Was there a tinge of glee in his voice?
A shiver ran down her spine.
He wound the rope around her wrists behind her, then led her to the bed, where he tossed the two pillows in the center. “Put your ass over those.” He smacked said anatomy.
She didn’t move. She’d already decided to make this difficult for him, consequences be damned.
“You love playing with fire, don’t you?” he growled and scooped under her knees, lifting her into the air. She half expected him to toss her on the bed, and braced for the impact of falling on her face without the use of her arms, but he crawled up on the mattress and dropped her gently on her side, then rolled her over the pillows. With one hand pinning her in place, he took her panties down and delivered a flurry of quick spanks.
She lost her breath at the sting, but the sound of his groan distracted her. He sounded like he was in pain.
Good. It served the bastard right. Let him suffer over the girl he didn’t want to mate but couldn’t keep his hands off.
He brought both hands to her ass and massaged her cheeks roughly, squeezing and opening her ass, then sliding his callused palms down the backs of her legs and taking her panties off her ankles.
“Move and I’ll double your punishment.”
Her bottom clenched reflexively. She wanted to move, wanted to keep fighting him, but his threat daunted her.
“Good girl.” He returned with the rope and tugged her left ankle wide, then secured it to the bedpost.
“What are you doing?”
He didn’t answer, but moved to her right leg, stretching it in the opposite direction and wrapping her ankle with tight coils of rope so that she lay in the humiliating position of her ass high in the air and her legs spread-eagled.
“This is supposed to keep me safe?” she blustered. “You’ve just made it easy to do anything you want to me.”
As if to underscore her fear, she saw his eyes had turned pale blue as he stared at her with bald hunger.
“Shouldn’t you be the one tied up?”
“That’s not how it works.” His voice had deepened and the bulge in his pants revealed his intense interest. He picked up his belt from the dresser and folded it in half. “I’m the dominant wolf, princess. That means you’re the one who gets tied up and whipped.”
* * *
But she was probably right. His vision had domed at the sight of her lying in such a provocative position, the pink heart of her sex exposed and spread wide, her juicy ass high in the air for his punishment. Lust rolled through in waves, making him dizzy.
But no. He had self-control. It was one of the many things he’d learned in the years since his father kicked him out of the pack. Drawing a deep breath, he rested one knee on the bed to get close enough and brought the belt down across Melissa’s ass.
She grunted into the bedcovers.
This was the part he didn’t like. Actually hurting his mate.
No. She wasn’t his mate. He didn’t know where that thought had come from. He just knew causing her true pain felt like ripping his own heart out. He didn’t want her to cry again, not when he’d already made her cry once that night. Hell, he didn’t want to bring her to tears ever again.
Gritting his teeth, he snapped the belt once more.
Her shoulders bunched up at her ears, making the muscles in her back stand out in cords. Beautiful. She was fucking gorgeous.
He steeled his chest and went on, figuring the sooner he got it over with, the better. He whipped her over and over again, tanning the lower half of her ass until it glowed red.
She clenched her cheeks together and struggled over the pillows, but he’d tied her without any slack, so she went nowhere.
He laid twenty strokes, then thirty. By thirty-five, her back shook with silent sobs and he smelled the first tear. He stopped abruptly, the scent of it lancing him with shards of ice. Kneeling close to her, he bent his head to her face, which she turned to hide in the covers. Her thick auburn hair fell across her features, but he nuzzled her through it, meeting her temple with his lips.
He stroked his hand in a slow circle between her shoulder blades, relieved when her breath slowed. Unable to resist, he dropped his hand to her ass, rubbing the welts.
She whimpered. He continued, squeezing roughly, his lids going heavy with the pleasure of owning her sweet little ass.
Her whimpers turned into a moan. The scent of her arousal hit him like a drug, sending a wash of heat over his entire body. When she lifted her ass for more, he had to suck in his breath to keep from claiming her.
He wasn’t about to untie her, not when the sight of her fulfilled every erotic dream he’d ever had. He picked up his belt again and wound the buckle end around his fist until he’d shortened the length to eight inches. He climbed to stand on the bed, straddling her waist and facing her ass. “Baby, when I tell you to get into position, what should you do?” He flicked the tip of the belt, whipping her right leg on the inner thigh.
She gasped, but didn’t answer.
“Hmm?” He slapped the leather against her thigh again, leaving a red mark just above the last one.
A gurgling sound came from her, but she still refused to answer. Proud, stubborn little wolf. Beautiful, intoxicating wolf. He whipped again, leaving red strap marks all the way up. When he neared her pussy, she finally cried out, “Cody!”
He slapped her pussy with the belt.
“Cody,” she screamed louder.
“Baby, I asked you a question.”
“Get into position,” she shrieked. “I should get into position.”
He slapped her pussy again, loving the wet kiss of moisture that came away on the leather. Her arousal fueled his lust close to the breaking point.
He whipped down the inside of her left leg.
“Cody… Cody, please.”
He fucking loved it when she begged.
“What do you need, baby?” He slapped her pussy with the belt again.
She wriggled her upper body, the only part of her able to move. “Oh, my God, Cody, please.”
“Tell me.” The belt connected with her pussy in a sharp little whack.
“You! I need you… inside me.”
The wolf in him roared and his vision domed. His jeans were down and off before he’d even taken a breath. Somehow, through the fog, he remembered to grab a condom from the bedside table.
Rip. Roll.
In the next second he’d buried himself, balls deep, without a thought to preparing her.
She gasped, her muscles tightening around him.
“Jesus Christ, did you just come?” His choked voice sounded far away.
“Yes,” she panted. “I’m good. Go on.”
He didn’t need any encouragement. With a surge, he rocked back and in. Her fucktastic ass was hot and soft underneath him, her channel so deliciously tight, wet, and warm.
She made the cutest little grunts every time he plowed into her, but they were pushing him over the edge.
He reached around and covered her mouth with his palm. “Hush, baby. Stop making those sweet little sounds or I will come unglued.”
She tongued his palm.
His teeth elongated.
No.
He lifted his head back and twisted his neck to turn it away from her, squeezing his eyes shut. “Don’t move,” he panted. “Don’t make a fucking sound… I just need… to finish.” But sliding in and out of her was too much. Her scent surrounded him, engulfed him. He roared, leaning on his knuckles beside her head, pounding his hips against her ass, hard and fast. His balls contracted. Stars danced before his eyes. The desire to sink his teeth into her shot through him as cum surged down his shaft. He opened his jaws wide, serum dripping from his teeth.
Somehow, he found the control to rear back, pulling out to stand on his knees behind her.
She whimpered at the loss.
“No sound,” he whispered hoarsely, fisting his pulsing cock. He pumped it twice before flicking off the condom and spilling his seed all over her beautiful red ass.
They panted together as his vision returned to normal. His lust had not diminished, but the urgency to mark her had eased. He reached down and smeared his cum over her ass, parting her cheeks and working it down into her anus with his thumb.
Her throaty cry had him hard again in seconds. He wanted to take her ass, but knew better. He had no control—he’d certainly hurt her. So he settled, instead, for working her back hole, massaging the ring of muscle until it relaxed to let him in.
She gasped, tensing, but he brought his middle and index finger to her soaking pussy and slid them inside. The moment he began finger fucking both holes, she began moaning. She arched, rubbing her face on the bed, twisting her bound hands around each other.
He pumped faster, dizzy from the satisfaction of pleasuring her. When he reached his free hand beneath her hips and rubbed her clit, she went off. Her scream pierced the air, echoing off the walls, nearly making him shift so he could join her howl.
Her internal walls squeezed his fingers, milking them over and over again. When she, at last, went limp, he eased them out and worked to untie the knot on the ropes.
“Beautiful girl,” he croaked, releasing her hands and moving to her feet. He bent and kissed the back of her calf as he freed one ankle, then the other.
She didn’t move.
He pulled on his jeans so his cock couldn’t get any smart ideas while they slept and crawled up beside her, tugging the pillows out from under her hips. “Come here, baby.” He pulled her against his chest, not sure whether she’d come willingly, but instinct demanding he try.
She allowed it, rolling into him and resting her head on his shoulder.
He stroked her long, beautiful mane and kissed her forehead. The actions were foreign to him—he’d never cuddled a woman in his life—yet they seemed so natural and right. The awareness of the soft lushness of her naked form tucked against his crept in like prickles of fire, disturbing the tender moment. His palm sought her breast and the prickles burst into full flames.
“I need to get some clothes on you,” he said gruffly, somehow managing to tear himself away from her. “Or I’ll have your legs spread all night.” He picked up his t-shirt from where he’d thrown it on the floor earlier and pulled it over her head.
Her expression stalled his heart. There was an openness there, a trusting wonder in her the way her big blue eyes gazed up at him. She’d surrendered to his care. The impact of it nearly dropped him to his knees. His hands shook as he tugged the covers up and climbed in beside her.
He cupped her face and ran his thumb down her cheek, marveling at how soft her skin was, how perfect and smooth.
“It must be hard to lead a pack.” Her words startled him.
He settled onto his back and pulled her up against his side, her head on his shoulder. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Half the time I wonder what in the hell I’m doing. I started out as the anti-leader. I was alpha because of my size and strength, but I had no interest in leading. I didn’t want to be like my father.” He couldn’t help the note of bitterness that came into his voice when he mentioned his dad.
“What was he like?” she asked softly.
He went rigid, his automatic instinct to shut down this line of questioning so familiar. But the conversation seemed important. The moment had weight. And he was so goddamn tired of the push-pull between him and Melissa that he didn’t want to return to that.
“He’s a hard-ass. Kicked me out of the pack at age sixteen for something I hadn’t even done.”
Melissa’s breath had stopped. She ran a hand lightly over his chest, her nails scraping through the hairs and sending shivers down his arms. “What did he think you did?”
“A girl got pregnant. She miscarried and her parents found out. She told them I was the father.”
Melissa’s hand went still. “And you weren’t?”
He rubbed his face and sighed. “I wasn’t. But I’d had sex with her older sister, which is probably what made her think to throw me under the bus. I admit I was a hellion. Shifter hormones are worse than a human’s and mine were raging. I couldn’t keep out of trouble. My father and I were always at odds, so I guess it was the final straw for him.”
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t have more than ten bucks in my wallet and the clothes on my back. I ran to lower elevation. I grew up in Estes Park. The entire town population is shifters—bet you didn’t know that.” He grinned, twisting to look at her.
Her return smile stopped his heart. “I had no idea.”
“I lived as a wolf in the wild for a few weeks, hunted for food. But it’s dangerous to stay in wolf form too long. You lose your mind—become savage. I eventually hitchhiked into Greeley and got a live-in job on a ranch there. Then found my way onto a construction team.”
“And then you moved here?”
“Yeah. Eight years ago. There were only five shifters here then. The pack is still small.”
“Have you seen your dad since?”
His throat tightened. “Yeah. He knows I’m here. I went home a couple times to see my siblings. It was tense, but we survived it. He wants me to bring my pack up to the games they host this year.”
“Are you going to?”
He shrugged. “I don’t want to, but I’m thinking about it. It might be nice for the pack—to meet some females for mating.”
Melissa’s open expression shuttered and he wished he hadn’t said that. “Not for me,” he amended quickly. “I have no interest in breeding at the moment.” But that wasn’t true. He had a shit-ton of interest, but only in breeding the little human beside him.
He thought of his father and his pack of nearly one thousand wolves. He’d always been tense and angry. Always dealing with some crisis.
“Honestly, I hated him for a long time, but I guess I can see how embarrassing it must have been for the alpha’s son to be the one running amok. No wonder he threw me out.”
“But you didn’t do it,” Melissa burst out, leaning up on her forearm. “Why would he believe someone else’s word over his own son’s? And who cares if you embarrassed him? He should care more about you than looking good in front of his pack.”
Something dislodged in Cody’s chest. Something that had long been frozen and immovable shifted around. He couldn’t speak past the knot in his throat. Melissa’s passionate defense of him felt too d
amn good. And quite probably undeserved.
“Did he ever believe you didn’t do it?”
“Yeah. I think the girl came forward after I’d been banished. The guilt weighed on her, you know. Or maybe she stopped caring about protecting whoever had knocked her up. My younger sister tried to find me, then, but I stayed in the human world, where they had no connections. Not until word got around about a little pack in Colorado Springs did they figure out what had happened to me.”
“You should forgive him.”
* * *
She shouldn’t have said it. It wasn’t any of her business.
Cody’s head jerked up in surprise.
“I won’t forgive him, but you should. He sounds like an asshole, but he’s still your dad.”
Cody’s eyes traced her face and for the first time, she saw genuine fondness there. He smiled. “I’ll take that on advisement, Dr. Phil.”
She laughed. “Well, if you don’t, it’s just hanging on you, not him. It becomes your limitation.” Yeah, she was pulling a Dr. Phil, but she happened to know a lot about moving past trauma and getting on with your life.
“What do you know about it?”
She shrugged. She didn’t really want to get into the whole PTSD thing now. Not when she felt so wonderful lying in Cody’s arms. Her limbs were weak and rubbery from the two orgasms and she was high on all kinds of endorphins. Her ass still throbbed from the whipping—that part had been awful—but now she didn’t mind the after effects. The heat and sting somehow mingled with the aftershocks of her recent climaxes to make the pain almost pleasurable.
He tugged a lock of her hair. “I have ways of making you talk.”
“Oh, yeah?” Her voice sounded breathless, seductive. Not at all what she’d intended. “What torture would it be?”
“Forced orgasms. All night long. My tongue on your clit, my thumb in your ass, owning you until you begged and pleaded for me to stop.”
The choked sound that came out of her mouth was a failed attempt at laughter, but her body heated, nipples stiffening, pussy growing slick and warm. Because she honestly didn’t think she could take any more orgasms, she opted for the truth.