by Dee Carney
“Are you scared?” Murphy’s expression grew intense, as if he relished the thought. “Your heartbeat is through the roof.”
As if she didn’t know. “I’m excited.”
He tilted her chin up with a gentle lift of his thumb. His head came down close to hers, their gazes connected. “Last chance,” he whispered, his mouth brushing against hers. “Last chance to go back to your family and find out what it might be like with a stranger.”
“I—”
“Or you can walk up the stairs with me and find out what it’s like to be with your mate.” He kissed her lightly again. “Your choice.”
Yeah, right. As if she had to think hard about that one. Although, with the way her breathing had begun to speed up, she might want to remember to keep oxygen high on her priority list.
She tried to take a step back and suck down some air, but Murphy’s arm shot out and wrapped around her waist. He pulled her body close to his, leaving her barely able to stand on her toes. Either she held on to his shoulders or off balance, a thought that amused her. She knew without a doubt he’d never let her fall.
He threaded his hands into her hair, his mouth capturing hers in a teasing bite. It was a hungry kiss, his tongue delving between her lips and tasting her. Sable met his ardor, her breathing growing labored as she fought for breath and to kiss him back.
She couldn’t claim to be the most experienced kisser in the world, but something about the way Murphy devoured her lips and the way she went back for more assured her this wasn’t an ordinary kiss. This wasn’t the kiss of the shy couple who pressed their lips together, still exploring, tentative and seeking. Not the kiss of bored partners who’d been down this road and sought the spark that was once there.
Murphy kissed her with lips and tongue, with a promise this wouldn’t be their last kiss, but the first of many. It spoke of tomorrow and forever.
“Give me a towel and ten minutes,” Sable murmured, dizzy with passion.
“You have seven minutes. Forget the towel. I’m part cat and will happily lick you dry.”
Sable had been in the process of pulling away from him, their fingers seconds from losing contact. When those words sunk in, however, she stilled.
“Murphy,” she said, fighting to keep the rising panic out of her voice. “What did you just say?”
He moved in close, his mouth skimming along her neck. A riot of goosebumps rose along her skin, but Sable ignored the shiver of delight that followed.
“I’m going to lick every inch of your skin and love every second of it. Starting—”
“No,” she said, heart pumping faster. “The part before that.”
If he was a cat, she’d know. Surely her wolf—her very aggressive, very hot tempered wolf—would have outright rejected a cat shifter as a friend. His home as a shelter turned down with swift vehemence. No way on the gods’ green earth, ever consider a cat as a mate. So surely, absolutely surely, she’d heard him wrong!
“I have no idea, minx.”
“You said something about…a cat?” Not a cat. Please not a cat. She’d take a were-platypus over a cat any day of the week.
“Yeah, I’m part cat.” He tugged on the knot resting between her breasts, the center point of the bikini top she’d designed. He started walking backwards and her traitorous feet followed. “My mother’s tiger.”
“Murphy.” Blood pounded in Sable’s ears, drowning out whatever else he might have said. Of all the reasons he’d given for the two of them not completing their mating, being a cat hadn’t ever crossed his lips. “How can you be a… cat?”
She couldn’t even keep the venom out of her voice when she said that word. Thieving beasts, those cats. This had to be the universe’s idea of a joke.
His eyes flashed yellow and Sable almost stumbled. She blinked hard, trying to discern if the change had been a trick of the light, but she’d been born a shifter. She knew better.
Somewhere beneath the gorgeous exterior of this rugged man, beat the heart of a rabid, feral cat.
Good heavens. What had she done to deserve this?
Uh oh.
Something he’d said set Sable on edge. One minute she’d been languid and soft in his arms and in the next, he could all but see the raised hackles on her neck. Did she have something against cats? That seemed to be the sticking point, as far as he could tell. Oh wait a minute…
He wanted to kick himself.
Why hadn’t it crossed his mind at all, that a wolf might not want to be mated to a cat? When her family found out, what kind of reception would the two of them receive? “Is something wrong?”
Eyes wide, Sable stared at him. He’d let her see his cat, although it tended to be the more submissive of his two beasts. She probably didn’t realize her lips had thinned, a pained expression on her face. A wolf mated to a cat. It wasn’t unheard of, but it offered its challenges.
“No,” she said after the longest pause of his life. “I guess not. I like a guy who’s a cat. It just caught me by surprise. I’ll get over it eventually, not that there’s anything to get over…except the fact you’re a cat, I guess.”
“Part cat.” This time he studied her expression even closer. If he detected even the slightest tremor because he was a hybrid, it would make all the difference in the world. He could understand the natural friction between felines and canines. The bigotry some pure-bred shifters showed to hybrid shifters was a different matter altogether.
“Are you ever going to tell me about the other part?” she asked and that smile, the same one that managed to grab his heart every time she flashed it, came out to play.
His reaction was no different this time. His pulse raced, his mouth watering at the prospect of claiming her. If she cared that he was hybrid, Murphy couldn’t tell.
“Later, when we’re curled up in bed, I’ll tell you the answer to anything you want to know. For right now though, you’ve got seven minutes in the shower before I come in after you.”
When she walked into his bedroom six minutes later—he’d kept his eyes trained on the clock—Murphy discovered she’d preemptively denied him the chance to dry her off himself. Not that it would stop him from licking her from head to toe.
He’d turned back the covers and partially closed the slats on the blinds to keep the lighting dim. A quick rinse in the guest bathroom for himself and by the time she approached the bed, he was ready. His cock had been at half-mast from the moment they’d separated and he made a mental plea with it to not scare her off with its enthusiasm before they’d begun.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” he said in awe as he studied her.
The tips of her hair were damp and curling. Her skin flushed after the heat of her shower. Even at this distance, he could appreciate the clean scent of her.
A blush spread across her cheeks. “You’re not too bad, yourself,” she said softly.
“I’ll try not to let your glowing compliments go to my head.” Sable giggled, moving closer. Murphy vowed to spend the rest of his life making her laugh. Such a scary thought, wanting to be with someone for the rest of his life, but not as frightening as it had once been. “Come here.”
She tucked the towel in tighter, but moved closer, her steps sure. Murphy rose from the bed to meet her half-way. He reached for the towel, tugging until it slackened and then fell around her feet. He moved in close again, needing to taste her lips.
Sable’s hands pushed beneath his t-shirt as he captured her mouth with his. Her nails raked across his skin, the sharp sensation arousing him even further. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, tasting the sweetness there.
Together, in a frenzy, they worked his shirt over his head. Sable shoved down the sweatpants keeping them separated. His cock touched his belly, the tip so sensitive already the air conditioned room caused him a measure of pain. He needed heat, her heat, to sink into for relief.
He hissed when her hand wrapped around his cock and slowly slid up and down. It was pure torture, one that made his b
alls pull up and his throat stop working. Her palm had to be made out of velvet, the silky smoothness of it designed for the most exquisite of pleasures. For a moment, he forgot she was a virgin. “Where on Earth did you learn to do that?”
“I still had access to the Internet and the ability to close my bedroom door. Am I doing it right?”
“Hell, you do that anymore and you’ll find out just how right.” He gritted his teeth, wanting to beg her to stop and at the same time, never to stop.
To distract himself, Murphy skimmed his hands over her breasts, reveling in the sound she made in the back of her throat. Part moan, part growl. He loved the way her nipples beaded beneath his attention, the color duskier now than when she wasn’t aroused. “These are perfect…you are perfect, Sable. I don’t know how the universe decides to choose our mates, but I have never been more grateful for it than now.”
She smiled before planting a soft kiss against his chin. “Now I am really going to try and keep that from going to my head. You’ve got one sweet tongue there, Mister.”
“The better to taste you with,” he said, before moving his hands to her waist. With gentle pressure he forced her to walk backwards until the backs of her legs hit the mattress. She squeaked when he pushed her with more force and the mattress had to catch her fall. It was a graceless landing, her thighs parted with just enough room for him.
Perfect.
Chapter Eight
Sable gasped, reaching for air, when Murphy’s mouth fell onto her delicate tissue. His tongue laved over her pussy, long swipes that left her shivering. Her fingers clawed the sheets before she reached for his head and pushed her fingers into the dark strands. He made a sound, something like a purr, that made his mouth vibrate against her sensitive skin.
Sensation zipped out from her clit as his teeth gently nibbled over the overwrought bundle of nerves. Her pussy squeezed in response, her thighs closing around his head. She rolled her hips, her lower body tightening, tightening, tightening. A pulse began in her lower belly, picking up speed and gaining more force. It pulsed hard and quick, waves building on each other faster and with more intensity.
Murphy’s fingers curled into her thighs and she knew without a doubt that he’d leave behind bruising, but gods knew she didn’t care. She cried out as the intense sensations became so much, too much. Her back bowed, her hips punched into the air. An orgasm rolled through her like lightening. “Murphy!”
Their fingers intertwined and she held on to him for dear life. Held on to him while she shattered into a million pieces. She sobbed his name, panting for breath. It lasted only seconds and it lasted forever.
“That had to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Murphy said in a tender voice that made goosebumps rise over her skin. Her mind had finally stopped swirling. Through hazy eyes, she looked down to watch him climb closer. He kissed her belly, the area between her breasts and then her neck on the way up. By the time his lips hovered above hers, her heart no longer threatened to kick out of her chest.
“I can’t feel my legs,” she replied, almost kidding.
Murphy chuckled. “The feeling’ll return in no time. Promise.”
She suddenly realized how well her body cradled his, the tip of his cock nudging her pussy. Sable stopped breathing for a moment, understanding of what was about to happen blindsiding her. “Murphy?”
“I’ve got you, minx. Just hold on to me.”
Looking into his eyes, her trust in him deepened. He gave her no reason to doubt that he wouldn’t take care of her when they mated for the first time. She opened up her heart to him, and waited to be claimed, the anticipation of claiming him in return almost overwhelming.
Sable swallowed hard as Murphy reached between her legs. “You’re so wet, Sable,” he whispered. He slowly pushed two thick fingers inside her and she had to take a deep breath. He curled his fingers and whatever spot he touched made her cry out. Increasing the pressure, he kept up the sweeping motion as Sable moaned.
His thumb slicked over her clit, which made her pussy squeeze around his fingers. At first timid about being on display before him, now she let her knees fall to the side so that he could keep up that exquisite sensation without interference from her. Liquid heat seemed to pool in her belly, but the more Murphy curled his fingers, the more relaxed she became, allowing the pleasure to wash over her.
He brought his head down to her breast, his tongue swiping at her nipple. It pebbled immediately and he began to tug on it with his mouth. Beneath a drowsy gaze, Sable went languid as she watched him.
Between the dangerous talent of his mouth, the incredible pressure increasing on her clit and the stimulation of her sweet spot, she lost focus. Blind to everything but the way Murphy played with her body.
Her breathing quickened, becoming rougher. Her hips rolled and the familiar rush, her heart pounding, pussy pulsing, it began all over again. The sensation in her belly, warm and all-consuming, started to overflow, spreading out and out. Murphy licked a hot trail from her breast to the dip at the base of her neck, her skin singed by his open mouthed kiss. “Oh gods, Murphy,” she moaned.
She lost the ability to think, to speak coherently after that. She was drowning beneath his touch, his kiss. Him.
She buried her face in his shoulder, her mouth falling open as sounds spilled from her. It was happening too much, too fast and she would die. Explode from the pleasure and then he was there, saving her. Saving her from shattering. Sable sobbed again as an orgasm ravaged her body. At the same moment, Murphy shifted his hips. He watched her face as he pushed forward, his cock finding entrance immediately. He filled and filled her with his cock, her spasming pussy pulling with greed.
She waited for the pain she’d read about in books, but none came. Instead she experienced an incredible fullness. Her eyes snapped to his, her mouth falling open as the fullness seemed to expand. Murphy continued to watch, saying nothing, his breathing even and paced above her.
“Breathe, Sable.” Murphy’s brown eyes were soft and observant. “I’ve got you.”
She nodded, her brow furrowing when at least Murphy seemed to go as far as he could. When he started to withdraw, the sensation, the loss, felt like it would fracture her. She moaned in protest and clutched his shoulders, pulling him closer.
“Shh.”
Before he left her all the way, Murphy pushed forward again and the familiar fullness returned. His pace began to quicken. He pulled her thighs higher on his hips, moved in at a new angle. He stroked inside her faster and faster, pounding into her with a force she didn’t believe possible. Suddenly her pussy began to quiver and Sable moaned, amazed it could happen again.
Her inner muscles began to contract over and over, going tight around him, gripping him harder. Murphy groaned, his mouth slanting over hers to muffle the sound. Their tongues tangled as Sable came, her hips jerking uncontrollably. “Mark me,” he cried out.
She didn’t need to be told a second time. Sable moved her mouth to the fleshy part of his shoulder, her mouth watering. Heart full of emotion, she bit down on the man she wanted to claim. He would be forever hers now.
He released an animal sound, his cock swelling inside her. Wet heat filled her pussy as Murphy’s entire body stiffened, his muscles tight. He shuddered as he spilled inside her while Sable stroked her hands over his back and sides.
For better or worse, he was hers.
Sable studied Murphy’s sleeping form from the doorway. She hated to leave him there, but the sun would be setting soon and if they wanted the car in working condition any time soon, she needed to get to it while there was still a little daylight to see by. He’d collapsed beside her on the bed and fallen asleep almost as soon as they’d finished earlier.
The romance books she’d read a long time ago told her there’d be pain and blood after her first time, but there had been neither. Only a few had mentioned the aching soreness that felt right. None had described the breathtaking sense of completeness that would keep her b
uoyed afterward.
Before drifting off to sleep, he’d told her he’d mark her as soon as she felt one hundred percent confident about being mated to him for the rest of her life. If he’d kept his eyes open, he would know she was already there. Nothing her family could offer her could rival the fulfillment she’d met with Murphy. The idea of marriage and children frightened her before, but it was the only kind of life she wanted with him.
As she quietly went outside, she shook her head, marveling at the way the universe had stepped in with a plan for her. Different from what her brothers and uncle wanted, and one she couldn’t see for herself. If she’d had any idea her mate waited for her outside of the clan, she’d have left years ago. Nothing before its time, must be.
She approached the Chevy, frowning, because hadn’t she left the hood open? They’d run off in such a hurry, he hadn’t really given her time to secure the car or the tools.
Sable stood in place, turning to scan the woods surrounding Murphy’s home. Nothing seemed amiss, no animals darting out of the trees in a desperate bid for escape. It really was peaceful out here.
It didn’t take a minute to pop the hood and get back under it after dragging over the toolbox. She fished out the flat head screwdriver again and got ready to remove a few of the wires. When she glanced over to the left though, every hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood straight up. The breath caught in her chest as she stumbled back a few steps.
The distributor cap was missing and she’d certainly had nothing to do with it.
Without the vital piece of equipment, the car wouldn’t start. Somebody had tampered with the engine while they were inside, rendering the car useless. She had a horrible feeling she knew who.