by Lexi C. Foss
“Um, I suppose.” Camilla’s placid, dark brown eyes went back and forth between Rowan and me a couple of times before settling on me. “I thought you wanted someone more like yourself. To have a calm, quiet, peaceful life. Why would you choose to imprint with someone like her?”
Rowan growled and Camilla’s eyes widened, but she didn’t back up this time. Hmmm, maybe she wasn’t as non-confrontational as I thought. Still, Rowan would kick her ass up and down the block without breaking a sweat, and that was without her magic. My wolf recognized the tone from this woman who, though he hadn’t cared about her before, was now considered a threat to our mate. And it pissed him off.
“Relax, Rocky,” Rowan whispered suddenly. “And it’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’. Not Wolf.”
She’d spoken so low that only Emerald and I would have heard her if there weren’t multiple shifter ears in the room. Of course, it was more than likely that Rowan hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud. It was adorable and something that never failed to amuse me. Emerald snickered, and I shook my head with a smile, but Camilla glanced at me with wide-eyed shock that clearly asked what the fuck I was doing with a crazy person. It was an appeal that most wouldn’t understand, but the only person who mattered to me was Rowan; I didn’t have any fucks to give about anyone else.
I laid my hand on my mate’s shoulder in a gentle request that she let me take over. Her taut muscles immediately loosened, and she relaxed into me with her back resting against my chest, then she was still.
“Sometimes we don’t know what we truly want until we get a glimpse of what we are missing. Rowan is everything I’ll ever want and so much more than I deserve.”
Camilla’s mouth turned down at the corners and she glanced at Rowan doubtfully. “You must not be seeing things clearly, Jax. I know you’re mad at me, but—"
Rowan and Emerald both hissed in outrage and Rowan’s body jerked forward, but I was prepared and already had a firm grip on both of her shoulders so I could hold her back. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought the sound my wolf made was a laugh…
I kissed her temple and waited, hoping she would continue to stand down. After a few seconds, she gave me the slightest of nods and I nuzzled her neck in thanks. Then I lifted my head to look into the timid eyes of a woman who would have made my life boring and complacent. I wasn’t sure if I would have even noticed without meeting Rowan, but now, I shuddered to think of it.
“I’m not mad at you, Camilla,” I stated without inflection.
“But then why—"
“I think it’s better if you stop talking before you piss off my mate any further,” I warned, and she smashed her lips together. “I would have to care about you to be mad. I don’t feel anything but relief because I know we would have been unhappy together.”
Camilla’s eyes filled with tears and Rowan groaned “V zhopu,” at the same time that Emerald mumbled, “For the love of unicorns and their babies…”
My patience was officially at its end and all I wanted was to throw my mate over my shoulder and carry her up to the bedroom and not come out for at least seventy-two hours.
“To be clear, Camilla, I would imprint with Rowan in a heartbeat, but as she is my true mate—"
“True mate?” Camilla gasped dramatically.
Rowan and Emerald both sighed with clear annoyance and as I beheld the woman I’d almost sentenced myself to spend eternity with, it felt like a curtain began to drop from around her. It wasn’t all an act; she was a submissive wolf and avoided confrontation, but she was also cunning and manipulative. Well, fuck. I felt like the biggest idiot in two realms. And thank fuck I’d found Rowan. True mate or not, there would never be anyone that compared to her.
“Yes,” I snapped as my patience began to disappear. Camilla looked taken aback, which wasn’t surprising since I was known for being objective and having nearly endless patience. I mentally shrugged. So, she could be the first to get used to the real me because I didn’t feel that Rowan had made me a new man.
No, she’d wormed her way in and uncovered who I really was. I’d never be as energetic or outspoken as her, but that was one of the many reasons we fit. We complemented each other, giving our lives balance. And at the moment, all I wanted was for Rowan to be balancing on her hands and knees while I buried myself in her over and over again until she was begging me to bite her and take the next step in bonding.
“True mate. And as you know, the mating urges are unbearable, so unless you’d like to stick around and listen to my mate scream in ecstasy, I suggest you walk out the door.”
“And don’t come back,” snarled Rowan, the threat in her tone unmistakable. When a lavender haze began to shimmer around her, I knew Rowan was losing her temper and Camilla needed to leave immediately.
Emerald stifled a laugh, but she obviously came to the same conclusion because she walked over to the stunned female wolf and began ushering her to the door. She waved us away and grinned at Camilla with blatant glee when she drawled, “Go ahead. I found a theater room with headphones and a cabinet full of snacks. So, feel free to be loud and break shit while you’re fucking like animals.” Then she snorted. “Like animals. Wasn’t even on purpose.”
Rowan waggled her fingers in a gesture of farewell, then they stopped moving and lavender light shot from her hand, slamming the door in Camilla’s face.
Emerald burst out laughing as Rowan spun around and grabbed a fistful of my shirt in the center of my chest. She began to pull it as she hurried up the stairs. “Let’s go, wolf.”
I followed obediently, allowing her to think she was in charge for the moment. That would change once we reached the bedroom.
32
Rowan
Waves of intensity were radiating from Jax as we entered the spacious bedroom. I let go of his shirt and glanced around in search of one thing. I would take time to look around and explore later. All I cared about right now was the bed.
The declarations that Jax had made filled me with more emotion that I knew how to handle. The timing of the suchka’s little visit could have been better, but it had been amusing, especially when my magic was shadowboxing and singing the theme song to Rocky III and begging me to ring the bell.
The positive repercussion of her visit was that it had solidified my decision about Jax, and now it was time to share it with him. I’d only ever heard about shifters and the process of mating, but I knew that the patience he’d displayed in his pursuit of me was unusual and it was doubtful I’d ever be able to express how much that had affected my choice. The draw to Jax was strong, my desire for him unnervingly so, but the simple truth was that I wasn’t a shifter. So, the impact wasn’t nearly as forceful. If I did not possess feelings for him beyond the natural instincts of the mating bond, walking away would be far less painful for me. However, my heart had come to desire Jax along with my body.
I wanted to give him all of those words, but the ardent call of my lust had fast clouded my mind of all thoughts except the most primitive cravings. My skin was so sensitive that even the rustle of my clothing against it felt like sandpaper. Jax caught me around the waist, hauling me up against his chest, and my breath caught in my throat. He was big and hard…everywhere. The trapped air rushed from my lungs when Jax splayed one huge hand over my stomach, the other cupping my hip, and pressed his hardness into my lower back. His mouth went straight to his mark as though an invisible force drew him there. He licked it and his hands tightened, making my heart race as tingles spread out from that spot to every inch of my body.
“What do you want, baby?” Jax’s sudden question threw me off-guard.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He ran his tongue over the bite again. “Yes, you do.”
Then the hand on my stomach slid lower and into my pants, just far enough for his pinky to brush over my mound. The other one caressed my skin as it moved up to rest just below the curve of my breast.
“What do you want?”
“Yo
u,” I breathed.
“Very good, baby.” His lips were soft against my ear as he spoke, and the warmth of his breath sent heat to my core. I wouldn’t have thought the ear was an erogenous zone…but I’d never expected to be exactly where I was in the first place. So, what the fuck did I know about anything?
“You want me to fuck you?”
My pussy flooded with arousal and Jax inhaled deeply, clearly aware of and enjoying the scent. Since that pretty much said it all, I didn’t give him a verbal reply.
He wasn’t satisfied with that. “Answer me, Rowan.”
His tone brooked no argument, but there was something else there. Jax was a dominant wolf, very dominant, and I suspected that as he lost control, he would demand my submission. A very strong part of me bucked at the idea. I didn’t cower for anyone, didn’t submit to anyone, and no one could truly break me.
But the other part knew that I would have to give up the iron grip I had on my control if this was going to work. And I wanted it to work. I wanted Jax.
And though I felt like it shouldn’t, the truth was that his dominance was sexy as fuck and it made me want to give him anything he asked for.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Rewarding me for my obedience, he cupped my sex and passed a finger back and forth over my sensitive bud. Sensations burst from those nerves and ignited a fire in my core. I moaned and grabbed onto his forearms as I wiggled restlessly
“Do you want me to own you, baby?”
I stomped on my instinct to snap that no one owned me. He tweaked my nipple as I gasped, “Yes.”
“Good girl. I’m going to give you what you want, baby. Just tell me one more thing.”
“For the love of all that is magical,” I complained. “You’re fast losing my interest, wolf.
Jax laughed and his hand stole into my underwear before dragging a digit up through my slit. I whimpered with need and he nibbled on my ear before speaking in a mocking tone, “The state of your drenched pussy says you’re lying, Rowan. You know, it’s not really fair that you aren’t held to the same standard as you hold everyone else. I think you might need to give me two more promises.”
Something I didn’t recognize inside me was pushing me hard to agree. I was wound tight from all the teasing the last few days and I was near desperate to have Jax inside me. “Just tell me.”
“Do you want me to bite you and claim you, Rowan? To brand my mark on you permanently?”
That was a no-fucking-brainer. “Yes. Bozhye moi, yes!”
“Don’t beg God, baby. Beg me.”
“Jax,” I growled. “I want you. I want to be yours. I want you to claim me. Now fucking do it!”
He took his hands away from my body, which was the opposite reaction I was going for. I threw him a nasty glare over my shoulder, but he simply smirked. “Weapons,” he stated.
Ah, that made sense.
There was a long, beautifully carved dresser on the wall next to the door and I began unstrapping my stakes as I moved toward it. After a few minutes, the top was covered with guns, knives, stakes, and all my other slayer accoutrements. Completely unarmed, I turned back to Jax who was watching me through hooded eyes. He’d removed his shirt, shoes, and socks, but he still wore his jeans, though they were unbuttoned.
“Yo-moyo, you’re hot,” I blurted, then rolled my eyes at myself while Jax chuckled.
His clear blue eyes roamed over me appreciatively. “My sentiments about you exactly. Now, lose the clothes, baby,” he ordered.
I raised an eyebrow and sassed, “Are you expecting a striptease?”
He met my gaze and I read the need and hunger in his features and my body responded in kind. “I’m way past playing, Rowan. I’m going to taste you. Then I’m going to fuck you. And then, I’m going to claim you. After which, we are going to do it all again. And again. Until I am sated enough to take you slow and easy and worship every inch of your delectable body.”
I had no objections to his plan, so I bent down and removed my boots before taking off my jacket and tossing it onto the floor in front of the dresser. My tunic, bra, pants, and underwear quickly followed. When I stood before him completely naked, save for my amulet resting between my breasts, I was stunned by the intensity of his gaze. I’d never seen such ravenous hunger directed at me in my entire existence. Everywhere he looked, I felt scorched and I wondered if it was the same for him. Because I had the same ferocious desire coursing through me.
“So fucking gorgeous,” Jax rasped, his voice suddenly full of grit. “On the bed.”
Willingly, I followed his direction, but I gave a pointed glance to his pants as I sashayed by.
The bed was so large, you could have fit five of me quite comfortably, but for a giant like Jax, it was much more size appropriate. Luckily, it was low to the ground, though I still had to climb up onto it. I settled in the middle and lay down. An epic sigh tumbled out of my mouth as I closed my eyes and snuggled into the most heavenly mattress in the universe. “If I hadn’t already agreed to be your mate, this would have sealed the deal,” I said with another deep inhale and exhale.
A strangled sound from beside me had my eyes opening languidly. I turned my head and gasped. Jax was standing at the side of the bed, his chest heaving, his hands clenched at his sides, and his wild eyes were melted gold. His wolf was so close to the surface, I wasn’t sure how much of Jax remained. He was devouring me with his eyes, his stare so intense that it caused shivers and a fresh rush of wetness between my thighs.
“That sound,” he growled as his eyes briefly flashed with blue. “I want to hear it again.”
I opened my mouth, but snapped it shut when he gave me a sharp shake of his head. “Not now.”
Never taking his eyes off of me, he grasped the open flaps of his jeans and pushed them down. Once he’d kicked them off, he straightened, and I had my first glimpse of his long, thick shaft as it stood erect against his stomach.
“Nichyevo sebe,” I wheezed, a little short of breath. Wow was the only word that made it from my brain to my mouth. Every bit of Jax’s muscled, sculpted body was mouthwatering, including his hard, swollen cock. I wanted to lick it, taste it, ride it, and have it slamming inside me until I screamed.
“Spread your legs, Rowan,” he suddenly commanded in a deep, guttural voice. Once I’d complied, he ran the tips of two fingers from my ankle up to the sheen of arousal coating my thigh. Then he brought the digits to his mouth and sucked them clean. I was so aroused, I attempted to close my legs, intending to squeeze them together to relieve some of the ache. But Jax’s hand came down hard and clamped around my calf in an inescapable grip. He emitted a low, rumbling growl and any blue that had been in his eyes was gone, leaving behind the savage gold orbs of his wolf. As Jax climbed onto the bed, there was a predatory quality to his movements. Like an animal hunting its prey, trying not to spook them, but ready to pounce at the first sign of escape.
I wondered if I should have been scared to have this man and beast so close together while their gaze roamed over me with feral hunger. All I felt was an anguished yearning, and I was ready to kick his ass if he made me wait any longer.
“Jax,” I groaned. He glanced up and I licked my dry lips. “You said slow later, fast and hard now.”
His eyes faded into blue as one corner of his mouth creased with a tiny smile and he inclined his head. “You are absolutely right, baby. I’m sorry for making you wait.”
He settled on his stomach between my legs and slipped his hands under my bottom
before raising my lower half as he bent his head. I shuddered when he blew on the drenched, heated flesh at my center.
“You have the most beautiful pussy, baby,” he complimented softly. “So pink and wet. Sweeter than anything I’ve ever tasted. I’ve been dying to know how tight you are.”
Before I could formulate any kind of response, he covered me with his mouth and shoved his tongue inside my channel. I immediately spasmed and he groaned, then retreated to lick u
p my slit and meet my gaze with pools of dark velvety blue. “If you clench that taut pussy as hard around my cock as you did my tongue, I’m going to come the second I’m inside you.”
My belly quivered and my sex contracted at the filthy words. Jax had certainly proven that he knew how to use his mouth to reduce me to a trembling mass of sexual desire.
To my utter relief, Jax finally engaged in ravaging me with his lips, tongue, and teeth, urging me closer and closer to the pinnacle of passion. Every so often, I felt his teeth sink into the flesh of my thighs, no doubt leaving his bite all over me. I wasn’t sure if it was to remind me or him that I was his.
“Jax,” I moaned as I clutched at the blankets with both hands, my arms spread wide and my body rigid. “This isn’t the time to savor, babe,” I whimpered.
He growled and doubled his efforts so that the next thing I knew, I was at the peak and falling. I moaned and writhed on the bed as everything seemed to fade away except the feel of Jax’s ministrations and the absolute bliss that filled every inch of my body. The orgasm was so powerful that I was almost glad when it began to ebb. But it didn’t last because I was abruptly tossed back up, my tension building fast and hard until I came once again.
It took an indeterminable amount of time for my breathing to get under control and I felt like a limp noodle. Though there was still a buzz hovering underneath—a reminder that while I’d climaxed twice, I hadn’t come with the ecstasy I’d experience with Jax inside me.
“That sound,” Jax grunted as he nuzzled his nose against my mound. “I’m going to dedicate my life to hearing it as often as possible.”
My eyes slowly opened and landed on Jax’s gorgeous face. He looked very self-satisfied and I couldn’t blame him. I’d be smug too.
“Did you know you glow when you climax?” he asked me suddenly.
I looked down at him in surprise and shook my head.