Protecting Ally

by Tianna Xander

  “Yeah,” Kalen said with a chuckle. “I came down to get something to eat. Ally’s hungry and, well, so am I.”

  “In more ways than one, I’ll bet.”

  Kalen grinned. “I’m sure you remember how it is.”

  “Boy do I. As I recall, I walked around with a raging hard on for weeks.” Bastien waved his arm toward the refrigerator. “Go get something to eat. There are some cold cuts in there, and an assortment of salads and other things. Help yourself to whatever you find and try to convince your mate to put your balls out of your misery,” he said with a grin.

  Kalen stood and strode over to the refrigerator. Inside, he found an assortment of food they could eat cold. That was a good thing. He sucked at cooking. He grabbed a container filled with fried chicken, some cheese, bread and a couple of dishes of both macaroni and potato salad, fixed two plates and headed back upstairs with a tray full of food, a bottle of cola and two glasses. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could get his mate to accept him and have his wicked way with her.

  Kalen opened the door with a smile and stopped dead in his tracks. He felt his mouth drop open, but for some reason, his brain just wasn’t functioning well enough to shut it.

  “Don’t just stand there with the door open.” Ally leaned to the side to make sure there was no one standing behind him. “Please, shut the door.”

  Kalen wasn’t sure how he did it, since his brain wasn’t functioning as it should, but he reached out with his leg and kicked the door closed with such force, the vase on the chest of drawers against the wall wobbled.

  It was probably a good thing every other muscle in his body froze when he walked into the room. Otherwise, he might have dropped the tray full of food he held out in front of him in a death grip.

  Ally stood in the center of the room wearing nothing more than a matching lace bra and panty set. He wasn’t sure if she wore it for him, or if he’d just had such wonderful timing that he managed to walk in on her as she dressed.

  The expression on her face would indicate she had meant for him to see her dressed as she was, especially since she hadn’t rushed to cover up. Instead, she moved very slowly while she dug around in her suitcase to find a sheer robe that she put on which barely hid her beautiful and curvy body.

  Kalen swallowed thickly and moved to the table for two by the window and slid the tray onto its glossy surface. The glasses chinked together as he removed the contents and set the tray against the wall.

  “Dinner is served, milady,” he said with a bow. God, that sounded corny. He fought the urge to close his eyes with mortification. What the fuck was the matter with him? He had gotten a mate and suddenly he turned into the clichéd idiot who made a fool of himself at every turn in an attempt to look as though he could do it all.

  “Thank you, kind sir.” She bobbed a slight curtsy then grinned at him, showing him the cutest little dimple.

  Kalen’s cock jerked in response to her reply and suddenly, his sappy behavior seemed as though it had been the right thing to do.

  She sat while he held her chair. Kalen inhaled deeply at her scent that smelled slightly of lilacs and aroused woman. He closed his eyes and took in the wonderful aroma of her arousal, loving that she seemed to have come around to the fact that they were mates.

  Giving him another of her sexy smiles, she reached out and pulled his arm. Bending down, he was shocked to feel her soft lips against his cheek and her warm breath in his ear. “Are you going to join me?”

  “Of course.” He swallowed thickly as he held himself very still. What else would he do? He certainly wasn’t leaving this room. Not now, at any rate. A pack of wild wolves wouldn’t have been able to drag him from her side. Every muscle in his body tensed with anticipation. Every cell, every hair follicle stood at attention, awaiting her acquiescence. Kalen knew he would be a fool to leave their room now.

  Moving to the other side of the table, he sat down, then opened their drink. “Would you care for some? I would have loved to bring wine, but I thought keeping a clear head would be best.” While he’d thought about bringing an alcoholic beverage, he had decided he wanted to know that any decisions she made about their relationship would be done without the aid of any mind-altering substances.

  “Yes, please.” She held her glass out for him to fill it.

  After he poured the drink, he watched as she lifted a fork full of potato salad and took a small bite.

  “This is good. I wonder who made it.”

  “I think it’s store-bought. It was in a two-pound container in the fridge.” Kalen watched helplessly as she pushed her fork around, rearranging the potato salad on her plate, then took another bite.

  He then looked down at his food and closed his eyes. He didn’t know how much more of her new sexy mood he could take. His stomach grumbled and he took a bite of fried chicken. It could have been sawdust as much as he tasted of it. All he wanted to do at that moment was eat and get it over with because he was certain he’d explode if he had to wait much longer to touch the beautiful woman the universe had given to him as his mate.

  Never before had he felt this way. Not once had he ever wanted a woman as much as he wanted, no needed Ally. Her eyes, her scent, her very soul seemed to call out to him.

  He needed the woman sitting across the table from him more than he’d ever needed anyone before. He thought back about how he had fought the urge to mate and wondered why. Was it because he had been waiting to meet Ally?

  He stared across the table at his beautiful mate. Ally was the only woman who could give him everything his body could ever want or need. She was his life, his very soul and he wondered why it had taken him so long to realize it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Her nerves on edge, Ally sat across the table from Kalen and wondered how long it would take for him to pounce. He ate his food so quickly, just watching him almost made her laugh. But she wasn’t much better. After a few bites of food, she was done, her stomach protesting the small amount she’d eaten.

  She wasn’t sick. Ally knew that. No. Her entire body was on fire, burning for Kalen in a way it had never burned for any man. She wanted him with a desperation that she was certain would kill her if he didn’t make a move soon.

  Giving up on her meal, she rested her fork on her plate. Her fingers trembled as she held them together in her lap.

  It wasn’t as though she couldn’t make her own move, Ally knew that, but something inside her tamped down her desire to jump his bones. After his hot and cold attitude when they’d first met, she didn’t know what to think. Still, he’d claimed to love her, too. From her perspective, their whole relationship was a conundrum. Unsure, she sat still waiting for Kalen to finally decide if he wanted her or not. If the look on his face when he entered the room was any indication, Ally would have bet yes.

  She took a long sip of her drink, wishing it had been something stronger than a carbonated beverage. On the other hand, maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t brought alcohol. She might have been tempted to gulp it down for false courage, even though she knew it wouldn’t work.

  Even after the two times she’d been dumped and had lost her self-respect, she had attempted to pick up a man at a bar. Although her exes had made her feel less than dirt on their shoes, she couldn’t do it. Perhaps her subconscious opinion of herself was too high, or maybe she’d just been waiting for love. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t seem to get drunk enough to have a one-night stand.

  Kalen stared at her over the table and she wondered if it was that simple. Her mind and her body had waited for love. Well, here it sat before her in the guise of a beautiful man with passionate gray eyes who couldn’t seem to look away from her.

  It was difficult to believe they had known each other for a little more than twenty-four hours, but it already felt like forever. Still, it wasn’t long enough. A lifetime wouldn’t be long enough.

  She could know this man for the rest of their lives and still not know all of his secrets. He stared at her through
those shuttered eyes, making her want him more with every passing moment and she did nothing but sit across from him and need.

  Her stomach flip-flopped when he stood and moved around the table to stand before her, his hand out. When she stood, he pulled her into his arms and swayed back and forth as though dancing, but there was no music.

  Desire flowed through her blood, burning a trail through her veins straight to her middle. Liquid heat wept from inside her and soaked the lace of her panties and she closed her eyes.

  This was what she’d waited for all of her life. This man, this room, this night, what was left of it, was what she’d wanted.

  Her body tingled as his hands skimmed up and down her back, the heat from his palms scorching her through the thin material of her silky robe.

  She’d known what she was doing when she let him catch her undressed. In fact, she had wanted him to see her in a state of undress that would drive him wild. Too many people had come in and out of her life for her to throw away a chance at happiness with this man just because he was different. Hell, even she was the same kind of different now.

  What difference did it make that he was a werewolf? Even if that crazy doctor hadn’t changed her, she would feel the same about him. Nothing mattered at this moment, but the feel of his warm body pressed so tightly against her own.

  She took a deep breath, loving the masculine smell of him. He exuded a mixture of the soap he used when he’d showered not so long ago, the slight musky scent of man and his desire.

  It shocked her that she could smell that and knew it for what it was. Ally felt her face heat and wondered if he could smell her own arousal. Then realized she didn’t care if he could, it would only expedite matters between them.

  Tilting her head back, she looked up into his eyes, those beautiful changeable eyes that looked steel blue when filled with desire and green when he was angry. They were steel blue, now. Would she have the courage to voice her needs?

  “Kiss me, Kalen.” Apparently, she did.

  The words had barely formed before he lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. No one had to ask him twice.

  Liquified heat rushed through her, the milky fluid drenching her panties. She wanted to press her legs together to ease the throbbing of her sex, but Kalen moved her gracefully across the room. How romantic, the man was born to dance.

  Her heart raced as he swung her around, dancing to the music only he could hear. Heat and desire rushed through her, coursing through her veins like her life’s blood.

  When they finally reached the bed, Ally wanted to scream, Yes! Instead, she let him pull her more tightly against his strong body, his lips slanting over hers as he thrust his tongue into her mouth.

  For one second, perhaps one frozen moment in time, Ally felt wanted, cherished. She knew she shouldn’t pray for forever. She didn’t have the right. But that didn’t stop her. She prayed for forever anyway. Didn’t he say that his kind—their kind—mated for life? Was it wrong to hope that he meant that she was the one woman he would happily spend the rest of his life loving?

  Trying to be strong, Ally battled the urge to feel more than this moment, this time, and fought the feelings he invoked in her with his warm embrace. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t seem to fight the longing for him for long. She felt more at home with this man than she ever had in her own house. How could she ignore how he made her feel? Should she?

  He surprised her with his next move. Ally half expected him to push her back on the bed, but she definitely hadn’t expected him to grab her robe by the lapels and rip it open almost violently.

  Pulling back, he looked down her body. Heat filled his gaze as he took in her blood-red lace bra. Lifting his hands, he cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over the hardened tips.

  Taking one of her hands in his, he pressed it over his groin. “Gods, I want you, Ally.” He leaned forward to nuzzle her ear. “Tell me you want me, too.”

  How could she resist that needy plea from such a strong man? His arms snaked around her, holding her tight. “Tell me you want me to kiss you, like this.” He pressed his lips against hers, his mouth sipping at her lips before his tongue delved deep into the dark recesses.

  “Tell me that you want my hands on you, like this.” He whispered the words in her ear, his tongue dancing around the shell as his hands cupped and kneaded her breasts, his thumbs gliding over her nipples.

  He groaned in her ear as he pressed his rock-hard erection against her lower stomach. “Tell me you want my mouth on you, like this.” He kissed his way down her neck to suckle the tips of her breasts through her bra before moving to kneel in front of her, his tongue snaking between her legs to taste the cream seeping out from between her swollen folds.

  With a soft cry, Ally’s legs gave out and she lost her balance. Falling back onto the bed didn’t stop his sensual assault—it fueled it. With a growl, Kalen ripped the scrap of lace from her body, threw her legs over his shoulders and buried his head between her thighs.

  Exquisite torment washed over her as he licked and sucked her plump nether lips. Her legs trembled with desire, hot cream ran from her slick channel, and her body turned to warm, quivering jelly.

  Ally held his head tight to her as he suckled and laved her sensitive flesh. Her head thrashed on the bed as he inserted a finger into her, pressing up against the inner walls of her vagina. Her cream coated his fingers as he pressed in, then withdrew only to repeat the process over and over again. Meeting his hand thrust for thrust, Ally lost herself in the sensation of his hands and mouth playing her flesh like a maestro.

  Fire burned through her body, her blood as he continued to thrust his fingers into her. His tongue lashed her clit, his teeth biting down just hard enough to cause a riot of pleasure-pain that nearly drove her mad.

  Ally’s body stiffened, then jerked as she thrashed on the bed, every thought, every nerve ending reaching for her climax. When it finally came, it washed over her like a tidal wave and she screamed his name, uncaring if the whole world heard her reach the pinnacle and tumble over into the abyss of unadulterated pleasure.

  Afterward, she lay panting below him as he crawled up her body kissing and licking her with his talented tongue. As she watched, a long razor-sharp nail emerged from his finger and he reached out to cut her bra.

  She shook her head. “Please don’t.” He’d already torn her underwear to shreds. It was difficult at best to find bras in her size. “It has a front opening. Just undo the clasp.”

  Gray eyes turned to molten silver, looked down at the valley between her breasts and he growled, suddenly sounding more wolf than man. Retracting the nail, he reached up and carefully undid her bra.

  “You’re so beautiful.” Kalen growled the words as he dove toward her, his mouth open. He latched onto her naked breast and Ally gasped, arching her back to meet his questing lips and tongue. Teeth gently tugged on the turgid tip as he sucked her flesh deeper into the wet and warm recesses of his mouth.

  Ally thrust her fingers into his hair, pulling the silky soft strands toward her, unable to think of anything but the pleasure he caused with his mouth, teeth, and hands. Somewhere inside her, she knew she was the one who made the little mewling sounds she could hear. She heard herself moan and scream. At one time, she even heard herself beg for release, but she didn’t care.

  Finally, when she thought she would go mad with the wanting, Kalen stood and removed his clothes. Almost as thick as her wrist, his erection jutted out from its nest of dark curls, curving toward his flat stomach. Ally reached for him, torn between wanting to taste him and wanting to feel him thrusting inside her.

  “Not this time, baby,” Kalen said as he positioned himself between her legs. “If you touch me, it’ll all be over far too soon.” He smiled down at her, gently pushed her hair out of her face and kissed her lips.

  His mouth pressed against hers and she opened for him. Their lips melded together, touching, tasting as their tongues met and parried, then pull
ed back only to merge again.

  Kalen reached between them, testing her readiness before he rested the head of his thick erection against the entrance to her channel. “Gods you’re so tight,” he said with a groan.

  Looking down into her eyes, Kalen watched as he pressed deeper and deeper, each slow thrust driving him closer to her cervix. When the head of his cock finally bumped that inner entrance, he rested his forehead against hers as though exhausted.

  “You’re so tight, baby. I don’t know how long I’ll last.”

  Ally licked her dry lips, then smiled up at him. Cupping his cheek, she feathered her thumb over his bottom lip as he looked down at her, reverence in his silvery gray eyes.

  “I wanted this to be so good for you but...” He shook his head. “I know I’m never going to last with your tight little pussy grasping and milking my cock the way it is.”

  “You’ve already made it good for me, Kalen. Please finish this. Please make me your mate in every way.”

  At her encouragement, Kalen pulled almost all the way out before he surged back inside her. Over and over, he thrust into her, the tip of his cock nearly touching her womb. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she arched up into him with every thrust, drawing him deeper and deeper inside her.

  She felt another orgasm growing closer, another mind-blowing climax on the cusp of her consciousness and she reached for it. Kalen, perhaps sensing her inevitable release, grasped her thighs, pulled her legs from around his waist and pressed her knees to her chest.