by J. K Harper
“No, I was not.” Fucking hell. She was stuck. In this massive cabin with a man so hot, he made her knees buckle.
He really did remind her of a Viking. Tina hadn’t exaggerated at all. Taller than any man she’d ever dated, he had to be well over six feet in height. With scruffy shoulder-length blond hair and ice blue eyes, he definitely called attention. That short beard was doing things to her cat she couldn’t explain. The fire in her blood rose with every glance she gave him.
He was gorgeous and she hated that she wanted him. More than that, she hated that her cat seemed to be under the impression this was their mate. He looked ready to toss her out on her ass into the storm.
“Are you hungry, Ms. Cruz?”
“Please,” she said, hating the formalities at this point. The man had seen her naked, for crying out loud. If she hadn’t been a shifter, used to nudity, she’d have had some serious issues by now. “Call me Lily.”
“Lily. Call me Thane. That’s what everyone else does.” He lifted his lips in a grin. “Though, I’ve been called cabrόn in the recent past.”
He said the word in perfect Spanish. Ah, shit. She widened her eyes and her jaw fell open. He’d heard her. Of course he would’ve heard her call him a jackass. Now that she scented his animal, she knew he was a shifter, too. A dragon.
“I think I’ll stick to Thane,” she said.
Humor filled his eyes and they turned a lighter shade of blue. It was mesmerizing to watch. “Very well, Lily. I planned to eat steak for dinner. I hope you don’t mind?”
She shouldn’t eat again, but it had been hours and her tigress burned the meager sandwich quickly.
“Sounds good.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Perhaps we can discuss the proposal for the new location and what we can do there.”
He nodded. “Wine?”
Oh god, yes! She needed to control herself before she attacked him for a drink. “Please.”
He pressed a button on the side of the wall that connected to the dining room and the whole damn thing shifted to reveal stairs leading down to a lower level she had no idea existed.
“Are you kidding me?” She pressed her lips together and winced. “Sorry. That popped out.” She’d never been this wound up near a man.
He chuckled and the sound made her insides melt. “Don’t worry about it. Coming?”
She followed him down the stairs into what she realized was a basement wine cellar. She had no idea how old the wine in there was, but holy shit, they looked older than her entire bloodline.
His backside kept distracting her from the wine. Every time she looked at it, his big muscled back shifted under his black T-shirt. She was amazed he could find clothes that fit him with how big he was. Then again, there was now big and tall sections at most major retailers. Why the hell did she care if he had clothes to wear?
“Lily?”
She blinked and noticed he’d stopped, turned, and looked at her. “Yes?”
“I asked what is your favorite wine.”
“Oh. Um, I like white typically. Reisling or Pinot Grigio. Sometimes Moscato.”
He nodded and gave her another of those grins she had to warn every female in the city about.
“That’s it? You sure?” He gave a rough rumble of a laugh and turned back to the rows of bottles.
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at his back. “I like wine, so sue me.”
He walked farther into cellar, to a row of bottles that looked newer. He grabbed two bottles and turned to face her. “Ready?”
They were inches apart and when he went to walk past her, the small space meant he pressed his chest to hers. Their gazes locked and she held her breath as he rubbed his body over hers while sliding out. Her body came alive and every hormone in her took notice of how hard he felt. Of how good he smelled. Her tigress mewled under the skin, wanting a taste of him.
Once he was walking ahead of her, she focused on tamping down the surge of hormones telling her to make him hers. Thane Dreki was nowhere near the kind of man she wanted in her life.
Oh, you know you want to get into his pants.
Shut up!
She couldn’t stop her mind from rambling. All her thoughts had moved to the gutter and refused to go anywhere safe. She kept visualizing the man stripping. This man was not the kind to strip. He was the type that would rip his clothes off, and if he didn’t do it fast enough, she’d do it for him.
In the kitchen, he placed the bottles of wine on the counter and motioned for her to take a seat at the kitchen table.
“I don’t use the dining room. I hope you’re okay eating here.”
She nodded. “But if you don’t use it, why have it to begin with?”
He shrugged. “I made the dining set a long time ago for my sister. When she got married. When she was dying, she asked me to keep it. To remember her by.”
Chapter 8
Lily gulped back at the knot in her throat. “I’m sorry.”
He turned away from her and went about opening the bottles of wine. “It’s fine. It’s really there more as a memory piece than anything else.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, wishing she hadn’t made him remember such a sad moment of his life.
He pinned her with his gaze, his eyes now a darker, turbulent blue. “What about you? Do you have family?”
“Well, I’ve got lots of cousins, most of which have mated to the Night men.”
He handed her a glass of wine and watched her take a sip. Savory hints of moss and lime, of fragrant, crushed citrus foliage and very pure lemon zest took over her taste buds.
“What do you think of this one?” he asked.
“Wow. This is divine. What is it?”
He gave her a wide smile filled with genuine joy. “It’s Loibner Burgstall Smaragd Riesling.”
“Um, in English?”
He gave a deep, rough chuckle that gave her goose bumps. “It’s going to be hard to translate. It’s from Austria.”
She gasped and took another sip just to be sure it had been that good. Yeah. Even better on the second taste. “How in the hell can you get something this delicious in an Austrian wine?”
He winked and she was happy she was sitting because her legs turned to jelly. “Sometimes we’re surprised with perfection coming from the least expected places.”
She continued to drink her wine and watched him move around his kitchen. Now she understood the size of it. He was a big man and the space worked great around him. He pulled out a large covered pan from the fridge. Next came vegetables and makings for a salad.
“Do you want me to help with something?” She wasn’t a cook, but she didn’t feel right sitting there watching him do everything.
“No. I’ve got it.” He placed a skillet on the stove and turned on the fire. “Are you married, Lily?”
She blinked and sat quietly for a second. That question came out of left field. “No.” For a moment, she debated telling him about herself, but seeing as he was being so hospitable when she’d broken into his house and pretty much made herself his guest, she chose to tell him the rest. “I’m divorced.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder, his brows almost touching from his deep frown.
“You?” she asked before he went any further into her personal life.
“No,” he said in a clipped tone.
“No, not married or never been or what?”
“Curiosity killed the cat, Lily.”
She snorted. “Not this cat. Besides, you asked me first.”
He chopped vegetables and put them to the side. Then did the same with salad ingredients and soon, it was time for the steaks.
“I’m not married. Have never been. Never wanted to be.”
The sizzle of the meat cooking made her stomach grumble. It smelled so good. Spices and herbs. Yum.
She thought about relationships. It would take a man really proving he’s got her happiness at heart before she would go that route again. “Marriag
e is a big commitment. I don’t know if I could ever put myself in that position of vulnerability again.”
“Not even for your mate?” He didn’t turn back to her, but she heard his words clearly.
She gulped and thought of the tigress inside, pushing to get out and curl herself around the big dragon. The animal had to be wrong. He wasn’t her mate. Hell, they weren’t even from the same species. Tigers and dragons didn’t mate or mix.
“I don’t know. I guess when the time comes, I’ll have to make that decision.”
He finished cooking and served up their meal. Everything was delicious and simple, something she loved. She hated meals she could barely pronounce what the hell she was eating. She’d give the wine a pass because she loved the taste so much, she didn’t mind that she couldn’t say where it was from.
They spoke about the proposal and she was happy to see his interest in what she’d come up with. Their company would have prime location and making a flagship store across from the largest mall in the country meant they could include clothing sales as well as artwork some of their talented staff did on the side.
“I’m very sorry to have dropped in on you the way I did,” she said. “I was a bit frustrated and I wanted to make sure you got onboard with what I had in mind for the new store.”
“That’s fine. I just hope you don’t mind staying the night.”
He really was serious. “I don’t need to stay.”
“Yes, you do.”
She shook her head, denial quick to come to her lips. “No, I don’t.”
“Have you looked outside? Even if you could drive in this weather, the visibility is really low and you’d easily drive off the side of the mountain.” He pressed his lips into a thin line. “I won’t be responsible for you injuring yourself by not stopping you. And you don’t look stupid enough to let us not knowing each other have you make a bad decision.”
He was right. Fuck! “I guess I should reconsider.”
The words came out a growl, but she couldn’t care less at that point. She was stuck and there wasn’t much she could do about it.
After dinner, he showed her to the upstairs guest room.
“Wow!” The room had a wall of glass and she could see the moonlight through the trees. She wanted him to get the hell out because it was getting harder to control her animal and herself around him. He smelled too good. His body made her hands itch to touch him and that deep look he gave her, like he could see straight into her soul, was driving her crazy.
“I’m glad you like the room.”
She watched the snow fall in thick blankets. It was gorgeous. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She turned to face him and gasped at the mesmerizing way he looked at her. Lord, she needed to get her animal under control. And her hormones.
“I’ve got extra sweats and T-shirts if you’re interested. They might be big on you, but you could see if something works.”
She gave a small smile and nodded. “Thank you.”
He stared at her for a moment before heading for the door. There he stopped. “Goodnight, Lily.”
“Goodnight, Thane.”
Chapter 9
Lily was going to hell. Or the equivalent. Her tigress had her tossing and turning until she took off the giant tee she’d worn as a night dress. Fuck. She was so hot. She needed air. Her body burned and the need for him was killing her. How did she go into heat so fast?
She had to stay strong. She had not come to his home to have a one-night stand.
But you want him.
Good fucking luck with that one. She also wanted a double cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake but that wasn’t happening either.
She tossed the covers off the bed and couldn’t ignore her animal any longer. She cupped her breasts. They ached and felt heavy with need. Her nipples were tight and begging for his touch.
She didn’t need to touch herself to know she was wet. She did it anyway. Her pussy felt aflame with her desire for the dragon. Her tigress wasn’t budging. He was hers and she wanted him. Wanted kits with him. The thought of his baby inside her sent the animal into a frenzy. She pushed to get out. She wanted to mate now.
She slid a hand between her legs. Heat poured from her sex. Her fingers were slick with her honey. If only she could get some relief. Maybe a one-night stand wouldn’t be so bad. What was she thinking? This man was her boss.
It didn’t matter that she scented how he wanted her, as well, but had ignored it. Except now she was in heat and all her thoughts were focused on him and getting him to fuck her right now. Ideally, filling her with his seed and giving her those kits she wanted so badly.
She stopped touching herself. It was only making things worse. With a growl, she jumped off the bed and stood in front of the glass window, watching the cold night. If only she could stop the need taking over her thoughts. The visions of him pounding into her, right here in this very room.
The sound of the door crashing open made her whirl around to see what the hell happened. Holy mother of bad boys. There he stood, his body corded with muscles and tense as he took in a long breath and growled. The door landed on the ground, off its hinges.
“Thane?”
“That fucking scent has been making it hard for me to think.” He took a step into her room and openly stared down her naked body. She was curvy. Big hips, big tits, and big ass made up most of the females in her family. Nothing new there. What was new was the way he licked his lips.
She blinked and saw the fire in his eyes. His dragon was close to the skin as well as her tigress. “What scent?”
He continued marching toward her, his gaze never wavering from hers. “The scent of how badly you want my cock.”
She attempted to shake her head in denial, but he stopped her when he said, “Don’t even think I can’t smell it. You’re in heat. You want me.”
Her eyes widened the closer he came. Her tigress, on the other hand, purred and rubbed under her skin, wanting closer to the big bad dragon. She swallowed at the dryness in her throat. “This isn’t smart.”
He didn’t bother stopping, instead he cupped her face and brought his head down to press their lips together in a heart-stopping kiss. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and rubbed his chest over hers. Electric pulses sizzled through her bloodstream. The kiss was possessive. Aggressive. Dominant. He owned her with his lips and showed her how badly he wanted her.
Men didn’t kiss her with so much passion. So much aggression. Her animal loved it. Hell, she loved it. She pulled away and gulped a breath, blinking the haze of sexual need out of her vision.
“Thane―”
He curled one hand into her long hair, gripping strands in his fist and forcing her to look at him. “You want me. I want you, Lily,” he said the words in a rough growl. “I can’t offer you more than tonight. Tonight, I can give you the fucking world.”
Tonight.
Take it. Take him. You want him.
Fucking hell! Stupid animal making it hard to think straight.
He led her to sit on the chair facing the large glass window. “While you think about it, I need a taste of you.”
She landed on the chair with a squeak. He quickly got to his knees and pushed her legs open, lifting each thigh to place it gently over the arm rest of the chair and pulling her ass down to the edge of her seat.
She watched his head descend between her legs, his mouth on her sex and tongue flicking over her super-sensitized clit. A loud moan escaped her throat. She gripped his hair and shoved his head closer to her pussy.
“Oh!”
He growled, licking and nipping at her folds like she was a tasty treat. He reached up one hand, cupping her breast, tweaking her nipple. His other hand moved to her pussy, fingers rubbing over her slick heat.
“Fuck, you’re wet!”
Chapter 10
Lily purred and didn’t give a fuck if he could hear it.
“That’s the sexiest sound you have made all night.” He slid his fingers into h
er, thrusting and retreating in short drives at the same time he sucked and licked her clit.
Her belly trembled, her toes curled and she couldn’t do much but cling to his hair. Purr after purr left her throat as she held on and let him eat her up like dessert.
“Thane, god, your tongue is magic.”
He chuckled into her pussy and continued to finger her, faster and faster. Another growl and she was ready to come off the chair, her muscles tense and ready to break.
“You’re mine now, little cat. I’m going to take you and fuck you raw.”
She moaned, the tension inside her snapping and pleasure shooting down her spine straight to her clit. She screamed his name, her pussy sucking at his fingers with each drive. There was no time to catch her breath, her sex was still clenching and unclenching with every spasm from her strong orgasm.
He picked her up and kissed her again. Their tongues melded and curled over each other. She purred, meowed, and scratched at his shoulders. She needed more, needed him.
“Fuck me,” she breathed as he pressed her back against the cool glass of the window.
She curled her legs around his waist, his hard cock pressing at the heart of her heat, slipping into her slowly. “Christ, baby. You’re so tight. Perfect for my dick.”
She groaned and scratched at his arms. “My pussy’s yours, Thane. Fuck it like you own it.”
His cock filled her in a deep drive. “Yeah, it’s fucking mine. All mine.”
His eyes flamed with the power of his dragon. He pressed her harder against the glass as he fucked her. He pummeled into her, in quick, hard plunges. Every sharp thrust was followed by a moan from her and grunt from him.
“You’re pussy’s so hot, sweetheart. You like me inside you, don’t you?”
She gasped and licked her lips, meeting his blazing gaze. “Yes. I want more.”
“More?” He gave a sinful grin that made her pussy contract around his dick. “I’m going to give you so much more, baby girl.” He swiped his tongue over her open lips. “My dick will be deep inside you.” He thrust hard. “Feel it?”