Animal Instincts

by Jenika Snow

  He was so close all she would have to do was lean in and she could kiss him, taste him, and experience this wild, primitive side of him. He kept making these low, growly noises, and the sound went straight to her pussy, causing the inner muscles to clench on their own.

  This is crazy. You are crazy for wanting this, Danika. You don’t know him, don’t know anything about him aside from what your father told you.

  But he didn’t move from the entrance of her door. The rain had started up, and the strands of his hair became soaked, water dripping down his face and saturating his clothes. It became a powerful storm outside within seconds, and she moved aside to allow him in.

  “How did you know where I live?” This situation was becoming even stranger, more heated, and having her even more aroused then she had ever been in her entire life.

  “I followed you.”

  “And my dad didn’t think that was weird at all?” she said in a low voice, her hands shaking uncontrollably. He didn’t answer right away, but did take a step inside and shut the door behind him, sealing them inside. He took another step, closer to her, and her breath stalled.

  “Your father trusts me, knows I would never hurt anyone he cared about.” The water continued to run down his temples, and his white shirt became soaked and transparent. “But he doesn’t know I followed you, obviously. I don’t think your dad would much like it, especially since I didn’t explain everything tonight.”

  She looked at his chest that was revealed, at the tattoos under the material, and the way his hard muscles flexed and clenched, as if he were trying to hold off from just attacking her.

  I want him to attack me, to just devour every part of me.

  Danika had no idea where the thought or desire had come from, but it took control, was at the front seat, and she couldn’t stop it even if she wanted to. Her cell vibrated in her pocket, and she grabbed it and looked at the screen.

  Dad: Honey, I know you can take care of yourself, and I know I can be pretty damn smothering, but I just want to make sure you’re okay.

  She felt like a bitch right now for just leaving. She may only be ten minutes from where her father lived, but still, she didn’t have to freak out like that.

  “I left shortly after you took off, knowing your dad wanted to be alone.” He took a step closer to her.

  Before she could respond to Damien or text her father back, she got another text from her dad.

  Dad: Just tell me you got home okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and maybe we can discuss everything that happened.

  Danika: I’m home and okay, and I’m sorry for running out like that. Let’s get together tomorrow and talk, okay?

  She sent the text, knowing that although she was okay, she still wanted to be honest with her dad about what happened tonight at the party. Before she even had her phone in her pocket again she felt the lightest touches from Damien. She lifted her head, startled that his thumb was on her cheek, right beside her split lip. She could see the play of emotion on his expression, that anger that covered his hard, angular handsome face, and changed him from a gentle human to a savage shifter.

  “You’ll tell me who did this to you, Danika,” he said in this low, rage seething voice that had a chill racing up her spine. The dominance and demand were clear in his voice, and she knew that she would tell him whatever he wanted. It was this weird pull and tug she felt inside of her, a part of herself that wanted to submit to this man though she didn’t even know him.

  She didn’t want to talk about it, but for some inexplicable reason she found herself telling him exactly what happened. With each passing second as she retold her story, spoke about the assault at the party, in the bathroom, and of Hayden saving her, she watched the rage morph Damien’s face. He let go of her and took a step back. The anger coming from him was intense, so powerful she felt the hairs on her arms stand on end, and felt her heart pump her blood harder and faster through her veins.

  “What’s his name, Danika?” Damien asked, and she was confused as to why she had this connection with him, and why she felt the need to tell him whatever he wanted. They didn’t know each other, and despite Damien being her father’s lifelong friend, this whole situation seemed awkward and misplaced. But still she felt the need to answer him.

  “I don’t know his name, but why do you care?”

  He stopped pacing, looked at her, and before she knew what was happening he was pressed right up against her, his chest to hers, his hand on the back of her head, holding it there securely. “I wanted to tell you so damn badly about it all, Danika.”

  She swallowed, not knowing what was going on, but also not wanting to move away from the hard, muscular, and hot confine of his body. She felt trapped, but in the best possible way. That should scare the shit out of her, but it didn’t.

  “Tell me about what?” Danika tried to sound stronger, she really did, but her voice came out soft and weak, and so vulnerable. It was exactly how she felt right now.

  He looked down at her split lip, and this low animalistic sound left him. “If I’d been there I would have killed him for even looking at you, Danika.” Damien slowly shifted his gaze to hers once more, and his pupils dilated and contracted as his animal pushed forward. She could see the wild beast in his expression, in the way Damien was clearly trying to keep it at bay.

  “I don’t know what’s happening right now, why I’m feeling this way toward you, and why I can’t seem to make sense of it all.” She hadn’t meant to say any of this, but her emotions felt raw right now, and she needed to feel someone close to her, holding her, and telling her that things weren’t as shitty as they always ended up being.

  “I know, Danika.” He lifted his hand and brushed the side of her mouth. She felt the sting of his touch, but also the heat that moved slowly through her, starting in her belly and claiming every part of her. “You’re mine though, only mine, and I knew from the moment I saw you four years ago.” Damien spoke softly, and although she should have been afraid of the seriousness of his words, all she felt was the connection she already had simmering inside of her grow to a blistering level. “I imprinted on you four years ago, but it started as my lion waiting to protect you, and nothing more. And then you came into your maturity, and I was intent on having you, claiming you, Danika.” His face was so close, his mouth right next to hers. Damien’s breath was warm, soft on her face, and she wanted to kiss him. This was ludicrous, but it felt so right. It was crazy right in the intensity of it all.

  “This is so crazy, Damien.” She hadn’t meant to say that either, but hell, it seemed when she was around this man she couldn’t control herself.

  “I know it is for you, but for me, since the moment I saw you, there hasn’t been a time I wasn’t thinking about this moment.” He lowered his gaze back down to her lips. “You’re my mate, and my lion wants you, Danika. I want to claim you, but I know as a human this is all every strange and new to you.”

  And when she shifted on her feet, moving slightly back, maybe trying to grapple for leverage, her belly brushed against his body. She almost gasped out at the feel of the very big, and very hard, erection he sported.

  “And I’m sorry about that,” he responded, as if he could read her mind, and knew that she was stunned by the size of him. “But my body knows what it wants, and that is you.”

  “This is all so crazy.” She licked her lips, felt his chest move with hers every time she breathed, and knew that she wouldn’t stop this. Danika couldn’t. Damien was so much older than she was. She was only twenty, and he was thirty-nine, but even that wasn’t the big issue here. He was her father’s friend, and surely being with him, actually allowing herself to experience what this lion shifter was tempting her with, was wrong on some level. Her father might see it as a betrayal, as a sick coupling that went against nature.

  “Even four years ago, when I saw you in the hallway and all I wanted to do was make sure you were safe, I could see the connection you had with me.” He spoke softer this t
ime. “Just admit that you feel the pull now, that you want this of your own free will because you’re an adult and can finally feel the sexual chemistry between us.”

  She started breathing heavier, like she couldn’t stop herself, couldn’t control her own body. Danika was so wet between her thighs, and she felt her nipples harden beneath her shirt. Yes, she was a twenty year old virgin, but even though she may not be experienced that way, illicit and dirty images of being under Damien filled her mind. She could picture his big, hard, and muscular body straining over hers, that massive erection between his legs thrusting in and out of her body. It would hurt, that was for sure, but she had a feeling that even if she wasn’t a virgin it still would have felt like he was splitting her in two. She may not be an expert on penis size, but God, Damien had to have broken the mold with that thing.

  He inhaled deeply, and he closed his eyes for a second as his nostrils flared out slightly. “I might not be able to know what you’re thinking, but from the desire pouring off of you I can guess, Danika.” He opened his eyes, his pupils still contracting and dilating as his lion flashed across his face. “I won’t push you into anything. I’d never force your hand, but you also have to know, because I’ll never lie to you, that I can’t walk away.” He cupped the side of her face, his fingers strong, warm, and slightly calloused. “I walked away, gave you the space you deserved and needed, but only because you were too young. You needed to experience life first, and my sexual desire to claim you didn’t happen until years after I found you.”

  “This is making my head spin,” she told him honestly.

  “I know, baby.” He looked down at her mouth. “Christ, I know how hard it is for you. But you’re my mate, and neither my lion nor human side will just let you go. I’d walk in the fiery pits of hell just to show you how much I am connected to you. This bond, this mating we have, for me is unbreakable.”

  There was so much truth in his words, so much determination for her to fully understand what he meant, that Danika’s heart started beating so fast and hard she grew dizzy from her rising blood pressure. This whole situation was insane, and she felt like she had been dropped into some twisted scene from The Twilight Zone. But despite all of that right now she couldn’t deny that whatever he was talking about—this connection he had with her—she most definitely felt it. Maybe she shouldn’t want anyone to touch her after what that asshole had tried to do with her back at the party, but honestly she wanted to feel Damien’s strong, protective body beside hers. Danka wanted to be able to let herself go, just enjoy the feeling of giving herself freely to someone, and not have to fight to stay on top of the situation.

  Damien didn’t move closer, but he did hold her tightly, stroked her cheek with his thumb, and stared in her eyes. Maybe he waited to see what she would do or say, or maybe he was just as nervous as she was at how this was playing out.

  No, he isn’t nervous. Look at him, look at how secure he is in his position, in the way he speaks, and the fact he’s told you exactly what he wants … you.

  And then something snapped inside of her, and she realized that this night would have her experiencing things she’d only envisioned late at night when she was alone in her bed. She’d also felt something for Damien since the first encounter with him. Even at only sixteen her body had recognized something in Damien as she’d stared into his eyes, felt his body heat fill her, surround her even. And she definitely felt something when he had said she was his.

  Dropping her gaze down to his lips, she wanted desperately to be his, to experience this imprinting that he spoke of. When she glanced back up she saw that he, too, was staring at her mouth. The expression he held could have been interpreted a million different ways: arousal, anticipation, excitement, and primal need. All of those filtered across his face in rapid succession, and this low growl left him and he inhaled once more. It may be wrong, may even be inappropriate to want her father’s best friend, a man nearly double her age even, but she didn’t care right now. She’d worry about the repercussions later, after this desire had left her and she could breathe again. Like he had said, she was an adult, knew what she wanted, and didn’t care what the result would be. Right now she could only think about having him on top of her, and showing her that things sometimes didn’t have to be so messed up.

  Feeling this strength settle inside of her, Danika leaned in those last couple of inches and pressed her lips to his. He was tense for several seconds. Then this low, needy, and animalistic sound left him, and he moved his hand to her hair. He grabbed a chunk of her hair in a firm, yet gentle, hold and tilted her head back to deepen the kiss. She grew even stronger in her lust for him, at the fact she was really doing this. Danika ran her tongue along the seam of his lips and felt his body grow tenser. His cock seemed to jerk between them, and a fresh wave of wetness spilled from her. The deep, male groan he made caused her nipples to tighten further to the point of pain.

  When he opened his mouth and their tongues pressed together she couldn’t help the small sound of pleasure that escaped. He tasted so good. Danika tilted her head more and deepened the kiss, loving that he was as far gone in this moment as she was. She moved her hand back on the counter to try to get more stability as he probed her mouth. Her fingers brushed along the cup by the edge, and then the sound of glass shattering on the tiled floor penetrated her lust-fogged mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved so that her legs were slightly parted and rubbed along his. Damien tensed and she thought he might pull away or stop, but after a moment he kissed her more feverishly, more forcefully even. Danika hissed out as the cut on her lip stung, and he immediately broke their mouths apart.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, Danika baby.” He smoothed his finger over her cut lip, leaned in and kissed it softly, intimately even. “I want to go slow, but it is really hard now that I have you, and you’re so damn receptive to me.”

  She breathed in and out, not feeling her desire lessen, but instead heighten. “I don’t want slow and gentle.” The sound that came from him had her entire body shaking with her arousal. It was hoarse, scratchy and dominating, and it was all because of her. He placed his mouth on hers again, much more softly this time, but she wasn’t having that. They were doing this, and it was going to be over the top and not danced around. She grabbed his hair now on the back of his head and deepened the kiss.

  Tongues dueling and breath mingling, they were both like wild, uncontrollable animals trying to get closer, needing more. The kiss was frantic, uninhibited. He moved his hands down her body, and gripped her waist, his big hands curling around her wide hips. He tugged her toward him with a firm motion, and then in one movement had her lifted onto the counter. She spread her legs, allowing him to move forward and fit between them. God, she was really going to do this.

  Her skirt rode up, and the rough denim of his jeans scraped along the sensitive inner flesh of her thighs. It excited her further, made her feel like everything was coming apart inside of her, just crumbling for this man. She tried to move closer to him, to press her breasts even harder against his chest and alleviate some of this ache that settled in the stiff buds. Still kissing her, still thrusting in and out of her mouth with the muscle, he pressed his erection further against her pussy. He thrust against her over and over, dry humping her as he groaned against her mouth. He suddenly broke the kiss. They both panted and stared at each other. She may be a virgin, but she wasn’t a prude, but had never felt this kind of arousal move through her before.

  “Danika.” His voice was gravelly and hoarse. “I meant to tell your father about the imprinting, about what you are to me, but things took a different turn.”

  Yeah, she knew he was referring to her leaving her dad’s house when she couldn’t control her emotions.

  “Doing this without telling your father is wrong.”

  She knew he was right, knew that if her father ever found out he would never look at her the same again, and would probably break ties with Damien. But then again, she didn’t kno
w that for sure, didn’t know if he’d feel a sense of relief because Damien was surely the only man that would protect her as fiercely as her dad did. She should have stopped, told him they would talk to her father, but she felt like she was losing her mind. She felt like this was right, like there was absolutely nothing wrong with being with him.

  “I want this, Damien. I want you to be my first.” That sounded so cliché, but it was the truth. The few guys she had dated had never made her feel a sliver of the arousal she felt right now with Damien. It wasn’t as if she had been waiting until she was married, but more so she had been waiting until the time had been right. This moment, right here and now, was so right.

  He rested his forehead on hers, closed his eyes and breathed out. “I’m a strong male, Danika, but when it comes to you I have no control, no reasoning telling me I should stop this. I just can’t because I’ve waited so fucking long to be with you already.” He cupped her face with his hands, leaned back, and said in a fiercely animal voice, “I will be your first, and the only male that will ever know how sweet and good you feel right here,” he placed his hand between her thighs. A gasp left her when he applied pressure to her panty-covered pussy.

  “This is mine. Only mine.”

  Chapter Six

  “Danika.” Her name came out as a strangled groan from him. Her pussy was saturated, and all she wanted was to let him know that she was so ready for him, that she had never been more ready for something than she was right now. He grabbed her waist again, and before she knew what was happening he had her back on the ground, spun around, and had her belly pressed to the counter now. The Formica was warmed from when she had been sitting on it, but goosebumps popped out along her flesh regardless. Her back was to his chest, and she could feel the defined length of his stiff erection along the crease of her ass. Licking her lips, she looked over her shoulder. She could see the raw desire on his face.