by Layla Nash
His frown deepened. "Huh?"
I sat back a little more, flustered, and showed him my palm. "The lion." I showed him the back of my hand. "You."
Atticus just blinked at me. "Babe, I know you think you're making sense, but..."
Babe. My heart tripped and whatever I'd been about to say got stuck in my throat. Atticus remained oblivious, though, because he abruptly rolled to his back so he could look at me without contorting. Which left the evidence of how much he'd enjoyed my massage on display through his workout pants.
I concentrated on his face as my cheeks burned. My voice came out too loud as Atticus started grinning. "Two sides of the same hand. You and the — the lion are two sides of the same hand." He gripped my thigh, just above my knee, and squeezed. I talked faster. "And when you try to hold on even tighter to the lion, it throws the man side of you out of balance. So the ch'i is disrupted and —"
My voice went high and a little squeaky as his hand slid to the small of my back and he pressed me down and down until I lay over his chest and he could wrap his arms around me. Atticus bumped his nose to mine, and the purr rumbled still louder. "You want to align my ch'i, baby?"
I laughed and started to wriggle free. "That is the worst —"
His arms tightened and I went still. Atticus studied my mouth, his fingers tracing the length of my back. "I like you, Sophia."
My elbows bumped the table at his sides, and I floundered for an answer.
"It's okay," he said. His head tilted so his lips grazed my chin. "We've only known each other a couple of days. It's weird, I know, for it to feel like —"
"I like you too," I said, in a rush so good sense wouldn't bite the words back. I swallowed the uncertainty and instead basked in the warmth of his smile, the gentle stroke along my spine. "As weird as this is, it's — better because of you."
He kissed me, tentative at first, though something ignited between us until he devoured me. His fingers dug into my hips to press me against the hard line of his cock trapped against my stomach. I murmured against his mouth and ran my fingers into his hair. He tasted like chocolate and cream and unbridled lust. His hand slid under my yoga pants to squeeze my butt, and Atticus broke the kiss to nuzzle behind my ear. His words almost disappeared in the haze of desire that settled over us. "When I said I like you, I meant I love you."
My heart stilled and I blinked. "I, uh —" Even the mantra didn't help get my equilibrium back.
"It's okay," he said. He dragged my shirt off and tossed it across the room. Atticus leaned and took my lower lip in his teeth as his hips pressed up until my center rode over the ridge of his cock. The friction sparked desire low in my stomach, lightning arcing through my center, and I moaned against his mouth. He kissed me, repeating the maneuver in a gentle thrust, and mimicked the stroking with his tongue.
The haze of lust distracted me from what he'd said and my world shrank down to the pleasure of rubbing myself against him. I braced my hands by his shoulders to get better leverage and closed my eyes, his skin hot and rough against mine. My breath came faster as I moved, arching my back, and I put his hand on my breast, squeezing until I cried out.
Atticus chuckled, his hips punching up, then he held me close and sat up until I straddled his waist. He kissed and sucked at my throat, leaving deep bruises against my flesh as I moved faster, grinding in his lap because I was so damn close sparks dotted my vision. Atticus gripped my braid and yanked my head back until my back arched, my breasts pushed in his face, and as he sucked my breast into his mouth, I moaned. He growled and the sound vibrated through me until my nipple tightened and my muscles clenched. His fingers dipped into my yoga pants and then stroked into me, against me, rubbing my clit until I froze against him and the climax rolled through me in a tidal wave.
My eyes closed as I leaned back and moved against his hand as the aftershocks rippled, and Atticus tugged on my hair.
"I don't want to fuck you on a table," he said, all grumbling and growls.
"Then don't." It came out in a breathy moan and he lurched up, off the table. Threw me over his shoulder and strode into the bedroom where he dropped me on the mattress.
I sucked in a breath and scrambled closer to the headboard. "Turn off the light."
"I want to see you." The words came out husky and heated, matching the glowing gold eyes that tracked me as if I were something delicious to eat.
"The birthmarks are —"
"Make you look more like a leopard." Atticus crawled toward me on his hands and knees until he caught my ankle and I shivered. He yanked me toward him, under him, until his knees trapped my thighs and he pinned my shoulders.
I stared up at him, trembling, and his face dipped until he nuzzled behind my ear. "I want to see every inch of your body, Sophia. I want to rub myself all over you until you smell like me and I can find you anywhere in the world."
I sighed and squirmed at the teasing. I wanted him to rub all over me, too. I swallowed all the memories of being bullied and tormented for the birthmarks and wriggled my hands free to capture his face. "Be careful with me."
"Always." He grumbled and kissed a trail down my throat and collarbone to my breasts, mouth hot and wet on my nipples.
My heart fluttered and I struggled to breathe. He caught the waist of my pants and peeled them off, and I closed my eyes. His breath huffed against my stomach. I gripped the sheets as the rough stubble on his cheeks dragged against my inner thigh and everything caught fire. Even the mantra on repeat couldn't bring the world back into balance.
Twelve
Atticus breathed her in as he kissed down her stomach and raked his teeth across the soft skin of her thighs, desperate to finally touch the curves that taunted him every time they fought or wrestled. The birthmarks that so worried her barely caught his attention, though when he moved back to strip off the dainty white cotton panties she wore, he thought the birthmarks looked more like a leopard's rosettes than random marks.
His lion grumbled and started purring as he tossed away the cotton that hid her wet channel and her scent filled the air. He grabbed her knees and shifted her thighs apart so he could stare at her pink folds, neatly groomed but lush and welcoming. He groaned in anticipation as he lay between her legs, and Sophia jerked away as his fingers trailed low on her stomach.
Atticus pinned her hip down and frowned up the length of her body, momentarily distracted by the rise and fall of her ripe breasts. A generous handful each, and he considered testing the theory until she caught his wrist and tried to pull him closer. "Come on, Atticus."
"Oh, we'll come. On and on and on." He chuckled as a flush rose in her cheeks and turned all of her a rosy pink that heated her skin against his cheek. He rubbed his jaw against the skin above her slit and she squirmed, then froze as he kissed her mound. Atticus breathed on her as he kissed and nibbled her thighs. His hand slid under her hip and tilted her so he had better access and he licked the full length of her pussy. "You first."
A breathy moan answered him, and her fingers dug into his hair. Atticus tasted her, lapped up her juices, and sucked on the hardened nub at the top of her slit until her hips pushed up at his face. He backed off until she looked at him, her eyes glazed with passion, and her flushed expression drove him closer to the edge. It took all his restraint not to rear up and mount her, enter her roughly and fuck her into the headboard. But he forced himself to remain still as Sophia peered at him, and when he teased her center with the tip of his finger, she moaned his name.
Atticus loved everything about her. Loved the sounds she made, loved the way she tasted, loved how her thighs tightened against his head and she tried to draw him closer. He bit gently on her clit and pressed his finger deeper until her back arched and she cried out. The muscles in her stomach rippled and her channel contracted, dragging his finger deeper, and he added a second to work back and forth until she writhed and bucked and begged for more.
She collapsed boneless on the sheets, a fine sheen of sweat covering her body,
and he growled in anticipation. He licked the moisture from her stomach and up her ribcage to her breasts. She shivered and panted, eyes closed though her fingers stroked the back of his neck. Atticus nuzzled her neck, inhaling her until she latched into his brain and cemented herself there with the lion and the man. He nipped her shoulder. "Ready for round three, baby?"
A smile ghosted across her face and she bit her lower lip. Her voice, husky from screaming, drifted out of her bruised mouth like an invitation. "I didn't hear the bell."
"Ding ding," he said, capturing her lips so he could plunder her mouth. She laughed into his kiss, and her arms linked around his neck.
Atticus managed to strip off his gym pants without disturbing her grip. He lay full-length against her and rubbed his skin against hers, wanting her sweat on him and his on her. Atticus gripped her butt and separated the generous globes as his knees nudged her thighs apart. Sophia caught her breath and her hazel eyes locked with his. "Atticus. Go slow."
"Still tormenting me, sadistic leopard," he said. But he would go as slow as she needed, as slow as she wanted. Anything for her. The head of his cock nudged at her entrance and he stroked it up and down her slit until she arched and opened for him.
He pressed into the giving, welcoming warmth and immediately groaned, his forehead resting against her shoulder as he paused. His heart thundered against his ribs as her breasts crushed against him. Atticus kissed her, hard, and drew back until only the blunt tip of his cock remained inside of her. Sophia started to move, tilting her hips up to meet him, and her nails dug in to his shoulders. "More, Atticus."
He loved the way she said his name, ending on a hiss that made his skin prickle.
And he pushed forward into the welcoming heat of her channel, her muscles gripping his cock until Atticus shoved through and she cried out. She felt so damn tight, so delicate under him and around him, he worried he hurt her. A good three inches still separated them. But her legs locked around his waist and tried to draw him deeper, so he moved her hips and drew back. Sophia raised her head. "More —"
He plunged forward, teeth bared, and she shrieked, her nails raking his back. He shuddered as his cock thumped home and his stomach rested against her and he almost came, almost exploded in her just from the feeling of her soft flesh gripping him like a velvet fist. He groaned and cursed, holding his chest above hers so he wouldn't crush her, and waited until she stopped moaning and tossing and writhing under him to start moving. She panted, palms against his sides, but moved to meet his thrusts when Atticus reared back.
Atticus kissed her, fucked her mouth with his tongue like he fucked her tight pussy, and Sophia moaned again, trying to keep up. He growled and bit her lip, slamming his hips to hers until the wet slapping of flesh against flesh filled the room. He wanted to mark her, to drive himself so deeply inside her that he would always be there. Sophia cried out, her muscles seizing up once more, and for a heartbeat he wondered if she were going into an uncontrolled shift and he would find himself fucking a leopard.
But it was another orgasm, her channel rippling around his cock as he kept driving into her mercilessly, thrusting through the spasms and her bucking hips. She wailed, her head tossing on the pillow until her hair tangled under where his hand pressed into the mattress at her shoulder.
Atticus gripped her thigh and spread her more, tilted her hips up until he forced himself deeper and deeper. His sweat dripped onto her chest, and he dipped his head to lick it off her breasts as they bounced under the force of his thrusts. Just as she moaned and tightened against him once more, the pressure built in his balls and he changed pace, his thrusts wild and uncontrolled as the lion roared. Almost. He was almost there.
He pulled back abruptly and grabbed her arm, flipped her onto her hands and knees, and lined himself back up, plunged into her without warning and Sophia screamed. She braced herself against the headboard as he bent her over, one arm hooked under her hips to hold her in place as he snarled and slammed his hips to hers. Dominated her, possessed her. He flicked her clit and she froze, tightening up until he fought to fuck through the orgasm, and he came. Exploded into her when he couldn't hold it back another second but kept thrusting as jet after jet of his climax flooded her channel. Atticus groaned, fighting to keep her where he wanted as he moved and rotated his hips, letting her muscles milk every last drop from him. He bit her shoulder, right near the neck, and wrapped both arms around her chest as he leaned over her. Wanted her to know she belonged to him, that he would shelter and protect her.
He collapsed forward onto the bed, Sophia limp and quiet under him. Atticus moved to his side but kept himself buried in her welcoming warmth, still half-hard. He could fuck her again easily. His fingers traced shapes around her stomach and drifted up to fondle her breasts, and his dick twitched as her body throbbed in response.
Sophia inhaled sharply and her hand caught his. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her expression still dreamy and lost in the afterglow. "Round four?"
Atticus smiled and kissed the bite mark on her shoulder, pleased with her response. Her skin raised in goosebumps under his lips, and his palm slid down her stomach until his fingers teased the raised pearl at the top of her slit once more.
Her head tossed back on his shoulder and she moaned, moving her hips to meet his hand, to press him deeper, guide him to a rougher touch and a pinching manipulation that pushed her over the edge almost immediately. His cock swelled inside her, grew and stretched her channel. Atticus put her back on her knees and stayed behind her, though he leaned back to admire the soft swell of her ass and the dark outline where his cock entered her.
He rubbed her hip and Sophia glanced back at him. "I didn't hear the bell."
Atticus smiled and spanked her with the flat of his hand, the sharp crack of his palm against her flesh making her jump. The red handprint pleased him — another mark. He did it again and she cursed, but her pussy clenched around him and he knew she enjoyed it. Knew it with perfect certainty as he did it again and she pushed back to impale herself still more on his cock. He leaned over her, covering her back with his chest and letting her feel his weight, and murmured, "Ding ding."
She moaned, arched her back to offer her ass to him, and tightened around him. Atticus gripped her waist and began to thrust slowly, determined to make this last until she went completely boneless and helpless in the bed. He had all afternoon. Maybe then her leopard would be tired enough to play fair. And he'd have marked her so thoroughly no one would ever think of taking her away.
Thirteen
We never made it back to the gym. By the time Atticus's appetite was sated and the slightest movement no longer aroused him, I couldn't have moved a muscle for any amount of money in the world. Even a stack of paperwork about my past might not have gotten me to lift my head. As the sweat cooled and he spooned me close, surrounding me, I dozed. Despite the delicious ache in my abs and between my legs, I felt warm and safe and content.
It seemed like only a heartbeat later that Atticus stirred, kissing my shoulder as his arms tightened around me. "We've got to get up."
I didn't bother to open my eyes, and only pulled the sheet up over my head. "No we don't."
"Natalia and Eloise are taking you for a girls' night." He nibbled the back of my neck, brushing my hair out of the way. "At four. You've got about half an hour, and I want to give you a shower. So we've got to get up."
I stretched and rolled away, burying my face in a pillow as I sighed. "I can reschedule."
"Natalia made more of those creampuffs just for you."
"Really?" I lifted my head to squint at him. "Don't joke about that."
"Mmm." He made a grumbly pleased noise and brushed his fingers across my cheek. "Never. And I thought later maybe you could teach me some of that meditation stuff. Since my ch'i still feels a bit wonky."
"Ch'i cannot be wonky," I said with as much dignity as I could muster while completely naked. I sat, trying to hide a wince from the ache in my abs, and started u
ntangling myself from the sheets and his limbs. "But yes, I'll teach you how to meditate."
A purr rattled in his chest as I walked toward the bathroom, and I flushed from head to toe as I caught his slow appraisal of my backside. Apparently he was an ass man. He followed on my heels as I started the water in the shower, and I laughed. "You can't be serious about the shower."
He squeezed my waist. "Very serious." He stroked my shoulders and down my arms, playing with my hair as steam filled the small room. "Grooming is important. We only groom people we care about."
My heart thumped and I stepped into the spray of hot water. He took up most of the generous shower stall with the fancy ceramic tile and glass door and convenient built-in bench, his hands at my waist. I tilted my face into the water and concentrated on breathing. I could have sex with him again, easily. Without thinking. He'd sparked an insatiable hunger. All I wanted was to have him press me up against the wall and bury himself in me until the world melted and disappeared. Instead, I reached for the shampoo.
Atticus worked his fingers into my hair, massaging my scalp with the shampoo until I rolled my head and leaned into his touch, and the scent of lavender filled the air. I sighed and leaned against him. Atticus kept purring as he rinsed my hair and poured body wash all over me. I laughed, turning toward him so I could touch him as well, and wasn't surprised to see his dick hard once more. He washed my breasts with a great deal of care and attention as my fingers curled around his cock and drew slowly along the full length. The soap made everything slippery.
Steam settled in a haze around us and muffled sound as Atticus groaned. The water beat down on my shoulders as I stroked him, and after looking up at him, I eased to sit on the small ledge in the shower. I kept hold of his hard length and kissed the tip. Atticus cursed and grumbled but kept purring, his hands settling on my head as I licked around the head of his cock.