by Alisa Woods
Maybe he wouldn’t want her then, but his sexy growls certainly said he wanted her now.
“Goddammit, you’re so beautiful,” Marco whispered against her belly, sliding a hand between her legs just for a moment that left her aching for more. Then he let go of her and stood—for a terrifying instant, she thought he would leave her hanging like that. But instead, he shoved down his pants and quickly sat to kick off his boots and push his clothes free.
He leaned back against the couch, his cock tall and proud in his lap, and he raked a slow, hot gaze across her naked body, standing before him. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life,” he whispered, almost to himself, but she heard it, and it made her glow. She could say the same thing about him—he was male perfection, lounging almost relaxed on the couch, except for that cock, which was longer and thicker than anything she’d had before.
“See something you like?” he asked, and she jerked her gaze back up to his face. The smirk was wide on it. “Why don’t you come take a ride?”
She choked on air. Did he really just…? Oh yes.
He hardly waited for her to act, just reached out for her hand and pulled her toward him. She fell, not very gracefully, into straddling his lap. She hesitated again, unsure if this would even work—he seemed so large, she wasn’t even sure he would fit. With a wicked, lust-hazed look in his eyes, Marco slid one hand up to her shoulder, holding her, then slid the other between her legs.
She gasped as two of his fingers pumped into her. He pulled her down for a kiss even as he worked her core, pumping in and sliding his thumb, honing in on her sweet spot like he was born knowing where to look.
“Marco,” she gasped into his mouth.
“Oh, baby, you’re so wet for me,” he breathed. She felt a shudder run through him. “I need to be inside you. Now.”
His hand slid out, and he gripped her hip instead, urging her down as he thrust up into her. She shrieked and grasped hold of his shoulders—the sheer largeness of it lifted her straight off the couch. Then he sank down again, pulling out of her before she could adjust.
“Oh yes,” he said tightly.
Then he slowly eased her down his shaft again, stretching and filling her, until she was seated fully on him. Her mouth hung open. She didn't imagine it. He was that big.
He groaned and let his head fall back. “You’re so fucking tight, Julia. God, you’re going to kill me with this.”
She could hardly speak, still adjusting to how massive he was. And besides… all she wanted to do was move. To ride this sexy, beautiful man until he came inside her.
She lifted her hips and sunk back down slow.
Marco pitched forward, his mouth landing to pant against her chest. “Holy fuck,” he whispered. Then he peered up at her. “Do that again.”
Her body was shuddering with the pleasure of it—the fullness of it—but she did. Up and down, again and again, picking up some speed as she went. Marco’s head fell back once more, and each grunt of pleasure she worked out of him just ramped her pleasure higher. She was rocketing toward an orgasm that felt like it would shatter her, but she kept riding him, faster and faster.
Marco gritted his teeth, breathing between them, then he blazed those dark blue eyes up at her. He placed both hands on her hips and slammed her down harder, making her cry out with each pump. But when his thumb found her sweet spot again, that was all she could take… she rocketed right over the top, convulsing around him, tipping back her head and moaning incoherently.
Just as she was cresting the top of that wave, Marco grabbed hold of her hips and turned them both together, laying her down and pinning her to the couch. He was still inside her, but now he was positioned between her legs, which had instinctively wrapped around his back. He slid out and slammed back in.
Oh God. The pleasure of that single thrust was so intense it whited out her thoughts.
Then he did it again, and she gasped louder. His gorgeous, hard-muscled body was covering her, his lips hovering near her neck, panting and grunting into her ear as he took her, hard, again and again.
“I want you,” he panted.
“Yes!” she cried.
“I want all of you.” His breath was ragged, his thrusts punctuating every word.
She couldn’t say yes any harder or mean it any more, so she just grasped hold of his well-muscled bottom, which was flexing as he thrust into her, and urged him on. He picked up the pace, taking her harder and faster, and she rushed toward another climax that made the first feel like foreplay.
Just as she hovered at the edge, he growled, “I’m going to make you mine.”
And that final possessive word, plus the thrust deep inside her that went with it, had her bucking under him, thrashing with pleasure and crying out his name. He groaned long and hard and guttural, stilling for a moment. She could feel his cock pulsing as he came. His panting breaths afterward matched hers, their hearts racing, their limbs entwined.
He stayed inside her a long time, as their bodies cooled and their breath calmed.
Like he didn’t want to leave.
And the truth was, she didn’t either. She wanted to stay, hot and sticky and thrumming with pleasure in this exact spot for all eternity. It was easily the best sex she’d ever had. With the best man she’d ever known. The last thing she wanted was to think that it might not happen again.
Eventually, he eased out of her, but he didn’t go far. He stayed propped up on his elbows, covering her with his body but keeping his broad chest from crushing her. The heat radiated off him, warming her skin wherever they touched—legs and hips, her breasts brushing hardened nipples against his chest. His fingers idly played with the wild halo of her hair, and he dropped soft kisses gently along her jaw, her cheeks, her eyebrows and even her eyelids, once she closed them. He landed a tiny peck on her nose, which made her open her eyes again.
“Please tell me you’ll stay,” he said gently.
She peered past his shoulder. It was completely dark outside. “Seems a little late for me to be going out.”
He kissed her nose again. “I mean, stay past the morning. I know this is all happening so fast. Just tell me you’ll stick around a while and give me a chance. You don’t have to join the pack. You don’t have to do anything. Just stay.”
She smirked and peered down at their naked bodies touching. “I’d say I’ve already done something.”
He laughed. She loved the sound of it and the way it shook her body and the couch as if they were all one.
Then he scowled at her. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that. If those screams weren’t for the best orgasms you’ve ever had, you’re going to break my heart.”
Heat flushed her all over to hear him talk about it. “Definitely the best.”
His eyes sparkled in a wicked way. “Just in case, I’ll have to make the next one better.”
She didn’t know how that would be possible, but then his gaze and lips and hands were suddenly moving across her body again, warming it up even though it had barely cooled down.
“More?” she protested, even though she could hear the weakness of it.
“Mm, hm,” he said, his mouth delightfully occupied with nibbling a hot line across the skin of her chest. He lifted up to smirk at her. “I hear I’ve got at least one night to work with.”
Her eyes widened a little. All night? Was he serious?
When he dropped back to her chest and slipped a hand down between her legs, it was clear—he was definitely serious. She couldn’t help arching a little under him and gasping as he brushed her still-tender flesh. But they needed to talk before this went any further.
She put her hands on his shoulders, pulling him back up. “Marco.”
His groan was filled with frustration, but he dragged himself away from the line he was kissing down her belly. “Yes, my love?”
Those words… and his eyes filled with such tenderness mixed in with the glaze of lust... it stole her breath for a moment. Maybe she shoul
d just spend the night making love then sneak out again in the morning. Not tell him the truth.
He scowled and scooted further up. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I need to tell you something.” She suddenly didn’t know what to do with her hands and ended up pulling them awkwardly behind her head.
His scowl grew darker. But instead of asking more questions, he slid his delicious body off hers, turned to sit properly on the couch, and then gathered her up in his lap. It was strangely intimate, sitting bare-bottomed on his naked legs, but he was holding her tenderly, brushing hair back from her face and keeping her secure with an arm around her back.
He lifted her chin gently with his fingers. “There’s nothing you can tell me that’s going to change how I feel about you.”
That was the part she understood the least. “How do you feel about me?”
A small smile appeared on his face and then vanished. “My wolf has never been happier. He’s found his mate.”
A shiver ran through her, pebbling up her nipples so they stuck straight out from her breasts. He noticed right away, gently cupping one breast and rumbling a small groan. He gave her a look like she shouldn’t tempt him, but she was hardly doing it on purpose. She couldn’t tell if it was a shiver of delight or fear, but it was definitely sourced from deep inside her—it was her wolf reacting to that word. Mate.
But the human part of her didn’t understand. “What about Isabel?”
His hand dropped from her breast, and his jaw worked for a moment. “She’s in love with my beta.”
“Stefan?” Julia asked, her eyes going wide.
He nodded and scowled. “Apparently from Day One.” Then his expression softened, and he ran a finger across her lips. “Because that’s how it works with true mates,” he whispered. “Some part of you knows, right away, that this person is your other half.” He dropped his hand and gave her a timid smile. “Our wolves know long before we do. They’re smart that way. Instinctual.”
She was holding her breath. Because she could feel that inside… something that was pulling her toward him… but her wolf wasn’t anything she trusted. Not yet. But maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to trust her with Marco. That still didn’t erase what she’d done. And Marco deserved to know before he decided his wolf was in love with her.
“My wolf is like that… instinctual,” she said, ducking her head and twisting a strand of her hair through her fingers.
“I know,” he said huskily, making her look up. “She’s also extremely hot and incredibly brave.” His eyes were blazing at her again.
She shook her head and looked away. “Not so much brave as just… stupid.”
“Hey.” He brought her back with a finger on her chin. “That’s not what I’ve seen.”
She finally looked him in the eyes. “You haven’t seen everything I’ve done, Marco.” She pursed her lips, but then just forced it out. “I killed a man.”
He frowned, but more in confusion than condemnation. “Well, if you did, I’m pretty sure he deserved it.”
She gawked at him for a moment, then scowled. “That’s no excuse.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “An excuse is just a reason you don’t really believe.” Then he frowned again and cuddled her a little closer. “What happened?”
Julia took a breath and then just let it spill. “My father was a shifter, but he left before I was born. My mom had a series of husbands, each more of a loser than the last. I was living at home still, trying to work my way through community college—we had no money at all—and I come home from class one day to find this guy… he was just… he was basically raging drunk and beating the shit out of my mom. Then he came after me, and I—”
Marco’s growl had been rising in volume, but the flexing of his arm, tightening across her back, unsettled her. Was he angry? At her?
“I had to defend myself!” she said, her own anger rising.
Marco sucked in a sharp breath and let it out slow. “Of course, you did. This is the part where you tell me you fucking killed that guy, right? Because I need you to skip ahead a little, my love, and let me know that asshole got what was coming to him.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and there was an incredible relief spreading through her, like warm honey. Marco thought it was justified. She wasn’t sure she agreed with that, but it made her feel safe to know he wasn’t judging her.
“Yes, I killed him,” she said, and air kept leaking out of her, relaxing and letting loose. She killed him… because he deserved it. It didn’t wipe away the horror of it, but it put a frame around it that somehow made it feel… contained. Like maybe she could deal with it now.
“Damn straight, you did,” Marco growled, but it wasn’t as angry. Then his hand was on her cheek again. “I know that had to scare the crap out of you, though.”
“I was out of control,” she whispered. “My wolf was… she let loose and killed him and it was… it was horrible.”
His eyes narrowed. “So you killed him in wolf form?”
She nodded.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“What’s the problem?” she asked, incredulous and pulling away. “I killed a man, Marco. In my mother’s apartment. In my home. I tore him to pieces until there was just a bloody mess. The police have to be looking for me even as we speak.”
He frowned. “So you’re on the run. That’s how you ended up here.”
She swallowed. “I needed somewhere to hide. Somewhere to stay until I figured out how to put my life back together.”
There was dawning recognition in his eyes. “You want to go back to the way things were. You want your life from before… not to stay here with a criminal gang of shifters.”
She winced as he spoke her thoughts aloud. “I guess I’m a criminal shifter, too. I just haven’t, well, accepted it yet.”
“Hey,” his voice was sharp. “You’re not a criminal. If you’d shot him dead with a gun, it would have been fine, right? Would you have run? No. You would have claimed self-defense, and the police probably wouldn’t have even arrested you. But you ran because you knew it wouldn’t go down that way simply because you shifted… and that made you a criminal in the eyes of the law. A dangerous wild animal that has to be put down. The world has decided we’re already criminals before we’ve done a damn thing… but that’s not what we are.” He took a deep breath, tempering the rising anger in his voice. “I’m not saying everything we do in my pack is legal… I’m saying everything we do here is necessary. Just like killing an asshole who is attacking your mother and then you. Defending life… there’s nothing wrong with that, Julia.”
Her eyes went wide as she soaked in his words. “You really believe that?”
“With all my heart.” Then his fervent expression softened again. “I told you there was nothing you could say that would change the way I felt about you. I was wrong about that.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You were?”
His hand left the gentle spot on her knee and slid along her body to cup her breast. He kneaded it possessively while pulling her into a deep kiss. When he broke for air, she could feel his cock rising between them, impossibly coming back for more after they’d just finished the most incredible lovemaking of her life.
“You’re even more than I’d dared to hope for,” he whispered against her lips. Suddenly he had her laying back on the couch again, and before she could blink, he was taking her, sliding into her, stretching her sore lady parts in the most deliciously urgent way.
She wrapped her arms around him and gave herself over to enjoying every touch, every kiss, every pleasureful ache. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do—about anything—but she was certain that every moment with Marco Wilding was quickly becoming precious to her.
And that made her loathe the idea of leaving him even more.
Marco groaned as he came, sinking himself even deeper into Julia’s sweet body.
They were on his bed in his room—he was taking her fro
m behind, and the view was glorious. She was moaning through her own climax, coming all around him, shivering delightfully all over her body, which was splayed out before him. He slowed his pumping into her, hating to leave the tight sweetness of her body, but Jesus Christ, he was exhausted.
And it was time to get up.
Morning sex really was his favorite. And evening sex. And middle-of-the-night sex—they’d been doing all of it for over a week now, with no sign of slowing down.
Not that he was complaining in the slightest. They’d been exploring every possible position, but always within the tight confines of his small room after that first spectacular night at the gym. They’d probably christened every square inch of the place.
He pulled out and rolled over to lie on his back next to her. Julia collapsed on top of his chest, breathing equally hard. He ran a hand through her hair without looking, just staring up the ceiling and trying to catch his breath.
He knew every curve of her body by now and had worshiped every single one. And he knew that she like to come down a little before talking, which was just as well because he was still working on being awake. He’d had a hard-on when he woke up, which seemed to be a perpetual state for him these days, but he’d really only noticed it because Julia had drug him out of a dead sleep by wrapping her lips around it.
She was amazing in bed, and hands down, the best thing that had ever happened to him. His plan to get her to stick around seemed to be working—bit by bit, day by day, he was finding a way to integrate her into the pack activities… and night by night, orgasm by orgasm, he hoped he was working his way into her heart.
At least, she hadn’t mentioned leaving in a while.
“Jesus, Marco,” she breathed against his chest. “I’ve barely recovered from that up-against-the-wall thing we did around midnight.”
He chuckled and lifted his head to peer at her. “My love, what did you think was going to happen when you start giving me a BJ first thing in the morning?”
She smirked and cuddled up to him. God, he loved the feel of her naked body against his, even when they weren’t going at it—in fact, especially when they weren’t making love, and she was just running seductive lines with her fingertips along his chest like she was now.