“And usually you are able to be,” Keller said softly. “But sometimes fate intervenes. You couldn’t stop the Hyena Shifter from attacking you, and now, you cannot heal yourself. You need my help—you must give up control, at least for a little while—to me.”
His words, spoken in that deep, soft, masterful voice, made her heart pound wildly.
“But . . . I’m afraid to lose control,” Samantha whispered.
“I know it’s frightening.” He cupped her cheek in one large, warm hand. “But you need to let me heal you while these wounds are still fresh, Sammie.”
“All right.” Samantha took a deep breath. “You can heal me just . . . don’t do anything else.” Keller gave her a long, level look that made her squirm, but she held her ground. “Just healing,” she repeated.
“Very well,” he said at last. “I will only heal you, though I do reserve the right to seal the healing with a single kiss.”
“Okay,” Samantha agreed reluctantly. It seemed to be the best offer she was going to get. And besides, how bad could just a single kiss be? “One kiss,” she said, but Keller didn’t answer. He was already spreading her thighs wide and bending down to heal her.
Samantha bit back a gasp as his hot, wet tongue started at the ticklish inside of her right knee and made a long, sweeping stroke all the way up to her inner thigh. The healing heat, as she was beginning to think of it, started almost at once.
She moaned with mingled shame and pleasure as she felt her pussy getting hot and wet while Keller healed her inner thigh with long, slow, methodical licks. God, this was so embarrassing! Could he tell how hot and wet he was making her? Could he see her pussy getting swollen and ready?
She was almost certain he could. She was afraid to look, but she swore she could feel her juices wetting her pussy lips and overflowing to coat her inner thighs.
Part of her wanted to beg Keller to stop. He was right about her never losing control. And right now, lying back against the mattress with her legs spread and Keller’s broad shoulder splitting her wide, Samantha felt less and less in control—of her fate, of her reactions to the pleasure the big Shifter was building in her, of her emotions. . . . She felt less in control of everything.
But there was another part of her—a small part, but it was growing—that liked the feeling of giving up her all-important control to someone else—to Keller. She liked how big he was—how strong and muscular and completely certain of himself and of what he was doing to her. Even now he was watching her, holding her eyes with his own as he lapped her inner thighs, healing the terrible scratches and gouges the Hyena Shifter had made with his claws, trading excruciating pain for exquisite pleasure.
“Keller . . . ,” she whispered, but it was almost a moan. The pleasure was growing until her pussy throbbed and ached, begging for attention. Her clit felt swollen and sensitive, and when Samantha finally looked down, she saw to her embarrassment that it was peeking out from between her slick folds, showing Keller exactly how much he was affecting her.
At least she’d recently gotten a wax—only a narrow strip of blond curls decorated the top of her mound. So while she felt anxious about how obvious her desire was, at least she didn’t have to worry about the landscaping.
Keller didn’t seem to worry about it either. He just kept licking her, dragging his tongue from the inside of her knee all the way up to the place where her thigh met her body. The inguinal crease, whispered the surgeon part of her brain. But though Samantha had used the landmark often in operations she was performing, she’d never had anyone pay so much personal attention to her own. God, he was driving her crazy.
Finally, when the last of the awful scratches was gone and the skin of her thighs looked smooth and silky once more, he lifted his head.
“You’re healed, baby,” he murmured, stroking one big, warm hand along the top of her right thigh. “But I still need to seal it.”
“I . . . I know.” Samantha bit her lip. “I understand. Just one kiss though, right?”
“Just one.” Keller’s green eyes were lazy with lust. “But I must warn you, it might have to be a rather long kiss.”
“A . . . a long kiss?” Samantha squirmed uncomfortably, wishing she could close her thighs. But Keller was still lodged firmly between them, holding her open, putting her on display.
“Mm-hmm.” He nodded. “The injuries I just healed for you were quite extensive. I’ll have to seal the healing thoroughly to keep them from coming back.”
She didn’t know if she wanted him to kiss her or not at this point. But clearly he was going to do it whether she wanted him to or not—and take his time about it too. She was completely out of control—the big Shifter was in the driver’s seat now.
“All right,” she whispered. “I guess . . . you know best what needs to be . . . to be done.”
“That’s right, Sammie—I do,” he rumbled. “So just relax and let me kiss your sweet pussy—relax and let me make you feel good.”
It occurred to Samantha that earlier he’d said either pain or pleasure would work to seal the healing. Maybe she should have asked him to pinch or bite her thigh instead? But when she thought of the Hyena Shifter’s teeth tearing into her vulnerable flesh she shivered.
No more biting.
Not tonight anyway. And besides, it was too late to ask for pain instead of pleasure—Keller was already using his thumbs to spread her outer pussy lips, a look of pure desire on his face.
“God, your scent is so sweet,” he murmured, looking up at her for a moment. “And your pussy is so beautiful, all open and wet for me.”
Samantha looked down at herself and bit her lip in embarrassment. She certainly was wet. Her earlier thought that her juices were wetting her inner thighs was correct. The dark pink of her inner folds were shiny with her honey and her pussy was swollen with need. As Keller spread her wider to bare her throbbing clit, Samantha didn’t know if she would die of embarrassment or pleasure or a combination of the two.
“Keller,” she moaned, feeling incredibly exposed, incredibly vulnerable.
“Just one long kiss, Sammie. Remember that,” he murmured. Then he ducked his head and placed a soft, open-mouthed kiss over her wet, hot folds.
Samantha moaned as she felt his hot mouth make contact with her sensitive inner pussy. Then he began to kiss her—gently but urgently, just the way he’d kissed her mouth earlier that night.
Though she’d told Keller she didn’t like this act—that she never enjoyed it—he was rapidly making a liar out of her. As the deep, delicious kiss went on, she felt herself getting hotter and hotter, her pussy throbbing under Keller’s seeking mouth. His tongue flickered delicately around her clit but never quite touched it, making her crazy with need. God, was he trying to drive her insane?
“Keller!” she moaned, reaching out to tug restlessly at his hair. “Are . . . are you almost done?”
He looked up for a moment.
“I told you it might be a long kiss, Sammie,” he growled softly. “Besides, do you really want me to stop?”
“Keller . . .” Looking into those silver-green eyes, she found she couldn’t lie. “No,” she whispered. “No, I don’t want you to stop.”
“Good, because I’m just getting started, baby. Now relax and let me eat your pussy,” he ordered.
His deep voice was a low, commanding growl, and somehow Samantha found herself obeying him. Maybe it was the hidden Shifter female inside her reacting to his Alpha dominance, or maybe she just wanted to lose control for once. But for whatever reason, she found herself finally giving up and letting go, allowing her legs to drift even wider apart as Keller leaned forward to taste between her thighs once more.
Keller seemed to sense her submission because he growled approvingly and kissed her again—more urgently this time. Samantha moaned as he took long, hot licks of her inner folds, starting at the bottom of her slit and dragging his hot tongue all the way to the top. Along the way he bathed her throbbing clit, making her jump
and gasp at the intense sparks of pleasure that shot through her body.
Oh God, was she really letting him do this? And was she actually enjoying it for once? Samantha had had several lovers in the past who insisted on trying this act. Each one was convinced that he would finally be the one to make her love it, and each one had been wrong. Invariably she closed up mentally and emotionally, unable to let go of her rigid barriers enough to enjoy the intimate act.
But that wasn’t the case with Keller. Somehow, he’d gotten past her barriers before she could even put them up. As he lapped and sucked at her open pussy and teased her sensitive clit with his tongue, Samantha felt herself getting closer and closer to the peak.
“Keller!” she moaned, and somehow found she had buried both hands in his thick, dark brown hair. Really, she shouldn’t pull his hair, but somehow she couldn’t help it. She found herself threading her fingers through it and bucking her hips up shamelessly to meet his hot mouth, giving herself completely to the fire he was building inside her, one lick at a time.
And then Keller changed the game again. Raising his head, he looked Samantha in the eye.
“Get ready, baby,” he told her. “I’m going to slide inside you. Going to fuck your hot little pussy with my fingers and make you come.”
“Oh!” she gasped. He wasn’t asking—he was telling her exactly what was going to happen—exactly what he was going to do. Samantha suddenly felt empty inside and she knew she wanted this—wanted him inside her, even if it was only his fingers.
Holding her eyes with his, Keller sucked his index and middle fingers deep into his mouth, getting them wet. Reaching down, he found the entrance to her channel and slid them home, pressing hard into her tight depths.
“Ahh!” Samantha gasped and pumped her hips. God, how could he do this to her? How could he just stay there watching her with that hungry, predatory look on his face while he fucked her with his fingers until she thought she was going to explode?
“Keller!” She was nearly crying his name now, the pleasure so intense she could barely catch her breath. As he pressed hard into her tight depths, the broad pad of his thumb stroked back and forth over her swollen clit, pushing her pleasure higher and higher. “Keller, please.”
“Come for me, Sammie.” His voice was a low, growling order. “Come for me while I fuck your sweet little pussy with my fingers. Come for me now.”
Again, her body seemed to react to something she couldn’t consciously name. It was as though a part of her, hidden deep inside for years, was peeking out and recognized a part of Keller. The animal part—the Alpha part.
On his command, her pleasure broke, the pleasure rolling over her like a tidal wave that couldn’t be stopped. Crying and moaning and bucking, Samantha gave herself to it completely, admitting the big Shifter’s mastery of her body and his dominance over her in the most primal and sexual way possible. Her back arched, her toes curled and the orgasm rocked her—the deepest and most intense of her life. It was amazing.
“That’s right, baby,” she heard Keller growling as the pleasure went on and on. “God, you look so beautiful when you come . . . when you finally lose control.”
Lose control she did. Samantha thought she had never felt less in control in her life and yet, she’d also never felt so free. At that moment—the moment when she rose high on the crest of pleasure—she felt as though something was taking root in her heart—something that had sprouted there from a seed so small she hadn’t even known Keller had planted it. As the seed grew into a golden vine, she felt it reaching outside herself—reaching for him. And was there something similar in him reaching out for her? Something that wanted to tie them together?
It sounded crazy but it felt incredibly, incontrovertibly right.
Perfect, Samantha thought hazily. Feels so right. Like we’ve always been together . . . or maybe like we were always meant to be together. Like we should never be parted.
The weird thought began to bring her back to reality. What was she thinking? She’d just met Keller a few days ago, and she didn’t even like him. Or she hadn’t until tonight. They barely knew each other.
As the pleasure finally ebbed, she was left feeling breathless and shaky, uncertain if she was the same person she’d been before she’d gone to bed that night. Had the Hyena attack done something to her mind as well as her body? Why was she suddenly having all these forever-and-a-day fantasies about Keller?
It occurred to her suddenly that she was lying spread eagle on the bed, with the white bathrobe open wide to show her naked body. Her naked forty-year-old body, while the man between her thighs was nearly half her age and looked like a Greek god.
God, what was she doing?
“Um. . . .” Insecurity and uncertainty rushed in, and she sat up on her elbows and started to close her thighs.
Keller seemed to understand what she wanted because he withdrew his fingers slowly. Deliberately, he put them in his mouth and sucked them, cleaning all traces of her honey away.
“Delicious,” he murmured. “Knew you would be. So, Sammie, how do you feel about having your pussy tasted now?”
“Keller . . . ,” she began uncomfortably.
“You can call me Liam, if you like, you know,” he murmured, a faint smile flickering around the corners of his sensuous mouth. “I think we’re on a first-name basis by now.”
“I . . . I guess so.” Samantha sat all the way up, closing her thighs tightly. They still tingled where Keller had healed her, but there was no real pain and no scarring either. Somehow he had completely erased the terrible injuries made by the Hyena Shifter. If only he could erase her doubts as well. But instead of fading they were multiplying. What was she doing here with a man so much younger than herself? Where did she expect this night to end?
Keller seemed to sense her unease, because he leaned forward and cupped her cheek.
“Sammie?” he rumbled. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.” But she couldn’t look him in the eyes. She ducked her head, letting her long blond hair hide her face. “Um, thank you for healing me.”
“I’m glad I was able to,” he said seriously. Stroking her hair away from her eyes, he looked at her directly. “I’m glad my Cougar saw you as my mate,” he murmured.
“Your mate?” Samantha’s head flew up and a feeling close to panic swelled inside her. “I don’t . . . I mean . . .”
“Yes, my mate.” He looked at her intensely. “Can’t you feel it? The pull between us? I swear to you, Samantha, I’ve never felt this with any other woman. Not even—” He stopped abruptly. “Not with anyone,” he finished.
“Look, Keller, I appreciate you healing me. And, uh, making me feel so good.” She could feel her cheeks getting hot, but she forced herself to continue. “I mean, that was mind-blowing, it really was, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful . . . although I suppose I do,” she went on, starting to feel miserable. “But, well, I’m sorry, I just don’t do one-night stands.”
“Who said I wanted a one-night stand?” he growled softly. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I want you as my mate, Samantha.”
“Is that some kind of marriage proposal?” Her heart was hammering in her chest—this was all going too fast!
He shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders rolling.
“Call it what you want. I’m saying I want to be with you from now on. If that means marriage, I’m perfectly fine with that.”
“Wow, no commitment issues on your part.” She tried to make it a joke, but her words fell flat. “Keller, this is crazy. I’m way too old for you.”
“That’s bullshit,” he said, frowning. “Age doesn’t matter to me and it shouldn’t to you either.”
“It’s not just about age.” Samantha pulled the white bathrobe tight around herself, clutching it closed at the throat with one hand. “We’re not right for each other. You want a woman who’s Rejuvenating and wants to have babies. I’m not and I don’t.”
At last she seemed to have said somet
hing that hit home with him.
“That’s right, I’d forgotten how against having children you are.” There was a faint note of bitterness in his voice. “Although I believe you told me the reason you didn’t want them was because you hadn’t found a man whose children you wanted to have yet.” He cleared his throat. “I guess you still haven’t.”
“Be fair,” pleaded Samantha. “You’re coming on awfully strong, awfully fast. In fact, you’re doing to me exactly what you did to my sister—being all charming one minute and then demanding that I have your baby the next. It’s crazy, Keller!”
“It’s not crazy,” he insisted stubbornly. “I know what I felt between us just now—a connection was forged. And a Cougar always knows his mate. We’re meant to be together, Samantha. I know it, and you would too if you’d allow yourself to be open to it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Samantha insisted, even though part of her did feel a connection—a pull toward the big Shifter. But she told herself she must be imagining it. It was crazy, thinking her body could decide for her who she was supposed to be with.
“Samantha . . . Sammie. . . .” He reached out to her, but she pulled away.
“Even if I did want to have your baby, it wouldn’t matter because it probably wouldn’t have the Shifter Gene, which is what you want, right?” she pointed out desperately. “Or even if it did have the Gene, it would be latent and would never manifest. I mean, come on Keller—be reasonable. You want a Shifter heir to carry on your family name and fortune—I can’t give that to you.”
“You mean you don’t want to give it. Don’t want to be the mother of my children.” There was more than a trace of bitterness in his voice now.
“No, I don’t,” Samantha said flatly. “Because I’ve only known you a few days. And . . . and I don’t want kids. My career is too important to me, and I refuse to be made to feel bad for that.” She lifted her chin, daring him to say something.
Keller opened his mouth for what looked like an angry retort . . . but then shook his head.
“No,” he said, and all the heat had gone out of his voice, leaving it icy cold. “No, of course you shouldn’t feel bad. You’re excellent at what you do—who should know better than me? You should feel no shame about wanting to pursue the path you have chosen in life rather than turning everything upside down just because I asked you to. Just because I . . . because I care for you.”
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