Hell, she and Luc, for some godforsaken reason, had a connection that buzzed between them like a downed power line gone mad.
But it was temporary. She had her life in L.A. to return to sometime. At least she hoped she did.
As long as he doesn’t kill me, this will be fun.
One deep cleansing breath later, she reached out. Opening the door, she leaned against the frame. “Oh, it’s you,” she winked as she said it.
He laughed. “You were expecting someone else?”
“Ya never know around here, they come and they come, and then they go,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Not any more,” he growled as he pressed her up against the door. “The only ones coming and coming are me and you.” He lifted her wrists above her head, he was careful not to touch the bandage on her hand. The erotic nature of his tenderness and at the same time his forcefulness, melted her panties and several parts of her body at once.
“So no more they,” she whispered coyly. “They’re going to be very disappointed.”
“They will get over it,” his mouth ravaged hers in a battle of wills. He was in a take-no-prisoner’s mood, and so was she. He held her hands up, but she wanted to reach out and touch him. To feel those ripping muscles and rake her fingers through that long hair of his.
“Damn, you taste so good, and the scent of you drives me mad. I can’t get you out of my head,” he said. “Every waking moment is filled with you.”
“Careful, you might make me come with words, if you keep talking like that.” She moaned. His tongue flicked across her lips as his thumb rubbed her nipple. With her hands raised her breast were pushed up. The nipples so hard she thought she might scream from the agony. His mouth clamped down and he suckled the nipple, sending waves of erotic pleasure through her body to her core.
Wet panties were the least of her problems. She wasn’t sure how much longer her legs would hold out if he kept sucking her like that.
“Let go of my hands,” she whispered. “I need to touch you.”
He did, but only to lift the t-shirt over her head. He smiled at the bra and panties he’d bought for her. They were a soft lilac, a color she normally didn’t wear, but because Luc bought them for her, she loved them. When his eyes reached her face, there was so much heat there, she threw her arms around his neck and began kissing him.
With deft hands, he undid her bra, while she plunged her tongue in and out of his mouth. The panties were next, but when he pulled those down he lifted his head.
“Damn,” he hissed. “Those bruises look a lot worse.”
“Yes, but they don’t hurt as bad,” she lied. Today she felt like a truck or two had hit her ribs, but if she told him that he’d stop. She was already so hot for him. She wanted to rip off his jeans with her teeth.
“Luc, I swear if you don’t fuck me right now, I’m going to kick your ass. Forget the bruises. Your kisses take away all the pain. Touch me, Luc. I want more. A lot more with you.”
That seemed to do the trick. Trailing kisses down her neck, his tongue teased each of her breasts, while his thick fingers slid through her slick heat. Back and forth he rubbed. His teeth nipped at her and then he sucked so hard the pain of it turned to pleasure and her body rocked with it.
“That’s it, babe. Come for me,” he ordered as one of his fingers plunged into her tight heat.
His voice commanded it and her body obeyed. It was as if his words and his hands had the power to drive her into another world, one filled with sensation. Glorious sensation. She lived for his next touch, kiss, and when he plunged two fingers in she gasped as her body quaked.
“Yes.” She cried, her body shaking from the inside out as she dove off the threshold and lost herself in the bliss of orgasm. She had to have him inside of her. “Fuck me, Luc. Please. I need you,” she begged.
Lifting her head she met his eyes, the sincerity and passion there shocked her. It was if he wanted to consume her, and there was nothing she wanted more.
The sound of a zipper, and then he lifted her leg.
“Are you on birth control?” He asked.
“Yes,” she ground out.
That was all he needed.
Wrapping her leg around his waist, he teased her with the head of his cock.
“More,” she begged as she tried to impale herself on him. “More now.”
“Ains, I’m kind of big, we have to take it slow.”
“Fuck slow,” she said as she wrapped her other leg around him and used her legs to shove his cock deep inside.
“Christ,” Luc stilled. “You’re going to make me come before we ever have a chance.”
Oh, the power he’d given her. He wanted her so much he was about to blow his wad in the first thrust.
Wickedly, she pumped her hips as his thickness filled her so deep, she didn’t think the man’s cock ever stopped.
“Slow down, honey. Please. You’re killin’ me. I can’t hold on.”
She moaned and that was it. His hands slammed into the door behind him as he braced them both and then he pounded the fuck out of her.
Sensations, a blurring haze and pain. In her ribs and on her hip as she hit the wood, but she didn’t care. Everything came together as she met him thrust for thrust like some wild woman on a bronco. Hell, stallion. Never had she known sex could be like this.
And then every coherent thought left her, as her body tightened and then released. Nerves she didn’t know she had were on fire as her body convulsed into a mind-blowing orgasm. She was so lost that she was barely aware that Luc was still pumping her hard.
His seed poured into her, as he shuddered. “Ains,” he whispered as his mouth met hers. This time they were sweet and tender kisses, melting her once again into a pool of hot butter. This beast of a man could be so tender and caring. He was nothing but contradictions.
When he lifted his head, he smiled at her.
“What?” she asked.
He glanced up above her head. She looked up to see two giant holes in the door where his hands had been.
“That’s what you do to me,” he whispered against her ear. “Now, I’m going to have get a new door.”
“To hell with that,” she said. “That was the best sex I’ve ever had in my life. We’re making it a shrine to the power of Luc,” She kissed his chin and then savaged his mouth.
Her legs still wrapped around him, he carried her to the bed.
“Let’s see what we can do to the bed,” he said as he put her down gently. “I have a feeling this day will go by much too fast. But this next round, we are going to take it slow,” he promised. “Very slow.”
Chapter Ten
Luc watched her sleep. He’d made love to her four times and it was only ten o’clock at night. He’d made her rest, especially when he’d seen her limping to the bathroom. Damn the woman, she had no business being so physical, but he couldn’t stop himself when she begged. She had a way about her that made it impossible for him to deny her pleasure.
From her first orgasm, he knew that she’d never had the kind of connection they did. The shock was in her eyes. The wonder of it all. Just thinking about the way she shuddered as she came around his cock made him hard again. He’d had lovers, but none like this.
She was special.
Fuck. Too damn special.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?
He’d known her two days? How had he connected that quickly to someone? Was he that desperate for a new mate?
No, just desperate for her.
After swearing he’d never touch her, he’d given into temptation the first time she’d asked. So much for the strength of character everyone said he had.
When she left, it would kill him. No way around it. And he wouldn’t try to stop her. They were good together, but they lived different lives. Even if he might have feelings for her, there was no way he would admit it to her. She made it very clear that she thought this would be a short fling.
Luc pushed the ne
gative thoughts away. Speaking of her life, he needed to check in with Cody.
She’d grabbed his bottle of water to drink, which had a tiny bit of valerian root in it. He normally didn’t use the drug in the winter when he continually worked to fight the urge to sleep, but Ainsley kept him wound up tight so he needed its calming effects. He was worried that he might accidentally lose control and harm her in some way.
Gently unwrapping the leg she’d thrown over him, and the arm, he slipped out of bed.
He thought about warning her about the water, but decided she could use the rest.
Damn, the woman was gorgeous. He’d tasted every inch of those curves and he would do it again, and again.
His phone vibrated on the mantle and he ran to get it.
“Doc? What’s wrong?”
“He’s coming around. No shifting yet. I think it might be a good idea if he had some friends or family here to help him remember who he was or is,” he corrected.
Luc sighed as he glanced over at the beautiful woman in his bed. Ian had come home for a reason. Luc’s sense of honor always won out, but this time it was more of a struggle than usual.
“I’ll be there in five.”
Her eyes drooped and he thought about waiting a few minutes longer for her to fall asleep, but he didn’t want her to wake up and wonder where he’d gone.
Sitting on the side of the bed, he brushed her long hair away from her face.
“It’s cold,” she said softly. “Get back in bed.” She pulled on his arm.
“Tempting, sweet one. Tempting. But I have to help Doc out with Ian.”
Her eyes flashed open.
“The tiger.”
He nodded.
Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re not going to do anything dangerous, right? Like, let him bite you?”
Luc kissed her. “No. He’s in human form right now and they’re giving him a lot of drugs to keep him that way. Doc wants other humans around him to encourage him to come back to us.”
“I’ll come with you.” She yawned and tried to get off the bed, but he grabbed her arm.
“No. I don’t want you around him while he’s like this. It’s too dangerous.”
“You said it wasn’t.” Her hands went to her hips.
Damn the woman for being so smart.
“It’s not dangerous for me. I heal fast, you,” he pointed to her ribs, “not so much.”
She ducked her head down for a minute.
“Um. The truth is, I think I really can help you,” she said. “I know it sounds crazy but he didn’t try to hurt me. It was if he wanted to protect me,” she said. “As if he truly did understand that I was scared out of my mind. I think, and maybe I’m making more of it than I should, he tried to comfort me in some weird way. It seemed like he actually laughed at my jokes.”
Luc had a feeling she was right. He cocked his head, looking at her with a new eye.
“You do look like his sister, you know,” he said. “She died of cancer a couple of years ago, about the same time he had…an accident.” No need to tell her about the woman Ian had nearly killed in his tiger form.
“Oh, that poor man.” She squeezed her hands together and then pushed away from Luc and then stumbled. “What the hell is wrong with me?”
“Uh, my water bottle has some herbs that help me sleep.”
Her eyebrow lifted. “And you didn’t think to warn me?”
Caught, he shrugged. “You were already drinking it before I remembered. It’s not much and your metabolism processes drugs better than mine. You won’t be sleepy for long.”
She rolled her eyes. “I have to help your friend. Pour me a gallon of coffee. That will help me stay awake. I’ll stand on the other side of the bars or glass or wherever you have him,” she said. “But if you try to go without me, I will follow you.”
Luc huffed. He’d only known her a short time, but the look in her eyes was unmistakable. She’d have her way no matter what. It was probably safer for her to be with him than alone on a full moon anyway.
“Fine, but you do what the Doc and I say.” He pointed a finger at her. “And while we’re there, I’m going to have Doc check out that hip. I want to make sure I didn’t break something while I was banging you against the door.”
She bent down and kissed him. “Luc, honey, you banged me against the door, the headboard, the kitchen counter—who knew granite could break like that. I’m fine. Your lovely home, not so much.”
She had a point. In an effort to stay in control, which wasn’t easy when she was wrapped around him, he’d taken it out on his house. The place had the appearance of being in the middle of a renovation.
“Get ready. I promised the doc I’d be there shortly. And do not wash me off of you yet,” he said. “It’s important that others know I’ve marked you as mine.”
She stopped, facing away from him. “Marked.”
“Yes, Ainsley. You are under my protection. That means, if anyone else touches you, I can kill them, no questions asked.”
And he would, though he doubted anyone who had a head of sense would even think about trying to mess with her. She was his woman and he wanted to make sure everyone knew it.
“That’s a little caveman isn’t it?”
Luc drew her to him. “In your world, yes. But it will keep you alive in mine. When the moon is full, the beast within can get a little crazy. It’s why we’ve had so many fights in the bar. Usually, no one would pull that stuff around me. But when you aren’t thinking straight, it can be tough to see reason.”
Ainsley ducked away from him and put her shoes on. “Am I safe?” She’d been through so much and he could tell, even though she was strong, she was at a breaking point.
Luc couldn’t lie to her. “No and yes. As long as you’re smart and stay close to me, you’ll be safe.”
Tilting her head up, she stared at him for a few seconds.
“Okay.”
The determination to be strong was all over her face and it made him want her all the more.
She was safe, but Luc was far from it.
This woman would rip out his soul, and damned if he could stop her.
…
Wrapped in one of Luc’s giant sweatshirts, a pair of his work gloves, three pairs of socks, her sneakers, her coat, and an afghan, she followed him into something that looked like a barn with several wings coming off it. The large white structure was deceiving. Inside, it looked like any other hospital with a waiting room and admitting area. There were several hallways leading off to different parts of the barn.
Doc met them at the reception area. “He knows his name,” he said quickly. Then he glanced down at Ainsley.
“You look flushed.” He reached out a hand. “Hmmm. We should check your temperature.”
She felt her cheeks become even hotter. No way was she going to tell this man that Luc had been feeling her up in the truck on the way there, and she was a wired mess of need on the precipice of coming out of her skin.
“I’m fine, it’s just really cold outside.”
She glanced up at Luc, willing him to step in and save her.
The Doc sniffed the air and then like he was at a tennis match glanced up at Luc then down at her. His eyebrow rose.
Damn these shifters and their super sonic sniffers.
“You were talking about Ian.” Luc pretended as though nothing happened and for that she was grateful.
“When I called out his name, he turned his head. He doesn’t know me and I saw the wild come back in his eyes a bit. “I’d like for you to try,” he said to Luc.
The big bear of a man frowned. “I’m not sure—the last time I saw him, we had words. I was trying to talk him down off the ledge, but he just wouldn’t listen. We had a fight, and then I didn’t see him again until the other day.”
The Doc patted his shoulder. “Doesn’t matter what happened in the past. There’s a good chance he doesn’t even remember the fight. You two were close once
so let’s at least try it. If he becomes agitated at all, get out fast. He’s restrained, but you know if he shifts those straps won’t hold him back.”
Churning acid burned her stomach. Squeezing Luc’s arm tightly, she whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t let him bite the wonk.”
Luc’s laugh rang through the hallway and the doc put a finger to his lips.
“I’m beginning to think you only want me for my cock,” he kissed her ear as he whispered the words.
“It’s is a very important part of you. But it won’t work if you’re dead.”
He shook his head.
She tried to make light of it, because she could feel he was nervous too. That was good, he’d be more careful if he were on guard.
Luc paused as if he listened to something. “I want you to do me a favor.” He gently touched his lips to her fingers. For a giant man, he could be so tender at times.
“I’m not leaving you.”
He grinned. “I wouldn’t ask you to, but I wanted to check on Patty. She’s the waitress you replaced, who had twins. I came over last night, but she was asleep. I may be tied up here for a bit. I have a gift out in the truck for her and the babies.” He handed her the keys.
“Okay. So you want me to deliver gifts to a woman I’ve never met. It’s almost like you’re trying to get rid of me.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Please do this for me.”
She punched his arm. “Fine. But don’t get dead.”
He gently kissed the top of her head. “Thanks.”
Nodding toward an orderly, he motioned her forward. “Take her to the maternity ward to see Patty.”
Half way down the hall, she stopped as she heard Doc speak.
“Step back,” Doc said as two humongous orderlies slid back a steel door.
Even from the end of the hall she could see inside.
A disturbingly handsome man was strapped to a bed. The walls were padded, the floor concrete. Several IV’s were hooked into his arms.
Luc stuck out his chest looking as though he’d grown another foot.
Talk about an alpha male.
Lions, Tigers, and Sexy Bears, Oh My! Page 8