by Bonnie Vanak
“It needs something sweeter,” he murmured.
A different hunger pulled as she studied his long, leanly muscled torso. His gaze gleamed with equal hunger.
Jake poured chocolate sauce into the bowl, dipped the strawberry in chocolate and dangled it over her. A droplet fell onto her breast. Slowly, he licked it off. She shivered with pleasure.
“Let me see your tongue, and I’ll reward you,” he promised.
Molly licked her lips and he placed the strawberry into her mouth. A vein pulsed in his neck as she swirled her tongue around the fruit, and then bit down.
He tossed aside the stem. “The strawberries are good, but I know something that would taste better dipped in chocolate.”
Jake dipped his finger into the chocolate sauce and touched her mouth. Then he kissed her, cupping her face in his strong hands. His tongue glided over her lips, licking away the sweetness.
“You want me.” Jake pressed his hand against the damp curls at her center. “Here, deep inside you.”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Let me come inside you. Open your body to me. I promise nothing but pleasure, hot sweet pleasure.”
He ravished her mouth, tongue and teeth plundering and claiming. Molly opened her mouth wider under his coaxing. Jake hungrily pushed into the wet cavern of her mouth, mimicking what he would do to her body.
Her nipples crested beneath the wicked thrust of his tongue. An agony of need twined with eager anticipation as he slid his hands over her naked body, cupping her hips. When he pushed her back onto the bed, still kissing her, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
As Jake cupped her sex, she opened her legs to him. He stroked a finger around the edge of her vagina, his touch light and teasing.
Two could play this game.
She wrapped her hand around his erection, her fingertips failing to meet. She grew wetter at the thought of all that male hardness pushing deep inside her.
Pulling away from him, Molly wet her finger with chocolate, then smeared it on the head of his penis. He shuddered as she began to stroke his hard shaft. Then she bent her head and her mouth encased him. Molly swirled and sucked. Passion and feelings guided her past her inexperience. Judging from the low groans, she was doing well.
Jake fisted his hands in her hair, and pulled her upright.
“Enough,” he gasped. “I’m going to burst right here if you don’t stop. It’s my turn now.”
He slid his hands along her thighs, then spread her legs wide and stared at her center. “You’re so beautiful down here. So wet for me.”
A moan escaped her as he rubbed a finger over her throbbing clit. He glanced down at her pink female flesh, stroked gently with a finger as if considering. Molly bit back a moan.
“The strawberries are delicious, but I want to taste you, Molly.”
He dropped a dollop of chocolate over her nipple. Slowly, his tongue lapped it off. Doing the same to the other nipple he dragged his tongue over her flesh, swirling it in long, teasing licks.
Her hips pumped upward in nameless want. Then he took the champagne and drizzled it over her groin. The cold wetness made her flinch and her body tense with erotic anticipation.
Molly arched back as the champagne trickled over her clit, coursing down her cleft. When Jake began to tongue her, she threw her head back. Surrendering to sensation, she let go.
She heard the sputtering of the candles, the rasping of Jake’s tongue over her sensitive tissues. She felt the damp silkiness of his hair, the scrape of his bristled cheeks brush against her thighs as he licked and swirled his tongue over her hot, aching flesh.
When he took her clit between his teeth and clamped down gently, she arched back in a shocked scream. He licked harder, faster, the pressure between her legs building higher and higher.
Wailing his name, she climaxed hard and fast. Shuddering, she gulped, her lungs bellowing as she drowned in a wave of pure pleasure. Jake kept licking her until the shivers passed.
A wicked gleam lit his eyes as he looked up, wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. He winked at her. “I do adore an exquisite champagne.”
As she slowly sat up, Jake kissed her. She tasted her own juices on his mouth, and the tang of the bubbly.
“Lie down on your belly,” he instructed.
When she did, he kissed his way down her backside, trailing long, slow kisses along her spine. Molly undulated beneath the caress of his mouth, heat building between her legs. Gods, she wanted him.
Then he raised her on all fours, the traditional position for mating Lupines. The submissive female, leading the male to tangle in wild sex. Her wolf whined with anticipation.
“Lift your hips,” he commanded.
She braced herself on her hands, wriggled her bottom.
“Are you ready to be one with me forever, my love?” he murmured. “Are you ready for me to give you my mating mark?”
“Yes. Do it. Now!”
Jake opened the bedside drawer and removed a bottle of oil scented like cherries. He trickled it over her ass. She moaned as he rubbed the oil over her bottom, delved it between her cheeks, and then between her slit.
Finally he positioned his thick penis between her soaked folds. He pushed inside her, slowly. Then with a mighty thrust, he drove deep inside her, where he belonged. Where he’d always belonged.
A delicious friction began as he thrust hard, driving into her. Molly flung back her head, moaning, as his thick cock slid against her swollen, sensitive tissues. Jake gripped her hips and rocked against her. Each thrust made her claw the sheets. His deep groans of pleasure threaded with her excited cries.
Then he tossed aside her long hair and nuzzled her neck. “I’m sorry this is going to sting,” he murmured. “But only for a minute.”
Turning her head, she saw him open his mouth, his fangs sharpening and lengthening. Jake gently turned her head, licked her throat. Molly moaned as he thrust his penis deep inside her once more.
Suddenly his sharp fangs sank into her neck. Pain flashed through her, but the delicious heat between her legs intensified.
Then he licked the wound, his tongue dragging slowly over her sore skin. The stinging pain faded. As he gently thrust into her body, the erotic pleasure swirled in her veins. Awakened by the mating mark, her wolf senses howled to the surface.
The sweet pressure built higher and higher. Jake angled his thrusts. Molly threw her head back, gasping. Almost there. Almost.
Jake fisted his hand in her hair. “My name on your lips, Molly. Say my name when you come. Let me know you belong to me.”
She shook her head wildly back and forth, nearly sobbing with the need. She pushed back against him as his flesh slapped against hers, feeling the silky hair on his thighs against her own limbs as he thrust.
Shimmering on the edge of a climax, she opened all her senses. She smelled the sharp musk of sex, the tangy aroma of Jake, the bite of strawberries and cherries, and her own arousal. Sweat trickled down her back, dripped onto the mattress.
Then tension blasted out of her core, shattering her into a million pieces as she screamed his name. Jake threw his head back, shouted her name as he bucked against her. Warm seed jettisoned into her. Each ejaculation sent new little orgasms shuddering through Molly. He kept pumping inside her until his muscles quivered and he collapsed atop her trembling body.
Boneless with pleasure, Molly fell to the mattress, panting. Slowly, he pulled out of her, his penis dragging wetly out of her. His lungs bellowing for air, Jake lay down and pulled her into his arms. Their mingled heartbeats gradually slowed.
Jake lifted his head with a sleepy, adorable look. Sweat dampened his dark hair.
“Now we are mated.”
Intense male satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, tasting of strawberries.
For a while they rested, Molly pillowing her head on his muscled shoulder. She ran her finger over his chest. “That was wonderful. I love you, Jake. I w
ish…”
“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. It’s just…” The words stuck in her throat.
“Tell me. What do you need?”
Shyness nudged her. Her sensual Lupine nature had been suppressed for years because she wanted her first time to be memorable. Now, mated with Jake, she wanted to express her deepest sexual needs.
All those lonely nights when she fantasized about Jake in her bed, she imagined him doing wicked things to her. She knew he was a virile male Lupine with enough sexual confidence to arouse her body to the fullest. Molly didn’t want to be submissive in her relationship, except in the bedroom. She longed to feel vulnerable and have Jake master her, giving her the freedom she needed to explore her wildest fantasies.
Another Lupine male might abuse her sexuality and seize upon her needs as a reason to dominate her outside the bedroom. Not so with Jake. She trusted him utterly.
Molly sat up, her long hair curtaining her face as she looked down at her mate. “I want something different, Jake. Something wilder. Daring.”
He studied her with an intent look. Jake cupped her breast and ran his thumb over her cresting nipple, the sensation making her aroused all over again. “I know what you’d like. But you must trust me, Molly.”
“I do.”
“By trusting totally in me, and surrendering to me, I’ll give you sensations you’ve only dreamed about.” Jake sat up and gently licked her nipple. Moaning, she cupped him to her breast.
Then he gave her a gentle push, sending her back onto the mattress. “Lie back and relax.”
When she did, he scrambled out of bed. She craned her neck to see what he was doing.
He opened a top drawer on the maple bureau and withdrew a red satin blindfold and four red velvet ropes. Molly’s eyes widened.
“The accessories?” she asked.
The ropes dangled from his hands. Jake nodded. “You okay with this?”
She stretched out her arms and legs. “Oh yes.”
He bound her wrists and ankles, kissing them as he tied them to the bedposts. Then he put the blindfold on her. As his mouth took hers in a warm, authoritative kiss, passion sizzled along her veins. This was the emotional connection she’d craved, the release she sought with the male she loved. Deprived of sight, unable to touch him, she could only lie back and let Jake do whatever he wished.
The mattress creaked. She heard the pop of a cap, then warm liquid drizzled over her belly. Molly smelled the sweet aroma of chocolate. Then she shivered as Jake’s warm, wet tongue dragged over her quivering flesh.
He kept kissing her, his tongue dragging over her flesh. Jake growled as he kissed the tiny hollow of her throat.
This was exciting his wolf, too.
He nuzzled her neck and then traced the slender column with his mouth, trailing sizzling kisses trailed along her skin. His teeth sank lightly, the erotic sting sending shivers through her.
When Jake put his hand between her thighs, she cried out. He quieted her with a soft murmur, pushing a long finger between her soaked cleft. Hot need coursed through her as he gently thumbed her clit. Coiled tension wound her tighter and tighter, until she became a spring ready to explode from each caress that burned her inside.
“Shhh,” he murmured. “Let go. Surrender to it.”
The tension exploded, and she clung to him, crying out as it shattered her.
Jake removed the blindfold, staring down at her. “You’re so beautiful when you come. I love watching you. Makes me want to do it again.”
When he’d made her come yet again, she collapsed, quivering on the bed. Jake untied the ropes.
“Now,” he murmured, settling between her opened thighs.
Jake dominated her with sheer strength, a sinful promise of dark pleasure in his eyes. He guided his erect shaft to her wet opening. Molly tensed.
With a heavy thrust, he sealed them to the hilt.
As she wrapped her legs around his lean hips and gripped his shoulders, she felt the emotional and physical bonding she’d longed for her entire life. Jake grunted as he thrust deep. She arched her hips upward.
“More,” she cried out. “Faster.”
His hips began to piston, his penis sliding in and out as he panted. Then he angled his thrust to rub against her clit, and the sharp pleasure made her climax again. Molly bucked upward, her nails digging into his shoulders. He stiffened and then shuddered, shouting her name, cords on his neck standing out as his shaft thickened inside her.
The mating knot. Warm seed jettisoned inside her as he bucked and shuddered.
With a groan, he collapsed atop her, pinning her to the mattress with his heavy, muscled body. His head pillowed next to her as their ragged breaths mingled. Still locked deep inside her, he rolled, taking her with him. For a few moments they rested, until his penis finally softened.
Sweat sheened his face, plastering his hair to his forehead. Slowly, he slid out of her. She winced at the pull of her sore muscles. His expression became tender. He cupped her face in one strong palm.
“You okay?”
Roughness and male satisfaction edged his voice. She nodded, turning her face into his hand with a small sigh. Molly curled up next to him, letting the air cool the sweat on her body.
He rubbed his cheek against hers. “Tomorrow we can try something different if you like.”
With a sleepy sigh of pure contentment, she raised her head. “Whipped cream with a side of spanking?”
Jake grinned, a gleam in his eyes. “And a cherry.”
Then he grew serious. “I love you, Molls. You’re mine now, forever.”
She blinked at him, her gaze soft. “About damn time, Jake Anderson. No regrets.”
“None. Except maybe one, that I didn’t do this sooner.”
A satisfied smile curved her own lips as she nestled against him, drifting off to sleep. Jake, the lone wolf who didn’t want a mate, was now tied to her for good. The bonds of mating and love would hold fast.
They belonged to each other. Forever.
Epilogue
One day later
The time had come. He’d been far too patient.
Tristan dematerialized and appeared inside the corral at the Blakemore Ranch. Wind swept across the dirt, making small whirlwinds. In the nearby trees, the leaves whispered their secrets. So many secrets here.
So much pain. But the pain would soon abate, though the process would not be pleasant.
A horseshoe in one hand, Nikita Blakemore, mistress and alpha leader of the pack, stood, stroking her horse’s velvet muzzle. She turned.
Blood drained from her face. The horseshoe fell to the ground with a dull thud. “You’re him.”
He gave a small bow. “The one and only.”
“Why are you here?” She searched the grounds, her gaze frantic.
Brief pity surged, knowing he was the cause of her distress. But he was a judge of Wydling shifters and could not afford the luxury of sympathy. Not with so many lives at stake.
“Since you have failed to choose a date for the mating challenge, I am choosing for you. One week from today, the challenge takes place here at your ranch.”
Her mouth opened and closed. She clutched her now bloodless hands. Sensing her distress, the horse whinnied.
Tristan walked over to the animal, murmuring reassurances. With a pat on its neck, he sent the horse running off to the corral’s far side. Nikita backed away from him as if he were a demon.
I suppose I am one to her. For all these years, she has feared me. And now I have arrived to fulfill the prophecy. There is nothing she can do to avert this. Nor can I. It is destiny, and the promise given to me more than a thousand years ago.
White lines bracketed her mouth as she jammed her hands into her jeans pockets, to hide their shaking, he guessed.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, and the sound would have broken his heart.
If he had one.
“You have no c
hoice. For far too long, you have postponed the challenge, letting Aiden dangle in midair like a waiting noose.”
“Not a very nice image.”
“I’m not a nice person,” he said softly. “But you already sensed that, did you not?”
She swallowed hard. “It will take time to gather all the males…”
“Leave it to me. They will be only too eager, as Aiden is, to assemble for the challenge. You are quite a prize, Nikita and Aiden wants to win you as his mate.”
Spirit flared in her gaze. She threw back her shoulders and glared at him. “I’m not a horse or something to be bought.”
“But you are much valued, quite beautiful and many males wish to possess you. Only one will do so and claim your virginity as his reward for winning the challenge and you as his mate.”
She bristled. “It’s mine to give to whomever I choose.”
In two strides he was at her side, seizing her chin and lifting it to his impervious gaze. “Perhaps in the past, that was an option. It is not now. If you violate the oath of purity needed for a successful challenge, you will suffer the consequences.”
As he released her, she rubbed her face as if trying to rid herself of his touch. It mattered not. He was not offended.
For she was not the one he wished to hold and claim for himself.
“I’m not afraid.”
Tristan smiled darkly. “You will be.”
Her lower lip trembled. “Why now? Why put all this on me?”
Female tears. Once they had been his downfall, but he had not been moved by tears in more than a millennia. Tristan stared at the distant, jagged mountains. “Aiden desperately needs the single females in your pack for his males to select mates.”
Turning, he regarded her and narrowed his eyes. “I will not allow Aiden and his people to suffer any more delays, nor will I permit another Mitchell pack male to risk his life simply to find a mate. Yours is the only pack in the West that will evenly match all his males.”
“So not only myself, but all my pack becomes sacrificed to male lust?” Sparks of sheer anger glinted her blue eyes.