by Laina Kenney
“Your soul lights my way and your scent is a song inside me. I will always come for you.”
Her beautiful eyes sparkled. He wasn’t good with words, but maybe he had said the right thing for once.
“Maybe we should order food and have a candlelight dinner here?”
Her voice was hesitant, shy. It made him feel ten feet tall that she would seek his approval. And her suggestion played to his deepest possessive instincts. Perhaps the emotions rising to the surface would settle down in time, but he hated to think of what might happen if another male openly admired his pretty mate tonight. These new emotions were fierce and unpredictable. He might tear the man limb from limb, or kill when he only meant to draw blood in warning.
But surely no vulfen male would be so foolhardy as to openly challenge for the mate of their shadow. Matsij almost smiled. No, any male with sense would stay far away from Grace as soon as she wore his scent mark in her skin.
Matsij took her hand and brought it to his lips again for a lingering kiss.
Only when Grace sighed did he pick up the phone. He called in to Sidarova’s kitchen and spoke to Vasily, the head chef. Grace was smiling up at him and he stood holding the phone long after the conversation had ended. He could look at her forever.
“The food will arrive shortly,” he said.
His instinct whispered and he lowered his head to kiss his pretty mate. He drew back after the first touch and licked his lips.
“Cherry?” he asked and a beautiful flush climbed her cheeks as she nodded. “Cherry and the taste of Grace.”
Holding her eyes, he moved in for a deeper taste. He kept a tight leash on his wolf and explored her mouth. But he couldn’t hide the blazing fire that burned in his gut for her. It rose up and turned the kiss into a slow rhythmic mating dance of tongue and teeth. Her body undulated in his arms and his hands stroked and pressed her sweet flesh.
It went on and on in a silence broken only by the rasp of hands over clothing and the heated whispers of their breaths. His heartbeat pounded like a primal drum but with an effort he kept his touches light, exploratory.
He cupped one soft breast in his palm and flicked his thumb back and forth over her nipple while he seduced her mouth. He took his time, and when her knees gave way, he supported her slight weight with one arm and kept her close against his body.
The sound of her tiny moans of pleasure was a siren song leading him into a world where his legendary control unraveled moment by moment. There was a roaring in his ears. His mate twisted and moaned in his arms and the sound soaked into his blood like a drug and made his heart pump slow and thick.
He didn’t know how he could continue at such a lazy pace for one more minute when he could feel every beat of his raging pulse throbbing in his cock. He wanted to claim her, devour her, but at the same time he never wanted it to end. He wanted to grow drunk on the luscious scent of her, lose himself in her soft body for eternity.
Only when his mate was whimpering and trying to climb his body did he pull back. Her lips were wet and pink and swollen and her slumberous eyes got to him on the deepest level. He wanted to taste every part of her. He wanted to hold her down and feast until the pleasure made her twist and scream under his hands and mouth but he was killing himself trying to behave like the gentleman she had requested.
“Ah, Grace. What you do to me.”
She pushed against him and he pulled her against his chest and cuddled her close, nuzzling his nose into her hair and drinking in her scent. He wanted to laugh in triumph, but he was afraid it would come out as a howl. She got him so damn hot he didn’t know what he was doing.
“Gracie, unless my ears are ringing, that was your doorbell. Our food has arrived.”
He felt her surprise. She turned her head to look at the little crystal clock. When she looked up at him, her expression bemused, he couldn’t resist another quick kiss on the little o of her mouth. She was adorable.
“That was a long kiss,” she said, and there was a little hitch on the final word.
He felt an unfamiliar pride welling up inside him.
“Perhaps we can try that again after our dinner,” he suggested. His voice was soft, but the words lisped around his fangs. His wolf was straining against his control. The wolf wanted to claim its mate now and it didn’t give a damn about dinner.
He told his wolf and his rigid cock to hold on and he made his way to the door. He opened it in time to see Balke getting back into his jeep. There was a large insulated bag on the porch with a cardboard box beside it.
The two warriors waved and then Balke drove away. Matsij was glad to see that Balke was observing the human speed limits tonight, but perhaps he had noticed the police presence in the area.
Under normal circumstances, Balke’s idea of driving made Matsij shudder. The males in the Reitn family were good warriors and valuable members of the Cadre, but all three drove like maniacs. Matsij would much rather run in his wolf form than sit in the passenger seat while a Reitn was driving, no matter the distance.
Matsij picked up the insulated bag and tucked the cardboard box under his arm. When he returned to Grace, she had transformed the living room into a shimmering world of flickering lights and shadows. She had candles on every available surface, thin ones in candlesticks and groupings of large fat ones that gave the room a romantic glow.
She had moved the low coffee table to the side and was arranging a blanket on the floor.
“I thought maybe we could have a picnic,” she said.
Her face was still flushed and the sultry hint of spice in her scent called to him so strongly that he almost dumped the box of food and dove for Grace. She smelled ten times better than anything he could order from a restaurant. He hauled his rampaging hormones back in line with an effort and walked forward with the food.
While he unpacked the box, Grace ran out of the room only to return moments later with plates and cutlery. He unzipped the insulation bag and the mouthwatering aroma of sauce and cheese rose into the air.
Grace sniffed and smiled.
“I love Italian food.”
Matsij nodded. “As do I. Old Vasily has outdone himself tonight. On the menu is a crisp Caesar salad, with lasagna and fresh baked rolls.” He checked the box again. “And we have a full-bodied merlot to accompany the meal with Torta di Ricotta and fresh raspberry sauce to finish. A simple meal, but Vasily is a master chef.”
“It sounds perfect,” Grace said.
They dished out the food together. Her happy little sigh after the first bite of the rich lasagna made his cock twitch with lust. He argued with himself all through the meal, because every little hum she made ran up his spine like he wished her fingernails would. He tried to keep his mind off Grace by running down patrol schedules in his head with a desperation that might have amused him at any other time. When they finally reached their dessert, he felt like a basket case.
Grace took her first bite of the creamy Italian cheesecake and moaned. The resonance wrapped around his cock like sheer silk and pulled an unwilling groan from him. Her natural sensuality was killing him by slow inches.
A tiny drop of raspberry sauce rested at the corner of her lip. Matsij couldn’t resist leaning in closer to steal the decadent sweet and tart taste with his tongue.
Her breath hitched and she set her fork down. That was all the invitation he needed to pull her close and devour her mouth. All the instincts he had been fighting pushed to the forefront and he cradled her head as he lowered her to the floor and covered her body with his. Her soft breasts cushioned his chest and he moved his body from side to side just to feel the sensitive tips harden against him.
“Grace,” he said between heated kisses. “My Grace.”
When his lips moved to her sensitive throat, she shivered in his arms. He nipped and suckled, nibbled and licked, but his instinctual need to give her the mating bite was blinding him and he had to pull away for a moment to regain his composure.
He didn’t want to ru
sh Grace, even though his hunger for her was stronger than anything he had known before. Grace wanted to be courted first, dating before mating she had said, and the hope in her voice had seduced him. If he couldn’t keep his hands off her, at least he could keep his fangs in check.
“Matsij,” she said and her sultry tone made his name an invitation he would never refuse.
He held her eyes while he cupped one small soft breast in his palm. He circled and rubbed back and forth over her nipple. The soft fabric of her blouse made a whispering sound under his calloused hand and she sighed. He pinched gently, repeatedly and the tiny bites of pain made her arch to him.
The sight of her mouth opening as her eyes fluttered shut was too much. His swollen cock throbbed like a toothache and sweat broke out on his forehead, but he kept his focus by sheer force of will.
He unfastened each tiny button slowly, kissing the smooth skin he exposed. Her blouse and lacy bra were pushed aside and removed so he could taste her and run his tongue in patterns over her gorgeous caramel skin.
He explored each rib and when he reached her little belly button, he nipped gently in a series of tiny stinging bites. Her body undulated beneath him and it was all he could do not to mount her immediately. He slid one hand up her thigh and tested the heat of her welcome for him. She was moist and yielding, and her legs fell apart at his first touch to expose her soft vulnerable core. The lust rose in him like a tidal wave and damn near blew off the top of his head.
He was breathing hard and sweat dripped into his eyes and he wasn’t even inside her yet. He grabbed for his faltering control. If he didn’t find a way to slow down, Grace’s first experience with her mate would be fierce and lightning fast. It wasn’t what he wanted for her, for them, but he was balanced on the razor’s edge.
He slid downward, licking and nibbling her soft skin until he found the treasure he sought. The undiluted scent of her rose to welcome him and he buried his face against her, opening her folds with one long swipe of his tongue. She made a tiny sound of shock and moved as if to close her legs against him, but his growl froze her in place. Her glistening pink flesh drew him like a magnet. With the way open to him, he dove in and feasted.
His control was hanging by a fine thread and finesse was far beyond him. He slurped and sucked at her velvet flesh, juicy and ripe as the finest peach. Her body rewarded his attention with a rain of sweet moisture and his tongue swirled to catch the sultry drops.
The taste of her completed him in ways that he could never have imagined. He couldn’t help the sounds he made any more than she could. Her soft gasps and moans drove him to even greater efforts, until she was gripping his hair fiercely and both of them were shaking with need.
“I dreamed of this,” he said and his voice was so deep it sounded inhuman. “I dreamed of your taste in my mouth and woke up hard and aching for my mate. I thought the dream felt so real, but I could not have imagined the strength of my feelings for you, my Grace.”
He took another long swirling lick while Grace twisted and gasped and rubbed against his face.
“You make me drunk with lust.”
His body had never been so rock-hard and ready for sex.
He rose on trembling arms and looked down at her body while she writhed. Her dazed eyes were on his. He loved that he had put that look on her face. He licked his wet lips and her hips tilted in an unconscious gesture of welcome.
He moved up a little, lowered his head and kissed her sweet mouth, putting every drop of his savage need into the kiss. He wanted to spend his life in her arms exploring all her sweet secret places. No woman had ever inspired such a deep hunger in him. He might not act on it right away, but he wanted his mate to recognize the wicked sexual need that had him strung out and shaking.
Chapter 4
Grace quivered as Matsij kissed her over and over, the position of his big body wedging her thighs apart. The scent of her body was on his face and her pussy fluttered in memory. She was open and vulnerable, but with him it felt right. She was so needy, all she wanted was for him to press inside her and stroke the deep ache he had created with his gorgeous body and his wicked, wicked mouth. What on earth was he waiting for?
She wriggled against him and their bodies settled with his hard penis pushing against her mound. She bent her body up and pushed against him in blatant demand. She wanted more than he was giving, more sensation, more of him.
The damned man seemed determined to go slow.
“Matsij, I need you.”
He responded with another blazing kiss and Grace had had enough. She yanked her hands from his hair and wiggled out of her skirt.
“Grace!”
She pulled his startled face down to hers for another kiss and grabbed one big hand in hers. She guided his hand to her melting core. His eyes glowed black in the candlelight.
“You’re making me wait.”
“I will not be an easy man to live with.” Even as he spoke, his fingers played with her lower curls.
“You think I can’t handle you? I already know you’re arrogant and you like things your own way.”
“I prefer to say I am dominant and in control.” His voice was deep, distracted, as he nuzzled her ear.
Grace smiled and rubbed her cheek against his.
“You would prefer that, I’m sure. But I can hold my own with my bossy brother, so don’t delude yourself into thinking you’ll get a free pass.”
Matsij’s lips curved up slowly.
“Certainly I would not want to delude myself. You have made your decision, then? You will stand as my mate?”
“I made my decision in Angel’s kitchen. What do I have to say to convince you?”
Matsij was silent, searching her eyes. His hand was still stroking her folds in a gentle way but it was obvious he was thinking. Grace arched up and licked his lips to get his attention.
“Don’t make me wait any longer,” she muttered into his mouth. “I’ve been waiting too long already.”
Matsij huffed out a laugh and the sound was filled with joy and triumph.
“You may have what you desire, whatever you desire, Grace. You have only to ask.”
Suddenly his hands were everywhere on her body, stroking and rubbing. He sucked strongly on one nipple and pinched the other over and over. Sensation blazed down to her throbbing clit. It was like he had a direct line to her pleasure centre. She cried out at the wave of relief and pleasure, but it still wasn’t enough. She arched her body against him and tried to get out of her panties.
With one slash of powerful claws, her panties were gone and his stiff cock was at her gate. She only caught a glimpse, but he looked big. She frowned uneasily, but before she could speak he moved. He rubbed his hardness up and down over her wet flesh until she writhed from side to side trying to tempt him in. He breathed harshly and penetrated deep with one powerful thrust that jarred her.
The shock of pain made her freeze and she moaned in distress, her innocent flesh stretched tight around his enormous cock. Her body rippled, trying desperately to adjust to his thickness.
His teeth clicked together and he stopped moving. He was still above her, as if carved from stone, braced so that every muscle stood out. His skin twitched but he held position.
“Grace, you should have told me,” he said, and she could hear the startled wonder in his tone.
He felt huge inside her body, almost too big to handle. But the burning pain of being stretched to the limit was sliding into a vital need to move and she didn’t want to talk right then. She swept her hands down his back to grip his narrow hips. She dug in with her little nails and a shiver passed over his skin.
“Please, Matsij. Please move.”
She needed him to move, to give her something more. She was reaching for a feeling she didn’t understand but needed desperately. She pulled him closer and he pushed once and grimaced. Sensation glittered up from where their bodies were joined. It was such a tight fit and the friction was intense.
Grac
e gasped. “Again,” she said. She had been waiting for that feeling her entire life without knowing it existed.
He pulled out and pushed in again, slow and deep. A rush of moisture eased his way. His fangs were prominent and sweat beaded on his brow and rolled down his cheek. Why was he torturing them both with this ridiculous pace?
“Matsij, if you don’t hurry up,” she warned, but she didn’t have time to think of something suitably violent before he was moving again.
He slid one hand around to cup her buttocks and tilted her hips up to a different angle. Every hard slide blazed along her nerve endings like wildfire and Grace felt that she was burning up from within. She grabbed his shoulders and hung on with her fingernails. It seemed to be the signal he was waiting for and he pounded into her with an increasing velocity. She could feel his heavy muscles working with every scorching thrust and it pushed her sexual need higher.
Grace screamed as the rising tension detonated into a searing blast of heat. It radiated outward in ever-increasing waves of sensation until she sobbed and sank her teeth into the strong muscle of his shoulder.
Matsij’s body jerked in her arms and his hot seed jetted into her body, setting off another impossible climax. His body stiffened over her and the cords of his neck stood out. His shout of pleasure made their abandoned wine glasses sing.
He sank into her arms, blanketing her body in a solid heaviness that felt so good she wondered why she had never done this before. But then, no other man had ever interested her the way he did, at least not enough to do something about it.
“I’m twenty-seven. What took you so long?” she murmured breathily, and surprised a laugh out of him. She got the feeling that he didn’t laugh often, and it lightened her heart to think that she could give that to him.
“I am glad you waited for me.” Matsij stroked his lips down her cheek in a series of lazy kisses. “It eliminates the need for me to hunt down and kill any man who has disappointed you in the past.”