Warily, she allowed him to lead her onto the temporary dance floor and wrap his arms around her waist.
He whispered in her ear as he swayed to the slow music, rocking her along with him. “Let’s make it look good.”
Nikki wrapped her arms around his neck, perplexed but hopeful. Maybe he was going to behave decently toward her now that they were officially joined. “Thank you—for rescuing me over there.”
“You looked like you needed to get away. And we do have a common enemy. One thing we can both agree on right now is how much we loathe our fathers for this.”
Nikki shook her head. “Who would have thought it would take mutual anger to bring us together?” She looked up into his gray eyes and the rest of the world just seemed to melt away. She felt every hard line of his body, every muscle, and if she wasn’t mistaken, that was the beginnings of an erection pressing up against her belly. His arms tightened around her and her gaze drifted from his eyes to his full lips and back again, even as her own lips parted in anticipation of his kiss. Maybe the rest of their joining day wouldn’t be so bad, she thought, as he leaned closer, the desire to kiss her clear in his eyes. But then he surprised her by moving toward her ear instead of her lips.
“I did you a favor, getting you away from the old man, but let’s not get carried away.” His lips grazed her ear as he whispered, sending tiny waves of anticipation straight to her core.
“What do you mean?” She pulled back to look up at him and had to remind herself, not for the first time, that it would be a mistake to get lost in his eyes. Unfortunately, his mouth was just as dangerous a focal point. His lips screamed sex, and on the few occasions she’d made the mistake of watching his mouth while he talked, her pussy had immediately gotten wet and she’d managed to miss at least half of what he’d said.
“Look, I know I was a sort of a dick at first…”
“Sort of? That’s the understatement of the century.”
“Fair enough, but the point is, I made it clear I didn’t want a mate, that I wasn’t ready. And I want you to know it’s not about you.”
“Oh great, is this one of those ‘it’s not me, it’s you’ speeches? Because if it is, spare me. I already know it’s you.” She had to work hard to keep her voice even and matter-of-fact.
“You don’t sugarcoat much, do you?” He had the nerve to sound amused.
“Nope, I’m a straight-shooter.”
“Good, so you’ll appreciate what I have to say. You’re a beautiful woman, and being close to you like this has an incredible effect on me. I want you—badly. There’s no question of that, but wanting you doesn’t change how I feel about this joining. I went through with it for the same reasons you did, but I don’t want you to set yourself up for disappointment.”
“Okay…” She wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about, and once again, he was the king of the understatement. She could clearly feel how hard he was for her. Frankly, she wouldn’t be surprised if his erection tore a hole in his pants.
“Look, what I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t expect this to be a love match. That…It’s just not in me. I’ll do my duty, but…that’s it. I can’t offer you more than that.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Nikki hated that his words hadn’t dampened her desire any. The last thing she wanted to do after that speech was want him.
“I have a feeling that doesn’t happen very often.”
They danced in silence as one song ended and the band struck up another slow favorite. “Say something,” Luke said.
“What for? You have this all figured out. I’m stuck with a mate who is determined to never love me. What do you expect me to say to that?”
“Well…” He stroked his knuckles over her cheek, then her lips. “We can still enjoy each other.”
Oh, God. Her pussy tightened at his touch. Nikki knew she’d live to regret how excited his words made her feel, but just then, she didn’t care. The call of her mate’s body was just too strong. “So, you want to fuck me, but you plan to keep feelings out of it. Got it.”
His arm tightened around her waist and he trailed a single finger down the side of her neck and over her collarbone, stopping where the tops of her breasts swelled out of her dress. “Tell me you don’t feel the same.” He leaned down and buried his nose in her neck. Damn it, he was smelling her. “You can’t hide how badly you want me.”
Her nipples were hard enough to cut glass and her pussy was so wet she needed to change her panties. “I can’t hide it, so I won’t bother denying it.”
“And you can accept that we won’t have a love match?” He was facing her again, his lips just inches from hers.
“What possible difference does that make? As you pointed out, we’re stuck with each other now.”
Luke smiled again, and this time she could swear it was genuine. Leaning in further, he claimed her mouth in the first real kiss they’d ever shared. His lips were the perfect combination of smooth and sensual, and firm and demanding, and Nikki couldn’t help but lean into his kiss, into him.
When he finally released her mouth, she was breathless. He looked down at her and she could swear his eyes were darker than normal.
“Good,” he said. “Because I, for one, am tired of waiting for the fun part to begin.”
* * * *
For the rest of the reception, Luke pretty much avoided her. She tried not to look for him, but for some reason she couldn’t help scanning the crowd for him. He spent a good deal of time at the bar, talking with the few people who approached him, but for the most part, he didn’t mingle. Nikki, on the other hand, was constantly surrounded by well-wishers and spent much of her time on the dance floor. She danced with at least half the male members of the Raven Clan, Luke’s father, and both her brothers. If the others noticed that Luke kept his distance, they didn’t mention it, with the exception of her best friends, and Adam and Levi.
“I’d like to break him in two,” Adam said through clenched teeth as they danced to a song Nikki loved.
“I know. I almost want you to.” She sighed, noticing how Levi’s eyes bored into Luke’s back as he stood at the bar. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you and Levi for supporting me, but this is the best thing for the clan, especially with the possibility of war hanging over our heads.” She looked up at Adam, narrowing her eyes. “Promise me you won’t do anything to hurt him and jeopardize that.” A shadow darkened his face and he got that stubborn look she remembered from when they were kids. “Promise me.”
Not for the first time, Nikki wished fate had chosen someone like Adam for her instead. He was her littermate, but he was adopted rather than a blood brother. Adam was just as tall as Luke and every bit as handsome, with the most amazing blue eyes she’d ever seen and thick, wavy, jet-black hair. He was built in a way that made even a big girl feel delicate, and unlike Luke, he also had a big heart. But he was truly her brother in every way that mattered, so there was no chance for them, even if she wasn’t mated to someone else. “Seriously, Adam. I rarely ask you for anything, but I’m asking for this.”
“Fine. I promise.” He didn’t look happy about it, but she knew he wouldn’t break his word. Adam was one of the most honorable men she’d ever known. She couldn’t believe no woman had managed to snap him up yet, but she knew he was holding out for that special someone—his own fated. He whisked her into a turn. “I promise—for now.”
* * * *
At nearly midnight, the crowd showed no signs of dying down, and Ravens and Lycans continued to live it up in celebration of their joining. The party was finally over for Luke and his mate, though. Just when he thought it would never end, he saw his mate being hustled into the main building, a massive lodge that housed the Raven Clan’s leader and his family, a bunch of servants, and honored guests who’d come for the joining. Tonight, he and Nikki would be expected to consummate their union, something most did soon after they found each other. From the moment Luke had first scented Nikki, he’d
wanted her with a fierce intensity, but he’d refused to act on it. He’d wanted his freedom more. Since that was off the table, he didn’t want to wait any longer.
They’d have the three-week-long hydan together. It was sort of like a honeymoon period, except that they were expected to remain within clan territory for it. Then they’d be expected to move into one of the clan’s empty cabins while they figured out where they wanted to live permanently. But for the hydan, they’d have one of the finest suites in the lodge in which to get to know each other in the Biblical way.
Luke’s cock rose again at the mere thought of fucking Nikki. His body craved hers with a fervor he’d never experienced before, despite how much he tried to dislike her. That was part of the problem. No matter how good a show he put on, he couldn’t find a single reason not to like her, other than their forced joining.
From the moment they’d met, she’d not only excited his cock but also tugged on his heartstrings. If she wasn’t his fated, he’d have taken her to bed immediately, but he had no desire to be tied down to a mate and eventually a bunch of pups expecting him to provide for them, and spend his nights on crap like watching television and playing board games. He was young and virile, and he’d planned to rut and play until he was gray and wrinkled. That would be the perfect time to take a mate. She could warm his bed and eventually nurse him if he got too old to care for himself.
Thanks to the alphas of Clans Raven and Lycan, he had a mate he could truly love, but no desire to love her. He’d do everything in his power to hold her at bay and keep her out of his heart. Maybe, after tonight, he could keep her so disgusted with him that she wouldn’t want to bed him and wouldn’t bat at an eye as he bedded whomever he wanted.
Yes, he decided. The key was making sure she didn’t want him. In that case, he’d maintain his freedom, having a mate in name only. The last thing he wanted to do was end up like his father, burdened with responsibility for everyone else, and losing the one thing he loved more than life itself because of it.
* * * *
Nikki was showered and dressed in the pale purple gown she’d chosen for her joining night. Her friends had stayed with her, laughing and joking, until the very last minute. For a while, they’d helped keep her mind off what was to come, but as it grew later, she’d decided to fortify herself with a drink or two. She wasn’t afraid to fuck Luke. What filled her with anxiety was the idea of opening herself to him, perhaps losing herself in his touch, and then facing rejection at her most vulnerable moment.
“Don’t worry. It will all work out. He’ll eventually pull his head out of his ass,” Liz said as she hugged her goodnight.
“Yes, you can do this. He thinks he’s the shit, but you’ll chop him down to size,” Robyn agreed, hugging her next.
Mikayla, Nikki’s best friend since childhood, hung back as the other women left. “Luke is a hot piece of ass, there’s no glossing over that. But I hate that he has the ability to hurt you. Unfortunately, there’s no avoiding that with your mate, so I don’t really know what to say. There’s nothing I can say to make it better. So…all I’ll say is to ride him hard and give him hell.”
Nikki couldn’t help but laugh as her friend winked and lewdly shook her hips. “That’s the best advice I’ve heard all night.”
* * * *
Luke kept her waiting for far longer than was seemly. When he finally strolled in, Nikki was beyond annoyed. “What took you so long?”
He grinned that panty-melting grin of his. “Miss me already?”
“You’ve had too much to drink if you think you’re worth missing.” Nikki didn’t want to admit it to herself, but his words still stung. He’d shut down any chance at love before they’d even gotten started.
“Then why are you pacing the room like a lioness in a cage?”
“Are you an idiot or just a really great actor?” She crossed her arms, feeling annoyed and hurt at the same time. “We have to consummate this joining, so let’s get on with it.”
He looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “Isn’t that romantic?”
“Any chance of romance went out the window the first time you spoke to me.”
“Yet you’ll give yourself to me tonight?” His tone was teasing, but his words sent a wave of heat coursing through her body.
“I’ll do my duty. Otherwise, what was the point of joining with you today?”
Luke closed the space between them in two strides, taking her by the shoulders and practically growling in her ear, “Will you enjoy it?”
She shuddered at his touch, but raised her chin defiantly. “I’ll enjoy it every bit as much as you will. Love has never been a prerequisite to a climax.” Nikki was heavily affected by his nearness, but she could tell he was aroused as well. She could smell it on him and sense it in his touch, even without seeing the bulge in his pants.
Without warning, Luke tore her silky gown from shoulder to thigh, ripping it from her body, and Nikki’s lips parted for his kiss. She expected it to be rough, and she didn’t mind that at all. In fact, her lips throbbed with the need to feel his crushed against them.
Anticipating something entirely different, she gasped in shock when he turned her roughly away from him, bending her over the bed and using his knee to spread her legs from behind. Callously pushing the thin fabric of her panties aside, he pushed his cock against her ass, and she realized what he intended. He would take her without foreplay, without kisses, and she was having none of that shit. Rough was one thing, brutish was quite another. She turned quickly to face him and pushed him away. “Slow down. Not like this.”
“Yes. Now.” His voice was so thick with obvious desire that he barely managed intelligible words. He reached between her legs, and groaned as his fingers discovered the physical evidence of her desire. “You’re already so wet. Fuck it, I can’t wait any longer.”
“I’m not saying we need to wait. You just have to slow down. This isn’t how I want to spend our first night together. Haven’t you ever heard of foreplay?”
He was all hands, ignoring her, almost as if he hadn’t heard her at all. Nikki pushed against his chest, harder this time. With a growl, he picked her up and practically threw her on the deep-blue bedspread, pouncing on her even as she cursed her outrage. But then, his hand came back between her legs, searching and quickly finding her wetness, and his mouth came down on her breasts. One after another, he mouthed them, greedily licking and sucking, tasting and biting as Nikki writhed and strained to feel more.
Luke’s fingers expertly worked her clit. Using her own slickness as lubrication, he stroked her in slow circles that gradually increased in pressure and speed until she was grinding against his hand. Pushing one finger inside her, he stroked her inner walls next, venturing a second and then a third finger when she moaned her approval. Then, all at once, he was licking the valley between her breasts and moving up and over her, crushing his mouth against hers in a hard, unrelenting kiss.
Nikki couldn’t sense any tenderness in that kiss, but what she didn’t miss was the overwhelming need it conveyed. His desire caught hers like wildfire, and she opened her mouth against his, giving entry to his ravishing tongue and claiming bites.
His fingers fucked her harder and faster, and Nikki’s hips moved of their own accord, rising to meet each thrust, rotating to take full advantage of every brush of his thumb against her clit. When he tore his mouth away to stare down at her, Nikki whimpered at the loss. The wait for this had been far too long, and all she wanted was to feel him touching her everywhere all at once.
“I meant what I said before,” he rasped. “I have to fuck you. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Neither can I.” Nikki felt as if she would explode the moment he entered her. They could take their time on the second go-round, but right then, she needed to feel him inside her. She needed him to take her fully.
Luke didn’t waste another moment. He kissed her again, his lips hot, searing as he unzipped his pants and pushed them down far enough to free
his cock. Wanting to feel more of him, Nikki struggled with the buttons of his shirt and ended up popping a few of them off in the effort to press her breasts against the muscles she’d only had the opportunity to enjoy from afar. Just as she managed it, he thrust into her, fierce and demanding, burying himself up to his balls in her slick cunt. Luke growled then and pulled out almost all the way before thrusting deep once more.
Nikki moaned, wrapping her legs around him and clutching at his hair as he set a fast pace, taking her in greedy strokes as he alternated between kissing her lips and biting her neck. He rode her hard, claiming her with each thrust, grinding his pelvis into hers each time he surged forward. She gripped him tightly, digging her fingers into his firm buttocks, urging him on. Her whole body felt on fire, her entire existence focused on the incredible pleasure between her legs and the electricity that shot through her as the hair on his chest ticked her hardened nipples.
Luke pressed his lips against her ear and she had to strain to hear him above the pounding of her own heartbeat. “I knew your pussy would be a perfect fit,” he said, rocking into her. “Come for me.”
Nikki had already been on the edge. Even before he’d entered her, she’d known her climax was just minutes away. But his words inflamed her, and coupled with the way he filled her clenching walls and the feel of his roughened thumb on her clit, they pushed her over. Her whole body locked as she arched upward, crying out as the waves of pleasure crashed over her, threatening to shatter her under her mate.
Luke didn’t stop stroking her as she rode those waves, but his movements became erratic, jerky, and soon he followed her over the cliff, surprising her by growling her name as his balls emptied streams of cum into her pussy.
He stayed buried inside her for several long minutes, and he seemed as reluctant to move as she was. Eventually, though, his weight grew uncomfortable and when she squirmed against him, he rolled to one side and lay on his back, one arm thrown up over his head. Nikki wanted to snuggle against him and drift off to sleep, but the atmosphere suddenly seemed awkward. She rolled to her side and put her hand on his chest, caressing him gently. Maybe touching him would help re-establish the connection she’d felt while he fucked her. She was sure he’d felt it, too.
Nikki's Fated [Wolves of River's Bend 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2