by Kit Tunstall
He lifted his head and sat back, straddling her thighs as he started unbuttoning her flannel shirt. She would have helped him, or reached for his, but she couldn’t move her arms high enough with the way he was holding her pinned to the bed. Rather than irritate her, it left her feeling safe and protected, though she was restricted.
He seemed to have some difficulty with her buttons, finally wrenching open her shirt and popping off the last three. She would have protested, but thankfully she had another one in her bag.
He let out a groan, but this one wasn’t of pleasure or satisfaction. It was frustration. “More layers.” He sounded irritated as he started tugging at the thermal shirt she wore underneath.
She couldn’t help laughing at his disgruntled expression. “Baby, it’s cold outside.”
He groaned at her pun too, but his fingers continued their task of stripping her layers. Finally, he reached her bra and let out what sounded like a purr of satisfaction. “Finally.”
She giggled again as she wiggled her hips. “Just so you know, I have three layers on below the waist too.”
Leaving her bra on, his eyes gleamed as though she had issued a challenge. “I guess I’d better get started on those too.”
As he slipped down her body, he’d freed her hands, and she grasped handfuls of Devon’s hair, letting the long, silky strands slip through her fingers. His hair was gorgeous, and though she had never found long hair particularly attractive before, it suited Devon perfectly.
With a bit of cursing, a lot of finesse, and a touch of brute force when her zipper wouldn’t budge, Devon soon had her stripped below the waist, peeling off her panties along with the thermal underwear, leggings, and jeans. She assisted by lifting her hips before trying to toe off her socks. It was disconcerting to be wearing just a bra and socks. She gave him a fierce frown. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”
He grinned at her as he rolled off the bed. “That can be remedied.”
She took advantage of the moment to strip off her socks as she watched Devon remove his jeans and flannel shirt. He wore only a T-shirt underneath, and she appreciated his tiger’s metabolism even more, because it was that much sooner that he was undressed.
When her gaze moved to between his legs, she swallowed slightly at the daunting sight of his erection pressing forward, as though seeking out her heat. He certainly put her past boyfriends to shame, and she was slightly apprehensive at the prospect of taking his size, but mostly, she was filled with a buzz of anticipation.
He returned to the bed then, once more draping his body over hers. His hands cupped her face, and he brought his mouth back to Tianna’s. She kissed him without restraint, holding back nothing. They had come too close to dying too many times already for her to be afraid of being vulnerable with him. If something happened to him, she would definitely regret not giving in to the intense pull between them, where she couldn’t imagine ever regretting making love with Devon.
She reached between their bodies, her fingers gliding down the length of his shaft before grasping him in her hand. Her fingers didn’t quite meet as she stroked up and down him, making his hips pump before he rolled over, settling her atop him.
The sudden shift in position made her a little dizzy, and she grasped the log headboard for support as Devon tore at her bra. She wasn’t confident it had survived his passionate onslaught, but she was beyond caring at the moment. She simply wanted to feel his mouth against her flesh, and the state of her underwear was a trivial concern.
A second later, she got her wish when his mouth engulfed one of her breasts, his tongue twirling almost experimentally around her nipple. She gasped at the sensation and pressed her slick core against his belly. His touch changed from experimental to frantic as he sucked almost forcefully on her nipple, alternating deep suction with light flicks of his tongue.
She pressed against him, rubbing her pussy against his abs in her search for relief. Devon was making a growling sound low in his throat that sounded more animal than human, though his form hadn’t changed. When he switched his attention to her other breast, she grasped a handful of his hair and cradled the back of his head as she pulled him closer to her.
Arching her back, she slid farther down his body, though not quite able to reach the part she wanted without pulling away from his mouth at her breast. She gritted her teeth as she made herself pull away, needing to feel him inside her. They could be slow and gentle later, but right now, she just required the connection with Devon.
He tried to follow her, as though he found her breasts addictive, and she pulled lightly on his hair to keep him from sitting up to follow with his mouth as she slid into position.
His eyes widened when she brought her free hand between their bodies, seeking out his cock to put it in the perfect position. He moaned when she ran it up and down her slit, lubricating it with her copious juices.
“You can’t be ready…” He trailed off with a small cry of surprised pleasure when she lined up his erection and sank fully on him in one slow motion. They hissed together simultaneously, and his was all pleasure. Hers was mostly from ecstasy, though there was a slight edge of discomfort as her body stretched to accommodate his girth. When he was seated fully inside her, and that slight burning/stretch sensation had faded, she started to rock against him.
“You can’t be ready,” he said again, though he grasped her hips and began to thrust upward again into her.
With a smile, Tianna moved her hand to her clit, stroking herself as he thrust deeply and rapidly in and out of her. She matched his pace, showing without words that she was more than ready for this.
He frowned, seeming to summon all of his waning focus to ask her a question. “Protection?”
She nodded. “The pill. I’m clean.”
The cords in his neck bulged with the obvious effort it cost him to control himself long enough to finish their very brief conversation. “Me too.” With that, he seemed to surrender the last shred of his control, and his cock pounded into her at a fierce and rapid pace.
She was the one on top, and should have technically been in control, but he set the pace, and she gladly surrendered to it. A pulsing low in her belly indicated her orgasm was near, and she increased the pace of her fingers as she rubbed them across her clit while pressing down fully against his cock. Within seconds, the tingling warmth spread outward, centering in her core, but suffusing every place in her body as she came with a hoarse gasp.
Devon pumped inside her a few more times before releasing a rush of warmth inside her as he shouted his pleasure at coming. Afterward, she lay on her stomach and cuddled the pillow, the exhausting day catching up with her. She was barely aware of Devon climbing from the bed and returning a few minutes later with a warm washcloth that he used to clean her. By the time he laid down beside her again, putting his arm around her, she was barely awake enough to snuggle closer before surrendering to the urge to sleep.
***
Devon slept for a while, content just to hold her and finding a peace he hadn’t known before. That peace was absent when he woke in the middle of the night with a raging hard-on and her warm body pressed against his. He was still partially asleep and acting mostly on instinct when he placed his body over hers, kissing a line down her spine that made her tremble underneath him.
By the time he reached the curve of her buttocks, she was clearly awake and moaning, pressing her butt upward against him in silent invitation. He skimmed his lips down one of her cheeks as he grasped her hips, angling her buttocks in the air. He nudged her thighs apart, spacing them as wide as he could without causing her discomfort.
As he lowered his head, he grinned at the way she was clasping the pillows in her fists, her face turned sideways as she arched her hips upward and made breathless little whimpers of need. He loved seeing her like that, knowing she was reduced to one basic need that only he could satisfy. It was the same for him, and as he buried his face between her thighs, his tongue slipping into her slick folds,
he was convinced no other woman would ever do for him again.
Her taste was sweet and tangy all at once, and her scent was alluring. He couldn’t have held back if he tried as he devoured every inch of her, his tongue thrusting inside her opening to savor the cream drenching his mouth. She arched against his face while crying out his name, her voice getting louder until he doubted there was anyone left in the vicinity who couldn’t hear them—or at least wouldn’t have been able to hear them if the storm hadn’t been raging outside. It provided a buffer and shielded their privacy even as they gave voice to their pleasure without self-censoring.
She contracted around him, her cream drenching his face, and he licked relentlessly, determined to catch every drop. It had the effect of prolonging her orgasm before sending her into another, and he couldn’t resist bringing one more from her before his cock was so hard that he was afraid he might come like a teenager outside of her pussy if he waited another moment.
She was still twisting and shaking under the strength of her orgasm as he moved up the bed, readjusting her angle slightly so his erection was perfectly in line with her opening. He surged inside her a moment later, and they both cried out at his possession.
He cursed, struggling for control as the tiny tremors inside her channel threatened to undo his last thread of it. He remained still inside her for a moment until she stopped trembling around him, needing that second to maintain his restraint. When she was soft and wet around him, but no longer squeezing him with the aftereffects of her release, he began to thrust slowly in and out of her.
“Devon,” she said softly, but with such intense passion that it unraveled another thread of his control. He started thrusting into her more rapidly, sinking balls-deep inside her and pressing as deeply as he could, wanting to feel every inch of her wrapped around his shaft. When she said his name again in that same breathy whisper, he started thrusting mindlessly, no longer able to control his pace or hold back his own need for release.
He buried his face against the back of her neck, hips pistoning frantically in pursuit of his orgasm. She was like liquid silk clinging to his cock, and he lost control long before he’d hoped to. The first convulsions of his release shot through him as he unleashed a wave of seed inside her spasming sheath. The way she moaned and flexed around him told him she was also coming again too, and he let go of the last vestiges of discipline as he sank inside her, surrendering to his climax.
His teeth elongated, and he had just enough awareness remaining to realize he was about to mark her with the mating bite and claim her as his. For a second, he hovered on the edge of surrendering to the impulse, of taking her and claiming her in the old way of the shifters. At that second, he was all tiger-shifter and very little modern man. Only the idea of breaking such a taboo by claiming her as his without her input or permission held him back.
With a cry of dismay, he pulled away from her and rolled off the bed, dropping to the floor as he cupped a hand over his mouth, willing his teeth to retract. After a long, tenuous moment, he re-exerted control, and they receded. It was only then that he looked up to see her startled gaze on him, her confusion obvious.
She reached out a hand to him, concern clearly overcoming confusion. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
He shook his head, taking several deep breaths but not getting to his feet until he was certain he had reined in the impulse to mark her. Then he stood up and clicked on the lamp beside the bed, searching for his underwear. He was certain his abrupt withdrawal had upset her, but he needed to make sure he could hold back the tiger and its primitive impulses before sitting down beside her on the bed again.
She stretched as she sat up, baring her breasts for a moment before covering them with the bedding. It made his tiger growl again, and he had to tamp down fiercely on the urge to shift. She was frowning at him, and he made an effort to summon a shaky smile. “I’m not hurt, but I needed a moment to regain control.”
Her eyes darkened with concern. “What’s wrong?”
Giving her a rueful grin, he shrugged a shoulder. “You’re too much temptation. I almost broke one of our deeply ingrained laws.”
She frowned. “What law?”
Feeling slightly calmer, he said, “When I was inside you, I was compelled to claim you as my mate. I nearly gave you the mating bite, but that’s taboo. We have to have our mate’s permission to do that, especially if she’s a human, so she understands what it means.”
Her eyes were wide, and she licked her lips. Her heart rate had accelerated, but with the miasma of sex and satisfaction tainting her pheromone signature, he couldn’t be certain if it was anxiety or anticipation prompting that reaction.
“What does it mean if you bite me?”
“It means you’re mine. I’m claiming you as my mate, and I would be your mate too. My pheromones infuse you, warning off any other shifter male and letting him know you’re taken.”
Her eyes widened, and her pupils dilated. “I see. It’s kind of primitive, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Completely, but it doesn’t keep me from wanting to do it. I’ve never felt the compulsion to bite a woman during sex before, and I didn’t expect it to be so intense. I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing to be sorry about. You managed to control it. Does it hurt?”
Devon chuckled. “From what I understand, it often leads to the most intense orgasm of your mate’s life. Some couples enjoy it so much that it becomes a routine part of their mating—which is a good idea, because pheromones require constant infusion to ensure one’s mate remains marked.”
She was definitely breathing harder now, and he was certain her response was almost purely from arousal rather than fear. “What does it mean to be your mate? Is it a permanent thing?”
He nodded slowly. “It’s a lifetime commitment. If I claimed you, I never would have wanted another mate. You could turn away from me, but I could never turn from you. I’d never forget you. I would always belong to you, even if you walked away.” He had the disquieting feeling that would be the case anyway, whether or not he took the final step of marking her with his bite.
She licked her lips, looking slightly nervous. “That’s a lot to think about.” At his nod, she licked her lips again. “Now that the desire has faded, do you still feel the urge to bite me?”
Devon allowed just a hint of the predator inside to show in his gaze. “The desire hasn’t waned. I’ve simply taken the edge off my need for you, but I can feel it increasing again. To answer your question, yes, I still want to bite you. I can control it, but the compulsion is there under the surface. When I have your permission, and you’re ready, I look forward to claiming you.”
She shivered, which could have been a reaction to the cool room, since they had never switched on the space heater in there before falling asleep, but his senses told him it was a much more visceral reaction. She didn’t really respond or give him an answer, but it was obvious she was thinking about it as she patted the bed and invited him to join her without speaking. Her thoughts were clearly on everything he’d told her, but she still snuggled against him without a hint of fear as he put his arms around her, spooning Tianna as he drifted off to sleep once more.
Chapter Six
They spent seventeen hours in the cabin waiting for the storm to dissipate. Devon took full advantage of the opportunity to seduce her senses and illustrate how it would be to be his mate. He was protective and possessive of her already, and as they dressed in preparation of leaving the cabin in the calm aftermath of the blizzard that had dropped several inches of snow, he knew he was a goner.
Tianna was his mate, which made him all the more determined not to let anything happen to her. It hovered on the edge of his tongue to suggest she remain behind, but he knew she wouldn’t go for that.
He also didn’t like the idea of having her out of his sight. She was in danger either way, since Caswell and the others at the black ops project clearly knew about her involvement. She
might be a low-priority target, but she would eventually be greenlighted for elimination. That could happen at any time, so he refused to allow her out of his sight. Having her go with him to Loris’s location was safer than leaving her behind.
Chesabogue had been by earlier in the morning to tell them it was clear enough to mush to Loris’s location, and they were nearing the designated meeting time. He was probably already waiting outside the cabin with the dog sleds, so they didn’t have time for him to surrender to the impulse to take Tianna once more before they left the cabin. He could see from the flare of heat in her eyes that she had the same idea, but regret chased it away. She also knew they couldn’t at the moment.
He reached for her hand, squeezing tightly for just a moment before releasing so she could pick up her bag and sling it over her shoulder. He grabbed the others. “Stay close to me. I don’t want you out of my sight.”
She licked her lips. “Is it because it’s that dangerous?”
He nodded. “And also, I need to know where you are at all times.” He couldn’t explain to her any better than that his instinctive need to keep her close and ensure she was safe. He’d heard from other shifters about the intensity of the bond, but had never experienced it firsthand, so he hadn’t been prepared for the fierceness of it, or the need to keep her close. He wondered if that would ever fade even slightly, or if he would still feel the compulsion to trail after her wherever she went fifty years from now.
She took his hand again after securing her bag, and they left the bedroom before walking through the small dwelling and out the front door, where they found Chesabogue waiting with three sleds, each one hitched to a team of dogs. Tianna stepped onto the sled that had six dogs attached, and Devon hovered near her as Chesabogue showed her where to hold and how to control the dogs if she wanted the team to change directions.