But Gabriel knew. He took his hand away from her breast, slid down her stomach, fingers playing briefly over her skin. Then lower, teasing over the places deep inside that were coming alive. Then his fingers dipped between her legs. She shuddered as he touched her, as he slid his fingers further into her. Rubbed and circled, over and over. Her body shook, her knees threatening to give way under the onslaught of his mouth and tongue and fingers.
“Oh, Gods…Gabriel…” She grabbed his hair with both hands, fingers tightening, clenched, pulling.
Then it happened again. She cried out, head back, body bending like a tree in the wind, moving beneath Gabriel’s hands. Then it was too much, too overwhelming. She pulled harder at his hair, tugging, trying to back away from him.
“Stop…please. Stop.” Her voice was rough-edged, breathless. “Stop…”
He raised his head, the movement of his hand slowing against her, but not leaving. He set his palm flat against her. “Another one.”
“Yes. Another one.” She wasn’t sure if that was one. It was different, very different, then the first. She hesitated. “I think it was, yes?”
His laugh was soft. “Yes. It was. Are you surprised?”
“I…I don’t know. It was…not the same as the first. The first was…quick…light? The second was…”
“There is no need to put them to words. They are never the same, ever. Not for me, or for you, or for anyone. If they were, things might become boring.”
“This could never become boring. Never.”
But it struck her that they were never going to have time to become bored with each other. They had only one night.
“Then I need to have as many different…experiences…as many as I can.”
He smiled. He knew as well as she, that their time together was brief. “Then I will do my best to give you as many different experiences in this night as possible.”
Slowly, his hand slid round to her hip, reaching down, cupping her ass. He smiled, his fingers tensing against her skin.
“You have the body of a temptress, Senna. Curves and flesh where it belongs, covered with the softest skin. You are a shifter’s dream…a man’s dream…a woman, beyond what a man like me, deserves.”
She let him pull her against him, against the hardness barely concealed by his tunic and pants. There was no body armor between them, just a thin piece of material of his uniform.
With a trembling hand she reached out, cupping the hardness of him. He breathed out a low moan, pressing himself against her, slowly, hips moving as her had. After a moment he reached down, undoing the fastenings at the front of his uniform. Gently he took her hand, guiding it through the opening.
“Touch me, Senna. I want to feel your skin on mine, your hand touching me.”
He was hard, hot, but somehow silky smooth at the same time. She wrapped her fingers around him, marveling at the thickness, the length. Before, that first time, it had been dark, and things had moved so quickly. She hadn’t even had time to wonder. Or explore.
But now she had hours to explore, to touch, to look…
“How do I touch you? What gives you pleasure?”
In the candlelight she saw him smile. He reached down again, molding his hand to hers. Slowly he moved her hand with his, sliding himself through her curled fingers, against her palm. It was a strange feeling, movement over something solid, something hard.
“Like this…”
She looked up at him, at the way his eyes were half closed, his lips parted, the way his hair fell back from his shoulders. He took his hand away, and she continued stroking him. After a moment, he began breathing faster, his hips jerking forward. Another moment more, and he put his hand over hers, stilling her touch.
“Did I do something wrong?” She smiled at him, mischievously.
He looked down at her with those dark eyes. “No. You did something very well. Almost too well.” He chuckled, his eyes blazing with desire.
“I like making you feel as good as you make me feel.” She took her hand away, her lips curving back into that teasing smile.
“You drive me wild, Senna.” His mouth came down on hers, cutting off her words, her questions. She gave in to the kiss, to the pressure of his lips on hers, his tongue flicking over her lips, probing further. It was so easy to let him in, to meet his tongue with hers.
His hands went to her shoulders, and the robe fell to the floor. Eagerly she reached for him, tugging his pants down, then running her hands beneath his tunic, over the taut muscles of his stomach, up to his chest. There was a brief moment of not wanting to break the kiss to get him out of his tunic, but wanting him out of it so badly. She broke away, hands tugging and pulling at the cloth.
Then he was naked, pressed against her, her breasts pressed against his chest, the hard part of him rubbing against the tender skin of her stomach. It was heaven, bliss. She gasped, pulled away.
“Can we just stay here, like this, forever?”
“I hope not.”
“What? Do you not like this…being here like this with me?”
“I do. Very much.” He kissed her forehead. “But I would rather spend my life with you here…”
She gasped as he scooped her up, crossing the few feet to the bed. Not entirely gently he put her on the soft white sheets. She sat up, feet swinging off the edge of the bed, watching him, drinking him in with her eyes.
“I want you here, Senna. Next to me, beneath me, on top of me.”
He stood close, the candle by the bed casting flickering shadows over him. It was impossible to look only at his face. Somehow it seemed impolite to look anywhere else, but she couldn’t help herself. She let her eyes drift down his body, but then jerked her head up, embarrassed, confused.
“You can look. I want you to look.” He took a step closer, reaching down to push apart her knees. He was there, close, closer than she could have ever imagined she’d be to a man.
“I want you to touch me…”
She looked up at him, reached for him, took him in her hand. “Anything you desire. Anything…”
He slid his hand along the nape of her neck, pulling her closer. He held her close to his hardness, brushing the tip against her soft lips. And she knew then what she could do, how to give him pleasure.
It was easy to open her mouth, slide him between her lips, to flick her tongue around the head of him. He moaned, fingers tightening in her hair. She pulled him deeper into her mouth, sucking him as he’d done to her. He moaned again, deeper, his hips pushing forward, pushing him further into her mouth.
She let her hands roam over his hips, down his thighs, reaching between his legs. She cupped his balls, and he gasped, hips jerking hard.
“No…not that. Not yet…”
Slowly he slid himself out of her mouth, and she wrapped her fingers around him, around the slick shaft of him. He jerked again, laughed, and then reached down, covering her hand with his.
“You are too tempting to resist, Senna.” He took her hand away from him. Before she could react, he reached down, grabbing her by the hips, pushing her across the bed. Then he was between her legs, his chest pressed against hers, cradling her face in his hands. “You are too tempting by far.”
He kissed her, his mouth on hers as he slid himself into her. She arched up, every sense coming alive. Kissing him was heaven, but she couldn’t keep focus. She wanted to move, twist her head, moan, cry out. And she wanted to pull him closer. Rolling her hips, she wrapped her legs around his waist, the feeling of hips and back moving under her legs sending a rush of feminine power through her.
Gabriel thrust into her, touching parts of her she remembered from last time, but now she was aware, knew what to expect, and it sent a ripple of heat through her body, leaving her nipples hard. She wanted to pay attention, to enjoy every last moment. She might never have the chance again, to feel this way – to be this way – with Gabriel.
Feelings inside her were quickly spiraling out of control, no matter how much she lon
ged to imprint this experience into her mind. Things were moving too fast; Gabriel was taking her too high too quickly. There was nothing she could do but hold on.
Digging her nails into his back, she arched up beneath him, as the first powerful wave of orgasm washed through her. The same thing must have been happening to Gabriel. His movements were changing, growing in intensity, becoming erratic.
Arms flying wide she arched up, head back, eyes closed. She wanted to talk, to tell him how she felt, what he was doing to her. But speech was impossible. The only sounds she could make were inarticulate noises, cries, whispered words.
Gabriel was breathing hard, his body covered with a sheen of perspiration. Whatever he was experiencing, it matched her own, his grunts and her cries reaching a crescendo. Then he thrust hard, stayed buried in her, quivering and throbbing. There was a flood of wet heat. And then she joined him.
Everything spun out in crazy slowness, each pulse of her heart loud in her eyes, the sound of Gabriel’s breathing magnified in her ears. Her body took on a life of its own, but she wouldn’t have wanted control. The release was intense, beyond words. Beyond anything she’d ever felt, even before with Gabriel.
Then he was rolling away from her, breathing hard. One hand stayed on her arm.
“Are you alright, Senna?”
But she didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. Tremors and aftershocks were still traveling through her, her mind swirling, barely hearing much less understanding what he was asking. A minute later he was leaning over her, looking down into her eyes.
“Senna?”
“Yes…”
“Are you alright?” There was concern in his voice, but also amusement.
“Very much alright.”
He grinned, then lay back beside her. “Glad to hear it.”
She closed her eyes, drifting on a cloud of contentment. She could smell Gabriel, the masculine scent of his body. It was heady and she took a deep breath, wanting to remember this, each detail, now that she was back on this earth.
“Senna. Wake up.”
Gabriel was shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes, smiling up at him. “I am.”
“No. You were asleep. You snore.”
She sat up. “I do not. Princesses do not snore.”
“Contented women snore.”
She chose to ignore that, and how he would know anything about other women who snore.
“You should eat.” Gabriel sat up, plumping the pillows for her. “You haven’t eaten anything.”
“How does everyone know what I do or don’t do?” She pushed herself against the pillows, tugging the sheet over her legs.
“There is untouched food by your bed, for one thing.” He set the tray on the sheets between them, a grin painted on his handsome face. “And, I can hear your stomach rumbling.”
“Oh.” She picked up a fig and piece of cheese, watching while he poured wine in the single glass. He handed it to her and she took a sip. It seemed utterly decadent, eating in bed with a gorgeous man who warmed her even more than the wine did. If she had her way, she would do this, every single night.
“This is good. Here…” She handed the glass to him and he took a swallow. The fig was perfectly ripe and she let herself enjoy the contradictory feelings of lush flesh and crunchy seeds as she chewed. The cheese was salty, a perfect compliment. Gabriel ate a grape, then held one out to her. She let him feed it to her even though part of her felt so awkward at the gesture, but she thoroughly enjoyed it, flicking her tongue over his fingers. Yes, this was decadent. And wonderful.
They ate in silence, Gabriel sectioning the orange, offering her a slice, continuing to feed her. She bit into it, juice running down her chin. She laughed as Gabriel handed her a linen napkin and she wiped the juice away. The orange tasted of sun and heat, sweet and tart at the same time.
“Damn, you’re so beautiful”, he told her as she found herself suddenly shy, a sense of belonging overpowering her, not that she belonged at the castle as that had always been her home, but that she belonged with him…to him.
They shared another glass of wine and she tried not to be a glutton and eat all the figs, but there was no holding back, they were her absolute favorite. And, to be truthful, she was hungry. Finally, the tray was picked over, full of orange peels and cherry pits and the empty bottle. Gabriel set it on the floor and then slid down in the bed, making a space for her next to him. She curled into the crook of his arm, head resting on his shoulder.
“You came to meet me.” She ran her fingers over his chest, all smooth skin and taut muscle. “You knew I’d be there. And so you came...”
He reached up, stopping her hand with his, holding it briefly to his lips.
“I wish that were the only reason.” He held her hand for a minute, and then set both back on his chest. “Your train was attacked.”
“Yes, it was terrible. I’ve never seen aliens that close before.” A shudder tore through her, and she sat up, looking down at him. The light from the windows—the moon must have risen by now—caught the planes of his face, the high cheekbones, square jaw. All the things she loved about his face. It was irresistible, the urge to touch his face, trace the contours, slide her fingers down the straight bridge of his nose. But he didn’t let go of her hand. He was talking, but she’d lost track of what he’d said.
“Senna. There were sightings. Inside the outer...”
“Yes. I’ve heard that before. At the gate. They’ve come inside the outer walls before. There have never been any problems before so what are you so worried about?” She was still looking down at him, but his expression had changed, darkened, brows pulling together.
“There are other...issues. They have been attacking supply trains, up and down the rail corridor.” He met her gaze. “And they made an attempt on your train, that was just outside the station.”
“But there were shifters...riders on the train? I was protected, yes? I was never in any danger.” But the passion and excitement inside her had stilled. A chill had started in her core, working its way outward. She shivered, let go of Gabriel’s hand, and curled against him. Without words he pulled the sheet over her shoulder.
“The shifters you saw were our shifters, sent from ranks. There were no shifters on that train who fought at all. They watched, from the tops of the cars.”
“But there were guards. There was one in my car. I am certain he was a shifter.”
“He was. The rest were as well. It was our Protectorate who lost men today. Not the Ottway’s.”
She heard the anger in his voice, and the sadness for the loss of his men.
“I saw… I saw one get killed. A wolf…I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“I’ve lost men before, but this...this was different. The aliens were like savages, and the Ottway’s men only watched us get murdered, doing nothing to help.”
“But they are savages, aren’t they? The aliens?”
“Yes. But they were wild this time, more than before. It was like they had nothing to lose, no reason to live. I think there are things happening out beyond the frontiers, changes in how they live. It’s driving them closer to us, making it harder for them...making them desperate.”
“This isn’t their world. It should be hard for them. They came here...tried to kill us...for heaven’s sake, they tried to take over our world.”
“I’m not excusing what they’ve done. They’ve driven us into these fortified cities, put us behind walls. Caged you inside your own world. And driven me out of mine.” He sat up suddenly, pushing her over onto her back, staring into her eyes.
“It is because of them that I am the way I am...who I am. I was created as a result of them coming here. Otherwise…”
For an instant, she was afraid. He was angry, very angry. She was certain it wasn’t directed toward her, but she had no idea where that anger came from. He was still holding her hand, crushing her fingers.
“Gabriel...you’re hurting me.”
He looked at her hand
in surprise, then let go. But then reached for her again, gently this time, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You are the last person I want to hurt. Ever.”
“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
He lay back, arm behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. He still held her hand, but it was as if he’d forgotten he was. Even from here she could sense the tension in his body, the set of his jaw. She waited until he turned his head, and looked at her before she set her other hand on his chest again, before she curled against him. She could feel his heart beating beneath her fingertip, feel the rise and fall of his chest. Both were faster than before. It wasn’t until they’d slowed that he spoke.
“I come from a tribe who lives in the desert. Our lands are very far from here. We lived our lives, and no one bothered us. Then...” She felt him tense beneath her fingers. “Then the damned aliens came, and our lives were torn from us.” He stopped, took a deep breath.
“Some of us...some of our men have the ability to shift. Not all, only a few. They can change form when, and where they wish. Into animals, creatures…it was a way for us to hunt game, to survive.”
She nodded, but she didn’t understand. Shifters were just part and parcel of her life, those who looked after her. She’d never given much thought to where they came from.
“But when the aliens came, men...scientists from the cities came to our villages. They took men from our tribe, the few that could shift at will. They experimented on them…” His voice broke. She waited, feeling the beat of his heart. When it slowed again, he went on.
“They made a drug….and then they came back and forced it upon us.” His voice dropped off, and for a long time, he was quiet.
“It gave all the men the ability to shift at will, when and where they wanted. Those with latent abilities could suddenly become lions or tigers or wolves. Anytime, anyplace. But some of us were only children…young boys. Those...those they took here, to the Oasis. To be trained to protect the Oasis. And your family.”
She closed her eyes, trying to imagine being torn from her home, from the palace. It wasn’t hard; she was going to be taken away to the Ottway in less than a week. But to think of him being taken away as a young child; it made her heart hurt. All of this on top of suddenly being able to shift into an animal, to have to learn to control another being that lived inside of your own body. That, she could not imagine.
Wild Things (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance): Shifter Lovers Romance Page 4