by Anna Lowe
A rumble of pleasure built in his throat as he thought that over. No one got to see that side of Ella. No one but him.
He refocused in the mirror, suddenly hungry to see more. The panties were gone, which meant the second he got the slip off her…
She raised her arms on cue, and wow, slip was the word. One quick movement and it wafted over her head then fluttered to the floor.
She undid her bra and tossed it aside, and Jake couldn’t help but stare. Those pert, round breasts. Her smooth belly. The inviting thatch of curls at the apex of her legs.
Ella laughed and curled her arms backward around him. “Not your first rodeo, cowboy.”
No, it wasn’t, but wow. The one night they had shared had been in the back of a supply tent. No lights, no mirror, and definitely no paintings of roses to set the honeymoon mood. He cupped her breasts and flicked his thumbs over her nipples, making her arch.
“Anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?”
He was pretty sure she would have socked him if he ever said as much before, but he couldn’t help it.
“Anyone ever tell you— Oh!” she broke off the smart-aleck response and arched harder when he repeated the movement. Then he reached down and touched her between the legs, making her moan.
Jake could have spent an hour watching the mysteries of Ella unfold. Watching her surrender to his touch and dance under his hands. But at some point, her eyes flashed, and some switch in him flipped too. His careful touches became desperate gropes, and a blink of an eye later, they were on the floor.
“I can’t believe we have an entire honeymoon suite, and we’re doing it on the rug,” Ella chuckled as he rooted around in the bedside drawer for a condom.
He ripped the packet open with his teeth and kneeled over her. “We can save those nice silk sheets for next time.” Maybe then he’d be able to take it slow, because this round was going to be anything but.
“Next time,” Ella said, spreading her legs wide. Casually, comfortably, like they did this every night. “I like the sound of that.”
He rolled the condom over his straining cock then he lowered himself to his elbows and looked down. God, that was hot, seeing her hips jut up, eager to connect.
“Nice view,” Ella murmured, angling his cock toward her core.
He glanced up and found her head turned to the side, watching them in the mirror.
“Never knew you had a voyeuristic side, Kitt.”
“Lots of things you don’t know about me, McBride.”
When he pinned her hands over her head and squeezed them in a question, her eyes flashed.
Yes, they said. I want you. Hard. Fast. Deep.
He thrust forward, sliding inside her with one hard push.
Ella moaned and arched into him, digging her nails into his hands. “Again,” she panted a second later. “Do that again.”
He withdrew until just the tip of his cock was in contact with her entrance and then plunged in, making her cry out.
“Jake…again…”
Even as her body stretched to accommodate him, the squeeze on his cock remained painfully, perfectly tight. She met every one of his thrusts with a quick flex of her inner muscles, making him groan out loud. He peeked in the mirror too, and though it was satisfying to see his body piston against hers, nothing beat the sight of Ella coming totally undone. Her hair fanned out around her head. Her breasts were soft pillows that glistened with beads of sweat. Her mouth opened and closed on a dozen whispered urgings no one would ever hear but him.
“So good… Oh, Jake… More…”
He gave her everything he had, thrusting hard, pausing only to hitch her leg higher against his side and power forward once more. The thrusts became a steady rhythm that grew until he faltered, and with one last push—
Jake threw his head back as he exploded inside her.
Ella shuddered as she came with a cry that stretched on and on, while Jake closed his eyes to relish the sweet burn. Then her body relaxed, and her hands fluttered over his back. Jake dropped to her chest, pinning her with his weight, unable to move. Ella wrapped her arms and legs around him and sighed while he panted against her skin in one of those oxygen-debt moments that only came after the hardest, longest runs. Then slowly, reluctantly, they both rolled to one side.
Damn it. He had to get rid of that condom, but he never wanted to leave her arms. Ella groaned when he hurried to the bathroom to dispose of it, then giggled.
“What?” he asked, memorizing the view before he came back down over her. Ella, very naked and very satisfied, her legs still spread, saving that space for him.
He nestled right into position and let her nuzzle him. That, he remembered too. It seemed like the last time they’d spent the night together, she had devoted every second of recovery time to nuzzling him. Which wasn’t as good as sex, but pretty damn close in a cozy, chicken-soup-for-the-soul kind of way.
She giggled and murmured into his shoulder. “You know what Kai said?”
He squinted at her. What the hell did Kai have to do with mind-blowing sex with the most amazing woman in the world?
“He said to take the night off and make it count.” She chuckled, drawing her leg higher along his side. “So I guess we ought to make the most of it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jake breathed.
Chapter Eleven
And they did make the most of the night, Ella decided as she lounged naked on the couch a few hours later. Shatteringly good sex on the floor had led to the sweetest, sultriest sex she’d ever had in bed — and yes, the silk sheets were nice too, especially when she’d straddled Jake and took in the view of him, glassy-eyed, satisfied, and balls deep in her, with his arms swimming over all that silk.
By the time they called for room service afterward, she’d been so into her naked-and-sensual groove that she nearly answered the door in her birthday suit.
“Oops,” she said, letting Jake cinch up a bathrobe — hers, not his — and answer the door instead. When he wheeled the trolley into the living room, she couldn’t help ruffling the fluffy collar of the robe. “I think you’re getting in touch with your feminine side.”
Jake’s eyes roved over her body. His eyes said, You’re the one getting in touch with your feminine side.
Well, okay. Maybe she was. Cute outfits and glittery heels might not be her thing, but frolicking naked with her stud of a man was definitely bringing out her girly side. Who knew flirting could be such fun? She’d also discovered the advantage of letting her hair down, because the swing and bounce seemed to fascinate Jake. His eyes would rove from there to her shoulders to her breasts, where they rested for a breathless minute before he jerked them away.
Good old Jake. Good manners. No trace of sexist pig. And Jesus, the man was a titan in bed. Which, of course, she knew, because it wasn’t their first time together. But in another sense, it felt like the first time — first time outside military rules of engagement and on their own terms.
Of course, that didn’t solve the crux of the shifter-human issue she was increasingly tempted to explain, but she was determined to put all that aside for the night.
“Not too chilly?” Jake asked, stroking her leg absently.
They both sat sideways on the couch, him at one end, her at the other, with their legs intertwined in the middle. Jake motioned over his shoulder toward the wide-open sliding doors. The flower-print curtains danced in the breeze, as if to say, Don’t you want to come out here again?
She grinned, because she and Jake had followed up dinner with a good hour on the balcony, and only a fraction of that time had been spent looking at the view. She’d slid down to her knees and satisfied the burning desire to taste him. And man, had it been fun to have Jake at her mercy for a change. She’d peeked up from time to time, watching him grip the handrail and tip his head back in ecstasy. He was a hell of a lot better at holding back sounds than she was, but she’d still gotten a few throaty groans out of him, especially when he came.
&n
bsp; She took another swing of champagne and smacked her lips. Yeah, that had been good. She might have to try it again soon.
“Chilly? No, I’m fine,” she said, drawing her heel along his leg. She let her eyes follow the motion, taking in the lines of muscle along his thighs before focusing on his stomach. Lots of guys in the military had good abs, but Jake…
He looked up, catching her peeking — again — and grinned.
“Definitely not chilly?” His eyes danced with mischief.
Ella tried to figure out which answer would get her to sex faster and settled on letting her knees drop apart another inch, making Jake’s eyes dip then bounce back to her face. She hadn’t shifted for days, making her wild and reckless.
“You feeling the need to heat me up or cool me down?” she asked, channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe.
Jake pushed aside the coffee table and kneeled beside her. “Lie back,” he murmured, reaching behind him.
She arched an eyebrow, because a girl didn’t just do what a guy said.
Except when he has masterful hands and a really good tongue, her inner fox hummed.
Okay, maybe she would do as she was told, just this once. She wiggled farther down the couch and lay back, watching him. Goose bumps rose along her skin out of sheer anticipation. They had already compared scars and tickled each other’s toes. “What form of torture do you have for me next?”
“Torture, huh? Close your eyes.”
She considered for a second, then did as he said. “Okay, but no handcuffs, McBride. No blindfolds. No tying me up.”
He chuckled. “Not my kind of thing, unless you want to try it sometime.”
Sometime. Her inner fox sighed. She liked the we have years ahead of us sound of that.
“Just lie still,” Jake murmured.
She sniffed, catching the rich scent of the hyacinths in a vase on the table and a heady whiff of Jake’s fresh, leather-and-bergamot scent. He stirred something, and she heard a clink. Next came a tiny drip — and another — drops of water falling quietly against the floor. When Jake touched her belly with the flat of his callused hand, she held her breath, waiting. He circled her skin with one bold finger, and then—
“Oh!” she squeaked, arching up at a sudden burst of cold.
“And I thought you were tough, Kitt,” he teased, moving away.
She nearly peeked — was that an ice cube? — but he covered her eyes. “Are you ready or not?”
She settled back, telling her muscles to unwind. “Ready. If you must.”
“Oh, I must.”
Which was a damn good thing, because now that she had an inkling of what he was up to, she desperately wanted more. It was amazing what an ice cube against bare skin could do. Of course, Jake could probably scrape dirty dishes across her body and make her howl with pleasure, she was so keyed up.
Want my mate, her fox yowled. Now.
It seemed the more she got of Jake, the more she craved. Which fit what she had heard — that lust intensified between destined mates until they bonded with a bite. And even afterward, the sex drive never waned, remaining a satisfying ritual rebonding of souls for life.
In which case, she was a goner. Worse, Jake would be a goner.
Tomorrow, her fox whispered. We’ll find a solution tomorrow. Don’t ruin tonight with those things.
The ice cube touched down on her belly again, and she yelped.
“You said you weren’t chilly.” Jake tsked.
“I’m not,” she insisted, letting her legs flop open another inch.
“Then what’s with the goose bumps?”
She grinned. “Those aren’t from cold. In fact, I’m feeling rather hot.”
“Good,” he murmured in a sinfully sinister way.
Jake shifted, and the ice cube skated higher along her centerline. She tensed and arched as it moved, waking up the few remaining nerve endings that hadn’t yet thrummed with need.
“Good,” she whispered as he circled the ice cube around her breast. “Oh!”
She couldn’t help wiggling and squeaking as he moved it around one breast, then the other. Her nipples peaked so hard, they ached, and she was tempted to touch herself. But there was no need as it turned out, because Jake leaned over her a second later, pulling her nipple between his lips.
Her whole body surged at the sensation. The cold bump of the ice cube on one nipple, the heat of Jake’s mouth on the other. Then he switched, kissing her far breast while moving the ice cube to the near side. She writhed, unable to keep still yet not daring to move away. She threw one arm over her head, plumping out her breast for him, and ran the other hand through his hair, pressing his head closer.
“So good,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.
“Yeah?” he said in a deep voice that vibrated through her chest.
Hell yeah, she nearly replied.
“Then how about this?” He nudged her knees wider, took hold of her hand, and guided it down.
Ella’s eyes snapped open. He wanted her to touch herself?
“No peeking,” he said, catching her at it.
She shut her eyes, obeying without thinking because she was that deep under his spell.
“You’re peeking,” she pointed out, trying to strike a casual tone as his big hand covered hers and started circling around.
“Bet your ass, I am. Now, hush,” he said. “And breathe.”
She didn’t even realize she’d been holding her breath until then, because it was all so surreal. Touching herself wasn’t anything new — not with the way she’d pined for Jake over the past too-many months — but she’d never done it with anyone looking on.
“Keep going,” he whispered.
He swung away for a new ice cube then got back to work on her breasts, and she started stroking herself more boldly, imagining it was him. She ran her fingers through her folds, feeling the slickness build. Then she slipped a finger deeper and rolled it around.
“Good,” Jake murmured, sucking on her breast.
Electrifying was more like it. She oohed and aahed with every roll of Jake’s lips, every push of her fingers. Then she started bucking against an invisible saddle, panting harder and harder.
“Jake,” she groaned.
“Don’t stop,” he said, almost as breathless as her.
She opened her eyes — breaking the rules, but okay — and gawked. Was that really her, being ravished by that hulk of a man? And was she really touching herself that hard and deep?
Yes, her fox groaned, echoing her ecstasy. Yes.
The wet remnants of an ice cube wobbled between her breasts, and her skin glistened. She switched to her right hand, leaving her leg to grope blindly around until it bumped Jake’s long, hard, cock. With fingers slick from her own body, she started stroking him.
“Come to me,” she mumbled as a roaring sound built in her ears.
Jake’s muscles were coils of steel, his voice tight. “Just a second.”
It felt so good, she was tempted to bring herself over the edge. But she could jack off on her own anytime she wanted. There was no way she was coming without Jake buried deep inside.
“Hell of a way to spend our honeymoon,” she joked.
Jake gave her a tight grin. “Three seconds longer.”
She tipped her head back and rocked harder. Three seconds, she could do.
“Three…two…” Jake accented the countdown with alternating nips and licks. “One.”
He pulled away and reached for a condom, bumping the champagne bucket in his haste. Ice cascaded across the floor and glittered like so many diamonds. “Oops.”
“Never mind. Get over here, soldier.”
The couch was in the middle of the lounge, and she tossed the pillows aside to make room for Jake. A second later, he climbed over her and paused long enough for a kiss she reared into. When she flopped back with a hungry, show me your stuff nod, he went all serious. A second later, he plunged deep, deep inside.
Ella moaned openly, not botheri
ng to hide it any more. The man made her feel alive. Beautiful. Deserving of someone like him. So, yes. She’d howl as much as she pleased, letting him know just how good he made her feel.
“Yes,” she panted as he thrust into her again and again.
Yes, her fox cried, eyeing his neck, fantasizing about a mating bite.
Ella squeezed her eyes shut. Jake was doing it again — driving her wild, pushing her animal side to the forefront. And for the first time ever, she could imagine what her mother must have felt. The instinctive urge to mate, the I can’t live without him recklessness that could drive a woman — and a willing man — over the edge. But death lurked on the other side of that invisible line, just like the shades of night that loomed where the lights of their suite faded away.
With a determined huff, Ella shoved all those thoughts to the back of her mind. Tonight was tonight, and she was going to make it count, no matter what came.
Jake rose to his knees, hauled her hips right off the couch, and pumped into her again. All the blood rushed to her head, making her dizzy with desire.
“Three…two…” he grunted, giving her another countdown.
On one, she squeezed over his cock and cried out at the searing heat inside.
Jake threw his head back and bared his teeth like the animal she wished he could become. They both shuddered, moaned, and eventually collapsed to the couch, where she stroked his bare back again and again.
“Jake,” she whispered into the dark, wishing she could add, My mate.
Mate, her fox echoed sadly. My mate.
Chapter Twelve
Jake’s usual morning routine involved waking up, waiting for the sun to rise while cursing the fact that he hadn’t slept well, and thinking over the day ahead. But when he woke in the honeymoon suite, it wasn’t a usual morning in any way. The sun was already illuminating the east side of the balcony. He’d slept like a rock, and all he could think of was a dream come true. A night with Ella. Talking. Touching. Lying in silence and staring into her eyes. He’d gotten to do all that, plus the bonus of holding her close while they slept.
The shower was running, and wow — the clock said 7:30 a.m. His body was still warm from where she’d curled against him, his arm still stuck out to shelter her. Somehow, Ella had slipped out of that protective cave without waking him, but if there were anyone who could pull that off, it would be her.