“Please Sam,” she moaned. She just needed him to move and stay with her. She refused to let thoughts of what would happen afterwards muddy the moment.
Whatever Sam was thinking cleared from his face. He wedged his hands under her, grabbed her ass and slowly pulled out completely. MJ opened her mouth in protest when Sam plunged back in. Hard and forceful. He repeated the process again and again until she was begging him for more. With each thrust in, she felt her body come alive. Ripples of sensation danced across her skin.
Sam leaned in, capturing a nipple in his mouth. He rolled his tongue around the hardened nub before clamping down to bite. MJ moaned and tugged harder on his hair. His teeth scraped over the pulsing tip, nipping her as he released her from his mouth. Her sounds of protest were a waste of precious breath.
Swiveling his head he repeated the torturous process to her other nipple. When he was finished, he licked a path from between her breasts, up her chest and settled his lips against hers. He devoured her, stealing all thought from her. She was so lost in the feel of Sam pumping his thick erection into her and relishing the taste of him as he ravished her mouth that her orgasm snuck up on her. Seizing up her body as she screamed out his name.
Sam picked up the pace. Slamming his hips against her. His heavy sac tapping her ass, giving her the sensation she was being spanked. He worked a finger to her clit and rubbed circles, building her back up again. It didn’t take long. All of his movements, all of the sensations, it was more than MJ could handle.
“One more time, sugar. Come for me again one more time. Squeeze that tight pussy around my dick.” Sam panted the words out between thrusts.
His lips found their way to her neck. She felt the scrape of teeth. The wet trail left by tongue as he traveled to her ear. He nipped her earlobe and whispered. “I could claim you right now. Tie you to me. Bite your neck and fill you with my seed.”
Her pussy convulsed, clamping down on his cock. The words set her off like nothing ever had before. “Sam,” she screamed long and loud as her orgasm crested.
He pumped his hips two, three more times when a primal sound rent the air. He thrust one last time burying himself deep within her. His hot cum bathed her inner walls. Marking her. Signaling the end to their last time together.
Sam slumped against her, burying his face in her neck. “Come home with me, Mary Jane. Where you belong.”
Sam pulled them both upright. With his cock still buried to the hilt, he kissed her tenderly and pressed his forehead against hers. She wanted to weep. This was the end. The last time they would ever be together in this way. He may not realize it right now, but it was the truth. She still didn’t feel that extreme need and desire. The pain of not having him there with her all of the time only hurt her heart, not her whole being. The tug and pull just wasn’t there. Shit, she didn’t even think her eyes glowed like his did. She wasn’t a normal, functioning shifter and Sam deserved someone who wasn’t broken.
A shaft of pain lanced her heart as tears threatened to escape. She pressed her face into the side of his neck. One last time. She couldn’t resist the lure of his sweat slickened neck. She ran her tongue lightly along the column of his throat. She savored the salty mix of musk and Sam. One last time.
She cleared her throat. “Help me down please, my butt is starting to go numb.” Sam picked her up and set her on her feet. She wobbled for a few seconds and, during that entire time, he held her loosely within his arms. He made sure she didn’t fall flat on her face, which would be mortifying, to say the least. Yet somehow a fitting end.
She just couldn’t break it to him quite yet, so she stalled for time. MJ made a show of looking around for her underwear. She stepped out of his hold and picked her clothes up off the floor. MJ spied the missing white silk under the workbench Sam had just fucked her on. Pulling it out, she popped it like a dirty towel. A blush warmed her cheeks as the scrap of silk unfolded in the air and she remembered he’d ripped them off her. She wrinkled her nose and righted her jeans. Slipping them on commando was not something she did everyday. How in the world did guys deal with that? She didn’t have much choice though. Pulling them on, she stuffed her torn panties in the back pocket. No way was she throwing them away in the store. Someone might find them and ask what the hell had happened. She still had a week before she left for Garden.
While MJ was busy getting dressed, Sam did the same. When he went to take her hand, she forced herself to step back. “I can’t, Sam.”
She watched his face fall. The satisfied, contented smile that was there a second ago was now nowhere to be found. His features were stony and without emotion. “Why?”
“I told you. I’m taking Devon’s offer.” That only seemed to infuriate him. He snarled and clenched his hands.
“Then why did you have sex with me, Mary Jane? That is not the act of a woman who wants another man.”
“I didn’t say I wanted him. I’ve never wanted anyone but you!”
“Why would you refuse me then? Why would you deny we’re mates and go with a man you don’t even like?”
MJ spun away from him. The pain and hurt radiating off him was like a slap in the face. She had to make him understand. Taking a deep breath to calm down, MJ turned back around when she felt she had her emotions under control. She had to do this for him. She had to break his heart to get him to see she was doing the best thing for both of them.
“Because you deserve so much more than me, Sam.” He took a step toward her but she waved him off. His jaw clenched and she swore she could her his teeth grind. “You need a woman who feels a connection to you like true mates are supposed to. A woman that will give you full-blooded babies and not complicated hybrids that may have medical issues. You deserve a life without constant worry that you’ll be shunned for your choice in mate. Fear that people will come after you and torture you because you aren’t like them. You deserve a woman who isn’t broken.” The last part was whispered so low she wasn’t sure he even heard her.
“You don’t get to do this, Mary Jane. You don’t get to tell me you don’t feel anything for me when I know you do. You don’t get to say I deserve more than you because you are everything to me. You are my reason for living. I suffer every goddamn torturous day I’m not right next to you, and the only way I can make it through is the knowledge, the fact, you are my mate. There is no shutting it off or hoping it will fade away. My Tiger pines for your Liger. My heart hungers for your love. I have never once seen you as a broken woman. I have only seen you as the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Sam stood in front of her wearing jeans that molded to his thighs and a tight black t-shirt that stretched across his chest. His auburn hair curled down onto his forehead and she had to resist the urge to brush it back. He was so strong and handsome but right now he looked crushed. His mouth opened then closed. He took a swift breath and dread filled MJ’s stomach. “I don’t know what else I can do or say to make you see what is so clearly in front of your face.”
He came forward and kissed her tenderly. She tried not to fall into the sensual lust but failed. Her hands were on his abs, travelling over the hard ridges up to his pectorals. She kept her hands there for a few seconds, her fingers kneading his flesh like a cat before moving on. She wanted to curl her hands in his locks as she loved to do, but he stepped away. “I love you, Mary Jane Poppy.” She could hear the ‘but’ in his voice. Knew to expect it, and was stunned speechless when it came. “But until you can figure out on your own that I’m your mate, I can’t be around you.”
He turned and walked away. Silently slipping out the back door, leaving her to deal with her misery alone. Her Liger roared within her the minute he was out of sight. A barely noticeable rope of silver light snapped, sending tiny sparks floating through the air.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sam blindly walked to the condo he was sharing with Bodie and Soren. He thought it would be best to leave his car at the gym, as he was so pissed off he couldn’t see straigh
t. He was sure he would get into trouble somehow if he hopped in it and drove away from MJ. Like his mind was screaming to do.
He was fucking mad. Better yet, she was fucking mad! She honestly thought she wasn’t good enough for him. Bullshit! Sometimes he wondered if he was good enough for her. He was hard to deal with at times, worked long hours, partied hard (well used to), and had a past that would make a hooker blush.
And she thought she was broken?! He knew exactly who to blame for that…her parents. God damn them for making her think she was less than anyone else. For making her question her appeal to a man. For letting her think, for even one moment, she wasn’t special.
All Sam could see was how special she was. Her tender heart and inner strength in the face of adversity. The love and devotion to her friends and her family, even when they acted like douche bags. Her Liger only made her appeal stronger, better. She was nothing like the so-called normal shifters and he relished that.
Shit! He was head over fucking heels in love with her. Needed her like she was his next breath. Sam stumbled as the realization sucked the air from his lungs.
He cared for her. Knew that without a doubt. Sure, he told her he loved her right before he left. The words slipped out of his mouth before he could think about what he was saying and what it meant to him. The full force of that knowledge was just now hitting him.
Sam stood in a daze for a few minutes, wondering why he didn’t admit it to himself before. Why he didn’t start out trying to convince MJ with that devotion. “Fuck,” he yelled out.
“You going to stand out there all night or what?” Soren stood in front of him in the doorway to the condo.
Sam slowly looked around his surroundings, confused at how he had made it home already. The entire trip a blur. “How the hell did I end up here?”
Soren’s dark brows furrowed. “I’m guessing you walked since I didn’t hear your car. You didn’t crash it or anything, did you? Why don’t you come inside before you scare the neighbors? You aren’t looking too great.”
“Yeah. I need a drink.”
“You sure about that? From the way you look, I’d say you have had a few too many already.”
Sam laughed, but it certainly wasn’t filled with joy. “I haven’t even started man.”
“If you say so.” Soren shook his head and stood to the side. Sam brushed past him and went straight to the kitchen. Pulling out a couple of beers, he went back to the living room where he found Bodie kicked back on the couch, feet up on the coffee table.
Sam handed him a beer, then one to Soren; who was now sitting on the arm of the couch. Sam dropped into the recliner before popping the last beer open.
The guys sat there waiting; each one with an expectant look on his face. Sam chugged half the beer, leaning forward he rolled the bottle between his hands. How the fuck was he supposed to talk about his feelings and the giant cluster-fuck that was his life? He wasn’t a chick but he needed help. Some advice on what to do. He never had any problem before getting a woman to stick around. He was completely out of his element. The one guy who might be able to help him—because he had a similar situation—was Jett. If he talked to him it would get back to Corrine, and he seriously did not want to listen to a lecture or love life advice from her.
Bodie cleared his throat. “So…it didn’t go well with MJ?”
Sam grunted. “The ‘spending time with her’ part of the plan went well. The aftermath…not so much.”
Soren chuckled. “Still the charmer in the afterglow department. Did you tell her to get cleaned up and then split while she was in the bathroom? Or, was the sex great but you didn’t rock her world enough for her to toss out the idea of this other guy? She still plans on hooking up with Andersen because of it. He must have a big dick or a fat wallet.”
Sam saw red, his grip on the bottle tightened until his knuckles turned white. His head felt like it was going to explode hearing Soren say that shit about MJ. She would never act that way. He did not want to hear hooking up and Andersen in the same sentence with MJ’s name. She was not in any way, shape or form getting with that guy—ever. As much as he wanted to pummel Soren, he was able to stay in his seat. “Don’t ever say that again. MJ isn’t some materialistic bitch that looks at the size of a guy’s wallet, and I sure as hell rocked her fucking world. She will never be hooking up with that guy.” He knew his tone was lethal and hoped the man picked up on it.
Soren held up his hands in surrender. “Calm down. I was trying to get a handle on the situation. Tossing out ideas, since you aren’t telling us shit. The fact of the matter is—she’s still ditching you to be with another guy.”
Sam guzzled the rest of his beer. He stormed off to the kitchen and grabbed another. Liquid courage or something to calm him down; he didn’t know what he was hoping to get out of drinking, but now that he’d started, he didn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He reached back into the fridge and grabbed the rest of the six-pack, taking note of the other six-pack in there.
Most shifters could drink anyone under the table; it was just later when it finally hit their system that they were fucked. Sam was good for an hour, sometimes two, depending on what he was doing, before becoming stupid drunk. There were times he went from invincible and wanting to fight to thinking he was invisible in a matter of minutes.
Back out in the living room, Soren had moved to sit on the couch and was kicked back like Bodie. Sam sank down into the recliner and took a really good look at his two friends. They were a lot different than they used to be. On a Friday night Sam would have expected the guys to be out partying and seeing which one could pick up the most women. It was one of their favorite pastimes. But here they were now, hanging out at home on the couch watching… Sam glanced at the television; some home DIY show about decking. Not the image of the guys he used to know. Hell, he and Jett were different too. Finally grown up he guessed. Would they have any ideas about what to do? Maybe they had some experiences with women that could help.
He wouldn’t know unless he asked, or at least told them the problem. Sam swallowed his pride. “She told me she’s still going to be his companion and that we aren’t mates. She has this crazy notion that there’s someone better for me out there and that she’s a broken woman. Doesn’t consider herself good enough.”
“Damn. Where did she come up with that lame idea? I know I don’t know her too well, but she seems like a great gal to me. She looked to be really into you too,” Bodie said.
“Shit, I’m sorry man. I thought maybe she was just fucking with you by using this Andersen guy to get you to, shit I don’t know, tell her you love her. I never really thought she was like those chicks we used to date.” Soren’s apology soothed a bit of Sam’s anger. He should have known his friend wouldn’t say anything so callous if he knew exactly what was going on.
“Yeah, well I told her I loved her, and she’s still adamant about breaking things off with me. I can’t let her do it. She’s my mate whether she believes it or not. I just don’t know what to do to make her see it.” Sam drank the beer in his hand and snatched up another. It wasn’t doing much to help him figure out the problem, but it was numbing him to the pain of not having MJ right there with him.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Sam must have zoned out for a minute, too lost in his thoughts to see Bodie get up. Sam brought his beer up to his lips and took a long drink before he acknowledged Bodie. “What’s up?”
Bodie snorted. “I don’t know what to tell you. You’ve done everything you could to make her see that you’re mates. Hell, I could see it looking at the two of you together at the wedding. This is something she needs to figure out on her own. You can only be there waiting with arms open when she figures it out, and I do think she will.”
Sam was skeptical. “How is she going to do that? I’ve told her to her face that we’re mates. Told her I love her. I feel the connection when we’re together. My Tiger calms. My pain recedes. I feel whole when I’m with her. If she doesn’t feel
those things then I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong,” he said glumly. He drank the beer in his hand and reached for another.
Bodie put his hand on top of Sam’s, as he was about to open the next bottle. “You might want to slow down with those. I don’t think you’re in the right frame of mind to be drinking. It certainly isn’t going to solve your problem.”
“I know it isn’t going to solve my problem, which is fine. I decided that tonight I would rather be numb and dumb. It beats the hell out of the constant pain from wanting her near me and knowing she thinks it’s best for us to be apart.”
“Great,” Bodie said a bit sarcastically and turned to address Soren. “You want the first watch or the second? Last thing we need is him trying to find his way to her in the middle of the night. With our luck, he’ll shift like he always does when he’s drunk, then we’ll find him passed out and naked on her doorstep. That definitely won’t win her over.”
Soren swore. “I’ll take second shift.” He walked over to Sam and placed his hand on his shoulder. “It will all work out. I know I haven’t found my mate yet, so I don’t know what you’re going through, but I believe when we find our true mate, there is no obstacle too big that can get in the way of claiming them.”
“We’ll see how that goes when your mate has you running in circles and pining away for her.” Sam knew he was being a dick. Soren meant well. He looked at his friend and saw the sincerity in his face. “Thanks man.”
“Night. And don’t do anything too stupid.”
Sam chuckled. It almost felt good to do it. “I’ll try not to.”
Soren walked off to the room he shared with Bodie and called out. “Don’t try. Do it. I don’t need to go looking for your naked drunk ass again.”
Claiming More (Tiger Nip) Page 11