Diamond Dust tw-3

by Vivian Arend

  He cupped her sex, rubbing lightly. “You’re never going to let me forget that comment, are you?”

  “Well, it was kind of memorable. Oh…”

  He’d slipped a finger into her. “I’ll have to give you something more memorable to replace it with, then.”

  The finger went deeper, spreading her, filling her. “Keep going, you’re doing grand.”

  He thrust all the way in, the rest of his hand under her, his thumb centered over her clit. A slow, even rhythm of withdrawing and thrusting made her shake on unsteady legs. Especially when he added a second finger, spreading her wider, his thick digits driving her toward release.

  “Oh, Tyler.” She dug her nails into his skin and pulsed her hips against his hand, wanting something more to send her over.

  His free hand caught a breast and tweaked the nipple, hard, one side then the other. Caroline moaned as her core tightened on his fingers, trying to hold him in place even as he stroked her through her orgasm.

  All traces of cold had vanished. She felt as if she was floating, and maybe she was.

  Yes, he was carrying her again, out of the shower and into a huge towel, his touch gentle as he dried her.

  She was far warmer and more relaxed than a moment before, but she wasn’t satisfied. Especially not when he dried himself, his cock bouncing against his belly as he moved.

  Caroline reached for him, but he caught her by the wrist. “Uh-uh. No touching until we find a bed. Because the next time I start, I’m not stopping until we’re both boneless, and I find lying on bathroom floors highly overrated.”

  They caught each other’s gaze, and Caroline smiled at the honest appreciation he wore. “That’s the kind of expression I like to see.”

  “Enjoy it, you’ll be too lightheaded in five minutes to see anything clearly.”

  “Promises, promises…” She turned and ran for the bedroom, figuring he’d like the pursuit as much as she’d like to be chased.

  She made it to the door before he nabbed her. Scooped her up and tossed her toward the bed, throwing himself after her. They landed in a mass of limbs and body parts, rubbing together in a frenzy.

  “You’re lucky this bed is reinforced for shifter weight,” Caroline teased.

  “You’re lucky this bed is strong enough to take what we’re going to do on it.” He stretched over her, pinning her to the mattress. Caroline found her wrists caught in an inescapable clasp. He pulled her hands overhead, the position stretching her torso and making her arch her back. Her breasts rose and he licked his lips.

  Anticipation made her breathing grow thinner, her torso shaking as he lowered his head to suck her nipple into his mouth.

  She pressed against him. “Yes.”

  He answered with a firmer tug of his lips and a happy hum. He drove her crazy for a while, flicking his tongue lightly over the tip, pulsing his lips closed and drawing harder, before releasing and starting all over again.

  And this talented bear? With his free hand he was exploring the tender skin on her hip. Fingers edging in circles closer and closer to her sex.

  “I want to touch you,” she complained.

  “You will.” He mumbled the words against her breasts as if he couldn’t bear to leave them. “Caroline. Do you want me to use a condom?”

  Where exactly could he possibly have such things hidden? And there would be none in her sister’s bathroom either, as both Shelley and her partner were shifters.

  Lucky for Tyler, she had it covered. “No need. You’re a shifter—no disease—and I’m on birth control.”

  His forehead crashed to her chest for a second as he muttered, “Thank God.”

  She laughed. “You didn’t have a condom, did you? If I’d said we needed one?”

  He lifted up on his elbows, searching her face, passion heating her even as he spoke. “I promise I will never hurt you, and I’ll always protect you. And that means yes, if you’d said we needed a condom, I would have made you happy but stopped from having sex.”

  “Good thing one of us is prepared,” Caroline teased, lifting a leg and running her calf up the back of his thigh. She rocked her hips, bumping his thick erection against her.

  His eyes darkened. “And not hurting you means making sure you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready. I’m ready,” she insisted.

  He licked his lips. “Oh, you will be, I promise that as well.”

  A single-minded assault began as he determinedly worked his way down her body. He didn’t have to worry, though; she wouldn’t protest. Oral sex from a shifter was a form of paradise she’d sworn to never deny herself. They were truly talented with their tongues.

  “Oh. My. Word.”

  He had her pinned with one hand and with no warning had opened her thighs with his broad shoulders, falling on her as if he were starving. Long licks from her core to her clit, a teasing circle then another stroke. Caroline happily widened her legs to give him room to work.

  He lifted her to his mouth, lapping intimately, one hand holding her in place. Somehow he got his fingers involved again, pressing against her clit until she gasped for air, teetering on exploding.

  He slipped his hand away and covered her clit with his mouth and sucked, and she broke, pleasure enveloping her.

  “Tyler, oh yes.”

  He was over her before the first peak faded, broad cock at her opening. He held her thigh to one side and pressed in, a second pulse of pleasure accompanying his entrance.

  She stared at him, his face tense with restraint; pleasure there as well as he sank deeper one rock at a time. She was being stretched so good, his cock teasing aftershocks from her.

  When he buried himself all the way, their groins finally meshed, she squeezed her eyes shut to soak in the sensation.

  “Caroline, you’re incredible.” The words whispered beside her ear. He was on his elbows over her, his hips moving slowly as he withdrew his cock then slipped in again. “So tight around me. So wet and perfect. Lift your legs and hold me.”

  She obeyed instantly, crossing her ankles and groaning as the new angle moved him deeper.

  “Yes.” He swiveled his hips, and a zing of something extra thrilled up her spine. She must have gasped or groaned or hoorayed yes, because his focus narrowed to her and nothing else. “Oh, you like that, do you?”

  “Again,” she ordered. Panted. Wheezed. The word was barely comprehensible, but he seemed to know what she was begging for. Because he repeated the move. And again, teasing her inside where she never remembered feeling before. Like he’d found the magic button people always talked about, and she never knew she’d been missing.

  Sex before this? She’d enjoyed. She’d enjoyed a lot. But with every thrust, Tyler erased what had come before and made her see stars. Everywhere.

  “Breathe, Caroline,” he laughed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Don’t stop,” she begged, certain if he wavered this magical event would vanish like rain in the desert.

  “Don’t worry.” He gave another thrust that made her ears tingle. The next one, the top of her head. “This feels too good to stop any time soon.”

  Lillie’s comment about Energizer Bunny Bears echoed in her memory, and Caroline relaxed. Her entire lower body was along for the ride as he worked her over, leaning on one elbow to free a hand.

  She was sure he’d go for her breasts, because, hello, consistency in a male was to be appreciated. Then he shocked her by slipping his hand under her head and cradling her neck, lowering his mouth over hers and kissing her tenderly. His tongue explored lazily even as his cock pierced her in two.

  Tenderness mixed with incredible passion. A soft kiss pressed to the corner of her mouth as he rocketed his cock into her core, and that extra motion broke her. Her climax hit, washing her with passion as he kissed her one more time then came, his release shaking his torso as he held himself from crushing her.

  “Sweet Caroline.” The words whispered against her lips, and she smiled, even as the delight sh
uddering through her made the room go fuzzy.

  Chapter Twelve

  When his arm strength gave out, he managed to drop to the side and not on top of her. Caroline cuddled in, resting her head on his shoulder, her fingers moving in small circles as she played with his chest hair.

  “That was incredible.” She exhaled in a long, low rush. “Although, I’m still not sure why it happened.”

  His bear rolled upward and suggested taking her for a few more rounds so she’d stop with the thinking so much. Tyler kind of agreed with the beast this time. “You need me to explain sexual attraction?”

  She leaned up on an elbow, her blonde hair falling in a curtain over her shoulder as her gaze searched him thoroughly. “Oh, I understand sex. I’m still not sure why I wanted it so badly with you.”

  A myriad of answers waited to be shared, but none of them were as important as clearing the air. He brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “You’re more to me than a political necessity.”

  Some of the softness left her face. “Go on.”

  Tyler crossed his arms under his head and stared up at the ceiling, trying to put his thoughts into order. “You saw Lillie tonight.”

  “She’s lovely. I hope she didn’t get hurt in the fight.”

  Tyler shook his head. “I saw Jim and her ducking out. She’ll be fine, and he’s head over heels with her, so you can be sure he’ll take good care of her.”

  “Turned out well for an arranged marriage.”

  Damn. “I should have guessed you’d have ferreted out secrets even in the short time before the party blew up. Yes, their marriage was arranged, just like my brother Frank’s.”

  She leaned higher, a question in her eyes. “Frank? Really? That must have been successful as well, because I heard he left civilization when she died.”

  Tyler nodded. “In the clans, arranged marriages are common. We’re not like packs who gather together en mass. Usually the clans are spread over a wide area, and chances of finding another bear and falling in love are low.”

  Her eyes widened, horror filling them. “You’re not engaged to someone, are you?”

  Shit. He caught her before she could crawl off and take away her warmth. “No, of course not. I wouldn’t have taken you to bed if I had another woman. I’ve been avoiding making a commitment because I was too busy traveling for the family business and, more recently, running the show.”

  “Evan mentioned you had taken over. I’m sorry, did your father pass away recently?”

  “Last year.” Tyler paused. “And it wasn’t my father who died.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Tyler forced out the words. “My mother died. My father has been devastated by her loss. He’s a shadow of the man he was before.”

  Caroline sat upright, and in spite of the seriousness of the moment, his gaze involuntarily went to her breasts. She jerked a T-shirt from under the pillow and pulled it over her head while his bear complained bitterly.

  “Stop rumbling. We need to talk and eat, and naked isn’t a good idea for that,” Caroline scolded as she scrambled off the bed and headed to the closet.

  “Naked works fine by me, although food would be welcome.” He admired her legs and the curve of her ass peeking out from under the tail of her shirt. “Your sister won’t have anything for me to wear.”

  “Her partner might, or you can use the robe again.”

  “I don’t see what’s wrong with naked,” he grumbled, accepting the pair of sweatpants she thrust at him.

  “I’ll make eggs and toast. You can squeeze some oranges.”

  She was gone in a blur of motion. Out the door, leaving behind only the scent of their lovemaking.

  Tyler sat on the edge of the bed and wondered what had just happened. He’d been all ready to make a full confession about why he’d been an ass, and she’d cut him off. He thought women liked conversations about emotions.

  His bear snickered.

  Asshole.

  By the time he’d joined her in the kitchen, she had a pan heating on the stove and the carton of eggs open. Toaster loaded with bread. “You have everything under control?”

  She snorted. “Always.”

  He opened the fridge and looked for oranges. “I’m a lousy date. Took you out for dinner and never fed you.”

  “Look on the bright side, the entertainment was good.”

  He eyed her as she cracked eggs into the pan, studiously avoiding his gaze. Okay, it wasn’t just his imagination. She really was acting weird.

  Maybe her blood sugar was low or something. He followed directions as she ordered him around the kitchen, even though he did know how to use both a knife and a hand juicer.

  He let her ramble about inconsequential things, answering her generic questions regarding Dzinsen Diamonds. Not until she’d cleaned her plate did he push his own away and lean back in his chair.

  “I know we didn’t have much time before things blew up, but what are your thoughts on the gathering tonight?”

  “Other than the idiot who turned it into a punching match? Todd Ainsworth is an ass. I think he’s abusing Amanda.”

  Dammit. “Chances are, yes, he is. What else?”

  She swirled the last inch of orange juice in her glass and stared at the liquid. “Bears are protective of their women. Far more than they need to be, if Lillie’s instant response to the attack is any indication.”

  He paused. “I agree with you that we’re protective. It’s in our nature.”

  She blew a raspberry at him. “There you go again, blaming it on your instincts. Why do you shifters do that? Everyone who is not broken wants to protect those they love, whether they’re human or shifter. Bears don’t have a monopoly on protective reflexes.”

  “Can I blame the overprotective part on being a bear?”

  “Nope. You can blame that on being an idiot. I know some women need more encouragement, and even coddling, than others, but then again, so do some guys. By cutting off an entire section of your population, you are losing out big-time in harnessing their skills and enthusiasm.”

  Tyler stared at her. “You got all this out of barely forty-five minutes in the presence of conclave members?”

  She held up her hand and flicked off fingers. “The party, the limo ride, the lingerie shop, dinner last night, our little meet-and-greet in the hotel…”

  Damn. “So what’s the solution?”

  Caroline stacked their dirty plates then carried them to the counter. “You need to win this thing, so when you do the territorial fixes, you can smack sense into the guys who need it. Someone like Jim Halcyon—he won’t argue if you suggest he and his clan join the twenty-first century.”

  “No, he won’t.”

  She leaned a hip on the counter. “Todd Ainsworth, on the other hand, should be locked up somewhere for a very long time.”

  “Locked up?” That was a shocker. “I would have thought you’d suggest something painful, or an even more permanent solution to rid ourselves of the wonder that is Todd.”

  “I didn’t say where I’d lock him up, did I? Or who I’d lock him up with.”

  There was the bloodthirsty woman his bear so appreciated. Tyler took a long slow look, starting at her bare feet and working his way up to her eyes. “I want your help to win this, but I was afraid to let you become more than an assistant.”

  “You don’t have to tell me why—”

  “I do.” He stood and crowded her, one hand on either side on the counter to trap her in position. “You’re pushing me away when I want to explain. I thought I needed to grovel?”

  She avoided his eyes. “I changed my mind.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  Caroline planted her hands on his chest and attempted to shove him back. “I don’t want to know why you were keeping me at arm’s length. It’s no big deal. The sex thing is fine, and I’ll help you at the next gathering, but—”

  She wasn’t getting it, so he shut her up the only way he c
ould think of. He kissed her. Open mouths together, his tongue stopping hers.

  Instead of applying pressure to escape, she was soon sliding her hands around his chest and dragging her nails down his back. They had no difficulties in the physical-compatibility department, that was for certain.

  He broke them apart and leaned their foreheads together. “Listen to me. I like you. I want to see where this can go between us, not only for conclave.”

  Caroline shook her head. “I don’t want a new boyfriend.”

  Tyler hesitated over her word choice. “A new boyfriend? You just broke up with someone. That’s why you’re living in your sister’s apartment.”

  She wiggled uncomfortably.

  “I don’t get it. If you’re not dating someone, then why not make it official and date me? You like me, right?”

  “Of course I do. We had sex. I don’t fool around with guys I don’t care about.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Are you trying to escape someone? Was your last boyfriend more like Todd than Jim?”

  Her jaw gaped open before she pulled herself together. “Hell, no. Evan is—”

  “Evan? As in the leader of the Takhini pack?” Tyler’s hackles went up. “What did he do to you? I’ll kill him.”

  She smacked a hand against her forehead. “What is with you Alpha dudes? Stop interrupting and listen to my words. I do not need you doing anything to Evan. I don’t need you doing anything in my life. Get it, my life. Me, in charge.”

  Tyler calmed himself. “Sorry, instinctive reaction.”

  She narrowed her glare. “You say the word instinct one more time, and I swear I will hurt you.”

  This time when she shoved him Tyler stepped back, setting her free to pace the living room. “I’m sorry for misunderstanding, but what does that have to do with why you won’t officially go out with me?”

  Caroline leaned her head on the window, staring into the darkness of the night. “I’ve been a human in a wolf pack for ages. I’ve done things to make myself important. I’ve worked hard and fought for my position, like any wolf would. And I’m tired of it. I want some time to myself. No shifters to make happy, no rules to follow or worry about breaking. I can’t have that, not with you needing my help, but I can certainly avoid being an official girlfriend and all the extra shit that would bring with it.”