“I, uh, I… thanks.”
She quickly grabbed her shirt, threw it on then nearly ran out. Once she was safe in the hall she finally struggled to pull her jeans on, but the entire time her heart was beating like crazy.
What was going on with her? She was supposed to be mourning David. They’d been together for a little over two years and only apart for a couple months. It was far too soon for her heart to be moving on.
Then again, maybe it wasn’t her heart moving on as much as it was her body craving something it missed so desperately. Would it be so wrong to indulge a little?
She shook her head. She couldn’t waste her time thinking about such things. She needed to focus on her mission.
Straightening, she marched back to her room to tell the others. They would certainly want to know that Bradley was up, and she was looking forward to all of them crowding into his room at once so she could have a little privacy.
She needed to think. That was for sure.
Chapter Thirteen: When the Levees Break
The doctor was utterly amazed at Bradley’s miraculous recovery, but he was about the only one. The rest of them were beginning to grate at the nerves from being in one place for so long. Every hour they stayed in the small town was another hour that Creed had ahead of them. She could tell that even Bradley wanted to hurry the process along, but he couldn’t very well hunt down an Aberrant when he could barely stand.
Thinking of Bradley made her blush. She had been avoided being alone with him for the two more days that he spent recovering – albeit now awake. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she was afraid of what she might do if left alone with him for too long. Afraid of those feelings, and urges he brought up inside of her.
Still, after two full days of dodging her shifts with him, she knew that folks were starting to get suspicious, so she prepared herself and got ready for some one on one. Who knew, maybe he would be asleep the whole time. The doc still had him on some pretty powerful painkillers last she knew.
…he was not asleep.
She walked into his room around six pm to see him sitting up and eating. He looked so much better and healthier that it was hard for her to even be disappointed at the surprise.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” he said, finishing the last of whatever it was he had been eating and setting it to the side.
“Been busy,” was all that she could think of. If she kept it short and sweet, she didn’t have to worry about saying or doing something she shouldn’t. Couldn’t put her foot in her mouth if it wasn’t open, right?
“You know, you don’t have to be here if you don’t want. I’m practically fine and I can stand a few hours by myself. In fact, I almost wouldn’t mind it. I appreciate that my men looked after me so thoroughly when I was in a bad spot, but I’ve only a day or two until I’m fighting fit and I don’t exactly need a babysitter.”
“No, it’s fine,” she said, crossing over to the seat and trying to act natural. “It’s not like I’m avoiding you or anything.”
“Of course, you aren’t.” Nevertheless, he looked amused by her more than upset or insulted. “So, I’ve been thinking—”
“That’s good. I’d hate to hear that your head had been just as damaged as your guts.”
“Your human is boundless.” If he was any less mature of a man, he probably would have rolled his eyes at her, but instead, he just picked up the book on his nightstand and started reading.
…and that was it.
Jaelle sat there for maybe ten minutes, wondering the whole time if he was just going to ignore her and keep his nose in the book. But on the eleventh minute, her patience met her end.
“I can go, if you don’t want to talk.”
“If you want,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not really interested in someone feeling like they’re forced to keep me company.”
“Is that what you think is happening here? That I resent having to talk to you or something?”
“What else could it be?” He sat up further and for a moment she was worried about his health, but he didn’t even wince once. The man really must have been almost fully recovered, just like he said. “Look, I’m sorry if I went too far the last time you were here. I hope you know that I respect you, and if you don’t like my flirting, you don’t have to tolerate it. I know words can’t be unsaid, but I hope you know that I didn’t intend harm to you.”
She couldn’t help it, a sound somewhere between a short and a laugh ripped out of her throat. “Wait, do you think I’m offended?”
Finally, he looked a bit uncertain. Setting his book down, he shot her a curious look. “Well… aren’t you? You just lost the love of your life and, after just finding out that I’m not going to die, I took advantage of your kindness with my little demonstration. That’s why you haven’t been back since, and whenever the men bring me up, you go deathly silent.”
“Oh, my God, Bradley, you’re a smart man, but sometimes you can be such an idiot.” She got up off her chair and sat once more along the side of his bed. What an affable, noble fool. Worrying about the feelings of an Aberrant, his sworn enemy. “I have been avoiding you. But not because you ruined my delicate sensibilities or some shit like that.”
“Then what? What could I have possibly done?”
“Nothing! It’s just…” She cut herself off. Did she really want to travel down this road again? Logic would say no, but logic couldn’t smell him just inches away from her, couldn’t hear the strong, steady beat of his heart, couldn’t feel the sheer magnetism he exuded. “I’m more afraid of what I might do after that little demonstration.”
That made him react. She could hear his steady beat skip a pump and his blood start rushing. Pheromones, thick and alluring, washed over her without restraint.
“What do you mean?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you?”
His smile was rueful as he responded. “I think I’d like to hear you do just that.”
This was stupid. It was insane. It was foolhardy and any other synonym having to do with moronic. But it wasn’t fair to ask her to resist. Her entire body was crying out for a little touch, a little bit of validation after so much hurt.
Carefully, she rose, looking to the curtained window as if that could give her some control. “I’m attracted to you, okay? But I know how stupid it would be to try anything. You’re a Hunter and… well, I’m me.”
“What do you mean, ‘I’m me’?” To her surprise, she heard him move his legs over the side of the bed and then stand. She turned to see him walk toward her without a limp. He was in even better health than she had thought he would be.
And also shirtless.
“You know. And Aberrant. A fugitive. One of your men. However you want to put it, it’s inappropriate.”
“Who in the hell cares about inappropriate?” He had reached her now, and gently placed a hand on her arm. “Jaelle, you have saved me and all of my men more times than I could count. Our kind hunted you down like an animal and yet here you are, fighting to save, us as well as your own kind. I’ve never met someone as strong, noble and giving as you.
“Hell, I wouldn’t believe you were real if I didn’t see you with my own eyes. You’re an impossible mix of kindness and hard steel. I can only hope that one day I might be as strong and as good as you.”
Shit. He really knew how to talk to a woman.
Although Jaelle knew it was unwise, she couldn’t resist any longer. She took the tiniest of steps forward and melted into his arms. He didn’t move, waiting to see what she would do, so she stood on tip toe and pressed her lips against his.
In that one action, the floodgates burst open, their mouths moving against each other as they were drenched in rising passion and heat. If the critical part of her mind was working, if she had any sense of decency or responsibility, she would stop this now. But she didn’t want to.
Was it so wrong to want a win after so many losses? Was she so evil to seek out a little physi
cal comfort after so much pain? And it was obvious Bradley needed it just as much as she did. She could read it in the movement of his lips against her just as much as she could smell it wafting off of him in waves.
He wanted her. Needed her. David, Creed and the line between Aberrants and Hunters be damned. They craved each other, and it was finally time to give in.
He was pushed her backwards, toward the worn cot that dominated the small room he was healing in. A very small part of her whispered that she should be mindful of his wounds. The last thing she wanted was to reinjure him.
She told that part of her to shut the hell up and let her enjoy the moment.
And she certainly was enjoying it. Bradley was no novice that needed a guiding hand. He was all dominance and expertise. His hands pulled at the oversized flannel that she wore tucked into my jeans, while all the while his tongue dominated her mouth. But not in an excessive, gross kid at prom way. It was just… perfect.
Her fingers fisted in his perfect, thick hair, pulling hard while urging him onward with the upmost enthusiasm. Her legs wrapped around his middle, squeezing hard, wanting to pull him as close to her center as he could possibly be.
“I’ve wanted you for so goddamn long,” he growled, fighting ardently with her borrowed belt, his breath short and entirely impatient.
Jaelle’s own voice was low with need and desire as she answered. “Really? You did a good job hiding it.”
“Did I?” he asked between nips to her neck. “Didn’t I ask you out the first night I met you?”
“Yeah.” Goodness, it was hard to think between his loving, painful, perfect bites. “I thought you were just investigating me because you were suspicious.”
“Only suspicious of what it would be like to feel a woman like you beneath me.”
“Well,” Jaelle murmured, pulling his face up to meet her lips once more, “now’s your time to find out.” She unwrapped her legs from his waist, letting his arms encircle her instead and crush her to him. Once more, they shared the moment, the heat rising between them.
Then, suddenly, Jaelle realized she was making it far too easy for him.
“Are you sure you’re recovered enough for this?” she asked, knowing fangs were beginning to show in her mouth, but not caring in the least.
“Don’t worry,” he answered, breaking their kiss just long enough to speak. “I have no plans of being careful tonight.”
“Good. I was hoping for that.”
Quickly, she shifted her weight, pushing one hip up as a pivot point then kicking one of his legs out. He didn’t even have a breath to recover before she half-spun, half-flipped him so that he landed flat on his back on the coat and she was able to perch atop him.
There was something inherently powerful about straddling a man’s hips, and it spoke to the primal part of her Aberrant self. She ground against him for a moment, bringing a gasp to his lips before claiming his mouth yet again.
It was like something unspoken was unleashed within the two of them, and all words or civility didn’t matter anymore as they voraciously devoured each other. They were both in some form between human and half-shifted, sliding along the scale with glowing eyes and other features rippling and changing as their passion burned that much hotter.
They clawed, bit and surged, ripping each other’s clothes without giving a damn about the consequences or their low supplies. Tomorrow didn’t matter, hell, even ten minutes from now didn’t matter. The only thing that was important was sating the aching need threatening to crack her being in two.
Jaelle sank her teeth into his neck, his shoulder, his chest, anywhere she could reach. She laved affection along his musculature as she had daydreamed so many times about him doing to her. It was a fantasy fulfilled, but in a strange vise-versa sort of way that made her hotter than she ever thought possible.
She was enraptured in the moment. Like an addict, she rode the highs of his hisses and groans, reveling in the power she had over him as her ministrations caused him to buck against her mouth. His reactions only grew that much more satisfying as she made her way down, down, down, until she reached the zipper of his dirty, worn jeans.
And then, in a moment of sweet, sweet gratification after far too much delay, she freed him from the denim and he let out this ragged gasp that made her feel like an ancient goddess full of beauty and power. She paused the tiniest of beats, her eyes flicking up from his erect length to gaze at his face. He was gazing down at her with such a sense of pure worship that she couldn’t resist the urge to tease him just a little.
With a deliberate slowness, she tilted her head downwards, warm lips open, only to move to the right at the last second and place a soft kiss against his thigh. She lifted her head once more, and caught him giving her that same hopeful expression, full of anticipation, only to repeat the action on his left thigh.
On and on she went for what was probably a cruel amount of time. She kissed his hips, the outside of his thigh, the inside, everything, except the center of his aching need for her.
But even she could only last so long. She wasn’t heartless after all. Her undoing came when he let out a groan and lifted his hips toward her in a desperate, physical beg. Smiling up at him with a mischievous glint to her eyes, she kissed him exactly how he wanted her to so intently.
“God,” he breathed, his whole body tensing under her.
She couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact that her mouth was quite occupied. She wasn’t going to lie that his immediate reaction wasn’t confident boosting. How long had it been since she had done something like this? Too long, that was for sure.
Her tongue worked him over, wetting down everything she could to make it easier for her to shuttle along his straining length. His fingers wound into her dark curls in a particularly satisfying way, tugging her in a counter rhythm to the one his hips used as they rose to meet her.
They went on that way for a while, without a single care for how many minutes were passing or the mission at hand. Jaelle was totally and completely into it, until he pulled her off with no warning.
“Hey!” she blurted before she could stop herself. She had thought she was doing damn good. If he didn’t like it, the least he could do was tell her instead of-
“Sorry,” he gasped, his strong brow covered with little beads of sweat and his hair just beginning to grow dark with the liquid. “I just didn’t want this to end yet. I’m having too much fun.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that,” she purred, crawling up his body and pressing her lips to his, just as hungry as when they had started. It didn’t take long for him to sit up, making the cot squeak unbecomingly and forcing Jaelle back into a sitting position as well.
“Stand,” he ordered, voice a low, animalistic growl that sent pleasant shivers down her spine.
Naturally, she complied, all too eager to obey the command. The tables were clearly being turned and, although she wasn’t sure what to expect, she was happy to find out what he had in mind.
Without a word, he yanked her pants down from her rounded hips, placing little kisses and nips along the sensitive skin she had there.
“Bradley, please,” she breathed, voice barely audible above the whine that escaped from her throat.
“Yes?”
“I can’t wait any longer. Not a single second. Please, I need you right now.”
He didn’t need any other convincing. With a rumble, he pulled her down into his lap once more. Somehow, he managed to aim true and slid into her in one fell swoop, filling her to the brim. It was perfect. It was primal. And it was impossible not to let her voice ring out. She knew every Shifter in a mile radius probably heard her, but she couldn’t care less. There was no hiding the elation, the utter fulfilment that coursed through her as he thrust up into her.
“That’s it,” he growled into the crook of her shoulder and she rode him with utter abandon. His hand gripped her hips, his claws biting into the skin there, but the pleasure-pain was more than welcome. His str
ength helped piston her along his length with a power she couldn’t achieve on her own. It was wild, and rutting and everything she had ever wanted.
He was just as frenzied as her, thrusting up into her with a passion that nearly matched her. It had been too long since she had ever felt a connection so deep and primal, and she was relishing every single nanosecond of it.
Jaelle couldn’t say how long they surged against each other. Time had no meaning. There was only sweet rapture as they writhed and gyrated into each other until they completely lost all sense of rhythm. Her own wave of pleasure came rolling toward her for the first time in a very long time, and she became frenzied, like a wild animal, in her reaching for it.
Then it hit, and she shattered right down to her core. An undiluted glimpse of heaven poured over her, coating every cell in her body and drowning out the rest of the world in its unstoppable rush. Jaelle gasped, her whole body seeming to squeeze then release in unison.
She thought it couldn’t get more perfect, that she had reached the pinnacle of perfection, but then Bradley found his own end within her. His nails found the soft skin at the small of her back, scoring lines in the flesh there. It stung, but in a deliciously sinful sort of way, and she only hissed in response.
After what seemed like an age, they both came down from their potent climaxes. Bradley fell backwards onto the cot, pulling Jaelle with him so that she was cuddled flush with his chest. They shared a tender, breathless kiss, their breath barely above a shallow pant before relaxing against each other. And it was there, in the quiet of the moment, that Jaelle fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.
Chapter Fourteen: Until the Next Time
Jaelle stretched, feeling both sated and content as consciousness roused her back to life. Rolling over, she saw Bradley was right where she left him.
She took a long, diagnostic scenting to make sure he was all right, and as far as she could tell, their little romp hadn’t damaged anything too badly. Sure, he had some bruises and bites that hadn’t been there before, but luckily, Hunter clothing tended to cover most of their skin.
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