Bridged by Love

by Nancy Corrigan

  More sweet cream flowed, an irresistible lure. He dipped the tip of his tongue into her opening, and her body gripped the small invasion. Overly sensitive from her last orgasm, every touch wound her higher. A few more thrusts, and she’d come for him. The trembling in her thighs told him how close she was to finding ecstasy.

  Not yet. He hadn’t fulfilled his craving.

  He withdrew his tongue and repeated the languid exploration of her sex, dipping into her hot center on each pass, but not lingering. And she writhed for him. Clutched at his forearms. Moaned his name.

  Perfect. She’s perfect.

  He dropped to his knees and draped her legs over his shoulders, spreading her wide. The arousal waiting for him to feast on coated her cleft. With his hands under her bottom, he tipped her hips, bringing her sex closer, and kissed her lower lips as deeply as he’d taken her mouth moments before.

  “Oh God. More. Give me more. Feels so good.”

  Her praise registered in his hazy mind. He might’ve smiled, but he couldn’t tear himself away from her sex. Her flavor drugged him. Her moans enflamed him. Nothing else mattered beyond his need to worship her body and make her wild.

  Make her come. Hard. Exactly as she’d demanded.

  He pulled her closer, his nose pushing against her clit. The scent of her desire filled his lungs. She rubbed her dripping sex over his face, tugging handfuls of his hair as she writhed under him. Her wildness added to the primal drives gripping him. A growl rumbled deep within his chest.

  She tensed and dug her heels into his back. “Nic, please.”

  The desperation in her voice directed him to give her what she begged for. He drove his flattened tongue deep. Her release hit on waves that flooded his mouth with her arousal. He swallowed her offering and kept teasing her sensitive core with curls of his tongue until he lapped up every last drop.

  Eyes closed, he eased back.

  The soft caress of trembling fingers along his cheek popped his eyelids open. She watched him, a sated expression gracing her delicate features. He liked seeing it there, knowing he’d been the one to put it on her face, but the hunger that had landed him at her feet demanded payment.

  He wasn’t done with her.

  He stood and tugged his sweats down, freeing his cock. His rigid dick pointed straight from his body. Balls drawn up, the ache in his erection was almost unbearable. He fisted it and squeezed. Pleasure shot down his spine. He stroked his cock, torturing himself when he knew only Riley’s body would ease the pain.

  So many nights he’d given himself relief while picturing her face. Tonight he had his fantasy before him, ready to welcome him inside. It made it better. Hotter. More damn meaningful.

  She followed his every move with her gaze. Her slackened expression was about the best damn sight he’d ever seen, outside of the look that passed over her face whenever she orgasmed for him.

  With his hand guiding his dick, he rubbed the tip over her cleft, bottom to top, and finally teased the sensitive hooded bundle of nerves. The low moan she offered rewarded him. He stroked the tip through her folds once more just to hear her soft sigh before lining the head of his cock up to her opening.

  “Tonight you’re mine, Riley.”

  She glanced from his face to where he gripped his throbbing dick. She licked her lips and dragged her heated stare back to his face, capturing his gaze with hers. “And you’re mine, Nic.”

  Forever, baby. I’m yours forever. He nodded, the only response he could safely give her, but the truth echoed within him.

  He held her gaze and pushed his dick into her. Loose from the orgasms he’d given her, her body parted and conformed to him, welcoming him home. A shudder ran down his spine at the sensation of joining them. The wet slide of silken muscles held him as no other lover had, no matter how many times he’d wished for it. He kept up the slow and steady push until he reached the end of her. Her eyelashes fluttered, but she held them open, letting him see what being with him meant to her. The emotion in her blue depths wasn’t one he quite understood, though.

  Love? Regret? Both would fit his mood too.

  “Nic.” She held out a hand.

  He took it, letting the concern over what he saw in her expression fade, and drew her close. His dick sank impossibly deeper. He groaned while she moaned.

  “Feels good, angel.” He slid his hands to her bottom and set a slow pace, rocking into her. He wanted to enjoy being with her before the lust took over and forced him to pound into her until he found his pleasure.

  She clung to him, ankles crossed over his ass and hands linked behind his neck. “Yes. Oh God, Nic, you fill me up.”

  “Do I?” He dragged his dick back and pushed forward on a rolling press that caressed every damn inch of his cock. “And you fit me like…” His words trailed off. The compliment he’d been about to offer seemed shallow in the light of everything he’d done.

  “Like I was made for you.” She finished it for him anyway.

  In a way, she was. He’d made sure of it. Another damn sin. He buried his face against the crook of her neck and nodded, unable to admit what he’d done.

  She massaged his scalp. Tension he hadn’t realized had seized his muscles drained from his body. She pressed her lips to his ear, her breath heating him and adding to the fire smoldering within. “Tell me more. How do I feel?”

  He turned his head and kissed her throat, grateful for the distraction. “You’re tight. Hot. Wet.” He nuzzled against her soft skin. “So damn wet. I want to stay inside you forever.”

  “Mmmm, me too, but I need you to move. I ache.” She squeezed her inner muscles. His eyes rolled back in his head. “Fuck me, Nic. Fuck me hard.”

  Her command smacked into him. He yanked his dick free, spun her, and bent her over the island. The flannel she wore rubbed against his groin. He didn’t want to feel the rough fabric, or see the covering over her body. He snaked a hand around her middle and lifted her enough to yank the offending shirt away. A flick of his wrist tossed it over his shoulder.

  The smooth expanse of her back tempted him to bend his head and lick. He caressed the slope of her spine with his gaze instead, but stopped his visual worship before he reached her shoulders. He didn’t want to see the mark he’d left there. Maybe stripping her had been a mistake. Too late. He dropped his gaze to her glistening cleft and his dick poised at her entrance.

  A hand between her shoulder blades, he pushed her down and drove into her on a rough thrust. She gasped his name. He groaned hers. Tiny ripples danced along the length of his erection. She was going to come again. He wasn’t ready. He’d follow her.

  Not yet.

  He gripped her hips and moved. Raw lust seized him, pushing everything back. The softer emotions being with her faded on a primal drive to possess her, command her, own her. He didn’t fight it. He pounded into her. Harder. Faster.

  She grunted with each rough smack of his groin to her ass. The sounds of their bodies coming together mixed with the heavy scent of sex filling the air. He dragged in deep lungfuls and let the triggers feed into the frenzy consuming him.

  A low growl rumbled deep inside his chest. Sharper nails punched from his fingers. His canines lengthened, and his mouth watered. The changes rushed over him along with the need to claim his mate, exactly as it had the last time he was with Riley.

  Unable to stop himself, he glanced at her shoulder. His bite stood out starkly against her unmarred skin. The scar was real. His claim was not, but at first glance, another shifter would assume she was mated. Only the lack of her mate’s scent twined into the spot told the truth and the depth of his sin. Instead of a sign of his eternal claim, the beautiful mate bite she wore damned her.

  The sight drew him anyway. He clamped his mouth over the mark. His teeth lined up perfectly. All he had to do was bite down. Their souls would rush to each, having touched each other before. If
his wolf was willing, a thought would join them. He could right his sin, making her his and healing his broken soul.

  So simple. So easy. So tempting.

  He wanted it. Wanted her. Four years had passed. Surely his wolf had figured out how much Nic needed her. How much he loved her. That she was theirs. No other would take her place. No other would heal them.

  He waited for his wolf to surface and stop him. It didn’t. All he felt was Riley’s welcoming body gripping his dick. His heart beat harder. Hope rose. Maybe he could complete their bond before his animal realized what he planned.

  He bit a little harder, breaking her skin. The first drop of her blood hit his tongue. His wolf rose from the depths of his psyche, slamming into his chest and stealing his breath. His pounding thrusts faltered. He ignored the animal and lapped at her shoulder, numbing her skin and preparing her for the deep bite he’d soon deliver. He clamped down a little harder, spilling more of her blood. Her moan and the waves dancing over his dick encouraged him.

  Eyes closed, he reached out to Riley with his mind. The shimmering light of her soul shone, calling him closer, a beacon in his stark existence. He stretched toward her, needing her warmth, needing her life, needing her love.

  His wolf rammed its head into his sternum, breaking his connection to her, and growled. Its warning was clear, and the reality of his situation came crashing back. He couldn’t finish the bond without his animal’s permission. It was his wolf’s future too, and it didn’t want to waste it on Riley. She was worthless.

  Weak.

  Barren.

  No. Goddammit, no! She’s everything.

  His eyes burned, a lump formed in his throat. He eased back so only his lips covered her shoulder. Regret and anger threatened to overwhelm him. He shoved it back along with his wolf. He wanted nothing to do with the animal he’d been born with. Too damn bad he couldn’t rip the beast from his body. They were two halves of a whole who barely tolerated each other. He hated it. Hated himself.

  “Nic.”

  His whispered name held desire and frustration. She needed to come, and he’d stopped moving while he wrestled with his wolf. He shoved the damn animal away, knowing it would rise again if he took things too far, but the compulsion to pleasure Riley couldn’t be denied. He closed his eyes and ground his teeth into the mark, not biting but creating enough pressure to ignite her nerve endings.

  “Oh God,” she moaned.

  Her inner muscles tightened over his cock, harder than before. Waves rolled over his throbbing length in a milking squeeze he didn’t fight. He pushed deep and let go. Spasms jerked his dick. His seed rushed out, filling her up. She kept coming; so did he, longer and harder than he ever had.

  Four years had passed, but one truth remained the same.

  She was his.

  If only for tonight.

  Chapter Six

  Riley blinked rapidly to bring the world back into focus. Nic had shattered her. Their joint orgasm had taken her to heights she’d never known. It’d been different from the last time they were together. Better. She didn’t understand why, nor did she want to think about it. Regret would choke her.

  He hadn’t changed his mind about them, and what they shared wasn’t a reunion.

  It was good-bye.

  He licked her shoulder, the spot where his bite marred her skin. Tingles spread, scattering her thoughts. “That was amazing, baby.”

  She turned her head and collided with his glowing blue eyes. Gorgeous. She’d always known he’d be beautiful with his primal side in full force. A lump lodged in her throat. She licked her lips and swallowed past the tears.

  “It was.” A sense of vulnerability washed over her. The need to protect herself followed. She’d made a mistake allowing her lusts to rule. He’d rip her heart out and stomp on it again if she let him.

  No! Not again. She tried to push up. She had to get away.

  He slid a hand under her and pressed against her lower belly, holding her in place, and drove his semi-erect cock deep. A roll of his hips, and sparks danced along the walls of her core. She grabbed on to the edge of the counter. The cock lodged in her body thickened, filling her up and teasing her sensitive nerves. Her womb quivered. Anticipation built. She fought it, but her body remembered Nic’s and wanted what he could give her.

  “Nic, what—”

  He kissed her neck. “Shh, angel. I’m not done with you yet. You’re mine to enjoy toni—”

  He tightened his hold on her and whipped his head to the entryway leading into the living room. The only doors in her house led to the bedrooms and bathroom. Heart pounding hard, she followed the direction of his stare. The sound of the front door opening reached her ears. Nic growled. No more than a low rumble, the warning reverberated along her back. It zinged through her, tensing her body and filling her with fear.

  Only a handful of people had keys to her house. She opened her mouth to yell out and see who’d entered. Nic clamped his big palm over it. He pressed his lips to her ear. “Stay here.”

  He separated their bodies without waiting for a response. In one quick move, he bent, snatched his discarded sweats, and strode away, yanking his pants on as he went.

  “Riley, I saw the lights on. You still up? We need to talk.”

  Ben’s voice carried through the quiet house. She sucked in a rough breath. Nic growled and disappeared into the living room.

  “What th—” Ben’s words cut off. A garbled groan preceded a loud thump.

  “Nic, wait!” She snagged her shirt and shoved her arms through the holes. Holding the edges closed, she ran.

  The sight that met her stopped her heart. Black fur covered Nic’s larger clawed hands. He held a wide-eyed Ben against the wall with talon-tipped fingers wrapped around his neck. Nic leaned into him, face inches from Ben’s, and snarled.

  Fear rushed up. Nic wouldn’t recognize Ben as pack. He would smell like a Tanner wolf, but he hadn’t lived with them in a couple of years.

  She rushed forward and placed a hand on Nic’s lower back. “Let him go.”

  A growl answered her demand. Nic squeezed Ben’s throat. Ben gasped but didn’t fight back. As a beta, he would instinctually know better.

  She moved to the side, needing to see Nic’s eyes. A feral look simmered in their glowing depths. She swallowed hard at the confirmation that the wolf was in charge, not the man. “This is Ben. He’s not a threat. He’s an honorary member of the pack.”

  “Ben?” Nic whipped his head in her direction. Wild eyes focused on her. “The male who helps at the hospital?”

  Thank goodness. She nodded quickly, relief sweeping through her. “Yes. He’s Jenna’s cous—”

  “You know him well?”

  She tensed at the rough bite to his words. Instinct told her to tread carefully, but she couldn’t understand why. Ben wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  “Yes. He’s my friend.” She laid her hand against Ben’s thin bicep to prove she trusted him.

  Nic’s canines extended on a guttural growl. She froze, gaze on Nic’s mouth. In a move she barely saw, he snatched her hand, yanking her into his side, and shoved Ben across the room. The younger shifter fell backward. He crashed into the coffee table. Wood splintered, the table snapping down the middle with the impact. Ben hopped to his feet and crouched in front of it.

  Blood ran in steady rivulets down his neck from where Nic had grabbed him. The sight of Ben’s injury spurred her into action. She shoved away from Nic and ran toward Ben. A tug on her shirt jerked her to a stop. She stumbled, and the material slid down her arms. Nic grabbed her before she fell face-first onto the floor.

  He spun her and yanked her against his chest. “You touch him, and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  She leaned back. His attention focused behind her, but the expression displayed on his face stopped her heart. Rage tightened his
features. The situation had spiraled out of control.

  “Nic, look…” She stopped herself before she gave him another order in front of a lesser wolf. Her first command had made things worse. “He’s bleeding. Let me check on him, please. It’s my job.”

  He shifted his gaze to her. The anger darkening his eyes faded. Some other emotion flared within their depths. She didn’t quite understand it, but it made her pulse race and lower belly warm. He ran his tongue along his lower lip, drawing attention to the wide fangs filling his mouth.

  His gaze ensnared hers and kept her frozen in place. He slid one hand to her ass, the other to her back—a possessive move she recognized. She tensed, but he pulled her closer and buried his face against the crook of her neck. His heated breath loosened her muscles. She relaxed into his arms, letting him hold her weight.

  He nuzzled against her throat and skimmed his fingertips across her back to her shoulder. Fur no longer covered his hands, but her skin burned under the caress.

  My skin. Oh no!

  She sucked in a rough breath finally comprehending their situation. Her shirt had slipped, revealing most of her upper body, including Nic’s bite.

  Their secret was out.

  And he was what? Staking his claim? But he doesn’t want me. Confusion settled over her.

  Nic skimmed his open mouth up her neck to the spot right below her ear. “Is it your job, or your desire to check on your lover?”

  Jealousy caused his reaction, not the need to keep her. It still warmed her and made her feel wanted. After the years apart from him, she’d take it. She ran her hands down his back to his ass. He pushed his cock into her belly. Long and thick, his desire for her couldn’t be denied.

  “Ben isn’t my lover. He’s a friend. He’s also an honorary member of the pack who’s bleeding. I have to help him.” Because unlike you, his cuts won’t heal easily. She kept the truth to herself. Nic would understand once he wasn’t reacting on instinct.