by Becca Dale
True. Still, he did not want to push her. He moved closer. Her breathing seemed agitated, and the quickstep rhythm of her heartbeat matched his own. Was she winded from walking across the yard, or did her body react to him the same way his responded to hers? He circled her slowly, seeking answers. The scent of arousal came to him then, rich, musky, and so feminine his cock ached. She shifted away, tail down. She could not hide the smell of desire, but all her other signals screamed she wasn’t ready. Shoving aside his own needs, he spun toward the trees. All right, gorgeous, we’ll run.
I’m still recovering, so I get a head start. She darted past him and into the darkness. Her laughter drifted back to him, lifting his worries and carrying them away on the wind.
After a ten count, he followed with a howl of delight. She couldn’t lose him. He knew the mountains and the forest too well. Every tree, rock, and path spoke to him of its inhabitants. Nadi’s scent stuck out, challenging him to catch her. His feet flew over the leaf-covered ground.
Despite his superior strength, she had reached the river’s edge before he caught her. She shifted from her wolf, and her naked body gleamed in the moonlight reflected off the water—Eve on the verge of discovery without the burden of false modesty. So unbelievably beautiful. His mind went blank, unable to contemplate the gift before him. Then he noticed the raised pink streaks across her pale, delicate back, and the need to kill flashed hot and harsh. Diablo’s blood already stained the ground, he could no longer hurt her, but the rage did not lessen.
Ryan shifted and rose to his full height. Nadi was tall; still, she reached no higher than his shoulder, fine boned and delicate. How could anyone hurt such an exquisite female? Willing his hand not to tremble, he traced the worst of her bruises, faded to nothing more than a faint discoloration over her ribs. “You look better.”
She looked over her shoulder, her startling eyes questioning. “Thank you.” The silence lengthened, but he didn’t attempt to fill it. “Why?”
“I have no idea why anyone would harm another being, especially one as breathtaking as you.”
“Thank you, again, but I wasn’t fishing for compliments.” When she glanced away, a blush tinted her cheekbones, making him long to paint a flush in other places. She turned toward him, her small breasts tight and high in the cool night. His cock thickened. “Why would you risk your life to free the animals at the mill? Why give up your time and your bed to help a stranger?”
“Because it must be done.”
“Oh.” Her full bottom lip quivered, and she bit down on it. Then, before he could warn her of how cold the water would be, she ran into the river with a squeal, her laugh forced this time.
Had she lost her mind? He dove in after her, sweeping her against his chest so the current would not carry her downstream. “What’s wrong?”
Pushing her wet curls back, she blinked droplets from her lashes. “The water’s cold.”
“Obviously, but that’s not what upset you.” He struggled to keep the scowl from his face. He seemed to intimidate her enough without looking angry. “What’d I say?”
“I didn’t mean to be a burden.”
He shook her gently. “Never.”
Her hands found his shoulders and clung to him. “You said it had to be done. I won’t be anyone’s chore.”
“I was talking about the animals.” He dropped a kiss against the soft, smooth skin of her forehead. “You’re different.”
He didn’t expand, and she didn’t ask, merely stared at him while she processed his words. Then a burden seemed to lift away. Her eyes sparkled. She trembled, and a shaky smile tilted her mouth. “I didn’t expect the water to be freezing.”
If he lifted her a few inches, their bodies would align, and he could claim her. His inner beast snarled. Take her, mark her so no other can stake a claim.
He slid his arm beneath her backside, boosting her higher before he could stop himself. His cock found a place between her thighs, not entering, simply teasing her heated slit. Desperate, he fought his wolf, forcing his animal to back off, but he could not bring himself to step away.
“You’re not recovered enough for…this. You’ll get sick.” Desire roughened his voice almost to a growl.
Long, slender arms circled his neck. “I like it. You’re so warm in contrast to the river. I feel like you’re rescuing me again. I’m torn between loving it and needing to stand on my own.”
“You can lean on me whenever you like. I owe you my life.”
“So, you helped me because of some misplaced sense of gratitude?”
Damn the woman and her need to twist his words. He threaded a hand through her short curls and gently tugged her head back so he could see her eyes. “I appreciate what you did, but I want you near me.” He bumped his hips against hers, raking the head of his cock over her clit and back. “Simple as that, Nadi.”
Hesitation crossed her captivating features, but she did not look away. “Why do you call me Nadi?”
“I didn’t have a name for you. Still don’t. What would you prefer to be called?”
“Diablo named me the white bitch.”
He clenched his jaw to keep from cursing. “We won’t talk about him.”
“Jake calls me Stinky, and my mother called me Binua, which means white, I think.”
“So you have no name beyond your color and a little brother’s teasing?” At her nod, he nuzzled the tender skin beneath her ear and sniffed her intoxicating aroma as he carried her from the water. Slowly, he allowed her to slide down until she found her feet. Her soft belly pressed to his shaft, which still throbbed for her regardless of the cold. “Jake’s wrong, you know. You don’t stink.”
A sigh whispered from her, and goose bumps rose under his hands. “So why Nadi?”
Uncertain if he should tell her the whole story, he hesitated but chose the truth. “It started with the brand.” He trailed his hand down her side to trace the letters in the cup of her hip. She twisted in his one-armed embrace, but he held her tight. “It started there but became more. It means precious treasure in Ysán, my native language, so it fit you. Everything about you seems special, a jewel to be appreciated, protected from harm.”
Her shoulders stiffened. “I don’t need to be taken care of.”
“I know. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, which is a gift all its own.” He spread his hand wide on her back, pleased he could no longer feel her every vertebra. “You don’t need to be taken care of, but you deserve it.”
She shook her head, and unclear emotions darted over her face. Slipping a finger beneath her chin, he lifted so she could not look away. “May I call you Nadi, or would you prefer to choose another name?”
Her eyes glistened before she blinked the moisture away and nodded. “It feels more like a name than any other I’ve ever had.”
He did not intend to kiss her, but his wolf demanded he stop the slight tremor of her bottom lip. He captured her enticing mouth beneath his, tenderly at first, then deepened the contact, sweeping his tongue over hers, coaxing hers to duel. His free hand slid lower, cradling the curve of her ass and urging her to her toes. When he let her up for air, her wide-eyed gaze drew him further beneath her spell. “Has anyone ever made love to you?”
Again she shook her head.
“Will you let me be the first to pleasure you, then?”
When she didn’t deny him, he followed the subtle swell of her hip. He could not look away as he glided his dark hand over her fair skin to tug lightly at the blonde curls shielding her privates. Everything about her felt exceptionally feminine. The need to claim her roared through his blood and pounded in his heart and cock. He threaded a finger lower, through her hair, to breech her protective outer lips. Moisture welcomed him, and he fought to slow down. Struggling to focus on her needs, he stroked her heated core, teasing gently until she widened her stance to accommodate his intrusion.
“Let me show you what passion feels like, Nadi.”
Never had a
nyone touched her like Ryan did. His hard chest teased her sensitive nipples, and her lower body welcomed him. She rose higher on her toes, offering him full access. “Yes.”
The single word seemed to release him, and he swept her against him, laying her down on the golden moss of the forest floor. The river whispered mood music to his well-orchestrated seduction. His size alone terrified her. When he rose above her, braced on one arm so he could explore with the other, he blocked the moonlight. But his large hand barely brushed her skin, and she sighed, straining toward his gentle touch. Rich brown eyes held her gaze. A broad finger traced each nipple with aching tenderness. Then his head dipped and firm lips closed over the tight bud of her breast, his tongue heated magic against her cool flesh. With a gasp, she arched upward, longing for all he offered.
When he moved on to her other nipple, her core clenched in anticipation. Niggling fear clawed at the edges of her mind, but she focused on Ryan instead. For the first time, she allowed someone to touch her, and the care he used laid the power at her feet. He’d said no one would harm her ever again. She wanted to believe him. Needed to feel the warmth of compassion and desire rather than hatred and pain. A light breeze, contrasting with his heat, called goose bumps to the surface of her damp skin, and she shivered.
He lifted his head, his gaze dark with something she couldn’t identify. His strong hand trailed downward from her waist to circle her belly button and then drop lower…teasing the pale hair at the juncture of her thighs. She pushed up on her elbows to watch. His eyes followed his caress, and a look of passion softened his chiseled features. With a guttural groan, he focused her attention on his hand. He slid a second finger into her folds, penetrating with long, smooth glides. Dropping her knees to the side opened her fully, and she bowed into his touch. How could she react so strongly to a man she barely knew?
“Nadi.” The name broke like a command over her, compelling her to meet his steady gaze. “You’re so beautiful. So wet and ready for my touch, but I won’t take it further than this.” When she started to offer more, he shook his head. “No.”
He stroked up and down over her outer lips then slipped inside once more to tease the sensitive flesh of her slit, circling, dipping, retreating, and repeating. She shuddered and lifted her hips to force him deeper, but he did not relent.
“You would allow me to mount you.” Without waiting for an answer to the question that wasn’t a question, he continued his gentle torture. “You’d open yourself for my cock and offer nothing more than a token protest as I knotted inside you.”
Shaking her head, she looked away. He was right, no matter how much she wished she could deny it. His tender touch lessened the fear she could not control, obliterated the memory of his blood soaked muzzle, red with death, and the massive beast strong enough to rend metal with a twist of his wrist. Whether she wanted him because she craved kindness or for other reasons she didn’t care to analyze, she would permit whatever he asked of her.
“Look at me, gorgeous.” His thumb circled her clit before rolling over it with ever increasing pressure.
She clenched her thighs against his forearm, and weird tension started in her toes and moved inward to tighten in her stomach. Unable to resist watching for signs of what she was doing right or wrong, she met his gaze. “What are you doing to me?”
A slow smile spread across his mouth, widening when he thrust deeper, and she gasped. “Making you come. Soon you won’t be able to control the need to shatter. Your sweet pussy will squeeze around my fingers, and you’ll fly.” He bent lower and captured her mouth in a searing kiss, stealing her ability to breathe properly. His tongue matched the stroke of his fingers in and out of her channel. When he lifted his head, she gasped desperately for air and sanity. “I’ll only use my hand this time, but I can’t wait to taste you, to fill my senses with the tang of your arousal.”
She dug her heels into the moss and lifted toward him, pleading for more with frantic cries. Reality narrowed to the seductive whisper of his voice and the cadence of his intrusion. Fire danced over her skin in searing waves, flames licking at something hovering beyond her reach.
His lips explored the arc of her throat, pausing to nibble the pulse throbbing at the base before wandering back to her lips. The stroke of his touch—steady yet gentle—in her most intimate place, the comfort of his natural, earthy scent, the sexy growls emanating from deep in his throat, all played her senses like the first spring bird song and swept her into the heart of a fire she could not have imagined.
Desperate, she wrenched her mouth from his, drawing in shuddering breaths. “Ryan! Make it stop.” Suddenly, the band keeping her muscles in check snapped and sent her spiraling out of control. Clutching the solid man above her, she held tight, a lifeline in the wild vortex of flames roaring through her head and body.
“Shh, just feel, Nadi. Let the pleasure sweep away the bad until only you and I remain.” He gathered her close while she shook and tears coursed down her cheeks. “I’ll always catch you, gorgeous.”
Ryan’s odd mumblings augmented the feeling of well-being left in the inferno’s wake. The heat receded, and the trembling ebbed away to random quivers. The stable beat of his heart drummed beneath her ear, and his continued assurances echoed in his chest, leaving her with a peace she had never expected nor experienced before. Once reality settled to normal, she smiled and snuggled closer to his warmth. An easy languor drifted through her until her mind grew fuzzy and she relaxed at last.
His voice vibrated through his chest. She pressed her hand over his heart, fighting the drowsiness pulling her down like a drug. She intended to thank him at some point, even return the favor if she could. But at that moment, with the song of the river in her ears and the cadence of his masculine rhythms in her head, she could think of nothing beyond his promise to always catch her if she fell.
Nadi slept with the innocent exhaustion of a child. Her head lolled on Ryan’s shoulder, long lashes golden against pale cheeks. Her lips parted in her sleep, and he brushed a kiss over them simply to taste her. A hint of berries and cream tempted his tongue to seek more, but he shoved the urge aside. She needed the rest. When she murmured, he nuzzled the hair near her ear. “Sleep.”
Shifting her fully into his arms, he rose to his feet and started back to Jake’s. The dark night spoke with familiar whispers. Birds called, and the wind sang through the upper tree branches while a thousand scents assailed his nostrils. By the time he reached his brother’s house, the ache of desire had eased, driven off by a deeper contentment. The hills and forest around the Sanctuary had become the place he knew best, but never had he felt at home until Nadi came. The pain of choices made in youthful haste never left him, even in the quiet evenings, yet, with a white haired angel in his arms, the loss did not hold its usual power.
Jake had turned the outside light on and paced the rough-hewn planks. When Ryan stepped onto the porch with his delicate burden, the smaller man reached for her but backed up after a subtle warning growl.
“Open the door, little brother.”
“What did you do to her? Why’s she so still?”
“She’s wiped out. I told you to make her rest.”
Grabbing the screen door, Jake swung it wide and stepped back. “Did you drug her again?”
Refusing to dignify the smaller man’s worries, he entered the cabin and headed down the hall to the south bedroom where she slept. Laying her gently on the bed, he pulled a light cover over her naked body and brushed her curls from her forehead. She whimpered when he stood up, but he stroked her temple until she relaxed once more. His brother started to speak, but Ryan motioned him from the room and followed.
Once in the kitchen, Jake turned on him, displaying more spunk than he’d ever seen from the kid. “What happened?”
Ryan grabbed a beer from the fridge and handed another to his brother before dropping into a chair. “We took a run to the river, talked a bit, and she passed out.”
“You didn’t touch her?�
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With a snort, he downed his drink and set the empty bottle on the table. “That, little brother, is none of your damned business.”
“Meaning something happened. Do I need to kick your ass?”
“You could try.” Irritation and understanding battled. He’d be just as protective if he were in Jake’s shoes…had felt much the same when Ja came into Kya’s life. “I’ll tell you what. I promise to never hurt her if you agree to stay the hell out of it. Deal?”
“Even if she can never be with you—or any man?”
An ache he didn’t want to deal with burned in his chest. He headed for the door. If he hurried, he could get in a long run and then take over the second part of his shift at the Sanctuary. He’d left Grant shorthanded too many nights lately. Once on the porch where the cool breeze could clear his thoughts, he turned back. “If she decides she doesn’t want a mate, I’ll defend her right to choose to the bitter end. However….” Words eluded him for a moment, but the questions in Jake’s stiff posture and rigid jawline demanded answers. “Once Nadi chooses, if I’m not what she wants, I’ll back off. Until then, I’ll do everything in my power to persuade her to see things my way.”
Chapter Six
Ryan waited until Jake had left for his early shift at the Sanctuary before he knocked softly and slipped into Nadi’s room. He expected her to be asleep. Instead, she walked from the small attached bathroom, wearing nothing except a towel over her head and face as she rubbed water from her short hair. Moisture dotted her beautiful skin, trickling down to bead at the end of one nipple, hesitating before it fell away. He bit his tongue to suppress the need to lap up the remaining droplets. A hint of her approaching heat danced on the air, feminine and alluring, rousing his wolf.
He would have left, but she dropped the towel before he could tear his gaze from her naked body. She dove for the covering, her squeak of protest alerting him to the deep shit he had floundered into.