by Becca Dale
“Thank you.” Her hands trembled, and she smoothed her narrow skirt. “Mia lent it to me. Is it too fancy?”
“No.” He took her elbow and led her up the steps into the house. “You look stunning.”
Her smile drew his attention to her full lips. He had no idea how he’d keep his hands to himself for the night. But, maybe she didn’t want him to. A slight scent of feminine arousal mocked him. Shoving aside her mixed signals, he gestured toward a stool near the counter. “Would you like some wine?”
Nadi leaned against the cupboards, ankles crossed, expression open. “No, thank you.”
“Anything else?”
Her steady gaze traveled over him, pausing slightly at the snug front of his pants. “Yes.”
He swallowed and broke eye contact to fish a glass from the cupboard. “Water? Soda?”
“No.”
God, she was killing him. He didn’t know what to do or say. He’d never been in a situation where someone else held the reins. “LG’s asleep in the back room if you want to check on him.”
“Later. I’m sure he’s been well cared for.”
Now what? He rested his hands on the counter, waiting for the strange nervousness to pass.
It didn’t.
The tap of her heels warned him before her fingers drifted down his back. “Mia said I should flirt and play coy. Kya insisted I talk to you directly and go for what I want. Which would you prefer, Ryan?”
He turned to face her. She stood too close, her mouth within kissing range. He’d only have to bend to her. Therein lay the problem. “It’s not my choice.”
Hurt clouded her bright eyes, and she stepped back. “So, you can’t forgive me then?”
Damn it! He hadn’t meant to upset her. “There’s nothing to forgive, Nadi. It just is.”
Her lower lip trembled then disappeared behind her even teeth, and his heart wrenched. He couldn’t allow her to blame herself. Wrong or not, he reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. “None of this is your fault. I knew what could happen when I climbed those stairs. I still went.”
“Yes, but if I hadn’t been in heat—”
“You might not have invited me to your bed without it, but I would have found a way to convince you to let me in.” He dropped his hand to his side and stepped back. The old Ryan would have crossed the inches between them and kissed her. But he no longer had the right to do so without a verbal command. Desire quickened her breathing and tinted her cheeks and throat a subtle pink, but an underling could be put to death for overstepping his bounds no matter how clear the signals.
“Our families, my father and brother, your foster siblings, Drake and Mia—” She choked but pasted on a brave smile. “Everyone blames me for this. They say I ruined your life, stole your free will.”
He sank to his knees at her feet, head lifted to study her reaction. “I gave myself to a beautiful creature to ease her fears. I’m yours by choice, Nadi.”
She shook her head. “What if that’s not what I want?”
“Then I apologize.” He stood, his gaze locked on the dainty coral-painted toes peeping from her shoes. Ancient rules paralyzed him. “I’ll take you home.”
“No.” She stomped her foot, and he chuckled despite the severity of their situation. “Look at me.”
The command jerked his attention to her face. She looked angry and something else…determined maybe? His senses hit full alert.
Nadi stared at the beautiful man in front of her. His muscles were tight, pumped up as if he’d been running, and he held himself rigid—a soldier awaiting orders. “I release you from any obligation to me.”
Confusion marred his beloved face then hurt took its place. “I understand. Do you want me to call Jake?”
“No.” She buried her hands in her hair and screamed.
He remained unmoving although one corner of his mouth quirked.
Irritating jerk.
“I command you to stop this idiotic behavior. I insist you treat me like you want to, not how you think I want you to. Yell. Kiss me. Walk away. Anything.” She traced the line of his strong jaw and downward to the pulse beating at the base of his neck. “If you’d rather I left and never came back, I will. I don’t want subservience from you. I never should have come.”
“Whether you’re here or not, nothing changes, Nadi.”
“Then tell me how to make it right. Please, I can’t take this.”
He buried his hands in his pockets and strode away from her, his back stiff. “It’s never been undone.”
“So? That doesn’t mean it can’t be, right?” She followed him, determined to break through the wall she’d unwittingly built. “Do you still want me?”
He spun toward her with a warning growl. “Of course.”
“Think about it. Not because others say you have to but because you genuinely desire being with me?”
His chest seemed to swell, and his wolf glowed in his eyes. “Don’t test me, Nadi.”
Had she found the key? If she pressed him hard enough, could she break his self-imposed restraint? “So, if I said I wanted you to pleasure me for the rest of my life, you would be content? Perhaps my future mate will be open minded enough to allow me to keep you. You could serve us both in our marriage bed. Pets count as mutual property, right?”
He snarled, his animal barely restrained. “If that’s what you want.”
“And if I created a harem of men like you, what then? Could you patiently wait your turn to satisfy me?”
“You wouldn’t.” His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.
Ignoring the rising need to run, she slowly unzipped her dress and allowed it to fall to the floor at her feet. His heated gaze traveled over her, resting briefly on the lace and satin of her strapless bra before sinking lower to the tiny triangle of her thong. Frivolous underwear that Mia had insisted would grab his attention faster than being naked. He turned aside, but she didn’t need to ask if he liked what he saw. His deep groan spoke clearly, boosting her confidence accordingly.
“Touch me, Ryan.” She longed for a kiss, one freely given without demand.
He crossed the distance between them in a single stride, his hands already reaching for her waist. She trembled, and his fingers dug into her back.
“All you have to do is ask, Nadi.”
Because in his mind, he has no choice.
His fingers followed the ridges of her spine and the top swell of her ass with soothing strokes meant to calm rather than arouse. Restraint rode his caresses—unlike before she had claimed him when passion drove them both. “I did ask, but it’s obvious you no longer desire me.”
“Not true.” His voice had grown thick and graveled.
“Then why hold back even when you have permission?”
“I refuse to frighten you.”
A spark of hope flashed and burned. “Oh, so you do have a choice.”
Holding onto his restraint with a thin thread, he wanted to toss her over his shoulder and carry her to bed. He had no idea how to be subservient. If he gave her what she claimed to want, he’d terrify her. “I won’t obey if it’ll upset you. Don’t ask me to.”
“Fine. It’s obvious your desire was triggered by the breeding heat and nothing more. I’ll inform everyone that claiming you was a mistake and publicly release you tomorrow.”
Shit! The woman had no idea how such an action would further unman him. Claimed and then tossed aside, unwanted but no less her possession. “No.”
She shrugged and turned toward the door. “It’s not your choice, remember?”
Her nearly naked ass taunted him as she swayed with her high-heeled walk. He wanted to spank her for being a bitch. Or better, fuck her until his sweet Nadi returned.
As her hand touched the knob, it registered she intended to go outside dressed in almost nothing. Outside where everyone at the Sanctuary would see her lovely body. His wolf lunged and sent him flying toward the door, slamming it before she could swing it wide. “No! Mi
ne!”
Nadi stepped back with a gasp. Her gaze held surprise not fear. “I’m sorry? Your voice is too raspy. I’m not certain I heard you correctly.” Was she laughing at him?
He didn’t care. If she stepped out that door, it wouldn’t matter if his brothers were loyal to him or not, they’d be sniffing around his female in seconds. You’re not leaving here half naked.
She did laugh then. “Why?”
Because you’re mine no matter what the law says. I won’t share.
“Did you plan to do something about it?”
Her nonchalant tone fooled no one, and he was tired of playing a role that didn’t fit. He caught her around the waist and slammed her against the smooth paneled door. He tore her thong from her body in a single jerk. Her squeal fed his hunger. Fuck society and fuck anyone who dared to judge. He fumbled with his belt and fly, freeing his aching cock to nudge at the core of his female. She squirmed and her moisture proved she wanted him. His wolf howled to claim her. Wrap your legs around me, Nadi.
The second she complied, he buried himself deep in her wet heat. Mine, always and forever.
She moaned and rocked him deeper. “Prove it, Ryan.”
Before he could hold back his wolf, he sank his canines deep into the yielding flesh of her shoulder. Her blood trickled across his tongue. Lapping it up, he left his markers behind as he drove in and out of her willing body. She belonged to him. The scar she’d left on his throat burned. Then her teeth pierced his flesh, and she clung to him.
The mating felt rushed and frantic, the need to stake his claim too long restrained. He caught her short hair and pulled, forcing her to release him so he could taste her sumptuous mouth. Their blood and markers mingled further. The kiss all consuming. When he finally allowed her to breathe, she sighed her passion. Head thrown back against the door, Nadi rode his cock. Her soft breasts bounced while he fucked her. Her muted cries urged him onward. Harder. Faster.
Suddenly, her eyes grew wide, and her pussy gripped him like a fist. “Ryan!”
“Ah, shit, gorgeous. Come for me. Just like that, baby.” He continued to thrust deep inside her until her sexy spasms triggered his release. He swelled, knotting them together, and came with her name on his lips and her trembling body clutched to his.
***
She awoke later in Ryan’s bed, his massive arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Nadi?” His deep voice rumbled in his chest.
“Mmhmm?” Words eluded her. She felt safe and warm and content, all because of the giant ebony god holding her. His scent mingled with hers until she could not tell where he left off and she began. The cloying aftertaste of submission gone, replaced by the musk of her mate.
“You all right?”
She nodded, but guilt swam in her gut. Had she forced him into yet another position he didn’t want? Mia claimed no man would go unwillingly to a woman’s bed, but Ryan would if he thought he could protect her.
He squeezed her hard and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I can almost hear the gears turning.”
Sitting up, she shifted to face him but found she could not ask her questions while looking into his deep brown eyes, the glow of his wolf banked. Instead, she traced the well-defined muscles on his abdomen. “Did I do it again?”
“Do what?” When she didn’t answer, he scooted upward to rest against the headboard. “Come on, I don’t bite unless it’s necessary.”
“I’m sorry I made it necessary.” Maybe now that he was no longer claimed, at least no longer owned, he could go on with his life, choices intact.
He laughed at her. A belly shaking, rumbling kind of laugh.
“I’m glad you find this funny.” She rolled over to slide from the bed, but he caught her and lifted her back beside him.
“Whoa. We’re on level ground here. Are you still frightened of me?”
“No…I’m afraid for you.”
“Why?” His grin didn’t lessen her annoyance at his attitude. He touched the mating mark on his throat. “Regretting this?”
How did she explain how strange it felt to have this big, beautiful man at her mercy? If the initial submission had forced him to do what he felt she wanted or needed, even if she had not voiced it aloud, then their situation had not changed. She brushed her fingers over the red spots left by his teeth. “Are you?”
With a growl, he rolled her beneath him, his fingers dancing over her ribs until she squealed with laughter. He tucked his head into the hollow of her throat and nuzzled close. “Never.”
His warmth and strength lifted her worries but did not erase them. “Did you feel forced to do it?”
“Hell, yes.”
The blatant honesty hurt, and she tried to scoot away, but he would not let her move.
“My wolf would’ve killed me if you left us.” He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Besides, I couldn’t watch you build a harem of men like me. I don’t take turns or share worth a damn.” He chuckled softly. “Sometimes I even run with scissors.”
The last made no sense to her, but the rest sounded like he wanted her in his life. “There are no others like you, Ryan.”
His sexy smile widened. “Listen to me, gorgeous. I love you, but I don’t follow rules well. While under your possession, I had no right to mark you as my mate, not even with my child in your belly.”
The casual way he mentioned the result of their night together, accepting it without question, warmed her to her soul.
“I could blame my wolf, or my nature, or the fact you stripped naked and destroyed my ability to think straight. It would all be a lie. I claimed you long before tonight. I worried about the frail and beautiful creature whose spectacular escape my brothers and I almost screwed up. That fierce she-wolf, who risked her life to save a stranger, impressed me beyond the norm.”
He kissed her as if she were someone precious, his lips promising unimagined dreams. “When you collapsed in my arms, I fell hard, and nothing you do or say could ever destroy my feelings for you.”
She stroked her stomach. “What happens when I get fat with your pup? Then I won’t look so great naked.”
“Even better.” He spread his big hand over her tummy. “I love the idea of you fat and healthy, our child safe and growing inside you.”
“So you’re not upset that I pushed you into this?”
“How could I be? You’re a treasure gifted to me by fate, and I have no intention of ever giving you back. Is that clear enough?”
Love brimmed over, crowding out years of neglect and abuse. “So, what do I do now?”
“Admit you love me and want our baby. Then live the rest of your life knowing you’re not alone.”
“I could possibly do that.”
He swatted her lightly on the butt and pulled her on top of him. “Well?”
“I love you, Ryan Jones, and I will love our children whether we have one or twenty. Nothing will change how much I need you in my life.”
“No more fears?”
“None I can’t handle with you close by.”
Strong arms circled her, sheltering her from her uncertainties. “Welcome home, my nadi.”
His smile covered hers, and she gave herself to the richness of belonging.
~About the Author ~
Becca Dale writes erotic romance with what many readers consider sweet-heat. She jokingly told her first editor she was naughty enough, but fans have encouraged her to continue that philosophy. So while her work carries an erotic heat level, the emotional impact is equally high. It remains Becca’s goal to test and explore reader' fantasies through characters that could be the girl next door or the woman in the mirror, or even the wolf shifter held captive at the puppy mill down the road.
You can visit Becca at:
http://www.authorbeccadale.com
Kya’s King
Book 1 of the Sanctuary Series
Tender-hearted and lonely, Kya yearns for heritage and home. The staff and animals at the sanctuary whe
re she works have become almost family, but it is not enough. She craves the stability and acceptance she hears in the voice of her dream lover and sees in the eyes of a wounded wildcat.
Chosen to guard the royal heir, Ja claims his lost charge in a desperate attempt to save her from enemies she can not imagine or comprehend. At every turn desire and obligation clash as Kya tests his loyalty to the clan and his will to walk away. Touching her breaks the rules that he has pledged his life to uphold, but fulfilling his duty might destroy everything worth fighting for.
Both must face the roles they were born to play. Hers to lead. His to protect. Can Hannah blindly accept her responsibility as queen or will she turn her back on the extended family she longs for in order to keep the one who destroys her loneliness? Does she even have a choice?
Heart Desires
Devlynn Connors doesn’t trust her own ability to find a man who isn’t a control freak, but when she turns her future over to her friends and Madame Eve, she fears nothing will change.
When he flies to Las Vegas for a 1Night Stand hook-up, First Lieutenant Stephan Mallard isn’t looking for love. He’s looking to appease his sister’s fear that he will end up alone. A man can do anything for one night, right?
Can Madame Eve overcome misinformation and misperceptions or will Devlynn and the Lieutenant go home alone?
The Millionaire and the Girl Next Door
Tired of chasing his family’s need for money and power, millionaire Jake Wescott heads to Freewill Wyoming and the beautiful piece of heaven that calls to him.
The girl next door, Christa Dunham puts family first, and she’s determined to protect them from the city boy before he ruins their hunting grounds or steals her heart and then walks away when the lonely nights get too long.
Neither of them expect the attraction that pulls them together nor the lost spirit who wants to drive them apart. Confronting the past leaves them both anxious to find a love beyond a lifetime.