“Soren, can we rest for a bit?”
“No. I need you relaxed like this so I can finish claiming you.” His voice came out in a ragged growl that sent a fresh surge of juices to drip from a pussy she knew he didn’t plan to use.
A whimper of anticipation and need mixed with fear. She knew the next way he would claim her, and she wanted it badly. “You’ll go slow, right? I’ve never done it like this before.”
His fingers dug into her hip and she knew he fought for control. “I’ll be as gentle as I can, Riley.”
* * * *
Taking care of his female had been ingrained in his psyche since before he was born. Instinct made him want to claim, love, and cherish this woman. For his entire life, he had considered fornicating with humans one of the dirtiest forms of sex in existence. Then he met Riley, and he knew she represented the highest ideal he could ever attain. Within five seconds of meeting her, he knew petty things like species didn’t matter. She was meant to be his.
He hated the compulsion that led him to kidnap and hold her hostage. Seeing her hurt and angry had led him to place a charm on her to make her think she wanted to be there with him. He couldn’t stand to see her upset. If she was any other human, he would have just locked her in the dungeon, completely dismissing any distressed emotions she might display.
He had gained very small solace from his deception of her. All along, he’d known it would end. Killing her sister would set her against him forever. Thank goodness Torrey had killed the demons controlling him. She’d saved his sanity and his soul.
The smooth, rounded ass in front of him represented his whole world. He’d left his village and the only home he’d known to search for Riley, and he had no intention of returning. His priorities had inexorably shifted. Now that he had found his mate, he would devote the rest of his life to building a family and a home with her.
He ran one palm over her cheek. The musk of her arousal filled his senses and inflamed his desire. Hooking his fingers around her hips, he parted her ass with his thumbs. His cock bobbed and jerked, demanding to breach the puckered rosette nestled between those perfect half-moons. Though he had come in her pussy, his cock hadn’t softened. Soren took pride in his ability to stay hard for hours.
She whimpered again, making one of the sweetest sounds ever to reach Soren’s ears. Thick cream from her pussy coated his cock, the best lubricant on the planet. He positioned the swollen tip of his cock at her anus and pressed forward. She clenched, blocking his access.
He petted her lower back. “Breathe out and relax, honey.”
“It’s going to hurt.”
Bending over her body, he peppered kisses along her back and shoulders. “A little. Once we get going, you’ll forget all about this tiny pinch.”
She breathed in and out, but her body didn’t relax. Her muscles trembled and her body shook. He knew exhaustion and orgasm caused her reaction, not fear.
He moved his hands over her body, reaching underneath to pluck at her nipples.
Her body jerked, and a low moan hissed from between her lips. “Soren, do you have to do it this way?”
“No,” he said even though he wanted to say yes. Yes, this was necessary. His wolf demanded to know her this way.
She laughed. “Liar.”
“Yes,” he said. His hands never stopped moving in their attempt to soothe and arouse her. “But I won’t force you, honey. I need to dominate you right now. I need to make you mine, but I would never force you.”
“If I ask you to stop, will you?”
He growled, the wolf inside growing impatient. “I can stop now or I can stop when I’ve finished with you. I can’t guarantee I can stop in the middle, honey, so make your choice now.”
His cock twitched against her tissues and her entire body shuddered. “No, don’t stop. I want you this way.”
She pressed back against him with such ferocity that his head disappeared through the tight ring. Her little virgin hole squeezed him. She cried out with a mixture of pain and pleasure. Using all his willpower, he refrained from moving.
Her back arched and her body bucked, driving him deeper into her heat. “Soren, I need more. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Sweat beaded his brow and ran down his spine. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She reared up, pressing her back to his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. “It pinches and burns a bit, but it doesn’t hurt. It feels fucking wonderful and I think I’m going to come really fast. Please don’t stop.”
Soren rolled his hips, driving his shaft into her completely. She arched, pressing her ass closer to beg for more. He ran his hands up the front of her body. “I’m all in, honey.”
Her hard nipples poked into his palms. He moved so that they grazed his wrists and arms. The little pebbled peaks created hot paths along his skin and soothed the beast inside that demanded he ride her ass fast and hard.
While he amused himself with her breasts, her hand slipped down to play with her clit. Soren groaned and wished for a mirror so he could watch her masturbate while he pumped his cock into her sweet, tender ass. He pushed her forward until her upper body rested against the sheet. One hand stayed on her clit.
“That’s it, Riley, keep doing that.”
He withdrew until his mushroom tip pressed outward against her sphincter. Hesitating only a second, he plunged his full length into her. Between her legs, her hand worked faster. Finally, he surrendered to the instinct that drove him to claim this woman. He pounded into her. Each thrust elicited a high-pitched shriek of pleasure, a sound he found strangely addictive.
She came hard. The muscles of her vagina contracted, pulsing through her rectum, ass, and thighs. Unable to survive such an onslaught, Soren came. His balls drew up and hot semen shot from his tip. Though he wanted to keep pumping into her, the need to mark her triumphed. He withdrew midway through his orgasm to spray his ejaculate over the delicate skin of her back.
Her legs gave out, and he pulled her knees down so that she wouldn’t injure herself from landing in an awkward position. Now she belonged completely to him. He would care for her in all ways.
* * * *
Riley had never felt so thoroughly used and sated in her life. Her sister had commented on a werewolf’s stamina several times, but until this moment, Riley hadn’t understood exactly what that meant. Now she understood the dark circles that often appeared under her sister’s eyes. If this intense lovemaking were to happen regularly, Riley doubted she would ever have the energy to get out of bed.
The mattress dipped as Soren shifted and rolled from bed. She closed her eyes, too tired to care that his semen coated her back and dripped from her ass and pussy. A nap, she promised herself. First, a nap. Then she’d shower away all the body fluids.
A warm cloth roused her a bit. Soren wiped away evidence of his orgasm from her back. He left and returned several times. Each time, the cloth was a bit cooler. He rolled her over and spread her legs to clean her there. She had been about to protest the temperature of the cloth, but she found her swollen and hot tissues appreciated the coolness.
“You don’t have to do that.” Her voice came out soft and slurred. Enunciating wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
Soren pierced her with that teal gaze of his. “You’re mine, Riley. Mine to love. Mine to care for. The scent of my claiming will be evident to any wolf who thinks to make you his. It warns him that I will kill him for touching you. Leaving the fluids there is unnecessary and uncomfortable for you.”
Riley had no plans to sleep with any other wolf, so this possessive claim didn’t alarm her. She took in his long, naked body seated on the bed next to her. “Will you stay the night?”
He chuckled. “Dawn is nearly here. I’ve already stayed the night.”
She opened her mouth to argue with him, but he pressed a fingertip to her lips. She inhaled the soft scent of her hand soap.
“I’m not leaving, Riley. Not ever.”
The
alarm bells that should have sounded were curiously silent. She dug her elbows into the mattress and pushed into sitting position. “Soren, I’m not asking you for forever. I probably shouldn’t have slept with you at all, but I couldn’t help it and I can’t bring myself to regret it. But you kidnapped me.”
His lips pressed together. “You require a daily apology? Fine. I can do that. I’m sorry, Riley. I’m not that man anymore. If you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you.”
She ran a hand through her hair. Exhaustion chased away the tumult in her thoughts. At her core, she didn’t want him to leave, and that was all she could think about. She tugged at his hand to pull him closer. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Chapter 2
The hiss and crackling pop identified bacon moments before the scent drifted into her bedroom. Riley turned and planted a palm on the mattress. Every muscle screamed in protest, but she forced herself to ignore the soreness. She had to go to work soon and make her clients feel the way she wished someone would make her feel, especially after a night with Soren.
Once inside the bathroom, she raised her arms above her head to stretch the kinks from her back and shoulders. Bending down, she applied the same therapy to her lower back, ass, and thighs. Soren had given her quite a workout, something she hadn’t done in any way, shape, or form in several months.
The warm spray of water eased her tension a bit. As she lathered soap over her breasts and stomach, the bathroom door opened and closed.
“I made bacon and eggs, honey. They’re warming in the stove for when you get out of here.”
Riley shook her head at the tone in his voice that belied his domestic act. He wanted an invitation into the shower.
Before she could decide on a way to answer him, or even whether she wanted to invite him into the shower, the curtain drew back and he stepped over the rim of the tub. His arms closed around her middle, and he buried his face in her neck. The heat from his body made the hot water seem cool.
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I have to go to work.”
He nodded. Having been the person in charge of a large pack for so long, he understood the burden of responsibility. When she had stayed with him, his responsibilities had taken him from her side on many occasions. “You won’t have to worry about that guy who attacked you. I took care of that.”
Her heart beat faster, but she couldn’t tell if she felt more horrified or safe. “You killed him?”
Soren’s senses made him aware of every change in her body’s chemistry or rhythms. It had always been difficult to hide any emotion from him. He chuckled. “No. I figured you wouldn’t want me to do that, though I will kill him if you change your mind. Tracking him won’t be a problem. I chased him down and scared the shit out of him. Literally.”
The image he evoked made a giggle erupt from her, though she knew nothing about the situation was funny. She turned in his arms and pressed her breasts to his chest. He grinned down at her, very aware that she’d found his statement amusing. “Thank you for not killing him. I wouldn’t mind seeing him arrested, but I don’t want anyone to die.”
“I haven’t forgotten what a big-hearted fool you are.” He tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”
Riley’s heart sank at his soft declaration. She slid her hands between them and pushed at his chest, hoping he’d allow some space between them. He didn’t ease his hold on her one bit. “Soren, I’m not sure about this thing between us.”
He shook his head. “It’s too late for that, Riley. I’ve claimed you. You’re my mate, and when a wolf takes a mate, he takes her for life. Until death do us part, my love. I’m yours and you’re mine.”
Her gaze slid to the teeth just beginning to change shape. With the tip of her tongue, she explored her own eyeteeth. Though the teeth felt exactly like they always had, something didn’t seem right, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. The feel of his arms around her and his hard cock pressing into her soft belly certainly felt right. She couldn’t imagine ever not having him in her bed and her shower.
She looked up at him. “Just like that? No ceremony, no promises?”
Soren shook his head. The spray of water didn’t reach his hair, though droplets reflected from his shoulders to dot drops of dew on the lower curls. “Not just like that. You make what we shared seem trivial.”
“I’m not the first person you’ve shared that with.” She merely pointed out the obvious, but his face darkened anyway.
“I’ve fucked others, but so have you. In your heart and soul, you know last night was different. I claimed you. I made it clear from the beginning what I wanted. I made love to you. And you made love to me.”
Riley shook her head, uncertain about the implications of their action. “You make it seem simple, Soren. This isn’t simple. After the things you’ve done to me and to my sister, I can’t just decide to spend the rest of my life with you.”
The ferocity glittering from his eyes didn’t dim. “You can’t keep throwing that at me, Riley. I made mistakes. I admit to committing some pretty horrible and violent acts in the name of my compulsion. However, I’ve removed myself from that situation. I left Lyton. I left my position as leader of my pack. The demons are attracted to power. I have none, and I never will again.”
The fear welling inside Riley had everything to do with the fact she didn’t want to fall in love with someone who could break her heart so callously. She didn’t want to fall in love with a man who would crush her with a whispered word from an invisible demon. She stared at his chest because she didn’t want to see the pain and pleading she knew she’d find in his eyes.
“Honey, look at me.”
With her fingertip, she traced a drop of water as it followed a path down his pectoral muscle. “Soren, I don’t know if what I feel for you is real. How can it be real when the only time I’ve spent with you, I was under a charm that made me think I was in love with you?”
A snort issued from his nose. Combined with his growl, she knew he was exasperated. “The charm simply made you forget you had anywhere else to be. The fact that you wanted to be with me, that you found me attractive, that you tried repeatedly to seduce me—all that was you, honey. I didn’t tamper with your feelings except to make you forget to be worried or afraid. I couldn’t stand to see you that way.”
She sighed. He wasn’t going to leave. He’d said as much. “Why now? Why, after all this time, did you try to find me again?”
He smoothed back her wet hair and tipped her chin up so that her gaze met his. “It took me a few months to get my shit together, but once I decided what I wanted most in this world, I lit out of there. I’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”
The shade of teal in his eyes darkened to nearly green. They drew her in, mesmerizing her until she couldn’t look away. She saw truth there. Beneath that, she saw his misery and loneliness. She saw his sorrow and his determination. He wanted a life with her.
“No lies.” The demand escaped on a strangled breath. Nothing seemed real. Their consciousnesses, linked, floated free from their bodies. “No charms. You will not use magic on me ever again.”
Never breaking her gaze, he nodded. “Okay, Riley, but you need to stop using your magic on me, too.”
She blinked, breaking the weird spell. “What do you mean? I’m not a witch.”
Soren smiled a small, sad smile. “No, you’re not, but you are magical. I don’t know how you do it. I can’t smell your power, but I can sense it. I don’t know how much you have, and I don’t want to know. I prefer thinking you have less than me. The magic you used just now had no odor. When a witch uses her powers, wolves can smell it.”
Riley frowned. She had no idea what he meant, yet she knew something out of the ordinary happened when she looked into his eyes. “I don’t know what I did.”
“I don’t know what you did, either. I just know that you were pulling me out of my body. I d
on’t know where you were taking me. Since you obviously don’t know either, I think we should stay put.” He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose.
The idea of floating free from her body scared Riley. How could she know where to go or how to get back? And she had been taking Soren with her? With a quick jerk of her chin, she agreed with him.
None of the things he had revealed about her kidnapping and imprisonment surprised Riley. Deep down, she knew he hadn’t forced her to feel attraction and tenderness toward him. She remembered the first time she’d kissed him. The bright sunlight pouring through the huge windows had roused her at the crack of dawn. She hadn’t known where she was, but a profound sense of peace kept her calm. For the first time in months, she had felt like everything was as it should be.
She’d found Soren in the kitchen. A very tall, very large woman seared a thick slab of ham in a cast iron skillet. Soren had paused in the middle of sipping his coffee to smile at her. That had been all she needed to fall in love with him.
The fact that the smell of cooking meat didn’t bother her should have tipped her off that something was horribly wrong with the situation, but she had ignored it and focused on Soren. He spoke to her, drawing her in with his low voice, and he looked at her, keeping her close with his piercing teal gaze.
At that exact moment, she had known this man would always belong to her.
Warm water cascaded over her back, but the heat from his hands scorched her ass as he cupped and kneaded her cheeks.
“Are you sore, honey?”
Riley nodded slowly, ashamed to admit her weakness. She wanted him again, and evidence of his desire pressed into her stomach.
Soren dropped to his knees. He kissed her breasts, taking time to swirl his tongue around the pink areolas before he sucked and nipped at her nipples. One arm wrapped around her waist to provide support, and his other hand moved down her abdomen to rest on the short curls of her mound.
Her moan of approval came out as a whimper. In her whole life, she’d never felt this level of need for a single person. Now she understood why her sister and Shade were always sneaking off into the woods when she visited and kept the kids busy. The soreness between her legs ceased to matter. She wanted him to shove her against the wall and impale her with one glorious thrust. She wanted him to mark her as his own.
Zurlo, Michele - Riley [Daughters of Circe 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3