Soul Bonded

by Meghan Malone

  Rafe stirred, then groaned.

  Thrilled by his unconscious reaction to her touch, she wrapped her hand around the base of his cock and squeezed gently. His groan turned into a strangled noise of anticipation. Sensing that he was about to come crashing into consciousness, she abandoned the idea of teasing him any longer. She opened her mouth wide and brought it down on his thick shaft, taking in as much of him as she could.

  Rafe awoke with a gasp. “Katie…”

  She grinned and slid her hand down to cup his heavy balls. His hips bucked slightly, forcing her to swallow another inch or so of his cock. She took it willingly, and with a contented moan. He tangled his fingers in her hair and tried to push her away.

  “Katie, I—“ He cried out when she stroked her thumb over the sensitive skin of his testicles. “Wait.”

  She’d been optimistic to think that he’d gotten over his unnecessary concern for her virtue. Determined to make him understand that she was a grown woman who knew what she wanted, Katie drew back and let his cock slide from her mouth. The expression of sheer relief on his face quickly dissolved into a mixture of joy and panic when she licked a path down the underside of his shaft, then laved her tongue over his balls.

  “Fuck.” His fingers twined in her hair and pulled hard. The twinge of pain from his rough handling swiftly turned into ecstasy. “Katie—“

  She sucked him, moaning, then dragged her tongue back up his shaft. Making eye contact for the first time since he woke, she murmured, “Good morning.” Then she took him into her mouth again.

  An almost inhuman growl rumbled up from deep in Rafe’s chest, startling her. More jolting was the tug he gave her hair as he yanked her off his cock. She looked up at him, concerned, and then he was rolling her onto her belly and pinning her to the bed. His hands smoothed over her back and her sides, then gripped her buttocks and spread her open. With another growl, he lowered himself onto her body. He forced his erection between her thighs and positioned himself at her entrance.

  “Tell me to stop,” Rafe said in a rough whisper. She turned her face to the side, gasping at the intensity of her desire to be taken. His fingers curled around the back of her neck and pushed her down. He had her immobilized. “Unless you want me inside you, tell me to stop right now.”

  It took her a moment to remember how to speak. “Don’t sto—“

  Rafe didn’t let her finish. He drove into her with one hard thrust, sliding home with a strangled groan. Katie cried out in surprise, then moaned as an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction rolled over her. She was soaking wet and accommodated him easily, despite the lingering ache from their first lovemaking session. Rafe snaked a hand beneath her chest and cupped her breast in his palm. He gave her a firm squeeze and withdrew from her pussy, then pounded into her again without restraint. Sharp teeth ghosted over her shoulder, hinting at the primal strength atop and inside her. A delicious shiver crawled up her spine, and her nipples tightened into painful points.

  Another growl tore from Rafe’s throat as he set a frantic pace, no longer the tender and vocal lover he was only hours ago. This morning there were no naughty, whispered words and gentle caresses—just primal, guttural noises amid relentless fucking. He’d become the animal he’d feared.

  And yet she loved this Rafe every bit as much as the one who’d made love to her last night. This Rafe wasn’t burdened with tentative, unnecessary concern for her virtue. He was sating his own needs—and she was enjoying every second of it. Each aggressive stroke caused her to tighten and contract around him. Unrelenting waves of pleasure exploded deep within her, stealing her breath and leaving her limp beneath his heavy weight. All she could do was lie there, completely at his mercy. She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, tears streaming down her cheeks as she contended with the most intense ecstasy she’d ever felt.

  Rafe tightened his grip on the back of her neck and pumped harder. The sound of her ragged breathing, Rafe’s animalistic grunting, and the slap of his lower body against hers filled the room, all of it pushing her closer to the edge. She fisted her hands in the sheets above her head, hanging on tight as her climax crescendoed. Overwhelmed by the riot of sensation that lit up her body, she stiffened and sobbed quietly into her pillow. Rafe released her neck and planted his hands beside her head, rocking against her in a final series of short, hard thrusts. He gave a hoarse shout as he emptied himself into her, then collapsed heavily onto her back.

  Stunned, Katie could only lie boneless beneath him. She knew she ought to say something, but spoken language eluded her.

  “Shit,” Rafe croaked in a broken whisper. “Katie…” He withdrew from her with excruciating slowness, inhaling audibly when she whimpered. “Oh, no. No.”

  She didn’t want him to regret what had just happened. Not when he’d given her the most intensely gratifying ride of her life. “Please don’t—“

  He scrambled off her, choking back a sob. “Oh, fuck.”

  Clearly he misunderstood her reaction. With effort, she rolled over and sat up. “No, Rafe—“

  He knelt at the foot of the bed, pale and stricken and still erect, and stared aghast at the blood-stained sheets beneath her legs. “You’re bleeding.”

  Confused, she looked down at her calves. The larger bite wound had reopened and was trickling a steady flow of fresh blood. “It’s no big deal. I didn’t even feel it.” She raised her knee to examine the area, then frowned at the mess she’d made. “I’m sorry about your sheets.”

  “I don’t care about the fucking sheets.” Rafe grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around his hips, covering himself. “Fuck.” He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and regarded her soberly. “I hurt you.”

  Damn it. “No, you didn’t. We just aggravated the wound. It happens.”

  “You’re crying.” He swallowed hard.

  “These aren’t tears of pain. I promise.”

  Rafe dismissed her words with a shake of his head. “I held you down. Like you were an animal.” He deflated, suddenly looking so very small. “I raped you.”

  “Whoa.” She put her hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “You definitely did not do that. I didn’t say no.”

  “You said, ‘Don’t.’”

  “I said, ‘Don’t stop.’”

  “Did you?” He stared at her with haunted eyes. “I don’t remember giving you a chance to say that much.”

  “You knew I wanted it,” Katie said. “I refuse to believe that you would have done that if you hadn’t.”

  “Why are you defending me?” Rafe looked totally disgusted—with himself or with her, she wasn’t sure. “Don’t.”

  “I’m telling you that you just gave me the most intense sexual experience of my life. I’ve never come like that before.” She rubbed her thumb over his arm, playing with the fine hairs that covered his skin. “It may have been rough, but it was completely consensual.”

  Rafe shrugged away from her touch and stood up. He brushed past Shilah, who had jumped up to greet him, and hurried to his dresser. “It was disrespectful and degrading and it will never happen again. I promise you that.”

  Katie got off the bed and crossed the room to stand at Rafe’s side. He pulled on a pair of loose linen pants without meeting her eyes, his movements stiff and controlled. She wanted so badly to touch him, but his body language made it clear that the contact wouldn’t be welcome. “Please don’t do this. Not after we just found each other. Not today.”

  He handed her a T-shirt without looking at her. “Put this on. You need to get cleaned up.”

  She took the shirt but didn’t cover her nudity. Instead she inhaled deeply and stepped closer to him. “If you’d raped me, do you think I’d be standing here telling you that I love you?”

  “What choice do you have?” Self-loathing twisted his handsome features. “We’re bonded.”

  “Rafe—“

  He edged around her and walked to his bedroom door. Opening it, he paused and stood with his back to
her. “Put on the shirt and go take a shower. I’m going to let Shilah outside for a minute and then I’ll clean your wounds again.” He hesitated. “If you want me to.”

  Clearly he wasn’t going to be talked out of his self-flagellation so easily. Fine. She would just have to be persistent. “I was hoping you’d shower with me.”

  His shoulders tensed. “I can’t.”

  A nauseating wave of sadness rolled over her. “I hope you don’t mean what you said. About it never happening again.” Her voice wavered. “I need you, Rafe. I sure as hell need you today, but I need you after today, too. I need you.”

  “You need to get cleaned up.” Rafe glanced over his shoulder. “We’ll talk about it later. Okay?” He fled the room before she had a chance to answer.

  Numb, Katie pulled the shirt she was holding over her head. The familiar smell of Rafe shattered her tenuous hold on her control, and she sat down on the bed and cried.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Katie forced herself to take a long, hot shower. As much as she ached to be with Rafe, she sensed he needed space right now. He needed to calm down and collect himself so he could listen to her instead of drawing his own conclusions about what had just transpired between them. That he was convinced he’d taken her against her will was disturbing, to say the least. Just yesterday he’d sworn that he was incapable of hurting her. Now, hours later, he’d decided that he was a rapist—regardless of what she said. It made her wonder about his state of mind during the act. She simply couldn’t imagine that he’d tried to hurt her. But then why did he feel so guilty?

  “Shit.” Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks only to be washed away by the spray from the shower head. It was good to have this time alone. She didn’t want Rafe to see her upset. He would just take it as evidence that he’d traumatized her in some way. The terrible irony, of course, was that the only harmful thing he’d done was to dismiss the most exciting sex of her life as an act of violence.

  Glad for the opportunity to work through her own emotions, Katie made sure to be thorough as she washed. Her biggest worry was the possibility of infection from the bite wounds on her calves, though truthfully, she hadn’t felt any pain since Rafe had performed his magic healing trick the night before. His horror over her spilled blood was sweet but misplaced. She didn’t care that the wound had reopened. It was a small price to pay to be the object of Rafe’s wild, uninhibited lust. Never before had she felt so desired—or so powerful, strange as that might seem. She craved Rafe and he craved her back, and she could see nothing wrong with that.

  By the time she’d dressed in Rafe’s T-shirt and her panties, she was desperate for their separation to end. This distance between them was killing her—and they’d only been apart for thirty minutes. For her own sanity, she needed to convince him that he’d done nothing wrong and that her love and desire for him remained steadfast. After the emotional roller coaster of the past twenty-four hours, she needed Rafe by her side. He was the only thing keeping her sane right now.

  She didn’t even want to imagine what being separated from Rafe would do to her after thirty hours. Or thirty days. She shuddered, too afraid of the implications to pursue that train of thought any farther. She would worry about the future later. Right now she had to focus on the situation at hand. First they had to reestablish the trust and openness she’d thought they’d forged last night. She’d hoped that Rafe would knock on the bathroom door and initiate the conversation he’d promised they’d have, but she sensed that if she waited for him to approach her, she would be waiting a long time. So she made a decision: If Rafe wasn’t going to come to her, she would go to him. They would hash things out and repair the damage the full moon had caused.

  Katie opened the bathroom door and walked into the hallway. She looked toward the kitchen and caught Rafe staring out the window next to the front door. He’d dressed in a long-sleeved thermal shirt and his hair was wet as though he’d also showered—where, she wasn’t sure. Eyes narrowed, he leaned forward so his face was only inches from the glass. Thoughts of the rift between them receded as the very real problem of vengeance-seeking werewolves came to the front.

  “Do you see something?” she asked. Rafe jumped slightly, bumping into the window frame. Katie couldn’t suppress a smile as he rubbed his forehead. “Sorry.”

  He barely glanced at her. “Nothing yet.”

  “When do you think they’ll come?”

  “I don’t know.” Rafe pulled the curtain back over the window and stepped away. He kept his eyes lowered, refusing to look at her. “I’m guessing before they transform. Question is whether they’ll let us know they’re here or not.”

  “How many do you think there’ll be?” She hoped his estimate didn’t freak her out too badly.

  He shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure. We don’t exactly have a werewolf census, so I don’t know how big their pack is. Or how many of them will be interested in initiating a fight over that wolf I killed.” Rafe peered out the window again. “I’ll be outnumbered, but hopefully my protective instinct toward you will work to my advantage.”

  “Hopefully,” she echoed. Praying she wasn’t making a mistake to bring up their encounter so soon, she said, “Although I think that protective instinct is working to your disadvantage this morning.”

  Rafe’s entire body tensed. “This isn’t about me being overprotective.”

  “Sure it is. Why else would you insist that you’d hurt me even when I keep saying you didn’t?” Katie joined him at the window. She touched his arm as she peered outside. “By the way, coping with the thought of an army of pissed-off werewolves would be a lot easier if I knew that you and I were okay.”

  He pulled her away from the window and closed the curtain. “Stay out of sight.” She raised an eyebrow, irritated by his brusque manner. He surprised her by giving her an apologetic shrug. “Please.”

  Katie nodded and sat at the kitchen table. Her stomach growled at the mere thought of food. “Will you at least eat breakfast with me?”

  Rafe walked to the icebox without meeting her eyes. “Do you like sausage?”

  “That sounds wonderful. Any chance you could whip up some eggs, too?” It might be a long shot, but she was desperate for sustenance.

  “Sure thing.” He gathered a handful of items from the icebox, then walked to the counter.

  The man was a mystery. He lived in the middle of nowhere without an obvious income or access to technology, and yet he had a fully stocked kitchen in the middle of winter. “Do they have a grocery store out here?”

  “There is a general store a few miles down the road. I go on occasion and stock up on what I can. But most of my food comes from hunting. And trade, with other members of the pack.”

  Her last boyfriend hadn’t been able to grill a decent steak, let alone go out and kill one. To say that Rafe wasn’t her usual type was the understatement of the century. She found his self-sufficiency incredibly attractive. “A man of many talents.”

  Color rose on his face as he lit the burner on the stove. “Not sure I’d go that far.”

  “Well, you’re damn sure the best lover I’ve ever had. So that’s one talent. Pretty amazing kisser, too.”

  Rafe closed his eyes. “Don’t.” He paused. “Just…don’t.”

  “Why?” Katie stared at Rafe’s profile, willing him to look at her. “You are.”

  His jaw twitched. “We shouldn’t have slept in the same bed. I knew what I would be like when I woke up this morning. I knew I’d want you again—and that it would be rough. It always is.”

  “During the full moon, you mean?”

  Rafe nodded, his mouth a grim line. “When werewolves fuck close to the full moon, it’s primal and aggressive and…it’s not something I should have ever subjected you to. I’m ashamed that I did.”

  “Even if I liked it?”

  His lip curled in disgust. “How could you? I treated you like a piece of meat. Like a tight, wet hole for me to stick my dick inside.”
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  Katie tried to ignore the twinge of arousal between her legs. If not for the tortured look on his face, his words would serve as tantalizing foreplay. “When I woke up, I wanted sex. That’s why I put your cock in my mouth. That’s why I ignored you when you told me to wait. That was my choice. I wanted sex and you gave it to me. Fantastic sex.”

  The sausage sizzled in the frying pan, making Katie’s stomach growl. Rafe prodded at it with a spatula, angrily. “You didn’t know what you were getting into when you decided to wake me up like that.”

  “I knew the full moon was tonight and that you were worried about being too rough with me.” Katie got up and crossed the kitchen to stand beside him. He stiffened. “Rafe, you gave me a chance to say no. I didn’t. I didn’t want to.” She caressed his arm, ignoring the way he flinched at her touch. “So unless you were trying to hurt me—or wanted to hurt me, in that moment—you did nothing wrong. You did nothing that I didn’t want you to do.”

  Rafe didn’t take his eyes off the skillet, silent for the span of several breaths. She’d almost decided he was going to ignore her, but then his shoulders dropped and he said, “Seeing you with your mouth on me, so beautiful and playful and sexy…I just lost control.” He stopped what he was doing and leaned heavily on the counter, exhaling. “I lost control. But I never wanted to hurt you. I would never intentionally cause you harm.”

  Her chest constricted at the guilt that poured from him, so overpowering she almost couldn’t breathe. “Losing control isn’t always a bad thing. Not when you’re with someone you trust.” She curled her fingers around his. “You told me that if I hurt, you feel pain.” Ducking her head to force eye contact, she said, “Did you feel pain when you were fucking me?”

  His throat bobbed. “No.”

  “What did you feel?”

  Rafe finally met her gaze. “Pleasure.”