by Lauren Wood
Watching the two touch other stoked a fire inside Cassie. She’d never thought of herself as a voyeur, but with the lion still staring at her, she realized she’d never been so turned on in her life. Her skin ached to be touched, and moisture was gathering between her legs. She stood quickly and snapped the notebook shut. She needed to finish this so she could leave. “That’s a good idea. I’ll call you tomorrow if I don’t see you before I leave,” she said quickly.
“Good luck,” Lydia said with a strange smile.
She got up quickly and moved across the room, trying to put as much distance between herself and the lion shifter as possible.
Max ignored all the women. Many of them walked by, several were daring enough to reach out and touch him, and a couple stopped to talk, but he ignored them. He was so removed from the party that he forgot he was even there.
She was stunning. Tall with long dark raven black hair and a sun-kissed glow, she’d been the center of his focus all night. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he’d heart beat increased. He stirred, but it was more than just sexual attraction. She was completely covered from head to two in a pants suit and a blazer, but he could see the outline of her heavy breasts and that large ass that was just made to fit the palms of his hands.
The longer he stared at her, the more he yearned to taste her. Every now and then, her dark eyes flitted in his direction, but she seemed to be purposely moving away from him. His predator instincts kicked in, but he forced himself to relax. If she was meant to be his, she would make his way to her. Nobody could deny the pull of a mate.
He watched her talk to some of the people and doodle in that notebook of hers. He wanted nothing more than to rip it out of her hands, shove her against the wall, and bury himself in her.
She was wet. He could smell her from here, and he knew she’d be warm and welcoming. Would she scream? Would she gasp or cry out? Would she whimper or make a breathy little sigh?
God, he wanted her in his hands when he made her come. He wanted to feel her skin shiver and feel those legs tightening around him.
She was getting close. Only a few people separated them, and he watched as she tried to focus on the person she was speaking with. Instead, she kept sneaking peeks at him. He could see the nervous habits. She tucked her hair behind her ear too frequently. She tapped her pen at the table.
She bit her lip. He wanted to bite her lip.
Finally, she was finished. She turned to him, and as soon as they locked eyes, her mouth snapped shut. She spun on her heels and quickly walked away.
What?
He pushed himself from the wall and began to follow her, but a cute little blonde stepped into this path. “I’ve been looking at you all night,” she whispered. She trailed a finger down his chest. “Take me home, and I’ll ride you all night.”
“Not interested,” he growled as he tried to step around her.
The woman was tenacious. She pushed her body against him and wiggled suggestively. “God, you’re already hard,” she moaned. “Let me take care of that for you baby,” she said as she reached down to grab him.
“Christ,” he hissed. “No sex on the grounds, remember?”
“I’ll fuck you in the car,” she said as she squeezed him. “I’ll do anything to get this cock inside me.”
He grabbed her hands and deliberately placed them above her head. He could see her shiver with excitement. “Sweetheart, you are delicious and tempting. And if this were any other moment, I’d have you bent over so fast it would make your head spin, but I don’t think you’re going to satisfy me tonight. Find someone else.”
Picking her up, he turned and placed her behind him before returning to the brunette. He searched around wildly, but she was already gone.
“Fuck,” he roared as he lunged for the door, He stepped into the parking lot just in time to see her speed away. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Her name is Cassie Branders.” Max turned to see the woman in charge behind him. “She’s a columnist for the Weekly Report.”
“She’s my mate,” he growled.
“Yes. I agree.”
He stared at the woman. “How the hell do you know that?”
She tiled her head. “Why do you think I invited you?”
His mouth dropped open. “I would ask how you knew that we connected, but frankly, I don’t care. If she’s my mate, she’s supposed to find me irresistible. So why the hell is she running in the opposite direction?”
“Just because she’s meant to be yours doesn’t mean she’s going to be happy about it in the beginning. What’s wrong Maxwell? Afraid of a little challenge?”
Max stared at the woman. Of course he wasn’t afraid of a challenge. But once a shifter found a mate, it was supposed to be easy after that. Smooth sailing.
But to make her his? He supposed he was willing to put in a little effort.
Chapter Five
Cassie tossed and turned all night. A ghost of a lover loomed over her with amber eyes, and as she twisted her hands in his hair and urged him to drive her over that peak, he disappeared. Over and over again, he returned to drive her to madness only to dissolve into a mist at the last minute.
There was just something about him that she couldn’t put her finger on. It was more than just the clear signs that he was attracted to her. It was more than just the obvious notion that she was attracted to him. She’d felt an invisible cord reach out and wrap around her. No matter where she was, she knew when he was near. It was impossible, and it had made her run just has as hard and fast as she could in the opposite direction.
Finally, as the sun rose over the horizon, she called it a night. An hour later, she was a pot of coffee in and scribbling furiously on her notepad. If she couldn’t sleep, she’d work.
A knock at the door interrupted and made her jump. “Christ,” she muttered, disgusted with herself. All it had taken was one look from a man to make her absolutely worthless even hours later. What was wrong with her?
She blew out her breath in an effort to get ahold of herself before crossing the kitchen to open the door.
A vase of a dozen long stemmed white roses stood on the porch.
For a second, she just stared. There was no way. There was absolutely no way they were from him. She leaned out the window and scanned her driveway and street. There was no sign of anyone, but she could feel him lingering somehow.
She reached down and picked up the card.
All night long, in my dreams, I reached out to you. I can only hope that somehow, I was able to touch you.
“No. No, no, no, no,” she chanted. “This is not happening.” Heart pounding in her chest, she leaned out the entrance. “If you’re thinking of stalking me, I will call the police!”
Gripping the card, she slammed the door shut.
Of all the nerve. He found out where she lived? Just because she had a reaction to him, a sexual pull, did mean that she was actually interested in him. She didn’t want to be wooed. She didn’t belong to him.
Three minutes later, she opened the door again and snagged the roses.
There was no point in letting them go to waste.
He grinned wickedly as he watched her freak out on her porch. The card had the desired effect.
This was going to be fun.
She was halfway through her tormented series of burpees when the next knock came. Caught off balance, she shrieked and fell to the floor. Her body was screaming for a break, but at least it wasn’t screaming for his touch. She rolled over on her back and gasped for breath.
He wouldn’t be daring enough to try it again. Would he?
Curiosity got the best of her, and she hauled herself up and opened the door again.
This time, they were long stemmed yellow roses.
I dreamed that your skin would be as silky as these petals, and I long to brush my fingers over your most sensitive spots and make you quiver. I long to run my tongue gently over your curves and make you moan.
“Oh yea
h?” she yelled. “Well my vagina is going to be as sharp as these thorns if you’re thinking of sticking anything inside!”
She heard a gasp to her left and smirked as she leaned around the corner. Only it wasn’t him. Her elderly neighbor was watering his bushing and she cringed. “Sorry Mr. Caswell. That wasn’t meant for you.”
He gave her a severe look of disapproval, and she sighed, collected, the roses, and moved inside.
Now she would have to do a whole new round of burpees.
Tow hours later, the third knock came. She launched herself from the table where she’d been gorging on a bowl of ice cream and threw open the door.
No beautiful blonde Adonis. The new roses were swirls of orange and yellow.
Your folds will be as wet as the dew on these flowers, and when I finally taste you, you will be as soft and sweet.
She swallowed hard as she imagined him dipping his tongue inside her, and she nearly moaned. Cursing, she stomped down and searched the yard. He had to be here. There was no way he was sending these and not waiting around for a reaction.
“This is harassment,” she announced as she searched under the bushes. “And you are wasting your time. Okay? I have a boyfriend,” she lied. “I have ten boyfriends. And I don’t have room for another.”
But there wasn’t a trace of him. Sighing, she stomped back in the house.
At this rate, she’d have to pull her vibrator out.
The pink roses were next.
Will your nipples be as pink as these roses? Will your cheeks flush with excitement when I run my tongue over your peaks and pull at them with my teeth?
He watched from a safe distance as she turned red. Was it his imagination, or did she just moan a little?
The deep blue roses followed.
The dark beauty of these roses will be nothing compared to the sight of your release. I long to hear the breathy sighs of your pleasure, the muffled screams, the uncontrollable moans, the gasps as I wrench from you the most secret of actions. Over and over again. Fingers. Tongue. And finally, myself.
On yeah. Max smirked. That was definitely a moan.
Chapter Six
Cassie shut the door with a bang and leaned against it. She’d exercised. She’d taken a cold shower. Nothing was easing the fire that threatened to consume her. She needed a release.
She needed him.
She could feel him near. The hairs on her arms tingled, and she someone knew that if she opened the door, he’d be standing there. She could finally run her hands over that hard body and press herself against him. She could jump into his arms, wrap her legs around him, and finally taste him. She could run her hands through his hair and tug his head down until his lips finally claimed her.
Her panties were beyond damp, and she knew that if she opened the door, she would do all those things and more.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Oh God,” she whispered. “Just once. Just once and get it out of your system. It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just been a long time, and he’s just so delicious. Just once, and then you can walk away.”
She chanted it over in her head. Finally, she whirled around and opened the door. And there he stood with the red roses. “I just want to slide in the depths of…”
“Shut up,” she muttered as she reached out, grabbed his shirt, and dragged him in. “You are relentless. You are irritating. You have completely fucked my day, and if you don’t fuck me senseless right now, I swear I might castrate you.”
He dropped the roses, bent her backwards, and ravaged her lips. She finally slid her fingers in his hair and entangled them as she struggled to hold on. Already, her senses were spiraling out of control. She opened her mouth, and as his tongue slid in, she was lost.
Finally, he pulled her back. “My name is Maxwell Torrents,” he whispered.
“I know,” she said as she tried to pull him closer.
“You belong to me.”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” she said as pulled his shirt out of his pants and ran her fingers over his muscles. A small sound of appreciation escaped her, and she lightly stroked him with her nails. He grunted.
He ran his hands over her body, and she sighed. “More. I want more.”
“You’ll belong to me tonight,” he whispered.
“All night,” she agreed. “Please,” she moaned is desperation. “Please, touch me.”
He shuddered. “My pleasure,” he said as he tugged at her shirt. Up and over. Out of habit, she crossed her arms over herself, and he frowned and pried her arms away. “No. I want to see.”
Max immediately tugged at her pants, and when she stood only in her bra and panties, he stood back. She swallowed hard as he looked it over. She’d always been a bigger girl, and she was used to being naked under the cover of darkness.
He looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As his eyes traveled down her body, she saw his eyes flash even more amber, and he growled. “Perfect.” She shrieked when he lunged at her, and they both fell to the floor.
She grappled with his pants. She needed to hold him, but he wrenched out of her touch. “I won’t last,” he panted. “And God, I need to see you come.”
He rolled over on his back and pulled her on top of him. Straddling him, she settled just below the bulge of his pants, and she rubbed herself on him. The thin material of her panties did nothing to keep the sizzling contact from sending shivers all over her body.
“Lean back,” he whispered, and she did as she was told, resting on her arms on either side of his legs. “Close your eyes.”
She dropped her head back, and he began stroking her through her panties. Her jaw slackened as he made slow circles with the tips of his fingers around the whole area. Every now and then, he would slip a finger over her clit, and she would moan.
He was driving her crazy. “Max,” she muttered. “Please.”
“Please what?”
“You’ve been driving me crazy all day with those damn flowers. Just touch me like I need to be touched. Please.”
She heard him chuckle, and he tugged the fabric aside and slipped one finger in. “So wet. So tight,” he muttered.
“It’s been awhile,” she panted as that long finger scraped over that sensitive spot inside her.
“God. I don’t think an hour could go by without me touching you,” he said as he slid a second finger in her.
“Oh,” she cried out. He sensed what made her quiver, and as his two fingers stroked inside her, his thumb nail scraped across her clit.
She bucked her hips as the tension built. His fingers slid in and out, and his thumb slid side to side, and all the torment that he’d put her through that day peaked inside her. When she broke, her mouth opened in a silent scream and she convulsed.
He slid his hands out, and he lifted himself to pull her forward. She wanted to drop forward and rest for a moment, but he repositioned himself so that he was sitting, and as she straddled him, she sat fully on him, and she couldn’t help but rub herself on him.
“Cassie,” he said through clenched teeth as he grabbed her hips. “Hand on, baby.”
“I don’t want to,” she murmured.
“Christ,” he hissed. “Baby. Give me a minute.”
“Why?” she searched his face and saw the strain. She was driving him wild, and she loved it.
“Because I want to talk to you.”
She snorted. “If you wanted to talk, you shouldn’t have tormented me all day.”
He was stronger than her, and although she tried to wiggle, he had her anchored down. As he captured her lips again, she felt herself relax. “Baby,” he said against her lips. “I can feel you. As soon as I entered the room last night, I could feel you. You are meant for me. I need you to understand that.”
Cassie knew his words were true, but she realized she didn’t even know why she was fighting it anymore. “I can feel you too,” she admitted softly.
He cupped her chin
. “Why did you run? Are you afraid of me?”
“Not you. I’m afraid of me.” She sighed. “I’ve been independent so long that I don’t think I know how to be with anyone else. Men in the past have only hurt me, and I don’t even know you. I’m afraid of being in love. I’m afraid of being chosen for someone. I’m afraid that I’m too cynical to make it work.”
He smiled and stroked her cheek. “I may call you mine, but I’m willing to give you time. You don’t have to give yourself to me fully.” He swallowed hard. “And if this is too quick for you, I can leave. We can start with dinner.”
Dinner? She threw back her head and laughed. “Dinner is definitely in order. I do want to get to know you more, and this is a little too quick, but it seems right. It seems like this is how it’s meant to be.” With his hands busy, she had more control over her lower body, and she took the opportunity to rock her hips. He hissed sharply. “And you owe me.”
His hands dropped from her face, but rather than stopping her, he cupped her breasts and rubbed his thumb over the material of her bra. “I’ve been picturing these swinging over me as you ride me,” he said in a thick voice. She leaned back and he nuzzled her cleavage. “Tell me what you like. Do you want me to touch them? Lick them? Nibble on them?”
She tensed as he unsnapped her bra and supported her as he slowly slid it down her arms. Free, they sung low, and he moaned as he cupped on in his hands. He stroked a thump over one nipple, and she gasped as it immediately tightened.
A slow smile curved across his face. “You like that, don’t you?”
Her nipples had always been sensitive, and most men just pinched at them roughly. But Max was taking his time. He teased them until they were tight points, and then he leaned down and ran a wet tongue across them. Warmth spread through her, and she moaned.
“You like that too, don’t you baby?” he whispered as he did it again.
She nodded her head, but he wasn’t looking. He swirled his tongue over, loving her, worshipping her, and she knew he could feel her wetness below. He raked his teeth lightly over her, and she cried out.