His demanding little cat. Her instincts were driving her, telling her hips to rotate; telling her body to gyrate and thrust, just a little. A little each time until he knew every last thread of sanity was leaving him.
If his mind had been his own he would have laughed when he reached for her hips, intending to slow her or even stop her. She snarled at him, narrowed green eyes holding his captive. But he could see the barest hint of a plea in her gaze. He could feel the walls surrounding him begin to pulse, he felt them vibrating just outside her grasp as she continued to thrust further and further, taking him into her body in a slow gliding along the slickness her body created for them. Created just for this moment.
His fingers trailed down her stomach and found that sensitive part of her wanting his touch, craving it with a hunger new to her. Her lips parted and he knew she was close, hard little pants filled with his name when the orgasm gripped her. Stronger and harder than before, her body sank fully over him and rose, taking them into that ancient thrust and stroke that heightened and spilled their pleasure into one long shout.
“Sage!” Luna gulped, surprised at the intense feelings threatening to burst free. She had no idea how her body was able to open to him; taking him in and filling her to the edge of comfort. She’d listened to a small part of her wonder when she explored the male shaft, a tiny bit worried about how they could fit together the way nature intended. He was wide and thick and her own moisture prepared her, helped him and carried with him that sweet craving.
“So very good,” she whispered breathlessly, her body went still for a long minute, the silken flesh inside stroking him, pulsing and gripping his shaft hungrily.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to withstand much more. When the snug, hot walls around his cock began to quiver, began to convulse wildly, he growled out her name, his hips thrusting up fast and hard.
Luna let herself go. Allowed herself the pleasures that only a mate could give her, the strong pulsing, the shattering ripples inside her pulling him deeper, making him call out her name with each explosion of fluids shooting from him. She could still feel them. Those delicious fading tremors and she wiggled her hips, moaning softly.
She weighed hardly nothing, he thought, his palms stroking lightly over the moisture on her back. Still buried deep inside her, he felt the twitch in his cock when she wiggled, a growl meant to warn, went ignored when she giggled and rotated her hips. A sensuous, low purr radiated through him with the power of lightning.
“Sage…” She breathed his name, cuddling closer, her face rubbed against his chest, her tongue out to taste him and savor what was hers. “So very good,” she whispered in between licks.
“Babe, you’re killing me,” Sage growled, tightening his grip on her hips. Which did nothing to stop the muscles she flexed around him. “Good doesn’t even begin to explain what we just had, Luna.”
She stretched out along him, locking him inside when she brought her legs closer together. An all new sensation swept through her, a soft, hot whisper of breath against his throat when she nipped at his ear.
“Really good,” she finally said with a wisp of a sigh. “Much nicer than the floor.”
“We barely made it to the bed,” he kicked his feet, freeing them of the tangle of inside out jeans before rolling carefully to his side. Both of them groaned at the abrupt loss of warmth and intimacy. His laugh was soft and deep when she scowled up at him, his head shaking as he pulled her into the center of the bed and covered them both. She was instantly snuggling down against him, her face buried in his throat.
“Reading about sex is not the same as having it,” she said after a long sigh.
“You actually read about sex?” Sage felt the tickle of arousal, the French inflection in her voice a little thicker, a little more erotic.
“There are detailed instructional manuals regarding sex, especially online. And some interesting positions,” she murmured, ignoring the laughter in his voice. She scooted a little higher, running her tongue around his ear as she whispered. “Maybe next time I could be on my knees…”
“Maybe you should sleep and let your body recover,” but the groan that slipped free not to mention the throbbing between his legs told her differently. The image of her whispered words cemented in his mind.
Luna let her palm slide over his chest and lower, delicate fingers teasing the semi-hard male.
“I think I need to read up on the responsibilities of a mate,” she whispered, shifting and leaning on one elbow, her head bent and her tongue trailing a long, hot line over his shoulder.
“I think you’ve done more than enough reading,” he said gruffly, rolling to face her, studying the bright green eyes smiling at him.
“Well…practical experience is really much more pleasant.” She slid closer, purring when the taut peaks of her breasts rubbed against his chest. “You don’t seem to mind being my mate.”
“Demanding little mate,” he growled before taking her mouth, giving into those demands without another thought. How had his wolf known how right she was for him? “Mine, mate…all mine,” he breathed against her mouth, losing himself in her kiss, her touch, her scent. All his.
Chapter Sixteen
He laughed at her!
Luna gave him a shove to the middle of his back and he barely moved.
“Water hog!” She yelled at him, ducking beneath his arm and finally finding the hot spray of water. Before he knew what was happening, she pushed her shoulders straight into his chest and sent him stumbling against the shower stall wall. “My shower, you…wolf! I was here first!”
Surprise filled his face even as he grinned down at her, laughing.
She realized she really didn’t mind when he lathered up the sponge and began dribbling it over her neck and shoulders. Or when he seemed to take a lot longer than it normally took her to clean her back and behind.
And she had absolutely no idea how she ended up held against the wall, clinging to him, kissing him and screaming his name as he moved his cock in and out, fast and slow, all the while the water streamed over them. His hands gripped her ass tightly, holding her in place as he sunk onto the wide built in bench, her head on his shoulder and the steam from the shower matching their ragged breaths.
“Sage Terrence…all these years I have never had a shower quite like this one.”
“I’m an indulgent mate,” he teased, kissing the full bow of her mouth, both of them sighing in the sweet contentment. “And you’re a wildly delicious little cat. Mine.”
Luna slipped from his lap with a little groan, sweeping the wet pale hair from her face before framing his face with her hands.
“I’m going to forgive you for being a water thief,” she announced with a benevolent smirk and kissed him, his palms once again on her ass. “I’m leaving the shower now.” She waited, slanting him a look with one brow raised.
“And?”
“You gotta put me down and remove your paws from my butt.”
“I like your butt,” he returned but slowly, very slowly, slid his palms until she could take a wobbly step back.
“I’ll make some breakfast.” She said when she found a towel and wrapped it around her as she went to the bedroom looking for clothing.
“I don’t have time for breakfast!”
“Toast and coffee!” She called back, her snarl matching his. “And you would have had time for breakfast if you had taken your own shower and not mine!”
“Coffee…a vat of coffee…” Sage watched her through the frosted glass of the shower doors and pushed himself to his feet, quickly finishing what should have been a fast shower. Then his hands had wandered to the woman slippery and scented with soaps she’s just bought the day before. Now a few girl things dotted his shower and his bathroom. Not to mention his bed.
He was half into his jacket when she brought the thermos of coffee and slice of toast to him. The half swallowed little giggle broke from her lips when he tore into the toast and kept him smiling all the way into t
he office for his meeting with the team he had assembled to investigate the problem with school security. Not to mention the meeting with the merchants association about the rash of vandalism. He had an idea about that one and set Callie on it once he was in his office. She wanted time in the field and this was a good starter problem for her to deal with.
****
Luna watched him drive off, idly chewing on the corner of her lip.
She hadn’t really lied to him.
She had promised not to shift and run on her own. So there was only a little bit of guilt plaguing her at the moment.
He hadn’t asked about her wandering the town on her own. She had the comfortable hiking boots on, adjusted her pant legs over the tops and pulled the new jacket she bought from the laundry room. She tapped pockets, phone and wallet in place, as well as a cute key ring she’d bought for her first ever house key.
There wasn’t any wind today and the rains of the night before were gone. The middle of October was bright and shiny, making her squint as she watched the sun peek over the hills to the east. She loved the vibrant colors filling the hillsides around Devil Hills, reds, golds, palest amber and fiery bursts of flame varied from tree to tree.
She let her mind drift to Sage with a sigh. She knew he worried. But there were more people watching her in this town that she’d ever had in her life.
What they saw was a young woman bopping to the music playing through her ear pods as she ambled down the wide streets to the main section of town. She had a list in her pocket, the top item being some clothing. She found the little sexy shop that Lily recommended and stood before the display. She felt a hint of heat on her cheeks when the woman came up to her, offering to help.
Luna lifted one pair of panties from the display table, her fingers immediately on the half inch red heart sewn into the elastic band at the back. She lifted another pair and found the same thing. She picked up a dozen different colors and went to the register, squirming a little at the growls she could hear inside her head when she wore a pair and let Sage catch a glimpse of her behind.
An hour later she stood outside the clinic entrance, the questions inside her demanding answers. She argued with herself off and on all morning. She bit the corner of her lip and strode inside, her head up and a polite smile in place. A world with no secrets, she thought, where everyone stared and whispered when she was in the area. After spending most of her life shrouded in secrets, she discovered it didn’t bother her and she offered bright greetings to anyone willing to share.
“Good morning,” the receptionist looked up at the movement, freezing in place instantly. “Just a moment, please. I’ll be right with you.”
Luna had opened her mouth to speak before the single finger raised to stop her. She watched the younger woman rise and disappear down the hall. Moving very quickly. She looked behind her and leaned over to peer into the mirror. She still looked like her. Nothing too scary or unsetting, she was sure. Although she was positive she was glowing after the night she’d spent with Sage learning about the world of being sensual.
Jess was stepping from the exam room, his pen moving over the paper when Susan found him. She waited until he closed the file and handed it to her.
“Luna St. Germaine is here. You said to find you if she comes into the office,” she kept her voice low.
“Thank you…find Corine for me. Ask her to take the next appointment on my slot and apologize for me, I’ll see her later,” Jess watched her go off to the lounge before striding quickly to the front reception area. “Luna. Nice to see you again. Are you alright?”
“Oh, I’m good. I…I wanted to get an appointment to speak with you,” she looked around uncomfortably at the attention, unaware she was walking down the hall, his hand on her arm and guiding her. “I did not mean to disrupt your morning.”
“And have the Alpha female pack hunting for me?” Jess laughed and gestured to a chair by his desk. “I received the blood work back and was going to give Sage a call. I don’t know how to reach you…”
“Through Sage is fine,” she answered, her palm waving absently, ignoring the chair and pacing. She spun anxiously, the words bursting forth in a rush. “Am I alright? Am I normal?”
Jess was up from his desk, rounding it and taking her shoulders. He forced her to sit, the sudden loss of color in her cheeks and wide eyes worrying him. He leaned against the desk and bent forward a little.
“You’re alright, Luna,” he told her firmly. “I can run a lot of tests if you want, but each blood sample I took held less of the drugs we found the first time. I have some friends working to identify what was used, but the tests we ran and your basic vitals are all good. You’re very healthy,” Jess waited for his words to settle. “Is there something wrong? Something you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, her head shaking. “Yesterday afternoon…it all seemed to…to just be there at once. All the memories. I know I can’t…I have to have the good ones and the sad ones…I just sat in the corner of the laundry room and cried and I don’t know how to stop it from hurting.”
“Time, Luna,” Jess bent in front of her. “These are things you should have been allowed to handle as they happened, but you weren’t. I don’t want to give you medications,” he saw the instant fear in her eyes. “You don’t need drugs. Just let yourself find life a little at a time. Including all the memories. And it’s okay to just sit and mourn. You haven’t told Sage, have you?”
She stared at the hands he dangled in front of him.
“I don’t want him to see me as broken,” she answered softly. “I want to be…we speak of everything and I like being his friend. His mate. I fit with him. I don’t know why or how, but I feel right with him. I feel whole. Like a woman. Alive. I don’t want him to…I don’t want to be treated like a child.”
“Talking about everything includes how you feel, Luna. Sometimes just being held while you cry is part of healing,” Jess thought of holding Lily when they killed the man who had ordered her parents death. About how long it had taken her to permit herself to mourn them.
“I never cried before,” her eyes went to his. “I remember now, crying when I was little. But…” Her head shook.
Jess exhaled slowly. “One of the drugs you had been given would have…taken away the need to cry…I doubt you would have felt much of anything on an emotional level.”
“It was like I wasn’t the one…I was watching. I was seeing someone else be punished or be lonely. It never occurred to me to cry,” she felt the anger welling inside her at the same time the hot searing tears built behind her lashes. “I hate him. I hate him and want to hurt him. I thought I didn’t…I thought I would just be glad to be free.”
This was what Jess had been waiting for. He lifted a card from his desk.
“You need to talk to someone, Luna. Someone trained to help you through this,” he held the card out to her. “Her name is Liz Chance and she can help you understand that what you’re feeling is good. Acceptable. She can help you with the anger and sadness.”
“A counselor,” she read the card and tucked it into her pocket with a nod. “When he first took me…I spoke with a counselor every week. It was before they began giving me shots.”
“We don’t think they began the shots until you’d hit puberty, Luna. In all probability, your body would have rejected them because of the changes that occur, especially in females,” Jess watched her digest the information. “We suspect one of the purist groups has been working on this formula for a while now.”
“But it’s out of me…” She said anxiously, relieved at his next words. “You said! You said it’s out of me!”
“It’s out of you,” he repeated, his voice low and soothing. “What we’ve analyzed so far says it had to be renewed every month to keep your cat hidden from you,” Jess weighed his next statement carefully. But they had to know if she’d heard anything, if she could recall anything. “We also think there are others, Luna.”
Jess had to admit he wasn’t sure how she would react.
“Others?” She repeated softly, eyes the shade of spring suddenly burned with anger. “She spoke of others. Dr. Morgan. She talked of a variety of reactions and developments. When I was thirteen, after one injection I thought I would freeze! I felt as if I’d never be warm again. She said half the test subjects had the same problem but they couldn’t isolate the cause in the serum.”
“Luna, there are people you need to speak with,” he wasn’t accustomed to the simple stare she offered. One that said she was analyzing his words, waiting for more information. “There’s an organization working to stop people like the doctor…” He paused. “And your father.”
“You told them about me.”
“They don’t know your name. But they know I’ve been investigating someone who had been drugged. They’re the experts I sent your blood samples to.”
“Everyone in town watches me,” she smiled at him. “It wouldn’t be hard for them to figure out who it is, Jess. After so many years of feeling nothing, it’s almost a relief. Although, I believe some watch because Sage has claimed me as his mate. Some of the females are not happy with that, I think.”
“They aren’t like the other people, Luna. They won’t force you to do anything you’re not ready for, I promise you that.” Jess grinned. “As for Sage and the females around town, I’ve been told I was just as oblivious to them as Sage. Our town is a healthy mixture of shifters and humans. And it’s a good town.”
“Then I owe it to who I am…I owe it to my mother and grandmother to help them,” she nodded. “You can tell them. I’ll help anyway I can.” She thought for a quiet minute. “Sage won’t like it. He’s…protective. But I can be stubborn and this is important.”
“I know the feeling. A lot of the information I have comes from them. That’s why I know there aren’t any residual effects. They can’t alter your DNA, Luna,” he assured her, watching relief flow into her features.
Devil Hills: #2 Luna & Lydia Page 14