Had he figured out her secret already? Had her utter lack of experience turned him off? Or was something else at play here?
Then she heard it. Voices came from down the hall and were growing louder by the second.
“Should we hide?” she whispered, her cheeks burning.
Cash looked deep into her eyes for an eternal second and a half. Taking her hand in his, he led her away from the front door and across the foyer. Entering the first open door they came to, he pushed the door closed behind them. Looking around, Zoe thought it was some kind of formal meeting room. Except for a tall, odd-looking table in the center of the floor, the room was empty. Would the others follow them into this room as well?
Cash must have thought so. He led her around the table and through an opening in the curtains that covered the wall to their left. She followed willingly and found they were standing in a small alcove.
Once he checked to make certain the curtains had closed behind them, Cash wrapped himself around her, snugging her close so she ended up leaning against his broad chest. Zoe sighed as a feeling of security flowed over her. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. With a deep breath, she knew without a doubt that no other man’s hug would ever give her what this man, her mate, gave her.
When she looked up at him, he lowered his head and picked up where they had left off in the foyer. Only this kiss was different. Where the other was tender, this one was driven by power, hunger, and raw sexuality.
Zoe could not help but moan softly as his tongue parted her lips and drove through them like a warm wind on a cold day. The passion that had been pent up for her entire twenty-eight years exploded past the barriers she had containing it, and she returned his passion with a matching fervor.
The kiss may have been a mating of lips, teeth, and tongues, but she felt its effect throughout her body. Fire lit up every nerve ending in her being. If this was what came from a simple kiss, how would she survive having sex with her gorgeous mate?
* * * *
Cash had no idea how much time passed before he finally backed away. He wanted, no, needed to get them somewhere they would not be interrupted. The move earned him a soft growl and frown from the woman pressed so close to his body a mosquito’s wing could not come between them.
“Why’d you stop?” she asked, sounding disappointed.
She shifted her shoulders, rubbing her breasts back and forth against his chest. The move set his teeth grinding as he fought to keep from flipping up her skirt and taking her against the nearest wall in the next three seconds.
“Because, beautiful mate of mine,” he said, his hold tightening around her back in a vain attempt to keep her still, “if we don’t cool down a bit, I’m either going to come in my jeans or claim you right here and now, and to hell with the king. But I don’t want our first time to be against a wall with my grandfather’s body just a few feet away. I’d prefer it be in a big, soft bed, so we can cuddle afterward.”
Zoe blinked at him before dropping her gaze to his collarbone. She seemed to be contemplating his words. When she figured out what being this close to her did to him, her cheeks grew an even deeper rose, and she tried to step back.
When his arms did not release her, her gaze rose to his once again.
She studied him for a long moment before taking a deep breath. She held it for several seconds before releasing it in a rush.
Then she smiled.
“So, where is this big, soft bed of yours, and how fast can we get there?” Her voice was a soft and deep-throated purr.
The sound of it reached deep inside of him, stroking the fur of his wolf and making the man shiver in response. But instead of tossing her over his shoulder and racing for his bedroom, he slid his hands up her back to gently massage the knots across her shoulders.
“Are you sure? What about your marriage?” He looked deep into her eyes. He saw fear and shyness, but also a hunger that seemed to match the hard, hot cock, which was throbbing in time with his heart.
“Luka will understand. And yes, Cash, I’m sure. I want you to claim me as your mate. Make me your woman,” Zoe said with a smile that had him gasping as the blood surged even harder into his groin.
Taking her by the hand, Cash led the way through the darkness to a circular staircase in the far corner. Once they reached the top, he led her out a door and into the hall that ran the width of the house. His room was at the far end, next to his grandfather’s former suite. Over the next few weeks, those three rooms would be stripped and redecorated for Goldie and Caleb.
Outside his room, Cash paused as he tried to remember how he had left his room. Had he made the bed in the past days? Had he left clothes strewn about? Had he remembered to turn off the television and the DVD?
Looking at the beautiful, genteel, obviously well-bred woman, he shrugged. She would take him or leave him based on her heart, not the cleanliness of his room. He hoped.
“Please excuse any mess that may be in here. It’s been a hectic couple of days.”
Zoe smiled up at him. “I don’t care about anything but you, the bed, and if the door has a lock on it.”
Still not sure about that, Cash turned the knob and pushed the door open. Entering the room, he released the breath he had not realized he had been holding. His king-size bed was neatly made, there were no clothes on the floor, and the television and DVD player were off. He wondered if Diamond was hiding in the closet, or if she had escaped to her room before they had come upstairs. What did surprise him were the three suitcases sitting next to his desk.
Once she had passed by him into his room, he closed and locked the door. Then he turned and watched his mate.
Zoe crossed to his desk, where she draped her shawl over the chair before stepping out of her shoes. She then circled the room. She did not stop to closely inspect anything on the bookshelves, his desk, or even the bed. She walked the perimeter of the room until she reached him. Once again he saw both fear and excitement in her eyes. The enticing combination sent both sides of his nature into a frenzy. The wolf could not wait to claim her, while the man needed to assure her that he would take care of her and that no harm would come to her.
In that instant it struck Cash that Zoe, his woman and mate-to-be, was not the experienced woman of the world she appeared to be.
“Holy cats, you’re a virgin!” The words were out before Cash realized he had opened his mouth. “How is that possible if you’ve been married to Luka for ten years?”
* * * *
Zoe felt her heated blood racing back and forth through her body, from burning cheeks to hot, wet, pulsing pussy and back again as her emotions vacillated between embarrassment and arousal. After Cash accurately guessed her secret, he stared at her as one might an alien being. Her emotions spun totally out of control.
“Yes, I’m a virgin though I’ve been married to King Luka for the past ten years. We knew we were not mates, but he used the marriage as a way to protect me and elevate my status from gifted human seer and healer to Queen, whose gifts would be accepted and appreciated, not questioned and scoffed. We were married in a public ceremony but had it quietly annulled the next day. So I have been married and protected, and my every move monitored by an army of bodyguards. I haven’t been living on an island paradise where horny women come to relax and play with any available man.”
By the end of her speech, anger had been replaced by hurt at the thought of all the single women who had visited the island. Then she began to wonder how many Cash had been with in this very room. Tears filled her eyes as she pushed past a stunned Cash, and she headed for the door.
Her fingers were fumbling to turn the lock when she found herself once again swept off her feet and into Cash’s arms. When she began to struggle, Cash tightened his arms until she gasped and stilled.
“Settle down, gypsy mine. I did not mean to insult you. The last thing I would ever do is hurt you. It’s just in this day and age, and especially here on this island, as well as what I thought
was your marital status, your lack of experience caught me by surprise,” he said, his voice soft and deep.
His warm tone sent a shiver through Zoe. All the negative emotions drained away until only the hunger and need for him remained. Her pussy clenched as he placed several kisses over her hair.
“Cash,” she moaned, turning her face up to kiss him.
She explored his mouth as thoroughly as he had explored hers earlier, reveling in this taste, his smell, his touch.
“Oh God, mate. If I don’t claim you and soon, I’m going to explode,” Cash said when she finally broke away to catch her breath. His voice had grown even deeper and rougher, until it was a nearly indistinguishable growl.
“So what the fuck are you waiting for?”
The polished veneer Zoe had cultivated over the past ten years slipped away, leaving a horny, out-of-control teenager behind. This was her mate, and she needed him more than she needed her next breath. To hell with the other women who had been in this room in the past. To hell with Luka and the pretend marriage they had maintained for the past decade. To hell with everything except Cash and their mating.
“But you’re a virgin,” Cash repeated as he sat down on the side of his bed and settled her so she sat across his thighs. “And you’re a lady. You should have wine and roses and an evening of romance before I claim you.”
As he spoke, one hand began to slide up between her legs, pushing the skirt above her knees until her legs were bare from midthigh to toes. Then he began to trace random patterns on the skin of her inner thigh just above her knee. Zoe wondered if they would ever get out of the starting gate and on to the claiming.
In a move made almost before she had fully thought it out, she shoved herself off his lap, landing on her feet. She turned and took Cash’s head in her hands. She held him still and stared deep into the green, brown, and gold depths of his eyes. When he opened his mouth to speak, she shook her head. He took a deep breath and closed his mouth again, silently agreeing to let her take the lead. She wondered how long that would last.
When she knew he would not fight her for control of the moment, she released him then took several steps back. Reaching for the waistband of her skirt, she slipped the button then wiggled her hips until the silk slipped down her legs to pool at her feet.
Standing before him, wearing nothing but her corset, she glanced at his lap and smiled. The cock pressing against his zipper was impressive, almost frightening, in its size. She watched, enthralled, as his hand moved to cover his cock. He sucked a breath when his hand closed around the bulge, and he began to stroke himself.
She watched him watching her as she began to open her corset one hook at a time. He watched each movement of her fingers with an intense concentration. After she had released several hooks, she glanced down and saw that the material had parted, sending shadows over the skin it revealed, while giving him a glimpse of the inside curve of her breasts.
When she paused for a few seconds to run her palms down her sides to dry them, his mouth opened as if to protest. Instead of speaking, he licked his lips when her hands returned, and she quickly slipped the next three open. When she finished with the last hook and the corset dropped away, he sucked an audible breath. Before the fabric hit the floor, she stepped out of the skirt that rested circled at her feet and returned to stand between his spread thighs.
Reaching between them, she jerked the front of his shirt open, sending buttons flying as she demanded, “Claim me now, mate. Romance me later. Much, much later.”
Chapter 4
Zoe froze as soon as the words were out of her mouth. How would Cash respond to her bold demand? Though he was a Beta of the Pyrate Island Pack, she also saw a lot of strong Alpha traits in him.
But he was not looking at her as if he would deny her anything. He looked amazed and aroused, though she was not sure if it was her words or her nakedness that had him fumbling with his belt. He emitted a low, deep-chested growl as he finally got the belt open and began work on the fastenings of his shorts.
She took a step back when he surged to his feet. Her heart was pounding with a combination of fear, anxiety, and lust as he shoved his shorts down and stepped out of them. He was now as naked as she was.
Unable to help herself, Zoe slowly looked down her mate’s body.
He was large and muscular, with a light dusting of black hair across his chest. Her eyes continued drifting south, admiring the golden tan that covered him evenly, including a long, thick, very erect cock that was pointing straight out from his body.
The rational, thinking side of her brain overloaded, and the sensual, feeling side took over. She took a step closer and reached out. Cash sucked a breath then released it with a hiss as she traced a line from the tip of his cock to the root with the tip of a single finger.
“So silky,” she murmured, drawing her finger back up the impressive length.
“Ummm,” he breathed as she swirled her finger around the crown of his cock then swiped it across the tip to catch the pearl of fluid she found there.
Lifting her eyes, she met his as she raised her finger to her lips. She licked at the wetness and made a soft sound of appreciation. In response, he bit his lip and groaned.
“Damn, I can’t wait another minute,” he said, growling.
Zoe squealed as he swept her off her feet and tossed her onto the bed. She bounced twice before settling in the middle of the king-size mattress. She watched, wide eyed, as Cash took hold of her ankles and spread her legs wide. He then climbed onto the bed between them, not stopping until the head of his cock brushed against the puffy lips of her pussy. Then he bent his arms and lowered his body until his chest just brushed against hers.
The fingers of one hand reached between them and spread the lips of her pussy. In the next instant, he dragged the blunt head of his cock from the top of her slit to her wide-open entrance. She gasped when it brushed over her knotted-up clit on his second pass.
“Forgive me, mate. I promise to make this up to you,” he spoke between gritted teeth as he pushed the head into her pussy. In the next second his hips snapped forward, driving his cock deep. He slid out a bit and then pressed forward a second time, this time pushing until he was completely buried inside her.
She cried out as his first thrust broke through her maidenhead then bit her lip on the second. He stretched the walls of her pussy with a fullness that bordered on painful. Once he was fully seated inside her, he stilled. Then he began to brush kisses along her jawline.
“I’m so sorry, but I could not be separate from you for another second,” he whispered.
He shifted his weight to his elbows before sliding his hands up the sides of her chest to cover her breasts. He began caressing the skin of the twin mounds, pulling her focus from the pain between her legs. In seconds, the ache eased to a fullness that felt so good. A few more and she began to squirm, needing something, but not sure exactly what it was.
“Are you okay?” he asked, raising up and looking in her eyes. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know,” she answered honestly. She began to shift beneath him, trying to move her hips, but he had them pinned to the bed with his own. “I need…something. Please, Cash, help me.”
Cash smiled down at her then leaned closer and brushed his lips across hers. “Don’t worry, mate, I’ll take care of everything. When I’m done, all your needs will be history, and you’ll be completely relaxed.”
A shiver of excitement and anticipation raced through Zoe. “Mmmm, I like the sound of that.”
* * * *
Cash watched his mate’s expression for another few seconds. He felt her trying to move beneath him, but he was afraid to continue quite yet. He was so close to the edge of his own control, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her by being too rough. He was able to hold his own hunger under control until her pussy began to clench around his cock. Then he began to move.
He eased his cock out of her sheath until only the h
ead remained within her wet, silky grasp. Then he pushed deep again just as slowly. As his hips slowly pushed in and out, his fingers traveled to the peaks of her breasts and took possession of her nipples. He rolled them between fingers and thumbs, watching with pleasure as her eyes widened in response.
On his next slide out and in, Zoe’s breathing stopped, and then she arched her back and hunched her hips in silent supplication. Though he wanted nothing more than to plough her fast and hard, he kept his movements slow and easy. Guilt at taking her without any foreplay and romance still bothered him. He vowed that next time he would make it up to her.
“More, Cash. I need more,” Zoe whined.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and began to move her hips in opposition to his. Her innocently sexy move shredded the last of Cash’s control.
Sliding his hands from her breasts and under her shoulders, he began to fuck her in earnest, each stroke faster and harder than the one before. Zoe responded, making sexy little noises as she moved with him, which made him even wilder.
With his wolf demanding he claim his mate, Cash leaned in and licked at the spot where his mark would go. In response, the silky, wet walls of her pussy convulsed around his cock as she came. Unable to hold back any longer, his jaw jerked, and his teeth sank deep into her flesh. Her blood flowed into his mouth and across his tongue, and he swallowed her essence into his body, making them one and claiming her for all their lives as his mate.
Zoe screamed as orgasm crashed through her a second time. Cash relaxed his own control, and, after licking his mating bite closed, he roared as his cock jerked and spewed his life fluids deep inside his mate.
Once he knew his body would follow his brain’s commands again, he raised his head so he could see his mate’s face. Her eyes were closed, her skin was damp and flushed, and she was gasping for each breath.
“Zoe? Are you okay, gypsy? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Cash [Pyrate's Treasure 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 3