Her mate trailed kisses all along the front of her neck, brushing his scruff against her skin and creating goosebumps. She turned her head to the side, allowing him access to the back of her neck. Just as she hoped, his lips rested on her Lunas Sigil. She felt as if she were glowing. His lips on her mark had her gasping and her eyelids fluttering. He pressed his tongue to her mark, slowly tracing the crescent shape, each movement controlled. She lost all feeling in her body when he did. Slowly, her body came alive again with a tingling sensation, like her entire body had fallen asleep and was waking up in a whole new world and way of feeling. It was intense.
“Please, Derek. Take me,” she begged. She didn’t know if she’d survive if he didn’t. Her panties were soaked again. Her legs were trembling. Fire was roaring in between her thighs and on the back of her neck. “I need you.”
“After what happened last time?” he asked.
“I’ve already forgotten about it,” she said, and it was true. “If you’re still worried about it, make it up to me now.”
“Don’t say things like that.” He lifted himself up high on his arms again. “Arms up, princess.”
She didn’t question him. She did exactly as he said. He gathered her wrists in one of his hands and held her arms captive above her head, pressing them into the soft mattress beneath them. Satisfied, he kissed her mouth. He increased the pressure on her wrists as he shifted some of his weight there, using his other hand to crawl under her jacket and tank top to caress her hip.
Willow squirmed, but she couldn’t get anywhere with the way he held her captive. She couldn’t even spread her legs like she desperately wanted to since he had her locked in between his own legs. His kisses were intense, full of tongue and teeth. He swept his tongue through her entire mouth like he was trying to devour her, like he couldn’t get enough of her. It felt good for him to want her so desperately.
“We’re not going to have sex,” he told her in between kisses. “I may not know much about being a wolf, but you being in heat is pretty self-explanatory. I’m not going to chance getting you pregnant. No matter how much I fucking want you.”
“You already chanced getting me pregnant the first night you fucked me,” she said.
“Then I’m not doubling the chances. Besides, as far as I know, the condom did its job.”
“I’m on the pill, and I have condoms,” she said, trying to get him to budge.
“No,” he stated. “I’m not taking another chance, condom or not.”
Strange. He wouldn’t risk getting her pregnant. She wondered why. First impressions told her he wasn’t the kind of guy who really cared about knocking up the random women he fucked. But he had insisted on a condom the first night they fucked too. He was really worried about this.
“What if we play instead?” Willow asked, desperate for something more than kissing—even though kissing was fantastic.
Derek smirked. There was a wicked gleam in his green eyes that filled her with anticipation. “Ladies first,” he said seductively.
He released her hands and worked at her jeans. He got them off of her without destroying them like he had her poor dress. He went for her jacket and tank top too. She was more than happy to let him undress her. She helped him by moving however she needed to for him to make quick work of her clothes. It was like he was unwrapping a precious package. It was the exact opposite of before when he had fucked her and tore into her with an uncontrolled hunger. Her bra and panties were next. She didn’t know it was possible for the look in his eyes to be any more intense, but when she was completely naked underneath him, she learned she was wrong. His eyes were blazing green. Bright. He had the same eye color as his wolf, but they were brighter as a wolf.
He quickly took off his shirt, but then his attention was back on her. He leaned down and kissed her, whispering, “So goddamn beautiful.”
Willow moved her hands up to his chest, feeling out the ridges of his hard muscles. This was nice. Derek was taking his time. He wanted to explore her. He wasn’t in a frenzy where he could only think of his dick inside of her. This time, he wanted her to be a player in this exchange. He wanted something more—and they weren’t going to end with his dick inside of her pussy.
Derek kissed her mouth, her jaw, and down her neck. He spent a few moments exploring her collar bone. She held him closer to her, grabbing the back of his head and tangling her fingers in his black hair.
He let out a little growl. “Hands up, princess. This is not how we play the game.”
Okay, he was still a control freak. She didn’t act fast enough, so Derek captured her wrists and trapped them above her head like before. Willow squirmed for a moment, but he was set on keeping her trapped as he continued exploring her collar with his lips and tongue.
He would have to let her go eventually to go down on her, but she couldn’t wait until then. She wanted to hold him now. She managed to move her legs out from underneath him and wrapped them around his lower back. He stopped kissing her.
“You’re persistent,” he said.
“You’ll get used to it,” she replied with a smirk on her lips.
To her surprise, Derek gave in. He released her wrists, so she stopped clinging to him with her legs. He went back to kissing her, this time his lips on her breasts. She tangled her fingers in his hair and then slid them down to the back of his neck where his Lunas Sigil was. She pressed her fingers into his skin as he caught her left nipple in his mouth and sucked hard. Her back arched and she gasped. He continued to flick his tongue against the hardened point on her breast, driving her wild. He gave her a moment to breathe when he let her nipple go. He nuzzled her chest, in between her breasts.
He continued his slow journey down her body, taking a moment to rest at her stomach where he kissed and explored some more. She giggled when he did. She had always been ridiculously ticklish on her stomach. Now Derek knew that, but he didn’t linger there and torture her. He moved on. He liked to spend time on the defined lines of her body, like at the top of her full hips.
He moved down, back toward her center. She moaned when his lips were on her sex. He pressed his tongue into her slit and traveled across her most sensitive flesh. She arched her back and dug her nails into her fluffy pink comforter underneath her as another moan escaped her lips. His tongue flicked against her clit. Shallow pulses grew inside of her in rhythm with her beating heart.
She couldn’t help herself. She wrapped her legs around him again. This time at his shoulders as she angled her body for him to dip inside of her. Derek let her, and he kept going, understanding what she wanted. He slid his tongue down to her entrance and dipped inside. Willow was close to screaming. She buried the sound in her chest as she tightened her legs around Derek and dug her nails farther into her bed.
“Damn,” Derek breathed. “I have never tasted anything as good as you.”
He worked her clit with his tongue again, and this time he had two of his fingers inside of her. He pumped into her hard and fast. Merciless. Willow screamed as she clawed at the mattress. She dropped her legs from around Derek’s shoulders and pressed onto her tiptoes, bringing her pelvis upward as she arched her back, trying to bury Derek as deeply inside of her as possible. She continued to hold her hips up as she came hard. The sensation was like a waterfall crashing around inside of her.
With the release, she lost all of the tension and energy holding her up. She sank down, back flat on the mattress as Derek slipped his fingers out of her and moved his head back. He grabbed her hips. He kissed her thighs sweetly, licking the wetness that had dripped down her skin. She hummed contentedly.
After he spent another moment wiping his scratchy facial hair against her thighs, he moved so he was hovering over her again. He was grinning down at her as she breathed deeply and tried to stop her eyelids from fluttering.
“That was yummy,” he said with a playful growl. He nipped at her jaw and Willow held his head close, hugging him. She was still shaking from the aftermath.
&
nbsp; “Your turn,” she whispered.
“In a minute,” he replied.
He crashed his lips down on hers again. He bit at her lips, biting so hard it almost hurt, but not hard enough to tear her skin. Derek could be gentle, but this kind of fierce attack was what came naturally to him. And she liked it. It turned her on.
Willow was gasping when he finally stopped kissing her. His own chest was shuddering, slicked with a thin sheen of sweat. “I’m ready now,” he said.
She drew in a deep, long breath. “I can’t think now. You sucked all of the oxygen out of my brain.”
Derek chuckled. He moved off of her and stood on the floor. Willow hated that his warmth had retreated so far. She forced herself up to her arms, and then turned onto her stomach, crawling over to the edge of the bed so she could watch her mate. His jeans and underwear were already gone, lost to the floor. His cock was swollen and erect. The sight made her arousal explode again, hot moisture in between her thighs.
Her body was full of micro shakes. No man had ever pleased her to this degree before. Then again, Derek wasn’t just some guy. He was her Fated Mate.
She slowly slipped her legs off the edge of her bed. Before kneeling in front of him, she placed her hands on her mate’s narrow V-shaped hips. Every inch of him was perfect. She ran her hands along the muscles in his stomach. He flinched under her touch, muscles pulsing, but she knew it wasn’t because he was uncomfortable. If her touch held any of the sensation his did for her, he was reacting to an energy overload.
She held his face in her hands as she looked up at him. She gently pressed into the scratchy scruff on his face, taking in the texture through her fingers. He looked down at her with his eyes brighter than normal, more wolf than human.
“You are one sexy wolf,” she told him.
“Do it,” he commanded. “I can’t wait anymore.”
Willow noticed the tension in his hands. They were fists at his sides, his skin a bloodless white because he was squeezing so hard. She was certain his hands would end up in her hair well before she was done with him. He wouldn’t be able to help himself.
She ran her hands down his sides as she got on her knees. She brushed the shaft of his cock and went straight for his balls. He was already shuddering and quivering. He was trying to hold in his grunts, but he was doing a poor job of it. She went back to his shaft, gently feeling out his bulging veins. She licked the purplish tip of his cock, experimenting and tasting as if she were sampling a lollipop. She caught a drip of salty precum.
Derek’s hands were in her hair. He was shaking and gripping tightly. It was a small burn in her scalp, but she didn’t mind. “Fuck, stop teasing,” he begged through gritted teeth.
“But I like teasing you,” Willow said. She gave his cock another slow lick.
“Fuck,” Derek whispered.
Okay, enough was enough. When she licked him again, she brought him inside her mouth as far as she could manage. She worked him with her tongue and sucked. Derek’s hold on her hair was getting pretty intense. Almost too painful. He seemed to realize this at the same time and loosened his grip again as he pleaded her name. She liked the sound of that. He was letting her be the one in control here as he urged her with his hands in her hair, asking her to keep going.
She worked him faster, sucked just a little harder. He shouted and his cock jerked inside of her mouth, spilling salty waves of warmth into her mouth. She swallowed greedily and kept sucking gently until Derek’s grip grew more intense again. He wanted her to let go. She listened, letting his dick slip out of her mouth.
He let go of her hair and immediately went for his boxers on the floor. Willow cocked her head as he slipped them on. He startled her when he moved fast, grabbed her, and jumped onto the bed with her. He sighed as he rolled onto his stomach and closed his eyes. Willow crawled over him so she could kiss the Lunas Sigil on the back of his neck.
She was brimming with so much happiness. She wanted to say something, but she was afraid she’d somehow ruin this beautiful moment they had shared if she did. Derek didn’t seem interested in saying anything. He was silent. His eyes were closed as he rested his head in his arms. Willow kissed the back of his neck one more time instead of speaking. It was reassuring. Warmth spread on the back of her neck as she did. She hoped that would properly communicate her feelings. Truthfully, if she had thought there was any way to convince him to go another round, with his cock inside of her pussy this time, she would have done everything in her power to. She needed and wanted him even more now.
But she knew she wouldn’t be changing his mind. Not tonight anyway. Even if she could, she was trying to respect his decision. She didn’t understand his reasons behind it completely, but maybe if she was patient, he would tell her. Someday.
Willow plopped down beside him. He turned to face her so they were mirroring each other. Willow tangled her legs in his, craving closeness. Derek brought them closer when he put his arm around her. Willow couldn’t help but smile at him. She was so happy. There was no way she was going to hide that even if she had decided to remain silent for now. Derek stared at her for a moment, but then he smiled too.
That was an accomplishment. She had never seen him smile like that. It was a sincere smile.
Closing her eyes, Willow prayed to the Moon that she would be able to hold on to this moment. She prayed Derek would accept her as his mate and that he’d open up to her more. If she hadn’t made up her mind before, she certainly had now. She was going to be as patient as she damn well needed to be because everything was going to work out. Derek was worth it. Somehow, somewhere inside of her, she knew that was true.
Chapter 12
THAT NIGHT DEREK’S MOTHER told him to leave was the longest night of his life. He had run for miles and miles on bloodied paws, unable to shift back to his human self. A week had passed by the time he was able to change back and gathered the courage he needed to return home.
He was standing in front of the old run-down house he had lived in with his mom and his stepdad, James. Now that James wasn’t there, his mother must have been in the house all alone. She had never been all alone. Derek wanted to return sooner. He wanted to find a way to change back and show his mother that he was fine. He wasn’t a monster or a demon. He was in control. He wasn’t dangerous. He could take care of her. She wouldn’t have to run to another jackass to survive because she had Derek. She had to know that he only ever wanted to protect her.
She was just scared and confused. She didn’t really want Derek to leave forever. She couldn’t have. All they had was each other. He loved her. She loved him. They’d work it out. They had to.
But the way his mother had run to James and cradled him in her arms stuck out to Derek. It seemed like she actually loved that asshole, and Derek couldn’t begin to understand why. He had hurt her. Raped her. Abused her.
No, Derek did the right thing. No one else was going to put a stop to James, so he took matters into his own hands.
His mother would see. She would agree.
Derek knocked on the door. The lock was obviously still broken, but he figured he wouldn’t startle his mother as much if he knocked instead of barging in.
He waited for a few minutes, but his mother didn’t come to the door. He knocked again and then pressed his ear to the wooden frame. With his new heightened hearing, he should have been able to hear her in there if she was moving.
Nothing. He couldn’t hear anything inside aside from the buzz of their old refrigerator. He sniffed the air and caught an odd scent that seemed to be seeping out of the house. It was a scent he didn’t know, but it made him crinkle his nose. It didn’t smell good.
“Sorry, Mom,” he muttered as he opened the door. He wasn’t going to wait for her anymore. He needed to see her. Now.
Because something was wrong.
He sniffed the air again once he was inside. The house was as big of a mess as it was when he had left. James’s blood stained the threadbare carpet. It was thick like no
one had tried to wash it away.
“Mom!” Derek called.
No one answered.
With nothing else to go on, he followed the bad smell. It was coming from his mother’s bedroom. He faltered at the slightly ajar door. All of a sudden, he didn’t want to go in there.
“Mom?” he tried again and he pressed his fingers against the door, opening it wider.
He choked when he saw his mother somehow hanging from a rope tied to the light fixture above the bed. The thing was only hanging on by a few cables. It looked like it had been slowly sinking lower to the ground. His mother was sallow. Her neck was leaning too far back and at an odd angle. It was snapped.
“Mom,” Derek whimpered.
He was overcome with blinding anguish. He growled, grabbed the pocket knife he had picked up while on his own, and used his newfound strength to leap up and cut his mother loose. He caught her in his arms and landed on her bed. He sunk to his knees, cradling his mother’s body.
She smelled terrible. It wasn’t that cheap perfume smell he was used to. She had been dead for a while. Probably the same night or the day after she had told Derek to leave. After she accused him of being a demon. She had no faith in him. She didn’t love Derek. She couldn’t have. She wouldn’t have left him like this. She wouldn’t have chased him away. She loved James. It explained everything. It was the reason why she never spoke up when Derek tried time and time again to save her. As soon as James was gone, his mother couldn’t go on living. What kind of a fucked up world was this? And why didn’t he understand any of it? How had he been deluding himself this whole fucking time?
He howled in his sorrow, the wolf part of him showing through, reminding him of what he was. He didn’t know how it was possible for him to be a wolf when his mother wasn’t. Likely, he got it from the father he never knew. Likely, she had no idea about Derek or that man until the night Derek shifted and killed James.
Her Fierce Wolf (Marked By The Moon Book 2) Page 13