Page 8 of Finding His Way (The Protetors #5)

S he was aroused. He could smell her incredible and heady scent. His cat wanted to claim her. Bite her. Mark her. Claim her.

Lips to the soft skin where her neck met the shoulder, he continued to hold her as gently as he could.

“You know you’re mine, Dianna. I’m never letting you go.”

Jeremy waited for her to say something. Deny it. Argue with him.

“Dianna?”

“I know.” Her hand stroked softly along his arm.

He skimmed his hand up to cup a breast. “And you’re not going to fight me on this?”

She sighed heavily. “I’m a lot of things, Jeremy Ruscino. But stupid isn’t one of them. I watched this happen to my friends.”

Dianna shifted in his arms and he helped her roll toward him. A blessing and a curse. Blessing because his cock fit directly against her and god damn it, it was a curse for the same reason.

“I saw Lando stake his claim on Selena. Keenan to Jo and Femi with Emily. While I didn’t witness it, I’d assume that Ziggs was the same with CC.”

He put his forehead on hers, skimming his hand around her body, cognizant of her soreness to cup her ass.

“And you’re okay with that.”

He made it a statement because honestly, she didn’t have a choice. She was his. He was hers.

“Not even close.” A rough laugh.

Jeremy snarled at her response, cat right there with him in displeasure.

“Better come to terms with it baby because it’s happening. Trust me, it’s fucking happening. The only reason I’m not balls deep in this pussy right now is because of what you went through. Come morning, after you rest for the night, that changes. I will claim you. I will fuck you until the only word out of your mouth is my name.”

Her mewl was fire to his blood.

Tight nipples were pressed tight to his chest. He slipped his hand down the back of her thigh and pulled her leg up over his hip. The move rubbed her slit against his hard cock. He flexed his hips, dragging his length through her wetness.

Somewhere, he knew he needed to stop this. She wasn’t in any shape physically for what he longed to do to her. But, his cat wasn’t giving up and dug in, refusing to pull back. His gums burned from the struggle to keep his fangs contained. “Oh,” she said, her voice vibrating with a need that rivaled his own. “I’ve come to terms with it but you better as well. I’m not giving up my job, nor am I going to sit back and let you do everything that may be remotely dangerous.”

He stiffened as her words sank in.

“Your job is what ended you here in this situation.” His body stilled against hers. Licking his lips, he tilted his head to the left and regarded the woman he could see easily courtesy of the flickering firelight.

Was she serious? This woman was going to be lucky if he allowed her to go outside again without full guard.

“Not true. I was taken because of my link to your kind.”

Not a shred of malice in her sentence, nor blame. Good, he had enough for the both of them. It was his fault, after all.

He ground his jaw and rose over her, his cock nudging her core but he put that need to the back for a moment. Arms bent, supporting his weight so he didn’t crush her, he lowered his face so they were nose to nose.

“You’re not going to be putting yourself in danger again.”

Her smile didn’t set him at ease. Not in the slightest. “You can yell later, right now, I’m going to sleep.”

Jeremy thought she was kidding. Surely she couldn’t just drop off like she was flipping a switch.

However, she snuggled closer to him, heaved a sigh and seconds later, his cat settled, hair brushing against his inside as it lay beside it’s mate. Pleased she was resting and healing.

So am I.

Ignoring his baser needs, Jeremy curled around her, tucking her naked body into his, wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. His body relaxed as his adrenaline high wore down, not enough to make him forget how he loved to fuck after a fight. But he and his cat were in agreement.

Their mate was safe. And she needed to heal before they claimed her as they wanted.

Even as he dozed, he never let down his guard. Twice she’d been hurt and he’d not been able to protect her. That wasn’t happening again.

A familiar scent slithered into his brain and woke him. Fangs exploded from his mouth as he rolled off the woman he’d been curled around and positioned himself between her and the door.

“What is it?”

Her low question rolled along his skin, she spoke in a very hushed tone.

“Intruders.”

She began to sit up and he whipped his head around to glare at her. “What are you doing?”

“If trouble is coming, I have no wish to face it naked.”

She dropped the fur and his cat growled low as his cock kicked awake. Not that it had gone down since, well, anytime he thought of her.

“I said intruders, not dangerous.”

He covered her as the door opened admitting his brothers.

“We’re dangerous.” Macsen walked through first, Vaughn on his heels.

“Damn,” she muttered and he shifted his body to block her view.

His brothers smirked in his direction, even Vaughn which was the sole reason he wasn’t completely in a blood rage. His emotionless brother was amused.

She shifted the other way and peeked around him. “Thank you, you two hot strangers. I would call you by name but we never had a chance for introductions before the car went ass over head. I’d get up and shake your hands but I’m as naked as a jaybird here.”

Macsen waggled his eyebrows. “I’ve never seen a jaybird. Care to stand up so I can see what one looks like?”

His claws slid free even as Dianna’s laughter brushed by him. “I’ll fucking gut you, Macsen.”

She settled her hand against the back of his thigh. His cock twitched at the touch and it didn’t matter that his brothers were in the same room. His mate was touching him and his body reacted.

“Perhaps we could get dressed? I’d like to get up and move around a bit.”

Vaughn tossed a bag toward him that he snatched out of the air.

“Get out.” Jeremy narrowed his gaze at them both.

“It’s cold out, Jeremy, they don’t need to stay outside.” Dianna’s protest had him clenching his jaw, possessiveness drilling him into the frozen tundra.

“They’re shifters. They’ll be fine.” He wasn’t positive his jaw would ever unclench.

“Turn around.”

Damn if his brothers didn’t just spin as she’d commanded. He opened the bag and muttered a thank you to the men facing the wall of the small cabin, aware they could hear him. Inside were sets of clean clothing and footwear for both of them. Turning so he faced away from them and looked at Dianna, he stuttered and nearly dropped the bag.

She lay there, still covered by fur but her expression, it was lively and full of the fire he was used to seeing on her. Dianna quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Do I get clothing?”

He straddled her, setting the bag by his knee. Her dark gaze snapped down to his cock which still sat there, erect and pointing up, hard and throbbing.

“Then again,” she breathed. “Clothing is highly overrated.” Her tongue snuck out and swiped along her lips.

His cock bobbed in response and he felt the answering pull in his balls. A low rumble escaped his throat as her arousal coated his throat. He wanted more of it. Fresh from her, not merely the scent. On his tongue. His fingers. All over.

“Behave.”

She pouted and it amused him so much he nearly forgot the healing bruising on her face. Not to mention the rest of her body.

“Sit up.” She listened. “Arms up.” He held up the bra they picked up, how they knew her size, he couldn’t and wouldn’t focus on.

Dianna winced even she listened to him, no hesitation to follow his order. Inching closer, he put the bra on her and wrapped his arms around her to fasten it in the back. Chest to chest, he had to think hard about getting her dressed and not sinking his cock deep inside her pussy.

Unable to help himself, he dragged his nose along her neck and up the side of her face, just allowing her presence to weave through him.

“Are you okay?”

Could his brothers hear his question? Yes. Did he care? Not a lick.

“Sore as fuck but given I’m breathing and this qualifies as alive, I’m fine.” She leaned into him with a. heavy sigh. “I want a weapon or six while we get the fuck out of here.”

He knew better than to argue with her. She was a fighter. She was a cop. She was a pissed off woman who’d been taken against her will.

“Let’s start with getting you dressed.”

“Your cock is right there, surely we could find something else to do with it. Seems a shame to cover it up.”

“Not happening, mate. You wanted them inside out of the weather and I’ll fucking gut them if they see you naked.” He sat back enough that her gaze snapped right back to his still rigid cock as he snatched up the bag once more.

Withdrawing a long-sleeve thermal top, he helped her get it on, trying to move her upper body as little as he could. She curved her fingers inside the sleeve with a low purr that set his cat on edge.

“Heat.” She grinned at him, appearing almost childish. “This is nice. Not as nice as your body heat but I’ll take it.”

“You’re killing me, baby.”

Her grin was nothing but sass. He nearly shot his load all over her front when she dragged a finger up his erection.

“If you’d only give me a chance,” she said with a wink.

He bared his fangs at her and saucy woman that she was, gripped him, hard. And pumped his dick twice, never once lowering her gaze.