Page 14

My eyes had widened with shock when she kissed me, but only for the briefest of moments before the urges I had been holding at bay since I first met her took over.

Her lips were soft and warm against mine. They tasted the way she smelled: of smoke and chocolate. Perfect and seductive, just like everything else about her. At the taste, my wolf took over. All the thoughts I had been holding back since I first saw her—how beautiful she was, how much I wanted to run my fingers through her hair or feel her beneath me—came flooding back to the surface. Any reservations vanished. I needed her. I needed every inch of her. At the same time, I wanted to savor her, to make this last for as long as possible, even as the wolf inside me howled to take her right now.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her toward me until she was flush against me. My fingers knotted in her hair as I continued exploring her mouth, relishing her taste. I had been wondering what it would be like to kiss her for days now, the thoughts consuming me and distracting me. I had dreamt of doing this since I had first seen her, and now that it was happening, it was better than I ever could have anticipated.

My fingers roamed along her bare stomach, gripping her waist tight and holding her in place. I needed her, needed all of her. Her bare skin beneath my fingers only intensified that urge. My hands tightened on her hips as my mouth moved to her collarbone. My lips brushed against their hollow. She took a deep breath, breasts pressing into me as she tilted her head back, baring her throat to me.

I let out a snarl, my teeth nibbling at her throat, my cock growing harder as she sighed in response. She bit her lip, her eyes not leaving mine as her hands trailed downward, unfastening my jeans and tugging them down. My cock, already stiff, sprung out. I didn’t miss the hungry look that glinted in her eyes as she took it in one hand, her fingers stroking it, making it even harder, the pressure and need for her swelling and growing more intense every second.

Without prompting, she crouched before me. She gave me a wicked grin before she opened her mouth and bent forward.

Her tongue ran along my shaft, flicking the tip as her mouth wrapped around my cock. I groaned, fist knotting in her hair as her head bobbed up and down, tongue lapping my dick hungrily as if she couldn’t get enough. My head leaned back as that need that had been growing inside ever since her lips met mind continued to grow and build. I let out a snarl of longing and pleasure. Fuck the things this woman could do with her tongue.

Her mouth glided up and down, her tongue sliding along with the motion, her hand pumping in time. My grip on her hair tightened. That growing sensation, that need for release, swelled, making my dick throb almost painfully as her mouth continued working wonders. I tried to hold onto it for as long as possible, wanting to savor it for as long as possible.

Her hands went to my balls, squeezing gently and only fueling the fair that was making my cock pulse, her tongue swirling, caressing my shaft. Just the sight of her, this incredible, fiery woman, on her knees in front of me drove my wolf wild more than I had ever sensed before. I wanted all of her. I didn’t think that craving for her would ever abate, or could get any stronger.

She glanced up at me, saw my expression, and smirked around my cock. I took it back. That urge to have her could get stronger after all. I knew I was close, and part of me wanted nothing more than to finish inside her mouth, to have that tongue swipe the final traces of my cum off her perfect lips. I might have, but I didn’t want to be through with her just yet. I wanted to take my time.

One of her hands gripped my hips as she continued sucking my cock. I could tell by the way her fingers tightened, nails digging slightly into my skin, that she was enjoying this as much as I was. Her grey eyes met mine. With an excited jolt, I could tell by the wicked glint in her eye that she was trying to get me to finish. She wanted it almost as much as I did. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wasn’t finished with her. I wouldn’t be until I was inside her.

I pulled her to her feet, then pushed her back and pressed her against the wall, pinning her arms over her head with one hand as my mouth explored hers, claiming it. I let out a groan of longing and need as I relished the taste of her lips. Things had started off slowly, and now the urgency and craving for her began to take over, my touches growing more fervent with every soft moan that escaped her mouth.

My hand roamed up her side, fingers brushing against her taut stomach as they moved slowly upward. I paused just before they could slip beneath the tiny scrap of fabric that constituted a shirt, giving her enough time to know what I wanted to do and for her to say no. She didn’t, only stared up at me with that same fire I found wildly attractive.

The shirt slipped over her head, exposing her pale breasts, her nipples already hard. They were a good size and perky. Just seeing them made me snarl with need and longing. I knew just by looking that they would fit in my hand perfectly. I reached out a hand, cupping a breast and squeezing softly, grinning as her back arched in response. Almost without thinking, I rolled her nipple between my thumb and forefinger, grinning when that elicited even more of a reaction. Hunger burned in her eyes. Instead of sating it, I bent, nipping gently, taking one nipple in between my teeth. The sharp gasp that escaped her lips only intensified the urge to be inside her. My cock twitched in excitement.

She was wet, and I could smell her arousal. It made me growl with need. Before she could do anything, I grabbed her, lifting her in the air. Her legs hooked around my waist as I carried her over to the couch. I placed her down in one quick motion, slid her skirt off her, and threw it across the room. I drank her in, taking in every inch of her bare body, my cock going even harder than when her mouth had been wrapped around it.

I clambered on top of her. I didn’t need to ask if she wanted me inside her; I could see it in the hunger and lust filling her eyes as she looked at me. That intense stare she gave me drove my wolf into even more of a frenzy as she bit her lip.

I pressed the tip of my cock against her slit. I held it there for one long moment, drawing out the seconds before I slammed into her. She cried out. I began pumping in and out of her, the thrusts going fast and rhythmic, that intense pressure building inside me continuing to grow. Her nails dug into my back as my thrusts grew more urgent and insistent. I could hear her breath growing more ragged, her groans going higher-pitched as she got closer to her own oblivion.

Since I had first met her, I had imagined what it would be like to have her underneath me, to claim her entirely. I had held back because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop. Now, none of that mattered. Only Kendra, her nails clawing my back and her writhing beneath me. Every groan and gasp sent me closer to the edge. I held on, wanting to savor her for as long as possible.

Between two thrusts, she screamed as her back arched, her fingers curling into fists as she moaned. Her muscles clenched around my cock, and her hips bucked and thrust in time with my own pumps. All of it combined turned out to be too much. That pressure and need that had been growing and swelling inside me continued to grow into a crescendo, and I couldn’t hold it back any further. I came inside her, filling her even as I continued to pump, savoring the release.

That need that had been growing inside me ever since I had first laid eyes on her ebbed, but not vanishing entirely. I slowed, both of us panting in unison as those final waves of our orgasms subsided.

I slid out of her but stayed where I was, propped up on my arms and staring down at her as she panted, her chest heaving as her eyes met mine. Stunned disbelief that probably mirrored my own looked up at me. Softly, almost hesitant to startle her, I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering as they brushed against the side of her face.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” she muttered. But I could sense her withdrawing back into herself, growing mute and introspective the way she had been when we first met, albeit not nearly as hostile. She glanced over at me, something close to hesitation in her gaze. “Are you?”

“I’m fine,” I echoed.

Hours later, I came down the steps to see Kendra sitting on the couch, drumming her fingers against her thigh as she bit the nails on her other hand. She saw me, gave a small but distant smile, then glanced at the door. I didn’t need to ask to know she was waiting for Chris and Nolan to come back.

As if by some unspoken understanding, we hadn’t spoken about our coupling. There had been a couple of glances, some lingering eye contact that made it blatantly obvious that we were both still thinking about it.

It was hard not to think about. The sex had been incredible. I could still feel her mouth around my cock, still remember the way she smelled when aroused.

Despite that, I worried I’d made a mistake. Not because Kendra wasn’t incredible or because the sex hadn’t been phenomenal, but adding sex into the equation immediately made everything more complicated. If it got in the way of the mission, then I had only myself to blame. And it drove me insane that I still wanted her. Once hadn’t been enough to sate me or my wolf. If anything, it had only intensified the urges I’d been trying to hold at arm’s length ever since I first saw her.

Kendra had seemed more closed off ever since. I hadn’t pushed it, deciding that maybe it was best just to leave it. At the very least, we both seemed to know it couldn’t happen again, not without risking the mission. Keeping each other at arm’s distance for the time being seemed like the best option, no matter what.

The instant we heard the front door open, her head shot up, swiveling toward the hallway. I didn’t have to see her face to imagine the hope and dread blending in her expression as she waited to see what news Chris and Nolan had.

They walked into the living room, decidedly without Morgan.

“Anything?” Kendra asked, clinging to that last shred of hope even as everyone in the room, herself included, already knew the answer.

“Yes and no,” Chris said. “No, in that your sister is still there. We didn’t even see her while we were there.”

“Yes, in that there’s definitely more than meets the eye,” Nolan said. “I don’t know why he’s so hellbent on keeping her, but he is.”

Kendra’s face crumpled, but she kept her eyes locked on both of them as they continued speaking.

“We told him we were looking for a slave and described Morgan as the ideal,” Nolan said.

“He told us he had one, but that she wasn’t for sale and to not bother even asking,” Chris finished.

Kendra took a step back, her features slack. “That… but…” She swallowed. “None of that makes sense. Why wouldn’t he want to sell her?”

“He seems very possessive of her,” Chris said gently, as if that would make it easier to hear.

“It at least proves my theory that him not selling her to me had nothing to do with you,” I said. “It means there’s something more. Some other reason why he won’t let her go.”

“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Nolan said. “He practically ran us out when we tried to prod a bit more.”

Kendra had gone pale. She started pacing again, running her fingers through her hair as she began to panic. My heart broke seeing the wild fear spreading across her face. I wanted nothing more than to soothe her.

I walked over to her. I reached out and took her wrists, trying to get her to stop pacing. “Kendra, Kendra. It’s going to be all right.” I tried to pull her against me to get her to calm down enough to think clearly. “If he’s that possessive of her, he isn’t going to hurt her.”

She pushed me away, anger burning in her eyes. “You don’t know that,” she snarled. Her teeth had lengthened to fangs. “You don’t know anything about this place. You think you know what Cain is like, but you don’t. The longer she’s there, the more danger she’s in. If she says one wrong word…” She trailed off, as if the words had lodged in her throat and refused to come out.

“We’re still going to get her,” I promised. “And we’re going to take down Cain.”

Her lips thinned into a tight line as she glared up at me, her jaw tightening. I could see the anger burning in her eyes and could practically sense what she wanted to say to me. That she didn’t care about taking down Cain right then, or about the mission, or anything like that. The only thing she cared about was getting her sister back. As of now, I have failed that job.

“Is that the only reason you’re helping?” she asked, her voice low and dangerous. “Here’s a question: say that freeing Morgan was an inconvenience to your mission, that going after her would jeopardize everything you’ve worked toward. Would you still help her?”

“I’d be helping her by taking Cain down,” I argued.

Kendra’s eyes narrowed to slits, and her fingers lengthened to claws. I knew I had said precisely the wrong thing.

“You’re avoiding the question,” she snapped.

“Kendra, I know you’re upset, but you need to trust—”

“Trust you?” she asked, interrupting me with a sharp laugh. “Trust the guy who married me after winning me in a fighting pit? I’ve done nothing but trust you for days now. And guess what? Morgan is still under Cain’s thumb, with no sign of her getting out. I’m still stuck here with a collar around my neck.” She made a sound of disgust. “I’m sick of all this talk. Either do something, or admit that you can’t.”

She turned and walked up the stairs in silence. A moment later, a door slammed shut with such force that the entire house rattled.

“That went well,” Nolan remarked.