Page 33 of Stealing Mercury (Arena Dogs #1)

Chapter Seventeen

Samantha decided not to wait for sundown to get some sleep.

The three males sat near the fire talking strategy.

Lo had caught dinner sometime during the day.

They preferred fresh meat over ration bars—not surprising as their animal natures were so close to the skin.

Mercury had already informed her they’d hike away from the camp before sunrise.

She didn’t have their stamina, so she curled into the bedding on the pallet under the tarp.

She woke hours later to Mercury climbing into her den of blankets. The sun had set and the night was growing colder, but he’d hung a low camp-light on one of the posts. “Where are Carn and Lo?” They’d only made one pallet and they’d all been sharing the space and the warmth.

“Carn will keep watch tonight. Lo will join us later.” His voice was soft and serious. She wanted to see him smile again.

He’d moved closer but hadn’t yet touched her. His dark hair hung loose around his shoulders. A black so luminous it was almost silver had eclipsed the thundercloud gray of his eyes.

She let her gaze trace across his broad shoulders and down his sculpted chest and abdomen to find he was completely bare and aroused.

Just the thought of him buried inside her, as close as the two of them could be, created a wet heat that threatened to bathe her thighs.

She wanted him. That fast she was ready to take him into her body as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

But it had never been like that for her. Not with any man.

He held her gaze as he moved closer. “I want you, courra . Say yes.”

“Yes.” She knew what she wanted. He wanted her and she wanted him just as much.

He took her lips in an aggressive kiss and she met him stroke for stroke. Their tongues fought eagerly until they were both breathless. She bit at his lip to make him back off.

He moaned an encouraging sound, but slowly he eased back.

He panted, his whole body moving with the labored breaths.

When she pushed against his chest, he rolled to his back easily and pulled her over him.

Hands on her hips, he centered her over his erection, surging up into the damp material of her briefs.

His hands slid back, slipping under the material to squeeze her ass.

She nipped at his chin, pressed kisses to his jaw, rubbed her cheek against his.

They rocked together, building the anticipation until it grew too large to contain.

Samantha sat up, pulling at her under-tank, tossing it aside as she freed her breasts.

She palmed them, needing the contact on the sensitive tips.

Mercury groaned as if her hands were on his flesh instead of hers.

His eyes turned slumberous with arousal.

His hands pushed hers aside and molded against the soft mounds.

When his thumb scraped across the cinnamon-toned flesh, she moaned and he repeated the touch.

He watched her nipples harden with the fascination of an artist discovering a new mix of patterns on an artscreen.

She leaned forward, seeking a firmer sensation and the resulting pressure sent a spike of arousal swirling down through her body to settle into the swollen flesh between her legs.

She rocked her hips and it was suddenly Mercury groaning.

His hands slipped across her ribs as he reached for her briefs then he rolled her beneath him, working them down and off.

The moment she was free of the material, he came over her, settling between her thighs as if he’d always belonged there.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and circled his neck with her arms. He felt incredibly right pressed skin to skin with her.

For long, delicious moments he held her.

Nothing more. Just an embrace, tight and relentless, as if he understood her need for that feeling—that he would never let her go.

She needed it more than she needed orgasm.

But his body quivered with a more carnal need.

She pulled a hand down from his shoulder and slid it down his chest. She coasted over all those formidable muscles, the strength he’d never use against her.

Her finger dipped in the indention of his navel, seeking the jump and quiver of his response, but she didn’t stop.

Not until her hand found the hard silk and steel length of his cock.

She palmed the broad crown then wrapped her fingers around him and stroked.

When he jerked against her hand, she pulled up to the tip and thumbed across the slit, spreading the drop of fluid pearled there.

She swirled it around then moved just enough to let her moistened thumb work around the flared ridge.

Her thumb brushed a spot along the underside of his cock and his whole body shook.

She played her thumb there, glorying in the strain in his body as he fought to allow the intense touch for as long as possible.

His urgent moans made her pulse race as if they were two parts of one being, his pleasure feeding hers. And then he was tugging her hand away. He pulled her other arm from his neck and threaded his fingers with hers, holding them immobile near her head.

He adjusted his hips and his cock was suddenly there, right where she needed it. Another nudge and she gasped at the pressure as he breached her entrance. He stopped, giving her time to breathe, scattering kisses against her temple, her ear, her cheek.

She took a deep breath and urged him inside with the grasp of her thighs. This time, he edged forward, centimeter by centimeter, not stopping until he was as deep as he could go.

He fucked her slow, letting her feel every sensuous slide as he watched her with those intense eyes.

“You’re mine,” he whispered. “Mine to protect. Mine to provide for.”

She wanted the intimacy to last forever.

Or she thought she did until the urgency reclaimed them both.

His thrusts became quick, deep, hard. They bowed her back with pleasure, building until her orgasm crashed through her, carrying her away and taking him with her as her body rippled around him.

He threw his head back and howled as his release filled her.

***

Samantha came back to herself minutes later, renewed pleasure already coursing through her body.

She didn’t bother to open her eyes, unable to find any reason to resist the delicious lassitude.

Mercury’s hand played between her thighs, drawing lazy circles in her cream, touching everywhere but the now over-sensitive bud.

Warm lips nuzzled at her belly, trailing kisses up to the lower curve of one breast.

A warm tongue trailed back to her belly button, circling it in a slow wet lick.

She stretched, arching her back and spreading her thighs wider, seeking more of the decadent sensations.

Mercury responded, immediately giving her what she needed, stroking her clit with firm pressure.

Her hips bucked in response to the agony of a gratification so intense it perched precariously on the border between pleasure and pain.

She stroked her hand across the silken head at her belly.

Her eyes fluttered open as she gasped with pleasure.

Mercury’s silver eyes met hers... but he was above her—not beneath her fingers.

Confusion, followed by shock, sent ice water through her veins. She fisted her fingers in the silken hair beneath her palm and jerked the unexpected second lover away from her. Lo came up with a snarl. Even in the dim light, she could see the flecks of red fire dancing in those night black eyes.

“Breathe, Samantha.” Mercury spoke in soothing tones as his hand gripped her thigh, where she’d jerked her knees together. “All is as it should be.”

“No. No, I’m pretty sure this is wrong.” She released Lo with a shove and struggled to sit up. “What in the stars is going on?”

With a sigh, Mercury let her go. “It’s all right. Lo would never hurt you. I told you he would join us tonight.”

Samantha vaguely recalled Mercury saying he’d join them later.

She tried to think clearly. Whose hand had been between her legs?

Aw hell, as if that was all that mattered.

“Join us to sleep, not... this.” Her stomach sank as she remembered Owens’ words.

They shared their females. But their actions had told a different story.

Right up until she’d woken with both Mercury and Lo touching her.

Samantha wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them to her chest for modesty’s sake. When she glanced around for clothes, there were none in sight. Lo had backed to the edge of the sleeping pallet like a dark shadow.

She turned her attention to Mercury. “Can you hand me my clothes?” Her voice shook.

Mercury edged closer and she scooted away instinctively. Underneath her confusion, a deep sense of betrayal lurked, waiting to swallow her up when she got safely dressed and far away from him.

“Let me hold you, Samantha. You’re trembling. Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid. It’s shock and the cold. Why, Mercury? Why would you do this?”

“This is our way. You’re my mate and Lo is my only unmated pack brother. He must seal the bond.”

Samantha decided to leave aside his claim that she was his mate.

“I don’t get it. You share your women? Owens said that, but after being around you guys, I didn’t believe it.

” Her stomach clenched, but she knew it was more nerves than disgust. Shouldn’t she be disgusted?

No, she’d never been one to judge the practices of other cultures.

This time when Mercury edged closer, she held her ground. He pulled her into the shelter and warmth of his body and the heat of it eased her tremors.

He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “We have few women. When we take one as mate, our unmated pack brothers vow to protect her. Sharing pleasure seals the bond. This is our way.”

“It isn’t my way, Mercury. You should’ve talked to me about this. Among my people having sex with someone else is being unfaithful. It’s disloyal.”

He frowned. “Our lives are different in many ways, my Samantha. For Arena Dogs, every day could be our last. We fight in the arena, often to the death. We must ensure our mates are protected if we die.”

She wrapped her hand around his wrist, needing the physical connection between them. “You’re not in the arena anymore.”

“We still face danger. Let me keep you safe, Samantha. Lo is the only brother I have left to offer you. You know he won’t harm you.”

Offer her? Like a gift? The idea was crazy, but in a weird way she understood what he meant and how important it was to him. The sincerity was plain on his face. This was normal for him. He didn’t understand why she resisted.

“Lo is my pack brother,” he said. “I wish you to bond with him. It wouldn’t be disloyal if it’s what I want.”

“It’s not what she wants.” Lo’s voice startled her. Soft and mournful, it seeped out of the shadows. She’d never heard him like that. Lo was always angry, but not now. Her rejection hurt him.

“Lo, please understand this isn’t about you. It’s about me. The way I feel about Mercury.”

He shook his head, but he didn’t meet her eyes.

“Mercury wants us to bond. This is not about him. It doesn’t matter.

I pledge my protection for my pack brother’s mate.

” Finally, he lifted his head, but it was Mercury he looked at.

“I swear it. She set us free. I owe her my life. I won’t force the bond on her. ”

In a flash of movement, he was on his feet and stalking away from them. Pain radiated in every movement.

Samantha turned to Mercury to find him watching Lo with sad eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause him pain.”

“I know.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “He’d been without hope for so long. He cares for you. That’s why this hurts him. Please, Samantha, go to him and ease his torment. His pain is my pain. I’d find only joy if you could ease my brother’s misery as you have mine.”

She had no intention of having sex with Lo, but she could try to make him understand that she wasn’t rejecting him. She eased back and took a deep breath. “I’ll talk to him.”

Mercury stroked her cheek. “Thank you, my generous mate.”

“When I get back, we should talk about this whole mate thing,” she said. “First, I need something to wear.”