Page 16 of The Healer and the Wolf, Part One

16

VANESSA

I couldn’t believe what I was doing—couldn’t believe what I had done. I wasn’t a virgin, but I wasn’t the most experienced, either. I’d had a total of three partners in my life—two in college and one after—but nothing for the past three years. In fact, my last rather-milquetoast breakup was part of why I’d dropped out of college and moved to the country. I was much happier here.

Did I regret it?

Not one bit.

That intense way Leo liked to look at me was exaggerated ten times over now, all heat and desire that made my head swim. I couldn’t quite compute that someone like him would look at someone like me that way, yet he did.

I was so turned on it was a miracle I hadn’t spontaneously combusted yet. Although I’d seen him naked before, this was completely different. That had been innocent and non-sexual. Me helping someone who desperately needed a kind hand to guide them. But this? This was about as far from innocent as it could get. The intense desire between us was so thick, I was surprised we weren’t choking on it. It felt like there was no world outside of us. Just Leo and me, experiencing each other in our totality.

And now he was carrying me to my bed like I weighed nothing, which was definitely not the case. From our gardening projects, I knew Leo was strong, but I wasn’t prepared for how effortless he made it seem.

It definitely got my blood flowing, and it was already going at a damn good pace. My heart was thundering so hard, he had to hear it, but I was in no position to calm it down. Every nerve-ending in my body was alight, full of wants and passion I hadn’t felt in years.

It was a welcome, heady rush. When he set me down on my bed, I became all that more acutely aware of his straining erection.

It was large. Not comically so, but certainly longer and thicker than any equipment I had dealt with before. Considering I’d only really had my vibrator and a pillow to play with for the past three years, I was nervous how I would… accommodate it.

All those worries vanished when Leo bent and kissed me. It was harder than our exchanges in the shower, full of a dominance he hadn’t quite shown before. But I eagerly followed his lead, letting his mouth move against mine as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

My mind was going one million miles a second, racing to catalogue every single sensation, every minute detail my brain could pick up. I knew not to put too much stock into what we were doing, that this wasn’t two people falling deeply in love and sharing their bodies in some sort of holy union.

But it was companionship. It was the two of us understanding an ache in each other, yet also celebrating the joy of living. We’d both been through so much. Although I would argue Leo much more than me. Was it so wrong to seek solace in each other’s touch?

I didn’t think so.

So, I kissed him back. I kissed him hard and with everything I had, my tongue sliding over his, until he pulled back. I couldn’t help but let out a whine at the break in contact, but he just shooshed me with a finger to my lips.

Naturally, I did the only thing a desperately turned-on woman could do in such a situation: I drew his finger into my mouth and swirled my tongue around it, alternating between sucking it and laving it with attention.

Leo shivered, and the rumble that escaped his chest made me outright dizzy. I loved how he was so deeply affected by me, even though it seemed truly impossible.

“The things you make me want to do,” he growled, kissing his way down my chin and my neck. Every kiss made my body ache in a way I hadn’t known possible. My clit throbbed desperately for attention, and liquid heat pooled between my legs. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so hard up. It seemed like an entirely different lifetime.

“Then, do them,” I whispered, proud of myself for being even remotely coherent when my brain was quickly getting lost to the haze of arousal taking over me.

The laugh that left his mouth was outright wicked, and it lit a fire in my belly that desperately needed to be quenched. Leo kissed his way down my body, his hands digging hard into my sides. I loved the sharp sting of it. It was grounding, giving me something to latch on to while the pleasure sent me spiraling higher and higher.

I truly felt drunk, but I hadn’t had alcohol since college, when I was so lost and detached from everything that I’d needed something to make existing a little less painful. This intoxication was so much better. It was pure, natural, and I wouldn’t have a wicked hangover or sore liver the next day. No, this promised only pleasure and the faintest hint of pain to make it that much sweeter.

“Please,” I begged as Leo took one of my nipples into his mouth, teasing the taut pebble with his tongue. I didn’t quite know what I was pleading for, but the words tumbled out of their own volition. Which was fine. My brain was much more occupied with other things.

Like the way he alternated between flicking his tongue around my nipple and sucking. I wanted to arch up against him, but his hands held me fast, forcing me to drink in every ounce of pleasure he gave me.

“You taste so fucking good,” Leo growled into my sensitive skin before switching to my other breast.

I wanted to grab his head and hold him tighter against me, so I gave in to the temptation and buried my hand in his thick hair. It wasn’t nearly as long as I’d thought it might be considering how long he was trapped as a wolf and how thick his beard had been, and I couldn’t help but wonder how everything about shifters worked.

However, all those questions flew from my head when his lips left my breast and he peppered kisses over my ribs, the swell of my stomach, down below my belly button.

My breath hitched as he parted my thighs, his grip unforgiving in the best way. I wanted him to make me take it. To be so overwhelmed by everything he was making me feel that only his hold could keep me tethered to the earth.

I glanced down, and all my breath left me when I saw him looking back at me, his pupils blown so wide with desire that his irises were almost black. Maybe it was just my imagination, but his lips were sitting a bit differently than before, as if pushed outward by his canines growing larger within his own mouth.

“I’m going to devour you.”

Holy fuck.

In all our time together, he’d never sounded wild and dangerous. It should have scared me, but it only made me burn hotter. Crave more.

I didn’t know where it came from, but a lick of defiance burned through me. “Do your worst,” I rasped, throat dry.

And by his worst, I most certainly meant his best.

“ Greedy ,” he hissed, lowering his face until I felt his hot breath ghosting over my pussy. “I love it. You’ll take everything I give you, won’t you?”

I wasn’t used to seeing this dominant, unreserved Leo, but, oh, did I love it. I wanted more of it, over and over again until I couldn’t think. Being so openly, relentlessly desired unlocked something within me—something primal I’d never experienced before—and I wanted so much more of it.

But then his mouth was on me, and all higher brain function ceased.

I was a slave to my own pleasure, caught up in a torrent of everything my body felt at once. Leo’s touch was firm but slow at first. Stoking the flames of desire rather than directly fueling them. It was as frustrating as it was wonderful, the baser part of my instincts urging me to slam my hips up into his mouth and seek out more.

More.

More.

But patience was a virtue, even if I suddenly thought virtues were very underrated. So, instead, my hand found his hair again, and I let his biting grip hold me in place while my wolf, my companion, rapidly learned so much about my body.

It was hard to keep track of everything he did. Leo was clearly an all-in kind of guy. There was nothing abashed about his worship, even if it was meticulous. He used his lips, his tongue, even his nose, making sure no part of me was neglected.

No part except my clit.

As much as I wanted him to touch it, to lavish it with attention like he did the rest of me, he wouldn’t. He was teasing me to a maddening point until I begged for him to finally give me release. I hadn’t anticipated how intense the wonderful, blissful, frustrating build-up would be. It was as if every part of both my brain and body were screaming for contact on that one sensitive little bundle of nerves.

God, I was so hard up. I knew it had been a long time, but I had a feeling it wasn’t just the dry spell that made everything so… much. It was all Leo. It had to be. I was naturally drawn to him in a way I’d tried to deny for so long, but there was no point when I was spread out and laid bare beneath him. I was sweating, panting, and already trembling from his attention, but I knew there was so much more in store.

I just had to last that long.

It was a challenge, because Leo was like a man starved, using every single tool he had at his disposal while holding me in place.

Fuck, fuck, fuck . It wasn’t the first time I’d ever gotten oral—I was no blushing virgin after all—but it was the first time I’d ever had such an enthusiastic partner . Leo was going at it like it was a genuine joy and not an obligation.

“God, Leo,” I gasped, still trying to lift my hips against his grasp. Not to fight it, but to feel his strength and how much he wanted me.

Was I in Heaven or the sweetest Hell? I didn’t know and I didn’t care, because I was unravelling more and more by the second.

“Leo, I’m close. I’m so fucking close.”

“Give it to me,” he growled against me, and holy shit, if that didn’t run like electricity through my every nerve. “Let me taste you, baby. Come all over my face and show me how much you like this.”

What the absolute fuck? I’d never really been much for dirty talk, but the way every syllable dripped from Leo’s mouth was like burning honey, coating my very soul in hedonistic desire.

If that weren’t enough, one of his hands did leave my hips only for it to slide between my legs, too. The next thing I knew, his mouth moved enough to allow two of his fingers to slide within me, and he curled them just so.

“Leo!” That was just about the last intelligible thing I said before random syllables and noises began to fall out of my mouth, my brain forgetting how to function entirely. Everything within me was winding tighter and tighter, rapidly rushing toward one hell of a crescendo.

Leo paused long enough to give me one last order. “That’s it, baby, give it to me. I know you’re close. Don’t hold back. Show me how pretty you come. I know you’re going to be so fucking gorgeous.”

And then he went right back to devouring me.

I couldn’t say how long I lasted. Maybe it was mere seconds, maybe it was several minutes. Time had no meaning as I rapidly hurtled toward. my orgasm.

Nothing could have prepared me for when it finally hit. I was no stranger to using my vibrator or reading a particularly spicy romance novel to occupy myself in the late hours of the night, but those orgasms were nothing compared to what Leo had brought out of my body. Heat, molten and impossible, bordering on painful, but so incredibly perfect as it flooded through me. And the pleasure . Oh, God, the pleasure. I wouldn’t have been surprised if my eyes rolled back in my head and decided to stay there permanently. It felt like my soul was leaving my body, and fuck, did it feel good.

How was I ever supposed to return to only my Hitachi and my imagination again? Because although I had quite the creative mind, it had nothing on the wolf shifter who watched with rapt attention as I unraveled.

“There you go. God, you’re so perfect. You’re even more beautiful when you come. That’s it. Give me all you’ve got.”

Then his mouth was right back on me, drinking in my orgasm, tasting everything my body could possibly give him. It was so hot, it was nearly enough to get me going again, but overstimulation quickly set in. It had been so long since I’d had any intimate interaction with another person that I definitely wasn’t prepared for Leo’s sexual prowess.

Not that I was complaining. Not by a long shot.

It was when I whimpered that he finally pulled back, grinning at me like a cat who very much had got the cream instead of a fearsome wolf. His lips and chin shone with my arousal, and I blushed thoroughly, the flush creeping down my cheeks to my chest.

Oh, God, I’d just come all over Leo’s face, and it wasn’t like we were together or dating or anything. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. My self-consciousness began to seep in. What did he think of my being so wanton?

Leo noticed right away and quickly crawled up the bed, cupping my face in his hands.

“Hey, none of that. I can feel you pulling away. I loved that, every moment of it. And if you don’t believe me, I’d be happy to do it all over again.”

I stared into those dark eyes of his, thoroughly enraptured by everything he was. He meant it. I saw no hint of a lie in his eyes. It was so strange to think he had gone from a shell of a man who couldn’t remember who or what he was to the charming and engaging shifter I’d come to know. Never in a million years had I thought the man I had to teach how to shower would be so self-assured and present.

Thinking about that definitely got me caught up in the emotion of it all, and the next thing I knew, I was closing the distance between us, my lips crashing against his as I poured all my emotions into the kiss. The taste of me on his lips sent a thrill through me, and my stomach dipped a little. I was tempted to take him up on his offer of going for round two, but then I felt his hard length pressing urgently against my soft stomach, practically throbbing against my skin.

I wanted him. I wanted him right now.

So, when we broke the kiss, I leaned back and gave him my best come-hither look, spreading my legs wider to accommodate his hips. A rumble came from his chest, and goosebumps rolled down the taut flesh of his arms.

“I’m ready for you.”

It was a simple sentence, yet it contained so much—a world-changing amount of meaning, but I meant it. As I looked up into Leo’s devastatingly handsome face, I knew what I wanted without even the slightest inkling of doubt.

And what I wanted was him.

Sure, we weren’t a couple, and there had been no discussion of how things would be afterward, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was the moment and everything we were willing to experience together.

“Fuck, baby,” Leo growled. It was more of a raw sound than actual speech. “Are you sure?”

“More than anything.”

He let out a snarl and repositioned himself, so his cock rested against my entrance. This time, I was certain I could truly feel a pulse from him, and it made me nearly dizzy with desire. I’d always had a high sex drive, but nothing killed it faster than boyfriends acting like having any sex beyond a quickie was such an inconvenient obligation.

But Leo didn’t act like any of it was an obligation at all. In fact, he seemed to celebrate every single second, every act, every touch.

“Look how wet you are for me,” he murmured, dragging the head of his cock back and forth across my clit. “So pretty and pink.”

Another flush spread across my body in a warm wave. Leo chuckled and stopped his teasing to watch the shift in color.

“How can you be so fucking sexy but so adorable at the same time?” he murmured.

I didn’t really have an answer for that, which was fine, because Leo dipped down to kiss me again. It was softer this time. Sweeter. Slow and lazy in a way I hadn’t expected, because just a second earlier, the tension had been so high, like it would snap the moment Leo slid into me, sending us into a new reality with entirely new rules.

Now, however? There was no rush, no precipice we were about to topple over. We were merely two people finding solace in each other after a storm.

That peace, that tranquility, however, could only last so long. Soon, the pressure began to build up between us. I began to whine and gently bit his lower lip, tugging slightly.

The rumble from Leo’s chest was gratifying. He pushed himself up again, lining up the head of his cock with my entrance. Precum beaded on the tip, shiny and waiting for me.

Thank God I’d been on birth control for years—I had pretty severe cramps and PMDD—because the idea of stopping now and asking for a condom was impossible. Besides, after several years of being entirely alone in my home, I didn’t have any, and I was certain Leo didn’t, either. Not unless the curse that trapped him as a wolf had some very weird magical pockets that came along with it.

“I’m ready,” I breathed, even though a very small part of me was a little hesitant. I hadn’t had sex in a long time, and Leo wasn’t small.

Not small at all.

“I know, baby. I know. Please let me savor this. You look so perfect all spread out beneath me.” Then he pushed forward ever so slightly. Not enough to fully sink inside of me, but enough to feel the first hint of the delicious stretch that was in store for me.

I couldn’t wait.

“That’s it, baby. Let me in. Let me feel you.”

His voice was like a drug, my vision going hazy as I sank further under his influence. I wanted to wrap myself up in it and never let go, drown in everything that was his.

Reaching up, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him down to me, wanting to feel his chest against mine. He was always so warm, and I craved that heat across my entire body.

The movement made him sink that much deeper into me, and I gasped, not sure if I wanted to surge toward or away from him. For a moment, I was stuck between that uncertain edge of pleasure and discomfort, lingering above the ardor I so desperately wanted to devour me.

“There you go. You’re almost halfway. You’re such a good girl, taking me so perfectly. You were made for this, weren’t you? So soft, so wet for me, needing to be filled.”

I could only whimper as I raised my legs and curled them around his waist. And just like every other movement, that made him slip in a bit farther.

Fuck, I wasn’t even halfway, and already he felt so deep. Not quite touching my stomach but definitely filling me in a way I’d never had. It was all-consuming, taking over every single function of my brain.

I wasn’t the most competitive person, but suddenly I was consumed with the desire to have him fully seated within me. To conquer his thick length and have him shaking with the pleasure I gave him.

Not thinking twice about my sudden conversion to a size queen, I tugged at him, trying to get him to hurry, that monstrous, wonderful desire building in me had no patience.

“Come on, I can take it. I know I can.”

“I know you can, baby, but there’s no need to rush. Just let me sink into you until you swallow me up.”

Fuck. How was what he was saying so hot to me? It wasn’t exactly groundbreaking stuff, and yet it made my brain go haywire. Every touch, every sensation was dialed up to eleven.

“There you go,” he said, looking down at me, then one of his hands were also between us, his fingers resting just above my swollen clit. I wanted more, so much more , but he was forcing me to be patient.

Oh, it was driving me mad in the best way. I wanted him fully sheathed inside me. I wanted his fingers swirling around that sensitive bundle of nerves. I wanted all of it.

Then I felt it—his hips flush against me. God, I was so full I could hardly breathe, and yet that mantra repeated over and over again in my mind. I still wanted more.

As if he could read my mind, Leo pulled out ever so slightly, then thrust forward again. Then again. Each time he pulled out a little farther until he was almost completely out of me.

“Yes, please, just like that,” I gasped, barely able to speak over everything that was rushing through me. “ Please! ”

“You can have anything you want, Vanessa.”

Oh, God, my name! I never could have imagined it would sound like that tumbling from his lips, but it was sex, revelation, and worship all at once. I’d never heard my name uttered like that, and I was sure I would never hear it the same way again.

“ Please, ” was all I could murmur.

Those heavenly fingers of his finally put pressure right where I wanted it. Slowly at first, barely even a ghost of a touch that worked in countermeasure to each of his thrusts, gradually building in pressure until I was utterly trapped between the ministrations of his hand and his cock moving in and out of me.

I clung to him, nails scoring down his back, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to revel in it, hissing with something between pleasure and pain.

It didn’t take long for us to succumb to the completely feral energy building between us; him beginning to piston his hips with abandon, me pushing up into his hand and his thrusts. I was so full of unfamiliar sensations, completely drunk on this new reality that Leo was showing me.

I had always been a girl who took quite a bit to warm up and rarely orgasmed with my partners without the help of a toy, but between the way Leo was looking at me, the way his growls seemed to reverberate off the walls, and the way his body fitted into mine, I could already feel my end approaching. And those fingers pressing down on my clit were only hurrying me along.

“That’s it, Ven. I can feel you clamping down on me. I want you to come right on my cock. Be as loud as you want. Let anyone and everyone know exactly how I make you feel. How much you love me filling you up.”

Nearly every word out of his mouth had a responding slam of his hips, and any other time I would have thought it was too rough, but right now, it was perfect. Everything I never knew I needed and more. My headboard slammed against the wall as Leo’s powerful thrusts pushed me up the bed. I didn’t care. It wasn’t like I had any close by neighbors to worry about.

The first telltale signs of quicksilver rhapsody spread throughout my middle, and my mouth dropped out, unintelligible but very enthusiastic keening tearing out of me. I was loud , but I refused to be ashamed about it. Why should I be? Leo’s reaction told me he loved it. I felt him throb and then stiffen inside of me before his hips stuttered and he cried out.

Oh, God, oh, God.

As he filled me, something primal within me relished the sheer heat of it, then it was like both of us were suspended in pure pleasure for an eternity, although mine carried on a bit longer than Leo’s. Once we were both back on Earth, we collapsed against the mattress, our breaths heaving out of us.

I should probably have said something, but what? It wasn’t like this was something I did often. Instead of letting myself fall into the depths of anxiety, I decided to live in the moment for once.

And damn, what a glorious moment it was.

When I looked at Leo, his eyes burned into mine. I could see he had just as much going on in his head, even if I couldn’t tell exactly what. I hoped he didn’t regret it because I certainly didn’t. No matter what happened, I didn’t think I would ever regret our spontaneous hookup. It was unplanned, but definitely not unwelcome.

“How are you feeling?” he asked once our heaving chests settled a little bit more.

“So fucking perfect,” I answered, and I entirely meant it. I was still floating on the afterglow.

Leo gave me a long look, and for a moment I thought he wasn’t going to say anything, but when he did speak, his look was so intense that I almost couldn’t keep his gaze. “Yeah, you are.”

Oh, my God.

I wasn’t the most verbose person, but I truly didn’t know what to say, so I kissed the tip of his nose and rolled onto my more comfortable side. I kind of expected that to be it, but then his strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me flush against his chest.

It was… lovely. He was like a radiator exuding heat that made me completely forget the cold rain outside. I slipped into slumber, sweetly embraced and enjoying the rush of blood coursing through my body.

A girl could really get used to this.