FavoriteObsession, page 21
“But his visions—”
“Are not complete.” Josh ran a hand through his hair and fought to contain the growl threatening to escape. Mira wore a frightened look on her face. He didn’t want to add to her stress. She needed reassurance, not him blowing up at her over something he knew was eating her up inside. “The visions are a warning. I get that but I’m not about to base my future off of them.”
She stood, her chin raised and stubbornness stamped on her features. “Well, I am. I refuse to take a chance with your life. I love,” she paused to take a deep breath, “I love knowing you’re still breathing. I’d rather you live apart from me than die by my hands.”
He clenched his jaw. He hadn’t missed her hesitation or the way her gaze dropped to his chin when she tacked on her qualifier. She was going to admit to loving him. The realization floored him. He opened his mouth to ask her if she did but snapped his teeth together before making that mistake. If she admitted her love, she’d use it as an excuse to save him from a fate he wasn’t convinced was real.
He walked toward the dresser and made a show of checking his messages. Her reflected image in the mirror showed her nibbling on her lower lip while she stared at the floor. He glanced away before she saw him watching her. “Fine. If that’s what you want to believe, I’m not going to fight you.”
She whipped her head to stare at him, the wet ends of her long hair slapping against her chest. Her lips parted ever so slightly and she inhaled—tasting the truth in his words as shifters often did. Eyes narrowed, she studied him. She wouldn’t scent a lie because he was telling the truth. He wouldn’t fight anymore. He’d prove her wrong. They were mates. He felt the certainty of it in his gut. Everything else would work out.
Her brows scrunched and full feline eyes mapped him. “That’s it? You’re just going to let it go.”
“Yep.” He bit his cheek to stop his grin and nodded. “I’m not a foolish man. I know when to pick my battles and when to retreat. I also know a stubborn woman when I see one. Nothing I say will change your mind, so I won’t bother.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “I see.”
He turned his head to hide the amusement on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her twist her fingers together. Good. Let her ponder his words. She was used to heavy-handed men. He wasn’t going to force the truth down her throat. Of course, he wouldn’t let her deny him either.
He picked up his ripped shirt and tossed it into the corner. The jeans were salvageable so he yanked them on, got down on his knees and looked around for his socks, found one. He tossed it aside with his shirt.
“Does Devin still have his clothes here?”
When she didn’t respond, he peered over his shoulder. She stood with her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. The way she gnawed on her bottom lip stirred up a wave of emotions. His first instinct was to go to her and offer her comfort. He forced himself to walk toward the door. He had a plan and pulling her into his arms wasn’t going to help him reach his goal. It’d only end up with them fucking each other’s brains out. Not a bad idea but not one that would benefit him either.
“Josh?”
He stopped but didn’t face her. If he did, his resolve would crumble. “Yeah?”
“I wish things could be different.”
He snorted and ambled out as if it didn’t fucking kill him to leave her behind. His shoulders brushed the sides of the tight hallway. It was no wonder Devin had slept on the couch when he’d stayed here. Damn easier than walking down this claustrophobic tunnel every night. He entered the living room, found the boxes Mira’s twin had used for a dresser and dug out a shirt and socks.
Josh returned to find Mira where he’d left her, tears glistening on her lashes. He fisted his hands. Endgame. Endgame. Endgame. He repeated the words. His resolve stronger, he sat on the end of the bed and ignored Mira’s bare thighs a foot from his face and her rich scent that literally called him closer.
“You’re not going to say anything?”
He finished tying his boots and glanced at her. She stood, foot tapping and a scowl on her face. The sight of her ire cut through his determination. In one swift move, he yanked her close and captured her mouth with his. She resisted for only a moment. On a groan, she opened to him and welcomed him inside.
He kissed her roughly. With sweeps of his tongue, he explored her, mapped every inch of her mouth. She returned his passion and the roughening of her tongue told him more than the hungry sounds she made. Both sides of her—the feminine and the primal—approved of him. He fucking loved knowing his touch broke her control.
He shoved a groan of approval down her throat and leaned closer. The move forced her to arch into him, but he didn’t steady her. He couldn’t or he’d shove her back onto the bed and drive his dick into her.
A whimper accompanied the slight sway of her body. She grabbed his shoulders and the bite of her nails in his skin did wonderful things to his libido. So did the press of her breasts to his chest. He’d neglected them in his desire to fuck her and drink her pleasure. Next time. Yeah, next time he’d show them the worship they deserved.
She trailed her talon-tipped fingers down his arms. The scrap of the sharp tips sent bolts of electricity down his spine. He held still and let her tease him. She covered his fists and attempted to unclench them. When she couldn’t urge him to uncurl his balled hand, she abandoned them and reached for the button on his jeans. He smiled against her lips, broke the kiss and stepped back. She stumbled. Her breath came in fast pants, gaze locked to the bulge in his pants.
Unable to resist, he ran his palms over her breasts, pressing against her erect nipples. Pleased with her shudder in response, he skimmed his hand down her belly. With his gaze locked to hers, he slipped his finger inside her panties and dipped the tip into her core. Her eyelashes fluttered closed. Grinning, he stroked her inner muscles until she moved against his hand, fucking herself on his single finger. He pulled his hand away, denying her the touch she needed.
He slowly licked her cream off his hand and enjoyed her dazed expression as she watched him. “Go welcome Micah but don’t get too friendly with him. I’ll have to hurt him if you do.”
She cleared her throat and raised her gaze to meet his eyes. “Don’t make idle threats, Josh. Micah won’t abide by the no claw or teeth rule the other males enforce when you fight them. If you take him on, it’ll be to the death.”
He pulled her close. Her scent wafted around him, filling him up. Lust rode him hard but he shook it off and focused on soothing Mira’s fear. He brushed his lips from her temple, down the column of her neck to the bite mark on her shoulder. With his flattened tongue, he licked once.
“Josh,” she moaned.
Yeah, he was right. Making love to Mira meant more than just them coming together for shared pleasure. Lips touching the old wound he was certain belonged to him now, he murmured, “You’re my woman, Mira. I’ll protect you the same as any of your shifter males would.”
“I’m not yours.”
Her statement claimed one thing but her breathless denial lacked conviction. He grinned. “Aren’t you?”
She shook her head, the strands of her hair sticking to his stubble.
Not giving her the chance to deny him a third time, he clamped his mouth over the mark so his breath warmed her skin. She shivered and clutched him tighter. Perfect. He nibbled on her flesh, biting to the point where the vulnerable flesh filled his mouth. Her answering groan encouraged him and instincts guided him. Fitting his canines to the entry points, he waited and enjoyed her quickening pants.
“Please, Josh, please.”
That was what he needed to hear. He sucked on the bite and she tensed in his arms, his name exclaimed on a husky cry as she came. He ground his teeth harder into her shoulder and took her higher. Her body trembled. Swirls of his tongue brought her down. She went limp in his embrace, hands sliding off his ass.
He lifted her with an arm under her bottom and pressed a kiss to her slackened mouth, working his tongue between her lips to stroke hers. He kept kissing her, licking the recesses of her mouth until she groaned and moved sluggishly with him.
A breathy sigh escaped and she sifted her hands into his hair, taking control of the kiss. He allowed her to lead him, enjoying the sting of her fangs as they nicked his lips, his tongue, his cheeks. She lifted her legs, hooking them around his waist, and rubbed against his trapped cock. Over and over, she stroked until he gave in and matched her movements, thrusting against her in a mimic of sex.
“Need you,” she murmured between kisses.
And damn, how could he ignore that? Driven to please her, he strode forward until her back met a hard surface. A rough jerk ripped the crotch of her panties. He slid two fingers into her wet center, her cream warm and welcoming. Short, quick thrusts took her up again. Muscles quivered and she writhed around his digits, her mouth frantic on his. She tensed and he felt the subtle change in the tightness of her sheath. She was going to come.
Not without him, she wasn’t.
He pulled his fingers out, jerked his zipper down to free his cock and rammed it into her core. Her sheath parted for his invasion and clamped down before he had the chance to move. She screamed her pleasure into his mouth. Hearing the rough sound satisfied him as much as the massage her inner muscles gave his dick.
God, the woman undid him. He groaned and captured her lower lip with his teeth, tugging on the flesh, knowing the small bite of pain would intensify her pleasure. She shuddered. He bit harder and the taste of sweet shifter blood coated his tongue. The flavor fed some inner part of him that liked the primal aspect of it and wanted more. He sucked on the tiny wound, needing the rich ambrosia to sate the hunger. She cried out. Another rippling wave danced over his cock. Silken muscles squeezed and released in rhythmic undulations that threatened to take him over to edge with her.
He released her abused lip and buried his face against her neck. Her fresh, spring rain scent was stronger along the delicate column. He parted his mouth to drag in a lungful. It grounded him and he rode out her seemingly endless orgasm. Finally, the tight clenching eased. He moved slowly, dragging his length through her sensitized muscles to savor this moment. It’d have to last him until tomorrow. She shuddered. On the next controlled stroke, she whimpered. Perfect. He lazily licked her neck while he made love to her and each breathy sigh encouraged him to move a little slower just to hear more of her cries.
He pulled back, ready to tease more of hungered groans out of her, but she didn’t give him the chance. She shifted and impaled herself on his shaft.
“Fuck.” He massaged her ass as she moved over him, rolling her hips, screwing herself on his rod. Moans fell from her lips. He held still and let her pleasure herself. “God, yeah. Take what you need from me, my Mira.”
The grind of her hips against his quickened as she did exactly that. Her arousal bathed his dick, made each driving roll better. Her heat welcomed him and the quivering of her muscles urged him to spill his seed.
He groaned and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her locked to him. With his balls drawn up and sparks settling in his lower spine, he was damn close to do exactly that.
“Fuck me, Josh. Please, more. Give me more.”
If she wanted more, he’d give it to her. A shift of his hips and he pulled his stiff rod out. Her muscles squeezed in an attempt to hold him in and more fire raced to his balls. Not yet, not yet. He let the head slip free then slammed back in, the hard thrust shaking the door at her back. In and out, he moved, parting muscles that still quivered from the last orgasm.
His release barreled down on him, but the compulsion to please Mira stopped him from finding that peak. He needed her to come, massage his cock and milk his seed free.
He broke the kiss and shifted his attention to her mate bit—his mark now. Beautiful. The four seared points told the world she was taken. Pride rose knowing only he had awakened the wound and made it into the wonderful claim it had always been meant to be.
He covered the spot with his mouth, teeth lining up without trying, and bit. Mira came, her muscles locking around his shaft. He followed her and filled her up. The possessive edge that had consumed him eased as their joint orgasms rolled through them. She went limp in his arms and he held her unconscious body close.
“Mira, my Mira.” He kissed her cheek, her eyelids, her parted lips and finally separated their bodies. An arm under her thighs, he lifted and cradled her to his heaving chest.
He carried her to the bed and retreated to the bathroom to clean up. With a washcloth and a small basin of warm water in hand, he returned to her. He set the bowl on the nightstand and dipped the cloth. He wrung it and dabbed the cotton over her glistening mound.
“Josh,” she mumbled.
Her sleepy, drowsy voice brought a smile to his lips. He continued tending her, wiping the evidence of their passion away. She bent her knees and opened her thighs to give him better access. He folded the cloth, wiped once more then pressed a kiss to her nether lips. He felt her gaze on him, but he didn’t meet her eyes. The emotion he felt had to be stamped on his face. Instead, he dropped the cloth in the basin and carried everything back to the bathroom.
He grabbed a fresh pair of panties from a drawer full of blue undies, dark-blue…the color of his eyes. A grin on his face, he returned to the bed. He slid the tiny swatch of silk up her legs and covered her sex. Once his temptation was hidden, he met her probing gaze. “Fulfill your obligation tonight, but tomorrow you’re mine. I’m picking you up first thing in the morning. Be ready.”
“I didn’t agree to go out with you.”
He gave her a quick kiss and strode to the door but glanced over his shoulder when he reached it. “Will you turn me away when I come to you?”
She dropped her gaze and her silence answered him. He grinned and walked out before he found his way back inside her body. He didn’t want to explain to Rafe and Jazz why he was late picking up his nieces.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mira took several deep breaths, her hand on the doorknob of Kade’s new home. She was no longer a cub. Her cats were vicious predators, feared and respected not only by her pride but by many alphas in the shifter community. She was desired and wanted. Edmund had no hold over her nor did his great-great-nephew.
The mental pep talk steadied her and so did the invisible tether she felt to Josh, something she should not be able to experience with a human. Yet she did and that both pleased and worried her. She pushed the concern away. Thinking of Josh and what they’d shared today would stir her passions and anxiety. Neither were emotions she could afford to feel, not in the presence of an enemy.
She shoved open the door, unable to delay the inevitable.
Kade and Rafe stood like twin pillars of strength just inside the entryway. They’d been her lovers years ago. No longer, but their friendship remained strong. They’d protected and loved her when she’d been at her lowest. She nodded slightly, in acknowledgement of their support and in thanks.
A familiar brush against her mind, a tap that asked entry not demanded, wrapped around her. She opened the mental pathway royals shared and drew Kade’s mind to hers.
What have you done?
The accusatory tone was sharp, however his expression remained neutral.
She tensed. Nothing. Why do you ask?
Kade’s lip lifted, revealing a descended fang. Bullshit, Mira. You reek of Josh.
She lifted her chin, hoping to convey her innocence and annoyance over being accused of something ridiculous. Image was everything. She’d learned that early on.
And? He came to see me. I’m allowed to spend time with my suitors. You did approve him as such and I refused to turn him away.
Spent time with him how?
She forced herself to meet Kade’s eyes. She wanted to give him the same response he’d given her—it was none of his business. Instead she settled for a half-truth. We talked.
His intense gaze swept over her. You lie but I’m not about to argue with you. We have other concerns. I need you to be mindful of how you act and what you say. My cats are extremely agitated by Micah. He means us harm and I fear he’ll strike through you. I’d put a bodyguard on you but I know you too well. You’d only sneak away so you can be with your human. He narrowed his eyes, accusing her. She couldn’t deny his assumption. He sighed and the tense moment passed. But I want you to be careful, Mira. Please, stay alert and don’t take unnecessary chances.
I will be and I can take care of myself but I wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t allowed him here in the first place. She was being unreasonable but couldn’t help it. The idea of actually seeing Micah left her agitated.
He closed his eyes and released a long, weary breath. Do not remind me. I had no choice in the matter. Tomorrow night you will go to the Black Widow for your date with him where I can have shifters in the background.
That was the plan anyway, she reminded him.
You must pick a mate by the end of the week. I want Micah off of my lands. Kade fixed her with a hard glare. A shifter mate, Mira. Don’t even consider marrying Josh. The Council won’t stand for it even if they approve of it. Remember, accidents happen and once he’s gone you’ll be back where you started. I refuse to lose you or Josh because of your stubbornness.
She ground her teeth. But—
Nothing has changed. The threat to your human is still very real.
She met Kade’s eyes and nodded once. She understood the danger. She just didn’t know what she was supposed to do about it. Making love with Josh had changed everything.
He motioned her to follow Rafe. Kade stepped behind so she was protected. They were making a point to the shifter who thought to mate her—she was important to their pride. It made her heart swell. She’d lived a lonely life yet she’d never been alone. Only now had she realized that.
Mira glanced around as they walked. Much progress had been made to the Alexander’s new home in the short time since she’d been here. While the walls were unpainted, exquisite gray tile with lines of white covered the floor and a wide oak staircase led to the upper floor.
