I’m going to burst into flames if he doesn’t get on with it. She and Bronx shared a shower, which gave new meaning to the word steamy, before tumbling into his enormous bed. He moved to the foot of the bed, grasped her ankles, and spread her legs wide. Staring at her exposed pussy, Bronx didn’t make any attempt to hide his appreciation.
“Fucking beautiful. I love looking at your pretty pink pussy lips. Seeing them flowering open as blood rushes into the tender tissues makes it easy to see why the ancients compared a woman’s sex to a rose.” He trailed the tips of his fingers through her wet labia, and Kenya felt another rush of her slick arousal pulse from her core. Her cheeks flushed with heat, and she knew her face was glowing bright enough to light the room—not that she’d know since she’d closed her eyes and groaned in embarrassment.
“Don’t hide from me, mate. I want to look into your eyes while I play with you. Don’t be embarrassed by your body’s reaction to me. Hell, your sweet cream is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m thrilled you respond so perfectly to my touch. Your body recognizes your mate even if your head is still trying to make sense of it all.”
Goddess in heaven, Kenya wanted him to take her. She knew patience was the name of the game in foreplay, but suddenly it seemed to her, the concept was vastly overrated.
“Are you going to wax poetic all night about my pussy or fuck me?” Holy shit! Had she really said that out loud? She watched his brows raise as surprise moved over his face. Hell, astonishment was a better description. Before she could apologize, he threw his head back and laughed.
“I don’t ever want to compare you to any other woman because you are unique in so many ways. You are my mate, the only woman I’ll be intimate with from this point forward, but I have to say, I don’t ever remember a woman making me laugh while we were in bed. Ordinarily, your outburst would earn you at least ten, Cheŕ, but we need to have a chat about safe words and limits first. Tonight is different. I want you as much as you seem to want to be taken. I assure you I’ll give you everything you need, but we’re going at my pace.”
Kenya felt the deep blush of embarrassment fading and hoped he realized how much she wanted him. She wondered what was most attractive—the way he spoke to her, his heavy-lidded look of desire, or his model good looks. Everything about the man was hot.
Leaning forward, Bronx used the rolled tip of his tongue to lick the wet folds of her sex and groaned. “Your taste ignites a fire in my soul, my lovely mate. I want to spend hours lapping up every sweet drop of your honey. I’d love nothing more than to spend days on end, sending you sailing into the blissful oblivion of sexual release, your mind so fractured by the pleasure, you’ll forget your own name.” Tracing the engorged petals of her pussy, Bronx placed his large hands atop her thighs, holding her in place when tried to arch off the bed in response to his touch.
“Stay still, or I’ll tie you to the bed.” Kenya’s body responded before her mind could process whether the words were a threat or promise. Why did the thought of being tied down, unable to do anything but endure every erotic pleasure he was willing to give her, make Kenya’s body feel like it was catching fire? The man was lethal, and by some twist of fate, he was hers.
“Yes, Cheŕ, I belong to you, just as you belong to me. Now, let’s see if I can still that busy mind of yours.”
There wasn’t time for her mind to question how he’d known what she’d been thinking before Bronx sent her spiraling into a vortex of pleasure where nothing existed outside the heat of her body’s response. Color burst all around her, and Kenya heard a woman scream. It took several seconds for her to become cognizant enough to notice he’d turned her over and was helping her to her hands and knees.
When the flaming heat of Bronx’s chest pressed against her back, Kenya’s arms threatened to fold out from under her. He slid his muscled arm around her, securing her smaller body against his much larger one. The sensation was as comforting as it was arousing. Goddess above, Kenya was turning into a damned poetic sap, and she couldn’t find the strength to care. All she cared about was getting him inside her. Instinct trumped reason, and Kenya felt her body ready itself for his possession.
“You’re testing me, mate. Stretching my control past any reasonable expectation.” His hand slid slowly over her flat stomach until the tips of his fingers skimmed her clit. “Perfect, your pretty little pearl has come out to play, baby. We’ll do slow and easy next time. I want you too much to do anything but fast and hard this round.” She felt the blazing tip of his cock teasing her entrance and tried to thrust back to force his possession, but he wasn’t having it. “No, Cheŕ. Stay still. You are so tight. Hell, I’m not even inside, and I can feel you closing around the tip of my cock. I don’t want to bruise or tear any of those tender tissues.”
“Please, I’m going to die if you don’t get inside.” She could hear the desperation in her voice, and it wasn’t surprising since that’s exactly what she felt. In a flash of insight, Kenya saw a paw, a huge black paw clawing at what appeared to be a thin shell. The animal was larger than any dog she’d ever seen if its wide foot was anything to go by. Every cell in her body felt electrified as her body thundered toward release, and the animal she finally recognized as a wolf became clearer in her mind’s eye.
“You are so much more than I deserve and miles above what I dared to hope for, Cheŕ.” He used one arm to hold himself over her, his hips pressing slowly, pushing the thick shaft of his cock forward. Slowly, that was the damned keyword. She was going insane, waiting for him to take her, claim her, set the animal inside him free.
Gasping at the sudden realization there was a wolf inside her as well turned her world upside down. She could see the lighter colored paws clawing to be set free but instinctively knew she wasn’t ready for that yet. How had she not known? Her body was trembling, bombarded by sensations so intense, Kenya wondered if she’d survive. Bronx’s warm breath wafted over her shoulder, and his chest was so tight against her back, she could feel his heartbeat pounding against her spine.
Bronx withdrew from her heat, leaving the rippling muscles lining her vagina clenching at the sudden emptiness she felt all the way to her soul. He’d withdrawn until only the head of his cock remained inside, and the anticipation of the first hard thrust was almost more than she could bear. She felt his tongue glide along the top of her shoulder, lapping at the tender spot where it sloped up—close enough to her neck, Kenya knew he could feel her pulse thundering just beneath the skin.
“Tell me you want to be mine, Kenya. Tell me to claim you, to set the wolf inside you free.” She should have known he’d have seen her animal just as she had. There would never be any secrets between them.
“Please. Yes. Yours.” Three words gasped in a voice fractured by a need so intense, it defied description, but it was enough.
His hips thrust forward with enough force, his balls bounced against her clit, and the combination launched her over the edge. Lights exploded behind her eyelids as she tumbled headfirst into a swirling tornado of color. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kenya felt a stinging bite a split second before her blood felt as if it was boiling in her veins, every nerve ending in her body vibrating. The residual power from the blast of electricity following his bite was disconcerting.
Her entire being felt as though it was being tossed end over end, floundering in a turbulent sea of sexual pleasure greater than anything she’d ever imagine possible. Blinking, Kenya was shocked to realize she was on her side. Bronx laid curled around her, his arm holding her against his chest. When he spoke, his voice was so loud in her ear, Kenya gasped. His fingers gently pulled her hearing aids from her ears.
“Sorry, Cheŕ, I forgot to warn you, you won’t need these anymore. You’ll find all of your senses are greatly enhanced now that we’ve mated and your inner wolf brought out of hiding. It will be a while before you are ready to shift, so don’t force it.”
Bronx was leveled. His muscles trembled from exertion and the sudden influx of his mate’s DNA coursing through his system. The physical changes wouldn’t be as great for him since he’d already been shifting for years. It shocked him to learn Kenya had an inner wolf. He knew when she’d seen his, then he’d seen the same vision of hers just a few seconds before his fangs punctured the tender skin at the junction of her neck and shoulder.
The fresh scent of her warm, moist skin had been too much to resist. Damn, he was glad she’d agreed to be his because he wasn’t sure he would have been able to resist. Now he understood how Austin lost control and claimed Charlotte before she’d agreed to belong to him. He’d thought he was prepared for the intensity of mating, but it was so much more than he’d anticipated.
The heat the two of them generated was like the flash fires his dealerships occasionally experienced in their mechanic shops when torches were used too close to flammable liquids. He’d have sworn his blood was nearing the boiling point before the sensation finally began to subside. Nothing had prepared him for what he’d experienced.
“I died, didn’t I? I did. I know I did, and you’re just afraid to tell me. It should probably worry me since no angels have shown up to escort me to the pearly gates. Do shifters go to heaven? Maybe I should be hiding under the bed just in case someone from the other team shows up. Damn, it’s going to really suck if I don’t get to enjoy not wearing hearing aids any longer than this.”
Bronx chuckled but didn’t have the energy to move so he could look at her.
“Lie still for a few minutes and let all those lovely little molecules roll around in the DNA mix we’ve created. I’m told it takes a few minutes to bounce back, but then we’ll have energy to spare.” His brothers all swore it was true, but Bronx was starting to think this might be another of the pranks they loved playing on each other. Hell, it had been like this since they were kids—several of them concocted a story and proceeded to gaslight one of their brothers or sisters. They’d learned early on, it was useless to try to fool Austin or Asia, but the rest of the group had been fair game—more than once.
“Your family sounds like fun. I can’t imagine what it had to be like having that many people who loved you.”
“Or that many kids in one house. Hell, most of the time, it was what our parents affectionately referred to as organized chaos.” He’d finally recovered enough to turn her, so he could look at the woman who’d turned his entire world on end. Using the pads of his fingers, Bronx brushed the wayward strands of her hair away from her face.
The glow of the bedside lamp cast a soft golden light over her bare skin, the dim rays painting a picture with shadows and light Bronx made certain he committed to memory. As an amateur photographer, he could hardly wait to take pictures of Kenya. He’d do his best to recreate the vision in front of him but knew there was no way it would ever be as perfect as this moment.
“Only if you promise no one will ever see the pictures. And just so you know, I’m not particularly photogenic.”
“I’m going to enjoy proving you wrong, Cheŕ. The camera tells the truth as the photographer sees it. People who don’t believe the camera treats them fairly haven’t found the right artist… one who uses his camera to paint the picture—that makes all the difference.” They were lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes, letting the silence settle around them like a soft blanket on a chilly winter night. He was grateful she didn’t feel the need to fill the stillness surrounding them.
“Silence? You must be kidding. I’m enjoying the symphony of sound. The wind is whispering names as it skims past the windows. Refusing to be excluded, there are baby birds in the nest outside the sliding glass doors, calling to their mother, impatient at being kept waiting for their dinner. So many small mouths to feed, she flies to and fro in a frantic race to silence their pleading before the next round begins in the morning. The waves at the lake are lapping at the shore, the beat increasing as the moon moves across the night sky. I can hardly wait to visit the ocean and listen to the tide roll in and out.”
Bronx was dumbfounded. It was damned humbling to realize how much he took for granted. She looked at him, eyes wide with wonder as she added, “I’m never going to forget this moment. I haven’t been able to hear the ticking of a clock or birds sing since I was very young.”
“It might be overwhelming for a while. I’ve spoken to people who got hearing aids and were unpleasantly surprised by how difficult it was to adapt to the noisy world around them.” More than one of his employees who’d taken advantage of the company’s willingness to help them purchase hearing aids reported the adjustment was much more difficult than they anticipated. He saw a tear break free from the corner of her eye to flow quickly over her temple, disappearing in the silky strands of her sex-tousled hair. Before he could ask, she shook her head, and the stark look of appreciation and reverence in her eyes surprised him.
“I’ll be able to hear children playing in the park. One of the worst parts of losing my hearing was not being able to hear their lighthearted laughter as they hung upside down from the monkey bars and slid down the slipper-slides. I used to love hearing the kids on the playground laugh as they finally mastered how to swing higher and higher until they felt like they could touch the sky.”
“I feel like an ungrateful fool, Cheŕ. I’ve been able to do all those things and not once thanked the Universe for the privilege.”
“It’s easy to forget how lucky we are. I didn’t have many creature comforts or the security of a large, loving family, but I should have been more grateful for what I had. I know my mom would have enjoyed her life more without the burden of a child, but she kept me with her, anyway. So many times, I have wished I’d taken time to say thank you.” She paused for a minute before sighing. “There were a few times when she’d been drinking and let down her guard. Those were the rare moments when she spoke about my father and how she hoped she could hide me forever. I’ve often wondered if she’d been worried about our safety or simply angry at him for leaving.”
Bronx felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end—a sure sign Kenya’s words held some sort of significance. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he knew something important was on the horizon. Following his gut had always served him well, and Bronx wouldn’t ignore what he considered a head’s up from the Universe. Nature was a force more powerful than anything mankind or magicals could match, and it liked to remind souls how important it was to listen to the whispered warnings.