She let her head fall forward and lifted her backside even higher.
Max gripped her ass in his palms and nestled his face in her pussy, drinking, sucking, moving with her as she pumped her hips wildly. She was going to come. He was going to make this incredible female fly over the edge of blissful madness.
No. We are.
No longer was it a voice in his head, but a snarl inside his chest. And ignoring it was impossible. They were hungry. They wanted to feed from her.
Holding on tight, he sucked her until her manic jerks ceased, until she froze and cursed and creamed and cried out into the room he’d never brought anyone to—his quiet prison.
Max knew bliss.
Her wet heat permeated his nostrils, marked him, and with each gentle flick to her clit he took her from the top of the mountain peak down to the soft, warmth of the valley.
She shivered and shook, and he released her and gave her ass a soft kiss.
He was just about to pull her into his arms, when she suddenly flipped onto her back, wrapped her arms around his torso and rolled them both over.
Max grunted with the movement, then groaned as he took in the sight before him.
Or above him.
Elyon sat on his thighs, her legs spread wide as she straddled him. She looked like a fierce, sexy predator, hungry for her prey. From her beautiful face to her sleek shoulders, to her breasts, her flat stomach, and the nearly shaved pussy that was wet and ready for him, he’d never desired anything more.
She was a goddess.
“Ely,” he murmured, needy as fuck.
She smiled and took his cock in her hand. “Your turn.”
***
As she sat poised above Max, Elyon still shook from her climax. Still breathed heavily. She’d never been touched that way before. So raw, untamed, so hungry. Like it would never be enough, yet would always be enough. There was no question in her mind now. This male was her match. She was convinced of it. How it happened she didn’t know. How he’d softened her heart so swiftly, when that muscle had been surrounded by iron walls for…forever, she wasn’t sure. But now, as she looked down on this fearsome male, with his black braid, his angel wing tattoo, his amber eyes rimmed by midnight black lashes, full mouth, and hard jaw, she felt a strange, feminine weakness.
Until he started stroking his cock, that is.
Control. Back.
She grinned. He was beautiful. In every way. Long, hard as metal, and leaking at the top—she felt her mouth water…or was that her sex? Her fingers tightened on him, trying to fully encircle him. But it was no use. He was too thick.
“Want,” she snarled.
“This?” he asked, placing his hand over hers.
Her eyes clung to the thick, pink organ that stood straight up, and their stacked hands. This time, he set the pace. Guiding her hand up and down, squeezing as they drew closer to the base.
His groan rent the air and in seconds, his hands were on her hips. He lifted her into the air and held. Breathless and smiling with delight, she stared down. Muscles, sweat, tight, hard. His strength was formidable, hot as hell. Precious few could match her, much less overpower her in bed like he no doubt could.
She looked forward to that day. Pinned down, maybe her wrists tied…
It was her turn to groan, and just as she did, he started to lower her. But it was slow…too slow. Her sex clenched in anticipation, and she growled at him.
He chuckled, the sound vibrating through her. “Patience, my beautiful cat.”
“Oh,” she whispered as the head of him entered her. “Oh, goddess, yes.”
It was like Christmas morning. A new present each glorious inch he gave her. And there were many presents in store. He was huge. And she deserved no less.
Mine.
Yeah, yeah, she told her cat. Wait your turn.
All thoughts died in her mind then as he not only set her down on his shaft, but grabbed her shoulders and pressed himself deeper still.
For long seconds, she couldn’t breathe.
It was fucking glorious.
Max’s eyes were near to black. No longer amber. His cat’s eyes. He released her shoulders and dragged his hands down her to her breasts. His lip lifting with his soft snarl, he palmed them both and started to massage them.
Ely arched her back and pushed herself closer to him. “We fit,” she uttered breathlessly.
“Like a glove,” he agreed, his fingers working her nipples.
A rush of heat thrashed her insides and she started to move, rotating her hips, slow circles to feel him everywhere.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said on a whimper.
“I can.”
Her eyes refocused on him.
He grinned wickedly up at her. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the kind of female who took what she wanted.”
“You think I wanted you, male?” She reached for him, one hand on his chest, which felt like skin over steel, and the other grabbing at his braid.
His eyes went wide and he growled at her, sending his hips up and thrusting his cock so deeply inside of her she gasped.
“Didn’t you?” he taunted. “Christ knows I wanted you. Desperately. Like air to a dying man.”
Ely could barely hear him now. With that thrust, he’d sent her into another world. She was herself there, yes, but she was her cat too, and everything was brighter and hotter and wetter.
Closing her eyes, she started to move, starting riding him. The build up inside of her was overwhelming and uncomfortably wonderful now, and she wanted the finish line she craved.
“Oh, fuck, Ely,” he groaned, grabbing her hips and matching her movement. “I wish you could see what I see. Straddling me like that, your sexy, wet pussy taking my cock deep, belly contracting with the need to come. Oh, Christ, yes, woman… Nipples hard, pulse pounding in your throat. And your face,” he groaned as she moved faster, pulled his braid harder. “So beautiful. You’re no angel of death. You’re my angel of life.”
And with those words, that wonderful, personal sentiment, Elyon hit the pinnacle. Crying out, she gave herself over to wave upon wave of delicious, almost painful ecstasy. She felt Max’s hands on her hips, guiding her thrusts as he neared the edge, and was so grateful. Her strength was waning, her mind was fuzzy, every inch of her skin was trembling with electric fire…
“Elyon,” Max snarled. “Look at me.”
Her mouth parted and she shook her head, groaning.
“Look at me now!” he demanded.
Her eyes shot open, just in time to watch him climax. As she was coming down, he was flying high. His face was hard and ferocious, and as he pounded into her, taking, claiming, she saw something. Just below the surface of his skin…in his eyes.
His cat.
Beautiful.
Majestic.
Mine, growled the mated and very possessive cat inside her.
CHAPTER 7
As he held the female—his female—in his arms, Max knew that life would never be the same.
It was that simple.
And that profound.
But even as he struggled to accept just how deeply he’d been altered since Elyon had strolled into the gym with her badass attitude and sexy grin, he realized that he knew precious little about her.
The thought bothered him.
Not because they didn’t have the rest of their lives to become better acquainted. Oh, he’d be making sure of that. Eventually he would discover her favorite color and if she liked coffee black or with sugar and cream. But he sensed that the barriers she used to keep others at a distance hadn’t been completely lowered, despite the raw intimacy of their sex.
There were pieces she continued to keep hidden from him.
Brushing his lips over her sweaty brow, he wrapped his arms even tighter around her naked body. “Tell me, Ely.”
He could practically feel her smile. “What?”
“About you.”
She turned he
r head so she could plant openmouthed kisses over his chest.
“Boring,” she said in husky tones. “I can think of better ways to spend our time.”
His body hardened, in instant agreement with her unspoken suggestion of how they could be spending their time.
But that would come. Later.
With a low growl he rolled to pin her beneath his large body, grabbing her wrists to pull her arms above her head.
“You might be able to deflect everyone else, but not me,” he warned, leaning down until they were nose to nose. “I’m stubborn enough to break through your walls.”
“I bet you are,” she whispered, canting her hips. “I think you should break through my walls right now.”
“Ely,” he warned.
She bared her teeth, hissing at him. “You’re being tiresome. There’s nothing to say.”
He swallowed the urge to laugh. She was such a cat. Instead, he growled right back at her.
Clearly, they were going to have a constant skirmish to see who was alpha. It was a battle he looked forward to with savage anticipation.
“You say you have no family,” he started. “What happened to your parents?”
Wariness darkened her eyes.
He tightened his grip on her wrists. “Come on, female. Give me something here.”
“They’re not in the picture,” she ground out.
He released an exasperated sigh. “That answer sucks.”
“Well, it’s the only one I have.”
“I doubt that.”
There was a long silence and he took the opportunity to move down a few inches and take one of her nipples into his mouth. After a sharp suckle, he whispered against the pointy tip, “You’re going to talk to me. This can’t work, we can’t work, unless you open up and let me see who you really—”
“Fine. My parents are dead, and I was kidnapped when I was five, okay?” The words came out in a breathy rush.
Max stilled. Well…shit. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting. He left her breast and lifted his eyes to meet hers again. Her suddenly pale face bothered him, and he stared at her with open sympathy. Granted, he hadn’t been kidnapped, but he understood the pain of being violently separated from his family. It’d left wounds that he wasn’t sure would ever fully heal.
“I’m sorry, about your parents,” he said. “Was it Benson Enterprises? Who took you?”
She gave a slow shake of her head. “No, it was a few local assholes who were hoping to blackmail my parents for my return.”
Her voice was completely stripped of emotion, he noticed. Which warned him that this was definitely a traumatic moment in her life. It was a pattern with her. The more she emotionally vulnerable she felt, the more aggressively she tried to pretend it meant nothing.
“It wasn’t until after they’d snatched me that they realized I wasn’t…normal.”
Although he’d been made a Pantera by blood infusions, Max had seen a few of the pure Pantera male children who had been brought to the lab. They’d been vicious fighters who’d been able to take out more than one guard. He’d always wondered what had happened to them. Maybe he’d find out.
“Did you bite them?” he asked.
Fierce satisfaction settled on her face. “Maybe once or twice.”
“Good.” He studied the shadows that lurked in the back of her eyes. Her memories haunted her, perhaps even more than his did. Maybe because she hadn’t dealt with them. “What happened after you were taken?”
She licked her lips and released an irritated breath, clearly wanting to tell him to go to hell. Deep-seated distrust flickered in her eyes. She didn’t open up, to anyone, he’d be willing to bet.
“They took me to the jungle and dumped me in the river. Are we done now?”
Max sucked in a sharp breath and released her arms. He took her face in his hands. It was impossible to imagine being just five years old and not only being ripped from your family but tossed in the middle of a jungle.
It didn’t matter if she was Pantera or not.
“Damn.” Sympathy twisted his gut into a tight knot. “You were just a baby.”
She shrugged. “It was fine. I may not have been able to release my cat, but she helped me to survive anyway—until I was taken in by a local village.”
He wasn’t fooled for a second by her nonchalant tone. How did he get in there? Her heart? “You must have been terrified.”
Her lashes swept downward, hiding her eyes. “Like I said, I survived.”
Anger blasted through him. Frustration too. She wouldn’t be broken. Those walls. Those damned walls she kept not only building, but fortifying. Hell, he’d shared his nightmare with her. If this was going to happen between them, she needed to be able to trust him, open up to him.
“Why can’t you just admit that you were frightened to be a child alone in the wilderness?” he pressed. He waited for her to meet his glare. When she didn’t, he leaned down to nip her lower lip in warning. “Elyon?”
She muttered a curse, then her lashes lifted to reveal eyes that glowed with annoyance.
“Yes, I was afraid,” she snapped. “Satisfied?”
Max ignored her burst of temper. He suspected that trying to earn her trust was going to be an ongoing battle. But he’d win. He was a stubborn beast.
“No,” he said bluntly. “I don’t like when you do that.”
She blinked, almost as if she didn’t even realize that she’d so effectively shut him out.
“Do what?”
He held her gaze, his fingers tightening around her wrists. “You’re not allowed to hide your emotions from me.”
She pressed her lips together, eying him with blatant suspicion. “Most males are happy not to have to deal with emotions.”
He bent his head, pressing his lips against hers in a fierce kiss. “I’m not most males.”
She melted against him. “True.”
He continued to kiss her. No battles of the tongue and teeth. Just slow, drugging passion to share as their flesh heated up once again.
“No more hiding,” he commanded, lifting his head to study her flushed face with a brooding gaze. “Deal?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll try.”
His lips twitched with humor. What a shocker. She’s stubborn too. “Who finally came for you? Who found you? A Pantera?”
She was caught off guard by the question. “Yes, Raphael found me.”
Without warning, Max was the one who was fighting back a surge of anger. A male’s name had crossed her lips. After he’d just tasted them. He didn’t like the way her features had softened and her scent deepened at the mention of— “Raphael?” he ground out.
One eyebrow drew up at his fierce tone. “He’s the leader of our species. Of the Pantera.”
“Is he your lover?” he snarled.
“No, of course not,” she breathed in shock. “He has a mate and a small daughter.”
“But you care about him,” he pressed.
“He’s a friend. A mentor.” She lifted her head to brush her lips along the line of his tense jaw. “A member of the sort of family I mentioned before.”
His eyes were pinned to hers, and he felt like his guts were twisting. And that thing under his chest, that vibrating thing was sending up shots of adrenaline and possessiveness.
“Hey, dude,” she said, smiling up at him wickedly. “Where’s that trust you want from me?”
On a soft growl, Max released her wrists, and spread her legs with his thigh. “Maybe we’d better talk about what we are, Ely.”
Her eyes instantly softened and sparkled. “Oh, yes. Let’s do that. Let’s talk.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know you are.”
He rose up and entered slowly, stretching her with each inch, before halting and holding himself there. “Who you belong to. Who I belong to.”
The warm heat of her, the way her muscles closed around him and squeezed, his mind threatened to explode. But he forced
the thing to remain clear. He wanted an answer from her, needed it.
She reached for him, for his braid, which had fallen over one shoulder. Slowly, almost lovingly, she pulled off the band and released his hair. The long black strands fell forward and made a curtain around them.
“Wow,” she breathed, wrapping her legs around his waist and holding on tight. “You are something else, Max.” Her eyes lifted to meet his. “And make no mistake, you belong to me. Have from the second I walked into this place.”
He growled at her.
“Now, show me,” she said with a smile. “Prove it. Mark me. Not on the outside of my body like some in our world. But inside.” Her eyes flashed with the heat of her cat. “Deep.”
Mind.
Blown.
Gone.
Hers.
And as the night outside grew darker still, he thrust into the female he was certain would rule his heart for eternity. Just as she’d commanded: deep, marking her well and good as he buried himself in every inch of her hot, creamy walls.
CHAPTER 8
Elyon pulled her shirt over her head, then grabbed her boots. She’d taken a quick shower to wake her sex-addled brain, though she’d wanted to keep his scent on her for as long as possible. Maybe when they returned to the Wildlands, she’d shove him up against a wall again. Or hell, on the plane ride home. Those bathrooms were just the right size for one standing, one on their knees.
She was desperate to taste him.
That long, thick—
Her phone vibrated on the low nightstand, cutting off her oh-so heavenly thoughts. After shoving her foot in her remaining boot, she reached for it.
Thanks, E. 2 fists to my very pretty face & a bullet that grazed my ass.
She rolled her eyes at Leo’s dramatics. Did you get them?
Who or what do you think I am?
Dangerous question, bro. Lab’s still not back w/the results.
Ha ha. Fuck u.