Abandoned and Unseen

  “We’ll stay here for the night,” he whispered and ran his hands down her back. She shivered in his hold, and he had to rein in his cat before he took her to the garage floor and tasted every inch of her. Her mating heat had ramped up his own need, so now they were both fucked unless he helped them take care of it.

  “And the boys?” She had her eyes closed, her head resting on his shoulder as she rocked back and forth. She had to be in so much pain, but she was trying to hold back. As always, her sons came first. Not that he blamed her for that, not even a little.

  “We’ll head up to Denver in the morning. Neither of us is in any condition to go anywhere now. We can stay here. I’ll take care of you.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, though he could see the mad heat in her gaze. “I don’t like people taking care of me.”

  “Well, tonight you’ll just have to let me. Because we both know you won’t be able to do anything tomorrow if I don’t take care of you tonight.”

  She rolled her eyes then groaned. “That is the worst line ever.”

  “It’s not a line, it’s a promise. It’s the cards we’ve been dealt. So let me love you, and stop thinking you have to do everything on your own.”

  Her hands went to his back, her claws digging into his shoulders. “The first time you kissed me it was to shut me up. And now, the first time we’re going to have sex is because I’m in my mating heat. I don’t have to take that.”

  “Then don’t. Just take me.”

  He lifted her up and cupped her ass. She wrapped her legs around his waist, the heat of her pressing against his belly. He let out a small growl and turned toward the garage door that led into the house. The musty smell of a long forgotten home invaded his senses as he walked them inside, but he pushed that away, knowing he was about to do something that he might regret, but knew they both needed desperately.

  He licked his way up her neck, nibbling just enough to bring them both closer to the edge.

  “Cole,” she breathed.

  He bit down just a bit harder, not enough to break through the skin and mark her as his, but close enough that he had to pull back and get a grip on himself. This wasn’t a true mating. His cat might want her, but he knew they were both riding high on adrenaline and need. He wasn’t even sure what his cat wanted with Anya in the first place. It wasn’t as if their kind had soul mates that created bonds with magic and all that shit. They were just flesh and blood creatures. Once his cat and he agreed on their need and love for a woman, and she wanted the same, then he’d have his mate. It wasn’t fate, wasn’t an explosion of senses that told him this one person would be his forever. It might be true that not everyone found someone their shifter half wanted in the same way—and it was even more rare now that they were trapped within compound walls—but that didn’t mean it was a bond like so many thought.

  He didn’t know why he was even thinking about things like that right then. He had a willing and sexy woman in his arms, wrapped around his waist. He didn’t need anything else. They’d deal with the consequences of their actions later.

  Shit.

  Consequences.

  He stepped into the bedroom and set her on the floor. She nuzzled his chest, and he let out a low growl. Someone had left the sheets on the bed, and he didn’t see that much dirt and dust left over. Thankfully.

  The people who left this house hadn’t abandoned it twenty-five years ago like some. No, considering the dust—or lack thereof—it seemed as if someone had lived here within the last year or so. Not everyone jumped ship as soon as the virus hit. Some had tried to make it—though he hadn’t been around to see it. Instead, he’d been inside the Feline compound with the rest of his people.

  But back to the consequences. He muttered a curse and cupped her face. His chest heaved as he fought for breath. Damn it. His cock was so damn hard; he figured he’d only last about two seconds the first time he was in her wet heat.

  “Anya. I don’t have any condoms.” Any protection he might find inside this place would be expired by now.

  She moved back, her eyes wide. “Shit,” she whispered. A sheen of sweat glossed her brow, and he knew she had to be in pain. Shifters weren’t allowed to take birth control since the government regulated it. “I…I can try to take care of it myself.” She ran her hand down her belly and slid her fingers behind the waistband of her jeans.

  They both sucked in a breath when she found her clit. He might not be able to see what she was doing behind her zipper, but he could scent it.

  He put his palm over her hand, the denim between them. He met her gaze as he pushed slightly with his fingers, angling her hand so it hit her just right.

  “Is you getting yourself off going to be enough?” His voice was deep. Rough. “I can still touch you, lick you up and eat you out. But if we fuck right here, I could get you pregnant. It’s your mating heat, after all.” Shifters were more fertile during this time; it was why they had the damn thing in the first place.

  She closed her eyes, rocking herself into her hand. It was the sexiest damn thing he’d ever seen in his life. Her cheeks were flushed, her body toned yet soft in the best places. She was damn tall, but she was a bear, so that was natural. He loved that he didn’t have to bend down to kiss her. It would make things interesting in bed.

  Her teeth bit into her lip as she moved her hand faster and faster. He pressed into her, helping her as much as he could. He curled his fingers and her mouth parted.

  “Close?”

  She shook her head. “No. Maybe? God, it’s not enough.” She met his gaze, a look of pleading once again there. “I…maybe if I take a cold shower or something.”

  He leaned forward and took her lower lip between his teeth. She froze, her hand no longer trying to get herself off. He squeezed her once, just a tease. She licked her lips.

  “I wanted you before this, Anya.” Her eyes widened. “I wanted you bent over that rock beside my favorite tree. I wanted to sink my cock into your cunt and fuck you hard until we were both left panting and sated. I wanted you to ride my face as I licked up your sweet pussy, savoring every taste. I wanted that, but I ignored it. So what happens now? That’s not on just the mating heat. I wanted you before. And I want you now.”

  “I…I wanted you, too. But I didn’t want to.” It looked as if the admission were ripped from her lips, but he understood. Interspecies couplings hadn’t been unheard of all those years ago, but when everyone was separated, the art of seduction between the species was lost.

  “Then let me make love to you, Anya. If you get pregnant, we’ll deal with it together.” He couldn’t believe what he was saying. Maybe the mating heat had fried a few of his brain cells.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “You need this, I need it. We’ll take the consequences as they come. Right now it’s just you and me. It’s who we are. We aren’t human, baby. Our animals need this. We need this. So listen to what your bear is telling you and ride out the heat with me. And in the morning, we’ll save your sons and gut that bastard for daring to touch them. When we get home, then we’ll deal with what happened here. But for now, just live here in the moment with me. Be here with me.”

  She studied his face for a moment then slid her hand out from between her thighs. He tilted his head, waiting to see what she would do. When she placed her wet fingers against his lips, he groaned. His tongue flicked out to taste her juices. So damn sweet. He gripped her wrist and brought her hand closer, licking every single fucking drop as he kept his gaze on hers. It was the most erotic thing he’d ever done, and never in his wildest dreams would he have thought he’d be doing this here with her.

  When he was through, he took his hand and threaded his fingers into her hair, bringing her closer. He crushed his mouth to hers, their tongues tangling as he deepened the kiss. As their mouths fused together, he cupped one breast, pinching her nipple before sliding his hand down her belly and behind her jeans. She’d soaked her panties, and his fingers were coated at just o
ne brush.

  He pulled away slightly so he could watch her face as he pushed her panties to the side and speared her with three fingers. She threw her head back into his other hand, a shout escaping her lips as she clenched around his fingers.

  “You’re fucking tight, baby, but damn, you’re so wet. Think you can come on my fingers? Just a little to take off the edge. Then I’ll lick you up and make you come again.”

  Her cunt spasmed, squeezing his fingers again. “You like when I talk dirty?” He brushed his thumb along her clit, and she shivered.

  “I knew you’d be crude,” she bit out, her eyes dancing. “But I’m not some pretty little virgin, Cole. So after you get me off, I’m stripping your jeans off and sucking that fat cock of yours. And I know it’s fat because I’ve felt it against my thigh, my belly. I’ve seen you before you shifted. I know you’re going to stretch me and fill me so full that I’m going to scream. And because you’re a shifter, I’m going to make you come down my throat, and then fuck me hard immediately after because you can recover just that quickly.”

  His dick pressed hard into his zipper and he was sure he’d have a scar along the length. “Holy fuck. I love your mouth.”

  She licked her lips. “You’re going to love it more wrapped around your cock.”

  He tossed back his head and laughed before pressing her clit. “I love the way you think.” He pumped his fingers in and out of her pussy while his other hand held firmly to the back of her head, keeping her gaze on his. “Come for me, Anya. Take the edge off. Do it.”

  She arched into him, her pupils widening as she came on his hand, her cunt squeezing his fingers so hard, he almost came thinking about how it would feel around his cock.

  He pulled his hand out of her pants, licked each finger, savoring her taste, then kissed her one more time. “Feel good, Anya?”

  “More…” she whispered. “I need more.” With that, she went to her knees and had his pants undone and his dick in her hand before he could formulate a response.

  “Anya, you don’t have to…oh my God, your mouth is so fucking hot.” She wrapped her lips around the tip and sucked, flicking her tongue along the crease. He wrapped his hand in her hair and used his other hand to trace her chin. “Baby, this is about you. Why don’t you get on the bed and let me take care of you.”

  She hummed along his cock, taking him deeper. When his tip reached the back of her throat and she swallowed, his eyes crossed. His knees shook, and she deep throated him before letting him go so she could lick the underside of his dick and cup his balls. He honestly never thought this would be happening, but he wasn’t about to let go of the moment. He leaned over her and gripped the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up.

  “Let go for a moment, baby.” She held up her hands, and he slid her shirt off. As soon as she was free, her hands were back on his dick, rubbing him down to the point he had to do multiplication tables in his head so he wouldn’t come on her face right then. He’d rather be inside her when he came.

  “One more time.” She pulled away, her eyebrows raised as he quickly undid her bra. Right as he leaned forward to cup her breasts, she had her mouth on his cock again. He swallowed hard, doing his best to make this about her, but damn it was hard when she had her sweet mouth on his dick, working him like she knew exactly how he liked it. This woman knew what she wanted, what he wanted, and took as much as she gave. He fucking loved that. As soon as she let him, he’d show her he could do the same.

  Funny, he’d never been this…connected…to another person during sex before. But he wouldn’t think about that, not right then. And maybe not ever if things turned out poorly for the both of them. He pushed those thoughts out of his head and rolled her nipples between his fingers. He loved the look of her breasts, bigger than a handful but perfect for him. He’d only gotten a glimpse of them before when they’d shifted, but now, when she pulled back from sucking on his dick, he could see her nipples were dark and hard. They were a little larger than some women’s nipples, but he figured that might have to do with the fact that she’d nursed two boys. He didn’t care, because damn it, she looked fucking perfect.

  She dug her nails into his thighs and swallowed him down her throat again, this time growling. The vibrations went straight to the base of his cock and he cursed. His spine buzzed and he pulled away from her breasts. He wrapped one hand in her hair.

  “I’m going to come. Shit. Pull back, baby.”

  She growled again, sucking him down deeper. When he came, his knees shook and he closed his eyes, the pressure so fucking hard he could barely breathe. He looked down halfway through, prying open his eyes, and wanted to come again at the sight of Anya on her knees in front of him, topless and so fucking strong. She met his gaze and bobbed her head, swallowing each and every drop from his cock.

  “That was…that was the best fucking blow job of my life.”

  Anya pulled away, a satisfied grin on her face as she wiped the edges of her mouth where he’d almost spilled over. “Good. Though next time, I want to try to swallow all of you. I couldn’t get all of you in my mouth.”

  His cat did a little prideful strut, its chest puffed out.

  Her eyes widened and she gripped his thighs again.

  He inhaled, the sweet scent of her arousal growing stronger. “Okay, honey, don’t worry. We’ll take care of you. Let’s get your pants off and I’ll help you. You want my mouth or my dick? You tell me. Anything you want.”

  “I want you in me,” she said as she stood. He picked her up before she could protest. He kicked off his shoes and jeans then set her on the bed.

  “Hips up, baby. Let’s get you out of these pants. Then I’ll fill you up and make us both feel good. I’ll eat you out after.”

  She snorted. “Promises, promises.”

  He quickly stripped her bare then shucked off his clothes. He palmed his cock, still hard but wet from her mouth. “I’ll make good on my promises, Anya. You can count on that.”

  Her skin was flushed, her curves flaring out in all the right places. She had scars on her body from fights, and stretch marks from the twins. Yet she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Those marks only showed him the depth of her true beauty.

  When he told her that, she tilted her head, her gaze curious. “Really? You don’t need to use lines, Cole. I know what this is. It’s a mating heat.”

  He shook his head as he climbed on top of her. He brushed his lips along hers as he positioned himself at her entrance. “Really, Anya. I’m not using lines. I’m telling you what I’m thinking—what I’ve thought since I first saw you when you moved into the compound. This, right here, might be fast-tracked because of the mating heat, but we would have been here eventually. You. Me. And my dick inside you. Because you know we both want this more than you’re saying. So be in the now, be with me. And later we’ll talk more about what this means.”

  He wasn’t the kind of cat to say these things. He was the lazy one, according to her. He liked to fight, work for his Pack, then come home and relax with a beer or lounge in his tree. If he had a woman in his bed, then he’d be great. If he didn’t, then he’d do something else to pass the time. And yet right then, with Anya, it was different. It scared him more than he wanted to admit, and from the look on her face—despite the mating heat—he knew it scared her, too.

  So, without dealing with any of that, he kissed her hard and slammed home.

  She screamed his name, her claws digging into his back. The scent of blood hit his nose and he knew she’d broken the skin. He didn’t care. He’d wear her marks with pride. As it was, he could see stars behind his eyelids. She felt so good around his cock. Wet, hot, and tight. Fucking perfect.

  “Cole, for the love of God. Please move. Fuck me. I’m not weak. I’m a bear, remember? I need it rough. I need you. Now.”

  He grinned then bit her lip. Hard. “As you wish, Anya.” He pulled his hips back and fucked her.

  Hard.

  She met him thrust for thrust,
her legs wrapped around his waist. He slid one hand under her butt and angled her so he could go deeper. They both panted, their bodies slick with sweat. As his balls tightened, he rotated his hips so he hit her G-spot just right. As soon as he pumped into her at that angle, she shattered, her breasts arching higher. He took that as an invitation and sucked each nipple into his mouth, biting down hard enough that he’d probably leave bruises. She seemed to love it because her pussy clamped down on his cock as she came again. He followed right after, his dick filling her up to the point he was afraid he’d be drained dry.

  When they both caught their breath, he remained deep inside her, his hips resting against hers. He put his weight on his forearms, up around her head, and lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her ever so softly, knowing that this couldn’t be the end. He didn’t know what would happen next with her or the boys, but he didn’t want this to be it.

  He’d caught a glimpse of a future he didn’t know he wanted. And with a woman who had once been abandoned in the worst ways possible, he knew he’d have a fight on his hands to create it. And keep it.

  She met his gaze, a war of emotions in her eyes.

  Game on, he thought. Game on.

  Because some things were worth fighting for.

  ****

  Frank Talbot frowned at the two children sleeping in the cage. They’d been easily captured from the compound thanks to experimental science and friends in high places. The drugs he’d used to keep them quiet during the extraction should have worn off by now, but then again, one could never be too sure with animals. Hopefully it didn’t do any lasting damage. He needed healthy specimens to continue his research.

  Odd, he thought. They looked sort of like he had as a child, yet he didn’t feel a connection to them. Perhaps it was nurture versus nature that made a child feel as if they were truly a person’s offspring, rather than a random collection of molecules and DNA. He didn’t care, though. Becoming a father to the two wasn’t on his agenda. In fact, he had a few other matters to attend to before he got to work. He’d feed and wash them until it was time to begin, as he couldn’t allow them to get sickly before the experiments began.