Mate Set

  He slowly nodded. “That’s fine. Any other rules you want to lay down?”

  She shook her head. “That’s the only one I can think of.”

  “You shouldn’t worry about that since we’ll be in your house until you go home. I won’t be around other women.”

  “We still have to stay here? I’m marked by you and carry your scent. Aren’t I safe from being a walking sex toy?”

  He cocked his head and then nodded. “You should be safe but if we do go anywhere you aren’t getting out of my sight since we aren’t mated. You’re just marked with my scent. Some bastards might still go for you.” He raked a heated look over her body. “You’re very tempting, Mika.”

  Her eyes lowered down his body and saw he wasn’t soft anymore. His cock was growing hard as she watched the bulge under the towel lift it slightly. Her eyebrows arched as she looked into Grady’s eyes.

  “Let me guess. Werewolves have good recovery time?”

  He nodded. “Excellent. We’re very sexual.”

  Mika smiled at him and rolled onto her back, stretching out. “Lucky me. Want to play nice and slower now?”

  The towel dropped to the carpet as Grady got on the bed and crouched over her until he caged her under his body with his arms and knees but they weren’t touching. Mika moved first, reaching up to open her hands on his chest. He had hot skin. He was hard bodied but his skin was soft and she ran her hands over his nipples, loving the feel of him. The cool drops of water made her lift her head to open her mouth and lick at some between his nipples.

  “Babe,” Grady softly sighed. “You’re playing with fire.”

  “So burn me up.” Her hands slid to his shoulders and she tugged.

  Grady lowered his bigger body until he was totally on top of her. He braced enough of his weight to not totally crush her under his large frame. Mika spread her thighs wider to give him room for his hips to snuggle against her body. Her legs lifted and she wrapped them around his firm ass. Grady moved his hips and she felt his arousal pushing against her still-wet and welcoming pussy. She wiggled her hips, feeling the hard press of his cock right there, and wanted him to enter her.

  “Condom,” he said softly.

  Mika bit her lip. “I’m on the Pill and I’m clean. Are you disease free?”

  She saw something wild flare in his eyes. He shook his head and then nodded.

  “Damn,” he rasped. “No, I don’t have any diseases. We don’t catch them. Our physiology is different enough from yours that most diseases can’t be passed on to us. I can’t come in you. It’s too dangerous right now with mating heat. You’ll scent stronger of me and it’s the kind of scent that could get us in deep shit.”

  “Deep shit sounds bad.” She smiled at him. “Of course I like trouble.”

  He suddenly laughed and his dark eye color lightened again. It amazed Mika how the man’s eyes could change color so quickly. She was learning that emotions lightened and darkened them. Smiling back at her, Grady caressed her cheek.

  “I wouldn’t trust myself not to bite you while I was fucking you. My control isn’t the greatest when I’m in heat. Without a condom it would feel too damn good. We’d be stuck with each other forever. During sex all kinds of hormones and chemical changes are happening in my body that weren’t present when I marked you. If I lost control and bit you during sex all those would be introduced into your bloodstream. It would bind us together and make you my permanent mate.”

  “Ah. That kind of deep shit.”

  He nodded. “I wish I could risk it. I hate condoms and I want to feel you so damn bad I hurt. I just can’t risk making you my mate.”

  Pain at his words hit her. She’d heard him tell her uncle he wanted a werewolf woman as a mate. It shouldn’t be any skin off my nose, she reminded herself, if he doesn’t want me on a long-term basis. The problem was, she was too strongly attracted to him and the idea of him settling down to have babies with some literal bitch made jealousy rear its ugly head inside her.

  Grady was a great guy and he was fantastic in bed. Mika rolled her hips again, wiggling until she felt the head of his cock pressed right where she wanted him. “Pull out and put on a condom in a few minutes…but right now I want to feel just you. It feels different.”

  “You don’t have to tell me the difference between a condom and skin, babe.”

  “Just let me feel you.”

  “It’s a bad idea.”

  “Just a few minutes and then put on the condom.” She paused. “They irritate me and make me a little sore. I’m usually in long-term relationships with men I have sex with so I’m not used to using them since I’m on the Pill.”

  He nodded. “I’m dying to know how it would feel with nothing between us.”

  He pushed into her and Mika knew heaven as his cock slid home. Her lips parted to release a moan of sheer rapture. Her nails raked his shoulders and she tightened her legs around his hips so her heels dug into his ass. The sensation of Grady’s cock, with nothing between them, was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced. He was fuller, the sensation was different without latex, and as her vaginal walls gripped him, Grady groaned softly. She met his intense gaze. He looked hungry and wild, if eyes really were the windows into someone’s soul.

  “We’re fucked,” he rasped.

  She squeezed her muscles around his cock again. Grady’s eyes widened and then he pulled back. She thought he was leaving her body, withdrawing from her totally, and she had to halt the urge to cling to him to keep him there but she released her death grip around his hips with her legs so he could move away from her. Grady almost withdrew completely but then he drove his hips into hers, plunging his cock into her deep and hard, pushing her body into the bed.

  Mika cried out in pleasure and her legs wrapped tightly around him again. Their gazes remained locked, Grady keeping eye contact with her as he drove in and out of her again and again. Mika couldn’t look away from the pleasure that was easy to read on his handsome features. She bucked her hips and she met him with an upward thrust. Skin to skin felt unbearably good, too good, and her body tensed, muscles tightening as a climax built inside her.

  Her nails bit into his shoulders. Grady’s eyes narrowed, the shape changing just a little, and when his lips parted, sharp, extended teeth were revealed. She screamed out Grady’s name as she came hard, ecstasy tearing through her entire body and watched as his eyes closed when his own release hit him. His mouth opened wider, his teeth grew longer, and she threw up her hand over his mouth, right as he lowered his face into her neck.

  “No,” she moaned, still riding her pleasure.

  She could feel the sharp points of his teeth against her palm but then his lips closed over them. His face was buried in the crook of her neck, her hand trapped over his mouth as he panted. She shivered in the aftermath. The sex had been amazing. The only downside was that she’d seen him lose control and if she hadn’t been watching him he would have bitten her. He turned his face away from her neck and away from her hand. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, holding him, and loved the way his heavy body pinned hers to the bed.

  “Sorry,” he whispered. He lifted his head and stared down at her, their noses nearly touching.

  “Never apologize for making me come that hard. That was mind-blowing. You’re amazing.”

  He tensed on her and then relaxed. “If you hadn’t gripped my mouth I would have bitten you. You feel too damn good and make me lose my head.”

  She chuckled. “We’ll have to buy you a muzzle, honey.”

  She saw amusement spark his dark eyes. “I think they make them. I know this sex shop that carries all kinds of kinky shit.”

  “Really?” She laughed. “I think tomorrow we should go there to buy one for you because I don’t want to use condoms with you.”

  His smile died. “You’re serious?”

  She nodded. “Do you really want to use them when we don’t have to? Tell me that wasn’t damn good, that you don’t want to do it aga
in and I’ll call you a liar.”

  The amusement left him. “It was too damn good. I could get addicted to you.”

  She ran her tongue over her lips. “You don’t want me for a mate, remember? You want a wolf.”

  “Your life isn’t here anyway. Where do you live?”

  “I have an apartment in Orange County, California.”

  “What do you do for a living?”

  “I work for the phone company as an information operator.”

  “Whose house is this? I didn’t know Omar owned it.”

  “He doesn’t. It was my parents’ house when they still lived here. When I was two we moved to Southern California but we’d always come here for a few weeks here and there so they kept it. When they died it was left to me. My mom was a wolf and my father was human but they were mated. They were childhood sweethearts.”

  “It’s rare that a were-woman mates with a human guy. Most families wouldn’t allow it. They’d demand he risk his life to change so he’d be strong enough to protect his mate.”

  Mika didn’t see any bias in his eyes. He just looked curious. “My mother never wanted to risk his life to attempt to change him. Mom and Uncle Omar’s parents were killed when they were in their teens and Uncle Omar grew up with my father too, so he didn’t protest when she followed her heart to marry the man she loved. Uncle Omar was just happy that my mom was happy.”

  “Why did they leave here then?”

  “The pack didn’t agree with their union and Mom was worried about Dad’s safety. My dad had family in Orange County so it was logical to go there.”

  “How did they die?”

  She glanced away as pain lanced her heart for a moment but then looked back at him. “When I was ten years old they went on a skiing trip and had rented a small cabin. They left me with Dad’s aunt. There was an avalanche, it happened in the middle of the night and they probably never knew what happened unless the sound woke them before the snow hit the cabin. They were found in bed together when the rescue teams dug them out. The cabin was totally destroyed.”

  “So Omar raised you?” He frowned. “I’ve never met you and you’d think I would know if a girl was in his house for all those years. I’ve been around long enough to have seen or scented you when you were younger.”

  “No. My father’s aunt kept me. My life was there and Uncle Omar thought it would be safer for me to be with other humans. Every year I come for two weeks. It was always that way before my parents died and that was the agreement he made with my aunt. When I hit adulthood I kept coming every year. I have met some of the pack, of course, but for the most part, he keeps me away from them. I always stay here so it’s not like I live with him. The one time I stayed there since I turned eighteen was a nightmare I never want to repeat.” She laughed. “He and Minnie are very sexually active and loud so I barely got any sleep.”

  He chuckled. “We’re very sexual creatures.”

  She smiled. “Lucky me, for the next two weeks.”

  He grinned. “Have you ever thought about moving here?”

  She nodded. “The only time I considered it was when my ex and I broke up and I found myself suddenly homeless. Uncle Omar kind of made it known it was a bad idea. He’s visited me in California often and always scouts out my neighborhood before I move into a place. I guess wolves don’t want to live in heavily populated areas. He said it was werewolf-free so I was safer living there.”

  Grady frowned. “You were married?”

  She shook her head. “We lived together. He wanted to go do the quickie Vegas marriage thing but I said no way because I wanted to live with him for a year first to make sure we’d work out. It was a damn good thing I put my foot down because it’s a hell of a lot easier to pack up shit and move out than it would have been hiring an attorney to get a divorce.”

  Grady withdrew from her body and rolled over, unpinning her, and totally not touching her anymore. He stretched out on his side next to her and propped his head on his hand so he could stare at her.

  “Why did you break up?”

  She winced. “Well, I got off work early one day and I walked into our apartment to find him with someone else. He was literally nailing her in our bed. I was shocked. I trusted him completely and never saw that coming. There were no signs.” She shrugged. “I was hurt and really angry. Then he had the nerve to tell me it wasn’t what it looked like.” She snorted. “He was inside her. How can you misconstrue that? Not only did he betray me and hurt me but he insulted me by trying to treat me like a complete moron.”

  Grady’s eyes twinkled and she could see he fought a smile. “What did he tell you it really was? I’m dying to hear this.”

  She turned onto her side facing him. The pain had mostly faded from her ex’s betrayal but the anger remained. “She was his boss. He said he was trying to get a promotion so he would make more money so we could afford a house.”

  “What an asshole.”

  She nodded. “I told him he was lucky she didn’t fire his ass for incompetence.” A smile played at her lips. “When that sank in and he understood what I meant, he got pretty mad.”

  Grady laughed. He had a great laugh. “Not too good in bed, huh?”

  She shrugged. “He was okay but it was nothing compared to this.” She glanced down at his body. “Not even close. He made me laugh and I thought I was in love with him. I was more pissed off than hurt when he cheated on me. We got along well and it was comfortable living with him. We had the same interests.”

  “You settled for him.”

  She didn’t look away from Grady. “I guess I did. I probably should be happy he did cheat on me. I told him if he ever did it that I’d never take him back and I wasn’t kidding.”

  “Did he try to get you back?”

  She nodded. “He still tries. He calls my cell phone every few days and he’s sent flowers to my work half a dozen times but he’s wasting his time. I delete his messages without listening to them and every time he sends me flowers I give them away at work.”

  Grady reached out and rubbed her hip with his large hand. “He was stupid. If I were a human guy, I’d do everything to keep hold of you.”

  “But you’re not one. Not fully.”

  “No. I’m not. Ready to get some sleep? It’s been a long day.”

  She nodded. Grady released her and rolled away. He stood and walked around the bed. Mika turned onto her back and tracked him as he reached down and picked up his discarded underpants and jeans. He walked toward the door of her bedroom and then paused but didn’t turn around.

  “Good night, Mika.”

  “You aren’t sleeping with me?” She was astonished at his actions. She saw his muscles stiffen as he shook his head slowly.

  “No. You’re leaving soon so it’s best if we keep some distance between us. Sweet dreams.” He reached out and flipped off her light. He left the door open and walked away.

  Mika frowned and rolled onto her stomach. She could see Grady picking up his discarded shirt and his footwear. He had a really nice ass that she got a great view of as he bent to retrieve his things from the floor. She lifted her head and let it fall, banging her head over and over against her soft comforter. Shit, I’m in trouble. She was really hurt and disappointed that he wasn’t going to sleep with her. Bad signs, she told herself.

  She bit back a curse when anger was her next emotion. She was good enough to fuck but not to sleep with? Is that what he thought? He’d get close during sex but he didn’t want to hold her in his arms all night. She climbed out of bed and walked to her door. She slammed it closed, not caring how he took that little action of hers, her anger growing. She flipped on her bedroom light and stormed to the shower. She smelled of sex and Grady. If he wouldn’t sleep with her, she sure as hell wasn’t going to inhale reminders of them together when she was alone.

  She turned on the shower and stepped into the stall. She stood there letting water pour down her body for a long time. She finally moved when she got her anger un
der control, though it wasn’t anger as much as hurt, she realized. She liked Grady way too much and she always tried to be completely honest about her feelings. She confronted them. She was falling for a guy who didn’t want anything lasting with her. She wasn’t a wolf and he was set on never hooking up with a human mate. It really hurt and when something did that, she tended to turn that emotion into raw anger, something she could deal with more easily than tears.

  She took her time and even shaved her legs. She washed her hair and let her conditioner set for a good five minutes, anything to stall until she got a grip on herself. When she was sure that she wouldn’t burst into tears or storm out there and tell him off, she dried off and walked back into her room.

  The bedroom door was still closed the way she’d left it. She listened but didn’t hear anything coming from the other side of the door. She figured that Grady must have just gone to bed since she’d have heard the television if he had it on. She walked to the scene of the crime and yanked down her comforter. She climbed naked into her bed and reached for the light switch over her head on the wall. The room went totally dark.

  Mika couldn’t sleep. Why was Grady acting the way he was? Would it kill him to sleep with her and to share her bed? He had no qualms about burying his face between her thighs or burying his cock to the hilt inside her. That was damn personal. Sleeping in a bed with her obviously wasn’t a line he wanted to cross. She decided he was a total jerk and a major asshole.

  Gritting her teeth, she flipped over onto her stomach and sighed, knowing she should be tired. It was almost eleven-thirty at night and she’d gotten up at eight. At home she usually went to bed at ten. She sighed again and flipped back over. Maybe some more sexual release would put her out. She stuck her finger in her mouth, wet her index finger, and spread her thighs. She closed her eyes and put an image of Grady in her mind. It turned her on remembering he had one hell of a body, picturing him naked as she rubbed her clit.

  She softly moaned at the thought of what Grady’s mouth could do to her and spread her knees wider. She drew circles around her clit, imagining it was his tongue. She tilted her head back and bit her lip. It didn’t take her long to get to the point where she was ready to come. She tensed and softly cried out as pleasure tore through her. She sighed and shut her legs, withdrawing her hand from under the covers as her body relaxed and she tried to calm her pounding heart.