He cross the room silently in a flash of fangs and claws. His hand gripped her wrists. True fear seized her when she saw his angry animal eyes. She tried to pull away but he grabbed her other hand. His hands were wet from washing dishes and slick on her skin.
"Let me go," she said meekly.
"No." In a blinding flash, she was yanked down on her back. Ronan's claws ripped her shirt open until her breasts were exposed. He still held one of her hands. She didn't know whether to be turned on or terrified.
"Don't hurt me, Ronan," she whispered.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to fuck you." Makayla moaned.
He let go of her wrist and pulled her pants down in one swift movement. With her skin exposed to the air and his sudden change in mood, Makayla had gone rigid and wet with anticipation.
She reached up to unbutton his pants, but he pushed her hand back down on the bed. "Stay. Don't move until I tell you that you can move."
His words sent flames of desire through her. No man had ever taken control of her like this. She'd never known how much she wanted it until now. She stayed perfectly still, waiting for him to command her body.
He had her naked in the blink of an eye. He stood over her and undressed, his eyes still glowing yellow like an animal. His sharp teeth protruded from his mouth and his long claws curled from his fingers.
Dread and passion mingled in Makayla's body as she watched him watching her. He licked his lips, and his body slowly turned back to full human. He pulled her legs apart and tapped against her sensitive flesh. She gasped at the sensation and her nipples tightened.
He grunted and was on his knees at the foot of the bed, lapping against her pussy like a cat at a bowl of milk. She moaned and grabbed her own breast. He saw her movement and put her hand back above her head.
"Don't move," he ordered. "You disobeyed my rules in my house. Now you are mine." His eyes glowed again with his words. Her breath caught. Anticipation dripped from inside her like the moisture dripping between her legs.
He ran his raspy tongue down her neck stopping at the tender spot where it met her shoulder. His sharp teeth pressed against the pumping veins but did not puncture the skin. His tongue caressed her skin as he slid down to her breasts. With one hand he squeezed her plump flesh, and with his mouth he teased at her taut nipple, nibbling at it with his teeth.
Makayla's breathing bordered on hyperventilation. She spread her legs wide, anticipating his return to her craving core. He caught her moving legs and pushed them even further apart as he dipped his head down.
His tongue was on her, thick and hot and dripping wet against her inflamed bundle of nerves. She moaned as he pressed through her lips against her clit. She called out in a long, sustained, "Oh."
She'd never seen him so dominating, so forceful. There was no way she could stop him now, even if she wanted to, which she didn't. Mesmerized by his treatment of her body, all she could do was lie back and enjoy it.
"Ronan," she called out as his thick finger pressed through her slick folds. His other hand held her thigh tight against the bed, and his tongue wiggled against her pink pussy. "Oh God," she gasped, gripping the bed sheet.
He growled low in his throat and the sound waves against her body vibrated through her like ripples on a pond. Ronan pulled his wet finger from inside her and pushed in a pair.
With smooth thrusts he pressed into her, teasing her excitement until it became a pressure valve, ready to explode. Her head was light and her breathing shallow. Loud gasps passed through her swollen lips. Makayla felt her mind melting in the urgency of her excitement. His fingers caressed a tender nerve inside her and her body shook. Her orgasm mounted for released.
"Come," he said between her legs. Pleasure ripped through her, welling up from her core and raging up her nipples. Her pussy throbbed against his fingers and sucked them deeper inside. She let out a harsh moan and shuddered.
His thrusting slowed to a halt, but his tongue stayed pressed against her clit. Once the shock waves of pleasure had subsided, he moved over her, sniffing the air with in long draws of breath. "You’re pussy smells so sweet when you come for me, Makayla," he said into her neck.
He leaned on his side and ran his hand over her body, caressing the curves and valleys of her flesh. "So good." Makayla made a pitiful, small whine when his fingers went between her legs again. She still contracted slightly and his touch brought back her previous excitement.
"You come so well for me," he whispered in her ear. "I'm going to make you come until your head explodes, until you scream my name and beg to serve me for the rest of your life." He thrust his fingers inside her, moving her body with the force.
She gasped, "I believe you."
"You're mine now. I'll do as I want with you."
"Okay." She honestly didn't mind. This was the best sex she'd had in years, maybe ever, and they hadn't even made it to the main event.
He lifted on his elbow and caught her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue between her lips as his fingers thrust deep into her pussy. His beautiful cock was huge and hard on her thigh, and she felt it thump against her as if it had a mind of its own.
With two fingers inside her, he pressed his thumb over her mound. She let him take her, hot and wet between her legs. The claw on his thumb protruded from his fingertip, and he used it to lightly press against the intensely sensitive flesh.
The sharpness of the slight pain mixed with the pleasure from his thrusting fingers and probing tongue hitched her climax hard and fast and unexpectedly. Her whole body convulsed, and she wanted to sit up as it wracked her. He pinned her down under his strong arms as pleasure that bordered on pain radiated through her
"You're my little pussy cat," he whispered. "I want you to lick me." He pulled away and stood beside the bed, his erection full and throbbing before her. "Get on your hands and knees," he said.
She lifted herself from the pillow in a daze, unable to take her eyes off his magnificent cock. She did as he said and crawled before him, her mouth waiting to receive. Her breasts bounced heavy beneath her, swollen and hot from her lust.
He ran his finger over her lips. She could taste herself on his skin as he used it to open her mouth. With the other hand, he took a portion of her hair. Holding her chin and hair, he slowly glided his cock into her mouth. He groaned as her tongue flicked at the tip.
Makayla tasted his precum and smelled the strong masculine musk of his skin. Her body responded and flooded until it dripped down her thigh. He pressed into her mouth ever so slowly until he had slid the full length inside. "Fuck," he growled. “Take my cock, woman.”
She whimpered from the tight fit in her mouth and the sheer vulnerability of her position. His cock was massive, but somehow she took it without choking. With one hand he reached down and squeezed her breast and pinched her nipple, making her whimper louder.
He seemed to like the sound of her distress, because it made him begin to increase his momentum. He thrust into her mouth with both hands on her cheeks. All she could do was let go and take him. Her pussy screamed for attention and in its insistence was almost pushed over the edge into orgasm.
But Ronan was not cruel. He couldn't leave her that way for long. His thick shaft slid from Makayla's mouth, slick, wet and hot.
"Lie down and spread your legs," he said.
She instantly did as he said, wanting desperately to be touched again. He glided over her, holding himself above her with his tight muscled arms. He looked down on her with glowing yellow eyes that both frightened and fascinated her.
"Ronan, I want you so bad."
"Do you now little pet?”
He growled and pushed the tip of his cock just inside her entrance. She let out a long moan. He pulled it out again and rested it against her outer lips. He pushed it just inside her again and held there. She tried to wriggle down to absorb more of his length, but he held her hips tight to the bed.
"Please!" She begged.
"Say you are mine."
/> "I'm yours. I'm yours,” she screamed.
"Tell me I can do anything I want with you,” he growled into her neck.
"Yes, yes anything. You can do anything."
With that, he thrust his cock deep inside her, his balls slapping against her ass. Her body stretched around him. She let out a long moan and yelled, "Oh God, oh God." Her body tensed on high alert. He held there until she relaxed. Ever so slowly, he began to pump. He waved into her like a rocking boat on the ocean. His hips worked as he thrust.
Ronan's mouth claimed hers as he pulled her legs around his waist. She clung to him, and he didn't push her hand away this time.
CHAPTER TEN
"You're so beautiful," he moaned into her mouth. With his cock deep inside of her, nothing in his life had ever made so much sense. He'd wanted her from the moment he'd seen her laying vulnerable in the riverbed.
He moved his mouth away and sank it into her neck, inhaling the aroma of her skin as she came tight and throbbing on his shaft. Her polished nails bit his skin. Her breaking that jar had given him the excuse he needed to mount her. She took him luxuriously, her black hair draping over the pillow like a cascading black river.
The lion inside him called out for his mate, and Ronan's fangs grew long and hard under his lips. He pressed the tips against her neck, pushed until he broke the skin, and could taste the faint tang of blood. Sinfully delicious.
"What are you doing?" she panted under him. He came back to his senses. He couldn't change this woman without her consent. The words of submission were a lover's game. He did not dare take her world from her. His teeth contracted and he nuzzled in the scent of her skin.
"Fucking you, Makayla."
His cock swelled and he came hard and fast as pleasure swept him up into the stratosphere. Her pussy throbbed and contracted, pushing his orgasm further into intense states of bliss.
"Oh, Ronan," she said, gently kissing his cheeks and chin. She clung to him like a child with her legs wrapped tight around him.
He rolled away and drew her into his embrace, covering them both with the warm, thick blanket. "That was fucking amazing," she said, giggling. "Seriously, that was the best sex I've had, ever. God damn it." Her laughter bounced off the walls of the tiny cabin.
"I agree," he said, looking down at her. His heart sank. This was his deepest fear. He'd grown a cord of connection directly from his heart to hers. All along, he'd played as if he was in control. The truth was that it was her who had the power. She had the power to come and go and break his heart.
The morning light cast a blue glow over her sleeping face. He watched her breathe, dreading what came next. He’d been a fool to let things go this far. He cursed himself for being vulnerable. Stupid. This was why he'd left society in the first place, to be safe from these entanglements.
He pushed himself out of bed and pulled on his clothes. Makayla stirred behind him and raised on her elbow. "I could really use a cup of coffee!"
That was it. He didn't have coffee. He didn't need coffee. Like so many things she needed that he couldn't give her. Did he even want to give them to her?
He made them cups of herbal tea and sat next to her while she languished in bed, naked under the sheets. He already wanted her again. Guilt and shame kept him from acting. He should have never done what he'd done.
She put her hand on his and looked up into his eyes, "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." He stood and crossed the room.
"You look upset. Don't tell me you regret last night, because you blew my mind, seriously rocked my world. You can't regret that. I won't allow it."
"I don't." He turned away.
"What is it then?"
"I don't want to talk about it." He felt weak and foolish. He tugged on his coat and pushed out into the snow covered day. He sniffed the air, smelling for signs. The air was moist and warmer than before. The clouds hung low and gray over the world. A rain drop splashed on his nose.
Rain would wash away the snow and with it Makayla. He took a bundle of fire wood inside and stoked the dying embers. Makayla was dressed in one of his shirts and her jeans, sitting at the table. She ran her fingers through her raven hair.
"I have a serious case of bed head," she said, laughing.
He looked over his shoulder and squinted at her. He grunted in response and threw another log on the fire. The sound of her nails tapping on the wooden table irritated him. He turned and stood, staring at her. She held her puckered lips to the side of her face.
With the flick of her hand, she said, "You could visit me in Portland."
"No."
"Don't you ever leave here?"
"Only four times a year. When the seasons change. Next time will be the day after the equinox."
"When is that? March?"
"Yes."
"That's three weeks away," she said drumming her fingers on the table again. "It's a long time. But worth the wait." She winked.
"I sell my pets in Mystic Harbor then come home."
"Ronan, work with me. I like you. I don't want this to be just a little fling."
"Then stay," he said, not looking at her.
She laughed so hard and so viciously that it felt as if she was laughing at him. When she finally simmered down, he stared at her like she'd just shot bullets in his heart.
"Don't be ridiculous,” she said. “I have a life." He waved his hand at her and turned away. "Ronan, you don't honestly think I could live here? I'd go insane. We'd kill each other."
"You're right, it was a bad idea. This whole thing was a bad idea."
"Don't be like that."
He hissed and picked up a tool from his work counter.
"Maybe you're right," she said behind him. “Maybe this was a bad idea. But tell me, why are you really here? What makes a sane person run away from society and live alone for the rest of his life? Something must have happened."
He took a deep breath and let it out. He wasn't going to tell her. There was no way he'd give her that, not if she was leaving and would break his heart all over again.
"Was it a woman?"
He growled and curled his lip, but she couldn't see him. "Stop talking,” he growled.
"Not until you tell me what happened."
His shoulders deflated and he dropped his tools on the counter. He turned around and crossed his arms. "Fine. I don't see what it will hurt. Then you can know what kind of man you are dealing with and be on your merry way. When I was eighteen, I was in love with a wolf shifter. Her name was Nelly Fitzpatrick. She was my first. She had my whole heart, and I wanted to marry her.
“But Nelly never planned to stay with me. She said she'd never mate with a mountain lion and would only marry within her pack. She took up with another boy and left me. I tried to win her back; some of the younger males in the pack ganged up on me and tore me to shreds.
“No one gets in the middle of a shifter dispute. There are no laws. Might is right. The males were protecting their female from a foreign invader. She made her choice. After that, I couldn't stay in town anymore. That's when I left to live out here. I built my cabin. I hunt. Life has been good. Until now."
"How awful."
"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm comfortable with my life. I don't need any interruptions. If you want to stay, then stay. If you want to leave, then leave. I won't stop you, but I won't be changed."
"Ronan, be reasonable,” she said, standing. She took a pace toward him.
"I am being reasonable. This is me. Take it or leave it." His gut clenched as he said the words, but he meant every bit of it. He wouldn't be changed. He'd fought too hard to win his peace of mind, and he protected it like a mother protects her cubs.
The look on her face stung him. Her mouth hung slightly open like she was shocked or about to speak. He knew he was pushing her away again. When it came down to it, he chose his solitude over her. While it made the lion inside him hiss and roar, the wounded human knew it couldn't be any other way. He wo
uldn't go back to society. Not now, not ever.
He reheated the stew from the night before and gave her a bowl. She looked utterly disgusted but took a few bites anyway. "Maybe I'll visit you on the equinox," she said hopefully, pushing the bowl of stew away.
"If you'd like. I don't stay in town long."
"Even for one night? Even to see me?" She sounded desperate. It made him want to hide from her searching eyes.
"Maybe," he muttered.
"Well, if it's such an inconvenience, forget about it."
He grunted at her words. He knew he was asking too much of her. She deserved better. She should find herself a nice human and carry on with her human life. He would bring her nothing but pain. "That's probably for the best,” he said.
She huffed and stood abruptly, forcing the chair backwards with a screech. Ronan looked up at her. He kept his expression neutral, but he felt anything but neutral. He was torn inside. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her. After last night, he was bonded to her. His heart was tied to hers, and it hurt him tremendously to think of losing her. There was no choice. No other options.
Makayla went to the window behind the table and gazed out into the snow. The rain had stopped. She peered into the distance as if she saw something that surprised her. Ronan could hear the sound of a motor. He stood and flung open in the door.
In his front yard, Ashton cut the motor of a four wheeler and stepped toward him. Makayla came out behind him in her parka, her expression wild with delight.
"Hello! Thank God you've come! I've been stuck out here during the entire snow storm."
"Makayla Phillips?"
"Yes!" she beamed.
"A lot of people are looking for you. I'm Ashton Harding, Ronan's brother. I thought of all the places up on the mountain that a person could survive undetected, it was Ronan's cabin."
"I'm alright, but I could use a huge coffee and a long, hot shower." Makayla's voice grew full and loud as she spoke of finally fulfilling her needs. Ronan could only stand silently and watch.