“We’re all having a meeting tomorrow. I imagine that’s why Nick and Tracy are here. The FBI is involved as well with their paranormal liaison.”
“I know. I’ll be there. I’ve asked to be part of the team.”
He sat forward. “Tegan, you don’t have to. Lex has other people. Gabe has people in place in DC. You don’t need to put yourself in danger.”
“You’re on the team.”
Sighing, he tore into his bread. “Yes. But...”
“But what? You’ve got a penis and therefore you’re rendered incapable of being injured? Or do your testicles confer superpowers upon you?” Tegan’s voice was sharp and he remembered what a formidable woman she was. Remembered how fast and quiet she’d been as she’d ripped that perp out of his car. Damn it.
“You’ve been around Nina too long. I don’t want you harmed! Is it too much to ask to let me do my job?”
“Ben Stoner, I’m not the one asking you not to do your job. You’re the one asking me not to do mine. I’m faster than you are, I heal quicker, I have a higher pain tolerance. In short, I’m a very high-capacity girl.”
He shivered at the double meaning of the phrase. An ache to dominate her rode him sharply.
“I’ve been on Lex’s team for ten years now. I’ve trained even longer than that. I’m good at what I do, Ben. Most of Pellini’s people can’t do me any harm because I’m better than they are and because I’m more vicious. They’re dull, blunt instruments. But he’s not. And his Inner Circle isn’t either. But we have to stop this now before it gets worse and I can’t sit back and wait around because you’re worried. Do you think I like it that you’re out there every day as a cop? Soft, human flesh which is so much weaker than mine. Surrounded by people who want to harm you, Ben. That makes me crazy. But I understand it’s what you do.”
“I don’t like it. I want you safe, damn it.”
She laughed and tossed a piece of steak into her mouth. “Suck it up, human.”
“Mouthy fucking wolf!”
The heat built between them as they argued back and forth. Tegan neatly maneuvered around him at every turn and despite his frustrations, he admired her intelligence and temerity. It was hot.
Standing, he knocked the chair to the ground and her eyes widened and then a corner of her mouth tipped up.
“Come here, Tegan.”
And like a switch turned on, she stood, all liquid grace, and his entire body tightened to watch her as she moved to him.
One hand centered itself at her back and the other gripped the back of her hair, holding her in place as he leaned in to plunder. To take what was his. What she surrendered to him.
Her hands gripped the front of his shirt as her head tipped back and gave him access to the line of her throat. Submitting in that way too. He groaned and ran the edge of his teeth over the sensitive skin there.
Picking her up, he walked back to her bedroom, kicking the door open and tossing her on the bed.
“Undress, I’ll be back. My toy bag is in the car.”
She sat up on her elbow. “Awfully sure of yourself.”
“I...”
One of her eyebrows rose and he cursed the link at that moment. He’d had it in his car because he’d been headed to the club. How the hell could he explain that?
“You what? You’ve been with someone else in the last five days?” Her voice rose and she scrambled off the bed and got in his face, magnificent in her fury.
“No! No, I haven’t been with anyone else but you since the first moment I touched you. I... I went to the Club. But I didn’t go in!” he added quickly. “I sat in the parking lot and knew there was no one but you and I headed straight to Cade’s place to get you.”
Hurt creased her forehead.
“Nothing happened, Tegan. Nothing would have. I don’t want anyone but you. I got in my car thinking, I’ll find some sweet sub to push her from my mind but that was just stupid. There is no one who could push you from my mind. You’re everything inside me, Tegan. I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, I didn’t mean to. I’ve been stupid but nothing happened, I swear it.”
“You wanted it to.”
“I didn’t.” He took her face between his hands. “I didn’t. It was another way for me to pretend I didn’t need you. But I do. I do, Tegan.”
She sighed explosively and cocked her head. “Get on the bed.”
He blinked and swallowed. “What?”
“You heard me. Get on the bed. You’re not the top tonight.” One corner of that luscious mouth rose and he fought the inevitable.
“I’m the top every night.”
“Not if you want to fuck me and get back into my life after even considering shopping your wares to another female. I told you I was territorial, Ben Stoner. A bill has come due. Pay it or get out.”
“Tegan.”
“Clothes off. On your belly.” She walked out of the room.
He’d never actually switched before. He had no desire to submit but the novelty of it, of having Tegan, a woman he’d so thoroughly dominated before, top him—that intrigued him. And he knew she’d drawn her line and in truth, if she’d gone to the club intending to let another man top her he’d have been livid, even if nothing happened.
Peeling his clothes off, he moved to lie facedown on her bed, the scent of her body there in her comforter.
* * *
Tegan paced her living room for a few minutes as she let the anger and hurt wash through her. She didn’t want to go back in the bedroom until she’d processed more. She’d never touch him in anger, not ever. There were lines in her life, D/s wasn’t ever about anger, only love and she couldn’t go back to what they were until she’d exorcised her mad.
After she got over being pissed, she’d give him a taste of being topped and then the next time they were together, it would be on his terms again. But he had to give and give up his position as top to her willingly as penance. And anyway, it appealed to her.
She found his toy bag in his trunk and came back inside, feeling much calmer.
Leaving her clothes on, she went back into her bedroom and took in the sight of him, hard and all man on her bed. What an ass he had. Giving in to her desire, she stalked over, leaned down and bit one cheek and he groaned. Not in pain.
He smelled good, she’d missed his scent so much. Tracing fingertips down his spine she idly looked through the bag and lit upon a few things she’d be needing.
“Undress me, Ben.”
Rolling to face her, he took her body in as he came up to his knees. Gently, he unbuttoned her blouse and pushed it from her arms. Leaning in, he closed teeth around her nipple and ripples of pleasure rolled outward through her.
“Mmm. Very nice, but I didn’t say you could do that. You have a job to finish first.”
“You’re pretty good at this domme stuff.” He stood and helped her out of her bra, jeans, panties and socks.
She didn’t tell him she’d had two exemplary men in her life to learn from. It wasn’t the time to tell him Lucas had had her undress him every night when he got home. That part of her life was over, a sweet memory.
Finding the chair in the corner of the room, she backed into it and sat.
“On the bed behind you. Bring me the cuffs and the blindfold.”
She heard his breath catch and her own matched. Emotion swelled through the room between them as this powerful alpha male submitted to her. It was motherfucking hot is what it was. While she had no plans to repeat the experience, she liked bottoming too much, topping him did have its appeal and she wasn’t the only one who thought so.
He brought them to her. “Kneel facing away from me. Hands at the small of your back.”
His back was broad and muscular. She ran her palms, greedy for the sensation, over his skin there,
taking his warmth into her own body before securing the blindfold. Then she slid the wrist cuffs on. She didn’t use the leather ones with the hasp clasp, they felt a bit much for him even though she loved the way they felt on her.
“You’ve never been topped before have you?” she murmured in his ear after securing the Velcro straps at his wrists. It was more a mental binding than a physical one. He could easily break through the restraints if he chose.
“No.” His voice held a slight tremor. She doubted he’d find subspace, he was too controlled for that. But he was turned on, if the state of his cock was any indicator.
Reaching around his body, she took it in her hand and slid her fist around him several times until a moan slipped from his lips. Nipping his earlobe, she whispered, “Turn around, Ben. Turn around and eat my pussy. Make it good and I’ll hand you back the reins. If it’s not to my liking, I’ll paddle you and we’ll do it again.”
“I want to see you.” He turned carefully. Her hand remained on his shoulder to help his balance with the blindfold on. Perhaps he’d also realize what it was like for her.
“I know. But this isn’t about what you want, Ben.” She settled back, leaning into the chair and spreading her thighs. Holy shit it was hot, hot, hot to have this man between her thighs bound and blindfolded.
His lips found her knee and he kissed up her thigh, mouth skating over her pussy and kissed down her other thigh. He did that over and over until her scent was heavy in the room. The cool softness of his hair slid against the skin of her inner thighs was a direct counter to the heat of his mouth.
Finally, his tongue found her pussy and she sighed. Reaching down, she pulled herself open to him and he hummed his appreciation. He moved his mouth from side to side slowly, running lips and the flat of his tongue over her clit and labia, driving her up slowly.
Without the use of his hands, he had to fuck into her with his tongue, his mouth pressed against the flesh of her pussy hard and he used every bit of himself he could. No one could say he wasn’t taking the job seriously. A whimper escaped her when he lapped up the honey from her inner thighs and down over her perineum and the star of her rear passage and back up to her clit.
Over and over until she panted with her need to come. Her nipples were hard as her fingers passed over them. “I’m touching my nipples, Ben. Imagining your mouth on me here as well as on my pussy.”
He groaned and sagged against her for a moment and she smiled as she watched. Until he sucked her clit into his mouth, abrading it with his teeth very gently. It was the last bit of sensation she needed to push her into climax. Back bowing, a growl of pleasure rumbling from her, she came, pressing her pussy into his face.
But he didn’t stop until she reached down with an exhausted hand and caressed his shoulder and murmured for him to stop. He did, his head resting on her thigh until she managed to undo his blindfold.
He looked into her eyes and held her gaze. In that moment he gave himself to her more than when he’d let her bind his wrists. She understood. He accepted the bond between them and while she was sure there’d be more fights, many, many more fights between them, she also knew there’d be no moments of doubt about what they were to each other.
Leaning down, she reached around him and undid his wrists. But instead of surging to take back over, he waited until she smiled and said, “Go on then. Take over.”
With a laugh, she found herself on his shoulder as he stood and then turned, tossing her to the mattress and diving after her.
His mouth met hers as his body covered her. Her taste slid from his mouth into her system, changed by adding his unique flavor to it.
“You’re a wicked, wicked little domme. That was fucking amazing, Tegan.” He spoke into her mouth before he kissed down her throat and to her nipples. “And now you don’t have to imagine my mouth here,” he murmured before biting down just this side of pain.
Tegan arched with a gasp.
“But I’m not a switch. I’m the wicked, wicked dom and there’s only room for one of us in bed.” He chuckled and moved to his knees, pulling her thighs up and plunging into her without preamble.
Stars lit behind her closed eyelids as her body convulsed around his invading cock. His hands slid down her torso over and over like he had to feel every single inch of her skin.
“I’ve missed you, Tegan. Missed feeling like this with you. Missed your voice and the way you smell. Missed the feel of your skin beneath my hands.”
Tears pricked her lashes as the depth of loneliness she’d felt since their fight five days before welled up. He gasped, caught in the pull of it, pressing deep into her body, his gaze locked with hers.
The hands sliding over her breasts and stomach found her hands and their fingers locked as he fucked into her body with ferocity and overwhelming tenderness all at once.
“Mine,” he whispered and she nodded.
“Mine,” she echoed.
He changed his angle, bringing his pubic bone over her clit, mashing against it with delicious friction as she spun out, letting the pleasure go and giving it to him through the link.
She heard him stutter a curse and thrust deeply as he came.
Chapter Nine
“We have to figure out the living situation, gorgeous.” Ben watched her as she pulled on her boots, strapping a knife to her calf. “I’m going to pretend I don’t see that.”
“Good, don’t look at this either.” She pulled on an underarm holster and slid a sidearm into it.
“That cannot be legal.” He stood and held out a hand.
“What’s the hand for?”
“I want to see it.”
She gave him one of those explosive sighs of hers and cocked her hip. “To try and do something stupid like take it from me or because it’s a fabulously cool handgun?”
He laughed, unable to help himself. Funny that he’d ended up with a woman who was as rough and tumble as he was but who liked to be tied up and flogged too. Perfect. Well, except for the whole werewolf thing.
“The latter.”
Tegan handed it to him, butt first, and he looked at it, trying not to oooh and aaaah. It was, exactly as she said, a fabulously cool handgun. And totally, absolutely illegal.
“Look, I know. I know, Ben, and I’m sorry, I really am. There are going to be times when our worlds intersect. I’ll try and keep it to a minimum but if we’re going to live together and share our lives you’re going to see more things that are illegal in your world.”
He handed the gun back to her and she put it back in her underarm rig and pulled a zip-up sweatshirt on over it.
“I know. We’ll work it out. As long as it’s confined to wolf stuff, I can deal. We know, the human authorities do, that you’ve got your own system of laws and enforcement. I can accept the guns and knives and all the other stuff as long as it concerns your world. Humans on the street outside my house? Our worlds intersect and we’ll have to work that out.”
“You can’t kill a fully changed werewolf with regular bullets unless you use a lot of them. The ammo for this weapon is special, made to take down werewolves. Now, if a human got in my way and tried to hurt me or those I protect, I will use this on them. I’m not switching out to a regular handgun because you’d feel more comfortable. My job involves hurting or possibly killing people who pose a threat. You know that. As for the other, the humans on the street outside your house? Okay, we can work it out.”
He paused as he considered it. “All right. Agreed. Now, my house is bigger and closer to your job. I have a home office there where I do a lot of work so I don’t have to be at the station all the time. Still, I’m willing to consider living here. I like the neighborhood and if it makes you happy, we can work things out.”
As a cop, she knew his getting called into work all the time in the middle of the night was a possibi
lity. She often had to go in at odd hours as well. In truth, while she loved the house and it was hers, it was inconvenient to have to commute and his house was nicer. Bigger. More convenient for both. But she had a few things to clear up.
“Did your ex-fiancée live there?”
“No. I bought that house after. But other women have been there. Spent the night. The weekend. But they aren’t what you are. If you want though, we can buy a place together. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“I don’t know. I may have to spend the night a few times to see. My wolf doesn’t like it.”
He cocked his head, taking her measure. “Explain that. Your wolf?”
“I don’t know if I can but I’ll try. I’m one person. My wolf is a part of me like my skin, like my liver or my lungs. But she’s primal. She’s the least reasonable part of me. I’m not a different person when I shift into my wolf skin. I’m the same person just with four feet and fur. But my vision is different. My perception is different. I’m not out of control or in a killing rage like in the movies.”
“I know that. I’ve seen Lex in wolf form when he tracked a suspect. He was—” Ben chewed his lip “—still Lex. But different.”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m still in there, and she’s inside my human skin right now. And she does not like the idea that other women have been in a bed where I’ll be. She doesn’t like that at all.”
He smiled. “She’s got nothing to worry about. You have nothing to worry about. Tegan, I... I love you. There’s no one else, there never has been anyone who meant to me what you mean to me. There never will be. I don’t have a wolf inside me to know that. And yet, I’m utterly certain of it.”
Tegan knew there’d have to be a lot of give and take if they meant to make a go of things.