FavoriteObsession (24 page)

Another small flick and he lifted his hips, pushing his
aching flesh harder against her wet lips, the response one he couldn’t fight.
“Again, kitten.”

Her gaze on him, she licked from base to head with her
flattened tongue.

“Fuck, yeah.” The drag of her roughened tongue should’ve
been uncomfortable. It wasn’t. It felt like heaven—a cross between a blowjob
and a handjob. Wet and warm but with an added bit of stimulation. “Damn. Give
me more, Mira. Worship me.”

She groaned, a hungry sound that told him she wanted nothing
more than to spend time doing exactly that.

The press of teeth, no fang, accompanied another moan. She
licked him, bottom to top. Each wet caress came quicker than the last. She
added swirls of her tongue along the ridge of his swollen head. Her warm breath
bathed the tip but she didn’t suck. Instead, she repeated the swipes until he
moved with her. He pushed his dick into her mouth, sinking deeper into its wet
depths. She curled her tongue around him before pulling away.

He groaned. She was teasing him. He knew it. He’d told her
not to suck so she wasn’t. No matter. He didn’t mind the playful edge of her
attentions. Mira’s willing touch just ramped up his needs. She gave his
erection one last wet lick and centered her focus on the base of his length.
Nibbles there whipped an electric current through his body. He arched under her
small nip.

Curses fell from his mouth. The sting fucking did it for
him. More nips and he shuddered. He loved having her fangs on his dick.

“Kitten…”

He couldn’t get the words out. What she was doing to him
scattered his brain. She gently clasped her mouth around the length his cock so
the sharp, deadly teeth held him in a dangerous kiss.

Mira took him to a level of lust he’d never felt with any
other woman. Balls drawn tight and ready to explode, he tensed. Tingles danced
over his skin, sweat beaded on his brow. She flicked the tip of her tongue over
him. His eyes rolled back in his head. She worshiped him the same way he had
her mate mark and he responded with the same full-body pleasure he’d sensed
whip through her.

If she kept up her wicked game, he’d explode. He bit his
cheek to hold it back. No way would he come this way. It’d ruin his plans. He
tugged on her hair and she released him.

“Mira.” He panted. “Enough.”

He pulled her up and captured her mouth. Their kiss turned
wild, matching the level of their growing passion. She followed his lead,
quickening the twining of their tongues with his prompting. The hint of her
arousal flavored the melding of their mouths. It reignited his hunger. He loved
her taste and wanted to drink of her every day. With effort, he broke their lip
lock.

The sight of her swollen lips tempted him to kiss her again.
Instead, he skimmed his fingers up her spine to the clasp of her bra. He
grasped it and waited for her to focus her half-lidded eyes on him before he
unhooked the closure. The straps slipped over her shoulder and down her arms.
Her full breasts came into view. The flushed tips stood erect, ready to be
suckled. He pressed the tip of his tongue to the roof of his mouth and ignored
the urge to capture the cherry between his teeth.

“Did you enjoy tasting your arousal?”

“Yes.”

Her shy whisper appealed to him. He enjoyed her hesitant
agreement as if what she admitted to was dirty. Hands wrapped around her
slender arms, he urged her to stand. She grasped his wrist as if unwilling to
let him go and only released her firm hold when he slipped his hand around her
waist. Relaxing into the pillows, he lazily stroked her rounded bottom with his
knuckles.

“That’s good, baby. Real good.” He dropped his gaze to the
juncture between her thighs and licked his lips. “But I’m feeling a little
jealous. I know how good you taste.”

She sucked in a shaky breath. He peeked at her from under
his lashes. The tiny fangs that had added a dangerous hint to the way she’d
worked his dick dented her lower lip. He enjoyed the sight of his woman so lost
to desire she couldn’t hide how it affected her primal side.

He forced a sigh. “I guess I’ll just have to wait until
you’re ready to share it with me.”

“I’m ready.” She moved closer so temptation was inches from
his face. “Eat me out, Josh.”

He grasped each glorious butt cheek and massaged them.
Pulling her closer, he leaned forward and stopped with his nose pressed to the
soft skin of her mound. He pressed a kiss at the top of her cleft and flopped
back onto the pillow with a groan.

“Too bad I can’t.”

A cross between a moan and a growl came from her throat. The
guttural noise was about the best sound he’d heard outside of her cries of
release.

“Don’t tease me.”

He pushed into a sitting position and slipped off the couch.
“Sorry but I can’t, love. I said I wouldn’t fuck you.”

“But—”

“Now, don’t worry, kitten. I also said I’d take care of you,
right?” He looked over his shoulder. She nodded. “Kneel on the blanket, baby. I
have just the thing for you.”

Hesitantly, she moved to the center and knelt.

He pulled out the present he’d stashed inside the
entertainment center when he’d arrived. Her gasp told her she knew what he
held. He ambled back to her side and mimicked her pose.

“Here you go, love.” He held his gift out to her. She stared
at it with a look of utter shock on her face. He chuckled. “You do know how to
use a vibrator, don’t you?” Considering she had one in her nightstand with a
spare pack of batteries, he figured she enjoyed hers.

“I don’t want that.” She scrunched her nose.

He turned it in his hand and examined the object with
narrowed eyes. “But the lady at the adult shop said this was her bestseller.”
He turned it on and the low hum filled the air. “Give it a try.”

She shoved his hand away, anger flashing in her yellow orbs.
“I want you, not some sex toy.”

He feigned surprise, widening his eyes and sucking in a
rough breath. Her narrowed gaze told him she didn’t fall for his pathetic
acting skills. He gave up on his attempt and grinned. “What part of me do you
want, love?”

“Don’t call me that.”

He chuckled. “I’ll call you whatever I want,
love
.
Now, answer me.”

“Your cock,” she spat.

“I see.” He gave his best exaggerated pout. “That’s it?”

With pinched brows and a small frown, she nodded.

“That’s not enough for me, kitten. I want you to need all of
me.”

“Don’t, Josh.”

With a sigh, he slipped the vibrator between her legs and
stroked it along her cleft. Her eyelids fluttered closed. He pushed the length
into her core and let the little toy do its thing. In and out, he thrust it
into her. She didn’t fight him, even rocked for him. More cream flowed and
coated his fingers.

He slid his other hand around her waist, holding her against
him. The press of her naked body to his threatened to break his control. His
cock leaked, the ache in the shaft unbearable. He needed her wet glove wrapped
around it, milking him and bringing him relief.

He bent his head to whisper into her ear. “If that’s all you
want from me, my love, then take my present and get yourself off.”

“Don’t make me admit it.”

He worked her with the vibrating toy while he nibbled on her
earlobe. “I am your mate, Mira. Nothing will break that bond. I know it as well
as you.”

“Your death will.”

He latched on to her unspoken agreement and not the despair
in those words. “Admit the truth, kitten. I’m yours and you’re mine.” He added
his thumb to the stimulation he gave her, circling the erect nub at the top of
her sex. “Tell me.”

A long moment passed before she wrapped her arms around him.
She rocked harder over the toy he held as she tried to get herself off. He
didn’t stop her, even pressed his thumb against her clit. Nails digging into
his back she cried out, not in pleasure but in frustration.

“Yes, dammit. Yes!” A sob shook her chest. “You are the mate
of my heart.”

He knew the qualifier she tagged on was her way to hold him
at bay. It was enough for him, though. For tonight.

He pushed gently on her to put space between them. The pain
stamped on her face bothered him. He wanted to change it back to passion. With
his wet fingers, he circled her areola, coating her nipple until it shone with
her juices. A hand at her back to steady her, he urged her to lean back. He
licked the path he’d just painted and savored her flavor. Latching on, he
suckled as he’d longed to do for months.

“Gods, yes.”

Her distended fangs distorted her voice. It made her
declaration wicked. He listened to her pants to help him judge how close she
was to finding release. With gentle sucks and nips to her erect tip, he took
her to the brink.

“Please, Josh, please fuck me, make me come.”

Her plea gave him the okay to give them both what they
needed—each other.

He pulled the vibrator out of her drenched center and tossed
it away. She groaned but he captured the sound with his mouth. Hands on her
hips he lifted her and dropped her on his ready cock. Her gasp turned into a
moan with the first wave of her orgasm. She came around his length without even
a single thrust. Her inner muscles clenched and massaged his dick. He held
still while she writhed around him.

A thump from somewhere jerked his head to the door. He
listened while Mira took her pleasure from him. A scraping sound reached his
ears. He tensed.

“Josh.” She turned his head with trembling fingers. “Kiss
me. Please, need you.”

He sifted his fingers through her hair. “Yes, love. Need you
too.”

He pushed his concern over the sound away and kissed Mira
while the last of the waves rolled through her. He broke the kiss. Her head
dropped to his shoulders, but the rough pants sawing past her lips ensured she
hadn’t slipped into sleep. He lowered her to the blanket and covered her body
with his. The sated eyes that met his filled him with pride. He brushed his
thumb over her plump lower lip.

“Beautiful, kitten.” He leaned close so their breaths mixed.
“My perfect mate.”

Her hiccupped sob tugged at his heart but he pushed the
unease hearing the sound brought aside and turned his focus to loving Mira. He
kissed her and slowly rocked into her, rebuilding her passion. The cushion of
her soft muscles as she accepted his rigid length eased some of the ache in his
shaft. After a few strokes, the wet slide of her sheath built a different
throbbing, one that forced him to move quicker to feel the drag of her muscles
over his dick.

He twined their tongues, stroked her core and took them both
up to the peak. Fingers biting into her hip to hold her in place, he fucked her
harder. He shortened his entries and kissed the mouth of her womb with thumps
of his cock over and over, the same way their teeth banged—aggressive, wild and
desperate.

Josh, love you. Love you so much. Always and forever.

His pace faltered with the whispered declaration he imagined
in his head. The earlier concern came back to him—that he was losing his mind.
Mira’s orgasm whipped the concern away. Her sheath tightened around his dick
and he followed her. A rough thrust and grunt and he filled her with his seed.
Each jerk of his cock appeased his need to lay his claim on her. He owned
her—heart, body, soul.

Always and forever.

Josh squirmed away from the brush of hair tickling his
chest, but the dead weight on top of him nixed his escape. He blinked a few
times before focusing on the golden eyes on the lioness who had her head
pillowed on his chest.

“Mira.”

Her answering purr resounded deep inside his chest and
seemed to settle in his heart. God, he loved this woman. He reached up and
caressed the top of her head, petting her. Both the cat and the woman would be
soothed by the rhythmic strokes. Her eyes closed. The rumbly sounds she made
deepened, reflecting her approval. He grinned.

A part of him found the sight of a lioness half sprawled
over his chest with her tail swishing softly against the brown blanket they’d
used as their bed last night amusing. A few months ago, he would’ve openly
laughed at anyone who told him he’d find the love of his life in a woman who
could rip his throat out with her fangs. But he couldn’t imagine being with
anyone else. Mira was his world. He knew his every thought, every action from
now until the day he took his last breath would start and end with this
beautiful female.

He swallowed his declaration of love. He’d tamed the woman
and the predators she housed. It didn’t mean he had her commitment. Her love?
He’d bet his life on it. He felt it like some mystical tether tying them
together. He also knew she’d use it against him in some misguided notion to
protect him. The predator who’d captured him would sacrifice everything
including her heart and sanity to save him. Knowing it only made him love her
more.

With her wide, heavy head cupped between his palms, he
kissed the tip of her nose. The rough, sandpaper swipe of her tongue along his
cheek sent a shiver through him. He chuckled.

“Kitten, I adore your cats but I’ve woken up hungry. Shift
for me. I need you.”

A sigh escaped her parted mouth. The lioness’s image faded
and Mira’s replaced it. He’d watched the other shifters change from man to cat.
It’d had always amazed him to see the flip of their images. It looked painless,
simply the exchange of one side of their persona for another. Never had he
witnessed Mira’s.

If he didn’t know it was impossible, he would’ve sworn he
could see inside her soul in the brief flash where she was woman and animal.
All three cats reached for him in that instant. Sharing their adoration with
him. It left him a little unsteady inside. The muttered curse and thump from
outside yanked him out of his state of elation.

Mira whipped her head to look at the large picture window.
They’d left the curtains open last night so they could enjoy the stars. Now he
berated himself for doing so.

He shoved her multicolored hair out of his face and sat up
just in time to grab his little predator. She turned her head and bared fangs
at him. Rage tightened her features. Her eyes glowed. The sight didn’t scare
him but whoever the sick bastard was who’d been spying on them should be
pissing his pants about now. Mira looked ready to kill.

“Wait. I’ll handle this.”

“No. I will.” A low, threatening growl accompanied another
flash of her fangs. “You’re only human.”

Well, fuck. He would not allow her to protect him.

He yanked her close and tugged on her hair to tip her head
back. They didn’t have time for this shit but he couldn’t let it go. Some damn
primal instinct flaring up inside him compelled him to stop her.

“No, kitten.” He bent closer until their breaths mixed and
her eyes filled his vision. “You are my woman to protect and cherish.
Understand?”

A heartbeat passed then another before her body went limp in
his arms. She nodded.

Relief eased the unsettling tightness in his limbs. He gave
her a quick kiss and set her aside. “Stay here, kitten.”

Not bothering with his pants, he ran out the door. Mouth
parted, he inhaled. The automatic reaction struck him as odd but not as much as
the information seeping into his brain. He smelled antifreeze and mint, no hint
of who’d been there. A quick scan of the clearing around the trailer didn’t
show anyone. He took several steps.

Tires squealing cut through the early morning stillness.

He cursed and pivoted on his heel. Mira stopped him with a
hand on his arm. Panic widened her eyes. Instead of speaking, she pointed to
the tramped flowers under the window. His gaze landed on the evidence left
there. A camera, an ancient-looking cell phone and a paper coffee cup full of
chew spit showed their visitor had spent part of the night watching them.

A few feet from the discarded items lay a rumpled shirt. The
crushed plants under it showed where the stalker had passed out. He had to have
or else the guy was too damn stupid to live. Going by the empty bottle of
whiskey, Josh figured his guess had to be a good one.

Naked, Mira glided toward the flower bed. “I don’t know who
it was. There’s no scent. But…” She leaned closer and parted her mouth, exactly
as he’d just done. After a moment, she choked back a cry and swung her head to
meet his eyes. Disgust scrunched her features. “He jerked off while he watched
us make love.”

The whispered declaration brought his rage back. He clenched
his hands so hard pain whipped up his arms. He strode forward and lifted her.
No way did he want Mira anywhere near the bastard’s cum.

He set her inside the house and turned to go back out. She
stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

“You’re bleeding.”

He glanced at where blood dripped from his hand to the
smears on her upper arms. No cuts. He didn’t know where the blood came from,
nor did he care. They had bigger shit to deal with at the moment.

“I’m fine. Go clean up while I see what pics he took.” He
ran a hand through his hair, the consequences of what had happened pressing
down on him. “You better call Kade too. I think we’re going to need Shifter
Affairs.”

“But without a scent—”

“We don’t need one.” Although it bothered him not to have
one. It meant somehow the shifters were involved or at least the humans who
capitalized on selling them. Either way, shit had hit the fan today. “I think I
know who it was.” Or at least which set of brothers to corner.

He stepped to the door.

“Josh?”

He glanced over his shoulder. She stood twisting her fingers
with her gaze locked onto the carpet. “How will I tell Kade about us when even
I can’t explain it?”

The sight of her anxiety was too much to ignore. He went to
her. “I know you’re scared but we have to contain this exposure. Do I need to
remind you we have not only Megan and Molly to consider, but also Jazz’s kids?”

“No, but—”

“But nothing.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “You
said you trusted me. So trust me to make this right for us. I won’t fail you.”

Her mouth parted slightly on a soft sigh. “Yes, okay.”

He wanted to take the silent invitation. Instead, he strode
to the door. “Good. Call Kade.”

He walked out without looking to see if she complied. Each
step increased the pressure in his lungs. God, it felt as if he were blowing up
like a balloon and any moment he might pop. He shook off the sensation and
focused on facts. If their peeping Tom had gotten hold of the drug the shifters
used to mask their scents, it made sense he’d evaded Mira’s senses. Well that
and Josh had kept her focused on other things last night.

And one of Abby’s fucking brothers had watched every minute
of it.

An odd haze slid over his eyes. Colors bled from the world
around him. The smashed red and pink petals appeared washed-out. Everything
looked as it had in the fucked-up dream he’d had the other night. He pressed
the balls of his palms to his eyes. Deep breaths eased the rage. Once calm, he
dropped his hands.

The scenery around him held all the right hues.
Thank
god.
He didn’t need to deal with some sickness to remind him of the
limitations of his frail, mortal body.
No, don’t go there. Focus, dammit.
Mira needs me. I won’t fail her.

He picked up the cell. Dead. He dropped it and shifted his
attention to the shirt. The ripped flannel with the label for Ernest Farms on
the breast pocket proved his guess right. He should’ve known Zeb wouldn’t have
let the little incident of his miraculous recovery go without questioning it.
Well, he might’ve if Josh hadn’t made that slip when Zeb had accused him of
lying.

Whatever the reason, Zeb or whichever of his little brothers
he’d sent out here had made a dangerous choice. As much as Josh despised the
family at the moment, he didn’t wish harm to any of them. Pain? Hell yeah. He
wanted to deliver it himself, right after he made sure they’d keep Mira’s
secret.

Hell, he wished he’d gotten the shifters involved in the
first place, but days had gone by without so much as a peep from Zeb. Josh had
figured he’d convinced him of his version of the truth. Regret left a fucking
bitter taste in his mouth. No going back. He’d made his choice. He had to live
with it.

Josh picked up the digital camera and fought the urge to
smash it against the nearest tree. He scrolled through the pics. Thankfully,
most of the blurred images didn’t show Mira’s breasts. He’d worshiped them with
his back to the window. However, they did show him lost to pleasure as he
orgasmed inside her.

He flipped through a few more and stiffened at the sight of
one that showed him taking Mira from behind. He had his mouth clamped over her
mate bite and his hands palming her breasts. It was a sensual shot and one he
wouldn’t mind keeping except for the way the image made his eyes look. The blue
in his iris filled the orb. No white. He advanced a few more images but none
showed his face.

He lifted the small screen closer to his face. It had to be
a trick of the light but damn if it wasn’t a freaky one. He hit the Delete
button and regretted it a second later. He should’ve printed it out to look at
it better.

And what would be the point, jackass? It’s not like I can
turn into a shifter. It’s not a disease. Shifters host their animal spirits. A
symbiotic relationship and one I’ll never fucking have.

The little lecture zapped the flare of hope. He was shit out
of luck. He’d known it all along. Still… How was he going to make things right
for Mira? How would he ever be the mate she needed when he wasn’t the same
species? Dammit, he’d promised her.

You are the mate of my heart.
The words she’d spoken
came back to him. The truth in them hit him square in the chest. Unexplainable
bond or not, that was all he’d ever be to her—the one she loved.

Anger rushed up. The pressure in his chest increased.

He reached a hand out to steady himself. Rafe’s warning came
back to him. Josh closed his eyes against the guilt. Mira loved him. In his
heart, he knew she would until the end of time. He couldn’t exactly explain how
he knew it. Just did. There was no doubt, no wondering if she’d love someone
else after he died. She never would. And that was what Rafe had been trying to
tell him. When a shifter loved, it was forever.

I can’t give her forever.

His selfishness condemned her to an eternity of heartache.
Dear god, he was a bastard.

Mira wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against
his back. The tightness in his body lessened. He swallowed past the lump in his
throat and let his breath escape in a shuddering rush. Her presence comforted
him. She made the physical ache bearable.

The touch of a mate.

He’d heard the others talk about it with awe. Right in that
moment with his beloved’s arms around him, he could almost believe everything
would work out. Too damn bad it was a lie.

He turned and wrapped her in his embrace. They didn’t speak
or move. No need. The words passed between them. Her devotion filled him up and
completed him. He bent his head and kissed her, showing her his love and hoping
she felt it inside her heart the same way. He wasn’t sure how long they kissed.
Long enough to stir his lusts back to life, not that it took much for him to
get aroused around her.

She arched into him, an invitation he hated to pass up but
would. They didn’t have time for more. He eased back to study her expression
and see if she understood how deeply he cared. If it was all he had to give
her, he’d give it to her in spades. The small smile on her face in answer
warmed him almost as much as her kiss had. He ran his thumb over the upturned
corners. “Mira, I…”

She dropped her gaze before he could get the words he wanted
to say out. Good thing too. Saying them would be foolish despite the acceptance
he saw reflected in her eyes.

“Did he take any damning pictures?”

She reached for the camera. He held it up. There was no
reason for her to see them or know they’d been watched all night. He scrolled
through the last few images and sighed. The last one had been right before he
woke. Mira’s lioness form was asleep with her head on top of his chest.

“Just one.” He turned the screen so she could see it.

She stared at it a long time before dropping her head to his
chest. “Kade said for you to go after him and call Rafe when you have him. Kade
will handle everything else.”

“They’re not insisting on coming with me?”

The small shake of her head brushed the ends of her hair
over his arm. The silky caress sent tingles across his skin. He closed his eyes
against the surge of lust. No time to love her. Later after this mess was
contained he could sink into his personal heaven.

“Why not?” He asked to get his mind away from sex.

“They don’t want him to guess who else might be a shifter.”
A low growl crawled up her throat. Heat emanated off her skin, a sign he knew
meant her cats were seconds away from making an appearance.

Hoping to calm her, he ran his hand over her hair in long,
steady strokes. “That’s smart.”