Colorblind (Moonlight) (9 page)

The orgasm that sent her over this time was different, but just as intense as the rest. Her body clenched before it began contracting wildly against the large organ inside her. She felt him pull from her and whined at the loss, but then she felt his hand under her back, lifting her from the desk. He turned her around so her back was to him before he licked at her neck. She trembled and pushed back against his erection.

I need you on your hands and knees.

Penny did not have to be told twice. She could already see what he was picturing in his mind. Stepping away from him and moving closer to the book cases, she knelt before lowering herself onto her hands. She turned and looked over her shoulder at him, wiggling her bottom a bit. He was behind her a second later.

When he slid into her again, Penny arched back and moaned, working her hips back against him. His hands caught her waist and held her steady, asserting his dominance, his control, as he thrust into her.

She was feeling the beginning tremors of another orgasm when he seemed to grow larger. As he continued to move, thrusting as deep as he could go, she winced when her channel resisted his now wider base.

Leon growled and came down over her back. He cupped her breasts as he kissed and licked at her neck.

Do you take me as your mate?

She nodded, but it apparently wasn’t enough, and he nipped at her neck.

Yes. Yes. Oh…uh…

You are mine, Penny, and I am yours. As long I draw breath, no one will take you from me.

Yes…no one. No one.

He reared back and came into her again. She whimpered loudly as the base of his sex demanded entrance.

Penny shifted against him, trying to pull away.

Leon…

A hand slipped around her middle to hold her secure and he thrust into her again.

“Ah!”

Her claws unsheathed and dug deep grooves into the floor. He licked at her neck once more before sinking his teeth into her shoulder. Simultaneously, his swollen sex pushed past her resisting core, and he lodged inside her.

Penny screamed and Leon held still, one hand playing with her nipples as the other moved down between her legs to find her button. Within moments, the pain subsided and she moaned at the feel of his fingers.

Shift…

What?

Shift to your wolf.

She shook her head.
Leon.

Trust me.

Penny did, calling her wolf despite her uncertainty in doing so. As she changed, Leon was there, a part of her, a part of her transition. In her wolf’s body, she was still intimately joined to him, his wolf. She whined in pleasure, enjoying the strength she felt at her back, inside her body. His thrusts grew frantic, and she mewled as his base, more swollen that the last time, pressed against her, seeking re-entry. He thrust a few more times, burying himself to the hilt in her body, and pushing them both over.

After, they collapsed to their sides on the cool floor, still joined in their wolf bodies, exhausted. Leon licked at her injured shoulder, nuzzling her.

Are we mated?

Yes.

Even though he couldn’t see her face, Leon knew she was smiling.

He was torn about the mating. Both he and his wolf were happy she was now officially theirs, but he knew some of the slaves and perhaps others would soon know of his interest in her.

It was impossible for a mate, especially a male
werewolf,
to ignore his other half. It was also impossible for a newly mated male to act rationally around his mate. He’d seen it firsthand when Sebastien, his older and usually level-headed brother, had found his mate. He, Armand, and Étienne, barely out of puberty, and attempting to play a practical joke on their brother, had entered Elise’s bedchambers while she was asleep and Sebastien out. They’d thought nothing of it, especially as Elise had only woken up, shaken her head at them, and rolled over to go back to sleep. The joke had been on them when Sebastien walked in, took one look at three male wolves sprawled out in his territory and went berserk. Had it not been for their parents rushing to save them and Elise’s frantic reasoning with her mate, Leon wasn’t entirely sure Sebastien would have spared any of them.

He slipped back into Penny’s mind, and found her at the edge of toppling into a deep sleep.

Penny…

Hm?

From tonight, you’ll sleep with me, in my bed.

Exhausted laughter brushed his mind.
I can’t. People will notice—I don’t care what they notice. You’re mine, and you will sleep beside me.

She tensed instantly. With a sigh, Leon nuzzled at her neck in a semblance of apology and explained.
I’m your mate, Penny, and I’ll become even more possessive. I need you with me at nights, and I need to see you daily, if just to reassure myself that you’re in no danger
.

Penny relaxed once more and nodded.
I want to spend my nights with you
. She yawned and he nuzzled her.
I may leave late and return early, but I’ll come.

His sex, which had been gradually returning to its unengorged size, slipped from her, and Leon drew back, standing when he was free of her body. He padded around until he was before her, and began a thorough sniffing. Penny was too tired to move so she only watched him curiously. When his nuzzle burrowed its way between her back legs, she parted them, growling lightly when his cold nose touched at her center.

About to ask him why he’d done that, she decided to find out for herself. It was easy to enter his mind for her answer. He was being territorial, making sure that every part of her, especially where they’d been so intimately joined, smelled of him.

When he collapsed onto his side behind her once more, she lifted her head and smiled. He lowered his head briefly onto her neck, which made her lie down once more.

Sleep,
ma louve
. I can feel your exhaustion.

Ma louve?
He was right. She was only a few seconds away from sleep.

My wolf.

His leg went over her side, and she closed her eyes. Before long, she’d fallen asleep, dreams of awaking and doing more of what they’d just done keeping her company.

***

She came to him that night, and the night that followed.

Leon waited for her, anxiously looking at the pathway that led to the side entrance for the quick flash of material that indicated her arrival. The first time they’d lain together in the bed had been innocent, with Penny snuggled against his chest as Leon fought for the strength not to roll her onto her back and take her. He had to keep reminding himself that although she would have healed by now from their previous encounter, she was still sensitive, and he could end up frightening, perhaps even hurting her. The second night, there were no such restrictions, and their first time making love in a bed had been more than either had anticipated. After long hours, they’d fallen asleep joined to each other.

On Friday, Leon was seated atop his horse, a large, wide-brimmed hat on his head, as his gaze followed her in the fields. Every so often, she would lift her head, look directly at him, and smile.

“I been talkin’ to them slavers in town. Says they bringin’ in a new shipment either today or ’morrow,” Pleasant said as he approached him. He, too, was atop his horse.

“And the cost?” Leon asked smoothly, wanting badly to throw Pleasant somewhere for blocking his view of Penny.

“They all go for ’round the same. Girls is more expensive if they pure and pretty or if they breedin’. Boys more expensive if they strong or got some skill in the fields. You wantin’ me to go see if they come in today?”

Leon contemplated it before nodding once. “Yes. And take Hollis with you. He’ll need to know how to conduct these business transactions.”

Pleasant’s brows lifted and he looked over his shoulder to where Hollis was making his rounds around the fields. “That ain’t a good idea, Mr. Arnaud,” Pleasant said, looking back to him. “Ain’t nothin’ worse than having all the overseers gone with them niggers still out. They start actin’ funny, thinkin’ bout escapin’.”

Leon nodded as if he was contemplating changing his answer, before pulling his pocket watch from his trousers and saying, “Dismiss them for lunch. That way you and Hollis can be back before they take to the fields again.”

Pleasant nodded, but he continued to stare at Leon. “Is something else the matter, Mr. Pleasant?”

“’s just that Hollis ain’t too good with numbers, and negotiatin’, and the rest….”

“And you’re wondering why I want you to take him?”

He nodded.

“He has to learn somewhere, Mr. Pleasant. You’re both overseers. Whatever you can do, Hollis should either be able to, or should be learning.”

Pleasant grunted and nodded once. “After I dismiss ’em for lunch, me and Hollis gon go into the city, see if the new batch arrived.” He paused and spat onto the ground beside him. “And you’s wantin’ ten of ’em, right?”

Leon nodded. “Preferably an even number of men and women.”

“You want ’em for fields or the house?”

“Mostly the fields,” Leon replied. He was “selling” mostly field slaves so he would need more of them as replacements, so as not to bring on suspicion. “And how long will it take you to get into the city and come back?”

“Hour, maybe. Hour and a half tops.”

When Pleasant turned around and began riding toward the slaves, yelling that it was time for lunch, Leon looked directly at Penny. She’d stopped her work and was staring at him.

Come to my bedchambers in ten minutes.

A little smile curved her lips, and she lowered her head, as if she was searching for something among the cotton vines.

It’s still day, Leon.

He projected images of them locked in each other’s arms, her body arching into his, and saw her eyes close, her teeth pull at her bottom lip.

With a smirk, he replied,
You know the time of day doesn’t matter,
ma louve
. I want to be inside of you.

She locked her gaze on his.
I want you inside me.

Both he and his wolf growled his approval.
Come to me in ten minutes.

At that moment, Pleasant rode back to him, this time with Hollis in tow. They both drew up in front of him, and Pleasant spoke, “We’s thinkin’ it might be best if you hold onto Hollis ’ere’s pistol.” Pleasant thrust the weapon at Leon. “In case they try anythin’.”

“Thank you, but I have my own,” Leon replied, a cool little smile on his face. It was true. He had a chest filled with pistols, and muskets, although they weren’t because he felt unsafe among slaves. It was a precautionary thing that he have a gun and a case filled with silver bullets in the event he ran into a larger threat from one of his kind, or of a kind with abilities similar to his own.

Hollis removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled easily. “And we’s thinkin’ you gon’ be defenseless.”

“I won’t.”

***

Penny entered through the side door, quickly walked past the kitchen, from where she could hear the raised voices of the house slaves, and headed up the staircase. She’d just stepped onto the second floor when a door opened and Julia emerged, her arms laden with a basket of linens.

They both froze, but Julia recovered first. “You searchin’ for somethin’, Penny?”

Penny nodded, and schooled her features. “Massa send me up ’ere for somethin’.” She couldn’t think of what the something would be. She was a field slave who shouldn’t be able to read or write.

Julia stared at her for a long moment before stepping aside and saying easily, “If Massa send you for somethin’, it probably in Massa’s chambers down the hall.”

Penny nodded quickly and said, “Yea, that’s wha’ Massa said.”

“Julia!”

She felt her heart stop. It was Jolie. If Jolie saw her on the second floor, she would make a fuss about it, and would no doubt drive either her or Leon to doing something they’d regret.

“Go get your somethin’ for Massa,” Julia said softly, stepping around her. Penny didn’t need to be told twice. She moved briskly down the hallway, pushed open Leon’s door, and stepped through, bracing her body against it and listening to their fading voices.

“What’s wrong?” Leon asked immediately, walking over to her.

“Shh!”

She heard Jolie ask why Julia hadn’t responded before. Julia only said she hadn’t heard her.

“Julia saw me.”

Leon nodded once, but his face grew cool. “Did she say anything?”

“I told her I was getting something for you.”

***

It was risky, having her come to him in the daytime while the house-slaves were still about, but Leon needed her. He’d watched her for almost two hours, and during that time, he’d wanted to march over to her, haul her up, march her to his bedchamber and have his very wicked way with her.

Pushing away from the door, Penny stepped closer to him, a little smile curving her lips. She slid her arms up his chest and around his neck. “I missed you.”

It wouldn’t have taken much for Leon to strip her bare and take her, and that statement was more than necessary. In under a minute, they were both bereft of clothing, and on his bed. Using one hand, Leon secured hers above her head as he kissed her, and parted her thighs with one of his own. His cock brushed her entrance, but stilled there. Penny pushed her legs farther apart and struggled against his hand, but it was futile. She growled at him and he smirked, dragging his tongue through the valley of her breasts before swirling it around her stiff nipples.

You’re teasing me.

His teeth grazed her nipple and she whined, arching her spine to get him inside her.

Leon moved back slightly, which frustrated her to no end. He’d invited her to bed only to tease her? She bared her teeth at him, and he kissed her. Penny parted her lips and touched her tongue to his own, moaning at his taste and the wicked sensations it sent through her body.