FavoriteObsession (13 page)

Mate her.

Mira scolded herself. That was exactly what she wanted. A
shifter
mate. The quicker she picked one, the better. She had to protect Josh. The
thought of hurting him sickened her. She couldn’t. She’d do anything for him,
even spend eternity with a male she didn’t want.

She swallowed hard and bent her head to give Aron better
access. He took advantage of her offering. His tongue laved her, a rough lick.
Rougher than before. She shivered, but not in desire. It tickled. Aron groaned
and nipped at her flesh, obviously interpreting her response as approval.

A rough tug of her shirt exposed the old scar on her
shoulder—she didn’t like to think of it as a mate bite, more of a
disfigurement. He flicked his tongue over it. She held still while he toyed
with the entry points, nibbling and licking the raised brands. She felt nothing,
not surprising really. She’d never experienced anything from it before. The
bite was meant for a mate’s pleasure and Aron wasn’t hers.

“When I rebite you, it’ll feel good,” Aron said as if he’d
heard her thoughts.

“
If
you rebite me.”

Another nip and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“When, baby. Not if.”

“Oohh, another pretty kitty.”

Aron jerked back and spun to face Zoe. She grinned, her gaze
traveling over Aron.

“How did you sneak up on me?” Aron asked.

“Just a gift I have.” Zoe shrugged.

Her cats had noticed the human’s approach, though. That
Aron’s hadn’t meant he’d been too focused on her. Mira groaned inwardly.

Zoe stepped between them so they were face-to-face, Aron at
her back. She winked at her before scowling, the fake frown ruined by the
twinkle in her eyes. “I hope you don’t plan on monopolizing this fine specimen
of a man all night. I want a little of him for myself.”

Zoe was offering her a reprieve. Mira shouldn’t take it. She
had to get used to another male’s touch, but she needed some fresh air. Just a
couple of minutes.

“I did come here with Aron. I shouldn’t abandon him.” She
raised her brow, hoping Zoe would take the hint and push a little more. Mira
couldn’t appear too eager to get away from her date.

Zoe leaned into Aron’s chest. “Five minutes. Please?” She
lowered her voice. “Consider it an ‘I’m sorry for going furry on you’ gift.”

“I truly am sorry.”

“I know.” Zoe offered a small smile, a real one that warmed
Mira’s heart. Waving her off, Zoe turned slightly to cuddle against Aron’s
chest. “Now get out of here for a while. This one’s mine until you get back.”

Mira rubbed at her nose to hide her smile. She liked Zoe.
The same instant kinship she’d felt with both Jazz and Lena stirred to life. If
anything, moving here had given her the one thing she’d never had before,
female friends.

Zoe grabbed Aron’s shoulders, the height difference between
them forcing her to lean back. “What’s your name?”

He smiled. “I’m your owner’s older cousin, Aron.”

“You got that backward. He’s my kitty,” she whispered. Her
eyes widened. “I should get tags for him so I don’t lose him.”

Mira slipped away. She was delaying the inevitable. A
shifter held the role of her future mate, not Josh. Her cats growled their
displeasure. They shoved the image of her, heavy with child, and Josh rubbing
her belly with love in his eyes to the forefront of her mind. Tears clogged her
throat and she cursed the goddess, the damn prophecy and her cats for torturing
her with a future she could never have.

Gaze locked on the front door and her escape, Mira headed
off the dance floor. A few feet from freedom, a strong arm wrapped around her
waist and yanked her into a hard chest. She yelped, the very feminine sound an
automatic response to the man who’d caught her. Josh often made her forget she
was the predator, not him.

He pressed his mouth near her ear. “Going somewhere?”

“I was…”

“Coming to find me.” He stepped closer and slipped his other
arm around her waist, locking their bodies together, his front to her back. The
long line of his arousal pressed against her spine. “Weren’t you, baby?”

Mira shook her head.

“Trying to make me jealous then?”

No, she was trying to protect him the only way she knew
how—replace him.

“I don’t want—”

He nipped her earlobe, stopping her words. A flick of his
tongue laved the sting. She held her breath and waited for his next move. He
captured the delicate flesh between his teeth and tugged. A shuddered groan
fell from her lips.

“It won’t work.”

His warm breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine.
Where Aron’s touch chilled her, Josh’s ignited. She burned.

“Why?” She swept her tongue along her upper lip. “Have you
finally wised up and realized we won’t ever be together?”

Instead of answering, Josh spun her in his arms. He lifted
her, an arm around her waist and strode down the hall toward his office. Her
toes skimmed the floor.

“Put me down,” she mumbled. Her order held no punch, not
with lust husking it.

“In a minute.”

Josh stopped in front of his office door. He shifted his
hold on her body and pushed it open. Her breaths quickened. She couldn’t be
locked in a room with a male who triggered all her instincts. Only her
conscience had kept her out of his bed. She shoved against his chest, barely
managing to break his grip. Damn, he was strong.

His half-lidded eyes focused on her. She narrowed hers. “We
are not doing this.”

He gripped the doorframe above her head. His plain black tee
stretched over bulging biceps and a chest packed with muscle. Her mouth
watered.

“Yes, we are.”

She inhaled, needing to ground herself and gain some control
over her runaway libido. His scent filled her lungs. She swayed toward him. Gods,
he smelled richer, more potent and full of life. “No. I came here with Aron. He’s
my date.”

He trailed a fingertip down her cheek and across her lips.
She parted them, silently urging him closer while berating herself for being so
weak. He dropped his hand.

“But I’m the one you want.” Confidence laced the statement.

She took a step back. He merely watched her. Satisfaction
flashed across his face. Seeing it left her uneasy. She put more space between
them.

“No, you’re not. I changed my mind. It’s a woman’s
prerogative, you know.” She clenched her jaw to stop her rambling.

“Liar.”

She sifted her fingers through her hair, hoping he’d focus
on that and not the trembling in her limbs or the rough pants sawing past her
lips. It was damn hard to replace him when her body cried out for his
possession.

“I’m not lying.”

Josh’s denim-blue eyes, darker in the dim light, glinted
with amusement. He watched her toy with the strands for a long moment. With a
smirk on his lips, he shifted his gaze from where she wanted it and slowly perused
her body. Sparks skipped across her skin.

She tingled everywhere his gaze touched, as if it were his
hands caressing her flesh. His lazy inspection settled on the juncture of her
thighs. Hunger slackened his features. He licked his lips. Her cream flowed in
response to the unspoken demand, but she locked her knees, refusing to squirm
and draw attention to her state of arousal.

He inhaled deeply and a smile spread over his rough face. “Shall
we make a bet then?”

There was no way he could scent her arousal. Human noses
weren’t that sensitive. She huffed at the ridiculous notion.

“No. There’s no reason to bother with your silly games.” As
long as he didn’t touch her drenched center, he wouldn’t know she’d lied. “I
chose Aron tonight. He’s the male I want to spend my time with, not you.”

Her cats hissed. She ignored them.

He laid one palm above the swell of her breast and shoved.
She stumbled backward. Josh followed her, the lock clicking behind him.

“You’re a horrible liar, Mira.” He
stood with one hand on the doorknob and the other fisted at his side. “You get
this little twitch by your eye and lower your gaze so you’re staring at my nose
instead of my eyes.”

Yeah, she sucked at it but if she made a conscious effort,
she could pull it off. She straightened her shoulders and held his gaze. “I’m telling
the truth. I want to be with Aron.”

Eyes locked to hers and chin lowered, he advanced on her. Blue
fire burned from behind his long, thick lashes. The intent displayed in their
depths sent a shiver of awareness through her.

He stopped a few feet away. “Do you think me a fool then?”

“No, of course not.”

“Good.” He took a single step closer. “Because I know what
you’re doing.”

She shook her head. “You know nothing.”

Another step. “That so?”

She nodded.

He took one more and kicked a box out of his way. Something
rolled and shattered against the wall. His gaze never left hers. “Let me prove
it to you.” He extended a hand and curled his fingers. “Come here.”

“No.”

He sighed but disappointment didn’t show on his face.
Excitement did.

Oh, gods.

She scrambled backward. Her legs hit his desk. He kept
coming, not stopping his focused approach until his thighs bracketed hers.
Hands on the desktop on either side of her waist, he leaned closer, surrounded
her with his presence and completely shattered her control.

She trembled.

He pressed his nose to her neck and groaned. The raw sound reached
deep inside her womb. She grasped his wrists, neither pushing him away nor
tugging him closer. His warm breath heating her skin froze her in place. Each
slow exhale fanned the flames of desire she always experienced around him. He
flicked his tongue across her sensitized skin. A whimper crawled up her throat.

“Josh.”

“That’s right, kitten.” He tilted his head so his rough-cut
features became her world. “Aron’s touch didn’t make you hot because it’s mine
you want.”

Kitten.
She loved when he called her that. If any
other man had used the term, she would’ve seen red. Not Josh though. He cared
about her and the adoration laced into that one word made her feel special. She
locked her muscles, barely managing to stop herself from snuggling against him.

Protect him.
Yeah, she would even if it killed her.

She dropped her gaze to his nose. “I enjoyed Aron’s kiss.”

He tipped her chin up. “I watched you, Mira. You looked
pained.”

“That’s not true.”

He used his hold on her chin to expose her neck. “You did
not want his lips here.” He pressed a chaste kiss to her skin.

A breathy sigh escaped. She caught her upper lip between her
teeth to stop more from slipping out.

He turned his head. His gaze focused on her mouth. The
desire reflected in his eyes spurred hers. She bit harder to stop her demand he
kiss her.

“Or,” he tugged at her shirt, exposing her scar, “here.”

With a single finger, he slipped the strap of her bra over
her shoulder. He leaned closer and bathed the old mark with his exhaled air. Shivers
raced down her spine. Tingles ignited in her nipples and skipped to her clit. She
tensed in anticipation.

“Will you enjoy my mouth on the bite, sucking and nipping
until you’re wild? Hmmm, let’s see.”

She slid her hand between her shoulder and his mouth so he
ended up kissing her knuckles.

The snap of his teeth resounded in her ears. She flinched.

“Move. Your. Hand.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. Please don’t push me.”

“I have to.” He turned his head. Dark, smoldering eyes
captured hers. “I’m not letting you go. I thought I could play Kade’s game,
watch you with other men. I can’t.”

Remembering her goal for coming to the bar tonight—replace
Josh—she forced a small half-shrug. If she had to piss him off to succeed, she
would. “Then you’ll make a fool out of yourself. I got a taste of you. It
proved you’re not enough of a male to intrigue me more than once.”

She held her breath and waited for his anger.

The corners of his mouth lifted. “Is that so?”

Unsure of what amused him, she studied him with narrowed
eyes. His expression didn’t give her any clues. Finally, she inclined her head.
“Yes.”

He closed the small space between them. She leaned back to
avoid coming in contact with his hard chest. Instead of matching the move, he
reached around her and swiped his hand across the wooden desk. The sounds of
fluttering papers, the tinkling of paperclips and pens clanking to the floor
were her only warnings.

Hands on her hips, he lifted her, dropped her bottom on the
desk’s surface and pressed his hips into the space between her parted thighs.
He drew her closer with his splayed palm over her bottom. She automatically
widened her legs and linked her ankles so his jeans-covered cock lined up with
her cleft.

“Then I guess I’ll have to prove you wrong,” he drawled
before he claimed her mouth.

As dominant as any shifter male, he led the kiss, forcing
her to follow his example and accept his control. Their teeth banged and her
fangs descended, proving how much he affected her. The sharpened points didn’t
deter him. He kissed her with more fervor, not so much as pausing when she
nicked him.

Blood flavored the kiss—his and hers. She curled her tongue
around his to enjoy the moment. He tasted good, better than she’d expected from
a human. Still, she hadn’t meant to hurt him. She pulled back, but he followed
and shoved a groan down her throat. The primal sound ramped up her desires. She
dug blunt nails into his shoulders to hold him in place and gave herself up to
the passion consuming her.

She nipped first his tongue then hers. The symbolic joining
of their blood—hers sweet, his with a tang of iron—made what they were doing
more intimate than any kiss she’d ever shared. He didn’t give her the chance to
revel in it. He thrust against her in a mimic of sex and scattered her thoughts
until all she could focus on was the way he worshiped her mouth.

Each rolling stroke drew him deeper. She clutched him
tighter and countered his movements so they were grinding against each other.
Tingles built in her core. He hit the bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. Her
muscles tightened. He did it again and tiny spasms danced along her inner
muscles.

Gods, he was everything she could’ve asked for in a
male—aggressive, desirable and passionate. She wanted to keep him and enjoy
ecstasy at his hands every day for eternity. She never wanted to lose him.

The memory of the goddess’s vision flashed across her mind
and killed her lust. Kade had described in vivid detail what he’d seen—Josh
sprawled on a wooden floor, mouth and eyes open, with blood covering his body
and her clawed hands.

She turned her head, breaking their wicked kiss. “Don’t.”

He ignored her plea and took her mouth again, capturing her
tongue and sucking. Pleasure whipped through her body. A cry tore from her
throat. He swallowed the sound with another rumble of approval. Dear gods, she
couldn’t deny him, not when he hit every trigger point. That both amazed and
scared her, especially with the desperation lingering in her mind.

As if sensing her inner turmoil, he broke the kiss and studied
her for a long moment. Gaze locked to hers, he sifted his fingers through her
hair. With slow, controlled movements, he wrapped her locks around his hand.
The gentle tugging sped her pulse. He held her immobilized with the section of
her hair and a palm over her lower back.

Time stretched. Finally, he gave a hard yank to her hair. Her
breasts jutted forward. He leaned over her body so each breath she took pushed
her erect tips into his hard chest. Unable to break the spell he weaved around
her, she panted and awaited his next move.

He trailed a single finger across her shoulder. His teasing
stroke left a path of heat and sensitivity in its wake. He inched his calloused
fingertip closer to her old scar, his intent clear. She sucked in a rough
breath, but he didn’t touch the mark. He skimmed the length of her neck, across
her cheek to her lips. Her pent-up air escaped in a rush. Pants left her mouth
parted. He took advantage of the invitation. He slid his finger between her
lips and stroked her descended canines.

Her eyelids drifted shut on a moan.

“I love your fangs. They look damn sexy and make kissing you
even better.”

She focused on him to judge his words. Sincerity shown in
his eyes along with lust. “But I shouldn’t have bitten you.”

A lopsided smile graced his face. Her heart flipped over.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. “Then the proper
thing to do is kiss it and make it all better.” He traced her lower lip with
the tip of his tongue before sweeping it across the upper one. “Kiss
me
this
time, Mira.”

She wanted to do that and more. She couldn’t. Now that he’d
given her a chance to breathe, she’d realized her mistake. Every encounter they
shared strengthened their bond. Nothing had changed. The goddess’s vision hung
over them along with the prophecy surrounding her. All she’d done by giving in
to her lust was hurt them both.

“No, I don’t want any more kisses from you.”

She felt his smile against her mouth. “Don’t you enjoy them?”

She turned her head. His lips skimmed over her cheek with
the move. A shudder ran the length of her spine.