Howling Moon (33 page)

Raphael must have smelled something, even though she tried to hide it with a smile. He touched her hand lightly. “If you’d rather not talk about it – “

She waved it off. “No, it’s okay. It’s over. Talking about it won’t stop the hurting, but it won’t make it any worse, either. Okay, so Brad Jenkins was the son of my father’s vice president. We sort of grew up together, ran in the same circles. But his folks decided to send him to boarding school in Europe after middle school, so we lost track of each other. I’d already gone through my period of
fin
d
ing my center,
as Mom tastefully referred to it.” She caught Raphael’s grin out of the corner of her eye and it made her laugh lightly. “Actually, it was closer to
partying till my eyes bled.
But then I got accepted to college, and by die time Brad returned to the States after graduating from Oxford, I’d already finished grad school. We met up again at… oh, hell, I don’t even remember which company function, and started to date. It seemed a natural progression to getting engaged.” She drought back to the event and was amused by die realization. “I loved him, but mere was no wild excitement when he offered die ring. It was just… I don’t know…
expected!”

Raphael turned off the stove, brought die skillet over to the table, and scooped a healthily portion onto her plate. He did die same for himself before taking the pan to the sink and filling it with water to soak. “But then something went wrong? Must have been pretty serious to break you guys up after all that history.”

Cat nodded and then poked her fork into the strange colored mix of food on her plate. Tentatively, she speared a pepper along with some egg and slid it into her mouth. Wow! Tastes rolled and collided on her tongue and she eagerly followed the first bite with a second. She’d never in her life tasted anything as good as Raphael’s green chile. It was thick and meaty with pork chunks and some sort of sausage, and seemed to have a variety of peppers and onions.

“Omgawd! This is
amazing!”
She swallowed quickly and tried to get her thoughts back on track. “Yeah, it was pretty serious. We announced the engagement in the paper and, of course, it was picked up by all the society pages in the city. Naturally, they did all the
proper
tie-ins – company background of both the parents, charitable donations, and the like. Dad and Mom were both on lots of committees and boards. Education, literacy, animal charities, disaster relief. All the obvious ones. But then one of the papers did some digging and broke the scandal.”

She’d been diligently trying to ignore the heat that started slowly, but it sank deeper to sear through her tongue and gums. Despite her best efforts, she finally gave in and raced to the sink for water to stop the burning, much to his amusement. By the third filling of her glass he was chuckling.

“Stop laughing!” she said, trying hard not to laugh herself. “It’s
hot!”

“You’d better get used to it. This is how I eat all the time. Jalapenos are the mildest thing you’ll find in my cooking. So, what was the scandal?”

The plate was nearly empty when she sat back in her chair and sighed. “I’d always grown up hearing that Mom was a debutante from one of the southern states – Daughters of the American Revolution, cotillions, all that sort of stuff. Turns out she wasn’t. I guess nobody had ever asked the right questions, or they knew and never printed it because of Dad, but my mother was apparently a high-priced call girl when my father met her.” That raised Raphael’s eyebrows, but he didn’t comment one way or the other. “Naturally, or… actually, not so naturally… Brad decided that perhaps I wasn’t the best fit for his family. He used all the proper methods, said all the proper things… and dumped me.” Tears threatened again, so she took a deep breath and smiled instead. “And that was that. Life sucks, and all that jazz. Anyway, let’s not talk about that anymore. Let’s talk about how great a cook you are. That was truly an incredible meal.”

Raphael dipped his head in acknowledgment, stood up, and walked around the table, carrying his plate. He picked up her plate and carried them to the sink. For reasons she couldn’t quite fathom, she stood and followed him the few short steps and then leaned against the counter, watching him. Her heart leapt into her throat when his nose twitched and he turned to fix her with a penetrating stare.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. You deserve better,” Raphael said softly and looked down. “You missed a bite.” She followed his gaze down to her plate. There were still a few bits of egg and potato buried under the thick sauce. He slowly… ever so slowly scraped her fork around the edges of the plate until he’d scooped it up. He raised the fork and held it out to her. She opened her mouth and let him slide the food in, all the while being transfixed by his complete focus on her and the thick scent of rising musk. She closed her mouth and chewed, this time relishing the burning that seemed to seep through her whole body, making her palms moist and her skin tingle.

She felt a tickle on her chin, and watched him reach out to wipe a dollop of chile away with his finger. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as he eased it to his own mouth and licked it clean.

She’d stopped chewing, had nearly stopped
breathing,
and swallowed convulsively, nearly choking on the food in the process.

A slow, lazy smile curved his lush lips and she realized she was trembling. He reached forward again and ran the back of his fingers along her jaw lightly. “You deserve so much better.” Her eyes closed, reveling in the sensation. She heard, felt – smelled him move forward and when he brushed his lips against hers, a jolt ran through her body that weakened her knees.

She became lost in the sensation of his lips coaxing her entire body to need through her mouth. He sucked lightly on her lips, one at a time, and then her tongue, as though seeking the last taste of chile. One hand cupped under her cheek while the other reached for her waist. Instead of pulling her closer, he pressed her back against the counter. She could feel him, hard and ready, against the sensitive nerves of her hip and a moan escaped her.

She reached up into his dark curls, let the soft strands slide through her fingers. The fine trembling in her fingers was growing worse, causing heat to rise to her face and making her palms sweat. He pulled back from the kiss and fire burned deep in his eyes when they met hers. The golden glow made her shiver.

“You’re shaking,” he whispered.

She nodded jerkily and let out a nervous chuckle. “I don’t know why. We’ve had sex before.”

He surprised her by not laughing. His face, his eyes, grew even darker and more serious. “Are you certain that’s what this is?”

She felt suddenly lost in the intensity of the moment, as scents swirled in the air strong enough to make her entire body clench. “I – “

He leaned forward again and her lips opened, waiting. But he dipped lower, and she felt his breath hot on her throat. Her pulse thundered so hard that she could feel her temples throb as his teeth grazed a sharp line from her jaw to her shoulder. The growl that reached her ears was from deep in his chest and she gasped as his fingers dug into her shoulders to pull her closer. She inhaled and her nose fought to sort the scents. Sultry cologne blended with thick musk and mingled with a dizzying blend of emotions to create a combination so erotic that each breath nearly brought her to climax.

The whisper into her ear was a husky, rolling rumble that told her his wolf was close to the surface. It weakened her knees once more. “I’m pretty sure this won’t just be sex, Cat.” He moved back again and slid slow hands down her arms and then cupped her breasts while he stared at her. The trembling in her body became a throb that flushed her skin and made her suddenly wet. “What do you think?”

She couldn’t think of what to say. Her tongue felt thick and useless. She could only nod in agreement, wondering what she’d gotten herself into. A small part of her was suddenly afraid – of the intensity, of something that was deeper inside her, bigger than she’d ever imagined. But she didn’t fear Raphael, or what mating might mean. She realized that nothing he could ever do would frighten her.

“C’mon.” Raphael stepped back and took her hand in his. He backed up and she followed smoothly, knowing without asking where they were going. They walked through the quiet house hand in hand. Sunlight was fading through the curtains of the bedroom as she stepped inside. He closed the door with a faint click and then once again cupped her jaw with his hands and kissed her slowly. She ran her fingers along his forearms as she met his searching lips and tongue with ever increasing need.

He ended the kiss and stepped back a pace. The husky whisper made her shiver again. “Take off my clothes, Cat. I want to feel your fingers on my body – feel your lips on my skin.”

She suddenly wanted the same thing. She stepped forward and started to unbutton his shirt, placing a gentle kiss on his smooth chest each time the shirt opened wider. His breathing grew deeper and she felt his fingers slide through her hair. She let her hands wander up his ribcage and around to the strong muscles of his back and shoulders while her lips and tongue teased his nipples, each in turn. His hands began to clench knots in her hair and groans began to replace breaths as she eased the shirt off his shoulders and let it drop to the ground.

Make love to me, Cat. Raphael’s voice touched her mind and a violent shudder raced through her. I want to be yours. I want to make you mine.

He reached for her, and began to remove her clothes as she removed his, bending down to tease her ear with lips and heated breath while she ran a slow tongue over his collarbone. His shoes and pants quickly followed the shirt, and her clothes joined them on the floor as both of their actions grew more frantic – hungry to touch skin to skin. The feelings he was arousing in her made her want to scream, to shout, to beg to go further, faster.

“God, Raphael! I can’t stand this teasing anymore.” She wanted him to possess her, take her. His erection was pressing mercilessly against her as he hooked his thumbs under the sides of her panties to pull them down. She reached her hand down, inside the elastic band of his briefs and felt his whole body clench as she wrapped her hand around his thick cock. He growled lightly and stripped off the underwear, then moved her hand back to his shoulder.

With a movement sudden enough to make her gasp, Raphael grabbed die backs of her bare thighs and lifted her until her legs were wrapped around his waist. He moved her back and forth across his stomach several times, flared his nostrils, and then smiled hungrily at her. “You’re wet. I like that. Let’s make you wetter.”

His glowing eyes and bared teeth sent another jolt trough her body. She tipped his head and desperately claimed his mouth, needing to feel his jaw working against hers.

He didn’t disappoint her. The kiss was fierce, hungry – his tongue thrusting deep into her mouth as he walked forward toward the bed. He crawled up onto the comforter without ever releasing her and leaned forward until her back sank into die puffy goose down.

He began to rub himself against her slick opening, not entering her, but teasing her swollen flesh. Her breathing erupted into shallow pants as he kissed her nearly breathless. One hand moved to her breast and began to flick the hardened, sensitive nipple, while the other snaked between their bodies and began to flick between her legs with the same maddening slowness.

She squirmed under him restlessly, trying to satisfy the growing need deep inside her, but he’d managed a position that she couldn’t escape from unless she wanted to end this completely – and she didn’t.

He finally pulled back from the kiss, and Cat gasped for air desperately before he lowered his face to her chest. She cried out as his mouth found her breast and sucked greedily at the nipple just as his fingers slid inside her. Something deep inside her wanted,
needed,
more. She didn’t know what it was, but the need pounded her heart with fear.

Raphael seemed to know and raised his head. “Let go, Cat. Just let it happen. Trust me.”

She did trust him. With her life.
And with her heart.

He bit down lightly and then growled. “You’re mine now. Nobody else’s.” His mouth moved to the other breast, where he laved that nipple with his tongue until she whimpered.

Without warning, magical energy filled the room. She couldn’t think, couldn’t move. As he entered her, his power washed over her, making every hair on her body stand up. The sensations that raced through her as he thrust his powerful hips against her, as he worked her body into a frenzy, were too intense, too strong. Powerful convulsions wracked her as his mouth found her neck. She felt his teeth bite down, deep into the skin over her pulse.

Yes.
This…
this is what she needed. “Yes,” she groaned. “I’m yours. Nobody else’s.”

His fingers convulsed on her hips and he thrust again –
hard.
The ripples of pleasure abruptly became crashing waves of a violent orgasm. Her breath raged in her lungs as her entire body shuddered and collapsed from sheer exhaustion. But Raphael wasn’t done with her yet. He slowed his thrusts, moved his hips from side to side so that every movement touched a new part inside her.

When his face rose to hers again, she smiled lazily. “Your turn,” she said and thrust her hips against him, enjoying the look on his face from desire.

“Yeah,” he said with a wolfish grin. “I agree. But I think we can make you even wetter first.”

He didn’t lie.

Magic became a flame that touched her, filled her with fire and an aching need for release. Her skin felt swollen, engorged with blood and magic. She raised her legs even farther to take him in deeper. And then she felt the press of power from a new source. The moon had risen. It pulled at her seductively, called to the cat inside. Raphael felt it, too, and gave himself to both her and the moon. His hands dug in to her hips, and he began to thrust hard enough to leave bruises – if she were still human. But in that moment, she knew she wasn’t. She was something else, something new and with conscious thought, she gave herself to this new life, gave herself to the man in her arms.