M&L03 - SS (21 page)

“Let me see Solomon.” It was
a breathy moan, but I heard and obeyed.

I ripped my shirt off over my
head and shucked my boxers in record time. Then I was back on the couch
stroking my rigid shaft with renewed fervor.

Renee was using two hands
now. The fingers of one sliding in and out of her hot, moist center while the
other concentrated on her swollen clitoris. Her emerald eyes were locked on
what I was doing just like mine were locked on her.

Faster and harder, I stroked
myself while I reached down with my other hand to squeeze my balls.

Renee tipped over the edge,
hips bucking, body thrashing and my own orgasm crashed into me. Spurts of hot
semen splashed onto my chest as I continued to pump my arm, the spasms ripping
through me one after the other, causing blissful jolts of pleasure to ricochet
through my body.

We both collapsed back on
separate ends of the couch, breathing heavy, hearts racing. When the sweat
covering my body began to cool, Renee rolled off the couch and grabbed the damp
towel off the floor. She used it to clean off my chest before climbing back
onto the sofa and pulling the blanket up to cover our lower bodies. Then she
lay down beside me with her head resting on my shoulder and one of her legs
nestled between mine.

“Thank you, Solomon,” she
whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to my chest.

“Anytime Renee,” I told her
and kissed the top of her head.

A few moments later, she was
sound asleep and I closed my eyes to join her.

~ Renee ~

“Mmm...”

“You like that?” His soft
voice asked in the darkness.

“You know I do.” I snuggled
closer to Solomon and he continued combing his fingers through my hair. I loved
it when he played with my hair because it made the most delicious tingles crawl
all over my scalp.

“You have beautiful hair
Renee. I wish you’d wear it long more often.”

“I might now that we’re
mated,” I told him with a yawn as I stretched beside him.

The movement made my breasts
rub against his side and images from the night before came flooding through my
mind. How could I have been so wanton? I was suddenly very grateful that the
shutters covering the back wall worked on a timer. Since it was past dawn, they
were down, making it almost pitch black in the room.

“You don’t need to be
embarrassed Renee. I enjoyed myself last night more than you will probably ever
believe.”

I tensed mid-stretch. “How
did you know I was embarrassed?”

“I... I felt it,” he growled
triumphantly and pulled me onto his chest to hug me tight - tighter than was
actually comfortable.

“Can’t... breathe...” I
managed to gasp out.

The vice grip of his arms
loosened and I drew in a deep breath.

“Sorry, I guess I got a
little carried away.” He kissed the top of my head. “Will you sit up? I’d like
to take a look at your back.”

When I nodded yes, he lifted
me off his chest and then rolled off the couch. While he strode over to the
light switch, I grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around the front of my body
to cover my nakedness. Bright light assaulted my eyes and I had to blink
several times while they adjusted. When I could see clearly again, Solomon was
standing right in front of me naked as the day he was born. Heat colored my
cheeks and I quickly looked away. After the way I behaved last night, it was
too much to see him without clothes right now.

I felt the seat cushion dip
down behind me just before his rough hands skimmed lightly over my bare
shoulders. He was gathering my hair and my heart did a little flip as I waited
to hear what he would see. A moment later, my long curls slid over my left
shoulder. I held my breath as his feather light touch trailed down my spine.

When he remained silent I
asked, “What do you see?”

He pressed a soft kiss to the
back of my neck making goose bumps break out across my flesh. “I see claw
marks, and fox fur, and the gleam of satisfaction staring back at me from the
eye of a fox.”

I turned to look at him over
my shoulder and yes, the gleam in his eyes was very satisfied indeed. “Why
can’t I feel anything from you? Shouldn’t I be able to feel the satisfaction
and joy that is so evident on your face?”

“It will come, of that I no
longer have any doubts, but be prepared. It may come on slowly as it seems to
be doing with me, or you may suddenly be overwhelmed by my emotions. Don’t let
it distract you during a match. I’ll try to keep myself in check, but sometimes
watching you in the arena can bring out some pretty strong emotions.”

I snorted. “Trust me; I know
exactly what you mean. It’s not so bad when the swords just glance off your
arms and the gashes heal up within seconds, but seeing you get ran through with
a sword always makes my heart pound like it’s going to beat out of my chest.
And with the vampires here, there’s been a lot more of that going on than
normal.”

He gave me a grim smile. “How
about we both try to take out our opponents quickly, before anything like that
can happen?”

“Sounds like a good plan to
me.”

“Now, would you explain how
our mating has anything to do with the length of your hair?”

I turned away from him, my
cheeks flaming red all over again.

“Hey, what is it,” he asked
gently, rubbing his hands up and down my arms.

“It’s stupid, and
embarrassing.”

He continued rubbing my arms,
patiently waiting for me to elaborate.

With an exaggerated sigh I
explained, “Long hair and skirts seem to draw more attention from males than
short hair and pants.”

“And drawing male attention
is a bad thing? Or was a bad thing when you were single and free to date
whoever you wanted to date?”

“Well yes, because there was
only one man I wanted to date and making up polite excuses for the rest of them
got old fast.”

Solomon pulled me back
against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. The skin on skin contact felt
unbelievably good. “If there was only one man you wanted to date, why didn’t
you ever say yes when he asked you to go out with him?”

“Because I’m an all or
nothing kind of girl and he wasn’t ready to give me his all.”

“Do you believe he’s ready to
give you his all now?”

“The jury is still out,” I
teased, “but it’s looking like he might be ready to settle down.”

“Why don’t you turn around
and kiss him, maybe that will help convince the jury.” He placed a trail of
soft kisses down the side of my neck.

“I would love to, but I’m not
sure I’m ready for a repeat of last night and he is very, very naked.”

“That is a problem easily
solved,” Solomon told me, easing me forward then rising from the couch.

A moment later he said, “It’s
safe to look Renee, I put my pants back on.”

Keeping the blanket pulled up
to cover my breasts, I turned to face him, drinking in the sight of his
sculpted chest. When I finally met his eyes, he grinned at me and I rolled my
eyes. “I’m sorry Solomon. I know it’s ridiculous to be shy or embarrassed after
everything that happened last night, but honestly all of that just makes this
even more awkward.”

He sat down on the couch
beside me and tucked my hair behind my ear. “You don’t need to apologize Renee.
I understand where you’re coming from better than you might think. I wasn’t
always this comfortable with nudity - mine or that of others. My isolated
upbringing certainly didn’t prepare me for life with the clans. The sex, the
violence, all of it was quite shocking when my family answered the call for
help during the war. I’m sure you can relate.”

I nodded, remembering the
culture shock I experienced when he first brought me into this world.

Solomon continued, “What
happened last night was driven by the mating frenzy. It was purely physical
need and that’s why I stopped you from taking it further. And I will continue
to stop you until I am sure your mind is on the same page as your body.”

I knew he meant to reassure
me, but his words had the opposite effect, leaving me with a hollow feeling in
my chest.

“How can you be so strong
Solomon? For a man who’s used to getting what he wants, when he wants it, you
are showing remarkable restraint. Is that because you don’t really want me?” I
asked, searching his eyes.

“Hell no, don’t even think
that,” he replied vehemently, reaching out to cradle my head between his strong
hands. His eyes bore into mine, underscoring his words. “I love you Renee, and
I want you so badly that sometimes I think it will drive me stark raving mad if
I don’t have you. But mating isn’t only about sex. It’s about friendship and
trust, and taking care of each other. Right now I believe the best way to take
care of you is to protect your emotional wellbeing. And I don’t give a damn how
frustrated that decision makes me in the short term, because I know that this
choice will make our relationship stronger in the long run.”

I tried to shake my head but
he tightened his hold and leaned forward to kiss me. His lips were so warm and
soft, so tender as they moved against mine. My hand came up without any thought
from me to caress his rough jaw and burrow into his hair. How many times had I
dreamed of kissing Solomon just like this? It was still so hard to believe this
was all real, that we were mated and we would spend the rest of our lives
kissing each other like this.

His tongue slid across my
lips, asking for entrance and I opened for him, welcomed everything he had to
offer - his warmth, his tenderness, and his love. His love was like a ray of sunshine
warming me from within. The blanket slipped from my grasp and my other hand
joined the first, luxuriating in this wonderfully perfect moment in time.

Long moments later Solomon
ended the kiss with a growl and I rested my forehead against his chest. “We’re
going to be late if we don’t get going, and besides, I can’t take much more of
this without pushing you too far. Why don’t you meet me in my suite when you’re
finished dressing and I’ll tell you all about the meeting last night. Then we
can get some breakfast at The Outer Rim.”

“We could do that.” I lifted
my head and grinned at him. “Or you could join me in the shower here and we
could knock one out of the park.”

“Tempting,” he admitted,
kissing my forehead, “but I think it’s better if we let the heat simmer for a
while. Let the sexual frustration build, then channel it into every swing and
thrust of your sword. You’ll be absolutely unstoppable.”

Knowing he wouldn’t budge I
let him go and headed upstairs for yet another cold shower. After breakfast, we
made it halfway to the arena before I lured him from the path for a rousing pep
talk. By the time the sword fights began, I was so hot and bothered that my
first opponent was down in three seconds flat. The rest of the afternoon
continued along those lines and I had to give Solomon credit. Sexual
frustration turned out to be better fuel for combat than rage or hate or any
other emotion I’d ever felt. Maybe if he kept denying my needs until the
tournament was over I’d actually come in first place. That was of course, if I
didn’t spontaneously combust befo
re the final match even began.

~ Renee ~

“I heard you put on quite a
show today,” Katerina complimented me.

She wouldn’t have seen my
matches because she was busy fighting her own, but the gossipmongers had
obviously been doing their jobs. We’d just finished lunch and were sitting on a
couple of tree roots at the edge of the forest. Solomon was supposed to meet me
after he was finished setting up his first maze but he seemed to be running
late.

“Thank you, I’m feeling very
motivated this year.”

Katerina gave me a knowing
smile. “Motivated is one way to put it, but a ticking time bomb might be a
better way.”

“I don’t know what you mean
Katerina.”

“Oh I think you do.” She
laughed softly. “But if you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine by me. I
personally have no interest in mating and will fight it until my very last
breath.”

I was surprised Katerina felt
that way. Most shapeshifters looked forward to mating as if it was the answer
to all life’s questions. “I think you’ll be surprised if and when you ever find
your mate. I used to think mated people were all brainwashed by whatever
magical force brought them together. Then I felt Solomon through the bond for
the first time and everything changed.”

“You felt him?” She sat
forward, watching me intently. “He told me about the spell you used to keep him
away and he said it had lingering effects - one of which was the inability for
either of you to feel emotions through the bond.”

“That was true until this
morning.”

I explained about the bases
and everything that happened last night and this morning. By the time I was
finished, Katerina was laughing uncontrollably. When she finally settled down
she asked, “Who would have thought Solomon would be the one refusing to have
sex and not you?”

“No one, not even me, and I
believe that’s why the spell finally broke and I’m starting to feel his
emotions. He told me the spell would break when I let go of my fears. Last
night he proved to me that I’m more than a sexual conquest to him. He showed me
that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to earn my trust and I finally let
myself believe in him.”

I closed my eyes remembering
the perfect kiss from that morning. When I opened them again, I told Katerina,
“I don’t know if I can explain what it was like to feel his love through the
bond for the first time. It was only a moment, but it was a moment I will never
forget. He kissed me this morning after we realized the spell had been broken.
While we kissed, his love for me flowed through the bond like warm, glowing
sunshine.

You may not remember what
sunshine feels like, maybe it’s been too long since you felt it, but I
remember. I used to sit on the beach for hours soaking up the warm rays,
especially in early spring when the chilly wind would blow my hair into a
tangled mess. Spring was always better than summer because the sun wasn’t
blazing hot, it was warm and inviting. It had a way of seeping into my soul and
chasing the cold away. It was the kind of warmth that held promises of new
beginnings and better things yet to come. That was what Solomon’s love felt
like when it came through our mating bond for the first time.”

“That sounds beautiful
Renee,” Katerina told me with a strained smile. “I’m truly happy for both of
you.”

“Thank you Katerina.”

I wanted to ask if I’d
somehow upset her but had to let it go when Angela approached us with Liliana
and Josephine in tow. “Do you mind if we sit here with you?”

“By all means, make
yourselves comfortable,” Katerina told them with a bright smile on her lips,
hiding whatever emotions had been peeking out a moment ago. She indicated a
nearby tree root with an elegant sweep of her arm.

Angela and company made
themselves comfortable and dug into their food.

“You’re pretty good with a
sword Renee,” Liliana complimented me after a few bites of her chicken wrap.
“Do you think you could teach me how to sword fight?”

“I could try, but I’ve never
taught anyone before. You might want to talk to Solomon or Katerina. They’re
the ones who taught me.”

She glanced at Katerina
nervously. “Perhaps I could learn a little from each of you. That way I won’t
take up too much of anyone’s time. You’ll have to slow things down for me
though; I can’t keep up with supernatural speed just yet.”

“Why haven’t you let Lucien
change you over yet?” I asked, and then added, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Because she thinks she’s too
good for us,” came the snide response from Charlene, a lion shifter with an
appetite for trouble.

She’d brought a few of her
cronies who were lurking behind her, and standing by her side was none other
than Monica.

Liliana ground her teeth
together before replying, “As I’ve already told you Charlene, I need to get my
business sorted out before I give up the sun. I don’t have anyone else to
oversee location shoots for the magazine. Once I find someone that I can trust,
Lucien will make me one of you.”

“You will never be one of us
Liliana,” Charlene told the other woman with a sneer.

“She might not ever be one of
you,” I said with a casual shrug of my shoulder. “But who wants to hang with a
bunch of bullies anyway? I mean really. What do you think this is - high school?
Besides, she’s already one of us because she’s your clan leader’s mate.”

Charlene sucked in a breath
but Monica cut off whatever she’d been about to say. “Renee is just feeling the
effects of the mating frenzy Charlene. Aren’t you Renee? Only you’re not giving
in to it, are you?”

I narrowed my eyes on her.
First Katerina and now Monica; was it really that obvious that me and Solomon
weren’t having sex? “What makes you say that Monica?” I held out my arm.
“Obviously we’re having sex, or I wouldn’t have his mark on me.”

Monica laughed. “I know
you’re still holding out on him Renee. We all do. We know him well, and that
deranged look he had in his eyes when I saw him earlier was a clear sign of
sexual frustration. How long will you string him along before you give him back
to us?”

I’m not really sure what
happened next but Monica was suddenly on the ground clutching at her throat
while blood gushed and spurted everywhere and I was holding her larynx in my
hand. Everyone was a bit stunned, especially the three newbies, but at least
Angela didn’t look like she was about to vomit.

“I think we’re done here
Monica,” I said, tossing her voice box onto her chest.

Charlene and another lion
shifter picked Monica up and carried her away. No one made direct eye contact
with me as I stood there trying to process what just happened.

I felt him coming a moment
before his rough hands smoothed down my arms. Solomon pressed himself against
my back and I could feel exactly how happy he was to see me. “Do you have any
idea how much that turned me on?” he whispered in my ear.

I turned around to face him
and linked my hands behind his neck. Sure, they were covered with blood but
that just didn’t seem to matter at the moment. “I think I do, because I can
feel it through the bond.”

His eyes were wild, and yes,
maybe a little deranged. I had a feeling mine didn’t look much better. The
scent of blood always acted like an aphrodisiac for vampires and nightshifters.
Throw in a little violence and the mating frenzy and we were both ready to do
the naked dance.

“Take me away from here
Solomon.”

He did as I asked, and the
next moment we were in the forest and my back was against a tree. His mouth
came down on mine and he kissed me, greedily, desperately. He put one hand on
my hip and pulled me closer until I was riding his thigh and his leather clad
erection was grinding into my hip. His other hand squeezed my breast while my
hands moved to his belt.

I got the belt undone and the
button too, before he came to his senses and broke the kiss. “No Renee, we
can’t yet.”

I grabbed a handful of his
hair and looked right into his caramel eyes. “If you don’t fuck me right now
Solomon I’m going to scream. Then I’m going to jump on the first dick I find.”

His eyes flashed pure gold
followed by black.

“You will never allow another
man to touch you again.”

He didn’t give me time to
respond. His fangs came down and then he struck, lightning fast, without any
warning. He didn’t project any images this time only sensations, and - Oh. My.
God. I’d never felt anything so wildly explosive in all my life. My knees gave
out as my body seized with the most intense pleasure I’d ever felt. Solomon
held me close, crushing my upper body to his chest as he continued to drink.
With every pull of his mouth another panty-drenching orgasm had me screaming in
ecstasy.

When he finally withdrew his
fangs, we fell to the ground panting. Every muscle in my body felt like Jell-O
and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to move again.

Eventually I gasped, “What
the hell was that?”

“That is what it feels like
when I drink from you,” Solomon answered, his accent much thicker than normal.

The smooth sound of his
accented voice had desire flaring in my core, even stronger than before. I
rolled over and situated myself on top of him with my knees planted beside his
hips. His arms came up with panic in his eyes, but I grabbed his hands and
pinned them to the ground.

“Don’t worry Solomon; I’m not
going to push for sex right now even if that is what we both desperately need.”

I wiggled my hips a bit,
rubbing my clit along his very hard shaft. Clothes or no clothes, the friction
caused a warm, tingly sensation between my legs. Solomon groaned, and I had to
smile. Maybe all this really was affecting him as much as it was me.

“Can you smell that Solomon?”
I asked, taking a whiff of the air myself.  He inhaled deeply and closed his
eyes briefly. When he opened them again I continued, “That’s the scent of my
desire. My panties are dripping wet from the pleasure you just gave me, but
it’s not enough. Hell, the way I feel right now, it will never be enough.”

“If you don’t want sex, what
do you want?” He managed to rasp out, his hips jerking when I gave another
twist of my hips.

“I want to know if it feels
just as good when I bite you.”

His caramel eyes locked with
mine, already melting with his desire. “My blood is your blood Renee, anytime,
anywhere.”

He turned his head to the
side giving me open access to his throat and I wasted no time. My fangs slid
into his flesh and sheer ecstasy filled my soul. While I drank, Solomon freed
his hands from my grasp and placed them squarely on my ass. Our hips rocked
together, amplifying the sensation coursing through our bodies from the blood
exchange. Wave after wave, the orgasms crashed over us until I couldn’t drink
another drop. Then I sealed the puncture marks and rolled over to lay beside
him, boneless and sated for the moment. 

We were silent for a while
before I asked, “Why do you think it feels like that now? I mean, you’ve bitten
me twice before this and it never felt that good. I’ve never bitten you before,
but I would’ve thought it would be just like biting anyone else.”

“It did feel that good when I
changed you over and then again during the dream we shared after the hurricane.
I chose to hold back most of the sensations so that you wouldn’t be
overwhelmed.”

I rolled my head to the side
and stared at him in disbelief. “How did you manage to walk away both times
without sex?”

He rubbed his hands over his
face. “Believe me, it wasn’t easy. But I’ve never wanted to take advantage of
you, not even here tonight when it was my lust you were feeling and not your
own.”

That made me laugh. “Trust
me, my fox and my vampire find blood and violence just as appealing as yours
do. It just took a moment for them to get my human side past the shock of what
I did to Monica.”

“Regardless, I don’t want
blood or violence to be the catalyst for our home run. I want it to be an
emotional experience, not just a way to satisfy physical urges.”

“You know if Doyle heard you
say that he’d probably take away your man card.”

Solomon chuckled. “Yeah, but
he’d give it back just as soon as he found his own mate.”

We stayed there a while
longer talking and laughing, until our bodies were willing to obey our commands
again. Then we made a quick trip to the locker rooms where we cleaned up and
readied ourselves for the next round of sword fights. The night was long and
bloody and when it was over, I was advancing to the quarterfinals. I heard
Solomon was too, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. After a while, I gave up and
went home. Of course that was where I found him, and the
surprise
he had waiting for me.