Tangled Pursuit (21 page)

She heard Wyatt groan as she eased back and forth, taking a little more of him every time, every inch burning pain blending into intense pleasure as her entrance widened. He was expanding her, his swollen cock throbbing, asking her body to surrender to him as he raised his hips, moving another inch into her. She melted into the primal animal she had always known was inside her, perhaps that sinuous, dangerous leopard she’d seen. He was her mate. Her body was flowing hotly with fluids, readily enveloping Wyatt, making the transition, opening fully to him, the burning sensation lessening with each stroke of her body, swallowing him into her, moaning with pleasure as it reverberated through her like a slow-moving earthquake.

She heard him, then, as he prepared to come, felt his hands grip her tightly, wanting to thrust. His breathing was explosive as she sank down fully upon him, impaled, trapped in the most delicious of ways and sensations. Coaxing him with her body, she leaned forward, her lips near his ear. “Take me, Wyatt . . . I’m ready . . . take me . . .” And she took his mouth, thrusting her tongue against his because he’d instantly frozen, afraid he was going to hurt her.

While he was a big man in every way, Tal felt her body accommodating his size, allowing him to move slickly within her, bringing a little cry of pleasure trapped in her throat as she tore her mouth from his, arching into him as he made the first deep thrust into her welcoming body.

Tal established the rhythm, allowing Wyatt to take of her what he wanted. He was breathing harder, and she could feel him growing rigid within her. He was so close to coming . . . she twisted on him and took him as deeply as he could go.

Wyatt suddenly went taut, his hips jerking, his hands clutching her as he climaxed. She cried out with him from her own orgasm, which came just as he released himself fully inside her. Her world spinning out of control, she sobbed, her fingers digging into his chest wall as the lush wave of nothing but hot, intense pleasure released within her, flooding into and around his cock as her body tightened against him, massaging him with her own powerful, ongoing contractions. She cried out, a scream of pleasure tearing from her lips as she arched against Wyatt, frozen with so much ecstasy that she was nearly out of her body. The last thing she remembered was Wyatt’s own hoarse cry of release.

CHAPTER 12

T
AL DIDN’T KNOW
how long she’d slept. Wyatt had gently tucked her next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, and she had fallen into an abyss of sleep, her body still smoldering from their lovemaking.

She awoke sometime later, Wyatt’s arm around her shoulders, holding her against him, his breathing slow and deep. He had pulled a sheet up and over them while she’d been sleeping, and again she marveled at his need to take care of her. She nuzzled against his shoulder, the warm, hard strength of him beneath her cheek. She filled herself with his scent and savored the intimate memories humming through her satisfied body. Never had any man gratified her as Wyatt had.

Her heart was wide open to this man. Wyatt stood out among all the men she’d met, like an honorable warrior with his rock-solid integrity.

He was honest, sometimes annoyingly so, but she relished this quality in him above all else. She’d seen something in his eyes as he’d eased her from his exhausted body, and she still couldn’t define it. Wyatt made her feel free. Her body was still radiating pleasantly in the aftermath of the multiple orgasms he’d triggered within her. And yes, she was plenty sore, but it was the kind of soreness that reminded her of what they’d shared. Of how good life could be with the right partner. Or mate.

She moved her fingers languidly across his chest, the silk of his sprinkled hair caught between them.

Wyatt stirred. He didn’t jerk awake, but Tal felt him drifting up through the layers of a very deep, healing sleep. She could feel him integrating her into himself. It was like water being thirstily absorbed by dry, parched earth and refilling him, replenishing him on every level of himself. She liked that idea and hoped what she was sensing was true.

He caressed her hair, his breathing changing, and Tal felt his large hand across her back, trapping her silky hair, fingers sliding through it slowly. She felt like a cat, a purring sound rising in her throat as she glowed with the knowledge that he cherished her. He’d growled like a leopard in her imagination, and she’d felt that deep, masculine, primal animal that was a part of him echo through her, making her feel one with him. It was the most amazing sensation she’d ever experienced with a man. But Wyatt wasn’t just any man. He was hers. Never had she felt so in tune with a man as she did this one. Wyatt made it easy, his roughened hand sliding to the center of her back, his fingers lingering over each vertebra as if he were memorizing her, placing her in his body, his heart. And she knew his heart was involved, just as hers was. But how much, how deeply, she didn’t know. At least, not yet. And there was still a part of her hanging back in fear of what was happening between them right now. She’d allowed it to begin all over again. She was risking her heart once more, but this time, it didn’t bring the freezing fear that had come with it before. His ability to love her, ferret out her fears, dissolve them with his kisses, his mouth, teeth, and skilled fingers, fed her hope. Hope.

Wyatt growled thickly, nuzzling her cheek. “I’m in the best dream I’ve ever had . . .”

Tal gave a low laugh. “No way. My dream’s better than yours.” She felt his smile against her cheek.

“Want to bet?” Wyatt asked, challenging her, rising up on one elbow and watching her in the semidarkness. A small lamp in the corner of the room shed just enough light to chase away the shadows so he could see her features, her eyes shining with satisfaction. It made him feel good, as a lover, to know he’d given Tal pleasure. He frowned, moving his hand across her belly. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” she murmured. “More than fine . . . still floating . . .”

His brows drew down as he caressed her belly with his fingers. “You sure you’re not too sore?”

“Mmmm, a little.” Tal gazed up at him. “Hey, stop worrying. I’m fine. It’s such a small price to pay for what we shared together . . .”

He looked at his watch and his mouth turned down. “Damn. It’s 0300 already.”

“Well, we have three more hours together,” she reminded him. But a chill went through her as she realized this precious time together was almost over. And after this? Who could say for sure?

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” Wyatt stilled his hand and was struck by how darkly tanned and scarred it was against the white velvet of her rounded belly. Dark against light. The perfect combination for the fiery pleasure they’d shared. She was primal. Natural. She lived close to her ancient instincts; he’d seen it in her eyes as well as in the way she moved her sinuous body.

“You know,” he murmured, allowing his fingers to linger across her firm, curved thigh, “you’re just like that sleek leopard you saw. You’re so damn sensual, woman, you tied me in knots.”

He saw her expression grow soft, a little relief in her darkened eyes, perhaps. Tal didn’t realize just how wonderful a lover, she really was. Wyatt would fix that over time if she gave them a chance. “I’ve never had anyone pull so much out of me and then make me feel so damned exhausted afterward. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to move again, woman.”

“I hope it was good for you, Wyatt.” Tal trailed her fingers down his arm, feeling his muscles automatically react beneath her touch. “Because it sure was for me.”

“Good?” Wyatt leaned down, grazing her mouth with his. “It was great, darlin’. You’re welcome in my bed any time you want.”

She laughed. “Well, thanks. I feel the same way.”

“Good,” he murmured, cupping her breast, feeling the warm, firm weight of it resting in his palm. Tal’s eyes went drowsy with pleasure as he caressed her, teasing that bud of a nipple that hardened and peaked.

He felt that she was ready for more loving as she murmured with pleasure. “Tell me what you want,” he urged her now. It was more of a growl than a command. Her eyes had half closed, arousal burning in them once more, her wet lips parting.

But while all the signs were there, Wyatt knew she had to be damned sore. He knew he was built more like a stallion than most men, and he remembered how tight Tal had been, and how much her body had to open up in order to accommodate him. She wouldn’t be walking normally this morning, that was for damned sure.

But if his size bothered her, she ignored it. His heart soared on that realization as she took his hand from her belly and slid it downward as she opened her thighs to him.

“I want more of you,” she told him in a throaty whisper. “All of you. I want you behind me. I want you to mount me, hold my nape with your teeth, and take me, Wyatt. And don’t be afraid this time, all right? We’ll work this out as we go.”

He responded by moving his fingers teasingly across her already wet, welcoming folds. “You’re a hungry little Anatolian cat, aren’t you?” He saw her eyes become slits, a sweet purring sound rising in her exposed throat as she arched her hips into his exploring fingers. His woman was a fierce, unapologetic lover, not afraid to take what was hers, what she wanted from him. A dream come true for Wyatt.

“I’m starving for you,” she rasped, arching even more strongly against him, gripping his hand, placing it against her entrance. “I want you, Wyatt. Now.”

He was more than ready now, and he was sure Tal could feel his hard length against her thigh.

“Then I’m going to mate with you, and you’ll fly with me,” he rasped. She gasped as his lips captured one of her nipples and he slid two fingers into her, toying with that swollen knot eager to be teased.

She was a consummate athlete, her sleek, curved body firm and her strength deceptive until she applied it against him. Wyatt smiled as she released little mewls of satisfaction. He felt her hips writhing and ready—more than ready—for him, and this time, he was less cautious, less controlled.

She moved to her hands and knees, her beautiful ass so close to him. He eased upward, placing his hands between her thighs, and spread her legs open to receive him. He passed his knuckles lightly against her sweet entrance; she was dripping fluids, so ready for him, for what was to come. Wyatt could feel the primal animal in him rising, his cock rigid, seeping, wanting to thrust boldly and deeply within her. He moved his hands lightly across her cheeks, feeling how sweet, rounded, and firm they were beneath his exploring palms.

Tal purred again, pushing her ass up against his cock, bold, unafraid. A rush of dark, primal yearning flowed deeply through him and he positioned her, placing the head of his cock against her opening. There was a little cry of joy vibrating in her throat as he eased into her, instantly deluged with her heat and juices. She pressed against him, taking him deeper, her channel so damn tight, he growled and clenched his teeth. As he gripped her hips, she ground against him, taking no prisoners, lost in the animal heat that was such a part of them.

She threw her head back, whimpering as he plunged into her, her hands gripping the covers, clenching them in her fists as he eased in and out of her, establishing a hungering, urgent mating rhythm, wanting her to fully participate. The desire to plunge into her, take her as urgently as he could, overrode his massive control. He felt how tight she still was, like a fist around him, squeezing him, making him groan and quiver.

This time, she was more leopard than woman, tugging at Wyatt, urging him on, slamming her body against his. Boldly, Tal surrendered her control. And then she felt Wyatt’s large, broad body, like a warm cape, come across her back. She heard him growl and then lick her sensitive nape after pushing her hair aside as he pumped deeper into her. The moment he licked her nape and then firmly held the flesh of her neck between his teeth, pulling her head up to control her, she cried out. But it wasn’t from pain. He triggered something so primal, so basic within her aching lower body that the agony instantly dissolved in more intense sensations violently flooding into her channel.

He thrust fully into her, making her shudder and cry out sharply. He knew that sound tearing out of her wasn’t from pain. It was from the intense, deepening pleasure as he held her firmly by the nape. Wyatt knew it was one of the most erogenous areas on a woman’s body. He understood that it threw a woman who trusted him into her most ancient mating instincts. Her body took the hard, pumping motions as he shafted fully into her small channel. It sent him over the edge where only ecstasy, heat, and light existed. This time, he took her without mercy. She whimpered with pleasure, accepting his deep thrusts, asking for more, unafraid, wild animal sounds, hoarse and sobbing, tearing out of her. Her fluids were flooding in and around him, making it easier to slip back and forth within her. Wyatt felt her channel tightening down, felt it spasming against his thick girth.

Leaning over her, releasing her nape, licking it, he continued his swift pace. This time, he bit her where her shoulder met her neck, another favorite spot of a wild animal to grip his mate during a breeding frenzy. He felt her flinch, surprised, and then suddenly acquiesce to his teeth as they held her firmly without breaking her skin. It brought out another ancient female reaction from her, and he swore he heard her snarl his name, back arching, as an orgasm exploded within her. He growled deeply, locked within her, claiming her, mating with her, making her his forever.

He stroked her once, twice, and then she cried out as her entire body convulsed a second time. Yes! He grunted, holding her in place as he continued to ravish that special spot within her, hearing her gasp beneath him, feeling the rapid contractions of another orgasm, the flood of liquid fire enclosing him, drowning him in vivid pleasure.

Wyatt gripped her hips to him, driving hard, and his whole world dissolved around him as his climax struck him like a white-hot bolt of lightning. It ripped down his spine and surged through his balls tight against his body, flowing into Tal. Then he released her shoulder, licking it several times to soothe the flesh. All he could do was rasp her name, hold her tightly against him, their bodies slick, fused, and heated, as the powerful pulses rushed out of him and into her. Her own orgasms were making her shake and tremble, her cries continuing, hoarse and filled with satisfaction.