Uncaged (9 page)

Unable to answer, he shook his head.

“Please.”

“Christy, you’re killing me.”

“Speaking for myself, I could use a little pleasure and few more positive experiences in my life.” She pressed her lips to his forehead. “Should I stop kissing you?”

His throat tensed. “We are way past kissing.”

“I know.” Rising, she climbed off his lap, unbuttoned her jeans, and wiggled them down her thighs. Her shapely legs and a pair of peach panties offered a visual feast to his lust-starved senses. “Well?” Her eyes sparkled. “Take something off.”

His cock strained to be freed. They were at the point of no return. Once her bare skin touched, his, the Wolf within would burst to the surface, fangs bared, insecurities and all, wanting to make a claim. “I shouldn’t.”

Sliding the other strap from her shoulder. “I wish I could put you at ease and make you feel as safe as you make me feel.”

“Christy, do you have any consensual experience?”

She climbed under the bed covers. “None.”

“That’s what I thought.” Her words were a sobering bucket of ice water dumped on his lap. “Sweetheart, this is not a good idea.”

“Are you afraid I’m not ready for this? I can assure you I am. In my mind, this is a rite of passage where I’m in control. Mitchell, you’re my first choice and always have been.”

He closed his eyes to block the alluring look on her face. She had no idea what she awakened in him. Not only would he have a hard time controlling his fiercer passions, it would be almost impossible to avoid bonding. Sharing such an intimate level of pleasure, looking into her eyes, committing her scent to memory, would push him over the edge. After this, he’d dream, obsess, and even willingly die for her. If there were to be any hope of keeping her as a mate, many hurdles needed to be cleared. As a human, Christy’s presence in the pack would have to be approved by Drew and Ryker. On pain of death, she would have to commit to pack secrecy. A mate bond was for life, and for all he knew, she wanted a weekend lover to break the ice on her adult sex life. “We just reconnected. I need to be one hundred percent sure before—”

“Mitchell, I’m scared that this is my only chance to be with you.”

“Why do you say that?”

Drawing the sheet higher, she stretched onto her side. “You didn’t want to be found this time. Next, you might disappear completely.”

He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “I wish I could say some magic words, but the truth is whatever happens between us can’t be casual.”

“I don’t want casual. Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”

He swept a lock of hair from her cheek and leaned closer. “No, I’m afraid I might do something selfish that would get you hurt.”

“Mitchell, hurt has already happened to me. Fear isn’t going to run my life. I want to live by my choices. If you feel a fraction of what I’m feeling toward you, where’s the harm?”

The Wolf in him wanted her so badly, he almost growled. He needed to take decisive action. “Do you have a condom in the giant tote bag?”

“No.”

He’d guessed correctly. Squeezing her hand, he looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry, but neither do I.” There was no way in hell he could explain why the Black Hills wolf-shifters were different from the human population. They didn’t pass STDs, and female shifters had discrete fertile cycles. Only human lovers required precautions.

She looked crushed. “I never dreamed things would go this way.”

“Don’t worry.” He drew her into his arms and rocked her against his chest. “Everything’s perfect.” Slipping beneath the covers, he pulled her beside him. “Put your head on my chest.”

Wrapping her arms around him, she snuggled close. “Sorry I let things get so out of hand. I should have asked about a condom first.”

“It’s okay.” He really wanted her, but even more, he wanted things between them to be right. His thoughts wandered toward how he would explain Christy’s situation to Drew.

“I’m disappointed,” she sighed.

“Welcome to the adult world of sex.”

They both burst out laughing.

“I meant I’m disappointed in myself. I pressured you and put you on the spot.”

He kissed her cheek. “No you didn’t.” Gazing out the window, he watched gusts of snow blowing sideways. The sight provided a little consolation. No one would blame him for refusing to turn a woman out on a stormy night. Christy felt wonderful pressed against him. Being so near a potential mate provided a level of temptation he’d never endured. No matter how heated the situation, the man had to remain in charge of the Wolf. That meant no penetration, no wolf-play, no mate bonding, no claim biting. In short, he must avoid the things his wolf soul craved. “I know how to make you feel good.”

Christy stretched across the sheets. “Show me.”

He glided on top of her, taking his weight on his elbows. Touching his lips to hers, he murmured, “All you have to do is relax.”

The pulse beneath her ear enthralled him. He lingered on the warm skin, sensing the blood rush. Cupping her breasts, he pushed the camisole higher, baring smooth curves. The man and wolf within were excited to fevered pitch to see such beauty displayed on his crimson sheets. Her dark nipples stood in stark contrast to her fair complexion. Leaning down, he kissed her breasts. Circling a nipple with his tongue, he brought it to a glossy peak. The wet kiss lingered as he sucked the bud passed his lips. Her soft moan provided instant reward.

Lifting his face, he whispered, “I want to taste you.”

Stroking his fingertips along the sides of her hips, he pulled her panties down her legs and tossed them aside. With a gentle embrace, he stroked her thighs and placed her ankle on his shoulder. He lowered his face between her legs and brushed a soft kiss against her mons. Her warm, musky scent set him ablaze. The instant realization struck, this was a really bad idea. The Wolf wanted to throw its head back in a victory howl. Were it not for the confinement of tight denim with steel buttons, he would have burst free. The first stroke of his tongue to slick flesh took him straight to the edge. He swirled the tip of his tongue against her hard little bud. She wriggled like crazy, making sweet sounds. Christy’s molten-hot response to his touch made his head spin. Taking his time, he sought deeper intimacy with each caress.

She wrapped her thighs around the sides of his face and rocked. In a string of broken whispers, she begged for more. Twice he brought her to the edge and twice he pulled back. Soon, her breathing sped and her light touch became a grasp. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she held him captive against her as a telltale cry of abandon broke free. Arching against the mattress, she trembled. “Mitchell.” His name was uttered as a breathy moan. In the next moment, she relaxed onto the sheets, eyes closed.

His cock pressed hard against his jeans. Her enticing scent hung between them. He faced danger now. The slightest caress, a gliding mouth against his skin would summon the Wolf and it would all be over. There would be no restoring reason.

“What about you?” She stroked a slender finger along his thigh. “I can’t leave a man behind.” Tugging the camisole aside, she glided her fingertips against the soft swell of her belly. “Come on me. Skin to skin.”

Shaking his head. “I can’t.”

Her hooded lids hovered at half-mast. “Yes, you can.”

It would be an insane amount of temptation to take his cock out of his pants.

She sat up. Reaching for his waistband, she popped the top snap. “You look miserable. Let me help.”

Holding his breath from nerves, he allowed Christy to unfasten his jeans, one torturous steel snap at a time. Once freed, he tugged the denim low on his hips, his cock stood hard and thick.

With a provocative glance, she licked her palm and grasped the shaft. “We’ll both feel better in a minute.”

Trapped in her warm embrace, he gave into her. She knelt beside him. Her body swayed. The first wet stroke of her hand traveled the length of him, stopping to caress the crown with the pad of her thumb. Her touch drove him wild. The next stroke, she cupped his balls, gently squeezing them against her palm until heat built. With uninhibited enthusiasm, she leaned over to kiss his lips then used her pretty pink tongue to slick her palm again. She moved closer, allowing him to rub the head of his cock against her soft belly. Within a dozen strokes, he felt light-headed. The moment of climax rushed over him. He tensed, grabbed hold of her hand, and came hard, loving every slippery second of friction.

When he finished, he collapsed at her side, laughing. “I will never forget to buy condoms again.”

She laughed, too. “Good.”

Reaching for a box of tissues, he cleaned them both up.

They smoothed the bedcovers. Christy reached for one of her baggy T-shirts.

With a gentle tap, he stopped her. “Wear this.” Picking his flannel shirt off the floor, he handed it to her. “It’s warm.” He declined to mention he wanted her scent on a personal item he could hold and enjoy after she left.

She slid her arms inside the sleeves and buttoned the front. The plaid shirt hung past her thighs. “Thanks.”

He stretched onto his side and patted the mattress. “Come here.”

She snuggled into the crook of his arm, spoon style.

He drew the covers over them and wrapped a heavy arm around her. Having a warm body beside him was a comforting extravagance, seldom indulged. Before a fight, Tex made sure a pretty fan would be allowed access to him. Tex also ensured the women remained strangers and received the revolving-door treatment. They were ushered in and out of his hotel suites with equal ease. Fun for a while, ultimately the routine got lonely. Looking back, he now found it hard to believe he’d been so naive to not realize Tex would eventually treat him with the same disregard as those poor women.

Outside, the storm passed. A crescent moon shone through the clouds.

Christy glanced out the window. “Do you think the road will be plowed tomorrow?”

Stroking her hair, he whispered, “Yes.”

“I’ll have to go home.”

He kissed the crown of her head. “I know.”

Turning, she looked at him. “You should visit me in Sioux Falls.”

“Why?” he teased.

She giggled. “A bunch of good reasons.”

Feigning indifference, he muttered, “Like what?”

“You could visit the campus, look around. I know Leonora would love to see you. You could drop in on Hank’s Gym. I checked it out last autumn. They were renovating the building and adding on. Pictures of you were hung all over the place. Best of all, you could visit me on campus and make my roommate jealous as hell.”

He didn’t want to talk and spoil the moment. She felt so good to be near, and he loved everything she’d said. For a moment, a window onto what might be opened. “Maybe.”

“Think about it.”

If he were a decent man, he’d make it clear she should go home tomorrow with no hope of seeing him again, but it might be too late. He fantasized about the next time he’d see her. Luscious, sweet, responsive Christy. Damn, he got hard again. They were in an impossible situation. He couldn’t tell her the truth and couldn’t afford not to.

She snuggled close, brushing a bare thigh against his. “We’re not going to sleep much tonight, are we?” Rolling over, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. “I think we should start from the beginning and do it all again.”

The sight of her wearing his shirt with her glossy hair spilled across his pillow made him wish he could see this every night. A strong urge to talk to Rio, Drew, or even Gee—anyone who could give him some solid advice about falling in love with an outsider and bringing her into the pack was in order.

Rio performed a blood ritual for his mate Sela, but he didn’t know the exact details. With pack secrecy crucial, there were few details he could tell Christy without causing a shitload of other unanswered questions to arise. More importantly, he had no right to force anything as extreme as a lifetime commitment, blood-sharing and wolf-shifting on an unsuspecting eighteen-year-old enjoying her first major crush. It wouldn’t be fair. Those changes were profound, and after they were made, there would be no going back. He owed it to her to be patient, responsible, and silent on the Wolf matter.

“Mitchell, a few times tonight when I looked into your eyes, I got the sense you’re dying to say something.”

He reeled. Her intuition was as keen as a Wolf’s. Grabbing the first words that popped into his head. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“That’s sweet, but it’s not what you were thinking. I’m good at reading people. You were troubled a moment ago. I saw it in your eyes. Is this too weird? Me in your bed all night?”

“It’s not that.”

“Isn’t it? I show up unannounced. Then come on strong. Maybe you have regrets?”

A flood of unsettling emotions swamped him. “No regrets on my part.”

“I want you to know I don’t need to be babysat. I came here on my own. Tomorrow, I’ll leave. Even if tonight is all I get with you, it’s worth it.” Placing a finger under his chin, she glided his face to hers. “You don’t have to think ahead, make promises or plans. I just wanted a bit of you with no strings attached.”

“Christy….”

“I have plans, too.”

Stunned, he realized he
wanted
strings attached. Christy was the closest he’d ever come to meeting his match, but the Wolf inside felt possessive and sought commitment. He had nothing to offer and no way he could safely share his secret. At the moment, he considered the inner Wolf a huge liability. Yet he couldn’t hold back. “Leave a little room in those plans.”

Running her fingers through her hair. “What do you mean?”

He grazed his lips against the warm pulse of her throat, longing to make a claim bite. “I’ll just keep kissing you until you figure it out.”

The kiss deepened. He fought the urge, but before he could stop himself, he bit. Teasing the tender skin with his teeth, he sucked on the warm flesh below her ear. Scorching desire shot through him. Every muscle tensed. God, he wanted her.

“Ouch!” She giggled. “Be careful. You’re going to leave your mark on me.”