Max observes Heather attentively as she recounts the past five years. Based on her body language along with her pained facial expression, he can tell that the event took a huge emotional toll on her. Seeing the pain etched in her features as she describes her life, and knowing that his brother is the cause of it, fills him with anger and at the same time sadness. He wishes he could erase all of it from her memory, but unfortunately, he can’t. He can only focus on the here and now, and hope that his presence in her life will make everything better.

He was originally supposed to go with Marco that night, but declined, using their sister Kenzi being sick as a scapegoat. Really, he didn’t want to go at all because Marco had been acting strange that entire week. Perhaps if he had, then this would have never happened, but he can’t dwell on that now. What’s done is done, and he needs to focus.

“Do you still have the dreams?” he asks soothingly, while stroking the top of her hand with his thumb. He decided moments ago to sit close to her because he wanted…no…needed to feel her warmth. Everything about her comforts him and he only hopes that he does the same for her.

“Yes,” she sighs, squeezing his other hand tightly. “I don't think they'll ever fully go away and sometimes,” she pauses, “sometimes they just feel so real. Like I'm right there with her being attacked, feeling everything she felt, and it scares the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry. I wish that …” He stops himself before telling her the truth.

Shit. I almost told her…

There is just something about this woman that makes him want to divulge everything, his life, his family, anything she wants to know, however, now isn’t the time. He suspects that she might be having the same issue, only her filter isn’t apparently as strong as his. The need to be open and honest with her is completely crazy since they barely know each other, but it’s as if it’s just meant to be.

Her brows furrow after his last statement as if she’s waiting for him to elaborate more, but he doesn’t. Instead, he clears his throat and asks nonchalantly, “How have you been able to function with those nightmares?  If it were me, I'd be a shut-in 24/7.”

She’s quiet for a beat. He notices her face searching his but then she continues on.

“I was seeing a psychiatrist for a while and nothing was really helping with the dreams. My doctor eventually put me on this medication, I can’t remember the name, and it did what it was made for. The meds gave me dreamless sleep, which was great, but I also felt like a zombie the next day. I stopped taking it because I don’t like not being in control of my own body and it just made me feel all around shitty. My parents and I fought about that a lot in the beginning, but they got over it because I improved. This did, however, cause a rift in our relationship”

“This is crazy.” she abruptly shouts. He smirks at this sudden conversational change of pace, but goes with it, allowing whatever she plans to say next come out.

“I barely know you, and I’m spilling my guts. I don’t understand why, but I want you to know me– who I am. I feel this strong connection, and I can’t explain it at all. You probably think I’m a loon.”

He chuckles. “No. You’re too hot to be a loon.”

She smiles at him but then goes back to talking about her parents a bit more. Her father is a lawyer for a big firm on the west coast and her mother is a homemaker. They wanted her to stay close to home for college, but she sought to branch out.

“Do you still speak with them?”

She nods. “We are trying, but this whole thing has strained our relationship. I call them a few times a month to check in, but it always ends in an argument, since they don’t support my search.”

“I’m sorry.” And Max truly was. Having experienced the loss of his parents, though not in the same manner, he knows all too well the hurt she must feel.

“It’s not your fault.” She shakes her head at him. “I understand their side of things because I was so crazy with grief back then, but now I’m better, more in control and they need to accept that. I think they still hold some of the hurtful things I said, against me, but I was angry and upset and should be allowed a pass. My parents are just as stubborn as me.”

“What did you say?” Max asks, his voice laced with concern.

“I told them …” She pauses a moment as if trying to but unable to find the words, so he takes this opportunity to squeeze her hand hoping that it gives her the strength to continue. She does explain, “I told them that they weren’t my real family so they had no right to judge what I choose to do with my life. It was a shitty thing to say because I know they love me deeply, even though I’m not their biological child.”

Max’s eyes widen. “You’re adopted?” This news intrigues him, but in the back of his mind it worries him as well.

“Yeah, my mom couldn’t have kids so they got me from an agency.”

“Have you ever tried to find your real parents?”

“Nah.” She shrugs, but he can tell through her expression that this does bother her slightly. “I figured they had their reasons, so no big deal. Anyway, Steve, let’s get back to how I was able to regain control of my crazy life again.” She gives him another cute smile and goes on with her story.

“So, as I was saying, couldn’t manage of a lot of things back then. I felt powerless because I lost my best friend and my sanity in a short span of time, and I needed to take charge of my life again.”

“How did you do that?” he asks, genuinely interested in what she has to say.

“I was seeing a shrink and she was helping with most of the emotional stuff, but I couldn’t get past the fear. The fear of being stolen from my life, the fear of never seeing my family again, and the crippling fear of never finding her.”

Max doesn’t like this one bit. The anger inside of him swells to new heights, but he has to keep it controlled. There is no way he wants her to be afraid of him the way she seems to fear his brother. Fuck, his brother … He could only hope that she never found out that the man of her nightmares is related to him. He doesn’t want his lineage to cause her to be frightened of him too.

Letting her hand go to allow her to stand, she grins at him and continues on.

“My doctor suggested I take a self-defense class.” She begins to move the coffee table to the corner of the room. He offers to help, but Heather waves him off, choosing instead to proceed with the explanation. “I balked at the idea at first, but the more I did it, the better I felt.” Her grin turns into a full-on smile and God help him, he loves her smile. She was already beautiful, but her smile makes her radiant and it brightens up everything around her. His wayward thoughts about her are interrupted when she asks, “So you want a demonstration of my mad skills or what?”

He chuckles. “Mad skills, huh? I’m pretty sure I can take you.” He gives her a challenging look.

“I don’t think you can handle me.” She motions for him to come to the center of the room and he obliges, interested to see what she does next.

“Let’s go then, oh great one with the mad skills,” he responds, meeting her gaze and grinning. He can barely contain his laughter when she rolls her eyes at him, but he plays along.

“Stop laughing, jerk, and pretend like you’re going to attack me.” She signals for him to move forward with her hand.

“I don’t want to hurt you, babe. I’m pretty strong,” Max says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Fairly certain I’m the one that will do the hurting here, Steve. Now attack me.”

Max’s eyes scan her body and he picks up on her defensive stance. Her feet are spread apart and she holds up her fists in a barely threatening way. She looks about as scary as a kitten.

Shrugging his shoulders, he decides to humor her and advances slowly, being careful to use normal human speed so he doesn’t risk really injuring her.  

Just as he is about to grab her, she surprises him by moving her right foot into a sweeping motion. A misstep causes her to lose her balance and just before she falls backward, he takes advantage of this, grasping her waist and spinning her around, causing her to land on top of him.

Max grunts as he lands on the hardwood floor with a thud with Heather on top of him. Her soft body on his reignites the passion he felt earlier when he first kissed her, the scent of her hair and smooth skin calling to him on the most primal level, and the only thing he can think about is how much he wants to devour her right now.

“That was surprising,” he whispers, causing her to blush. She tries to get up but he holds her in place, wanting to savor the feel of her body against his, a little bit longer. He zeros in on her tongue as she licks her plump and pouty lips … those lips that he just has to taste. She weakly struggles to get out of his hold again, but Max’s arms remain firm. He doesn’t plan on letting her go. Not now, not ever.

She mumbles something and he recognizes this as another attempt by her to try and break the mood, but he ignores it. Instead he seizes her by the back of the head, gripping her hair and gently pushing her frame forward, moving her face close. Finally placing his mouth on hers, he is fucking pleased to feel her body relax into the kiss, and that joy increases ten-fold when she parts her lips allowing him entry and letting his expert tongue caress hers. He loves the sensation of her mouth against his and based on her audible sighs and groans, he knows she feels the same. The scent of her arousal hits him so fast that an uncontrollable growl emanates from his chest immediately, causing him to deepen the kiss so much that his lips become numb.

As Max becomes more attuned to the feel of her, he takes a chance, rolling her until he’s on top and in control, just how he likes it. He continues his sensual assault on her mouth, very much enjoying the taste of her, his body reaching a new level of euphoria due to the movement of her hips and the caress of her hands on his back. A huge bundle of emotions swell in his chest and, it’s so fucking overwhelming that he has to pull away from her to catch his breath.

Breaking the kiss, he stares into her lust filled eyes preparing to speak, but she opens her mouth and goes first. “What’s going on here?” she whispers, her eyes gleaming.

“I don’t know,” Max answers truthfully while softly stroking her cheek with his thumb. “But I never expected this… I never expected you.”  The smile he loves so much spreads across her face and he takes this as an invitation to lean forward and kiss her again.

His body has become feverish and he is having a hard time controlling his lust for her, the hardness of his cock proof of this. If he weren’t wearing jeans, he’d probably…

Fuck

He has to end this now, and he intends to … Until the fragrance of her arousal hits him again, and God help him it’s fucking intoxicating. His dick twitches at thought of her wetness hiding under that skirt, and that goddamn sexy moan of hers increases his need even more.

He fights the urge to shove his hand under her skirt because he doesn’t want to startle her; instead he takes his time, resigning himself to the fact that he’s probably not going to stop this at all. The need for her is completely taking over him and he no longer has the will to deny it.

Barely able to contain his hunger, Max trails his tongue along her cheek, eventually placing soft kisses on her neck, savoring the taste of her skin with each touch of his lips. He glides a hand down her chest and stops at her breasts, giving them a gentle squeeze, and claiming them as his.

“Steve,” she moans, causing his body to go momentarily rigid, but he quickly hides the action and relaxes back into her. With all that they’ve been sharing, he totally forgot that she didn’t know who he really is, and there is no way in fuck that he can continue kissing her, tasting her and eventually fucking her without her at least knowing his name. He can’t tell her everything else just yet, but at least she’ll know that tiny part of him.

“Call me Max,” he mutters in between kisses to her neck. He figures stupidly that she wouldn’t question the name adjustment until he feels her body still. To his surprise and slight annoyance, she wrenches away as much as she can lying on her back and gawks at him.

“Max?”

There is a beat of silence as he scrambles to come up with an excuse, her face becoming more confused with every second he lets pass. He didn’t think they would go this far on their first date, but from the moment he looks into her eyes, all bets were off.

Feeling like a dick for lying to her more, he stammers, “It–it’s my middle name.”

Nice recovery.

“I never really go by Steve because it makes me sound like a douche. I mean really, how many people named Steve do you know that are badass like me?” Shut up, Max. You’re looking like a douche now.

“Don’t answer that.”

Max watches as she eyes him skeptically at first, but then laughs at his ramblings. Feeling the tenseness that he didn’t realize he had go away, he smiles.

“Max, it is.” She leans forward, giving him a quick kiss and then continues, “You didn't look like a Steve anyway and for the record, Steve is not a douche name. Now something like a Brett, Mason or Garrett seems dickish. And let’s not forget the mean girl names in this equation. I’ve never liked the name Tiffany, Danielle or Veronica. There is just something about those names that scream mega bitch. Although some might say that of my name, but I blame Wynona Ryder and Christian Slater for people assuming that the name Heather means you’re automatically mean.”

He tries, but fails at containing his laughter at the adorable rant coming from this woman, his woman, who for some reason has this strong hold on him. He lets her continue to rant, relishing in every smile, giggle and sound that passes her lips.

“Now, Max.” He chuckles at the inflection in her tone and runs his fingers through her hair. “Though I am enjoying our hot make out session on the floor, I think we should take it to a more comfortable place. Seriously, a girl could get bruises on this thing.”

“Yes, we most definitely should, babe,” he agrees, standing first while she remains sprawled out on the floor. He allows her only a moment to adjust her clothing and then he bows at the waist, extending his hand out to her. She takes it, leisurely rising, but he surprises her when he bends lower, cups her ass and effortlessly throws her over his shoulder. 

“What are you doing?”  She yelps, uselessly kicking her legs against his chest and playfully pounding his back. Yup, adorable. 

“Put me down this instant or I’ll … I’ll.” Max slaps her on the ass, not just to keep her quiet, but also because he likes her squirming in any way he can get her. Whether on his shoulder, beneath him or in front, any friction from this woman drives him wild.

“You walk too slowly for my taste.” A lie. He wants to soothe the ache in his body and she is the only cure, so he is taking whatever method necessary to get her ass to the bedroom fast. The sooner the better because he doesn’t know how much longer he can hold back from taking her. Her eyes, that sexy body and those lips made for sin, everything about her calls to him, and he plans to claim each and every part. Damn the consequences, she belongs to him, and she will find out just how much tonight.

He grins as she quirks an eyebrow. “Well hurry up then. Last door on the right.”

Max follows her hallway, excitement coursing through his veins. He knows he should take this slow, but his control can only go so far, and the scent of her constant arousal has been teasing him all night.

Entering the room, he zeros in on the bed and immediately mental pictures flash in his mind about all of the things he’s going to do to her in the next hour … or longer. Wasting no more time, he tosses her on the bed and she makes an umph sound upon landing. He watches as she props herself up by her elbows and he takes the opportunity to remove his shoes, the entire time staring into her beautiful hazel colored eyes that seem to brighten with every second that passes.

Stalking toward her, he rumbles in low lustful tone, “You ready for me?”

He inwardly laughs at the question. As if she had the choice.

If she wasn’t ready, then Max would make her ready, and based on the way she is looking at him, he doubted that she would say no.

Her nod tells him that he was right so he continues to advance, deciding on a slow pace because if he goes any faster, her clothes will have be ripped to shreds and she will have already be writhing beneath him.

A slow smile spreads on his face as he crawls on the bed over the top her, pausing when he reaches her face.

“That’s better,” he mumbles, running his index finger over the contours of her cheeks and his thumb over her plump lips. And it so is. His hands all of a sudden become shaky as he continues to caress her face. He takes in a deep breath to calm himself and the inner beast, not understanding where this came from.

“You okay?” she whispers to him.

“Yeah. I’ve just been wanting to be with you like this all night,” maybe my entire life, he doesn’t say out loud, but instead goes with, “and I got a little nervous for a second.”

“I make you nervous?” He prepares to respond to her, but she beats him to the punch and says, “Score for the women of the world against the extremely hot guys.”

Having no idea what she’s referring to, he just shakes his head and goes back into being with her, the suddenly weird burst of nerves disappearing, his lust for her quickly resurfacing.

“Enough chitchat, beautiful,” he watches as her celebratory cries die. “I want to taste more of you … right now.”

Positioning the weight of his muscular body on top of hers, Max starts to plant soft yet urgent kisses on her welcoming lips, thrusting his tongue inside to massage hers, tasting every sweet and succulent inch of them. He releases her lips and trails gentle pecks down her neck and pauses when he arrives at her corset, admiring the fullness of her amazing chest. Her heavy panting causes her breasts to rise and fall with every breath, making them appear as if they want to burst through the seam, so he gives them assistance, reaching in and gently tugging one out, exposing her hard peak. Max uses his tongue to savor the oh so mouth watering flavor of her perky breast over and over again until it’s the only thing that he’s ever remembered tasting in his life. But he wants more … so much more and to get that he needs her fucking her corset off, now.

Decision made, as if it was a hard one, he starts to loosen the front ties of her top and one by one it completely pops open, exposing both breasts. Finally.

Max takes the opportunity to admire them, licking his lips at the sight. He’s been with others before and has seen his good share of beautiful tits, but they are no contest compared to Heather’s. They are the perfect size, fitting right in the palm of his hands, and as soon as he squeezes them, the words holy shit run through his mind.

He didn’t expect them to be so fucking soft. So good …

He was so excited to put them in his mouth a moment ago, that he paid no attention to the feel of them, but now he can’t get enough. “Sexiest tits I've ever seen,” he mumbles in between licking, kissing and tasting them. He nips at her hard nipples, and she gasps in pleasure. The combination of her moans and the smell of her arousal have Max holding on by a thread that will soon be broken for sure.

Once he removes the corset, he tosses it to the other side of the room and goes back to worshiping her chest. He has to put her round and gorgeous breasts in his mouth once more before his mouth goes elsewhere.

"God, oh god, Max." He grins at her breathy tone as he kisses his way down her stomach, swirling his tongue in her belly button, her cute giggle filling the room again.

“I’m ticklish, ya know,” she scolds him, attempting to push him away from her stomach.

Totally cute, he thinks to himself, and then responds, “Ticklish, eh? Well I guess I need to pay attention to other parts then, don’t I?” He tilts his head up, locks eyes with hers, and gives her a challenging look. She returns his gaze with a smile, which includes a raised eyebrow, and the only thing that Max can think of is game fucking on.

He makes quick work of getting her skirt unzipped (thank god, she wore one), but takes his time getting it off by slowly gliding the garment down, kissing her legs the entire way. Catching the scent of her during this maneuver causes his already erect cock to grow even harder, the throbbing pulse of it starting to become painful.

Max doesn’t take as much time removing her first boot. In fact, he yanks at it so fast that she yelps. For some reason, it’s stuck, and this frustrates him.

“Hey there speedy,” she smiles at him as he sheepishly looks back at her, realizing his mistake.

“You have to unzip the sides further down before you pull, unless you want to take my leg off.”

Max mentally scolds himself. This isn’t the first time he’s had sex for crying out loud. He knows how to undress a woman, but there is just something about this time, and her, that makes him crazy.

Acknowledging her jab with a grunt, he finally removes both of her boots properly, tossing them on the other side of the room. After slowly kissing his way back up her legs, he pauses when he reaches her delicious mound, the scent pulling him in again. Like a moth to a flame, he has to touch it, to taste it now … and when she spreads her legs, he knows that he will. At first, he nuzzles his nose in between them, taking in everything that is her, that magnificent scent that tells him she is his, and then he goes on to his sensual attack.

Placing soft kisses on the top of her lace panties, his hand travels in between her legs, moving the scrap of material to the side and he relishes in the fact that she is already extremely wet… for him. He easily thrusts two fingers inside her and the gasps that follow send shivers down his spine. He moves them gently at first, but then, quickens the pace when she starts to move her hips in time with his hand. So fucking hot, he thinks to himself as her motions become more erotic, more fevered. He can’t wait to be in her and based on the undulation of her hips, her moans of ‘harder’ and ‘faster’, he can tell that she’ll want it rough. Oh, God, the feel of her tight wet heat surrounding his fingers causes another involuntary growl to emanate from his chest, but her sexy noises are so loud, Heather doesn’t hear him. He oh so slowly runs his tongue along her sensitive nub as he continues to thrust in and out, inwardly pleased at her response.

“Fuck, Max,” she groans, the pure pleasure in her voice causing his control to wane with every gasp and moan. He should try to rein it in, but fuck it, this feels so good. Though it would be hot as fuck for her to come on his hands, he’d rather his whole face buried in between her legs so that she can come on his tongue.

He reluctantly draws his head back, immediately missing the contact and the taste of her. As he pulls his fingers from inside her wet center, causing what he could tell was a frustrating moan to pass her lips, he rumbles, “Be ready, babe, because I’m about to put my tongue inside that sweet pussy of yours and make you come hard.” He gives her a quick lick that causes her body to tremble and then goes on to say, “Once you’ve come so hard that you barely can remember your name, I plan on making you come again. Got it?” He smirks when she bites her lip and nods vigorously at his statement, and Max takes this as his cue to do whatever the fuck he wants.

Grabbing the side of her underwear, he tugs hard, the tearing sound reverberating throughout the entire room. He throws the torn material somewhere and goes back to the object of his attention, trailing kisses along her thighs in the process. He faintly hears the words oh shit when he abruptly grabs the back of her ass and yanks her wetness to his face. God, that hot sweet core of hers tastes like ecstasy and heaven rolled into one and he can’t get enough … it will never be enough. With every thrust of his tongue, the slickness that is her coats it, and God help him, it is good. Her moans of his name, scent and body movement cause a surge of possession to course through his body, and the need to fuck her becomes more overwhelming with each passing second. This woman is his, that he’s definitely certain about, and he sure as fuck will figure out a way to have her in his life.

“Max.” Her guttural groan sends vibrations to his already hard dick. He doesn’t even tense when she puts pressure on the back of his head to aid in her pleasure.

“Please … Need more baby.”

Fuck yeah. He gives it to her, working his tongue over her clit, slowly at first and then faster, eventually wrapping his entire mouth around her sensitive nub, nipping gently to add to her pleasure.

“Coming,” she rasps out while riding his face with abandon, the wetness between her legs increasing with every rub.

When he adds a final swirl of his tongue, it sends her completely over the edge, the shouts of her ecstasy echo throughout the room, and her throbbing clit makes him growl with satisfaction. As soon as she comes down from her high, he releases his hold, allowing her back to rest against the bed.

Grinning, he asks, “On a scale of one to ten, how did I do?”

In between pants she manages to reply, “Needs a bit of work, but I’m sure with practice you can at least be mediocre.”

“Hey, that was my best work,” he groans, sliding his body up to meet her face. “And I'm definitely not done yet.”

When she quickly scoots from under him back to the head of the bed, his lips twitch. “You’re a slippery one aren’t you?” She doesn’t answer, instead she grins, as he reaches for her legs and misses. “Come back here you little escape artist. I told you I wasn’t finished.” She bites that bottom lip of hers that he so wants to suck on right now, in an obvious attempt to hold back a laugh, the mirth in her eyes giving it away.

“Clothes off,” she demands of him playfully, as she leans back against the headboard.

Yeah, he is definitely not done with her, not by a long shot.

Max backs up off the bed and stands, never taking his eyes off her. He can tell she is planning something. He wants to take control of the situation, his wolf demands it, but the man is winning, and he decides to play her game for a short while. Perhaps he might like where it goes.

He removes his shirt first, being sure to do it slowly. Earlier he not only heard what she said about his looks, but also noticed Heather eying the shape of his body, and he knew this move would definitely add more flames to this already existing fire between them.

“God, you’re sexy,” she says in a low and lust filled tone, causing his painfully hard cock to twitch, but he doesn’t show his discomfort. Instead he gives her a powerful seductive stare, causing her body to squirm under its scrutiny. He unbuttons his pants purposefully, eventually shoving them to the floor with a newfound sense of urgency.

Standing at the foot of the bed in only his boxer briefs, he reaches inside and pulls out his hard on, stroking it while giving her a look of pure sensual hunger.

“Show me what’s mine,” she whispers to him, biting that fucking plump bottom lip again. He obliges, removing the final layer separating himself from her. The widening of her eyes and parting of her lips as she takes in his size and the effect it has inwardly pleases him, and he can’t wait to show her all of the pleasure this part of him entails.

She crooks her index finger, motioning for him to come closer, but he smirks and shakes his head no, wanting her to come to him instead.

She raises an eyebrow, returning a sexy smirk of her own, and then gets on her hands and knees crawling toward him, the entire time licking her lips. Fuck me, so hot.

It takes every ounce of strength for Max not to throw her on the bed and take her, because Heather on her hands and knees looks so fucking sexy. She makes this even harder for him when her face reaches the tip of his cock, and she just gapes at it for a beat too long, appearing to still be in disbelief at the size of it. He wants to shove it in her mouth to ease the tension of his aching balls, but he won’t. He’ll let her be in charge a little bit longer and then … all bets are off.

The brush of her hot breath against his skin sends chills up his cock, causing a bead of pre-cum to seep from its tip. Though this is a very sexually charged situation, somehow Max’s words come out more controlled than he feels.  Looking down at her he asks, “Are you going to stare at it all night or are you going to wrap those luscious lips around my dick?” She answers his question by licking the tip, causing yet another low growl to emanate from deep within.

After placing light kisses up and down his hardness, he watches as Heather opens her mouth wide and slides his cock slowly in. His knees almost buckle when she moves him in and out at her torturous pace, each pass taking him deeper and deeper down her throat. The only way to describe what Max is feeling right now is bliss, complete and utter fucking bliss, as she continues to pump his shaft with a combination of her hands and mouth. She begins to hum, the vibrations turning him on even more.

“Heather … fuck ...I …more …” he groans as his hips drive his cock gently in between her parted lips.

Dropping his head back, he grips the back of her hair, steadying her as he gets lost in the sensation of her mouth sucking his hardness and the sounds of her moans, as she tastes all of him. God, she is so good at this, but he needs to stop soon because he wants to be in her when he comes. He softly yanks her head back, forcing her to release him and she lets out a protesting groan. Backing away, he reluctantly pulls out of her mouth.

“Have to stop, babe,” he pants, looking down at her lust filled eyes. “Want to be inside of you now.”

“But I wasn’t finished,” she whines adorably, throwing in that cute pout again that makes him grin.

He shakes his head, giving her a look that says that he’s done with this portion of the foreplay and she instinctively moves up the bed and lies on her back. Max gets on top of her, resuming their passionate kissing from earlier. Needing to make sure she is ready before he finally takes her, he shifts his body, making space for his hand’s slow movement down to her core. When he reaches his goal, he slips one finger in and then another while rubbing her clit with his thumb, relishing in the sensation of her wetness as she writhes beneath him.

“Max …” Her shouts and groans as he moves his fingers in and out of her are making him insane with lust and he can barely control his inner beast. Heather is so ready for him and in her throes of ecstasy, he can tell that she doesn’t even notice him gently nudging her legs apart with his knee. Maybe she does, but with her eyes closed and her head pressed against the bed, he is pretty sure she doesn’t give a fuck. Removing his fingers quickly, he grabs the base of his cock and lines it at her entrance, oh so slowly glides it into her, the tightness of her sweet pussy keeping him in a vice like hold. Holy shit, so fucking good.

Before he begins to move, he locks eyes with her and notices that this is as intense for her as it is him. He prepares to say something important, perhaps something meaningful, but is stopped when she utters three of the hottest words, in a sexy as fuck breathy tone, that would make any man weak in the knees.

“Fuck me, Max.”

He forgets what the hell he was going to say and starts to move, his thrusts shallow at first, but then they become harder and fiercer.

“Like that,” she grunts at him, tightening her legs around his waist, the heels of her feet pushing him in deeper. He can’t stop … no he won’t stop, because being inside her is just too good. The feel of her slickness and the fragrant smell of her wet center are all that he can think about. The job he was sent in for doesn’t matter anymore, only her and this powerful connection between them. He should be afraid or maybe fight it, but with every kiss on her lips and slide of his cock in her tight wetness, he’s finding that he doesn’t care about the consequences. So much so that all the barriers he fought hard to stay in place are slowly cracking, letting all that is her penetrate them.

Barely hanging on by a thread, his mind flashes back to the look in Heather’s eyes when he entered her. He could tell that she wanted this … him, even if it was on a subconscious level. He didn’t understand how this was possible because she was human. He knew a little about mating, but heard of it happening with someone other than their kind. Sure, there was a strong attraction between them in the beginning, really strong, but the longer that he’s with her, the more he realizes that it’s something else. His inner wolf growls in agreement at his satisfying, yet troubling thoughts, as his body continues to take pleasure in joining with her. He needed time to explain everything to her so that she wouldn’t be afraid, but with what’s happening with them now he knew he wouldn’t get the chance. He can no longer control what the beast inside him desires and he doesn’t want to anymore.

“Tell me you’re mine,” he growls, feverously thrusting his cock in and out. She doesn’t give an answer, but instead moans loud, tightening her already wrapped legs around his waist. “Tell. Me.” Another more pronounced growl escapes his throat.

She opens her eyes and stares at him, a subconscious emotional lock surrounding his heart and everything that he feels for her staying safely behind it. This was meant to be. Somehow she was destined to be his and no one else’s. She then whispers, “I’m yours, Max.”

And that’s when something inside him snaps, the lustful beast inside taking over and acting on all of the emotion that just flooded into his soul. Part of him knows that he should still try and fight it, but the thought is fleeting at most, and for fuck’s sake he no longer can. He wants her to be his in every way, always. Fuck it, she is his, and now he will let her know it.

Max pulls out, grabs her waist and flips her over on her stomach, and in a low tone says, “Get on your hands and knees now.” He feels her body shiver at his command, and she quickly obeys, but he’s so fucking turned on that he doesn’t allow her enough time to steady herself. He instead plunges into her with so much force that her head hits the headboard, his roughness igniting something primal inside her, the proof of this, are the nail marks she just scored on the top of the wooden bed.

“Harder,” she demands in what sounds like a female version of a growl as she meets him thrust for thrust. Max obliges, pounding into her vigorously, her moans mixed with pleasure and longing for more. He gives it all to her, his grip on her hips tightening as he goes in so deep that he can taste her arousal in combination with the earlier flavor of her pussy on his lips.

“That’s it baby. God … fuck … so close Max.”.

A bead of sweat trails down his face as a small part of the man continues to fight the inevitable, but with every movement of his hips his control unravels until finally he can’t tell who is in charge, the man or the beast.

“Not now,” he whispers to himself through gritted teeth, but fuck, he can’t stop. He grabs her hair, pulling her head back while pumping his rock-hard cock into her. Against his will, Max’s teeth start to lengthen. Fuck, fuck, fuck, no…

He leans forward licking the sweet sheen of sweat off her neck. He takes in the scent of their merging bodies and smiles against her neck. He knows what must be done, and he can no longer deny it.

“Mine,” Max growls. Finally succumbing to his instinctual desires, he leans forward and bites down on her neck, the taste of her blood driving him into a frenzy.

“Max,” she groans as he clamps down harder, continuing to thrust in and out. “I’m yours, so fucking yours baby.” The tone of ecstasy in her voice sends him perilously close to the edge.

As if their bodies are somehow in tune, he senses that she is close, so he hits her sweet spot harder to get her there faster, not knowing how long he can hold on. Reaching around her waist, his fingers arrive at her sensitive nub and he massages it just enough to make her body bend to his will, causing her to come. When he finally feels the throbbing of her wet center around his cock, he releases her throat and lets out a guttural groan, shouting her name through his own orgasm. He sees stars and feels bliss and everything in between as his seed shoots inside of her, making her his in every way possible. He never wants to stop, but he has to as the final spurt of his lust spills into her, causing him to slow his pace down and ride out the rest of their orgasm.

Fucking phenomenal, he thinks to himself as his body collapses on top of hers. They both fall face down on the mattress, their bodies covered in sweat and sex, his cock still inside her like it was always meant to be there.

Happiness and joy are the only thoughts that come to his head as he kisses her back, but his face goes pale when he notices the trail of blood traveling down her shoulder. Stupid Max.

Suddenly jerking back, he quickly sits up and takes in the scene as best he can without startling her, but unfortunately, she notices the change in his demeanor.

With her face still facing the bed she jokes, “I thought you’d at least try to run away while I slept.”

Max doesn’t respond because what the hell could he say? He instead attempts to turn her head and see the mark without her noticing, but she gently shrugs him off.

“You’re awful quiet there, stud, I mean, it was–”

Interrupting her, he nervously runs a hand through his hair, letting the events of the past hour hit him like a ton of bricks.

“Are…are you okay?” he asks, his question stumbling out as he moves her wild, sex tousled hair aside to again attempt to examine what he’s done. Deep down he wanted this, to mark her, but in reality he didn’t think it through at all.

“Okay?” she mumbles into the sheets. “That was the best sex that I’ve ever had.” She lifts her face from the sheets and manages to turn her entire body around. Grinning, her head tilts up and to face, but her eyes remain closed. “And when you did that thing where you flipped me.” She finally opens them, and they lock with his. “That was incredib-” She stops mid-sentence, her beautiful grin turning into a frown as a look fear and confusion wash over her face.

Max glances at her shaky hands as she reaches out to touch his lips, but he already knows what she sees, the blood. His eyes still trained on her, he licks his lips, removing the remainder of her blood from his mouth, his tongue hitting the tip of her finger. She yanks it back, touching his now visible mark on her neck, blood still seeping out.

Mine. The thought runs through his head loudly as she continues running her fingers over the spot, his gaze slowly trailing to the mark. He stares at her motion for a beat, ignoring the fact that her body has now become tense.

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” Her words come out whispered and afraid as she moves her fingers away from her neck. He was so distracted by the moment that he didn’t realize the wolf was slipping past his guard. She attempts to push him away, but Max is faster than her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her still.

Sensing her panic rising, he tries to calm her with words, but part of him realizes that this will not work.

“Relax, babe,” he mutters soothingly.

“Let me go, now,” she demands.

“I can’t. Let’s just talk about this,” he pleads with her as she struggles against his iron clad hold.

“What’s going on?” she whimpers, and then says so softly that he barely hears it, “What are you?”

Her body stills at the last question and he takes the opportunity to finally make her completely relax the only way he knows how.

Max grabs her by the chin, tilting her head so that she faces him directly and says, “I’m so sorry babe, you have to know that. I didn’t mean for it to happen this way … I mean I wanted to tell you all about me before I did that, but I just had to have you.”

“What did you do?” she croaks out, her lips trembling as a lone tear trails down her face. He wipes it away with his thumb and places a soft kiss on her lips, hurt that she barely returns it. He pulls away from her lips and takes in a deep breath, dreading what he will have to do next.

“Baby, this has been the best night of my life and I hate the fact that I’m gonna have to make you forget it. You see, you and I have this connection that I never thought was possible, and I don’t want to lose it, or you. There are reasons that I can’t get into as to why we need to keep what happened between me and you hidden, but I promise to tell you about it when things are safe. Just trust me,” he pleads.

“Forget?” she utters as her brows draw together.

Max doesn’t respond to her. Instead, he uses one of the gifts of his people that he always thought was pretty cool … until now. It was inherited from the merge of their species with the other so many years ago. Marco has this same ability as the Alpha, but the Alpha is a lot more powerful, being as though he can exert his dominance over the entire pack. Other pack members are able to control humans if it becomes necessary to hide their presence, but not to the extent of their Alpha. It hurts like hell that he has to do this to the woman he cares deeply for; to who he now is coming to terms with is his mate.

Staring into Heather’s eyes, the sensation of power radiates from his pores. His eyes glow brighter as Heather’s face goes from confusion to compliance in a matter of moments.  He hates to do this to her, but he has a feeling that she would be in danger if anyone found out what happened tonight. Besides Kylie and Marco, mating with another human is not normally done within the pack and he’s pretty sure that his brother won’t take kindly to him doing it with Heather, especially if he’s supposed to be investigating her. This whole situation is fucked, but he has to protect her somehow, and right now the best way to do that is to keep her in the dark.

“Listen to me, Heather,” he says in a tone meant to be soothing. “We made love, and it was wonderful, the best night of both our lives and we shared that with each other.”

“Best night of our lives,” she mutters in a flat tone, her compliance grating at him.

“It was so good,” he tells her, “that we passed out and nothing else happened, do you understand?”

“Nothing else happened,” she repeats to him her tone still clawing at his soul.

Continuing to stare at him with a blank expression, he tilts her head to the side, eyeing his marks, and then runs his nose along her neck to take in her scent.

“Soon, babe,” he whispers in her ear. “I promise to tell you everything, but I need to make the marks disappear.” They can’t be seen by anyone at all, even Jeremiah, and he only knows one way to cover them up.

Max bites into his wrist and offers it to her. He’s never done this before, but since his blood has healing properties, this is the only way to go. He can feel the animal side of him howling with satisfaction at this action knowing that part of him will always be inside her now. Luckily, since she’s human, this shouldn’t have any effect on her other than mending her skin.

“Take some of my blood, babe,” he urges. “It will help heal the marks.”

Without any resistance, her head moves to his wrist and she starts to drink.  This act causes Max’s arousal to return, but he fights the urge to act on it. He never wants to make love to her while she is in this state. His brother prefers his mate submitting to him in this way, but Max wants to see the same fire he saw in her eyes earlier when he is plunging in and out of her.

He retracts his wrist, wipes her mouth with his thumb and gives her one final command.

“Sleep now, babe.” It comes out in a whisper, but she quickly compiles, her head falling into his chest.

Gently placing her back to the mattress, he kisses her forehead, and then cuddles up next to her. Max lies there in the silence, not believing what just happened, but inwardly feeling at peace because she most definitely is his.