Chapter Seven
What was wrong with her? Roni felt feverish, uncertain, almost dazed with the sexual needs that threatened to bring her to her knees with their intensity. As Taber led her up the stairs she fought the nearly debilitating weakness that made her grateful for the steadying hand that gripped her arm. His body was large, so hard and warm beside her that she could feel the heat radiating from him.
His hand steadied her, but all she could think of was having it run over her body, stroking her, soothing the fires burning in the very depths of her womb.
She had never been so crazed with arousal. No, this wasn’t arousal. It went even beyond lust. It was a compulsion, a hunger that tore through her, making its demands nearly irresistible.
“What did you do to me?” She tried to jerk away from him, to get away from the insidious pleasure that heated her body at his touch, but he wasn’t letting go of her. “This isn’t funny anymore, Taber. I’m sick of the silent, he-man treatment.”
They entered a large sitting room. A cherry desk, complete with computer, printer and fax, were at one end of the room. He drew her past a sitting area with an entertainment complex that would have impressed her if she had time to care about anything other than the fire raging in her pussy.
He led her through another opened door, into the bedroom. The room was dimly lit, with dark, cherry furniture and thick curtains shading it from the lowering sun, giving it an intimate, sexy feeling.
At the far end of the room was a large sleigh bed, the mattress and box springs so thick she would have to jump up to sit on it. A dark burgundy comforter was turned back, thick pillows plumped against the headboard.
She shivered as she imagined herself on it with Taber, his body covering hers, his hands stroking her. She bit her lip, fighting the whimper that threatened to escape her throat.
“Answer me, damn you.” Roni turned on him angrily as he moved away from her, closing the door behind them.
She stared into his eyes . . . those deep, brilliant eyes. A predator’s eyes. She could see the evidence of his unique DNA now, in the high cheekbones, the narrowed gaze.
“You’re coming into heat,” he said, his fingers slowly going to the buttons of his white shirt as she watched him.
Her knees weakened as each fastening came loose, exposing more of his tanned, sleek skin. She shook her head, wanting to close her eyes, to escape the power he suddenly held over her. She wanted his shirt off. She wanted to run her fingers over the bulging muscles of his body, feel his hard heat, touch him, taste him as she had dreamed of months before.
Then his words hit her. Coming into heat. She felt her heart begin to race in fear. She blinked at him. Each breath shuddering through her chest felt labored, painful.
“What do you mean?” She swallowed tightly, fighting her shock.
Taber shrugged the shirt from his shoulders, the hard, well-defined muscles of his chest and arms flexing with power and strength.
“Exactly what I said.” His voice was hard, but his gaze had hot, liquid lust glittering in the jade depths. “You’re in heat, Roni. Your body’s preparing itself, assuring that neither of us can refuse the demand to touch, to be together.”
He dropped the shirt carelessly at his feet as he moved to the padded chest. His eyes never left her; they raked over her, darkening, heating, as he watched her breasts heave with her fight for oxygen.
God, she wanted to taste him. His stomach was flat, hard, the well-developed abs flexing as he removed his boots.
“How?” She couldn’t make sense of anything except the hunger flaying her body. “It’s never been like this. Even after you bit me. Why now?”
He came to his feet, towering over her, walking to her slowly, his gaze never leaving hers.
“I hadn’t kissed you, Roni,” he said softly, as he came within touching distance.
The scent of his body infused her senses. It was male, hot and dark, captivating, as she trembled before him.
“What . . .?” She shook her head, fighting the compulsion to touch him, to taste him. “What did the kiss have to do with anything? Dammit, Taber.” Her fists clenched as she forced herself to back away from him, to fight the driving hunger thundering through her body.
“The kiss allowed a special hormone to release from my body into yours.” He followed her, stalking her as she continued to retreat. “A hormone that is only present when I touch my mate. When I touch you. It allowed me to mark you, physical proof to any other that you belong to me. But it wasn’t enough to heighten your senses or your arousal to this state. Only my kiss can do that. My kiss marked you in a way nature won’t let you deny.”
His voice was rough, deep, almost rumbling as Roni backed into the wall, staring back at him in horror, in fury.
“My God. You knew.” She almost winced at the grating sound of her voice. She sounded as shocked, as frightened, as she knew she was. “When you kissed me, you knew you would do this to me. You knew what would happen.”
His hands slapped the wall beside her, his expression turning savage, almost feral, as he bared his teeth in a warning growl. She flinched, her eyes widening, her pussy clenching at the sound.
“You will not deny me this time, Roni.” His voice rumbled with power, with determination. “This time, you will not run away from me.”
She would have fought him, she assured herself. She would have moved from him, would have shoved his balls to his throat with her knee if he hadn’t swooped in, his tongue piercing her mouth as his lips covered hers. The moment he did, every cell in her body sang out in relief, and the fury coursing through her whipped into lightning-hot desire.
Sweet, dark honey filled her senses once again. She whimpered beneath the onslaught, her hands rising to grip his waist, her nails biting into his flesh as the feel of his skin seemed to sink into her cells. She moaned, her tongue tangling with his as an inner voice screamed out in warning. Danger. Temptation.
Run!
He didn’t touch her other than with his lips, with his tongue, and they were voracious in their demand. His strong teeth nipped at the curves of her lips. His tongue soothed the slight sting then thrust back demandingly until she closed her lips on it, desperate to hold it still as she fought to make sense of his taste, his power over her.
He growled. A feline rumble of hunger as she tightened on his tongue, drawing on it, moaning at the faint taste of honey, suddenly needing more. His hands gripped her head as his lips slanted over hers, driving her insane with the hot, sensual provocation of the ever-deepening caress.
Second by second she could feel her body burning brighter, hotter. Her breasts ached, the nipples hard little points begging for his attention as his chest settled closer.
“God, you taste good.” His roughened voice caused her to shiver with pleasure as he pulled back, staring down at her, his eyes narrowed, intense. “I wonder how much better the rest of you tastes.”
His knee slid between her legs, pressing against the sensitive mound between her thighs.
“Don’t do this to me, Taber,” she whispered desperately, her hands tightening on his waist as she shuddered with an exquisite pain that rode much too close to heated pleasure.
His hard thigh rocked against her cunt and she wondered desperately if he could feel the moisture seeping from her body. She wanted to tear herself away from him; she wanted to jerk him closer. The conflicting needs warred within her, fighting an insane battle for supremacy.
“Do what? Make you mine?” he growled. “It’s already been done, Roni. I can’t take that back. And I sure as hell won’t regret it.”
His lips moved to her ear, his tongue swirling around it sensually as she fought for breath.
“I can’t do this,” she cried out, yet her body writhed against his, needing to touch him, to feel the heat and hardness he offered her.
Her head fell back against the wall as his lips trailed down her neck. His fingers pulled at the buttons of her blouse, releasing the torn fabric as the air around them heated with blistering need.
“Hush, baby,” Taber whispered as his lips stroked over her collarbone. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
He pushed her shirt over her shoulders, smoothing it down her arms as he lifted first one of her hands from his waist, then the other, to allow the material to fall to the floor. It was the most sensual sensation she had known in her life, his hands, calloused and warm, sliding over her flesh, removing the cloth between his touch and her skin.
“How pretty,” he whispered as his gaze centered on her breasts. “So full and swollen. I can’t wait to take one of those hard, little nipples in my mouth, Roni.”
She whimpered at his words, standing before him, her breasts straining against her lacy bra. His head raised, his eyes going over the full curves that rose and fell so swiftly. She wanted to close her eyes to escape the intensity of the feelings bombarding her. At the same time, she wanted to be certain she didn’t miss a second of either seeing or feeling the power behind his sudden hunger for her.
“I’m scared.” Roni shuddered harshly, fighting the overpowering lust with every beat of her heart. It wasn’t natural, this need. She had always wanted him, always dreamed of his kiss and his touch, but not like this. Not this drugged, overriding demand she couldn’t control. “Taber. Make it stop. Make it stop now, dammit.”
Her pussy clenched with such resounding demand that it took her breath. She gasped, almost crying out as his lips stroked over the smooth flesh rising from the cup of her bra.
“It will ease soon, baby,” he promised her, his voice so rough, so harsh, it caused her to shiver in pleasure as his fingers released the front clasp of her bra. “Just as soon as I get you in that bed and slide between those pretty thighs, it’ll be all better.”