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NeNe wasn’t sure how her clothes had come off, or that she even cared right then. However, having Coti, the one man who made all her girlie parts wake up and sing, pressed up against her ass, she couldn’t work up one single fuck. Nope, not a one. What kind of woman did that make her?

Coti chuckled, his peppermint breath making her lean back to look up at him. “Why are you laughing?”

“You say the craziest things,” he answered.

She froze. Dammit, had she said that out loud? Gah, her brain had clearly been rung too hard by Grace. She bit her tongue, hoping she hadn’t said anything about her girlie parts with her outside voice. She noticed for the first time the rough feel of denim against her ass. “You do realize you’re getting your clothes soaked, right?”

His grunt was her answer, but she smiled. Her Coti wasn’t a man who wasted a lot of words. She stared at his hands. They were large with tattoos on them. The designs each probably having meaning. Her fingers trailed over the rings he wore, one on the pinky of his left hand the other on his middle finger. Anytime she’d seen him flip off one of the guys, she’d always wondered what the crest on the ring was for. Now, her fingers traced it, but she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth.

“This was passed down through my family.” Coti ran his thumb over his opposite hand. The action made it feel as if he were hugging her.

The feel of his hard body wasn’t easy to ignore, yet he didn’t press his erection into her like most guys would. Instead, he leaned forward and grabbed some body wash from a shelf. With deft hands, he squirted a generous amount into his hands. She stared as he made a lather of the fragrant gel, then all coherent thought left her brain when he brought his soaped-up hands to her chest. God, she’d fantasized about having his hands on her so many times she could literally fill diaries with them. Nowhere in any of those imaginings did they come close to how the reality of having his rough, callused fingers tracing over her flesh truly felt.

Her breath whooshed out the moment his thumbs scraped over her nipples. At some point, both her eyes opened, the swelling having gone down enough she could see out of both eyes, and good god almighty, she was so freaking happy since she wanted to catalogue what it looked like to have Coti Sharp’s hands on her. He stood behind her, washing her front, then moved onto her hair, making sure to rinse the shampoo and conditioner out completely without getting any in her eyes. “A girl would think you’ve done this before,” she joked, although the thought of him doing this to other women made her feel stabby.

“This is a first, I’ll have to admit.”

“Oh,” she gasped.

“Does this hurt?” he asked, his hands tracing over her ribs.

NeNe didn’t understand why he was asking her such a silly question until she looked down, seeing the purple and red bruising on her hip bone. Damn Kris and Paula and their boots. “No, not too bad.” In fact, she didn’t seem to be feeling any pain at the moment. She could’ve died tonight, of that she had no doubt. Grace and the other two bitches would’ve continued their torture without stopping, had it not been for Coti.

Coti’s hands moved lower, tracing over her upper thighs, skipping over where she most wanted him to touch. Knowing he was too honorable, she turned in his arms, the warm spray hitting her back. Coti’s hands immediately landed on her ass, pulling her into him.

“I want you,” she said.

She watched him close his bright green eyes, his breathing deep and even. “You’re hurt,” he gritted.

“I’m not that hurt. Sure, I got some pretty colorful reminders over my skin, but they’ll fade and be gone, much like I plan to be one day. For tonight, I plan to take what I want, and that’s you Coti.” For once she was laying it out there. Yes, she was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Looking at his shower, she could tell he had money. Heck, his bike was worth about ten of hers, easily.

When Coti growled, she stepped back. “It’s fine, you don’t want me, no big deal.” Which was such a lie. His rejections always hurt, the pain like a knife that cut deep, but the wound would heal, like it always did.

“Are you kidding me? I want you so damn bad my dick is going to be permanently scarred.” He pulled her palm to the front of his jeans.

Whether he thought she’d run screaming at the feel of his hardness or what his reasonings were, she had no clue. The only thing she could think was ‘Holy shit, the man was huge’ and ‘Dang that has to hurt,’ both of which she didn’t say out loud. Instead, she let her fingers trace his length up and down, then feeling bolder, she unsnapped the front of his jeans. The soaking wet fabric made it hard to get them undone, but NeNe was nothing if not determined. Once the button was open, she looked up, shocked to find his eyes closed, yet she was sure she could feel him staring at her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, your hands are softer than silk against me. Let me,” he said, easing the zipper open.

NeNe laughed at the pained sound he made. “Were you worried I’d hurt him?”

“If you did, would you kiss him all better?” Coti asked.

She looked down at the monster escaping the tight confines of the wet denim and thought of taking him into her mouth, or her vajayjay. God yes, she’d kiss him all better. “Absolutely,” she answered, her hand wrapped around his dick, her fingers not quite meeting.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” Coti’s hand covered hers.

“Why not?” She tried to move her hand up and down, but he wouldn’t let her. NeNe stuck her bottom lip out. “Please tell me you’re not a virgin. But, if you are, I promise to be good to you this first time, Coti.” She gave a gentle but firm squeeze.

“What?” he choked. “Baby girl, I ain’t been a virgin for a long damn time, trust and believe that.” His eyes rolled closed as she brushed her chest against his. “Damn, you’re a tease.”

“So, if you’re not a virgin, and I’m not a virgin, then what’s stopping us?”

NeNe was lifted off her feet, her back landing against the shower wall as Coti got into her face, holding her up with his hips, yet he was gentle. “I don’t want to hear about other men and you. Ever!”

Yep, he was growling, but instead of getting irritated, her body was saying do me. She lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist. For a heartbeat or five, he held her there, breathing hard. “Goddess, you drive me crazy.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but then his mouth was crashing down on hers, silencing her with a kiss. His tongue demanded entrance, licking, dueling with her own. Peppermint filled her mouth as if he’d been chewing sweet gum. He brought his hand to the back of her head, the other going down the front of her, shivers wracking her frame from the contact. Everywhere he touched she felt electrified, the need for more making her twist against him. His thumb trailed down, stopping on her unbruised ribcage.

He broke away from the kiss. “When’d you get this?”

Looking down at her side, she looked at the phoenix covering her from breast to thigh. The hours it had taken, not to mention the pain was worth it. “A year ago.” She didn’t know what he wanted her to say, why he was still standing still, and not touching her. Hell, he was sleeved on both arms and had most of his chest covered. From his neck all the way over his shoulders and down his back, told the story of his life. She’d had fantasies of her tongue and hands, tracing over them for hours.

“Female, you’re trekking on dangerous grounds.” Coti pinched her nipple between his fingers, making her cry out.

“Hey, what did I do?” she asked. The sharp pain sent a tingle straight to her clit. She wondered if she thought dirty thoughts if he’d do it again? Heck, was the man a mind reader? Closing her eyes, she wiggled in his hold and reached between them, flicking his nipples.

“Who did it?” he bit out.

NeNe groaned. “Are you kidding me? I’m naked, nearly impaled on your ginormous dick, and you want to know who inked me? Why, you in need of some new ink yourself?”

Coti blinked at the little female in his arms and fought not to laugh. Shit, he was harder than he’d ever been in his entire life, and that was saying a lot for a man who was close to two hundred years old. “I’m always thinking of my next piece, but no, that’s not why I asked. I need to know who I need to kill for seeing all of you.” There was no way in hell whoever inked her hadn’t seen her perfect pussy, or her gorgeous tits as they were laying the needle to her. The details of the phoenix with the subtle shades of purples and reds made it even more gorgeous than if it had been done in all black. He wanted to lay her out on his bed and examine it under the light, yet he needed to find out the name of the male first. He was all about lists and order. Get name, decide best way to kill, then get rid of him. Of course, if he had a family, Coti would make sure they were taken care of for the rest of their human lives, he wasn’t a Neanderthal, after all.

Her musical laughter had his cock jerking, the action making him grunt as the poor abused appendage wasn’t in the place it wanted, which was inside NeNe. “Coti Sharp, you can’t go around threatening to harm innocent people. Besides, Morgan is a sweet woman who has mad skills with the tattoo gun.”

His need for killing an unknown man went out the window at the image of a female doing the seeing and touching, until the diabolical woman bent forward, her teeth nibbling at his ear. “Of course, she does like women. I think she offered to help me do aftercare at my house.”

Coti reached out and shut the water off, knowing his little warrior was messing with him, but decided he’d had enough. NeNe wanted to see him out of control, well she’d done rattled his cage one too many times and he’d yet to cage his beast completely. “How about I show you how I do aftercare?”

He spun her away from the wall, taking them out of the shower and into his bedroom, uncaring they were dripping water everywhere. With only a thought he could’ve dried them, but was too engrossed in stamping his possession on the woman in his arms. He didn’t stop to question the unreasonable need, only knew she was theirs. Theirs to love. Theirs to protect. Theirs to fuck and fuck hard. Goddess, he wanted to claim her in the way of his people, but she wasn’t ready. Hell, he wasn’t sure he was either. “It’s not too late, you can say no,” he offered.

NeNe tightened her legs around him, her arms held his head as she brought her lips to his. “Not. Gonna. Happen. Fuck me like you mean it,” she said, then bit his lower lip, the sharp pain making him growl.

He placed her on the bed, hunger beat at him.

“God, you taste divine. Like seriously, what the hell do you do, swish your mouth with peppermint or what?”

Coti was sure he should’ve focused on her words, but seeing her laid out on his red sheets, her once flawless skin now mottled with bruises, he did the only thing an alpha male could do. Kiss her hurts away, each scrape, bruise, and lump he found, he lavished with attention, seeking to wash away the pain she’d felt with pleasure. If he could, he’d go back in time and erase the three women who’d touched her, wiping them from the fabric of time.

“Oh, that’s nice,” she whispered.

Never had a woman said he was ‘nice’, in bed. He didn’t like it. Coti wasn’t nice, not in bed and he sure as fuck wasn’t nice out of it. He was dirty, filthy, and by damned, he’d show NeNe just how much. His mouth latched onto one pert nipple, letting his hand wander south, trailing over her belly continuing down between her thighs, sliding through her slickness. “You’re wet. Let’s see if I can make you wetter.” Her gasp was music to his ears as he alternated between breasts, sucking and biting, not hard enough to break skin, but enough to give her a bit of pain. He’d already figured out his mate enjoyed an edge of pain to her pleasure, which suited him perfectly. Urging her thighs farther apart, he moved down her abdomen, tracing her belly button with his tongue, leaving a trail of wetness behind. Her sweet arousal called to him. He wanted to have her cream coating his face when he entered her for the first time.

“Oh, fuck,” she gasped.

Coti chuckled against her pussy, circling her clit with his thumb before pressing two fingers into her smooth pussy. The slick opening tightened as he pushed inside. “I need to hear what you like, don’t hold back,” he said as he watched her biting her lip.

Curving his fingers inside her wet, welcoming channel, he pressed against her inner wall, working them in and out in slow measured strokes. NeNe tried to lay perfectly still, but her legs quivered slightly as if she worried the wrong move would make him stop. His warrior woman would learn he loved her taste, could spend hours right where he was and still want more. She bucked against him as he found her G-spot, a rush of moisture coating his fingers. Not wanting to miss a bit, he trailed his tongue down, lapping around her opening as he increased his thrusts. Over and over again, he worked that special spot that was right inside and up, the one that had her crying out, her body lifting into his mouth, gasping and rewarding him with her cream.

“Please, oh fuck, I want you in me, Coti. So long I’ve fantasized. Please don’t make me wait,” she admitted.

With an inarticulate groan, he gave one last swipe of his tongue from bottom to top of her pussy. “Nothing could stop me from claiming this tonight, NeNe,” he said, placing a kiss on her clit.

NeNe squirmed beneath him, her legs moving restlessly. Coti ran the head of his cock through her slickness, coating him with her cream before lining himself up to her opening. “Look at me, armina. I want you to watch me as I take you.” He braced one hand next to her head, the other he used to lift her leg up higher on his hip, opening her up more for him while he pushed inside, slowly, smoothly. Finally, when he was balls deep, filling her completely until he felt as if they were one, his breathing was fast, his heart was thundering in his chest like he’d been running for hours. “Fuck, you’re so tight. Am I hurting you?” He opened his senses, needing to make sure she wasn’t going to lie to him. Not in this. Not in anything, but especially in this.

“No, I mean, you’re huge, but just give me a moment,” she said on a sigh.

He was glad her breathing was choppy like his, and then remarkably, their hearts began beating in the same rhythm. Coti thought he was losing his mind since only bound mates claimed to have that bond, but he could hear her blood as it rushed through her veins, could feel the echo of each beat of her heart as it matched his. “Are you ready?” he asked, his wolf and the other part of himself needing to claim their mate to make them whole, but he couldn’t, wouldn’t do that to her until she knew what he was. For now, he’d sate them with her body.

She nodded, lifted her arms, welcoming him. He rested his forehead against hers, giving thanks to the Goddess for the gift she’d given him, then started to move. In, out, he thrust inside her. With each move, she lifted with him, her breath escaping in sighs that urged him on.

NeNe scraped her nails down Coti’s back, lifting her legs as he began pounding into her harder and faster. She felt his muscles tensing, could feel he was racing toward his pleasure. She arched up to meet him, his pelvis hitting her in just the right place sending tingles of ecstasy that had her crying out, her legs gripping him tighter. The movements of his body became one of beauty, something she wanted to catalogue forever. Her fingers ran along his shoulders, feeling the flexing muscles, loving the sweat dampened skin even as tension coiled inside her, winding tighter and tighter with every in and out stroke of his cock. “Shit, I’m right there. Harder please,” she begged, lifting her legs higher along his back, urging him further inside her.

Coti drove into her harder, faster, his breath fanning her neck as he worked relentlessly to bring them both over. “Come for me, armina, need to feel you surrounding my dick with your tightness.”

She thought she felt him bite down on her neck, the sensation driving her closer as he pumped his hips faster. The edge of ecstasy appeared out of nowhere like a blinding light, shattering her and putting her back together with a strangled cry. She wasn’t sure, but in her mind, she thought she’d yelled out she loved Coti. Her muscles locked down, waves of pleasure rocked her to the core, locking her entire body in a vice-like grip unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She bit down on his shoulder, stifling another cry of completion. Coti was there with her, his body jerking inside her, growling against her neck as he came for what seemed like forever to NeNe.

For minutes or hours, they lay there, neither moving or saying anything. Coti finally rolled, taking his weight off of her, but she’d liked having his body blanketing her. Now, she felt cold until he pulled her on top of him, his arms enclosing her. The fading tension of her orgasm still pulsed through her, but Coti didn’t say anything, just lay there, holding her. His calm, easy breathing as he ran his hand through her hair, calmed NeNe. If she’d shouted she’d loved him, he’d have already tossed her to the side and offered her a ride home, right?

“Are you okay?” he finally asked in the silent room.

NeNe ran a finger around one of his flat male nipples, light from the bathroom gave her just enough illumination to see. “I’m fine. Um, I’m sorry I bit you.” Gah, she’d never been a biter. Ever. Heck, she’d never even allowed a guy to give her a hickey, but if her memory served her correctly, Coti had bitten her too. Yikes, they were a bitey couple.

Coti wrapped his finger around a hunk of her hair. “I loved it. Your teeth sinking into me was almost as fucking amazing as your pussy kissing my cock.”

She snorted. “You’re such a dirty talker.”

He gave a tug on the hair he held. “I’m a lot of things, and dirty is only one of them. Is that going to be a problem?”

NeNe bit her lip. “Are you trying to scare me off?”

“Hell no, I’m trying to keep you. If I need to temper myself, I need to know what it is you don’t like. I’m not saying I’ll be able to change a lifetime of habits, but for you, I’ll try.” His green eyes seemed brighter.

“I don’t want you to change for me, just as I’d hope you’d never ask me to change for you. I’m not even sure why we’re discussing this.” NeNe didn’t get to finish as he pulled her down for another deep heated kiss. Her body ached, but not from the beating she’d taken earlier, which had her pulling back.

“I forgot to thank you properly for saving me tonight.”

Coti sifted both hands through her hair. “You don’t owe me any thanks, armina.”

She propped herself up on his chest. “What does that mean?”

He laughed. “Warrior woman. It’s an old German word my grandfather used to call my grandmother.”

She could tell he had great affection for his grandparents. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?” he asked, puzzled.

“I didn’t mean to bring up a sad subject.” Propped up on his chest, she should’ve been uncomfortable lying naked with him, but she wasn’t. It was as if they’d done it hundreds of times. Heck, he was so damn big, he made the perfect bed except for the large pole currently nudging her.

Coti shifted her down and then up, teasing her with his dick. “I’m not sad. My family are the Iron Wolves.”

Before she could comment, he lifted her higher, then pushed her back, impaling her on his length. “Fuckkk,” she gasped. In that position, he felt larger, taking up even more space. “Oh god, I think I feel you in my tonsils.”

He barked out a laugh, then eased her up a bit. “You set the pace and depth. I could come with you just squeezing my cockhead.” He groaned as she worked her inner muscles doing just that.

The last time he was fast and furious, and she was every bit as impatient. This time, she thought she’d work them both up to a fever pitch. However, she couldn’t wait. She bent, seeking his mouth, sucking on his tongue, tasting peppermint again. She wiggled on the cock inside her, adjusting left and right, searching for the right angle. Coti growled, his eyes locked onto her face. His eyes glowed as he pushed up, twisting until he was over her, his body pushing into hers, his pelvis circling, working deeper until they were both groaning.

Pleasure slammed into NeNe. She tried to hold it off, but the sensation was too overwhelming as if she was feeling Coti’s and her own body at the same time. His strong body gripped hers tightly, held her firmly while he pistoned inside her. The sound of their bodies, the wet slap of skin on skin, reverberated throughout the room, ramping up her excitement, making her want to get closer, to feel him everywhere. God, she didn’t know where these feelings were coming from, this out of control need that erased every other thought but this, what they were doing. She tightened her pussy, raising her hips up off the bed to meet his thrusts. “Yes,” she yelled when the angle was perfect. Coti growled, the sound seemed to vibrate through her body. She felt his cock jerk, making her climax rip through her, shocking in its intensity and speed.

With each clench and release of her inner walls, she could feel his dick jerk even as Coti continued to move. Her own body spasmed again, her nails raked down his back. He buried his face against her neck, creating a sense of intimacy she wanted to lock away inside herself forever. God, the thought of another bite there made her clench down on him.

Coti sucked on the muscle where her shoulder and neck met but didn’t bite. She could feel him kissing, licking, his hips still flexing. When he lifted his head, his eyes locked onto hers. “Best fucking night of my life,” he swore. “In all my time, I never thought one tiny little warrior woman would be the best, most amazing ruin of me. I’m a lucky bastard.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth, then whispered words in a language she didn’t understand. NeNe thought whatever he said sounded beautiful, but then darkness washed over her.