Chapter Twelve
Wolves howled their emotions. Dragons spat fire. Bears chuffed.
Cruz’s inner tiger roared and pranced in delight.
All right, already, he muttered, tightening his knuckles around the steering wheel.
It was hard enough to keep the car on the road with the rain, a raging hard-on, and the soft play of Jody’s hands over his thigh. To have a tiger roaring in his head at the same time — really roaring, wanting to announce his joy to every living beast across hundreds of miles and remind them who was boss — well, that just made it harder to steer a straight line.
The rain had settled into a steady shower, and the slice of blue in the sky was down to a narrow band far out on the horizon, over past Lanai. That wouldn’t last long, though — not with the storm chasing the sunshine away.
“Gonna last a while,” he murmured, worried that an awkward silence might settle between them.
Of course, he was with Jody, and there was nothing awkward or silent about her.
“The good thing about ridiculously expensive sports cars,” she said as casually as if discussing the weather, “is that they can rush you from one side of a tropical island paradise to the other — fast.”
“Not fast enough.”
Jody nodded in agreement and tapped her foot impatiently. She slid her hand over his on the gearshift, and that felt nice. Really nice.
“Not too cold?” he asked. They had the air conditioning on to counter the condensation on the windshield, but even sitting there shirtless, he was still plenty warm inside.
Jody fanned herself with her hand. “Hot. Way too hot.”
Which only ratcheted up his core temperature another few degrees.
He clenched his left hand around the steering wheel and subtly adjusted his pants. Every car on the road had slowed to a snail’s pace in the rain, and he wanted to cuss out each and every one. If he didn’t get home soon, he’d end up stopping at a motel just to avoid dying from lust.
But he didn’t want a motel. He didn’t want to screw Jody in the car. He wanted to lay her out on his bed and make slow, sweet love to her there. Or maybe hot, hard sex. Whichever. And as for her being human — well, he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. She was an exception, a one of a kind.
Jody sat with her eyes closed and a wicked look on her face that said she was imagining all the things he’d do to her — or what she’d do to him — the second they got home.
Home, his tiger murmured. Home is wherever she is.
Yeah, well, the bed was at Koa Point. He sped up, overtaking another car, then slowed behind a truck. This drive was going to kill him.
I wonder what she’s thinking, his tiger said.
Slowly, tentatively, he reached out with his mind. Closely bonded shifters could read each other’s thoughts, and destined mates could, too. Not that Cruz wanted to examine that possibility too closely — not in the state he was in. But he was dying to know what she was thinking — even a tiny little hint.
Her free hand slid over her thigh. Her lips moved. And gradually, an image formed in his mind. A feeling. The feeling that Jody might tiptoe her fingers up his thigh then creep in along the crotch of his pants.
He sucked in a deep breath. If she did that, he’d be tempted to unzip his pants to let her touch.
He concentrated a little harder, and the image grew clearer. How she’d slide a hand in and fist his cock. Stroke it. Tickle it. Explore from the thick base to the slit at the tip. Then she’d stroke just hard enough to—
“Stop,” he grunted, as much to himself as to her.
Her eyes flew open. “What?”
He looked over and found her eyes hazy with lust. Wow. She really had been thinking along those lines.
“Stop thinking that.” He shifted in the seat before the pressure in his dick killed him.
“Thinking what?” Her voice was all innocence, but her sidelong glance at his crotch gave her away.
He snorted. “Stop thinking about sex.”
Like you haven’t been thinking about it? his tiger pointed out.
She frowned. “You didn’t like what we did?”
“I did, and you know it. I can’t wait to…to…”
Her breath caught as he struggled for words.
“To what?” she asked.
He stared past the swishing wipers. Would Jody prefer him talking dirty or should he pretend to be a gentleman and find some polite euphemism for screwing her senseless?
Be direct, his tiger said. She likes direct.
So, bam — without a further second’s deliberation, the words flew out of his mouth. “I can’t wait to fuck you in my bed until we both come undone.”
Her mouth fell open. Her nipples pebbled under the shirt that clung to her chest. Her hands trembled in her lap.
“Oh,” she mumbled.
“Oh?”
She wiggled in her seat. “If there is such a thing as a verbally induced orgasm, I think I just had one.”
A low, rumbly, satisfied sound came from his chest. It was incredible how Jody managed to push every one of his buttons. And they were still miles away from home.
She drew her knees up to her chest and watched the road quietly before whispering, “Say that again.”
He couldn’t hold back a choke of surprise and plucked at his pants. “You really are going to kill me, you know that?”
“Just once. Say it just once, and I promise to be a good girl.”
“You’re a minx, and you know it.” He couldn’t keep a smile off his face, though. “You’re a minx, and I can’t wait to fuck you in my bed until we both come undone.”
She pursed her lips, not giving away anything. But the sugary scent of lust filled the car, so strong he nearly swerved.
A few minutes later, she was at it again. Thinking. Fantasizing. Filling his mind with all kinds of sensual plans. Like how he would lay her out on his big bed and thrust into her in one smooth stroke. Or how she would fall to her knees and give him the blow job he’d fantasized about. Or—
He growled, looking over. “Minx. Minx, minx, minx.”
“Are you reading my mind or something?”
Something, he wanted to say. “It’s pretty obvious,” he said, hoping she didn’t press him on it.
She didn’t. Another minute of silence passed, and she started taking deep breaths. Really deep, loud, rattly breaths.
“Now what are you doing?” he demanded once they inched through the intersection at Ma’alaea.
“Ujjayi breathing.”
“Ujjayi what?”
“Like in yoga. I’m trying to center myself.”
He shifted up a gear as traffic thinned again. “Center yourself?”
“You know, to transport my mind to a different plane. Like those monks who levitate.”
“I don’t know much about monks.”
She laughed. “Would never have guessed.”
Cruz grinned. Yes, he couldn’t wait to get home, but this was kind of fun, too. Jody made everything fun. Even nearly perishing from desire.
“Is it working?” he asked, going with the flow for a change.
“Nope. You ever try it?”
“Levitating? No. Though my feet might have left the ground for a minute or two while you were posing. What the hell were you thinking about?”
She gulped water from her bottle and offered it to him before answering casually. “I was thinking about giving you the blow job of your life.”
Cruz choked back the water that caught halfway down his throat, nearly spitting all over the dashboard.
Jody put up her hands and grinned. “Sorry. I promise to shut up for the rest of the drive.”
“That, I have to see,” he said, not quite concealing the chuckle in his voice.
“Watch me.” Jody crossed her arms and shut her mouth tight.
He wondered how long she would last, and the funny thing was, that was kind of fun, too.
She opened her mouth at least three more times throughout the interminable drive but snapped it shut each time. He leaned closer, anticipating her words, but she just crossed her arms more tightly and looked away.
“You know you want to say something,” he teased.
Her lips folded inward in a totally sexy way. Of course, anything she did at that point made him think of sex, so now he was the guilty one.
He sped down the road, weaving in and out of slower traffic — in other words, every other car on the road — until finally, finally! — he could take his foot off the pedal and let the car coast down the driveway to Koa Point. Cruz grabbed his shirt but didn’t put it on. Jody, meanwhile, straightened her shirt and bundled up the rest of her things before stepping out of the car. They both slammed the doors behind them and stood peering out from under the roof of the garage.
“Gonna have to run for it,” he murmured, watching the pelting rain.
She laughed. “I’m getting good at that. You, too.”
He had to work hard to hide his smile, but when she sidled up beside him and ran a hand up his chest, his mood became serious again. Where was all this leading? He was falling for her, hard and fast. Breaking every cardinal rule of a warrior who didn’t mess around, especially not with his heart.
She took both his hands, telling him she wasn’t messing around either, and whispered, “Hey.”
He took a deep breath and rested his forehead against hers. “Hey.”
Her chest rose and fell in time with his breaths, and the chill that had started to creep into him in the air-conditioned car gave way to her body’s warmth.
“Am I allowed to think dirty thoughts now?” she whispered.
He nodded slowly, making both their heads bob. “Now is good. But first, are you ready to run?”
“Ready.”
He didn’t count down and shout, Go! but Jody took off across the lawn the second he did. She sprinted along, laughing like it was the most fun she’d had all week. And it was fun, he had to admit. That build of anticipation. The sloppy, splashy run through the grass and mud. They raced down the winding path and over the footbridge to his place. The forest canopy closed overhead without blocking the rain — it just made the downpour jump from leaf to oversize leaf on the way down. They both rushed into the shelter of the living room and stood panting, looking out at the rain.
“Almost there,” Cruz said, gesturing up to his bedroom.
Jody gripped his hand and stared at him. “You weren’t kidding, huh?”
He shook his head. No, he hadn’t been kidding about wanting her in his bed. And yes, he wanted to lead her across the rope bridge to the platform that held his big, solitary bed. His private bedroom — though private was relative, since it had a roof and no walls, like the living room Jody had slept in for the past few nights.
“You sure?” she whispered.
See? His tiger hummed inside. She gets it. She gets us and how important this place is.
He looked around. “Well, since this room looks like it got hit by a tornado…”
She play-slapped his arm. “It’s not that messy.”
It was, but he didn’t care. Not about the towel she’d left hanging over the chair, nor about yesterday’s clothes in a heap on the floor, and not even about the magazine turned upside down halfway under the couch. All he cared about was her.
She bit her lip, growing serious again. Was she getting second thoughts about all this or giving him a last chance to opt out? “So, you ready to show a girl a good time?”
An instant later, he towed her along, rushing up the connecting platform to the shelter of his bedroom above. Then he hit the brakes and gave her a moment to take it all in.
“This is amazing,” Jody breathed.
It was amazing. The roof stood out a good three feet wider than the floor. And with water free-falling from all four edges to the ground far below, he had the feeling of being out in the tropical rainstorm while staying perfectly dry — at least, apart from the water they’d carried in with them, now dripping slowly down their bodies in the most sensual way.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered, letting his shirt drop from his hand as he prowled toward her.
No more waiting. No more wishing, his tiger growled.
The scent of lust spiked as Jody backed away with that vixen grin.
“You’re shivering,” he murmured.
“Not inside, I’m not.” She backed up another step. Not escaping so much as teasing, and he knew it. She peeked behind her, stopping near the edge of the platform. Out of space.
A moment of truth. They were finished playing games. It was now or never, and he waited for her fear to show.
But Jody just let her chin jut a little, showing him — and maybe herself — she wasn’t about to back down now.
“Cruz,” she whispered, holding out her hand.
He held his out, too, but they were still a foot apart. “Be sure you want this, Jody. Be sure.”
He needed to hear it from her. They were moving awfully fast, and while sleeping together had the potential to complicate his wonderfully uncomplicated life, it was even more momentous for her. He was a shifter. A recluse who lived in a tree house. A man with far too many ghosts in his closet. Did she really want to tangle with a guy like him?
His outstretched fingers trembled a tiny bit.
“I want this, Cruz. God, do I want this.” As if to cement the point, she yanked her shirt off and let it drop to the floor.
Cruz stared, exploring every inch of her body with his eyes. His gaze swept over her breasts and belly before stopping at the barely there thong that was the only thing she still wore.
Heaven, his tiger murmured. I’m in heaven.
Jody slid her hands to her hips until she found the sides of the thong and waited. “Do you want me to take this off, or do you want to do it yourself?”
Cruz didn’t answer. Instead, he pounced. Really pounced. One second he was a foot away, and the next, he had her on the bed. He came over her, covering her mouth with his, claiming everything he touched.
Jody’s eyes were wide and startled, but they were delighted, too.
“I’m all wet,” she squeaked.
“I like you wet,” he said between kisses.
Those idiots from Elements had one thing right. Jody and water went perfectly together. Water became her, somehow. It brought out her inner shine, her one-of-a-kind spunk.
Opening her mouth, she welcomed him in. She wrapped her arms around him and whimpered, driving him wild.
Mine. She is mine. My mate forever, his tiger growled.
Cruz had never felt as powerful — or as powerless. He plundered her mouth with his tongue and touched her like…like…well, like a pirate. But Jody egged him on, assuring him she wanted to be plundered, at least by this privateer. She already had her legs wrapped around him, her shoulders thrust back, her hands threaded through his hair.
When he’d touched her in the car, he’d managed to keep cool — mostly. But now, he was a fumbling teenager, unable to decide where to begin. So he tried to touch her everywhere, which didn’t really work. He couldn’t even get his pants off — and maybe a good thing, too, because he wasn’t that much of a brute. He’d told Jody he’d fuck her until they both came undone, and that meant pleasuring her first.
She wants to be taken. She wants to be ours, his tiger yowled.
The irresistible image of sinking his teeth into her neck to deliver the mating bite flashed through his mind.
He shook his head hard. Humans didn’t know about mates. We are not taking it that far. This is just our first time. So don’t ruin things by trying. Got it?
Got it, got it, the beast huffed.
That gave him just enough mind space to get his shit together and love Jody the way she deserved. The way he and only he could deliver, unlike any other man, anywhere, anytime.
Hey! Why did you stop kissing? his tiger complained.
Jody’s tight grip on his hair asked the same thing.
Not stopping. Just redirecting, he assured the tiger.
Ah, the beast sighed as Cruz started moving down her body. Now I see your plan.
Jody moaned, moving beneath him as he reached her collarbone. Her hands played with his hair, giving him free rein.
He trailed a line of kisses down her chest, getting high on her sweet, wild rose scent. Loving the way her body surged under his, leading him to her breasts. On a sharp inhale, her nipple came up to his mouth in open invitation. He took it as gently as he could then worked it harder, plucking and sucking until her moans were louder than the sound of the rain.
Just for you, buddy, he told his tiger, running his tongue over the bumps of her areola.
Just for you, my ass, the beast chuckled back.
He chuckled, making Jody mumble, “What’s so funny, mister?”
That was his Jody, always a minx, even when she was at his mercy. Did nothing daunt this woman?
“Funny is me barely able to keep my head screwed on straight.”
She liked that one; he could tell by the chuckle in her chest. A chuckle that made her breasts wiggle, prompting him to turn his attention there once more. He gathered the soft flesh together and dragged his tongue over her nipple again and again. Then he switched to the other side, circling and pinching until her nipples peaked so high, they popped right into his mouth.
“Oh…” she panted, arching her body. “Cruz…”
It had been a long time since he’d heard anyone say his name that way. Not a barked order or a frustrated sigh. Not a cold dismissal or an intimidated whisper. Just needy. Happy. Eager.
A twinge of fear went through him, but he chased it away. He could hurt this woman, and she could hurt him. In the heart, not the body.
We can trust her. We need to trust her, his tiger said.
He shifted his weight and crept lower, tracing the ridges of her centerline. Her belly button tempted him to linger, but the scent of her core called, and he dropped lower.
“Yes…” she moaned, spreading her legs.
Jody. He wanted to sing her name the way she sang his. Jody, Jody, Jody.
He ran a hand down her folds and breathed deeply, savoring her scent.
“More,” she cried, wiggling under him.
He spread a hand on her belly, stilling her, letting himself savor the moment. “Been dreaming of this every night.”
“Me, too. Believe me, me too.”
Another moment to preserve in his mental album, but Cruz figured he shouldn’t push his luck. Not with his woman offering herself up this way. And since she was…
He pulled back, lifted her hips off the mattress, and hooked her legs over his shoulders. Go big or go home.
The second his tongue touched her softest, most hidden flesh, Jody made a choked sound and thrust her hips up. He licked more boldly, letting her get used to the feel of his mouth on her. And judging by the sounds she made and the tightening of her thighs, she was all on board.
“Oh… Yes… Oh…”
He licked in one long line, closing his eyes. Up and down the length of her in one long, delicious swipe. Then he stopped at her clit and circled the tight bud.
Jody thrust against him in an unmistakable rhythm, making him lick lower. Deeper. Tasting her until she was wild with pleasure, and he was, too. When her muscles coiled all around him, he pressed a thumb to her clit, circling there while his fingers pushed deep inside.
“Yes… So close…”
He was close to exploding, too, and his cock hadn’t even seen any action yet.
He flicked his fingers and sucked at the same time, making her shatter in ecstasy.
“Don’t stop…”
He wouldn’t dream of stopping. Not before he’d milked every last drop of her orgasm. And when he was done…
He grinned. When he was done, he’d bring her to her next orgasm. And the next and the next until her mind was blank of anything but him.
Jody bucked, gyrated, then slowly settled on the mattress again. He rested his head on her belly as it heaved with wild, panting breaths.
“God, Cruz…” She patted him on the back.
He grinned and soaked it all in. The heat of her body. The shell-shocked satisfaction in her voice. The scent of his own desire intertwined with hers. The peace in his soul. Human or not, it didn’t matter any more. Jody was Jody, and she was his.
My destined mate, his tiger hummed.
Slowly, he kissed his way up her body again until he was at her mouth. A second after Jody cupped his face and kissed him deep, her eyes flew open. He tilted his head as she gave a tentative swipe of her tongue.
Holy shit, her expression said. “Is that… Is that me?”
He broke into a huge grin. Man, he loved how she showed her feelings like so many signal flags. He smothered her in another kiss then let go with a little pop. “Yes, that is you on my tongue.”
His tiger preened and pranced in delight, knowing he possessed even that tiny, fleeting part of her. Her taste. Her heavenly taste.
“You look so proud of yourself, you big lug. Just wait until I get payback.” She licked her lips.
His dick hardened in his pants.
“Speaking of which,” Jody murmured, reaching for his zipper.
He dropped down over her and rocked his head back and forth against her chest. “You are amazing, you know that?”
She laughed. “No, I’m not. It’s just that my brain stopped working. The fucking me senseless thing is working, in case you didn’t notice. But there’s one more thing…”
Her hand crept inside his pants — the sodden, soaked-from-the-rain pants he wanted off, pronto — and fisted his cock.
“Yeah,” she murmured, shifting for better access. “One more thing…”