Chapter Twenty-One
Emelise
“I never thought I would be so happy to stop driving as I am today,” Emelise said as she pulled the truck to a stop in front of her apartment building. She rubbed her tired eyes and rolled her shoulders.
“If we ever have to do something like this again, I vote we fly and then drive back,” Lily replied. “I don’t want to move but I know I need to unhook my car and go home.”
“How do you think I feel, girl? I don’t even have anything to sleep on so I’ll be passing out on the floor,” Eme countered.
Lily turned to look at her. “Damn, I didn’t think about that. Come crash at my place tonight; we can get the Pard to help you unpack tomorrow.”
Emelise waved a hand at her. “No, it’s fine, I can rough it for one night.”
Lily started to argue when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look, she grinned. “Or not. Looks like the cavalry has arrived.” Several members of the Pard approached the truck while they sat there talking.
Emelise turned to see what she was talking about and groaned. Not only had several of the Pard arrived to unload the truck but Caine was with them. She really couldn’t deal with him right now. “Just what I need.”
Lily laughed softly. “Might as well get it over with,” she told her and got out.
Emelise followed at a slower pace. “Don’t start,” she growled at Caine. “We can talk another time; I’m too damn tired to do this right now.”
Caine
When Declan informed him that he’d gotten a rough estimate from Lily of when they would be back in New Orleans, Caine decided he would be there to greet them. He asked for volunteers to help Emelise get her belongings unpacked and wasn’t surprised when several members of the Pard jumped to help. They knew she was his mate even if he’d not claimed her yet, but he didn’t think that was why they did it. They were the same leopards who were helping her clean up the place she bought, and she’d clearly left a good impression on them.
He waited in the shadows until the truck came to a stop. He watched as Lily and Emelise had a brief discussion, then motioned the others forward as he stepped into view. He was at the driver’s side of the truck by the time Emelise had stepped out. When she growled at him, he cocked a brow. That was hot. Did she have to be so sexy when she was aggravated? “All right, den. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, cher,” he growled low in her ear as he leaned close to breathe her in. “Tonight, da Pard is helpin’ you get unpacked.”
Emelise blinked at him. “Thank you.”
Lily waited for her car to be unhooked before she turned to Emelise. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Eme, after we’ve both gotten some sleep,” she said, then looked at Caine. “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re mad at me too. You can chew me out later. I’m beat. Night, Eme.”
“Night, girl, thanks for going with me,” Emelise replied and watched her friend leave.
Caine had to fight the urge to pull Emelise into his arms. “We take care of our own,” he told her and moved to help with the unpacking of her belongings before he decided to check out the apartment she’d picked out. He had to admit, it seemed to suit her even with the bland color on the walls. Even after the others left, he lingered to be near his mate for a little while longer.
Declan
Declan waited outside Lily’s apartment building for her to arrive. He’d been tempted to meet her out front of Emelise’s place, but he knew Caine was going to be there, and that was bound to cause enough sparks; he didn’t need to add to the tension. So instead he leaned against the side of the apartment building Lily lived in and watched for her car. He wanted to make good on his promise to her, or threat, whichever way you chose to look at it, that she wouldn’t be getting out of bed for quite a while once she was home.
He glanced at his watch before he spotted headlights coming his way. He watched as Lily pulled her car up to the curb and had to tamp down the urge to rush over to her. Fucking hell, he’d missed her. “I see you made it home safe and sound, doll,” he growled as he approached her.
Lily’s head snapped up at his voice and she laughed a little. “I should have known you’d be here waiting,” she said and tipped her head at him. “Of course we made it back safe and sound. We were careful every time we stopped. I know you males have to be so macho, but we females aren’t as helpless as you seem to think we are.”
Declan cocked a brow at her. “You’re feeling feisty,” he said and pulled her into his arms to kiss her. His arms tightened around her and he knew she could feel his arousal pressed against her.
Lily
When she pulled up to the curb outside of her apartment building, all Lily was thinking about was how much she wanted to go in and collapse into bed. That thought fled when she heard Declan’s voice. Suddenly she was wide awake and things low in her body tightened with need. She thought about their little sexting session, and the promise he’d made her, and a shiver of anticipation went down her spine. She never would have thought the idea of being tied up could be so hot.
Lily lifted her face to his when he wrapped his arms around her. She felt his arousal and it made her whimper a little. He was already so hard. “You like me feisty,” she countered. “I’d be boring otherwise.”
Declan laughed. “True, I do like you feisty,” he admitted and kissed her. “Let’s go inside,” he growled against her lips. “I have a promise to keep.”
“Yes, you do,” she replied huskily and pulled from his arms to head inside to her apartment. She wasn’t going to pretend the attraction wasn’t there, and she wasn’t going to pretend like the sex wasn’t the best fucking sex she’d ever had either.
Declan
Declan had to admit, he liked the fact his mate wasn’t fighting their attraction anymore. He’d known she was loyal and when she gave herself to someone, she gave all of herself, not just part, and now he was reaping the rewards of that. As soon as they were in her apartment, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her hungrily. “Missed you, woman,” he growled and dipped his head to trail kisses down her throat.
Lily shuddered and arched into him. “Missed you, too.” When his hands gripped her shirt, she lifted her arms to make it easier for him to remove it and then his lips were moving down her chest, and a whimper escaped her.
“So responsive,” Declan groaned and reached back to unhook her bra. With her breasts free, he took one nipple in his mouth while his hand teased the other into a hard peak.
“Declan…bedroom…let’s take this to the bedroom,” Lily panted.
He smirked against her skin before he scooped her up and carried her to her room. Once there he got her naked the rest of the way, then pulled something from his pocket and flashed a wicked grin at her.
Lily saw the grin first before her gaze was drawn to what he had in his hand. “Is that…what I think it is?”
“You never should have told me to tie you up if you didn’t want me to follow through,” he said and crawled onto the bed with her. Before he actually used the two silk ties to bind her to the headboard, he made sure it was really what she wanted. He also wanted her to be safe and to know that, if at any time she changed her mind, all she had to do was say so.”Think of a safe word, something you wouldn’t usually say during sex, so if you want it to stop and you want to be untied, all you have to do is say the word and it stops.”
Lily looked up at him a moment. “Pineapple.” It was a word she would remember and one she definitely wouldn’t usually utter during sex.
“Good girl,” Declan growled and proceeded to tie her up. “Mmmh, this is exactly where I want you,” he said and ran his hands down her body. “Beautiful.” He dipped his head and his lips followed the path his hands had just taken. He paused to tease her breasts and then continued until he buried his mouth between her thighs. She was already so wet and the scent of her arousal made him harden even more.
Lily
When they first talked about tying her up, Lily had thought it sounded hot, but she wasn’t entirely sure she could go through with it. Then, when Declan pulled out two silk ties from his pocket, she knew she most definitely could go through with it. She wanted to feel helpless beneath him, especially after he made sure she had a way to stop their kinky play if she needed to.
The moment her hands were bound to the headboard, Lily relaxed against the bed. She’d had no idea just how…comforting it would feel to have all control taken away. She didn’t need to worry about anything but enjoying what he was doing to her. It was such a freeing feeling that it startled her.
Every brush of his fingers over her skin, every nibbled kiss as he moved down her body, sent her senses soaring. Her hips bucked when he buried his mouth against her sex, and a soft cry of pleasure escaped her.
As her arousal heightened and her writhing increased, Lily felt him slip first one and then a second finger inside her. Her whimpers turned to cries of pleasure before she finally fell over with a shout. It was, by far, one of the most powerful orgasms she’d ever experienced.
Declan
Declan gazed down at his mate. She was beautiful in her submission to him, in her trust of him. How in the fuck had he gotten so lucky to find a woman who would give herself so completely that she trusted him enough to let him tie her up? Her whimpers and cries were music to his ears, and when he pushed her over with his mouth and fingers, he groaned. “Beautiful,” he growled and kissed back up her body, shedding his clothes in the process.
By the time he got a condom on and positioned himself between her welcoming thighs, he was afraid he was going to lose control too soon. He eased into her wet sheath and claimed her mouth in a heated kiss.
Lily returned the kiss and tugged on her bonds as if to test their strength. Her legs lifted to wrap around his waist when he was buried inside her, and her hips arched to meet his every thrust.
“That’s it, doll. Just let go,” Declan growled and soon their lovemaking was a frenzied thing. He pushed her over the edge again but still he hadn’t found his own release. He reached up and loosened her hands so he could flip her over onto her knees. Then he slid into her from behind and continued to pound into her.
Lily
Lily felt like she was going to go up in flames. No matter how many times he pushed her over the edge, it seemed his own release held off which drove them both into a frenzy. Growls escaped her as she arched into his pounding thrusts before her hands were suddenly free. She didn’t have time to think about it before he flipped her over and slid into her from behind.
That was when she really went wild. She pushed back into his thrusts, her nails turned to claws, and she damn-near raked her bed with them, and her back arched as her head tipped to the side, baring the back of her neck for him.
Declan saw the offering and didn’t hesitate to take it. He leaned down and bit her shoulder near her neck, and held on as he pushed her over for the third time and finally found his own release.
The combination of his shaft hitting her G-spot at an angle, and his teeth digging into her shoulder, sent her over the edge with a scream that echoed in the room. Her inner walls clenched around him as she dragged him over with her.
When he finally withdrew and they collapsed on the bed, Lily felt boneless. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to move again.
Declan
When Lily offered her shoulder for his mark, Declan wanted to howl his joy to the heavens. Instead, he just dipped his head and took the offering she made. His teeth dug into her skin and he knew it would leave a permanent mark. It would be a physical sign to other shifters that she was taken, that she had a mate.
Her inner walls clenching around him dragged him over and milked him of every drop of his seed. Her scream of pleasure was music to his ears, a music he wanted to hear every night for the rest of his life.
Once he stopped shuddering inside her, he withdrew and collapsed on the bed onto his side. He tugged her back against him and nuzzled her gently. “Fuck, woman, you’re perfect for me. You’ve got just the right amount of naughty in you.” He trailed kisses along her shoulder and jaw. “You surprised me, too. I half expected you to grill me on how things went with the jaguars, then tell me to get out.”
Lily
She turned in his arms so she was facing him more and lifted her hand to his jaw. She traced it with her fingertips before she spoke. “Wow, you really know how to kill the mood, Declan.” She smiled to let him know she was teasing him. “I was going to ask but I got sidetracked. It’s your fault. You’re the one who pinned me against the wall, kissed me, and then brought those silk ties out.”
“What can I say, doll? You bring out the animal in me.”
The grin he flashed her made her laugh. “You’re awful.” She studied him a moment before she sighed softly. “How bad was the fight with the jaguars?” She didn’t want to ruin the afterglow of their lovemaking, but the Pard were her extended family, and she suddenly needed to know that the people she cared about were okay.
“We had a few injuries, but no one on our side died. The jaguars’ Alpha and some of their lieutenants didn’t fare as well.”
“I’m glad none of the leopards were lost. I know you weren’t comfortable with the risk we took going through the jaguars’ territory, but thank you for trusting me to be able to take care of myself.”
Declan made a gruff noise before he kissed her. “You’re welcome. Just don’t ask me to do that again, doll, because I don’t think I could.” He chuckled at the mock glare she gave him. “Tomorrow I want you to meet some people: my team. They’re planning on sticking around to help me with my new personal security company.”
Lily arched a brow at him. “Your own company? What will you be doing?”
“A bit of everything, really. Bodyguard work will be the biggest aspect of it, but if, say someone’s family member is in trouble in a foreign country and the government isn’t doing anything to get them out, we’ll send a team in to extract them. More or less all the things we did in Special Ops, just as a private firm making more money. We’ll also have more freedom because we won’t have a government agency watching our every move.”
“Wow, I’m impressed,” she said softly. “I’d like to meet them,” she admitted with a yawn.
“Get some sleep, doll.” Declan pulled her close before he tugged the blankets up over them. He watched her drift off to sleep before he followed her.