CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Layla covered her daughter with a blanket and tucked her into bed. Her face was still red and puffy from the endless hours of crying. She had not stopped since the pegasus had left earlier in the day, and no amount of soothing had helped quell the onslaught. The two bobcats had made an appearance and now curled up, purring deeply beside the little girl. Layla wanted to lay beside her daughter, comfort her some more, but Buttcheek raised his large head and locked his golden eyes on her. She felt like she was being weighed by some old man. His sparkling eyes might have been wild and feral but he held knowledge only a beast of the wild could hold.
Go to your mate, female. We shall protect the kitten. His voice rumbled through her mind as he turned his head back to the sleeping child and stretched himself along her body. When he lay down like this he was almost as long as Annabelle.
Mate? Layla frowned at the bobcat’s words, shaking her head. How did he even know? He was a wild animal. She scoffed at herself. Of course he knew, damned creature. No doubt he could smell it or something.
Sighing, Layla left the bedroom, leaving the door open a crack. She walked out into the hallway and found the demon waiting for her. His intense blue eyes locked on her form, the shimmering flames sending a fire of her own racing over her skin. He seemed to be holding himself back to keep his distance from her, and the strain was evident on his face.
“Layla—” He began to speak, but she held up her hand, bringing silence to his lips.
“Listen Tan, I don’t know what this is between us, this burning need I have to touch you, kiss you. It terrifies me. But I have learned one thing from my life. I am not going to turn my back on something that is directing me, drawing me. I don’t know why we have this link; I don’t even know if I trust it. But Satanus, I trust you.”
The demon pushed off the wall and walked toward her. Each step he took with purpose, his eyes locked to hers. He stopped before her and looked down into her sea blue gaze, cupping her cheeks with his hands. The heat coming off him drove away the chill in the air, and Layla was lost in those flickering depths. She felt her heart race, her mouth going dry at his proximity. His thumbs stroked over her cheeks, making heat curl in her womb. She opened her mouth to continue and he covered her lips with his finger.
“Not Satanus. To you, I am Tan, your Tan.” Layla almost let out a sob, but his kiss muffled the sound and swallowed it.
Layla wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed the heartache from her. Despite how tightly he held her, she knew he would never lift a hand in anger. She knew she could trust him with more than just her heart—she knew she could trust him with her daughter as well.
That familiar nagging brushed her mind. What if he was married? Had kids? But as quickly as those ideas came he pushed them back, his tongue sweeping deeply into her mouth. She felt him lifting her into the air, her legs automatically moving to wrap around him. She sank her fingers into his black hair and kissed him back with desperation. The burning need to have him, touch him, was like a craving with her body. The sound of her bedroom door being opened was lost in the rushing of the blood in her ears. The darkness of the room enveloped them as he closed the door behind them and turned, pressing her back against it.
Layla could feel the hard length of him pressing against her. The friction sent a surge of heat curling through her body that enticed her more. She wanted to feel again, wanted to remember how it felt to be so wrapped up in someone that she didn’t know where he finished and she began. Parts of her heart she long thought dead and incapable of feeling again were coming back to life in his arms.
It wasn’t just the fact he was pure sin, a true demon here to tempt her and seduce her to be his willing slave. It was him—his voice, his scent, the way he was with Annabelle. The burning she felt when his flickering gaze locked on her and followed her around the room like he was a starving beast and she would be his salvation. He kissed her like he needed to taste her more than breathe. To be needed in such a way was thrilling—having someone crave her to the point she felt like she might die without his hands on her body.
Gasping suddenly, Layla sucked in a breath, letting it out in a long moan. She pressed her head back against the door as his lips trailed along her jawline to her throat, leaving a path of burning skin in his wake. He knew exactly where to touch her, how hard to nip her throat, and just where he needed to lick to make her gasp and writhe in his arms.
His hands moved to the edge of her shirt and he held her back to the door with his hips alone. In a long sweep of his hands, he had her top off and let it fall to the floor beside them. Then he went back to his task of licking and nipping over the newly exposed flesh along her collarbone, down toward the edge of her bra. The cool of the room made goose bumps rush over her skin and that brought the demon up short. He pulled back and looked her over, his eyes roaming her body, taking her in almost as if he were considering his options. His slow perusal of her body sent a flush of red over her skin; the bastard smirked, his eyes lifting to meet hers.
“I will not take you like some beast against a door.” His voice rumbled low, the words spoken between gritted teeth. He was holding his control. She could see it in the strain of his arms. She opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t care where he took her. His immense strength made short work of keeping her up as he turned from the door and walked backward toward the bed. He went down with her, his body heat burning her front, but the coolness of the duvet against her back made her gasp in surprise.
“Damn! That’s cold.” A small laugh left her in a gasp, bringing a smile to her lips. The poor demon was looking at her in abject horror, as if he had committed some great evil by laying her back on the cold sheets. She couldn’t help it—the look in his eyes made her burst into laughter.
“What’s funny? This is hardly working out like I planned, you know.” He sounded so despondent. The big bad demon looked like he was about to pout.
Layla wriggled under him and gave him a soft push. He reluctantly moved and rolled to his back, watching every move she made like some hungry beast. She moved to the side and got off the bed, grabbing the covers and tugging until the dimwitted man finally caught on to what she was doing and removed his weight from the bed. She turned down the duvet, and then moved to stand before him. With a smile that was all seduction, she proceeded to slowly slide one strap of her bra down, and then the other. Her eyes were locked on his as she unhooked her bra and removed the scrap of lace, dropping it on the floor beside her.
She had never felt so brazen in her life, standing there with her breasts bared to his gaze. Layla was sure teasing a demon was probably a bad idea, but hell if it didn’t hike her arousal a few hundred degrees. Her nipples pebbled under her fingertips as she slowly circled the dusky flesh and swallowed hard against her dry throat. His heated gaze followed the path of her fingers as she trailed them down her stomach to the button of her jeans. Pausing, she watched him. His chest was heaving hard, his body shaking. The tense line of his jaw made the muscles in his neck stand out while his hands opened and closed in fists at his side.
“I know. But I think I can guess what your plan entailed. Going all growly, some biting.” She popped open the button on her jeans and her fingertips moved to the zipper, pulling it down slowly, exposing just a flash of her black panties. “I was actually enjoying the being pinned bit. Especially the biting.” Her fingers dipped into the edge of her jeans and she wiggled her hips back and forth, slowly sliding her jeans down and over her hips.
The demon was transfixed. He breathed hard and deep, his eyes locked on every movement she made. Layla felt like she was some kind of seductress holding him under her spell. His eyes followed every sweep of her hands over her skin. Stepping out of her jeans, she trailed her fingers back up her legs and over the satin that covered the juncture of her thighs. Her own throat was going dry just from teasing him, her body flooding with slick liquid heat. She had to lick her lips before talking. Her voice was a tone she had never heard before.
“Well, Wolfman, your turn.” His eyes widened and he let out an almost feral growl. Damn, she half expected him to rip his shirt Hulk-style.
He wasted no time removing said shirt, exposing his chest to reveal all that rippling muscle covered in intricate tattoos. Layla made a mental note to trail her tongue over every single one of them. She could see that flickering flame always burning within, rolling over his skin, then sinking back under his flesh like a building fire. He looked dangerous and exotic, a wild animal that had hunted her as his mate. Now he was ready to show her he was worthy of her.
“Enough teasing. You shatter my control just standing there like some goddess offering me salvation.” His voice was gravelly as he spoke, and she could see him shaking, trying to hold his control.
“I don’t know about a goddess, but I am offering this place, my family. I’m offering you me, my heart. That I can give.” Her heart skipped a beat. She had not intended to open up so much. She felt like she had just bared her soul to him. She might as well have just damn well told him she loved him. Hell, her stomach was turning somersaults like she had done just that.
She watched him pause. His whole body stopped moving, the silence almost deafening in the room. What was going through his head right now? She couldn’t read him. Damn it, why did she have to go and ruin all this by saying something so damned foolish and heartfelt? She could feel her heartbeat in her ears, hear blood rushing through her veins. Her chest felt tight as the sudden urge to bolt from her own bedroom bit hard at her heels. Every second seemed to stretch into minutes. Yeah, she had royally fucked this up. God, what a stupid thing to say. She wanted to open her mouth and say something, anything, but the words would not come out.
She suddenly felt naked and exposed to his gaze. His silence was possibly the worst thing she had ever experienced. Unable to speak, she did the only thing she could. Layla turned to leave the room. She had to get out. Her hand reached for the door, but the smothering body of a huge male pressed against her back and a large hand preventing her from opening the door.
His huge body molded against her back and he lowered his head to her throat. His low rumbled growl and hot breath scorched her throat. Layla swallowed hard. She had not even heard him move. How in the hell had he gotten off the bed so fast without making a sound?
“Where do you think you’re going?” His tone sent a sharp stab of need right into her womb and made her clit pulse, pulling a moan from her. God, when had he learned to do that? That was not fair!
She felt his free hand moving over her hip, his skin almost burning her. It left a tingling trail over her stomach as he moved his hand up her ribcage to cup a bare breast and roll one of her aching nipples between his finger and thumb.
“Answer me, Layla. Are you running from me? I would advise against that.” Layla gasped as he pulled at the puckered flesh and trailed his lips up the column of her throat. She could not help but push herself back into him, relishing the heat of his chest against her back.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t upset, but damn, her words had triggered something in him. His hand on her body was confident and strong, his voice commanding—this was officially the most erotic thing that had ever happened in her life.
What on earth had led her to believe she had been seducing him? It was clear to see he had thoroughly captured her, a willing victim to the wolf’s hunger. Her body was hyperaware of him. His hand brushed over her skin from one breast to the other, sending goosebumps rushing over her flesh. His large form pressed her against the door, allowing her to feel the erect length of his cock, still restricted behind his sweats as it nestled between the cheeks of her ass. Did she want to bait this beast some more? Instant answer—hell yes!
“And? What would happen if I did run?” She did not even recognize her own voice. Sultry and teasing, the shy scared woman that had worried over spoken words only moments before had been deftly swept away by his masterful touch.
“You would be hunted and caught.” His nose traced the column of her throat to the edge of her ear. His hand moved slowly down her stomach to the edge of her panties, feathering along the top and making her belly tremble in anticipation. He did not disappoint; his masterful fingers dipped under the satin, sliding between her slick folds and brushing over her swollen clit. Her head nearly exploded as shocks rushed over her skin, sinking deep into her long-neglected body.
“You are my prey, Layla. That means… You. Are. Mine.”
Those few words, “I’m offering you me, my heart. That I can give.” They had a profound effect on him. Shock had stolen his ability to talk or move, at least until she started to turn from him. In that moment, the beast inside surged to the forefront of his mind. He would not allow her to leave him, not now, not ever.
He held her trembling body. The only thing he could think about was making sure she understood just what he meant when he said she was his. His words appeared to have the desired effect—she whimpered beautifully, her knees going weak, and he took her weight easily. He brought his hand down from where he held it against the door and slid it to her hip.
He felt like he was about to lose control, just like when he was running lost in the forest, filled with bloodlust and unable to grasp sanity. Only this time it was not bloodlust he danced with, it was something just as powerful, and just as addictive. He wanted to sink into this new mad craving only she could bring him—and only she held the antidote.
Holding her now in his arms, the fingers of one hand played over her hip while his other continued to stroke her into trembling submission. She was so slick his fingers slid easily through her folds. Her body jerked slightly each time he brushed over her clit. Every small whimper and moan that left her lips wrapped around him, making his already hard cock jump behind his sweats.
His blood pounded in his veins, thick and hot, the beast demanding he hunt, claim, mark. Some small part of his mind tried to remind him about not being a damned beast. But it was drowned out the second she rubbed back against him like a cat luxuriating in the attention. A low growl left his throat and the hand on her hip moved up her chest to her throat, closing around it. His thumb feathered over her pounding pulse, tilting her neck to the side and exposing the length his for teeth.
“Dangerous game you’re playing, Layla.” Groaning, he lowered his teeth to her neck and grazed them against a tight muscle. Her gasp had his cock drawing tight and his body shaking. “If you don’t want this then you best tell me now. Because I don’t know if the beast will listen. I feel him under my skin; he wants to claim as much as me.”
Her body went still in his arms, and for a second he expected her to ask him to leave. She began to turn and he reluctantly released his grip on her throat and let his fingers slide from her sweet body. He watched her as she faced him with her back against the door.
Her face was flushed with need, her eyes bright with arousal, each soft panting breath that rolled over his face told him she needed him as much as he needed her. His eyes were drawn down as she bit her bottom lip. Fuck, that one little action, and he was in physical pain he was so damn hard. He skimmed his eyes slowly down her body, over the soft mounds of her breasts to the tight curls at the juncture of her thighs. She was pure perfection and she was all his—no other woman would ever compare to her.
The tip of her tongue darted out to lick over her lips, and his eyes shot up to watch. He could almost feel it flicking over the swollen head of his cock. God damn, his groan echoed through the room, and the smile she gifted him was pure sin. She reached out, her hands settling on his hips. Stepping away from the door she pressed against him and pushed the final barrier between them down over his hips, letting the sweats fall to his feet. He reached out as her arms came around his neck, his hands stroking down the curve of her back.
“I trust you, Tan.” The words were whispered as her lips lightly brushed over his. That gentle kiss was all he needed; he took control, claiming her mouth, his tongue sweeping deep. He cupped her face with both his hands and refused to give her any release from his claim.
He turned her around and backed her up step by step until her knees made contact with the bed. Bodies molded together, hands roaming and stroking over heating skin. A sweet bite of pain rushed through him as her nails scratched over his shoulder, and he pulled back with a growl.
It was impossible to know who started where as he took her down to the bed. Legs entwined, mouths fed at one another, as if the very thing they needed to survive they could only get from each other. Sweat slicked bodies slid together, the room filling with panted breaths. Neither of them seemed willing to separate from the kiss.
Tan tilted his head, grabbing her hands and pinning then above her head. His fingers entwined with hers as his mouth devoured and claimed. His tongue swept in and retreated, mimicking the slow roll of his hips against hers. The sound of her soft whimpered moans into his mouth was like fingers down his spine. He needed to feel her wrapped around him, needed to be inside her, mark her as his to show the world and every male that she belonged to him.
The muscles on his back strained as he trailed scorching kisses down her jawline and her throat. She arched beautifully to each caress, writhing under him, trying to make him thrust by using her body to entice him into her own realm of insanity. He was losing the battle with what little control he had. Growling low, he nipped and bit along her neck, ripping a sharp cry from her which she quickly covered with a hand that she tore from his grip.
It came back to him suddenly. There was a kid across the hall, that meant this they were going to have to be quite—not fun. No way in Hades was he stopping now, not with the weeping head of his cock so close to heaven he could taste it. Biting down on the lobe of her ear, he pulled back his hips and slowly pushed forward. His aching cock slid between her folds, sinking into her at an almost leisurely pace—hell, if he wasn’t driving himself crazy.
“I guess we need to remain quiet, don’t we?” Hissing low, his body convulsed at the rapture that rushed over him as he felt her body clamping around him like a fist. He knew he was going to pay for his cocky tone. He purposefully drove hard into her body, causing her to gasp and bite back the cry of pleasure he knew ripped through her.
She gripped him hard, her muscles pulsing around him, and he almost came apart, fire rushing through him, surging up his spine. He had to stop, just for a second, together his sanity. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from roaring his own pleasure to the heavens. The flames that rolled from his skin now jumped to hers, licking over her flesh, dancing and sinking into it. Just when he thought he had the control to drive her crazy, she decided all was fair in sex and no screaming. She rolled her hips and tightened her muscles around him.
Fuck, he was in trouble.
Oh, by every god she knew the name of, she was going to get the arrogant, no-good bastard back for this. She gasped again, sucking in breath. She felt him thrust so deep that the sensation of him bumping against her womb was about to send her over the edge. She had never felt anything like this before. It rose so fast the connection between them sparked like a live wire, heightening everything.
She felt every movement rush over her like a wave, every nerve ending alive with it. She arched under him and bit down on her hand to stop from screaming. No way in hell she was going to be the only one struggling with this. Rolling her hips to his, Layla made damn sure she gave as good as she got. Her erotic action drew a low groan from his throat that went right to her clit and made her body pulse.
This was no long slow lovemaking; this was hard fast craving, pure and simple. They needed each other, and they were going to take. He pulled her hand from her mouth and covered her lips with his, spearing his tongue deeply as he thrust. His hands sank into her hair and held her for his unstoppable rhythm.
Layla cried out into his mouth, her nails digging into the muscles of his back—hell, anything within reach—for some kind of anchor to ground herself as she shattered around him. Her whole body went rigid with the power behind her release, and she swore the world exploded into light. Her scream was muffled by his mouth covering hers, each moan punctuated by a pulsing surge of pleasure rushing through her.
His own low drawn-out groan was interspersed by hard thrusts as he spilled his seed deep into her body. He trembling over her, but never stopped. He swallowed every sound she made, thrusting through the tight pulsing muscles, prolonging the insane pleasure that ravaged her until she was whimpering into his mouth.
Slowly, her mind came down from floating in a haze of tingling euphoria, and she blinked through the numbing of bliss that saturated her body. Layla reached up and stroked over his sweat-slicked arm. The male above her stirred and pulled back to look at her.
“Next time, let’s try for five minutes.” His strained voice brought a smile to her face.
He groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder, his skin turning an amazing shade of red—poor man was totally ashamed of his performance. Layla burst into laughter and the demon grumbled above her, making a move to leave. She brought her legs up and tightened them around his hips, stopping him from moving. She grabbed his face and made his eyes meet hers.
“I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it! Tan, that was the most erotic, damn fucking fantastic sex of my life. I intend on making you do that to me many, many more times. I am yours, remember?”
He was silent for a moment. Had he noticed she’d just sworn? She never swore. A smile pulled at his lips. Layla watched his eyes flicker. She was learning to read him. His hands sank into her hair and he covered her mouth with his kisses until she was whimpering under him again. He pulled back, a smile like the devil on his lips.
“Then I’d better get started if I’m going to make it to an hour by morning.”
“An hour?” He was joking, right?
It was clear he had only one goal in mind. He slid down her body, biting over her hip. A low growl emanated from his chest and there was sinful promise in his eyes.