Chapter Seven
No reward could be found without a measure of risk. Daring to step outside of her comfort zone, and igniting the chemistry between them, Bianca leaned into Cage, lips parted. His mouth closed over hers, and her synapses short-circuited. Sliding her good arm up, she hooked it around his neck, then she was off her bruised toes.
The clench of Cage’s fingers dug into the curve of her ass, but he flexed his muscles as he lifted her. Her thighs clamped onto his hips even as his tongue delved against hers. Hunger igniting inside of her, she rubbed her sex against the bulge in his shorts. The thin layers of their clothes were still too many barriers and she needed more. Yet she reveled at the wildness humming through her system.
With caressing hands, Cage massaged her ass then stroked along her back. Everywhere he touched, fire trailed across her flesh, easing the tension left aching in her bruised and battered body. He smelled delicious, the aroma of him wrapping her up, and she wanted to roll around in it. Cage made her feel sexy and gorgeous and alive.
He brushed a hand against her breast, and her nipples stiffened immediately. Liquid heat poured through her, and her stomach clenched. In seconds, she’d gone from exploring her curiosity to full-blown lust.
“Bianca,” he repeated, his voice low, needy, and filled with command. No mistaking his tone.
“No,” she said against his lips, indulging herself by sucking his lower lip and holding it captive a second before leaning her head away to meet his gaze. His dark eyes seemed to glitter. The golden cast unnerved and delighted her in equal measures. No matter how nice and fun Cage had been, he was a powerful man. The promise of danger lurked within his eyes, and her body revved beneath his touch.
Her bra was too tight against her nipples. Heat scorched over her skin, and she wanted out of her clothes before she burned up.
“No to sex?” The question, along with the hitch in his breath, gave him away, and he stared at her, his gaze riveted on her face. It struck her then, this man so full of wild energy, had stilled at her no. He held her, but he made no further moves to explore her body or to get her naked.
The power she wielded over him, the power he’d given her, was a heady thing. It made her hunger for him more, if that were possible.
Any chance of disguising her need for him went to hell in a handbasket. If she hadn’t already wanted him, she would now. Consideration, even in the throes of passion, was no small thing. Imagining herself naked with him had her sex clenching in anticipation. She wanted to feel him thrust inside of her. Frankly, it had been too damn long since she’d felt this way about anyone.
Cage was so much more than any other man. The knowledge settled into her bones. Raising her splinted wrist, she tested the rasp of his stubbled cheek against her fingertips. Rough and appealing, altogether masculine and sexy. At the single touch, he turned her, setting her ass on the counter, the coldness a perfect counterpoint to her overheated flesh.
Never losing his grip on her, he leaned his cheek into her touch. The splint needed to go; it would just get in the way.
“Bianca.” He murmured her name, drawing her attention from the way the muscles along his neck flexed or how the sunlight shining in the windows cast his face half in shadow, half in light. The extraordinary effect highlighted the gold sheen in his eyes. “You’re killing me.”
She laughed. The throaty note in his voice paid homage to the effect she had on him. “Good, ’cause you’re doing the same to me…and no, I didn’t mean to no to sex.”
Relief had the bunched muscles in his shoulders relaxing. He trailed his fingers across her breast again, teasing the peaked tip through her clothes. “I don’t want to hurt you.” As if to emphasize the point, his gaze zeroed in on her bruised cheek. With a touch so light as to be ephemeral, he traced the bruise.
“It barely hurts at all,” she said, the smile she wore pulling at the muscles in her face. “You called it a war wound, a badge of honor.”
“It is. It also means someone hurt you. I hate that part.”
“It wasn’t a picnic,” she admitted, and his hand closed over her breast, the tender action a counterpoint to the way he caressed her cheek. Pain. Pleasure. Wonder. Fear. The former outweighing the latter. “That was then…”
“This is now,” he said, agreeing with her. Dipping his head, he nibbled another kiss across her lips.
“I like now.” Releasing him, she freed the Velcro straps on her splint. Cage watched her, the laser focus sending another ripple of awareness across her flesh. “I like you…a lot.”
“The feeling is exceptionally mutual.” He dropped his hands to her thighs and nestled his way between her legs. The intimacy of their position reminded her of how big he really was—broad shoulders, thick chest, powerful thighs… And his hands, wide and tender against her legs. The heat of them scorched her skin. She’d never been as big a fan of shorts as she was in this moment. “You’re beautiful.”
“I’m not,” she said, chuckling as she tossed her splint aside then indulged herself in wrapping her arms around his neck. The fracture barely hurt—maybe they’d read the x-rays all wrong. Not that she cared at the moment. Her wrist gave a twinge, but damn, it was worth it to pull herself forward until she fit against him, breast to chest. “I am, however, very overdressed…and this counter is cold. I have a very nice bed upstairs.”
His mouth closed over hers once more, this time slower and with infinite patience. It drew out the contact, sizzling every nerve ending. The slow, sensual assault drove her wild. He refused to increase his speed, his touch sweet, teasing, and coaxing.
Kissing Cage Castillo, the Marine next door, might be the maddest thing she’d ever done. Yet, in his arms, she was safe with a license to be out of control. The contradictory experience surged electricity through the kiss as his tongue sought entry once more.
The change stormed through her defenses. He fisted her hair, angling her head back to give him greater access. He demanded her acquiescence, and she gave it. She couldn’t do anything else. Then he growled against her mouth, a vibration that went through her whole body and turned her into a quivering mess of need.
An honest to God growl. She melted when he abandoned her mouth to kiss a path to her throat, and she slid her fingers through his close-cropped hair. The man was on fire, the heat radiating off him threatening to scorch her.
“Cage,” she whispered, needing more. “Bed.”
He reacted as though jolted, lifting her into his arms and striding out of the kitchen. Even as he took the stairs, he didn’t release her. Every step rubbed his bulging erection against her, teasing her clit through her clothes. It was just enough to make her hot and damp.
“I want you,” he said as he pushed open the door to her bedroom. She had no idea how he identified it, as she’d only slept in it one night. He lowered her to the bed, and her shirt vanished. Her bra followed, and his hot mouth closed over one turgid nipple.
The bolt of wildfire went straight to her sex and suddenly she realized she had no control. Cage dominated her awareness, sucking her nipple right to his teeth then thrumming it with his tongue. The pulses were rapid and intense, coiling the tension in her middle tighter and tighter. When he nibbled a path over to her neglected breast, she let out a soft cry. Then he covered the first with his hand, and massaging the nipple pulled her attention.
The contact twisted the tension building within her until she had to hold on to him to keep from drowning in sensation. Another growl vibrated against her sensitized tip, and she hissed out a breath.
“Too much?” he asked, his voice dark, low and full of primal promise.
“No,” she gasped, needing more. “You’re perfect.”
His eyes gleamed almost golden at her, and she could have sworn they glowed in the semidarkened room. Then the bed dipped as he descended and nestled himself between her thighs. “We’re just getting started.”
A heady thrill rushed through her, and she opened her mouth to meet his kiss. One hot hand was on her breast, while the other braced his weight. He draped over her, a warm masculine blanket as his hand traced a path along her midsection, then she heard the rip of her zipper freeing.
She didn’t want this heaven to end.
…
Raspberries and lemon. Bianca tasted as tart and decadent as he’d imagined. Her scent surrounded him, filled his lungs, and coated his skin. Sweeter still, because Bianca was the treat he wanted to devour. Moving from her mouth, Cage kissed a trail to her throat and licked the salt off her skin. Sweet and spicy.
“Cage…” Her low moan stroked him all the way to his cock. The demand twining with need in her voice matched the riot flowing in his veins. He bit down gently on the soft, sensitive point between her neck and shoulder. Taking great care not to break her delicate skin, he laved the spot. She was so damn soft beneath his hands, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. The thud of her heart increased, and her body trembled. Lifting his head, he studied her bared breasts. Healing cuts and scrapes littered her arms. Bruises turning yellow and green against her tanned flesh drew him.
Following the path of injuries, he nuzzled tender kisses to each one. He hadn’t lied when he called them battle wounds. Bianca was a survivor, his beautiful, remarkable survivor. At her bandaged wrist, he paused and glanced up to find her staring at him. The scent of her arousal coated him, but it was her eyes, dilated and intense, which held him captive.
“If anything hurts,” he ordered, holding her gaze. His wolf rose within him, the animal’s power flooding him. Protect. “Anything at all, tell me. I want you to enjoy this.”
With her free hand, she stroked her fingers through his hair. “I already am.”
His heart squeezed, a fist inside his chest at her innocent declaration. Resuming his study of her, he committed every inch to memory. From the cinnamon nipples with their tense, pebbled tips to the handful of breast, pale and creamy against the tan of her body. Lines marked where she wore shirts normally, leaving her arms a deeper cinnamon than the rest of her.
Returning to her breasts, he spent time nuzzling each nipple, enjoying every gasp she made. When her fingers curled into his hair, the soft bite of her nails caressed his scalp. Making her lose control pleased him on an intensely primitive level.
Being so close, he wanted to wallow in her scent. His wolf wanted to roll in it, until they were both coated.
“Cage,” she whispered, then scraped her nails over his scalp. A growl rumbled through his throat at her blatant invitation. “Stop teasing me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He locked his lips around the hard point of her nipple. He sucked the tip, caressing the pebbling skin with his tongue and growling again. The wolf flowed through him, as close to the surface as he’d ever been without Cage shifting.
Cage struggled as the world around him deepened, colors sharpened, scents became more refined, even the sound of her heart beating became more complex, and his wolf scrabbled beneath the surface. After running his hands over her sides, he finished unhooking her shorts. Undressing her teased him and grounded him in the same breath. He would be in control when he touched her. Only when his wolf acquiesced did he begin to peel the shorts and panties off, then tossed them away. He followed the path with his lips and tongue, skimming until he pressed his nose against the soft folds of her sex.
She was wet, hot, and ready for him. Lust punched him hard and he stroked his palms against the inside of her thighs. His claws threatened to burst free, but he leveraged his control over his wolf and himself. The spice of her arousal filled his nostrils. Then he sampled his first taste, lapping at her as he nuzzled in search of her clit.
The hooded bundle of nerves swelled beneath his attention, and he had to grip her hips as she began to buck beneath him. Locking onto the nub, he sucked against it with a hard pull. Her sharp cries punctuated each action he took. Sliding a finger into her, he delighted at her scream of pure pleasure. He curved his finger so he could hit just the right spot even as he continued to exert pressure against her clit.
Her heart rate rose, her respiration becoming shallow and harsh, and he pressed the advantage, desperate to taste her as she came against his tongue. His cock ached, his shorts tight against him, but he craved her release before he took his.
“Cage.” Again, she called out his name, a husky, low cry, and her thighs tightened against him as the first shockwave hit her. The rush of dampness satisfied him on a level so base, his wolf wanted to howl. Petting her through the orgasm, he stroked her with his tongue, lapping up every sweet drop of her.
When she collapsed against the bed, he raised his head slowly to find her staring at him. Dazed ecstasy in her expression. Oh, he had the taste for this hunt now. He wanted to hear her scream again, and again. More, he wanted to feel her come apart in his arms as he sank his cock into her.
Keeping his claws retracted took every measure of his self-control. As if aware he watched her, she raised her good arm above her head, then combed her damp hair away from her forehead. The act thrust her breasts high. They were glorious in their fullness, red marked where he’d sucked against her skin.
“You smell slick, sweet, and perfect,” he said, staring up at her even as he eased his finger from her channel. The taut muscles there clenched greedily at his digit, and he blew against her clit then pressed a kiss, a silent promise to replace his finger with something far thicker. The rumbling in his chest refused to be contained.
Bianca lifted her foot and stroked it down his back, the action flexing the muscles in her thigh and baring her sex to his view. Glorious in her abandon, he turned his head to bite down gently on her inner thigh. The urge to mark her, to really bite, hummed in his system. But he denied the wolf his desire to break her skin. They didn’t want to hurt her.
Protect. The wolf agreed.
“That was amazing,” she murmured, drawing his attention as she rose on her elbows and let her head fall back. It bared her throat. She was amazing, perfect in her submission.
A vicious wave of need twisted his stomach. Hungry for her, so desperately hungry, and his wolf surged beneath his skin. She was beautiful, sexy, and aroused. He licked her clit once more, pausing to savor how her breath tightened at the unexpected bolt of pleasure. Her sexuality crashed against him as she spread her thighs wider, then held out her hand in invitation.
“Please,” she murmured, and he was powerless to deny her. The surrender she’d given them fed the desperation he felt for her. Both sides of him wanted her, they would take care of her, give her all the pleasure they could muster. Rising, he stripped off his shirt, eased out of his shoes, and finally stripped down his shorts.
His cock, erect and aching for her, bounced against his stomach. She adored him with her gaze. Holding still under her inspection, Cage resisted the urge to puff out his chest. More, he let his gaze feast on her naked curves, soft and relaxed from passion. Easing up to a sitting position, she rolled over onto her knees and knelt on the bed. Her head level with his chest, she ran her fingers over his pecs, then, without looking away from his eyes, she cupped his balls.
The softness of her touch damn near made him come, but he exerted rigid control over his body. If she wanted to know him, he would survive her teasing caresses. When she rolled his balls, teasing the soft flesh with a nail, he let out a harsh breath.
“You’re a beautiful man,” she whispered, then bent her head to press a kiss to the crown of his cock. His control began to shred. Then her mouth closed over him, and he hissed out a breath, clenching his hand, digging his fingers into his palms to keep his claws from sliding free.
What was it about her that undid him?
She licked him like a lollipop, and he tugged himself free and had her pinned to the bed before he even realized he’d moved. His cock poised against her sex, her eyes wide as she stared at him, and her scent intoxicating him over all over again.
“I want to be inside you when I come,” he said, his voice thick with a need he couldn’t deny.
“Condom.” The order acted like cold water on his ardor.
Freezing, he considered what was in his shorts—his keys and little else. Even his wallet was in the truck.
“Duffel bag,” Bianca told him, cupping his cheek. Giving his cheek a light push, she turned his gaze to the duffel sitting on the dresser. “Side pocket. Old habit, buy them whenever they are available.”
Darting off the bed, he crossed to the duffel and found three condoms tucked into the zippered side pocket. “Woman, you never cease to amaze me.” He refused to concentrate on why she might have had those condoms in there to begin with, and instead reveled in the fact that in a few moments, he would be inside her.
“Good,” she said, her grin delighting him further. “Now get the hell back over here.”
Rolling the condom on, he closed the distance between them. He hated the latex, but she had a right to demand it of him. It was a concession wolves had to make with the humans they took as lovers. A concession to be permitted to find pleasure with them. Every step he took filled him with purpose.
She was naked, hot, and willing in his arms. He wanted to bury himself balls deep and mark her as his. That realization doused him in a cold river of reality. He couldn’t mark her. He couldn’t own her. The law bound him—she didn’t know what he was. Nor could he share it. His gaze went to her wrapped wrist…one step at a time. He may have already consigned her to a future where they could be together.
But pleasure, his wolf argued. We can have pleasure. They could have Bianca and the no-holds-barred decadence of being so deep inside of her they could forget they had nowhere to belong. Perhaps they could convince her of the pleasure of being with him, so much she might forgive him if he had turned her.
“Hey,” she said, sitting up and catching his hand. “Are you okay?”
Wrapped in the warm musk of her femininity, he met her questioning gaze. Her scent was everywhere, surrounding him, filling his lungs and his desire.
She was flawless, even with her injuries.
“Yes,” he told her. He was more than fine. “I have to be careful. I don’t want to do anything that hurts you.”
The corners of her mouth curved and she caught his hand, pulling him willingly to her. He rolled onto the bed, until they both lay on their sides. Spreading his fingers out against her hip, he sighed as she kissed him.
“You’re not going to hurt me, and despite the not-so-pretty bumps and bruises, I’m a tough lady.” She flattened her hand against his chest, and his heart began to race. “We’re not in the jungle or the ship in the Atlantic or on board a military helicopter winging our way to land—we’re in my little house in Austin. Just you and me…and in my bed.”
No matter what she said, he had to watch his strength, be careful and never, ever hurt her. Protect. Please. Provide. The wolf’s basic perception settled in his bones.
No more barriers. No more waiting.
Highly sexual creatures, wolves appreciated sensuality. He couldn’t deny the opportunity to play with her and discover more about what pleased her. Their mouths fused as he resumed his exploration of her body. He was no longer in the mood to go slow. He wanted to taste every inch of her, wrench out every pleasure.
Tumbling her onto her back, he retraced his path along her body and nuzzled her sex. Tonguing her with firm strokes, he nibbled his way to her clit, and it swelled against his lips. Her scream rose as he dragged another orgasm from her. Even as she shook, he went to work driving her toward another.
Only once he’d earned a second scream and she thrashed against the bed did he begin the long, slow ascent along her body. Slick with sweat, the delicious friction increased his hunger to taste her again, but he wanted to be inside her when she came again, wanted to feel her sex clench around his cock. Her slack muscles went tense and she urged him closer. Their mouths fused, and the bite of her nails along his back had him growling. The wolf was done with the dance. It wanted her and it wanted to be inside her.
Unwilling to hurt her, however, he nudged at her entrance. She reached between them and wrapped her hand around his length. His vision flattened as pleasure arced down his spine. She guided him, hooked her leg over his hip, then he began to sink into her. His cock was hard as stone, and she was so fucking soft and hot.
Reaching past her for the headboard, he locked his hand around it and squeezed even as he continued the relentless thrust with agonizing slowness. She was so fucking tight, he worried he could be hurting her. Her low cries turned to moans and she tipped her head. Her bare throat offered an invitation that his wolf leaped to take. Cage fought the instinct.
He couldn’t bite her, no matter how badly he wanted to. Her inner muscles spasmed around him. Her eyes opened to reveal pupils so wide they’d nearly swallowed the irises. Then he was fully inside, and he went still, determined to let her get used to the feel of him.
“More.” She shuddered and urged him with a caress to his spine, her fingers flexing on his back. The bed bucked as he found his rhythm, thrusting into the velvet silkiness of her pussy. She yelled his name, her inner muscles clamped down on him, and still he drove on, angling so every thrust of his cock ground his body against her clit.
Rapidly losing the battle against biting her, he fisted her hair with his free hand and angled her mouth for a hard kiss. When she bit his lower lip, he tasted blood, fury, and passion. His spine went rigid, and his balls dragged up. The world splintered, and she cried out, clenching around him as she came again. He went over with her, his orgasm shooting out of him in a forceful stream.
His vision flickered. Gradually, he became aware of her hands gliding over him. Petting him, and his wolf sighed, quieter than he’d been in years. The feeling of peace grew as she continued to stroke him. Face buried against her throat, he licked her salty skin. Her sigh, almost an echo of his wolf’s, whispered over him. Belatedly, he recalled her injuries and forced himself up, sliding to her side so he could look her over.
The red marks of his loving decorated her flesh, but when he found her gaze, it was drowsy with pleasure, her smile replete. His peace resumed. They hadn’t hurt her. Relieved, he pressed a kiss to her lips then slipped off the bed. In the bathroom, he got rid of the condom and came back with a cup of water for her.
She let him help her sit up as he slid in behind her on the bed. After a sip, she curled into him and Cage rolled onto his back, tucking her into his side. With her head against his chest, her palm spread against his abdomen, she drifted off to sleep and he lay there, listening to his lover’s soft breaths.
His lover.
He never wanted to leave the bed.
Or her.
Especially her. Bianca was everything he’d never realized he wanted.
And he was lying to her. Closing his eyes, he blew out a long breath. A lie of omission was still a lie. She’d given him…everything, and he owed so much more. Worse, he was no longer so certain he didn’t want to turn her. If she were a wolf, this could be their future…provided she forgave him.