When she was gone, he turned to face his patient and realized she was looking at him as if he were the devil. Or maybe, an opponent. Yes, that was it. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and took a few steps forward until he was towering over her. “How are you feeling today, Miss Hollins?”
“I was fine until…”
“Until?” he asked, his lion pressing forward, his voice taking that Alpha tone he usually hated. Today, he rejoiced in it. If she thought she could amuse herself with his mate, she was sadly mistaken. Kellie was his. Only his.
“Nothing. I…I should go.” She moved off the table and walked to the door, only to stop at the last possible minute. Staring at him over her shoulder, she asked, “She doesn’t know about the mating, does she?”
He growled, the sound echoing around the room. She stilled, her lioness watching him from widened eyes.
“If you say one word about this to her, one word, Miss Hollins…” He stopped before he actually threatened her. Considering his hands had sprung nails, she probably understood him perfectly well.
Her voice low, her body pressed tight against the door, she nodded, acknowledging his position as a Pride dominant. “I won’t. Just…take care of her.” She hurried out of the room on those final words.
“I will,” he answered, closing his hands once they were back to normal. “I will.”
* * * *
Kellie was sitting in the break room when Nate strode in after having locked the front doors. It was their lunch break, and she usually spent it alone in here while he went out to…do whatever he did during his time off. But this time, he’d told her to wait here, and so that what’s she’d done. She was anxious, worried about what’d happened with Jane, worried about what he might say. Her lioness was still conspicuously absent, and that felt wrong too somehow.
God, can’t I ever be happy?
she asked herself, shaking her head at her silly self.
The door swayed closed, and she turned around, a smile appearing on her face at the sight of him. He didn’t stop, simply kept on walking until he was right in front of her. Then he leaned down, fisted his hand in her hair and took her mouth for a hard kiss.
She gasped at the sudden caress. He didn’t give her time to get acclimated to him, simply grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up without asking her if that was all right. He plastered her body against his, his hands finding her ass, his hips anchoring hers. She moaned into his mouth, moaned even more when he pulled back and nipped her lower lip.
“God. Nate!”
“Keep calling out my name, baby,” he murmured as he let his head fall, his mouth finding the curve of her neck. He nuzzled her there, tonguing that one spot that made her shake all over.
She grabbed the back of his head and held on tight. Her back was arched, her legs widening so she could feel the hard length of him through her scrubs. He felt so big, so damn hot against her, too. Her insides pulsed again, reminding her how empty she’d been for so long. Hell, she couldn’t wait for him to thrust into her. He was going to fill her like no one ever had before… She just knew it.
Two seconds later, she found herself sitting on the table. The coldness of the glass top hit her, and she gasped. Loudly. He’d pulled down her pants! “Nate!”
He laughed but didn’t stop tugging at her clothes. Soon enough, her top was somewhere around her neck, her bra with it. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she couldn’t care less. Not when he was caressing her thighs with soft, soft palms. Not when he was lowering his head, all the better to flick his tongue over one nipple then the other.
She hissed and threw her head back. “Ohh.”
“Like that?” he murmured against her skin, taking one hardened nub between his lips. He sucked on it, the caress so good she felt her core dampen, so that when his fingers slid between her thighs he could feel how wet she was. How ready. He growled his appreciation, the deep rumble echoing in his chest.
It made her grin, loving how lion he was. She’d never had sex with one of her kind. It thrilled that part inside her that wanted nothing more than to roll on her back and let him pet her. She shivered at the thought, and that’s when his thumb found her clit.
Warmth flooded her. She closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation of his touch on her. He was gentle but persistent, caressing her until he found the one spot that made her react the most. And then, he worked at making her scream.
One finger slid inside her, testing her resistance. He drew back and said, his voice so husky it brought goose bumps all over her body, “You’re so fucking wet, baby. I don’t think I can wait.”
“Then don’t,” she replied, hooking her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer to her, letting the width of his torso push her thighs wider.
He was still fully dressed, but it didn’t take him long to pull down his scrubs. He didn’t give her time to touch or even look at him. With a final slide of his fingers over her clit, he moved into position…and thrust into her.
Her head rolled back. Her nails dug into his nape. He was thick, thicker than she could ever remember having inside her. Her walls stretched to accommodate his invasion, her legs cramping at holding herself still.
“Okay?” he whispered against her brow.
She opened her eyes and stared up at him. He looked worried. She smiled and licked her lips. “You’re big,” was all she could think to say.
He chuckled, the sound pleasing all on its own. “I am?”
“Oh yeah,” she breathed out, feeling him nudge her cervix. “God.”
“What if I do this?” he asked just before sliding out of her.
She tightened her thighs around him, but he was stronger than her. So much stronger. Fingers dug into the soft skin of her hips as he rammed back into her, and a scream lodged in her throat. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Probably because he wasn’t finished. Oh no, he was far from over actually.
As if his control had snapped, he took her over and over again. She held on to him and looked up, startled to see his gaze had turned golden.
His lion’s staring down at me
, she realized with a jerk. Her animal woke up inside her, intent on facing this new adversary. But he wasn’t the enemy, Kellie thought. She pushed her lioness back, but something—someone—got there first.
Before she could guess what’d happened, Nate’s cock hit that spot inside her, the one that made her see stars. She gasped and grabbed onto his biceps. “More!” she called out.
He didn’t disappoint. His hands forced her ass closer to the edge of the table, tilting her body into the position he wanted. When he thrust up again, his head brushed against her G-spot once more, the caress more pronounced this time.
That was all it took. Fireworks exploded inside her, her walls tightening so much around his erection she heard him curse under his breath. One more push, and he was coming, too. Their groans merged above their heads and finally gave way to silence.
It was only when he slumped on top of her that Kellie realized he’d forgotten a condom. She felt juices seeping down from where they were still joined, his and hers combined. Her heart sped up at the thought.
“Nathan?” she started to say, his name ending up strangled when an unknown feeling hit her. She tensed.
He pulled back to stare down at her. “What’s wrong, Kellie?”
Her eyes focused on him. He looked the same and yet different. Her lioness tried to rise inside her, but something stopped her. Another lion. She knew that lion. She’d met him before. He’d helped her before. But now, he was within her.
No
, she shook her head. He wasn’t inside her. He was linked to her. Irremediably, irrevocably linked with her.
“What did you do?” she whispered, feeling her body subtly rearrange itself. She was still herself, yet she wasn’t. Fear slammed through her. “What did you do?” she yelled this time, pushing on his shoulders, watching as he flew backwards.
She shivered at the loss of him, but she pushed the feeling down. He’d mated with her! How could he?
“I can explain, Kellie.” He stood against the opposite wall. His gaze was steady even as he tugged up his pants, reminding her of what they’d just done.
Her insides clenched, and she suddenly understood. They were in the middle of the mating frenzy. That was why she’d been so jittery all day. “I hate you!”
He sighed, rubbing his forehead as if he wasn’t entirely sure what to say next. “Please, baby, I can explain. You were in so much pain last night; I didn’t know what else to do. My lion took over and bonded himself to yours. It was the only way to control your lioness.”
“Was it? Was it really? Did I miss the moment when you asked for my opinion? Did I?” Her voice rose.
“Kellie, please. Think about it.”
“You mated with me!”
“I did.”
“Take it back, damn it!” She struggled to get off the table then remembered the state of her clothes. Quickly, she put them back into order. Once she was more or less under control, she took a step toward him.
Only to find him standing right in front of her, his eyes dark. “I can’t undo the mating, Kellie.”
“Try!”
“Baby,” he said, clasping her shoulders as if to bring her closer.
“Don’t baby me!” she snapped back, whirling around so he couldn’t touch her. “I never asked to be your mate, Doctor. I don’t want to, do you hear?”
“Kellie…”
The doorbell rang, interrupting the moment. She looked down at her watch and noticed they should have opened the doors minutes earlier. They were late, and that was only because Mister here had thought it a good idea to screw her in the break room during their lunch hour.
Swearing under her breath, she brushed past him and ignored his growl. “We have patients to see!” she called out over her shoulder, hoping he’d take the hint and act like a goddamn professional.
She was mated
. Her mind spun as she walked down the corridor.
So, that was why her lioness had been so quiet
, she added inwardly. It’d felt so good, too. Well, until she’d realized he’d duped her.
Damn men!
Chapter Eight
Every single patient that came in that afternoon left as soon as they physically could. Watching another woman hurry down the sidewalk, Nate sighed. Tension was so high inside the practice he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to keep his lion under control. Turning on his heels, he stepped back inside and froze to a stop. Kellie leaned on the counter, laughing at something a man had just said.
His lion roared inside him, nails springing out of his fingers before he could take another step. “Out!” he growled.
The two of them stilled. She was the first to react. “What?”
He ignored her and focused instead on the man who’d been flirting with her. Somewhere inside him, he recognized Paul. He even liked the guy. He also knew Kellie had been throwing pheromones all over the place, thanks to the mating frenzy. But nothing could appease his lion, not when he was in such a state.
He saw the moment Paul understood. The other man’s head jerked to the right. “I’ll go… Is there another exit?”
Kellie pointed toward the back without a word. Paul nodded his thanks, and his gaze on Nate, took a few cautious steps down the corridor. Only when Nate didn’t move did he start hurrying, striding toward the back door as fast as he could.
It was only when he heard the door slam shut that Nate took a breath. The respite didn’t last long. Kellie was suddenly in front of him, her palm hitting him square in the chest as she glared up at him. “What the hell was that for? He was here to be treated, not to be assaulted!”
“I didn’t assault him. I just told him to leave.”
“He was a patient!”
“He was flirting with my mate,” he replied, his voice terse, the lion taking over.
“I am not your mate, damn it!”
He snapped. There was just no other explanation. One second, they were facing each other; the next, he’d cornered her against the nearest wall. Her snarl was lost in his mouth. Grabbing her wrists in one hand, he pushed them over her head, pressing their bodies so close her breasts ended up crushed against his chest. He breathed in her scent, the intoxicating aroma whirling around him, pushing him on.
His tongue tangled around hers, reminding her who he was and what he could do. She didn’t bite on it, and he took that as a success. Breaking the kiss, he brushed his mouth over the soft skin of her cheek, down the side of her neck, back up to bite her earlobe.
She hissed.
Smiling, he whispered, “You’re mine now, Kellie.”
“No!” She rocked her hips, trying to dislodge him. Instead, all she did was rub herself against his rock-hard erection.
“My mate. Mine,” he growled, his lion pushing to the forefront, intent on claiming the female that was his by right.
His hand slid between their bodies, inside her pants. When his fingers slipped down her panties, he found her wet, so very wet he let out a groan. He tickled her clit, finding the side that was so much more sensitive, the one he’d noticed earlier.