A Healing Love (6 page)

“Woman! Don’t ever put yourself in danger like that again.” Valeri’s voice sounded furious, but she could feel his fear. Silly man. But his large body felt so good against her own. “Don’t think I won’t punish you for this. I am going to turn your ass cherry red!”

“You can try, cat-boy. You can try.”

            This had to be a dream. The boy Mica had created in her mind had returned, maybe to usher her into whatever there was on the other side, or whatever the hell you were supposed to call dying. Only the cute, towheaded boy had grown into a stunning full-grown man. One with incredibly broad shoulders and lips she wanted to kiss so bad she hurt. So tall, so strong. The muscles she’d felt underneath his flannel shirt were rock hard. So was the log in his pants that had poked at her behind. Damn, she wanted so badly to climb back in his lap and feel it again, for just a little while. The heat she felt had nothing to do with the fevers that so often assaulted her. This was what she felt when she fantasized in the darkness of night, alone in her bed.

            Mica knew what was about to happen, what had to happen. On some level she supposed she should’ve been freaked out, or at least scared. The truth was her life had been so bizarre that truly she believed anything was possible.  Traveling with Megan and her parents to the most off-the-beaten-tracks locations in the world had enabled her to see things most people never witnessed. Being declared the mate of a tiger shifter was unbelievable on most levels, but so was talking to shaman who knew your innermost thoughts or witnessing people do things that defied logic; all in all, it left her open to all possibilities.

            Or she could just be rationalizing. Right now it really didn’t matter. She felt better than she had in ages. Nothing hurt. Well, not in a bad way. Her body did ache. The blood rushing through her veins seemed to be taking on a particular warmth, heating every intimate little corner of her body. God, those eyes! The way the bluish green orbs stared at her, like she was something precious, made her feel beautiful from the inside out. She wanted him to touch her the way he was looking at her. But she had the feeling he wouldn’t. He was still afraid of rejection. 

She didn't care why he had bitten her twenty years ago. Apparently he was surprised she was still alive, and he felt incredibly guilty about it. How the heck could she possibly hold a kid responsible for something he obviously hadn’t realized he’d done? The last thing she wanted was for her first time to be fueled by shame and remorse. So not the way she had always envisioned finally losing her virginity. It was bad enough she was pushing twenty-eight and had never known the touch of a lover. Oh, she could feel he desired her—a lot. Odd the way she could feel his emotions as if they were her very own. But it gave her the advantage. He wouldn't be able to hide from her.

“Luka, I am really going to need for you to stop feeling so guilty.” Really, it was starting to be a downer. “I’m here now, right? But I need you to explain some things, later.”

Bending down in front of him, she cupped his cheek once more. The stubble there was a little abrasive against the softness of her palm. She liked that. It tickled a little. But man did it feel good to touch him. All kinds of heat rushed through her now. Wow! He’d somehow been holding back all the things he had been feeling for her. Wild passion and raw need swamped her, making her pussy wetter than it had already been. This man was seriously turned on. And for her! Just her. Suddenly it was much harder to breathe. The ache quickly morphed into urgent longing. The need to be filled was fast overwhelming her senses.

   “Luka?” she questioned in absolute wonder. She'd read about women feeling this way, she had just never experienced it for herself. Before now, she had never particularly cared to be touched. It just hurt usually.

“Mica,
kotyonok
, I am trying very hard not to pounce on you.” His voice certainly sounded strained. His entire body was all tense. God help her, but she found she liked it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Mica smiled softly. A little bit of pain didn't seem like that much of a bad thing right about now.

“You can make it hurt a little,” she teased.

Luka sucked in a huge gulp of air. His pupils dilated, the black becoming impossibly large. That too thrilled Mica, though she had no idea why.

“You don’t know what you’re asking.”

She didn’t know exactly, but she had a very good idea.

“Well?” she pressed, lifting on her knees and leaning her body against his much larger frame. “Are you going to cure me or not?”

Luka sent her a curt nod, the Adam’s apple in his throat bobbing up and down. Feeling more than a little naughty, she lifted her head and licked the strong column of his neck, then nipped him right at the base of his throat.

            That did the trick.

            With something strongly resembling a roar, he lifted them both, swinging her up into his arms.

            “Bedroom?” he demanded, his voice rough-hewn with barely suppressed passion that thrilled her right down to the tips of her toes.

“Upstairs.”

It had been her parents’ bedroom once upon a time. One thing she had done was replace the furniture and lighten the space a little. Now it was her little private oasis instead of a lab/crash pad. He took the large wooden staircase three steps at a time, pushing through then shutting the door without relinquishing the tight hold he had on her. It made her feel delicate, but not in the way the last few years had. More like she was cherished than she was sickly. In fact, her body felt stronger with each passing second.

“Mica, I will try to be as gentle as I can.” It was so cute how unsure of himself he sounded as he laid her in the middle of her bed.

“You won’t hurt me.” She was sure of that. It didn’t matter that she barely knew him; her soul recognized him. Her trust in him was implicit.

For a moment he stood there, looking unsure. How sweet was that?

“I think it would probably be best if you, uh, kind of undressed yourself.” He flushed as he spoke, looking everywhere but her.

She would’ve laughed if it wasn't so darn heartbreaking.

“Luka? Are you worried because I’m a virgin?” He had to know that, right? Because of the whole mating/biting/whatever thing. Though not altogether sure of how it was supposed to work, she was guessing the bite hadn’t allowed her to feel desire for anyone else. Or maybe she was projecting.

“No.” He cleared his throat and looked right at her, turning an even deeper shade of red. “Because it’s mine.”

Whoa! No way! The man looked like a night full of all kind of hot, sweaty promises. How could this be his first time?

“You mean like with a mate, right?” Because no way he was untouched, even living way up at the top of the world.

“I mean at all.” Nervously, he pulled at the neckline of his shirt.

Mica simply gaped; her mind was having a hard time processing that little tidbit. He was a virgin, just like she was. It was mind-blowing, especially because he was so big, so powerful, so very, very
male
. Luka emanated masculinity; she just couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t know what to do.

“Well, we will just figure it out together.” It was all they could do. With her entire body throbbing, there was no way she was going to suggest not going through with this.

“Mica, sweet, I really need for you to get out of those clothes.”

Oh! Now that sounded like a man who knew what he wanted. Mica’s fingers actually shook as she moved to do exactly as he demanded, throwing her clothes to the side of the bed. Luka hadn’t moved. God, she needed him to move! It wasn't until she was completely bare that he walked closer, stopping at the side of the bet. He didn’t sit, didn’t lean down. Standing there his fingers lightly trailed her skin, starting from her shoulder to her hip.

“So beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes hooded.

Surely she was going to go crazy. The need that had been simmering since she first opened her eyes was in serious danger of burning out of control. Her nipples hurt painfully as they stabbed at the air, desperate for any kind of touch. She’d plead if only she knew what to ask for. Instead she spoke his name in a broken whisper.

“Luka...”

            The only response she received was a low purring groan that sent a bolt of shock straight to her clit. Trying to relieve the pangs of emptiness inside her, Mica pressed her thighs together as tightly as she could. Didn’t do any good. At least Luka wasn’t removing his shirt. The man had to be made of steel; there was nothing about his demeanor that spoke of urgency. Other than the blistering heat in his gaze, he appeared perfectly cool, calm and collected. She, on the other hand, felt like she was slowly losing her mind.

            After toeing off his boots and just loosening his jeans, Luka slowly climbed on the bed with her. But instead of the passionate kiss she was expecting, he moved down to her ankles, slowly, oh so freaking slowly, kissing his way up her body. Each little caress with his mouth caused tiny little quakes all through her. Every time she tried to move, his strong hands held her firmly in place. By the time he got to her knees, Mica really didn’t believe she was going to survive this. Her heart pounded erratically, her skin feel too hot, but far too cool without his heat.

            He was making her so crazy she forgot all about her apprehension and allowed him to open her thighs wide and burrow his big body between them. It all came rushing back, however, when she felt the flat of his tongue against the seam of her pussy.

            Holy crap! Not what she was expecting at all! There was no chance to close her thighs, to cover herself, because his shoulders were way too wide, way too solid. Tugging at his head didn't work either, because for some reason, her fingers wouldn’t actually pull. Damn traitorous digits just curled into his silky white-gold locks and held on. Even her hips worked against her, bucking up into his mouth. Which apparently gave him permission to slip his tongue inside her pussy.

            There wasn't enough air in the world to breathe properly. Luka slowly pushed his tongue all the way inside as far as it would go, his nose tickling her clit; then the wicked man purred. Purred right up against her pussy. The vibrations set off a series of fireworks within. Forgetting all about modesty, which really had been lost as soon as he laid her on the bed, Mica jerked up and down with no discernible rhythm. She just needed more, but oh God, could she even handle more? Didn’t matter. This was just too good, so flipping good!

            The carnal kiss seemed to go on forever. Just when she thought she might regain some sanity, he would switch tactics, sucking on her clit in a gentle cadence until there were actual stars dancing in front of her eyes. She was pretty sure the sound of a woman crying, pleading and moaning was her. Couldn’t be moved to care at the moment. But when he added his fingers—

            “LUKA!”

            Instant detonation. Everything shook, everything was spinning. Her body shook so hard it was almost as if she was having seizures. Holy shit! No amount of erotic romances in the world had prepared her for this.

            If this was mating, nope, she really wasn’t going to survive it.

*****

            Who would have thought listening to his father lecture his older brother Misha about the finer points of mating for the first time would pay off? Luke was damned glad he had lent half an ear. Mica seemed to like the way he explored her body. However, it was killing him. At the last moment he decided to leave his jeans on so he wouldn’t ravish her. Damn, but he wanted so very much to ravish her.

            Trying to remember exactly what he should do was worse than hard. All the lessons Valeri had pounded into his sons never applied to him; or so he’d thought. His father never pushed him as he had the others because they all knew the likelihood of Luka finding his mate before...well, it hadn’t looked good. Some of the lessons had stuck, sort of. But as he tried to go through them in his mind, he was distracted by the softness of her skin. Her scent drove him insane. All he wanted to do was taste her, lick her, drink in her essence. By the time he reached her sweet honeyed cunt, he was a goner.

            Every lesson he managed to remember went straight out the window at the first swipe of his tongue. More! He wanted her cream flowing steadily into his mouth. It was so addicting, for a while he forgot to stop. He was a cat, damn it. Every scratch she made to his shoulder, every pull on his hair was just egging him on. She was so wonderfully responsive, so free in her moans and cries of pleasure. Although his cock was pulsating wildly, eager to be nestled inside her walls for the first time, Luka wanted to taste more.