A Mate's Submission: (Hot Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Ozark Mountain Shifters Book 4) (5 page)

“You don’t touch me. I do the touching. My body is mine and no one else’s.”

Bullshit. Her body would be his if it was the last thing he did. But he would earn it. She deserved that much, and more.

“Is there more?”

She blinked, as if she’d expected him to bolt from the room. Not happening.

“No strings.”

Shit. She didn’t want a relationship; she wanted to fuck. And after a decade of loneliness, Lexar wasn’t going to turn down the chance to feel a woman’s body writhe against his, but ultimately he wanted more.

“No strings… why?”

“Because.” Her tone implied she was brokering a deal. If he couldn’t scent her arousal in the air, he’d be epically confused. “Strings don’t work for the sort of relationship I want.”

“And what sort is that?”

A slow, saucy grin painted her face. “Submission.”

She wanted him to bend under her every whim, but that wasn’t in his nature.

“I’m not a submissive wolf.”

She smirked. “I’m aware.”

He narrowed his gaze on her. She
was
aware. And she hadn’t expected the conversation to get even this far. She’d thought—maybe even hoped—to chase him away with her rules. It was clear she desired him, but she worked so hard to push him away.

Yet, it was more than that. These rules were important to her, what she needed to receive pleasure. And that was the crux of the whole situation: if he agreed, it would give her pleasure.
He
would give her pleasure. And gain it himself. An unconventional win-win.

His wolf rode him hard, needing to touch her but not willing to do so without her consent.

He wanted this. And it was her body, her rules. He’d play by them if that’s what it took.

“Deal,” he growled.

His animal prowled inside, watching his luscious prey as her eyes widened ever so slightly. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

He’d submit for now, for her. And when the time came, he’d teach her something new. Something that could change everything for her. For him. For them both.

Mutual submission.

Deal? Avan hadn’t expected him to agree. She’d hoped he might. She was healed and horny as fuck. And she desperately wanted to feel something other than Cael’s hands on her body. The mere remembrance of it turned her stomach.

Slowly, she reached up to trace the ridge of Lexar’s collarbone, testing. The soft stroke made his breath come faster but he didn’t try to touch her. And she knew how badly he wanted to. His angry territorial scent had filled the entire room during the healing. It was one of the things that kept her sane. She’d focused on it, absorbing it during the worst of things.

But she wasn’t his territory. Not yet.

The thought derailed her. Not
yet
? The correct thought was not
ever
. Nobody owned her and nobody ever would.

Avan slid her fingers up his broad neck, running her nails along the scruff of his jaw while he watched her with stormy eyes.

“You can touch me but I can’t touch you?”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“Fuck no,” he snapped.

She clucked her tongue. “You’re very testy. Tell me what you want, Lexar.”

“Does it matter?”

“It always matters. Tell me what you want.”

His eyes traveled down to her lips where they lingered, and then lower, to her t-shirt covered breasts. “First, I want you naked.”

She put space between them until she had enough room to pull her shirt over her head. “Like this?”

She knew her breasts were attractive, been told so a million times, but when Lexar looked at them, it felt different. Sometimes when males stared at her tits, she wondered if she removed the damn things and attached them to a stick if they would even notice. She imagined carrying the boob puppets around with her so people could stare all they wanted and she wouldn’t have to be a part of it. Their attention had made her feel detached from her own body. Lexar’s made her feel necessary. Like her physical body was pointless if she wasn’t part of the equation.

His gaze flicked to her face. “More. Completely bared to me.”

With a sultry shimmy, she wiggled out of her pants while he watched, mouth slightly opened. Her panties were all that was left, but she was going to make him ask for it.

“That better?”

“Take off your panties.”

Oh, yes. She was going to make him ask. “You can do better than that, Captain.”

He brought his face closer to hers—close enough she could feel his hot breath on her cheek—but he didn’t touch her. “Take off your goddamn panties… please.” He pulled back to look in her eyes, and even though he wasn’t the picture perfect submissive, she rewarded him by slowly sliding the black lace over her ass and down her thighs.

His eyes made a slow, leisurely sweep down her body, lingering at the spot between her legs. His gaze there felt like an actual touch and made her throb with desire. He was powerful. More than she usually dabbled with. But she was still in control, and as long as it stayed that way, they could have all the fun they wanted.

Lexar swiped a hand over his mouth, looking like he’d taken a physical punch.

“This better?” she asked, and he nodded. “What now? Now that I’m naked?”

He met her eyes. His expression was raw sex, his eyes already making promises she probably wasn’t going to let him keep.

“Now I want to taste you. Everywhere. Starting with your sassy little mouth.” His voice was gruff. “I want your nipples between my lips, your scent in my lungs, and you, wet and sliding against me. I want to lick you all over until you’re shaking so bad you can’t stand. And then I want you to take me.
All
of me. I want to give you pleasure, and I want you to take it… and come. So
hard
. I want you to come so hard you’ll never forget it.”

Fuck
. Her head spun at his words. Desire became warm and urgent at her core. But the thing that caught her attention more than the dirty talk was that he didn’t want to take anything. He only wanted to give. How very… novel.

But would he really play by her rules? “Can you…” Her voice wavered, and she had to clear her throat to continue. “Do you think you can handle this?”

She hoped he got her meaning because she was having a hard time thinking about anything other than his beautiful mouth and all the places on her body she wanted to feel it.

Lexar shook his head. His hands clenched to fists. “No. I want to touch you so bad it hurts. My wolf is going insane.”

Avan’s breath rushed out in disappointment.

“I don’t want to fuck this up with you,” he whispered, barely able to get the words past his throat.

The calluses that surrounded her heart shed a few layers in that moment. For all her life, no male had cared enough about her to put his physical needs aside for the sake of her well-being. But with a single statement, Lexar made her rules more important than whatever territorial need he felt for her.

This was a whole new thing. Something she couldn’t comprehend. This was like landing on Mars and not knowing what to do about it. Uncharted territory.

Avan brushed past him, opening the drawer of her nightstand and retrieving a possible solution.
If
he agreed.

She turned around, holding the handcuffs from her hooked index finger. Lexar’s eyebrows shot upward but she wasn’t sure if that was a “hell no” or a “let’s see where this goes”.

“You want to use those on me?” His voice was flat, giving nothing away.

She looked at the sturdy metal, already envisioning how the cuffs would look against his smooth, dark skin. “I want to cuff you to the bed,” she murmured, “so I can give you what you want.”

“
Or
you could let me touch you.”

“I can’t do that yet.” Avan froze. She hadn’t meant to say that.

Lexar’s gaze intensified. How could it feel as though he was touching her even when he never laid a finger on her?

“Yet?”

Avan shrugged off the implication. “I believe if you’re willing, we can work through just about anything.” She glanced at the handcuffs. “So… are you? Willing?”

Please say yes
. Her wolf begged silently along with her.

His eyes never left her face as he extended his wrists forward to be shackled.

***

This was definitely a first for Lexar. He was very rarely ever not in control of his own body. He wasn’t even the type to get drunk. But now he lay, in nothing but his boxer briefs, with his arms handcuffed to Avan’s headboard while she stared down at him. The contemplative look on her face was sexy as fuck. Like she had an ice cream sundae in front of her, and couldn’t decide whether to start with the whipped cream or the cherry.

She ran her fingers down his arms to his chest where her nails dug into the muscles there.

“Mouth first, right?”

He nodded. Her mouth on his was something that seemed as vital as air. He had to have it. He’d never been so out of his mind with want.

Avan knelt on the bed. Every move was deliberate, concentrated, rich. Lexar stared at her bare body. Luscious breasts tipped with pink, small waist, muscular legs, flared hips made for fucking. She was perfect for him. They would fit together like puzzle pieces.

She spread her legs to straddle his waist.

“Fuck,” he hissed, absently jerking at his bindings. The slit between her legs was glistening wet and scalding hot against his lower abs. He inhaled deeply. Her scent was everywhere, and yet he still wanted more of it.

Her ass nestled against his still covered erection as she drew her nails down his chest. “Oh, we’re going to,” she promised.

That was great. That was really, really good. But if he didn’t touch that pussy soon, he was going to combust.

“Let’s see… you wanted to taste me.
Lick
me. Everywhere, if I remember correctly. Is that right?”

“Yes,” he managed between ragged breaths.

“Yes,
ma’am
,” she corrected sternly.

“Yes, ma’am. I want to lick your body until you cry out my name.”

“I think that’s a
very
good idea, Lexar. In fact, hearing you describe it made me wet.” Her hand inched down her stomach, sweeping between her legs and causing her eyes to flutter closed. Damn it, that was where he wanted to be. “Very wet.”

Her eyes opened. “Sassy mouth first, right? That’s where you wanted to start?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She shivered.

“Good thing I’m in control then, because I have a better idea.” She drew her finger from the spot she was rubbing between her legs, and held it to his lips. “Taste.”

Fucking hell. Lexar lunged for it, drawing her silk covered finger into his mouth and sucking the sweetness from it. His eyes closed in ecstasy. But before he was done laving, she pulled her hand back.

“You taste. So. Fucking. Good,” he growled.

He leaned up, pulling against the cuffs again. More. He needed more.

Avan looked dazed for a moment before she regained control. “It feels good,” she whispered, bending low so her breasts grazed his chest and her lips brushed his ear. “Having a wolf as strong as you, bending to my will.”

She could claim this was a game of control but Lexar knew better. She felt every bit as flustered by her emotions as he did. This was something more, something deeper. Something they couldn’t explain.

She sat back, bumping against his cock. He thrust forward hoping for an ounce of relief.

“Unh, unh, unh,” she tsked, wagging a finger at him. “These were next.” Cupping a breast in each hand, she squeezed, gently at first, and then more firmly. “You want to taste me here, remember?”

How could he forget? He’d been thinking of them ever since that sheet dropped yesterday. He’d tried to forget, tried not to think of how sexy she was since she was so badly injured, but he’d failed.

Failed so damn miserably.

He managed a nod.

She leaned forward, inching closer. “Are you sure? Because that wasn’t very convince--”

Lexar thrust his hips, sending her tumbling forward, her sweet soft mounds landing on his face before she caught herself.

She pulled back, breathless. “
That
… was not very nice.”

“I never said I was going to be
nice
.”

She stared at him, mouth parted, absently pressing her wet center tighter against him. Then quick as a flash, she launched herself forward, their bodies melding together, and crushed her mouth to his.

Finally
.

He kissed her hungrily, wishing he could hold her face, tilt her head to the perfect angle so he could delve deeper into her hot, hot mouth, but she was the driver and he was the passenger. And what a fucking ride this was.

Their tongues tangled, pressing and giving and taking. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest and his answered with its own passionate rhythm. His wolf calmed, even as his anticipation grew. This felt so right, so perfect. Even unable to touch her, even submitting this tiny bit, seemed like two twisted destinies finally aligning.

She broke their connection, her rapid breath hitting him in the chest as she stared into his eyes. Damn, she was beautiful. Especially when all pretense was gone, and her emotions bled out unfettered, like they were now.

I feel it too
, he wanted to tell her. The odd connection. Two misfits finally finding a home in each other. That’s what it felt like. Shit, he’d think he was falling for his own romantic notions if he wasn’t seeing the same feeling mirrored in her gaze.

She shook her head, closing her eyes and shutting off the expression. She kissed his lips tenderly, pulling the bottom one between her teeth, and causing his animal to snarl.

She dragged her lips over his jaw, down his neck, and grazed his collar bone with her teeth. Lexar clamped his mouth shut, trying to keep quiet, but much more of this exquisite torture and he was going to scream.

Avan continued kissing her way down his body until she reached his waistband. Her eyes flicked up to make sure he was paying attention. No need, because his attention level was A+ student with a side of teacher’s pet. Nothing could distract him from what she was doing.

Hooking her fingers under the fabric, she slowly, deliberately, revealed his erection. It bobbed free, and damn, if he wasn’t hard as a rock. Her eyes and how they widened a fraction threatened to send him over the edge. And she hadn’t even touched him yet.

Clearly this is what ten years of celibacy will do to a wolf.

“Lex,” she whispered, biting her lip. “You are
very
needy.”

So was she. A deep pink flush crept up her neck. Her eyes were glassy and her breath became a harsh pant. The look on her face gave him so much pride. She looked nearly ready to beg, yet he wasn’t the one withholding.

“You have no idea,” he ground out. It was becoming impossible to wait. He needed her
now
.