Chasing Love (9 page)

He realized with a grimace that the Old Man was right. Zachariah Rutledge had once told him that he and Christiana were bound by strings far stronger than those binding the average pair of friends.

In his heart, Edward had understood what the Old Man meant but he had refused to believe it. But now, with her sitting above him, flushed and excited from her first real sexual experience, he knew he had his work cut out for him.

No time like the present to initiate her.

In her sitting position, her panties were barely covered by her micro miniskirt. Deciding to take advantage of that, he rolled into a kneeling position, deftly kicking his pants aside.

“Before the main course, my sweet, it’s
my
turn for an appetizer, I think.”

“Uh…”

Not letting her get a word in—his Christi could twist a man in circles with her woman’s logic—he deftly pulled her legs out and spread them wide.

There was no need to lift her skirt—it was so short it was hitched up enough as it was. For a moment he frowned. Why the hell did his Christiana own a skirt this short?

Refusing to think down
that
pathway and into madness, he simply concentrated on pulling aside her panties. Smiling in a very masculine, knowing way, he ignored the squeak of protest from his Christi, and pulled them down and over her heels and off her legs. Folding them, he decided they would be a brilliant trophy for him later on.

The panties, he couldn’t help but notice, were the palest of blue, the silk soaked in her own juices. Edward licked his lips as he gently eased them into his crumpled pants pocket, more grateful than ever for his fantastic night vision.

She smelled of desire, anticipation and his beloved friend. He would know her anywhere. What he
hadn’t
known was that she shaved.

Interesting, very interesting
. His Christi-girl seemed to be a woman grown now.

Leaning his head down and ignoring her gasps, he gently licked the puffy lips covering all her secrets and desires. With his tongue, he eased apart her folds to see the delicate flesh of her pussy. Licking his tongue in, he tasted her juices for the first time.

It was so sweet, so hot he couldn’t help but moan in pleasure. Despite his best held efforts, in the deepest, darkest hour of the night he had often tasted her in his mind, a million times so, yet the reality was much better. Her heat flowed over him, ensnared him.

He lapped at her like he never had for a woman before. Over and over he thrust his tongue inside her as he wished he could do with his cock. In and out and in and out, over and over.

With his thumb, he stroked her clit, standing erect and crying for attention. When she tried to wriggle away from him he simply held her still with one hand, massaging her clit with his finger, and still licking her.

He thrust his tongue right up as far into her as he could reach. Lapping at her a minute, he then withdrew, causing her to groan. Circling his tongue around her hard clit, he eased one of his big, thick fingers into her wet heat. Curving and probing, he found her G-spot and ran the tip of his finger over it again and again.

She screamed and began to shudder. He continued to lick her clit, gently now, more to stimulate than anything. Rubbing her G-spot, increasing and decreasing the pressure at will, he dipped down every now and then to lap at her juices and enjoy her unique flavor.

Within moments he was hard again, desperate to plunge himself inside her and claim her, mark her as his so no other man would be stupid enough to try and get her. Deep inside himself, he knew it would be futile to try and take her now. He needed a plan, a means of convincing her they were destined.

He loved his stubborn mate but trying to convince her of anything had always been tricky. This proved to be more so than anything else.

His thoughts disintegrated as he felt Christiana begin to convulse below him. She grabbed his back, his shoulders, any part of him to keep herself steady. She smashed her pussy into his mouth, moaning and crying out from the immense pleasure he was giving her.

With a final flick of her clit and lap with his tongue, he watched as she threw her head back in abandon and screamed, long and loud, her cries echoing over the dark, empty college grounds. He growled in pleasure, with the possessive, purely masculine ego of satisfying one’s chosen mate. As Christiana came down from her high, shaking and sweating lightly, her breath coming in panting snatches, he continued to lap up the last of her freely flowing juice.

She was tasty, good enough to keep him sated for a while longer, to get his patience back in control and woo her as she deserved.

He sat up and pulled his pirate shirt back over his chest.

“So what’s on the menu next, Christi-girl?”

He saw the passionate haze begin to clear from his Mate’s eyes. She was finally coming back to earth, the endorphins losing their grip on her.

“I think that’s enough for one night, don’t you? I don’t know about you but my legs and nerves wouldn’t stand for anything more intense.”

He smiled, sad but not surprised with her reaction. His Christiana would want to step back, reassess the situation and work out how to regain the control.

“I know this won’t make much difference to you right now, Christi, but sex isn’t about one person being in control. Sex is two people on equal footing, both giving and both taking. You can’t hope to be in control all the time. It’s much easier just to accept that.”

She smiled a sweet, charming smile that melted his heart. Damn, she was sweet.

“I know. But I’d much rather stay in control when it comes to you. Otherwise I’m likely to end up on the losing end again.”

Unable to help himself, he reached out to touch her cheek. Gently, he stroked down her soft skin. “I’m not going to hurt you this time, Christi-girl. I just think there’s a lot more for you to understand before you believe that.”

She smiled and pulled away and he let her. He knew her well enough to know she needed a bit of room now.

He stood up and pulled on his thong and breeches, belting them swiftly. He concentrated on his task, giving her a minute to rearrange herself. He then held out his hand.

“Let’s head back. You need some sleep before we head back home tomorrow morning.”

“We?”

“Sure,” he smiled, uncaring whether she could see him in the dark. “Grandpa told me to come and pick you up. Your parents are organizing your room at the house until you work out where you want to live. I’m taking you and all those stupid trunks you’ve packed back home.”

“Oh. So we have a day’s drive together in your cramped truck.”

He looked at her reproachfully as they headed back to her dorm.

“The only reason it will be cramped is because of you and all those damned bags you insisted on bringing. I told you to pack light back at Christmas.”

“You didn’t warn me you’d be picking me up in the truck! Otherwise I’d have only packed a backpack! Nothing else will fit!”

Edward smiled. At least some things didn’t change. He argued companionably back to her dorm.

When they had reached her door, once again, she surprised him.

“Give me my panties back, Edward.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing the masculine mockery in the gesture was sure to drive her wild.

“Finders keepers, Christi-girl.”

He struggled hard not to laugh at the well-known “look-of-death” she speared him with.

“I’ll wrestle you for them,” she ground out, mad as fire.

Edward couldn’t help himself and he laughed. “Wrestle me? With that belt you call a skirt and half the college hanging out in the corridors jeering at you? I don’t think so. If you’re really sweet and clever, you might be able to negotiate for them later. But who knows?” he teased her, leaning forward to taunt her more. “By then I could have done
anything
with them.”

The anger and fury on her face said it all. Edward knew he had won this scuffle, and felt inordinately proud of the fact.

“You are so weird,” she complained in that petulant, well-known losing voice he had heard millions of times growing up with her.

He laughed gently at her. “No, darling, I’m a fairly ordinary male. You simply haven’t learned how to deal with that yet.”

Refusing to give her time to realize that, if she kissed him passionately, she could steal them back herself, Edward leaned in to give her a chaste kiss good-bye. Holding the door open for her, he watched her stomp into her room and slam the door behind her.

He grinned and started whistling as he left. Relieved how well the night had gone, he smiled in joy.

Some things never change.

Chapter Twelve

Christiana greeted Edward with a large purple and green suitcase in one hand, a backpack slung over each shoulder and a large dark red beauty case slung across her middle. He grinned at her cheerily as if he didn’t even notice the armor she had been determined to erect between them.

The beast was obviously as dense as a fence post.

The beast in question stood in the doorway, a simple, tiny backpack slung over one shoulder.

Christiana frowned, diverted for a moment.

“You have two days’ worth of clothes and toiletries in there? How do you men do it?”

The happy grin became more pronounced, more feral. Christiana tried not to notice how her heart thudded even harder.

“One thin, wispy pirate suit that squashes easily, plus two sets of jocks, some deodorant, a toothbrush and a razor. One small backpack, what’s the big secret?”

Christiana frowned more and muttered under her breath. Pointing grumpily to the large assortment of bags and suitcases stacked by the door, she silently cursed thick-skinned and thick-headed men.

Christiana knew she was heading into trouble. She knew it from the way he brushed up against her body as he entered her small dorm, patted her ass in a dominating manner. His actions simultaneously made her teeth clench and her mouth go dry from sexual awareness,

Edward obviously didn’t understand she needed a breather, needed a bit of space to sort out the turmoil currently overtaking her mind. Refusing to take her hints with the luggage and her grumpy manner before he picked up her cases, he stepped as close as possible to her and held each arm still, so she couldn’t escape, and leaned in for a kiss.

Christiana felt her toes curl, her face and chest flush warmly and a trickle between her legs she refused to acknowledge. How dare the beast turn her on with a simple “Hey-there-how-you-doing” kiss?

When Edward finally pulled back, Christiana swallowed the idiotic whimper of pain she felt bubble in her throat. She would
not
become some stupid puddle of spineless woman. She was the Pack’s future leader, an Alpha in her own right. She didn’t need
any
man except for her True Mate, who would help her and be her strength.

Edward was just a quick fling to educate herself.

As the beast bent down to pick up her other three suitcases and two carry-on bags, she wished to hell telling herself he wasn’t her True Mate over and over would work. All it seemed to do was give her a headache from thinking, not convince her he really
wasn’t
her True Mate.

“This the lot, Sweet One?” he queried easily.

Christiana sighed.

“It’s not like anything else will fit in your damn truck. Yes, this is the lot.”

Edward grinned, and pushed her shoulder gently so she walked out of the dorm.

“I did warn you,” he chided.

“You did not,” she argued with some heat. “You merely ordered me in that pompous way you do to get my back up. I purposely packed more, certain you wouldn’t
really
be picking me up. You know, if we’re supposed to have some sort of relationship, talking to me, not ordering, will get you further.”

Edward smiled as he lowered the back of the truck to make more room for her stuff.

“Talking gets me nowhere, Sweet One. With you, a man needs to be firm. I know you’re the next leader and I’m happy to support and back you up with that. But you need to understand our relationship has almost nothing to do with the Pack. You need to realize that what happens between us in private has no relevance to your position of leadership there. It’s between you and me.”

Christiana sighed as she threw her bags onto the seat. How could Edward telling her stuff she’d already known for ages make her want to argue?
She
knew she wanted a helpmate, a man who was strong enough to let her lead the Pack but still retain his ego intact, but hearing Edward say so made her uneasy and she couldn’t tell why.

“I think we’d better head on back. It’s a long drive,” she said, climbing into the cab. She didn’t want to argue, yet she had too much pride to agree with the beast.

From the width of his smile, he knew her diversionary tactic for what it was. Since when had men become so impossible to handle?

* * * * *

Christiana stared out the window at the semi-familiar scenery passing by. She and Edward had been crammed into his midnight blue Chevy truck for nearly two hours and she was ready to scream in frustration.