Eternal Temptation (10 page)

Cassie could only moan as he dragged his big cock out partway then pushed back in again. Her breathing grew ragged and her hips couldn’t stop trembling. Her pussy muscles were stretched tight and wide around him, gripping him so hard. This was what she’d always wanted—to feel this. To have this man inside her. Nothing else had ever felt so perfect.

“Please.” It was the only word she could say and even then it was a soft, broken whisper.

He let out a bestial growl that sent a hot shiver over her. Then something snapped inside him. His hands palmed her hip, squeezing her tight, and then he was sliding in and out of her.

Each thrust set her body moving up against the floor, rocking below him with the power of his movements. Each drag out of her had her tensing against him, prepared to stop him if he’d leave her. Fast. Hard.

He only moved faster and faster inside her, breathing loud and ragged against her ear. She shook her head side to side as intense pleasure built to a roaring crescendo inside her. She tightened her grip on his back so hard she must have drawn blood.

It wasn’t enough. She shook on the precipice of pleasure. She needed something more to toss her over into the abyss.

“Harder,” she said raggedly.

“Cassie.” He sounded just as ragged as she did, but he drew his cock out, then slammed back in hard. No longer was he gentle. He fucked her. Her newly used muscles cried out in pleasure, dousing his cock with a fresh wave of cream to let him slide even easier inside her. He was growling, his hand clenching and releasing against her as he worked himself in and out between her spread legs.

He hit her in just the perfect spot and sent her spiraling into a blinding orgasm that electrified her senses. She let out a long cry as her legs scrambled around his thighs and her hips shook against his. Her body acted on its own, holding him close as her pussy milked his tunneling cock.

He roared above her, pressed deep, and then she felt the hot splash of his seed filling her deep. It was hot and thick inside her.

It took long minutes before he finally pulled out of her and collapsed next to her. Cassie struggled between wide-eyed amazement and a huge grin. She’d just lost her virginity to the lykaen giant. It wasn’t how she envisioned it happening in the least, but it was perfect.

She cuddled into his arms but she didn’t relax until his big arm came to rest over her shoulders. For the first time in a long time, she felt really good.

He felt so right. He felt so perfect.

* * *

“We need to talk about this.”

Oh no. “No, I really don’t think that’s necessary. I mean unless you want to tell me it was good because I thought it was
great
.”

The serious note in his voice had her jerking away from him. He reached for her but she slapped his hands away and began yanking on her clothes.

The last thing she wanted to hear after the most intense orgasm of her life was how this was all a mistake. Blah, blah, blah.

“Cassie,” he said a warning in his voice.

“Fine,” she said throwing up her hands, “talk but the second I hear the words, in any way shape or form, that ‘this was a mistake’—I’m out of here.” She snapped her fingers together. “That fast and I’m not coming back.”

Engulfing fear filled her throat, created a dead space in her stomach that felt like a bowling ball. God she was stupid. She just opened herself up for him to kick her out so easily. She waited to hear the words. It was for the best really. She had to leave anyways, and soon, very soon. Daniel was coming; he would find her.

The damn giant didn’t even have the decency to put his clothes back on. He just sat there looking like some...sexy lykaen man just to tease her. Whatever. She turned to stare at the fire.

“You’re in trouble, Cassie.” She gulped. He knew. Somehow he’d figured it out. “I think you’ve known that we were coming to this from the moment we met.” Wait, what? He stood and started dragging his jeans back up those long, thick legs.

“You have my seed inside you right now. You know what that means. And I took your virginity.”

“Yeah, so,” she grumbled, butterflies dancing in her stomach. She honestly hadn’t thought it’d be this awkward after sex.

“I do not take my responsibilities as a man lightly, Cassie. Nor do I regret what we did.”

Her eyes shot wide-eyed to his. He didn’t regret it? She wanted to dance around the room, jump up and down, do a fist pump or
something
, but she had to be mature so she nodded gravely instead.

“You don’t?” He shook his head with a sigh.

“I’ve had the thought more than once that our meeting was no coincidence. I came out here to journey. To find myself again and I found you. That isn’t something I can ignore.”

Cassie’s heart pounded fast in her chest.

“My beast likes you. I like you.” He said the words so flat and lifeless like they were just mere facts and he was reciting the weather forecast. And honestly that didn’t really bother her; it didn’t. She knew there was still work to be done with him, but this was progress. Except that she couldn’t be with him. Not when she already belonged to someone else.

She opened her mouth to tell him that to tell him the truth--but she couldn’t do it. She hung her head in her hands and wanted to sob. She’d helped him. Not by much, she was sure, but she’d actually helped the pained lykaen to move forward from the past. Even if it was only a few steps. But she was only setting him up to leave again in the future.

A million thoughts were ricocheting in her mind. She had no idea what to do. She couldn’t stay and endanger him. If she left, she might hurt him though. Or worse, he might come after her. The thought of doing that made her heart heavy.

The cot dipped down next to her. A big arm wrapped around her, pulled her down with him on the cot. She was forced to stay close to him so they could both fit on the little mattress.

“Don’t worry about it now. Go to sleep. We have a few more hours before daybreak.”

Surprisingly she found herself yawning and snuggling into his big chest.

She slept hard and for once Daniel wasn’t there. The thought sent a dark foreboding inside her.

Chapter 8

Three days passed and they were some of the best days of her life. She learned more about her lykaen. From his childhood to learning carpentry under a well-established woodworker in the city, to his family and the Kategan pack. He continued to press her about who had struck her, but who had her running in town and still she evaded the questions. Yet it was getting harder, and he was getting angrier.

In all those three days he never touched her once. That wasn’t quite true, she amended. He’d touch her hand or shoulder and even once brushed the hair out of her face and she’d been sure he was going to kiss her. Would that technically only be their second kiss? Did the dream one count? He didn’t kiss her though. He just looked at her like she was some kind of puzzle he wanted to figure out.

Cassie didn’t know what to do. She was growing restless with worry. Time was quickly running out, and he would find her. But what did she do? Leave the lykaen when in the first time in three years he decided to take a chance on a someone and open up? Or did she stay and risk her enemy Daniel finding them and killing Darien?

The answer was clear—she couldn’t stay.

And what was he doing this whole time? Chopping more wood! She wanted to scream, to burn the damn cabin down and all the stupid wood he cut with it.

What kind of a man puts a claim on a woman and then doesn’t touch her? Well she was done with this. She stood and started pulling off her clothes. The chill of the air bit at her, tightening her nipples and breaking goosebumps out all over her arms and legs.

“Stupid lykaen giant,” she muttered and stormed out the cabin.

He didn’t turn to look at her, though she was certain he knew she was behind him. She sauntered around him and came to stand on the other side of the log he was chopping. His eyes fell like a magnet to her body and traveled slowly down her breasts, to her stomach, to the strip of hair at her sex.

A tic started above his eye, and he turned away, planting the axe in the dirt. “What do you want?”

“What does it look like I want?” He turned away and started walking, not towards the cabin but into the woods and towards the lake he’d shown her the other day.

“No,” was all he said. She followed him, uncaring of the wood jabbing into her feet.

“What do you mean no? Did you or did you not lay some kind of claim on me, lykaen?” They reached the water and he started pulling his shirt over his head. The sight of his sweaty muscles was enough to make her melt. “Please.” Her soft plea was enough to have him turn to her. The look on his face was an obvious war.
 
 
 
 
 

He pulled his gaze from hers and undressed all the way before marching into the frigid water. What seemed like an eternity later, he said, “You have no idea what you’re asking.”

“Actually I’m pretty sure I do, but please enlighten me, oh great one.” He dipped his head under the water, letting his hair out of the tie. It spilled in wet, thick layers around his shoulders. Cassie nearly whimpered, wanting so badly to touch the thick mass again.

“I hurt you before. I’ve never been a gentle lover, Cassie. You were a virgin. You didn’t deserve how I took you. Especially since I started to take you while we both were sleeping. That was even more dangerous.”

She scowled and crossed her arms. “First, you didn’t hurt me. Second, I think you took me just fine considering I’ve never come so hard in my life.” He rinsed himself off, trudging back to her. She took an instinctive step back from the lykaen giant. When he didn’t immediately start pulling back on his clothes, she took that as a good sign.

Her eyes couldn’t help themselves as they traveled down over his hard chest. The sight of his cock had her eyes widening.

“You want me,” she whispered.

He sighed. “Of course I do. You’re beautiful. Stunning. But that doesn’t mean I have any right to your body.”

“I say what goes on with my body, and I’m saying I want you. What the fuck,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. “What did you mean by all that talk of finding me at the right time and taking care of me? No offense but if your way of doing that is to ‘hang out’ with me on occasion and never touch me, then no thanks. I’ll just be going.”

She spun on her toes and started towards the cabin. What was wrong with this man? Or was it her? She’d never been in a relationship before. Unless you counted what her and Daniel were as a relationship—she shivered in disgust, surely not.

She was halfway to the house when suddenly something hit her shoulder, sent her spinning around.

“You hit me,” she said accusingly. Darien crowded her, backing her up until her back met with tree. His gaze bore into hers.

“You have a decision to make,
lumara.
If you want me then say so now because there is no turning back. I don’t date, Cassie. I don’t have casual sex. When I want something I get it, and I keep it. I’m a possessive son of a bitch like that. If you really want to be my woman, say so right here and right now because I won’t give you another chance.”

Of all the things she could say, were the right things to say, and the wrong things to say, she made a choice she could never undo. Every worry over her future faded so easily. She knew deep inside what she wanted.

She opened her mouth, but he stopped her. “Be sure, Cassie. There is no turning back, no matter what your decision is.”

She nodded, meeting his beautiful brown eyes. “Yes.”

His mouth came down as she was still saying the word and stole the breath from her.

This kiss definitely counted.

His lips commanded her, possessed her, and had her clinging by his tongue like a lifeline. She was wrapped up in sensation, in a dizzy motion whirring around in her head. He pulled back too soon. Her lips searched for his.

He turned her away, taking her hands and settling them above her head.

“Don’t move,” he warned. She didn’t. She couldn’t. She was shivering, waiting for him to touch her, to take her. Her nails bit into wood and she arched her hips back at him.

“Darien.”

The first touch seemed to come a millennium later. The anticipation of it sent pleasure zinging through her body from her nipples to her core then all the way out to her toes. His hands cupped her ass cheeks. Gripped them, learned her, squeezing then spreading her wide. She gasped at his touch, never had she felt anything like this, his touch was possessive. Like he owned her. And he did.

His thumbs slid into the crevice of her cheeks and stroked her flesh, rubbing closer and closer to her wet center. She whimpered as his hand dipped down then she was being filled with his fingers. She was so wet she knew she was coating him. He growled and she heard the beast riding him hard.

His fingers pulled out and then she felt the hard, wide press of his cock. Crying out, she gripped the tree for support and waited as he pushed the head of himself into her. Her pussy closed around him, gripping his wide girth.