Therian Prize: 5 (Therian Heat) (30 page)

A faint rumble drew her attention away from his wandering mouth. Her tigress had sneaked back into the meld and was apparently enjoying his attention. Did the tigress think he was grooming her? The possibility made her smile.

He finally kissed his way onto the upper curve of her breast, worshiping the gentle curve with his fingers and lips. “So soft,” he whispered, his breath and his lips combining in a teasing caress. Her nipple gathered, flushing deeply before he even took it into his mouth. He touched the tip of his tongue to the crimson point then pulled away.

“Jake.” The word was part warning, part plea.

A chuckle vibrated his throat as he finally latched on to her other breast. He drew hard enough to drag a moan from deep inside her. Somehow he ignited desire in her core and pulled it up through her body with each firm suck. She arched and rocked her hips as her sex grew tense and needful.

He moved back and forth, working one side with his fingers and the other his mouth. And all the while emotions streamed back and forth, enriching the physical sensations. She felt the urgency building within him and how exciting he found her responses.

Releasing her nipple with a satisfied smile, he pivoted to one side and laid her back across the bed. He started to kneel on the floor but she caught his wrist. “I ache already. Don’t make me wait.” Damn it. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t rush him but her need was downright painful.

He shook his head but his gaze was soft and his tone gentle. “You must surrender to me as I surrendered to you.”

Understanding his need to reestablish his authority, she released his hand and tried to relax. He knelt on the floor and pulled her hips to the edge of the bed then draped her legs over his shoulders. He was so good at this and yet he felt so far away.

I’m right here with you. Close your eyes and share this with me.

She’d heard that some linked couples could see through each other’s eyes. It had always seemed like a wild claim. Emotions and thoughts were intangible, while sight was a quantifiable bodily function.

His lips brushed against her folds and she shut her eyes. Suddenly the scent of her desire was impossibly strong. Her eyes flew open. How had he—

Stop thinking and feel
.
Feel how much this excites me. Sink deeper into our meld.

She closed her eyes again and opened her mind, allowing his perspective to take over. He lightly stroked her folds, his thumb teasing the crease in between. She could see his fingers and her flesh and feel possessive heat curl up through his body. He loved looking at her and gained immense pleasure from feeling how wet she’d become and knowing he was the reason for her arousal.

He held her open with his thumbs and paused to look at her clit. The nub was swollen and deeply flushed, the nerve bundle peeking out from inside the hood. He dragged his tongue up one side and down the other, avoiding the ultrasensitive tip. It felt so good she almost came with one stroke of his clever tongue.

Not yet. Fight it. Let the pleasure build.

She knew she came harder and the release lasted longer if she made her body work for it. Still, she was incredibly aroused and he was too damn good at this.

I’m not sure I can.
She released his hair and folded her hands into tight fists, using the sting of her nails to drive back the pleasure.

You can.
He closed his lips around her clit and gently sucked.
You will.

She tried to obey, she really did, but he slowly pushed two fingers into her aching pussy. The link was still open wide and watching his long fingers disappear into her slick passage was more than she could take. Her control snapped and pleasure pulsed up through her in rhythmic waves. She arched so violently one of her legs slid off his shoulder.

Rather than anger, she felt smug satisfaction radiating off his mind. If her thinking hadn’t been muddled by a powerful orgasm she might have been annoyed, but he didn’t stop. He pulled his hand back then drove his fingers in while he caressed her clit with his mouth.

The pleasure went on and on, wave after intense wave. She cried out so many times her voice sounded raw. He was fascinated by the strength of her passage, enjoyed the ripples around his fingers almost as much as he did around his shaft. Each realization was a vague distraction from the sensation buffeting her body.

Just when she feared she’d faint from the overwhelming pleasure, he scrambled to his feet and flipped her over. His hands weren’t hurtful, just insistent as he positioned her on her knees and forearms. Her hips were high, feet hanging off the side of the bed, and her torso sloped toward the mattress. He loved this position, thrived on the dominance inherent in the arrangement. She enjoyed it too, but she missed the intimacy of being face-to-face.

Her tigress pushed deeper into the meld, drawn by the familiar position.

He positioned himself at her entrance then held her hips as he slowly pushed inside. She’d expected a hard, deep thrust. Instead he filled her inch by glorious inch, focusing them both on the deliberate joining. Her heart thundered and her inner muscles gripped him tightly.

His hands moved up her sides then under her until her nipples were firmly clasped between his fingers and thumbs. Then he began to move. The added stimulation was more of a distraction at first. He kept his pace slow and steady while his fingers sent darts of pleasure zinging from her chest to her clit.

She pushed back into his thrusts but he pinched her nipples so she held still, allowing him to control the depth and speed. Her clit began to twinge each time he squeezed her nipples and tingles spiraled up her spine.

As soon as she accustomed herself to the stimulation, he changed strategies.

Watch.
The command sounded dark and dangerous and she was powerless to resist. She closed her eyes and immediately her mind shifted to his perspective. She watched his cock shuttle in and out of her body. His shaft was thick and wet and felt even better than it looked. The realization made her smile, but soon a fresh wave of desire momentarily washed coherent thought from her mind.

Once the flash fire receded, she was left wondering what had triggered it.

As if to answer her unspoken question, he moved his hands to her waist and held her still as an image expanded within her mind.

She saw a grassy clearing beside a fast-moving stream. Trees shadowed the clearing and the air smelled cool and clear.
Smelled?
This was more than just imagination. She could hear the brook and feel cool wind on her face.

Her tigress stood beside the stream, alert and cautious. Heather could feel her heart beating and sense both excitement and alarm. A twig snapped and the tigress whipped her head in the direction of the sound. A shadow separated itself from the trees and gradually took form.

“Is that…you?” A large tiger moved into the clearing and cautiously approached the female.

“They must accept each other.”

He didn’t finish the statement but she understood what he’d left unsaid. If their animal selves didn’t mate, they could not become truly one.

The tiger circled the tigress, both animals tense and watchful. They scented each other and the tiger circled some more. The tigress lowered her head and growled and the tiger responded with a similar sound. Then the tigress dropped to the grass and rolled, showing her belly to the tiger as she waved her paws.

He watched it all with apparent disinterest and Heather’s pulse began to race. They couldn’t come this far only to be sabotaged by their animal selves. “If he wasn’t interested, he would have left by now.” The tigress rolled to her stomach, staying low to the ground. Heather held her breath until Jake wrapped his arms around her, lightly cupping one of her breasts. Then her breath escaped in a shuddering sigh. “Relax, love. He’s as pleased with her as I am with you.”

The tiger moved behind her then crawled on top of her, his intention obvious.

Thrilled that they’d passed the final test yet distracted by the scene, she pushed the image to the back of her mind.

Jake rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger as he resumed a leisurely motion. “Now you’re too relaxed.” Releasing her breast, he trailed his fingers over her abdomen and eased his hand between her thighs. “You are
so
wet.”

A sudden surge of desire assured her that he was pleased by the discovery. He easily found her clit and rubbed it with his fingertip. His hips moved faster, drawing his cock nearly out before driving deep again. He paired each long stroke with a tantalizing caress and her smoldering arousal quickly erupted again.

“Come for me, angel.”

She’d been fighting not to come for ages so all she had to do was let go. She tightened her inner muscles as his cock filled her, increasing the pressure of his penetration. Sensations gathered beneath his finger and her inner walls tensed then he triggered her orgasm with a firm flick.

Burying her face in the bedding, she muffled her cries. Her body pulsed and rippled as he prolonged her release with the rhythmic flick of his finger. Only after he’d wrung the last possible spasm from her body did he grasp her hips and take her fast and hard. Each sharp stroke detonated an aftershock within her overstimulated body.

She braced against the bed and drove back against him, increasing the impact of each thrust. His consuming need blazed into her mind, enflaming her smoldering passion. She’d just enjoyed a staggering orgasm and already her body raced toward another. Only with him was her body this responsive.

Always only with him.

He slammed into her so hard she collapsed on the bed, his body blanketing hers. He shook and groaned as his cock jerked inside her. His warm, wet seed jetted out and her pleasure crested in a slow, flowing swell.

It took him a moment to recover enough to support his weight on his elbows and his knees. “Does a bath sound good or would you rather shower and then watch a movie?”

Exhaustion rolled in as the last of her tingles abated. “So tired.”

He immediately disentangled their bodies and moved to her side. “We probably shouldn’t have done this. You’re still recovering from your first shift.”

“I’m fine.” She waved away his concern but could no longer keep her eyes open. “Love you. Just so…tired.”

* * * * *

When Heather awoke she was alone in bed and the room was still dark. She looked around for a clock but didn’t see one. It had been late morning when they returned from the clinic. Despite the importance of her definition, the entire process hadn’t taken more than an hour. But she had no idea how long she’d slept.

Dismissing the useless speculation, she flipped back the covers and crawled out of bed. The television was on and Jake had fallen asleep on the sofa, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. According to the cable box, it was 1:38 a.m.

Jake had been running nearly nonstop since he found her in the alley behind his bar. She didn’t want to spend the night without him, but she’d wake him after she showered and found something to eat. Her stomach was cramping, she was so hungry.

Deciding that her hunger wouldn’t wait, she hurried back to the bedroom and found Jake’s t-shirt. It covered her to mid-thigh, which was adequate for making a sandwich. She paused on her way through the living room, unable to resist another look at her mate. With his features relaxed by sleep, he looked younger and even more attractive.

Her tigress paced restlessly, annoyed by the long period of inactivity. Heather would have to see if Jake knew a way to let her tigress off her leash.

With a contented sigh, she dragged her gaze away from Jake and walked into the kitchen. The house was surprisingly open. Floor plans from this era tended to be chopped up and boxy. Digging through the refrigerator, she retrieved what she’d need to make a sandwich. She arranged everything on the counter and reached for the loaf of bread.

A chill raced down her spine and her tigress roared. The glass door exploded inward, propelled by a patio chair. Shards of glass showered the dining room and sections of the kitchen. Heather jumped back, too stunned to do more than scream.

Two massive wolves leapt into the dining room, followed immediately by her father. Two additional wolves entered after Nate but Heather’s attention was drawn to the gun in his hand.

“Where is Dhane?” He stomped across the kitchen, gun directed at her face.

Jake jumped over the back of the sofa, transforming in midair. The tiger roared so loudly it hurt Heather’s ears, but she didn’t shift her gaze from her father’s angry face.

“Tell him to back off or I’ll break your arm.” He grabbed her wrist with his free hand, viciously twisting until she cried out.

Dread spread through Heather like cancer. The ruthless gleam in her father’s gaze made it easy to believe him. “Jake. Not yet.” She could feel Jake’s lethal fury so she sent the warning across their private link as well.

He didn’t speak, didn’t distract her from the threat, yet he calmed down enough to send encouragement into her mind. He growled low and long then snapped at the nearest wolf.

“Like Landon, you’re now dead to me.” Bitterness hardened each word as he released her wrist and shoved her back a step. “All I want is Dhane.”