Forbidden Blood (45 page)

She flopped back on the bed, letting her legs hang down. She didn
’t know what to make of Vaughn. He’d been forceful when they first came into the room, but now, he was being gentle with her. Maybe the Max thing hadn’t bothered him after all.

When he came back, he pulled her to a standing position and into his arms. He positioned his nose in her neck and inhaled.

“Better?” she asked.

There was n
o response. He still hadn’t said anything since he put her in the shower.

Instead of replying, he straightened and
flung back the covers.
He’s putting me to bed?
She found herself feeling a little disappointed that he planned to tuck her in and leave. All his touching and pampering had turned her on, and she wanted to be close to him. She wasn’t ready to let his earlier unavailability slide, but they could discuss the issue later—after her current needs were met.

Confused, she sat on the mattress. There was no way he could miss he
r arousal. She was already wet, and with his shifter nose, he always knew when she was ready for him. Plus, didn’t he want to put his scent all over her now that she was clean?

Maybe she should just go to bed and worry about everything after she woke up. Hoping sleep would come quickly, she
put one foot up and stretched to grasp for the covers from the end of the bed, so they’d be within reach. Vaughn stepped between her legs and put his hand on hers, stopping her. He leaned over her so far that he had to set his hand on the bed to hold himself up. One of her feet was still sitting on the floor, putting him between her legs, as he settled his face right over hers.

Finally, he spoke
, “Just so we’re clear, Naya”—his eyes flashed to his cat and then back to human—“I don’t share. I know it’s not your fault. You don’t understand how shifters work, but if you ever smell like another male again, I will hunt him down and rip his fucking arms off for even attempting to touch you.”

She felt her eyes widen.
Wow
. “Okay then.” She gave him a small nod. “We’re clear.”

It was very dominating of him, but
it was also very hot, and she grew wetter between her legs.

He gave her a cunning smile
. “Good.”

He put his arm under her back and pulled her close. He used his other hand to wrap around her hair and draw her head to the side. He clamped down on her neck and slammed inside, filling her. With all the tension in the room and
the subtle foreplay, she came right away.

He paused and waited until her orgasm waned. He released her neck
, and then he licked and kissed her mark. He used the hand holding her hair to turn her head, forcing her to look at him. He stared into her eyes.

“
Mine,” he said as he pumped hard.

She moaned. It felt so good.

He gradually built her back up, and then he halted his strokes and switched tactics, shifting down to bite and suck on her nipples. She lifted her hips and clawed at his back. She needed him to move again. He slid up and nipped her ear.

“
Behave,” he said before he went back to her breasts.

She thought she would go crazy with frustration when he progressed slowly back up her body. He studied her face
and sank inside her once more, and she whimpered. He moved back to her neck and sucked where he’d bitten her earlier.

She was right on the
edge again, and she clenched her eyes shut, expecting her orgasm to take over. Vaughn pulled on her hair just enough to get her attention. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

“
Whom do you belong to?” he asked quietly.

She didn
’t respond, and he paced his thrusts to be slow and shallow.

“
Whom do you belong to, baby?” he asked again, his voice ever so calm.

She groaned in defeat.

“Naya, I’m not letting you come until you answer.”

Her orgasm was just a breath away
, and she shouted, “You! I belong to you!”

“
Fucking right you do,” he said.

He lifted her hips and picked up speed, pounding in and out of her
while going as deep as he could.

“
And don’t you ever forget it,” he groaned.

She screamed as her body contracted underneath him, and Vaughn put his hand over her mouth to stifle her cries. His release followed right after hers, and he buried his face in her neck,
climaxing with a long, loud moan.

After they both caught their breath
s, Vaughn picked her up off the bed. Their bodies were flush with each other, and her legs rested over his hips. He lay down on his back with her on top, and he threw the covers over them.

He kissed the top of her head
. “Sleep.”

She la
y there for a few minutes, snuggling into him, as she took comfort in his spiced clove scent while he ran his hands up and down her back.

She was almost asleep, but before she forgot
, she said, “Vaughn?”

He paused his rubbing.
“Hmm?”

“
Just to be clear, I’m pregnant with your babies, and I want to be able to get in touch with you at all times. If I can’t reach you, I will rip off your arms, so next time, you really will have an excuse not to use the phone.”

She could feel his chest shak
ing, but he was smart enough not to laugh.

“
Yes, ma’am.”

She could hear the smile i
n his voice, and it made her grin in response.

He rubbed her back again.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t get a hold of me last night. I promise, it won’t happen again.”

“
Good,” she said. “Oh, and P.S., you belong to me, too.”

This time
, he laughed out loud.

She drifted off with a smile on her face, noticing he was still inside her even though the barbs
had receded. He wasn’t kidding when he’d said he didn’t share, but that was okay because neither did she.

P
AYTON STROLLED TO her eight in the morning marketing research class on the University of Minnesota campus. She had started working toward her MBA after graduating last spring with a Bachelor of Science in business and marketing. Today, she was asking herself why she hadn’t taken a break between degrees because going to class on Saturday sucked. But at the time, she’d just wanted to finish her schooling and get it over with.

After graduation, she hoped to get a job working for her father, who
had so far seemed resistant to letting her be a part of the business. Even if that wouldn’t work out, she was positive she could find something else in the area. With a population of over two million people, there would certainly be jobs in her field. Unfortunately, she really wanted to be a part of the family trade.

As she walked, she pulled her phone from her pocket to see if she had any messages. Seeing nothing, she slipped it into
the side pocket of her backpack. That morning, she’d left early, so she could go to the library and study before class, but she’d ended up missing out on all the excitement happening at home. Her mom had called to tell her the good news about how Naya had found Max. If Naya hadn’t already been welcomed into the Llewelyn family, she sure would be now. Shifters held a very strong sense of family, and reuniting a mother and son went a long way toward making Naya a permanent part of the Pride.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled.

Someone was following her—again.

She con
tinued her casual strides, so whoever was watching wouldn’t know she sensed his or her presence. She sniffed the air to see if she could tell anything from the person’s scent, but she didn’t get anything other than the usual smells. The person was either downwind from her or far enough away that she couldn’t catch a scent. Every time her watcher was near, he or she would remain out of sight and smell, and she hadn’t learned anything useful.

Feeling around in her pockets, she acted like she was searching for something. She pretended not to find it
as she set her backpack on the ground. Then, she rummaged around in her bag for a few seconds while taking quick glances up to try to see anything. The wind was at her back and blowing her hair around, so she made a big spectacle of it getting in her face. She used this as an excuse to turn around and face the wind. Again, she glanced around discreetly while still pretending to search in her bag. She didn’t see anyone, and she still couldn’t sense anything, so she grabbed her phone as if the cell was what she had been looking for the whole time.

She
lingered, putting everything back the way it had been and getting up slowly in hopes of discovering something. While she could sense someone was following and watching her, she never once thought this person was out to get her or cause her any harm. It was actually the opposite. She felt very safe and protected by the presence. It was the strangest sensation, and it made her even more curious to know who was out there. At this point, she was pretty sure it was a male. She wasn’t completely positive, but her heart pounded whenever he was near, and it wasn’t out of fear.

When she reached the
lecture hall where her class was held, she was disappointed. She wanted to keep walking and have whoever was out there show himself even though he never had.

She glanced down at the time
and saw she had five minutes before class. If she were lucky, maybe after she was done in three-and-a-half hours, her watcher would still be out here. But that was a long time to wait, and she knew he’d probably be gone.

She sighed.
Would she ever get to meet her mysterious watcher?

Damien watched Payton walk
toward the building where her class was held. For a few minutes there, he’d worried that she would catch him when she’d paused and hunted through her backpack. When she’d picked up her stuff and kept walking, he’d breathed a sigh of relief.

He
’d been watching over her for the last week, and he still couldn’t believe this was the same thirteen-year-old from ten years ago. He remembered her being skinny and flat-chested with braces back then. Sure, she’d been a cute kid, but now…shit, she was a beautiful woman.