Authors: Aliyah Burke
Her body responded immediately. Clamping her
legs together, Aida tried to stem the flow of wetness he created
within her. It didn’t work. He pinned her with his gaze, and she
whimpered. Feral fire smoldered in his eyes. His chiseled torso
rose and fell with every breath he took. Aida refused to retreat;
she rose to her feet and met his unwavering gaze head on. Dane
hauled her in close, and it felt like he consumed her. His mouth
engulfed hers ravenously. Pressing against him, she dragged her
nails down his upper arms, responding to him. He shifted, and the
sound of dishes hitting the floor and breaking filled the air.
“
Dane,” she mewled into
his mouth.
He bore her back onto the table, his body
wedged between her legs. Dane used his hands and ripped her shirt
in two. Seconds later, another rip, and she knew he’d destroyed her
pants. He lifted his head and met her eyes while his fingers
lightly caressed her through her panties. His eyes were
animalistic, dominant, alpha male, and they made her body want
more. Such dark sexuality poured from them to land on her; she
thought she may go crazy.
“
Mine!” he snarled
furiously.
Her heart pounded out of control; her hips
rose to meet his light touch. Every muscle in his body tensed. He
held on by a thread. And she wanted it to break.
“
Yours,” she whispered,
reaching between them and guiding his fingers home into her wet
slit. Aida closed her eyes in pleasure, only to throw them open
frustration when he withdrew them. “Dane,” she begged
shamelessly.
He snapped her underwear, his eyes no less
primal. She shivered when she felt the large head of his erection
against her pussy. Aida lay there on her table, shirt ripped down
the middle, exposing her bra. No clothes on her lower body and the
man between her legs staring at her like a hungry animal.
Dane didn’t move, just sat there, the tip of
his cock teasing her slit. His eyes moved possessively over her,
and before she could take another breath, he’d slammed home into
her. His head lowered by hers.
“
Ohhh,” she moaned, her
lower lip caught between her teeth.
“
You
will
listen to me,
solnyshko moyo
, when I
tell you something which is to protect you,” he demanded in a low
tone.
“
Stop ordering me around,
Dane,” she snapped back, locking her legs around his
waist.
He stroked within her, and electric impulses
shot through her. In the back of her mind, she could hear the
fierce cry of a tiger. All the way in and back out, he moved until
just his large head remained in her.
She whimpered in frustration. “Damn you,
Dane. Stop torturing me.” She stared at him and found his eyes
yellow-gold before they changed back.
“
Aida,” he
grunted.
Tightening her legs, she
lifted and impaled herself back on his shaft. Need rippled through
his eyes. Reaching for his hands which rested along her hips, she
covered them. “Let go, tiger-mine. I don’t want gentle. Please,
Dane, I
need
you.”
She saw his thread of control snap, and Aida
screamed in ecstasy as he pounded into her. Demanding, forceful,
and she loved every second of it. Beyond her cries, she could hear
the roar of a tiger.
“
More!” she begged,
undulating against him. He complied, and the room was full of moans
and the squeaking of wood. “Uh, uh, uh, uh.”
No more disobedience, mate.
Even that voice was graveled with
passion.
Clamping down on his
thrusting cock, Aida grinned at the answering purr he gave.
Will you spank me if I do?
His eyes darkened.
Aida.
It was a
warning.
She closed her eyes and gave herself over to
the mastery of his touch. Every cell within her body responded.
Dane tormented her, keeping her right at the edge but not allowing
her to go over.
“
I…need…oh sweet
goddess…Dane!” She arched into him, feeling his thickness deeper
than she believed possible.
Come for me, Aida!
He bit her shoulder.
Milk my cock.
The sharp pain of his bite combined with the
enigmatically sexual command, she disintegrated, fragmenting around
him.
Mine, Aida. I claim you for eternity. I will
always protect you and our children.
His words touched her soul, and she knew he
meant each and every word he had just spoken. And yet, she still
held part of herself back, keeping it from him.
He powered into her over and over before
shooting his seed as deep as he could within her. The power of his
eruption triggered another round within her, and she whimpered as
her body reached its limit. His sweaty body covered hers, and she
groaned contentedly. Aida lay there, utterly exhausted. Dane began
to pull out of her when a low crack filled the air. Her scream
never really had a chance to form, and she found herself lying on
top of Dane, the table broken beneath him.
Aida blinked a few
times.
What the hell happened?
“
We broke the table,” he
said, his timbre laced with more than enough arrogance for her to
punch him in the shoulder.
“
I see that. I meant, how
in the hell did our positions get reversed? What am I doing on top
of you?”
Dane kissed her and winked lewdly. “Tempting
me all over again.”
She moved to get up but was held hostage by
his steel like arms. “I need to get dressed.” He smacked her ass
but let her go.
Aida went to her room and
grabbed some more clothes. Her body was exhausted, and she kept
looking at the bed.
He’s supposed to be
the tired one.
She wanted to love him as
completely as he did her but she was scared. So scared. Aida slid a
baggy shirt on over her head and reached for another pair of pants.
Once again fully dressed, she went back out to the kitchen. She
walked in on Dane standing over the busted table, dressed in a
tight pair of jeans, a torso-molding white t-shirt and boots.
Cowboy boots.
“
You seem mighty proud of
yourself,” she remarked, picking up her torn pants and
panties.
“
I am.”
“
Figures,” she muttered.
“Damn.”
“
What’s the matter? I can
fix the table or I’ll make you a new one. A sturdier
one.”
“
No, that’s not it. It’s
just...I really liked these pants.” Balling up the torn clothing,
she tossed them in the trash. Leaning against the counter, she took
in the condition of her kitchen. Broken dishes, food everywhere,
and a busted table. “Make a new one. There’s no way I could ever
serve my parents on this one.”
He laughed. A deep, decadent sound that made
her mind go down a road she needed to stay away from.
“
I’ll go get started on it
right now.” Dane raked a hand through his shaggy hair. “Unless
you’d like me to stay and help you here.”
“
No, I’ll get this.” She
needed some distance from his intoxicating presence. “A table would
be wonderful.”
Dane bent and gathered the
busted pieces, headed for the door and slipped through it.
I’m not letting you run,
solnyshko moyo.
Who’s running? I just don’t want to eat off
the floor.
Don’t lie to your mate.
Stop ordering me around.
Tell me something,
solnyshko moyo
.
Sure. If you tell me what
you’re calling me.
She swept up the broken
dishes.
Do you have the handcuffs I wore here?
She burst out
laughing.
Want me to tie you
up?
Wasn’t quite where I was going with
that.
Build me a table, tiger-mine.
Aida smiled at his laugh and concentrated on
cleaning up her kitchen.
Chapter
Twelve
Dane used her table saw, the grin still
plastered on his face. The scent of the fresh sawdust filled the
air, and he focused totally on his task. Next to being with Aida,
this…working with wood made him feel as close to peace as he could
get. It didn’t take too long, and he was putting down the hot wire
tool and looking over his pokerwork.
He glanced out the window
and saw it was almost dusk. “Damn, I didn’t realize.” He reached to
turn off the light and headed for the door.
Aida?
No answer.
Dane immediately checked the area and
relaxed only marginally when he could sense no disturbance.
Hurrying to the house, he walked inside. Moving to the bedroom, he
found her lying on her belly, arms tucked under her sound asleep.
Ruger and Kamau curled up with her.
He unfolded the blanket at the edge and laid
it over her. “Keep her safe, boys.” Dane smiled and added her usual
phrase, “Guard well.” Then, he left the room and headed out into
the waning light.
Staring out over the vast African plains,
Dane smiled and reached for his tiger. “Let’s run free, old
friend.”
The powerful feline answered his call and in
the blink of an eye. He raced across the land, enormous strides and
the feel of the freedom flowing over him. They ran far. They ran
fast. They ran hard. Dane shifted back and dressed while
approaching the rear of Aida’s house in the dark. His cat finally
happy, sated, and resting comfortably within him.
“
How was your run?” Aida’s
alto voice skated along the still air.
Searching the night, he found her sitting
cross-legged in the hammock. “Wonderful.” Dane moved to her side
and sat. “Did you sleep well?”
“
Fine.”
He frowned. “Why are you lying to me?”
She leaned away from him, opting to rest
against the fibers of the hammock as opposed to him. “Don’t ask me
questions if you’re going to assume I’m lying.”
“
Aida, talk to me,
please.” This woman didn’t make sense to him sometimes.
“
Just because I’m not
totally bubbly doesn’t mean something is wrong, Dane. There are
emotions between happy and unhappy. Let it go. There’s some food in
the oven for you.”
“
You cooked?” He looked up
at the night sky. “I’m sorry, Aida, I didn’t realize how long I was
gone.”
“
It’s fine.”
Something was off with her
tone, and he didn’t like it. Getting up, he walked in and headed
for the oven.
Can I bring you
anything?
No, thank you.
Dane carried the plate back out to where
Aida still sat. He lowered himself to the table and ate in silence.
The night sounds flowed around them.
He looked along the path he had which
connected him to Aida. Peacefulness, love, and light were what he
felt. Their mating bond shone bright and it welcomed him with its
warmth. To him, however, he didn’t think it was totally completed.
He longed to probe deeper and totally immerse himself in it but he
refrained, doing his damndest to respect her privacy. Everything
about her was so open. Honest. He was the total opposite. Even now,
he had guards up shielding him. From everyone. Everyone except
Aida.
What are you doing lurking outside my
thoughts, tiger-mine?
Respecting your
privacy.
Even though it was not
easy.
Are you looking for something?
Your light, Aida. It makes
me…feel.
Even now, that was still a
surprise to him. The depth of feeling this woman brought to
him.
You still think I’m hiding something from
you. I’m not, not really. I was just meditating.”
Why?
Come here.
Dane was by her side seconds later. She took
his hand and led him to the padded bench seat.
“
Get comfortable,” she
ordered.
He watched her place her
feet up on her thighs.
Damn, she’s
flexible.
“I’m not getting in the lotus
position.” He crossed his legs. “Now what?”
Quiet. Relax, Dane. Rest your arms on your
thighs, palms up. Take deep, cleansing breaths.
He did.
Close your eyes, Dane, I can feel you
watching me.
Dane closed his eyes and discovered her
light seemed even stronger.
Come with me,
tiger-mine.
Her small hand settled in his
larger one.
He allowed her to lead. Her mind opened into
a beautiful lush valley with sparkling waters and mountains off in
the distance. It was stunning.
This is my world. Only good things happen
here. I come here to think. This…is where I meditate.
Dane looked around and
sighed.
Thank you for sharing this with
me.
He moved with her over the thick
grasses, the amazing savannah and more.
Stay and watch the sunset with me.
There was no way he was leaving her side. He
wrapped his arms around her and held her while the sun lowered
itself below the horizon. The sky erupted in a mass of blended
colors before a dark blanket slipped across the sky. Then, as if
someone scattered a handful of white granules upon black velvet,
stars appeared.
Dane could feel her complete contentment.
And he understood why she meditated.
Time to go, Dane.
Her tone was soft and gentle.
Reluctantly, he left and, soon, opened his
eyes. Aida slowly opened hers, a small smile on her face.
“Meditation,” she whispered, carefully getting out of the lotus
position she’d been in, “good for that which ails you.”