Authors: Aliyah Burke
“
Okay.”
Within moments, she’d loaded up everything
and her dogs and they were flying across the plains of South
Africa. Dane closed his eyes.
See how much pain you’re
in. We can help. Accept us. We can make it all go
away
, the darkness offered.
Dane ground his teeth and opened his eyes.
Turning his head, he breathed easier when he laid his eyes upon
Aida. She met his gaze and smiled a mixture of concern and
gentleness. “Hanging in there?”
“
Yes, thank
you.”
Aida reached across the interior and took
his hand in her smaller, feminine one. Calluses and strength were
felt in her touch. He didn’t know what to do with the gesture and
almost pulled away.
Suddenly, warmth and love poured through
him, battling back the voices of the darkness and soothing his
beast. He closed his hand around hers. The pain slid away, and he
tightened his grip when she made to pull back her hand. Thankfully,
she didn’t argue. Dane slipped into a deep and much-needed slumber,
a light within him keeping him safe.
By the time they arrived at the village, he
was fine. They chatted about neutral things. Although they no
longer held hands, Dane was confident his guards were firmly back
in place.
Open your eyes and I’ll
give you anything you want.
Her words
teased him.
Everyone drew around once they had arrived
and gotten out. Dane got pulled one way while Aida was taken in a
different direction. He calmed down when she winked and smiled at
him. Dane didn’t see her again until later when she stood talking
to Christopher while watching the kids play football.
Dinner was hectic, and when he stood alone
in his hut, he realized he’d not had a moment alone with Aida.
“
Knock, knock,” Aida’s
voice floated toward him.
He licked his lips tasting her scent on the
air. “Come on in.”
She walked in, hands before her and smiled,
leaning on the wall. “Hey, sorry to intrude, but I just wanted to
see how you were doing.”
Dane prowled closer to her, enjoying the
increase of her heart and breathing. “I’m fine, thanks.”
“
Glad to hear it.” She
wrung her hands and shrugged. “Well, I should get
going.”
I don’t think so.
Dane eliminated the distance between them and
blocked her in with his body and placed his arms on either side of
her head.
“
What are you doing?” she
asked in a breathless tone.
“
Collecting.”
A cute furrow formed between her brows.
“Collecting what?”
“
You told me I could have
anything I wanted if I opened my eyes. I did. Now, I’m
collecting.”
Her tongue snuck out to wet her lips, and
the innocent action sent a spear a desire through him. He felt hard
enough to split through his pants.
“
What do you want?” she
questioned.
“
You.”
Her soft whimper was like her warm hand
stroking him, and he grew harder. “Me?”
He nodded, lowering his head to nuzzle
behind her ear. “You.” She smelled like light and purity, along
with his new favorite scent, soft apple combined with vanilla and
cinnamon.
“
I can’t. Not
here.”
“
Why?” he
rumbled.
“
People saw me come in
here. I’m not that kind of girl.”
He licked the skin and closed his eyes
against the wave of feelings that rushed over him. Aida shook, and
he did it again. “Where?” he asked.
“
I…I…don’t know,” she
stuttered.
Nipping her earlobe, Dane sucked it into his
mouth before releasing it. “I’m coming with you when you leave.” He
pressed against her, making sure she could feel his straining
erection.
“
You don’t…I…I…” She
gripped his arms as he continued to feast on her neck.
“
Meet me later. Tell me
you’ll come back.” His hands grabbed onto the flesh of her hips,
and he ground against her. She gasped and thrust back.
“
I don’t know you,” she
protested.
“
What do you want to know?
You already know more about me than anyone else I’ve slept with.”
She stiffened against him. Dane nipped her carotid. “Don’t be
angry. I only speak the truth. We’ve spent nearly a week together,
Aida. Because of you, I’ve been walking around aroused the whole
time. Tell me you don’t feel it between us.”
She is ours! Claim her!
Her entire body shook. “I’ll be back in
three hours.”
“
One.”
“
Two?”
He grinned. “Two,” he agreed. Dane stepped
back. “One hundred twenty minutes, Aida, I’m counting.”
“
I’ll be back.” She walked
out, saying, “Good night.”
Dane could feel his beast at the surface.
Need for Aida made his cock swollen and heavy. Swiping his tongue
along his lips, he picked up the faint remnants of Aida’s taste. He
hissed low, flexing his hands as if his claws were extended.
“
I shouldn’t,” he
muttered.
Yes!
came the fierce roar of a tiger.
We
need her to survive.
All his plans of leaving her untouched
vanished when he’d almost lost himself over to the darkness. For
centuries, he’d been alone, doing whatever was asked of him. Even
killing those he’d once called friend. But never, before today, had
he been so close to losing the battle. It seemed odd that he, who
stood well over six feet, weighed two hundred and a quarter, and
had spent his life as an enforcer, had found his saving grace, his
mate, in a woman who barely reached his shoulder. She radiated
nothing but goodness and light.
You don’t want to tie her
to you. That’s admirable. Accept us. We’ll take all of it
away.
The ever present taunting voice of
the darkness whispered to the fraying edges of his
control.
Dane clenched his fists and dropped his head
back. The roar at the tip of his tongue. He knew he was taking the
choice from her, and it nagged at him. He didn’t want to do that.
Maybe, just maybe, he could continue to hold out for a bit
longer.
“
Dane?” The tone, soft and
sensual, floated across the hut and wrapped around him.
His eyes jerked over to the entrance of the
building. Aida stood there bathed in the glow from the fire. She
wore the same thing, and he blinked a few times to ensure it wasn’t
his imagination.
“
You came.” Part of him
had expected her to bolt. He’d not exactly been a gentleman
before.
“
Two hours.” She walked
toward him her gaze locked onto his. “Are you okay?”
Dane moved to her as well amazed at how
quickly time had passed during his battle against the darkness.
Stopping millimeters from her, he raked his eyes hungrily over her
face. Silent, he reached behind her and released her hair from its
confinement. A low rumble rose in his chest the moment he tightened
his hands into the silken strands. Aida stood there, lips parted,
watching him, waiting. Allowing him to make the first move. Her
trust humbled him. Tightening his hands in her hair, Dane held her
there and kissed her.
He licked her bottom lip and slipped it in
his mouth briefly. Then, he slid into her mouth. Her tongue was
right there to meet his, and she whimpered when they stroked along
each other. Need pounded through him. Lightning shot from his head
to his feet when she nipped him and moaned low in her throat. His
cock pushed against the denim of his pants.
Her taste was addictive. Dane devoured her,
dominating her mouth and inhaling her unique flavor like a dying
man. His body ached for her, and he almost came right then when she
looped her arms around his neck and hooked one leg high on his
waist. Dane jerked away with a low graveled groan and met her gaze.
His skin felt flushed with wanting her.
“
Why did you come
back?”
“
I said I
would.”
He loosed the hold he had on her hair. Aida
tightened hers. Her fingers combed into the locks at the base of
his neck and teased the skin.
“
You’re playing with fire,
Aida,” he rumbled dangerously.
Her fingers tugged on his hair. “I’m already
burning, so what’s a little more fire?” His beast roared in
agreement. “I’m more than willing to do this, Dane, but you have to
tell me you have protection.”
Protection?
Dane didn’t carry condoms. His tiger swiped out,
and he actually flinched.
Aida smiled sadly. “I’ll take that as a no,
so, guess I’ll have to make do without you inside me.” She lowered
her leg and arms. Dane’s rush of anger died the moment her hands
settled on the waist of his jeans.
“
No,” he rasped. Her eyes,
wide and full of surprise, flashed up to his. “Aida, stop. I’m
trying so hard not to rip your clothes off and take you hard and
fast against every fucking surface in here. You touch me, and I’ll
lose control.” His words were tense with pain and
longing.
Dane lifted her and carried her to the bed
where he undressed her. Her sweet aroma wafted to his nose, and he
struggled for control. He stared at her lying naked on the bed,
lust overflowing in her own eyes. The only thing she wore was her
necklace. Brushing their lips together, he used one hand to trail
over her luscious body, mentally memorizing each curve, dip, and
swell. She writhed beneath him. Dane continued to make love to her
mouth, willingly drowning in her taste.
His cock throbbed when he passed over her
mound, the hairs holding proof of her desire. He slipped a finger
between the lips, and she moaned in his mouth. Her tight wet slit
gripped him hard, and he almost erupted in his pants. He added
another. And another. Thrusting them inside of her, he grinned
against her lips as she rode his hand. Her fingers dug into his
scalp, pressing her mouth against him. Hard, hungry,
insatiable.
There’s no way I’ll be in you with a condom
on, Aida. That stuff won’t ever be between us. So if it means me
being in pain then so be it. Plus, I don’t know if I can be inside
you and not claim you as mine for all eternity.
Dane broke the kiss and moved down to settle
between her legs. He cleaned his fingers, loving how she tasted.
Like sunlight and honey. He leaned closer and placed his mouth over
her pussy. At the first touch of his tongue, she mewled and gyrated
against him. Holding her in place, Dane began to feast.
Aida couldn’t think straight. She could
barely find her breath. Dane knelt between her legs, giving her the
most mind-blowing orgasms she’d ever experienced. His thick fingers
thrust into her, never giving her a moment’s rest. His mouth sucked
on her clit like it was candy. The arm over her belly prevented her
from moving.
Oh fuck me!
Clamping her mouth shut, she tried to refrain
from screaming. Wave after wave of ecstasy poured over her. Her
fingers sank into his hair and pulled when he stabbed his tongue
deep within her.
He’s going to kill me.
When she stopped coming, Dane rose up and
crawled up her still shuddering body, pressing kisses along her
skin, inch by inch. When his lips covered hers, she was close to
yet another orgasm. He pulled back and stared down at her. His eyes
were intense. He watched her from underneath his black hair and
curvy lashes. Those amazing eyes of his overflowed with need,
hunger, and possessiveness. Dane nipped her collarbone then laved
his tongue across it. She shivered again.
“
Take your shirt off,” she
commanded.
He complied, and Aida
sucked her lower lip in her mouth.
A work
of art
. Rising up on her knees, she moved
toward him. Placing her hands on him, Aida began to explore. He was
all hardness. She curved her nails and dragged them down his chest.
A sound erupted from him, and she looked up into his molten
gaze.
“
Did you just
purr?”
Danger flashed in his eyes, and he captured
her hand only to press it against the obvious ridge in his jeans.
She licked her lips and squeezed. Aida felt a rush of wetness
between her legs. Reaching out with her other hand, she undid the
button, his harsh breathing teasing her. However, when she touched
the zipper, his hand covered hers.
She met his eyes.
Why is he stopping me? I can see the craving in
his gaze.
“
Aida,” he ground out, all
gravelly and making her hair stand on end. It was almost an
animal-like growl.
She didn’t give him a
choice. Shaking off his hand, she lowered the zipper. Dane shimmied
out of his pants, and she felt another pulse throb through
her.
I did say no without a condom,
right?
She wavered in her previous
decision. Dane wore a pair of stone gray boxer briefs, and it
amplified his large erection.
Sucking on her lower lip, she reached out
and slowly lowered the final article of clothing between her and
what she craved. His cock sprang free, the large head leaking
pre-cum. Aida looked up at him to find his gaze still boring into
her. Begging her for release, but she knew he’d never voice it.
Aida took his length in her hands, feeling
the heavy weight of him. Leaning closer, she swiped her tongue over
the crown, tasting him. He moaned and delved one hand into her
hair. Opening her mouth, Aida took him in. Running her tongue
around the edge of the large bulbous head, she began to enjoy him.
His hips thrust his thickness into her. She squirmed closer and
used one hand to caress his balls. His grip tightened, and he
pistoned faster. She sucked him like a lollipop, eyes drifting
closed when he placed his other hand into her hair as well. She
could feel her own juices pooling.