Predator's Serenade (13 page)

Her rapture at his words faded ever so slightly as he turned to her other nipple. He paused, eyeing the rosy nub, and then gently ran his tongue over it. He glanced at her and ran his thumbs over both tips. “This nipple feels different than the other one. It’s not as erect.”

Heat washed over her face. “I have what’s known as an inverted nipple. Some women have them.”

“It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No.”

He plucked at the inverted nub, trying to fashion it into a stiff peak, but it refused, clinging to its dimpled shape. Gioia gasped at the pleasant stinging sensation. Soren gazed at her in clear wonder. He gave it a little twist and she moaned, closing her eyes. Reaching his head up, he closed his mouth around it and sucked. Gioia clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a loud cry.

Soren released her breast and grinned. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the inverted one is more sensitive.”

“It is.”

“Really?” he asked, his eyes widening in fascination. “Explain how they feel to me.”

He grasped the other breast and tweaked the regular nipple. She let out a sigh. “Well, this one feels good too, just less intense.”

“And this one?” His brow arched like a fiend, he then played with the inverted nipple.

Gioia writhed atop him, plagued by an unmerciful lust. Her breaths came out as pants. “It’s as if this one has a direct line to my crotch. When you touch it, the pleasure shoots right into me.”

Soren stared, open-mouthed. “This is very important information for me to have.”

She laughed at the lecherous bugger. “It doesn’t mean you to get to ignore the other one. She feels good too, and doesn’t like being left out.”

He shook his head. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t ignore her.” He returned his attentions to her breasts, moving between them with infinite languor. Gauging her varied reactions, Soren teased her by sucking on one nipple and then another, nibbling one and then sliding over to torment the other one with his teeth. Gioia didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh or cry. Her brain was an addled flurry of delirious sensation, and she didn’t ever want him to stop. He knew exactly how he plagued her too; with every nip and lick, his chest vibrated with soft, deep laughs.

“You’re such as asshole,” she groaned, giggling herself.

In response, Soren rolled her over and ground himself into her body. “And you are so tasty.” While kissing her, he moved a hand between her legs, feeling for her almost-embarrassing wetness. Drenching his finger between her nether lips, he brought his hand to his nose. “This scent has driven me crazy.” He breathed her in. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted to feast on you?”

And then, while she struggled to discern each sexy detail through her blurry vision, he sucked his finger into his mouth. Soren closed his eyes, and a low growl escaped him.

She knew that noise. It was a bear noise. The hungry rumble was a clear indication he wasn’t letting her up anytime soon. And she was okay with it.

She lifted her hips to him, feeling bolder than she ever had before. “Bear man,” she teased. “There’s more where that came from.”

He looked at her, huffing, blinking with a famished furor. Soren slid down her body and knelt on the floor at the edge of the bed. He pulled her to him with savage energy, pinned his hands under her bottom and sunk his face into her pussy. He drank from her as from a bowl of water, lapping and sucking, trying to locate every last ounce of moisture. Each desperate nibble on her swollen lips sent Gioia over a dangerous edge, plummeting from a height she’d never dreamed existed. She fell through stars, whipped past clouds, and was sure she’d end with a tumultuous
splat
. Her heart seized and her eyes watered.

Damn, she’d never cried because something felt good! Soren was redefining the word
good
for her. As his tongue plunged into her pussy, as his animal groans echoed in her ears, tears poured out the corners of her eyes. She grasped at his head, entangled her fingers in his hair, and held on for dear life. He swirled his tongue around her clit, completely in tune with what she needed, as if he knew exactly what to do to wring her orgasm from her.
Pings
of pleasure radiated throughout her body, and she lit up like a pinball machine with a high score. He clamped onto her clit, almost nibbling, and his hums made her mound vibrate. A vicious light streaked across her vision, and heat engulfed her. With her own agonized roar, Gioia came in his mouth, defenseless as he continued to lap. Everything in her jolted, everything spasmed. The feelings were so intense it almost hurt. And she knew, in that moment, she’d be willing to endure the heavenly pain over and over again.

Another cry rang out in the night, and she realized it wasn’t hers. Gioia sat up in a daze. “Gunnar.”

His breath coming hard, Soren moved away from her and looked around, quickly locating her glasses. He handed them over. “Go. It’s okay. We’ll continue this later.”

She put her glasses on and threw the Hugo Boss shirt over her head. Glancing at Soren, she took note of his wet mouth and tousled hair and wanted him with a force that knocked the air out of her lungs. He put on the discarded bathrobe, licked his lips and offered her a lopsided grin.

Gunnar shouted in his sleep again, and she launched herself off the bed. She hurried to the adjoining door and opened it, Soren right behind her. She made her way over to her son’s bed. Gunnar thrashed and whipped the sheets all around his skinny body. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Baby. Shh. It’s a nightmare.” Looking at Soren, she explained. “He has them a lot.”

Gunnar lurched up into a sitting position, grunting in fear, making noises a baby bear might.

She sat next to him. “Gunnar, it’s okay. I’m here.”

He turned to her, his eyes red and full of tears. He blinked, and the tears coursed over his round cheeks. He looked ready to fall into her outstretched arms, but then he noticed Soren standing at the door. He looked between the two of them, confused.

Mortified, Gioia tried to explain. “Gunnar, Soren helped me tonight when…”

He didn’t wait for her to explain. Gunnar scrambled off the bed, pushing her arms aside, and tore a path to the door. Darting a look of betrayal at his hero, he disappeared into the hallway and raced toward the stairs at the end of the hall.

“Gunnar,” Gioia called.

Soren was at her side in an instant, holding her by the arms. “Let him go. He’s a bear. He’ll be okay.” He pulled her into his arms, and she dropped her head onto his chest.

She glanced at Soren, her own eyes wild now. “I can’t take it if he decides to hate me again.”

He frowned at her, clearly in disagreement, and ran a hand over her hair. “He doesn’t. He’s just a kid who needs to sort things out. Let him go for a good run, and I’ll talk to him in the morning. He’ll be okay.”

“But the forest at night…”

“Is the perfect place for him,” he interrupted with a smile. “Don’t forget, Gioia. He’s top of the food chain here. No one will hurt him.”

Soren picked her up in his arms, and she curled her head into the crook of his neck. He took her back to bed. With infinite gentleness, he coaxed the shirt off her body and slid out of his robe. He pulled back the rumpled sheets for her, and she climbed in. He then got in next to her and pulled her against him so he could spoon her. Even though his cock was thumping against her back, Soren just held her and comforted her. She knew she would be forever grateful to him for not pouncing on her again. He knew what she needed and was giving it to her.

In those quiet moments as she lay in his arms, Gioia realized exactly what kind of man Soren Snow was. And she realized how very much she liked that man and how much she was coming to need him in her life.

Early the next morning, Soren watched Gioia play with her food at the breakfast table. He’d personally piled her plate high with eggs and bacon and sausage, a gastronomical feast, but she wasn’t interested. She hadn’t consumed more than a sip of coffee. She might think she was fooling him by rearranging her scrambled eggs on the plate, but he saw exactly what made it to her mouth. After all, he did spend a lot of time concentrating on her mouth. He frowned and then glanced at Ryland and Lia, their breakfast companions. His brother and sister-in-law frowned back.

Gioia looked at him. “I’m not hungry. I’m going to go look for him.”

He reached for her hand under the table. “No. You stay here, and I’ll look for Gunnar. Let me talk to him, man to man.” He nodded at the others. “Make her eat something.”

She looked at him, despondent, and then pulled a face at her bacon.

He knelt at her side and put a finger on her chin, guiding her gaze back to him. “Hey,” he whispered. “I’ll fix this. I promise.”

Tears formed behind her lenses, making her dark eyes appear as enormous as those of a Disney heroine. “What if it can’t be fixed?”

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “Anything can be fixed.” He smoothed a hand over her thigh toward her hip. “And when I get back, we’re going to pick up where we left off last night. I’m going to take all your sadness away and make you feel so good.”

She blinked her tears away and offered him a little smile. “I’d like that.”

“Done.” His heart swelling, Soren stood and kissed her on the top of her head. He turned to Ry. “You’ll keep an eye on Gioia for me and make sure no pheromone-inspired boyfriends come her way?”

Ry nodded. “Yeah, we’ll keep the crazies away.”

“Thanks,” Soren replied. “Drop her off at my suite in an hour.” He turned to Gioia. “I’ll be there waiting for you.”

She smiled and picked up a rasher of bacon, nibbling on the edge. Gratified to see her eat because she’d need a whole lot of energy for what he had in store for her, Soren exited the buffet and went off in search of his protégé.

* * * *

Gunnar wasn’t at the tree or in any of the restaurants or even by the lake. After half an hour of searching, Soren became alarmed. He’d figured the bear boy would do as he used to do as a turbulent teen: run off into the woods and snack on a huge fish from the lake. And then it hit him. When Soren was upset, the best therapy was pounding his drums. Berating himself for not thinking of it sooner, he headed to the conference room where his kit was stored.

Sure enough, he heard Gunnar before he ever saw him. The loud smashing on the bass drum had him wondering if his kit would survive the boy’s outburst. He opened the door and walked into the room.

Gunnar stopped drumming, looked up, and glared.

Feeling a little like David approaching Goliath, Soren wandered over to Gunnar and pulled up a seat next to him. “Hey, little dude. Your mom’s really worried about you.”

The boy crossed his arms, drumsticks tight in one fist, and looked away.

“Look,” Soren began. “I’m sorry about what you saw last night, but I’m not going to lie to you, Gunnar. I feel…very strongly about your mother. She’s kind and caring…” He trailed off, lost in his recollections of the previous night. “…And so hot.”

Gunnar turned to him and grimaced.

Soren came to his senses. “Okay, too much information. I’m still new at this stuff.” He ran a hand over his face. “Gunnar, I care about your mom, and you need to know something about her.”

The kid’s lip curled in mild interest.

“I’m worried. Because your dad wasn’t able to mark your mom as his mate, a lot of other men have been giving her the wrong kind of attention. I’m not exaggerating when I say she’s in a bit of danger.”

Gunnar paled and lost the lip curl. Soren knew he had his attention now.

“I need you to help me take care of her, just like I taught you,” Soren said. “After all, you’re the man of your house now, right?”

The boy nodded.

“I don’t want some other shifter getting the wrong idea about your mother. She’s not available. Do you understand what I’m saying, Gunnar? I want…to be there for your mom. And for you too.”

Gunnar’s gaze travelled in about fifteen different directions. Soren had the distinct feeling the kid was fighting tears. Gunnar chewed his bottom lip, cleared his throat, and said three more words. “For me too?”

Soren grinned and landed a soft punch on his shoulder. “Yeah, for you too. I like you, little dude. You’re not as annoying as most kids. And you don’t usually smell too bad, although you could use a shower this morning. Did you sleep in the woods?”

The kid smiled. As most boys his age, he was proud of his foul odors.

“Yeah, shifter lesson number one. Shower before you show your dirty ass in public after sleeping rough. You got that, kid?”

Gunnar looked at the floor, and a quiet laugh made his shoulders ripple. He nodded.

“Now,” Soren said, eyeing the clock on the wall. “I have a few minutes before I need to be somewhere. I’m writing a piece for the New York Philharmonic, and I’m stuck on one of the percussion lines. I could use your help on that too. You know, advice from another talented drummer.”

The boy turned as white as newly fallen snow before the dogs decorated it. “You want
my
help?”

Soren gawked at him. “Yes, Captain Obvious. Unless you’re not up to the task.”

“I’m up to it.”

“Good.” Soren smiled. “Now shove over and let me show you what I’ve got so far.”

For the next fifteen minutes, Soren played the line for Gunnar, listening as the kid gave feedback and nodded his approval. He hadn’t been lying when he said he’d needed help, and Gunnar’s ideas were surprisingly inventive and useful. The kid really was a raw talent.

And as their jam session came to an end, an interesting idea took root in Soren’s mind, one he enjoyed immensely. It would be hard keeping it under wraps, but he determined to keep it a secret so he could share it with Gioia and Gunnar later.

* * * *

Right before the appointed meet time with Gioia, Soren raced to his suite. He couldn’t wait to tell her Gunnar was okay. Soren had made sure the kid got some food from the buffet after their time together, and he felt pretty proud of his breakthrough with the boy. Maybe this parenting thing wasn’t so daunting after all. If he was going to be Gioia’s mate, he’d have to get used to the idea of having Gunnar around anyway. And he had to admit, he liked the boy.