Therian Prize: 5 (Therian Heat) (19 page)

She licked her lips and stared up at him as he moved steadily closer. He dragged her chair back from the table then grasped her upper arms and pulled her to her feet. Therians were immune to STDs and there was no possibility of conception until she was defined. Just the thought of being inside her, skin on skin, sent desire surging through his body and made him groan.

“You okay?” Her smile turned playful and she lowered her lashes, partially hiding her eyes.

“I’m not sure I can be gentle right now.”

“So don’t be gentle.”

With a growl he grabbed her wrist and hustled from the kitchen, dragging her behind him. Her laugh assured him she wasn’t afraid or even intimidated by his aggression. He found a bedroom and pulled her into his arms, his mouth sealing over hers.

She clung to him, lifting one leg to his hip so she could rub against his thigh. Her lips parted and her taste filled his mouth along with her moist breath. Her eagerness thrilled him and he tangled his fingers in her long hair. He ached for her, wanted her with bone-deep longing. Why did this feel so different?

He didn’t stop to analyze the feeling, just accepted the fact and sank deeper into the sensations. She was soft and giving but still clothed. Unacceptable.

Unwilling to abandon the intimacy of their kiss, he eased his body back and unzipped her jeans. She toed off her shoes and wiggled as he pulled her pants down. Then she lowered his zipper so he could shed his pants. There was no way to lose their shirts without separating so they broke apart, jerked off the rest of their clothing and then came back together, skin-to-skin.

His appreciative sigh echoed hers as their mouths fused again. He bent and lifted her against his chest. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as they kissed and kissed. Waves of pleasure and hunger crashed over him, making his legs unsteady. Not wanting to end up on the floor, he stumbled to the bed and sat.

His tiger tossed his head and yowled, the sound echoing in Jake’s mind. He knew every sound his tiger made, or he thought he knew. This had been unfamiliar, filled with demand and need.

She folded her legs and straddled his lap, her hands resting on his shoulders. “In me. Please.” She whispered the plea against his lips and Jake was lost.

He guided his cock to her entrance then stilled, knowing he wouldn’t last long once he was inside her. He’d waited too long and wanted her too badly. Her wet folds parted and then surrounded him as her body slowly welcomed his.

Hot. Tight. Perfect. Her pussy gradually swallowed his entire length.

When their bodies were flush he kissed her again. She started to move but he grasped her hips and held her still. “Not yet. Just feel me.”

She moved her knees farther apart, taking him even deeper. “You’re a little hard to miss.”

He chuckled and his cock twitched, making them both gasp. “I’ve been hard off and on since we found you.”

“We’ll have to do something about that. Won’t we?” His hands still held her hips so she squeezed him with her inner muscles.

It felt so damn good he growled and helplessly bucked up into her. “I want this to last.” He gasped but kept right on thrusting. Her snug passage gripped him firmly, yet she was so wet he slid easily.

“We’ll make it last next time.” She sounded every bit as desperate as he felt.

Holding back was impossible. He had to have her now.

With a defeated curse he rotated, laying her back across the bed. His knees found the edge of the mattress and his fingers intertwined with hers. He drew her hands above her head and held them there as he locked his elbows. His hips rocked against her, filling her with long, deep thrusts.

She drew her legs up against his sides and arched into each downward stroke. Her eyelids started to droop but he squeezed her hands. “Look at me.” Their gazes locked and awareness flowed, hot and electric, intensifying the joining of their bodies.

His tiger tossed restlessly, threatening to break free.
More
, he demanded.

Jake moved faster as he bent his elbows so his chest rubbed against her breasts. She took his entire length with each lunge and still it wasn’t enough. Then understanding unfurled within him. His tiger wasn’t urging him toward the end. He wanted to feel her emotions, test the sincerity of her surrender. Jake hesitated. Did she still want a mind link? That’s what she’d wanted in the hot tub but a lot had happened since then.

His tiger blasted him with lust and hunger until Jake released her hands. He framed her face with his fingers and sank into her velvety gaze. “Open for me, angel. Let’s make this real.” Her eyes widened as he pushed into her mind. She resisted for an instant then gradually opened.

“Yes,” she whispered, the word filled with excitement, uncertainty and hope.

Determined not to hurt her, he pinned her lower body to the bed with his hips, no longer moving. He had to concentrate, and focus was impossible while his body struggled for release. Her arms were still raised above her head even though he wasn’t holding them there. He rocked back onto his knees and lifted his body without pulling out. He held himself up with one hand and touched her with the other, his gaze still locked with hers.

She lay beneath him perfectly still, surrendered yet cautious.

He stroked her breasts, teasing her nipples until she grew restless. Her emotions shimmered in the distance, visible though not yet accessible. He bent and drew deeply on one rosy tip and then the other. She arched and pleasure trickled across their link.

More. Give me more.
He sucked harder, ensuring that she understood what he wanted. Sensations so sharp they neared pain flowed into his mind. He did it again and again, letting her nipple scrape against his teeth. She twisted beneath him, clearly shocked to find pleasure so close to pain.

“Harder.” Uncertainty rippled through the word but Jake understood. She was confused by the new sensory pathway yet she was eager to explore. He caught her nipple between his teeth and applied pressure until pleasure spiked across their link. She cried out and her pussy tightened around his cock. “Wow.” She panted. “That almost made me come.”

Don’t speak. Use our link and don’t hold back. I need to feel you come.
Rather than immediately nipping her other breast, he gentled his approach, kissing and licking the pebble-hard crest and then the fullness surrounding it.
Her skin was so soft and her physical responses so exciting he could barely stand to pull his mouth away. But he needed to see her face, look into her eyes.

She arched and twisted even after he released her breast. Her skin was flushed, her gaze passion-bright and occasional darts of sensation rushed across their link, but she was still holding back.

Lowering his head again, he kissed his way to her other breast as his hands moved to her upper arms. By minimizing her movements he helped her focus on what she needed to feel—the fullness of his shaft deep inside her and the pull of his lips on her nipple.

Feel me.
He punctuated the command with a firm suck.
Feel us.

She stopped thrashing and their mental connection vibrated like an electrified wire. Her emotions flowed into his mind, the sluggish current gradually becoming a steady stream. Anticipation intensified her attraction, yet fear wrapped around her heart like swaddling. He’d hoped she’d allow herself to trust him but she was obviously not ready to risk her heart.

Heather.
He waited until she looked at him before he went on.
You’re safe with me. I will never hurt you.

Never is a very long time.

He sighed, unable to conceal his disappointment.
I haven’t anchored the link yet. Do you want me to pull out?

No.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and locked her ankles.

He smiled and pushed his warm approval into her mind.
I meant pull out of your mind. The rest is going to happen with or without this link.

Heather had never felt so vulnerable and yet so exhilarated. Jake’s face was so close to hers she could see golden sparks in his dark-green eyes. His long, lean body arched over hers, hips and hands pinning her to the bed. She wasn’t afraid of physical pain. Jake would never intentionally harm her. What she feared was emotional devastation.

David was the only man she’d given herself to without reservation and loving her had cost him his life. The “official” report listed his death as an accident but Heather knew better.

Her feelings for Jake were complicated and confusing. What she’d dismissed as superficial attraction had rapidly burrowed into her heart, triggering emotions and desires she wasn’t ready to feel. Wanting him this deeply was dangerous. It endangered him and gave him power over her.

She licked her lips and unhooked her ankles. He was offering her a choice. They could keep this purely physical, superficial, sexual, or she could link with him body, soul and mind. The thought of sharing his emotions, feeling what he felt, was undeniably appealing. It was the connection every Therian needed for long-term happiness. But this was just temporary, a flirtation they could both enjoy until her future was secured.

“I think we should wait. See what happens with Dr. Garran.”

He nodded and the connection blinked out. The warmth of his being faded from her mind and she was alone.
Wait…
She fought back a plaintive cry, hoping he hadn’t heard her. This was for the better. Allowing this to be anything other than a casual affair was foolish.

His hips pulled back, dragging his cock nearly out. For one horrific moment she thought he’d withdraw completely and crawl off the bed. Instead he moved his hands to the underside of her knees and spread her legs wide. Then he drove back in hard enough to make her gasp.

She knew he was disappointed, perhaps even angry, but his features revealed nothing but lust. His gaze darkened, appearing more black than green. She didn’t touch him, kept her arms exactly as he’d left them, angled up to each side of her head.

After only a few rotations he stopped and slid one hand down the inside of her thigh. “If you want this to be purely physical, I’ll give you some room. But I need you here with me. Do you understand?”

She nodded and relaxed, pulling herself fully into the moment. “I’m back.”

His smile was slow and sexy. “This is just you and me.” He eased his hand between their bodies and lightly traced where they were joined. “So soft. I wonder if you taste as good as you smell.”

“You can find out next time.” She tried to wrap her legs around him again but he still held one of her knees.

With remarkable agility and speed, he rearranged their position. Suddenly he was kneeling on the floor and he pulled her hips to the edge of the mattress. Then he draped one of her legs over his shoulder and bent the other, rotating it out to the side. His lips brushed against her folds and he made a rumbling sound deep in his chest.

They were both dying for “the main event”, so why was he postponing it
again
? “I thought your balls were blue?”

He raised his head and grinned. “If you’re worried about my balls then don’t come until I do.”

Rather than wait for her reply, he traced her crease with his tongue, a light, teasing caress that made her clit tingle and her core tense. She fought back the heat rushing to her pussy. If he wanted her to wait, she’d wait. She had just as much control over her desire as he did.

He held her open with his free hand and circled her entrance with his tongue. His patient caresses increased the pressure gathering deep inside her but she stubbornly relaxed her inner muscles each time they started to spasm.

“Maybe you need something to squeeze.” Amusement made his tone even deeper as he pushed his fingers into her core. Two, or was that three? She clenched her fists and waited for the shuttling movement that would shatter her resistance. “Good girl. Wait for me.”

His mouth settled over her clit, tongue swirling, lips lightly plucking. She cried out as sensations spiraled up the inner walls of her passage. He wasn’t moving his fingers, just teasing her with fullness and allowing her imagination to do the rest.

She arched and wiggled, trying to create the friction her body craved. He simply moved with her and the sensations built without cresting, driving her utterly insane.

“Please.” She gasped as an especially strong spasm gripped her. “Let me come.”

In a flash he was over her, both hands on her hips as he drove his cock into her neglected passage. Her leg slid from his shoulder and caught on his upper arm. He quickly shifted his other arm under her leg, balancing her pelvis. Then he rocked into her, filling her completely with each strong drive.

She raised her hands high above her head and arched her back, pushing her breasts upward. He rewarded her display with a quick suck to each nipple, but a stronger need soon took over. He thrust fast and hard, muscles flexing as he moved against and into her.

“Touch me.”

Thrilled by his need for her touch, she happily obeyed the terse command. She supported herself with one hand so she could reach him with the other. He continued to fill her while she stroked his chest, shoulders and neck. His chiseled body had fascinated her for months and now she was free to enjoy him.