Surprisingly, my lion doesn't want to bleed her. I don't feel that familiar violence rising up in me. Only the need to protect. Which in this case, requires me to be calm. "Put the gun down," I order in my best alpha voice. Turns out, it doesn't matter, because Denali has already sprinted to her neighbor's and snatched the gun from her hands. I half expect her to turn it on me and cock it, but she empties the barrel before hurling the shotgun into the flowerbed.
When she turns to face me, her eyes are lion-bright and she's breathing hard.
And damn. She's wearing the thinnest t-shirt imaginable and those tiny shorts that make her legs look six miles long. She puts her hands on her hips. "What in the hell is going on?"
"Is this him?" the older woman demands as I stride up. Even though the gun's out of her hands, she still looks prepared to murder me if she has to.
I would take offense, except Denali appears baffled. "Who?"
"The one you been hidin' from. Is this the boy's father?"
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, but Denali's response doesn't fit. She splutters, "No! Well-it's complicated. But regardless, why were you shooting at him?"
"I saw him sneaking around your place. Looks like he's been there all night." She turns her narrowed gaze on me. Her eyes are flinty grey to match the steel of her personality. "Were you there all night?"
I nod. No sense in lying. I direct my gaze at Denali. "I can't leave you unprotected."
Denali's gaze warms, but she steps forward and slaps my chest. "Stupid male. You scared the crap out of me and Mrs. Davenfield. And what? You just slept out on the hill? Under the open sky?"
I can't stop the lazy grin. "Stars were beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as you in those little-"
She cuts me off with another slap to my chest. "All right, Romeo. Let's get you inside and fed." She steers me off her neighbor's wooden porch. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Davenfield. Nothing to worry about. Nash is safe. He's just worried about someone else showing up and hassling me."
"And I'm worried about crazy neighbors with shotguns," I mutter under my breath as we walk away.
"You should be," Mrs. Davenfield calls to my back. Apparently, her hearing is as sharp as her eyesight. "Sneaking around people's property at five in the morning is a shootable offense around here."
"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am."
"Looks like you're the type who knows how to handle a gun, himself."
I turn to get a better look at Mrs. Davenfield, grateful Denali has her as a watchful neighbor. Not much gets past this woman.
Denali loops her hand through my elbow and tugs me forward. "Come on, Nash. I'll make you breakfast. You like Canadian bacon?"
My stomach grumbles. "Love it." I'm surprised at how intense a pleasure it is to have Denali offer to cook for me. I'm suddenly hard as a rock and wondering if Nolan is still in bed.
The minute we're inside her door, I snake an arm around her waist and pull her back up against my straining cock. My teeth graze her shoulder. "Promise me something," I rumble in her ear.
Her sweet cinnamon scent fills the air. "What?" Her voice is husky.
I slip my hand between her legs and cup her mons. "Don't ever go outside your house dressed like this again."
"Or what?" There's a taunt in her voice and it sends my desire into overdrive.
I slide one hand up to squeeze her breast while I stroke my fingers over the seam of her shorts, pressing it into her slit.
"I'll have to kill any male who looks at you, for one thing."
Her head falls back on my chest and she rocks her hips forward, pushing into my hand.
"And then I'd have to punish you for making me crazy with jealousy."
She brings her hand to cover mine, directing my fingers to push harder over her clit. "Oh yeah?"
Damn. The husk in her voice nearly blinds me with lust. But Nolan must be sleeping just a few feet away.
"Let's get in the shower," Denali suggests. Smart female. The sound of the water will drown out her cries.
I propel her forward, not removing my hands from her beautiful body. We jostle into the bathroom and strip our clothes off in record time. She turns to get in and I smack her ass with a loud crack.
"Shh." She tosses a smile over her shoulder as she climbs in and everything in me lights up.
It's not just passion-although there's a mountain of that. I'm also filled with an exuberance, God, maybe even joy. Everything about this moment with Denali fills me up. Sets me free.
It's like my whole life, I've been waiting for this point in time, when I get to laugh and play with my mate. Fuck her senseless. Eat breakfast with her afterward.
I can't believe the intense pleasure of it.
I step into the shower after her, rolling a condom on my erection. I want to take my time. Soap her, wash her hair.
But it's an impossibility.
I flatten her against the wall, and my hands cup her ass. Water soaks us, streams down her face, wetting her eyelashes and lips. Even with it, her scent fills the room, sending me into animal drive.
My kiss is hard and demanding. My tongue sweeps into her mouth, teeth bump teeth.
Her legs lift to hook around my waist and my cock is right where I want it to be. I don't even have to use my hand to guide it in. I find her entrance and push forward, filling her with a powerful thrust.
She gasps and clutches my shoulders.
"Are you okay, beautiful?"
"Uhn." She rubs her tits against my torso, the hard points of her nipples dragging through my chest hair. Her hips snap against mine, urging me deeper.
"You want more, baby?"
"I want it, Nash," she breathes in my ear.