Ten

“What the hell were you thinking? I know that was you in the woods last night, so don’t even deny it. Were you standing guard or something? Protecting the poor weak female?” Eve stood on Arlin’s front porch, doing her best to ignore how sexy he looked standing there in his doorway clad only in his gray pajama pants. Lust was not something she needed to feel right now, wanting to hang on to her anger just a while longer. She’d think about how much she wanted to jump his chivalric bones later. “What? You just randomly go around cleaning up people’s cabins? Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong? Why are you always around anyway?”

He stood there, mouth parted slightly in his shock at her outburst. It took him a moment to get his voice, and she relished every second he struggled. She ignored how cute the masculine specimen appeared caught off-guard right then, not needing the distraction. “I…I just…you know…wanted to help,” he said with a shrug. He glanced down at the coffee mug in his hand, holding it up to her. “Want some coffee? Fresh pot.”

“What I want is to not be cosseted like some weak, pathetic female.” She stared at his coffee mug. “And a cup of coffee.” He grinned, and she felt her anger slipping away at the twinkle in his golden eyes.

Pushing the door to his cabin open wide, he motioned with a tilt of his head for her to enter. Keeping the scowl on her face, she walked past him, determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing how wet he made her or how her pussy throbbed right then. As much as she hated the idea that he took care of her last night, fixing her cabin and keeping an eye on her, protecting her in a way, from another sneak attack from Kyle, she couldn’t get past the feeling that overwhelmed her of someone actually putting her needs first, instead of their own. Kyle had been a user, sucking her dry in his attempt to bully her into submission. His words made her feel weak as if she had no better option than to suffer at his hands. Arlin was different. Much different.

“Look,” she said as she walked over to his kitchen counter, “it’s not that I don’t appreciate what you did at my cabin. Or that you even gave me a distraction at Everglades last night when Kyle showed up.” She turned to face him, surprised when he was almost on top of her. She hopped back a couple of steps, giving a little yelp of surprise to which he just chuckled as he walked around her to the cabinets. “Sorry, I’m a little jumpy, I guess.” She took a deep breath, crossing her arms over her chest. “Anyway, thank you for all of that, but I need to take care of myself. I’m not used to relying on others. I did that once, and it didn’t turn out so well.”

Arlin pulled a mug from the cabinet, his back muscles rippling as he stretched, and then filled the cup with coffee. When he turned to face her, offering her the cup, she noticed how golden his eyes were, a definite sign that he was a shifter, and how strong his jawline appeared, the dimple in his left cheek when he smiled only adding to his charm. She took the cup from him, holding it with both hands against her chest.

“Kyle?” he asked, his voice soft, not pushing her.

She appreciated the care he took in his curiosity. Nodding, she said, “He wasn’t always such a brutish dick. At first, he was romantic in the whole bad boy kind of way, only the bad boy became a worse man, and he expected me to be his punching bag, taking out all his frustrations on me, blaming me for his failures in life.” She shrugged. “Somehow, he made me believe I deserved it, that I couldn’t do any better than him.”

Arlin sipped his coffee while she talked, licking his lips when he pulled the cup away from his mouth. She watched his tongue as it glided across the redness of his lips, imagining it on her sex, her hands on his head… She shook the images out of her mind. Now is not the time, Eve girl.

“Until you didn’t believe it anymore, obviously. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”

She nodded, agreeing with him. “One night, he hit me one too many times, and I escaped. That was actually what I told him before I left, that I was escaping.”

“Which is why he wrote those words on the front of the cabin.” Arlin nodded his understanding. Yet, she doubted anyone could understand her world unless they lived through the hell she endured.

“He thinks he’s going to make me go back with him, I’m sure, but I won’t. Not now, not ever. I’ll kill him first.”

He stared at her, his gaze measuring her, the sincerity of her words. Yet, she meant it. She wouldn’t allow Kyle to hurt her ever again. The time of being his victim was over.

Then Arlin nodded as he set his coffee cup on the counter behind him. Stepping up to her, he cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand as he gazed into her eyes. “I know you don’t want to be cosseted, and I promise, I never intended that, but Eve, I can’t just let you handle this on your own. That’s not how it works.”

“How what works? Arlin, you don’t even know me.”

“You’re right; I don’t. However, that pesky tiger inside of me already scented everything about you that he needs and has claimed you as his. We’re mated in his eyes.” He gave her that dazzling smile of his. “And to be honest, I’m quite happy with his choice. We’ll deal with Kyle, one way or another, but we’ll do it together.”

She felt the pounding of her heart in her chest, felt the warmth of his hand on her cheek, the promise in his eyes. She had lived around shifters for a while but thought all their habits and traditions were strictly for them. “But I’m not a shifter…”

“You don’t have to be. Then again, you may be once I mark you.” He shrugged. “It’ll be fun to find out.” He winked at her. “I’m not going anywhere, Eve, and you won’t be facing Kyle alone. I’m sorry he did that to you, for everything he’s ever done to you. You deserve so much more, and I swear, I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it to you.” And then his lips were on hers, pressing against her, warm, his tongue slipping between them, into her mouth, tasting her, claiming her, as he squeezed her tight against him.

She surrendered to his kiss, his hardness pressing into her, stirring the honey between her legs, her passion, a passion she thought squelched long ago, into a roaring fire. She needed him. Now.

She raked her nails up his back, bringing a moan from his lips, his arms flexing, holding her tighter. Her pussy quivered at his strength. It had been too long since arms held her that weren’t attached to hands hitting her. With Arlin, she just melted into him, unable to get close enough, needing to feel all of him.

And then he stopped, holding her back at arm’s length as he looked into her eyes. She knew he wanted her, could see the hunger in his eyes, so the fact that he waited to claim his prize confused her. And irritated her, as well. “What?” she asked, a little harsher than she intended. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to pull that gentleman card. Trust me, now is not the time.”

“I don’t want to stop, believe me, but this is stronger than just a chance encounter. My tiger already scented you as his mate, Eve. I may not be able to stop myself from marking you.” He gave her a sheepish smile and a shrug. “I haven’t exactly been able to control him lately. That’s why I’m here as a matter of fact. If you’re not ready to be marked, then I think it safer that we just stop.”

Stop? He really thinks I can stop? “Can’t you shifters ever just fuck? What is it with the mate thing all the time? I mean, Alanna and Josh can fool around without marking each other, so why can’t you?”

“I could if my tiger hadn’t already marked you in his mind. Now the pull is too strong for me to risk it without you knowing what the consequences could be. I can’t treat you like any other woman at the bar last night, because the truth is, you’re not like any other woman.”

You have got to be kidding me. Eve rolled her eyes. This is not how she saw this going. She was finally willing to give herself to someone, and he turned all righteous and caring on her. Of course, she hadn’t seen herself throwing herself at him when she first arrived, either. When she pounded on his door earlier, she was pissed. Now, she was still pissed, but for a whole other reason.

Like the shifters she lived around, Eve growled. The first time I’m ready to give myself to someone and this happens. She reached for the knife at her waist, pulling it out and stabbing his counter with it so hard the thunk of the blade sinking into his countertop echoed in the cabin. “Are you going to fuck me or not?”

He smirked at the knife, still vibrating where she thrust it into the counter. “As long as you know the risks, my little warrior.” He reached out, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her tight against him, his cock pressing into her. “I’ll try to be as careful as possible not to mark you, even though I so badly want to do so.” He reached for her shirt, claws poking out of his fingertips, and she could see the glint in his golden eyes, the hunger there for her. Her breath caught in her throat as fear clutched her chest. Perhaps, she shouldn’t have been so aggressive.

With a growl of his own, he ripped her top, tearing it from her body to fall in shreds to the floor. He lifted her in the air, Eve wrapping her legs around his waist as he turned and carried her to his bedroom, where he dropped her unceremoniously onto his bed. She bounced, her arms bracing herself on the mattress as she stared at him with wide eyes.

He didn’t give her time to react as he reached for the buttons on her jeans, ripping the zipper downward. Gripping the waistband on her pants, he yanked them off her body, lifting her in the air as he did, stripping them down her legs, and tossing them carelessly to the floor. His lips turned up into a passionate grin as he reached for his own waistband, making quick work getting his pajama pants off, his boxers going with them. Once he was naked, he crawled up her body, his grin mischievous, hungry. “I believe you wanted something,” he teased as he slid the head of his cock up and down her wet slit.

She tried to say something—anything—but nothing came out. She reached up, grabbing his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh as she took a deep breath. His presence over her overwhelmed her. She wanted it. God, she wanted it.

He leaned down, kissing her, his lips warm on hers. Then he thrust deep into her, his cock spreading her before him until his hips slapped hers, her moans slipping out past their lips, her back arching. He held himself there, buried deep inside of her, as he broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes with a smirk. “Is that what you wanted, Little Warrior?”

“Yes,” she moaned, her voice a throaty whisper. “Oh god, yes.” She thrust her hips up at him, grinding against him to prove the desperation of her need.

He just grinned as he slid out and then thrust back inside of her, and then he kept thrusting, pounding into her. She clutched his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his waist again, pulling him into her as deep as he could go. She heard him growl in her ears, keeping his mouth away from her shoulders, his arms cradling her head. Harder he thrust, faster, the sounds of flesh on flesh filling her ears, mixing with her moans.

She slid a hand down his shoulder, slipping it down his chest, her hand on his nipple, toying with it between her fingers. As he thrust into her, his body shifted upward, his chest hovering over her face. Without even thinking, she licked his flesh, her mouth opening as he drove into her again. Then she bit him, her teeth sinking into his pectoral. He cried out, thrusting into her harder, his body tensing, his cock twitching.

She ran her tongue over the flesh between her teeth, biting just a little harder before letting go. His cock throbbed once, and then she felt his orgasm rip through him, filling her. It was enough to send her over the edge, her body tightening into a tense ball as her climax rippled through her, her breathing ragged gasps as she cried out.

She felt his cock slip out of her as he rolled to her side, his arm draped over her stomach, his breathing heavy in her ears. She giggled as she placed a hand over his. “Is that what you meant by a bite mark?”

He just chuckled as he shook his head. “Oh, Little Warrior, this is going to be so much fun, I can tell.”

You have no idea.