Max wanted to roll over onto her and make her scream. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, but if he did she would never forgive him.
Her eyes revealed her dilemma. Somehow, she knew if she slept with him now she’d be trapped. She’d be his forever.
His.
A smile spread across his face. Max liked the idea. He could push her. It wouldn’t take much. Her eyes told him that.
But she had to make the first move.
Seconds seemed to take hours while she decided. The exhale of a breath. A blink of an eye.
“Max,” she said, her voice soft. She laced her fingers in the mat on his chest and started to make little swirls in his hair.
“Alicia, that feels too good. Please don’t tease me like this.”
“Tease you?” She gave him a wicked smile and buried both hands. “You haven’t seen teasing.”
He placed his hands on top of hers. “Don’t start something you won’t want to finish.”
“I promise I’ll complete anything I start.”
His whole body sang at her words. “And are you starting something?”
“What do you think?” She gave him a sultry smile as she inched closer to him, her fingers still splayed in his chest hair. “I’ve been dreaming of running my fingers through this again.”
Thick, springy hair wrapped around her digits, making her eyes dilate with desire. She pushed him back against the pillows on his bed. “I’ll regret this for at least a day.”
“Not if I make you scream again.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body flush against his. “And I plan on making you scream. I like the sound.”
“I don’t scream.”
“Yes, you do.” He nuzzled her neck. “It is the sweetest sound.”
She pulled up so she could look him in the face. “I don’t scream.”
He smiled. “Want me to prove it?”
“What?”
He rolled them over so he was on top. His fingers found her ribs. “Ticklish?”
“Yes.” The gleam in his eyes had her laughing. “Okay, okay, I give.”
“I haven’t done anything yet.” His hands slid down her body to the edge of her pajama top. “But give me a moment.”
Alicia knew this was it. The moment to commit was here. Max looked deep into her eyes as his hand caressed its way up to her breast.
When his fingers grazed her nipples, she closed her eyes and arched her back. Her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to feel him inside her again. Nothing else mattered.
“I promise you won’t regret this.” His lips pressed against her throat. Soft butterfly kisses against her pulse. Each kiss zinged through her blood.
She spread her fingers over his muscled back. With each of his kisses she gripped him a little tighter. One more and she would explode before anything happened between them.
Max’s hands hadn’t been idle. He had her top open, allowing him to explore wherever he wanted. Her bottoms had a drawstring he had loosened so he could drag the cloth down to give him better access. Her body was open to him.
“You know,” she began, her voice thick with passion, “this isn’t fair.”
“What?” He smiled at her.
“You still have your bottoms on.” She tugged on them for emphasis.
“You do, too.” He ran a knuckle against her belly.
“This?” She pulled the pants out. “You could drive a truck through this.”
“I hadn’t planned on doing that, but it does give me ideas.”
“Stop.” Alicia laughed. She jumped up from the bed and her pants pooled around her feet. “I’ll have control over what goes in my pants.”
“Really?”
She could feel the blush fill her cheeks again. What was it about this man that made her feel this way? Responding would just put her foot in her mouth. Everything she could think of was one double entendre after another.
Action was her best bet. Grabbing his waistband she tugged him close so she could undo his pants. One tug and they pooled as quickly as hers did, revealing more hair for her eyes to feast on. “Oh, man. You go commando all the time?”
“What do you think?” He reached for her top, easing it down her shoulders. The warmth of his calloused fingers caressed her skin.
His question faded into the distance when his touch stirred her. Little goosebumps rose on her arms.
His lips found her throat again. She moaned with every nibble he gave her. The mat of his chest hair rubbed against her sensitive nipples, causing them to pebble. Arousal coursed through her veins.
Fingers threaded through her hair, pulling her face closer. His tongue twined with hers. Heat started low, but built quickly to where she thought she could catch fire. No one ever made her feel this way before.
Max leaned his forehead against hers. “Do you trust me?”
That made her pull back just a little. Why would he ask that?
He didn’t wait for her answer. He eased her back toward the bed, pushing her down backwards once her thighs hit the mattress. Alicia felt his hands crawl up her torso while his mouth closed on a breast.
Her heart pounded in her chest as he licked and nibbled against one peak before working his way to the other breast. Her back arched in pleasure.
Max sniffed the air. Warm hands rolled her onto her stomach. Fingers lifted her hair from her neck and back. Soft lips pressed against her spine, sending chills up her back. A new crop of goosebumps popped up.
His fingers skimmed up her spine, soft, supple. He could do this for hours. Wait. She’d let him do this for hours. It was her little fantasy anyway.
Her body melted under his touch.
He worked magic on her spine, moving up then down her back. His fingers splayed against her backside, kneading it. She felt desire, sure and quick race through her when his hand slipped underneath her and touched her core. If he hadn’t been holding onto her she would have shot off the bed.
Her muscles contracted when he slid a finger inside her. “You are so ready.” He helped her up so she was on her hands and knees.
“Max?” Alicia’s desire fled as fear filled her. This was the one position she hated and had always refused to do. Fighting him boiled to the surface.
“I promise you’ll enjoy this. Trust me.”
That was what it came down to. Trust. Could she trust him enough to be this submissive?
***
Max felt her body relax. A possessive growl escaped him. She was willing to give him her trust.
The words of bonding danced in his mind unbidden. Ancient words flowed in his mind overpowering him.
The scent of her essence filled his lungs. He lined himself up and thrust into her. She arched back to accept him. Her muscles contracted around him in an instant. Forcing him to growl again.
He set the pace, wanting to move slowly before building to a quicker pace. Alicia didn’t want to have anything to do with it. She kept trying to pick up the pace.
The bonding words circled through his mind. He couldn’t stop them. The power grew between them. He knew Alicia could hear them because she started to mumble a few here and there.
“I bond with you now, forever,” Max whispered the words in her ear.
Alicia hesitated for a few moments before repeating the words back to him. Her voice soft and a little nervous.
A tingling sensation entered him. He found he needed her more. Grasping her hips he quickened their pace. His breath contracted when her muscles tightened around him. He heard her breath become a little shallow. She started to plead with him, begging for more. Max started to pound deeper, faster until she started to keen. Her scream wasn’t far away.
The sound of her voice surged through him, pushing him to his climax. As he reached it he saw Alicia’s shoulder start to shimmer. It brightened and glowed, bathing his face in the light. As the shimmering faded he saw the mark.
The small, rearing wolf image looked like a tattoo. He licked it, feeding it with his DNA. Now, she was his. Marked for life.
Alicia was going to kill him. So was his pack.
***
She fought for her breath. Max filled her, making her stretch to accommodate him. Her whole body shivered when he pulled out only to thrust back in.
“More,” she mumbled. Her heart beat frantically.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard strange words. What they were she couldn’t tell. It wasn’t a language she recognized. They flowed around her, in her. It had movement and swayed her.
Caught between the sensual sound of the words and the pounding of their bodies she found herself racing to the pinnacle of her climax.
Max’s whisper came to her like an echo. It permeated her psyche. She repeated the words without thought.
Friction built between them. She could almost reach the prize. A tingling filled her, settling in her shoulder. Between the tingle and the friction she felt the scream develop in the pit of her stomach. It grew in volume and speed until it ripped from her throat.
Her muscles tightened inside her. Like riding a roller coaster, she felt her stomach dip just before the thrill of racing to the bottom filled her. Another scream escaped her.
She collapsed on the bed with Max falling on top of her.