Chapter Twenty
Christian’s control was failing fast as he watched the expressions of pleasure wash over Lily’s beautiful face. The way she bit her lip and then opened her mouth in a gasp, the rosy tinge on her cheeks… he’d never witnessed anything quite so arousing and when the throbbing of her climax pulsed against his fingers, he had to grit his teeth hard to keep from pushing her to the ground and burying his face between her thighs.
His female was trusting him to provide only pleasure, as she had trusted him last night to hold her in his arms and see her through the dark hours. He hadn’t gotten much sleep, but it had been worth it – holding her, watching her – feeling his chest expand with pride that he’d managed to earn her trust.
It had nearly killed him that morning to watch her leave without him, his protective instincts nearly frantic to stay close and keep her safe. But he knew his female, knew she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself – knowing and doing however, proved to be two very different things.
“Where did you go?”
Christian pulled his mind from the haze and focused on Lily’s heavy lidded gaze. God, she was gorgeous, even more so after the orgasm she’d just received. Her eyes were soft, her skin still flushed with pleasure, and her lips slightly swollen. He couldn’t resist the soft, near reverent kiss he placed on those lips. “We should find a bed.”
Lily shook her head, her lips tilting up in satisfaction as her hand grabbed his painfully throbbing erection and squeezed. “I want this inside me. Now.”
Christian hissed out a breath, his control near to snapping with that demand. His grip was probably too firm as he grabbed her ass and picked her up, but Lily didn’t complain, if anything her smile grew, her eyes lighting with anticipation and a healthy dose of lust that had his balls tightening. At this rate, there was no way he was going to last. Her wet heat was slick against his shaft as she wrapped her legs around his hips and clutched at his shoulders with urgent need, her mouth hungry against his.
The head of his erection found her center so easily, too easily, and he wanted to rock his hips, thrust home into her welcoming body, knowing instinctually that it would be the best feeling in the world, better than anything that had come before. How many times had he fantasized just this moment? The reality, however, was so much better. He knew he should slow down, knew he should savor this moment, but Lily was grinding against him, making little mewling sounds of need, and he couldn’t resist. With a growl, he pushed forward, the head of his dick being squeezed by her hot sheath and he gritted his teeth to keep from coming.
Lily rocked against him, sliding down another inch, and Christian’s eyes popped open with a gasp. God she felt good. So hot, so snug around his girth, his hips jutted forward of their own volition, and he slid fully home. The sensation was incredible.
Shifting his hold, he supported her weight with one arm, so that he could touch her with his free hand. That hand eagerly skated up over her smooth back, across her shoulder and down the center line of her chest. Pushing her back slightly, Lily eagerly complied, trusting that he wouldn’t drop her, she arched back. Gorgeous.
Bending his head, he licked at first one puckered nipple and then the other, before sucking one into his mouth. Lily let out a cry of pleasure, her hips rocking against his in invitation to move. Thrusting forward, he continued to lick and suck at the rigid peaks, while her body tightened around his erection in a death grip. He was going to come too soon.
Popping his mouth free, he pushed his hand into the tight space between them to find the bundle of nerves begging for his touch. His thumb strummed over the slick swollen flesh, his hips thrusting faster, as a low growl built in his chest.
Lily gasped, her eyes went wide and her gaze locked with his as the first pulsing of her released squeezed around him. Gripping his neck, she pulled him in for a kiss, each of them swallowing the other’s shout of ecstasy as they found their release together.
Lily couldn’t stop smiling as she and Christian walked hand in hand back to his cabin. Unlike Lily, Christian had worn his clothes into the woods before stripping them off and shifting. Consequently, he was now naked to the waist, clad in only a loose pair of jeans, while she was swimming in his t-shirt. She wondered if she should warn him that he wouldn’t get the shirt back. The soft, heather gray cotton smelled like him, and was probably going to become her favorite sleep shirt.
Making love with Christian had been incredible, wonderful, more than she ever could have hoped for or imagined. Unlike her prior experience, there had been no painful entry, no sting and burn as unaroused flesh was scraped raw… No, she didn’t want to think about that. Better to think about all of the pleasures to come – and Christian was promising many.
Once their bodies had cooled slightly, and their breathing had somewhat returned to normal, Christian had lifted her off of his softening flesh and placed her feet gently on the ground. When he’d grimaced, her heart had shot up into her throat. It had been the most incredible experience for her, but had he not felt the same? She wasn’t experienced or worldly… had she done something wrong?
“I’ve been fully tested. So, I promise, you don’t have to worry about diseases. I’m so sorry,” he shook his head, “I wasn’t thinking and I should have been.”
Lily obviously hadn’t been thinking either considering she’d never once thought of using a condom. The thought hadn’t even been on the periphery of her mind and she blinked at the realization.
“And if we’ve made a baby today,” Christian continued taking her hand and squeezing, “I want you to know that I’ll be by your side, whatever you want, whatever you need. I’ll love that little cub with my whole heart.”
The thought of a cub with Christian, if such was even possible between a cat and a bear, had Lily’s chest squeezing painfully. She’d once dreamed of being a mother, but Hank… Clearing her throat, she confessed, “I have an IUD.”
At Christian’s look of mild surprise, she continued, pulling the shirt over her head so that she had something to do. “Once I realized what Hank was really like, I couldn’t bear the thought of bringing a child into this world with him. So I had my gynecologist…” she trailed off, averting her eyes and staring down at her bare feet on the bed of leaves and pine needles accumulated on the forest floor, her mind drifting back. She would have preferred the birth control shot, but after doing some research, had discovered that her menstrual cycle would likely stop for the months the shot was effective. That would never work. Hank, being the narcissistic control freak he was, tracked her cycles and would have been immediately suspicious had she missed a period that wasn’t a result of pregnancy. And it was that controlling nature that had also decided her against birth control pills – the risk of him finding them… no, she had made the right choice.
Christian’s arms came around her and she sunk gratefully into his warm embrace. With his strength literally wrapped around her, she continued, her voice muffled against the bare skin of his chest. “He thought I was barren. It caused some of our biggest fights, but I just couldn’t.”
Christian kissed the top of her head and nuzzled her hair, just holding her until her brain stopped doing a replay of Hank’s Greatest Hits. Then, as if he knew she needed the levity, he leaned back, locked eyes with her, and apropos of nothing, said “Do you know that it takes forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup?”
Lily blinked in confusion and Christian nodded. “I looked into making my own syrup.” He shrugged, “You know, so I always have some.”
She couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head. “You’re not serious.”
His look of affront was comical, and she laughed louder. “Maple syrup is serious business. I need it. I never knew what I was missing before I came here.” He snorted, “Maple flavor my ass. There is no comparison.”
With that, they had set off for his cabin, both of their steps light, their palms pressed together and their fingers entwined. It was as they came upon the split-rail fence surrounding his house that Lily commented on the scars just above his pelvis. The horizontal slashes were definitely the result of claws, but unlike the ones on his throat, they didn’t look like they were caused by a feline. “How did this happen?” She asked, her fingertips skimming lightly over the top edge of his jeans making his abdominal muscles contract.
Shooting her a grin, he wiggled his eyebrows. “Never piss off a female bear.”
Lily almost didn’t catch the snarl before it broke loose, jealous at the thought of Christian with another female. Ridiculous, considering he was what? Late thirties? And far from virginal, but it was an emotion she couldn’t seem to stifle.
Her annoyance must have shown on her face because Christian’s grin was rife with male satisfaction as he scooped her into his arms and carried her inside his cabin. As soon as he kicked the door shut behind them, his mouth latched onto hers in a kiss that set her pulses flying. “She could never hold a candle to you, my fiery cat.” He growled against her lips.
Wrapping her arms even tightly around his neck, Lily purred. “I think you mentioned something earlier about a bed?”
Considering the surprisingly sultry tone of her voice, was it any wonder that Christian practically sprinted for the bedroom?
