Chapter 9
Blake
Iwait by the door of the accommodation building, watching Elinor coming toward me. I’m going to savor every single second of this.
God knows I don’t deserve her, but I’m ecstatic she’s agreed to work for me.
This time is precious. An opportunity to prove to her that I’ve changed. That I’m not the guy I used to be. My stupid ego has gone. All I want is for her to be happy.
And one day, when she finally trusts me, I’m gonna make her my queen.
Her tight red shirt displays her perky little tits to perfection.
Not wearing a bra, I think, and my boner gets even bigger.
Her eyes are huge and uncertain behind her long bangs, but I sense the need in her.
The scent of her arousal has been thick in my nostrils ever since I kissed her, and it’s driving my beast insane.
I have to go slow with her, though. After all I’ve done to her, I have to make sure she’s coming to me of her own free will. That she’s forgiven me.
She comes to a stop in front of me, hands on her hips. All sassy again. “This is it?”
“Yup. This is the staff quarters.” I show her in. “Dad’s room is here, on the first story. There’s the kitchen. And the spare room’s up there.”
It’s actually my room. But I don’t tell her that. She can stay there by herself, if that’s what she really wants.
I let her go up the stairs ahead of me, my eyes clinging to the small, perfect curve of her ass in those tight black jeans.
Claim her, my wolf insists. I push it back. “Not yet,” I growl. I have to make sure she’s ready for this.
“Go ahead,” I say, when she hesitates in front of the bedroom door.
She turns the handle and pushes it open.
I watch her take it in. I just bought a brand-new king-size bed and a bunch of soft furnishings.
Kind of extravagant for this little place, but I wanted to make it perfect for her.
Especially if she lets me claim her here.
I want her to think of it as a special place for her first time.
Her nose wrinkles in suspicion. “This is your room, isn’t it?”
I grin. Nothing gets past a crow.
“It is. But it’s for you now.”
“But where will you sleep?”
Right beside you.
“Uhh, I can crash with my dad or something.”
“This is… real nice,” she says, confusedly.
I laugh. “Were you expecting an old mattress on the floor or something?”
She turns to face me. “I mean, when you said it wasn’t much—”
I want to tell her I tried to make it nice for her, but I don’t want to scare her off.
She might be aroused, but I see she’s still flighty. The slightest wrong move could send her running.
“All clean sheets,” I tell her. This is true, I just put them on this morning. “Want to see if the mattress is comfy?”
“I guess.” She goes over, sits down and bounces on it a little bit.
Jesus, the sight of her tits, bouncing beneath her shirt. I’m just about ready to blow my load. And now my crotch is right on her eye line, and she’s zeroing in on it again.
The tip of her tongue runs across her lips. Nervously. But her eyes are dark pools of desire. My beast pushes up beneath my skin. Alone in a bedroom with my mate. I can barely keep it inside of me.
She could have stood up again. But she doesn’t.
Something is keeping her rooted there to the spot.
My breath catches. Is she waiting for me?
“Comfy bed, huh?” I say.
“Yeah,” she says uncertainly.
I take a step closer. “What is it, Elinor?”
She puts her hand to her chest. “My bird… I-I don’t know... I feel like… ”
She’s not making a lot of sense. But I know what she means: it’s telling her I’m her mate. And that’s scaring the hell out of her.
Tenderness washes over me.
I sit down beside her. “If you really knew how I felt about you, you wouldn’t be scared.” I reach out, sweep the bangs from her face.
She meets my gaze with burning eyes. “How do you feel?”
“That you’re mine. My mate. The one I’ve been looking for all my life. That I want to make you happy. Cherish you.”
A gasp catches in her throat.
While her lips are still parted, I dip my head and capture them with my own. They’re warm, soft, and I feel her yield to me.
When I slip my tongue into her mouth, she gives a little moan.
Holy hell.
I slide my hand beneath her shirt, over her taut stomach.
She shivers at my touch. I feel it go all the way through her. “I just want to make you feel good,” I mutter against her lips.
She draws away, and gives me a long look, questions dancing in her dark eyelashes.
Then she tears the red shirt right over her head.
No bra, just as I thought, and her tits are even more beautiful than I imagined.
Sweet and round, with pale pink nipples, hard with desire for me.
And her slender torso is covered in tattoos of crows.
Crows in-flight; resting; beautiful blue-black wings spread.
It’s the most incredible thing I’ve seen, winding all around her upper body, apart from her tits, which are left completely bare.
My beast growls.
“Who did these tattoos?” I blurt out.
“There’s a shop in Perdue. A guy called Forge did most of them. The good ones anyway—”
That guy who warned me off Elinor. Who I almost challenged. My vision turns to red mist. My animal can’t stand the thought of another man touching her. I’ll kill him. I’ll go back to his tattoo shop and tear him apart.
“He’s mated—”
Elinor’s voice cuts through my wolf’s possessive rage.
I come back down to earth, force my animal under control again.
She’s looking at me with a trace of amusement, and something else—awe?
“He has his mate already.”
“Sorry,” I grunt. “Don’t like the thought of anyone else marking you.”
I’m not sorry. I hope she’s done inking her body, because no other man will ever touch her again.
She gets up and stands in front of me, lightly running her fingers over her taut belly. “They’re important to me.”
I like the way she’s standing like that, confidently, not trying to hide her body from me. And I get it. This was something she did to feel good about herself. Something empowering.
“They’re beautiful,” I say. “Come here. Let me see them close up.”
I catch her up and draw her onto my lap, so she’s straddling me.
She leans back, bracing her hands on my thighs, while I examine each one, commenting on the colors and uniqueness of the designs.
I can tell she’s pleased. It was the right thing to do.
“And these are the most beautiful of all.” I cup my hands around her beautiful breasts, and she moans into my mouth. God, she’s sensitive. I lift her up a little and take one of those delicate pink rosebuds into my mouth.
“Oh, Blake,” she moans. I lick one, then the other, and she sighs and grinds against my cock.
I can feel the heat of her little pussy through her jeans and panties. Fuck. I don’t want to rush her, but I can feel how ready she is. I strip off my own shirt, and she runs her hands over my pecs and shoulders delightedly.
“Haven’t seen this for a long, long time, Waldgrave,” she says, a hint of mischief in her voice.
I startle. “You’ve seen me half-naked before?”
“Only all the time.” She grins broadly.
“You were checking me out?”
“Yeah, I might have been. I hated your guts, but I couldn’t help noticing you were damn fine.” She presses her lip to mine, pushes her bare breasts against my chest. She’s so soft, so velvety.
I need out of our clothes. I ease her off my lap, tear my own jeans off, then I unfasten the button on her jeans and slide down her zipper. Her panties are lace and emerald green, and sexy as hell. When I tuck my fingertips into the waistband, her hands flutter down to stop me.
I pause. “Too fast?” I ask.
“Yes… no… I’m just a little—” She releases an epic sigh. “—you know, I haven’t done this before?”
Another arousal bomb hits me, and my beast roars at the reminder of her virginity.
“I know,” I say. “I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to. Don’t worry.”
“I do want—” She breaks off, an adorable heat spreading from her cheeks to her bare chest.
“Let me take care of you,” I say. I press my lips to her soft, flat stomach as I ease her panties down. The hair between her thighs is jet black, too. Soft and neatly trimmed. And her panties are totally drenched.
“Kind of wet, huh?” I comment.
“Yeah,” she mutters, with a shy smile.
I shuck her jeans and panties all the way down and help her step out of them. And finally, she’s standing in front of me, fully naked. This tiny, sassy goddess.
My throat tightens. After everything, she trusts me. And it’s the most goddamn beautiful thing I can imagine.
I reach for her. Kiss her again and again.
She’s so ready for me, and I haven’t even touched her yet.
My cock is so hard, it’s fit to burst. I can see it in my peripheral vision, jutting out between my thighs.
She hasn’t looked at it or touched it yet, like she’s scared of it.
But when I draw her closer, encouraging her to straddle me again, her small, soft hand suddenly wraps around it.
Fuck.
A groan escapes my throat. “Elinor, I’m not going to be able to hold back much longer if you keep doing that,” I growl.
She jerks her hand away again. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’ve just got to take care of you first.” I snatch up, and lay her down on the soft comforter. She keeps glancing at my cock, as if she’s nervous of it, but curious, too. She’s delicious. When she’s ready, I’m going to give it to her until she can’t take any more.
I spread her sweet thighs and take her in for the first time.
My god, she’s so pink and perfect. As I hold her legs apart, she squirms a little, self-consciously.
“You’re beautiful,” I breathe. “Perfect little body.” Then I dip my head and taste her for the first time.
Her sweet virgin scent fills my nostrils, like honeysuckle and jasmine.
She’s wet. Wetter even than I imagined. I try to plunge my tongue inside her, but she’s too tight. Her cherry still intact.
“Oh!” she cries out, when I flick my tongue lightly over her little bud.