Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
K aine fought valiantly to keep his tiger under wraps.
He tried cajoling, ordering, and yet the animal rode him, his chest tight with its need to assert its dominance over the woman who had defied them.
His tiger slammed against the cage of Ezra’s mind and he winced.
Lucky studied him, some semblance of caution in her gaze.
Not enough to appease his tiger, though.
It was only the fact that Kaine had studied this woman and knew her every tell that allowed him to see that her usual confidence was a little shaken.
By him? Or had the incident flustered her more than Hakeem had observed?
His tiger froze within him while the man assessed her.
“Tiger,” she said softly. “You’re here.”
“Yes, I wanted to surprise you.”
Lucky blinked, a guilty look on her face. “Hence you asking me to come straight home.” She looked around and saw the flowers on her kitchen counter. “And you brought me flowers.”
“I know how difficult this day was for you, despite your words to the contrary.”
She released a shuddering breath and lowered her head for a moment. “It was bittersweet.”
His tiger rattled his chest and he stepped forward. He couldn’t allow himself to touch her just yet. He feared that if he got his hands on her, his tiger would wrestle out of his control.
Shaking away the moment, Lucky gave him a small smile. “Had I known you would be here…”
He chuckled darkly. Was that her way of offering an apology?
“I’m struggling between my need to care for you and the need to punish you at the same time.” He closed the space between them, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He kissed her neck and stepped back. “Care has won out for now. Shower or bath?”
She was confused. It was written all over her face. “Shower,” she told him softly.
He nodded and padded to her bedroom to allow him time to calm himself and his animal. Now that she was home and he had eyes on her, that should be easy enough. He prepared the bathroom for her, stepping out a few minutes later once the water was warm. Lucky entered the bedroom.
“Talk to me.”
“The time for talking has passed, princess, go shower. I’ll be here when you get out.”
The time for conversation was an hour ago when he’d arrived at her apartment, expecting her to be only minutes behind him.
Now, his tiger wanted nothing less than submission, and from the defiant fire in his mate’s eyes, she still didn’t understand why he was upset.
It was partially his fault since he hadn’t told her about the attempts on his life.
She had no clue why he was overly worried about her safety.
He’d thought he could hold off that conversation for when she arrived home, but it seemed her father and brother were right.
His mate found herself in strange trouble at the most inopportune moments.
While she showered, he checked in with her security to make sure he hadn’t missed any details regarding what happened.
He didn’t want to compound her stress but his mate was gon’ feel him behind disobeying a direct order.
By the time she came out of the shower, he was calmer, though his tiger was still on the edge of his consciousness.
She was wrapped in a towel, her skin dewy, the scent of her soap tickling his nose.
He sat on the edge of the bed and beckoned her closer.
He had her lotion in his hand, eager to touch her. Weighty silence dropped between them as he moisturized her skin. He got to her arms and saw the dark bruise from where the male had grabbed her. His tiger bucked against his chest, his teeth elongating.
“It’s okay, tiger,” Lucky tried to soothe him.
He removed the towel from her body to check for others. Once he was satisfied, he pulled her into his arms.
“I don’t like when you defy me, Lucinda,” he told her, and she snorted.
“I didn’t ‘defy’ you, Ezra. I just didn’t come straight home after the hair store.”
“Oh, semantics? You wanna play games? Perfect, let’s play then. On the bed, princess.”
“Am I getting punished?” she asked with a gleam of anticipation in her eyes as she crawled onto her bed.
He didn’t say anything, just dragged her to the edge of the mattress and pushed her thighs open.
Lucky smiled, lifting her hips in anticipation.
He could only laugh to himself at how clueless his mate was.
Kaine licked down the dewy lips of her sex, drawing her scent into his lungs.
Gripping her hips, he held her in place as he ate her pussy.
She cradled his head, humming in pleasure.
Kaine slowed to a sensual pace, sliding two fingers inside to read her body.
The moment her channel started clenching, signaling her orgasm, he pulled back.
Scraping his teeth down her thighs, he growled at the welts lifting on her skin.
He kept his fingers in place, grunting in satisfaction as her walls clamped down, a desperate mewl letting him know she wasn’t quite back from the edge.
He sucked on her skin, leaving marks on her thighs, satisfying the feral edge of his tiger’s need.
“Rah,” she begged, and he went back to her center, pulling her clit into his mouth.
Her back arched and she moaned, her walls fluttering.
He stopped again and his mate hissed in aggravation, her nails scoring his shoulders.
He kissed his way upward, licking across her stomach.
He hummed as he got to her breast, pulling a nipple into his mouth.
She held his head in place, riding his fingers.
He removed them and she mewled in displeasure.
He took his time, lavishing her breasts with kisses, rolling the nipples around his tongue.
She squirmed beneath him, and he shoved his fingers back into her pussy.
She cried out, her walls gripping him as her body worked to get the orgasm he was denying her.
She growled when he pulled them out, biting down on his shoulder.
His tiger responded, a fiery lash of power that bowed his back.
His teeth lengthened, his chest rattling as the animal slipped slightly from his control.
Kaine sucked on her neck, making sure the bruise he left would last for days.
He held her hips down, keeping her still.
“You owe me an apology, princess,” he murmured, sucking on her ear next.
“For what?” she whined, breathing hard.
“You still don’t understand? Hmm.” He kissed his way back down her body, the heat emanating from her raising the temperature in the air around them.
He reached her leaking pussy, sucking her clit into his mouth.
“Please, Rah,” she cried out, fighting against the hold he had on her hips.
A sheen of sweat covered her skin as he devoured her, stopping right on the edge of her coming.
He got lost in the taste of her, his tongue driving into her as she begged for release.
Instead of giving in to her demands, he lifted from the drug that was her pussy.
Her body was trembling, her eyes wild as she fought to breathe through her lust. The head of his dick was throbbing, leaking as he squeezed down on his erection to keep from coming his damn self.
Kaine prayed for patience as he notched his dick right at the entrance of her pussy.
“Eyes on me, princess,” he demanded.
Her panther shone in her gaze as her dazed eyes met his. He pushed inside and her hoarse cry was music to his ears. He kept his strokes slow and deep, taking his time with her.
“Please, Rah,” she whispered, “can I come?”
Kaine chuckled. “Nah, you wanted to play games, remember?”
He circled her clit with his thumb and Lucky cried out, her stomach tightening with an impending climax. Lifting his finger and pulling out, he turned her onto her stomach.
“Arch,” he ordered, slapping her ass.
“Please.” Her begging sent chills down his spine.
He drove forward, biting his lip to keep from moaning. Her shit was tight and warm, the perfect haven for him. He was punishing her, yes, but damn if he wasn’t paying for it. He laid his forehead against her back, breathing deep to keep from spilling inside her heat before he was ready.
“Rah,” she whimpered, her walls fluttering on his dick.
He pulled out to give himself a moment, kissing down her spine. She cried out in protest and he plunged back in, gripping her hips tight.
“Where is my apology, princess?” he demanded as he drove in and out of her body.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” she promised, a growl leaving her throat as he slid over her spot.
Her panther rose and he could feel the cat’s power. The animal offered its submission to his tiger and an exhilarating pride filled him. That was all he and his cat needed.
Kaine slid out and turned her over again, needing to see her face when she toppled over the edge.
As he stroked into her soaked pussy, Lucky lifted her chin, exposing her neck to him to reiterate her submission.
Fuck. She made it so easy to worship her.
His tiger bucked against him, its power coaxing her panther even further forward.
The animal didn’t disappoint, a hungry blaze lighting Lucky’s gaze.
Kaine chuckled, lifting her hips off the bed so he could thrust deeper.
“Hey, kitty cat.” His voice was cajoling and her panther answered, Lucky’s teeth elongating.
The animal pushed forward, its power covering him in answer to his tiger’s demand.
He saw the moment it decided to bypass all the games the humans were playing.
For a moment, he worried that it would bond them without Lucky’s consent, but she nodded her head, signaling that she and her panther were of one accord.
Kaine leaned forward, leaving her no time to change her mind.
His tiger bucked, feral power filling his body as he readied himself.
He tilted his head, giving the cat prime real estate for her mark.
Lucky struck, biting down on his shoulder.
Kaine growled, his hips pounding into hers as euphoria filled him.
The tip of his dick ached, the barb that was only reserved for mating throbbing with his heartbeat.
She pushed her magic into him, sealing their bond tight.
Before she licked her bite closed, Kaine was already giving his tiger what it had been craving from the first moment he heard her laugh.
He gripped her shoulder between his teeth and bit down.
Stars exploded behind his eyes as another orgasm tightened Lucky’s body.
She moaned loud in pleasure, and Kaine sucked on his bite, pushing power into it, their souls sealing.
Desperate pleasure filled him now that they were bound together.
Lucky’s walls clenched down on him and finally sent him over the edge.
He couldn’t help the loud growl as he released.
The barb on the end of his dick lifted, scraping against her g-spot before notching into place, keeping her locked to him.
It pulsed, releasing hormones that would stimulate her ovulation.
His tiger rumbled his chest in satisfaction at the thought of Lucky pregnant.
There was no guarantee that it would happen right away, but damn if he wouldn’t keep her sat on his dick to make it happen as soon as possible.
Kaine retracted his teeth, licking the bite closed, and pulled her into his chest. Love for her overwhelmed him, the sensation of his barb unlike any other pleasure he’d experienced. His mate whimpered in his arms, her muscles clenching as another climax shook her body.
He whispered his love and appreciation for her as he held her through her aftershocks. His back bowed as the barb retreated finally, both of them going limp. Her emotions were open to him, love and adoration her foremost thoughts. She was such a blessing to him.
Lucky lifted her head, a sheepish smile on her face. “I guess my panther was tired of waiting.”
He could only chuckle and roll over, still not separating their bodies. He rubbed his cheek against hers. “She claimed what was hers.”
She skimmed her bite mark and he shivered in pleasure. “I love you.”
His arms tightened around her. “I love you.”
Her amusement fluttered down their connection a moment before her head lifted, an impish smile on her face.
“Say it and I swear I’ll have you too sore to sit tomorrow,” he promised her, pushing down his laughter. The woman was incorrigible.
“That’s not the threat you think it is,” she teased.
He turned their bodies so he could lift them out of bed. “Let’s shower, and then I can find other ways to occupy that slick ass mouth of yours.”