Chapter Twenty-Three
Cyrus threw back his head and howled, man and wolf overjoyed. His fangs dropped and his breathing quickened. The instinct to possess, to claim, overwhelmed him. Mine! He shook his head, trying to regain control, but the primal mating urge was upon him.
“Here.” He laid her on a carpet of wildflowers, the scent of their crushed blooms rising around them. “Now.”
Flat on her back, she stared up at him, startled by the abrupt change of position. “Now?”
Crouching over her, he struggled to leash his animal nature.
She wasn’t a wolf, didn’t understand their ways.
She was also human and much more fragile.
It was a wonder she wasn’t running screaming from him.
Claws erupted from his fingertips. He dug them into the ground to center himself.
“I’m rushing you. This is why I stayed away, gave you space. ”
She sat up, grabbed the hem of her shirt and dragged it over her head. “I’ll want an actual wedding with a dress and flowers, too. Nothing fancy. Just family.”
“Whatever you want.” If she wanted him to wear a suit, he would. He wouldn’t like it, but he’d do it to make her happy.
She undid the front clasp of her bra and shrugged it off. “Then here and now works just fine.”
Captivated by the sight of her bare breasts, it took a second for her words to process.
His dick punched against the front of his jeans, demanding to be released.
It took every ounce of discipline not to fall on her like a slavering beast. When he hesitated, she opened her arms. Helpless to resist, he lowered himself over her, careful to keep his weight off her.
“You’re bruised.” And likely hurting, even though she’d never admit it.
“I am, but I don’t care. I want you, Cyrus.” It wasn’t an admission of love, but he’d take it.
He’d intended the kiss to be gentle, but once their lips made contact, he was lost in her spicy sweetness, the welcome a balm to his battered soul.
The muscles in his arms strained as he supported himself above her, their mouths the only parts of them touching.
A sense of urgency drove him. Until she was marked, she wasn’t truly his.
Growling, he pulled back and stood, helping her to her feet beside him.
With more speed than finesse, he peeled her jeans and underwear down and away.
Naked, standing in a field of wildflowers, with the sun beaming down on her, she was a woodland fairy come to life.
No, a queen, older, wiser, and sure of herself as a woman.
Her short hair brought out the sharp angles of her face, accentuating her brilliant green eyes and adding to the image.
The bruises marring her pale skin were a reminder that first and foremost, she was a warrior.
She might not be a wolf, but she was a woman who’d stand by her chosen mate against all odds.
He shucked his jeans, his dick jutting out eager and ready. Falling to his knees, he pressed a kiss against her stomach and soaked in the perfection of the moment, imprinting it on his memory for all time. His wolf snarled, restless, a sense of urgency driving him.
It was his nature to be dominant. He’d always suspected if he’d belonged to a pack, he’d have been alpha. As it was, his brothers teased him about being alpha of their family. They weren’t wrong. But in this, he needed her to take the lead.
He took her hand and shuffled back beneath a tree.
With his back against the trunk, he pulled her down onto his lap, almost losing it when his dick pressed against her warm skin.
He eased her away, putting some space between them.
She stared at him in confusion. “Take me.” He rested his hands on the tops of her thighs. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Her sensual smile, filled with feminine promise and power, had his balls pulling up tight.
Her fingertips skated up his arms, her nails lightly scoring his biceps on the way to his shoulders.
“You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met.” She licked her lips before lowering her head and licking one of his flat nipples.
He thumped the back of his head against the tree. He’d unleashed a sexy siren who was going to torture him. “I’m on edge here, Lavinia.” She stilled when he used her full name but retaliated by lightly nipping at his chest.
“I thought I was in charge?”
He tightened his grip on her thighs. “Push too far and that won’t last.”
“Are you saying I tempt you?” She ran her finger over the scar and down the center of his chest, stopping right above the tip of his shaft.
The simple touched burned through him. He growled and nipped her shoulder—not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to remind her she wasn’t dealing with a human male but a primal werewolf.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She wrapped her hand around his erection and squeezed.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.
Big mistake. The scent of her arousal hit him with the force of a sledgehammer to the gut.
Lust erupted in his veins before gathering in his dick.
In retaliation, he teased the slick folds of her core.
“No fair,” she gasped, undulating her hips to try to deepen his touch.
“I’m a wolf. I play to win.”
“So do I.” When her hand slid over his shaft from base to tip, the top almost blew off his head. But he hung on, needing to be inside her when he came.
He stroked her clit before slipping a finger inside to test her readiness. Her breath caught in her throat, and she moaned, her inner muscles fluttering around him.
He caught her next moan in his mouth, kissing her with every ounce of pent-up desire inside him.
Their tongues tangled, lips melding and releasing only to dive back in again.
Chest heaving, sweat coating his skin, he lifted her so she was poised over him.
Holding his shaft, she guided him to her opening and lowered herself over him.
The sensual glide of her hot molten core over his dick was an exquisite torture.
It was a tight fit. Her core flexed and softened around him as he forged his way deeper.
They were both gasping for air by the time he was seated to the hilt.
The trust in her eyes made his chest swell with pride.
This incredible woman had agreed to be his.
Using his grip on her hips, he lifted her slightly and then lowered her. They both groaned when the friction sent bolts of desire flooding through them. “Lavinia.” This was his woman, now and for all time.
“Cyrus.” His name came out more as a sigh.
“Mine.” Using his upper body strength, he began to lift and lower her. She came up on her knees and put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself and began to move with him, setting a rhythm that grew faster and more desperate with each thrust.
Her cries of pleasure spread across the meadow and echoed in his soul. His fangs dropped. The muscles in his jaw flexed. Need roared through him like a wounded beast. His gaze zeroed in on the curve of her neck.
Their bodies moved in a sensual dance, driving them both higher.
Her breathing changed, her inner muscles spasmed.
She threw her head back and cried out his name.
His release shot from his dick, the base swelling to lock him inside her.
It was then he struck, sinking his fangs into her soft skin.
She cried out again and wrapped her arms around his head, holding him to her as she orgasmed a second time.
The taste of her spread through his veins and wrapped around his heart.
It was as though a part of him that had been missing clicked into place. It was profound and perfect.
His fangs retreated and he reverently licked the puncture marks to close them.
Vinnie would wear the mating mark for the rest of her life.
All other wolves who saw her would know she belonged to him.
He gathered her against him, her hot breath feathering across his chest. Closing his eyes, he gave silent thanks for the precious gift he’d been given.
He kissed the top of her head, her temple, her shoulder.
For the first time in his life, he was perfectly at peace.
Contentment seeped into his bones. Even his wolf was calm and satisfied.
Birds sang and swooped through the trees. Bees and butterflies flitted among the flowers. Vinnie finally stirred and gave him a sleepy smile. “That was intense.”
He gently rubbed his thumb over the mark on her neck. “Does it hurt?” He had no idea how she’d react to it being human.
“It’s more that I’m aware of it, if that makes sense.” She brushed a soft kiss against his cheek before stroking his beard. “It was powerful, like a jolt of pure energy shot through me.” When his dick flexed inside her, she made a small sound of pleasure. “You’re still hard.”
“I’m a wolf. I can go all day.” But she needed time to recover.
The swelling had gone down at the base enough to lift her off him.
“I wish we could stay indefinitely, but we should go back to the house if you want to shower before Adam and Zach return.” There was no telling how they’d react to their mating.
“I can’t believe I forgot all about them.” She scrambled to her feet and spun around to look for her clothes. “I definitely need a shower.” She screwed up her nose. “You wolves have too keen a sense of smell for comfort.”
Her words were lost on him, his gaze on her back. “Vinnie.” When she ignored him and began to pull on her panties, he pushed to his feet. “Lavinia.” That got her attention.
“What?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“Your back.” Shocked to the depths of his core, he touched her smooth, unblemished skin.
“What about it?” She turned her head one way and then another, trying to see.