Chapter Eleven
“It’s a Risk I’m Willing to Take”
“You never told me your ex-boyfriend was an Olympic athlete,” Bryon commented, shifting back to human.
“He isn’t,” came Miranda’s reply.
“Could’ve fooled me. He runs faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. Good riddance.”
He massaged his jaw where Jerry had struck him, feeling a twinge of annoyance. At least he’d given the man what he deserved. He turned to face Miranda, who stood staring back at him, the foal still cradled in her arms. She looked somewhat shaken, but otherwise she was unhurt.
“You alright?” he asked her, regardless.
She nodded. “I was hoping I wouldn’t bump into him again. Got scared for a moment there. I thought he’d hurt me, but... well, you stood up to him.”
“I did promise I’d keep you safe, didn’t I?”
The corners of her mouth twitched slightly. “Right. Thank you, Bryon.”
“Don’t mention it.” He smiled back, feeling a wave of relief.
As of right now, they’d pretty much resolved two of their problems. The foal was alive and safe, albeit injured, and her ex-boyfriend was starting to look like old news.
Bryon glanced in the direction Jerry had run, remembering the look of pure terror in the man’s eyes as he shifted.
A thought occurred to him then, and he looked at Miranda again. “I probably shouldn’t have shifted in front of you. I couldn’t think of any other way to scare him off. Sorry if I scared you.”
“No.” She shook her head so vigorously, he thought it might topple off her shoulders. “I mean... I was shocked when it happened, but I’m not scared of you, Bryon. I know you did it to protect me. And I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”
His grin broadened, his insides fluttering with warmth. She did trust him. Just hours ago, he’d been wondering whether his day could possibly get any worse, and right now all he could think was the exact opposite.
“But there’s another problem,” she said, snapping him out of his thoughts. “You did shift in front of Jerry. What if he tells someone?”
Right. For the second time in a matter of hours, a human had seen him shift.
And something told Bryon that Jerry was a lot less rational than his ex-girlfriend.
What were the odds that the man wouldn’t go blabbing about what he’d seen to whoever would listen?
It was just like with Harold, except Jerry didn’t even like him to begin with.
“Doesn’t matter,” he replied,
“You’re kidding, right?” She lifted an eyebrow, as if trying to confirm what she’d just heard. “Oh, you’re serious. You don’t think anyone will believe him, do you?”
“Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it’s a risk I’m willing to take again, if it means protecting you from assholes like him.”
It took him a few seconds to process the gravity of his words. Miranda’s eyes widened slightly. Around them, the entire woods seemed to have gone silent, and the pair of them simply stared at each other.
“I...” She blinked at him, looking unsure what to say. “I...”
She bit her lip for a moment, a strange look clouding her eyes. Before Bryon could decipher what it was, she set the foal gently onto the ground a couple of feet away. Then, drawing closer to him, she stood on her tiptoes and brought her lips to his.
***
Whatever it was that had come over her in the last few seconds, Miranda wasn’t entirely certain. Maybe it was the fact that Bryon had just saved her from her crazy ex-boyfriend. Or maybe it was the words he’d just said.
It’s a risk I’m willing to take again, if it means protecting you.
If Bryon was surprised by the sudden kiss, he didn’t show it.
He kissed her back with equal fervor, as though he’d been waiting for this moment all along.
The world around them seemed to dissolve, replaced with the fires of their mutual passion.
Desire flooded her insides, and she felt every inch of her body come alive, humming with need.
God, she’d wanted this for so long. It had been mere hours since they’d almost had sex in these very woods, and Miranda felt like she’d been crawling through a desert for weeks. Months, even. And Bryon? He was a truckful of water to quench her thirst.
His tongue stole into her mouth, exploring, claiming it. In response, she moaned into the kiss, loving the feel of his knuckles on her skin as he brushed his fingers against her face.
“I’ve been wanting to do this,” he breathed against her lips, “since the last time.”
So she’d been right about that. He wanted this as badly as she did.
A thrill surged through her insides at the thought.
Her heart was jackhammering in her chest by the second, a delicious ache slowly spreading from her core to her extremities.
Her nipples grazed his chest, already rock-hard, and she could feel heat gathering between her legs.
No doubt, he was just as aroused. She’d only need to slide her hands down his torso to his groin to find him already hard and ready, his impressive erection throbbing beneath his bathrobe.
He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, and she let out a soft sigh. For someone with an injured foot, he was quite sturdy, and she let herself relax against his solid frame. Bryon’s arm fell to her waist, pulling her closer. Sure enough, he was rock-hard, his cock pulsating against her groin.
When his hand traveled lower, caressing her bottom and kneading each cheek in turn, she nearly moaned with pleasure. It fleetingly occurred to her that Jerry was still in these woods. He’d just left them minutes ago. But she doubted he’d be returning any time soon.
If at all.
The last time she’d shared a kiss with Bryon, they’d stopped before either of them could take things much further. She’d been embarrassed and somewhat relieved, albeit disappointed.
That wasn’t going to happen this time.
Their kiss intensified, and she could’ve sworn she felt the air around them heat up. His cock throbbing wildly through the bathrobe, he reached between them, caressing her breasts through her pajama top. His fingers brushed her distended nipples, sending pinpricks of pleasure through her body.
“Oh, Bryon,” she panted, breaking the kiss for a moment. “I love the way you touch me.”
“I love how much you love it.” His response was almost automatic, and it sent another rush through her. “I can tell you’re already soaking wet for me.”
She didn’t doubt that. Just rubbing her thighs together, she could feel the wetness pooling there.
Barely stifling a moan as Bryon tweaked her nipple between his fingers, she reached for him, pulling open the bathrobe, and splayed her hands against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her fingertips, rapid as hers was.
Biting her lip, she traced a straight path southward, caressing his abs as she made her way down his torso.
Within seconds, she’d reached his groin. She wasted no time curling her fingers around his erection. He was hot and hard and pulsating in her hand, and she could think of more than a few other things she would like to do right now besides stand and make out.
She stroked his shaft once, twice, loving the way he groaned in response. Then, without warning, she dropped to her knees, kissing the pulsating tip of his cock.
Bryon gasped. “Miranda, what are you—?”
She took him into her mouth before he could complete his statement, circling the head of his cock with her tongue as she sucked him. With one hand, she continued stroking his shaft, and with the other she reached even lower, massaging his testicles, feeling them tighten in her grip.
“Oh, fuck.” When she looked up at him, his eyes were fluttering shut, his lips parted in a moan. He ran his fingers through her hair, stroking it as she continued to pleasure him with her lips and tongue. “Just like that, yes.”
If anyone had told her last night what today had in store for her, she never would’ve believed them.
So far, she’d been woken up by a dangerous ex-boyfriend, chased through town and into the woods, gotten lost in said woods and encountered a man who could turn into a wolf, and now she was on her knees, loving said man with her mouth.
It all sounded like something out of a fever dream.
Except it was quite real. And this part she enjoyed the most.
She suckled harder, feeling a surge of excitement as his moans grew louder. His testicles tightened in her hand. If she kept this up, he was going to explode in her mouth.
She took him out of her mouth, giving his cock a few more strokes before releasing him altogether.
Bryon’s eyes fluttered open as she rose.
Just as she straightened, he pulled her close to him, and she had only a second to suck in a breath before he flipped them.
The next thing Miranda knew, she was lying on her back on the ground.
He stretched himself atop her, claiming her mouth with his once again. His hand moved at the same time, reaching under her pajama top to caress her breasts one by one. When he brushed her nipples with his fingers, she gave a soft gasp, throbbing all the way down to her core.
“You’re so...” Bryon didn’t bother completing his statement, but kissed her some more.
His lips traveled downward from hers to her jawline, pausing momentarily at her neck.
His hands worked at the same time, dexterously unbuttoning her top and baring her breasts.
He tugged at her bottoms, pulling them off her legs until she lay completely naked.
Miranda’s pulse raced. Was she really about to do this?
Before today, she didn’t think she’d ever shared a kiss in the woods, much less gotten naked with a man she’d met only hours earlier.
The mere thought of going through with this should leave her feeling wary.
But right now, she couldn’t care about anything but the man hovering over her.
She reached for his cock, wanting to take him into her, but he pushed her hand aside.
Instead, he traced a path down her torso with his fingers, hovering lazily just over her clit until she thought she might go mad with anticipation.
When he finally touched her, rubbing her swollen clit, she closed her eyes, gasping with pleasure.
“Yes,” she moaned. “Yes, Bryon, that feels so good.”
She could already feel the pleasure building up within her.
When he slipped his fingers into her, one after the other, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven.
He immediately began to pump into her, keeping his thumb on her clit.
At the same time, he leaned down to take her breast into his mouth, and she cradled his head to her chest, running her fingers through his hair.
“Just like that,” she gasped. “Oh, yes, just like...oh!”
Her body almost bowed off the ground as her first orgasm hit her. She clenched around his fingers, trembling from head to toe as pleasure overcame her body. Bryon didn’t stop pleasuring her; his fingers and mouth continued even as she writhed and spasmed against him.
It seemed that an eternity had passed by the time he finally withdrew his fingers. He grinned down at her, bringing his fingers to his mouth and licking them, and she could’ve sworn she heard the throbbing between her legs.
“Aren’t you glad you stumbled upon me earlier?” he said with a smirk.
She was more than glad. At first, she’d been wary of this man, but her fortune had taken a turn for the better since bumping into him in that clearing.
She grinned back, parting her legs wider, and he seemed to get the message.
He positioned his cock against her entrance, stroking her clit with the tip, and she moaned, shifting her hips to capture him.
“Just put it in me,” she practically snapped.
He gave a chuckle, ceasing his torturous rhythm, then slid into her, filling her in one smooth stroke. Her eyes widened with a gasp, and he grunted his pleasure as he bottomed out, his cock pulsating wildly inside her.
“Oh God,” she panted.
He immediately began to move, thrusting deep into her. Miranda let out a series of shuddering gasps. When was the last time she’d felt this amazing? She wrapped her legs around him, loving the way he drove into her. With each thrust, she could already feel herself approaching yet another orgasm.
“More,” she urged.
Bryon kissed her then, muffling her moans with his mouth as he slammed harder into her. She gripped his arms, her fingers digging into his flesh as he picked up the pace.
“I’m so damn glad I met you,” he said, kissing the corner of her mouth. “So, so glad, Miranda.”
With that, he thrust even harder, swiveling his hips every few seconds, and she felt her orgasm hovering near. His kiss traveled from her lips to her cheek, and then to her jawline before returning to her lips. And it was as he claimed her mouth again that she reached climax again.
Her eyes widened, and a cry rose in her throat, muffled by Byron’s lips.
He continued thrusting fast and deep into her as she contracted around him, both of them shuddering with the force of their mutual pleasure.
He grunted against her lips, and she realized his own climax was upon him.
With a few final thrusts, he spilled himself into her, groaning his pleasure into the kiss.
He sank against her then, his forehead pressed against hers, and for the next few seconds, the sound of their mutual panting was all she could hear. They could have lain there for minutes, hours, or even days, and she would have been content.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but eventually, Bryon stirred. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then straightened, examining his foot for a moment. Miranda’s eyes widened slightly. She’d been so lost in their passion, she’d forgotten about his injury.
And what about the foal? She turned her head, her heart fluttering in a sudden panic, and caught sight of the animal lying a few feet away from them, where she’d placed it. Its eyes were closed. Was it dead? No, its body was heaving slightly. It must be asleep.
Bryon straightened, reaching for their clothes and holding out a hand to help her up. “I don’t think we should stay in these woods much longer than we need to. Let’s head back to Green Sanctuary.”
She grinned up at him, taking his hand. “Sounds like a plan.”