Connor (12 page)

Connor swallowed as the realisation hit him. For her he'd give up anything, even exclusive rights to her. Gently he removed his teeth and licked the wound closed. She clung to him, her legs unable to hold her up. In one smooth move, he lifted her in his arms and carried her the short distance to the bed. Laying her out, just as he'd imagined her – the All You Can Eat smorgasbord – only for him. At least tonight there was no one lined up behind him, waiting his turn.

He kissed his way down her body until he reached her close-cropped triangle of dark hair. For a moment he just breathed her in. Oh, aye, this was what he wanted. Her scent all over him so he'd never forget it; never be without it.

Every time he'd done this to a woman before it was about ego. He wanted to satisfy the woman so she thought him a good fuck. But this time it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her. Or more rightly, he wanted to enjoy her excitement as his own. He wanted to make her come so many times she begged him to stop.

Somewhere between the door and the bed he'd removed his jacket and tie. Now he undid the first few buttons on the white dress shirt so he could breathe properly. Then he got seriously down to it.

Oh. My. God! Allie had known some incredible experiences since meeting Connor that morning, but having him devour her delicate folds as if he was on death row and she was his last meal, was the best yet. She'd come at least twice while he bit her, but now she was having a different kind of orgasm, one that was totally centred on the little bud at the entrance to her core. And one orgasm barely peaked and waned before another more urgent one took her over the edge again.

She'd had guys go down on her before. After all, wasn't that supposed to be the surest way to get off? But even the most experienced and attentive lover hadn't been able to get her to explode like this. And the orgasms she gave herself, well they couldn't compare. It was as if Connor knew exactly what she needed and when, and all she needed to do was lay back and enjoy. Was there some damned mind-synch included in this mate bond? If so, she was warming to it.

As she went over the edge yet again, she clung to his crisp white shirt, crumpling it in her fists, and felt like she wanted to tear it from his body so she could feel the skin beneath. But such fractured thoughts passed too quickly to act on, as he pushed her yet again towards the summit and then over the edge.

Even the sound of him drove her mad. She could hear his heart pounding in his chest, his gasps for breath, the way he sniffed her in as if it was yet another way to have more of her, the deep purr that rumbled in his chest, and his groans of pleasure each time he felt her come apart beneath his very talented tongue.

Finally, she could take no more. Pushing at his rock-hard shoulders, she writhed to escape his attempt to take her over again.

"Stop Connor, please. I can't…not again…" she pleaded, already feeling the surge rising again.

Dutifully, he drew back, his mouth red and swollen from his exertions. He smiled slowly, his half-closed eyes so sexy she almost came undone again without being touched.

"Quite the buffet, me sweet lass. Yer sure yer have it in yer for more than me? I'm only getting started."

She flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, arms spread out on either side of her. "Is that what that marathon was about? Convincing me I don't need two men in my bed to satisfy me? You're so transparent, Con."

"The only thing I was trying to prove was how much enjoyment I could have out of getting yer off. And call me that again," he growled, rubbing his cheek against her inner thigh.

"Call you what again? Transparent?"

"Con. Nobody calls me Con. I like it."

Allie ran her fingers across his buzz-cut hair, enjoying the soft feel of it, like the nape on velvet. The shape of his head pleased her too. And his ears… not large but not small either, lying flat against his skull.

Running her thumbs around the curve of those ears gained her a deep purr of pleasure in response. His ears were an erogenous zone, then. Good. She could work with that.

But not tonight. Now that she had finally come down, her eyes could barely stay open. She should return the favour by at least getting him off once, but felt unable to do more than stroke his ears. Even those caresses were slowing.

The next thing she knew the sun was shining in through her window and her room felt inordinately hot. She turned over to find a naked Connor wrapped around her. No wonder she was hot. He was giving off warmth like an oil heater. When had he lost his clothes? When had she agreed he could stay the night? She didn't do that. It spoke of commitment, and she didn't encourage that kind of thinking.

She must have moved enough to wake him, because the soft purr rumbled in his chest and he drew her closer, their skin damp where their bodies touched.

"Con, let me go. I have to get up. I'm late for work. Cam will have left already. It's mid-morning, for god's sake."

"You don't have to keep up the surveillance anymore, lass. You want a rundown on Cam's activities, just ask him. Now lie still and let me spoon yer a while longer." He nuzzled at her neck, which made her panic.

"No, get up… I can't lie around in bed with you all morning. I…I have things to do. I have a life. You can't just barge into my world and take over like this. I…I…" she stammered to a halt, not sure what she actually wanted to say. That having him there was too good? That she could get too used to this, if she let herself? That she didn't want to give in to the cat? That she didn't want to become a Stepford Wife? None of it made sense as the panicky thoughts raced through her brain.

But something in her words, or her panic got through to him because he slowly moved away from her and lay flat on his back, one arm draped over his face. Taking her chance, she sprung to her feet and dashed into the en suite. This time she remembered to turn the lock before she jumped into the shower and turned it on full-force. Hot and hard, that's what she needed. And didn't that remind her of other things that were hot and hard and been pressed to her backside not more than a few minutes ago.

Was he suffering from blue balls? She hadn't gotten him off last night, which was very selfish of her. Maybe she should do that for him this morning. But the idea of morning sex was too much like domesticated life for her. No, she'd just pay him back another time. It wasn't as if she'd never see him again.

God, she'd thrown him last night. It had been the perfect way to keep him from pressing his claim. Agree to being his mate under one condition; an impossible, unreasonable condition she knew he would never accept. That way they could keep this casual. That way she could keep her heart from being battered by the too-sexy clone warrior with the accent that could melt rocks.

Yes, she did the right thing. This way she could keep it manageable. Keep this mate bond from overtaking her.

With a towel wrapped around her, she headed back into her room to find it empty. So, he'd taken the hint. That was good.

Wasn't it?

But as she sprawled out across the bed and somehow found her nose pressed into the sheets where his body had been laying such a short time before, she felt its warmth and his scent and moaned in disappointment. Maybe morning sex wasn't such a bad idea. It didn't have to mean commitment did it?

However, the question was moot. Connor was gone, and who knew how long it would be before she saw him again.

Standing in the empty hallway outside Allie's door, Connor didn't know what to do with himself. Last night had been the best night of his life, and he hadn't even gotten off. Just holding his mate in his arms, feeling her soft, feminine curves pressed against him had been just short of magical. And he'd thought more than once during those hours of comfort, just what sex would be like with Allie in the morning, when she was drowsy, soft and languid.

But when she finally did wake up it was to pour a bucket of cold water over him. She couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He knew what that felt like. He'd rushed out the door on more than one occasion when he'd fallen asleep during a one-night-stand and woken to be confronted by the embarrassing aftermath.

He'd never expected it to happen to him. And certainly not with his mate. How the hell did he go about making her see sense? How did he make her accept what was so blatantly obvious to him now: she was his. No question. No mistake. No other possibility.

And she felt it too. He knew she did. But for some reason she was holding out on him. Was it just because it had only been a day since they'd met? Did she think that this was a normal relationship that would take months for them both to know each other well enough to commit? Did she expect him to court her like some knight in shining armour? Well, hell, he was as far from a knight as you could get, and his armour was anything but shining.

Was he just expecting too much of her? After all, he still remembered what a head spin the whole discovery of the Sons and their mission had been for him at the beginning. Allie didn't just have to get her head around all that, but around having an instant life partner as well. Maybe when she had time to process everything, she'd come to realise that what was between them wasn't simply great sex. Mind-blowing sex. Life-changing sex. It was an expression of a bond that was soul-deep, no matter how quickly it had formed between them.

Never being one to wax lyrical about emotional things, Connor found that last thought difficult to comprehend. But it wasn't about understanding; it was about accepting. And the more time he spent with Alice N. Wunderlund the more he accepted that some missing part of himself had been returned to him. Was it love? He would have sworn such an emotional attachment was beyond him. Now… well now it felt not only possible but likely.

Because Allie wasn't just any girl. Not only was she bright, beautiful, brave and feisty, but everything he'd seen of her in the last twenty-four hours appealed to him on so many levels. If he was capable of loving anyone, then it would be Allie.

But how did he convince her?

His heart missed a beat and his skin turned cold as the way revealed itself to him. She wanted proof that he'd do anything for her. She wanted proof that he wouldn't chain her to him like chattel, taking away her hard-won freedom and individuality. Allie wanted a threesome with feckin' Cameron.

Maybe if it had been Colt he could have stood the thought. If it had been with one of the other brothers he didn't know very well he might have been able to distance himself from the situation. But Cameron just rubbed him the wrong way. He had from the start. And the idea of sharing his mate with that bastard just felt plain wrong.

And that's why she wanted it. She'd picked the hardest challenge she could find for him, knowing he'd refuse. Knowing he didn't share.

In his mind he conjured up a scene of the three of them together. Cameron probably batted for both teams anyway, so it wouldn't be a hardship for him. Would he try to touch Connor, just to get a rise out of him? He wouldn't put it past the bastard. Men had never interested Connor, but when he was fully aroused, with Allie close, would his sexual excitement extend to include the Englishman? Would he get lost in touch, any touch?

Shuddering, he focused on Allie again. He knew what a turn-on it had been when she'd become aroused at the idea of Cameron watching them. At that moment he would have enjoyed meeting her fantasy. Was it any less so now? Back then it was a way to get her under him. To have her as his cat required. But now that he'd had her, was it any different? No. In fact, it was more so. He wanted to please her in any way he could. If that meant giving her a double-dose of Scorpio Sons then all right. If he focused on her pleasure only, he could give her this.

Resolutely, he turned to the door and rapped gently on it. With the part of his mind that wasn't dealing with thoughts and fantasies, he'd noted the shower in her room turn off and the sounds of her dressing. At his knock, she came to the door and he could feel her resistance as she picked up that it was him on the other side of the barrier. Then resistance was replaced by arousal. He sensed it more than scented it. And that gave him hope.

Slowly, the door opened. Allie stood in the doorway with a scowl and crossed arms. "I'm in a hurry, Con. Why can't you get that I haven't got time to play Happy Families with you right now."

"I'll set it up for tonight. You, me and Cameron." How he managed to get the words out of his throat he didn't know; but rusty and creaking, they came. And it was like he'd thrown a grenade onto her unmade bed.

"What?" she said on a gasp and reached for her throat, falling back a step so he could enter the room and close the door behind him.

He stood in front of her, watching the thoughts cross her highly expressive face, one at a time. First came doubt. Had she misunderstood his meaning? Then came confusion, as she considered the possibility. Next came surprise and cautious acceptance. Lastly, there was the expression he was looking for: realisation that he was serious, that he was willing to give her the thing that was hardest for him to give.

"You'd do that for me?" she asked, trying to make sure she'd understood his meaning.

"Yes. In a very short time you have come to mean…everything to me. I never thought I'd ever say something like that, no less feel it. But if you need a threesome with Cameron, for whatever reason, then I'll make it happen. Whatever you want…"

Allie's eyes opened wider and her features softened. "But you don't share."

"I'm willing to do a lot of things I thought I never would – for you. I can't promise how my cat will respond, but I'll do everything in my power to keep it caged so I don't tear that limey bastard to pieces."

"But I want you to bite me. Both of you to bite me. You can't do that if your cat is locked up."

He rubbed at his face and groaned. Why couldn't she understand that his cat wasn't open to negotiation the way the man was. He didn't think it was possible for him to turn cat and allow a competitor anywhere near her. Sure, they might get away with Cameron watching, but the rest…

"First, you have to understand that Cameron's cat most likely won't come out. Mine never had during sex before. Up until you, the only time my cat wanted out was when I was in danger or angry. Neither situation would apply in this instance. So unless you happen to be Cameron's mate too, and he says that's not the case, then I don't think you'd get that bite from him. And while I can agree to your demands as a man, because of how I feel…my cat has a whole other agenda.

"So it's not like I don't want you to have your fantasy. I just don't think it can happen the way you want it to happen. Do you understand?"