Mountain Moonlight (11 page)

“You’re beautiful,” he said, dipping down to steal a taste of her lips. He rimmed her bottom lip with his tongue, coaxing entrance into the heated recesses of her mouth. Her body trembled and she tensed as if she’d fight back, but he refused to yield, licking ather teeth, sliding  his lips over hers until,  with a sigh, she opened her mouth, tangling her tongue with his.

Remembering to keep her relaxed, he massaged her back again in slow circles, starting at her mid-spine and working his way down. When he splayed his hands over

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her buttocks and drew her against his erection, she moaned, a clear signal that she was  responding without thinking.

Exactly the  way he wanted her.

Conner pulled away from her delectable  mouth and  pressed his lips against her  jawline, moving downward over her throat with his tongue. She tasted earthy,  elemental, arousing. He glanced  through the  open drapes at the partial moon, the beast  within him raging to be  free.

That would come soon enough. Now he had more important matters to attend to.

The effort it took to keep his impulses at  bay was great. So great, in fact, that Katya had to feel the tightly coiled tension in his muscles. Then again,  she wasn’t touching  him at all. She might have yielded her mouth, but her body had yet to follow suit.

He’d remedy that soon  enough. No way was he going to feel like he’d been strung  on a rack of torturous sensation without dragging her along with him.

The war raging within him consumed his every thought. The desire to take, to  overpower, the natural inclination and urges of  the part of him that was lupine wanted  to take  over. The human part of him put on  the brakes, reminded him what Katya had  endured recently, and wanted no comparison between him and  Peter. He’d go slow  until she was ready.

Not that she’d ever admit to being ready. But he’d know  when she was.

Lesson one. Command.

He leaned back and searched her face. Her flushed cheeks and panting breaths told him what she refused to voice. She may not react, but she felt.

“Touch me, Katya.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Afraid you’ll find you like it too  much? Afraid you’ll lose the challenge?”

“I don’t have to respond. You have to  do the taking. I am to just…stand here.”

His lips curled. “That’s not what you want.”

She arched a brow. “Do not presume to know what I want, Conner.”

Just as he expected, she wasn’t going to give  in easily. But he so loved a challenge.

“Tell me,” he said, sliding his fingers just under the hem of her sweater. “Do you

feel this?”

When he made contact with the bare skin  of her belly, she flinched, her abdominal

muscles tightening. The pupils of her eyes  dilated when he skimmed the waistband of

her pants.

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Feel it.”

“Of course.”

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She tried to act nonchalant, but her body reacted.

“How about this?” He reached inside her sweater with both hands, the warmth ofher skin igniting his passions. Moving steadily upward, he skimmed her rib cage, resting his hands just under her breasts.

Her breath labored and she shuddered with  each inhalation. His fingers were only inches from her nipples.

She didn’t say a word.

Neither did he. Instead, he showed her with his hands what he could give her if she’d only ask. He stepped behind her, pulling the sweater up and over her head.

Reaching underneath the mass of  dark curls, he swept  them over  her shoulders tobare her back to him. Sliding his hands  upward, he massaged the nape of her neck,pressing close enough to nestle his crotch  against her buttocks. Her heat surrounded him, making him desperate to get on with  it. He fought for control but he could soeasily lose it with her.  She tempted him too much.

She tried to mask it, but he heard the whimper. Conner leaned in, whispering in her

ear.

“When I fuck you from behind, I’ll grab your neck between my teeth and hold you in place. You’re mine, Katya. And because of that, I’ll possess you completely.”

She didn’t speak, but her body quivered.

So far, so good.

Lesson two. Relentless pursuit.

Keeping his fingertips light and  easy, he stroked her  shoulders, down her arms,  kissing her  neck while he explored her upper body with his hands. When he reached around and cupped her breasts, she froze.

Not from fear, though.

Anticipation. Need. Raging desire. Thank  God what he felt wasn’t one-sided.  Despite her cool reception, Katya  wanted this. If her damn pride didn’t stand in her way, he knew she’d be willing, even eager.

Fighting for patience, he continued his exploration of her body. Swirling his thumbs  over the globes, he inched closer  to her nipples. He peeked over her shoulder to see the  erect buds, poised and ready for his touch.

But he wanted to take this slow. Torment her a little,  make her want it so badly she’d forget  all about the stupid fucking challenge and just beg him to take her. The only way to ensure that would happen would  be to surprise her. She’d expect him to want it fast. He wasn’t going to take it fast.

So instead of running  his fingers over her nipples, he  skated the line of her ribs again, grasping her waist and pulling her gently against his erection.

“You make me hard, Katya. Your body, your scent, the little sounds you make. Youthink I can’t feel your reactions? Can you feel mine?” He moved against her  again, butshe didn’t respond.

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He closed his eyes and inhaled the musk  of her arousal, rocking his hard-on back and forth against her buttocks. He set a rhythm, and  soon enough  she was inching back toward him.

Toward his cock, as if she searched for it, needed it.

And it was damn well ready for her, too.

But not yet. In order to  torment her, he’d have to suffer the same torture.

Waiting.

He was going to die of  acute arousal before this was over.

“Your skin melts under my hands,” he murmured, sliding his fingers inside the waistband of her pants again, moving just far enough to touch soft, heated skin. When he moved one hand to  the front near her zipper, she backed against his cock  again as if she was trying to escape his probing fingers.

But there was no place she could hide from  him. He had her in front, and  he hadher in back.

Soon, he reminded himself. Be patient.

But his patience was quickly wearing thin.

And judging from the harsh rasps of her breath, hers was, too.

“Do you want me?” he asked.

It took her a moment to reply. “No.”

She wasn’t a very good liar. “Maybe I haven’t been thorough enough in my efforts.”

He moved in front of her and searched her  face. Desire etched frown lines on her

forehead, the darkening honey color of her eyes glowed with a primal lust he recognized all too well, and the way she swiped her tongue across her parched lips was  a silent signal of wanting.

“Thirsty?”

She nodded.

He led her into the kitchen and opened a bottle, pouring a glass of brandy. She held out her hand to take it  from him. But he pulled back. “You need something, I’ll give it  toyou. Drink.”

She sighed, her frustration evident, but opened her mouth dutifully while he heldthe glass to  her lips.

Watching her sip the  golden liquid made his balls tighten. The  way she licked therim of her glass, then her own lips, made him want to see the same kind of reaction when he came in her mouth. He wanted her to take his cum the way she took the brandy. Eagerly, thoroughly, swallowing every drop and then licking her lips for any leftover flavor.

Resisting the urge to stroke his cock, he  took a couple  long swallows of the fiery

liquid, enjoying the slow burn of his belly as the brandy warmed its way down.

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Then he leaned in, tasting the sweet liquor  on Katya’s lips, once again thrusting his tongue inside her mouth to swirl their flavors together. Tongue to tongue, lips to lips, he fit his mouth over hers as if to show her how well they meshed.

Soon, he’d show her much  more than his mouth.

Taking a step back, he admired the swell of her breasts, the thrusting nipples that begged for his touch,  his mouth. Waiting to  touch and taste her was agony. His balls were twisted in a vise of tight need  that  threatened to send him to his knees.

Instead, he pressed his lips against her neck, lingering at the pulse point there and counting each rapidly thrumming beat.

Her racing blood told him exactly what he needed to know.

Lesson three. Move in for the kill.

He reached for her breasts, cupping them  once again,  feeling their weight as  they settled into his palms. Then he swirled his thumbs around the areolas, circling them over and over until her nipples pebbled to sharp points.

He looked up and met her gaze, willing her to tell him she wanted him to touch them, lick them.

But she remained mute. He’d really love to  know how she’d react if there wasn’t achallenge between them.

His thumbs flicked the buds. She gasped  and her musky scent grew  stronger. Whenhe bent down and covered one crest with his lips, teasing the swollen nub with histongue, she couldn’t hide her moan. He did  the same with the other, then alternatedback and forth, each time feeling the nipples tighten, her breasts grow warmer. Katya could barely hold her whimpers now.

She was weakening.

And he was already destroyed.

When he looked up at her again, the fierce arousal on her face set him on fire. He reined in the beast just as the thick hairs began to pop out on his arms.

It wasn’t yet time to become the wolf.

“Are your panties wet?”

She didn’t answer.

“I guess I’ll find out for myself, then.”

Before she could utter an objection, he moved to her jeans and popped the button  open, sliding the zipper down and reaching  for the waistband, pushing the denim over  her hips. Her skin burned, singeing his fingers as he moved lower.

“Wait!” she said.

He stopped.

But she didn’t say anything.

“What is it?” Although he  already knew the  answer. She was quickly losing control, and she wanted him to stop.

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“Katya, is there something you want to say?”

In a matter of minutes, this would be over.

Thank God. Because if he didn’t get her to give in soon, he’d be the one begging. Or he’d turn and simply take her in the primal mating of the wolf. But that’s not the way  he wanted to do this tonight. Tonight, he’d take her as a human.

If he could keep the beast within him locked up long enough to see it through.

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Chapter Seven

Katya was unable to speak.

What was she going to say? Stop? If she stopped him,  he’d win. If she didn’t stop him, he’d win. Why had she agreed to this  stupid challenge, anyway? As it was shecould barely hang onto whatever shred of  rational  thought remained. If he  undressed her completely, if he saw the moist evidence of what he was doing to her, if he took herup one more torturous step, she’d burst and beg him to fuck her.

Then where would she be? Under  his control, under his  rule.

Never! She hadn’t worked this hard for so long, alone,  to give it up to the first upstart foreigner who decided he could do it better.

“Katya,” The way he said her name made  her shiver. It poured off his lips likesweet, dark brandy, smooth and sensual and warming her from the inside out.

She looked up at him.

Heavens, he was beautiful, his eyes dark with desire, his hair falling over his face in a way that made her want to reach out and sweep it back. His cock was like steel as itbrushed against her aching sex.

“Katya. Tell me what you want.”

“Nothing. You may continue,” she finally said, mentally preparing herself for what  was to come. She’d endure it, with no response. She wasn’t going to  give in. She’d steel  herself not to feel, not to react, no matter what he did to her. Then later, she’d massage  away the blistering ache of arousal by fucking herself with her own hand, masking her screams into  her pillow.

Returning to his task, Conner pulled the thin strings at her hips, dragged her  panties down over her legs and cast them aside.

But instead of standing, he remained kneeling in front  of her, his mouth in perfect  alignment to her throbbing sex.

“You’re wet,” he whispered, reaching out and swiping his finger against the  swollen folds of her slit.