Mafia Beasts: The Complete Series, page 47
Cade and I dug into our meal. The duck was rich but so tender it melted in my mouth. I let out a soft moan. Great food was definitely my weakness.
When I glanced up, Cade’s grey eyes held an intense yearning, like he envied the morsel in my mouth. I swallowed it and leisurely licked my lips. His gaze followed the tip of my tongue. He might not be much of a conversationalist, but he was very in tune with the physical aspects of this date. I could work with that.
Tentatively, I brought my free hand close to where his rested on the table and turned mine palm side up. It was an invitation. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. Cade’s focus switched to my hand. Instead of placing his in mine as I’d expected, he stroked his index finger from my wrist to my fingertips. The soft, intimate gesture made me shiver.
He glanced up curiously, then took my hand. His thumb traced tiny circles over my wrist as he watched me. My lips parted. I never would have thought the inside of my wrist was so sensitive.
Holding hands, we continued to eat in silence, though the quiet between us no longer felt so strained. That simple touch held us grounded, connected. I’d never experienced anything quite like it.
After dinner was dessert and by the end of it, I was thoroughly stuffed. I leaned back in my chair, giving Jace room to clear away the dishes. Once he was finished, I refilled our wine glasses from the bottle and lifted mine in the air.
“What should we toast to?” I asked Cade.
His brows dipped in thought. “To surprises—the good kind.”
“I can drink to that.” I clinked my glass against Cade’s and took a sip.
My attention drifted to our view. The sun had long ago disappeared beneath the horizon. Beyond the balcony, I stared out at dense evergreens tipped with snow. A half-moon peeked out from between the thick cloud cover from time to time. Another full moon would be upon us in about a week and I’d go hunting with the Penumbra pack again. Letting my wolf out regularly was like working a muscle. Each time it was easier to do, and I felt stronger in my shifting abilities.
“Emma,” Cade said, snapping my attention back to him. “Will you… do something for me—humor me?”
“Of course. What?”
He stood and drew me up by his hold on my hand. I set down my glass and focused solely on him.
A low rumble of uncertainty sounded in his throat. “Will you touch me?”
“Um.” I searched his eyes. He’d taken me by surprise with that request. “If that’s what you want. I know you don’t like…” I let myself trail off. He knew exactly what I meant without me having to spell it out for him.
“I know. But I want you to… I think… carefully.”
I nodded. Placing both my hands in his, I gave him full control. He lifted our joined hands in front of his chest then opened his palms, releasing me. Apparently, he wasn’t going to take the lead on this. He wanted me to touch him, on my own, without direction.
I decided to start with a spot that would tell me if he was really ready for this or not. Slowly, I reached up to his scarred forehead and traced one of the pale lines down to his eyebrow, over his nose, across his lips—
I startled when he snatched my hand away. His arm banded around my waist, and he hauled my chest against his, then kissed me. His fingers threaded through my hair. I slid my palms up his chest to his jaw and kissed him back.
His hold moved from my hair to my neck. I arched my back, pressing into him and giving him complete access to my throat. He squeezed ever so slightly in acknowledgment of my surrender. A thrill raced through me at the realization I was at his mercy. My life placed in his one massive hand.
He broke the kiss first. “You do like kissing monsters.”
“I do,” I whispered against his lips.
Cade leaned away, putting more distance between us. “I still want to hurt you, little witch. Not as much as I used to—or maybe in a different way. You make me so frustrated.”
“What do you want to do to me? Do you want to bite me and be rough like Lucas? Or tie me up and spank me like Zane does? Or—”
His fingers tightened around my throat, choking off my words. “I want you restrained, completely at my mercy as I strangle your beautiful, delicate neck.”
“And you want to fuck me while you do it,” I murmured. It was a statement, not a question. I could read the answer in his eyes before he uttered a word.
“Yes,” he admitted.
“Then do it.” I unwaveringly held his gaze. The idea of being tied up and fucked while being strangled turned me on. If anything, I was as messed up as he was. Maybe we could both play out our twisted fantasies together. “I mean it, Cade. Do you want me chained up in the dungeon like when I first arrived here?”
His eyes flashed with danger. “No. I want you in my bed.”
“Then take me there.”
I yelped as Cade suddenly bent down and tossed me over his shoulder. Like a savage beast, he carried me inside and along the hall to the wing that housed our bedrooms. There, he let himself into his room and kicked the door shut, plunging us into darkness.
An orb of Fae magic suddenly illuminated the room in a wash of yellow-orange light, and I was tossed on the soft mattress. Before I could catch my breath, Cade manifested vines that wrapped around his headboard and my wrists, securing my hands above my head. He took hold of the low neckline of my dress and wrenched. The delicate fabric tore all the way down my body, leaving me in only my panties and heels.
Cade’s gaze burned a path across my skin as he quickly undressed. I eagerly took in the full glory of his naked form one piece at a time. He was big—everywhere—heavily muscled and thick. He was by far the most physically powerful Fae I’d ever seen.
The paler lines of scars crisscrossed his chest and stomach. Those, combined with the deep plains of his muscles, made him appear the part of a rugged, ruthless warrior. One that was about to ravage the woman before him.
My breath hitched in anticipation. Cade’s gaze darkened with lust, his pupils fully dilating. He knelt on the bed, took hold of my panties, and tugged. The fabric didn’t stand a chance against his strength.
He leaned over and kissed me deeply. I arched into him. Spreading my legs, I looped them around his hips and bucked against his erection.
Cade found my entrance with his cock and drove all the way in. I gasped. My pussy walls clamped and relaxed around the enormous intrusion. Luckily, I was wet as fuck, or it would have been painful.
“Oh, Fates,” Cade groaned. A shudder racked his whole body. “I had no idea—” he cut himself off. Withdrawing almost all the way out, he shivered, then slammed back into me. He started fucking me in earnest and it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. His dick reached places in my body that I hadn’t realized existed. Every nerve felt overstimulated.
He shifted his weight onto one arm so he could wrap his fingers around my neck. “This what you want?”
I gave him a tiny nod. This was what he wanted too. I lifted my chin up, offering him my throat in surrender. Normally, an alpha wolf would never do what I was doing, but it felt different with Cade. It felt right.
Something changed in him and suddenly his stormy eyes flashed with anger. He gritted his teeth and squeezed. My pulse spiked as a tingle of fear rushed over me. I was ninety-five percent sure he wasn’t going to kill me, but that other five percent? That was a gamble.
His thrusts grew savage. Rage twisted his features and shook his muscles. The hold he had on my throat was cutting off my air and going to leave a nasty bruise. Ecstasy mixed with the pain and danger, and all at once, I was falling over the edge of orgasm. Stars exploded in my vision, then everything went black.
I must have passed out because I opened my eyes to find Cade hovering over me, panic etched into his face.
“Fuck, I thought I killed you,” he said. He smoothed my hair back and searched my eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” My voice was rough. “Besides, I’m not that easy to kill. You should know that by now.”
“You sure you’re okay?” His brow dipped with concern.
A smile touched my lips, and I realized how dazed I was still. “More than okay. That was the most mind-blowing orgasm I’ve ever had.” And that was saying something, considering the amazing ones I always had with Lucas and Zane.
Relief softened his gaze. He cradled my head against his chest and sighed.
The vines around my wrists slithered away, freeing me, and Cade let me go. He pulled away and sat at the end of the bed, hunched and trembling. I worried my bottom lip. That was not exactly the post-sex reaction I was used to getting from men.
Concerned, I moved toward him, stopping only a foot away. “What’s wrong?”
He scrubbed both hands over his face. “I’m so fucking angry all the time. I don’t want to be this way anymore. I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I don’t want to treat you like that again.”
I sat back on my heels and waited for him to say more. When he didn’t, I asked, “What do you want?”
He turned his head toward me and our gazes collided. I saw the same vulnerability that I’d seen in the gym. I wanted to reach out and close the distance between us but hesitated. Instead, I remained unmoving, waiting.
“I want… I want to be me. Especially with you, I want to be able to be myself. I don’t want to be a monster all the time.” He cringed.
“Cade, you’re not a monster—not to me. I know there’s so much more to you than you show people. I want you to be yourself with me, too.”
He heaved a sigh. “You do?”
I nodded. “I want all of you, Cade. The good, the bad, the dangerous. All of it.”
He seemed to consider that for a while. “Will you let me touch you again? I can’t do this with words, but I think I can show you. I want to show you.”
“Of course. Come here, big guy. Show me whatever you want.”
11
CADE
My heartbeat raged against my ribcage as I moved closer to Emma. I’d just behaved like a fucking beast, yet here she was giving me another chance instead of running away. She’d told me she wanted it rough and liked it when I strangled her, but I didn’t fully believe her until now. Pain and danger turned her on, but I wanted to offer her more than that—the rest of me.
I wasn’t all pain and danger. There was more to me than the beast I’d become over the years. Showing her the savage, baser side of myself was easy compared to what I had in mind next.
My fingers shook as they brushed against her cheek, and I inwardly cursed at myself. I had no idea what I was doing, so I let instinct and intention take over. I directed her body with mine until she was lying on her back again—in my bed. How surreal. I never in a million years thought this would happen, though I’d fantasized about it often enough. This was real, and really happening.
She didn’t try to touch me, and I was grateful. This time, I needed to be fully in control.
I brought her arms up. “Hold on to the headboard. Stay still,” I said, hovering over her.
“Okay.” Her curiosity and excitement mingled as it entered my chest. At least she wasn’t afraid.
I smoothed a single finger down the inside of her arm while releasing a tiny bit of Fae magic. She startled as it first made contact, then moaned. Her emotions turned to pure pleasure. Warmth washed over me from head to toe. This was what I wanted, what I secretly craved from her.
I moved down her body, stroking my fingers over her silky skin and zapping her with bits of ecstasy. My gaze followed my hands, drinking her in. I dipped down to taste different parts of her—the hollow at her shoulder, the line of a rib, the jut of her hip bone, then the inside of her thigh. She was perfect and delicious.
Emma gasped when I released my wings. The silver glow of them filled the room and further illuminated her naked body.
“You’re so beautiful,” she breathed. Sincerity was all I felt from her, which made me reel.
I bent down and sucked one of her pink nipples into my mouth. She arched her back and moaned louder. I took that as a good sign that I was doing something right. Letting her emotions and my instincts guide me, I teased her other nipple until she was panting and arching into my mouth. Then, I licked down her stomach, slowly, lazily, lower and lower, until I came to her pussy.
I took my time exploring her folds, the wetness of her, and that sensitive nib that had her thrashing and whimpering under me. Her pleasure spread through me, heightening my own.
“Fuck, Cade, this might kill me,” she said, but I had a feeling she was joking. Maybe, hopefully. Her emotions told me she was experiencing frustrated bliss, and my gut feeling said that was a good thing.
Returning to my leisurely torture of her, I held her in place so I could thoroughly devour her pretty cunt. It wasn’t long before she shuddered and cried out. The pleasure of her orgasm hit me solidly in the chest and I felt winded.
My dick was rock hard and aching again. I needed to be inside of her, now. This time, I was gentler. I inched into her until I was fully seated. At first, I set the same pace she’d done with Lucas in the gym—all the way in, backing out to the tip, then slowly pushing in again. She felt like heaven, warm and tight. I groaned.
“Oh my God, Cade, you’re a fucking sensualist.” Was she complaining? I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t sure because that sounded like an accusation.
“What is that?” I asked, burying my cock deep inside her again.
Her eyes rolled back in her head. “It means you get pleasure from giving me pleasure.”
“Then I guess you’re right.” I straightened upright and held on to her thighs. “What do you think of this?” I brought my wing tips around and delicately brushed them over her breasts and ribcage. The energy they were made up of set off little sparks over her skin.
Emma screamed and her pussy spasmed almost painfully around my cock. I froze to stop myself from coming. Her pleasure raced through my veins, setting me on fire. She was right. I was thriving off her blissful emotions. I wanted to push her over the edge over and over again.
“Holy fuck.” Emma gazed up at me with heavily lidded eyes. “That was… intense.”
I grinned, proud of myself, then started to move inside of her again. I built us back up until she peaked and called out my name. That was my undoing, hearing my name on her lips. But that wasn’t the end of our night together. I explored every inch of her body, finding new ways to thrill her. We fucked, over and over. I couldn’t get enough. She intoxicated me and I craved her unlike anything else.
My heart felt so full. It was such an unfamiliar sensation. Happiness.
I knew I was falling for her before, but tonight shattered me. I hit bottom, broke apart, and was reborn again from the pieces.
I was whole.
Emma made me whole.
12
EMMA
I rolled over and reached out for the broad, warm chest beside me, then froze. Even after everything that had happened last night, Cade hadn’t let me touch him. I didn’t want him recoiling from me this morning.
He muttered something unintelligible in his sleep and scooped me up in his arms. He tucked my head under his chin, one leg draped over mine, and settled back into the rhythmic breathing that told me he was sleeping soundly.
I kissed his chest. Awake and alert now, my mind swam with everything that had happened in the past twelve hours—from him asking me to dinner, to mind-blowing sex, to waking up in Cade’s bed. Unbelievable didn’t even begin to describe it. My body ached in the most delicious way possible. My heart soared and my stomach fluttered. My gums ached from keeping my inner wolf from breaking free and marking Cade as my mate last night. It hadn’t been easy.
He wasn’t ready for that, though. Plus, I still needed to tell him he was my third and final fated mate. Once I marked him, we would be bonded, connected in a way that was beyond intimate. I wouldn’t force that on him.
“Hm, your skin feels so nice against mine.” His voice was thick with sleep.
I planted a kiss on the hollow of his throat. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” He gripped my hip and pulled my belly against his rigid cock.
“Fates, do you have stamina or what?” I really, really wanted to have sex with him again but the control I had over my wolf was slipping. I swallowed hard. “I need to tell you something. Something serious.”
His whole body stiffened. “Did I hurt you last night?”
“What? No, nothing like that.” I pulled away, putting space between us, and sat up. “No, I have a confession to make. I don’t want you to freak out about it if that’s at all possible.”
Cade sat up and took my hand. “Tell me what it is.”
Here goes. “You’re my fated mate,” I blurted.
He stilled, staring at me for a long moment. My pulse hammered as I searched his expression for any hint of a reaction. Was he shocked, angry, afraid? I couldn’t tell.
His breath left him in a whoosh, and he said, “Thank the Fates.”
“What?” I was pretty sure I’d heard him wrong.
He caught my eye. “I was worried that your wolf had only chosen Lucas and Zane, and not me too. I’ve seen your marks on them both. I never wanted you to feel obligated to take me with only half of yourself.”
I blinked up at him. “Uh, really?” I shook my head to clear it. “You’re not freaked out by it?”
“I’m not exactly looking forward to getting bitten. I can’t guarantee how I’ll respond.” He tugged me down with him. “But I do want to be yours in every way possible. I…” he trailed off and hugged me close.
My pulse pounded at the intensity of his tone. His trailing off almost sounded as if he was going to say those three most cherished words. I love you. But he didn’t, and that was only an assumption on my part, anyway. I didn’t know what was in Cade’s heart.
“If you really want that, then we could form that bond now. You know everything about me. I’m pretty sure you’ll get no more surprises from me. So, unless you have some deep, dark, twisted secret that I need to know about…” I meant it teasingly, but Cade turned to ice in my arms.
