Take Me, page 8
The conversation paused while they gave their orders to the waiter. Andrea took a sip of her water. “How likely is it you’ll ever lead the South American Pride?”
“My Uncle Pedro, his son and daughter, and his daughter’s two children…and my father would all have to die. Very unlikely.”
He watched her cross her long legs through the glass table. Her short skirt rode up to expose her slim thigh. “Do you miss Argentina?”
“I do, but I enjoy San Francisco a great deal. More so every passing moment.” His eyes slid down her body possessively.
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, the briefest shimmer of gold sparkling through her midnight irises. The tank top that she wore did little to hide her hardening nipples. Her voice emerged in a breathless rush. “I don’t want to be locked in San Francisco forever. I would miss traveling.”
Enjoying the byplay between them, he reached for her hand when she set down her water glass. “You liked constantly moving around?”
“At first it was exciting, forbidden.” Her fingers twined with his as she looked down at the table. “I never expected to be allowed to go anywhere that wasn’t another Pride den. Then it became routine, and I liked that I looked at a new skyline every few days or weeks.”
His gaze narrowed on her face. He wished she would accept that she couldn’t leave after Solana gave birth. It could be hazardous not only for the Pride, but also for Andrea. What would happen if someone decided to use her against her brother? She would be alone, defenseless. The very idea of her in danger made Miguel’s grip tighten on her hand. He made his voice soft, cajoling. “Your brother would still allow you to travel, though not as much as now. And you’d be forced to obey the customs of the Prides, asking for permission to enter a continent controlled by another leader.”
She sighed and looked away. “I know what my duties are. Esteban never allowed me to forget them or who I was in the Panther world.”
“It’s not a bad thing to know your place in the world.” He lifted her palm and kissed the center of it.
A shiver ran through her slender body, and he smiled. He loved that she always reacted to his touch. It gave him hope that they had a future together. The corners of her mouth turned down. “It is a bad thing when that’s all you’re ever allowed to be.”
“True. We always have a choice. You made yours.” He released her hand when their food arrived and sat back so the waiter could set his plate in front of him. He nodded to the young man. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He cocked a hip and propped his hand on it. “Is there anything else I can get you two?”
“No, we’re good.” Andrea gave him a smile that was both friendly and dismissive. She turned back to Miguel when they were alone again. “I won’t give up my career for the Pride. If anything, I can be more helpful as a cash cow. Solana kept her bar. I can keep my design company.”
Picking up his fork, he skewered a piece of shrimp in his seafood jambalaya. “I doubt Antonio would have a problem with that.”
“Would you?”
He stilled, his gaze jerking up to meet hers. Wariness slid over him and he kept his tone carefully neutral. “Does it matter to you what I think?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged and focused on her meal. “Answer the question.”
Since he had no way to avoid whatever conversational trap she’d set for him, he answered honestly. “I think if your career fulfills you, then you shouldn’t be denied that. I love my work, and I like that you love yours as well.”
“Thank you.” She nodded, but didn’t look up again and they ate in silence. He sighed, the frustration he’d been battling with coming back in a rush. It was always this way with her. One step forward, three steps back. Every time he caught a glimpse of her through the wall she’d built around herself, she covered the opening. He feared he’d never get through to her. It tore at him to even think of the possibility. She mattered more to him every day and he had no idea what she was feeling.
“Are you almost done?” Her question drew his attention away from his morose thoughts.
“Yes. Why?” He glanced up to watch heat fill her gaze. The way her eyes lingered on his lips before dropping to his groin made his jaw clench as his cock hardened to a painful degree. The way he was feeling right now did not lend itself to any kind of civility in bed. “You don’t want to toy with me, Andrea.”
“No, I just want you.”
The fork bent in his hand, the thick silver handle snapping in half. He set it aside, hiding the pieces with his napkin. He stood and fished out his wallet. Enough bills to cover the cost of the meal and the broken silverware landed on the table, but his gaze never left her. “Get up.”
“Don’t make me wait long. I need you.” The soft yielding in her gaze as she rose to her feet made him want to bend her over the table and take her here and now. She was his woman, his mate, and he wanted to claim her publicly. But if all she wanted to give him was sex, he’d be damned if he wouldn’t take it. His inability to resist her made him want to kick himself, but he didn’t think his reaction to her would ever go away. He couldn’t even say that he wanted it to.
He took her elbow in his hand, leading her out to the waiting limo. Opening the door, he thrust her inside, slid in after her and slammed the door behind him. She shoved her silky hair out of her face, kneeling on the floor in front of him. Her pupils dilated, the edges of her irises shimmering with flecks of gold. He loved when she went wild for him. She fit him so well, so perfectly.
“Home,” he ordered the driver and pressed the button to close the privacy window between them and the front seat. His fingers snapped out to catch her arm and he flipped her neatly over his lap. He pushed her skirt up until the sweet curves of her ass were bared to his view. She wore the tiniest scrap of a thong. He slipped his fingers under the lace to find the slickness of her soft pussy.
Anticipation coiled like a spring inside him, waiting to snap as his palm cupped her backside. She lifted into his touch, her muscles flexing in invitation. “Miguel.”
His anger burned away until he focused on this moment with her. The only way to have her was to get her past all her fears and teach her she could trust him implicitly. Wary of garnering the same reaction as the last time he’d spanked her, he brought his palm down on her ass. It was little more than a series of quick pats. She wriggled, glancing over her shoulder at him. “Are you kidding me? You have a willing half-naked woman draped over your lap and that’s all you’ve got?”
“Oh, really?” He barely suppressed a laugh. “Let’s see how willing you are, then.”
She bucked and squealed under the next round of hard swats. The feel of her soft hip rubbing up against his cock made him grit his teeth and pant for breath as if he’d sprinted ten miles. Her skin heated under his hand, a deep flush showing under her light tan. That she trusted him enough to let herself go, to let herself enjoy this, made emotion band tight around his chest.
The sound of his palm slapping against her soft skin filled the enclosed space. Never had spanking a woman turned him on so much. Everything with Andrea was deeper, sweeter. Better than he could ever have imagined.
If he didn’t have her soon, he might go insane. But it would be worth it to make her wait. To tease her without mercy. Yes. A grin pulled at his lips as the scent of her wetness filled his nose. He slid his hand inward and found her pussy slick with juices. She moaned when he touched her. A harsh shudder wracked his body, heat fisting in his gut.
Her breath caught when he drew back his hand and smacked her between the legs. It wasn’t very hard, but it would make her pussy swell. Her thighs clenched tight, and he could feel the delicate muscles flex as she moved on his lap.
“Please,” she whimpered. “I need more.”
“In good time.” He slid his fingertips in circles over her reddened skin, occasionally scoring her with his nails. “I want to savor you, my mate.”
When the car rolled to a stop, he pushed her skirt down, snatched up the bag of candy they’d retrieved for Solana, and pulled Andrea out of the limo behind him. Without pausing, he scooped her up and flipped her over his shoulder to carry her into the mansion.
Her arms wrapped around his waist from behind. “Hurry, Miguel.”
As soon as he cleared the doorway, he saw several Panthers gathered in the foyer, including the Cruz family. Every last one of them froze and gaped at them as he walked by. He tossed the bag of taffy to Diego. “Give this to Solana. Don’t eat any of it and don’t bother us for the rest of the night. We’re busy.”
“Uh, sure thing, Miguel.”
He jogged up the stairs, careful not to jolt Andrea too much, and kicked his bedroom door shut behind him. He dropped her on the bed and had her stripped bare in under ten seconds. He didn’t let himself pause to savor her soft curves; he set her on the floor on her knees. “Stay there. Don’t move.”
After a week, he didn’t have to make sure she obeyed him. He knew she would. Flicking open his closet door, he went to a chest that held a collection of toys for just this kind of sexual play. Tucking a short black riding crop under his arm, he reached in and pulled out a spreader made up of steel bars that formed an X. On the end of each bar was a thick leather cuff.
He watched her eyes widen when she saw the heavy-duty piece of equipment. Unlike the soft bindings he’d used on her so far, she wouldn’t be able to easily escape even with her Panther strength. She would be at his mercy. He set the crop aside and knelt behind her. Her breath caught when he strapped her ankles and wrists into the cuffs. The metal rattled and groaned when she tested its strength, but the crossbar held.
He liked the way the diagonal bars framed the rosy cheeks of her ass, the center point of the X right under the lower curve. Scooping up the crop, he stood and ran the soft leather slapper down one of her arms and across her lower back. “Are you ready?”
Her back arched and she lifted her backside into the tip of the whip. “I can take whatever you can dish out. Make it hurt.”
He wanted to laugh, but he refused to let her goad a reaction out of him. Instead, he continued to stroke her skin lightly with the crop. She wriggled in the restraints, making the cuffs jangle. He flicked her with a short pop, knowing it would sting. She squeaked in response.
The next strike landed on the outside of her thigh. It left a slight red spot, and he loved seeing that he’d left a mark on her. It called up every possessive instinct inside of him, and he fought a groan. His cock was so hard, it throbbed painfully. His skin was on fire, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman before. It killed him to wait to fuck her, but he would. He wanted to draw this out as long as possible.
Sweat gleamed on her smooth skin, rolling down her neck and between her breasts in slow beads. Her soft moans kissed his ears, and as much as she resisted, he knew she was yielding with the way her body undulated toward the whip. The energy flowing back and forth between them was intense, give and take, ebb and flow…there was nothing more powerful in his experience than this.
He moved around her, laying a quick series of smacks on the tops of her legs. The bars kept her spread open for him, so even when her thigh muscles flexed, she was helpless to close herself to him. He knelt to lay the crop across the insides of her legs, and the skin flushed.
Her eyes had a soft, glazed look, her breath short and shallow. He paused with the whip mid-swing and let his arm relax to his side, reaching out with his free hand to stroke her shoulder. “Andrea?”
“Mmm?” Her voice was dreamy, distant.
“Andrea.” Concern flooded him at her detached response. He moved back a bit so that he wasn’t touching her and squatted down to look at her. “Are you—”
Her eyes snapped wide, desperate heat reflecting in their dark depths. “Green light. If you don’t fuck me hard and make me come right now, I’m going to die. The light, Miguel, has never been so green.”
A low laugh rumbled from his chest. God, he loved this woman. The emotion threatened to overwhelm him and made his hands shake with the power of it. He dropped the crop, and leaned forward to speak softly in her ear. “Do you know what I love about seeing a woman bound?”
“No.” Her voice emerged a breathless whisper.
“That I can do anything I want to her.” His fingers brushed between her legs while his other hand cupped her breast, pinching her nipple hard. “That she’s helpless to stop me from taking her. The possibilities are endless. Should I be slow and tease her? Should I be fast and rough?”
She moaned. Her hips moved in quick snaps to take his fingers deeper. His cock throbbed as he watched her work herself faster and faster on his hand. Sweat slid down his face to sting his eyes. Her breathing sped to rapid pants, her lovely face flushing with need. Yes, he loved seeing her this way. Not cool and beautiful, but stripped of composure and completely wanton. The little noises she was making told him just how close she was to orgasm, and he was damn near ready to come in his pants he was so turned on.
He jerked his hand away.
“No. I can’t wait. Please, please, Miguel.” Her head fell back and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “Please.”
He found he could wait no longer either. Rising to his feet, he toed off his shoes and socks while he unbuttoned his shirt halfway and yanked it over his head. The buttons caught on his hair tie, ripping it loose and making his hair stream into his face. He tossed it over his shoulder and had his belt and slacks off so fast he was surprised he didn’t give himself a rug burn.
Rug burn. He eyed the carpet Andrea was kneeling on, wondering how the rough texture of it would feel against her chafed backside. Wickedness twisted inside him and he grinned.
“Let me suck you.” Her gaze glued to his cock, and he groaned at the avid gleam in her eyes.
He hooked his hair behind his ears. “No.”
A low sob sounded from her throat. “Please, I want you. I need more. Between my legs, in my mouth, I don’t care. Just…now. I’m dying.”
Unbuckling the cuffs, he rubbed her arms and legs to make sure blood circulated through her limbs. He tossed the crossbar aside and turned back to her. Her fingers buried in the long strands of his hair, using her inhuman strength to force his mouth down to hers. She bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and thrust her tongue in to mate with his.
He groaned, sliding his hands down to cup her ass and pull her body against his. Her nipples rubbed his chest and he could feel the heat of her pussy against his swollen cock. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips, her feet tucking under his buttocks.
Leaning forward, he laid her out across the carpet and came over her. He braced his hands on either side of her shoulders. Her claws dug into his back, her hips rising in blatant invitation. It was one he couldn’t refuse.
Taking his cock in his hand, he rubbed the tip over her hot, wet lips. He had to clench his jaw it felt so amazing. He couldn’t wait any longer. He was done teasing. He plunged his dick inside her to the hilt, her creamy depths wrapping around his heated flesh. The musky scent of her called to him, and his instinct dared him to claim her as his mate. His fangs slid forward and a Panther’s snarl ripped out. Her eyes went pure gold, and her slim thighs clamped around his waist, already moving herself on his cock.
A rusty chuckle slid out of his mouth and he pinned her to the carpet with his weight. Her eyes widened when he thrust hard inside her and it moved them across the floor. Unless he missed his guess, the rug was chafing her sore ass. Excellent. He purred and shoved into her again and again. His wits fled and soon there wasn’t a single thought left in his mind except the drive toward orgasm.
“Miguel, I’m coming.” Her body bowed so hard, she lifted him with her. He braced his knees on the floor and hammered into her with hard thrusts, riding her through her orgasm. Her pussy flexed on his cock, and it was so damn good. He shuddered, moving faster and faster. She slid her fingers into his hair, her claws scraping against his scalp as she pulled him down. Her mouth fused with his in a kiss that was animalistic in its intensity.
I love you. The words rang in his head, wrapped around his heart until he couldn’t breathe, and the power of it shoved him into orgasm. His pelvis slammed against her, and her tight pussy hugged his cock like a glove. The rhythmic clenching of her sex milked him and he exploded inside her. His arms shook with the effort of holding himself over her, so he pulled from her sweet depths with a reluctant groan and let her roll out from under him.
She curled on her side away from him and the gesture gutted him. Would she ever turn to him? He wasn’t sure anymore. It felt like ice water being splashed in his face after the intimacies they’d just shared. God help him. Was there a worse fate for a man? To love a woman—a mate—and have her feel nothing in return? If there was, he’d yet to find it. The pain of her constant rejection burned like the fires of hell.
What would he do if she never changed her mind, if she never learned to trust him and believe in their future?
Chapter 6
Andrea hadn’t slept. Miguel hadn’t let her rest for a single moment. He’d been relentless. No sleeping meant no healing, and she didn’t know what drove him to such carnal depths, but her ass still smarted the next night when she crawled out of his bed to start her work. Now she sat with her sister-in-law in the study, keeping her company while Antonio went out to run an errand. She squirmed on her seat, the movement making heat swell between her legs. Running her hand through her hair, she looked for something to distract her and her gaze landed on Solana’s burgeoning middle. “I still can’t believe you didn’t shift until you were in your thirties.”
“Yep, and look where it got me.” She chuckled and smoothed a palm over her stomach. “Your brother knocked me up.”
Andrea laughed. “In some ways, it’s unfortunate we can’t have children as easily as humans.”
