Chapter 9
The Better to Eat You With
Conor thanked God and any other deity who existed for giving him the woman in his arms. Her honey brown hair, shining in the midday sun, set off her rich, brown eyes. Her soft, rounded lips were still flushed with passion. He touched the tip of her pert nose with his fingertip. The den area had one small bathroom with running water, and Anna had insisted on cleaning up before they entered the “next phase of Conor’s seduction.” Her words, not his, and it had made him laugh. He hadn’t known how truly miserable he’d been all those years without her until she’d come back into his life.
“Wow,” he said, taking her hand when she’d walked out of the bathroom naked and glorious. He wasn’t a religious man, but she had been built for worship. He loved how bold and unashamed she was about her body—a true werewolf’s mate.
Conor led Anna into the den he’d arranged for their getaway and burst with satisfaction when she sucked in an excited breath. He’d asked Lizzy Langston—a long-time friend and enforcer for the tribe—to transform the concrete bunker into a small bit of paradise, and she’d come through.
Candles placed in ornately designed Moroccan-style lanterns cast a pattern of ambient light over the room. The normally cold, functional gray walls had been painted a rich blue with red and burnt orange accents. A large, plush pillow, the dimension of a full-size mattress, not just a pile of blankets, sat in the middle of the room covered in mahogany and gold linens. Creamy, diaphanous drapes hung from the low ceiling and surrounded the bedding.
“Wow,” she whispered, reverence in her tone. “It’s right out of Arabian Nights.”
He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Do you like it?”
She clutched his hands and brought them to her chest. “God, yes.”
Her warmth seeped into his skin. He loved her round hips, soft belly, and lush breasts. Every supple curve turned him on. When Anna had been sick, and so thin, she’d barely resembled herself. When he first laid eyes on her all those many years ago, her voluptuousness had been what initially attracted him, but her personality, brilliant mind, and stubborn determination had made him fall in love with her. Even after two decades apart, he loved her with the same ferocity, and every part of him claimed her as his own.
When Conor had chosen Anna, his father had been disappointed she couldn’t bear a child. Conor was a first generation, or what they called a “born” lycanosapien, not culled. First gens typically took other first gens as mates, but Conor had avoided the obligation by throwing himself into his research. His own mother had been culled during the Great Depression and nine months later gave birth to Conor as a result of a true mating.
A true mating usually produced offspring, but Anna’s hysterectomy had made conception impossible. Conor hadn’t fucking cared. He’d never needed more than Anna, and no matter what, he’d never regret his choice. While his father had disapproved, his mother, on the other hand, told him to ignore his father and be happy. He hadn’t needed her permission, but he loved her all the more for it.
And he loved the woman standing in front of him. His mate. He couldn’t imagine anything truer.
She looked around the small room once more until her eyes landed on a silver tray next to bed. “Oh, Conor! You didn’t?”
“I did,” he said, taking joy in surprising her.
He’d brought New York Cheesecake and a thermos of Earl Grey. While Anna had finished cleaning up in the bathroom, he’d set up the tray.
“How did you know my favorite dessert?”
“You told me.”
“When?”
“It was the second month you worked for me in the lab. We were talking about guilty pleasures, and you told me two-inch thick New York Cheesecake with Earl Grey tea was your favorite combo for dessert.”
“That was over twenty years ago. I can’t believe you remembered.”
“My memories of you are the only thing that have kept me sane, Anna.” He took her in his arms. “The day you left, even though I understood why, was the worst day of my life. This second chance has been something I’ve dreamed about for a very long time. A second chance I didn’t think I’d ever have. You ruined me for all other women.” He meant every word. His life without her had been lonely—full of work and more work.
“Conor,” she said, her voice soft with a touch of sadness. “I never knew. I honestly expected you to move on.”
“Did you move on?”
“Never,” she said, her tone suddenly fierce. It made Conor’s pulse quicken.
He lifted her up and loved the way she smiled, dazzling and full genuine delight, as he carried her to the bedding. He helped her prop a smaller pillow behind her back before he poured a cup of tea, the smell of bergamot, a sharp orange scent, filled the room. He grinned when Anna leaned her head back to inhale deeply.
“Have mercy. That smells delicious.”
Conor could also scent the earthy aroma of her desire above the tea and dessert. “It certainly does,” he agreed. He stuck his finger into the side of the cheesecake and scooped up a small bite. He touched it to her lips. His heart jumped when she put his whole finger in her mouth and sucked it clean. His cock jerked in response, and he wasn’t sure if a slow seduction would be possible if she pulled any more sexy little tricks.
“Mmmm,” she hummed, closing her eyes and savoring the creamy offering. “That’s so good, baby. I think you better try some.”
He raised a brow. “You can bet I’ll eat my share.”
A visible shiver ran along her skin and tightened her nipples into hard, little nubs. Conor stuck his finger in the cake again and painted one of her nipples until it was covered in creamy white goodness. He cupped her breast then dipped his head to slowly, teasingly, lick the sweet substance. He enjoyed every mewling sound of pleasure his laving elicited. When he sucked the nipple into his mouth, pulling hard as his tongue danced over the tip, Anna arched her back, a low, loud moan pouring from her lips.
He blindly reached out for more cheesecake, feeding some into her mouth then smearing the rest on her other breast. He savored the flavor of the dessert and licked her clean.
“Conor,” she whispered. Her fingers tangling in his hair. “Love you. Want you. Want you so damned much.” She yanked the pillows out from behind her back and stretched out beneath him.
He thought his heart would beat right out of his chest.Claimed!his wolf cried out. He could barely control his lycanosapien impulses, the instincts that urged him to shift and flip her over, so he could take her hard and fast, and to claim her once again with bite and blood.
