“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay away longer—”
I don’t let him finish the sentence. Ryan’s eyes glow with the golden hue I now know belongs to his animal, and he gasps when I throw myself at him. We come together in a clash of teeth and tongues. Everything is more intense now. His scent, his taste, his touch. It’s electricity and fire, love and longing, imprinting on my very being.
His hands bury in my hair, tugging and tilting me to the perfect angle. He tries to slow me down, but that’s not what I want. My tiger yearns for him, begs for him. And I don’t want to refuse her anymore. I want to forget about everything else for once in my life. Forget about being the perfect daughter, the flawless therapist, the control freak. Forget it all and justbe.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer, hooking my leg around his waist, wanting to connect in every way possible.Now that I’m not blocking anything out or ignoring my tiger anymore, the sparks of electricity are like fireworks erupting from my skin.
“Maya… Kitten… wait,” he gasps between kisses.
“I’m done waiting,” I snarl, my words heavy with the underlying roar of my tiger. “I need you inside me. No masks or lies. Just us.”
He goes willingly when I push him to the ground. I drop to my knees and lean forward to crawl up along his body, stopping to lick the length of his cock on my way up his frame. He groans at the contact, watching me with hungry eyes. I straddle him and guide his cock to my entrance, then I impale myself on his hard length. A loud moan from somewhere deep in my throat escapes me as he fills my pussy.
I don’t care that we’re outside or that twigs and leaves scrape my knees. I just let myself feel. Feel how perfectly he stretches me, how pleasure is already coiling in my core. Ryan groans, his hands roughly grabbing my ass as I grind against the base of his cock so every movement hits my clit too.
The mask was hot. But Ryan is in another league—the hard edge of his jaw, his plump lips, his eyes boring into me. Seeing straight into my soul. His head pitches back as pleasure takes over whatever he was thinking before I accosted him. I need his eyes on me. I need to hold on to him.
“Look at me,” I demand, and his eyes snap open. “I need you to look at me.”
“I never want to stop looking at you. But fuck, I’m trying not to come too quickly, Kitten. You’re so damn beautiful riding me.Like. A. Fucking. Queen.” He pulls me down hard as he pushes upward and punctuates his words with harsh thrusts, building me up and making me want to fall apart.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this,” Ryan grits out before he flips our position, landing me on my back as he plows into me, harder and faster than before. Like he knows I’m not breakable now and wants to take full advantage. “I wanted you before I even knew you existed.”
The idea sends shivers through me and has my pussy clamping down on Ryan’s cock. I cry out as my orgasm slams into me far too quickly. Ryan’s movements go jerky, and then he fills me with his cum.
His breathing comes out in heavy pants as he looks down at me, holding himself up with arms that cage me in. When his breathing calms, he drops down and kisses me softly.
It’s a tender, promise-filled kiss in direct contrast to the hard fuck on the forest floor and the filthy words.
“I love you, Kitten,” he whispers against my lips. “You’re it for me.”
My breath hitches, and my tiger purrs and preens under his gaze. She wants me to claim him. She wants forever with him.
But what about what I need? It’s hard to even think about it when my tiger is so vocal and insistent. This is what I’ve always wanted, but it feels wrong to reconcile how right it feels with how it started. My inner therapist is horrified that I’m even considering a future with someone who literally stalked me. Who intentionallyhid his identity from me because he knew I would never have agreed to be with him had I known who he was.
My tiger pushes and snarls inside me, enraged that I’m not on the same page as her. But I can’t find the words to respond to him. And somehow he knows, because he places a chaste kiss on my lips before pulling out of me and hoisting me into his arms.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ryan
“Come on, Kitten. We’ll figure it all out tomorrow,” I whisper, pushing to a stand while still holding Maya tight to my chest. I step through the ferns and undergrowth as I make my way back home, carrying my mate in a bridal hold. Her weight settles into my arms with a rightness that is ineffable. Her scent is mixed with my own, her sweetness cutting through my citrus sharpness.
“I can walk,” she offers, but there’s no real intent to her protest when she rests her head on my shoulder. I kiss her cheek and tell her I know. She can do anything, but she doesn’t have to do everything anymore.
“Today has been a lot, and I know you love to talk things out,” I say as she settles against me. “You probably have a million questions, but I think there’s been enough information for one day.” I’m offering her a way out. To anyone else she would look at ease in my arms, but I can feel how torn she is through our budding bond. How afraid she is of accepting me.
The connection started as soon as I saw her in her tiger’s form, once she let go and stopped pushing everything down. Because she wasn’t just pushing her tiger down, she was pushing everythingdown, our bond included. Now her feelings are present inside me too, small and unsteady, but distinct from my own emotions. I wonder if she can feel it too?
Can she feel my adoration for her?
Or how soothed I feel knowing that her animal is on my side. It’s only a matter of time before she accepts the bond. And I can wait until she’s ready, as long as I know it’s not forever.
I carry Maya straight to the bathroom. I don’t want to risk cold water hitting her, so I put her down when I reach into the shower. Maya waits, examining her nails and doing that thing where she breathes in for four seconds and out for four seconds and holds between each one.
It doesn’t escape my notice that her anxiety started as soon as we were no longer in physical contact. I bridge the gap between us and wrap my arms around my mate. The tension in her shoulders melts as Maya relaxes into my embrace.
“You’re so strong, Maya,” I tell her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “You’ve had to deal with this all on your own without anyone guiding you in the ways of our kind. But you’re not alone anymore. I’m here, and the pack will be here for you too.”
