A roar made everyone freeze. In the next instant, a blur attacked Tom, ripping him away from Jolyn. Another roar, followed by the hitting of flesh against flesh.
I blinked, trying to process what I saw. It was my cousin, Kane, the aloof guy who’d moved here a month ago. Our mothers had wanted us to be friends, but we hadn’t yet clicked. Due to his size, I’d pegged him for being an asshole like most of the shifters around here.
Guess not.He pummeled Tom like he didn’t have another purpose in life. Everyone gathered around wore the same horrified expressions. Kane had roared and looked like he would shift at any moment.Forbidden.We couldn’t expose ourselves to humans.
A collective breath left us when two teachers pulled the boys apart. Screaming and shouting made words indistinguishable. Someone crouched by Tom to see if he was still alive. Two teachers dragged Kane to the school, even though he struggled like he wanted to finish off Tom completely.
My eyes went to Jolyn. Her face was bloody and bruising, but she was breathing. I stepped toward her to help, but her brother was there, yanking her to her feet. He spoke in angry tones.
I tried to get her attention, to see if she was okay, but she only had eyes for Kane as the teachers took him away. I’d never seen such adoration in someone’s gaze before.
My chest hurt. It should have been me who saved her.
* * *
With a groan, I captured her lips with mine. Jolyn tilted her hips against me, searching for more friction, inviting. My cock rubbed between her pussy lips, but as tempting as she was, I didn’t adjust to the angle that would submerge me inside her. My tongue licked into her mouth. She took it all and moaned for more.
I ripped my lips away from hers. Mouth descending her body, I hungrily nibbled her throat, then the valley between her breasts. I bit at her juicy nipples through the black satin of her bra, and her grip tightened on my head as her knees buckled.
Those fingernails in my scalp created pleasurable electricity all across my skin. I moaned in approval. Lower my lips journeyed, over her sweet stomach to the juncture of her thighs, until I was on my knees before her. I inhaled the honey scent of her desire as she trembled against the tree. Sliding my hand up the smooth skin of her leg, I lifted it until her knee hooked over my shoulder, opening her to my gaze.
“Need this,” I growled. “Need your scent all over me.”
Her entire body flexed with want. The fragrance of her desire surrounded us. Fingers digging into my scalp, she jerked my head toward her pussy.
I moaned, loving the aggression, and licked her from ass to clit. Her supporting leg buckled. I kept her stable with a hand on her stomach and explored every inch of her folds before settling on her clit.
Every pant and moan that fell from her lips fueled me to create more. I wanted her to melt with pleasure. I’d known her body intimately before, but this was a new pairing in so many ways, no secrets between us now.
She screamed my name, her whole body shaking. I sank two fingers into her moist heat, coaxing while I sucked her clit in my mouth. Her body bucked and pushed against me, and I didn’t stop until I’d wrung every drop of her orgasm out of her, nonsensical noises escaping her lips.
Keeping my mouth against her delicious flavor, I retracted my fingers, then gripped her hip to hold her steady. Slowly, she relaxed her body. With my one hand on her stomach, I supported her weight as her leg slid over my shoulder. I leaned back, looking up at her pale face in the dim light, her hair wild, an orange beacon in the dark.
I stood, keeping my hands on her hips, then captured her lips in a searing kiss. She shivered. I ran my hands over the flesh of her arms.Too cold out here for her.But I also didn’t want to let her go. I pulled her close, sharing my body heat, needing her against me after everything.
When she shivered again, I looked down to examine her face.
She cleared her throat. “So that’s a claiming.”
“Yeah.” My hands stroked her shoulders, then the silky skin of her back. I never wanted to stop touching her. “I plan to do a lot more of it later.”
A grin spread across her face, and she nodded. Voices were getting louder, and she broke my gaze to look around the forest floor.
“Here,” I said, bending to scoop up her clothes. Taking a knee, I helped her step in her satin underwear first, then her cargo pants. Her destroyed shirt hung off my one arm, and I pulled it over her shoulder. “Sorry about that.” I’d gotten a bit carried away at the beginning there.
She shook her head at the apology.
Next came her boots. I wasn’t even sure when she’d lost them. With Jolyn leaning against the tree, I helped her with first one, then the other, and stood.
Crunch.We both froze at the sound. At least one person moved through the trees toward us. Straightening, I stepped in front of her, blocking anyone’s view of her disheveled state.
“I should be in front of you,” she murmured quietly. “You’re the one completely naked.”
I grinned down at her as she moved beside me, her chin lifted. Bushes rustled, and Walker came into sight flanked by two of his buddies from Clyborne Inc.—I had to assume that was who they were from the helicopter and tactical gear.
Keeping my eyes on the trio, I reached to the side. Jolyn’s small hand gripped mine a heartbeat later. In the pre-dawn light, her skin tone resembled an overripe tomato. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. None of these guys would care about what we’d done. They’d understand I did what I had to in the high emotion of the moment. I wore her scent proudly, wanted it on me for days so every shifter we encountered would know she was mine.
But as a human, she didn’t understand that, and telling her not to be embarrassed probably wouldn’t help.
