Broomstick Breakdown

Chapter Seven

To drive her absolutely nuts and heighten the sexual tension he sensed building in her, Aidan ignored her. Not as easy as it sounded since the only thing he wanted to do was tear her robe off, bury his prick into her velvety wetness, and bite her as he pumped her fast and hard. It didn’t help that his wolf refused to go to sleep, his furry presence growling and yipping demands in his mind.

Aidan was determined, though, to make her ask for it. Call it pride, call it preserving his skin, either way he was determined to make her admit she wanted him no matter what she said. He could smell her desire, and while he knew he could seduce her and give her the mark without her willingness, he knew the method of his taking would always be a bone of contention. Not the most auspicious way to start their new life.

Hence, the plan he hatched on the drive in to his remote cabin where he escaped to when he wanted a place where he could be his furry self. He could smell her desire for him, see it in the way she watched him. If he turned it up a notch, he figured he could get her to cave into her desires. And by not mauling her right away, he’d give her a chance to get to know him, to ask questions, and to realize that her impression of shifter mating wasn’t entirely accurate. She’d equated it with being a slave, and yet like any species, relationships differed from couple to couple. In all races, some men treated their women like chattel whose only purpose was to serve and breed. Others, however, treated them as equal partners and friends. Aidan belonged to the latter half, but convincing her of that would prove interesting.

For the moment, until she gave him a chance to show his true character, he’d play dirty. Food put away and the windows opened to air the place as he hadn’t been up in a few weeks, he prepared for round one in the seduction plan.He stripped off his shirt and walked out of the cabin, headed for the wood pile. Her gasp and heightened scent of arousal as he walked by her without acknowledging her wasn’t lost on him, and his cock throbbed painfully behind the zipper of his jeans. He’d need a long, cold shower before the day was through unless he managed to drive her mindless with arousal to the point that she jumped him. Please.

He picked up the ax and started to chop wood he didn’t need, enjoying the pain and pleasure of the task. Pleasurable because with every swing that sent his muscles rippling, her desire ramped up a notch and her pheromones drifted to him in the air, but painful because, much as he wanted to fuck her, he knew she wouldn’t give in to bliss so easily.

Sophia’s mouth went dry even as her cleft became soaked. Aidan didn’t seem to notice her as he chopped wood, shirtless. But, oh, how she noticed him. How could she not with his muscular torso rippling with effort? His naked skin glistening with sweat? Her eyes were riveted on the light trail of chest hair that led down in a V to his…

With a curse, she turned away, her breath short. Madness! How could just simply looking at him make her want to throw caution to the wind and dive on him to molest his deliciously sinful body? Even now, facing away from him, her channel throbbed, aching for something thick and long and…

Cursing again, she strode into the cabin, the faint sound of a chuckle following her. Jerk. He knew she wanted him, which frustrated her to no end. If only she could get his promise to not bite her, then maybe they could assuage their lust-several times-and then maybe he’d see they weren’t meant for forever-after.

The direction of her thoughts made her freeze as she paced inside. She’d not even been in the cabin an hour yet, but already she looked for ways to seduce him with no strings. He’d made it clear he could be ruthless in the pursuit of what he wanted. Look at his abduction of her. Who was to say a promise he wouldn’t bite wouldn’t be broken in the heat of the moment or when she was so consumed with passion she’d agree to anything? No, she needed to fight this attraction she had for him and, even more importantly, find a way to escape. Soon, because I don’t how long I can fight my own body. Even my heart sings when he’s around.

It was while she roamed his cabin restlessly that she came across her purse. How the heck did he get his hands on it? She’d left it locked in her room back at the inn. Puzzled by its presence but glad she could change out of the ceremonial robe, she armed herself in jeans and a shapeless sweatshirt.

Eventually he came inside, and with great force of will, she steadfastly refused to look at him. She only trembled slightly when she heard the sound of running water as he showered-don’t think of him standing under the sluicing water, naked. She bit her nails right down for the first time since her teens, when she’d kicked the nervous habit.

When he finally appeared, fully clothed-unfortunately-he still didn’t speak to her, but he did throw her a grin, which made her scowl. His cabin didn’t seem so roomy with him inside, and she wore a tread in his floor staying out of his reach, warily tracking him as he moved around with ease in the kitchen area.

Even fully clothed and hiding the too-tempting sight of his upper body, he still caused a mounting arousal in her. She couldn’t help but notice as the material stretched and hugged his hidden muscles, which just served to act as erotic enticement. Now she simply wanted to strip the shirt from him-with her teeth.

She didn’t understand what game he played. When he’d told her she was his mate and he intended to claim her, she’d expected him to ravish her at the first moment. He hadn’t-the jerk. Instead, he barely paid her any mind, going about his chores and not making any attempts to seduce her at all. It made a girl want to throw a temper tantrum, starting with taking off all her clothes. A naked witch in his living room would probably wipe that serene look off his face and get her the action she craved.

What the hell is wrong with me? I don’t want to be claimed by a werewolf. Remember the whole interspecies issues? So, why am I so miffed he’s ignoring me?

She jumped when he finally spoke. “How do you like your sausage?”

Erect and in my sex were the first words that came to mind, but what she said was, “You pig! I told you I wouldn’t sleep with you.”

Aidan quirked a brow at her and shook his head. “I was just asking how you liked your breakfast sausage, sweetheart. For tomorrow morning’s breakfast. What a dirty mind you have, though. I like it.”

Sophia blushed crimson and didn’t reply.

“Come and have some supper. You must be hungry.”

She sure was, and the worst part was that she could have exactly what her heart desired if she just said the word. In a refusal to feed that appetite, Sophia slid into a wooden chair at the small table where he’d placed two steaming plates of food. He’d fried some potatoes and steaks on his propane stove, and he’d tossed up a salad. It would figure he’d also know how to cook.

Sophia concentrated on eating. However, no matter how much food she swallowed, her hunger didn’t abate. She wanted something else to devour, and she knew all she had to do was say the word, and he’d give her dessert.

The silence stretched between them, taut as a strung wire, and Sophia almost snapped with the tension. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

Sophia made a frustrated sound. “This! Kidnapping me and keeping me prisoner. It isn’t going to work. I won’t change my mind.”

“And neither will I,” he said flatly. “I don’t know why you keep choosing to deny the connection between us, the rapport. Have you so quickly forgotten the trip to the inn, before you knew you were my mate? Have you forgotten everything we had in common, how well we got along?”

Sophia looked down at her plate where she absently twirled her fork in the leftover food. “It was different then.”

“Why?”

“Because then you weren’t trying to make me into your slave.”

Aidan slapped his hands down on the table, and Sophia jumped. “Stop using that word. Mating is not about ownership. It’s about two beings meant to come together. About sharing their life and love.”

Sophia laughed sarcastically. “Oh, please. You don’t love me. We’ve barely known each other two days.”

“And? Are you going to deny you didn’t want me from the first moment you saw me? I know I wanted you.”

“That’s lust,” she retorted, “not love.”

“Semantics. Most relationships start with lust and evolve into love.”

“And sometimes after the lust has faded, there’s nothing left, not even like. How can you be so sure that won’t happen?”

“Because I have faith.”

Sophia snorted. “That seems awfully risky.”

“Love is risky, no matter what.”

“Sorry, but I don’t think I’m ready to make that kind of commitment, especially knowing the repercussions.”

“Like what? More pleasure than you can imagine?”

His words made her shiver. She knew he spoke truth when he promised her pleasure, but pleasure was fleeting. “Stop doing that. You know what I’m talking about. The side effects to a witch mating with a shifter.”

He looked puzzled. “I’ve never heard of any so-called side effects. Then again, I’ve never actually met a witch-and-shifter pairing. Dracin didn’t have time to tell me much about his relationship.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you should get your facts straight first. I did learn about them, rare as they are, in my witch course. Things like the fact that any children we’d have would be shifters, not witches or warlocks like me.”

Aidan shrugged. “If you say so. I assume this knowledge is based in fact and not rumor.”

Sophia frowned at him. “Why would they print it in the course book if it was false? Even if I could accept that any children we’d have wouldn’t take after me, I’m more disturbed with the issue that while pregnant I wouldn’t be able to use magic at all.”

“And?”

Sophia growled. “I’d be powerless.”

Aidan rolled his eyes. “Ooh, for five months you couldn’t use your magic. The calamity, the horror.”

“Five months?”

“Shifter babies don’t take as long as human babies to mature.”

“Oh.” The books hadn’t mentioned that, not that it mattered.

“What do you need your magic for, might I ask, that you can’t go without for a few months?”

Sophia’s mind drew a blank. “Well, nothing usually, but you never know. What if someone tried to attack me for being a witch or something?”

Aidan’s eyes went dark. He got up from his chair, his body taut, and pulled her up into his arms. Sophia, in shock from the multitude of pleasurable sensations racing through her, didn’t protest. She did, however, shiver at his next words.

“I will never allow anybody or anything to hurt you. I will protect you with my life.”

Then his mouth came down hard on hers.