Lycan Christmas

Chapter Ten

Melony caught her breath when Lorent whispered against her ear. His scent tickled her nose, and butterflies flittered in her tummy. She wanted him to kiss her, had wanted him to do so in the Learning Center, but now no one would interrupt them. That thought was a bit daunting because she didn’t know how well she trusted herself to stop at just a kiss.

While she was attracted to him, liked him, wished to explore her growing feelings for him, she was a virgin. Jumping into bed with him, no matter how much he turned her on, was not something she wished to rush. But when she turned her face to him, and his lips brushed against hers, her restraint flew out the window—actually it broke through and trampled over the glass in a frantic stampede for freedom.

His mouth was firm but soft on hers at first, a mere coaxing, but when she relaxed against him and sighed in response, all gentleness was forgotten as he angled his head and deepened the kiss. She gasped, and he took advantage of the moment by sliding his tongue inside and tangling it with her own. She’d been kissed before, but this was no ordinary kiss. It was as if he was searing himself on her for all time, making sure she’d never forget the wild, wicked, dominant taste and feel of his mouth on hers.

She groaned, and reached to drag him closer, but the groan quickly turned into a squeak when he flipped over, taking them both to the ground, where she softly landed on top of him. God, the man was all muscle. She swore she could feel every ridge, every defining cord wherever their bodies pressed together. They stared at one another, both breathing hard, until finally, he reached up, cupped her nape in one hand, and urged her mouth back to his.

His tongue delved into her mouth over and over, and his teeth nipped gently at her bottom lip, igniting a towering inferno to rage inside her. Her hands rested on his shoulders, while his other arm slowly encircled her waist and pulled her tighter against him. Her breasts pressed into his chest, and her nipples beaded in excited peaks. The friction as they rubbed against him was nearly unbearable.

The need to get rid of their clothes and lay against him skin to skin rode her hard. She gasped when his hands found the hem of her shirt and yanked it over her head, then brought his mouth back to hers. Her breasts spilled out into his hands, and he kneaded each one gently before he sat up and pulled her thighs apart over his lap until she straddled him. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, his breathing coming in strangled gasps as he caressed her breasts. When he ran his thumbs over her nipples, she shivered in response.

He sucked in a sharp breath, and his hips tilted up. The evidence of his arousal pressed hard against her, and she gasped again. He felt . . . big, so big. She started to protest, scared that this would never work between them because he’d never fit inside her, but froze when he bent his head and curled his tongue over one nipple. Heat flooded her and pooled low between her thighs, where her body more than willingly readied itself for his possession.

As his mouth, teeth, and tongue ravished one nipple, then the other, every reason why she shouldn’t make love to him now disappeared into the passion-induced fog in her brain.

His big hands roamed her back and drew her against him as he stoked her so high she thought she’d spontaneously combust. She cried out and rubbed against him. A growl was her only warning before being flipped to her back, where she now cradled Lorent, this huge, dominant male, between her thighs as his face remained buried in her breasts. The pleasure he was giving her robbed her of the ability to speak, and tears burned her eyes.

She curled her fingers in his thick hair and held him to her as he continued ravishing her breasts and nipples. The intense heat coming from his body bled through her skin, and she strained against him, reveling in the comfort his closeness gave her. He didn’t crush her, was careful to keep his weight off her, but he was still heavy enough that she felt deliciously entrapped by his bigger frame.

“Lorent.” She tugged at his hair, but his only response was a groan. “Lorent.” She tugged a bit harder, and when he looked up at her, her heart flip-flopped at the sight of him.

She didn’t think it possible, but he was even sexier with his hair tousled from her fingers and his eyes glowing. The desire that burned in the hazel depths—purely dominant, hot, predatory—alarmed and excited her. The feral way he gazed at her made her feel hunted, stalked, caught, and soon to be conquered. Surprisingly, she wasn’t afraid. The fact that he wanted her as badly as she wanted him only thrilled her.

“What, Melony?” His words were quiet, low, breathless.

“Kiss me again.”

His mouth slammed down on hers, and he stole the breath from her lungs, which she readily gave to him as she hungrily devoured his lips. No man had ever kissed her like this.

His kiss was the epitome of possession, and she never thought she’d enjoy being possessed quite this much. She would, without a shadow of a doubt, submit to this man, give him anything he asked for. But how could she feel this strongly for him already? And that simple question spurred her logical mind to steal the magic from the moment.

She stiffened, and Lorent immediately broke the kiss as if detecting the change in her.

He sat up and pulled her onto his lap once again before framing her face with his hands.

“What’s wrong?” He lightly rubbed his thumb over her cheek.

“Nothing.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “It’s just that . . .”

“Shit.” He stood, helped her up, bent to retrieve her shirt, and handed it to her. “I’m sorry. I crossed the line. I should have never touched you like that.” He stepped away from her and leaned against a tall tree, the bark crunching under his weight.

She hurriedly tugged her shirt over her head before going to him and laying a hand on his arm. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to. I just got caught up in the moment and forgot myself. Things were progressing a bit fast for me is all.”

“I’m such an ass,” he muttered.

“Look at me, Lorent.” She waited until he finally did so. “You did nothing wrong. I never meant to do any more than kiss you, but when you touched me . . .” Her voice trailed off while images of his mouth on her rushed her brain. “I lost my head. You seem to have that effect on me.”

“You seem to have that effect on me as well,” he said through tight lips. “I shouldn’t have taken things that far. I’m sorry.”

“Please stop apologizing. We were both out of control. It’s understandable. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. It doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, because I did. I don’t regret what we just did. I just want to take things a bit slower, and where we were heading was not slow.”

“No. I guess it wasn’t.” He grimaced.

She wrapped her arms around him, not expecting a response, but pleasantly surprised when he hugged her to him.

“You’re so warm,” she mumbled.

“It’s a lycan thing.”

“I like it.”

“I’m glad because I don’t think I can change it.”

“This is one of the best dreams I’ve ever had,” she said against his chest. “I wish I could dream about you every night. I like spending time with you. I’m not sorry about anything.”

“I like spending time with you as well.” He pulled back and pushed some of the stray hairs off her forehead. “I think I might have messed up your hair.”

“It was worth it,” she giggled.

“I have to go now, Melony. I’ll see you again soon. Sleep well.” He kissed her on the forehead and turned away.

She watched as he disappeared into the trees, wanting to call him back, knowing she couldn’t because she would not have the willpower to stop herself a second time from letting him make love to her.

Melony groaned and lifted her heavy lids with much effort. Her bedroom was dark, which told her it was still several hours before morning came. A fine sheen of sweat covered her body, and her breasts were full and heavy.

She ran her hand over them only to find her nipples stiffened in peaks.

Damn. That was one hell of a dream. She’d never had such a vivid one before this night.

Her logical brain knew it had been a dream, but part of her felt it had been more . It was so real. She sighed.

“It couldn’t be real, you twit. Dreams aren’t real.”

Unless you were Freddy Krueger or something, and she’d never have a dream about Freddy like the one she’d just had about Lorent.

How was she going to face him tomorrow with the memories of his mouth and hands on her so fresh in her mind? She rolled over and punched the pillow, only to incite an irritated cry from Puss, which she ignored.

“It’s not a memory. It’s a dream,” she muttered to herself.

She wished it hadn’t been a dream. Lorent had actually opened up a little with her, hadn’t been as guarded as he usually was. And the way he’d kissed her, touched her? Holy hell. If he ever did touch her like that and she got even half as hot as she had in her dream, she’d explode. And now the urge to find out how his hands would feel on her for real was nearly painful. She ached for his caresses, his mouth, and wanted to make love with him. She snorted. If they were ever together for real, she doubted “making love”

would accurately describe their coming together.

Lorent would love her, but he wouldn’t be a tender, shy lover. He’d possess her, claim her, and she’d welcome his possession with open arms, with relish, with complete abandonment. Though she’d only known him a short time, her body had already decided that it wanted him. To be completely honest, her heart and mind wanted him as well, but she’d never been with a man, and she didn’t want to rush this.

How could she be so certain that Lorent was the man she wanted to make love with for the first time? She had no answer for that other than it was something she just knew. She couldn’t explain how she did. It was just one of those things that you were sure of without explanation. The question was, did Lorent want her? Even if he did, would they be allowed to explore their feelings for one another as they wished? And if they did so, where would that leave them?

It all came full circle back to the problem that she was not his mate.

Could she willingly give her heart and body to a man who may have no choice but to walk away from her for another? What if she fell in love with him? Maybe you’re already halfway there.

She punched her pillow again and decided to try to put it all from her mind for now. Whatever will be, will be, she thought to herself as she drifted back to sleep.

Lorent propped his head on his arm as he lay looking at the log beams of his bedroom ceiling. Guilt and pleasure warred inside him. He’d enjoyed the time with Melony in the dream, but how would she react when she found out that dreams between mates were almost as real as reality? Hell, how would she react when she learned she was his mate?

His cock stood painfully aroused by the dream, the urge to get out of bed and go to her nearly impossible to resist. He wanted to touch her exquisite breasts, kiss her for real. He’d feasted on the creamy mounds as if they were nectar from the gods, and they were to him. He groaned and sat up.

He needed to run, needed to drive the thought of her from his mind before he did something stupid.

He went to the front door, stepped outside, and let his wolf come to the surface, gave it reign over his body. Within seconds, he stood on four paws and darted into the woods. He’d only been running for about twenty minutes when he scented another lycan. A few seconds later, he came through a clearing in the thick trees that allowed a brilliant view of the moon and stars.

When he scanned the area, he saw a black wolf in the tree line staring out with its golden brown eyes. Piers Kavanaugh.

He trotted toward the wolf, but right before he got to him, he turned and went deeper into the woods. Lorent followed him to the cabin he and Sherry stayed in while visiting Sanctuary. Piers shifted back to human and pulled on a pair of jeans that were lying on the porch. When Lorent shifted, Piers tossed him a towel, which he promptly knotted around his waist.

They both sat on the top step of the wood porch, oblivious of the cold night on their near-naked bodies.

“How’s Sherry?”

“She’s okay. She’s resting.”

The way Piers shifted uneasily alerted Lorent that the ancient was worried about something. Lorent didn’t usually pry, but he needed a distraction from Melony, and he also liked Piers and wanted to help if he was able.

“She’s getting close to her due date, isn’t she?”

Piers grunted. “I feel like there’s something she’s not telling me. I don’t know. I mean, Sherry would never lie to me about anything, but something seems off.”

“With the baby?”

“I don’t know.” Piers glanced back at the door and cocked his head for a moment as if he’d heard something inside. After listening for a few moments, he turned back to Lorent.

“It’s probably just nerves. You are having your first baby. While it’s a joyous time, it’s stressful as well.”

“Where did you get all that knowledge from, pup?” Piers smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Yeah, Piers was definitely uneasy about something, but Lorent would be willing to bet it was simply jitters at becoming a father for the first time.

“Watching and learning. When’s the midwife coming in?”

“After Christmas. Sherry’s not due until the end of January, and she refuses to let anyone miss Christmas with their family. She insisted the midwife wait until after the New Year. I’d feel better if she came sooner, but damned if you can talk any sense into a hardheaded woman.”

Lorent had learned that Sanctuary had two midwives lined up to assist with any upcoming births. Both lived within a few hours, and were trustworthy, although still not entrusted with the knowledge of the lycan race. The midwives were told Sanctuary was a religious encampment where members valued their privacy above all else.

While there had been no babies born to Sanctuary as of yet—Sherry and Piers’s son would be the first—once the encampment had been established, the women had demanded that at least one midwife be found immediately. It was something that would make things go smoother now that everything had been done in advance, something the men probably would not have put much thought into until one of their mates had become pregnant.

“So what do you think about Melony, Lorent?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “She’s, um, she’s all right.”

“Just all right, huh? I haven’t had the pleasure to spend much time in her company, but from what I’ve heard and seen, she’s a very lovely young lady.”

“She is.”

Just as Lorent thought he’d have to come up with a fast, probably lame excuse to get away from Piers and his questions about Melony, the door to the cabin cracked open.

“Piers?” Sherry’s voice was laced with the groggy remnants of sleep.

“Yeah, baby. I was just talking to Lorent for a minute, but I’m coming in now. Go get back to bed and keep it warm for me.” Piers smiled at Sherry, and she smiled back.

“Hi, Lorent.”

“Hi, Sherry.”

“Bye, Lorent.”

“See ya.”

Sherry disappeared behind the door. At that moment, Lorent wondered what it would be like to have Melony waiting at home for him, carrying his baby, keeping his bed warm. The stirring of his wolf and cock alerted him that it was way past time to go home.

“I’ll see ya later, Piers.”

“Take care, pup. I’m here if you ever need to talk about anything.”

“Thanks.”

He’d never given much thought to it, but maybe Piers would be sympathetic to his plight. After all, Piers had originally kidnapped Sherry.

While things hadn’t started out great in that relationship, it ended up turning out okay, better than okay. He’d have to mull it around for a while before deciding anything. After dropping the towel from around his waist, he changed before running into the woods and back to his cabin.