Blood Challenge (15 page)

“There’s no need—”

She frowned. “Let me take care of you. It’s my turn.” That was certainly the truth. Rica couldn’t seem to curb his dominant tendencies, even in the bedroom. Most of the time, she didn’t mind. Tonight, however, she wanted to be in charge. She wanted the loving to be slow and unhurried, rather than the frenzy that usually consumed them.

He sighed, but didn’t argue. His skin glistened in the light from the lanterns on the nightstands, indicating he hadn’t dried thoroughly, as he walked forward and lay on the bed. His muscles were visibly rigid, and he held himself stiffly, obviously preparing for the worst.

She bit back a smile as she walked to the bed and sat on the edge. He reached for her, and she slapped his hand lightly. His expression of shock had her biting hard on her tongue to keep from laughing. She took a deep breath to regain her calm. “Just relax. Roll onto your stomach.”

He eyed the bottle in her hand distrustfully, but rolled onto his stomach, albeit with evident reluctance. If possible, his body stiffened even more.

Ellie got to her feet, and his head turned to watch her every movement. She knew when she disappeared from his sight by the way his shoulders bunched. “Relax,” she said again, stopping at the foot of the bed. She swung her legs over the low footboard and perched her buttocks on it. She settled onto her knees before she opened the cap on the bottle. Rica flinched when she drizzled some of the oil across his foot.

“What are you doing?”

“Close your eyes and try to enjoy it, darling.” The endearment felt strange on her tongue, but it brought warmth to the pit of her stomach. Rica’s tense muscles slowly relaxed, and she waited until he was lying comfortably before she touched his foot again. She rubbed the oil into his skin with firm strokes, pressing against the arch of his foot, and pausing to carefully attend to each toe. Rica was clearly still having trouble making himself vulnerable, but she knew he was making the effort to stay relaxed.

She moved up to his ankle, working her slippery hands across the firm skin. When she moved to his calf and began working the knotted muscle, he exhaled harshly. His leg relaxed further, and she rubbed the muscle until not a hint of tension remained. Then she moved her hands up higher, to press into the back of his thigh. He moaned when she hit a sensitive area, and Ellie paid careful attention to loosening it.

As she moved higher, she felt him tense. When her hand brushed against his buttocks, he stiffened. He didn’t relax until she leaned back and lifted his neglected foot. He surrendered to her orchestration, allowing her to bend his knee and bring his foot higher. She bent her head and ran her tongue across his sole, causing him to flinch.

Rica turned his head. “That’s enough.”

She giggled. “No, not yet. I want you completely relaxed.”

“I’m relaxed.” He disproved his statement by clenching his muscles when she drew his big toe into her mouth and sucked. “This is…” He trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.

She withdrew the toe from her mouth. “Isn’t it?” Ellie nipped the side of his foot, barely biting back a laugh when he cursed. She cleared her throat and lowered his foot to the bed, once more concentrating on massaging the tension from the muscles of his other leg. He seemed to relax under her touch once he realized she wasn’t going to tease him again—or so he thought.

Ellie barely held in a giggle at the way Rica stiffened and shouted when she drizzled oil across his buttocks. Her giggle turned to a breathy sigh at the beauty of his glistening ass. Her hands itched to touch the skin, and she didn’t deny herself. Rica clenched his cheeks when she began massaging them with firm strokes, kneading the muscles with enough force to loosen them.

He groaned when she trailed her thumb down his cleft. His tension returned when she parted his cheeks with her thumbs. She lowered her head to run her tongue down the inside of his cleft, earning a cry of outrage. She lifted her head. “Do you trust me, Rica?”

He hesitated.

She squeezed his cheeks. “Do you trust me?” she asked again. “I’m your mate. Do you trust me not to hurt or humiliate you?”

His affirmative answer was little more than a growl, but he relaxed a bit.

Ellie lowered her head again and teased his anus with the tip of her tongue. Rica shivered under her, in rhythm with her tongue. He didn’t tell her to stop, but she lifted her head. She knew he’d had enough stimulation in that area. He wouldn’t appreciate her delving deeper.

She allowed his cheeks to close again and didn’t miss his sigh of relief. She smacked his buttocks lightly before moving her hands to his back. She paused to lift the bottle and dripped more oil onto his skin before continuing her massage. His muscles were tense and knotted, but by the time she worked her way to his shoulders, they had loosened.

Her pussy was also soaking wet. Ellie ached to feel his cock inside her, but was determined to finish what she had started. She had stretched forward to reach his shoulders, and now she leaned back, once more kneeling. “You can roll over now.”

“Thank God.” He moved quickly, rolling onto his back and reaching for her almost simultaneously.

Ellie shook her head. “Stay still. Hold onto the slats in the headboard if you need to.”

He glared at her. “Ellie—”

She touched his lips, leaving a smear of oil on them when she withdrew her finger. “Shh. Indulge me.”

He appeared disgruntled as he grasped the headboard. His breath escaped him in a harsh sigh when she drizzled oil on his chest and began to work it into his skin. “I’m going to need another bath when you’ve finished.”

She nodded. “I’ll join you.” She was pleased to see that shut him up so quickly his teeth clicked when they met. Ellie bent her head and tried to focus on her task. She found it more difficult to push aside her needs with his hot gaze fixed on her, while his cock lay against his stomach, leaving no doubt he was ready for her.

She massaged his stomach with soft strokes, loving the way his abs tensed and loosened alternately under her hands. Her pussy took up the beat and began clenching in rhythm to his muscle contractions. By the time she was at his cock, perspiration beaded her face. She wanted to massage his legs, but his cock was irresistible.

She grasped it with both hands. The oil on her hands allowed her to stroke up and down his cock with a smooth, steady cadence. “I love your cock, Rica.”

He grunted, thrusting his hips against her hands.

“I love how it feels inside me. So thick.” She moaned, remembering how he had filled her that morning, before leaving the house. A tingle radiated from her pussy, upward. A dragging sensation pulled at her belly, seeming to be urging her to ride him.

“Let me inside.” His words were barely intelligible through his gnashed teeth. He held the slats so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

She couldn’t continue her plan of a slow seduction. She needed him now. Ellie scooted forward, positioning her knees on either side of his hips. She grasped his cock and maneuvered it to nudge the opening of her pussy when she lowered herself. He let go of the headboard and offered her his hands. Ellie grasped his, using them for support. Rica locked his elbows in place as she sat down on him, taking his cock inside her.

She forgot about remaining in charge, and about going slow. Rica began thrusting against her with fast, deep strokes, and she met each one eagerly. She didn’t need slow and romantic with him. Things would never be that way between them. Their passion for each other was hot and intense, so why should their lovemaking be any different?

She cried out as his cock plunged deep inside her. Ellie tightened her hold on his hands, and he kept his arms taut as she leaned forward, allowing him to support most of her upper body. It was all she could do to remember to return his thrusts. Her pussy convulsed, making her cry out. Her body stiffened and released as a climax overtook her. Rica’s followed within seconds, and he filled her with his satisfaction.

“I love you, Ellie.”

She stiffened as he shouted the words while arching his hips against her. Her body continued to function on instinct, but her mind whirled with confusion. She tried to deny he had said the words, but knew he had. Once again, she found herself speechless, and there was no denying it hurt him when she met his eyes. The sadness she saw in his expression brought tears to her eyes. She started sobbing and broke away from him to run into the bathroom.

She was equally relieved and miffed that he didn’t follow her as she gave in to the tears and confusion. Why did he have to ruin everything with his impromptu declaration? Worse yet, why did her heart have to ruin everything by urging her to respond in kind?

Chapter 11

Ellie huddled deep into her parka, hugging her arms around herself. It was strange that she hadn’t noticed the coldness to this extent during the Mating Moon Ceremony, when she had been nude. Her eyes locked with Rica’s as she scanned the clearing of those gathered to witness the outcome of Lia’s moon-cycle claim. His closed expression seemed to harden further, and his eyes slid from hers. Perhaps the ice reflected in them caused her to feel the drop in temperature.

Since he had made his declaration two days ago, and she failed to respond, he had treated her distantly. His words were seldom, and his tone was brusque when he did speak. He was hiding his hurt behind a mask of cold indifference, but she could still see his pain.

She shifted her weight, wishing she could so easily shift her guilt to someone else. Why was she putting him through this? Not answering his expression of emotion was worse than telling him she didn’t love him. The problem was, she couldn’t definitively tell him she didn’t love him, because she knew that was a lie. Rica had captured her heart during her time as his mate, but that was unacceptable. This life wasn’t for her.

Never before had she been tempted to stay longer than required for her study. During her time in the rain forest and Africa, she had often thought of home with longing, wishing for a hot shower, a night in front of the TV, or a thousand other conveniences of modern living.

Now, those things seemed unimportant. She didn’t want them to be. She wanted her life to be clear-cut, with her plans happening as she had envisioned. She should be anticipating the spring thaw, now only two months away, so she could return to the university and begin organizing her notes to publish her study. She should be looking forward to the perquisites of tenure and holding a chair. She shouldn’t be longing to throw herself into Rica’s arms, confess her deception, and stay with him.

The arrival of Lia, Jan, and Lasile interrupted her thoughts. She now knew the blond man was Jan, and the black-haired man was Lasile. During the past month, she had seen the three of them together many times, but like the others in the village, she didn’t have a clue as to whether Lia would accept them as her mates. Ellie didn’t think she would. She wouldn’t be surprised if Belia were still scheming to make her daughter Lupina. Lia wanted that too, didn’t she?

Tonight, Rica was officiating, since he wasn’t challenging and had now mated. He had an intimidating aura as he walked over to the three, who took up position in the middle of the circle. The sash bound their hands, and all three were nude. Rica untied them with a solemn air before stepping back to look at the three of them. He held the sash at his side.

“A moon-cycle has passed. Guardian, join us.”

Belia strode forward. She wore a fur over her hips, but her large breasts swung free. She took up position in front of Lia. Before Rica could ask, she said, “I reject this match.”

He frowned. “The Guardian refuses to give her approval. Lia?”

When she tried to step forward, her mother blocked her steps. Lia tried to go the other way, and again, Belia stepped in front of her.

There was a definite note of anger in Rica’s voice. “Do not interfere, Guardian. Allow the girl to step forward.”

It was with obvious ill grace that Belia moved aside. Lia stepped forward, standing in front of Rica with her head bowed.

“You have lived with Lasile and Jan for a moon-cycle, as their mate. Will you accept a permanent union?”

“No,” Belia shouted.

Rica glared at her. “Silence.” His tone softened when he returned his attention to Lia. “Will you?”

The girl cast a hesitant glance at her mother, and then met Rica’s eyes. “I will.”

Ellie breathed a sigh of relief when Lia uttered her acceptance.

“I won’t allow it.” Belia’s harsh tone carried around the circle. “I permitted her to participate a year sooner than customary, but it’s clear she isn’t mature enough to make this decision. I withdraw my consent.”

Lia’s shoulders straightened. “Alpha, I request to be allowed to make this judgment myself.”

Rica frowned. “It is traditional that the Guardian and girl both agree to the mating. You know this, Lia.”

She nodded. “There are exceptions. If I don’t believe my mother is acting in my best interests, I am allowed to ask for another Guardian, aren’t I?”

“You ungrateful—”

Rica snarled at Belia to quiet her before nodding. “That’s correct. Do you wish to request another Guardian?”

Lia nodded, and her eyes scanned the clearing. Ellie froze when the girl’s gaze settled on her. “I request the Lupina act as my Guardian.”