FavoriteObsession (18 page)

She embraced the darkness knowing she was safe in Josh’s
arms. He’d protect her. Even if he couldn’t save her.

Eyes closed, Josh rested his cheek against Mira’s inner
thigh. The jumble of emotions rolling through him left him shaky. Or maybe the
pleasure she’d fed him intoxicated him. He felt lightheaded and drunk on her
sweet arousal. Crazy but true. He swore he’d gotten as much enjoyment out of
the act as she had. Oral sex had never been as completely satisfying with any
other woman. Only Mira. Her every breathy moan and whimper amplified the need
to please her. And when she came… God, drinking her release had felt like his
reward.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her sex and eased back so as
to take in the image she made. A flush gave her exposed skin a soft glow. The
black hair he loved with its patches of color like a collage of fall foliage
fanned out around her face. The delicate slope of her nose and the curve of her
rosy cheeks gave her an angelic appearance, but the small smile on her plump
lips transformed her into a siren.

His cock strained against his zipper, demanding to be freed.
He ignored it, instead focusing on the dark lashes curled against her perfect
skin.

Fucking beautiful.

She was strength and softness all wrapped up in one decadent
package. Shy and sexy, confident and vulnerable. She was everything a woman
should be. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, lock her to his side and
snarl at anyone who dared come near her. Possessiveness grew, stronger than
ever. The thought unsettled him.

Already, he was obsessed with her, but the heightened sense
of ownership entering his head shocked him. He felt like a damn shifter ready
to fight to keep what belonged to him—Mira. He’d rolled his eyes whenever Rafe
or Devin got territorial around their mates. It had seemed overboard
considering Jazz and Lena loved their crazy asses. Rafe and Devin had simply
said they couldn’t help it.

At the moment, Josh felt the same way. It wouldn’t take much
to convince him to rip Aron’s or any other male’s throat out if they so much as
looked at Mira with lust in their eyes. That bothered him on so many levels but
what worried him the most was the flaring of the itch along his skin that
accompanied the primal thoughts.

He buried his nose in the fall of Mira’s hair and breathed
deeply until the tightness in his muscles and the ache in his bones eased. For
whatever reason, Mira stopped the odd response. With the lure of her soft
curves so close, he didn’t want to question why.

He scooped up her limp body, a wave of pride puffing his
chest. He’d given her pleasure, so much she’d passed out. He’d heard the other
shifters talk about the intense urges to please their females. He’d even
watched them congratulate each other when they’d loved their mates into
unconsciousness. He hadn’t given it much thought until now. Yeah, he felt like
a king or something, but he needed more.

With one arm supporting her back, he tugged her shirt off.
Gently, so as not to wake her, he laid her on the bed. Her lightly tanned flesh
stood out against the dark blue sheets. She looked inviting against the
turbulent color, like an anchor in the storm.

His anchor in a black sea of nothingness.

He frowned at the odd thought, but pushed it away and turned
his focus to the woman who’d captured his attentions. He covered her belly with
his palm, drawn to the spot he longed to lay his head each night. Warmth
transferred into his skin, urging him closer.

The temptation to crawl in bed with her beat at him. He
glanced at the clock on the nightstand. He had four hours before Megan’s play
date was over. He turned his attention back to Mira. Her relaxed, sated
features reminded him of what they’d just shared. His chest rose and fell, the
memory of her lost to pleasure seared into his head.

He’d accomplished what he’d come here for—remind her of what
he could do to her. It wasn’t enough. With his favorite obsession spread before
him, he wanted to love her, show her with his body what he knew he couldn’t
express. She was his
one
. No other woman would take her place in his
heart or his life. No matter what happened between them, she’d always have his
love.

Mark her. Claim her. Keep her.

The urges echoed in his head, not in words. No, this need
ran deeper. It mirrored his desires yet the edge to it felt…primal. He swore he
was developing an alternate personality, one that based its thoughts on a
primitive level. It amplified his possessiveness, gave him images of what he
wanted to do with this woman. And damn if he didn’t like what his alter ego showed
him. Right here and now, he agreed with making each fantasy a reality.

He kicked off his boots, the loud thumps not waking Mira. A
tug yanked his belt free. He tossed it aside and unbuttoned his jeans. Fingers
on the zipper, he paused to consider his actions and dropped his hand. He didn’t
want her to be frightened when she awoke and found him in bed with her. Besides
he wanted her to peel his pants off him like she’d done the night in the bar. She
had to willingly accept his body and his claim.

He had to be her choice.

His shirt tore in his haste to remove it. No matter, he had
others. The bed dipped under his weight. He crawled toward her and gave in to
his yearning. He pillowed his head on her stomach. A deep breath brought her
scent to him. God, her fragrance was stronger than it had been the last time he’d
seen her. Rich, alluring and full of life
.

She smelled almost…
ripe
. It was an odd description but
it made him want to spill his seed inside her, get her with child. His breaths
sawed past his lips as he imagined how very sexy Mira would look swollen with a
baby. His babies, three adorable little ones as in the dream he’d had.

Damn, he was spending too much time with the shifters. He’d
spent his adulthood cringing at the thought of accidently knocking up his
lovers. He’d never gotten close to a woman’s sex without a condom on, afraid
his little swimmers would find their way home. No way did he want a tie to any
of the women who’d hopped in and out of his bed. But Mira? His cock leaked,
anticipation and excitement making his hard shaft jerk in the confines of his
pants.

Was it the knowledge he couldn’t impregnate her that had his
balls drawn up? Or the desire to prove the world wrong? He wasn’t so sure. He
only knew he wouldn’t walk away from Mira today unless she tossed him out on
his ass. Besides, he could always pull out if that’s what she wanted. Him? He
wanted to fill her up, again and again, until neither of them could move.

Fingers massaged his scalp. His chest made the same weird
rumbly sound it had earlier. He frowned. The soothing caresses eased the
distress settling over him. Contentment spread with each circling pass of her
fingertips. He let the concern slip away. It was impossible not to when her
touch became his entire focus.

“Josh.”

The breathless way she whispered his name made the rightness
take hold. It didn’t matter that they wouldn’t have more than his lifetime
together or that he could never give her everything she deserved. This. Now.
That was all he cared about.

He straddled her, covering her body with his. Hands cupped
over her cheeks, he stared into her eyes—those kaleidoscope eyes that had
ensnared him from the moment they first landed on him.

“Mira, my kitten, I want you.”

The swirling yellow overcame the white. Her gaze mapped his
face, desire making her lids heavy. She swept the tip of her pink tongue across
her upper lip. Her scent—spicy, sweet and full of life—filled his lungs. He
leaned closer, dragged a deep lungful in and moaned as she imprinted herself on
him. God, he’d never be complete without her.

“Need you, baby. Tell me you need me too. That you want
this. Us.”

Her wandering gaze returned to his eyes. She nodded. “I do,
Josh.” She pressed her lips to his. “Gods, I do. Need you so much.”

It was what he’d waited his entire life to hear. He felt
something click and unfold within him, stretching his limbs. Pain seized his
chest in a tight grip that stole his breath. She ran her fingertips across his
back. The burning in his veins faded. The agony piercing his heart stopped.
Mira took it away, replaced it with a lust he’d never experienced before, one
that left him wondering if he would actually die if he didn’t get inside her.

He pressed his groin to hers, careful not to scrape his
zipper against her delicate cleft. The press of his erection nestled in her
seam. She shuddered under him, eyelashes fluttering. He grinned. Damn, he enjoyed
seeing her lost to desire.

He leaned in, pressed his nose to the delicate spot where
neck met shoulder and inhaled. Her fragrance, so familiar, filled him. He
breathed slowly, in and out, enjoying every intimate detail of the moment.

“Josh.”

A single word that told him everything. He turned his head
to study her face. The confirmation he didn’t really need blazed in her eyes.
She wanted him, maybe even loved him too.

“Mira, my Mira.”

“Always and forever.” She pressed her mouth to his but didn’t
kiss him. Their lips rubbed as she brushed hers back and forth over his. The
light touch ignited him as much as when their tongues twined and rolled.

“Always and forever,” he repeated.

He held her gaze and luxuriated in the knowledge he wasn’t
alone in this crazy, all-consuming desire.

“You ready for more?”

“Yes, more.”

He sat back on bent legs between her spread thighs. She lay
before him, open and inviting. Her pink, swollen lips glistened with her
juices. The scent of feminine arousal drew him. He leaned forward, unable to
help himself, and licked along her cleft. By sheer will alone, he forced his body
away from hers.

Arms spread out to the side, he locked his gaze with hers. “Then
take me, Mira. I’m yours.”

A harsh stamp of hunger flared in her eyes. She moved, all
sinuous grace, and knelt in front of him. Blunt nails dented the muscles in his
chest. She scraped them down his pecs, over the ridges of his abs to the edge
of his jeans. His erection was bent to the side, the head peeking out from the
waistband. With the tip of her finger, she teased the seam, drawing more
pre-cum forth and spread it over the trapped head. More blood filled his shaft
at her touch, making the position uncomfortable.

“Take it in your hands, kitten.”

She peered at him through the strands of her hair and held
his gaze while she unzipped his jeans. His ready cock sprang free, bobbling in
her face. Her eyes finally left his to focus on his straight shaft. She
moistened her lips but didn’t lick. The same finger that had teased his slit
traced the length. She circled his heavy balls before shoving at his pants. He
tugged the remaining material off his legs and tossed it aside. He couldn’t
wait any longer.

Tinkling laughter and the wicked sparkle in her eyes made
him grin despite the urgency settling over him.

Mate her. Claim her. Keep her.

“Eager?”

“Very.” He hopped back on the bed and caught Mira, hands on
her hips, as she fell forward. He drew her close. Fingers kneading her hips, he
looked deeply into her eyes so she’d she the sincerity reflected there. He knew
he sucked at expressing himself, but he wanted Mira to know how much this meant
to him. “I need to be inside you, a part of you. Do you understand? I can’t
wait.”

She ran her hands over his chest. “I do and I can’t resist
you. I’m not that strong.” She wrapped slender fingers around him. His cock
jerked with her single rough tug. “But this doesn’t change anything between us.
It’s sex. Nothing more, nothing less.”

He wanted to argue. This was everything. She didn’t give him
the chance. With her hands splayed over his chest, she pushed. Startled by the
power in her shove, he fell back. She crawled over him and fisted his shaft.
With her hand controlling him, she rubbed the tip of his penis along the seam
of her sex. His eyes rolled back into his head. The head of his cock slid past
her swollen lips. She poised there, her gaze locked to his.

“One time, Josh. That’s all I can give you.”

Hell, no.

He grabbed her hips before she could impale herself. With
his fingers biting into her flesh, he flipped her. He lifted her bottom,
forcing her to scramble to get onto her hands and knees, and drove his cock
into her. Her oomph turned into a shocked gasp.

“Tight.” He massaged her hips. “Fuck, kitten, so damn tight.”

A low moan answered him. He pulled back and rocked his hips,
working himself inside her. An inch, then another before withdrawing and
repeating the rolling press.

His head fell back on a groan. She felt untried. He half
expected to encounter a barrier. None stopped him. Only a wonderfully snug
glove molded to his dick. He panted and grabbed hold of his inner urges
demanding he pound into her. With the way her muscles massaged his length, he
didn’t know how long he’d last. No way would he rush this first time. He bent
over her, savoring the wet haven of her body, but she writhed around the length
joining them. Her desperate thrashing threatened to end their loving too soon.

He slid his hand around her hips and locked her body to his.
A steady push and the head of his cock met the mouth of her womb. He held her,
forced her to experience his complete invasion.

“Feel that, baby. This is you and me. We fit. Two halves of
a whole.”

“Yes, gods, yes. I feel. Please, give me more.”

He leaned over her, pressed his cheek to her spine and
thrust shallowly, giving her time to adjust. The sweet, breathy cries falling
from her lips ensured his entry hadn’t hurt her so he gave her what she asked
for…more. He drove his shaft deeper, faster. Each thrust quickened her pants,
tightened the sheath he filled. He felt each quiver of muscle as her body tried
to hold him close. The push and drag ignited his nerve endings, made his dick
harder.