Mate Set (24 page)

not going near the angry man. She thought about trying to run past him but knew, after

three days of being locked up, that it wouldn’t work. She’d tried twice but one of

Grady’s brothers always caught her before she made it to the stairs.

She had been fed four times a day but she also had to feed Grady. The stack of

towels and hand towels they were given daily had been used to give her and Grady

sponge baths from the sink. She’d bathed him, cared for him, and taken care of all of his

needs. Every time he’d tried to talk to her, she’d threatened to stop. He’d watched her

though, silently, hour after hour. She just wanted a real shower, fresh air, and to get the

hell out of the cage.

The pack leader ignored Mika as he stepped into the cell, his full attention on his

son. “How are you feeling?”

Grady was frowning at his father. “Fine.”

Elroy paused. “How are you feeling now that you’re out of heat?”

Surprise flashed through Mika as her gaze darted to Grady.

He shook his head. “I’m still in heat.”

Elroy’s eyes narrowed and then he looked at Mika. He returned his attention to his

son. “I see.”

Grady stared at his father. “I want my chains removed.”

“No,” Mika instantly said. “If we stay locked up, he stays locked down.”

“You don’t give me orders,” Elroy told her. He reached in his pocket and withdrew

a key. He stared into Grady’s eyes. “How much longer do you think you’ll need to be

here so she can’t take off on you?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll let you know when I have this heat thing under control.”

Elroy bent, unlocking Grady’s wrists, staring at his son the entire time. “I’m going

to leave the cage open and instead just lock the door to the basement so you can be

more comfortable in the apartment down here.” He made a face. “You both need

showers.”

Grady’s wrists were free. He moved his arms, wincing a little and sat up. “Thanks,

Dad.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Elroy said softly. “I’m taking heavy shit

upstairs so I hope you go out of heat soon.” He paused. “Am I clear?”

“Yes.” Grady’s legs were released and he sat up as Elroy straightened, moving

away.

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Elroy shot a glance at Mika. “Don’t try to escape. I have four guards set up around

the house outside. You wouldn’t make it to the gate that separates the property from

the street. Am I clear?”

“Don’t threaten her.” Grady stood up.

“Then make sure she stays where she’s needed and I won’t have to.” He softly

growled at his son. “If you hadn’t totally made a mess of this, I wouldn’t have been

involved at all.”

Grady sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Elroy nodded and walked out of the cage. “Two days, Grady. That’s all you’ve got.”

Mika stared at Grady as he stretched his big, naked body. The sheet was on the

floor where it had dropped the second he’d stood. He watched his father go and then

slowly turned to face her. The look in his eyes scared her a little.

“Things have changed now, haven’t they, babe?” He moved, slowly inching closer.

“Yeah. You can wash your own ass now.”

His hands gripped the bars on either side of her, trapping her between them and his

body, but he didn’t touch her. She looked up at his face since, if she looked down, she’d

see more of him than she wanted to without that sheet.

“You can’t keep me quiet anymore with your threats to not touch me.” He inhaled

slowly, lowering his head, turning it, and breathed in close to her neck. “We’re going to

shower and then we’re going to talk.”

Mika swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “We don’t have much to talk

about. As soon as you don’t need me anymore you can get on with your life and I can

get on with mine.”

His nose brushed her throat and she jumped, trying to move away from him but

she had nowhere to go as her arm pressed against his where he gripped the bar,

trapping her there.

“Let’s go shower.”

“You go right ahead. I’ll take one after you.”

Grady backed up a step, released the bars, and grabbed her forearm. “You don’t

leave my sight. You could try to run from me again.”

She bit back a curse as he turned, tugging on her, and she was left with no choice

but to follow him. Her gaze dropped to his ass, watching the muscles flex there as he

walked. The guy had a really nice ass. She forced her gaze away, refusing to look at him

in that manner. He turned to a closed door she’d assumed was a storage closet and

opened it. She was stunned when instead it opened into a large living area that was a

living room divided by a long bar separating it from a small galley kitchen.

“It’s small but it works.” He led her around a couch to another closed door and

pushed it open. He tugged her around his body and she found herself in a nice-sized

bathroom.

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“Strip,” he ordered her, releasing her arm. The door firmly closed behind them as

he inched around her to turn on the water in the tub-shower combo.

“You shower first and I’ll wait here.”

He faced her, staring into her eyes. “If you don’t take of your clothes, I’ll do it. If

you fight me, I’ll shred them so you don’t have anything to wear. Am I clear? Get your

ass in the shower. We both need one.”

“Jerk,” she muttered, reaching for her shirt.

He chuckled, proving her title for him, and adjusted the water flow and

temperature. She glanced at his bent ass and looked away. She was nervous as hell now

that he was free. She wasn’t in control anymore and knew it. She also knew that it

wouldn’t be her hands and mouth getting him off anymore now that he could take her

any way he wanted her.

He silently watched her undress, his dark gaze taking in every inch. She cleared her

throat. “Are there any razors around here?”

“Are you planning on trying to cut my throat?”

“No. I’d like to shave my legs before they look like yours.”

A chuckle escaped him. “I’m not going to complain.”

“I bet,” she shot back. “You prefer your women hairy at times.”

His grin died. “Get in the shower now, Mika.”

She had to brush against his side as she stepped over the tub rim. He turned and

she glanced down as something brushed her hips, something firm and hot. He was

aroused, his cock standing straight out, and she looked away, knowing for sure what

was about to take place.

“You can’t do that,” she said softly.

“Do what?”

She backed up in the corner of the tub stall, watching him step in with her. There

wasn’t that much space between them and she was trapped with the glass door in her

way as he slid his side closed. He faced her, bigger than life, with the water hitting his

back.

“You can’t fuck me, Grady.”

His lips twitched. “Watch me.” He reached for her.

She tensed. “Your father and brothers took my purse and wouldn’t give it to me. Do

you want to know what was in there? My birth control pills, damn it. I haven’t been

able to take them.”

His hands paused inches from her. Mika stared up at him while he studied her

eyes.

“I’m telling you the truth.”

He inhaled slowly. “You’re not ovulating.”

“You can tell that too?”

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His hands gripped her hips. “Yes.”

“Freak,” she grunted as he jerked her against his chest, her breasts smashed against

his hot skin.

“Maybe so, but I’m the freak who is going to fuck you, babe.”

“I want to wash my hair.”

He released her hips after pushing her back a few inches. He moved, pressing his

back to the side of the shower wall. “Hurry.”

She had to step next to him into the spray of water. He wouldn’t change places with

her so she ignored him as she washed her hair and body. Her body brushed his and he

growled at her a few times. She backed away from him when she was done. He moved

into the spray of water, tipped his head back, and let water soak his long hair.

Her gaze flicked to his broad shoulders, his muscular arms, and to that wonderful

chest of his. Then her gaze lowered since he wasn’t watching her. She wished he had a

beer gut instead of a six pack. His cock was still standing up, full, and thick. She looked

away, staring at the small window above her head that led to the outside world. There

hadn’t been any windows in the other room but she realized it was too high and small

for her to be able to use it to escape.

Grady turned off the water once he washed out the conditioner from his hair and

handed her a towel. “Dry off fast. I’m going to go open up the bed.” His gaze locked

with hers. “I want you out there in less than a minute.” He slung a towel around his

waist and left the bathroom.

Mika was trembling. Most of the pack was going out of heat so Grady would too.

Her time with him was limited, maybe a day or two left, then she’d be returning to

California. He’d continue with his life and she’d go back to hers. It depressed her. She

was in love with a guy who didn’t want her. She wasn’t a doormat and she refused to

allow him to trample all over her.

The couch pulled out into a bed. Mika glanced at it and then Grady, who stood

there at the end of it waiting for her.

“Drop the towel.”

She hesitated. “You said you wanted to talk to so let’s talk.”

“You’re stalling.”

“I’ll get you off but I don’t want to take a chance at getting pregnant.”

His eye color darkened. “You’re not ovulating. Trust me.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t.” She frowned at him. “I’m going home in a few days

and we’ve already taken enough risks.” Him biting her flashed through her thoughts.

“We got lucky so let’s not push it.”

“I wasn’t going to fuck Megan if that’s why you don’t want to climb into bed with

me.” He took a step toward her. “I wanted to make it clear to her that I wouldn’t allow

her to challenge you for me. Sometimes females do that to other females when a male

takes a mate.”

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“You owed
me
enough to not destroy my damn house and leave me there alone to

face that shit. I was scared.”

Regret flashed on his face and then he took another step. “It was a mistake.”

“I know you never meant to bite me.”

“I meant about reacting that way and leaving you alone.” He took another step,

closing the distance between them until only inches separated them. “If I could change

it I would.” He paused. “I am talking about leaving you, not the biting part.”

“You can’t change it.”

She backed up and hit the wall. He was making her nervous as he stared down at

her, so close she was afraid to take a deep breath and brush against him. She moved to

the left, ducking away, and then lowered to her knees in front of him as he turned to

face her.

His eyebrows shot up as he stared down at her. She reached for his towel. “I’ll do

this for you but not more, Grady.” She tugged off the towel and his cock sprang up, no

longer held down by a wet towel.

He softly growled at her. “You’re not calling the shots anymore, babe. I’m not tied

down, at your mercy. Maybe I should chain you down to that damn cot and put you at

my mercy for the next few days.”

Mika reached up with both hands. One of them curved around the thick shaft of his

cock while her other hand cupped his balls. He sucked in air, passion gripping his

features and his eyes turned an even darker color. She licked her lips and then opened

them, her gaze dropping to focus on the part of him that she took into her mouth.

“Fuck,” Grady groaned. “That’s not fair.”

Love isn’t fair
, she thought.
If it were, you’d love me.
She concentrated on his cock, on

the feel of it against her tongue, on the soft groans and sighs he made as one of his

hands brushed through her wet hair, gripping a handful of it, but not interfering with

her as she moved her head to torment his cock with her mouth.

“Stop,” he ordered in a deep voice. “I want to finish inside you.”

Her hand tightened on his balls, holding him in place, as she moved faster on him,

sucking a little harder, and she heard Grady hiss out a curse as he started to come in her

mouth. She swallowed down each burst of his cum, taking all he had to give, and then

released him when his hand released her hair. She refused to look up as she licked her

lips and pulled back.

Hands gripped her upper arms and she gasped when Grady pulled her to her feet.

She stared up into his face when he shook her a little. The frown on his face was a

contradiction to his body’s response to what she’d just done to him.

“You really don’t want me inside you, do you?”

“I’m not willing to risk it.”

He softly growled at her but then released her as quickly as he’d grabbed her. “I―”

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A knock sounded on the door. Grady turned his head. He bent, snatched his towel

from the floor, and wrapped it around his waist as he stomped to the door. Mika

glanced down to make sure her towel was still secure around her body. She looked up

in time to see Grady jerk the door open wide to reveal Anton standing there. He looked

furious.

“You’re playing games with her now? What the hell is wrong with you?” Anton