Rough It Up (8 page)

She blinked. “Lionesses are stronger in the wild. They hold the Prides together.”

He slapped her across the face, his wedding ring catching her bottom lip. She felt the skin tear, and when she licked at the cut, the metallic taste of blood exploded on her tongue. She didn’t wince though, didn’t allow herself to show any sign of the weakness he so obviously wanted to see in her.

“Let’s see how you feel when you’re reduced to being a sniveling mixie once again.”

“I’m not a mixie!”

He chuckled, the sound grating at her ears. “You will be. It worked last time after all, didn’t it?”

“You’ll still be weak,” she announced, knowing it was suicide, and yet unable to stop herself. Fury ran through her veins, her lioness close to losing control. One more minute and she’d let her free, she promised her. “Your sons, you, you’re nothing. Do whatever you want to me, but it’ll never make you strong.”

His face turned purple as he advanced toward her, his hands raised in front of him as if he would choke her. Closing her eyes, she focused on her animal and let her come to the fore. She felt herself start to shift, fur rubbing her from the inside out. The cuffs snapped, not wide enough for her large paws. She found herself on all fours on the hospital bed, the drugs now only a distant memory. Thank God for her quick metabolism…and for Connor’s stupidity. Once again, he’d underestimated her.

She shifted her weight to her hind legs and jumped, his scream cut off by her jaws closing around his throat. Her lioness’ anger was so pure, so all-encompassing, she had to fight to keep control. The animal wanted to kill the man who’d hurt her over the years, keeping her locked inside that body. And for that? Because he’d realized she would become stronger than him and his sons?

It was unacceptable. Unimaginable even. But even if he was obviously insane, she couldn’t kill him without talking to her mother first.

Kill him! I want to drink his blood.

Her lioness on a rampage, Alexa felt her control slip further and further…

“No!”

Her mate’s voice rang above her head, bringing her back to the present. She forced her animal self to let go of her stepfather. Watched as he collapsed onto the tiled floor, his neck now decorated with bloodied marks. That made the lioness growl in happiness.

A hand grabbed the fur at her neck, pulling her back. She jerked around and roared, but it was the one man who could dare do that. “Are you okay? Alexa, what did he do to you? Please tell me you’re all right.”

And because she couldn’t listen to the hurt in his voice and not respond, she dropped to the ground and started shifting back.

* * * *

Jay knelt down and pulled her against him. His hands trailed all over her body, making sure she was fine and in one piece. And amazingly, it looked like she was. She snuggled into his embrace, hiding her face in the crook of his neck as if she needed a moment to herself. He grabbed the sheet that had covered the bed and dragged it around her shoulders, covering her nudity more for his peace of mind than anything. Shifters, as a rule, couldn’t care less about each other’s bodies, especially before and after shifting, but this was his mate. And she was only his, damn it!

He pushed his lion back inside him and brushed his hand down her hair, soothing her, soothing himself with the quiet caress. “Are you okay?” he murmured against the top of her head.

She nodded and looked up. “I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

Alexa shook her head. “Not now. I’ll tell you everything, but not now. I need to talk to my mom.”

“She already told us everything we needed to know.” He watched her face turn pale. “It’s not what you’re thinking, darlin’. She really did think you were a mixie. Connor had told her he was treating you because you were too weak. He said he’d implanted an IUD in you so you wouldn’t be able to procreate. He told her having children would kill you.”

She blinked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It does. It did. You’re her only daughter. She wanted to protect you.”

“But he hurt me!”

“And she’s going to have to live with that for the rest of her life, baby.”

His words echoed inside her. Something shifted in her heart. Something she couldn’t quite put a word on. But when he took her hands and drew her up, she went with him.

Chapter Fifteen

The Pride organized a trial. Connor and his two sons, who’d known for years what he’d been doing and had even encouraged him, were sentenced to a lifetime in prison. Alexa would have thought that wasn’t enough, if the Alpha hadn’t ordered his son to put implants on the three men, rendering them lionless until the end of time. It was a supremely harsh sentence, but only the fact her stepfather hadn’t implanted other women had saved him from being killed.

Her mother was now on probation within the Pride, her future life dependent on her behavior over the next five years. And Alexa, meanwhile, was still here. She tucked her hands in her jean pockets, her gaze unseeing as she stared through the back windows. Winter was coming, snow in the air, the sky heavy and a grayish white.

She hadn’t seen snow in so long, not since she’d moved south. She hunched her shoulders and thought about the coming evening. She was going to be officially presented to the Pride. Oh, they all knew about her now, especially after what’d happened, but this was also so they could see their future Alpha’s bride.

A small smile graced her face. Jay was the only reason she was still here. She still hadn’t decided what she wanted to do, but he kept giving her more reasons to stay. They’d had time to get to know each other, their relationship turning into a full-fledged one. It wasn’t only sex these days, even if they spent an inordinate amount of time in bed. Or on the table. The sofa. The shower…

Never mind that. She shook her head. No, it was more than that. It was the affection that engulfed them when they were together, the easy camaraderie she’d never shared with a man before. It was how much their animals enjoyed each other, especially when they shifted and went running in the woods bordering the town. It was…love.

Yes, she couldn’t deny it any longer. Neither had said the word out loud yet, but anyone looking at them would have guessed. And probably already had. She’d seen Nate grin at them just the day before as they’d bickered over pizza toppings, of all things. He’d smiled at them as if he were a proud parent. She’d snarled at him, but he’d only laughed.

He was a nice man, though, more like a brother to her than her step-ones had ever been. And thank God for that! She laughed softly at the thought, the sound cut short when arms embraced her from behind.

“Hey,” Jay whispered in her ear.

“Hey,” she replied, snuggling back, enjoying the way his body fit hers so perfectly. She’d never thought she’d get a mate, and certainly not one like him. He was handsome, nice and hard at the same time, Alpha to the core. She shivered when she remembered how he’d taken her the night before, his fingers finding the one spot inside her that made her scream in no time.

“What are you thinking about?” His voice had turned husky, and she grinned when she realized he’d tuned in to her. It was happening more and more often these days. Sometimes it was her who guessed what he was thinking or was about to do. Sometimes it was him. The mating frenzy had died down, and now their souls were irrevocably linked.

It was amazing to have that connection with someone. It really was.

“You,” she finally murmured, turning around in his arms at the same time. Leaning up on her toes, she aligned their mouths and let him take over the kiss.

A low rumble started in his chest, and before she could guess his next move, he’d lifted her onto the countertop behind her. The kitchen tiles were cold under her jeans, but she didn’t give a damn, too caught up in the way her mate was making her feel.

Minutes later, they were both naked, their bodies brushing against one another, moans ringing in the air. When Jay knelt down in front of her, his hands heavy on her thighs, she gasped.

He chuckled softly and looked up, his blue eyes sparkling. “Just sit here and enjoy, darlin’. This is for you.”

“Ohhh, yes,” was the only thing she could think to say.

That made him laugh again, but he stopped suddenly. Probably because he’d opened her up with his thumbs, and she knew he could see how wet she already was. He blew gently over her clit, making her arch her back in reaction. “So nice,” he murmured before his head lowered even more, and his tongue found her.

Alexa leaned back
and hooked
her ankles behind his head. The cabinet’s handle dug into her scalp, but she didn’t move from her position, not when his teeth were suddenly around her hardened nub. Such a sweet pain. “Jesus.”

He flicked his tongue over her clit one last time before slipping it inside her, going as far as it could go, collecting her juices and avidly lapping them. He was such a feline sometimes, she thought with a smile. She grabbed his hair in both hands and held him to her, only just stopping herself from grinding against his face. That would be bad manners, but God he was good at this!

She promised herself she’d definitely repay the favor soon. Later on today even. Any time but now, because she really needed something. Or rather, someone… “Fuck me, Jay.”

He jerked. Looked up. “Now?”

“I need you in me.”

“Damn, baby.” He moved her legs off of his shoulders and stood up, taking in their surroundings, clearly wondering where they should go next.

She stepped down onto shaky legs and decided to take control for once. Turning around, she grabbed the counter with both hands and arched her butt high up in the air. “Ready!”

A muttered expletive rang behind her, making her grin.

Gotcha, she thought as she wriggled her hips. Hands squeezed them seconds later. A hard length pressed along the cleft of her ass, and she shivered when he dropped a soft kiss on her right shoulder.

Fingers spread her open, his thumb sliding into her to test her readiness. If her voice would have worked, she’d have told him there was no need. He came to that same conclusion and aligned himself. Her insides clenched.

He thrust into her, and just like that, she was coming.

He groaned behind her, her walls spasming around his cock, slowing him down. It didn’t stop him though. He made love to her feverishly, pistoning in and out of her until she could feel another orgasm build. “Jay!” she called out, her voice strangled.

He sensed her, felt her. She didn’t know for sure, but she did hear his answering growl. Teeth bit into the sweet spot of her neck. The sharp pain was all she needed to let go once again.

Chapter Sixteen

Alexa shook her head at her mate’s amused smile. He was proud of himself. Of course, he was. Here she was dressed to the nines, and he was grinning like a lunatic because she hadn’t been able to completely cover up the hickey he’d left on her neck. Her dress was cut into a low V, showcasing her assets and swirling around her body unlike anything she’d ever worn before. She was even wearing high heels, and while she loved not having to crane her neck to talk to Jay for once, it also meant he could reach parts of her body much more easily.

“Stop it!” she hissed as his hand landed precariously low on her back.

“I’m just being a gentleman, darlin’,” he replied, his eyes dancing.

She rolled her eyes but let him escort her inside the village hall. It was crowded; everyone who was anyone in the Pride wanting to show their allegiance to the Alpha. A podium had been raised at the other end of the room, and they slowly made their way toward it, saying hello to everyone they encountered, Jay introducing her to the few people she had yet to meet.

When they walked up the few steps separating them from Alistair and the rest of his lieutenants, Alexa started to feel faint. This was for real, she thought and not a little bit wildly. “Jay,” she whispered under her breath.

He grabbed her hand in his and led her to his father. Their Alpha was standing at attention, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze solemn. She gulped but followed Jay’s lead, suddenly feeling unsure of herself.

Did she really warrant this? Sure, she’d mated with him, but nothing was set in stone. Right? Maybe he didn’t really want her. Maybe he’d try to get out of this relationship when the lust faded.

Alistair’s eyes locked on hers, and she found herself rooted to the spot. He moved toward her and stopped only inches away. Even in her stilettos, she had to look up, then she remembered she wasn’t supposed to stare at him anyway. Too late, she looked back down.

He laughed, the sound a deep rumble within his chest. “Daughter.”

That made her look up again.
Daughter?
She opened her mouth but snapped it shut when she realized she had no idea what to say.

“I think you managed to render her speechless, Dad.” Jay’s arm snaked around her waist, making her lean against him, giving her strength.