The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) (28 page)

“What about my tail?” Sam wriggled her bottom playfully. “What do I do with my tail?”

He grinned. “Move it to one side. That’s the symbol to mate, darling, but we’re not there yet. Basics first.”

When he’d finished going over the symbols, she felt foolish and naïve and way out of her league. Calculating figures and analyzing data to compartmentalize it for a proposal was a cakewalk. Shifting into a beast that could tear and rip and rend?

“Darius…”

Instantly he was at her side, cupping her face, his palms warm. “Sam, you can do this. You did it before, remember? It’s in your blood.”

“But what if my blood isn’t all Lupine? What if I am something else and my wolf is suppressed by it?” She bit her lip. “I never did find it easy to shift, except around you.”

His gaze remained steady. “That’s why you’re here with me, darling. I’ll teach you once more to let the wolf out. Watch me. And take a minute to acclimate yourself once you’re in wolf-skin. Your senses will probably explode. It is overwhelming.”

Raising his hands to the moonlit sky, Darius shifted.

Gray-furred and blue eyed, the big wolf gave a mighty shake, fur rippling sleekly in the crisp breeze. Then he stilled, watching her.

I can do this. I must do this.
Sam lifted her hands to the sky, fighting the fears that had gripped her since Darius had taken her, savage and rough, back at the beach house. She tried to call upon her magick. Nothing. Not even a spark.

Despondent, she sank to the ground. “This isn’t working,” she told the wolf Darius.

He loped over and gently licked her cheek. Sam flung her arms around the wolf, feeling thick fur and bone and muscle. She breathed in his scent and then a thought flickered in her mind.
Pack. Connection. Bonding.

Maybe she couldn’t do this on her own, but Darius was here. They’d forged a connection. She tunneled her fingers through his thick fur, dragging his unique scent into her lungs. Sam closed her eyes and let the night sounds sweep over her. She heard the buzz of insects along the river, the gurgling water, leaves rippling overhead in the night breeze.

She remembered shifting into wolf form when much younger, chasing Darius across forest and glade, relishing the pure joy of being wild and free.

The change came swiftly, with only a flash of pain. When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on her haunches. Thick fur covered her body. She smelled the night air, so cold and sharp and crisp, heard the scuttle of creatures among the trees and bushes. Sam lifted her head and blinked hard, the sensations overwhelming her, her vision seeing the rushing river, the trees and blades of grass in sharp relief. She felt as if someone had shot her full of a drug, making her wild and free.

And very uninhibited. Sam pawed at the ground, eager to run and play. Darius playfully butted his head against her flank and wagged his tail, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin. Then he barked once.

The signal for “let’s go.”

She followed Darius across the bridge, padding into the thick forest. Silvery moonlight dappled the pine and oak trees, spilling onto the ground. After they crested a ridge, a narrow pathway cut through the forest. Darius stopped and sniffed at several trees, lifting his leg on a few. She loped over to a nearby pine and sniffed. She scented the same woodsy scent she had earlier with Ryder, twined with rich spices.
Elf.

In the distance, she heard a sweet melody of harp and lute. Sam’s ears pricked up and she whined, her blood charging to follow the pathway down the ridge to the source. Sam loped toward the path, then felt a sharp nip on her flank.

Shaking her head, she turned and saw Darius, his blue eyes gleaming. She turned and followed him as he ran through the forest in the other direction.

But part of her longed to draw close to the strange, enchanting music and explore each lovely note.

When they returned to the townhouse porch, he shifted back. Sam did the same. Naked, Darius padded inside. She followed him, looking at their discarded clothing lying jumbled on the carpet. She dressed quickly.

Darius remained naked.

He faced her. In the dim light, she saw his gaze smolder with sexual intent. And as if she had any doubt…

Sam glanced at his groin and saw his thick penis jutting upward.

“Running brings out the wildness in me,” he said, his voice husky. “Shifting into wolf charges up our sexual energy. Passion is part of our nature. It awakens the primal urge to mate and breed. I want you Sam. Badly. But I’m not letting the wolf take over this time. The wolf in me wants to throw you to the ground and cover you and fuck you hard. But the man in me wants to love you, as you deserved to be loved.”

Her heart turned over at the raw honesty in his voice. Darius shuddered, as if he fought his very nature. She went to him and put a hand on his arm, feeling the powerful muscles quiver under his smooth skin.

He tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “I fucked up badly our first time together. But I’m not letting it rule my life. The way I see it, you can live life filled with regrets for mistakes you’ve made. Or you can push on and resolve to become better for it. I want to try again with you and give you a pleasure you’ve never felt before.”

Bending his head to touch his forehead to hers, he whispered, “If you’ll allow me, I’ll show you. I promise, this time I won’t lose control.”

“People have been making me promises for a long time. What’s to stop you from going feral again?”

Tension rippled through his powerful body. Darius held up his hands. “No pressure.”

Doubts filled her. “None? What if we go too far? What if…”

“No pressure.” Taking a lock of her hair, he wrapped it around his finger. “I will stop, if you wish. All you have to do is safe a safe word, and when you say it, the minute it leaves your mouth, I’ll stop.”

Sam’s heart pounded harder. “What kind of word?”

“Something that will get my attention quickly.” He gave a crooked grin, the same endearing one she remembered from their earliest days together. “Sprouts is a good one. I hate them.”

“That’s it? All I have to do is say ‘sprouts’ and you’ll stop? No matter, um, how turned on you are?”

“My sweet Sam, sprouts is one word guaranteed to turn me off.” Gently he tugged on her hair, drawing her closer. “Deal? Are you all right with that?”

“Okay.” She drew in a deep breath. “I think…I’d like you to kiss me now.”

Darius looked at her, his gaze turning dark. He dropped his hands. “Why don’t you kiss me, sweetheart?”

Sam leaned close and stood on her tip-toes, sliding her arms around his neck. She kissed him, her eyes open, watching him. Darius closed his eyes. His mouth was firm and so warm. Old fears flickered down her spine, then disappeared when he did not turn aggressive, nor seek to deepen the kiss, merely let her take charge.

He continued to let her kiss him, and when she sighed with pleasure, he kissed her back. Slow and softly. Hormones began to flood her body. Arousal bit, sharp and sweet. Sam squirmed against him, and remembered he was a wolf with excellent senses. He could scent her desire.

Drawing back, she opened her eyes. He looked down at her with a smile.

“Did you enjoy that?”

“Very much.”

And she wanted much more. Sam curled her fingers around his rock hard biceps. Darius could toss a fully-grown adult male across a room. Strength and gentleness. The intoxicating combination excited her.

She found herself wanting to confide a deep secret. She cupped his cheek, enjoying how he leaned into her touch. Lupines craved touch, she remembered.

“I’ve fantasized about you, Darius. All these years.” A blush heated her cheeks.

“Really?” His voice deepened. “About what?”

Pulse jumping, she gazed at him. “Us, naked. Doing everything. Your mouth on mine.” She swallowed hard. “Your mouth…everywhere on me.”

“I’ve had my fantasies about you as well.” Darius leaned close, stroked a finger over her exposed collarbone. Sam shuddered. She hadn’t known a single touch could be so erotic. Her nipples turned rock hard at the gentle caress, combined with the smoldering look he gave her. “Would you like to hear one?”

At her nod, he traced her kiss-swollen mouth with his finger. “You’re lying naked, on my bed. Red velvet ropes around your ankles and wrists. Helpless before me and I can do anything I wish.”

Warm breath feathered over her ear as he bent close, his voice a husky whisper. “And then I put my mouth on you everywhere. Lick you from head to toe. I give you so much pleasure you scream and your cries echo through the house.”

As his gaze dropped to her breasts, her skin felt stretched too tight. She wanted to remove all her clothing and rub herself against him to relieve the ache pulsing low in her belly. Then Sam remembered their first time together and shrank back. “You want me tied up and helpless? What if you went feral again? I can’t risk it, Darius.”

He held up his hands. “If you wish, you can tie me up instead. Do with me whatever you wish.”

“Oh!” She felt intrigued. “Seriously?”

“For you, I’d do it. For now, I have something else in mind to control my urges. Something I should have done our first time together. Let me show you…”

He’d released his wolf before, using his superior strength and his raging lust to claim her in the flesh. Darius knew on some deep level, by obeying the wolf’s howling call, he’d shattered all Sam’s innocent trust in him, which had brought them together as childhood friends.

This time, he would not violate her body or her boundaries. He would ensure Sam would be with him all the way.

Or not at all.

The lovely flush of passion darkened her skin. He wanted her naked in bed, but her pleasure, and her emotions, came first. “Don’t be afraid of me, Sam.”

When she followed him upstairs into the bedroom, he wanted to howl in triumph. The man inside him trembled with the need to make it good for her.

He switched on a bedside lamp and then went to his suitcase. Tucked into a side pocket was a vial containing a liquid that reduced a male Lupine’s lust and allowed him to maintain control during sex. His friend Kyle had given it to him before he’d left. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten about it before taking Sam the first time.

He unscrewed the top and held it up for her inspection.

“This is a special potion my Lupine friend Kyle used when he first had sex with his mate, Arianna. It dampens a male Lupine’s libido, but increases a female’s arousal. The potion enables a male to have more control during sex, especially their first time together.”

Sam took the vial and sniffed. “It smells like vanilla and cedar. Does it have flavor?”

He grinned. “It takes on the flavor of the individual.” He took back the glass bottle and swallowed a few drops.

Darius glanced down. His erection immediately went down considerably. When he looked up, Sam had a look of disappointment on her face. Grinning, he set down the bottle. “Don’t worry, darling. It’s a temporary effect. You’ll like the results because now I can take my time. All the time you need, and want.”

He went to the closet and pulled open a drawer in a chest. He found four velvet ropes and handed them to her.

She gave him an inquiring look. “They always keep restraints in the closet?”

“It’s a vacation home.”

He lay down on the bed and stretched out. “Tie me up. You can do whatever you wish to me.”

She held the ropes and hesitated. And then she threw them down to the floor. “No. I trust you.”

He sucked in a breath as she slowly undressed and then joined him on the bed. Her renewed confidence in him recalled their earlier, innocent days when he saw the world reflected in her eyes.

Darius hoped she would trust him like that once more.

She had to place all her faith in him or walk away forever. If she didn’t give him this chance, they were through. This was Darius, her childhood friend who’d made her laugh, taught her how to fish in the river, who had come to her with a wounded look in his eyes and humbly asked her to teach him to read.

Darius was bigger, stronger and very male. He could easily overpower her, take her as he pleased. But he’d made a promise and this time, she believed he would follow through.

His hand encircled Sam’s waist as he pulled her against him. She suddenly wondered about his fantasies and wanted to know more.

“Did you ever think of me…when you were alone at night? Or in the shower?”

He chuckled, the sound vibrating against her cheek. “My dear Sam, every time I went into the shower, I’d imagine you were there naked with me. I’d stroke myself and then come hard, imagining taking you against the wall as the water streamed over us.”

His mouth hot, Darius placed a small kiss on her neck. She squirmed against him, the need suddenly very great. The visual of him in the shower, working his sex, imagining he was loving her as the water beaded down on the thick muscles of his back, made her core clench.

Sam slid her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. As their tongues tangled together, he splayed his hands over her breasts and squeezed, flicking his thumbs across her hardened nipples. She melted into the kiss, wanting to melt into him, this wolf who’d pleasured many women but now only wished to please her.