Not just care for her…I still love her.
No, it wasn’t possible. He didn’t love her. She was like a damn itch that needed to be scratched…an irritation, and someone who could never be his even if he wanted.
When she came out of the bathroom, she paused at the sight of him still naked. The initial surprise changed to heat as her eyes roamed over him, traveling down his chest, following the trail of hair… When her gaze landed on his cock, it swelled again under her scrutiny, and her eyes widened at his instant response.
He dropped his trousers on the floor, the decision made. He slammed his mouth on hers before she could speak. Her response was as sudden. She ran her hands down over his chest and then held the base of his shaft, pumping until she was in danger of finishing him off before he was inside her.
No, not like this…
He grabbed both her hands and pinned them against the wall as he kissed her, his tongue exploring her hot mouth. When she ground her core against his naked cock, he stepped back to pull her dress over her shoulders before going for the clasp of her bra. When he pulled at her panties, there was a tearing sound. He didn’t give a damn as he kissed his way along her neck, nipping her nipple on the way down, making her release another of those soft cries he’d become familiar with again.
He brushed his lips over her soft belly as he went to his knees. His wolf needed to taste her. He moved his forearms underneath her thighs, gently spreading them apart, and then he pressed his mouth to her clit. He kissed, first soft, taking in her gasps. When he sucked harder, her hips pulsed and jolted against his lips, her body jerking as her hands twisted through his hair, pressing him even closer.
“Yes,” she murmured.
He gave her what she needed. He pushed his stiffened tongue into her entrance, tasting the sweetness denied to him for long as her hips pulsed in a gentle rhythm. Her grip tightened on his hair, but the pain only drove his lust. He wanted her like this, as out of control as his beast was. When she was on the verge of release, he pulled away from her.
“Damien…don’t stop, please…”
He ignored her protests as he stood. He kissed her again, driving his tongue between her lips, both palms on her breasts, rubbing taut nipples. Her head thrashed against the wall as she grabbed his shoulders, raking her nails down his back…still that wild Iris who used to fuck him with abandon.
He was about to shove into her when he remembered. And for a moment, he was tempted not to reach for his jacket. He wanted her now, and pulling away from her was beyond what he could manage. It would just be the once, and he would pull out before he was done…but as lust raged inside him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to…and he couldn’t take the damn risk.
But as he shifted back, she moaned and grabbed his shoulders harder, refusing to let go.
“Wait, princess.”
She froze at the old endearment. He stepped back from her, telling himself it had been a slip. That bond, if there ever was one, was gone.
He reached for his jacket and took a condom, sheathing himself before he rested his elbows on either side of her head, staring down at the blueness of her eyes. He wanted to keep this memory of her, to store alongside all the others…after she was gone…
She went on tiptoe, and as she kissed him, her longing drove his beast. He took her by the waist and lifted her on to his erect cock, and with one thrust he was inside her.
Madness…this need for her was madness.
He pressed her against the wall for support as she gripped his shoulders. He went slower this time, his movements a steady rhythm, the frantic desperation of their first joining eased. Taking his time with her, he focused on how it felt being inside her, one hand holding her waist and the other on the wall next to her head.
Her eyes were closed, and her soft lips trembled, parted as her breathing grew heavy. Her expression…just as he remembered.
“Look at me, Iris.”
He kept his gaze on her face as he thrust, losing himself in pools of soft blue light darkened by lust. As they both moved in harmony, her soft moans grew louder, making him pump faster. When his claws pushed through, he gripped the wall with one hand but kept the other on her hip to keep her steady. As his nails bit into her, she released a soft cry and grew even more wet around his cock.
The beast turns her on?
The possibility drove him wild, and he plowed into her hard, both hands now on her hips as he positioned her so he could go even deeper…
They both came together, her body shuddering against him. Even after releasing her to the ground, he kept his arms around her, holding her tight against him.
“I love you, Damien.”
Her words were low, so low that a human would not have picked them up, but his shifter hearing did. The last time he heard those words from her lips was years ago, just before she turned on him.
He pulled back from her, his jaw clenched tight. Her blue eyes turned wide as realization dawned upon her. “Damien. I—”
“Love me? Sure you do. Princess.”
He took his clothes with him to the bathroom this time. He turned the rainfall shower to cold, needing to calm the fuck down, and only came out once his fangs and claws had retracted.
She was dressed, briefcase in her hand, but there was none of that confusion about her anymore. “I think it’s time I left.”
Yes, it was. Her words had taken him back to that time when she last said them…and the horror that followed. He wanted her to leave, and take those memories with her.
“Tell Fatima I will be in touch,” he told her, “The funding will go through.” He paused, part of him still needing to hurt her, make sure she knew he wasn’t that guy anymore…the one who fell for her declaration of love. “I’ll make sure you get a bonus on top of whatever hefty commission you’re receiving.”
“You think that’s the reason I’m here?”
“What else?” he snapped. “It’s all about money for your kind, isn’t it? When you found out I was a beast, you ran away from me…but you don’t mind fucking a rich beast, do you?” Her expression was pained, pleading with him to take back his words, but he was done with being controlled by emotions that hadn’t allowed him peace for nearly eleven years. “Damn, you’d even tell a beast you loved him if he had a bit of money in his pocket, wouldn’t you? Well, you got what you wanted, so don’t worry—the funding is in place no matter what happens between us two.”
Her mouth tightened, hurt replaced by anger. “There is no us. What happened just now was a shit idea. From now on, there’s no need to meet, even for professional reasons.” She walked toward the door, her back straight and expression pissed. She paused with her hand on the door but didn’t turn to him. “Thank you for the funding, Mr. Kareel. There will be someone in touch regarding the arrangements.”
And then she left, slamming the door behind her.
What the hell have I done?
Why did he behave like such an asshole, after what they just shared? What was it about her that still drove every emotion to the extreme, whether it was hate or love…
Love…did he still feel so strongly for her…or did he hold on to what he once thought they had?
A damn problem of his kind…his beast had once believed she was his mate and now just couldn’t let go.