Onyx Night (Catnip and Cauldrons 1)

“Put a robe on.”

She didn’t care for his sharp tone. “No.” She pushed her bottom lip out in what she meant to be a provocative pout. “It's uncomfortable.”

“I can't stand here and talk to you when you're... “

“Naked?”

He gritted his teeth. “Yes, naked. There's a satin robe behind the door. Perhaps that will feel better against your skin.”

She gently swung the door and grabbed the robe in question. Damn Cole. He was right. When she slipped it on, it was soothing. For now.

“Okay. I'm decent. Sort of.” Her nipples pressed obscenely against the flimsy material of the robe. As if they wanted to show off to Professor Proper.

Slowly he turned back to look at her. The look of relief on his face that she was no longer flaunting her naked body, didn’t make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “Onyx, I think your heat has started a few days early.”

Shit. How could she be so dense? “How long will this last?” The fire started up again. She was tight and achy with need. Everywhere. She ran her hands up and down her body, over her breasts, tugging at her nipples through the satin.

“Jesus, please stop doing that.”

“I can't. Make me feel better, Cole. Please.”

“Onyx, you know I can't do that.”

“Why not? I'm attracted to you.” She lowered her voice to what she hoped was a sexy purr. “You're attracted to me. You have something I need and I bet I have something you want. I don’t see the problem.”

His hands fisted at his sides. “The problem is that I'm a hell of a lot older than you, and I'm your professor. It's inappropriate,” he said through clenched teeth.

She snorted. “You're kidding right?”

He gritted his teeth again, opened then closed his hands, and looked down at the floor. His self-control impressed her. To a point.

When he spoke again his voice was slow and calm. “No, I am not kidding. You came to me for help, I'm supposed to be helping you, not fucking you!”

Oh yes, fuck me!

“But, I think fucking me will actually help in this situation, Professor.”

“I can't violate your trust like that. You'll be angry tomorrow, or the next day, whenever your heat stops.”

“You mean this could go on for days and you're just going to let me suffer?” She was dangerously close to yelling now.

She couldn't take it anymore. She slammed the door in his face, threw off the robe and got on the bed.

If he wouldn't help her she’d take matters into her own hands.

7

Cole paced outside her door. Since all the blood had rushed to his cock the second she opened the door stark naked, it took him a few minutes to think of a solution.

Finally, it dawned on him to spell her. It would be a temporary fix until they could think of something else. He fiddled with the doorknob to her room, wishing he could lock it from the outside.

Figuring she should be safe for a few minutes, he marched downstairs into the basement to get the items he would need for the spell. He returned with a small black cauldron, candles, herbs, and a few other items, and knocked on the door. A soft moan from the other side responded, and guilt for taking so long slid over his skin. He hated to think of her suffering on the other side.

Nothing would please him more than to ease that suffering in the most natural and obvious way, but it wouldn't be right. He told himself that several times while waiting for her to answer the door.

Tired of waiting, he pushed open the door.

Every item in his hands hit the floor. Thud, thud, clink.

He heard none of it. Didn’t even feel the cauldron that bounced off his big toe.

Sprawled out in front of him was a feast for the eyes. Onyx was on the bed, legs spread wide, knees up, one hand rubbing her clit in steady circles and the other playing with her very pert nipples.

His cock sprung to attention, hard as steel. Besides the lascivious sights assaulting his eyes, the moans coming from her throat were obscene. Her creamy skin looked soft as silk and he wanted to run his fingers over her in the worst way. He wanted to replace her hands with his mouth and cock.

Finally he managed to tear his gaze away long enough to grab a blanket from the end of the bed and toss it over her writhing body.

“Nooo.” She moaned, but she left the blanket in place and blinked up at him.

He kept the reprimand on his tongue. When her heat died down, she’d be mortified by her behavior. He wouldn’t do anything to make her feel worse about something she couldn’t even control.

Still, staying focused on the task at hand took some skill. His dick strongly objected to its denim confines.

Ignoring the pain in his groin, he set up his materials and began to cast a circle to perform his spell. Onyx reached out and brushed her hand over his erection. Not helping.

“Please,” she begged.

“No,” he answered. His jaw ached from clenching it so tight. It was getting harder and harder to deny her.

“Please, only you can make it stop,” she whispered.

“I'm working on it.”

She brushed her hand against his crotch again. “This will work better. I want you.”

No matter what she said, he needed to resist her. She only desired him because of the heat. There was no way in hell he wanted to take her virginity under these circumstances. She'd never trust him again and he'd never forgive himself.

For a spell to be successful it required a certain amount of concentration. Concentration that was in short supply with her moaning and writhing before him. He tried to focus on imbuing her with magical energy to protect her from harm, calm her, and bind her powers. Since the heat was tied to the magic of being a werecat, he figured this type of spell should cover all the bases. Satisfied with his preparations he began to chant. Onyx continued to moan and undulate on the bed, tossing the blanket off in the process. This was ridiculous. No one's breasts could be so perfect, round, and perky. They'd fit just right in his—

Focus.

The spell, right. He concentrated on the words:

Protection I lay to guard this woman both night and day

May her ability to raise magic fall on deaf walls...

Cole continued with the rest of the spell and was relieved when she finally seemed to drift off to sleep. He let the candles continue to burn to finish the spell.

When he left her room, he used a much simpler, common spell to lock her door.

Being so out of practice left him drained. Hell, practice had nothing to do with it. It had everything to do with restraining himself from indulging in what she would have willingly offered. He closed the door to his bedroom, across the hall from hers and went to sleep.

8

A rushing sensation pulled Onyx from sleep. Her skin brushed against soft, warm sheets.

Naked.

She never slept naked.

Oh no!

All at once, it came back to her. The shameful way she’d behaved in front of Cole. Flaunting her naked body. Begging him to fuck her. She cringed. That was the worst.

No, the worst was him denying her. Was she that hideous?

Oh God, she’d touched herself in front of him. Trying to entice him into taking the ache away.

The excruciating, burning need to mate.

Her feelings for Cole had made things more complicated. In heat or not, she would have given anything for him to make love to her. She rolled over and saw he left candles burning on the nightstand and she reached over to blow them out.

She sat up and stretched, each muscle protesting. Her body felt overused, like when she went hiking on the Black Diamond trails at home. Her stomach growled and she realized how hungry she was. When she got to the door, it was locked. What the... Onyx tried banging on the door. Nothing.

Cole locked her in her room? Like some naughty child he was punishing? Hot tears started to roll down her cheeks and she hiccupped. Humiliation cut her dee

p. He must think she was so disgusting. Better to lock her away so he didn't have to deal with her come-ons again. How embarrassing. How would she ever face him again?

Her stomach rumbled again. She formulated a plan to escape the locked room. She opened the bedroom window and changed into her cat form. Her goal was to get outside the house and come in the kitchen window. She'd have to shred the screen in his kitchen, but that was his own damn fault so she didn’t waste time thinking of a less destructive option.

She hit the ground outside with a soft thud, thankful the walls around the house were high. No one could see her from the road. She padded to the kitchen and leaped to the window sill, where she made quick work of the screen and let herself in. Ha! The joke was on her because now she was naked in the kitchen. Damn, she hadn't thought that through very well. The house was silent though, so she figured she could get a quick snack and then head back to her room to get clothes.

With her belly feeling better, she prowled through the house. She'd never gotten the grand tour, but she'd bet her whiskers the room across from hers belonged to Cole. The house was tiny, besides a bathroom there were no other rooms at this end of the house. Soft snores made their way through the door. The corners of her mouth slowly slid up into a sly smile. She leaned up against the door and put her hand against the wood. Her nipples tightened and reminded her she was still naked. Before she could turn around to go to her room, lust slammed into her gut with brutal force.

Her biological demand to mate returned. She wasn’t enduring this alone again. Not when there was a perfect male specimen on the other side of this door.

She turned the knob and entered his room. No time to take in her surroundings, she zeroed in on the bed and the man tangled up in the sheets on it. Sprawled out on his back, one arm flung out to the side, so that his hand hung off the bed. In sleep he looked even more handsome. Silently she padded over to him. She rubbed herself against his outstretched hand. He mumbled and frowned. “Onyx.”

She jumped at the sound of her name. Was he awake or dreaming of her?

“Mmmm...but you're just a kitten.”

Interesting. He was dreaming about her. In exactly the way she wanted him to. It shouldn't be too hard to convince him to help her out with her little problem. She slipped into bed and pressed her naked body against him. He was shirtless, and his warm skin tickling her breasts felt like heaven. She skimmed her palm down his belly. Flat, hard, wonderful abs, she wanted to lean over and trace his muscles with her tongue. Lick every hard inch of him. Besides running, he must spend some time lifting weights. Picturing him all sweaty ramped her heat into a full-blown inferno.

No time for exploring and teasing foreplay. She needed relief now. She worked her hand down farther and encountered pants. Pajama or sweat, she wasn't sure and it didn’t matter. Without giving it a lot of thought, she untied the drawstring and slid her hand inside. Ah, hard as a rock. Feeling rather bold, she wrapped her fingers around his cock and stroked every satin-smooth inch. All she could think about was how good it was going to feel inside of her.

“Jesus! Onyx! What the hell are you doing here?”

“I need you, Cole. Now.”

“Onyx, you shouldn't be...” His voice trailed off as his hand reached up to cup her breast. His thumb brushed over her nipple and she jerked her hips toward him.

“Please help me, Professor.”

He growled and rolled on top of her, stripping off his pants the rest of the way and reaching over to the nightstand to grab a condom. Cole set it beside him on the bed and stared down at her. “I don't want you to hate me later.”

She paused and tried to think of the right words to convey exactly how she felt about him. “I want my first time to be you.”

“Oh, Onyx. I wish you weren't just saying that because of the heat.”

“I'm not. I’ve always wanted it to be you.” Heat or not, her words were absolutely true.

“Onyx—”

“Please,” she begged. “No more talking. I need you inside me.”

He cupped her breasts and she inhaled sharply. “Cole.”

She whimpered as he bent down to taste her nipples. His hand strayed between her legs and she spread them wide for his touch. Gently, almost reverently he touched her, spreading her, sliding his finger up and down through her slit. “God, Onyx, you're so fucking wet.”

“Is that bad?”

“No, kitten, it's wonderful.” He slid a finger inside and stroked. His touch sent her soaring, and she bucked her hips, wanting more.

“Please.”

He slid his finger out.

“Don't stop.”

He groaned and rubbed her clit with two fingers, while he grabbed the condom with the other hand. He tore the wrapper off with his teeth, only pulling away from her for a second to roll it on.

Her eyes roamed over every inch of his exposed body. He was exquisite and she wanted this more than she wanted to breathe.

“Yes,” she encouraged.

He positioned himself over her. Even though every hormone in her body demanded he go hard, she relished the way he gently kissed her lips. His hands settled under her ass, pulling her toward him and when the tip of his cock touched her hot, needy entrance, he hissed through his teeth.

“Onyx, I want to be gentle with you.”

“Don’t.”

“This is your first time, yes?”

Tears pricked her eyes. He was so damn close and she needed him so much.

“Okay, okay. Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he soothed, kissing her eyelids.

He pushed into her. Barely a fraction of an inch, and it stung.

“Oh,” she gasped.

“I know, kitten.”

She tentatively bumped her hips up, inviting him to slide in deeper and he groaned. He took tiny stabs into her, slowly working his way into her body. She whimpered and he slowed his movements. “It’s going to feel good, kitten. I promise.”

“I trust you.”

His lips found hers and he kissed her deep. His tongue stroked hers at the same time he pushed his cock into her slow but without stopping. Sweet relief washed over her and she undulated and circled her hips up toward him. His head tipped forward until his forehead pressed against hers. Their breaths mingled together, ragged and out of control. The tips of his fingers dug into her butt muscles and she nipped at his shoulder.

Onyx moaned as he worked in a little deeper. Every inch of him rubbed her in all the right spots. The heat retreated and pleasure took its place.

“Cole, that’s good. That’s so good.”

She gasped as he pushed in more.

“Still good?”

“God, yes. Harder.”

He paused and her eyes popped open. She realized he was watching her every reaction, and his care touched her.

He pulled out a few inches and she felt herself getting even wetter. The anticipation of his next thrust left her panting for more.

She gasped again as he pushed in harder, almost to the hilt.

“Say it, Onyx. Still good?”

“Yes. Harder.”

He slammed all the way in, breaking through the last of her tightness, and Onyx sobbed with relief. It hurt, but the pain of not satisfying her heat was a thousand times worse.

“That’s what I needed, Cole. Do it again.”

“With pleasure.”

He grinned down at her. A smile she’d never seen from Cole. Sexy, but vicious too. He rotated his hips and drove in hard, grinding himself against her. She gasped and her eyes rolled back in her head. It was so fucking good.

Is sex always this good? Why did she wait so long? Why don’t people do this all the time?

Or is it this good because it’s Cole?

She didn’t know. Didn’t care.

“Harder.”

He slammed into her with long, brutal thrusts aiming deep. At the end of each stroke, she cried out. She couldn’t help digging her nails into his shoulders. She found herself wanting to le

ave marks so any other female would know he belonged to her. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around him as tight as possible to pull him to her. She wanted, needed as much skin to skin contact as she could get. Having him inside her was a sweet bliss that finally quenched the fire raging inside.

“Cole?”

The hair on his chest brushed against her nipples, sending shivers down her spine. Everything he did electrified her. His head bent down to nuzzle her neck and he licked her throat, sending her into ecstasy. The urges were so primal, she reveled in the sounds of their lovemaking. The sounds of their bodies sliding together sent a jolt of pleasure through her. She let her hands roam over him, loving how hard he felt under her fingers.

He looked into her eyes and his own held concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

He kissed her, slipping his tongue inside and she twined her fingers in his hair, holding him tight. She never wanted this to end, never wanted to let go of him. He gripped her legs and put one over each shoulder, the change in angle as he thrust into her made her cry out. He set a harder, heavier pace. “Onyx, I never dreamed I'd be so lucky to have you...”

Her body was too far gone with mindless pleasure to respond, but somewhere inside his words registered and she smiled. His cock filled and stretched her in such a pleasurable way. He continued to drive into her and the feeling was almost like falling.

“Cole, something…something’s happening.”

“That's right, come for me kitten.”

Oh, that's what it felt like.

Her nails bit into his skin and he rewarded her with a steady pace. Hitting her hard and deep with each thrust. She raced toward release again while he let out a roar and thrust deep inside one last time before letting her legs down and collapsing on top of her.

Seconds later he pushed himself up on both elbows and kissed her all over. Her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her lips.

Finally, he pulled away, looking her in the eye. “Are you sure you're okay? I didn’t hurt you?”

She loved his sweet concern. “No. It was…amazing. I feel wonderful.”

He grinned and kissed her forehead one last time before slipping out of her. “Give me one second.”