Feral Escape (Catnip and Cauldrons 3)

Hard shivers raced through her body. Harsh moans escaped her lips as he drove deeper and deeper inside. She tightened around him her fingers curling against the sheets. Damp coppery curls brushed his cheek as she tossed her head back arching into him. A primitive need puzzled him even as he gripped the sensitive area between her shoulder and neck with his teeth. Mine. Startled, he let go only to kiss the same spot. Then, marked her neck with his mouth and teeth again. Her sweet, salty taste teased his tongue, but he controlled his urge to grip her delicate flesh any harder.

Between grunts and moans he couldn't make out, words spilled from her lips. “More, harder, please.”

Fuck. If he pounded into her any harder, he'd hurt her. He groaned against her neck, licking her damp skin.

“Feel that baby? That's how crazy you make me. You're so fucking tight I can barely fit.” Her moans intensified, filling his ears with the sweet sound of her pleasure, her pussy tightening around him. His hips jerked against her harder, rumbling growls vibrated against her shoulder. Desperate for release, her body tightened as he plunged deeper, and she screamed out. Sobs wrenched from her as she kept coming around him, sending him into his own violent climax. Easing himself from her body, he staggered backward, watching her drop limp against the mattress with her legs dangling over the edge. Placing his palm against his forehead, he squeezed his temples as he went to dispose of the condom. Surviving a few more days of this would be a challenge he'd enjoy.

He returned to find Molly in the same position. She moaned as he pulled her into bed, tucking the covers around both of them. Soft purrs rumbled from his chest as he pulled her body against his. Pushing her hair aside, he looked at the marks he'd left on her neck and shoulder. It occurred to him that he'd tried to mark her as he would a mate. Somewhere inside of himself he should be worried, but he only felt contentment and that terrified him more than anything.

Seven

Oh wow.

Her heat had arrived with a spectacular bang. Shifting so close to the full moon had probably been the trigger. Molly wiggled her hips, feeling the tenderness from their lovemaking the night before. The slight friction triggered the symptoms again, and they hit her all at once. A thundering rush of warmth boiled under her skin. She'd only been through this one other time, and it had led to some very bad decisions. Since then she'd been meticulous about taking the hormones that suppressed her feline heat.

At least now she had Ivan, someone she cared about, to help her through it. Shivers raced through her when she thought about the way he'd taken her last night. Her nipples tightened with the memory. She needed more. Now.

A deep purr started low in her throat. She twisted her body on the bed, the cool sheets doing nothing to ease her tormented flesh.

“Ivan, it's starting again,” she moaned so low she wasn't sure he heard her.

He responded quickly to her sharp need, coming fully awake next to her. She stretched out on her back, throwing the sheet and blanket to the floor. Her nipples stiffened painfully, and she arched her back. Her breath came in sharp little pants while Ivan lined his body up next to hers. Bending his head down, his tongue flicked across her nipple.

She inhaled sharply at the soft, wet touch. Not enough. His hand closed over her other breast, the rough skin of his fingers an unbearable tease against her sensitive nipple.

“Ivan, please,” she begged.

In answer, he sucked her nipple further into his mouth, lashing it with his tongue. He sat up over her to take her other nipple into his mouth. She squirmed under him, spreading her thighs. She needed...so bad. Her hand drifted down to her wet, heated core, but Ivan's fingers circled her wrist pulling it away. He growled low, teeth sinking into her nipple just enough to send a jolt of pleasure straight to her clit, making her scream.

“Mine.” The word came through loud and clear even though his mouth still covered her breast.

He released her wrist, his fingers finding their way to her pussy, sliding over her slick flesh, but not giving her what she needed. One thick finger pushed into her, and she thought she'd die from the relief. Everything in her focused on that one finger working inside of her.

“Yes, yes, please more.” She couldn't help the babble that spilled from her lips.

His thumb found her clit, strumming lightly.

“Harder, please,” she pleaded, close to tears.

Ivan snarled and pulled away.

“No...”

“Shhh...I'm here,” his voice dropped to a low purr, sending a silky vibration over her skin.

He crawled down her body, placing light kisses along the way. She raised her hips, bumping him with her pelvis. She was way past foreplay.

His hands settled on her hips, holding her where he wanted her. His soft exhale brushed against her heated flesh a second before his tongue touched her. A simple, flick over her clit made her jump, but he was ready for her, holding her tight to the bed. Those rough but gentle hands slid down and parted her farther. His tongue, took a long, lazy slide over her quivering flesh. The slow, teasing licks were enough to drive her crazy. Gradually, he licked his way back up to her clit, toying with the swollen nub before kissing then, sucking her until she arched off the bed.

When she settled back on the mattress, he ran a finger through her folds, easing it inside of her. Applying more pressure to her clit at the same time made lightening crackle through her. Her orgasm swelled up, crashing over her in a sharp, pounding wave. Unrelenting, Ivan kept at her, with his mouth, with his hands, until she exploded again and again.

Several heartbeats later she came back to Earth. Ivan looked up at her, a sly smile spreading across his face.

“Still with me?”

She slid her legs along his sides. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You never have to thank me, kitten.”

He moved up to lay beside her, his hand drifting over her stomach, tickling her ribs, stopping to cup the underside of her breast. She pressed her face into his chest, inhaling his warm, masculine scent. The crisp, woodsy aroma of him lit of a spark inside of her, as the heat started all over again. This time a slow burn edged over her skin. Ivan's hand still cupping her breast came to a halt. His thumb brushed over her nipple, making her moan.

“Already, kitten?” he asked softly.

His low voice, so close to her ear coiled her insides. The insistent thrumming between her legs intensified.

“Hold on.” He rolled away, twisting sideways to grab a condom. She watched him roll it on, fascinated by his fingers. Feeling brash, she reached down to curl her fingers around his thick shaft.

“You'll get it in a minute, my naughty little kitten,” Ivan promised her with a wicked smile. He lay back on the bed, stretching his big body out. “I want you on top of me. I only got a little taste last night.”

Yes. That she could do. On quivering legs, she rose to her knees, swinging her leg up over his hip. His hands teased her nipples while she guided herself to his erection. She met his gaze as she sank down. He let out a hiss of air as he entered her.

“That's good, kitten, I almost died last night when I had to stop you.”

She groaned remembering how they had rolled around in the mud last night. She'd been reckless to mount him that way. Thank god, his brain cells had been operating. No way could she stop this time. He felt too good, and her heat demanded satisfaction. Twitching her hips a little let her sink farther down his shaft. The delicious sensation of stretching around him elicited a soft moan from her. He raised his hips off the bed, sinking the last few inches into her. The fullness of him wedged in her pussy so tight almost sent her over the edge. She clenched her muscles, hugging his cock. Her body strained with need. She rose up, then slammed back down.

“Keep going, Molly.”

The growly way he said her name both soothed her and spurred her on. She rose up and down faster.

“I can't believe I need you again like this.”

“No complaints here, kitten.” His husk

y voice made her work harder. She spread her legs farther wanting him as deep inside her as possible. Sliding up and down, her orgasm started to build, but she slowed, wanting to savor the moment. Her breathing came hard and fast. The pleasure and strain melting her insides. Her whimpering cries turned into ragged moans as she continued to ride him. A lightening flash of intense pleasure burst through her as she came. Tears of relief stung her eyes as she rode out the climax. Ivan held her hips, powering up into her drawing out her pleasure. She held still while he found his own release, then collapsed on top of him. His arms banded around her, and she settled her head against his chest, listening to his thundering heartbeat. All sorts of emotions crowded her thoughts. It had to be the product of her heat. Nothing she felt now could be trusted.

Once her heat passed this would end...but that didn't explain Ivan's reaction. Back when he still dated shifters, he'd helped other females through their heat. Even then, he had never reacted to another female's heat the way he had reacted to Molly the past few days. Intoxicating and irresistible she brought him to his knees. It amazed him to realize how much he liked it. Staggering out of bed except to bring her food and water was next to impossible.

Somewhere along their marathon sexathon his emotions flipped. What had started out as a fling produced by the tension of their situation and her raging hormones morphed into something more.

At least on his part.

Nothing she was feeling could be trusted right now. That much he knew.

His pulse throbbed as he nuzzled his face against her neck, inhaling her scent. Her fresh sea-water smell mixed with his woodsy soap sent all his blood rushing south. He brought his hand to her hip, squeezing her soft, supple flesh.

“Mmmm,” she moaned and stretched, pressing her behind against his growing erection. The simple act snapped the last bit of his self-control. His brain knew she must be tender from their intense rounds of lovemaking, and he should leave her be. But his body wanted her. He threw an arm to the side, snagging a condom. Good thing she'd brought so many. Like the bastard he was, he lifted her leg over his, sliding the thick length of his cock into her. He grit his teeth at the intense pleasure.

She came fully awake, shuddering and pressing her ass against him harder. He kept an arm wrapped around her waist, anchoring her to him. When she stilled, his fingers slipped down to massage her swollen clit. She tightened around him, and he groaned.

“You're so fucking hot and tight around my cock.”

As if she wanted to torture him a little bit more, she thrust back against him, not at all bothered by his filthy mouth.

“I want to help you like this every month,” he said without thinking.

She stopped moving for a second, and he wanted to smack himself upside the head. Then her hand slid over his, holding him tight against her pussy. To keep his mouth occupied so no more stupid shit came out of it, he nibbled her earlobe. She gasped and pushed against him. He held her tighter as his hips thrust harder against her. Her trembling hand reached back to grip him, her sharp little nails digging into his ass. He slammed into her with forceful strokes. His lips sucked at the flesh of her shoulder as he drove in one last time, pulsing with pleasure.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

After a round of stretching, she cuddled deeper into the covers. The demanding hormones had eased into something more tolerable. Maybe the heat made the sex so earth-shatteringly perfect. But...no. Ivan had rocked her world the first time, and she hadn't been under the influence of her psycho biology then.

The last two days had been a non-stop fog of pleasure. She couldn't even count how many times or ways he'd fucked her senseless.

No warmth radiated from his side of the bed, so he'd obviously gone somewhere. How he could even move today defied reality. She sat up and looked around, seeing no sign of him.

She snuggled back down and sighed. It felt good to relax. As much as fun as she'd had hanging with the other shifters, a sense of anxiety had hovered over her for months. With good reason, obviously. But being with Ivan pushed all of her panic away. She felt safe and cared for with him. Nothing bad could happen to her here. Ugh, so not a good reason to fall for a guy. She wasn't some damsel in distress with a hero complex. Was she?

It had to be her heat that had pushed these foreign emotions so close to the surface. Tears threatened to fill her eyes. She had no reason to long for him. He'd warned her from the first time they'd gone to bed anything more than a few nights of bone-melting sex didn't interest him. Her heart needed to be reminded that it could not get attached to Ivan. Before long, the threat would be over, and they would go their separate ways. He didn't want to be hers to keep.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway and Molly tensed, holding the covers tight to her naked body. The door swung open, and Ivan stuck his head in.

“Hey kitten, you're up.” He walked in, his gaze raking over her as he came closer. The bed dipped as he sat next to her. “How do you feel?”

Her cheeks tightened with an embarrassed smile. “Better. So much better. Thank you.”

His steady stare never left her face, but he chuckled softly. “You don't have to thank me. That was”—he paused and looked away for a moment—“pretty damn spectacular.”

Her eyes lowered, and she fiddled with the bedspread. “Yeah, it was.”

“Molly, please don't be embarrassed. There is nothing else in the entire world I would have rather done the past few days than be with you.”

Her throat tightened so hard she had trouble choking out. “Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me for that.” The sincerity of his words made her look up at him. A black velvet bag he held in one hand caught her attention.

“What's that?”

He looked at the bag as if he'd forgotten all about it. “Oh, I want you to have this.” He pulled out a long golden chain with a large, round blue pendant swinging from it. She reached for the pendant.

“It's so pretty,” she whispered choking back a sob.

“It's almost the same shade of blue as your eyes but not quite as beautiful.”

Happiness swelled inside of her as he leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. He placed the necklace around her neck, the pendant falling between her breasts.

“Please don't take it off, keep it close to your heart.”

She fingered the pretty blue stone. “Always.”

Part of Ivan knew he should explain the necklace better. The hopeful look in her eyes stuck like a knife to the ribs making him feel like a special type of bastard. After some reflection, he knew keeping her locked up with him forever wasn't a practical solution. The necklace provided some extra measure of protection. The large blue stone held a tiny tracking device. He'd used such things in the Enforcers and still held onto a few tricks of the trade.

The tracking device keyed into an app on his cell phone. If she ventured out of his sight, he'd be able to find her with a few taps on the screen. But Molly read more into the gift, and he hadn't corrected her. Hence feeling like a bastard.

That he'd even been able to get out of the bed this morning told him her heat had subsided quicker than he'd thought possible. Must've been the pills she'd started taking. Her scent no longer kept him in a frenzied, horny state. Although, her flushed face and naked body certainly captured his attention.

Shy now without the hormones clouding her personality, she pulled the sheet around her and stood up. “I need a shower,” she said softly.

He nodded, feeling stupid.

Don't follow her.

Oh, but he wanted to follow her. He turned, anchoring his gaze to the back of her head.

Not helping.

Now he couldn't stop picturing all that beautiful copper hair falling down around his face as she looked down at him. He squeezed his eyes shut, but an image of fisting her hair in his hand as he took her from behind assaulted him.

She had to be exhausted, and he needed to end this now before he got more attached. He let her

walk out of the room, hands clenched into fists at his sides so he wouldn’t follow.

Eight

“You want to do what?” Ivan knew he shouldn't yell at her, but the ridiculous idea she'd just floated made it hard to stop himself.

Molly crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head. “I want to go home. I need to see my little sister. We were sneaking emails back and forth, but I can't do that from here.”

Those pretty blue eyes didn't match the fierce expression on her normally adorable face as she glared at him. They seemed too innocent and serene, even though her stance screamed obstinate as hell at the moment.

Well, he could be pretty damn mulish himself when it came to protecting someone he cared about. “You're damn right you can't. Enforcers would be able to trace that.” It would be next to impossible for them to track anything back to his place, but that wasn't information Molly needed. She was incorrigible enough. Why hadn't she ever mentioned her sister? “Have you been emailing her this whole time?”

She had the decency to give him a sheepish look. “Yeah. Not from the safe house, but from a coffee shop or the library or whatever.”

He pinned her with a level stare. “So, basically enough to give them your general location?”

She lifted her shoulders and looked away.

Ivan closed his eyes and fisted his hands at his sides. He took in a few deep breaths.

Not her fault. She's innocent. She's led a sheltered life.

“Look, my parents were strict, but they care about me. They wouldn't set dangerous people after me if they weren't worried. I'll go home and confront them. Explain I'm old enough to make my own decisions and live on my own now.”

A growl erupted from Ivan's throat before he could stop it. “No fucking way.” He didn't bust his ass protecting her, let her into his private home –and into his bed, but he couldn't think about that now—for her to throw it all away and march into enemy territory without a care in the world. Without any concern for her own safety. Her naiveté about the situation pissed him off royally. Shit. Somehow he'd let her become too important to him. The scenario was all too familiar. Allison had wanted to do something stupid that would put her life in danger too. Wouldn't listen to reason either.