His hips moved as he pulled out of her, inch by inch until he was almost completely free of her and the head of his shaft only nudged her opening. The rest of his penis was visible and it was thick and hard. Involuntarily her inner walls tightened, wanting to feel him inside her again. Filling her completely.

Before she could voice what she wanted, he rocked into her. The motion was smooth and startling at the same time.

He was bigger than she’d expected, but she knew her body could handle him. The intrusion bordered on painful when he pushed in completely, but the pleasure overrode everything else.

He wasn’t stopping now. Fisting the sheet next to her head, he slanted his mouth over hers as he drove into her. His tongue was demanding and harsh as he invaded her mouth. Moaning into him, she tightened her legs around him, opening herself further.

His strokes weren’t controlled, but wild and animalistic. When he tore his mouth away from hers she wanted to protest, until he raked his teeth over her neck. She knew he wouldn’t bond them. He couldn’t. If she accepted him as her bondmate, he’d have to take her under the full moon. He would take her from behind, and as they joined together he’d sink his canines into her neck not only to mark her, but bond them together for life. Only then would they link telepathically.

He was marking her, though. Making sure she was officially his. As he was hers. His scent would twine around her, letting the world know they were mated. Technically she could still walk away from him if she wanted, even after they mated, but some primal part of her scoffed at the thought.

A tiny voice in the back of her head whispered that they could have been doing this for the past fifty years if he hadn’t left her, but she silenced it and dug her fingers into the firm skin of his back.

When she did, he sank his canines into her skin. Not deep, but enough to mark her. The sharp action pushed her over the edge. She hadn’t realized she was even standing at the ledge, but she surged into climax.

His pelvis rubbed over her sensitive bundle of nerves each time he ground against her. The rubbing action over her clit combined with his thrusts was too much. Like a fast-breaking wave, she peaked, then descended into free fall. Her vagina tightened around him in a viselike grip as a shout tore from her.

She wanted to bite it back, show some control, but she couldn’t. The scream ripped from her lungs as the orgasm overtook everything, including coherent thought.

If Connor’s life ended at this moment, he’d die happy. He lifted his head so he could see Ana’s face. Her dark eyes had glazed over and uncontrollable shudders racked her body. Her thighs tightened around him and her fingers sank into him. The way she held on to him was as if she never wanted to let go.

He’d worried he wouldn’t be able to hold out long enough before coming. All his muscles were pulled taut, but now he could let go. Ana was like a package of dynamite. She hadn’t needed much stimulation before exploding. That moved him, knowing how reactive she was for him.

Once he’d had her, oh, a hundred times, he’d want to take it slow. Savor kissing and teasing every inch of her delicious body. Now wasn’t the time for slow and sensual. And it seemed she didn’t want it that way either. As he thrust again, a flood of emotion burst inside him and he tried to ignore it. A kaleidoscope of colors flashed before his eyes as he came.

He couldn’t hold back any longer. Grasping her hips, he thrust, emptying himself inside her in long, hot streams. Her hips continued to meet his stroke for stroke, until finally her ankles unlocked and her legs loosened their death grip around him.

His cock had a mind of its own, though. Blindly, his hips made small jerking motions until he gained control of himself.

Panting, he propped up on his elbows and stared at Ana. A soft smile lit up her face. Since he’d been back he’d found her smiles to be a rare, wonderful thing. When he’d first met her, she’d given them out all the time. As if she’d had plenty to spare. Now she had more responsibility. More sorrow in her life. Sometimes it showed so clearly in her eyes.

And he wanted to take away her pain any way he could. He leaned down, closing the short distance between their faces, and lightly kissed her lips. She still tasted sweet.

When he gently tugged on her bottom lip, she smiled and traced her fingers down his back until she reached his backside.

He chuckled when she grasped him. “You seem to like that part of me.”

She grinned and clutched tighter. “You have a very, very nice behind.”

Hearing her praise—however small—caused his erection to lengthen again. It had been at half-mast and now it was quickly rising to full salute again.

Her eyebrows rose as she felt the change.

“We’re not finished yet, love,” he murmured against her soft cheek. Reaching between their bodies, he rubbed his thumb over her clit, and she jerked against him. Her inner walls trembled around him in response. He didn’t bother to hide his groan. “Not finished by a long shot.”

Chapter 11

Ana opened her eyes and rolled over. Connor’s side of the bed was empty but it was still warm. Smiling, she ran her hand over his pillow and inhaled his earthy scent. Then she frowned. She shouldn’t be smelling him like some lovesick cub. It was pathetic.

Angry at herself, she shoved off the tangled sheet. The sound of running water in the bathroom greeted her ears.

After their first time last night Connor had woken her two more times. He’d tried to wake her up a third but she’d feigned sleep. The man was a damn machine. Not that she was complaining. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so peacefully. Certainly not in the past couple months. The orgasms he’d given her had the ability to knock her out. Unfortunately her hope that she’d get him out of her system hadn’t exactly worked. She wanted more of him. It’s just physical, she thought. Nothing more.

She swung her legs off the bed. The wood floor beneath her feet immediately cooled her. She brushed her teeth in one of the other bathrooms, then started to head downstairs. At the last second she grabbed Connor’s discarded shirt from the floor and slipped it over her head. Since she and Connor had revealed their intent to mate she figured pack members would announce themselves before coming over, but she wasn’t taking a chance. Most shifters didn’t mind a little nudity, but she knew Connor was dominant and possessive, and it would grate on his nerves if anyone else saw her naked. And she wasn’t keen on the idea of anyone else seeing her in the buff either.

As she ascended the stairs, she scented a familiar male. “Liam?” she called out before entering the kitchen. She found him leaning against the counter, coffee mug in hand. And a scowl on his face. “I take it you didn’t sleep well?”

He set his mug down with a thud and a bit of coffee sloshed over. “And I can tell you did,” he grumbled.

Despite the fact that he was family, she could feel her face flame. Now no one would have any doubt about the unification of her and Connor. His scent covered her, and any male who came near would know she was marked. If they didn’t bond it would fade with time but only if they stopped sleeping together. Ana knew that wasn’t going to happen. “Connor’s in the shower, if you want to wait for him.” She grabbed a cup.

“Actually I wanted to talk to you.”

“Really?” Her eyebrows rose.

“You’re a woman.”

Ana bit back a grin. “Uh, yeah. Thanks for noticing.”

“Remember the woman from Sunday?”

“The sheriff’s sister? Oh yeah. I think even her brother could smell your intent toward her.”

“Did Connor say anything about her … ?” He trailed off.

She shook her head.

Liam cleared his throat. “She’s my mate.”

She couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped. “But she’s human.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s mine.”

Good Lord, he got the same intent expression on his face as Connor when he wanted something. They were definitely cut from the same cloth. It wasn’t impossible for humans and shifters to mate, but it was rare. Ana didn’t actually know any shifters who had mated with humans. “So what’s the deal, then?”

His lips pulled into a thin line. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I don’t know about that.” She’d noticed the way the redheaded human had stared at him. It had been hard to miss. She’d been a little fearful, but Ana had also sensed curiosity and blatant lust emanating from her. Humans didn’t hide their emotions as well as shifters, and the redhead was no different.

“No, she wants me and she doesn’t even deny it. That’s not the problem. She just doesn’t want a relationship with me because of what I am.”

Ana bit her bottom lip. If he was coming to her for relationship advice he was out of his damn mind. Even at her age, her experience was limited. And right now she had no clue where she stood with the sexy wolf showering upstairs—and they were mated. They might have had hot sex—lots of it—but her mind and body warred with each other. The closer she let Connor get to her, the more she opened herself up for heartache. Talk about relationship-challenged. “So?”

His scowl deepened. “So help me out. How do I change her mind?”

“If I’m your only hope you’re out of luck, Liam.” The frustrated growl he let out sounded so much like his brother’s, she smiled.

“What’s funny?” he demanded.

She shook her head. “Nothing. She’s interested in you, right?”

He nodded.

“Then give her time. You two are from different worlds. We might know a lot about humans but she likely doesn’t know anything about our kind.”

“I don’t want to give her time.” He looked like a young cub pouting because his favorite toy had been taken away.

“Spoken like a true Armstrong,” she muttered.

“What’s like a true Armstrong?” Connor appeared in the doorway wearing only a pair of worn jeans. He raked a heated look over her face, then dipped lower, drinking in her entire body, straight down to her toes.