18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

C ourage

I'm a male wolven. How much self-control can anyone expect of me?

My cock is hard and fat and thumping against my jeans. I'm smitten and desperate and Candy's scent is swirling in the air, tempting me until I'm half-crazed with lust.

I've ripped her shirt off and tossed it to the corner before I'm aware I've even moved.

"Tell me to stop." My voice is so deep and full of grit it doesn't sound like me.

"I want you, Courage."

I growl, my feral instincts taking over, threatening without words.

"You don't scare me, Courage. I want you." She smiles and beckons me closer with the crook of one finger.

"Leave, Candy. We both know this isn't right."

"We both know how much we want this." She sits up straighter and grips my thigh, far too close to my desperate cock for comfort. "You don't have to do anything. Just let me take your pants off. I'll do all the work."

She's serious! And look at her. Her eyes are glazed with lust. She's licking her lips like a… hungry wolf.

It's this—her need for me, her pungent scent, her lack of doubt. There isn't a bone in her body that wants to turn back. It pushes me over the edge and I skim her pants and panties down and off her body, barely remembering to retract my claws as my fingers graze her tender skin.

If I don't slow down, I fear I'll hurt her with my claws or fangs, so I spring off the bed, retreating until my back hits the wall with a hollow thump. Panting, I plan my next steps. I'll get what I want—we'll both get what we want—without me being so crazed that I harm her.

After striding to the bed, I pick her up, pressing her naked body to me. I'm undressed from the waist up. My jeans may just be the only thing keeping me tethered to my sanity.

She needs no prompting to circle my waist with her thighs.

"Fuck!" we say in unison. Her wet heat against my belly is so arousing I can barely think for a moment. Then I remember. I want her against the wall.

I press her there with a dull thud, giving her enough leverage to press against me with little effort. It's in this position that I devour her mouth.

This isn't like our last kiss, with my tender explorations and sweet brushes of lips on lips. This is feral, primitive. My tongue lunges inside her without waiting for permission. I don't feel bad about barging in, though. She's so eager, her tongue meets mine thrust for thrust, parry for parry as we attack each other.

There's a faint hint of sweetness in her taste, but I'm too distracted to pay more than passing attention to it. It's her eager moans, her frenzied grinding against me as she clutches my pelt, unwilling to let me pull away long enough to grab a deep breath.

With one hand cradling the back of her head, protecting me from pressing her too hard against the wall, I keep her feet off the floor with my forearm supporting her ass.

"I need you. In me." She's biting my lower lip, sucking it into her mouth, writhing against me like a madwoman. I'm the one with the wolf-like characteristics. Why is she the one who's bordering on feral?

"Don't want that, Courage? Let me suck you, then."

It's this request that clears the fog from my head. Is this woman begging ? Does she think I don't want her? I need to tell her—no, I need to show her—that's the farthest thing from the truth.

I nip down the length of her neck, drawing shocked gasps, then soothe the path with my tongue. On my next pass, I use the tips of my fangs. Even if she wasn't panting like an animal, moaning as though she might be in pain, I'd know how deeply this affects her by her arousal scent spiking, filling the air with her need.

In two short steps, I dance her away from the wall and settle her on the bed. This is the first time I've allowed myself to drink her in.

"Fucking beautiful." My claws spring out and it's all I can do to stand in one place and not pounce on her. "Candy… perfect."

"Pants off!"

"Yours stay off. Mine stay on." I marvel at my ability to put words into sentences. "I'm going to lap you up, rock star. I'm not going to stop until I've made you come at least once and my face is covered in your cream."

"All talk and no action, wolven."

With a pouty scold like that, why would I hold myself back for another second? I lunge toward her, scooping my arms under her thighs, splitting her wide, and landing with my tongue in her core. She shrieks in shock—and perhaps a bit of appreciation—then combs her fingers through my hair and hangs on for dear life.

Fuck! She tastes like… I don't have words. Instead of busying my mind trying to figure it out, I focus on her pleasure. I've never been with a human before. She's so deliciously pink. And wet, a liquid invitation.

My senses are overwhelmed by her scent, her taste, her warmth. Every part of me wants to devour her, to claim her, to make her mine .

But I hold back, reminding myself of how fragile her beautiful body is. The tip of my tongue traces every curve and crevice as I savor each moan and gasp. She responds eagerly, her body writhing and arching under my touch. I can feel her desire building, matching my own.

Taking care not to hurt her with my fangs, I suck and tug on her lips, then zero in on her little clit. When I suck the entire area into my mouth, she squeals in pleasure, grips my hair at the roots, and presses me tighter against her.

She's ramping up, so expressive, so eager for my touch. Her pelvis bucks up into me as she whispers "harder." Who am I to disobey? I press with more vigor, flick faster, and when her thighs press against my ears, quivering, I slide a thick, sheathed finger inside her.

Her orgasm explodes. It must feel like fireworks inside her because she's moaning, shaking, saying syllables I can't understand as her inner walls clamp around me. When I add a second finger, her voice lowers an octave, then she whimpers like a little girl.

I follow her lead, slowing as her thighs relax, and only stopping when her knees hit the mattress and her fingers release my hair.

"C'rage."

She was panting so hard her mouth is too dry to talk. I grab a bottled water off the bedside table and support her back while she guzzles half of it.

She turns on her side, throws her arm around me, and crushes me in her embrace.

"That was… otherworldly."

What male wouldn't be proud to receive that type of reception, but it's nothing compared to the expression on her face. It's wonder and affection. Her eyes are shimmering with emotion. We share something so deep in this moment of unspoken connection that it promises something profound. Just as quickly, Candy tucks her face against my neck.

She breathes in, but I realize that's a clever ruse. She's not in that position to memorize my scent. My female is hiding from me.

Goddess. I can keep trying to pretend I don't love this woman, but I'm fooling no one. The thing that confirms the depth of my emotions is that instead of pressing forward and demanding to know what's going on in that beautiful, inscrutable mind of hers, I back off, expecting nothing.

I simply tuck her impossibly closer and use my claws to scratch her back. No words. Just touch. Switching off, I soothe with the pads of my fingers, then return to the gentle scratches. Nuzzling the top of her head, I kiss her with soft, lippy kisses as I hum.

It's only when I feel warm liquid sliding down my neck that I realize my female is crying. I could give her all the time in the world to tell me what's going on inside her beautiful head, but how can I sit by when her tears are sliding down my flesh?

"I did something wrong." I figure it's best to say the hard part for her. "If you just tell me what I did, I won't do it again."

When she doesn't reply, I add, "Is your room card in your pocket? I can leave you here and go to your room to give you some space."

Her answer is to clutch me tighter, her fingers firmly lodged in my pelt.

Finally, I can't stand it any longer. "I'm dying inside, Candy. I never meant to hurt you."

She pulls back to look at me, her lashes spiked with tears. Then she gives me the type of tender smile I picture the Goddess wears when she's bestowing her blessings on someone. It's full to bursting with affection, which seems at odds with the tears.

"I've never cried after sex before, Courage. It just feels so… big. I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm just overwhelmed."

Neither of us has said the word love, but I know it's how I feel. Maybe I'm crazy, but I believe Candy just told me she loves me, too. Neither of us has to use the word. Describing her feelings as "big" is good enough.

" Mae adme rosh ."

My cock had been ready to explode when I was pleasuring her with my mouth, but its desperation has retreated. I maneuver us under the sheets, clutch her close, and murmur "I love you" in wolven until my woman goes to sleep in my arms.