Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Derrek

We only make it halfway up the stairs before my resolve crumbles. I need to feel her against me, to convince myself that this is real. We're actually here and I'm not just lost in another dream. I pull Lilliana's face to me and her expression is openly lustful, lips parted to release breathy little puffs of air. My heart beats so hard in my chest it feels as though she ought to see it. I allow my palms to skim her sides gently, brushing the sides of her breasts with my thumbs as they make their way down to her hips. My fingers sink into her soft curves, and I don't have to push hard to get her up against the wall; she melts against me, her hands reaching up to pull my face close, to claim my mouth with hers once again.

The heat between us is blazing, like we're made of living fire. And to finally be here; with nothing to keep us apart aside from sheer will and a few scraps of clothing… the pressure has built so high I don't know if I'll survive long enough to see it through.

Reluctantly I draw back, and then can't help but chuckle at the sound of irritation she makes and the way her lips chase mine.

"Come on, beautiful. I wouldn't want one of my neighbors to come down and catch their alpha making out in the stairwell."

She snorts. "Well, I doubt they'd complain to me about it if they did!"

I grasp her hand and tug gently, leading her up the remaining stairs to my apartment.

Then I remember… shit.

"Ah, slight problem," I confess, supremely embarrassed.

"What's that?"

"I don't have my keys. I left them in my car at the dance. Oh god, I hope it's still there. Is crime a problem in your city, Ms. Mayor? Should I worry about my ride being stolen?"

She rolls her eyes, but smirks. "Why don't you look under the doormat?"

I raise an eyebrow at her, but her smirk only widens. I glance down and spot a small bulge in the middle of the mat.

Wonders never cease around here. "Okay, how did this happen? And where's my car?"

"Your car is in your parking spot outside, and what did you expect, that we'd let Nielsen cart you off and just leave you illegally parked in front of the community center? We're not animals. Besides, they would have given you like a million parking tickets by now."

Sliding the key into the lock, I turn it and realize it's too late to wonder if I'd cleaned up before I left… however many weeks ago that was.

But when we walk in, the apartment is pristine. Like, sparkling clean. I may be neat, but I'm not that neat.

Lilliana looks around, then shrugs. "Mrs. Dowling wanted to make sure your plants weren't neglected. I guess she felt the need to clean while she was here."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "I don't have any plants."

"Now it all makes sense," she deadpans.

"Come here, you," I growl, kicking the door closed, tossing my keys on the table, and pulling her to me again.

She releases a surprised laugh before my mouth is on hers, and now we don't have to worry about a hapless neighbor wondering by.

We are well and truly alone.

Finally allowing my body to do as it pleases, my hands run over her form, cupping her breasts, squeezing her nipples through the fabric.

Without breaking our kiss, she moans throatily in response to my touch, and it only drives me more wild.

Lilliana's fingers tangle in my hair, tugging me to her, forcing me to bend and release her breasts. My hands instead find better purchase on her perfect ass, and I squeeze, pulling her hips toward mine.

Then she moans again, and even that contact is not nearly enough.

My hands slide between her thighs and I lift her, pulling her against my body to settle her legs around my hips. Now I'm able to kiss along her jaw and down her porcelain throat, running my tongue across her sweet and salty skin.

With her head thrown back to allow me better access, her little hands tighten on my hair, fisting and tugging it, pulling my head toward her.

I have to get control of myself, or I'm going to put in an embarrassingly short performance after all this buildup.

"Derrek…" her breathy moan is like a lit match to my parched tinder. Lilliana fills my senses to the brim - her wild and sweet fragrance, her taste on my tongue, her soft curves molding perfectly to the hard edges of my body..

I manage a few steps—just to get us into the living room—before I set her gently back on the floor, savoring every inch of her as she squeezes against me. Claiming her mouth once more, I quickly realize my mate has already taken over and I'm no longer the one in charge.

With a throaty growl, she tears at my borrowed shirt, yanking at the buttons instead of taking the time to undo them. I decide to help her out and grab the collar at the back of my neck, tugging the whole thing off in one swift move.

When I discard the piece of clothing between us, Lilliana rests her splayed hands against my chest and smooths her palms over my lean muscles. They dance and flex under her touch, reacting to the sensation of electricity shooting across my skin. My hands tremble, but I don't reach for her; I know she wants to take her time.

Just like I plan to do when it's my turn.

She holds my gaze with her gleaming emerald eyes, her hands wandering lower down my abdomen until they find the fastening on my borrowed cargo pants. The anticipation is killing me; if I thought we were a blazing fire before, this is more like a solar flare. Every inch of my body is alight with heat and practically screaming for her touch. Then, with a seductive smirk, she pops the button and slowly slides the zipper open. With no further restraint, my erection bobs between us.

Tremors run through my body, but I continue to resist the urge to throw her on the couch and pillage her in every way I know how. The tension of waiting, of willing her hands to drop lower, is an excitement I can't remember ever having for another woman. Because obviously I didn't know it before, I wasn't aware; but somehow my subconscious knew there was only this woman, this incredible woman, who was my mate. And no one else even came close.

My gaze is locked on her face, and I suck in a breath when Lilliana's tongue darts out, sweeping a path along her lower lip as she eyes my erection. Without a word she drops to her knees, and I draw in a shaking breath in anticipation of her next move so strong it's almost painful.

As soon as her fingertips meet the pulsing skin of my erection, it throbs noticeably in response. Evidently pleased with herself for drawing a reaction from me so easily, she grins wickedly and wraps her fingers around my girth, squeezing and stroking me in a divinely torturous way. I watch her every move, drinking in the sight of the woman I've loved for much longer than I realized.

Watching my reaction, she runs her tongue over her lower lip again and then across the tip of my head. I try to maintain eye contact, but her next move is to suck my hard length into her warm, wet mouth and my eyes roll back in my head, an appreciative groan escaping my lips. I steady myself with one hand on her shoulder and the other twisted in her soft, wild hair. This dynamic, where she does what she wants to me, is not my typical style. But there's something even more erotic knowing that I didn't even have to ask; she wanted me like this, and she made it happen. I resist the urge to rock my hips, not wanting to give her more than she can handle, letting her maintain control.

But my tenuous thread of restraint snaps when she hums, the vibration increasing the sensations by tenfold. My hips jerk forward, seeking more from her incredible mouth.

Bracing herself against my thighs, Lilliana pushes forward and swallows me whole, sliding me down the back of her throat with ease. A curse escapes my lips as a guttural groan. Unable to hold back any longer, I tighten my fingers in her hair and hold her in place so I can slide in and out of her hot little mouth.

When I pull back slowly, I instruct, "Drag your tongue along the underside." She immediately flattens her tongue and curls the tip up, licking my shaft as it moves. "Yes, just like that," I praise in a throaty growl. "Good girl." I hold her hair back so I can watch myself slide in and out of her perfect lips.

She pulls back after a few strokes and I release her, a smile spreading across my face when she pauses to give me a devious little smirk. Her hands wrap around my shaft, squeezing and sliding, and with our gazes locked, she swirls her tongue around my bulbous head, making my entire body shudder with pleasure. I feel myself throb in her hands again, the pressure delicious but almost uncomfortable because it's not moving. From the gleam in her beautiful eyes, she clearly knows exactly the power she has over me right now. And she's eating it up.

But now it's time I turn the tables and torture her sinful little body with pleasure.

When I pull away, her devious expression drops to shock, then confusion. But when I kick off my shoes and step out of my pants, she's grinning again. I help her to her feet and our lips collide in a kiss filled with desperate, aching need for each other. Being more patient than my feisty little mate, I take the time to unbutton her shirt and manage it successfully with no need to break our kiss. The benefit of unexpectedly shifting into a wolf and having to borrow clothes means we don't have to deal with pesky things like underwear, so once her pants are gone, she's as naked as I am.

Knowing she's shared some entry-level intimacy with the three younger men, I decide to use a few moves I'm positive they haven't tried yet.

There are benefits to having an older man as a mate, which my little minx is about to learn.

Sinking to the floor, I brace one of her legs over my shoulder and wrap my arms around her hips. Lilliana gasps at the surprise, but it changes to a throaty moan when I run my tongue across her. She digs her hands into my hair, clutching my head and encouraging me deeper.

I happily comply, lapping at her molten center and probing every corner my tongue can reach. Holding her at the hip to steady her with one hand, I slip the other between her thighs and run my fingertips through her wetness. When they're suitably slick, I plunge them slowly into her core and circle her throbbing bud with my tongue.

Finally, I can devour her with abandon, truly live the fantasy that's plagued far too many of my nights. Everything about her is even better than I imagined, from her taste to her scent to the way she feels beneath my fingertips. I'll never be able to get enough of this woman.

Her fingers twist and tug at my hair as her breathy moans turn deeper, filling my otherwise quiet apartment with the sounds of her pleasure. She grinds her pelvis against my face in a silent plea for more. Pressing my fingers deeper, I curl them to hit that elusive sweet spot. Her thigh trembles against my cheek, encouraging me to continue.

"Oh Derrek… more…" No longer commanding, her desperate plea is even more fuel to my fire.

I thrust my fingers into my mate with more force, and her moans rise in pitch and frequency, increasing with the movement of my hand.

With a moaned curse she shatters over me, the sounds of her release the sweetest reward for my effort. I hold her tightly to me and refuse to stop, savoring every shudder of pleasure I wring from her body.

When I can tell she's come down from her high, I slow my ministrations and press a gentle kiss to her tender lips. Then I hold her tightly, waiting for her to be strong enough to reclaim the use of her legs.

So we can move on to round two.

LILLIANA

I take a few minutes to come down from this floating bliss, and Derrek supports my body while he waits. Every time I've shattered in pleasure with one—or more—of my mates, it feels like I've never reached such heights before. And here again, the incredible power of his touch on my body feels even stronger than the last. Quickly, I find myself both satiated and yet starving for more of my fourth and final mate.

He disentangles us and stands, and when we kiss, I taste myself on his lips. That erotic flavor reminds me viscerally of my experience just a few moments ago, and it's almost like a second rush of pleasure.

Angling for something I want to try again, I push Derrek backwards until his calves make contact with the couch, then give him a playful shove. His eyes widen as he lands on the cushion and I climb into his lap, straddling his thighs. Reaching between us, I guide his rigid length into my sensitive core and ease down on him.

I savor every inch as he fills me, stretching my insides in a way that sends butterflies into my stomach. The hum he releases encourages me to keep moving, so I ride him, slowly moving up and down.

"I feel like I've waited a lifetime for this," Derrek groans, his eyes watching me hungrily. He catches my waist between his hands, slowing my bouncing. "Roll your hips, baby."

When he's buried in me to the hilt, I try to undulate my hips instead of bouncing on my knees. A gasp slips from my lips, utter surprise at the unfamiliar sensation of my clit grinding against his hard pelvis and the soaring pleasure that tears through me.

Trying it a few more times, his hands encourage my motions and I catch a rhythm, bringing our pleasure to new heights. Instead of an athletic, breath-taking event, this kind of love-making is a slow, sensual build up of sensation. Derrek's hands rove over my body, gripping my hips before cupping my breasts, rolling my nipples between his fingers. Our lips find each other like magnets, and now our kisses are slow and sensual as well. My tongue glides against his, then I nibble at his lush bottom lip before planting kisses down his neck and shoulder.

Derrek returns one hand to my hips, coaxing my body to move the way he wants. The other slips further between us, seeking entry. I angle slightly away and the pad of his thumb presses on my clit, slippery with the evidence of our desire for each other. He rubs firm circles while still pushing and pulling my hips in the deep rolling movement that's igniting an entirely novel sensation inside me, triggering that coil of pressure deep in my belly.

My movements grow faster, more urgent, as every nerve ending feels like it's on fire. I can't tell if I need more or less of all these sensations. My thighs muscles burn from the effort.

Then he begins to move with me, his hips rising and meeting mine. Not in an impact, but more like a continuation of the movement, creating even more sensation.

One hand remains busy, but the other rises to cup my cheek.

Derrek's gaze locks on mine, a depthless sincerity traveling between us.

I can't look away; all of my focus concentrates on his beloved face. The all-consuming connection between us finally pushes me over the edge, sending me tumbling into a field of stars as my body shudders and clenches around him.

Derrek's release comes seconds after mine, and as one, our motions gradually slow until we're stopped, chests heaving and bodies slick with sweat.

He still hasn't released my face, and now pulls me closer to him.

"I love you, Lilliana Harridan." The words spill from his lips and unlock the last remaining wall between us.

A tear rolls down my cheek, and I gaze just as intently back at him when I answer, "I love you too, Derrek Garrow. I always have."

His thumb swipes my tear away, and a coy smile curls his lips. "What if I told you to call me Leaf?"

I lean in and press a gentle kiss to his lips. "I'll call you whatever you want, now that I get to call you mine."