Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

R enata turned back around and leaned against the back of his chair between his legs. She was fascinating—a shifter who knew next to nothing about their kind. His heart ached for whatever had happened to her mother and to the turmoil being a wolf must have caused in their lives. He wanted to help her discover the glory of running free with your mate, of howling at the moon out of joy and going for a pack run. But it was not going to be as easy as simply stepping up and claiming her. He'd need a bit more finesse. Perhaps he needed to spend some time alone with his father so he could learn from him.

Bran began rubbing her neck again, encouraging her to relax. He was gratified to see that the combination of soothing massage and his sonorous call to her were having the effect he wanted.

"Lean back and rest your head against me."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than he realized that it might not have been his best move. His cock was a hard bulge in his jeans, and he'd been only barely able to repress the knot that wanted to form. It didn't help that her nipples had been poking in sharp tips against the fabric of her swimsuit and he could smell the telltale aroma of her arousal. God, it was the sweetest scent he'd ever inhaled.

"You sure that's a good idea?" she teased.

She damn well knew the state he was in. "I can handle it, and you. I just want to make your head feel better. Then we can decide what we want to do next."

Renata leaned back, so trusting. She had no idea how much control he was exerting not to have at her. Her head rested against his hard cock, and he could see her pulse racing in her neck. The very spot in which his alpha male wolf instinct told him to sink his teeth. She was soft, relaxed, and aroused. But instead of getting between her legs, he was going to help ease her discomfort.

Supporting her head with his hands, he used his thumbs to gently massage all along her jawline, then worked his way to her cheekbones and up to her temples, which made her groan.

"I now know the meaning of the phrase ‘hurts so good,'" she said dreamily.

"There are so many ways I can demonstrate that to you," he returned.

He could feel all the tension and discomfort leaving her body as her breathing became deep and languid. Bran was mesmerized by the sound of her breath and the pulse in her throat. He closed his eyes and prayed for strength. He leaned down and kissed her the top of her head. She smiled in response but didn't move.

"Let me get the hot tub ready." Renata started to move. "No," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You just sit."

He walked outside to the back patio and took the hot tub cover off to make sure everything was adjusted right. The temperature felt divine, and he turned to go back to get Renata. He had visions of scooping her up off the floor, carrying her to the hot tub, and putting her in before going to change into his swim trunks. Both his plan and his ability to speak with any coherency flew out the window when he turned and saw her standing just inside the sliding glass door.

She was a vision. Renata had moved so quietly. Even with the hot tub bubbling away, he was surprised that he hadn't heard her. He wasn't sure which was more unnerving—that she'd moved up behind him without him having heard or that somewhere between the floor pillow and the door, she'd removed her suit.

Renata opened the sliding glass door and walked toward him, seeming to ignore the look on his face. "Can you give me a hand?" she asked as she threw one long leg over the side of the tub. He did so and watched as her gorgeous body disappeared beneath the water. "I think you're overdressed for the hot tub."

He shook his head. She might not have a clue about being a she-wolf, but she knew a lot about topping from the bottom even if she might not know that she was. Renata might think she could lead him around by his dick, but he planned to show her she was wrong.

His cock was screaming why did it matter, as long as it got to be inside her she could do anything she damn well pleased.

R enata wasn't sure what had prompted her to remove her bathing suit and waltz past him naked to the hot tub, but the look on his face had made it worthwhile. As she slipped into the water, she sighed. It felt so smooth and silky. She'd never done anything quite so brazen before, so why had she done it? She liked the feeling that she was pulling the tiger's tail, mainly because she sensed it was safe for her to do so. She moved to the other side of the tub so that she could watch him as he joined her.

If he had been speechless seeing her naked, she was now gobsmacked. Her first assessment of him when he'd gotten off the plane was correct. He was some kind of God come to earth to ravish a virgin. She might not be a virgin, but if the state of his cock was any indication, it didn't much care. It was a monster—hard and long enough to almost reach his belly button. It hadn't felt that big or that ready when she'd been resting her head on it.

"I don't know what you're playing at mate, but you should know getting an alpha male wolf in this condition isn't the time to be a tease. If you don't want to end up in bed with me with my cock buried in you, you'd best say so now. Otherwise, all bets are off and I'm taking what's mine."

"You can't talk to me that way!"

"Sweetheart, I'm about done talking. Yea or nay, Renata."

She knew the safe thing to do would be to say nay. The safe thing to do would be to get out of the hot tub, put on her clothes, go back to the dormitory, and avoid being alone with Branson Norris ever again.

One little word, but she couldn't make it come out. She'd been a good girl her whole life. She'd hidden who and what she was—not only from everyone in her life but from herself too. All she had to do was say no and she could walk away and go back to her safe little world.

"I'm not hearing you say nay. Does that mean I should assume it's yea?"

She didn't move, just locked eyes with his and nodded.

"I need you to say it."

"Yes. I mean yea. I mean, oh shit, I don't know what I mean or what's come over me."

He smiled, walked to the side of the tub, and took her face in his hands. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her gently. "That would be your she-wolf urging you to heed the call of your fated mate. So yes?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Renata was skeptical about the whole fated mate thing, but she was pretty damn sure she was going to get her heart broken. Surprisingly, she didn't care. What was the old saying about better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? She wasn't a virgin, but this man had made her feel more alive, more sensual, and more aroused than she'd ever felt in her life. She'd been with men who had studied the art of how to make a woman's body light up with pleasure, but they had been nothing like this. She could never let him know the sort of things that really turned her on though—he'd bolt and never look back.

And then it struck her. It wasn't just that Bran was put together like a perfectly sculpted male fitness model or that he was so well hung. It wasn't just that he was one of the best in his field of archaeology and had a glorious future laid out before him. No, what called to the deepest part of her soul was that he had the presence of a Dom. He wasn't like those wannabes she'd encountered. No. Branson Norris was the real thing whether he knew it or not. Maybe he did. After all, he had referred to himself as an alpha male.

"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" he asked as he stepped into the water and slid down onto the seat opposite her.

"I'm not sure I want to tell you," she answered honestly. It wasn't that she was feeling shy; it was more that she wasn't sure she wanted to give him the upper hand.

If he knew what she was thinking, feeling… If he really knew who she was at her core, would he reject her? He might be fine with them both being wolf-shifters since he'd grown up as one but being a sorceress and knowing how to wield magick might be a dealbreaker for him. It had been for many of her friends and lovers. It was the reason a great many sorceresses lived solitary lives.

"I'm warning you Renata, I might let you keep things from me for now, but not for long. You misbehave with me, and it might result in you being disciplined. In our society, sweetheart, male wolves rule supreme. We take care of and cherish our mates, but we expect obedience."

Before she could change her mind and get out of the hot tub, Bran took one of her feet into his strong hands and began to massage it. Not in a way that was meant to tickle and tease, but in a way that made the tension leave her body. She relaxed and sighed. She seemed to do that a lot with Bran. The smile that erupted across his face was feral and seductive at the same time. Or maybe that was just her interpretation of things, since that primal side of him called to her.

Did he have any idea what he was doing to her? The combination of his physical presence with his decidedly dominant streak were doing outrageous things to her libido. Had he meant true discipline or just a few smacks on her ass before he took care of himself? That was the beauty of kink clubs—she could always find men who were truly into dominating and disciplining a woman.

"God you're beautiful. I think it's a good thing the pack in Inverness didn't know about you. Otherwise I'm afraid I might have to challenge someone for you."

"And would you win?"

His laugh contained just a touch of malevolence. "With you as the prize? Trust me, I'd either be killed or be victorious."

Why was it that those words thrilled her in a way nothing else ever had? He moved across the tub, parting her legs with his body. Did he mean to fuck her, just like that? As the thought crossed her mind that she didn't care, she laughed. Her nipples ached and she was wet, and not from the water that bubbled all around her. His hands moved up her body, sliding along her skin until he reached her breasts. He ran his thumbs across them and she damn near came on the spot. It had been a long time since she'd reveled in a man's touch, and Branson Norris wasn't just any man. According to him, he was her fated mate.

Renata didn't care what any of this meant for the long term. All she knew was that for now, he intended to have his way with her. Maybe she could even get him to be less than gentle and loving with her. She'd always wondered what it might be like to truly connect with a Dom—a man who could take her places she'd never been but wanted to go.

He leaned in and brushed her lips with his. They were warm and soft, and he gently nibbled at her lower lip with the edges of his teeth. She searched his face and eyes. She found lust, but there was something more—something he was keeping in check. The very thought made the synapses that weren't yet firing join those that already were.

She ran her fingers through his hair. It was like spun silk, and she loved the juxtaposition between the long, silky locks and the buzzed bristle. He was gorgeous. Even his hawk-like, or perhaps raven-like, nose seemed to fit him. It was a finishing touch on a face that was just this side of beautiful and gave it a hard, masculine perfection.

"You wouldn't be fighting on your own. If this fated mate thing is real, I would be at your side," she said, not breaking eye contact.

"In that case, we could take on the whole pack." He rumbled deep in his chest, and she felt her pussy clench.

He captured her mouth again, but this time there was nothing but dominance in his kiss. His tongue plunged past her lips and danced with hers. He hauled her up against him, his cock throbbing against her belly. Renata sagged against him, not from latent jet lag, but as a physical submission to his strength. He kissed her relentlessly, drawing out her response the same way he encouraged her tongue to enter his mouth and explore its depths. Their tongues slipped and slid along the other's, as if the kiss was a preview of things to come. She had no doubt Bran would fill her up.

Bran lifted her and set her on the side of the hot tub. He stared hungrily at her breasts but stopped himself from taking one of them into his mouth.

"I know you know next to nothing about our kind…" His voice trailed off, his eyes never leaving her curves.

Renata smiled. "I know a lot more about it now than I did when I touched down in Tel Aviv."

"Do you know anything about D/s or BDSM or lifestyle clubs?" he asked.

Her cheeks grew warm, and her smile traveled to her eyes. "You mean places where consenting individuals can get up to all kinds of kinky things, including some righteously nasty sex?"

For a split second, she thought maybe she'd gone too far. Maybe now he thought she was some kind of a pervert. Why hadn't she kept her mouth shut? That probably took care of the fated mate thing. Thoughts of uncertainty flashed through her mind but were immediately put to rest when Bran started to laugh.

"What's your safeword?" he said with a predatory gleam in his eyes.