Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

SIERRA

" A lright, love. I need you to wake up." Mac's voice sounded rougher, raspier than before.

A cool, wet cloth glided over my face, and it felt like heaven. When was the last time I'd washed my face? Or any part of my body. My eyelids felt as if lead weights had been taped over them, but I managed to pry the left one open. Mac's concerned gaze filled my vision. I took in my surroundings and saw white walls and dark floor-length curtains. The faint smell of lavender permeated the air, and I could have wept. No more noxious fumes, thank god.

We were somewhere clean, and it didn't matter where, I just wanted a… "Bath." My throat still hurt, and my voice didn't sound like me as I croaked out my request. I'd been dreaming of a hot bath with a gallon of oils to rehydrate my dry, cracked skin.

"Coming right up. I thought sleep was more important. And you obviously needed it. You've slept for almost twelve hours. But I think you'll be happy with what I have waiting for you. I had to try five hotels before I finally found us a room here. There's some Icelandic festival this weekend."

Strong arms picked me up and carried me across a large space until a blinding light hit my eyes and I yelped. "Turn it off! Turn it off!" My eyes began to water, but I was tucked in so close to Mac's massive chest I had a hard time reaching an arm to cover them.

"Shite. Hold on." Mac hit the switch with his elbow, then slowly set me on my feet. "What happened?"

His large hands held me gently in place. I ducked my head under his chin, then leaned into his body. It was so strange, but I couldn't stand not to be in some type of contact with him. "Between the darkness of the cave and little to no daylight outside, I don't think my pupils have had a chance to adjust. I'll be okay, just give me a minute. At least until the white stars fade."

I felt him nod as I kept my eyes closed. A familiar scent filled my senses as I took deep breaths to calm my tap-dancing heart. "Is that lavender?"

"Did I use too much? I filled up the bathtub and found some of that body wash stuff on the vanity. If you don't like it, I'll drain it and fill it up again."

"Don't you dare. Stand back, I need to get these clothes off—now." Leaving his arms was more difficult than I would have anticipated, but getting clean was paramount. I'd deal with what was happening between us later. I took enormous pleasure in tearing my top and shredded pants off. Panties and bra followed quickly.

A sharp indrawn breath bounced off the tiled floor and walls, but it didn't register I just gave this stranger a striptease. Although, after all that we'd been through the last few hours, stranger was not what Mac truly was.

I'd lost all sense of modesty months ago and didn't think about what my actions would do to this man who believed we were fated mates. I just wanted to be clean. The temperature of the water was perfect as I submerged myself fully. The oversized tub could certainly accommodate two adults, although maybe not Mac. Imagining him trying to fit his muscular frame beside me made me chuckle as I came up for air.

Water sluiced off my grimy skin. I grabbed a washcloth and began scrubbing, beginning at my toes and working my way up. The sounds Mac was making barely registered as I sighed over every inch of newly cleansed skin. "Unless you want to see a lot more of me, maybe you should turn your back or go into the bedroom. I'm getting close to my lady bits and by the noises you're making, it may give your further ideas. Not that I'm a prude, or opposed to us becoming…uh, more familiar with each other. But I'd love some real food before that happens." Looking up into his perfectly sculpted face, I flashed him a smile and winked.

What had come over me? Was I honestly flirting with him right now?

He let out a strangled gasp. "Christ, Sierra, your eye."

I kept scrubbing and replied, "Yeah, I know. It's weird, huh? Doesn't affect my vision though. I usually forget it's even there." I'd been born with an odd-shaped right pupil. Some of the girls in the coven thought it resembled a key, and often used it as a reason to tease me. It didn't bother me though, since they found much more hurtful things to torment me over.

"Mac, why are you staring at me like that? It really isn't that big a deal."

His shock had turned to something else as I continued washing my arms and sneaking quick peeks up at him. The longer he stood next to the tub, the more my body responded.

My nipples had gone hard almost immediately after I removed my bra, and his gaze had focused on my chest. His reaction to my nakedness had been swift and obvious. The bulge behind his zipper had continued to grow, and since I knew exactly what he was packing, I began thinking of how it would feel to have him inside me. If he wanted to join me and offer to scrub my back, I wouldn't complain.

"Just like Britt."

His mumbled words struck a chord in me I didn't know I had. Jealously filled me, and I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest. "Who is Britt?"

Mac's expression instantly changed, and his face morphed into a grin I would find charming and damn sexy if I wasn't currently seeing green.

"My new sister-in-law. She's my oldest brother, Quinn's mate. You both have the mark. The right pupil shaped like a key. I'd been too distracted before to notice it, but it's just another sign you and I are mates. Fated."

Shivers ran along my spine, and it wasn't from the cooling bathwater. "I, uh…maybe you should go wait for me in the other room."

"If it makes you more comfortable, I'll go. Now that we're stranded here, at least until I make sure the demons didn't follow us. There'll be plenty of time for me to explain what your coven and your father failed to tell you."

I nodded and watched him walk away, my eyes glued to his ass. I could no longer speak. I had so much to process, and he just promised to share even more. But what I couldn't believe was how furious I'd become when he'd uttered another woman's name.

The magic that I'd felt come to life once he freed me, sparked a fury within me so strong, my jagged fingernails had cut into my palms as I clenched my hands under the water.

If what Mac had told me was all true, and there was more, goddess save me. Standing, I stepped out of the cooling bathwater, then turned on the shower. I shampooed three times, dumped half the bottle of conditioner on my hair and let it set while I used the loofah and scrubbed my body until it was red. Event then at least a half hour had passed before I had the anger tamped back down.

But what remained was the intense pulsing between my thighs and the need to take Mac's enormous cock inside me and ride him until we both collapsed from pleasure. It wasn't just the fact that I hadn't slept with anyone in a couple years and needed a good tumble.

Nope, this feeling went beyond craving multiple orgasms, although I'd take those too.

This felt more about connection, commitment and forever, and that wasn't something I thought I'd ever have.

I grabbed the hotel supplied robe from the hook on the back of the bathroom door and wrapped the fluffy white cotton around me. There hadn't been a comb or brush, but I'd used enough conditioner that I was able to finger comb and smooth my hair down. Hopefully I can find some body lotion in the bedroom.

Before I walked out, I took in a deep breath to calm my racing heart. The anticipation of seeing Mac again already had me wet. Letting out a small moan, I tightened the belt on the robe and decided it was now or never.

Mac sat at the table facing the bathroom door. His eyes laced with lust, steady and unblinking as he watched me cross over to the bed. As if he knew my body's need had bloomed.

A set of clothes, still with tags on them, were splayed out on the comforter. When did he have time to do this? Not used to anyone taking care of me, I choked back a small sob, lifted the green top and whispered, "Thank you. This is very kind of you."

"I guessed at your size, so I hope they fit. If not, we'll get you something else when we go back to get some real shoes for you. I figured you wouldn't mind using the flip flops I picked out until then." Standing, he walked to the other side of the bed, then paused as if he wanted to say more.

My eyes were drawn to his flexing forearms as he clenched and unclenched his hands. I barely held back a moan. I'd always been fascinated by well-defined, sinewy forearms. My co-workers teased me about my addiction to "arm porn" and now I had a very real, hot-blooded version of my fantasy come to life. I may have drooled a little.

"Sierra, unless you want to be laid out just like those clothes, you need to stop looking like you want me to finish drying you with my tongue."

When all I did was slowly blink, he swore under his breath, growled, "I'll go hit the shower," then cut a wide path around the bed, and me, as if he crossed some invisible barrier around me he'd be burned. Me too, shifter, me too.

I spent the next ten minutes visualizing what I wanted to do to and with Mac. I'd been surprised when he'd begun to shift and a little turned on by his increased size. And when his claws had sprung out, only to quickly retract, it was weird and sexy all at the same time.

Many in the witch community had labeled all shifters monsters. But what I saw today proved they were no different than us or other supernatural beings. Mac had been able to control his shift and his grizzly's baser instincts. Shifters simply went through an admittedly more dramatic physical change.

And there was no denying that I knew witches and vampires who used spells or glamour to change their appearance to suit the occasion. No, there was no reason to fear Mac or his inner monster and maybe I could convince him to show me his grizzly bear form.

The undeniable, sensual pull that emanated from him was dragging me closer to crossing the line he refused to step over earlier. This link between us had been growing stronger since I'd woken up. Maybe it was as simple as being my rescuer and I wanted to show him gratitude—with my body.

Or, maybe what he told me is true. That we're fated mates. And even though I disavowed my coven and was no longer a practicing witch, even I understood the bonds mates shared were powerful and unbreakable. I shivered at the thought of being his for the rest of my life. It wasn't as odd as I would have thought.

I took a quick look around the hotel room. So, the only room he could find was a penthouse suite, huh? Talk about sensory whiplash. From the depths of almost hell to five-star luxury in less than the time it takes to read one of my historical romances. Not bad for a former witch and children's librarian from Inverness.

Continuing the sweep of my plush surroundings, I spied an alcove stocked with everything a guest could want: coffee, wine, liquor, snacks, nail polish, and condoms. The list went on, but no body lotion.

There was a posted note to call the concierge for anything else we required to make our stay pleasurable, so I dialed the extension listed. I had a bottle of moisturizing lotion delivered to the room within five minutes.

I'd have to make sure we added a generous tip to the bill since I had no cash. It made me wonder how Mac could afford such an upscale hotel. What did he do besides rescue women and shift into a grizzly? Did he hunt down demons as some supernatural bounty hunter?

There was so much I didn't know about him, and yet I knew instantly he was someone I could trust. Was that what being a fated mate felt like? Should I believe him simply because he rescued me?

There were so many questions running through my mind as I slathered on two coats of the silky lotion, I didn't hear the door open. While marveling at the instant relief and rehydration of my poor skin, I'd allowed the robe to fall off my shoulders, and it now hung loosely at my elbows. My upper body totally exposed, my nipples puckering from the cool air. I had spread my legs to finish massaging the last of the lotion onto my calves and feet when a deep throated growl filled the room.

Mac stood as still as stone, his eyes flashed gold, and were locked between my thighs. My once dry curls became wet from his lustful gaze. And it suddenly no longer mattered how we met, the amount of time that had passed, that he was a grizzly shifter, or even if he was half crazy. My need was instant and I wanted him. Now.

"Sierra." Mac released my name on a whisper-snarl combo that somehow made me wetter. I didn't even feel the floor as I glided toward him, my robe pooling in a heap behind me. By the time I stepped into his personal space, he'd shed his clothes and the monster between his tree trunk thighs pointed toward me, its bulbous head glistening like my own personal beacon.

The anticipation, thick and visceral, enclosed around us. It felt as if we were in an unspoken contest of who'd pounce first. And then we were both winners as his lips claimed mine, and his hands cupped my ass, lifting me up against his cock. In a blur of tongues, desperate moans and mindless pleas, he tossed me on the bed the settled between my spread legs.

"Your scent is like a drug. I've craved it since the moment I stepped into that cursed cave. I'm going to drink my fill, mate, until my ears ring with your desperate pleas to make you come."

His words gave my hips a life of their own as they lifted off the mattress, offering my slick, pulsing folds for his promised attention. "Please," I begged.

The first swipe of his tongue was an electric shock. Mac swirled, flicked and teased my clit until the spiral of my orgasm began, then he'd stop and start over. Soon, liquid warmth filled my core. Then sweet, sweet pain took over and my inner walls pulsed out the longest orgasm I'd ever achieved.

Oh. My.

Talk about promises fulfilled. I was undone. "Mac," I sighed dreamily.

"Yes, love?"

"Don't call me that." I shouldn't get too mad at him, but I didn't need false emotions either. We just met and I needed him inside of me.

"Yes, love." He repeated. Humor laced his tone.

"Why'd you stop?" Did my voice sound sleepy? No, I wanted more. I'd already slept long enough.

But instead of progressing to the next logical step, and burying his spectacular cock inside me. Would it even fit ? Mac wrapped an arm around my middle and spooned me against his broad chest. "Sleep, Sierra. We'll discuss next steps after you've rested."

He didn't have to tell me twice. But as good as I felt at the moment, I couldn't help but drift off to thoughts that somehow the magic that I'd fought so hard to suppress had not only been reignited since he rescued me, but unbelievably after my orgasm.

If I took the next step with him, I may never find my way back to the life I'd so carefully created for myself. Then my last thought as I drifted back to sleep was what if I wasn't strong enough to step into the role Mac said has always been mine?