11. Cannon

She waitedfor me to answer, and I didn't have any idea what to say to her that wouldn't have those ice-blue eyes judging me the minute I opened my mouth.

"Speechless?" Kezia scoffed. "You?"

"No." It sounded more like a growl as she watched me, one eyebrow raised in question.

Kezia's gaze dipped to the floor. "I see," she murmured. With a deep breath, she returned her gaze to mine. "A lover then? Girlfriend?"

"A pack member," I corrected.

Kezia looked more relaxed as she smirked at me. "Bedwarmer then?"

I didn't have a defense to that, but it seemed I didn't need one as the woman across from me shrugged.

"You don't need to be all you about it," she told me easily. "You're like fifty years old, and I'm not stupid. You have experience, a lot of it, I bet, and you don't get that just from your right hand." Her smile was fake as she gave me a quick once-over. "I mean, some would think you're okay to look at, and as I said, you know what you're doing in the bedroom department, I'm sure. Just because I'm a virgin in the room doesn't mean everyone else is, right?"

Her tone was mocking, her expression derogatory as she spoke about herself like she didn't matter.

I didn't like it.

"Fifty?" I asked her, folding my arms across my chest as I regarded her. "Really?"

Kezia cocked her head to the side as she looked me over from top to bottom once more. "Forty-five?"

"I've paddled your ass once before, pup. Don't make me do it again," I warned her, my wolf huffing his amusement as she rolled her eyes at me. "Koda is someone I've had a casual agreement with before," I told her honestly. It was easier to say it to her now she'd made the joke about my age. "No feelings, no relationship. It was just…" I thought of the right way to say it without offending her. "A mutual agreement."

"Sex, you mean?"

Kezia was trying to look casual, but I could see the tenseness in her shoulders, the way she didn't quite meet my eyes when she spoke. However, she was being blunt, and I offered her the same courtesy. "Yes."

"Often?" She looked at her right hand, suddenly interested in her nails.

I relaxed my arms, shoving them into the pockets of my jeans, even though I felt anything but at ease. "Often?" I parroted. "What do you mean?"

A narrow glare was sent my way. "I'm not asking how often you banged her in one night. I mean was it a regular thing? I mean, like once a week, once a month, daily?"

Fuck this. I was not answering that. We may be against the whole thing, but Kezia for all intents and purposes was my mate. You did not tell your mate how often you banged your casual hookup.

"Are the details necessary?" I asked instead.

"I wasn't asking what her favorite position was," Kezia muttered testily.

"Thank fuck for that," I mocked and was rewarded with another glare. "Are we done with the interrogation now?"

"You're awfully defensive," Kezia commented, assessing me once more. "I have one more question."

"I haven't fucked her since I learned you were my mate." Her eyes widened at my candor. I watched her lick her bottom lip, looking away from me, a flush reddening her cheeks. "I haven't been with anyone else either before you ask." Those blue eyes returned to mine, brimming with curiosity, but she kept her silence. "It's not in my nature to fuck around on my mate," I added with more bite than I intended. "I don't kiss others when I am bonded to another."

Kezia's face paled at the reminder of Vance, and she broke our stare off.

"You have any more questions for me, or can I show you to your room?" She didn't answer but pulled the door open instead. She moved to the side, letting me pass her to lead her up the stairs. My house was simple in layout. Living areas downstairs and four bedrooms upstairs. I walked past the small room that I was using for storage and pushed open the next door. "Here."

Kezia walked past me, taking in the room quietly. It was simply decorated in neutral colors.

"Bathroom's across the hall." I saw her look and I eased her worries. "I have my own; guests have to share." Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked away from her. "I'll get you towels. What else do you need?"

She was looking out the window, watching the street below. "Your house is so central."

"It is."

She glanced over her shoulder at me before turning back to the window. "You have no guards."

"Why would I need guards?" Then I remembered her pack leader's house. "I am the alpha of my pack," I told her with more heat than I intended. "My pack need not fear me nor feel like I am not here to serve them."

Kezia turned to face me. "Serve?" she asked curiously. "Don't you mean protect?"

"Am I not serving them by protecting them?" I countered. "I am not inaccessible. My doors are always open to any of my pack."

"And your bed?" Her gaze didn't waver.

"I told you I've been with no other since I learned who and what you were."

"I don't believe you," Kezia said simply, turning back to the window. "If you had been…without"—she took a deep breath—"then an old shifter in the street wouldn't be teasing you about your bedwarmer being pissed you were hosting a female in your private residence." She looked at me again. "Is she the female from the other day, when I was in the cell?"

I chose to answer the easiest question first. "Yes." Stepping further into the room, I could hear her heart beating rapidly as she fought to remain calm. "Vic is an old gossip who likes to cause mischief and make my life difficult."

"Difficult?"

I couldn't stop my smile. "He hated my father. He's been a strong advocate for me since my return. But…he's also a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to causing me trouble. He took one look at you and knew exactly what it would look like to my pack, and I've made no secret of the fact I have an understanding with Koda." I considered my next words carefully. "Koda has also made it no secret that she thinks we may be more than…casual."

"You mean more than fuckbuddies?"

I winced at the harshness of her tone. "Yes."

"So, she thinks you're in a relationship?"

"No. Koda is very aware of what we are."

Kezia was frowning. "I don't understand." She held up a hand to stop me from speaking. "Do not dare tell me it's because I'm too young."

I fought the eye roll. "I wasn't going to say anything of the sort. You're, what? Nineteen now?" She nodded. "You know how it all works, you're not stupid. What I was going to say was that while Koda knows exactly what she and I are, and more importantly what we are not, she makes sure that anyone else in the pack thinks differently."

Kezia's eyes were wide. "You mean you fuck her, tell her it means nothing, but know that she's telling your pack something completely different? And you're okay with that?"

I suddenly felt uncomfortable. This judgment from this slip of a girl was unsettling me. "You're making it sound more than it is."

"Am I?" Kezia scoffed. "You mean like Koda?" I didn't have a reply to that. "By letting her let your pack think that you may as well put a ring on it, dude."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"She may know what you have between you," Kezia said scornfully, air quotes and all, "but that doesn't mean she doesn't want more." Cold blue eyes looked me over slowly from head to toe and back up again. "You've led her on. I'm not getting involved in some stake of claim she has on you. Make sure she knows that you want to break this bond. I have no intention of fighting over you."

She was facing me now, her back to the window so the afternoon light behind her made it difficult to see her well. "There will be no claim from Koda," I told her, firmly walking further into the room. Reaching out, I caught her arm, pulling her towards me, catching her by surprise until I had her right in front of me. Looking down at her, I saw a flash of confusion before she cleared her expression.

"What?" she asked me, her voice wavering slightly.

"Koda has no claim on me," I repeated. "And if she thinks she does, I will correct her very quickly. Mate or no mate." Dipping my head, I spoke in Kezia's ear, relishing the sharp intake of breath, the way her heartbeat picked up, and the soft scent of her body as I moved closer. "Do you want the bond broken?" I asked her quietly, my lips skimming the shell of her ear.

Kezia jerked her head away from me, looking up at me, her eyes searching mine questioningly. "Don't you?"

We stayed like that for a long moment, neither of us committing to an answer. I could feel her heart as it beat against mine, our chests pressed together. Kezia was average in height, and I loomed over her, but still, the way we were standing, I could feel her, and I knew she could feel every part of me.

Every hard part of me.

"This will never work," Kezia breathed as she held my stare. "Me living here. We've not been alone for more than twenty minutes and already you look ready to devour me."

"You do taste good," I murmured, moving closer, our lips almost meeting. "Can you blame me for wanting more?"

I felt her hand travel over my bicep, and I wasn't sure she was aware she'd moved, leaning into me more. "It was good," she admitted a little breathlessly, a hint of vulnerability as she watched me. "I…I don't think this is the best idea."

"Terrible idea," I confirmed, my hand slipping around her waist to the small of her back, pulling her in more. "Twenty minutes?" I asked. Moving my head down, I skimmed my lips along her jaw. "That all?"

"Maybe less." Kezia tilted her head back to give me better access to her neck. A small moan escaped her when I tasted her skin.

"Your heat's back?" My hand moved from her back down to the curve of her ass, squeezing the plump cheek.

"No. I don't think so." Kezia's fingers were on my belt.

"You smell…" My head was buried in the crook of her neck. Inhaling deeply, I felt my cock get harder. "Delicious."

Her hand pushed the hem of my shirt up before fingers traced over my skin tentatively. "You feel…" she whispered, almost too low to hear. "Amazing."

Fuck me if that didn't make my cock swell more.

"Cannon…we need to step back…right?"

My hand was now under her shorts, fingers on her skin, tracing circles over her bare ass. My other hand was buried in her hair, holding her head exactly where I wanted it. Both of her hands were under my shirt, running over my chest, skimming down my sides. She was right, this was dangerous.

Reckless.

Stupid.

We knew better.

Iknew better.

Pulling my head back, I looked down at her and saw the need and desire I was fighting reflected in her eyes. "We need to step back," I confirmed.

"Okay."

Neither of us moved. My wolf rode close to the surface. I could feel his need to claim the woman in front of me. She was his mate. Our mate.

Ours.

Mine.

"Fuck." I closed the distance between us.

She tasted so good. Our mouths moved urgently against one another, hands running over each other as we frantically grabbed at each other. Lifting her smoothly, I felt her legs wrap around me as I turned us and pressed her against the wall. She had nowhere to move to, and as our kiss deepened, I realized she didn't feel trapped at all. Kezia tightened her legs around me, urging me closer, and I moved my hips, forcing her legs wider to accommodate me.

Her top was on the floor. I didn't know who removed it, but I knew I was pleased it was gone. Her skin was soft, and her scent of vanilla and spice was addictive. Pulling the cup of her bra down, I murmured my approval as my lips covered her hard nipple.

"Oh, fuck," Kezia moaned, burying her hands in my hair. "You're so good at that," she praised me, moaning in protest when I lifted my head before she realized I was only moving to her other breast. "Yes, there."

Pulling my head up, she claimed my mouth again. Turning us, I took a few steps and lowered us to the bed. Leaning back slightly, I grabbed the waistband and pulled the shorts off her, the plain underwear following. Pushing her legs open, I felt greedy satisfaction as I saw how wet she was for me.

"This for me?" I asked, kissing up her inner thigh. I didn't wait for an answer. Fuck, she could have told me, but I heard nothing over the racing of my heart. My mouth covered her, and the first taste of her sweet pussy erased any sense I had left.

She was divine.

I couldn't get enough. I needed it all. Dimly, I was aware of Kezia's moans, her cries of pleasure, her fingers tight in my hair, her hips rocking against my mouth as she writhed under me. When I pushed a finger inside her, I felt her walls quiver around me, clutching at me, needing something much more. I slid another finger inside her. Her pussy was so tight and untouched, resisting the stretch I was demanding but welcoming the rhythm of my fingers as I rubbed them against her walls.

The knowledge I was the only one to ever do this to her made my pulse spike. My cock was straining against my jeans. I'd never been this hard, never been this desperate to get inside someone.

Moving my hand down, I fumbled with my buttons, pulling my cock free. I ran my hand over the length, working myself.

Opening my eyes, I looked up at her. Her eyes were closed, her head thrashing from side to side. She was muttering yes repeatedly. Her legs spread as wide as they would go, giving me all the access I needed to fuck her with my tongue. Hands fisted the sheets as her body sought the release she was begging for.

Curling my fingers inside her, I picked up the rhythm, watching when her eyes flew open, her gaze meeting mine. Instinctively I sucked her clit into my mouth, and Kezia screamed out in pleasure, and as my mate flooded my mouth with her climax, the sound hit me right in the balls, and I knew I was going to come all over the sheets like an inexperienced youth.

I couldn't breathe. I don't remember ever having been that turned on. I hadn't even fucked her. Moving up her body, trailing kisses as I listened to her panting under me, feeling proud that my mate was pleasured, I pulled Kezia into my arms as we both fought to regain our breaths.

I kicked my jeans off, quickly putting my cock back in my underwear, wondering what the hell either of us was doing.

Kezia moved onto her side, leaning into me, her forehead pressed into my chest, struggling to regain control.

"Thirty minutes?"

Looking down at her, I saw her looking back up at me. "What?" I asked.

"Twenty minutes to argue, ten minutes for…that…." Her face was flushed, her eyes still dilated and glazed. "Thirty minutes."

"Didn't know you were counting," I muttered, returning my gaze to the ceiling.

"I wasn't." She snorted. "Counting? You think I had any coherency during…that?" I heard her embarrassment and underlying satisfaction. I grinned, feeling smug. "I'm guesstimating," she continued.

"The point of the guesswork?"

"We've been alone, say thirty minutes," she murmured. "I'm not in heat."

She wasn't? Huh."Okay?"

Kezia propped herself up on an elbow as she looked at me. "This happened after thirty minutes," she said. Seeing my look, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, give or take thirty minutes."

"It did," I agreed solemnly.

"So?"

"So…"

"How can I sleep here, Cannon? If this is thirty minutes, what will hours together be like?"

Nirvana.

Rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands, I understood what she was saying. We wanted to break the bond, not cement it. The bond wanted us to mate. Being this close was the worst idea possible. "Fuck."

"I should go back to Royce."

My wolf roared. Moving quickly, I had her pinned beneath me, hand around her throat, not tight, but enough to let her know she was mine.

"While I can still taste your pussy, pup, I advise you not to let another male's name past your lips," I warned softly.

Kezia watched me, her eyes hooded with desire. "That was hot," she told me, fingers running up my forearm. "I mean, the speed, the strength, the dominance…" Her gaze dipped to my lips, and she swallowed, eyes flicking back up to mine. "Dammit…this isn't helping."

"You're not leaving," I told her, brushing my lips against hers. "Unless it's back to the cell."

"Does the door lock?" she whispered, lifting her head off the pillow, pushing against my hold on her neck, reminding me my hand was still wrapped around her throat.

"No."

"Get a lock?" Kezia suggested. Her tongue flicked out, tracing my bottom lip.

"I'll get two." Catching her mouth with mine, I kissed her, losing myself in her once more.

I never heard the footsteps on the stairs.

I never sensed the presence of another in the room.

I was only aware of Kezia and how right she felt underneath me.

"Who the fuck is this slut?"