Im not shy because I know what I like. He led the fork back down to the table and then grabbed her hand. This time, he led her to stand directly in front of him.
He pressed the fingertips of her right hand to his lips and kissed them. Youre perfect for me.
I am?
Yes. We have our whole lives ahead of us, and now that Ive found you, I plan to spend the rest of it learning everything about you. I thought this day would never come, the day when Id get to meet my mate in the flesh. All that Id perceived before about how its impossible to be so infatuated with someone at first sight was wrong. If youll have me, Antonia, I am yours.
I dont really know what to say.
No man had ever spilled his desires and emotions like that before. Actually, no man shed ever returned the same mutual feelings toward had ever revealed his intentions to her, at all. Now, she realized that shed never favored any man as much as she favored Connor Maxim - the man and the wolf.
You dont have to say anything. He pressed his forehead to her belly.
Yes, Ill have you. She gasped when he kissed her navel through the fabric.
I dont want to rush this. I dont want to move too fast with you, but you are so d.a.m.n beautiful and irresistible, Im thinking that the G.o.ds are testing my limits. I cant f.u.c.king think straight.
Antonia could tell he was sincere. Despite his sun-kissed complexion, his face darkened with what was the anxious emotional reaction to her that he just couldnt hide.
Another loud ring came from the corner of the room near his laptop.
s.h.i.t, he exclaimed.
Antonia bent down and kissed his s.e.xy lips. I definitely want you thinking straight. She broke their connection and began picking up the dishes from the table. I only interrupted you to serve you supper. Im glad you enjoyed it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
Antonia tiptoed out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her waist. Connors voice floating under the door told her that he must have still been in the kitchen working at his computer.
She pulled out the top drawer of his chest to see what else she could find to wear inside. She was impressed that the clothes were neat and folded in the drawers and sorted by type.
She picked out sweatpants that looked like they were small enough for her and tried them on. Within seconds of pulling the drawstring tight, they slid right back down her legs.
She was far from skin and bones, even though her eating habits and lack of time had steered her toward quick fast food and diner meals. What little exercise she got was spent walking back and forth from the bus station to wherever she needed to be at the time. She was proud to sport whatever womanly curves she had, but even this hourgla.s.s figure couldnt hold up Connors big clothes.
Antonia sighed and wrapped the towel back around her body.
Connor, she called out into the hallway.
When there was no answer, she moved out into the hall and looked into the living room. He wasnt seated on the couch or at the kitchen table. The boots that he meticulously took off each time he entered the ranch were gone. There was a set of keys and wallet near a table in the entryway so she knew he hadnt gone far.
Just as she was about to turn to go back into the bedroom, she spotted a picture of herself flashing on the computer screen.
Panic rose up into her throat as she approached the coffee table and peered down at the tablet. It was her picture all right, and there was more than one of them.
One from two years ago and another picture so old she couldnt even recall when or where it had been taken. She was younger in the second picture, probably about sixteen or seventeen.
Shame washed over her as she looked at the mug shot from the first picture. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. It had been her first real arrest. An arrest she couldnt talk herself out of like the others.
Someone must have set Andrew up because the police had raided their apartment. They were both arrested and taken into police custody. The only reason she was let go was because Andrew had pleaded guilty and swore to the police that she had nothing to do with it. But shed known all along that he"d committed a crime to get the suitcase of cash to tide them over for a few months. Shed even counted the money and paid bills with it. She had been just as guilty as he was.
She swallowed the lump down her throat as her eyes shifted over the message that contained a list of petty crimes, misdemeanors, and minor offenses shed been convicted of during her juvenile years and the outcome: five counts of petty theft, two cases of simple a.s.sault, two counts of aiding and abetting, two counts of trespa.s.sing, and one count of accessory to manslaughter which had later been dropped.
Bile rose in her throat and she tore her attention from the computer. She didnt want to remember anymore. That life was behind her now. She had new goals, new responsibilities, and better morals.
Suddenly, the door swung open and Connor stood in the entryway. His hair was wind-tousled and his chest heaved slightly as though he"d been running. The first thing his eyes landed on was her standing near the laptop with the towel clutched to her body.
You went behind my back to find dirt on me. Her voice trembled as she spoke.
He closed the door shut behind him, slipped off his boots, and approached her.
By that time, she was clear across the room, but he closed the distance between them with his long strides anyway.
Let me explain. The search wasnt meant to find dirt on you. I need all the clues I can get about where the box may have come from.
Thats bulls.h.i.t, she said. What does my mugshot have to do with the box?
Please, Antonia. Nothing in your files will ever steer me away from you. Ever.
Why couldnt you just ask me? Her grip squeezed the knot in the towel as anger climbed within her.
I want to ask you so much right now, and what you did to keep a roof over your head in the past is only the tip of the iceberg, he said.
He reached out in an attempt to touch her.
She backed away, hitting the wall behind her in the process. No, I told you before that Im no good for you. Now you see the evidence and I hope you understand that.
Thats far from the truth. I dont care about your rap sheet. All I care about now is your safety.
He stalked toward her like she was small prey and pressed his palm against the wall near her head. If I were in your situation, I would have done the same thing. Were not that different. I protect people for a living. My firm is known for it. That means I do anything and everything to keep them safe. I dont commit crimes for no reason, but I have been known to commit them. But there is one difference: I can sweep my evidence under a rug because of my connections.
Like the truck you jacked back in the city to get us here? she asked.
Yes, like that, he replied. And like the men I laid out to save you.
Antonia couldnt help admiring his mouth as he spoke or thinking about the way his lips had felt on her when hed kissed her. She tugged at the bottom corner of her lip with her teeth.
He brought his large calloused fingers up and traced the top of the towel, stroking the tops of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The hand she used to hold the towel tightly to her was in his way, and he pushed it aside, leading it downward.
Knots of desire twisted in her belly. Warmth heated her center despite the cold draft drifting against her legs.
I smell your arousal, he whispered, pressing his lips gently to hers. Youre sweet, and the scent of it is driving me crazy thinking about how much I want this s.e.xy body of yours underneath me.
She licked her lips. I kind of have a boyfriend. The words slipped past her lips, but he needed to know the truth. No more lies.
His brows quirked upward. Kind of?
Yeah, Ive been dating this guy He silenced her with a kiss. Guess what? Youre not dating this guy anymore. Youre mine.
His manhood pressed against her belly. It felt incredibly large and hard. She couldnt resist and slid a hand between them to test its length. The moment it pulsed within her palm through his pants, she knew she wanted him.
He moaned. Antonia.
What a big d.i.c.k you have, she whispered.
The better to please you with, my dear.
He tugged at the knot in the towel and the cloth fell from her body to land in a heap at their feet.
Antonia was completely bared to Connor, and he perused her body with his gaze and glided his fingers against her flesh like a sculpture.
Perfect, he muttered and then bent his head and pulled one of her nipples between his lips.
She let her weight fall back against the wall and slid her fingers through his unruly hair for more support. He tugged on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s until they were ripe and traced her areolas with his tongue until they were hard and sensitive.
More moisture pooled between her thighs and she guided his head from one breast to the other, enjoying the most attention they had ever gotten in her lifetime.
He caught her off guard and scooped her up so that she was cradled in his arms.
The door to the bedroom had slid closed and he kicked it open.
He rushed her over to the bed and threw her down on it. d.a.m.n, Antonia, your p.u.s.s.y looks so good, he said, glancing down between her legs as she sat up with her legs slightly spread on the bed.
The t-shirt came off first, revealing the steely hard chest that she knew existed. He was devoid of hair except for a trail in the same dirty blond hue as his head that descending into his pants. He unbuckled his belt and jerked it from the loops, causing the leather to make a snap in the air. He tossed it on the floor next to the shirt. Next came his bottoms, and before she knew it, he had torn off his clothes in a matter of seconds.
The moment his d.i.c.k sprang free, her center clenched and her c.l.i.toris throbbed with immediate need. Connors c.o.c.k was a work of art. Long, hard, and fully erect like some s.e.x G.o.d from another planet. She wanted to reach down and stroke herself to o.r.g.a.s.m so badly it hurt. Most definitely on nights when she was alone in her bed, she would remember how good Connor looked while she played with her p.u.s.s.y, but not tonight. No matter how surreal it felt to her, this man was standing here in the flesh offering to f.u.c.k her.
He grabbed his shaft, cupped the head, and then stroked downward all the way to the base near his b.a.l.l.s. He grinned as he studied her reaction.
Her eyes widened and a small cry escaped her lips when a strong pulse rocked her c.l.i.toris.
Oh, my G.o.d, she exclaimed.
She bit at her bottom lip and dug her nails into the plush mattress.
I promise Ill be thorough. Have no fear. If I make you scream loud enough, the G.o.ds may save you, he told her.
The animal inside of him had returned. His eyes dark and feral.
He crawled up onto the California King bed just like a ravenous wolf would stalk its prey before pouncing. His muscles flexed as he came closer.
He teased her relentlessly, using his lips and tongue to caress her skin as he rose above her. Except for her needy center, not an inch of her body was neglected.
Finally, he covered her body with his and pressed his mouth to hers. She kissed him back, sliding her hands against the flat of his abs.
By this time, she was begging for him to take her, but he had other ideas.
He spread her thighs wide and lapped at her swollen c.l.i.t. Waves of pleasure tumbled over her body as she submitted completely to Connor.
He pleased her thoroughly with his mouth, cupping her a.s.s in both hands and taking what he wanted. He plunged his greedy tongue into her over and over again, alternating between her center and her c.l.i.t.
Within minutes, her o.r.g.a.s.m spread through her like a fast-moving poison and her body shook beneath its onslaught.
When he rose to kiss her again, his heavy erection rubbed against her belly.
Do you have condoms big enough for that? she asked.
No. You aren"t fertile today. I dont carry diseases and I dont catch them.
I just have never done it without one, but Im clean, too, she said.
Yes, I know. My wolf can detect that, as well. Lets not talk about that. From this night forward, your pleasure is the only thing that matters.
Antonia wrapped her legs around his waist and wound her fingers in his hair. Shed come to love the feel of the soft strands.
He entered her at the same time he took her mouth. Almost a year had pa.s.sed since shed done anything like this, and her sheath was tight against him. He cursed against her lips and rocked his hips back and forth, easing deep into her.
She was in heaven as he stroked her up toward another climax, but as the tension grew, his thrusts became deeper and harder until she was floating on cloud nine.
Screams tore through her lips as he speared her relentlessly, holding her thighs back against her chest and tilting his thrusts for better friction.
Sweat beaded Connors forehead and chest while all of his concentration was steered toward maintaining his consistent rhythm and precise strokes against her c.l.i.t. She came undone again underneath him.
Antonia wondered how hed managed to last longer than a few minutes, but at this point, it didnt matter how. She didnt want to leave his arms.
He switched positions, folding himself back into a sitting position and bringing her to sit on top.
Grabbing her waist, he led her hips into a rhythm until she was ready to take over. She moved, in tune with her bodys responses, and he willingly acquiesced all control to her. That didnt stop him from playing her body like a fiddle.
He sucked her nipples into his mouth, alternating between the two and cupping her b.r.e.a.s.t.s so he could flick his tongue quickly over the surface.
His moans deepened and his b.a.l.l.s tightened. She knew that he was close to o.r.g.a.s.m. The gratifying expression on his face sent her over the age once more, and this time, he joined her in climax.
He came inside of her; full streams of c.u.m burned her insides and invaded her senses like a drug. She closed her eyes and let the feeling take her away. The blackness she saw behind her eyelids gave way to light as a vision unfolded before her.
The first person she saw in the vision was Connor, fishing at the rivers edge. His hair was a cut shorter and his back was slightly turned to her, but there was no mistaking that this was him.
She saw herself seated on a quilt under a tree, but the sunshine still rained down on her through the open branches. Nearby, two wolf puppies played on the gra.s.s, nipping at each other and knocking one another to the ground. One of them paused mid-wrestle to glance at her. The pup had the same eyes as Connor.
The puppies shifted, and two little boys with bouncy cappuccino-colored hair emerged through a beam of sunlight. She felt a smile spread across her lips as her boys came to her.