Surrounded by Death (2 page)

Eric fell on
top of her, crushing her into the bed. “I’m not gonna last. I
almost came in my jeans when you started screaming, baby.”

“Don’t care.
Just fuck me.”

He reached to
the nightstand where he’d left a bunch of condoms in anticipation
of things to come. He ripped one open and grabbed his cock, unable
to help the few strokes he gave it before putting it on. He rubbed
his dick against her opening, but as soon as the tip found its
destination, Simone didn’t give him a chance to push in. Instead,
she wrapped her legs around his back and shoved her hips up, making
him sink in with one quick thrust.

He roared,
knowing it was a too animalistic, but it slipped. “Shit, shit!”

He grabbed her
hair and pulled. He needed her mouth to drown out anymore of his
growls. His lips locked onto hers, and he pumped his hips
frantically, thankful for her claws digging into his back and her
undulating beneath him making him feel as if she were just as
desperate.

“Oh God, oh
God, I’m coming,” Simone said, but Eric already knew. Her pussy was
already gripping him, warning him of the inevitable. He knew once
she exploded, he wouldn’t be able to hold out. But fuck, he hoped
she’d fly first. Either way, he’d make it last longer the next
time. They had all night to fuck, and he had every intention of
wringing all he could out of her beautiful body.

She screamed
just as her pussy clenched around him so hard that if he were not
already on the verge of spilling, his release would’ve caught him
by surprise. His balls drew up and exquisite fire shot out of him
as he threw his head back and bellowed curses, prayers, pleas.

“Eric, Eric,”
she breathed, her arms encasing him as she rode out her climax
beneath him while he continued knifing into her.

The intensity
slowed. He kept moving after the last of his seed left his body,
and he dropped soft, kissing along her shoulder and neck.

After long
moments of lazy kisses and smiles, he sat up, gently pulling out of
her, and started to take off the condom.

“Can I ask you
a question?” Simone asked, and the hesitation in her voice hadn’t
gone unnoticed.

He looked up
from his task. “Sure. You know you can talk to me about
anything.”

“When was the
last time you had sex? Um, I mean with another woman.”

He frowned.
She’d never asked about his sex life before, but they were sexually
active. It was a valid question to ask a partner. “It was before
the last time we were together.” Then he snorted. “Don’t worry. I
know it was quick, but I promise by the end of the night, you’ll be
begging me to come.”

She laughed
nervously and his hackles rose. Why was she acting timid?

“Good. Me
neither. If you want to ditch the condoms for the night, that’s
fine with me.”

What the fuck?
“You and Alex haven’t had sex in months? Why? Is he okay?”

Simone’s eyes
narrowed. “His last business trip was actually a trip to see his
girlfriend. He’s been seeing someone behind my back. Turns out he’s
in love with her, so we got divorced.”

Eric didn’t
hear the rest of what she was saying. Her lips were still moving as
if she were explaining what had happened, but it didn’t matter. His
world was shifting on its axis, and he roared.

“Run!”

~

Eric leapt from
the bed, his body shaking. He didn’t need to hear the excuses of
what had happened to their marriage or why the fuck Alex hadn’t
told him about this. There could be time for explanations later.
Right now, he needed Simone out of here.

Right. Now.

“Are you mad?”
She sat up from the bed and came toward him.

“Stop! Don’t
you fucking come near me, Simone. Get out.”

“Holy shit,
you’re pissed I’m divorced? Do you think I’m going to try and get
pregnant or something? What is your fucking deal? I’m not asking
for a commitment. Jesus, do you know what century this is?”

He fisted his
hands so hard his knuckles were white. He was trying to keep his
fangs from descending, but it was a battle he was quickly losing.
He should be the one to run away, scream for his brothers’ help to
get her to safety, but his lion was too powerful in this moment.
All it was thinking was
mate
. If Eric hadn’t cared about
this woman on some level, he’d have already taken her, but there
were enough feelings for her that he was able to prolong the need
to force her submission.

She stomped up
to him and pounded her fist on his chest. “If it’s that fucking
important to you, forget what I said about the condoms. Use them.
Fuck me with the condoms. But just so you know, I was tested after
I found out about Alex’s affair. I’m clean,
and
I’m on the
pill.”

Her beating
against his chest and defiant tone only challenged his lion more.
She was too close, his lion too demanding. He grabbed her and
twirled her around, pinning her against the counter.

“Oh, I’ll fuck
you all right.” He’d fuck her and take her. There was no logical
thought or reasoning because his lion was in control now. Him
turning her so she faced away was his last attempt at that. Because
his fangs came out and he couldn’t risk her freaking out.

He pushed her
over the counter so her ass was in the air. He smacked it, and her
yelp turned into a moan.

“You’re mine,
Simone. Do you understand?” He whipped her harder.

“Yes, yes!”

He grabbed his
cock and shoved it into her. She screamed, and he grabbed her
shoulders, making her back arch even more, and pounded into her
ruthlessly. He growled and snarled, unable to keep his animal from
coming out in full force. He wouldn’t shift while inside her, but
he knew it was preparing to come out once they were finished—once
they were
mated
!

“Oh fuck,
Eric!” Her hands scrabbled on the counter, trying to find something
to grab, but he squeezed her shoulders tighter, his lion fearing
she’d flee. She was going nowhere as far as it was concerned.
“Yes!”

“Say you belong
to me. Say it,” he growled.

“I’m yours,
Eric,” she said just before her pussy fisted around him and she
screamed.

He roared,
grabbed her hair, and yanked her head to the side, exposing her
throat.
Mine. Mine. Mine.

He swooped down
and bit her as he came. She screamed again, her pussy squeezing
erratically as another orgasm hit her. He kept grinding into her,
marking her internally as he marked her externally.

She moaned. He
released her throat and pulled out of her at the same time. Eric
stumbled back several feet, watching her, waiting for her.

Simone grabbed
her wounded neck and turned. “W-what?” She roared, crouching down.
“What did you do?”

“Mine,
Simone.”

“Fuck you.”

“You did.”

She
screeched.

“Don’t fight
this. You will not win. I
will
fight back.” He would have no
other choice.

“You have
fangs. You turned me into a freak!”
I’m going to kill
you.

He heard the
last part, too. She didn’t know yet that they could speak
telepathically, but it was obvious she wasn’t in the mood for a
discussion. She was prepared to fight. Right then, she shifted into
a stunningly beautiful lioness, which only made him demand her
acquiescence even more.

He shifted as
she charged him. His fate—and hers—already decided. He remembered
thinking he’d die a happy man, but now that he was surrounded by
death, he just wasn’t ready. Too late. He’d have to play those
shitty cards life had dealt him to the very end. His father had
always told them that if any of them had ever taken a mate
unwillingly, she’d attack and the lion within wouldn’t back down
from the challenge. It seemed his father was right. Her last
thought about her killing him lingered in his mind as she reached
him, and there was only one way to respond before he defended
himself and met her challenge.

I know.

~

Josh stood over
Eric’s grave. Months had passed since he’d found Eric and Simone in
Eric’s cabin when neither had shown for dinner or answered calls.
It had been a gruesome sight. Torn clothing strewn. Furniture
broken. Blood everywhere.

Two mountain
lions dead.

The immediate
aftermath was pure chaos. Their father had fallen into a deep
depression after taking care of the burials. It’d been two months
later before his father started acting somewhat normal again.
Though what was normal for them now would never be the normal of
before.

Josh and his
brothers had to pick up the extra slack around the estate. Josh,
being the oldest, took on more of the business relations, but
because of Eric being gone—dead—everyone had more work on the land
as well.

Several months
later, it was business as usual. They all worked their asses off,
but no one mentioned Eric anymore. It was sad, but Josh figured
each of them had his own means of coping with what had happened.
His method was visiting Eric’s gravesite when he felt down.

Before Eric’s
death, Josh had started feeling hopeful about possibly finding a
mate one day. He always knew it was a slim chance to have a
successful mating, but the fact that their father had built the
cabins on the property for each of them to have a place for trysts
was a step in the right direction, Josh had thought. Now it just
didn’t seem worth it. Why risk death?

Because we
all are going to die one day
, Rob relayed as he neared.

“I didn’t
realize I was thinking loudly.” Josh chuckled as he folded his arms
protectively against his chest and faced his brother.

“I know, man.
It’s weird. I mean, I’m ready to start fucking women again, but
it’s scary.”

“I just can’t
chance raping a woman and taking her life.” Josh shut his eyes,
trying to force that thought away.

“We don’t know
if Eric raped her.”

Josh opened his
eyes and stared back. “Her clothes were ripped and there was blood.
What else are we supposed to think?”

“That they were
friends with benefits and he lost control.” Rob shrugged. “When Dad
contacted Alex and found out they were divorced, it was news to us
all. Imagine Eric finding out when he was already fucking her.”

Josh dropped
his arms and sighed. “Yeah, I know. We don’t know what happened.
Just that he’s not with us anymore.”

Rob shifted his
weight to his other foot. “Um, yeah, that’s kinda what I wanted to
talk to you about. I was just in the office, and Dad was on the
phone with his attorney setting up a time for him to come out and
discuss changes to his will.”

“What the fuck?
Did you ask him about it afterward?”

“Yep, he said
he wants Eric removed from all the documentation. I told him that
was crazy. I mean, Eric didn’t leave behind a wife or kids, so it’s
not like anybody can come up and demand Eric’s share of Dad’s
estate. But his mind’s made up.”

Well, shit. It
seemed their father wasn’t doing as well as it had seemed. Why
would he want to remove Eric from the will? He couldn’t erase his
brother’s existence. And Rob had a point. Josh should go ask their
father why even bother with something like this when he had more
important things to focus his energy on?

But it was no
use. Thomas Woods kept them on a need to know basis about
everything. Including their existence. If Josh wanted answers out
of his dad, it’d be about that and not why he wanted Eric’s name
removed from some family documents. None of them were attorneys.
Maybe their father just needed Bill to come out and tell him this
face-to-face. Regardless of what their dad thought he needed to do,
maybe it would be good for him to have Bill around to talk to. For
all Josh knew, that could’ve been his father’s reason for the
changes anyway…a ruse to get Bill here for a visit.

“If doing that
will make Dad feel better, then fine. Having an old, balding man
come out here to speak legal jargon and push papers might give Dad
a much needed distraction.”

Rob’s eyes lit,
and it was the first time since Eric’s death that Josh saw life
like that reflected in any of them.

“Oh, Bill can’t
come out. He has a conflict or some shit. He’s sending someone
else. A woman.”

What the hell?
If their father still needed an attorney to come out, then it
wasn’t just because he wanted to talk to his old friend. But that
thought died when his next one hit. “Why the fuck would he send out
a woman?”

“My guess is
she’s already taken, but she’s not some old chick. I looked up her
company profile. No photo, but based on her graduation dates, she
has to be around our age. Give or take.”

The
possessiveness that flared within Josh was quickly stamped down.
Fuck
. How the hell was he going to tolerate being around a
woman and not wanting to fuck her? If the twitch in his dick was
any indication, he’d have her underneath him the same night they
met.

“You’re still
thinking loudly. Get in line, bro. I heard about her first. If
anybody is going to be fucking her, it’ll be me.”

He suppressed a
growl. A growl? Why was his lion latching onto the thought of this
woman being here? She had to be already taken anyway.

But Josh could
have some fun with her. Oh yeah, he could have lots of fun with
her.

“We’ll just see
about that.”

The End

~

“You can’t be
serious, Bill.” Mikaela Patterson pleaded with the senior partner
of her law firm. “Mr. Woods is your client, and I’m already behind.
I can’t fly out to Texas for two weeks.”