Wild Hearts (Blood & Judgment #1) (22 page)

“What’s a bedroom doing in the back halls of the club?”

“There are many,” Cahl tells me. “I believe we can infer their purpose.”

Oh God. For Tony and his wolves to fuck their whores, or something. Eww. “How did you know?”

“Magic.”

I screw up my face as I eye the bed. Oh well. I can’t wait much longer. This will have to do. “Okay, thanks. I’ll…uh…meet you outside, okay?”

“How will that work?”

“I need to take care of…you know? So…some privacy, yeah?”

“With another wolf? Is that what you intend?”

“Yeah. Of course. It has to be a wolf…the animal…a strong wolf, too.”

“No,” he says, forcefully.

“What?” I bark. “Cahl, if I don’t do this
now
, the wolf will—”

“
I
can assist with that. I may not be an Alpha
wolf
, but I am an alpha
male
. I am powerful enough to assist you. Believe me.”

He…what? Did he just say that? “
Assist with that
?” I scoff. “Really?”

He eyes me, unsure. “How else should I have phrased it?”

“It’s not…clinical, Cahl.”

“Is that not how
you
approach it?”

“I…” Do I?

He steps towards me and says, “Is it not just a means to sate the wolf? You do not care for Tony, or the others you have lain with.”

Lain with?
Jesus. “Yes, but—I mean—I’m not—I’m not a robotic…whore. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

I can tell by his absent expression that he doesn’t understand. How could he? I turn back to the door. “There are loads of wolves here. I’ll be back.”

“No,” he booms, his hand suddenly grabbing my wrist and jerking me into his hard chest.

My eyes narrow at the obvious demand. No one commands me. “Excuse me?” I growl. “Get your hand off me!”

“I will not.”

“Cahl, you don’t understand. I have to, or the wolf—”

“
I
am at your service. No other male.”

Whoa. “I thought you didn’t feel things?”

“Ambassador soldiers are trained to compartmentalize emotions. We are not incapable of entertaining them.”

“Well, you must be
un
compartmentalizing them now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re jealous.”

He thinks on it for a moment, before saying with a smile, “Yes, I believe I am.”

“You don’t want other men touching me.”

His eyes narrow. “You will not lay with another.”

And…a step way too fucking far there. I rip my arm from his grasp. “You don’t own me!”

“Fear,” he says.

That has me stopping. I spin back to him, my hands on my hips. “What?”

“You are afraid. You question me about
my
ability to feel, princess. But you are so very afraid to allow yourself to.”

“I don’t want that. That’s why. I don’t want to be anyone’s. I don’t want anyone claiming me. I don’t attach myself to anyone I
fuck
.”

He flinches at my last word. Shaking his head, he approaches me slowly, one long stride at a time. “Again, your fear lies for you.”

He’s right in front of me now. He reaches out and touches my chest, right over my heart. “As I have told you, you are pure of heart. You desire love. Crave it. You want a connection to another being, but not at the expense of your power. You are afraid they will try to take that from you and attempt to tame you.”

“Stop it,” I say, slapping his hand away. “You’re doing that thing again…reading my thoughts and getting in my head. Just like when Jacob was bothering me earlier.”

He shakes his head sadly. “No, princess. I do not need to. It is as clear as day to me.” He looks me up and down, but in a way I’ve never seen a man do before. There’s nothing sly or dirty about it. The look in his eyes is pure adoration. “I may be able to calm your wolf, but I would never desire your subjugation in any way. Taming you is not my intent. You would not be you and you would not possess so much heart and passion without your wild streak.”

Oh my God. I turn my head away, trying to keep myself in check, because he’s somehow managed to…touch me...affect me.

He grasps my chin in that sweet way of his. And that’s it…I’m a goner. I start blubbering like a little girl.

“Shh,” he says, wiping away my tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Tell me how to assist you now. Tell me what you need.”

I look up at him. “You’ve never—?”

He shakes his head, all matter of fact about it. “No.”

Wow. That is incredibly…endearing. For once in my life, I don’t actually know what the hell to say in response. I mean…whoa. He’s a virgin.

He smiles, amused at my astonishment.

He releases me, steps back and starts shaking off his leather jacket and pulling his white ribbed t-shirt over his head. “I believe this is a step in the right direction,” he says, standing there in all his shirtless glory, just eyeing me calmly for direction.

I gulp at the delicious sight of his amazing body. “Yeah, that’s a…uh…a good step.”

I watch as he raises his palms to the door. A black glow emanates from them and then a shimmering wall materializes over the door.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I am sealing this room with a protection spell. No one will be able to interrupt us.”

“Oh.” Works for me. He gestures to the bed and cocks an eyebrow. “Shall we?”

I fight to pull myself together. He has my emotions in a major turmoil, while my wolf is crying out for me to make a decision. Let it loose, or sate it.

“Lay down on the bed,” I tell him.

He nods and instantly follows my orders. Total soldier mentality.

I shed my own leather jacket as I watch him climb onto the tiny bed and lay down, his mammoth body taking up the entirety of it.

I’m very aware of his intense gaze on me as I pull my tank top over my head and toss it on the floor. His eyes flash at the sight of my lacy black bra. I toe off my boots and unbuckle my leather pants. I tug them down quickly and kick them off my ankles, leaving only my black lace panties. His eyes stay fixed on them until I start moving towards the bed. Then they snap to my face.

I grin at him.

And then I growl and pounce on him.

He tenses up as I land on him.

He looks really freaked out.

I’ve never had this reaction before. Guys usually love the wildcat thing. It’s one of my signature moves.

“What?” I ask, looking down at him.

“You wish to…get this over with quickly?”

“I…uh…no…why?” This is weird.

He smiles and reaches out, sliding his hand into my hair. “I wish to take my time with you.”

Now I’m the one tensing up. I sit back, straddling him. “I don’t do soft and slow, babe. Ever.”

“I do not like that…endearment.”

“Babe?”

“Yes. That.”

“Why?”

“You do not mean it. It means nothing to you. Do not use it with me,” he says, harshly.

That is it. “Fuck this. You’re making this too hard.”

I make a move to get off him, but he grabs my arms. “Show me the rest of your body.”

What the fuck? “No!” I cry, trying to pull away.

He holds firm.

“You’re angering the wolf,” I warn him.

“I am not worried. The wolf is very fond of me.”

Argh! “Let go of me.”

“I will if you agree to show me.”

I roll my eyes. This is ridiculous. “Fine.”

He drops his hands back to the bed.

I reach around and unclasp my bra. Drawing it down my arms, I watch the look of awe all over his face as he takes in the sight of my naked boobs. I shed my panties too and then I sit back down on his hips. His expression hasn’t shifted. He hasn’t said a word. He just stares at my body, unmoving.

Oh my God. He’s making me nervous and really fucking uncomfortable. This doesn’t happen to me. I’m not shy about my body. But, with him, everything is different.

Just when I don’t think I can take it anymore, he suddenly speaks, making me jump in surprise.

“You are so beautiful,” he says, reaching out.

His fingers glide over the brutal, jagged scar on my side. “A Sword of Judgment has marked you,” he says, his voice filled with regret.

“Yeah. The night a bunch of Ambassadors killed my father.”

“I am so sorry, princess. Truly.”

I swallow hard to force my emotion down from just recalling that awful day. I try to shrug it off. He must see my struggle to do so, as his fingers leave my scar. I think he’s about to touch my left boob, but instead, he traces his fingers gently over my wolf tattoo. Oh God. His touch is feather-light. Amazing.

“This is you. Your wolf,” he says.

“Yes,” I breathe.

His eyes stray to the tattoos on my arms and he smiles. “This is where you keep your emotions. You wear them here.”

“Uh…they all mean something, yeah.”

“I would like you to tell me.” He looks at me and he must see how uncomfortable I am, because he adds, “But not today.”

I nod. “Okay.”

His fingers glide down to my left nipple and he rubs it between his thumb and forefinger gently. He looks between it and the right one. “You are excited, yes?”

“Mmm hmm.”

He raises his other hand to my right boob and it mimics the actions of his left. Then he slides them down my stomach. I gasp as he stops just an inch from my pussy and looks up at me. “This will also tell me.”

He doesn’t wait for my answer this time.

He slides a finger delicately through my folds.

Mmm…yes.

What he does next shocks me.

He brings his finger to his mouth and tastes it. He grunts with satisfaction. And, this time, when he looks at me, something has shifted in him.

His eyes are hooded with desire. Predatory.

It speaks to the wolf in me and, before I can stop myself, I’m growling and stripping him of his pants and boxers.

“Holy…wow,” I exclaim, pulling back a little.

His cock is…I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s…well, it’s huge. And he’s beyond ready.

Okay, well, here goes nothing. I rise up, ready to impale myself on him...and then he grabs my hips, catching me completely off guard.

I shriek in surprise as he flips us, forcing me beneath him.

He straddles me and gazes down at me, his eyes locking with mine. He just stares at me, not making a move to touch me at all. His hands are on either side of my head and his legs are straddling my hips. He’s doing that
searching
thing that he’s done before.

“What are you doing?” I ask, getting frustrated.

“Listening.”

“What?”

“You are begging me to hurt you, to treat you like an animal. But that is only on the surface of your thoughts. Digging a little deeper, I see the truth.” He grins at me. “You are fortunate that I am able to see what you truly desire.”

Oh my God. “No,” I say, shaking my head from side to side. “Don’t. I can’t—”

He presses his index finger to my lips. “Shh. I know what you wish me to do now.”

I grunt angrily against his finger and buck my hips to try to push him off me. I’m not used to a man taking control.

I stop moving as his hand brushes my pussy.

He drags his index finger softly through my damp folds, parting my lips with the sheer thickness of his finger. When he makes contact with my clit, he exerts more pressure, making me cry out blissfully.

“How…I thought you’d never…” I gasp, not understanding how he’s
so
good at this when he’s never done it before.

“You are telling me all I need to know.”

He taps my clit with the pad of his finger, quickening his pace until it’s a delicious vibrating force of motion. “You want my fingers here,” he says.

He leans down and lightly licks me there. I scream and buck my hips wildly. “Yes!”

He laughs softly. “My tongue, clearly.”

He pulls his mouth away and presses his finger to my entrance. He slides in a little and flicks his gaze to me. “But you are frightened of taking my
cock
here.”

“I’m not afraid.”

He smiles. “Your lips may lie to me, but now I have breached the wall guarding your mind, your thoughts cannot.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “Stop it. Get out of my head.”

I feel him rise up over me. He cups my face and it startles my eyes open. He’s gazing down at me adoringly. “I would if I could trust you to speak the truth to me. But you are not ready for that yet.”