Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Then he lifted her, one-armed, his mouth still on hers. She barely knew she was moving until he put her down again and his hand caught the hem of her tee, pulling it up as he lifted his mouth from hers. He yanked off her shirt and was kissing her again. The air hit her body and she shivered. She felt his hand brushing along her back and then her bra was gone and he cupped both breasts.
Sonia was breathing hard, opening her mouth to protest, to try to think beyond the scrambled brains in her head, but his mouth closed, hot and wet over her left breast, pulling the soft mound deep, his tongue stroking and flattening her nipple against the roof of his mouth. His fingers were on her right breast, massaging and kneading, tugging and rolling her nipple. There was nothing gentle about the way he claimed her, and she didn’t want gentle. He seemed to know exactly what would send flames racing through her bloodstream.
His mouth worked her breast while his hand dropped to the front of her jeans. He opened the front and then his fingers were in her panties, pushing them down to her thighs right along with the denim.
“You’re already so hot and slick for me,” he murmured as he switched his attention to her right breast.
The air on her left breast, which was already wet and aching, added to the need building in her. His fingers filled her, plunging, curling to find that one spot that could send her into another orbit. He withdrew his fingers and held them up, his eyes suddenly hard and dangerous, so blue they were shocking. “This is mine. All for me. You fucking don’t have dates with other men.” He licked his fingers clean and then dropped to one knee, his mouth covering her slick center.
She heard the keening wail snaking through the trees, the one she couldn’t stop as he ruthlessly lapped at her, used his teeth to rake at her clit, then his fingers to bring her close. His tongue was back, flicking and thrusting until she gripped his hair and held him there, needing. The intensity of her hunger was so strong the world around her blurred. Pleasure was so close. So close.
He pulled back abruptly.
“What are you doing?” She was practically sobbing. “Please. Joshua. I’m so close.”
He stood up, yanking up her panties and jeans. “No. Absolutely not. Not like this.”
Furious, she glared at him. “Do you think I need you to get off? Because I don’t. You can’t dictate that to me.”
One eyebrow shot up. “Really? Because your hand or your vibrator is going to do to you what I can? How many times did you try these last three days and nights?”
She couldn’t hold his gaze. She looked away, tears burning behind her eyes. “Maybe you can dictate to me,” she admitted. “I hope that makes you feel great, because it makes me miserable. Truly miserable. That isn’t giving you points, in case you wondered.”
“Sonia.” He waited.
She didn’t want to look at him, but she couldn’t stop herself. She knew he would see the tears swimming in her eyes. It was one more humiliation among so many. She hated that she had no control over her body, but that he did. He clearly didn’t feel the same way about her that she did him.
He caught her chin. “I’m not going to excuse my temper by reminding you I’m leopard. That’s no excuse, and in any case, I think the man is jealous all on his own without his leopard feeding him that. Just so you know, it was the most miserable three days and nights of my life. My hand didn’t do any better than your toys.” He tasted her tears with his lips. “Who is taking you out?”
She was silent for a moment, wondering why the abrupt change in him made her feel cared for. Safe even. He didn’t have to tell her he’d suffered as well, but he gave that to her and it mattered.
“I’m hoping it isn’t a friend of mine, because I’d have to let my leopard hunt.” There was a small teasing note in is voice, but she was leopard and she heard the half-truth there.
“My friend Molly is coming over for dinner tonight at seven, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Woman, you are truly exasperating. We just agreed we were going to get to know each other so you’re more comfortable with the mate idea, but you know you’re mine. You agreed. You carry my mark. You carry my leopard’s mark. Leopards don’t take well to their mates being around other men, especially other male leopards.”
“I don’t know your rules.”
“The rules are in place so no one gets killed. Have fun with your friend Molly, and I’ll come over after she leaves. We’ll go over the rules then.”