Feral Craving (31 page)

“You’re too good for me, Mackenzie.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut
her off.

“You’re too good, but I’ve always been a
selfish man. And with you, I have a hard time letting go. I’ve never been able
to do it, and you better believe, Miss Mackenzie Walters, I have no intention
of starting now.”

Chapter
Thirty-Two

Shit got pretty rough out in the field,
so much that as soon as the last drop of blood fell, the last bullet rang
through the air, and the last slice of a sword hit its mark, they all agreed to
unwind.

Bari had no idea where the other
Eurydice
went off to, but found himself
back at the same bar, where everything began, sitting on a stool, letting the
bartender, Curtis, feed him shot after shot, beer after beer. His mind was
still sharp, the alcohol not taking effect on him like it used to, and so he
felt, rather than saw, Mackenzie enter the bar. He didn’t move a
muscle, not even his head to see her, but he knew she was there. He sensed her
presence like a caress across his skin, scented her as if she was the only air
he breathed, and gathered strength he didn't realize he needed from her. A low
craving, an irrefutable heat started to build in his stomach.

Music in the background shifted, voices
in the bar rose to drown out the sounds from the jukebox. He could give a shit
less what happened to him, but Mackenzie was another story. She was his to
protect, to have. Bari set his bottle down and shifted in the seat. He wrapped
an arm around the side of Mackenzie’s hip and drew her body off the stool and
slid her in front of him. He drew her between the vee of his legs, cocooning
her in his protection. In this position he could look up to her gorgeous green
eyes or bury his head in the soft pillows of her breasts. He chose to do
neither.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“You know why I am.” There was no censure
in her tone, no question, only the absolute statement of why things were so
convoluted between them. Mackenzie lifted a hand and trailed her fingertips, as
gentle as a butterfly’s wings, down the side of his face, tracing his high
cheekbones, her eyes studying him.

Her fingertips caught him off guard, and
his entire body stilled as he soaked in her touch. The beast inside him purred.
Bari would let her stroke him all day if she wanted, but inside the bar, his
senses stood erect for any threat to Mackenzie. Her touching him distracted his
attention, turned his mind to mush, and bent the focus of his body to the
bedroom. So instead of letting her continue, he tightened his grip on her hip
in a silent urge for her to sit still before he ran his free palm up the side
of her arm. His stared into her eyes, captivated, spellbound by this one.
Single. Female.

His palm reached her shoulder, and he
pulled back at the shirt until it parted, sliding off her shoulder, revealing
her sinful, perfect skin beneath. His eyes latched on to that exposure as an
explosion of lust hit him. Christ, all he revealed was the tempting, smooth
skin of her collarbone, nothing else, and it felt as if she were bared to him.

His grip on her hip tightened, most
likely leaving his fingerprints there. He wanted to do more, wanted to mark her
as his. He couldn’t think past the need gripping him and didn’t even know if he
wanted to. Instead, he dipped his head forward and laid his lips across the
exposed bone, his teeth reaching out to nibble.

“Angel,” he murmured against her skin.

The single word a warning, a question,
and a statement all wrapped in one. He should pull back to prevent himself from
taking her here, but he didn’t want to—couldn’t.

Mackenzie’s eyes fluttered close.

“How could you be so harsh at times and
so loving at others? You confuse me,” she gasped as his tongue did wicked
swirls against her skin. “You give me whiplash. I n-n-need to protect my heart
from you, Bari,” she sputtered as he sucked her skin in his mouth.

Her words tore at his soul and he more
than comprehended he should pull away. She spoke the truth. But damn, he would
rather slice his neck open then deny himself of her touch, of the right to
touch her.

“Bari, I need you as much as you need me.
Give me at least that one concession. Tell me, only once. Please,” she pleaded,
and the sound had him squeezing his eyes shut. He was such a bastard.

Bari released her and set his hands on
the bar, boxing her in, extorting the hell out of the wood to stay in place.
His body coiled with need and want, his senses all fixated on one woman. He
clenched his teeth under the onslaught. He inhaled deep, let it out slow, kept
his eyes shut and felt the pain of denial work its way through him. It must
have been evident on his face for the next thing he knew, Mackenzie shifted,
and her palms cupped his face as she sat down on his lap. There was no denying
it, as his arms wrapped around her, his body curving over hers in a protective
gesture. It was one of possession—screamed protection—bellowed, ‘Mine!’

Bari had been spooked for too damn long
with the unknown stranger inside, not knowing if he’d hurt those he was close
to. He always forced himself to push others away, including this beautiful,
smart, courageous female in his arms. His eyes clasped to a green gaze, and he
realized, in that moment, she was his, no matter whether she knew it or not. No
matter whether he was ready or not. He clamped his hands under her rear and
stood, setting her on the bar. His larger frame loomed over her as he got
within inches of her tempting lips.

“Curtis…”

It was all he needed to say. He heard the
man set down a glass.

“Sure thing, Bari.”

He didn’t look behind him to know the bar
cleared out. An unspoken agreement, something given without question,
especially after everything he did here. He didn’t own the bar, didn’t have any
say in what happened with the business, but after his past, what occurred, it
wasn’t questioned. And what he wanted sat in front of him.

“No turning back, Angel. You don’t want
this, now would the time to tell me. Because once this starts, I’m not going to
stop.”

“Don’t you see, you idiot?” The words
were soft, teasing as she reached up to tangle her fingers at the back of his
neck. She tugged on his head, drew his mouth down to hers oh so slowly. Her
eyes considered his mouth before looking back up as if his were a lifeline.
“I’ve never asked you to stop. I fantasized about this for so long. The way
your lips feel.” She traced a finger around his mouth, and the tingles elicited
shot down to his balls.

She felt like a fiery tornado of womanly
need under his hands, and he fought not to give in to the temptation to
completely and utterly possess her. He wanted her much like a man stranded in
the desert for weeks—no, screw weeks—like a man stranded for months would want
a single drop of water. The need wasn’t just his own; he realized that,
accepted it, and let it show by the grip he held on her body. Bari let the demon
rise inside, shine through his skin, his eyes. He heard Mackenzie’s startled
gasp as the demon flayed along his skin, both of them wanting to devour this
woman. He couldn’t hold the beast back, didn’t even try, and instead let her
see who she accepted into her arms, her life. She’d already set up shop in his
heart, and as he heard her gasp, he captured it with in a feral possessive
kiss, holding nothing back. His tongue clashed with hers, tangled around it,
caressed, sucked, and stroked for more. He wanted to crawl inside and devour
her taste; take her inside of him and feed the need for as long as they wanted.

Bari drew down her shirt, trapped her
arms with the material and pulled back to feast his gaze on her skin, on her
twin, perfect breasts. Her breathing accelerated and with each intake of
breath, it raised the wonderful globes closer. Well, he wasn’t a man to turn
down an offering and with that thought, he lowered his head and caught a nipple
between his lips, sucked it deep inside of his mouth, his cheeks hollowing with
the force. He had every intention of being inside of her, but first she needed
to see his dominant side, who he was, and what to expect. He changed
dramatically in the nine years. He wouldn’t allow her to shy from his demands,
no matter how innocent she may have been, for he planned on possessing her, in
every way.

His cock jumped as her gaze roamed over
his body. His hands slid up her legs and he watched as she squirmed under his
touch.

“Sit still.”

Her eyes snapped up to his, widened. Bari
arched a brow in challenge, pausing, and waited. Cheeky little minx had enough
common sense to not argue. She’d learn who was in charge of her pleasure, and
he was going to have so much fun teaching, showing her. His hands went up to
the clasp of her pants and with a quick movement of his fingers, they were
undone.

“Lift up.”

Mackenzie lifted her body, her arms
supporting her weight. He reached around and tugged the pants over her hips
until they were on the floor at his feet. Her body was bared to him, and he
took it in, as if implanting the memory in his mind for the rest of his time.

Bari set a palm on the insides of both of
her thighs, urging her legs apart. She leaned back, her legs still draped over
the side of the bar, and he sat back on the stool, sitting between her legs.
Her sex was bare, glistening with arousal.

“Do you realize what you do to me,
Angel?”

His voice was marked with hunger, rough
and deep. He swallowed hard, his gaze focused between her legs.

“I’m going to taste you. I bet you taste
just as perfect as you look. Just as good as you did in my dreams.” He dipped
down, his hands curving around her thighs, and ran his tongue along the length
of her, moaning as her taste assailed his senses with a booming force.

Mackenzie tossed her head back and cried
out. Noises rose from his chest, indescribable sounds. Her hand came down on
the top of his head, tugging his strands, holding him to her. Bari glanced up
and caught the hooded gaze. He held her eyes as he feasted. Her thighs
tightened around his head, and she panted, whimpers of delight rising with each
pass of his tongue.

She was so close.

He pulled back, blew a breath of cool air
across her sex, and watched as her muscles clamped and pulsed in response.

“No.”

He stood, released her, and unsnapped his
jeans, tugging the material down over his hips before they fell in a pool at
his feet. His back muscles rippled as he hooked his arms under her thighs and
pulled. His eyes trained on her sex, he watched as she tried to shift under his
hold, pressing her hips toward him. Mackenzie continued to squirm, and he
fought his urge to turn her over and set a sharp smack to her ass. He wanted to
be inside of her. Between the demon’s urge inside, his own erotic dreams
splayed before him, and denying her for far too long, he had to have her. Now.

Bari shifted his body and nudged her
entrance, his cock pulsing with hunger. He released one of her thighs, wrapped
it around his waist and ran a hand up her body, pushing her back. She lay
before him like a feast. His hands roamed, searching, before resting on her
shoulder, and in a sharp move, he pulled her to him, setting her astride him,
and then she took all of him in at once. He stilled at her gasp and willed his
body not to take her with the strong urge he wanted. Instead, he dropped his
head and plundered her mouth with the aggression, trying to release it in some
fashion. Bari pulled his hips back, and his kisses grew rabid as he wanted to
pound. He took his time though and fed himself into her body slowly, her sex
pulling his thick, hard length in. Hot walls clamped around him, a friction
that sent his eyes rolling back.

“You’re going to make me burn up, Bari.”

Bari dropped his head to her neck and
panted, trying to rein in control. He had none, gave it over to Mackenzie for
fear if he continued, he’d lose it.

He pulled Mackenzie into his arms and sat
back on the stool, guiding her legs to the wooden beams beneath the chair. His
hands settled on her hips, and he looked up, took in her face, smiled at the
mindless sounds of pleasure that rushed out of her mouth. Little sounds,
incoherent mumbles tumbled out as her hands tightened on his shoulders. Bari
doubted she knew what she was saying, or even that she was speaking. He lifted
her hips, brought her back down and watched her head toss back, her cries
unrestrained.

“Come on, Angel. Ride me.”

Mackenzie’s walls constricted around his
rigid length. Her legs moved, the muscles bunching as she took over. Bari’s
control threatened to shatter as she sped the thrusts, sinking down so
fucking deep on his cock that he thought he’d swallow his tongue. He leaned
back in the chair, kneading her hips, and looked down to where they were
joined. He watched as she released his length inches at a time before sucking
him back in again. The visual, combined with her sounds, had a low churning
rocking through his stomach, spreading heat through his body. His demon danced
along with him, brushed inside Mackenzie.

Bari’s thoughts scattered out of control,
surrounded by Mackenzie, and he knew of nothing but the heat the two of them
generated.