PrimalFlavor (17 page)

“Mm-hm,” he rumbled in reply, nipping at her chin. She
tasted like salt from the sweat coating their bodies and all luscious female. “In
a minute.”

Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her high breasts pressed
into his chest and her tight pussy gripped his dick like a vise. Long strands
of sweat-soaked hair stuck to her, to Zach, getting in their faces and
everywhere else, but he didn’t care.

“I think,” she panted as he rocked her onto his cock. “I
think it stopped raining.”

It had, but there was no way he was going to rush through
this. He’d already used two of the condoms from the box, taking her as gently
as he was able to that first time, then he’d taken her yet again soon after.
This time, though, was about the need to leave an impression, and more of his
scent, on her. He sat with his back against the cold metal railing, Colette in
his lap, her feet planted on either side of his hips in a near squat. They
weren’t going at it like bunnies like last time. No, that had been about raw
lust. He’d flipped his mate onto her knees and taken her from behind, her hands
gripping the railings of the headboard as though they would save her life.

The purr that had started from the moment they kissed hadn’t
stopped and it only ramped up in power the slower they ground against each
other. She fit him like a tight glove. If he wasn’t so concerned with making
sure she remembered this day for the rest of her life, he’d pat himself on the
fucking back. She’d had to adjust to him, her pussy rippling and stretching
around him, her eyes wide with surprise that made a man feel as though he was
twenty feet tall.

She grunted softly, her hips rocking on him with a little
more force. He watched her, hands on her ass, helping her find the perfect
position so his cock rubbed her G-spot. When she arched her back, he bent his
knees to give her support, each movement fluid as though they’d been lovers for
years instead of a few hours. The new position slid him even deeper, her face
flushing and going slack from pleasure. He could come just from watching her
orgasm.

“Zach,” she breathed as she let go of his shoulders to grip
her breasts, pinching and rolling the hard peaks, tormenting herself. More of
her sweet moisture flowed down his dick, her inner muscles tensing around him. “Oh
God,
cher bon Dieu
,” she cried out, a string of Cajun French leaving her
in a torrent of words he couldn’t make out.

But he didn’t need to know what she was saying because he
felt it the minute she went over the edge. Felt it and loved it, the top of his
head nearly blowing off. Colette’s body went rigid, her spine arching back over
his knees a split second before her pussy clenched around his dick, squeezing
and milking him. He lost it, unable to hold back any longer. He gripped her waist
and used his greater strength to bounce her on his cock, hard and fast.
Throwing his head back, he roared, going off like a rocket, the sharp, nearly
painful pressure in his balls shooting into the condom in rapid pulses.

His climax could’ve lasted for hours or only a few seconds,
but when he came back to himself, it was with a satisfied smile on his face and
a very slick, panting female on his limp cock. They’d both come hard, their
lungs struggling to catch their breath, muscles slack and this was usually when
he said, “Thanks for the fun. See ya later.” Yet when Colette made a move as
though she would climb from his lap, he held her captive.

He leaned forward, nuzzling the center of her chest, lapping
at her silky flesh, tasting the salt from her sweat and the essence that was
Colette. The amount of sweat clinging to their skin made them stick together.
His tiger, the clean freak who wanted his fur and paws immaculate at all times,
would have normally found the stickiness of Zach’s skin disgusting, but now
made it purr in contentment. He was inside his mate, her sated body limp over
his. Life couldn’t be any better.

His gaze trailed down the exposed column of her throat to
the tender crook where her neck met her shoulder and his gums ached with the
need to release his fangs. Okay, so life could get better. He wanted Colette to
wear his mark, a small scar showing his possession. Unlike shifters, her mark
wouldn’t fade after a while. She’d hold the symbol of his territory forever.
His purring increased in speed and volume.

“You sound like a motor boat,” she murmured without lifting
her head.

“Is that a problem?”

Even from his position, he could see her lips curl in a
contented smile. “No. It just takes some getting used to, is all.”

Zach released his tight hold on her waist and stroked her
flanks, enjoying the way the muscles flexed as though reacting to his touch. “You
wanted this to happen today, didn’t you?” He knew she had, but had to hear it
from her.

She tilted her head down to look at him with a drowsy gaze.
“The bulk package of condoms wasn’t enough of a clue? Should I have bought a
case of them instead?” She lifted herself from her limp sprawl, the muscles of
her stomach contracting with the movement and her channel squeezing his dick
until his eyes crossed. When he could finally see straight again, she’d perched
herself on his chest, arms crossed and bony elbows digging into his pecs, but
he ignored all that because her face was only inches from his own.

“Zach, I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you. I’m
not like a lot of women you’ve probably been with.” Something passed behind her
eyes, a shadow that made his tiger tense, yet she didn’t let it linger. “I don’t
play games and I don’t lie. With me, what you see is what you get, so if I show
up with a box of condoms it’s because I plan to enjoy myself with you. My only
worry was that you didn’t return the sentiment.”

Some of his tension had faded at her words. No, Colette wasn’t
like women who thought playing coy and hard to get was the way to go. He wouldn’t
go so far as to say she didn’t play games because he remembered how she’d made
him chase her around the cabin, but it had been a mutual game, not one she
initiated to keep his interest. Then the rest of her words sank into his mind
and he glared at her.

“Are you
couillon
, woman? Of course I want you!”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah and that’s why you
didn’t come out here prepared,
hanh
? Because you could barely keep your
hands to yourself.”

He refused to acknowledge the blush he felt climbing his
face in a cascade of heat. “I was trying to show you I wanted you more than
just for sex.” He heard the defensive tone in his voice, but couldn’t help it.
He didn’t just want her for fucking. He could get that anywhere. Okay, maybe
not Colette-style sex, but if that was all he was after, he could’ve saved
himself some time and blue balls to get it. Zach prepared to tell her exactly
that, but her wide, strangely vulnerable stare stopped him. “What?”

“You want more than sex?”

His stomach clenched in dread and nervousness because unlike
before, she didn’t sound excited. If anything, she seemed closed off to him.
Even her scent had changed, although her pulse fluttered madly at her neck.
Unsure and not liking it one bit, Zach said the first thing that came to mind. “I
want exclusive rights.” It wasn’t a lie, per se. He wanted exclusive rights to
her heart and her soul and her body for the rest of their lives. He just wasn’t
ready to tell her all that. Yet.

Colette stared at him, those weird shadows dancing behind
her eyes before she nodded. “Okay. I want that too,” she added quickly,
slanting a dangerous glare on him. “If some shifter swishes her tail at you, I
reserve the right to cut it off. And your punishment would result in something
else getting the chop. Got it?”

The low menace in her voice and the cold bite in her eyes
should have turned him off. He didn’t do possessive women, but Colette proved
to be yet another exception to the rule. His dick twitched at the danger, the
way it did every time she did something to reveal the predatory female in human
skin. He lifted her off his cock with a little toss that had her tumbling to
the foot of the bed. Before she could splutter in outrage, he had the used condom
off and a new one on and was sliding into her slick cunt.

At first she threatened him with all kinds of awful things
that involved his balls and her hunting knife, but after a few strokes, her
fingers dug into his ass, pulling him closer and her teeth were in his
shoulder, stifling her screams of pleasure.

* * * * *

She really hated to leave the cabin, but the thunderstorms
had passed at least two hours before and the sun would be setting soon. Colette
peeked at Zach under her eyelashes as he helped her strip the bed. He hadn’t
put his shirt back on yet after cleaning up a little from the cistern water,
his golden skin gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. Her heart tripped in her
chest when he caught her gaze and smiled. She looked away again, her stupid
blush making him chuckle.

Her entire body tingled from the most amazing orgasms she’d
ever experienced. He’d definitely proved himself to be the kind of lover who
left a woman sighing with pleasure and begging for more. If it hadn’t been for
the fear that her father would come looking for them, Colette would’ve tied him
to the small bed and kept him as her secret forever. Because it would have to
remain a secret. Maybe her dad would be accepting of her relationship with Zach
by their thirtieth anniversary. Her heart fluttered at the thought. She did her
best to keep her cool. He hadn’t said anything about permanent markings.

She frowned at the pile of sheets that carried the strong
scent of sex, bundling them into a single tote so she could clean them at home.
He had to mean he seriously wanted to mate her, right? A man didn’t demand
exclusivity of a woman, mark her in such a primal way if all he wanted was a
booty call. Right? A tiny voice, the one that continued to be cynical despite
the happiness in her heart and the heavy pleasure still coursing through her
body, said he was just marking her the way he would a tree he wanted to use as
a scratch post. It was the same voice she tried to ignore when she thought she
saw something stronger than affection in Zach’s gold eyes. What would a tiger
with his reputation want with a crazy coonass whose family threatened him on a
daily basis? A quick fuck, that’s what.

“Everything okay?” he asked when she sat staring at the bundled
sheets like an idiot. He crouched next to her, all of that golden skin filling
her vision. “Colette?”

Blinking to clear the visions of heartbreak dancing before
her eyes, she ducked her head. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just thinking I’m
gonna have to come back here in a few weeks to give it a good cleaning, that’s
all.” She aimed a blank smile over his left shoulder. “Deer season starts in a
few months.” She caught his frown out the corner of her eye as she climbed to
her feet. “Let’s go.”

He grabbed the laundry bag laden with soiled sheets and
hefted it onto his shoulder without being asked. Not that she would’ve. Colette
was so accustomed to doing for herself, she didn’t bother asking people
anymore. Her shaky, scared heart warmed at how easily he fit himself into her
routine. Not barreling over her like a steamroller, but acting as an extension
of herself, as though he’d been working at her side all her life.

As they left the cabin, Colette tried to pretend as though
it were no big deal when he reached out to grab her hand, lacing his fingers
through hers as they walked down to the dock. But it was a huge deal. Even with
the boyfriends she’d had in college, they hadn’t reached for her. She’d had to
initiate the contact with them, something she frequently didn’t bother doing
because it seemed weird and unnatural to hold hands with someone. With Zach
though, it was another way he made them fit together as though they were two
halves of a whole. Remembering exactly how well they fit together in a biblical
sense, Colette shivered.

“Will you come back to my place tonight? I want to cook for
you,” he said as he helped her load the boat.

Caught in the middle of stepping into the boat, his question
took her off guard, which was the only reason she slipped between the boat and
the dock, plunging feet first into the bayou. She barely had enough time to
hold her breath before she went under, her movements stirring up the muddy bed
and obscuring her vision. Not that she needed it. She let a few bubbles escape
her mouth and followed them to the surface, using her hands to find the bottom
of the boat so she didn’t hit it with her head. She heard muted roars and
splashing somewhere above her, but tuned it out to find her way back above
water.

When her hand broke the surface, Zach was there to grab it,
hauling her out of the bayou, wet clothes and shoes and all.

“Fuck, Colette,” he shouted at her as he pulled her into the
boat. His hands ran over her, pressing here and there. “Talk to me, dammit! Are
you okay?”

She blinked the water from her eyes, thick, south Louisiana
air filling her lungs when she gasped like a landed fish. “Okay,” she whispered
as she coughed. “I’m okay.”

His hands left her abruptly, drawing her gaze to him rather
than the puffy clouds overhead. Zach’s lips were white where they were pressed
together, lines of tension bracketing his mouth. His eyes were pure gold, his
pupils tiny pinpricks of black. Wondering what his problem was, she looked him
over, wondering if he’d hurt himself when he pulled her out of the water. He
still hadn’t put his shirt on and it looked as though every vein in his arms
stood in stark relief against his skin as though he’d just pumped enough iron
to build a train.

“Are you okay?” she asked tentatively, her voice still
hoarse.

He closed his eyes, nodding with short jerks of his head.

Colette sat up, slinging the hair off her face and looked
around. “I haven’t done that since I was little,” she remarked with a self-depreciating
laugh that fell flat when Zach didn’t join her. She cleared her throat and got
to her feet. Her clothes were soaked. Again. Shit. “Well, at least it won’t be
hot on the trip back to the office,” she muttered as she walked to the back of
the boat. When she got behind the wheel, Zach knelt in the same place, his head
bowed. He had to have hurt his back lifting her out of the water, but was too
proud to admit it. Shaking her head at stubborn men, she started up the boat. “So
what do you want to cook for me?”