Soul Bonded (20 page)

“Eight seconds left,” Rafe whispered, then closed his eyes in apparent concentration.

The orgasm exploded deep within her belly, taking her legs out from beneath her. Rafe tightened his grip and kept her on her feet, his chest heaving against hers. It was as though he was sending energy directly into her clit through touch alone, triggering wave after wave of delicious pleasure that only seemed to intensify the longer it went on. Katie cried out in shock at the strength of her full-throttle climax, and at the way it rendered her unable to do anything except clutch at Rafe’s biceps, boneless within his powerful embrace.

She didn’t know how long it lasted. More than ten seconds. Far more. She never wanted to come down, but eventually her frail human body couldn’t take anymore. Weakly, she pushed at Rafe’s shoulders and shook her head, overcome. “Please stop.”

He pulled his hand from her panties and the pleasure ceased, leaving blissful contractions and aftershocks in its wake. Katie didn’t release Rafe—she held on tighter, stunned by what had just happened.
 

“Was that okay?”

The uncertainty in his voice snapped her out of her stupor and forced an incredulous laugh from her too-dry throat. “Uh, yes.” She loosened her death grip on his arms, shifting, whimpering as another aftershock rippled through her. “Rafe, what did you do to me?”

“I thought that was obvious.” Confidence crept into his voice. His eyes sparkled.

“I mean, was that some sort of werewolf trick?” Katie looped her arms around his neck, sighing as his chest hair brushed against her erect nipples. “Did you know that would happen?”

Rafe shook his head. “I’d heard stories about bonded sex.” He pulled her closer, both hands on her bottom—safely on the outside of her blue jeans. “I was hoping that would feel good for you. Honestly, I pretty much winged it.”

“It was incredible. And it didn’t even take you ten seconds.”

He growled and nipped at her throat, hands tightening on her ass. “Fuck, I want you.”

“Me too,” Katie said, but pushed him away and stepped out of his embrace. Her legs trembled as she forced herself to put distance between them. “But we’ve got a lot to do and I’m saying no.”

Rafe inhaled deeply, hands curling into fists, eyes igniting with fiery need. A low rumble from deep in his chest made him sound more like a wolf than a man. Katie shivered, caught between desire and the mild, instinctive fear the now-familiar sound provoked. Rafe leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. “I understand.”
 

Longing rang clear in his chastened voice. It took everything she had not to go to him and fall into his arms. The only thing that stopped her was her fear of what she might initiate. And how Rafe would feel if he lost control. “The full moon sucks.”

He surprised her with silent laughter that made his shoulders shake and put a genuine smile on his face. “Yeah, it kind of does.”

“Tomorrow, when this is all over…”
 

Rafe nodded and pushed off the wall, exhaling. He got the hammer off the table and went to nail another board in place. “We’ll celebrate.”

It took them an hour to finish boarding up the windows. Katie followed Rafe around the cabin, offering help where and when she could. Mostly she tried to stay out of his way, aware that he was having an increasingly difficult time keeping his composure. Only two o’clock in the afternoon and already she could see the growing influence of the moon. Rafe’s movements and vocalizations grew more primal by the minute, and Katie could feel his pent-up aggression stirring and roiling within. Though she had a bad feeling that boarding the windows was a silly, futile gesture, the task gave Rafe an outlet for his aggression and that was exactly what he needed.

When he nailed the last board in place, Katie looked around, wishing for another. They had another six hours to kill before he would need to go outside and face their enemies. She questioned Rafe’s current capacity for small talk and doubted that he had a closet full of board games somewhere. How they would pass the time when all either of them really wanted to do was fuck, was beyond her. She almost suggested they brave the inevitable taunts and jeers and go for another round of target practice, but she knew that Rafe’s struggle to hang on to his humanity was no doubt shared by the other werewolves outside, and for them there was no fighting against their beastly natures. Stepping outside now would be like tossing gasoline onto a fire.

She’d rather brave the heat inside the cabin.

Rafe placed the hammer on a shelf near the hallway that led to the bedrooms when he was finished. “Remember this is here, if you need it.”

She sincerely hoped that she wasn’t going to be engaging in the kind of close combat where a hammer would come in handy, but she nodded. “Thanks.”

Sweat soaked through Rafe’s thin T-shirt, evidence of his exertion since their brief sexual encounter. The release she’d given him seemed to have improved his aim, but each swing had been harder than the last, until she’d grown concerned he was going to put the hammer through the thick log wall. She’d said nothing, content to let him release his primal urges in a relatively innocuous fashion. Yet after all that, he looked only mildly satiated, staring at her with palpable heat as he stripped the damp shirt over his head.

“I’m going to shower.”

Katie nodded absently and tried not to stare. Rafe’s lean, muscular torso dripped with perspiration. His musky, pleasant scent hung heavily in the air between them, literally making her mouth water. She’d never enjoyed sweaty hugs from ex-boyfriends, so she was mystified by her reaction to Rafe’s natural aroma. It was probably pheromones. Or something. Forcing her gaze from Rafe’s chest to his eyes, Katie nodded again. “Okay.”

“Will you wait for me in my bedroom?” He jerked his head toward the front door. “I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone out here. Even with Shilah.”

The brown mutt lifted his head from his place on the floor, next to the kitchen table. His ears were alert, but his face remained open and friendly. Katie regarded him fondly. “Yeah, Shilah doesn’t seem like much of a threat.”

“Oh, he’ll protect you as best he can. I have no doubt about that.” Rafe crouched down, calling the dog to him. Shilah dashed to his side, happily accepting the affectionate strokes that Rafe bestowed upon him. “Unfortunately, he’s a mere
Canis lupus familiaris.
So he’s at a bit of a disadvantage with my kind. Especially outnumbered.”

Shilah leaned against Rafe’s legs and panted with a doggy grin on his face. “He loves you.”

“I love him.” Rafe scratched behind Shilah’s ears, and Shilah closed his eyes in clear pleasure. “He’s my brother.”

The sight of Rafe—shirtless, beautiful, strong Rafe—lavishing his dog with affection stole Katie’s breath and filled her chest with a powerful feeling of deep, limitless love. This was her family now. These two recluses, a werewolf and a mixed-breed dog. She never would have believed it possible to feel about anyone the way she felt about them.

Rafe raised his gaze to meet hers. “Us, too.”

Katie blinked back tears. She didn’t have to say a word for Rafe to know exactly how she felt. It was the same for her. Both Rafe and Shilah wore their love and loyalty plainly. “I know.”

Arms flexing, Rafe stood and gestured toward the hallway. “Will you stay in my room? It really will make me feel better.”

“Of course.” Pleased that Rafe was actually conversing with her again, Katie followed him willingly. “Maybe after you shower you can tell me more about being a werewolf. I’m sure there are things I should know.”

His hand found the small of her back and he guided her to his bedroom door. “I’d rather talk about you.” He urged her into his room, stepping away after a brief caress on her hip. “You can tell me what it was like growing up human.”

That sounded like a safe way to spend the countdown to the full moon. “Deal.”

Rafe left her with a tender smile that was in stark contradiction to the heated lust in his eyes. He closed the door behind him, but not before checking, “You’ve got the gun?”

She held up the revolver, which had been tucked into the back of her blue jeans. “Got it.” As soon as he left the room, she placed the gun on the nightstand and flopped onto his bed, anxious and exhausted and thrumming with unspent sexual energy—despite the strength of the orgasm Rafe had given her only an hour ago. Who said she wasn’t dealing with the full moon, too? This was torture.

To distract herself, she lifted the leg of her jeans and inspected the wound on her calf. Once again, she’d nearly forgotten it was there. Whatever Rafe had done to her had not only taken away her pain, but it appeared that her torn flesh was already healing itself. Not at the rate that Rafe could manage, no doubt, but much more quickly than she’d ever seen her own body accomplish. The bite looked days old, maybe even a week—certainly not like it had happened less than twenty-four hours ago. Shivering, Katie lowered her pants leg and lay back. She stared at the ceiling while she tried not to dwell on memories of her attack, but rather thoughts of her rescuer.

The shower came on in the bathroom and she shivered, all too aware that Rafe was naked on the other side of the wall. Naked and…wet. And no doubt rock hard. Katie exhaled and rolled onto her side, bringing her knees to her chest in an effort to distract herself from the stunning arousal she felt lying in Rafe’s bed, surrounded by his scent, listening to him soap his naked body. She tried to think of other things—the pile of work that was no doubt waiting for her back at home, the murderous thugs lurking around outside at that very moment—but her mind kept going back to Rafe. The way he’d slipped his hand into her panties. How he’d felt inside her last night and this morning.

“This is crazy,” Katie murmured to herself. No sooner had the words left her mouth than a delicious wave of ecstasy rolled through her belly and settled squarely between her legs. She moaned in surprise and squeezed her thighs tightly together. “Shit.” Another wave of pleasure, this one nearly kicking off a bona fide orgasm. Katie closed her eyes and took calm, measured breaths.
 

This was
really
crazy.

A low, muffled groan from the bathroom confirmed the source of her surreal ecstasy. With her eyes shut, she was able to focus on the sound of Rafe—and more importantly, the
feel
of him. Even without seeing him, she knew he was jerking off. Of course he was. It was the smart thing to do, during this rare moment apart. And it was probably necessary for his continued sanity as dusk approached. Except—

Katie moaned quietly as breathtaking pressure built in her womb. Unable to keep still, she rolled onto her back and stared at the pattern of the wood grain on the ceiling, biting her lip as the shared sensation with Rafe grew more intense. She was certain he was going to make her climax without even touching her, which was absolutely amazing—and exciting. Yet she wanted to rub her clit so badly she ached.

She succumbed to the urge almost immediately. Unbuttoning her jeans with shaking hands, she plunged the right one into her panties as soon as she had access. Pure relief spread throughout her body, but her muscles remained tense and her breathing only grew more labored. She glided her fingertips through her slick arousal, shuddering at the overwhelming sense of satisfaction that the caress brought. A quiet moan escaped her lips, and Rafe answered it through the wall.

Could he feel her pleasure, like she felt his? She hoped so. Eager to enhance his masturbation session—and hers—she moved her fingers down to tease at her opening. The contact felt so good that her hips lifted on instinct to allow her fingertips to slide inside. She groaned quietly, then grinned at a grunt from the next room. That was a good sign. Pressing in deeper, she lay the palm of her hand over her sex and rubbed herself sensuously.

“
Fuck
.” Rafe gave a muffled shout. Then he let loose a snarl that raised the hair on the back of her neck and caused her pussy to contract, hard, sending her over the edge once again.

Unable to cope with any more stimulation, Katie pulled her hand from her panties and rolled onto her side. She curled into the fetal position and closed her eyes, riding out her climax in desperate silence. One moan at the wrong second and Rafe could be here and inside of her before she could summon the strength to say no.
 

Finally the pleasure ebbed and she could breathe again. The water turned off in the bathroom, signaling that Rafe was also finished. She didn’t know how long it might take him to get dressed, but she was certain that she didn’t want to be in this state when he returned to the bedroom. She sat up with effort, wiping her hand on her panties—like that would disguise her scent—then fumbling to fasten her jeans. She spent the next two minutes schooling her breathing and trying to think about happy memories of home. About anything but Rafe.

He returned to the bedroom wearing no shirt and a clean pair of sweatpants. Clearly embarrassed about his state of undress, he barely met her eyes and rumbled, “Closer we get to dark, less I can stand wearing them.”

“Them?”

“Clothes.” He gestured down at the pants, which failed to hide his unflagging hard-on. “I’ll keep these on. I just can’t tolerate the shirt anymore.”

“That’s fine. I’ll control myself.” Katie admired his broad chest, trying not to react to the sight of so much skin. She remained sitting on his bed, not trusting her legs to support her.
 

Rafe’s nostrils flared and he visibly fought not to come any closer. She knew without him saying that he was aware of exactly what had happened in his bed. “Why don’t you wash up and then we can talk?” His gaze moved over her body, then the mattress. “In the den.”

He was waiting for her on the couch when she returned to the den, two glasses of water and two sandwiches on the coffee table in front of him. He didn’t look up at her as she entered the room, too busy staring at his sandwich like he wanted to devour it in one bite. Surprised that he’d bothered to wait for her, she said, “Go ahead and eat.”