Taming The Alpha - BBW Paranormal Romance (5 page)

Nikki
rose up on her knees, eyes level with Jax, her fingers reaching up to
touch his cheek, his lips, her pupils dilated, her dark eyes
searching his.

“
Make
me feel safe, Jax. Make me forget.”

Any
thoughts of resisting her, of not giving in to his own desires,
quickly left him. He reached for her, his hands on her torso, pulling
her against him.

Their
lips met, hers soft against his, as lush as the rest of her. He
traced his tongue briefly along her lower lip and she opened her
mouth to him instantly, her tongue meeting his fully, almost
aggressively.

He
worked his hands beneath her sweatshirt, momentarily surprised to
find something satiny and soft. But beneath that was skin, delicious
and warm, irresistible. His fingers brushed against the weight of her
breasts and something broke loose inside of Jax, a shiver rushing
through his body, his erection straining against his suddenly
too-tight jeans.

Nikki
broke away from their kiss, grabbing the hem of her shirt and
stripping it over her head, leaving her in the red camisole she’d
worn at the club. Once free of the shirt, her hair fell around her
shoulders in a wavy mass, a mix of deep chestnut and burnished
copper. Jax reached for a strand, running it through his fingers. It
was softer than anything he’d felt in a long time and a wave of
longing and desire washed over him. He wanted that mane spread across
his pillow, wanted to run his fingers through her hair.

He
realized she was looking at him, a small smile playing about her
lips.

“
There’s
more to me than just my hair, you know.”

Her
fingers were impatiently tugging his t-shirt up over his body, and he
lifted his arms, as her hands slid beneath the fabric, working the
shirt up his chest, letting her pull the shirt over his head. Her
hands were back on his body, seemingly everywhere on his skin,
fingers eagerly running over his nipples, down the flat plane of his
stomach, over the bulging front, beneath the edge of his jeans. A low
groan escaped his lips as she cupped him with her warm hand.

The
primal urge to mate was always strong with Jax and never more so than
at the cusp of the full moon. But more than just wanting to ravish
Nikki, another need began to surface, the need to connect with her on
a deeper level, connect to her in a way he’d never wanted to
with any woman before. She had opened up a part of him he thought
didn’t exist. And it scared him. To need something this badly,
was to allow it to control him, and lack of control was a weakness.

But
he gave in, pulled her hard against him. She grunted softly as their
bodies came together, her hands now on his chest, caught between
them. He claimed her mouth again, wanting to devour her, his hands
winding through her hair as he held her against him.

She
wiggled in his embrace, her hands moving down to work the button on
his jeans. His hands followed the curves of her body, down to the
flare of her hips, to the zipper on her jeans, easily tearing them
open. Gasping against his mouth, she rose up slightly as his fingers
worked beneath the waistband, and then down to cup her ass.

Suddenly
frustrated by the clothing between them, Jax broke the kiss, tipping
Nikki onto her back. She squealed in surprise, her eyes dancing with
desire as he grabbed her jeans, tugging them down over her hips, both
them and the satin panties sliding off her legs.

Jax
tossed them to the floor and he stood, impatiently pulling off his
own jeans. He looked down at Nikki, lying in his bed, her hair spread
out beneath her across the pillow, the red satin lingerie molding
sweetly to her body.

His
own body was thrumming with arousal, with the overwhelming obsession
to satisfy the animal needs of his body with hers. But beneath that
was the desire to claim her as his, make her want him as badly as he
needed her.

Jax
climbed onto the bed, Nikki already reaching for him. He was so
incredibly hard and she was very ready, her legs parting, her warm
thighs sliding up his hips, wrapping around his waist, and pulling
him down to her body.

He
barely had time to wonder if this was what he should be doing before
he was sliding against her, and then pushing into her, into the heat
and slickness she offered up to him.

She
cried out softly beneath him as he entered her, but met him fully,
her hips rolling up beneath him, accepting all of him completely. Her
soft cries became louder, sharper, his acute sense of hearing picking
up every nuance in her voice as he thrust into her.

Time
stood still for Jax. The movement of their bodies together, the
intense feeling of her surrounding him, drawing him further, almost
drove him out of control. Every thrust, every response from her
beneath him driving him crazy, pushing him closer to the edge, making
him want more of her, even as he took her.

And
she demanded as much from him as he took from her, her movements
matching his, her passion and arousal just as intense as he felt. Her
body was one continuous wave, crashing over him, pulling him deeper
into her, pulling him further out of control. He gave in, let her
sweep him along, finally letting go of any illusion of restraint he
thought he still had.

When
she came, it surprised him, both with the suddenness and the
intensity. She arched up sharply beneath him, her head thrown back,
her nails raking across his shoulders, brief sharp pain that only
added to his pleasure. He looked down at her, watching her face in
the throes of her release, feeling her twisting beneath him, the
contractions of her core so strong around him, pulsing waves that
fueled his own release.

He
was soon joining her, his growls mingled with hers, almost before he
realized he was coming. The heat that had built inside of him came
rushing to the surface, and he pressed Nikki hard into the bed as his
hips jerked and flexed, every muscle tensed, far beyond even his
control, as he spent himself inside of her.

As
the final waves of his orgasm faded, and his body began to relax, Jax
collapsed beside Nikki. Every sense was heightened, attuned to her.
He listened to her breathing, heard the beating of her heart,
matching the beat of his own heart. The rich fragrance of sex rose up
around them and he drew in a deep breath.

But
beneath that still was Nikki’s intoxicating scent. It had
changed, grown stronger, not just her scent alone now, but mingled
with his. The sun-kissed orange was still there, but spiked with
something sharper, spicier, spiked with his masculine blend. All of
that imprinted itself in his mind, on every cell, branded him.

He
pulled her against him, nuzzling her neck, losing himself in the soft
tangled mass of her hair. She turned toward him, curling her body
against his and they moved in a brief silent dance, fitting his
angles against her curves. And when they were still, it was a perfect
fit. Nikki was asleep in minutes.

Jax
lay awake, watching the moonlight streaming in through the window,
outlining Nikki’s curves, casting deep shadows across her skin.
Tomorrow night was the full moon, but his body was already feeling
the moon’s insistent pull, all his senses heightened, his mind
more aware, the long-familiar ache in his muscles and bones
intensifying. He knew by this time tomorrow night, he’d be in
wolf form, would stay that way until the following sunrise. And he
knew Nikki couldn’t know what he was, not yet. Not if he wanted
to make her his mate.

And
lying in the moonlight, Jax had decided. She was the one for him, the
mate he’d been searching for. And in the moonlight he sighed,
knowing all the complications that came with that decision.

Nikki
woke alone in a strange bed, briefly disoriented. She lay still, her
eyes closed as memories of the night before came back. She shuddered
as she remembered a vivid image the man with the knife, holding it to
her throat, his cracked lips held in a grotesque smile. Then fuzzier
images of Jax, taking her away, taking her home with him. And then
she smiled and stretched. More memories came back, very clear
memories, of Jax, of him…them…in this bed. Of the
things he’d done to her. And what she’d done to him.

She
opened her eyes, looking around the room. It was surprisingly neat
and orderly, and clean, for a guy. It was actually neater than her
apartment.

The
bathroom door opened and Jax emerged, looking up in surprise,
catching her gaze.

“
Hey,
Nikki. Sorry if I woke you.”

She
watched as he walked across the room, all lean muscles and smooth
skin. His hair was military short, a thick wave of deepest raven
black. The sight of it against his skin made her heart skip a beat.
Plus, he was naked, in all his glory. Her heart recovered, beating
faster.

“
Come
here.” She held out her arms, wiggling her fingers. “You
didn’t wake me, but now that I’m awake…” The
sheet slipped down one shoulder and she let it fall, knowing exactly
how much of the curve of her breast it revealed, and what small
portion remained hidden.

He
hesitated, his eyes lowering for a split second and in that moment
she saw doubt…reluctance… and it pierced her to the
core. Not what she expected at all. She drew her arms back, pulling
the sheet up as he crossed the room, sliding into bed beside her. He
put his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. She let him,
but there was a distance between them this morning, something that
sure as hell hadn’t been there the night before.

“
I
should go…”

Jax
was nuzzling her neck, his hand moving over her breast. Somewhere
during the night the red camisole had come off and now he slid down
in the bed, leaving a trail of kisses along her neck, over her
shoulder and down the full curve of her breast.

“
You
should? Or you want to?” His voice was muffled against her skin
and he didn’t look up as he spoke. Maybe she’d read him
wrong, maybe he was just shy in the bright light of day.

“
I…don’t
want to. Do you want me to stay?”

He
lifted his head, his eyes heavy-lidded, the silver in them muted to
soft gray in the sun. “I want you…and I want you to
stay.” His lips found her breast again and she relaxed against
the pillow, giving herself over to Jax and the wonderful things he
was doing to her.

They
were wrapped in each other’s arms, the sheet a tangled mess
between them when Nikki heard the door open. She sat up in alarm,
looking over Jax’s shoulder at the man who filled the doorway.
Jax sat up abruptly, turning away from her, and Nikki tugged as much
of the sheet over her as she could.

“
Bec,
what the hell? Ever heard of knocking? Or of privacy?”

The
man in the doorway, Bec, folded his arms across his chest. Even
though he was shorter than Jax and built like a brick wall, Nikki
could see the resemblance. It was Jax’s face, beneath a shock
of blonde hair, ice blue eyes instead of silver.

“
I
didn’t know you were entertaining…or auditioning, if
that’s the case.”

Nikki
scowled, caught in the middle of something she really wanted no part
of. She slid to the edge of the bed, the sheet wrapped around her, as
the two men glared at each other. She bent down and retrieved her
sweatshirt and jeans from the floor.

Jax
had gotten off the bed, seemingly unconcerned he was naked, standing
in front of Bec, hands balled into fists that rested on his hips.

“
What
I do, brother, in the privacy of my room, is my business. Not yours.
Besides, I thought you’d left the…house.”

Bec
snorted. Nikki looked up, eyes moving between the two, as she pulled
up the zipper on her jeans. She’d seen enough bar fights to
know that when the tension got this thick, it was time to leave. And
there was no bouncer here to break this up.

“
Um,
Jax…” She was hopping on one foot, pulling on her shoe,
looking in vain for the other. He turned, surprise on his face, as if
he’d forgotten she was there.

“
Nikki…you
don’t need…”

But
she’d found her other shoe and was gathering her purse. “Yeah,
I think I do. I’ll see you at the club, yeah? I work tonight.”
She edged her way between the men, and then slipped out the door of
the bedroom.

The
house was huge and she hadn’t paid attention last night. There
seemed to be an endless number of rooms and halls, but no stairs.
Finally, she turned at the end of one hall and found the stairs,
almost running down them, her heart beating fast. She could hear
voices from Jax’s room, loud angry voices, and the sounds made
her cringe.

On
the street, she stopped to take a breath, trying to get her bearings.
This was a nice neighborhood, really nice, but she had no idea where
she was. The street was a quiet residential, large homes set back
from the street, but a few blocks down she saw traffic and she
turned, heading toward someplace where she hoped she could find a
cab.

*

“
I
thought I told you to leave.” Jax was pulling on his sweats,
torn between going after Nikki and dealing with Bec. But he could
hear Nikki’s fading footsteps, already down the stairs and then
the snick of the front door as she closed it. It would have been easy
to follow her scent, no matter how far she’d gone. It was
indelible now, seared into his senses.