Freedom in the Smokies Read online

  “Not the human kind.”

  She tried to concentrate on the conversation. “Another wolf?”

  “God, how I wish you didn’t have to hear this. But no. There are…others.”

  “Other what?”

  “Other supernatural beings. Can we leave it at that?”

  “Fuck no. We can’t leave it at that.” Did he really think she’d agree to drop the subject?

  Micah stared at the floor. He inhaled deeply several times. Suddenly he grabbed her thigh.

  Kaitlyn jerked as the heat of his touch shot through her. Warmth spread into the space between her thighs. She couldn’t avoid his touch and if truth be told, she really didn’t want to. She was well and truly trapped by fate.

  “God. Son of a…” He released her and stared at his palm as though she’d burned him.

  When his gaze returned to hers, she held her breath. Talk about predators. Micah Durham was stalking her with his eyes. He looked as if he wanted to devour her, and unfortunately, she suspected she would like it.

  “Our connection is strong. You smell so goddamn good.” He paused before he said, “Please tell me to get out. Tell me you’ll pack up and leave right this minute and never look back. I can’t stand the idea of you being in danger. It grips my chest and squeezes the air out of my lungs.”

  God, she wanted to comply. Intellectually, she wanted to run from the room, leave her stuff, jump in her car and drive away like a bat out of hell. But she couldn’t. “I…I…I can’t.”

  She touched his cheek with a shaky hand. A charge went up her arm and into her torso, as though she’d plugged herself into an outlet. The connection lit her up inside. She wanted more. She wanted him inside her, on her, surrounding her. Even though she was human, his mating hormones drove her to lean toward him. She trembled. Too many clothes. Her skin crawled from the contact of her shirt, her jeans, her bra…

  Whatever doubts she’d had, whatever reservations she’d held about men for her entire life, flew out the window. They didn’t apply to this man. “I can’t leave. Not now.”

  Micah brushed his face over her hand. “Crazy woman,” he whispered. He turned until his lips seared her palm. “Are you always going to be this stubborn?”

  “Undoubtedly.” She smiled and uncurled her legs to scoot closer to him. “If you were hoping for someone passive, you’re out of luck.”

  She thought he’d laugh at her attempt at humor, but instead he looked her in the eye. “We’ll see about that.” The next second his mouth was on hers. How had she lived without this? Without him?

  Oh hell. The electrical connection switched voltage from 120 to 240 in two seconds. When their lips connected, every cell in Kaitlyn’s body came alive.

  She grabbed Micah’s face with her other hand and held him to her as though he might escape if she didn’t attach herself to him. Micah wrapped one arm around her and tugged her closer until she barely sat on the edge of the window seat. He remained on his knees and squeezed himself between her legs.

  Kaitlyn moaned into his kiss. It instantly went from gentle to steamy. When he tipped his head to one side and licked the slit between her lips, she opened to him, dying to know his taste and explore him.

  Someone moaned. Kaitlyn opened her eyes when the silence broke. Had it been her voice she heard? Oh God.

  Her body trembled under Micah’s touch. With a final lick, he broke the kiss and nibbled his way to her ear. “Wow,” he whispered. “That’s…powerful.”

  Kaitlyn tilted her head, giving him more space. Even though he was tucked between her spread legs and their torsos were smashed against each other, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. And that frightened her.

  The feelings coursing through her were overwhelming. The intense need to let him claim her scrambled her brain and scattered all the cells in different directions.

  Kaitlyn gripped his shoulders and squeezed. The pressure might help ground her. Something tangible amidst the crazy.

  “Kait…” Micah licked a line down her neck until he reached her shirt. “If this is too much…” He gripped her biceps now, held her steady while his lips tortured her neckline. “If you need me to stop…”

  She ignored his feeble attempts at being a gentleman. Neither of them could stop this avalanche from spreading down the mountain any more than they could voluntarily stop breathing. Although she wasn’t sure when she had last taken a gasp of air into her lungs.

  “Is it always like this?” Her voice was husky, and didn’t sound like her own.

  “What, baby?” He pulled back a few inches and gazed into her eyes. “Sex?” He shook his head. “No. This is a mate thing. And it’s…wow…”

  Kaitlyn giggled. “Wow? Best you can come up with?”

  Micah didn’t laugh. He leaned his forehead against hers, bringing their eyes closer. “Kait? Are you a virgin?” He inhaled long and slow waiting for her answer.

  Kaitlyn paused. “Does it matter?”

  He shook his head. “Not a bit. But I want to take things slow…er than my body is demanding if this is your first time. You seem a bit timid and…I want to make it special for you.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “So if I’m not a virgin, your intention is to strip me and fuck me fast? And if I am, you’re going to take seven extra seconds?” She was teasing him now and couldn’t keep the grin from spreading across her face.

  Micah bristled before he saw her face. “Imp.”

  “How about if you treat me like you intend to forever, so I’ll know what to expect in general?” Now she had to bite her lip to keep from chuckling. Although part of her was serious. She didn’t relish the idea of letting him know that was her first kiss, let alone the fact that no man had ever touched her the way he had already.

  Am I embarrassed? A twenty-two-year-old woman with no sexual experience? Or am I so horny right now I want him to fuck me as fast as possible?

  He narrowed his gaze at her and kissed her gently on the lips. “Tell me. It matters to me,” he murmured.

  Kaitlyn nodded. Then she tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling. She was really going to do this. This…this…thing she never ever wanted to explore. And not only was she going to have sex, but she was going to keep doing it with this man who was already tipping her world upside down and dumping the contents out on the floor for all the world to see.

  Her soul felt bared. All her private thoughts and secrets that had never been shared with anyone were about to spew out by osmosis. She leveled her stare back on the man waiting for her to gain control. “You’ll be in my mind after, right?”

  “Yes. Do you have deep dark secrets?” He smiled.

  She furrowed her brow and nodded. “Some, yes.”

  Micah sobered. “Baby, whatever is in your past is just that, past. We’ll work through it together. Besides, the connection is more of a communication thing. It’s not as though I will suddenly be privy to everything you’ve ever thought or done. Only the current things you project my way. And even that you’ll learn to block, when you want.”

  That sounded better than what she’d assumed from conversations with the wolves on her farm.

  With his brow furrowed, Micah stared into her eyes. “If you understand about mating, you must realize this is a forever sort of thing. Once I claim you, it can’t be undone. At least not without both of us suffering miserably. I’m yours, you’re mine. That’s kind of the way it goes. Don’t make this decision lightly.”

  Kaitlyn inhaled slowly. She shook her head to clear it. She’d never done anything this rash in her life. Where had her senses gone? Logically, she knew she should walk away. But her heart and soul told her she belonged right here with Micah, even if it was the craziest decision she’d ever make. “Won’t we both suffer if we don’t mate?”

  “Yes, but I don’t want you going into this thinking it’ll be just the same after. It won’t. My brothers have assured me of that. After the claiming, being apart would be unbearable.”

  “I see.”
She did. And yet, Micah looked at her with such gentle eyes. He didn’t move. His patience filled her with courage. She knew beyond doubt even though she knew very little about Micah and had spent only a handful of minutes with him, she would never meet anyone in her life who could compare. It felt more right than any choice she’d ever belabored. He wanted her. His protective arms wrapped around her in a way that made her feel safe, cared for.

  Could she do this? Be someone’s everything? What if she sucked at relationships like everyone she knew in her family? She’d had only dysfunctional examples in her life.

  She could start fresh. She didn’t have to be like her mother or her grandmother. She could break that chain right now. “I’m not leaving.”

  A grin spread across Micah’s face. “You’re more courageous than I thought.”

  “Don’t forget that.”

  “You know I’d lay down my life for you, right? That’s the power of the mating.”

  She nodded. It shouldn’t make sense, but it did. He was sincere. This was for life.

  Micah stood and took her hand. “Come.”

  Kaitlyn obeyed, allowing him to tug her across the room toward her bed. When he reached the edge he stopped and she ran into the back of him. “On second thought…” he turned toward her, “…my bed is bigger and you’re never sleeping in this room again, so…” He pulled her again and headed for the door.

  She glanced around at the room she’d occupied for all of one night and barely more than a day. Somehow, the act of walking out that door and down the hall was monumental to her. Definitive. A decision she hadn’t expected to ever make.

  As they slipped into the hall, Micah flipped the switch inside her room, leaving them in darkness. She could hear noises coming from the living area. Laughter. She shivered. It dawned on her that they knew. They all did. They had to. “Everyone…?” she muttered in the silence of the dark hall.

  “They know. It’s not as though I could keep this to myself. I had a full tantrum earlier when I realized you were my mate.” He guided her to the next door and into his room. A faint glow from his adjoining bath was the only light. As she glanced around, she took in his world, his signature. He was a fan of black. Black leather chairs and a love seat in his sitting area. Black comforter tossed haphazardly across his king-sized bed. The wood of his furniture was a dark mahogany.

  She jumped as the door snapped shut. She turned around to face him as he stepped closer. “Are you going to lock that?” She bit her lip…again. It was starting to smart.

  “No one would dare venture down this hall tonight, but if it makes you feel better…” He reached behind him and turned the lock.

  That final noise sealed her fate.

  Chapter Five

  Micah took her lips, his hand gentle on her shoulders as he pressed her to walk backward. The kiss deepened, as it had earlier. In seconds, all she knew was his taste. The mint of his toothpaste overshadowed his personal flavor.

  When the back of her legs hit the bed, she stiffened involuntarily.

  “Relax,” he muttered against her mouth. “I’m not going to maul you. At least not this time.” His voice calmed her racing heart while his hands soothed her, stroking her back.

  She swallowed. “The problem is…I think I want you to maul me.”

  He chuckled. “One thing at a time. I intend to make you want to be mauled without a doubt, baby.” He reached under the back of her T-shirt and flattened his hands on her bare skin.

  The heat penetrated her body, his palms on her lower back making her arch into him. The gentle pressure of his fingers pushed her stomach against his erection. She tipped her head back to see his face better. He was several inches taller than her. He wasn’t laughing anymore.

  The hands on her back inched upward, gathering her shirt with them as she gazed into his eyes. The cooler air of the room hit her torso and gave her a chill. Goose bumps rose over her skin as Micah grabbed the T-shirt and tugged it over her head.

  He smoothed his hands down her shoulders, across her collarbone, and then danced them over the lace of her bra. The material was so thin, she could feel his warmth. The delicate lace abraded her nipples as they pebbled and pushed against the tight confines.

  Micah didn’t let his gaze leave hers as he trailed a path across her chest and around to her back. With expert fingers, he popped the clasp on her bra, brushed it off her shoulders and tossed it to one side.

  Now, he leaned her back a few inches and lowered his gaze. He moaned. That had to be a good thing.

  Kaitlyn could hear herself breathing heavily, as though she’d run into the room. She couldn’t move.

  “Kait… You’re so gorgeous, baby.” He wrapped his palms around her breasts and lightly flicked his thumbs over her nipples. “Your skin is so smooth…”

  She flushed, knowing her nerves would create a telltale red splotchy design across her skin.

  When he dropped to his knees in front of her and sucked a nipple into his mouth, she grabbed the mattress behind her and squeezed. “Oh God,” she moaned, her mouth hanging open.

  His lips were exquisite. Her breasts ached, the tips reaching for him as he switched from one to the other. With his hands, he kneaded them as he sucked. His tongue flicked over her nipples until she writhed against the mattress.

  Each time he switched to the other breast, the abandoned one tightened further as cool air blew across the wet tip.

  While Micah continued to lick and kiss across her chest, his hands lowered to her pants. She barely noticed until he popped the button of her jeans and eased the zipper down. In moments, he pushed the denim over her hips and pulled her jeans over each foot without stopping the assault on her chest.

  Now she wore only her skimpy lace panties. The cool air of the room sent goose bumps over her body. Or maybe it was her nerves.

  Micah released her nipple, stood and lifted her under the shoulders to set her on the bed. He glided his fingers down her body, over her chest and across her abdomen, until he reached the elastic of her panties.

  “So sexy.” His voice was barely audible. “The white makes your pale skin look darker.”

  When he set a knee between her legs and climbed onto the bed, she scampered backward. He needs room, right? Or are you trying to escape his gaze, his hands, his mouth?

  Kaitlyn lay back against the sheets as Micah tugged the comforter out from under her. Silk. Cool against her burning skin.

  He didn’t give her time to consider anything. Which was probably for the best. If she overanalyzed, she’d be freaked out. Instead, he pulled her panties off and brushed them aside.

  “Spread your legs, baby. I want to see you. All of you.” His voice was firm, but soft.

  Kaitlyn let her knees fall open. “I’m underdressed here.”

  Micah glanced down and smiled. He whipped his T-shirt over his head and it fluttered away. “Is that better?”

  The field wasn’t even, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to take off his jeans. She wanted to see what lie beneath but feared it at the same time.

  His gaze returned to her spread legs, a renewed flush covering her body as he leaned into the V of her thighs. She braced her feet against the mattress, an attempt to keep her legs from shaking under his perusal.

  A war blazed inside her mind. Two sides fought for control of her physical body: anxiety over the unknown battling the need to be consumed by this man who was about to claim her.

  Micah took a long deep inhale, luxuriating in the scent of his mate. It took a strength he hadn’t known he was capable of to keep from yanking off his jeans and slamming into her moist heat.

  She’s a virgin. Give her time to adjust. And, Lord, he wanted to enjoy this first time. More importantly, he wanted Kait to enjoy it. He wanted her to writhe and squirm until she couldn’t breathe and the only sound in the room was her screaming his name as she came.

  And he intended to coax several orgasms from her body before he took her. The more she came, the more r
elaxed she would get, and the easier it would be to accommodate his girth.

  He wasn’t small. He knew that. He’d seen other men. And she was tiny compared to him.

  Micah settled deliberately between her legs and grasped her thighs with his hands, spreading her wider until she gasped.

  Her elbows went out from under her and she flattened onto the sheet.

  God, she smells fantastic. Her musk filled his nostrils as he lowered his face toward her pussy. He couldn’t wait another second to taste her.

  With the first pass of his tongue across her clit, she arched off the bed. She moaned—loud—and twisted her head to one side.

  Micah gripped her thighs at the top and held her down while he took a second lick across her swollen nub.

  His mate panted. “Micah…” Her head swiveled to the other side. Did she think she could hide her face?

  Her hands gripped the sheet.

  Micah lowered his gaze to her pussy again. Her clit poked out of its hood, the pink nub swollen and begging for more beneath the dark curls. She was so innocent. So pure. Untouched. It humbled him.

  He glanced lower. Her sex glistened with moisture. He blew against the wetness and then dragged his tongue through the slit at her entrance. Even that was tight. His cock strained against the zipper of his jeans and he pressed himself firmly into the mattress to arrest the impending orgasm. He was going to come without her sweet fingers even wrapping around his length. Hell, with his pants on.

  Micah pressed his tongue into her pussy and sucked. He couldn’t take another moment without devouring her. He needed her taste filling his mouth. Honey. Spicy sweet.

  “Oh…my…God. Micah.” Her voice squeaked and she squirmed to get out of his grip. He held firm, sucking around her entrance while fucking her with his tongue.

  Fuck, she’s tight. Tighter than he could have imagined. Her pussy gripped his tongue as though unwilling to release him.

  He flung one arm over her stomach to get a firmer grip on her. His chest held one leg, his free hand the other, as wide as he could hold her. When he released her pussy and sucked her clit into his mouth, she screamed. Her body tightened. The second his teeth grazed the little nub, she shattered.