Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Her lips parted as she tried to suck in air. A whimper escaped her, or was that a sigh? Fuck if she knew. Her body was on fire. Lucy moved slightly, nuzzling his nose with hers, their breath mingling.
“Just a kiss,” she murmured, and he nodded, dipping his head, and pressing his mouth so softly against hers it barely registered at first.
She pushed her tongue into his mouth, needing more, and he gave it. Damn, did he give it. The man was a god at kissing. His teeth nipped, tongue stroked, and lips brushed against hers until she could no longer think clearly.
Derrick grunted and lifted her up. Lucy whimpered, wrapping her legs around him like some crazy, clingy octopus. Her heated core rubbed over his bulging jeans, stroking her needy clit just right.
It wasn’t enough, though, not nearly. Lucy could have cried, she wanted him so much. The scent of her desire grew thick and heavy, and Derrick flared his nostrils. His chest vibrated with a slow, deep growl that seemed to shoot waves of lust straight to her sex.
“You got me so damn crazy, woman,” he growled, kissing her deeper as he pulled her tighter against him.
He felt so good between her thighs. She moaned and allowed him to move her just so. Every brush and stroke had her Cat closer to the edge. The man was so damn strong, holding her with no effort at all. Every pant and groan made it harder for her to think. She’d almost forgotten why they were in his office to begin with.
“Do you know why I wanted you to get changed now?”
“No,” she murmured, chasing his mouth for more kisses, but beast that he was, he denied her.
Fucker.
“It’s cause I’m a possessive asshole, darlin’. These curves,” he growled, cupping her ass with one hand, and reaching for her tit with the other, “are mine. The idea of dozens of eyes on you has my Wolf tearing at my insides. I’m greedy and I don’t share, but you have nothing to hide or be ashamed of, woman.” He paused a beat and she let his words sink in.
Holy. Fuck.
He was breaking down walls with words. Destroying her armor and making a mess of her well-laid plans.
“Look at you. Fucking goddess. I want to rip those shorts off your body and bury my cock so deep inside you, you won’t know where you stop, and I start. I don’t want another fucking person to see you and be tempted to touch, cause I don’t know if I can stop my Wolf from going after someone tonight,” he continued.
“Derrick—”
“No, kitten, let me finish so you understand what kind of man I really am. I am protective of what is mine, and bite mark or not, you’re mine. It’s just a matter of time⁠—”
“Cocky bastard,” she butted in, but she was grinning.
“Yes, I am. And you, you are perfect. Every fucking inch of you is a thing of beauty. Now, I spoke too quick before, and I am sorry. A real man doesn’t tell his woman how to dress. He lifts her up and compliments her. Tells her how good she looks and how she makes him feel. Well, Lucy, you look better than anything I have ever seen, and you make me crazy with wanting you,” he confessed.
She was caught in the golden stare of his Wolf, and she wondered who was in control at that moment. Since he was still holding her, and she was not bent over his desk being claimed by his rutting beast, she figured the man was still in charge.
What Lucy could not figure out was whether or not that fact made her happy? Derrick’s control was immeasurable at this point. But did she want the big brute to keep it or to claim her already? Her she-Cat had already decided. The Bobcat-Mountain Lion Hybrid inside her knew what she wanted.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
“I make you crazy?” she asked.
“Fuck yeah, you do. Every delectable inch of you has me wanting to be inside you so damn bad I can’t think of anything else. Far as I am concerned, we’re mates, kitten. My Dire Wolf is jealous as hell, but I’m keeping him at bay. The fact you won’t let me claim you is making him feral. I almost attacked Weylin back there just for commenting about how you look in those fuck me shorts you got on and he’s been part of my Pack for five decades.”
“You guys are old as fuck,” she stated, and he barked out a laugh.
“Maybe, but I’ve never seen anything that compares to you, darlin’.”
She swallowed at his confession. Loved the power she felt having brought his animal so close to the surface, but at the same time her she-Cat longed to soothe him, insisted she tend to her mate.
Lucy ran her hands across his perfectly sculpted shoulders in the soft, black button-down he wore over a plain white t-shirt. He was so damn big. Big enough to make her feel positively small, even though she knew better. She totally loved it.
“You’re playing with fire, kitten. Keep petting me and I’m gonna take what you’re offering. I can’t help it. Want you so bad,” he said, eyes closed in an almost painful expression.
Lucy cupped his cheeks in her hands, offering him what they both wanted, and Derrick did not hesitate. He opened bright gold eyes and pinned her with his stare before dipping down to capture her lips in a soul-searing kiss. All Lucy could do was hold on and let it happen. His lips were soft yet firm, demanding but tender, and so damn hot she could have come just from having his mouth on hers.
Her she-Cat yowled inside her mind’s eye. The little beastie was happier than a pig in the mud because she finally had her mate in her grasp. Lucy purred and lapped at his lips, sighing when he opened for her and tangled his expert tongue with hers.
He was all spice and heat. His flavor unique. A mouth-watering, smoky combination of forest and peppery fire. She couldn’t get enough of him.
Lucy growled and nipped his lip, delighted by the way he tightened his hold on her ass and face. His claws extended, and she felt them pierce through her tiny jean shorts, but he didn’t break the skin there.
Not yet.
The hint of pain made her she-Cat hiss and growl in pleasurable anticipation. The feline wanted her mate to mark her, to claim her, here and now, but Lucy was not ready for that. Not yet. Her stomach clenched and pussy throbbed.
Dammit. Her heat was coming, and fast. But not tonight. It was close, the mating fever almost had her, but not quite yet. She had some time left, time to get to know him. Things were moving at light speed, but that was the way for Shifters. She knew that even if she did not understand it.
Lucy had a decision to make. One that would change her life forever. Derrick’s gruff voice interrupted her thoughts as his lips left hers and skimmed her jawline and neck. It felt good, so good, when he nibbled her there.
Just like that.
“Will you wear something of mine? Something to carry my scent. My shirt? My watch? Fuck,” he growled, moving back to her mouth and shaking her from her sweet, lust-filled thoughts.
“Will it help?”
“I think so. I can’t promise I won’t go after the next fucking person who sees you like this tonight without you wearing my mark,” he told her, and she heard the truth in his words.
His voice dripped sex and power, a heady combination Lucy found irresistible. She knew he was talking about hurting someone for looking at her, and were she a regular old human, that might have made her nervous. But Lucy was a Shifter. She found his possessive attitude as sexy as she did exasperating.
Shifters were notoriously territorial. She might not have accepted his claim verbally, but they both knew it was a matter of time. She bit her lip and looked at his glowing gold eyes.
“You want me?”
“You know I do,” he replied.
“You really want me?”
“Fuck, yes, woman,” his voice sounded rough, full of his Dire Wolf.
“Then you’re gonna have to prove it, Fido,” she said, licking her lips as she slid down his body till her boots hit the floor.
“How?”
“You might be the Alpha, but if I’m your mate, that means I’m one, too. Your Alpha fem. Is that right?”
“Yes. Mine,” he grunted.
“Then you’re going to have to trust me. Let me live my life, Derrick Rand, Dire Wolf Alpha. Back off and believe me when I say that I can take care of myself.”
“It’s not an easy ask⁠—”
“I know. That’s why it will prove you’re the kind of man I can be mated to,” she said. “I want a partner, not an owner. I want a man who appreciates me and makes the effort to understand me.”
“I’m the only man for you, Lucy Corwyn,” he clarified.
“Good. Now, you just have to prove it,” she told him and winked before walking out of his office.
If this thing had any chance of working, then Lucy needed him to know she would not be bossed around. She had to be his equal. Sure, it was tempting as hell to just bend over and let him claim her, but she’d witnessed firsthand what happened when sex was used to manipulate a person. Lucy would not fall prey to her own desires.
She wanted Derrick more than she wanted air, but Lucy wanted this to last. She had one shot at making a life with him as his mate, and she was going to fight damn hard to make sure they made it.
She demanded respect. Needed independence. Craved companionship. Wanted to be wanted. And then there was love. She’d never believed in it before, but something about Derrick Rand had Lucy hoping for that one particular miracle.
Mates were supposed to be for life, and Lucy was not about to settle for anything less, regardless of what life had taught her.
Meow.
At least her she-Cat agreed.