Primal Law

Not just fingers, but claws. Stinging just a bit, but only adding to the wicked pleasure.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was surprised she didn’t object to his feral nature coming out during sex, and wasn’t afraid. Instead, his barely leashed wolf only turned her on even more, and she was shocked to realize she embraced them both as they fucked her into oblivion—Jax and his beast.

Beyond that, she couldn’t think. Her body was caught in a raging inferno only he could sate. Flesh slapped against flesh as he impaled her repeatedly, driving even harder when she made helpless whimpers. Almost there.

“B-bite me,” she begged. The words slipped out of their own volition, a reflection of the need she couldn’t acknowledge before. Almost as though she had no choice.

“God, baby. You don’t know how much I want that.”

Her orgasm exploded and she cried out, convulsing around his cock. He stiffened and followed her over the brink with a shout, pumping her full of cum. Emptying into her with such force, he was plastered to her back for several moments after.

Panting, she floated back to earth, the post-orgasmic haze leaving her boneless. And very unsure where they now stood.

“Why didn’t you bite me?” she asked quietly.

Kissing her shoulder, he pulled out and then turned her around, gathering her into his lap. “Because that would have mated us, and you weren’t ready.”

“How do you know? It felt like I was ready. It was all I needed at the time, so badly I couldn’t think straight.”

His eyes were a little sad when he replied. “Exactly. You feel so strongly about not giving in just because it’s nature, yet you were helpless to the pull of mating while we fucked. Think about it, baby. If I’d done what you asked in the heat of the moment, you would’ve hated me for taking advantage.”

“No, I wouldn’t have.”

“You would,” he insisted. “Has your opinion changed about mating before love, then?”

She stared at him with a sinking feeling in her gut. “No.”

“Then you would’ve hated the sight of me, and I might never have earned another chance to win your trust.”

Oh, God. He’s right. Face heating, she looked away and wished she could disappear.

“And there’s something else you should know.” He paused, obviously reluctant to continue as he took her chin, made her look at him. “If I bite you—hell, if any shifter does—there’s a very good chance you could become one of us. You need to decide if you can live with that before we mate. Because if we do, I have to bite you.”

Her mouth fell open. Of course there was a chance. Why hadn’t she thought of that possibility? She might become like him. A wolf.

“Jax, I—I—” Overwhelmed, she fumbled for a response that wouldn’t hurt him more than she had already. “I need time to think.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I understand, even if my wolf is howling like a banshee and threatening to claw his way right out of my skin, leaving me nothing but an empty husk.”

His attempt to joke made her feel worse. “I’m so sorry. I know you’re in pain and it’s all because of me.”

“No, angel,” he said softly. “It’s nobody’s fault. Let’s just take this as it comes and we’ll be fine.”

“You won’t be fine.” She touched his face. “You’re burning up, and it’s not just from having hot sex. I’m scared to death about what Dr. Mallory told me could happen to you. Is happening.”

He shook his head in dismissal. “Melina is overly cautious. That’s her job. Us shifters are tough and it’ll take more than a few raging hormones to bring me down. We’ve got plenty of time to decide what we want, and I don’t want you worrying about this anymore.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“Do your best, because I’m okay.” He kissed her nose.

“Promise you’ll tell me if it gets too bad?”

“Sure.”

He didn’t exactly say the words and she frowned, knowing he’d keep his misery to himself as long as possible. That he’d put her feelings before his own needs, no matter how much it hurt him, caused something warm and wonderful to expand in her chest.

“I’m glad you forgave me for what I said in the clinic,” she told him.

He winked. “Me, too. Got me laid, didn’t it?”

She dug her fingers into his ribs. “Smart-ass.”

Falling backward, he laughed, pulling her with him, and the tickle fight was on. She managed to get a few more digs in his ribs before he latched on to an ankle and tortured the sensitive bottom of one foot.

“Uncle!” she squealed. “You win!”

“I’m the boss. Say it!”

“Ahh! You’re the boss,” she gasped, trying in vain to wrench away her foot.

Mercifully, he released the appendage and helped her up. “The boss demands you shower with him.”

“Humph. I suppose you’ll want me to wash your back, too.”

“Of course. But I’ll do yours, too.” His voice promised more extracurricular fun than a simple shower.

The hunky wolf delivered, too, soaping certain crevices perhaps a tad more than necessary, making her laugh and shudder in delight by turns. She wasn’t laughing, however, when he guided her to brace herself on the tiles, his hardness rubbing the crack of her butt, declaring that they weren’t finished playing.

“Gotta have you again,” he murmured. “What you do to me . . .”

He made love to her there with the water cascading over them, nice and easy, with such gentle heat her eyes burned with unshed tears. Never had there been a connection like this with any other man. Never anything that felt so right. As though everything she’d been searching for had coalesced here, with this man, in this place filled with strange inhabitants.

He took them to the peak and they exploded together, him buried deep inside her, whispering endearments in her ear. She was so at peace, yet when he withdrew again without giving in to the need to claim her as his own, guilt pricked at her conscience.

Despite his insistence that he was fine, she couldn’t help but imagine what terrible price his patience might demand.

And whether she’d ever be able to reconcile the man as one with the beast without the fire of his touch blowing apart all reason.

“Jax?”

“Hmm?”

Kira trailed a finger over the broad expanse of his chest, hoping he didn’t close off when she pried. But she had to know more about the man at her side. “Tell me about Afghanistan. When you were changed.”

He went so still for a few moments, she wasn’t even sure he was breathing. When he finally began to speak, his voice was so low, bleeding with remembered pain, that she held him tighter.

“What’s to tell? We ventured into the mountains on a routine patrol, and encountered creatures out of our worst nightmares. Then some of us awoke to realize the lucky ones were dead, and the rest had to live with the fact that we’d become freaks at best, enemies of the human race at worst.”

She hugged him tight. “Obviously neither was true. You guys were put in the unique position of protecting the world from creatures most people don’t even know exist. Have you ever stopped to think about all the lives that would’ve been affected if you hadn’t been changed? How many would be lost by now?”

After a moment, he admitted, “It’s crossed my mind. But it’s hard to get that through my head when the personal cost has been so damned high. Call me selfish, but that’s how it is.”

“That’s not selfish, just human.” She cursed herself for her blunder. “You know what I mean.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, I do.”