Lily's Loner Read online

  Max tangles his hands into my hair and groans as I move my mouth up and down his hard shaft. “Oh baby”, he moans, letting his head drop to the back of the couch giving me a view of his strong throat.

  I work him in and out of my greedy mouth, until he begins to groan somewhere deep in his chest. His hips start to rise up and down on the seat cushion in rhythm to my movements.

  “I need to be inside you when I come. I need to bury myself inside you and feel you come around me. That’s enough. Get on all fours,” he orders.

  I am only too happy to comply. I feel him as he maneuvers himself between my legs and my heart pounds with anticipation of what is to come. “Stick that sweet ass out for me.” Max nips at my ass cheeks before lapping at my opening from behind. My knees almost buckle from the sheer pleasure of his touch. He spreads me and flicks his tongue at my clit, until I’m whimpering from need.

  “Please, Max.”

  “Please what, baby?” he growls near my ear. “Say it. Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you inside of me … now.”

  “Whatever my mate wants, she gets.” He guides his cock inside of me gently, no doubt being mindful of the fact I am a little sore still from our lovemaking earlier. Inch by inch he slides inside of my heated wetness. The combination of pain and pleasure is the most delicious sensation I have ever felt. Slowly he allows my body time to adjust to his size, before he grips my hips and begins to pump in and out at a steady pace.

  I don’t want him gentle. I want him to give it all to me. “Faster, fuck me faster, Max,” I beg, pushing my ass back towards him at every pump. I want him deeper inside of me, balls deep. I want him to touch that place inside of me that no one has ever touched. I want him until it hurts, until the pain turns to pleasure. Until I can no longer tell where I stop and he begins.

  I glance back at him over my shoulder. Max’s face is a thing of manly beauty, wrought with concentration. A heavy sheen of perspiration glosses his face and chest, and still he pumps. I’m amazed at how deep he is inside of me, yet I’m wanting more, needing more. I’m also amazed at how quickly he has become part of my life. I can’t picture myself without him. My future is now clear, and its name is Max.

  I cry out when my pussy constricts in on him to the point of almost being painful and lights flash behind my eyes. I feel his load burst and bounce against my inner walls. He comes inside of me so hard, and the two of us collapse on the rug.

  Max quickly pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead. “Lily, are you okay?”

  I look up and smile as I curl up on my side, my head on his massive bicep. “Yes, that was amazing, but you still owe me ice cream.”

  ****

  Max

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” I grumble as my jeep bounces down the mountain road.

  Lily smiles and reaches over and squeezes my thigh. “I can’t believe you’ve never made a two AM ice cream run before. I mean what are you, like thirty?”

  Getting lost inside of Lily is my new favorite thing. After tasting her, ice cream has no appeal to me. How quickly she has turned me from a loner, almost feral cat into a domesticated one who just wants to be home with her. Hell, I just want to be lost inside of her, bringing her pleasure and taking my own from her beautiful body.

  Secretly I know I would do whatever the hell she wants me to do, or maybe it isn’t really a secret. Women have a way of knowing that shit and using it against you. Like right now, when she is sinking her claws into my leg just a mere heartbeat away from my quickly hardening dick. Not that I really care. I will give her whatever she wants, when she wants it. Seeing her smile is worth the world to me.

  “Unless you want this thirty-two year old to stop this damn jeep in the middle of the road and take your sweet little ass again, in the fucking back seat of this jeep, I would watch where you are squeezing, babe.”

  She laughs, and it is a sound that causes my heart to skip a beat. Instead of stopping, though, she continues to rub my thigh making it almost impossible for me to keep my foot on the gas and my mind on the road. Closer and closer to my cock she is coming, and it has grown so hard it just may split my damn jeans.

  “That’s it! I’m stopping.” I do, mashing the brake and coming to a jerking, sliding stop in the middle of the narrow, country road.

  Lily snatches her hand off my thigh and laughs louder, shaking her head at me. “Nope, you promised me ice cream, mister, and I want it. I’ll be good and keep my hands to myself.” She coyly looks at me from underneath her lashes. She can look sweet and innocent when she wants to, but I know the passionate cat underneath that innocence and I know I’m one lucky man. The day will come when I will have to answer to Ben for mating with his sister when I was supposed to be protecting her, but I will deal with that when it happens. She is mine, and not even her brother can take her from me. All I want to do is protect her. That need is burning through my every thought. I am still getting the feeling there is something she isn’t telling me.

  I can wait. Patience is a virtue that has always served me well.

  She shoots me another sweet look, and I almost lose my load then and there. Damn! I sigh because I’m smart enough to know when I’ve been beat. I hit the gas, and we are moving once again. I need to keep my mind on the task at hand and off the temptress sitting beside me.

  “This town only has a couple of places open twenty-four hours, and neither one of them are ice cream parlors. We’ll just have to run into a grocery store and get a gallon or two. We get in and out quickly. Pull your hair up, keep your head down, wear the hat I gave you, and stay next to me.”

  Lily salutes smartly. “Yes, sir!”

  I frown. “I’m serious, Lily. No one can recognize you. As a reporter, I’m sure you are aware that there are cameras everywhere.”

  Fuck, the girl doesn’t have a clue how unforgettable she is. Those damn green eyes and that long, golden hair are dead giveaways, even if her impossibly, long legs and tight ass don’t get noticed. Yeah, who the fuck am I trying to kid? Of course they would get noticed. I couldn’t exactly leave her at the cabin by herself though. Shit! I’m screwed either way.

  “I know, I will abide by your rules, and believe me, I am taking this very seriously.” Lily turns to look out the window and grows quiet. I am sad for a moment that it seems I have dampened her joy, but she needs to understand I’m in charge here. I have every intention of seeing she stays safe and we have a life together.

  I pull into a well-lit parking lot with only a handful of other vehicles nearby. I give the whole place a quick scan before I decide to pull to the side of the building where it’s a little darker and less likely to have a camera. I watch as Lily tucks her hair up and pulls on the baseball cap that I’ve given her.

  She still looks too fucking beautiful to not garner notice. I reach over and pull the hat down lower hiding her eyes. “Don’t forget, head down.”

  ****

  Lily

  “Got it,” I say, jumping from the jeep. Max comes around the vehicle, his eye hitting every shadow, every corner, and as he pulls me to his side, his arm wraps around my waist joining us. If he held on to me any tighter he would snap me in two. I, however, welcome his presence. Flint is near. I can both feel and smell his stench. I make a vow to tell Max everything when we get back to the cabin.

  Max doesn’t say anything, but he speeds us quickly into the brightly lit store. I need a moment to blink and catch my bearings, but he rushes us down the frozen food aisle and stops in front of the huge refrigerated section that holds the ice cream and popsicles.

  “Get whatever you want,” Max whispers in my ear.

  I step forward and peruse the selection. I love all ice cream, so picking just a couple is a little hard. I decide on four half gallon containers, one each of Rocky Road, Cherry Vanilla, Praline Pecan, and my all-time favorite, Cookies and Cream.

  “Are you sure four will be enough?” he asks, and I can hear the amusement in his voice. />
  “Well I don’t know. Are you planning on eating any?”

  “I told you, Kitten. The only aphrodisiac I need is you. Now let’s get back to the cabin, and I bet I can make you make your own sweet cream.”

  “Shh, Max, someone might hear you,” I gasp. To my further embarrassment I can feel my cheeks heat up and probably change to bright pink.

  We had noticed two obviously sleep deprived workers shuffle along like walking zombies, but the employees don’t even acknowledge us, so apparently Max isn’t too concerned. Teasing me until I blush and turn red like a lobster seems to have become one of his favorite pastimes.

  I glare my disapproval at him.

  He gives me a lopsided grin and pulls me in for a quick kiss before we head to a self-checkout line and quickly pay. An older man is watching us, but Max gives him a nod and hustles us back out the door.

  He pulls me even closer as we round the corner to the side of the building and the wind suddenly changes direction. Our cats smell it … wolf. Off to the side we can see two yellow glowing eyes. I know by the sudden stiffness of Max’s body that if I wasn’t with him he would shift and confront the wolf, but he is concerned with getting me to safety. I can feel it by the way he angles his body, trying to shield me from the danger. His arm tightens around me when my steps falter, and my breath catches, but he doesn’t miss a beat.

  “Get in the jeep.” He hurries me into the vehicle and slams the door, then jumps in the other side and starts the vehicle. We have barely pulled out of the parking lot when Max’s gaze quickly moves from the rearview mirror to the road ahead, and then to me. “Is there something you forgot to tell me, Kitten?”

  ****

  Max

  Of course I had smelled the wolf shifters earlier. The wolves had been nearby when we went for our run around the lake. Wolf and cougar shifters are natural enemies and always stay well away from each other’s territories. I was somewhat surprised that they would venture close enough that I could catch their scent. If Lily had noticed she had kept that knowledge to herself, but she was still young. Perhaps she didn’t have much experience with wolves or the trouble they could bring. I had just assumed the wolves were passing thorough, looking for new territory to mark as their own. Lily’s reaction to them changed that theory.

  We had come out of the store and the wind had blown our way and the scent had made Lily stumble. I had been holding on to her and had felt her heart rate speed up. I heard her gasp at the sharp, pungent smell. I trust my gut. It seldom ever fails me, and right now it was screaming that something was wrong and my mate knew more than she was telling.

  “Are they following us?” Lily sounds breathless and fearful.

  “They don’t need to follow us. They already know where we’re staying. I smelled them earlier outside the cabin.” I turn to her and frown. “Do you know why we have wolf shifters hanging around us, Kitten?”

  Lily nervously chews her bottom lip before answering, and then it all comes tumbling out in a rush of words. “It’s Flint and his two generals, Drake and Sirius. They’re all wolf shifters. That’s how they were able to control the cult, with fear and violence.” She shakes her head and turns pleading eyes to me. “I promise, I had no idea. I had never been around wolves so I didn’t recognize the scent. I knew something was different about them, different from other humans, but I didn’t know until the night I watched as the three of them shifted and ripped Jacob and Nora apart in a frenzy of blood and gore.”

  I take the right turn that takes us back up to the cabin. That’s where I will make my stand. I know the area. It is my home turf, and no humans are anywhere nearby. There would be no one to see or report the pending kills. “Why haven’t you said something before now? Why didn’t you tell Ben or me earlier? You had to know they would track your location by scent.”

  Lily’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Yes. I knew. It’s why I let Ben bring me here. It was important that I lead them away from Amber and the baby.” She sighs, and I can hear the regret in her voice. “Also I was ashamed. I know Ben is so disappointed in me. He’s disappointed that I put myself in a position of danger, and I didn’t want you to feel the same way.”

  “Did Ben say he was disappointed in you? Have I?”

  Lily shakes her head. “He doesn’t have to, and neither do you. Besides, if I had told Ben he would have immediately shifted and gone on the hunt for Flint. It was too dangerous, and then there’s Amber, and the situation with the baby. I was planning on telling you. I just thought I would have more time. I wanted us to get to know each other, trust one another. I realize we are mates. I wasn’t expecting that, Max. My head was just full of you … of us. I want to be with you. I was living in this fantasy. I wanted the situation with Flint to just go away. I thought I could hide, but yesterday I could feel Flint was near and I realized he would always be able to find me. He isn’t going to give up until he gets me back.”

  I scrub my hand down my face, and it’s a habit I barely realize I have until I have to adjust the eye patch. I take a deep breath and remind myself how young she is, and that she was only trying to protect her family. Something I would have done myself. “You may not have recognized his scent, but I can guarantee he knows yours. It would have been a huge feather in his cap to have a female cougar under his control.”

  “I’m sorry, Max. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid that you would send me away, but I’ll leave if you want me to. I know I’ve put you in terrible danger. The only way I will be safe is to kill him. I’m going to have to kill my husband.”

  I pull the jeep to a screeching stop in front of the cabin before turning to Lily. The cat in me wants to make sure that that bastard, Flint, never gets anywhere near her again. “You’re not going anywhere. Flint isn’t your husband, and he never will be. You’re not going to kill anyone. I’ll kill the son of a bitch myself.”

  “It’s three against two, Max. We can do this together.”

  “Not going to happen, Lily. Have you ever been in a fight? Killed something before?”

  She hesitates before answering, but I don’t need her to. I already know the answer. My heart tells me she is incapable of doing harm to anyone or anything. Lily is good and light and everything kind in the world. I am not. I have killed more than I care to remember. I have seen the ugly in man and beast, the dark and the evil, and part of that lived in me. I don’t want it anywhere near Lily.

  “No, but I’ve never had sex before until this evening and I think I learned that pretty quickly.”

  “You’re equating sex with fighting and killing?” If that is true I’ve definitely done something wrong. I stare at her in utter disbelief. “Just get in the cabin. Go, and go quickly. They know we are on to them now and they will be here soon.”

  We jump from the vehicle and head inside before Lily turns to me. I close and lock the cabin door.

  “Of course I don’t equate sex and killing. Don’t be silly. I’m just saying I’m a quick study. We can do this, Max. The two of us, we just have to stick together.”

  I have had enough. Just the thought of her in a fight terrifies me. I can’t stop myself as I grip her upper arms and stop just short of shaking some sense in her. I have to remind myself again, just how young she is, how innocent. Lily hasn’t seen the shit I have seen or done. Up to a few days ago she had known no violence in her life.

  “Make no mistake about what I’m saying. There is no we when it comes to this fight. You will keep your sweet ass in the cabin and let me deal with them. I promised Ben I would protect you, and I will. I don’t need any help. I need to know right now, is there anything else you’re keeping secret? Anything else I need to know, Lily?”

  Tears shimmer in her green eyes. “I’m afraid for you. Flint and his generals won’t fight fair, Max. They will gang up on you. You need me.”

  Hell yes, I need her. I need her to bring me from the dark hole I’ve been living in for the past few years. I need her in my life. I need her light and her
goodness… I need her safe. “I wouldn’t expect him to fight fair, but what he doesn’t know is … I never fight fair either. I fight to win. Trust me, Kitten. I’ve got this.” I push a strand of golden hair behind her ear. My fingers linger on the soft shell and the silky texture of her hair. Doesn’t she know? I will do whatever I had to do to keep her from harm and to insure our future together. She is mine. My life mate and no one can change that. Especially some whack job gray wolf who thinks he can take her from me. “I’m fighting for my mate, Kitten. There’s no way in hell Flint’s getting past me to get at you. Just know that.”

  Lily sighs and then visibly stiffens in my arms, before whispering, “That’s good to know, Max, because he’s here.”

  ****

  Lily

  Max steps out on the porch. Dawn is just starting to lighten the sky, but thunder can be heard rumbling in the distance. A storm is coming. Perfect.

  I look down at the car keys Max gave me. His instructions still ring in my head. “If things look like they are going their way and not mine, promise me that you won’t hesitate. Get in the damn jeep and get out of here. Get back to Ben or to the police, but don’t stay here. Promise me, Lily.”

  So I had promised him, but it’s a promise I won’t keep. If he needs help I will help. He can be mad at me later. I would rather he be mad than dead.

  As if he can read my thoughts he looks back over his shoulder at me. I’m standing in the doorway. I pray he can feel my love. “Max,” I mouth.

  He gives me a reassuring smile before turning back toward the tree line. His yell catches me off guard, and I flinch. “Your stench is stinking up my property, dogs. Come forward and show yourselves.”

  There is a rustling, and two gray wolves step forward with a growl, Drake and Sirius. Flint, still in man form, stands between them. “I’ve come for my wife,” he calls out. “Send her out to me and you won’t be harmed. You have my word.”