9: When You’re Willing

HARPER

I was seething by the time I got to my room. I could feel my eyes darkening, my teeth sharpening, and a low growl rumbling in my chest. My wolf was furious that I had walked away from Sierra.

How much more denial could it take? To anyone else, this intense craving might seem strange, even ridiculous. But unless you’ve experienced the pull of a true mate, you can’t understand.

So, just shut up. I entered my room and pulled out my phone. I had a few texts from Axel and Grace, but nothing that needed an immediate response.

I set the phone down and pulled out a small device from my pocket, ensuring it was synced with my phone. It was a neutralizer for any potential spying equipment. I headed to the bathroom, kicking off my shoes and pulling off my shirt.

I decided to take a cold shower, hoping it would help with the painful arousal I was experiencing. But as I turned on the water, I changed my mind.

Why torture myself with cold water? I turned the water to warm and quickly stripped off the rest of my clothes before stepping into the glass and tile shower. I stood there for a moment, letting the water rinse over me.

I rested a hand on the wall, staring down at the floor. My mind was filled with thoughts, and Sierra’s scent was still lingering in my nostrils.

I reached down with my free hand, figuring it was better than nothing. But then I paused, thinking I heard a soft knock. I turned off the water and listened.

My eyes narrowed. If someone was trying to break into my room, they were going to regret it. It was the wrong night to mess with me.

They were about to face a very angry lycan. I grabbed a towel and listened again, frowning when I heard another knock. No, it couldn’t be.

I was certain she wouldn’t come. After what I said downstairs, I was sure she would follow her father’s orders. Sierra wasn’t feeling anything, even if she should.

I didn’t want a woman sent to me against her will. I wanted a mate, not a possession or a robot in my bed. I moved to the door, a towel wrapped around my waist.

I didn’t care if I was dressed or not. I had nothing to hide. Plus, it would be easier to shift if this was an enemy.

I unlocked the door and opened it, surprised to find Sierra standing there. Her gaze swept over me before she stepped forward with determination.

I stepped back, noticing her bodyguard leaning against the wall in the hallway, pointedly not looking at us. What was going on?

I was wary of the situation, but Sierra used my moment of hesitation to her advantage. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

There was a serious, determined look in her eyes that I hadn’t seen before. We were alone in a room together, and my wolf was thrilled at the prospect.

“I’m not here for them,” she said.

I was speechless as she began to push down the top of her dress. What was she doing?

But then I thought, who cares? If she was undressing, I was all for it. Chivalry was the last thing on my mind as I watched the straps of her dress slip off her shoulders.

“I want this for me. I want someone to want me. I want to feel someone who means what they say and doesn’t make me feel like an object or duty,” Sierra said.

Her dress pooled at her feet, leaving her naked. I was so aroused it was almost painful. It was like a fantasy come to life, like a pinup model stepping off the page and demanding you touch her.

I would have laughed if I wasn’t so stunned. She spoke with such confidence and emotion that I believed her.

“I want you to do what you said. Do things to me and make me like it, make me want it, Harper. I’ve never enjoyed this, but something about you makes me want to,” she said.

Hearing my name seemed to snap me out of my shock. Before I knew what I was doing, I had her pinned against the wall by the door. My hand was around her throat, gripping firmly but not painfully.

I was pressed against her, a low growl escaping from my throat. My wolf wouldn’t be toyed with. It wouldn’t tolerate lies or denial. It wanted what belonged to it.

But the rational part of me was still skeptical of her words. “If you’re lying to me, you’ll regret it. I don’t want a woman fulfilling a duty. Don’t lie to me, love. I don’t like liars,” I said, my lips brushing against hers.

Her unique scent was clouding my mind, and I could sense her arousal. I knew I wouldn’t let her leave the room, but I wanted her to know I meant what I said.

“I’m not here for duty. I don’t want to think, just do. Unless you’ve changed your mind,” she said softly.

But before she could finish her sentence, I crushed my mouth to hers. That was all I needed to hear. I ran my fingers through her hair, loosening it from its twist.

She made a small sound but kissed me back, relaxing into me. Abruptly, I yanked her away from the wall. I was eager to explore the soft curves of her body.

I could take her roughly against the wall later. I was determined to make her mine, to make her forget about any other man. I was going to learn every inch of her body, every secret spot.

She was here with me, and she wasn’t leaving until I said so. I nudged her back toward the bed. It wasn’t a forceful push, but it was enough to make her sit.

She looked up at me, then scooted farther onto the bed and lay back. I could feel the intensity of my gaze. As she started to lie back, I quickly grabbed her ankle, pulling her closer before she could get too far away.

“Hold on, sweetheart,” I said, still holding her ankle as I undid the strap of her heel.

She looked at me, a hint of confusion in her eyes. I could tell from the way she lay back, ready to spread her legs, that she was ready for me to take her.

I wanted nothing more than to climb on top of her, spread her legs, and lose myself in her. But I knew that would only satisfy me. Her actions, her words, they told me what she expected.

So I was going to make sure she got what she came for. If her past lovers had taught her to just lie there, I was going to show her something different. I was going to show her that pleasure is a two-way street.

“I’m going to take my time with you,” I said, holding her gaze as I let go of her ankle and reached for her other leg. I ran my hands down the smooth skin of her calf to her other ankle, undoing the strap there as well. She watched me, her gaze shifting between excitement and uncertainty.

She looked beautiful lying there, watching me. I watched as she reached up and let her hair fall from its twist.

“Do what? I thought you wanted to do this,” she said.

I raised an eyebrow at her, letting go of her other ankle. I placed one knee on the edge of the bed between her legs and leaned over her.

My left hand braced next to her head, while my right hand traced a path from her bottom lip, down her throat, and between her breasts. I paused to cup her breast, teasing her nipple into a hard bud. She was responsive, but a bit reserved.

I was going to change that. With me, she was going to learn to let go. She was going to learn what pleasure was, and how to demand it from her partner. She deserved it.

“If I just start fucking you, where’s the fun in that, love? I thought you wanted me to show you what I meant earlier. Don’t you want to know what it feels like to be worshipped, not used?” I said, my hand sliding lower down her stomach.

I could see her breathing quicken. Her gaze followed my hand as it moved between her legs.

“I want to discover all those secret spots that you probably don’t even know you have,” I told her, watching my hand move. My fingers slipped into her folds, rubbing gently to see where she would react.

She wasn’t as wet as I would have liked, but I could fix that. I could have her begging for it soon.

As I moved my fingers lower, applying a slow, teasing pressure, I paused when she gasped. Her legs tried to close around me, and she squirmed a bit when I did it again. I felt a wicked smile spread across my face.

It seemed like she had never experienced this kind of pleasure before, and I was excited to be the one to give it to her.

“Seems like a sweet spot to me,” I said, my voice deepening. I kept my thumb there, rubbing small circles, and she started to squirm.

“Harper, I…” Her head tipped back and she moaned as I continued to rub and push two fingers into her, curling them inside her.

Perfect. She was starting to let go. This was a lesson for her. If she wanted pleasure, she was going to learn who could give it to her. I felt her body respond to my touch.

But it wasn’t enough. Not for what I had planned for her. I moved down her body, replacing my thumb with my mouth, sucking on her sensitive spot while my fingers explored her further.

She made a deeper sound. I gripped her thigh with one hand, holding her still as I brought her closer to the edge.

SIERRA

When I decided to go to his room, I hesitated for a moment. But then I told myself no. I knew that if I didn’t take this risk, I would miss out on something I might never experience again.

Miguel had asked me where I was going. He seemed unsure.

I told him not to worry. I was making this decision for myself. He just shrugged and didn’t say anything else.

When Harper opened the door wearing nothing but a towel, fresh from the shower, wow. Without clothes, he was a sight to behold. I decided to just go for it, to ignore the societal norms that had been drilled into me.

He promised me pleasure, and I wanted that. I wanted to enjoy a moment of intimacy, no strings attached. It was liberating.

Harper was intimidating, to be honest. For a moment, when he had his hand around my throat, I wasn’t so sure about this. But it didn’t hurt, and the press of his body against mine stirred something within me.

The hardness I felt against my thigh was impressive. To be honest, my previous encounters with Kaven were pretty straightforward. I didn’t pleasure myself. I didn’t feel much arousal.

Why bother trying when you felt broken? But now, I felt it. That’s why I came here. Harper was on another level.

The moment he put his mouth on me, it was electric. Watching him remove the straps of my heels, standing there so confidently, his fingers gentle but firm on my skin, it was hot.

I felt a bit intimidated, a bit unsure. This was new to me. I had no experience with foreplay. So when my body reacted, when the heat between my legs turned into something more, it was a shock.

Whatever he was doing with his mouth and tongue was making me moan uncontrollably. My fingers dug into the sheets, my head thrown back as I climaxed.

Was this what an orgasm was supposed to feel like? I was grateful for this room, for this new sensation that was so much more than a dull throb in my body.

The pleasure between my legs intensified, becoming both unbearable and irresistible. My hips moved of their own accord, a hiss escaping my lips.

I felt the sharpness of my teeth, the overwhelming urge to bite him, to consume him. A soft whimper turned into a deep moan.

I reached for him, but he caught my wrists, pinning them above my head. He was stronger than I was, which was unusual. Werewolves and vampires were usually evenly matched, depending on age.

But he wasn’t a werewolf. He was a lycan. Like me, he was long-lived, and I didn’t know his age. He held me down effortlessly, and I found myself enjoying the sensation.

The feeling of being at his mercy, his eyes dark as he looked down at me, mine surely a deep red. Harper released my wrists and moved me further up the bed.

He knelt between my legs. My eyes dropped to his erection, and I caught my breath. He was larger than Kaven, but it was the thickness at his base that really took my breath away.

I remembered that certain males of his kind could knot their females. I felt a wave of apprehension, quickly followed by curiosity.

What would it feel like? Could I handle it? Would it be pleasurable or overwhelming? Did it always happen?

I looked back up at him. His head tilted in a predatory manner as he lowered himself over me. I felt a clenching sensation as he pressed against my entrance.

His body brushed against mine, some of his weight pressing down on me as he kissed me briefly before beginning to slide in. I gasped at the sensation.

This was what it felt like to be completely filled by someone, especially when you were aroused and ready. When your partner left no room to spare.

I would have thought it would hurt, like my first time or the times after, but the further he went in, the more I liked it. Needed it. It didn’t hurt at all.

Just a slight discomfort from the stretching, but it made me moan as he fully entered me, pressing his hips into mine. He made a satisfied sound, lifting his lips from mine but staying close, watching me as he moved slightly. My mouth opened a bit with the sensation of him rocking his body ever so slightly inside me.

As if he was going to take his time inside me, savor it. I felt like I was close to that edge again.

“Do you know, Seirra, how often I’ve thought about you in my bed? Just like this?” Harper asked, thrusting a bit harder into me.

His right hand moved to grip my thigh, positioning my leg over his arm. He raised it slightly as he began to move with more purposeful thrusts. His words confused me. Thought of me? Why?

“No,” I managed to gasp out, my voice higher pitched than usual.

He wasn’t pulling out of me completely, but far enough to push back in with a slow force. It felt incredible. I gripped him tighter, both with my hands and my core. He made a slight sound before his teeth grazed my neck, then his tongue.

That was a serious erogenous zone for me, being a vampire. The side of my neck was exposed to him as I turned my head. I had never exposed my neck to Kaven like this. So uncontrollably.

“Every night,” he growled into my ear as he suddenly slammed into me.

His lips grazed my ear. “Every fucking night.” He quickened his pace.

“It’s torture to see your true mate and know she can’t see you,” his voice was deep and held a dark quality.

He began to move with hard, fast thrusts that felt like an exquisite punishment. It bordered on pain, but it felt good to me. I moaned deeply, spreading my legs a bit more even as his words sank into me.

“I can’t be,” I blurted out, though a deep, neglected part of me wanted it to be true.

Was that why I felt what I did? It was too hard to think right then, and I moved with his intensity. It got worse with my words. He was getting so deep inside me it should be criminal, hitting another spot I didn’t know I had.

“You are, and I’ll fuck you all day just to make sure your body knows what your mind doesn’t,” he said.

He slowed his movements to reach between us and touch me. That was it, one small rub and I came hard. He was still moving, riding me through it. The sounds he made were blissful groans. His mouth sucked at my breast, toying with the hard peak. I felt like I could do nothing but lie there, letting him ravish my body. God, it felt good. So good.

I felt a heat spreading inside me from him, but he was still hard. Shit, how long could he go? Had he just come inside me but was still taking me? There was a franticness to it now, and I groaned. His body stimulated mine with the friction and hard, short thrusts.

“Harper,” I whispered his name, breathless. I couldn’t form any other words.

“Damn, you feel good. So fucking good,” Harper said, and I was sure he had to be close again.

I reached up to brace myself so I wouldn’t slide into the headboard. He was mindlessly taking me now, and my gaze dropped to his throat. I could see his strong pulse there and immediately reached up with my free hand, gripping his hair and leaning up.

“Let me taste you,” I pleaded.

“Do it,” he said through clenched teeth, and I didn’t need a second invitation.

I sank my teeth into his neck hard. He gave a guttural cry, burying himself in me, and for a moment he felt like too much. I felt the flood of liquid heat from him filling me, and that, combined with his taste, had my body rocking along with his.

He was such a virile man, robust and full of life, and he was mine. I had my own beast within, a creature I kept under lock and key. It was trained not to gorge itself, but when it tasted Harper, it roared in my mind. His blood was like the finest wine. It was everything my monster craved.

He didn’t resist as I fed from his throat, my tongue tracing the path of my feast. I was trembling then.

The tremors were from both the sex and the intoxicating potency of his blood. I could understand why lycans had been hunted in the past. But my inner beast was content. It didn’t want his life. It craved his taste, his mark.

I’d never experienced this before. The feeling that I might actually choose to bond. I needed to ponder that, my breath still ragged and uneven.

“I hope you know I’m far from done,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my neck.

His body was a heavy, comforting weight on mine, still intimately connected. Harper hadn’t withdrawn from me yet, and I bit my lip as his teeth grazed my throat. For a moment, I thought he might bite down.

“In case you thought we were done,” he said, his body still buried deep within me, unmoving.

I didn’t think he was going to let me up anytime soon.

“I don’t have anywhere else to be right now. I’ll let you show me again why I should stay a little longer if you want,” I replied.

If he could make me feel the way he just had again, I wouldn’t want to leave his bed. My body was still humming with pleasure. I felt amazing. I heard him chuckle, a low, amused sound.

“Good girl,” he whispered in my ear.

I hadn’t realized how arousing that phrase could be until he said it. A shiver ran through me as he slowly withdrew. But it felt like he was getting hard again. The thought that I could excite him this much was thrilling.

My eyes roamed over him as he created a small gap between us. Oh yes, I would let this perfect man do all sorts of sinful things to me. If he kept looking at me the way he was, I knew I’d be hooked in no time. We could discuss his “mate” comment later. For now, actions spoke louder than words.

SIERRA

I never imagined that sex could leave you utterly exhausted, but Harper had a knack for proving me wrong. Mostly in a good way, but there were parts of me that ached. Right now, I was riding a wave of euphoria.

I had planned to take a quick shower and slip into my dress before leaving. I had assumed that he would be done with me as dusk approached.

We had dozed off for a bit, and I woke up to find his arm wrapped around me, pulling me close to his body. I had slept so peacefully, a feeling I couldn’t recall ever experiencing with someone else in my bed.

When I stirred to get up, he let me; he was already awake, it seemed. I glanced at him over my shoulder. The way he was looking at me made my cheeks flush.

There was still desire there, a tenderness that was now difficult to meet. I kept quiet, fearing I would come off as awkward or distant. So, I slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to start the shower.

I picked up a hair tie from the complimentary kit, not intending to wash my hair just yet. After putting my hair up in a loose bun, I turned around and jumped. Harper was right there.

He moved closer, and I instinctively stepped back. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I swallowed hard. He was a bit taller than me, and his physique was much more robust than mine.

He reached up and slid a hand to the back of my head, pulling me closer to plant a firm kiss on my lips. He advanced, causing me to retreat into the shower area. It was a half wall of glass and tile.

My body instantly reacted to his approach.

“What fun is showering alone?” His lips brushed against mine as he spoke.

“Productive,” I replied in a soft voice.

He chuckled, meeting my lips once more.

“That so? Are you asking me to leave then?” Harper asked, a playful glint in his eyes.

I shook my head, feeling his free hand trail up my inner thigh. In my mind, I was already pleading for his touch. He didn’t disappoint.

My headshake had him kneeling before me, using that sinful mouth of his. It didn’t take much for him to bring me to the brink, but before I could climax, he stood back up and lifted me. He entered me in one swift thrust.

I would have been impressed with his strength, effortlessly holding me up in the shower and thrusting into me, if I wasn’t already moaning in pleasure. I wrapped my legs around him tightly, feeling his fingers dig into my backside as he took me.

Like I said, I felt worn out upon waking. But right now, all I could focus on was him and the way the feelings in my body were spiraling upward. Yeah, just like that.

He could fuck me as hard as he wanted, and I’d probably beg for more. I let out a small cry as I climaxed, my body tightening around him, milking him harder. He made a soft sound near my ear, seemingly enjoying the sensation.

“That’s it, doll, come for me. Tell me how much you like it when I’m inside you. Tell me how much you like it when I let go in you, burying myself right here.” His words were punctuated by a hard thrust.

I groaned at the sensation, my body tensing for a moment.

“I love when you’re inside me,” I blurted out. My nails dug into his skin as I clung to him. My body ached, but the pleasure coursing through me made it easy to ignore.

“Yeah?” His voice was rough and breathless.

“Yeah… Please, just finish in me, Harper,” I pleaded. His relentless thrusts were becoming too much to handle.

“Mine,” he growled, biting down hard at the junction of my shoulder and neck. I cried out in pain, then ecstasy as the euphoria from his bite washed over me.

He bit me right where I knew wolves liked to mark. I hadn’t realized what it would feel like, nor that his words about being a mate might actually be true.

Why else would he bite me like that? He held me against the wall as he climaxed inside me, his tongue soothing the spot with a gentle caress.

It was in that moment that I realized I might have bitten off more than I could chew with Harper. All I could do was cling to him, hoping I wasn’t about to tumble off a cliff into something I was utterly unprepared for.