1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Twelve Read online

  She wanted to beg him never, ever to stop. But at the same time she couldn’t ignore the aching void between her legs that pleaded for attention.

  “Kayden,” she murmured, giving a restless tug on his hair.

  “Patience, princess,” he murmured.

  Easy for him to say, she acknowledged with a flare of impatience. He hadn’t been locked away in the middle of nowhere for years.

  Bianca bit back her words as he lavished his attention on her other breast. Okay, she could learn a bit of patience. As long as those slender fingers continued to drift along the curve of her hip and down the length of her leg.

  She allowed her head to drop back against the tiled wall of the shower as he licked her nipple with a growing insistence. At the same time, his fingers drifted up her inner thigh.

  Ah, yes. He was headed in the right direction.

  Then, amazingly he was there.

  “Good God.”

  Her heart skittered, slamming against her ribs as his finger swept through her moist heat. It was like being jolted with a thousand watts of electricity. Her toes curled, her eyes squeezing shut.

  With skillful ease, Kayden allowed his finger to linger on the tiny bundle of pleasure.

  “Do you want more, princess?” Kayden rasped.

  Was he kidding? She bit back a curse. She was fairly certain she was going to self-combust if she didn’t get more.

  Right now.

  But even as the potent swell of her climax began to clench her muscles, she reached out to frame his face in her hands.

  “I want to feel you, Kayden,” she husked. “I want you inside me when I come.”

  The cognac eyes darkened with feral hunger, but he gave a slow shake of his head before he lowered his head to brush his lips over her breasts. Bianca’s protest died on her lips as he glided his mouth slowly down her quivering stomach.

  Clearly her kitty wanted to play.

  As if to prove her right, Kayden gently tugged her legs farther apart. Then, leaning forward, he replaced his stroking finger with his tongue.

  Holy crap.

  Bianca moaned, her fingers knotting in his hair as he licked and nibbled and teased her with unmistakable expertise. Not that she minded his skill, she silently admitted, savoring the sensation of his tongue penetrating her tight channel before returning to concentrate on that small knot of nerves.

  What female would protest at having a talented lover?

  Her short pants of air echoed through the shower stall as the bliss spiraled higher and higher. Her back arched while her toes curled in anticipation.

  Yes. It was glorious. Kayden was glorious.

  As if sensing her climax was perilously close, Kayden secured his arms around her thighs and sucked her between his lips.

  That was it. That was all that it took to make Bianca explode into a thousand pieces of pure ecstasy.

  Swallowing her scream, she shivered with the violence of the tremors that continued to quake through her body as Kayden lapped at her clit.

  Finally, Kayden gave her one last sweep of his tongue, then gently tugged her to her feet and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

  “You taste like honey,” he whispered into her hair, his lips grazing over her temple.

  She clutched at his shoulders. Right now her knees weren’t entirely reliable.

  “Wow.”

  He chuckled. “That’s the exact response I was hoping for.”

  “It was a perfect beginning,” she breathed.

  She felt his muscles clench beneath her hands, his head lifting to regard her with a wary gaze.

  “Beginning?”

  She allowed a sinful smile to curve her lips. She’d been a shy, timid creature her entire life.

  Tonight she intended to be as bold and daring as she’d always wanted to be.

  Holding his gaze, she skimmed one hand down his chest. A growl caught in his throat as she explored the rigid planes of his stomach.

  “Bianca?”

  “I still want to feel you inside of me.”

  His breath hissed between his clenched teeth, his hand reaching to grasp her wrist.

  “In time.”

  “When?”

  His eyes darkened. Pain? Need? A combination of both?

  “I won’t claim you until you know the full truth,” he murmured.

  Bianca grimly ignored the small stab of unease that pierced her heart.

  She’d made her decision when she’d entered the shower that she wasn’t going to worry about tomorrow. And if Kayden wanted to be stubborn, then she’d find some other way to play.

  Plucking her wrist free of his grasp, she continued to explore down his body until she at last reached her goal.

  “You told me that I was free to do what I want.” She wrapped her fingers around his thick cock. “And this is what I want.”

  He sucked in a startled breath, but he wasn’t stupid. A man understood it wasn’t smart to wrestle with a woman when she was holding his pride and joy in her fingers.

  “I’m not claiming you,” he stubbornly growled. “Not until you know exactly what I’ve done.”

  “Fine.” Already prepared for his stubborn refusal, Bianca pressed her lips to Kayden’s chest, just above his racing heart. “I don’t know exactly what you mean by claiming me, but if you won’t have sex, then I intend to have my own fun.”

  “Fun?” he breathed as she planted a trail of kisses over his chest.

  She could smell his rich musk drenching the air as she used her teeth to scrape against his skin. The tiny pain seemed to excite him. She smiled, moving her lips to his beaded nipple, giving it a sharp nip.

  A low groan was wrenched from his throat, his fingers threading through her hair to hold her against him.

  Accepting his silent plea for more, Bianca reveled in her sensual power. Kayden was the sort of sexy, intensely beautiful male who could attract the attention of any woman he wanted. But it was her touch that was making him shiver and groan.

  Releasing the sensual side of herself that she’d always kept sternly repressed, she circled his nipple with the tip of her tongue even as her fingers traced the hard length of his erection. The skin was satin soft. And hot.

  Holding his smoldering gaze, she slid her fingers down his cock, palming the heavy sack at the base. He growled, the veins of his neck visible as he reacted to her touch.

  “Am I allowed to do this?” she husked.

  “You don’t play fair, princess.” He was forced to halt and clear his throat, his face flushed with pleasure.

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  “Hell, no,” he snarled.

  “Ah.”

  With a sinful chuckle, she glided her fingers back to the tip of his cock, finding a tiny drop of moisture. She rubbed it lightly, circling the broad head before returning downward.

  She repeated the caress over and over, keeping her touch light. Kayden hissed in pleasure, until her refusal to increase her slow, steady pace made him release his breath on an explosive sigh.

  “Shit, Bianca, you’re torturing me.”

  Although she was enjoying the power of having this glorious man at her mercy, Bianca wasn’t a sadist. She wasn’t going to make him beg for his release.

  She lifted herself on tiptoes to press her lips softly to his mouth.

  “Let’s do it together.”

  With a choked groan of agreement, Kayden readily wrapped his hand over her fingers, pressing them hard against his cock. Then, together they stroked up and down the shaft, the heat from his body blasting through the air as his hips surged forward.

  Bianca could feel his cock swelling and the musk of his cat threading through the steam. She squeezed her fingers tighter, pleased when Kayden gave a low growl of approval.

  “Damn, princess, I can’t wait,” he ground out, his hand cupping the back of her head and urging her face toward his neck.

  Instinct took over, and without knowing why, she sank her teeth into his firm flesh. She di
dn’t break the skin, but the bite catapulted Kayden over the edge. With a raw groan of pleasure, he jackhammered their fingers up and down his cock, the warm spray of his seed covering their hands.

  “I never knew how much fun a shower could be,” Bianca murmured, kissing the side of his neck.

  Chapter Six

  Kayden didn’t sleep.

  Instead he rested on the vast bed with Bianca held tightly in his arms.

  It was perfect, he decided, listening to the soft sounds of her breathing. The warmth of her body snuggled against him. The scent of honey lacing the air. The funny little noises she made when she was dreaming.

  Or at least it would be perfect if there wasn’t a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispering that he’d taken advantage of her.

  After all, he’d told himself that he wasn’t going to touch her after he’d watched her flee from the roof.

  She was scared and disoriented, and utterly vulnerable. But when she’d walked naked into his shower, all his self-righteous intentions had been washed away.

  It didn’t matter that they hadn’t actually had intercourse. As his grandmother would tell him, spraying perfume on a pig didn’t make it a…hell, he couldn’t remember what she said, but she would tell him that Bianca deserved better from him.

  Silently promising to do everything in his power to make certain that she didn’t regret sharing his shower, Kayden was distracted when his phone pinged with a text.

  Careful not to disturb Bianca, he crawled from the bed and glanced at the message, his brows lifting in surprise.

  Xavier was downstairs, demanding a meeting.

  Pulling on his clothes, Kayden paused to brush a kiss over Bianca’s tousled curls before he was heading out of the suite and down the elevator.

  He halted at the lobby level and stepped out.

  The hotel was muted. At five a.m., most of the guests had stumbled exhausted to their rooms, with only a handful of die-hard gamblers still drifting from table to table and the uniformed staff buzzing around in an effort to vacuum the carpets and polish the acres of marble.

  He stepped into a small office behind the concierge desk, studying the large male with sharp features and buzzed hair who was leaning against the desk in the middle of the room.

  “Good morning, Kayden,” Xavier drawled, his large body covered by a black tee and jeans.

  Kayden frowned. “How did you find me?”

  Xavier shrugged. “I had all our vehicles hooked into my GPS system after the attack.”

  Kayden rolled his eyes. “Shit, I should have guessed,” he said. Xavier had become compulsive in his need to keep track of pack members when they left the Wildlands. “What are you doing here?”

  Xavier flicked a brow upward at Kayden’s sharp tone. “I had an urge to see an Elvis impersonator. I heard Vegas was the place to come.”

  “Very funny,” Kayden muttered.

  Xavier shrugged. “Lex gave me a call.”

  Lex was a Pantera who was a silent co-owner of the hotel. He was the one who ensured there were a few rooms, including the penthouse suite, that were always available for his people.

  He was also obviously a buttinsky, sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong.

  “Why?” he snapped.

  Xavier shrugged. “He said that you were here with a woman.”

  See? A buttinsky.

  “And why would that prompt a call?” Kayden demanded. “I can’t imagine I’m the first male to share the penthouse suite with a female.”

  Xavier held his accusing gaze. “I asked him to keep an eye out for you,” he admitted without apology.

  “Why?”

  “Because I was afraid your need for revenge would blind you to any potential dangers.”

  Kayden’s annoyance abruptly evaporated. He wasn’t angry with Xavier. Or even Lex.

  He was pissed with himself.

  “You have no idea,” he muttered, ramming his fingers through his hair.

  Xavier pushed away from the desk, instantly on full alert.

  “What’s going on, amigo?”

  Kayden paused. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Xavier. The male was as close as a brother to him. But his cat’s possessive need to protect his mate made him reluctant to discuss her. With anyone.

  “When I arrived at Ford’s house I discovered he was in Florida,” he forced himself to say, accepting that Xavier’s arrival could actually help.

  “Ford is the man who killed your parents?”

  “Yes.”

  Xavier frowned in confusion. “You didn’t follow him?”

  Kayden shook his head, a humorless smile twisting his lips. “I had the brilliant idea to kidnap his daughter to force him to return.”

  Xavier sucked in a sharp breath. “You kidnapped an innocent woman?”

  Kayden didn’t blame his friend for studying him with an accusing expression. Pantera males were protectors, not predators when it came to females.

  “It wasn’t my finest moment,” Kayden admitted. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “Kayden,” Xavier began.

  “Wait.” Suddenly Kayden wanted it all out in the open. If he’d discovered nothing else, it was that secrets were as destructive as the most lethal weapon. “I’m not done.”

  Xavier arched a brow. “It gets worse?”

  “Yes.”

  Xavier stepped toward him. “Tell me.”

  Kayden grimly met his companion’s steady gaze. “After I brought her to Vegas I realized that she’s Pantera.”

  The older male didn’t bother to ask if Bianca had been born one of them or if she’d been injected with Pantera blood. As far as the Pantera were concerned, anyone with Pantera DNA was a part of their pack.

  End of story.

  “Where is she?” Xavier instead demanded, instantly kicking into protective mode.

  “Upstairs sleeping.”

  “You didn’t…” Xavier let the words trail away.

  A growl of outrage rumbled in Kayden’s chest at the obvious implication.

  “I didn’t hurt her,” he snapped. “I couldn’t. She’s my mate.”

  “Mate?” Xavier closed his eyes, giving a shake of his head. “Christ. What a mess.”

  Kayden grimaced. Yep. It was a grade-A, first rate mess.

  “I intend to fix it,” he promised.

  “How?” Xavier opened his eyes, his cat lurking in the depths of his blue eyes. “By killing her father? That’s not really the sort of mating gift most women appreciate.”

  “I know.” Kayden hunched his shoulders. “But I can’t let him walk away. Not only because he killed my parents, but he’s still running a laboratory that uses Pantera blood.”

  Without warning, Xavier reached into his front pocket to pull out a slender phone.

  “I can take care of the laboratory,” the male said, tapping in a quick message.

  “Who are you texting?” Kayden demanded.

  “Raphael.” Xavier’s lips twisted. “He insisted on coming. I think he was hoping he would have the opportunity to shed the blood of our enemies.”

  Ah. Relief jolted through Kayden. He was worried that the bastards working in the clinic would escape before he could get them rounded up.

  Kayden pulled out his own phone, locating the GPS coordinates of the Cruise Clinic. He turned the screen so Xavier could see it.

  “This is the location.”

  Xavier nodded, tapping in the numbers and sending them to Raphael.

  “Done.”

  “Fine.” Kayden lowered his phone. “I still need to get my hands on Joshua Ford.”

  “What happens when you do?” Xavier asked, clearly accepting there was no point in trying to argue.

  “I don’t know for sure.” Kayden shrugged. His emotions were too raw for him to be able to say for certain how he would react when he at last caught sight of the man who’d murdered his parents. “But I have to face him.”

  Xavier released a harsh sigh. “
I get it, Kayden. I really do,” he said. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No,” Kayden swiftly refused. “I need someone to stay here with Bianca.”

  “I’ll have Lex keep an eye on her,” Xavier countered. “I intend to make sure that you aren’t walking into a trap.” He held up his phone. “Text me the coordinates of the meeting.”

  “You’re a bossy bastard,” Kayden muttered.

  Xavier flashed a smile. “It’s part of my charm.”

  “Says who?”

  “My mate.”

  Kayden would have disputed the claim if he hadn’t seen Xavier with his mate, Amalie. The two were goofy for one another. It was obvious in each soft glance and lingering touch.

  They had the sort of connection that Kayden had always envied. The sort of connection that he hoped he could have with Bianca.

  Lifting his phone, Kayden typed in the meeting place and sent it to his alpha.

  “There,” he muttered.

  Xavier nodded. “What time is your meeting?”

  Kayden glanced at his watch. Five thirty. “In less than an hour.”

  “I’ll go scout the area,” Xavier said, pocketing his phone.

  Kayden reached out to lay his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Be careful no one sees you. I don’t want to spook away my prey.”

  Heat sizzled through the air as Xavier glared at him in disbelief.

  “I’d castrate you for that insult if I didn’t know you’re under a lot of stress,” he growled, heading out of the office with long strides.

  Kayden watched the male leave with a shake of his head.

  A lot of stress? Ha. He was drowning under the strain.

  The sooner he was done with Joshua Ford, the better.

  Following Xavier out of the office, he moved to enter the manager’s office, requesting Lex keep an eye on the penthouse suite in case Bianca woke up before he returned. Once assured that she wouldn’t be able to leave the hotel without someone keeping a watch on her, Kayden headed to the back parking lot.

  Lost in his thoughts, he slid into his truck, absently noting the rich scent of honey that seemed to cling to the air.

  Bianca’s musk had clearly imbedded in his skin, marking him as surely as the mating mark he intended to place on her. Just as soon as she agreed to spend the rest of eternity with him.