The soft curves of her breasts pushing against his back had been a special kind of torture. One he looked forward to experiencing again. But not yet. First, he had to take care of her needs—if only temporarily. She could deny it all she wanted, but the mating craze wouldn’t die down just because she had an orgasm. It would ease a little, but it would come back, stronger than ever. He just hoped that they could get all the way home before it took full swing. They were still two hours away. He’d be shocked if they didn’t stop again.

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he held her to him and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck. She leaned her head to the side with a sigh, giving him better access. “Just close your eyes and lean against me. I won’t let you fall.”

  He brought his hands up, cupping her breasts in his palms. Her nipples hardened at his touch. He rolled them gently through the fabric.

  “That’s nice,” she said as she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and moaned when he gave them a tug, making his cock jerk. More than anything, he wanted to let go and give in to the craze, but this wasn’t about him—or his needs. Only she mattered. He slid his hand down, kissing her neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin behind her ear. She sucked in her belly, giving him the room he needed to work the snap free.

  Soft lace met his fingertips. Cortney’s body shook in his arms, and her breasts heaved with her ragged breaths. “Please,” she whispered so softly he wasn’t sure he heard her.

  “I want to savor this. I want to take my time and learn every single thing about you. Find out what makes that sexy little whimper slip past your lips, and what makes you scream. But that’s not what you need right now, is it?” He dipped lower until his fingertips rested at the top of her mound.

  Shaking her head from side to side, she shifted against him, not so much to tease him, but to spread her legs wider.

  “I want to hear you say it. I won’t take anything for myself, but I want to hear your words, your sighs, and your moans. Those will be for me.” He nipped her shoulder then sucked on the pink skin.

  “Just do it. Touch me,” Cortney said, and he had to keep from grinning at her impatient tone. No one else would dare speak to him that way. No one else would get away with it.

  “Where, little bird? Where do you want me to touch you?” he asked as he slid a finger over her swollen clit. “You’re so wet, Cortney. Your body knows what it wants. Tell me.”

  She ground her pelvis forward, seeking more contact, but he wouldn’t let her deny him.

  “There. Please,” she begged. But before Draven could bring his fingers to her again, she was wiggling and jerking her jeans lower. “Touch me there.”

  The smell of her arousal, the softness of her skin, and the liquid heat making his fingers slick were all too much. The phoenix struggled against his hold. It wanted its mate. It wanted to claim and mark and take. With a groan, he thrust his hips forward, grinding his cock against her ass. Pale yellow flames licked down his arms to his hands, reaching for more than he had right to take. Goosebumps rose on her skin in the wake of his flame, and she tipped her head back. Her long moan filled the silence around them.

  “Here?” he asked, his voice barely recognizable as he spread her lips with his fingers and found her clit again.

  “Yes.” Writhing against him, she reached down, joining her hand with his, guiding him, showing him what she wanted—what she needed. Her breathy sighs and lengthy moans brought his phoenix closer to the edge. Waves of his heated energy left his body to encompass her, drawing her closer, deeper. With every swipe of his fingers, every touch, each caress, the lick of his flame followed, igniting need within him—in her.

  Cortney looked down, watching their joined hands, gasping, and moaning with each swipe on her flesh. His flame covered her, slid lower, and sought entrance.

  “The fire is on me,” she whispered, but she didn’t pull away. “It feels good.”

  “My phoenix is touching you. Tasting you. Feel its power. Its strength. Its desire,” he told her. “He wants to be inside you, little bird. Will you let him in?”

  Her body shook, and she kept their hands moving. For a moment, Draven thought she wouldn’t answer as she moaned louder and louder. “Yes,” she finally said. The phoenix didn’t wait. The flames spread further, prodding at her entrance.

  Draven moaned and thrust against her, seeking some measure of relief, but nothing short of burying himself balls deep inside her pussy would assuage the need beating at him. Waves of pleasure crashed into him as his phoenix stroked inside her.

  Her breathy sighs quickened, and her fingers tightened around his.

  Using his free hand, he grasped her hair and turned her face to his, crushing her mouth with his, swallowing her screams. Her body jerked in his arms, and her legs gave out, but he was ready. He supported her, holding her against him as he slowed their movements and withdrew his phoenix. The beast wasn’t ready to retreat. It wanted to stay within her for hours. Maybe days, but she wasn’t ready for that. Not yet, but soon.

  Chapter Six

  She was fucked. Totally fucked. Cortney had never come like that. Ever. Not by herself, not with a partner, and certainly never with a toy. She wanted to blame the bike and the vibrations of the powerful motor for getting her all worked up, but she’d ridden a motorcycle before, and it had never had that effect on her. All she knew was that even though they had been on the road less than an hour, and she’d had the most amazing orgasm of her life just before climbing back on, she was already craving Draven’s touch again.

  At some point, since they’d gotten back on the road, her hands had made their way under the edge of his shirt. She tried not to stroke his skin. She tried so hard, but the play of hard muscle, and the heat radiating from him made it impossible not to want to touch and caress. Her fingers played with the edge of the sexy grooves on either side of his lower abdomen. Something she would have liked to explore more of had it not been for the waistband of his jeans getting in the way.

  Realizing what she was doing, Cortney pulled her hands back up, but all that did was slide her palms over the ridged muscles beneath them. His moan drifted through the mic, making her pussy clench, and a fresh wave of heat pour out of her.

  She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. What the hell was she doing feeling the man up? She had to stay strong. If she didn’t get a hold of herself, she really would be begging him to stop again. Either that, or she’d let her hands explore lower, and that would be a mistake. Right? Of course, it would.

  When he slowed and signaled a turn, her heart sped. She had no idea where they were going. Maybe the road coming up on the right was the turn off to the Odyssey. Maybe it wasn’t. Either way, she’d find out soon enough.

  They had driven for a few minutes before he signaled a left turn. “Hold on, it’s going to get bumpy,” he warned, his voice rougher than it had been.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, her heart pounding.

  His throaty laugh had her pussy clenching again and her breath catching in her throat.

  “Not hardly,” he said as he maneuvered the motorcycle over the rough dirt road.

  Before she could say anything else, they were stopped. She climbed off and waited for him to do the same. With impatient movements, he jerked his helmet off and hung it on the handlebar, then strode away from her, not looking at her even once. A picnic table with paint chipping sat off to the right. Beyond that, a lake. The sun sparkled on the water’s surface, drawing her attention.

  What was she supposed to do? Follow him? They weren’t at the Odyssey, that much she knew. Not unless their homes were up in the trees. Oh, God, she hoped that wasn’t the case. She didn’t know much about phoenixes. They didn’t live in nests, did they? She giggled at the visual of Draven sitting in a nest of straw and dirt, high up in a tree. She glanced up to the top of the tall pines just to be sure. Nope, no nests that would fit a grown man, much less a bunch of them that would hold a whole group of phoenixes.

  She pulled her helmet off and sat it on the picnic table before hoisting her butt up there. If Draven wanted her to follow, he should have said so. He didn’t stop moving until he reached the water’s edge. Once there, he just stood there, looking over the water with his hands fisted at his sides. Had she made him angry? Maybe he didn’t like being touched. Though from what they’d done earlier, and his moan, she hadn’t thought that was the case.

  She waved a mosquito away from her arm. The area was pretty with wildflowers growing all over. The scent of the forest reminded her of her childhood when her parents had taken her and her siblings camping. Some of her fondest memories had been spent by a lake or around a campfire. The trail they’d ridden on to get there was overgrown, and it was obvious the place hadn’t seen a human in years, but she could imagine it had been a popular spot in the past.

  Draven’s sudden burst of laughter made her jump, and her gaze flew back to him. He turned, and the first thing she noticed was the glowing amber of his eyes. The second, was his predatory stare as he closed the distance between them. She should get off the table, maybe even run, but something in the way he looked at her made her want to spread her legs and invite him in. She didn’t, but her body wanted it. Traitor.

  Keeping herself from leaning closer when he stepped into her space was impossible. His scent, hot and spicy, mixed with the sheer hunger blazing in his eyes sent all rational thought flying from her brain. She grabbed a handful of his T-shirt and pulled him the rest of the way. He didn’t hesitate. The instant their lips met, he devoured her. A needy moan—hers, his, she wasn’t sure—filled the air around them. He pulled her ass closer to the edge of the table and spread her legs, pushing himself flush against her throbbing flesh. His heat seeped through the layers of fabric, re-igniting her need. Not that it had left her to begin with.

  She brought her hands up his back under his shirt, loving the feel of his rippling muscles under her fingers. “I want to see you,” she whispered as she lifted the shirt higher.

  “That’s not a good idea. I’m barely holding on as it is,” he said, his voice husky.

  The sexy sound had her clit throbbing. She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him tighter against her. She moaned at the friction. His fingers gripping her ass tighter. “Take your shirt off, Draven,” she told him. No, it wasn’t a good idea, but at that moment, nothing but seeing what her imagination had conjured up during their ride out there was more important.

  He opened his mouth to object, but then reached behind his neck with one hand and pulled the shirt up and off.

  Yeah, that hadn’t been a good idea. A fresh wave of wetness moistened her panties at the sight of him. Every defined muscle begged for her touch. She wanted to trace the outline of each one with her tongue. She really shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it. She brought her hands up his ridged belly and over his chest, pausing only a moment to swipe her thumbs over his taut nipples.

  Draven closed his eyes. “You’re making this really hard, little bird. I’m doing my best to keep from doing what I want, but each stroke of your hand…” he trailed off when she ground her pelvis against his cock.

  “What do you want?” she asked him, fully aware that she was playing with fire.

  He opened his eyes and locked gazes with her. “I want to tear your clothes off and fuck you senseless. I want to claim you so much it hurts, but you’re not ready for that.”

  He was right. She wasn’t ready. At least, not for the claiming part. The fucking she was totally on board with. “Can’t we do one without the other? I mean, the fucking, not the claiming?”

  He pulled her closer, burying his head in her shoulder. He kissed her there, licked her skin, then nipped at it with his teeth before kissing it again. “No. Not right now, at least. My phoenix is too needy. It doesn’t care that you’re not ready. It just wants to tie you to him forever, and the craze is driving me too hard. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep it from happening.”

  She gasped and pulled away. Yeah, no. She wasn’t ready for that. In a month, she’d have to leave. She couldn’t give up all that she’d worked so hard for. Not even for the most amazing sex of her life.

  When he pulled away again, she let him go. He shook out the T-shirt he still had fisted in his hand and drew it over his head, hiding the body she wanted nothing more than to lick all over.

  “This is going to get worse, isn’t it? The mating craze?” she asked when he ran his fingers through his hair and then held his hand out to her to help her from the table.

  “Yeah. It’ll keep growing until we’re mated.”

  “What if we never mate?” she asked, her heart pounding. She couldn’t live the rest of her life in this perpetual state of lust.

  He shrugged. “I guess we’ll figure that out when the time comes.” Draven handed her the helmet and strode back to the bike in silence.

  “I guess so.”

  Chapter Seven

  Even through the helmet, raucous noise greeted him the moment Draven cut the engine. He parked the bike in the garage next to his car. If Kirk wanted it back, he could come and get it. Cortney handed him her helmet and stretched. Damn. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, and forget everything except getting lost in her body, and she wasn’t making it any easier by putting herself on display like that. Not that he’d complain. He loved everything about her body even if it did make his cock twitch and ache with need.

  He’d spent the entire last leg of the trip reining his phoenix in, pulling it under control so that he could be with her and keep his word of giving her the time she needed. It wasn’t going to be easy, but he’d do it. He’d spent many lifetimes without her. Another day wouldn’t kill him. It would be damned uncomfortable with all his blood taking residence in his cock rather than in the rest of his body, but he’d manage.

  “I wish I could save you from this,” he told her as he hit the button to close the garage door.

  “Save me from what? You?” she asked as she reached behind her and rubbed her ass.

  He groaned and stuck his hands in his pockets to keep from replacing her hands with his. “No, there will be no saving you from me. I meant from the people about to converge on us. Kirk will have told everyone that you’re on your way. They’ll want to meet their new Mistress.”

  “What?” she screeched. “I’m not sold on having sex with you, I’m sure as shit not having an orgy with the rest of the clan,” she said, her hands up as though to ward Draven off.

  It took a moment for her words to sink in. When they did, Draven threw his head back and laughed. The more he laughed, the deeper her frown became. If only she knew how adorable she looked when she was angry. He wouldn’t tell her so. He valued all his body parts too much for that, but it just made him want to cuddle her closer rather than run from her fury.

  “You won’t be having sex with anyone other than me. Ever again,” he assured her. “Mistress is the title you hold as my mate, but for the most part, people will just call you by name.” He thought that would make her happy, but from the scowl she gave him, that wasn’t the right thing to say.

  “That’s not been decided yet, now has it?”

  “No, it hasn’t. You’re right,” Draven agreed, more to appease Cortney than because of his conviction. “I’m going to take you through the castle, but we’ll have to go outside and greet the Odyssey. Otherwise, they’ll come to us, and we don’t want that.”

  “Why not?” she asked, the fight leaving her features, only to be replaced by worry.

  He held his hand out to her, and to his amazement, she took it. “Only because it’ll be easier for us to get away when you’re ready for some quiet time if everyone isn’t inside.”

  “So, they’re going to want to have a party?”

  He shrugged. “They’ll want to get to know you. That’s all. At least you’ll have someone you know in the group,” he offered. Bringing Trista to the Odyssey had been a fantastic idea. Not only did they get to see if she was a match for any of their males, but Cortney wouldn’t feel so alone. It was a win-win in his books.

  At the mention of her friend, her eyes brightened. “Okay, let’s go. I’m sure Trista is feeling a little out of her element out there by herself.”

  He led her through his home, stopping at his bedroom door only long enough to drop her bag inside before taking her out to the front. They hadn’t made it two steps outside before Jasmine rushed over, getting a little too close for comfort.

  Cortney took one look at her and then glared at him. What had he done now? He hadn’t even said a single word.

  “Hi, I’m Jasmine,” the bubbly blonde announced and put her hand out for Cortney to shake. “Trista tells me that you’re Draven’s mate. Maybe now he won’t be so crotchety.”

  Cortney looked at him again, her eyes narrowing, before turning to Jasmine. “I’m Cortney.”

  “I know. Trista told us all about you. We’re thrilled to have you join us. I run the store down the street, so if you need anything, just let me know, okay? I’m sure Draven will let you put everything you want on his tab, right, Draven?”

  As always, he had a hard time keeping up with the speed of the woman’s conversation. She was a whirlwind at the best of times, and it became almost ridiculous when she was excited as she obviously was right then. “Yes, of course. Anything she wants. Trista, too.”

  He hadn’t even noticed Ry standing to his left until his second grunted and shook his head. His jaw worked as he ground his teeth and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Draven looked at him, awareness of the tension radiating from the man seeping into him. “So, where is she?” he asked.

  Ry looked ahead to where a bunch of men circled the petite woman. Holy shit. Trista’s aura vibrated all around her, hues of every different shade of blue surrounded her. Ry’s chest heaved with each breath he took. If he didn’t do something, the bulging veins in his friend’s neck would burst. “Hey, Jas, would you mind getting Trista for us? I’m sure Cortney would like to speak with her.”