Gabriel surprised her when he gripped her rear and pressed his mouth aggressively against her wet folds, thrusting his tongue deep inside her. He’d held himself so still she had no idea how on edge he was. When he swallowed, then groaned and went back for more, her insides melted and more heat seared through her. He treated her like she was the richest dark chocolate and he’d waited an eternity for this specific dessert.

  Chapter Seven

  Abby gripped his head tight and rocked against him. “I’m so close,” she whispered. Her body coiled tight as her orgasm built within her, ready to unfurl any second.

  Gabriel pulled back. “Not yet,” he said, planting a kiss on the strip of dark hair covering her mound.

  “What?” she glanced down at him and curled her leg tighter around his shoulder.

  His only response was to swipe his tongue along her sensitized folds until he found her hard nub. Tremors ricocheted, scattering to her breasts and fingertips. Abby’s body bowed and her head fell back against the bookshelf. “You—you’re killing me!”

  He planted a hard kiss on her sex and said in a dangerous tone, “Not near as much as you’re killing me.”

  Abby let out a half-hysterical laugh. “Sorry—” but cut herself off when he slipped a finger inside her. She forgot everything she was about to say, she was so lost in the decadent sensations splintering through her.

  Adding another finger, he began to thrust, stretching her blissfully. “Come for me, Abby.” He growled. “Show me what I have to look forward to when I move deep inside you.”

  As he slid his fingers seductively in and out of her body, Gabriel leaned forward and ran his tongue along her pink skin. The moment his lips latched onto the tiny bud of responsive flesh and began to suck hard, the bar and ball piercing rolled over her in an erotic, rhythmic glide, and Abby tumbled into a visceral plane of indescribable pleasure.

  Fisting her hands in his hair, she jerked her hips forward, pressing closer to him as her orgasm slammed through her in unrelenting contractions of ecstasy. Starting in her core, the waves scattered throughout her body in successive explosive bursts, leaving every part of her trembling and shaking in their wake.

  When she finally slowed her movements, her heart still thudding at a rapid pace, Gabriel quickly stood and captured her mouth in a heated, soul-searching kiss.

  The tension in his shoulders and the aggressive thrust of his tongue swiping against hers, carrying her essence and his own masculine flavor, only spiked Abby’s arousal all over again. She ran her hands across his shoulders, encouraging him. In a swift, effortless movement, Gabriel gripped her butt and lifted her legs, fitting his cock against her wet sex. He groaned against her mouth and jerked his hips forward, thrusting hard against her body.

  As the shelves behind her shook and the books shifted, Abby welcomed his dominant aggression with insistent movements of her own, before she tore her mouth from his and said in a breathless whisper “Tell me you have a condom.”

  Gabriel nodded, his expression edgy with tension. He gripped her waist and lifted her as if she weight nothing more than a piece of paper. “Wrap your legs fully around me, sweetheart.”

  Putting her hands on his shoulders, Abby dug her fingers into the hard muscles flexing underneath her palms. The moment she encircled his hips with her legs and he pulled her body flush to his, time seemed to slow down.

  Their hearts thumped to the beat of the candlelight’s sputtering flicker. Shadows bounced through the room and across Gabriel’s hard body, while the wind outside howled, tossing sleet against the window with each strong gust.

  Even through the thin cotton shirt, Gabriel’s heated skin warmed her breasts. His rock-solid chest and stomach pressing against her made Abby want to kiss every single muscle. He pulled her even tighter against him, his fingers flexing on her rear. “Once we start, I won’t be able to go back.”

  He sounded so serious, like he was trying to warn her. Abby wanted nothing more than to indulge in his masculine, sexy self for as long as he’d let her. “I only want to go forward, Gabriel,” she whispered as she kissed him. “Only forward.”

  Gabriel waved his hand over the candle to extinguish the flame. Kissing her jaw, he rasped. “Close your eyes and count to five.”

  She grinned. “This is new…”

  “Just count, sweetness,” he said, nipping lightly at her neck.

  Goosebumps scattered across her bare skin and she sighed, feeling more light hearted and carefree than she’d ever felt with a man. Abby closed her eyes. “One, two, three…” Cool wind blew across her skin and she felt like they were running, but it seemed more like…flying. By the time she reached five and opened her eyes, Gabriel was setting her feet on the carpet in the upstairs bedroom.

  She laughed, completely taken by surprise. “Wow, I can’t believe how fast you did that. I felt like I was flying—”

  Gabriel kissed her, silencing her nervous babbling.

  Excitement pooled in her belly as he slanted his lips across her mouth. She wanted to feel his skin sliding against hers just as intimately. Stepping back, Abby whipped off his T-shirt and tossed it to the floor. His hungry gaze devoured her body in a long leisurely sweep, making her shiver in anticipation.

  He stepped flush against her and ran his hands down her back, his long fingers and broad palms massaging the muscles. Then he slid his palms to her ribs and upward to press his thumbs along the sides of her breasts before he moved his hands lower and splayed his fingers around her waist, touching the tips of his fingers at the base of her spine. “So beautiful,” he whispered, before sliding his hands along her hips. Cupping her ass in a possessive hold, he pressed a tender kiss against her forehead.

  More than a little shaken by his attentive tenderness, Abby returned the favor, moving her hands up the ripped muscles along his back and across the bulge of his biceps to grip his wide shoulders. Pressing her lips to one of his pectorals, she flicked her tongue against a hard nipple, then stood on her toes to press a tender kiss to his lips. As she lowered her feet to the floor, she grabbed his jeans waistband and gave him a come-hither smile, tugging him in the direction of the chaise lounge.

  Once they’d reached the chaise, Abby felt a bit out of sorts. Normally she just went with the flow with men, but with this one…she felt more on edge, like she couldn’t connect with him fast enough. She fumbled with his jeans button, but she managed to get it open and the zipper down. Her entire body shook and her legs began to tremble as she pushed the jean material and boxers out of the way. She’s never wanted a man as much as she did this one.

  Watching Gabriel step out of his clothes, his muscles flexing as he retrieved the condom from his pocket, was like viewing fine art in motion. He was so beautifully proportioned, as though he’d been created just so others could stare in awe. Hard, well-built legs gave way to trim hips. His upper body was sleekly muscled and twice the width of his narrow waist. Only fine dark hair sprinkled his chest, narrowing to a thin line that split his six-pack right down the middle. When she lifted her hand to touch his erection pointing toward his hard abs, he handed her the condom, his voice raw. “Not a good idea, Ab. The condom, sweetheart.”

  Abby glanced up and saw his jaw jutting slightly. He stood motionless, his body so taut she realized he was barely holding back.

  As soon as she began to slide the protection over him, Gabriel’s fingers covered hers, making her pulse jump. She met his gaze and they pushed the condom to the base of his erection together. The expression on his face humbled her. The man could very well be the best actor, but at that moment she didn’t care. He looked at her as if she was the only thing that mattered…as if she was the center of his world.

  Gabriel laced his fingers with hers, then kissed her knuckles before he led her to the chaise.

  Once Abby had lain down, Gabriel put his hands on the cushions beside her head to settle his hard frame between her legs. The light outside shined through the sheer curtain, highlighting every bend of his powerful muscles, and she experienced a sharp stab of unadulterated jealousy for every woman who’d had this beautiful man in her bed before her. As she pushed Gabriel’s hair away from his face and wrapped her arms around his corded back, Abby welcomed his weight pressing her thighs wide and desperately wished she could let go of her past. Because, for the first time in her life, she realized that this one man, with his beautiful perceptive eyes, might be one she could allow to get close.

  Abby lifted her head to kiss his jaw, but Gabriel caught her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue past her lips at the same time he guided himself inside her. The sensations of both penetrations at once made her moan against his mouth and dig her nails into his back. Lifting her hips, Abby encouraged his full taking, but Gabriel withdrew slightly and repeated the action at the same time as he nipped at her bottom lip.

  The erotic pain that shot through her lip made her channel clench in response and she instantly locked her legs around his hips, encouraging a deeper connection. “I want all you,” she panted.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he groaned against her mouth, then pushed further, his width stretching her full, stealing her breath.

  Abby keened her pleasure and rolled her hips. “I’m fine. Trust me, I can handle everything you’re willing to give and then some.”

  Chapter Eight

  Abby’s encouraging words affected him on many levels. Gabriel thrust fully inside her warmth and she gasped, her nails pulling him closer, drawing blood. He bit back his wolf’s howl of satisfaction and silently relished the powerful emotion of fulfillment that scattered across his skin and down his spine in a deep, full-bodied shudder.

  He’d never experienced anything like the way he felt when he connected with this intriguing human. Their bond wasn’t just physical…it was oddly metaphysical. He sensed her joy and apprehension, understood instantly that she was holding back her true self from him—her worries and fears. All the sensations of rightness and clarity bombarding him were so damned erotic he tensed his entire body to keep from losing it.

  When Gabriel stared at her flushed cheeks, her sexy half-closed eyes and sweet lips, swollen from his earlier kisses, his canines ripped through his gums in a painful reminder of just how right she was for him. Gripping the cushions beside her head, he clamped his lips in a hard line and ground his jaw in frustration, mentally forcing his teeth back into submission. He knew his inner wolf would fight him hard, snarling and growling his demands that Gabriel make her his completely, but the man in Gabriel acknowledged the truth. He wouldn’t mark her as mate until he’d gained her absolute trust in him.

  Abby leaned close to his ear and whispered the sexiest words he’d ever heard. “I meant to warn you…I’m a biter,” right before she bit him on his shoulder. Hard.

  I’m so screwed! The moment her teeth connected with his skin, Gabriel’s wereclaws unsheathed. The jaw-grinding act of her teeth sinking deep sent him thrusting deep inside her in a powerful jerk of his hips at the same time he pulled down on the cushions.

  He barely heard the sound of the ripping fabric over her scream as her body began to contract at a rapid pace around his cock. Gabriel set his jaw and tried hard not to come from the sweet warm feel of her clasping him tight. He pushed her harder into the cushions, pressing against her to prolong the friction as she rode the full length of her climax.

  When she was still panting, he withdrew and rocked back inside, growling low in his throat at how good she felt. So right.

  Abby rolled her hips and began to pant all over again, only encouraging his inner wolf to want to mate. Gabriel felt the heat rising inside him, but he ignored the beast and focused on Abby. He didn’t want to climax without her.

  Concentrating to retract his wereclaws, he cupped her jaw and moved within her while kissing her with all the heat he wouldn’t allow to flow into his cock for a full wolf mating. Abby bucked and moaned and even bit his tongue as her desire built all over again. When her body spiraled into another orgasm, the pleasurable sensations of her warm, wet body fisting around him, Gabriel dove over the edge and into his own mind-numbing release.

  A few minutes later when their breathing slowed, Abby sighed contentedly and he rolled onto his side, pulling her in front of him.

  “Do you want to move over to the bed?” he asked. “You’ll be warmer under the covers.” She snuggled her sweet ass closer and settled her back against his chest, making him hard with the need to claim her over again.

  “You’re all the warmth I’ll ever need,” she said in a tired voice.

  Satisfaction filled him, despite the fact her comment could’ve been post-sex euphoria talking. Gabriel kissed the back of her head and wrapped his arm around her waist, splaying his fingers across her stomach. As he listened to Abby’s breathing grow steady in sleep, one thing he knew for certain: his inner wolf wouldn’t wait forever to claim his mate. The more they connected on an intimate level, the harder it would be to hold back with her during sex. Tonight had been incredibly difficult. His muscles ached and his brain felt like it had been ground up in a blender.

  Scooping Abby into his arms, he carried her to the bed. Once he settled in behind her and pulled the covers over them, he knew he would have to find a way to earn her trust soon, before his wolf’s primal need to claim his mate overrode the man’s desire for her full acceptance.

  Something hard slammed into Gabriel’s jaw, yanking him fully awake. He jerked upright, growling, his wereclaws and canines fully extended. Abby thrashed on the bed beside him, rolling back and forth. Arms flailing, her fists were clenched as if she were hammering against something.

  “Let me out! Don’t hurt her!” she screamed, then whispered, “It’s so dark in here.”

  Her sad, pitiful cries yanked at his heart and made his wolf snarl, ready to rip someone’s head off for causing her such terror. Shaking the sleep from his head, Gabriel retracted his claws and teeth and dodged one of Abby’s fists before he was able to grab hold of her wrists.

  “Abby.” He said with more force, “Abby! Wake up.”

  Abby’s eyes flew open, but the fear on her face didn’t subside. She stared around the room and panted, as if she didn’t see dawn’s sunlight streaming across the bedspread, as if she were still caught in her dark world.

  Gabriel cupped her face and turned her head so she would have to look at him. “You’re dreaming, sweetheart. You’re safe here with me.”

  Abby’s green eyes came into focus and she put her hands over her face. “Oh, God!” Her fingers slid down and she peered over the tips. “What did I do? Was I talking in my sleep?”

  Gabriel gave an encouraging smile. “Only a little. Want to talk about it?”

  Abby rolled away from him, mumbling, “Not particularly.”

  Lying down behind her, he propped up on his elbow and ran his fingers along her arm and down her hip. “It had something to do with being stuck in a dark place and you were worried about someone being hurt.”

  Abby stiffened but didn’t say anything.

  Lacing their fingers, Gabriel brought hers to his lips and kissed each tip. “Sometimes it helps to talk about it, Abby.”

  Abby’s shoulders began to shake and Gabriel couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled her into his arms and stroked his hand through her hair while her hot tears fell against his chest. “It’s okay, Abs. I’m here.”

  “I grew up very poor and after my dad left, my mom took up with whatever man would have her,” she sobbed out. “Be—because of the booze and the drugs the men ran through our house, I was labeled that trashy, troublemaker kid—so I just lived up to other people’s perceptions of me.” Rubbing the tears from her eyes, she sniffed to calm herself and continued, “Eventually, my mom hooked up with this guy who liked to beat her. He would’ve beaten me too, but I was in school and he knew the teachers might see the bruises, so he locked me in a closet every time he beat my mom. I had to listen to her screams and then hear her crying afterward while I sat in the dark. There was nothing I could do to help her!”

  Hard, guilty sobs racked Abby’s frame, and it was all Gabriel could do to keep his wolf at bay. He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, as he resolved to find the bastard who’d tortured a mother and a young child. He’d rip the piece of shit apart, flay his skin from his body. “Is that why you had your friend teach you to pick locks? Not to steal, but to be free?”

  Abby nodded. “I finally got out and attacked him with a cast-iron frying pan. Broke the sick bastard’s arm. He left that night and never came back. I heard he died of a drug overdose a couple months later.”

  “It’s the least he deserved.” Gabriel snarled, angry he wouldn’t be able to pay the asshole back himself.

  She sniffed her agreement. “That horrible time in my life set my path, defining my entire existence. From learning martial arts, to working with the troubled teens at Handle burg Hall, to teaching others how to defend themselves.”

  Pushing away from Gabriel’s hold, Abby tensed. “Seeing man after man use and then leave my mom taught me that it’s better not to depend on anyone but myself.”

  Her words sliced his chest open, leaving him feeling empty and torn up. Gabriel frowned. “Every person isn’t painted with the same brush, Abby. All men aren’t like those men your mother chose to be with.” He realized the irony of his words, given his own feelings about humans. Abby had changed his perception of humans, not just because she was his mate, but because she showed him that humans had the ability to see all sides when she mentioned the possibility there might be at least one good vampire. Kaitlyn had certainly done that with their pack, embracing their differences and understanding the Lupreda’s primal ways. Until she’d met Landon, Kaitlyn had lived an entirely human life, yet she’d managed to make the leap of faith and join their pack with an open mind.

  “My father left us, too.” Abby shrugged indifferently and looked away.

  “You’re the one who said everyone should have a chance to be redeemed,” he argued. And what of the vampires, then? Gabriel asked himself. His pack’s alpha had recently developed a tenuous truce with the new leader of the vampires, Jachin Black. Gabriel would be a hypocrite if he didn’t follow the advice he was giving Abby. Going forward, he’d watch the vampire-werewolf dynamic with an open mind and consider the possibility of a peaceful future with the vampires. However, some old wounds would never heal. At least one vampire would pay if he ever ran across him again. There was nothing redeemable about the sadistic bastard who’d enjoyed torturing him all those years ago. His eyebrow was the only scar that hadn’t healed.