Page 51 of Wolf's Claimed Mate
“Thereal meis right here,” she muttered. “The real me was compromised by two men I don’t even know. The real me isterrifiedbut wants to fight back. The real me wants to be known. But—but I’m scared, Conall. I am so damn scared.”
“Why?” I asked, reaching up to wrap a curl around my finger. “Tell me why.”
A rage simmered away in me, controlled but strong. I needed to go back there and pound those two men into nothing for risking her safety. I didn’t know what they would still want with Sasha, but the thought of them even laying one finger on her had me seeing red.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “Not yet. Soon, but… not yet.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Then I was up, moving away from her to give her space. Her anger was only fuelling mine. I paced the cabin, thinking about how I could both protect her and give into that need to hunt those men down myself.
“Conall.”
I barely even heard her, losing myself to that rage.
“Conall.”
I half looked up, but my vision was blurry. She’d sat up, her legs parted, but I couldn’t see anything. The champagne color of her dress blended in with her skin. Had she lifted herdress up? Was she trying to distract me? Was I filling in the blanks that were not there?
Then she was in front of me, stopping my furious pacing, holding my clenched fists in one hand. The other carded through my hair, grasping the dark strands. She pulled tightly on my hair. I groaned, closing my eyes, as she pressed my head back against the wall.
“Now,” she purred. “Stay still and listen.”
Her lips pressed to my taut, exposed neck, and she bit hard.
Chapter 21 - Sasha
I watched Conall’s eyelids flutter at how I touched him like this. Tugged his hair, commandedhim.
I kissed up his neck, sucking marks beneath his collar, flicking the top button of his shirt open. All my anger was still there, but I was so, so turned on. Watchinghisanger, as much as it enraged me to think he thought me unable to take care of myself, I couldn’t help but consider something else. The fact that he cared for me this much, to such an aggressive level, thinking I was worth keeping safe and fighting for…
My pride took a backseat, but I let it take hold for just one more minute.
I scratched a nail down his neck, feeling him swallow. “You do not need to protect me,” I purred.
“No?” He laughed breathily.
“No,” I answered, kissing his Adam’s apple. It felt good to be powerful for a minute.
“Oh, kitty,” he sighed, and I knew the tables were turning. He slid his hands up my wrist, linking his fingers through mine. Then he flipped up, pushing me against the wall, his face leaning into mine. “When will you stop being so stubborn?”
One of his thighs slotted between mine, pressing the chain string of my panties right against my heat. A whimper left my lips.
“I know you want to be powerful,” he whispered. “You want your control and your stubborn pride. But deep down, I was right with what I said that first time, wasn’t I? That you want someone to take control, let your mind wander, and not have to be in fight mode all the time.” He kissed my neck, slowly,languidly, and I stuttered a shaky breath as I arched for him, letting him have better access. He was knocking down every defense I had with his words. “Let it go, Sasha. Let me take care of you.”
“You still want to collar me? Trap the helpless leopard? Be the big bad wolf?” I half teased, but he sucked a bite into my collarbone, and I couldn’t help moaning.
“Yes,” he said. “If you’ll let me.”
I stilled. “What do you mean?”
He pulled back, smirking. “I got you a collar.” His eyes were on mine, utterly serious. “I said I could take you,claimyou. And this is my way of doing that, which you know. Didn’t you agree?”
I thought of his hands on my neck, the pressure a collar would bring, the way my pride raged against it but the part of me that hadn’t been damaged by Jackson utterly melted at the thought.
“I want to try it,” I whispered.
He still didn’t know I was a virgin.
