Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(20)

He cupped her face and brought his forehead to hers. He took a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent that did nothing to help his aching cock. It only made him harder—something he didn’t think was possible.

“I’ll do this, I’ll take care of your bear, and take care of you. But no matter what happens right here? It’s something we’ll have to talk about later. Because we’re already pretty f*cked up as it is. You get me?”

She rubbed her breasts along his chest, her nipples hard points. “I get you. We’ll talk later. But I need you.” She pulled back, a wince on her face. “I never thought I’d say that.”

He cursed. As much as he wanted to hear that, he had a gut feeling that she didn’t mean it the way he hoped—that she needed him beyond this moment, this night. But he wasn’t about to think about that, not when they were outside the compound without their collars and anyone could come upon them at any moment. Like he’d said before, this was the worst possible time for something like this to happen. He just prayed that he wasn’t making a giant mistake. That they weren’t making a giant mistake.

“We’ll stay here for the night,” he whispered and ran his hands down her back. She shivered in his hold, and he had to rein in his cat before he took her to the garage floor and tasted every inch of her. Her mating heat had ramped up his own need, so now they were both f*cked unless he helped them take care of it.

“And the boys?” She had her eyes closed, her head resting on his shoulder as she rocked back and forth. She had to be in so much pain, but she was trying to hold back. As always, her sons came first. Not that he blamed her for that, not even a little.

“We’ll head up to Denver in the morning. Neither of us is in any condition to go anywhere now. We can stay here. I’ll take care of you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, though he could see the mad heat in her gaze. “I don’t like people taking care of me.”

“Well, tonight you’ll just have to let me. Because we both know you won’t be able to do anything tomorrow if I don’t take care of you tonight.”

She rolled her eyes then groaned. “That is the worst line ever.”

“It’s not a line, it’s a promise. It’s the cards we’ve been dealt. So let me love you, and stop thinking you have to do everything on your own.”

Her hands went to his back, her claws digging into his shoulders. “The first time you kissed me it was to shut me up. And now, the first time we’re going to have sex is because I’m in my mating heat. I don’t have to take that.”

“Then don’t. Just take me.”

He lifted her up and cupped her ass. She wrapped her legs around his waist, the heat of her pressing against his belly. He let out a small growl and turned toward the garage door that led into the house. The musty smell of a long forgotten home invaded his senses as he walked them inside, but he pushed that away, knowing he was about to do something that he might regret, but knew they both needed desperately.

He licked his way up her neck, nibbling just enough to bring them both closer to the edge.

“Cole,” she breathed.

He bit down just a bit harder, not enough to break through the skin and mark her as his, but close enough that he had to pull back and get a grip on himself. This wasn’t a true mating. His cat might want her, but he knew they were both riding high on adrenaline and need. He wasn’t even sure what his cat wanted with Anya in the first place. It wasn’t as if their kind had soul mates that created bonds with magic and all that shit. They were just flesh and blood creatures. Once his cat and he agreed on their need and love for a woman, and she wanted the same, then he’d have his mate. It wasn’t fate, wasn’t an explosion of senses that told him this one person would be his forever. It might be true that not everyone found someone their shifter half wanted in the same way—and it was even more rare now that they were trapped within compound walls—but that didn’t mean it was a bond like so many thought.

He didn’t know why he was even thinking about things like that right then. He had a willing and sexy woman in his arms, wrapped around his waist. He didn’t need anything else. They’d deal with the consequences of their actions later.

Shit.

Consequences.

He stepped into the bedroom and set her on the floor. She nuzzled his chest, and he let out a low growl. Someone had left the sheets on the bed, and he didn’t see that much dirt and dust left over. Thankfully.

The people who left this house hadn’t abandoned it twenty-five years ago like some. No, considering the dust—or lack thereof—it seemed as if someone had lived here within the last year or so. Not everyone jumped ship as soon as the virus hit. Some had tried to make it—though he hadn’t been around to see it. Instead, he’d been inside the Feline compound with the rest of his people.

But back to the consequences. He muttered a curse and cupped her face. His chest heaved as he fought for breath. Damn it. His cock was so damn hard; he figured he’d only last about two seconds the first time he was in her wet heat.

“Anya. I don’t have any condoms.” Any protection he might find inside this place would be expired by now.

She moved back, her eyes wide. “Shit,” she whispered. A sheen of sweat glossed her brow, and he knew she had to be in pain. Shifters weren’t allowed to take birth control since the government regulated it. “I…I can try to take care of it myself.” She ran her hand down her belly and slid her fingers behind the waistband of her jeans.