"I've wanted you for years," he murmured, the look in his eyes making her knees weak.
But she had to clear something up, first. "Do you want me even though us coming together is going to make a baby? This is more than just a one night stand."
"Who said I wanted a one night stand?" he told her. "If you want me, I want to be your mate. Right here, right now. No more fighting it."
Her breath caught in her throat. "And the baby?"
"I'd be proud to be the father." And he lightly kissed her again.
Estrella sighed in pleasure, melting against him. "Do me a favor and pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming."
His free hand slid to her buttock and he lightly pinched it. "Better?"
"Yes and no." Yes, because she knew she wasn't dreaming. The delicious man holding her against him and declaring that he wanted to be her mate was the real thing. No, because even the slight motion of that pinch made the heat inside her pulse with need. Her skin felt like it was on fire -- too sensitive and overly tender. She could feel her pulse throbbing in her veins, pounding a staccato beat that seemed to center right at her core.
"Should I pinch you again? Or do you want to get out of this cold?"
She growled low in her throat at the thought, and her fingers curled into his biceps, digging in like claws. "Still so hot, Vic. I'm burning up inside. We stay out here."
"Even in the snow?"
Her mouth quirked in a grin. "It'll cushion the blow when I knock you to the ground and ravage you."
His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Will it now?"
She shoved at him, flinging him backward into the snow. As a liger, she was strong, just as strong as him. It intimidated most men, but she saw the excitement and challenge in Vic's eyes, and her own excitement grew.
He wouldn't mind that she was strong, fierce, and independent. For a man as rough as him, it was a turn-on to have a fierce mate. And that aroused her even more.
As he landed on his ass in the snow, her claws popped and she shredded the remnants of the bra loosely hanging from her shoulders. Her panties ripped away in the space of a breath, and then she was straddling his hips, bearing him back down to the thin blanket of snow in the grass.
He lay on his back and watched her with ravenous eyes. His hands reached for her hips, dragging her downward.
As if she needed any encouragement. Estrella took him into her hand and guided his hard cock into her body, seating herself fully onto him.
The breath escaped from her lungs. A small sound came from her throat, and she closed her eyes in pure ecstasy. He was big, and thick, and she was so very wet that he'd slid home perfectly. The sensation of it was amazing, and she soaked in the feeling of his cock deep inside her. Through the haze of her own desire, she barely heard his pleased groan.
All too soon, the delicious feeling faded, returned by the intense craving of the heat. She had him inside her, but she needed more, and she needed it fast. It made her crazed -- this wild desire. Bracing her hands on his chest, she began to rock her hips, lifting up and down on his cock. Her movements were jerky and harsh, and she ground her hips into his with every movement. "Need more," she breathed. The heat was an inferno inside her, raging out of control.
"I've got you," Vic murmured, and she felt his big hands dig into her hips. All of a sudden, she was out of control. When she lifted again, he slammed her back down onto him.
She cried out – oh yes, that was exactly what she needed.
He stilled under her. "Estrella?"
Her fingers dug into his chest, claws gripping at his skin. "No," she panted. "Keep going. So good."
He growled low in his throat, and then he was slamming her down on him again, their movements so forceful that she was positive she'd have bruises in the morning, but she didn't care. She needed this -- needed him -- so badly. The heat was being fed, once and for all. It built inside of her, and she began to growl low in her throat, feral and rough. Her hips lifted with his thrusts, making each slam of their bodies together faster and harder than the one before. If he'd been human, she would have destroyed him. But this was Vic, her Vic, and he was as strong and fierce as she was, and when her eyes met his, she saw the intense excitement there. It didn't matter that she was rough -- he liked it.
A shiver ripped through her, and then she was coming, the sensation so intense that stars swam in front of her eyes. A low, guttural groan ripped from her throat and she couldn't stop her claws from digging deeper into him as her entire body shuddered, flexing and tightening against him. Through the haze of the intense orgasm, she heard him bite out her name, and then she felt him come too, bathing her insides with warmth.
Estrella gave a wordless sigh and collapsed on his chest, breathing hard.
They lay there for long moments, the woods quiet about them, the only sound the symphony of their harsh, ragged breaths. Vic's hands slid to her thighs, and she felt his fingers lightly trace her skin, over and over, a soothing motion. She didn't move, though. She just laid on his chest, eyes closed, and tried to catch her breath.
Eventually, she cracked an eye open and surveyed her surroundings. Snow was falling in a thick blanket now, the snowflakes large and fluffy as they descended to the ground. Around them, the blanket of snow was patchy, the brown grass underneath exposed. And on the snow itself were dots of blood.
She flared her nostrils, alarmed. The scent of the woods touched her, along with the smell of her body and Vic, sex, and...blood. Warily, she lifted a hand and winced at the sight of the blood lining the beds of her fingernails.
Vic chuckled. "You play rough, 'Strella."
She sat up, pushing back on his chest, alarmed. Sure enough, the chest she'd been resting on was covered in scratches and gouges from her claws. Traces of blood dotted his skin and the snow around him. And Vic was smiling like he was pleased. "Oh my god," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."
"I'm not." His hand continued to stroke her thigh as she straddled him. "How are you feeling? Better?"
She shifted slightly, testing her body. Vic was still seated inside her, and that felt good. Her muscles weren't sore, but the heat didn't seem to be gone quite yet. Sated for the moment, but still lurking in the background. She grimaced. "I think we're going to have to do this again."
He chuckled. "Don't sound quite so pleased."
"It's not that," she began hastily. "It's that I want to have sex with you and just enjoy you. I don't want to feel like I'm going to flay you alive with my claws simply because the heat's driving me wild. It doesn't feel normal."
"Normal's overrated," Vic told her. "Are you better right now, at least?"
She stretched, working out her muscles. "I am. I feel pretty good, actually." Amazing, really, but she'd feel weird telling him that. "Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?" His voice sounded funny.
A flush crept up her cheeks. "For, you know. Volunteering in my time of need."
His eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he moved, and she went from sitting atop him to being flipped onto her back in the space of a moment.
Her eyes widened at the sudden movement -- and the surge of desire it sent through her. Vic loomed over her, pinning her to the snow. "Estrella. Let's clear one thing up right now," he told her in a hard voice. "I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart or because I'm your alpha. I'm doing this because I've wanted you for years. Me. Vic. It has nothing to do with free sex and everything to do with you."
Tears blurred her vision. "Good. I just didn't want you to feel...obligated."
He snarled. "Fuck obligation. I'm doing this because you're mine. And now that I know you want me too, there's nothing that's going to stop me from putting my mate mark on your throat. Understand?"