The Mating Project Read online

  "You're so hot and wet for me, aren't you? Tell me, baby. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to fuck you? Do you want my cock to slide deep inside your body until there is no doubt that you're mine?" He licked along her rapidly beating pulse point and sucked on the sensitive spot under her ear until Maria's breath came in short pants and moans.

  He stepped up his assault on her clit, and Maria rocked her hips to increase that delicious friction. Still, it was not enough, not by a long shot. She wanted no barriers between them. She wanted to be skin to skin, to wrap herself all over him, until they were one and the same, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were together.

  "I can't hear you, baby. What's that? Shall I just stop?"

  Maria groaned her distress when Silas pulled back and smiled down at her. He left his thigh between hers, and transferred both her wrists into one of his hands, whilst running his free hand slowly down her arm until he reached her shoulder. Using just one finger he trailed along her collarbone and hooked that digit under her blouse. It skimmed the tops of her breasts, and Maria inhaled sharply when he let that finger trail lower until it whispered across one of her painfully erect nipples.

  "My, what have we here, my cat? I wonder what you'll do if I do this."

  He bent his head and sucked that nipple into his mouth. Through the fabric of her shirt and the lace of her bra, he laved the hard nubbin, and when he bit down hard, it was as though an invisible string tugged at her clit. More of her juices gushed out of her and spilled past the elastic of her soaked thong until the air around them was heavy with her feminine musk.

  Silas groaned against her breast and switched to the other side, giving it the same attention. The damp fabric of her blouse clung to her nipples, and shivers of need raced across her skin.

  "Please, please, Silas…" Maria pleaded with him, and his passion filled gaze connected with hers.

  He hooked his finger under the top button of her blouse and pulled hard. The delicate fabric ripped and the button pinged off, and Maria let her head fall back against the wall as the rest of the buttons found the same fate. Cool air skittered across her heated flesh, and she bit back her moan of surrender when Silas shoved the remains of her blouse up her arms and then used it to tie her hands together.

  With sure and swift movements he looped the free ends over the loop in the brass wall fitting and tugged. Maria looked up and pulled, but it was useless. She could wriggle her fingers, but she couldn't get free, and goose bumps raced along her arms at the thought of being at his mercy.

  "What's that for?" She whispered the words and sought Silas's gaze. The naughty twinkle in his eyes soothed the little niggle of worry, which always raised its ugly head when her movements were restricted. Ever since she'd woken up shackled in that cell ten years ago, Maria liked to be the one in charge, needed it even, but with Silas those worries drifted away, as he once again nuzzled into her neck. His evening stubble created just the right amount of friction, and Maria instinctively tilted her head to give him better access.

  "Just making sure my little cat can't get away from me this time. I have plans for you."

  He licked along her jaw until he reached her lips and claimed them in an intoxicating kiss that seemed to go on forever. It was only when he pulled away and took both of her breasts in his hands that she noticed he'd removed her bra. He ran his thumbs over her nipples repeatedly, and they tightened to the point of pain as Maria panted her need.

  "One day soon, I'll fuck these." Silas’s murmured words of homage nudged her arousal up another notch, and she rubbed her thighs together to relieve the heavy ache in her pussy.

  "For now, though…" He winked at her and then pulled her skirt up until it was bunched around her waist. He kicked her legs apart, and Maria bit her lips to stop herself from hurrying him along. Somehow she got the impression if would have the opposite effect. Silas seemed determined to torture them both with his slow approach, and as gentle as he was there was a steely determination to his actions, and her feminine side sighed in submission. Her cougar, too, rolled over and purred, for once in her life completely and utterly happy.

  That thought should probably worry Maria a great deal. Silas was human, and her mate. There was no doubt about that, not when her body went up in flames at just being in his presence. This slow dance he was inflicting on her, just set her alight even more.

  "Breathe, baby."

  His amused reminder caused her to draw shuddering breaths into her lungs. She was too aware of his hand cupping her hot mound to give much thought to the necessity of breathing. His long fingers teased along her hole, pushing the sodden fabric into her channel one agonizingly slow millimeter at a time, while his palm pressed against her clit with just enough pressure to keep her on the edge. It was driving Maria insane. She was so close, so damn close, but spread wide as he kept her, one hand on her hips holding her still, the other teasing her wet cunt, and her hands out of action, she could only feel.

  "You're so damn wet for me."

  Silas groaned the words into her belly as he kissed his way down her torso, and Maria shut her eyes and yanked at her restraints when he knelt in front of her. He raised one of her legs over his shoulder and kissed the tender flesh of her inner thigh, just above her stockings.

  "And so fucking sexy." He nudged her clit with his nose as his hot breath against the wet crotch of her underwear added another layer of sensation to the heated moment. Everything inside her tensed when he grasped the elastic of her thong with his teeth and pulled it down and out of the way, as far as the position allowed. The thin material bunched in her slit, and added pressure to her clit that had her whimpering anew. Silas yanked hard, and the fabric tore with an audible rip. Cool air hit her folds, only to be immediately replaced by the heat of his breath, lips, and tongue. His fingers dug into her ass cheeks as he held her still and set to work, lapping at the evidence of her arousal with his talented tongue. He tunneled into her channel and alternated short flicks against her clit with long deep strokes along her slit and into her pussy, until Maria wanted to scream. Higher and higher he pushed her, and when he replaced his tongue with two of his fingers, and sucked her clit into his mouth, Maria saw stars.

  From deep within her core the trembles started, until nothing else mattered but his fingers fucking her sweet spot with unerring precision, the almost painful stimulation to her engorged clit, his hot breath against her sweat slicked skin, and the wet, greedy sounds of her pussy, as she gushed her release into his mouth.

  On and on he pushed until she had ridden out the last tremors and her body went limp. Had it not been for her arms tied above her head, and his body crowding her against the wall, she would have been nothing but a boneless mass of thoroughly fucked woman, sliding to the floor.

  The rip of foil next to her ear, as Silas tore a condom packet with his teeth, shook her out of her post orgasmic haze, and the heavy drum of desire once again fizzed through her veins. Silas stepped back slightly, yanked his trousers and boxer briefs down, and then sheathed himself in record time. Maria got a brief flash of his heavy, erect cock, slick with pre-cum, before he accomplished the task and then he grabbed her ass cheeks and lifted her. Maria brought her legs round his waist and rocked herself onto his heavy shaft nudging her entrance. She was so wet and ready for him, that he slipped in with only the barest hint of resistance from her swollen tissues, and they both groaned when he bottomed out inside of her.

  "Yes, oh, yes…"

  Maria sighed and pleaded, as Silas pulled almost all the way out again and then slammed home with enough force to pummel her into the wall. She would carry bruises in the morning, and that thought made her smile and her cat purred in delight.

  "You're so fucking tight around my cock, baby. I was going to do this slow, but fuck … I can't. Jesus, yes, work my cock, little cat. You want this so bad, don't you?"

  Silas's grunted words into her neck as he slammed in and out of her cunt turned Maria on even more, and her cat to
ok over. She tightened her internal muscles around him and locked her thighs around his waist, drawing him in deeper with every thrust. Her claws sprang free, and her jaw ached as her canines lengthened, and she gave into instinct and bit down hard on the soft tissues in his shoulder.

  Her orgasm swept through her, and she yanked her hands free, as her claws tore through her restraints. The fabric of her blouse gave way, and she buried her fingers in his hair. The coppery taste of Silas's sweet blood filled her mouth, and he roared his own release, as his hips went crazy, pistoning his dick in and out of her.

  With his jeans still around his knees he lost his footing, and the two went down on the floor with a thump. The action drove him even deeper into her body, triggering another orgasm, and Maria released her hold on his neck and let her cat roar in triumph. It shook the floor and the windows rattled, as she bounced on his cock, ruthlessly pursuing her own pleasure. Her distorted voice changed to her screaming his name, as she hit her last peak, and collapsed on top of him.

  Chapter Seven

  Fuck, he'd died and gone to heaven. Silas was surprised he could even form that thought, and judging by the tremors still shaking Maria's body, she was in the same limbless state he was in. Everything ached, yet he'd never felt better in his life. Sensations seemed heightened. The breeze coming in through the still open window stirred his senses, and brought with it the scent of roses, lavender, and the climbing ivy that trailed up the side of the flats. He could hear the distant tinkle of a neighbor's pond in her garden, the hum of traffic, and most importantly Maria's worry. It wrapped itself around his senses like a heavy cloak, and he had the oddest impression that he could hear her thoughts if he really tried hard.

  What the fuck was that about? He moved slightly to relieve the ache in his back, where the rug had bunched up under him when he fell. What a fucking dumbass he was. Residual pain from his shoulder flared up, and Silas froze just as Maria sat up and regarded him from under her long lashes. With her hair hanging loose around her face, her color high from their intense session, and worry lines creating a deep groove between her pretty eyebrows, she had never looked more beautiful to him, or more deadly.

  Her gaze darted to his shoulder, and Silas swore.

  "You fucking bit me."

  She flinched and looked so miserable he wanted to punch something.

  "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. Does it hurt?"

  Silas bit back the angry retort bubbling on his tongue and then held his breath when she leant down and licked her bite. The rough texture of her tongue created tingles that shot straight to his softening cock still inside her body, and the damn thing hardened instantly.

  Maria inhaled sharply and gave the tiniest wriggle as her internal muscles clenched around his dick. Silas couldn't resist temptation and flexed his hips. A hiss escaped her, and Silas flipped her over. Pinned underneath him she looked good enough to eat, and he allowed himself another thrust into the tight clasp of her body, before he withdrew and swore.

  Maria tensed underneath him, and this time he heard her thoughts in his head loud and clear.

  What's wrong?

  The fucking condom broke, that's what's wrong.

  Oh.

  Yes, oh, and what the fuck is this? You can hear my fucking thoughts?

  He threw the useless condom across the floor and rolled off her completely until he lay flat on his back again, with his damn dick sticking up into the air like some sort of beacon, and his jeans still around his ankles. He kicked them off with a grunt and thumped his head on the floor.

  "I'm sorry, this is my fault." Maria's small voice settled in his gut, and the uncertainty behind those few words made him feel like a complete tool.

  "Hardly." He had to clear his throat to project his voice with any conviction. "I was rather a willing participant, and accidents happen." Just not to him, usually. He felt the gentle probe into his mind and propped himself back up on one elbow to be able to see Maria's face.

  "Stop doing that, for fuck's sake. How is that even possible?"

  To her credit she didn't even try to deny it. She just turned an endearing shade of pink.

  "It's the mating bond … I think. I don’t really know. Mum and Dad have it, and my brothers and Anastasia. I'm sorry I don't mean to pry. This is all new to me, too. I should never have bitten you."

  "No, you shouldn't have, but, being that you did, tell me what the fuck happens now. I'm not going to sprout fur, right?"

  He knew he wouldn't. This was not the way it worked, but he had to do something to bring a smile back on Maria's face. The slightest lift of one corner of her kiss swollen lips was his reward, and his chest felt lighter. He wasn't going to analyze this right now, that's for sure. He crunched his teeth when Maria reached across and ran her fingertips over her earlier bite. That felt way too good, and his cock twitched as though she'd pulled it up with an invisible string.

  She noticed of course, and his skin heated when she licked her lips and let her hand trail lower, over his chest, down to his abs and then his groin. He stopped her before she could reach his junk. Her pulse jumped under his fingertips when he grasped her wrist.

  "Well, am I going to bay at the moon?"

  Her startled gaze sought his, and she only smiled when he winked at her.

  "I know, I won't, but is this condom thing going to be an issue?"

  Maria laughed and shook her head.

  "Hardly. We shifters are dying out, remember. Besides I've been on the pill for years. The last thing I need is to fall pregnant. My dad would have a fit. Oh fuck it, what am I going to do now? He'll have a heart attack when he finds out about you."

  She rolled away from him, pulled her skirt down and tried to cover herself with the remnants of her blouse. Silas sighed and yanked his jeans back up. He had the devil of a job doing the damn things up over his still rock hard cock, and then handed Maria his shirt.

  She shrugged into it with a grateful smile, and his heart beat a strange rhythm, when she sniffed it and smiled. Most women would have balked at the idea of wearing his sweat soaked shirt, yet Maria seemed to revel in it. He could smell her getting wet again, and he cursed under his breath. He might not sprout fur, but, clearly, her bite had changed him.

  Not only could they hold seeming mind conversations now, his hearing and sense of smell were definitely sharper. He stepped forward and winced at the crunch under his bare feet. There went his glasses, and he realized with a start that he hadn't even noticed that he wasn't wearing them.

  All too aware of Maria's tense stature, as she seemed to wait for his reaction, he picked up the twisted spectacles and held them up to his eyes. The world blurred, and Silas shook his head in amazement.

  "Well, I'll be fucked. I've had to wear specs since I was two, and one bite from you, and my eyesight is cured? Jeez, woman, what have you done to me?"

  He didn't really expect an answer, and sure enough she simply looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders.

  How fucked up was this, that her kind didn't know the answers to the most fundamental questions? When had shifters become so out of touch with their unique abilities, and more importantly, why did he care so much all of a sudden?

  Maria, of course, that's why. The woman was like a drug to his system, and he had no idea how he was ever going to get her out of his bloodstream, or even if he wanted to.

  "Here, I'll run you a bath, and then I'll find you something else to wear. I'm sorry, I've been rather hard on your clothes. I'm not normally quite so aggressive. Not exactly sure what came over me."

  Maria smiled and shook her head.

  "It's the mating bond. I couldn't help my responses either." She bit her lip and didn't look at him, and that made him angry.

  "Let's get one thing, straight, Maria. I'd have wanted to fuck you, irrespective of any mating bond, and I refuse to believe that we simply couldn't help each other. I'm human, or at least I was, and I knew exactly what I was doing. I wanted you, and fuck me if right now I don’t wa
nt you again. I don't regret what happened for one minute, not even you biting me, because, damn it, that was the best fucking orgasm I ever had. Now, what the fuck we're going to do about this, and what it means, I have no idea, but know this. You might have been the one who bit me, but I have no intention of letting you go, and if your father is going to give you grief over it, then he'll have to go through me first."

  Silas had to smile at Maria's wide eyed expression, and he pulled her to him and kissed her. This right now felt so right, like coming home, and she felt it, too. It was there in her sigh of submission, the rumble of her cat, and the way she clung to him and kissed him back with all the passion she was capable of. When they broke the kiss they clung to each other, and Silas rested his forehead on hers to get his bearings back.

  "This is all moving incredibly fast, baby, but I don't want to stop this … us."

  "I don't want that either," Maria said.

  "Good, then you'll stay the night and let me pamper you a bit."

  "I'd love that, but I need to get my work clothes from the car. I've got work in the morning." Maria whispered the words, and Silas kissed her nose.

  "You mean you don’t wear that killer outfit to the zoo?" he asked.

  "No, that was just for your benefit. I dress rather more conservatively for the zoo."

  That thought sent a warm glow through Silas's veins, and he kissed the top of her nose.

  "Good, well, then let me get those conservative clothes. You soak in the bath, while I do that. We'll need to move your car anyway. Give me your keys, and I'll park it in our private car park."

  Silas's smile deepened as she pulled away and frowned at him, before the most impish smile appeared on her face.

  "I couldn’t do that. Surely that's going against all of your principles, driving a car?"

  "So is getting involved with a shifter and actually caring about your whole sorry council business, so sue me."