Irresistible Page 6

  Hunger crept out of its hiding place. It consumed her dreams of acceptance and her hopes of ever keeping Max. If she truly cared about him, she needed to leave.

  He slid a strap off her shoulder and caressed the healed bite mark he’d given her. She’d never had a scar before. Pulling away from their kiss, he gazed at the mark.

  Who would have thought a stupid foray into a singles party would have led to this? Maxwell Cox, local sex magnet, wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. If only she had a time machine. She would have--what?--starved to death? The party had been her only sane choice. Fate led her there.

  A sharp nibble on her earlobe sent a shiver down her spine and sparked her desires. She wanted him inside her, filling her with his hard cock and satisfying both of their needs. The hunger, weak at the moment, wouldn’t take control. It would be days before she got desperate.

  Damn, she was a selfish bitch. He deserved a better life, with someone who could give him what he wanted. She groaned, not from his touch, but from the misery of what she needed to do. Rolling him off her, she dumped him on the floor.

  With a thump, he landed hard. “Hey, what gives?” He rolled onto his side, towel thankfully still wrapped around his waist. The anguish in his voice speared her. What a fool he was not to leave her. She could only offer him a broken heart or death.

  “I need to go, Max. I’m so sorry. I really am.”

  He blocked her escape. “There’s something I need to know first. Have you heard of soul mates?”

  “Like in the love songs?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.

  “It’s an instinctual bond between two shifters, usually male and female. It’s like love at first sight that we hear humans talk about, but on a gut level. Can’t ignore it or make it go away, and after a little while don’t want it to go away.” He touched her knee. “We’re soul mates, Marie. I felt it the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  “But I’m not a shifter. I don’t feel any bond.”

  Pain crossed his expression. “You don’t feel anything?”

  “No, I-I feel something.” Like a craving. “It’s just not what you want it to be.”

  “Maybe what you’re sensing is the bond, but you didn’t have a name for it until now. You’ve been ignoring your instincts for so long you can’t hear them. Who’s to say mermaids aren’t shifters? When you change your beast comes out and what a magnificent creature you become.”

  Her head spun with possibilities. “Magnificent?” He offered her a life, a home, and a family. Except for the hunger. “I came to your party because I was starving, Max. Not looking for love. I didn’t take your body because I sensed some kind of bond, but because I needed to eat.” She closed her eyes at the memory. “You tasted so good, and the lust just poured off you like a never-ending river. I don’t know how you survived the night. You should be dead.”

  Silence answered her until she couldn’t resist and looked at him.

  “Wow, a never-ending river?” He gave her a smug grin. “And that was on an off night.”

  She shook his hands off. “You’re not taking me seriously.”

  He didn’t let her go. “Look--listen to me. I’ve no doubt we belong together. My instincts roar it whenever you’re close. I don’t think you could kill me if you tried. I’ve worked the sex business a long time.” He held up his hands as she rolled her eyes at him. “I can’t think of a better match.”

  Staring at him, she didn’t know what to say. He was grasping at straws.

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  “No.” Her voice climbed an octave.

  “It’s not against the law.” He tried to offer her a reassuring smile, but nothing could make her feel better.

  “For my kind, it should be.” Her hair fell around her face like a veil, hiding the pain she couldn’t contain. “Every time you come after me, I get all confused inside.” She waved her hands over her heart. “I don’t like it and want you to go away.”

  The innocence of her words made her want to vomit. She was a badass, sex-eating machine, and every time this male came around she transformed into--into a woman.

  “Max.” She grunted and yanked her body out of his grasp. “It won’t work between us. I know werewolves believe in soul mates, but sirens eat theirs.”

  Chapter 9

  Marie parked her car and leaned her head against the headrest. A black cloud had followed her these last few days, and it wasn’t letting up. First, Tim had showed up late so his crew couldn’t make any of the changes she wanted until he arrived. Then the county called about her liquor license being canceled, which led to an afternoon spent waiting in an office to clear the issue and get her license back. To end the day, she’d just finished listening to a message from another of her strippers. She’d found a job and won’t be coming back. That made three.

  Crap, it felt like she was starting all over again. She punched her dash. On top of everything else, the hunger nagged beneath the surface, making her edgy and cranky.

  When she’d fed on Max, she’d hoped her club would be finished and running before her hunger resurfaced. What a miscalculation. How would she feed this time? If she waited too long it would take control and snag any victim it wanted. She shuddered at the possibilities.

  Stepping out of the car, she stopped to stare out at the dark lake, so calm and flat tonight in comparison to yesterday. Max had come so close to drowning when he’d jumped in to save a friend in the middle of the storm. The selfless idiot, she’d done everything to keep from killing him and he’d almost accomplished it by himself. Tears blurred her vision. She missed his over-confident smile and his gentle touch. Dreams of being his soul mate were all she could have.

  Wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand, surprised to find them still wet, she tried to get a grip. Fairy tales weren’t written with sirens in mind. She wouldn’t get a happily ever after.

  Entering her home, Marie wrestled with the tears that threatened to keep falling. The truth hurt, and it would chase Max away. That was supposed to be a good thing, yet the idea made her feel like crap. When had she started caring? Lions didn’t fall in love with gazelles.

  He had tasted like wild, untamed energy, and she’d never forget it. Now, he’d understand why they couldn’t be together and stay away because, in the end, she would kill him.

  But that hadn’t happened. She rubbed her temples as her pulse pounded in her head. He’d appeared unaffected the next day. He passed out, you idiot. His eyes had rolled back in his head and he’d fallen unconscious.

  To be wanted felt so foreign. Alone all her life, she’d never dreamed of falling in love, let alone with a werewolf. Shifter mates appeared so committed. Tim, her contractor, had such a wonderful relationship with his wife. They had sat together at the barbeque laughing and hanging out, feeding each other morsels from their plates, oblivious to the rest of the pack. Jealous of what they had, she’d turned away, unable to stomach watching them a minute longer.

  Max offered her this dream and the hunger turned it into a nightmare. Neither of them came away unscarred from this fiasco, but he deserved someone better.

  How long before she made a mistake and sucked him dry?

  Lifting her chin, she wiped her cheeks again. She’d rather them be apart with him alive, than together with him dying. Damn it, she couldn’t believe she was crying over a male.

  A thunderous knock on her door startled her. She jumped high enough to break the heel of her shoe.

  “Answer the door. I know you’re in there.” Max’s voice carried through the thick wood.

  Marie dropped her head into her hands. What a freaking day. Raking her fingers through her hair, she limped across the small room.

  He rattled the door handle. The lock wasn’t strong enough to prevent a werewolf from snapping it, but he didn’t force his way in. “Fine.” His snarl stabbed her. “Nothing you say or do can change the fact we’re meant to be together. And--and I’m there for you, Marie.” He pounded again. “Do y
ou hear me? I’ll be there for you.”

  Leaning against the counter, she gripped the edge as if hanging off a cliff. A low moan rose from the base of her soul. His blind trust would be the end of her. He still believed she wouldn’t hurt him. Why did he offer her such faith?

  The stairs of her porch creaked with his solid weight as he left her home. Left her.

  The emptiness in her heart expanded to consume her mind. He belonged to her. A piece of her life clicked into the right place and its name was Maxwell Cox. She heard her instinct, couldn’t block the pain it caused while she tried to separate from her soul mate. Couldn’t ignore it, couldn’t deny it, and she didn’t want to.

  Kicking off her shoes, she leaped across the floor and fumbled with the lock.

  * * * *

  Max walked away from Marie’s door and didn’t look back. A hole in his gut threatened to engulf him. If he didn’t love her as much as he did, he would have hated her for the torment she put him through. He understood the risks of being with her, but she’d had plenty of opportunity to hurt him at the party and the bar, yet here he walked, alive and well. Given a choice, he’d rather spend one day with his soul mate than be apart for the rest of his life. God, he wished he could make her understand.

  He heard the doorknob rattle, and he glanced over his shoulder. Marie crashed open the door. She flung herself off the porch, not bothering with the stairs, and ran across the muddy ground barefoot then threw herself at him, grabbing around his neck with her arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. Shuddering with sobs, she tried to speak in between them, but all he could concentrate on was holding her close.

  He didn’t know what to say, just wrapped himself around her and held on tight. With ease, he carried her back inside the house and sat on the couch, not willing to let her go yet.

  “You were right.” She sniffed. “I wasn’t listening to anything but my hunger.” Her grip on him increased as if she were afraid he’d let go, except nothing would pry his arms from her. “It’s all I’ve ever focused on, so worried I’d fall back into bad habits. I never allowed myself to feel anything.” Leaning away from him, she caressed his cheek and locked her gaze with his.

  He couldn’t resist her anymore and bent to claim her sweet lips. In her vulnerable state, she didn’t resist and pulled him close. She tasted of the sea, like salt and storm.

  With a small push he laid her flat on the couch. He ran his hand along her calf. “The morning after the party I searched the lakeside for you.” His eyes widened and he grinned. “And now I know why your scent ended at the water’s edge after the party, my beautiful siren. You really did swim off.” Chuckling, he shook his head. “I followed the lake until I found your scent at this house then tracked it to the city.” Spreading her knees apart, he wedged his shoulders between them and laid his head on her abdomen. He closed his eyes and whispered, “Marie.” The blood rushed from his brain to his cock, leaving less thought and more reaction.

  * * * *

  The temptation to run her fingers through his curls proved too much. Large and soft, the curls tangled around her fingers.

  A growl rumbled deep in his chest. Pressing his head against her navel, he trailed his fingertips on the inside of her thighs until he reached her panties, where he traced the edges of the cloth.

  “Max.” His name came out with more conviction than she thought she possessed. “I’m so hungry.” She wanted to warn him, but her traitorous hands pulled him closer.

  “Then feed, love.” He gave her a smile that melted her to the seat cushion and slipped his fingers under the silk.

  Heat simmered between her legs at his touch. “I’ll hurt you.” She hiccupped her last word, trying to control the turmoil whirling in her body.

  “I would rather spend my last night making love to you than spend the rest of my life wondering what if?” Shifting his body lower, he gazed up at her. Every time he spoke his voice wove deeper in her heart, trapping her soul with his kind, loving words. “I could die from a car accident or a heart attack tomorrow and nothing you do could stop it. You’ve fed from me before, and I survived. I’m not afraid.”

  Her stomach tied itself in knots. “But I am.”

  No matter the reasoning, Max wouldn’t let her go, and deep down inside she realized she didn’t want him to. Tired of fighting her natural instincts and her attraction to him, she spread her thighs and allowed him easier access to her core. It sent a shiver down her spine, and the muscles in her lower abdomen tightened. She wanted him so bad, she could taste his arousal in the air, and it was sweet nectar.

  Not needing more of an invitation, her werewolf dragged her panties off and tossed them over his shoulder. Max bent his head to kiss her nether lips. Swiping her hot slit with his tongue, he sent a wave of pure pleasure washing over her body.

  She tightened her grip on his tangled curls, needing to pull him closer.

  He plunged deep into her core, exploring her pussy with both tongue and digits until he reached her clit. Latching his lips around it, he sucked until she couldn’t catch her breath anymore. He drove her mad, like he always did when they touched.

  The ecstasy shattered the protective layers of her cool exterior, leaving only a lustful siren at the mercy of a horny werewolf. “Oh, Max! Finish me. Please.” She cried out as he pulled away.

  “No. Not yet.” He crawled over her, running his hands along her oversensitive body. The gentle brush of his lips on hers contrasted his aggressive claim to her body. Tingles danced along her mouth as he withdrew.

  She leaned forward, following his retreating lips, wanting just a little more, then halted, horrified at her reaction. His proximity made her all too aware of his well muscled body, the one that had responded to her every touch with such abandonment. She undid the fly of his jeans and reached for his hard cock.

  “No.” He nibbled at her left earlobe and blocked her stroke. “Not yet.”

  She withered under him, panting for more air. Needing. With a moan, she arched her back and pressed against his solid, strong body.

  Grasping her, he rose from the couch and placed her on her feet as he undid her business jacket and let it drop to the floor. “Where’s the bedroom?”

  Dizzy from the sudden movement, she pointed down the hallway, unable to string words together. He took her hand, dragging her across the kitchen in the bedroom’s direction.

  Before he stepped through the doorway, Marie blocked it with her body. “Last chance, Max. You cross into here you might not come back out.”

  Like a moth to a flame, he leaned into her kiss and opened his mouth to invite her in. Moist and hot, his tongue slid over hers. Electric shivers ran along her body wherever he touched. He pushed her into the bedroom, never releasing his soft, full lips from hers.

  One by one, Max undid the buttons of her blouse. Guiding her direction as she blindly walked backward, lost in the awakening of her senses. Max’s confidence eased her anxiety, melted the tension in her muscles, and allowed her to explore her passions. Desire grew around Max, thick and tasty, but she also sensed another source of lust, although she couldn’t tell where it came from.

  The edge of the mattress caught behind her knees and she sat abruptly, the open fly to Max’s jeans inches from her face and too tempting to resist.

  Chapter 10

  A sly twinkle sparkled in Marie’s eyes as her gaze moved from the open fly of his jeans to his face. That one look made Max’s cock throb. He ached to be inside her, surrounded by her hot, wet silk.

  But she didn’t touch him. Disappointment almost killed him on the spot. Tonight might be his last, but he didn’t bet on it. He’d survived the other times Marie fed on him without any effort. Why should it be any different now?

  She lay on her back and gestured for him to follow. “I want you in my mouth.”

  Not needing to be asked twice, Max kneeled on the edge of the bed and began to undress, however his mate shook her head. He stopped. “What?”

  “Keep yo
ur clothes on. I just want your cock.”

  If he were a cat, he would have purred. He loved games. Springing onto the mattress, he crawled along her body until his groin faced her mouth. Marie somehow broke down his defenses. He usually had great control over his sexual impulses, but at the moment, his excitement rivaled the night he got his very first blow job. Except this time it would be from someone who knew what she was doing.

  She pulled his waistband and underwear below his hips then stroked his almost-ready-to-explode cock. The brush of her delicate fingertips sent a shiver up his spine. She cupped his balls and brought them to her mouth. The touch of her tongue felt cool in comparison to the hot blood pounding in his veins.

  A groan rumbled from deep in his gut. He would have happily stayed in this position forever.

  Her nails bit into his ass, and she moved her mouth from his scrotum and licked along his cock as if he were a lollipop. The combination of the sharp pain and her gentle mouth took his pleasure to another level.

  “Max,” she whispered.

  He stared down his shirt and met her heated gaze.

  “Tell me how you want it.” She ran her hands under his clothes and caressed his abdomen, to his sides, then made her way to his back. Her lips shone with moisture as she arched and pressed her breasts against his thighs.

  “I want to fuck your mouth.” He recalled how well he fit in her throat, how she took all of him without a problem at the party.

  “Do it.” She wrapped her lips around him while he watched and worked him further until she met the base of his shaft.

  One gentle thrust at a time, he followed her rhythm until she relaxed onto the bed and let him do all the work. Careful not to hurt her, he pumped and she ran her hands under his clothes trying to touch as much of him as possible. The cloth barriers made it much more erotic for him.

  She angled her head forward a little.

  His breath caught at the shift when he slid deeper. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he held himself above her and caressed the inside of her mouth with his hard cock.