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  Here we go, she told herself mentally. Now or never. “This kind of trouble,” she said in a throaty voice, and reached behind her to unhook her bra.

  He growled again, the low rumble managing to come through despite his human form. The wild, furious look returned to his eyes. “What the fuck is this, Estrella?”

  She stopped, humiliated.

  She wanted to clutch the now-slipping bra to her breasts and run into the woods. Shame made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. “A mistake, apparently.”

  Vic was still breathing hard, still furious. “This is a set-up, isn’t it?” His shoulders heaved with each angry breath.

  She remained silent.

  “Fuck, Estrella!” Vic turned and stomped away, snarling. “Do you have any idea of how fucking worried I’ve been? Here I thought that you — one of our females and near a dangerous mating heat — was hurt and in trouble. I’ve been mentally figuring out what the fuck to do if you need medical help, and you’re just trying to seduce me?”

  Bitter disappointment mixed with the shame. She reached behind her back and tried to resnap her bra, blinking back humiliated tears. “I didn’t think—”

  “No, you didn’t,” he roared again. “What if you were in tiger form and you were injured? What am I supposed to do? The Alliance doc can only do so much. Do I fucking call an animal hospital and hope they don’t try to put you down? A fucking ambulance? What?” He continued pacing furiously, his hands clenched into fists that were so tight she could see white at his knuckles. “Never, ever fucking do this to me again, do you understand?”

  “I understand,” she whispered. God, she felt like a bug. An ant.

  A really, really horny ant.

  She closed her eyes, determined not to stare lasciviously at his naked muscles any longer. It was clear that she and Jayde had been all wrong about this — Vic was just thinking of her like an alpha thought of everyone in his clan. There was nothing more to it, and she’d embarrassed herself and jeopardized her place in the clan.

  This was officially going down as the worst heat ever. Maybe she’d get lucky and never go into heat ever again.

  “I’m your alpha,” he snarled, pushing toward her. “Your safety and well-being are always at the front of my mind. You can’t fucking jerk my chain and expect me to come running. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she said meekly.

  “Look at me, Estrella.”

  She squeezed a cautious eye open.

  His jaw was clenched harder than she’d ever seen it, and his eyes were so dark with anger they were almost black. As if to take the edge off of that, snow was falling in big, fat flakes now and dotted his hair and eyebrows.

  “Never do that to me again,” he rasped.

  Yeah. She got it. She’d alarmed him. She yanked on the back clasp of her bra, determined to re-snap it, but her fingers were trembling from a mixture of the heat, nerves, and shame, and she couldn’t quite do it. She gave up, crossing her arms over her breasts instead. “I’m sorry, Vic. I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just wanted…”

  Her voice trailed off with embarrassment. Now was not the time to confess her crush on him.

  “The heat’s clearly affecting you,” he said after a moment, dark eyes glittering as he studied her face. “I’ll forgive this lapse of judgment. It’s clear you’re desperate right now.”

  “Desperate?” She echoed. Did he just call her…desperate? Ouch.

  “Approaching me for your heat. I must be your only option left. I just don’t understand why you didn’t pick one of the men I brought for you.”

  Well, it was a good thing she had no pride left after this debacle. Estrella shook her head, tamping down her own irritation. “Which one? The asshole? Or the chauvinist?”

  His lips twitched with amusement, some of his anger receding. His arms crossed over his chest, echoing her own protective stance. She tried not to notice that he was really, really naked…and that it was incredibly arousing.

  And not just to her, if the wood he was sporting was any indication.

  But he was still talking, still arguing. “So you didn’t like Nelson or Montgomery? I admit they’re not my favorites, but they’re both good candidates for a female in heat. Young, relatively attractive, tiger clan.” He shrugged. “What more do you need?”

  “Yeah, well thanks for that stunning criteria list, but I am not having the baby of either of those douchebags, much less sleeping with one of them.”

  “What about Cory? He seemed like a nice guy.”

  “His last name is Janitor, Vic,” she cried plaintively. “If I’m picking men for ridiculous reasons, I don’t want my baby to have a toilet bowl last name.”

  His brows furrowed. “Ridiculous reasons? Your heat’s not ridiculous.”

  “But me picking men based on their looks and the fact that they can grow the same kind of tail as you? That’s not ridiculous?” She sighed heavily, staring off into the woods. “It doesn’t matter. They’re not the ones I want.”

  “So who do you want?” The question was low, husky.

  The words froze in her mouth. Vic had made it quite obvious that she’d made a bad call in inviting him out here. Like hell she was going to blabber about how much she wanted him. Her mouth remained mutinously shut.

  “It’s me, isn’t it?”

  Estrella remained silent, but she could feel the blush rising on her face.

  “Fucking hell, Estrella. You’re kidding me.”

  “I’m sorry that grosses you out,” she cried. “Freaking sue me for having a crush on my alpha!”

  “Goddamn it, why didn’t you ask?”

  “Hello!” She shouted at him, gesturing at her unclasped bra, her lacy panties. She felt like an idiot. “What do you think I’m doing?”

  He charged forward. Before she could back away, his mouth claimed hers in a hot, hard, wild kiss.

  Stunned disbelief rocked her. Vic was kissing her? The surprise of it almost overwhelmed her out-of-control hormones…

  Almost.

  A bolt of lust shot through her body, so strong it nearly knocked her over. She clung to him, her mouth parting under his hard lips. The kiss he was giving her was not polite, or tender. It was savage and hungry and punishing.

  And she freaking loved it.

  Vic’s hands curled around her waist, dragging her nearly naked body against him. He rumbled low in his throat as his tongue slid against hers, as if pleased by the taste of her. She felt the stab of his cock against the crux of her thighs.

  Oh god, this was everything she’d wanted. If this is a dream, don’t let me wake up.

  Then, he pulled away from her, the kiss ending so abruptly that she staggered against him.

  “What is it?” She asked, the heat pounding through her veins.

  Vic’s eyes glittered with lust as he stared down at her. “Just tell me one thing. Am I the last resort?”

  Estrella stared up at him, at the eyes as feverish as her own. The strong, stubborn set of his jaw. The dark hair that waved over his forehead. The big shoulders and strong arms covered in tattoos. A low moan of pleasure escaped her, just from looking at him. “God. Not in the slightest.” She leaned forward, pushing her breasts against his hard chest, desperate to scrape her aching nipples against him. “I’ve always liked you, but I thought you didn’t like me.”

  “Not like you?” He looked incredulous for a moment. “I practically browbeat you to join the tiger clan instead of the lions because I wanted to be around you. As it is, I’ve had to force myself to leave you alone since you never showed any interest before.”

  It was her turn to be surprised. “You wanted me? Even though I’m a liger?”

  “Estrella,” he whispered huskily, and his hand moved to ensnare her hair in his fist, an action that made a new rush of wetness dampen her panties. He slowly pulled her forward, until her lips were barely brushing against his. Her breasts flattened against his chest. “You’re smart and utterly gorgeous.”
r />   “I’m six foot two. Most men don’t want a giant in their bed.”

  “Their loss,” he growled, then brushed his lips lightly over hers. “Do you want me for me, then? I want you to say it.”

  “I want you, Vic. So, so badly.” Her hands slid up his arms, caressing his biceps. A purr nearly erupted from her when she felt how firm they were. “Are you sure you want me?”

  “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 fre
e 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?”

  A surge of liquid desire rolled through her at the thought of Vic’s mouth on her neck, teeth biting into her skin, and her hips flexed in response. “So what’s stopping you right now?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” he growled, and leaned in. His tongue lightly moved along her throat, and she moaned at the sensation. “Ah, ‘Strella, I can smell your desire. Smells fucking amazing.”

  She felt his cock, already hard, against her inner thighs and rocked up against him again. The heat was returning, but this time, she welcomed it. Relief was only inches away. “Need you, Vic.”

  “My ‘Strella,” he said softly, and she felt his tongue trace along her collarbone, making her shiver with need, her nipples hard.

  Then, he bit down on her skin, at the spot where her neck met her shoulder. She felt his teeth sink in, ever so slightly. Another orgasm ripped through her, and she cried out, clenching his body close against hers. “Oh, yes. Vic. Vic. Vic.”

  He growled low against her throat, not pulling away, his mouth anchored there. She felt him shove her thighs forward, until they pressed backward on her chest and she was bent in half, knees almost to her shoulders. And then he sank deep again, and she cried out. Her claws popped again and she sank them into his back, clutching him to her.

  “My ‘Strella,” he repeated in a hoarse voice, pounding into her.

  “Vic,” she cried out, and oh God, his rough strokes were driving her wild. She couldn’t hold his body close enough to her. He sank so deep inside her that every thrust made her quiver with the orgasm that seemingly wouldn’t stop. It kept building and building, her body quaking and muscles tight with the sensation, but it kept going and going, the fires stoked hotter with every thrust of his cock deep into her.