The Mating Heat(21)

Touching her scarred cheek with a trembling hand, she looked so damn lost and sad, it kicked him in the guts.
“Even if Alastair hadn’t done this.” She dropped her hand and set down the honey jar. “Because the damage he did inside was much worse. You and I weren’t meant to be together. He said as much.”
Damn her sire. Damn him to hell. What had caused a once good, noble Lupine to turn into a mean-skinned bastard who’d ripped his daughter’s heart to shreds and killed all her hope?
Ryder gazed deep into her eyes, knowing what he must do. He only hoped it worked…
***
“The hell with what that crazy bastard said. Half the time he thought the sheep and cows were spying on us. You going to believe someone like that? Damn girl, I thought you had more sense than that.”
Temper rising, Kara stared at Ryder. “He was my father.”
“He was a fucked up alpha who must have been on something. Too much bad meat. And you’re still letting him run your life. I thought you were stronger than that.”
Ryder gripped her upper arms. “The Lupine I remember was a fighter. The Lupine I remember was the female who snuck me food and water, risking her own hide, when I was imprisoned. I thought she returned when I saw her in the forest, fighting off a pack of trolls so she could get money to save her brother’s ranch. Who the hell are you?”
Anger kicked hard and fast. “I’m the one who’s stopping you from making a big mistake like the night when you kissed me. That was a huge mistake. Look where it landed us.”
“I’ve made mistakes before, Kara. Plenty of them. The biggest wasn’t kissing you, for sure. My biggest regret? I should have thrown you over my shoulder and ran away from this place to protect you until I could deal with Alastair on my own.”
Breathing deeply, he released her, fury crackling in his eyes.
She suddenly realized his tact. Shake her free from the cobwebs of self-pity and get her angry enough to stop believing the words Alastair drummed into her mind. All the emotion drained out of her like a plug pulled on a filled bathtub and she sagged against the shelves.
“He would have killed you, Ryder. He was just looking for an excuse. He wanted to hurt me simply for being close to you.”
“Then I should thank Aiden for having the courage and common sense for doing what I should have. I failed you, Kara.”
How wrong he was. Ryder had sacrificed everything time and again to keep the ranch operational and keep the pack cohesive. He could have run off, quit, like other Lupines had. But he stuck it out. And to see him blame himself for her father’s actions…
She laced her fingers through his. “You saved me. Before that kiss, I had forgotten what it was like to be cherished and loved. And you fed me hope that maybe I could find some happiness after all.”
Ryder squeezed her hand, his touch warm and comforting. “We need you, Kara. We need you because you’re a part of our family. No matter where you go, how far, this will always remain your home. And you’re meant to be with me, hell, we’re meant to be together after all the crazy, fucked up crap your sire did to tear us apart.”
“Mating is for life, Ryder.” She stared at their interlocked fingers. “I want to be happy, I want the promise of what it’s like to laugh again, and feel good.”
“Then let me make you happy,” he said, his deep voice growing huskier. “I want to give you a pleasure you’ve never felt before, Kara. The kind of pleasure a woman feels when a man slides deep inside her and she screams and begs and claws. The pleasure our people were meant to feel when we mate.”
Mesmerized by the burning heat in his eyes, she watched him dig into the honey jar and withdraw a dab. He brought it to her lips, hesitating a moment. Ryder seemed to test her, an unasked question if she were willing to take the sexual challenge he presented.
Mate with me.
As Ryder pressed the honey against her mouth, Kara parted her lips. She flicked her tongue daintily over the offering. Then she took his wrist and guided his finger into the moist cavern of her mouth, and sucked hard.
The blue of his eyes turned indigo, then darkened further. Ryder then closed his eyes and groaned, every muscle tensing. Her lips closed around his finger and she swirled her tongue, flicking it around his trembling digit. With exquisite slowness, her tongue gave both one last teasing dance, and then she pulled back, forcing his finger from her mouth.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. Ryder gazed at her with a different, fiercer hunger than a need for food.
“That was delicious,” she purred. “I want more.”
“No,” he said hoarsely.
Kara gave an innocent smile. “Why? I’m hungry.”