Page 33 of Elusive Mate

“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” quipped Zaiden.

“I don’t know,” said Lucian, removing the pie plate from his head and wiping up the mess with his napkin, “it was going fairly well until that last part.”

Seeing that their alpha was nonplussed by his mate’s outrageous behavior, the shocked silence gave way to laughter as he stood and then turned to follow her.

CHAPTER 13

ZENYA

Lucian was up to something. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew he was. He had made sure that the entire clan, with the exception of those on patrol, was seated at dinner when they joined them. Earlier in the day, he’d sent men to meet the fishing boats to procure enough of the highly desirable Copper River salmon for them all to enjoy. Zenya loved salmon in general, but Copper River was her absolute favorite.

All of the side dishes were ones she enjoyed: risotto, potatoes, a whole variety of vegetables and real sourdough rolls made from a sourdough starter that had been in the making since the gold rush. Then there had been the choice between the only two desserts she couldn’t resist: hummingbird cake and key lime pie.

For days now, Lucian had been far more seductive than he had been in the past—under the table, he laid his hand on her thigh, making her tremble. He brushed his big body against hers, all the while purring or rumbling at her either so low no one else could hear, or silently down the link. Each time she could feel her arousal increase so that everything he did—even chewing his food—seemed full of sexual innuendo.

His hand came to rest on her thigh, squeezing it gently until she wanted to either melt and become a puddle at his feet or curl up in his lap, purring to him and waiting for him to take her upstairs to their bed. The longer they ate, the more he increased the level of seduction. He touched her, brushed against her, all the while purring or rumbling to her down the link. He whispered in her ear, nuzzled her neck and was blatant in his attentions.

Zenya was trying to enjoy her hummingbird cake. She wasn’t sure how Lucian knew she’d come to love the hummingbird cake, as she hadn’t discovered it until she’d been on her way to North Carolina. But he’d known her since she was a child, and he knew how much she adored key lime pie. The sweet and sour curd combined with a crispy graham cracker crust and whipped cream had always been something she couldn’t resist.

Lucian used his fork to cut a bite from the back of the pie that combined crust, curd, and whipping cream. She couldn’t seem to look away and watched as he put his fork down and used his fingers—his long, sensual fingers—to pick up the bite. His other hand was trailing from the top of her thigh to the inside and up toward her sex.

Her eyes were fixated on the pie as he slowly raised it up to her face, leaned in, and slipped it into her mouth. He was close enough and his voice was a low, husky whisper that only she could hear. “I can’t wait until I can watch my cock slip between those luscious lips, both those on your face and those that even now are swelling and softening for me.”

It took Zenya a moment to realize what he’d said to her. Once she did, her reaction was immediate and definitive. She bit his fingers—hard, forcing him to jerk his hand back. She pushed back from the table, violently shoving the chair back as she stood up and sent it crashing to the floor. As a coup de grâce she took the pie plate containing the remainder of the key lime pie and dumped it over his head.

“I’d rather suck the dick of a dragon than get anywhere near yours. I hate you.” She turned and addressed the room. “I hate you all, and someday I will be able to turn my back on this place and on this clan and walk away—never, ever to return.”

They were terrible words, and they weren’t true, but they burst forth nonetheless.

Zenya spun away from him and rushed out of the room. She knew she’d caught him by surprise and that it wouldn’t be long before he was after her. She needed to get to safety, but there was no place at Ice Storm that was safe. If she ran outside, he was faster and stronger; he’d be on her in a minute. She’d issued a direct challenge and insult to him and had done it in front of the entire clan. There was no one, including her brother, who would help her.

She needed to hide, but where? She charged up the stairs. He wouldn’t expect her to stay in the house. She ran to her room. Not the best place, perhaps, but at least she knew what was in there. She entered the room and decided not to lock the doors. That should throw him off. She would go into the big walk-in closet and hide among the clothes that kept showing up—some were from North Carolina, but others had been curated by a stylist at one of the expensive boutiques in Seattle.

Making herself as small as possible, she curled into the back corner and hoped for the best. She could feel him calling to her—not hear him, feel him. He was inside her head, and he was getting close to her.

“You have been a very naughty mate this evening,” he said, sliding the hanger down the rod away from her to expose her hiding place. “I have been very patient with you, Zenya, but I think you may have exceeded even my tolerance for your misbehavior.” He held out his hand to her. “Come, mate.”

The lust in his deep rumble made her entire body shiver, and while she recognized a command when she heard it, she wasn’t sure if he wanted her to get up and go to him or have an orgasm. She was pretty sure she could do either.

Lucian beckoned her with his hand and extended it to her. She grabbed his one hand in both of hers and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

“You are beautiful,” he purred as he pulled her close, reaching for the hem of her sweater and drawing it over her head.

“Lucian, don’t.”

“I don’t think so,” he said as he unhooked her bra and freed her breasts. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to get my hands and mouth on these beauties?” He strummed her nipples with his thumbs as he knelt before her, placing butterfly kisses on her belly.

Zenya moaned and steadied herself by placing her hands on his shoulders. She was fairly sure her knees would have buckled had his hands not been supporting her, holding her up. Keeping one hand resting on her hip, Lucian ran his hand down the back of her calf, gently pulling off first one boot followed by the soft, slow removal of the second. Zenya moaned and swayed as he hooked his fingers in the waistbands of her leggings and panties and peeled them down, nuzzling her mound. That was almost her undoing. She bit her lower lip in an effort to stave off the orgasm she knew was inevitable.

“Lucian, no. Please. I will never forgive you.”

He chuckled—his breath puffing out and tickling the curls at the juncture of her thighs. “No, my beloved, that isn’t true. Come morning, you will purr for me and want more of the cream only I can give you.”

Lucian pulled the flannel shirt he’d been wearing over his head and stood up, skimming his hands up her curves and cupping her breasts again as he toed off his boots. He removed her hands from his shoulders, bringing them down to the top of his jeans.

“Unbutton my fly, Zenya,” he purred.

She was staring at her hands resting on his waistband. She couldn’t seem to move; couldn’t seem to do anything but stare until she finally shook her head.

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