Page 19 of His Stubborn Mate

A sharp electric buzz jolted through her, leaving her senses reeling. There was something about this man that drew her to him like no other. He could be the biggest jerk, and yet he could kiss her with a hunger so intense that it scorched all rational thought. Her body responded of its own accord, melting into his embrace like ice on a hot stove—the taste of him, the feel of his arms, firm and demanding, sparking a fire she could never have anticipated. Amanda kissed him back, her arms wrapping around his neck as her body pressed tighter to his.

Groaning in what sounded like a combination of surrender and need, he picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her into the station. Closing the door and setting her down, he spun her around, pushing her forward and pressing her front against the wall. His hands came up under her sweater, pushing her bra aside so he could fondle her breasts, his lips hot against her cheek. Amanda moaned, a primal sound that seemed to come from someone else entirely.

Rance’s tongue flicked out, touched the edge of her lip as his hands moved to shove down her leggings and panties. “This is not a good idea.”

“It’s the best idea you’ve had all day,” she murmured, reveling not only in the physical response he was evoking but at his seeming loss of control. She felt wicked and wanton, and she loved it.

“Not good.” The words came out as a protest, but he didn’t stop.

Amanda didn’t want him to stop as his hand slipped between her legs so his fingers could toy at her entrance. Amanda had never indulged in any kind of fantasies about being forced, but then she’d never had a man who could get her so aroused so quickly. His fingers stroked her, teasing even more moisture from her core. She wanted to speak, to tell him to stop, but deep down, she knew she wanted even more from him.

“I can’t sleep at night unless you’re next to me. In my dreams you’re there, tempting me, taunting me. It’s like I can’t resist you. I don’t give in to these kinds of feral needs and feelings.”

“Shut up and fuck me, Rance,” she snarled in frustration.

He had the ability to get her all hot and bothered with very little trouble. The moment she spoke, his fingers sank into her, hard and long, but not quite what she had in mind. He pistoned his fingers inside her until her hips started to respond, moving in the same rhythm as his fingers, her body giving into what her mind didn’t want. Or did it?

“Are you sure, Amanda? Because if I fuck you again, there’s really no going back,” Rance whispered harshly, his fingers working her, hitting just the right spot to make her nipples go hard and her back to arch toward him.

She hesitated, not because she didn’t understand the repercussions as she and Eva had talked about it. Not even because she didn’t believe they were fated mates, but because she didn’t want to feel as though she’d given in—that she had lost, and he had won. But she was so close to coming on his fingers, that she didn’t want him to stop. In that moment, she needed that orgasm more than she’d ever needed anything.

“Yes,” she moaned, covering his hand with her own.

Amanda gasped as the orgasm exploded deep inside her, sending pleasure straight up into her brain as she shook in his arms. It was as though admitting she wanted him had released the energy building within her and she gasped his name, begging for more.

Rance waited, but she could hear the satisfied groans he made. She felt the way he pressed his cock into her ass as he pulled his fingers from her. She closed her eyes as he pulled back just enough to undo his jeans. Amanda didn’t protest when he pulled her hips towards him just enough to place his hard tip against her opening.

The moment he entered her, her world seemed to narrow to just the raw intensity between them. It was madness; this need to match his desperation with her own, to take whatever he offered and give back just as fiercely. She pushed back against him, seeking more, each movement igniting sparks that danced beneath her skin, coursing through her veins.

“You’re too beautiful for your own good,” he said, his breath hot against her neck. His hands were unyielding on her hips, keeping her pinned to the wall.

“Too stubborn.” A grunt punctuated his next thrust, and Amanda could feel the vibration of it echo through her. “Maybe now you’ll shut up and listen.”

“Don’t count on it,” she shot back, half breathless, but her voice was lost under the sound of his movements and her own heartbeat thundering in her ears.

His other hand, the one that didn’t have a death grip on her hip slipped between her legs and over her clit. The sensation was unexpected, intense, and sent a fresh surge of arousal through her system. Every touch was amplified as each of his thrusts teased her closer to the edge.

“Please,” she begged as she writhed against him, her face pressing into the cool, impersonal wall, feeling the rough texture against her cheek.

Rance pulled her hips back, angling in a different way to get deeper, and Amanda nearly collapsed from the intensity of the pleasure. She could hear his breathing, ragged and heavy, each exhale like a whisper of the storm raging within them.

And then it happened. All at once, like a dam bursting, her entire body tensed, then quivered in his arms. For a few blinding moments, there was nothing else in the world but Rance and the overwhelming sensations crashing over and through her.

Rance’s grip on her hip was like an iron vice, relentless as he pushed her harder against the wall. The cool surface was a stark contrast to the heat of their bodies. His movements grew more urgent, desperate even, as if he were trying to prove something, or perhaps lose himself completely.

“Amanda,” he growled low in her ear, his voice strained with the effort of holding back. She could feel him shaking; the tremors that ran through his body now echoed in hers. And then, with a final thrust, he groaned into her hair, his breath hot and ragged, his release pulsing deep within her.

As he pulled away, there was a rawness between them, something that went beyond physical satisfaction. He helped her make some sense of her rumpled clothing with the same hands that had just been locked around her with such intensity. His touch lingered for a fraction too long, betraying a hesitation that didn’t fit with the man who always seemed so in control.

“This isn’t over,” he muttered, almost to himself, as he stepped away, almost as if he were surprised by what had just taken place and his own words.

There was a flash of something in his eyes, anger, desire, maybe both, as he looked at her. Did he truly want any of this or was it just something he felt had been forced upon him? As for herself, did she want any of this? Or did she just want him? And did she have a choice in either?

Chapter Ten

Amanda

The aftermath of their heated encounter left them standing somewhat awkwardly in the ranger station—their bodies still humming from the intensity of their connection. Amanda knew she had to speak before the warmth of their shared moment lulled her into complacency.

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