Marilu Mann - Changing Focus

She sat up to get a better look at him, then gave a shy grin as he shook at the touch of her hand on his cock. “Now please, Olivia.”

His plea shattered her. She’d worry about biting and clawing later. Now, right now, she wanted to be full of Micah again. Rising up on her knees, she crawled up his body and leaned forward to kiss him as she positioned herself over him. Holding his gaze with hers, she tilted back to open her folds for him. His gasp thrilled her as she dipped her fingers inside her own pussy.

“Want me, Micah?” Olivia couldn’t be bothered with being amazed by the wanton woman taking over her body. She plunged herself down on his cock while pushing her fingers into his mouth. The warmth of his tongue pulling the moisture from her fingers matched the pulse of him inside her. Her nipples sprang up as his fingers tweaked at her breasts.

“Ride me, Liv, hard.” His words sent her over the edge of the world again. Olivia braced herself with her hands on either side of his head as she pumped her hips wildly. She leaned back, feeling him deep inside her body and felt his hands at her hips, supporting her, helping to raise and lower her on his hard cock. Olivia opened her eyes to see Micah staring where their bodies were joined.

“You’re so beautiful, Liv. You’re taking me so deep and you feel so good.” She leaned forward for a kiss and found herself caught. Micah put one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her neck. He held her against his body and pumped his hips hard and fast.

Olivia moaned her release into his mouth, spurring him on even more. Giving another hard thrust, Micah growled out his own release. For a few moments nothing else mattered as they both struggled to slow their breathing. Olivia felt herself drifting toward sleep.

“Run with me again.” His voice pulled her back to wakefulness.

“What?” Olivia managed to lift her head enough to free her lips so they could move.

“Come for a run with me.” Micah rolled so that his body was over hers supporting his weight with his knees and hands. “It’s nighttime now. There’s enough moonlight to really enjoy it. Come for a run with me.”

“Can’t move.” Laying her head back down, she felt the bounce of the bed as he laughed.

“No, you’ll be fine once we’re running.” He playfully nipped at her jaw. “Come with me, love, come run with me.”

She felt something stirring in her body, an almost primal urge but she tamped it down. Micah stared at her, waiting for her answer. Olivia shook her head. “I can’t. What if I want to stay a wolf again?”

She shoved on his chest. Micah obligingly moved off her. Olivia walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She took a deep breath then moved closer to the mirror.

God what is that? That’s not a hickey. That is something much more. She studied the mark he’d left on her neck, just where it met her collarbone. It wasn’t bleeding now. Probing it, she found it tender to the touch-the mark of his teeth still visible. A scent hung in the air that wasn’t Micah but was-only more primeval than the smell he usually gave off.

She shuddered as she remembered she’d marked him as well. Olivia had never been into pain, had never bitten anyone in her life intentionally. Flashbacks of what she’d done to Jackson reeled through her mind. His horror matching hers when she realized she’d drawn blood. His rejection of her-would Micah reject her? No, she couldn’t understand why she’d bitten Micah, but she knew he hadn’t minded. Her biting him had spurred him on, sexually.

Olivia wrapped her arms around her waist as she sank down on the floor. Biting Micah had seemed like the thing to do. She’d wanted the taste of him in her mouth, in her system. “God, what’s happening to me? First he has me eating venison, then turning furry and now this. I’m turning into a cannibal.”

“Carnivore, love.” She didn’t jump at his voice. She’d known he was there without even acknowledging it. Micah wrapped his arms around her and picked her up off the floor. He carried her back into the bedroom then into his living room. She stayed curled up as he sat down with her, wrapping both of them in the fleece throw from the sofa.

Olivia sniffled and scrubbed her hands over her face then glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a carnivore, love, not a cannibal. You’ve been denying yourself the pleasure of meat for some time and your health has suffered. Since you’ve been here, since you’ve been eating properly and getting some exercise your body is recovering.”

She gave him a glare along with a pout. “You’re going to keep force-feeding me, aren’t you?”

He laughed as he hugged her tight against his chest. “I haven’t forced you to do anything, love, much less eat.”

“Why do you keep asking me to run with you? You know I’m not into running as exercise.”

“I mean as a wolf, Liv.”

She stiffened then pushed out of his arms and away from him. Micah sat perfectly still as she paced in front of him.

“That’s not possible. You know it’s not. Okay, so I can do that. I’ve decided I don’t want to do that. It’s not normal.”

Micah’s eyes widened as his nostrils flared. “What do you mean you’ve decided ? You only recently learned how to shift. It’s not a decision you have to make, it’s part of your life, part of you. You enjoyed yourself, Olivia. I was there. You are a beautiful she-wolf with a sunlight and gold coat. We ran together.” Desperation made his voice pitch sharper than she’d ever heard. “You are like me. You are one of us!”

Her voice rose as her back and forth pattern speed increased. “I’m not like that, it’s not possible. I can’t do that. I’ve made my decision and that’s final. That monster, yes, monster.” She flung a hand up to stop his response. “That is why my parents died. Who knows, maybe I killed my birth parents too. I have blackouts, you know.”

“Not anymore.” His voice broke again. “The blackouts won’t happen now that you know what you are. But Liv, you’ve got to learn to control it. If you don’t…”

The words trailed off into silence as he stared at her. Olivia tried to fill in the blanks. If she didn’t, what? She’d kill again? Her throat began to close as her eyes burned. Shaking her head, she turned away from him.

Micah got slowly to his feet. He didn’t know what to do, what to say to ease her distress. It hurt him somewhere deep inside that she refused to accept what she was. Finally he reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding tightly to her. The tears startled him at first, but he sat back down, holding her in his arms, letting her cry.

She’d marked him and she had no idea what that meant. He knew, though, and the fact that he hadn’t been able to stop himself from marking her in kind shamed him. She wouldn’t accept what she was, wouldn’t fully accept her nature, how could they tie themselves together forever as mates under those circumstances? Until she accepted what she was he had no business claiming her as his mate.

His shifter heritage was strong-a part of who he was, a big part of his life. He’d always known he’d have a shifter mate, someone to share every facet of his life. To have found her and have her not accept what she was…it was unbearable.

Olivia finally slumped in his arms, sleep a welcome relief to her. He held her still, staring down at the woman he loved. A faint smile curved across his face when a soft snore escaped her. She was so precious to him, so beautiful, and now so much a part of him. How was he going to let her go? He knew she’d leave, knew she wouldn’t even try to accept the truth.

Micah tightened his grip and his resolve. He got slowly to his feet, moving toward the bed with his precious burden. He put her down, tucking her in and smoothing her hair away from her face. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he backed away from the bed, his eyes still on the woman sleeping there.