Sondrae Bennett - Worth Fighting For

His hand closed over something plastic that crinkled. He broke contact and held it up triumphantly.

Both of them stared at it a full minute without speaking. Cody didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It wasn’t a condom.

“You planning on rubbing that ketchup over your…hot dog, chief? Cause I gotta tell you, ketchup and sex doesn’t have the same impact as, say, chocolate sauce and sex.”

The laugh bubbled up as he stared at her until he was unable to resist. Their passion cooled in the face of such ridiculousness. Cody rested his head against her shoulder until tears slipped out of his eyes.

“You looked so proud to have found it.” Misty giggled as their laughter tapered off.

Taking advantage of the break in action, Cody leaned over and dug in the drawer, pulling out a real condom this time. He started to open the package, but Misty stopped him with a hand on his arm. Then she took the package from him and tore off the wrapper.

With a seductive look, she swept her free hand down his front, until she found the object of her search. Her fingers curled around him and squeezed until his eyes rolled back in his head. His hips bucked as she moved down his length to the head, her hand still wrapped tightly around him. After a couple pumps, she released him to roll the condom on and gripped him again, pulling him forward using his cock.

They both groaned as the tip touched her entrance. Pushing her hands aside, he gripped her hips and plunged. The feel of her wet heat encasing him almost undid him. He eased out only to thrust back in. Her lips caressed his neck, but his focus centered on the pleasure building below.

Inside, his fox tried to break his control, but he held firm. As much as he wanted to plunge hard and fast, the day had been traumatizing enough for Misty. She needed gentle and slow. So he gritted his teeth and slid out. The friction set every nerve ending on edge, firing his blood.

She writhed against him. Her hips bucked, even as his fingers dug in to stop their movement. Rubbing against him, her moan caught in her throat as she tried to pick up the pace. The wiggles were doing nothing for his tightly strung control, but he held firm.

“Faster, damn it.” Her voice was guttural.

He didn’t answer, just continued his easy pace.

All of a sudden, a sharp sting pierced his neck. Even as he noticed the pain, a tidal wave of pleasure raged inside him, devastating his control. Half aware, he pumped his hips over and over, releasing inside her. White light flooded his vision as his brain simply shut off. The pleasure too intense.

Once the buzzing in his ears stopped and his vision returned, Cody wiped a hand over the still smarting flesh on his neck and brought his fingers to his eyes. Blood. The wound began to heal. He felt the skin reforming. But his brain was slow to process what had happened. He searched his mind, and discovered something that hadn’t been there before. Misty.

Always before, she’d been a part of his heart. But now she was a part of his soul. He felt it entwined with his own, connected in a way few would understand. The connection felt as solid as if they were tied together. As he followed the path in his mind, he felt everything she felt. Utterly sated and so deeply in love with him it made his heart stumble.

She groaned then, falling backward onto the counter. When she looked at him, he saw brown fox eyes staring back at him.

“Wow,” was all she said. All he needed.

“And just think. I still have to mark you.” He smirked, causing her to groan.

“I’m not sure I’ll survive it!” And she looked utterly serious.

“Wuss,” he teased, picking her up and carrying her to bed.

Later, as he lay on his back with Misty draped on top of him, breathing deeply as their bodies cooled from another round, Cody played with her fingers and thought about everything that had happened. Both were content to remain in silence until their heartbeats slowed to a normal rhythm, beating in time with each other. In some regards, things had progressed quickly–their first kiss had been less than two weeks ago. But in his soul, he felt as if he’d waited eternity for Misty. Finally , his fox whispered to him.

After a moment, she raised her head and studied him.

“Are you still upset about that night I tried to get you drunk?” Her face was utterly serious; her eyes pleaded for understanding.

He had to be honest. He let out a garbled sigh. “I thought about it all last night. You know, I think my mom was right. Familiarity did blind my fox where you were concerned. And the reason things have changed recently, is because something woke my fox up and pointed out what stood right in front of him. Maybe you did it. That night. So no, I’m not upset. I’m actually grateful.” He reached up and cupped her cheek. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

A smile bloomed, lighting up her entire face. Her happiness flowed through the link they now shared. It would take a while to get used to another person’s emotions inside him, but it had proven to be quite a thrill during certain sexual encounters. Through the bond, he’d felt a flare of pleasure as his tongue tickled certain spots, or as his finger pressed into the small of her back.

In a tender caress, he swept a lock of hair behind her ear. Without a word, she leaned down and nipped his shoulder. Life couldn’t get any better, he thought as he cuddled her closer. Everything had fallen into place.

A broken nose, bruised esophagus, and even a few cracked ribs. Stella listened to her followers as they described what had happened with the fox at the impromptu protest. Better than she had imagined.

The council would be hard pressed to ignore this. Time to put the final phase of her plan into action. Stella picked up a knife from the table, testing the blade against her finger. Time to tighten the noose around the necks of the foxes…and the council. Soon, she’d control them all.

“What?” The shout jerked her out of a sound sleep. Sweeping the hair out of her face, Misty looked blearily around until she spotted Cody across the room, his cellphone to his ear. She’d been so out of it, she hadn’t even heard it ring.

With a groan, she collapsed back on the pillow. Being the Premier’s mate wasn’t easy. She smiled into her pillow. Mate.

No doubt someone had some ridiculous dispute at eight in the morning and needed help. She groaned. Eight in the morning. Making a phone call at this time of day should be outlawed.

“This is a joke.” The mix of anger and fear in Cody’s voice had her looking up, her smile vanishing.

Although his back faced her, she saw the tension lining his body. He clutched his forehead and his hair stood straight up as if he’d been nervously running his fingers through it.

Worry built inside her. Cody wouldn’t lose his cool over some silly dispute. She rubbed her eyes, willing her brain to engage even as the lingering dregs of sleep clouded her mind. Maybe something else caught fire. Or someone had gotten hurt.

“They attacked her, for Christ’s sake. She defended herself.” Hysteria tinged his voice, but the words had her jerking. Was he talking about her?

“This is bullshit and you know it.” He paused, no doubt listening to the person on the other end. “I understand that, but this is different.” Another pause. “Ridiculous. She shouldn’t have to defend her actions.”

Her throat closed with worry the longer she watched him. Whatever the person on the other end had said, sent Cody into a rage. And it became more and more apparent it concerned her. She doubted the news would suit her any better than it did him.

Then he turned and met her eyes across the room. He visibly softened as his gaze settled on her, and he blew out a frustrated breath.