Marie Harte - Grayson's Gamble

Bas didn’t know what the hell had happened, but his beast didn’t like it at all. One minute Ali had been all over him. He’d been inside her, coming into sheer perfection. Her wildness had held him captive. Such carnal need, so much desire for him . Only with Gray had the intimacy been so close. Yet Ali needed him. All night long they’d kissed and caressed, touched and held. Her questions this morning told him more than anything that she’d been dealing with danger for far too long on her own. The urgency of their lovemaking—not fucking—told him something else. The woman was in a mating heat, whether she knew it or not.

And then he’d accused her of holding him captive. She’d bolted like her ass was on fire. He could still smell the bitter humiliation wafting from her when she’d vanished. His beast chided him for being less than sensitive. So what that she’d captured him? She’d rewarded him with that sweet pussy. She’d given him more joy than he’d had since… Well, since Gray. But that asshole was nowhere to be found. Probably out in the woods, cursing his name because Bas had disappeared, giving him more work to do.

Gray didn’t need him; Ali did. Unlike the sanctimonious prick who’d scorned Bas’s affections, he had no intention of rejecting Ali. When she’d petted him after sex, that awkward yet tender care had touched him deeply. Too bad he didn’t know what the hell to do now. She’d left him tied up and naked on the bed, the room once again bathed in silence.

Then a thought occurred to him—to use his telekinesis to search for a way to escape. For the first time that he could remember, he’d been in charge of his power with Ali. He hadn’t hurt her while making love. And when he’d mentally stroked her clit, he’d felt the pleasure all the way to his bones.

He needed to help her, to ease the hurt he’d unintentionally caused. Bas closed his eyes and felt with his mind. The woman hadn’t left a key anywhere that he’d seen, and she had two cupboards and a bookcase down here. Neither was locked. He opened his eyes and concentrated on his night vision, calling on his Circ senses for clarity. Once the room lit up, he flexed his mental muscles to open the cupboards and search through the bookcase.

No keys, no weapons of any kind, and no way to disengage the manacles. He’d have to break them. He changed , pushing against the stretching cuffs. Fuck . She had to be using some kind of Circ-proof bonds. But what had she connected them to? He grinned when he felt the metallic feet of the bed with his mind. After a silent count of three, he yanked the metal feet clean off. The bed slammed to the ground with a loud bang , but his manacles dangled free.

That no one came to investigate the noise reinforced the notion he’d been placed in a soundproofed room. The woman was smart, he’d give her that. But she hadn’t counted on a telekinetic Circ.

He rubbed his wrists and ankles, wishing he could take off the restraints. They trailed over the stone floor, announcing his presence to anyone within hearing distance. After failing to find anything he might use to clothe himself, Bas followed the same direction in which Ali had left. He walked down a short corridor and up a set of steps. After he pushed up on the trapdoor above him, he walked out into a cozy little log cabin.

Rustic yet homey, the place had braided rugs over wooden floors, a comfortable-looking couch, a bed in one corner, and across the room, a nice kitchen. To his surprise, a wood stove, sink, and functional bathroom appeared in working order. So much for a small footprint. Someone had to know this place existed when the utility bills came due. And then he spotted the wiring leading to solar panels above. Hence, her electricity, hot water, and lights.

He didn’t see a hint of Ali anywhere.

Annoyed, he looked through the house and found his trousers at least. He put them on. Then he found an overlarge jacket in the lone closet in the home. It smelled musty, as if it hadn’t been used in some time, and Bas’s beast approved. No male to contend with for the female. The jacket belonged to an old suitor or someone gone from her life.

A grunt of satisfaction he shouldn’t have felt emerged, and he licked his fangs. He needed to bite his female, something she hadn’t let happen last night. Instead, she’d kept him under her thumb, tied up. He liked the kink, being at her mercy. Bas always took charge during sex. Except when he’d been with Gray. And now apparently, Ali.

A stupid grin covered his face, and though he tried to stifle it as he went in search of the maddening woman outside, he couldn’t help being so happy about his time with her. She should have looked heinous. Instead her danger only added to her appeal. Not quite a mutant, but no normal Circ, she put him in mind of a panther about to strike. One who’d licked, sucked, and fucked her mate to rapturous exhaustion.

His hard-on returned, though he should have been too tired to want her again. His beast prodded him to seek Gray. To commence with the rest of the bonding they’d need to fully prepare their female to—

“ Shit. ” Bas had been trying to deny the truth since he’d been with Gray. Lust he could handle. But this love he felt, he didn’t like. Gray was an arrogant asshole at the best of times. Sure, he had a soft side, but he rarely used it with Bas. And still Bas wanted the male—his love, his affection, his trust.

Wanting Gray was bad enough. But connecting with a woman on the verge of not just going rogue but turning mutant? Did he have a secret death wish after all? Maybe those dickheads in the PWP labs had messed with his mind more than he’d thought. His fear of rejection, of not being enough, haunted him. So to make up for it, perhaps he sought to punish himself by choosing to love unavailable partners?

Bas scowled, wishing he could turn off the psychobabble inside his head. But his beast found the ideas interesting. Sebastian Decker, one of the few Circs with an intelligent animal who liked fucking with him as much as Bas liked fucking with other people. Laid-back yet firm, Bas called the shots by controlling his temper and easing others around him. All except for Gray and one sexy, blonde-haired vixen with the nicest breasts he’d ever seen. Held. Tasted.

He groaned and did his best to will away the iron bar in his pants. Instead, he opened his mouth and tried to catch her scent, tasting and smelling it now that he knew what to search for. To his shock, Ali smelled faintly like him. Otherwise, he would have had a hard time tracking her at all. The woman truly could control her scent, as well as her pheromones.

He wondered if he could apologize enough to get her to use them on him again today.

With a grin, he increased his speed. He needed to find her before anyone else did, and that thought wiped the smile from his face and the bulge from between his legs like nothing could. Now worry for the female overtook sense, and he plunged through the woods, seeking his mate.

He found her covered in blood just as another Circ readied to attack her. Bas flew between them, acting on instinct, and charged… Only to find Gray in his arms once more.

Gray swore and disentangled himself from Bas. To his relief, his partner looked no less the worse for wear for his absence. A welcome sight, considering the female looked like a demon covered in blood, her fangs and claws exposed and no doubt aching to sink into his flesh.

Yet for all that Bas looked fine, his scent was different. More…enticing?

Gray blinked hard, his ability to concentrate overtaken by the sexiest, headiest scent. Lavender and spice, a mixture of honeyed sweetness he wanted over his tongue. Just before he shoved his cock in it.