Claiming His Human Read online

  Darius’s smile in answer didn’t reach his eyes.

  “It’s easier to simply walk away in the morning when the female in question is not at my house. I don’t do emotional entanglements.”

  That statement hung in the air between them, but before Holly could say anything to that he added. “Until now, that is.”

  “Right.” Her voice came out far too high pitched and breathy to convey the sarcasm she was going for in her response, but he appeared to get it anyway. One eyebrow rose in the air, and he leaned in closer.

  “Yes, right. I don’t expect you to believe me, but you’re my mate. That changes things. You matter to me, and to my bear. I need to be close to you or I can’t function. You are it, the one, whatever you humans call it. No other woman exists for me, but you.”

  Holly couldn’t help it. A hysterical laugh bubbled up, and once she started she couldn’t stop. It didn’t matter one iota that Darius’s expression grew murderous, and she could almost see his bear prowl under his skin. This whole thing was simply too ridiculous. He couldn’t mean it, even if deep down she felt it, too. Had felt this strange connection between them from the first moment he’d touched her. That was just lust, that’s all. He couldn’t mean more than that to her. It was simply impossible and, besides, if he was only with her because he was in effect programmed to be, then … well, hell no.

  She sobered, with some difficulty, and got off her stool.

  “This is bullshit, and the worst pick up line I ever did hear. I want to go home now, and forget I ever met you.”

  His bear’s growl shook the floor. Holly should have been terrified, but she forced herself to stand her ground and confront Darius as he rounded the breakfast bar and towered above her. He was a good head taller than she was, and she had to crane her neck to look up at him. At the same time, she had to fight the insane urge to simply lean into his overwhelming warmth and strength and let him take care of her. What the hell was that all about? She barely knew this man, and yet, she trusted him. Deep down, in her psyche, she knew he would never hurt her, and wasn’t that the oddest thing yet.

  “That is not possible. Cole placed you under my protection, and even if you weren’t my mate, I’m duty bound to keep you with me.”

  Holly barely resisted the childish urge to stamp her foot, preferably on his bare toes, but, no doubt she would only hurt herself. He was so much stronger and solid than she was, and that was in his human form. As his bear … yeah, don’t go there.

  “Yeah, I know, I’m your mate, ha ha.” She took a step away when he glared down at her, but, of course, it was useless because he simply followed her. When her back made contact with the wall, she gasped and then Darius was on top of her, and conscious thought just wasn’t possible anymore. His gaze intensified as he put his hands either side of her head, while he pressed his body into hers. There was no mistaking how much she affected him because his cock was a hard, long ridge against her belly, and her traitorous body responded in kind. When he bent his head and inhaled deeply next to her ear, everything south clenched in need. His beard scratched the sensitive area under her ear, as he growled his reply into her neck.

  “I’m just going to have to prove it to you, starting with this.” Darius bit down lightly on the fleshy part of her ear, and his groan trembled through her, as he licked along her pulse point. There was no way he would miss how much her heart was racing in response to his nearness. Her nipples formed into hard beacons of lust, which prodded against his chest, and she suddenly hated the thick fabric of his bathrobe. It chafed against the tips, and almost against her will, her hands snaked up his back to lodge in his hair. He’d left it loose, and another of those deep rumbly groans came from his chest when she tugged on the silky strands.

  Heat and need consumed her, and before she could draw another breath into her lungs his warm lips connected with hers. Holly stopped thinking altogether. Nothing else mattered but the feel of him pressed up against her, his soft, yet firm lips caressing hers. His tongue flicked along her seam, wordlessly demanding entry, and when she let him in, time stood still. Darius took charge of the kiss, exploring every facet of her mouth with breathtaking intensity. Her toes curled under, and she strained to get closer. Their breaths mingled, became one, and his bear’s possessive roar trembled through her when she kissed him back. Teeth clashing, they fought for supremacy as their tongues dueled and connected, and she drank in his taste, his virility, his need.

  Never before had a kiss marked her like this. It was as though Darius was branding her, making her his, and Holly reveled in his need for her. Here, in this moment, she believed his earlier conviction, and it brought forth her own possessive instincts.

  She wanted him, come what may and fuck the consequences.

  Somehow over the frantic rush of her blood in her ear, she heard it. The unmistakable ring of her phone, the tone reserved for the home her mother lived in. It served to bring her to her senses as though an ice cold bucket of water had been chucked over her head. Darius, too, seemed to register the change, because he pulled away with a muttered curse. Breathing heavily, his eyes glowing, he made a terrifying sight, but Holly couldn’t stop to analyze that now. With every fiber of her body screaming at her to continue what they’d started, her mind was screeching like a banshee.

  “My phone, my mum, I have to… Where is my…”

  Darrius swung away with a low growl, and his long strides took him out of the kitchen. In seconds he was back, her handbag in his hands and Holly rummaged through it to find her phone. It rang off as she got to it, and her heart stopped when she saw the number of missed calls. Why had she not heard this before? With trembling hands, she rang them back and breathed a sigh of relief when they answered on the second ring.

  “Holly Trent here, you’ve been trying to get hold of me? Please tell me my mother is all right.”

  ****

  Her fear for her mother made his bear whine, and the hushed conversation Darius overheard did nothing to reassure either man or beast.

  While he’d been manhandling her, the home had been trying to get hold of her, because her mother had had a bad fall. He was an ass. He should have broken the kiss off the minute he’d heard her phone ring, but he’d been too determined to prove his point. To show her that he’d meant every word he said, to make her realize how important she was to him.

  Darius was uncomfortably aware that he may have well have driven a further obstacle into their relationship. He knew from their previous conversations in the café how close Holly was to her mother, and she’d never forgive him if this meant he’d kept her from being there for her parent.

  Sure enough, when she got off the phone the look she threw him could have committed murder.

  “It’s my mother, I need to go. I … damn it. I need my clothes. Where are my fucking clothes? I need…” The rest of her rushed words were lost in her tears, and she put up no resistance when Darius pulled her into a literal bear hug. Her whole body shook, which brought out all of his protective instincts.

  “I’ll find you something. You can’t wear last night’s because, well you just can’t.”

  Holly pushed against his chest, and he reluctantly let her go. At least she’d stopped shaking, and while she was once again glaring up at him, he much preferred her disdain to her tears.

  “Why can’t I? Where are they?” Holly looked around the kitchen as though she expected them to suddenly materialize and when they didn’t, stamped her foot. She sure looked cute when she got all fired up like this, but now was definitely not the time to point this out, so Darius hid his amusement. He grasped her by the shoulders to stop her frantic movements and dropped his voice.

  “You can’t wear them because they were covered in blood.”

  Holly’s head jerked up and she went so pale, he wasn’t sure whether she was going to faint.

  “Oh, that is … oh…”

  “Yes, oh, and for the record, and I know I said this before, but it needs reiterating, I fe
el, that’s why I undressed you last night.” Her eyes grew wide at that grudging admission of his. “While I certainly enjoyed peeling you out of your clothes I wouldn’t have done so, had I not needed to.”

  Holly gave a short laugh and shook her head.

  “I suppose this is where you want me to believe you’re really the perfect gentleman, and you kept your eyes closed the whole time you undressed me.”

  “I wouldn’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that. Of course, I looked.” Heat flared across her cheekbones, and she dropped her gaze to his collarbone. “I love your body, little one, and one day soon, I’ll get to explore it all.” He paused at her sharp intake of breath and nudged her chin up to make her look at him. “But not today. Let’s get you into something you can wear out of the house, and I’ll drive you back to yours, for you to pick up something suitable, and—”

  “Oh thank you, you won’t regret letting me go. I won’t breathe a soul to anyone, I promise. Besides, who would believe me? I’d get myself sectioned, and mmph.”

  Darius shut her up by the expedient method of clamping his hand over her mouth and shook his head at her.

  “When will you learn to stop jumping to conclusions, girl? We’ll have to work on that tendency of yours. There is no way I’m letting you go. We had this discussion already, and even if I could let you go, if you think I would let you drive yourself when you’re clearly in shock, then you can think again.”

  Holly’s expressive eyes sparked fire at him, and she tried to yank his hand off her mouth, but his little human was no match for his superior strength. Darius stared her down until she stopped struggling, and only then did he resume speaking.

  “Now, if I take my hand off your mouth, will you stop screeching at me, and do as you’re told? Or do I have to gag you, throw you over my shoulder, and simply take you out of here looking like this? I’ll enjoy the view, but your neighbors might not.”

  Holly blinked in seeming agreement, and when he slowly removed his hand, wiped her mouth as though she wanted to clean it. His bear grumbled a warning, and she growled right back at him.

  Fuck him, if that wasn’t the sexiest sound ever.

  “Grrr, to you too. You’re an ass, both of you.” Holly threw her hands up and walked out of the kitchen. When he didn’t immediately follow her—too busy admiring the sway of her butt under his robe—she swung back around to glare at him.

  “Seriously? I need to see my mum, so what the hell am I going to wear? Nothing of yours will fit me. You’re so bloody huge and sex—”

  She clamped her hand over her mouth, clearly horrified at what she almost let slip, and Darius’s mood lightened considerably.

  “Oh, don’t clam up on me now. I would love to hear what you really think of me, sweetheart.”

  Holly shook her head and mumbled something under her breath. Too bad for her that his shifter hearing picked it up anyway.

  Oh no, you really wouldn’t, you damn arrogant sex-on-legs-bloody-bear.

  Chapter Five

  His good mood dissipated entirely once they pulled up outside the house his mate rented a room in. A room for fuck’s sake. While he knew from their chats at the café, that she had sacrificed a lot to afford the best home and private health care for her mum, he hadn’t really thought too much about what that would mean for her in reality. Not only wasn’t this place in the most salacious area of London, but the landlord needed shooting. One of the downstairs windows was boarded up, and when he followed a reluctant Holly up several flights of stairs, loud music assaulted his ears. Stale smoke hung in the air, vying for attention with the stench of too many humans confined to one place, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she unlocked the door to the room she called her own.

  At least her domain was bright and airy. She had done wonders with the limited amount of space. Pristine white nets hung across her windows, and soft cushions made the perfect place to sit and relax just under it. If he had to guess, that was her favorite spot, because library books sat in a pile on the cushions, and her e-reader sat on charge on the little table within easy reach of the window. Her single bed held yet more cushions, and a big ratty teddy bear sat in pride of place in the middle of the flowery bedspread. The thought of her sleeping every night with her teddy still, made him grin. Yet more stuffed toys, mainly teddies of various shapes, sizes, and colors vied for space with a figurine collection of frogs on a shelf on the wall.

  There was a single wardrobe and a rickety desk. A battered old laptop sat face down on it, next to a collage of pictures, which had to be her and her mum. Her scent was everywhere, obliterating the foul taste the other humans left in his mouth. His agitated beast calmed down considerably but refused to budge when she looked across at him.

  “Are you just going to stand there, while I get changed?” When he simply nodded, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Can you stand outside the door? We’re three floors up. I’m not going to attempt to escape through the fucking window now, am I? And besides, you’d only go after me and probably shift and cause all sorts of havoc, right?”

  His bear nodded his confirmation, while Darius smiled and tapped his nose, causing Holly to give an exasperated huff. With her hair still slightly damp from her earlier shower, her skin flushed and her small, curvy body swamped by one of his old t-shirts, which she’d chosen to wear as a dress of sorts, his long socks acting as stockings, and her trusty trainers, she made a rather endearing sight. He refused to think too much about the fact that she wasn’t wearing much else under there, bar the itty bitty little purple thong he’d caught glimpses of when he’d undressed her last night.

  “Can you at least turn around, please?” Holly rummaged through what appeared to be her underwear drawer while she said that, and Darius groaned under his breath.

  His little human mate clearly liked pretty lingerie. It was just as well he hadn’t known that before or he’d never have managed to keep his hands off of her all those weeks she’d been working at the café.

  When she stopped rummaging, having pulled out a delicate, lacy, blue bra and knickers set and continued to glare at him, he relented and turned around.

  Holly breathed a seeming sigh of relief, and Darius counted backward in his head to distract himself from imagining what she was doing.

  Fabric rustled and fell to the floor, and Darius groaned. What the hell was taking her so long?

  “There, I’m done. Thank you for not peeking.”

  A blush stained his girl’s cheeks when he swung back round again.

  “I feel woefully underdressed being that you’re in a suit, but Mum would wonder what on earth got into me if I rocked up in anything but casual clothes.”

  Her gaze roamed over him, and Darius smiled when her breathing sped up.

  “Come to think of it, why do you always wear suits? You’re in security, right, so surely something more casual would work better for you?”

  Darius shrugged and stepped out her way to let her go through the door first.

  “Well, it might, but it gives me the element of surprise. Folks don’t expect me to floor them while I’m in a suit, and besides, I like them.”

  Holly paused and looked up at him with a curious grin on her plump lips.

  “Pretending to be a gentleman again, are you?”

  Darius laughed, winked, and smacked her butt lightly. The action made her jump and glare at him over her shoulder, as she twisted her hair into a loose ponytail at the base of her neck.

  “Oh, I always am in public, unless I’m provoked, and I can’t reason folks out of their stupidity. Contrary to popular belief, those of us working in security aren’t mindless thugs. Besides, Cole would never stand for behavior like that,” he said.

  Damn, she made a fine sight in that dress. On anyone else, the huge flowery print would have screamed “hippie” and turned him right off. On his mate, however, the way it hugged her impressive rack, skimmed her hips and hid the rest of her curves from his view made his fingers itch to explore the
soft skin underneath. Darius couldn’t tear his gaze off his mate. The things he could and he hoped would do soon to that ass made his bear positively salivate. He lost his train of thought completely and said what was on his mind. “In the bedroom, however, well, I wouldn’t say I’m a gentleman. You’ll find out soon enough, what exactly I am there, my sweet.”

  Holly gasped and stumbled at the top of the stairs, and it was only thanks to Darius’s quick reflexes that she didn’t take a tumble down them. His bear huffed his annoyance, and Darius dragged her up against his body. This close to him, every one of her delicious curves molded against his hard planes. Her eyes widened when she noticed his erection, and Darius smirked.

  “Very soon, I hope, or he might just explode.” To make sure she knew exactly what he he was referring to, Darius grasped her ass cheeks and lifted her up against the newel post and ground his cock into the soft skin of her belly.

  “I want you, little one.” Darius bent his head until his lips hovered over hers, and it took every ounce of self-control he had to not claim those plump lips, to bite down and mark her as his, while he carried her back to her room, and showed her exactly what she meant to him.

  Holly licked her lips, and when she sought his gaze her dilated pupils told their own story.

  “Please, I can’t. My mum… I need to make sure she’s okay.”

  Darius closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and then set her back on her feet.

  “Of course, forgive me. Let’s go and see your mother, but know this.” He grasped her elbow in a firm grip as they started to descend the numerous steps, and while she frowned at his actions, she also didn’t pull away. “We will explore this thing between us, and once we’ve seen your mother, we will come back here and I’ll help you pack up your things.”

  Holly pulled out his grasp and stopped mid-descent.

  “You what? You cannot be serious.”

  Darius nodded at one of Holly’s housemates who came up the stairs and stood behind her to give the man some room. The scruffy looking guy glanced at Holly, but when she ignored him, kept on walking.