Suck It Up (4 page)

“I’m trying, baby. Open yourself to me, Kellie. Forget about the pain and focus on me. On my lion. Can you see him?”

Her eyes were closed!
Was he stupid or what?
Before she could swear at him, she spotted the lion right in front of her. He had a blond mane and vivid, bronze eyes. He was looking at her, and his gaze trapped hers as soon as he saw her watching. He pounced, and she shrieked. But pain never came. No, everything changed in fact. The pain from her lioness drifted, almost as if it were being sucked out of her body.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes still closed, her inner-self focused on the tawny lion who was making her feel better. Because it had to be him. There was just no other explanation. “Nate?” She forced her eyes open and stared up at him.

He’d gone rigid over her, his gaze almost completely copper. He’d gone lion for her, his control so evident it took her breath away. He was the Alpha’s son, and it showed.
God, he’s magnificent
, she thought as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When he moved a moment later, she realized she couldn’t feel pain any longer.

It was gone. Her lioness was quiet for the first time in, well, ever. Enthused, Kellie threw her arms around her savior and squeezed. He groaned, the sound lost as he inched forward a little and found her mouth.

She pulled back minutes later and snuggled into him. She felt his erection against her stomach, knew their embrace was having as much of an effect on him as it was on her, and just that realization made her want to kiss him some more.

She barely knew him, but she didn’t care. He’d found a way to get rid of her lioness!
No
, she countered inwardly. Her animal was still here, she felt her somewhere deep inside her, but she was now, blessedly, finally quiet.

“What did you do?” she asked, her voice sounding loud in the otherwise silent.

Nate drew up on his hands and stared down at her. Something flashed in his eyes, something she didn’t have time to decipher before he was kissing her again. And again. Until heat was all around them, her pussy clenching around an imaginary length, her clothes feeling far too constricting.

“I need you!” she called out, dragging her hands under his tee.

He shuddered in reaction, and she smiled, knowing what was going to happen next. Except, it didn’t.

She watched, disbelieving, as he pushed away from her and stood up. He eyed her in silence for a moment before grabbing her hands in his and heaving her up. She swayed a little, but his arm curved around her back, holding her against his side.

“It’s late. You should go home now, hon.”

Kellie blinked.
Say what?
“You want me to leave?”

“Believe me,” he replied, smiling ruefully. “I don’t
want
you to. I just think it best if you take some time to recover from what happened tonight.”

He kept on talking, inexorably pushing her toward the front door, but Kellie wasn’t listening anymore. She’d fully expected to spend the night with him, and now, he was kissing her goodbye. Heat rose between them once again, and she clearly heard him groan, so why was he pushing her away from him?

“Everything will be fine, sweetheart. Trust me.”

The elevator’s doors closed then, hiding him from view. Kellie leaned back against the cold metallic wall and frowned. What had just happened?

Chapter Six

When a knock rapped on his front door the next morning, Nate didn’t have to look through the peephole to know who it was. Rubbing his eyes to wipe away any traces of sleep, he grabbed the handle and took a deep breath. Seconds later, his father was striding into his apartment, looking so wide awake Nate wondered if the man had ever gone to sleep in the first place.

“You couldn’t wait, I take it,” Nathan asked as he closed the door and turned around, ready to face his Alpha.

“What the hell did you do? You just came back, damn it!”

“She was hurting!” he snapped back. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he leaned against the back of the sofa and stared at his dad. “What did you want me to do? Let her cry out in pain and do nothing? I’m a doctor! Saving people is my life.”

“There was no other option? Mating is an once-in-a-lifetime thing, Nathan.”

“I know,” he growled back, wondering why in hell his father was treating him like a child all of a sudden.

“Are you sure? Because I can’t smell her right now so I’m guessing she left. Did she even understand what you’d done?”

He bit his lip, thought about it then finally shook his head. “No, and I’d rather you didn’t tell her.”

“Why not? She has the right to know what you did to her.”

“I saved her, okay? She’s a very confused young woman—”

“Who’s now your mate!”

“Yes. And I’ll address that soon. Not now though. She’s learning to control her lioness, and she needs time.”

“For pity’s sake, Nathan, what did you think would happen? You bonded with her. You used your Alpha powers, and for what?”

“Dad, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me live my life as I see fit. This doesn’t concern you.”

“You’re my son,” his Alpha answered, his voice terse. “You just mated with someone who’s just moved into our Pride, someone who hasn’t proved herself yet. You know why she was transferred from her home Pride—”

Nate cut him off. “You don’t know what they did to her!”

And so, as his father stood there with his face like granite, Nate repeated everything she’d told him the night before. Until even Alistair had to acknowledge she couldn’t have stayed there. It clearly wasn’t her fault her lioness was acting up.

“But, son, you do realize what you’ve stumbled into. She’s got problems, and now, you’re mated to her.”

“I know,” he bit back. “I’ll handle them. I’m a doctor, remember?”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with it. If she can’t control her lioness, you’ll be spending an eternity with someone who prefers women! She’ll cheat on you, son, and why? Because you couldn’t stop yourself from saving the world?” With those parting words, Alistair left, the door closing behind him softly. And Nate was left on his own, his father’s comments ringing like a premonition in his ears.

He thought back to the night before and how happy Kellie had looked. She’d kissed him until they’d both been panting, his cock so hard in his pants he’d wanted nothing more than to undress her and take her right there, on the floor. And yet he’d found the strength to stand up and pull her with him, telling her she should go home because it’d been a big night and she needed to relax and take it all in first. He’d told her they’d talk that morning at work and that everything would be okay.

He hadn’t told her about the mating, but he knew she’d soon realize her body was calling out for his. He had no idea what her lioness would do next, but the mating bond would help him control her. Kellie would probably hate that she was at his mercy now, but it would mean less pain for her so she should like that. Right?

Cursing inwardly, he veered toward the bathroom. He needed a shower first then coffee. And then he’d be able, maybe, just maybe, to face the woman who was now destined to be his forever. His cock jerked, reminding him the mating frenzy would be upon them sooner rather than later. Hoping it would wait until they’d stopped working for the day, he stepped into the shower and closed his eyes under the warm spray.

* * * *

Something felt wrong, Kellie thought as she waited in the practice’s small break room. Coffee dripped into the pot, the smell making her salivate. She hadn’t had time to have breakfast that morning, too much in a hurry to get here and see Nate again. What’d happened the evening before had been completely unexpected. Oh, she’d known he wanted to help her, had even been encouraged by his kind words, but never had she imagined it’d actually work!

She couldn’t feel her lioness even now, even though she’d been thinking of a half-naked Dr. McDreamy for the better part of an hour. He’d looked so good wearing only that towel. He’d felt even better pressed against her, his mouth on hers, his tongue battling with hers.
Woo, hot flash!
She waved a hand in front of her face.

Something stirred inside her, and she froze.
No, not again!
But it didn’t feel like her lioness. Her palm braced on the wall, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on that strange feeling.

“Are you okay, baby?”

Arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her tight against a hard male body. She smiled at Nathan’s question, so typically him. And yet, she didn’t answer straight away. The sensation was getting stronger.

“Oh,” she gasped.

“What’s wrong? Kellie? Is it your lioness again?” He turned her around, his hand cupping her jaw, his breath soft against her face. “Kellie? Look at me, honey, please.”

Unable to disobey him, she opened her eyes and stared at his worried face. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “It’s just… There’s this weird sensation inside me. It doesn’t feel like her, but it’s still there. I don’t…I don’t know how to describe it.”

He froze. “I see.”

“Do you know what it could be?” she asked, her body swaying a little. His hands found her hips, holding her against him for some blissful minutes. “Nate?”

“Hmm?”

He looked pensive, almost as if he was focusing on something else entirely. And yet, she felt his erection against her, his nails digging into her scrubs as if he was trying very hard not to touch her elsewhere. The thought made her insides clench, a groan leaving her parted lips. “Ohh.”

“Kellie!” he muttered, telling her off when it so wasn’t her fault!

“You started it. You’re the one pushing your erection…” He was out of the room before she could finish her sentence. “Nate?”

* * * *

He’d told her he’d heard someone at the door, and sure enough, a couple of patients had been waiting for them outside. Since then, they’d only talked to each other as doctor and nurse, not as…what, she mused, would-be lovers?

“Kellie? Kellie!”

She jerked back to the present, a flush blossoming on her cheeks. “Sorry! Yes, what?”

“Miss Hollins is back. Can you please go to Room Two and wait with her? I’ll be there shortly.”

“Sure.” She hurried to the examination room in question, her feet slowing down when she saw the lovely woman from the day before.

She wore clothes this time, but quite clearly no bra. Her breasts swayed underneath her thin cotton T-shirt as she turned to greet Kellie, a smile on her face. “Hi! Kellie, right? I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday.”

Kellie stepped further into the room, the door closing behind her with a sharp noise. She started at the sound then walked forward resolutely. “Hi. And please, you don’t have to thank me. Dr. Franks and I were just doing our jobs.”

“Oh.” The women blinked. “Still, you were very nice.”

“Thanks. Hmm, how are you feeling now? Better?”

“Yes. Yes.”

Kellie grabbed her chart and started asking her some questions, noting down details while her mind scrambled to ignore the woman’s pointed gaze. How much longer would Nate be? The atmosphere was seriously weird in here!

“Can I ask you something?” Miss Hollins—Jane—asked.

“Sure,” Kellie replied, her eyes trained on her notes.

“I… This is going to sound weird, but I’m pretty sure you were checking me out yesterday, but today it’s gone. Was I really that out of it? I mean, I know I hate it here because I’m the only gay woman around and it’s starting to drive me crazy, but…” Her voice died out.

“Shit,” Kellie cursed under her breath. “No. I mean, yes. It’s complicated.”

“What is?” The woman leaned forward, placing her small hand on Kellie’s forearm. “Do you want to go have coffee so we can discuss it?”

The door opened behind them, and that’s how Nate found them. From the irate look on his face, it was clear he’d heard that last sentence, too.

Chapter Seven

Nathan was so mad he could probably snap something in two with his bare hands. His lion pacing inside him, he stepped into the room and slammed the door behind him. He didn’t care that everyone could probably see how angry he was. All that mattered was that woman’s hand on his mate’s skin. It needed to come off, and fast!

“Kellie,” he called out, the sound coming out as a low growl.

She took a quick step back. The woman’s hand lowered until it rested on the examination table.

“Yes, doctor?” Kellie replied.

“Can you please see if someone else is waiting? Otherwise, I believe we’ll be able to close early for lunch.” Because if he didn’t have her soon, he was bound to explode.

“Sure. No problem. I’ll go do that right now.” Without even saying goodbye to their patient, she hurried out of the room.