She strode toward him, and the movement of her thighs brushing against each other made her want to scream. She had to mate. She wasn’t sure how, but Russell would know. He would help her through this.
She ripped the towel out of his hands and tossed it aside.
“What are you—?” He turned back to her. His gaze swept over her quickly, and his eyes turned a darker, more intense red. “Jia—”
She placed her hands on his chest. “Russell.”
He stepped back. “Do you want a . . . sandwich?”
“No.” She kept moving toward him, and he retreated till he bumped into the table. “I want you.”
“But—”
“I need you.” She smoothed her hands over his T-shirt, then slipped her fingers into the hole she’d made earlier with her claws and ripped the shirt in two.
“Sheesh! You can’t—I have a limited number of shirts, you know.” He hissed in a breath as she caressed his bare chest.
His skin was so smooth, so deliciously sculpted over his chest and abs. He was a beautiful man, and he would be her mate. If she could just figure out how to go about it.
A kiss. Didn’t people kiss before mating? She grabbed him by the shoulders and went up on her toes to plant her mouth firmly against his.
He reeled back, but she leaned forward, puckering her lips and pressing hard against his mouth. When her breasts touched his bare chest, she gasped.
He seized her by the upper arms and moved her back. “What the hell has gotten into you?”
The kiss hadn’t done much for her. But she’d definitely liked the feel of her bare skin against his. Obviously, they both needed to be naked. She unbuckled his belt.
He grabbed her wrists. “Jia! We can’t do this.”
“Of course we can.” She struggled to undo the button at the waistband.
He lifted her hands up, away from his trousers. “You’re engaged.”
“I don’t care.” She jerked her hands away and pulled down his zipper.
“I care! I’m not—shit!” He stiffened when she yanked his trousers and underwear down to his thighs.
She gasped as his manhood sprang free. It was thick and swollen. The longer she stared at it, the bigger it seemed to grow. And the more she throbbed and burned between her legs. “I’ve never seen a man look like this.”
“I should hope not,” he muttered, reaching for the waistband of his underwear.
Before he could cover himself up, she curled a hand around him. His manhood jerked against her palm.
He hissed in another breath. “Dammit, Jia. I’m not doing this. Not when you’re engaged.”
She shoved him toward the bed and he stumbled, his trousers falling to his ankles.
“Would you stop—” He leaned over to make another grab for his underwear, but she took advantage of his position by planting her hands on his rump and giving him a hard push.
He sprawled on the bed, grunting when his swollen groin hit the surface. Quickly, he rolled onto his back, but she was just as quick to grab his trousers and underwear and yank them off completely.
“What the—” He started to sit up but fell back when she lifted his legs onto the bed. “Jia—”
She jumped on top, straddling him on her hands and knees. “I need you. And I know you want me. Your eyes are red. Rajiv warned me what that meant.”
Russell gritted his teeth. “Of course they’re red. I’m seeing you naked. But that doesn’t mean we should—”
“I have to.” She glanced down at his manhood. It was erect and pointed right at her belly. “Will that really fit inside me? It looks too big.”
He snorted. “Have you forgotten what it means to be engaged to someone else?”
She inched forward on her knees till his erection was in line with her private parts. “How do we do it?”
He grabbed her shoulders, holding her back. “You’re a virgin, right? Why are you doing this?”
“I need—” She lowered her hips till the tip of his erection grazed against her. A blast of sensation shot from her core, and she shuddered. Oh God, if she didn’t mate, she felt like she would burn to death. “I have to do this! Help me, please.”
“You can’t—” He grasped her hips to stop her. “You’re going to hurt yourself. You can’t just . . . fall on the sword. You have to be ready.”
She gave his so-called sword a dubious look. “Isn’t it ready? How much bigger can you get?”
“I’m talking about you. There are certain steps that should be followed to make—”
“What steps?”
“Well . . . generally speaking, you would start off with some kissing.”
She rolled her eyes. “We did that. What’s the next step?”
He scoffed. “That wasn’t a kiss.”
“Of course it was.”
“Two mouths colliding don’t make a kiss.”
“Next step!”
He frowned at her. “Touching.”
She dragged her hands down his chest. “Okay, done.”
“I would have to touch you, too.”
“Can we just get on with this?” She clasped his manhood in her hand and positioned herself over it.
“Wait!”
“What now?”
“You need to be . . . ready.” He sat up and slid a hand between her legs.
She shuddered at the feel of his probing fingers. “Oh, God, Russell, help me.” She grasped his shoulders and moaned when moisture seeped from her core.
He closed his eyes briefly, scowling as if he was angry with himself. “You’re ready.”
She pressed against him, crying out with relief as he guided her to the right place. Shudders racked her body as she felt him sliding inside her, deeper, until he hit a barrier.
“Is that it?”
He clenched his teeth. “We should stop now so you’ll still be—” He gasped when she sat down hard. “Shit.”
The burst of pain made her cry out, but then she sank further and further, taking more of him inside her. Oh, God, yes, this was what she needed. She hugged him tight, pressing her breasts against him.
“I’m on fire, Russell. Can you feel it?”
“Yes.” His hands skimmed up her back.
She rocked gently against him. “What do I do?”
“You’re doing good.”
Her hands slipped to his neck and entwined in his hair. “I’m so glad you were here. That it was you.”
His hands tightened on her, then with a groan, he suddenly rolled her onto her back. His manhood slipped almost completely out, but then he plunged back in, making her gasp.
He stroked her breasts, then took a nipple into his mouth. She arched her back, moaning from the sweetness of it. Again and again, he thrust into her. Harder and harder till she was gasping for air, swirling in a sea of sensation that grew stronger and stronger.
Just when she thought she was going to drown, the sensations shattered. She cried out, holding onto him tight. With a shout, he pumped into her, then collapsed, holding his weight on his elbows.
His fangs shot out. With a groan, he rolled onto his back.
She pressed a hand to her chest, waiting for her pounding heart to calm. She squeezed her thighs together. The sweet throbbing was still going on.
She’d done it. She’d mated for the first time. A laugh bubbled up her throat. The fire was gone, and she felt so strong and free.
Russell rose from the bed and strode toward the ice chest. Keeping his back to her, he stuck a bottle of blood into the microwave and waited for it to warm up.
She rolled onto her side to admire the sight of his back and buttocks. “Thank you.”
He stiffened, but didn’t turn around, didn’t say a word.
Was he angry with her? She sat up. “Are you all right?”
He removed the bottle and took a sip. “The sun will be up in a few minutes. After I’m dead, you should call your cousin to let him know you’re all right. Xiao Fang told him you were wounded, so I’m sure he’s been worried.”
She winced. She would have to admit that she’d progressed to her second life. And Rajiv would want to know if she’d mated. He would not be thrilled that the were-tiger princess had mated with a vampire. Especially when she was engaged.
Was that why Russell was refusing to look at her? Did he feel guilty? It wasn’t his fault. She was the one who had practically forced him.