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“You gonna walk round with that look on your face all day?”
His elbows on the counter, Isaiah peered at her over the rim of his mug. “What look?”
“Pure male smugness,” replied Quinley, stood at the opposite side of the breakfast bar.
His lips curling, he lifted and dropped one shoulder. “Probably.”
On the one hand, Quinley adored that he was so pleased she’d left permanent marks on him. It was a relief, and it hit her in the feels that the brands so clearly meant something to him. Just the same, her cat was delighted.
On the other hand… “My sisters and Lori are gonna ask why you look so smug. My clients are gonna ask why. Any pride mates we come across are gonna ask why. What are you going to tell them?”
“That you clawed my back to shit and the marks are going to scar.”
Yeah, she’d figured he wouldn’t lie. Shifters loved to be marked by those they were possessive of; loved showing off the marks and bragging about it. Normally, she wouldn’t care. But these brands were deep and long and gah she was gonna get teased mercilessly.
“People will notice them anyway.”
Some peeked out the back of his collar, so people wouldn’t miss those. But that wasn’t so bad, because no one would realize they spanned his entire back unless he told him. Which he clearly intended to do. “I can’t convince you to keep it to yourself?”
“Nope.”
She was afraid of that.
“What shifter male wouldn’t be proud that their mate is so territorial she carved permanent grooves into the full-length of his back?”
“I’m good with you being proud, I’m just not good with everyone knowing.” She rolled her shoulders. “Raya and Adaline will tease me something fierce.”
His head twitched slightly to the side. “Why?”
Quinley hesitated a moment before admitting in a fast mumble, “Because I did it to them whenever they got brand-happy.”
Mirth shimmered in his gaze. “Ah, karma has come calling.”
Basically, yes. “They’ll also tease me for losing control. And there’ll be catcalling from pride members. Lots of it, because every bit of news travels through this damn pride at warp-speed.”
“I know,” he said, smirking.
Quinley sighed. “You’re no help at all.” Her cat lay down with a yawn, no more bothered by the situation than he was. The feline wanted other females to know that he was well and truly taken—the brands served to warn them away.
“Are you ashamed you did it?” he asked, his face falling. “Is that what it is?”
She shot him a look of disgust. “Don’t even try to kid me that you’re all hurt and insulted.”
He chuckled and took a sip of his coffee. “Honestly, I find it fucking cute that you’re so embarrassed you lost control in bed.”
She hadn’t merely lost control, though, she’d shredded his back.
“Why be embarrassed, though? I’m not. Your entire body is decorated in my brands.”
“But people don’t know that, because I don’t tell them.”
“They’ll eventually find out. Your clothes cover many of them now, but they won’t come spring when you’re wearing lighter layers.”
It was clear by the satisfied look on his face that… “Knowing some of those marks will soon be visible really doesn’t bother you at all, does it?”
“Not in the slightest.”
She cocked her head. “What about the letter ‘I’ you carved into the slope of my breast while I was so deep in an orgasm I didn’t notice until afterward?”
