“Sure, you don’t. You ready to be scent marked?” he whispers in my ear, and I swallow the lump that just developed in my throat. Why the hell did I suggest this? Part of me wants to say no. I’m already way too fucking amped up. But that would involve admitting to my current state, which I absolutely won’t be doing.
“Fine,” I say.
Luca nuzzles into the crook of my neck, his stubble scraping across my sensitive skin as his scent pours over me. He drags his jaw down to my collarbone, licking over my pulse points. Next, he takes my hands, and staring into my eyes at all times, he licks over the pulse points on my wrists. My wolf shivers at the primal claim, and my nipples pucker at the unexpected intimacy of the act. His scent clings to me instantly, mixing with the undeniable spike of my arousal and sinking into my skin, wrapping me up in him.
He steps back, and the intensity of his gaze has me burning up, but for once, he’s not smirking at me like he knows he’s the Goddess’s fucking gift to all female shifters. There’s a vulnerability there. A longing that goes further than the sexual need that we’re both obviously feeling.
“Make yourself at home, Sofia. I wasn’t sure if you still liked the same stuff as before, but I stocked the kitchen with your old favorites. I'd better get going to training. I’ll see you later.”
He steps backward again for a couple of steps. Like he can’t take his eyes off me. But then he heads out of the cabin, leaving me with my heart pounding and my pussy throbbing.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Chapter Twenty
Luca
It’s been three days since Sofia moved in. Three nights of her refusing to share my bed—at least while awake. Three nights of me waiting for her to fall asleep on the couch and then carrying her into my room, where she belongs.
She’s already up to fifty-six spanks.
But the thing is, sleeping-Sofia is honest. Sleeping-Sofia clings. She lets out soft little sighs of contentment. She tangles our legs together, rests her head on my chest, presses her ass against my cock, pulls my arm around her waist like it belongs there—which it does. Sleeping-Sofia can’t get close enough.
My wolf hates me for fucking this up so much. If only I had been less of a damn coward. If I hadn’t pushed her away, we could have had this all the time. We could be blissfully marked and mated already. We could focus on enjoying each other’s company and finding out how to make each other happy.
But then she wakes up and scrambles out of the bed as if it’s on fire. Shooting me angry glares and making snarky comments. Trying to pretend she is physically repulsed by the proximity to me, her wolf so clearly craves.
And I would almost believe her. Maybe I would if it weren’t for the fact that she goes straight to the shower to get herself off every morning. Thank fate for shifter hearing because I hear every little moan she makes, every breathy inhale, every shuddering gasp. She even moaned my damn name yesterday.
My cock has been aching ever since.
Fuck, I can’t wait until I’m the one making her moan. Making her scream my name.
But awake-Sofia, well, she avoids me like I’m made of silver. I’ve barely seen her since she moved in. That ends today. I need to be around her. I want to at least feed her and make sure all of her other needs are met while she’s keeping me at arm’s length.
Lying on my bed, I inhale her sweet and spicy scent, letting it fill my lungs and soothe my wolf as she sleeps wrapped around me. Her head is on my chest, one of her legs intertwined with mine, her hand resting on my stomach. My skin buzzes softly under her touch, like an effervescent glow that warms me.
Her hair is braided, and she’s wearing an oversized tee shirt that hangs off her shoulder and tiny sleep shorts that do nothing to cover her delectable ass. My arm wraps around her shoulder, and my dick is as hard as steel.
She starts to stir slightly—that in-between asleep and awake period where her wolf still controls how aware she is. And her wolf is on my side. Sofia’s hand trails under the edge of my boxers, her fingers lightly grazing my cock. Electricity zings through me. I bite my lip to stop myself from letting out a groan as my mate touches my cock.
For two perfect seconds, she strokes my hard length. She nuzzles into my neck, letting out a contented sigh. Then her body tenses, and she slowly moves to extricate her hand from my boxers. She must think I’m asleep. The scent of her arousal greets me like the welcoming scent of my favorite meal.
Soon.
“Don’t stop on my account, Princess.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she mutters, sharply pulling her hand away and jumping out of the bed. “How long have you been awake?”
“Hard to tell when being beside you feels like a dream,” I say with a wink that earns me a roll of her eyes. Her cheeks are flushed red even through her tanned skin, and I love it. “I guess I woke up sometime before you put your hand in my boxers and grabbed my cock, but who am I to stop my mate from touching what’s hers?”
Sofia scoffs and marches to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind her. The enticing scent of her arousal trails behind her, and I follow, because I can’t stay away. Her mind hasn’t come around yet, but her wolf and body want me, and I need to play to my strengths here.
Standing outside the door, I wait to hear the change in the water hitting against her body rather than the tile floor of the wet room. I can’t help but smirk, even as my cock throbs.
“Just to be clear, because I respect that consent matters to you. I hereby give consent for you to touch my cock whenever you want. Actually, you know what? Go ahead and touch any part of mehowever, whenever, and wherever you want; it’s all freely available to you.”
“I’ll remember that next time I feel like pegging someone,” she snaps back without missing a beat.
