“Mine,” Wade whispered, voice ragged.
Alex turned his head, lips moving against the curve of Wade’s jaw. “Yours.”
* * * *
Wade gripped his mate tight, burying his nose in the mess of Alex’s hair, the scent of sex and sweat and satisfaction mixing so thick he practically breathed his mate through his skin. That frantic, driving pulse echoed in Alex’s chest—and, fuck, in Wade’s, too. Mates. Bonded. That emotional snap, that primal fucking ache pulling them together… It was real.
He didn’t let go. Not for a long, long minute.
Eventually, Alex squirmed, shifting in the tangle of blankets, cock still twitching from the aftermath. Wade’s arms didn’t move an inch.
“Hey,” his bunny said, voice raw, a little dazed. “You planning to crush me, or just trying to see if bunnies explode under pressure?”
Wade snorted, nipping the tender flesh where Alex’s neck met his shoulder. “No shit, but you feel incredible like this. Why would I ever let go?”
Alex rolled his eyes, but he didn’t exactly try to escape, even as Wade pushed a thigh between Alex’s legs, pinning him harder to the mattress. Any notion of personal space was gone and wasn’t going to be seen again.
He tried for a joke. “That’s not how normal people sleep.”
“We’re not normal people, honey bunny.” Wade ran his hand down Alex’s chest, over the sticky mess, loving every shiver he felt. His mate had freckles everywhere, and Wade memorized each one, pausing to rub circles over the pale spots. “Normal people don’t make me come so hard I actually see colors.”
“Pretty sure I blacked out for a second there.” Alex tried to sound breezy, but his voice broke on the last word.
Touching. Wade’s unraveled mate, coming apart in his arms and pretending it was just a regular Tuesday.
Wade rolled Alex flat on his back, refusing to give him a chance to hide. Alex’s cheeks were red, hair a wild disaster, and that collar still gleaming sharp at the base of his throat was a perfect contrast against the bruises and bitemarks Wade had left. Someone should probably take a picture and send it to the demon as a warning.
“Do you always do that?” Alex asked, looking at the bite mark in the curve of Wade’s shoulder then at the purpling ring on his own neck.
Wade propped himself up on one elbow, looming over his mate. “Bite? Only when it’s forever. Sorry, you’re stuck with me.”
Alex snorted. “Yeah, rough deal for you.”
“Best fucking deal of my life,” Wade said and meant it.
Their eyes locked, and Wade could see the disbelief flickering in Alex’s. He wasn’t used to being wanted, not this way. Wade understood it. He’d seen self-doubt in hundreds of faces, but this one—the one that belonged to him—hit different.
He eased a hand up, cupping Alex’s jaw, thumb rubbing slow arcs over the flushed skin. “Look at me,” he ordered, voice never gentler, not for anyone else. “You’re my mate. My equal. Only person in the universe who can make me shiver like this.”
Alex’s throat worked around a lump. Wade saw the shine in his eyes, and something deep, maybe a little desperate, settled there. The guy really didn’t get it. Maybe he never had.
“Wasn’t expecting this,” Alex admitted quietly. “In case that wasn’t obvious by how I keep acting like a feral animal at a birthday party.”
Wade dipped lower and kissed him, soft. He could have devoured, fucked, claimed again—but, no, the tenderness was as binding as the bond.
He nipped at Alex’s lower lip. He wanted his mate to feel it for hours.
“I’d take you again right now if you were up for it,” Wade murmured, voice pitched low and full of promise, “but then you’d start some shit about wolves being insatiable. And I really need to make sure you don’t faint again before breakfast.”
Alex huffed, pretending like he wasn’t melting into the bed. “Don’t get used to it. I’m a survivor, or didn’t you notice?”
“Oh, I noticed.” Wade bracketed Alex’s head with both arms, his shadow falling over them. “You fought me every step. Keep it up and I’m going to pin you so hard you’ll be squares on the mattress.”
“Yeah, well, you’d have to let me up first.” Alex grunted as Wade shifted, driving his cock against the curve of Alex’s hip. Even soft, the threat was obvious.
“Try me,” Wade said and pressed them closer, soaking in the sensation of two bodies so perfectly matched it was almost embarrassing on behalf of the rest of the world.
There was nothing gentle about the way Wade claimed Alex’s mouth again, nothing shy or apologetic. Kissing him wasn’t a declaration. It was a statement of absolute ownership, the kind that carved itself into skin and bone.
