Kei rubs his nose over my shoulder, breathing me in. I like it when he scents me. I like when he can go without using his pills, when it’s just the two of us. My stomach swoops as it hits me all over again.
I love that he doesn’t push for more than I can give. I love that he’s kind of a dick. I love the way we banter. I love how easy it feels to be with him. I love how our dates are never too serious. I love spending time in his chat. Jesus fucking Christ. I love Kei.
I’m not sure when it happened, but the realization hits me all at once and for the first time, I don’t try to push the feeling away. For once, I embrace it, knowing that it’ssafeto love Kei.
“Thank you for telling me that stuff last night,” Kei starts to say and I do my best to ignore the racing of my heart. “I’m glad I know a bit more about Stevey. I’m glad I know more about your past.”
I lick my lips, feeling my heart hammer against my chest. Without looking at Kei, it’s easy to tell him.
“Stevey was older than me. I loved him so much, Kei. He said all the things I wanted to hear. I quit my job to live with him when he asked. I quit college. I stopped talking to my friends and my family because he wanted to be the most important person in my life. Then out of nowhere, he just dumped me. Told me he had more than one guy he was sleeping with. Told me everything was a lie so that he’d have me all to himself.”
“Fuck, Shiloh,” Kei says softly, tighting his arms around me.
“Things got really bad after that,” I confess, barely above a whisper. “I went into shock, emotionally but also physically. I went through rejection syndrome and then pining sickness. My body didn’t understand what was going on, just that our mate was leaving us. My dads chased Stevey out of town and then took care of me until I could be on my own again.” I wrap my hand around Kei’s wrist. “Some days, I wasn’t sure I would make it out the other side.”
“Shiloh,” Kei says, his forehead resting against the back of my neck. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I don’t know this Stevey asshole but just know I fuckingloathehim.”
I can’t help but snort, feeling just a little bit lighter at having told Kei this big secret.
“I can promise you, without a shadow of a doubt, I am not like him.”
“I know,” I say, cutting him off. I lace our fingers together where it rests against my chest. “You’re nothing like him, Kei.”
“I never want to do anything that makes you think of him. If I ever say or do something that’s upsetting, please tell me. I won’t be upset, I just want to know so I won’t do it again. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“I care about you so much, Shiloh,” he breathes against my skin. “I don’t know if you’re ready to hear this but umm, I’m in love with you. You don’t have to say it back. You don’t have to do anything differently. Nothing has to change, but I wanted you to know.”
I pull away from Kei. He makes a soft, distressed noise but I ignore him in order to flip myself around. Our faces are so close I could rub our noses together. I stare at him before bringing a hand to his face.
“Kei, Iwantthings to change.”
“How so?”
“I want to be your boyfriend. I want us to be together.” I lick my lips, finding the courage to confess. “I’m in love with you too.” Then I quickly add on, “asshole.”
Kei’s face breaks into a wide grin. He laughs before pulling me into a kiss. I sink into the feeling of it, allowing Kei to hold me as we trade kisses. It starts off slow, encompassing all of our emotions and affections. When my cock fills with blood though, I grow antsy, needing more.
I flip the two of us over, hovering over Kei. He sucks in a sharp breath as I grind my hips down against him, rubbing our erections together. My tongue finds its way between his lips, caressing the inside of his mouth. Gods, I’ll never get over how good he tastes.
Kei tries to flip us over but I manage to keep him pinned beneath me. My inner alpha howls pleasantly, content to keep our mate writhing beneath us.
Fuck. My brain stutters for a moment at that thought. Mate?
The longer I think about it, the better it feels. The idea of mating with Kei sinks beneath my skin, becoming part of me. It feels right. It feels true. Not today, but someday, Keiwillbe my mate.
I’m so overcome with this that Kei manages to shove me away. We twist in the sheets until I’m on my belly with him grinding his erection against the swell of my ass. He pulls off his shirt and slides down the back of my boxers.
“Goddamn,” he hisses out, his hands grabbing my ass cheeks. “Your ass is perfect. The kind of ass artists make sculptures of.”
I snort, wiggling my ass for him. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“Don’t I know it,” he says with a growl, leaning down in order to bite my ass cheek. I hiss through the pain. This is payback for the time I did exactly this to him. I’ll be feeling this bite fordaysevery time I sit down.
I relish it.
Kei leans himself against my back, his mouth attacking my shoulder blades. I know I’ll be covered in marks and bites. My stomach swoops violently with pleasure.
