“Because if that’s our biggest problem, we’re doing something right. When Ash is a non-factor, you guys are going to needsomethingto burn off all of the testosterone. As a good mate, it’s my job to direct that energy into useful things, like sex competitions.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, I use her as a human shield and step under the cool spray, grinning as she sputters indignantly.
She spins in my grip and glares. “A solo shower is sounding better and better.”
Tilting her chin up, I capture her mouth in a slow burning kiss that steals the threat right from her tongue. “It’s nice seeing you like this.”
“Like what?” she murmurs against my lips.
“Genuinely happy.”
Rather than reply, she kisses me back in earnest, rotating so that her back is to the water. Palming both sides of her face, I deepen the kiss, not rushing a single thing. It may only be a few minutes, but for that time, she’s completely mine. No worries that someone is being pushed to the sidelines, no fears about the demon breathing down our necks that’s obsessed with my mate, and no concerns about what tomorrow will bring.
We simply exist in the moment, and it’s not only enough, it’s everything.
Between kisses, she mumbles, “We should probably hurry up before we run out of warm water.”
Without breaking the kiss, I force her to lean down with me as I fumble for the bottle of soap on the lip of the tub. As soon as I flip open the lid, the strawberry scent reveals I snagged the wrong bottle, but she simply laughs a breathy sound.
“Shampoo works the same. Even better, it’s got a stronger scent.”
Chuckling, I finally tear myself away, spinning us so that I can have a turn under the spray. “You’re far more into this than I thought you would be.”
Squirting some into my palm, I work it into a lather before starting at her collar. A faint bite mark is still visible on the side of her neck, and while this is all a game to annoy the others, I don’t want tocompletelyeradicate the evidence that she’s taken by us. Toying with them is one thing, but I don’t want to strip her of whatever protection we can offer by warning others off.
Nope, I tried to convince myself, but it’s an effort in futility. The desire to wash them from her skin and have mine the only scent coating her is too strong to resist temptation, logical reasoning be damned.
Brushing my thumbs over her breasts, I work my way down to her rib cage as she declares, “I’m into anything that reminds me what it actually is that we’re fighting for. And this?” A flash of sadness flickers across her eyes, there and gone so quickly I question if I imagined it. “It’s worth going through a hell of a lot of heartache to have more days like this. So yeah, I’m throwing myself all in, but it’s not because I’m discrediting the seriousness of the situation we’re trapped in. It’s because the only way wewillcome out the other side of it with any part of ourselves intact is if we stop holding back when it really matters.”
Wrapping her fingers around my wrist, she slides my hand down her stomach. “And I know the two of us have struggled the most with that, but I’m willing to try if you are.”
For a brief moment, I take a hard look at the woman that came into my life and blew it to hell. The last few months have been a whirlwind and so much has changed, but... it had to. Sabrina’s the breath of fresh air we all desperately needed, and looking at how much more animated and alive she is now? She needed us, too.
That’s the only thing in our lives that really matters.
Slamming my lips against hers, I back her into the shower wall, the water pounding down against our sides. Sliding my hand down her stomach, her hip, her thigh, I meticulously wash away every trace of the others. And all the while, I never come up for air, kissing her breathless, a warm flush spreading across her skin that even the cool water can’t compete with.
“No more holding back,” I agree, slipping two fingers inside of her. Feathering a line of chaste kisses along her jaw, I whisper against her skin, “So I have a question to ask you.”
Gripping my shoulder to steady herself, she rocks her hips, riding my hand. “If you’re going to ask me to marry you while finger-fucking me in the shower, I won’t even feel bad for saying no. Besides, Bo beat you to it.”
Chuckling, I curl my fingers inside of her. “Noted. Actually, it was a little more embarrassing than that.”
With a breathy moan, she closes her eyes and rolls her hips. “Weird kink request then. Sure, go ahead.”
“I was going to ask if it would be alright if I let...him,step in for a while.”
Her eyes fly open, movements slowing as she searches my face. “As a reward for his good behavior, or you want to make sure if he doesn’t give control back, I can force him to?”
Swallowing, I nod. “Bit of both.”
After several tense seconds, she gives me a soft smile. “You don’t even need to ask in the future. I knew what I was signing up for when I marked you in the hotel; claiming every part of you.”
That’s all that the demon needs to hear, surging to the surface. Our lips are on hers in the next instant, pinning her against the wall. “And it’s time I repaid the favor.”
Maybe it’s because I’m still human, but the last time I shifted, it was like watching from a distance as an imposter was living my life, manipulating my body and leaving me without a shred of input on the matter. Not only was it a mind-fuck, the loss of control was... terrifying, and I expected this to be the same. But as I flex my fingers, Sabrina tightens around them and I feel every bit of it. Simultaneously, the hand that was cupping her cheek slides down her jaw under his command.
“Still could overrule you if I wanted,”he mentally growls,“so don’t fuck this up for me.”
