Page 95 of Big Bad Wolf

“God, that’s so good,” he murmured, feeling all his senses, all his thoughts scattering to the night and joining the constellations. He should be keeping her at bay, but all he could do was be so damn grateful that the universe had sent him his perfect Mate.

“I want you to come in my mouth,” she said between tortuous swirls of her tongue.

“Yes,” he growled, unable to say anything else. Yes. Yes to this. Yes to anything this woman wanted. Yes to everything.

His hands were in her hair again and her mouth was moving, taking him in, all of him. Up and down until it was too much, the heat, the pleasure, the frisson of tension up his spine. He came hard with ragged breaths and Ruby’s lips around him and only the night sky to witness the moment he came apart completely and was pieced back together by the look in Ruby’s eyes when she sat up and smiled at him.

Ruby slept like some kind of deranged starfish. She currently had half her body draped over Rafe’s torso, and the other half spread across seventy-five percent of the truck bed. Or that was Rafe’s best guess anyway. He was crammed into the remaining space, and it couldn’t be more than a quarter of the truck. She’d also stolen all the blankets even though her limbs stuck out of them at precarious angles. And she snored.

Rafe was tired, cold, and achy and yet couldn’t seem to wipe the idiotic grin off his face.

Someday, he was sure he would complain about her nocturnal acrobatics and nighttime cover-hogging…

Wait. Someday? One amazing night and what? He thought Ruby would be dying to tie herself to him forever? He scrubbed his free hand—the other one was trapped somewhere beneath Ruby—down his face, trying in vain to think straight.

He needed to tell Ruby about the Mate bond. He nearly had last night; he should have. But he didn’t even know what to say, didn’t know what it would mean for them or how to navigate it, especially since she was a human.

Ruby stirred and her scent wrapped around him. Instead of choking him, now it warmed him, pulling him closer. He knew she was his Mate like he knew when he needed to hunt. Instinctually and without a doubt. Everything he’d felt about her made sense now. She was his and he was hers.

But as far as what happened next, he was embarrassingly underprepared. Damn his father and his “mating for strength” ideology. Rafe didn’t know a single Mate-bonded pair. His pack didn’t operate that way. His father scoffed at any mention of it. It had been the Alpha who chose the pairings, or at the very least had to approve them. And he certainly hadn’t taken Mates or love into account.

There had been wolves through the years that had left the pack, gone off on their own. And now Rafe wondered how many had left to be with their true Mate.

He didn’t even know if sex was the only way to secure the bond. He thought he was being safe by not fucking her, but every moment with her felt like a claiming. Every story he shared with her, every smile she gave him, every touch, every bit of trust she put in him. She had claimed his heart the first time she spoke his name, the first time she sought him out in the dark.

He had to tell Ruby. He had to tell her right now. He attempted to free his arm and Ruby groaned, face down in her pillow.

“Too early,” she mumbled. “Go away.”

“Ruby.” He rolled onto his side and pulled her closer using his trapped arm to reel her in. “Wake up.” He kissed along her nose and she scrunched it up.

“No,” she grumbled. “Too early.” She didn’t open her eyes as she pushed the hair from her face.

“Are you always like this in the morning?” he asked, unable to stop his foolish heart from imagining more mornings like this with Ruby grumpy and him slowly waking her. He could think of so many interesting ways to wake her.

“I work late. I’m practically nocturnal,” she muttered, cracking open one eye. “You know I don’t wake up before noon. And it’s too bright out here.” She squeezed the eye shut again.

“We need to get an early start if we’re going to make it there and back today.”

Ruby groaned again, but Rafe ran a hand over her still naked hip and around to grab her ass, turning Ruby’s groan into a squeal. He pulled her closer, so warm and pliant in the morning. He’d already forgotten what he needed to tell her. He let himself forget. Why waste this moment by freaking her out?

He kissed down her neck, lingering over her racing pulse. She squirmed against him. “What happened to getting an early start?” she laughed as he continued his journey to her breasts, kissing and licking each one.

“I mean, we could spare a few minutes,” he said, grinning up at her. She smiled back, her eyes bright like the sun.

“No way, wolf-man. We have your Alpha brother to question.” She snatched up the blankets and scootched to a seat, leaving Rafe lying naked by himself. He didn’t care. Her stare kept him warm.

He pushed himself up and dug around for his jeans from last night. He tugged them on, letting Ruby watch him with hungry eyes. Maybe it was finally time for him to have what he wanted. Maybe fate would be on his side this time. Thinking it felt like a jinx. He nearly leaned over the side of the truck to knock on a tree trunk.

What if telling Ruby about the Mate bond ruined everything? Theo was right: he’d go full howling-at-the-moon mad. Just because Ruby had been understanding about everything he’d told her so far did not mean she’d be cool with this sudden and intense escalation of their relationship.

He needed to deal with Wyatt. Once Ruby was safe, then he could worry about what fate had in store for him. There was no use in sharing his suspicions yet. Not if Ruby was still in danger. Not if her sister was still having violent visions about wolves.

First, he needed to make sure that Wyatt got the message to leave the Bellerose sisters alone. Then he would deal with the rest. One life-altering crisis at a time.

“What’s for breakfast?” Ruby asked, still watching him from her seat.

He hopped down from the bed, happy for the distraction, and walked to the front of the truck. He grabbed the bag he’d put in the back seat last night.