Page 83 of Monster. Me.

His hand squeezes mine tighter.

"I know how rushed this sounds. I know we barely know each other, but I just—" he closes his eyes, "I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like you and I will get along."

I let out a loud huff.

Incredible, did a miracle happen in my life just now?

"Oh, Marlow, absolutely. I feel it too. Actually, I know it. I’m on board! And I promise you I’ll do everything… everything in my power to make you happy. Everything and more. You’ll be the center of my life."

Marlow opens his eyes, and whether it’s just the light playing tricks on me or they’re slightly wet, I can’t tell.

"I’ve never been the center of anyone’s life, Fenn. I had a few relationships, but they all treated me like a sneaky link, a dirty secret, because they couldn’t be seen with an alpha."

I lightly squeeze his hand.

"Then they were total idiots for missing out on a gem like you."

Marlow stares at me intensely.

"You have two months left here. If we get through this shit together, then who knows, maybe Rainbow Spring will accept us as new residents?"

Still in confusion, still unable to believe it, I try discreetly pinching myself to check if I’m not going to wake up from this dream, but Marlow is very real, the heat of his body palpable right next to me.

So I just nod, enjoying a surge of thrilling hope.

"Yes! And thank you for… giving us, giving me, a chance."

Marlow’s hands, slender and delicate, move over my face gently, brushing against it only with the tips of his fingers.

He brings his lips to my temple and kisses it softly.

"Yesterday was wonderful, Fenn. I’d like…" His lips move to my cheek. "More."

Oh, wow. A pleasant shiver races down my spine at the very thought of what his words mean.

"And what about your…?"

I slide my fingers down his back with a meaningful gesture. "Isn't it a bit sore?"

Marlow lets out an amused huff. "Everything's good. Ready for round two."

He tilts his head, and his lips land just under my ear, close to my glands.

I feel a slight shiver. It would be wonderful if he bit me, claiming me, a beast that nobody takes seriously. I would belong to him.

What a bold thought!

I bring my lips to his glands too, sniffing loudly and intentionally. Marlow's glands are free of any mating bite. No one has ever marked him either.

I guess that's another thing we have in common. No one ever wanted us enough to put a claim on us, to create a mating Bond.

"Fenn… fuck me. I want to be fucked so bad. To have all that simplified, my life. I want to lose myself, to drown in the pleasure… put your dick in my ass and fuck me for hours."

Wow, what a hot plea! I feel a literal fire inside me, shooting up like kindling for a bonfire. My other side, whose strongest drive is sex, impregnation, and constant copulation, hears what he's saying, and nothing else matters anymore.

Yes, yes, breeding! Breeding! It whispers in my head.

The desk chair isn't the best place for this. I grab him by the waist and, with a single turn, move him toward the bed before rolling him onto his stomach, so he's pinned against the edge of it. Marlow’s knees on the floor and his front lying on the sheets.