Page 72 of Dance in the Stones

“Neither did I.” Damon’s arms came around him from behind, solid and warm. “I thought I’d live in that cottage alone forever. Just me and my morning coffee watching the castle ruins and wondering why they meant so much to me even then.”

Redford turned in Damon’s embrace, seeing his own thoughts reflected in his mate’s dark eyes. Through the bond, he felt the idea forming before either of them spoke it aloud.

“Yes, Red, I know, and yes, I think we’re ready,” Damon said quietly. “It’s time to talk about expanding our family.”

“The sanctuary’s stable now. Protected.” Redford’s gargoyle rumbled deep in his chest. “The pack proved they’ll always come if we need them. The castle will help protect a child. We’ve built the perfect foundation.”

“You don’t have to sell me on the idea, Red,” Damon said with a grin. “We have a home worth sharing with someone new. I guess the only question left to answer is, are we talking about me or you?”

“Me.” If someone had asked him six months before if Redford not only wanted children, but was prepared to be the one pregnant, he would’ve sent the speaker home to sleep off whatever booze he’d been drinking. But now, with the castle’s crystals flooding their bond with approval and promise, Redford knew that was something he really wanted to do. “Translocate us to the bedroom.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Tell me again,” Redford murmured against Damon’s throat, his hands sliding up bare skin. “Tell me you want this.”

Damon caught those wandering hands, pinning them against the mattress as he covered Redford’s body with his own. “I want everything with you. A child. A family. Years and years of mornings waking up in the shadow of the castle we’ve made ours.”

“Our castle.”

“Ours.” Damon kissed him slowly, pouring everything he felt through their bond. His love, his pride, and the passion he had for his mate, that burned alongside the fierce, protective instinct his hound had recognized from the beginning - the knowledge that Redford belonged to him, with him, forever.

Redford arched beneath him, already hard and wanting. The bond thrummed between them, desire from both sides meeting and swamping each other, until it was impossible to tell where it came from.

“I’ve been thinking about this for days,” Redford admitted, his voice rough. “Watching Warner with Kolton and Simon and imagining what our child would look like. Would they have your eyes? My wings?”

“Maybe both.” Damon shifted down Redford’s body, trailing kisses across collarbones and ribs. “Maybe they’ll be as stubborn as you and as reckless as me.”

“That child would be unstoppable.”

“Just like their fathers.” Damon circled one nipple with his tongue, savoring Redford’s sharp intake of breath. “You’re going to be incredible at this. You already are. You show it every time you hold Warner, and in the caring way you protect Finn and Kara. The way you love me.”

Redford’s hands tangled in Damon’s hair. “Don’t make me cry before we’ve even started.”

“Too late.” Damon glanced up, catching the sheen of moisture in Redford’s dark eyes. “I can feel what you’re feeling, remember? All that hope. All that want.”

“Then you know how much I need you now.”

Damon resumed his downward path, mapping every plane of muscle with lips, teeth, and tongue. Redford pushed his legs wider apart as Damon settled between them, and the complete trust in that gesture made Damon’s chest ache.

“I know you’ve waited a long time,” Damon said softly, looking up at Redford’s flushed face. “Five hundred years you felt you were all alone. But you’re not alone anymore, and you never will be again.”

He took Redford into his mouth without warning, swallowing him down in one smooth motion. Redford shouted, his hips jerking off the bed, but Damon held him steady and worked at bringing his precious mate pleasure. They’d made love dozens of times since the claiming, but this time felt different. This time when they came together, they were doing it with intention.

“Damon, wait…” Redford gasped, pulling at his hair. “I’m already too close…”

Damon pulled off with a wet pop. “That was the goal,” he grinned. “No point in doing this if it’s not fun.”

He reached for the oil on the nightstand, coating his fingers while Redford watched with dilated pupils. The first press inside made Redford groan, and Damon took his time opening him up, working him loose while occasionally dipping down to lick and suck Redford’s dick, just often enough to keep him teetering on the edge.

“More,” Redford demanded far too soon. “I need more.”

“Soon,” Damon promised as he added another finger, crooking them to brush Redford’s prostate. Redford’s back bowed off the mattress, and through the bond Damon felt the spike of pleasure and the overwhelming need. “That’s it, Red. Show me how much you want this.”

“I always want you.” Redford was riding his fingers now, shameless and beautiful in his passion. “Every day and every night. I want to build our life together, and raise our child in the castle that chose us.”

Damon’s hound rumbled deep in his chest. He withdrew his fingers, ignoring Redford’s sound of protest as he slicked up his own heavy cock that was already leaking. “Ready?”

“I was ready ten minutes ago.”