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He gave a mental laugh as he saw a rabbit take off a few feet in front of him. Some shifters liked to hunt when they were in their animal form. He definitely wasn't one of them. He much preferred a hot meal. With salt and pepper.
Ronan could only imagine the look on Moira's face if he came home with dead animal in tow. She was accepting of many things, but he didn't want to push his luck. Since the night they had discussed the fact she was his mate, things had settled into a nice, easy pattern. They'd work at the bar till closing, make something to eat, and spend a few hours talking and making love before they passed out. He'd done his best to make sure that she had a realistic view of the way things would be between them, of what he had to offer her. If she chose to let him mark her, that wasn't exactly a bell that you could unring.
This morning, she'd awakened early and borrowed his truck. Hope had flared inside when she'd told him she was going to register at the community college in Sanders as he'd suggested. He liked the idea that she was putting down roots, even if they were only until she could finish school.
Tomorrow, they both had the day off. There had been talk of going to the beach. Even though he only lived an hour from the coast, he couldn't recall the last time he'd been. He was more of a woodsy kinda guy, for obvious reasons.
He continued to run until he was bone tired. Sprawling out on the ground, he laid there, his body pressed against the earth. At times like this, he felt more connected to the universe than ever. Everything around him seemed to be living and breathing. The plants, the animals. The air even shimmered with tension. Even the earth seemed to be taking shuddering breaths beneath him.
Despite all of the hardship that came from having to hide part of himself from the world at large, it was this exact moment that made it all worth it. He was never able to manage this level of peace in human form. Utterly sated, he let the hum of the bugs and the feel of the soft breeze against his fur eventually lull him to sleep.
It was almost two in the morning when he walked through the door of his apartment. He was glad he'd beaten Moira home. That would give him time to hop in the shower. He really needed to wash the grit and grime off of him.
Twenty minutes later, his energy restored, he wandered into the kitchen. He grinned when he found Moira making a sandwich. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said, feeling lighter than he had in a very long time. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her neck.
“Hungry?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. When he continued to press light kisses against her skin, she set the package of cold cuts down on the counter. Seconds later, she leaned back against him and gave a soft hum of pleasure.
“Not for food,” he murmured, nipping at the soft bit of skin just below her earlobe.
Moira pressed he
r hips back against him and playfully asked, “What are you hungry for then?”
He grabbed her and held her back against him. Then he moved his mouth so that it hovered just above her ear. “You know exactly what I want, cupcake. And you're gonna give it to me.”
“Oh, am I?” she teased, moaning softly when he began to rock his hips against hers. “What if I just wanted to eat this sandwich and go to bed?”
His hands slipped up to cup her breasts through the thin cotton tank top she wore. Stroking her nipples, he waited until she shivered against him. “I'll make you a deal.”
The voice trembled with need when she asked, “What kind of deal?”
“If I reach down into your panties, and I don't find you soaking wet,” he said, his hands trailing down her belly to work at the button of her jean shorts. “Then, by all means, have your sandwich and go to bed.”
“Okay,” she agreed, rocking her hips back against him, her feigned disinterest long gone.
“But if I do find your pussy as soaked as I think I'm gonna,” he continued, “then I own this body for the rest of the night. Sound fair?”
Moira gave a needy whimper in response. “Fair enough.”
“You sure about that, cupcake?” he asked, his own voice rough with need. “I'm not going to go easy on you.”
No longer able to manage the pretense of disinterest, Moira whispered, “I don't want you to.”
“You don't know what you're asking for.” He groaned, his fingers slowly dragging the zipper of her shorts down. At her shuddering breath, he slipped his hand inside her panties and said, “As I suspected. Cupcake, you're not going to sleep any time soon. You better have the sandwich, though. You might need your strength.”
“Fuck the sandwich,” Moira moaned. “Touch me.”
Ronan lightly traced his fingertips over her slit. “Like this?”
“More.”
“Ah, but what you're not remembering is that, right now, I'm in control.”
“Please,” she moaned, trying to rub her pussy against his hand.
Ronan grabbed the loose bun at the nape of her neck, holding it firmly in his grasp. “Nope. This is my body tonight. I touch what I want, how I want. I decide when you get to come.”
Moira shivered against him in response to his rough words. “Oh God.”
