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“Neo! Help me.” I cried out for him as I fell to my knees, my whole body aching and my mind feeling like it was going to splinter apart.
“Fuck. It’s okay, Jolie, everything’s gonna be okay. I’m going to make this all go away.”
Then I was off the floor and up against his chest, and everything eased instantly. I kept my eyes closed as I pressed my face in against his throat. I took deep breaths of his scent as I clung to him. Every breath took more of the pressure away until finally my heart slowed down and the waves of emotions stopped pounding at me. I felt him moving, walking. After tilting my face, I opened my eyes to see where he was taking me.
I’d never been inside Neo’s place before, so I wasn’t sure of the layout. He elbowed open a door and once I caught sight of the large bed I knew he’d brought me to his bedroom. I stayed silent as he kicked off his shoes, then climbed up on the mattress, all without loosening his hold on me at all. The man was strong, that was for sure.
He sat with his back against the headboard and arranged me in his lap before stroking the hair from my face and pressing a gentle kiss to my temple.
“I’m so sorry, Jolie. When I saw you run into the woods earlier with that bastard chasing you, I was so worried that I wouldn’t get to you before he could hurt you. Then finding you pinned up against that tree, with him holding you off the fucking ground by your neck... Add to that how much I love you and that I’m so fucking worried you’re gonna keep running from me, keep refusing my claim on you. I’m a fucking mess, babe. And after sleeping beside each other last night, the bond between us has strengthened. We’ll feel each other’s emotions now, at least if they’re strong ones. Especially if we’re not touching. I should have held my temper earlier. You didn’t know what to expect and it nearly knocked you out.”
He ran his fingers over my face and through my hair again as I looked into his eyes, at the pain he was somehow now holding back from me.
“Will it always be like that? Feeling each other’s emotions?”
He shook his head a little. “No, baby. Once you accept my claim on you, it’ll lessen in intensity. We can also block the emotions from leaving us. It’s what I should have done earlier, but I was too overwhelmed to remember to do it. I don’t ever want you to hurt because of me, Jolie. Forgive me?”
He was melting me down to my soul. Now that the emotions had lessened considerably, I could think somewhat clearly. Think about all this man had done for me, even though I’d done nothing to deserve any of it. I’d been horrible to him really, and I could understand why he hadn’t bothered to pull his emotions back earlier. I’d deserved to feel what I was putting him through.
I reached a palm up to cup his jaw. “You weren’t the only one overwhelmed and lashing out, Neo. I didn’t mean to hurt you either. It’s been an eventful day, and you dropped one hell of a bombshell on me. I guess what I’m trying to say is, we’ve both acted rashly today. Let’s just forgive, forget, and move forward, yeah?”
“Not forget. We’ve covered a lot today, some of it was shit, but I need you to remember what I told you about shifters. I need you, Jolie. Need to claim you as mine, for you to move in here with me. I want you here building a family with me. Kicking my ass when I screw up and loving me even when I drive you nuts.”
Tears pricked my eyes again, but they weren’t out of misery this time. I wasn’t entirely sure what was involved with him claiming me, but I could take a guess. With his earlier confession that he’d killed for me today, I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about my foster father ever again. That meant I was free to settle down, to actually live my life. I hoped like hell he hadn’t been lying earlier when he’d said I wasn’t sterile. That he could impregnate me. Although that wasn’t why I was choosing him. Not at all.
It didn’t take long to think over everything Neo had done for me, over everything I’d learned about who he was, to know he’d make a solid partner. I still wasn’t sure about the whole bear shifter thing, but if it made me stronger, more able to fight off anyone who thought to hurt me in the future, I was happy to take it. Neo was everything I could wish for, really. He loved his family, was always happy to help out anyone he could. He had a wicked sense of humor, loved nature. It didn’t hurt that he was damn easy on the eyes, and he was a spectacular lover.
Wriggling until his grip on me loosened, I shifted so I straddled his thighs once again, ignoring the twinge of pain in my ankle. Then I cupped his face between both my palms and leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. I pulled back before he could deepen it. “Neo, I’m sorry I’ve pushed you away all these months. I didn’t think I could have you, not fully, and I wanted you so badly. Every time you touched me, or even spoke with me, you drew me a little more under your spell. I honestly can’t imagine living anywhere else, with anyone else.” I paused to take a deep breath and pull back enough I could focus on his eyes. “You gave me freedom earlier. When you took that bastard’s life, you delivered me the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. And, babe? There’s no one else in this world I’d rather spend that freedom with than with you. I love you, Neo. Take me, I’m yours.”
The sheen of moisture in his eyes, the spark deep within his gaze, the wide grin that spread over his lips cemented within my heart that I’d made the right decision. This man, shifter, whatever he was, was mine and after tonight, he always would be.
****
Neo
I could barely believe my ears. After all these months, she was finally accepting my claim on her. “You’ll move in with me?”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow. In the morning, we’ll go pack you up and move you here. You’ll sleep beside me in this bed for the rest of our lives.”
She leaned in and brushed little kisses down my cheek and over my jaw. “Yes, Neo. Although, we need to deal with the lease on the house. I don’t have much. It’s not going to take long.”
It had broken my fucking heart at how little she could call her own. “I’m going to spoil you, sweetheart. Give you everything you should already have had.”
She groaned a little and dug her fingers into my shoulders as she wriggled on my lap. “This is that mating burn you told me about, isn’t it?” Her voice had gone a little husky with her arousal.
“Yeah, baby, you’re burning for me. You gonna let me claim you? Leave my mark on your skin for all shifters to see?”
“Mmm, yeah.”
She’d said yes. She’d given herself to me, and I planned to take her offering and cherish it for-fucking-ever. I made quick work of stripping her shirt and bra off before I flipped her over on the mattress. Slipping her shoes off, I ran my fingers lightly over her swollen ankle. I leaned down and pressed a light kiss to it, knowing within minutes of claiming her, it would be completely healed. Lifting up, I focused on tugging her pants and panties off and throwing them aside. Then I paused to watch her. Fuck, she was sexy, and she looked perfect in my bed. Naked and horny, waiting for me.
“Perfection.”
She reached a hand out to touch me, but with a growl I pulled back out of her reach. I had other things I wanted before I took her with my cock. Before she could move, I was between her thighs. Pressing my nose against her folds, I took a couple deep breaths, filling my senses with the scent of her arousal. Then I took a swipe up her pussy, gathering the honey she’d already made for me and swallowed it down before going back for more.
Holding her hips, I made a meal out of my mate. Sucking and licking at her until she was trying to wriggle away from me.
