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“Your secret weapon?” I repeated. “What’s that?”
Her lips curled into a truly wicked grin. “Tickling. I have heard rumors of a certain alpha being extremely ticklish.”
“Where did you hear that?” My cheeks flushed, remembering the last time someone had discovered that particular weakness.
“I have my sources,” she declared. “Now, come on. Let’s go shower.”
I turned on the taps and waited for the water to reach a comfortable temperature. “All right,” I said. “But remember, no tickling.”
She held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
As she stepped into the shower, I stole a glance at her gorgeous body, the water cascading down her skin. I quickly shook off those thoughts—I’d made a promise, after all—and joined her under the warm spray. We explored each other, savoring the feel of each curve and contour.
“Feels nice, doesn’t it?” Tori said, her eyes closed as I massaged her scalp.
“Being with you always feels nice, Tori,” I said, sighing in contentment. This was what I needed after my long day. Just touching my mate and taking care of her.
After finishing a very sexually charged shower that I did my very best to ignore, we returned to the bedroom, the scent of lavender from Tori’s soap still tickling my nostrils. I climbed into bed and pulled back the sheets, inviting Tori to join me. She crawled in beside me, her body settling against mine as if we’d been sleeping together for years.
“Is it okay if I just hold you like this?” I asked.
“Mmm,” she said sleepily. “I enjoy being close to you.”
“Good. Me too.” I ran my hand across her back as she curled into my body.
The room was dark and quiet. The tension from earlier seemed to dissipate, and we both began to relax and drift into sleep until Tori broke the silence with a question I hadn’t expected.
“Ridge? If we were to claim each other, where would you bite me?”
Immediately, my wolf lost it at the mere thought of the claiming bite. He prowled restlessly, waiting to be released. I told him to stop, reminding him of Tori’s naiveté and her fear of the claiming.
“Are you sure you want to know?” I held my body still, waiting for her to answer.
She nodded against my shoulder. “Curiosity killed the cat, right? But yeah, I want to know.”
“All right. Well, the most common place is right here.” I traced my fingers along the curve where her neck met her shoulder. She shivered under my touch. “It’s a sensitive spot, and the act of biting there creates an unbreakable bond between mates.”
“Does it hurt?” She tried to hide it, but I heard the fear in her question.
Closing my eyes, I tried to recall everything I’d been told about the mating bond. “Only for a moment, but then it becomes something else entirely. A pleasure unlike any other.”
“I had no idea it could feel that way.”
“Neither did I, until I met you.” I knew it was possible, but never for a moment had I imagined it would happen to me.
“Would…would…” Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she asked, “Would you bite me first, or would I bite you?”
“Typically, the male bites first, but it’s up to the couple.” Gritting my teeth, I tried to focus on the conversation rather than my wolf’s demands and the desire pooling in my gut.
She looked up at me. “Sometimes, I think about what it would be like if we could have a normal life together without all the supernatural stuff. What if we could just be a regular couple planning our future?”
“Me too, Tori.” I pulled her into an embrace. “All the time.”
“Tell me. If we could do what we wanted with no expectations, what would our wedding be like?” she asked in a whisper.
“Snowy,” I answered, smiling softly. “You mentioned you love the snow, so I imagine us having a winter wedding, surrounded by friends and family, with the mountains as our backdrop.”
“Sounds beautiful.” She sighed as I tightened my arms around her. “But no Ring Pops on the cake, okay? And no horse rides.”
