“Yes,” she cried. “Yes.” Her body turned rigid, and she dropped her head back. Her expression turned rapturous, and her skin glistened. She fell forward onto him, crying out his name, and pressing her body against his.
As she climaxed, she squeezed around him with pulses that shot him over the edge. He exploded into the void with her, coming harder than he ever had before. A century must have passed before the final jet of energy blasted out of him.
He wrapped his arms around her body and held his mate in this one perfect moment, never wanting to let her go.
After their raging heartbeats and ragged breaths slowed, they adjusted their position, facing each other on their sides. Grayson ran his fingers along the curves on the side of her body, not wanting to stop touching her yet.
“Your fangs surprised me,” Aurora noted. “Do they always come out when you have sex?”
“No. Did they scare you?”
She shook her head. “No, they excited me.” Her eyes brightened. “I wonder why it happened this time.” She flashed a sassy grin. “Did I bring out the animal side in you or something?”
How close she was to the truth. Should he admit the reason why?
He rubbed her shoulder in a circular motion. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Turning to her side, she propped her elbow onto the bed and leaned her head onto her hand. “What is it?”
“Don’t be frightened,” he said.
Her brows tightened. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. In fact, it’s right. More incredible than I ever imagined.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
He took a deep breath, exhaled, and admitted, “My fangs came out because I felt the need to mark you.”
Her mouth curled into an O. “Mark me?”
His pulse quickened again, and his skin turned hard. “Yes, I think you’re my mate.” No, that was a cop out. He squared his jaw and tried again. “No, Iknowyou’re my mate, Aurora.”
Aurora’s eyes widened, and she stared at him. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
Grayson ran his hand through his hair. “I knew it from the moment I met you. Your scent, the way my wolf reacted to you. Every part of me just knows. And when a wolf knows, he wants to claim his mate with a mark. The mating bite binds them together as one.”
Her lips parted. Several seconds passed before she spoke. “I don’t know how to respond to that, Grayson. I shouldn’t even be here with you, further complicating our situation.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know.”
When she rolled to the other side, he sensed her unease. He didn’t blame her—what he sprang on her was immense. Still, when he spooned her, she didn’t pull away. That was a good sign. At least, he hadn’t completely freaked her out.
No more contemplating. If they only had one night together, he wasn’t going to ruin it by worrying. The hurdles would still be there tomorrow and the day after that.
For one blissful night, he’d bask in the contentment of finally having his mate in his arms.
Chapter 9
Grayson
The next morning, Grayson caressed her shoulder and then kissed it. “Good morning, beautiful.”
Aurora rolled onto her side to face him. “Good morning, Grayson.” She smiled. “Well, we really screwed things up last night, didn’t we?”
