“Good.” He purred. Honest to goodness purred like a big house cat. “You’re mine. About time everyone realized it.” He narrowed those beautiful gray eyes on her. “You included.”
Her beast chuffed inside her. In agreement and in exasperation. “Not my fault you avoided me for days.”
He sat up so fast she shrieked, because he slid even deeper into her while her legs braced on either side of his hips. He held her to him, not letting her escape—as if her legs could hold her if she even wanted to.
“I was giving you space. You were avoiding me.” He glared. “Damn it. You’re new to being Circ. You think I’d force you to stay when you don’t want to?”
She glared right back. “How exactly do you know what I want when I don’t? Thinking for me doesn’t help, you know. Sure I’m confused. I’m no longer human.” She tried to hold onto her mad, but her beast loved the fact Alex remained lodged inside her. And hell, so did the crazy human woman, who wanted to fuckagain, even after losing count of how many times they’d just done it.
“Well, I can’t read your mind,” Alex huffed. “Unlikesomepeople.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you. It’s a violation of privacy. And plus…” She bit her lip. “I wouldn’t want to know if you changed your mind about me.”
“What mind?” He gave an angry laugh. “I’m pissed as hell we’re once again nowhere close to Lang. But I’ve been crazy because I thought you were ignoring me.”
“Because you kept avoidingme.”
He stared at her, then gave a slow, melting smile. “Jesus, we’re a pair. I didn’t want to crowd you. You didn’t want to crowd me. And now I’m fucking balls deep inside you, and there’s nowhere else I’d like to be.”
“Gee, you say the nicest things.” She felt her face heat, which was ridiculous.
He laughed. “Aw, baby. I was dying for you. I’m sorry if you thought I was avoiding you. But it wasn’t that long ago that I was changed, and I remember how tough it was adjusting.”
“I know, in here.” She put his hand on her chest, over her heart. “I do appreciate you not rushing me. You’re so sweet, Alex.”
Now he flushed. “Stop.”
“You are.” She smiled and kissed him. “You’re so busy helping everyone else, aren’t you? But sometimes you don’t get what you need.” Something Bailey had mentioned about him. Alex was the ultimate team player who was there to help Gideon wrangle the others, to make sure Bailey felt included, that Carter knew how much he was valued, or to make sure Eli had what he needed to feel safe.
Gideon led the team, no doubt. His strength and overpowering presence kept them together. Bailey was its heart. Alex, its soul.
“You’re a good man, Alexander Palmer,” she stated, quietly. “My beast fell for you from the first. The woman…well, I’ve been burned in the past. I’m sadly not a great judge of character. But I like to think you’re the first right choice I’ve made. I’m sorry for making you feel bad, before. Now I just want to see where this takes us. You make me…”Contentseemed to tame a word to describe how he made her feel.
“Confused? Angry? Horny? So damn happy you can’t see straight?”
She laughed. “Yes.” She kissed him again, because she had to.
He sighed and kissed her back, and the feel of him still thick and long inside her had her raring to go again.
Until Gideon spoke.
“Well it’s about damn time.”
“I told you,” Bailey said.
Alex’s arms tensed around her, then relaxed. “I knew this was coming.”
Gideon grinned as he approached, but the hard look in his eyes took Kennedy aback. “Bailey said she was softening, but it sure did take a while for Kennedy to know her own mind. You good now, honey?”
She nodded, not sure whether to feel embarrassed or proud that she’d been caught naked, with the manstill inside her, while claiming her mate. The woman wanted to hide; the beast wanted to show off her prize. Gideon and Bailey weren’t making it easy by drawing closer.
“It’s time,” Bailey said to her. She went down on her knees beside them, seeming uncaring of their position or state of undress. “You want him, you belong tous.” Her beast stared at them, and Kennedy felt something in her give. “Yeah, there you go.”
Bailey leaned close, and Kennedy surprised herself by meeting the woman halfway. She opened her mouth for the kiss, and when it came, it was full of sweetness, understanding, acceptance.
“That is fuckin’ hot,” Gideon growled.
Bailey ended the kiss and stood, her eyes shining with laughter. “The ultimate male fantasy, two women going at it.”
