I didn’t hold back. I couldn’t. I tried to meet him move for move. My body, partially pinned by the placement of my legs, prevented me from taking control, and fuck if I didn’t love it. I grabbed the mattress, holding on, loving every pounding motion. And then it was inevitable. I was going to come. He didn’t even need to touch my cock, his own hitting me in just the right spot.
“I’m going to—” I started to pant, not able to get the words out.
“Come for me. Come for me,” he commanded.
And he pounded into me one last time, stilling as his muscles started to visibly quake. His seed shot into me, filling me up as my own orgasm followed.
We hadn’t talked about what mating would be like or whether me being human would matter when he marked me, but I got my answer as his knot filled me.
My arms came up and yanked him down to me, my instincts requiring I sink my teeth into him, to mark him, to show the world that he belonged to me. And as they sank into his flesh and his into mine, I felt it, what I’d only read about in stories. I didn’t think I would, that it was even possible, but a sense of being whole for the first time enveloped me as our bond snapped into place.
We were mated.
“Mine, mine,” I mumbled against his flesh.
“All yours, omega. Always yours. Only yours.”
8
KINGSTON
There was a warm weight nestled into my side, and I smiled without bothering to open my eyes. Merrick, my mate, who wasn’t a mate in name only. He was marked, we both were, making it impossible for anyone to separate us. The anyone that came to mind was my father.
Though I needed coffee, I stayed where I was, relishing the new path my life was taking. But eventually the need for caffeine outweighed staying in bed, at least for the minutes it took to brew a pot of coffee.
I extracted myself from the warmth without waking my mate, and though he did roll over, he didn’t protest my absence. After slipping on a robe, I didn’t move but stared at him as if I were scared he was going to vanish.
But as I gazed around the room, I grimaced. Our clothes from last night were scattered across the floor. My jeans were on the floor, and I wasn’t yet able to see his shirt, while our shoes had been kicked off in different directions.
Though coffee was my priority, I could tidy up while it was brewing. Yes, we were on holiday, but we deserved to be in a clean and tidy space and not a disaster of tangled clothes and bedding.
Focusing my attention on the untidy room, I forgot about the coffee and folded the clothes, including the now-found shirt, and put them on top of the dresser. Next, I gathered up the cushions and pillows from the sofa and bed.
Why do people put so many pillows on the bed and then toss them off before getting in?
I didn’t have an answer to that conundrum because I’d always wondered the same myself.
“King, what are you doing?” A yawning and bleary-eyed Merrick appeared in the doorway. He was adorable, with his hair sticking up, and I considered taking him back to bed.
I thought it was kinda obvious, but I grinned and replied, “Tidying up.”
He squinted at the clock. “It’s eight in the morning.” He glanced outside at the gray light. “Yeah, morning. We’re on vacation, and you’re cleaning?”
“No. There was no cleaning.” I waved a hand toward the pile of folded clothes. “I was organizing.” I picked up one more pillow. “Go back to bed.”
“I will. But I’d like you with me because this is the shifter version of a honeymoon.”
He’s not wrong,my bear pointed out.
“We can organize later.”
I hesitated. Of course I wanted to snuggle with Merrick, but the messy cabin bothered me. In the five years I’d been alone without him, I’d kept myself sane by maintaining strict routines. That was what I could control when my personal life was a three-act tragedy.
But my mate’s pink cheeks, his rumpled hair, and seductive smile drew me to the bed.
“I’m all yours, but…”
Merrick pulled a pillow over his face and groaned.
