I didn’t even flinch this time, becoming used to him picking me up whenever he felt like it. “Where are we going?”
He chuckled, his ears curling. “Oh, you’ll see.”
His continued laughter was making me nervous. But when I thought for sure we were going to head out the door and to wherever it was that this game was going to take place, he instead pivoted and walked us to his truly obscenely large bathroom. He sat me down on the gleaming gold countertop,right next to a pink jeweled sink in the shape of some type of leaf. When I gave him a questioning look he tapped his finger on my nose twice.
“You’re exhausted, Callie. You’ve been up a full rotation and none of that was sitting idly in your room relaxing. I promised you a shower and I mean to keep that promise, after which we will cuddle in bed and sleep. We can play later.” He turned to cross to where the clear glass shower was. It was also all gold tile and sparking jeweled knobs and levers that made no sense, but with a few quick twists, water cascaded down from the ceiling and steam quickly filled the room.
Oh.
I don’t think any man had ever taken my being tired into consideration if it meant they were going to get laid. But still, we were newlyweds—a fact that I feel should have made me giddy and wound up, but holy shit I was tired. I mean, I guess even under normal circumstances most newlyweds were tired after all the ceremony and pomp was done. At least, that’s what I’d always been told. We’d skipped the wedding, but the paperwork had been just as tiring. Speaking of which…
“Will there be some sort of celebration for us? For getting married, I mean.”
Rathal turned to look at me over his shoulder. “Do you want there to be? To my kind, the Hunt is the celebration and the wedding all in one. Followed usually by several long weeks of seclusion where the couple fuck each other into a state of sheer exhaustion and then they rejoin society as a mated pair. We can do that.”
Wow. I didn’t think his smiles could get any more arrogant or evil looking, but he’d surprised me.
I grinned back at him, rolling my eyes. “Well we don’t have time for the weeks long fuck fest, but what about the Hunt?”
He came and plucked me from the counter to set me on my feet in front of the shower, stripped himself and me naked again and then hustled me under the spray. It was right on the edge of too hot and despite looking like a rainshower, the pressure was good and felt amazing on the sore muscles of my neck and back. I groaned and let my head fall forward just as Rathal molded the front of his body to the back of mine and started the world's best shoulder massage. I was kind of embarrassed by the sounds that came out of my mouth from a simple shoulder rub, but there it was.
He chuckled softly and finally answered me.
“That is what I have planned for tomorrow. Though, usually it's the female that does the hunting, but I know how much you enjoy being chased so I’ll make an exception,” he teased, stopping his massage to tickle my ribs softly with his claws.
I snorted at him. “Such a sacrifice, I’m sure,” I said, and then tapped my shoulder. “And you're not done, fool. Keep rubbing.”
It was a good thing his laugh was sexy, because I feel like he laughed at me a lot.
“Yes, my prize. Whatever you command.”
Smartass.
But I’d allow him his sass right now, especially when he found my tightest knots and worked them out with skilful fingers.
“We have a spa, you know. I’ll book you an appointment. The proprietress has eighteen limbs and can get out any sore or tight muscle you have, guaranteed.” He leaned his head down so that his mouth was right by my ear and purred silkily, “Goddess knows you’ll need it tomorrow after I’ve caught you.”
I grinned. “Promises, promises.”
“Ha! So flippant, darling. I’ll be sure to remind you of your attitude tomorrow when you’re whining about how sore you are and how your throat hurts from all the screaming.”
I turned to face him, looking up into his arrogance despite the water getting into my eyes.
“How do you get enough air into your lungs with how full of yourself you are?”
When Rathal showed all his sharp teeth when he smiled he looked like a cartoon character. He sucked in a deep gulp of air and let it out with an extended ‘ah’ before giving me a cheeky look.
“Easily. You see, these strong shoulders and thick neck are perfectly adapted to hold up my big head… and my well formed thighs are perfect for holding up my big—”
I slapped my hands on his chest. “Alright, alright! I get it,” I said, laughing at him. He was still laughing, but my attention had gotten snagged by the gold ring in his right nipple. It had a tiny ruby fang dangling from it. His other nipple ring was just gold with no additional adornments, and I realized looking at them that I hadn’t had a chance to reallylookat his body before.
“Go on. Look and touch your fill. I offered when we first met, you remember, but you stubbornly refused. I won’t bite until you ask it of me,” Rathal teased and held his arms out away from his sides, palms out and fingers splayed in one of the most cocky poses I think I’d ever seen. I wanted to roll my eyes, but they were busy taking him in. And damn him, but he was right to be so arrogant. Rathal was truly built like an Egyptian god, with a heavy muscular build under all that sleek black fur. He had abs like a freaking Japanese manga character and a real life Adonis belt. I had never seen a person outside of bodybuilding pictures have one.
And he was mine!
It didn’t even feel real. I could touch this male whenever I wanted. Those thighs were mine. The wide shoulders? Mine. Sexy neck? Mine. Huge pecks? Mine. Slutty forearms? Mine. Oh,and would you look at that ass? Mine! Calves for days? Also mine. His stupidly handsome canid face? All mine, baby.
Not to mention the thick length of his cock currently saluting me like an eager soldier, the gold hoop through the head shimmering as if in invitation to touch. I decided against it. I think if I started, I wouldn’t stop and then we’d be here forever.
