"Yes." I was beyond coherent speech, my whole world narrowed down to the points where we touched, the pleasure coiling tighter and tighter in my belly. "Yes, yes, please—" One finger slipped inside me, gentle and careful, and I moaned at the feeling of being filled — not much, not enough, but something, the stretch a sweet relief.
"So tight." He groaned, his finger curling slightly, pressing against a spot inside me that made stars explode behind my eyes, his voice rough with barely controlled need. "So perfect. Taking my finger so well. Can you take another?"
I nodded frantically, past words, my hands fisting in his hair, and he added a second finger, stretching me wider, the slight burn quickly fading into pleasure as his tongue continued its relentless assault on my clit. His fingers found a rhythm — in and out, curling on each stroke to hit that devastating spot inside me — while his mouth worked above, and I felt the orgasm building like a wave, cresting higher and higher, my whole body going taut.
"That's it." He murmured against me, his voice thick with approval, his free hand pressing down on my hip to hold me in place, his fingers never faltering in their rhythm. "That's it, sweetheart. I can feel you getting close. Let go for me. Come for me."
The wave of pleasure crashing through me, my back arching off the cot, his name tearing from my throat in a cry that probably echoed across the whole ranch. He worked me through it, his fingers and tongue gentling but not stopping, drawing out every last pulse of pleasure until I was shaking and oversensitive and completely undone.
"Beautiful." He pressed one last kiss to my inner thigh before crawling up my body, gathering me in his arms, his purr a constant rumble in his chest, his voice soft with wonder. "You're so beautiful when you come. I want to see that every day for the rest of my life."
I was still shaking, still trying to remember how to breathe, my body feeling loose and liquid and completely sated. I reached for him, wanting to reciprocate, feeling him still hard against my hip, but he caught my hands and brought them to his lips, pressing kisses to my knuckles.
"Not tonight." His voice was soft but firm, his green eyes warm as they met mine, his thumbs stroking across my fingers. "Tonight was about you. About giving you what you needed."
"But you're—" I could feel him against my hip, still hard, still wanting, and it didn't seem fair that he'd given me so much and taken nothing for himself.
"I'm perfect." He cut me off gently, pulling me closer, tucking my head under his chin, his arms wrapping around me like I was something precious. "Getting to touch you like that, getting to watch you fall apart for me — that's more than I ever dreamed of. I don't need anything else."
"You're ridiculous." But I was smiling, my body melting against his, the restless ache that had driven me here completely gone, replaced by a bone-deep contentment.
"I'm yours." He pressed a kiss to my hair, his arms tightening around me, his purr still rumbling softly through both of us,his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "I'm completely, entirely, forever yours. If you'll have me."
I tilted my head up to meet his eyes, seeing the vulnerability there beneath the tenderness, the fear that somehow this wouldn't be enough, that he wouldn't be enough.
"I'll have you." I reached up and traced my fingers along his jaw, watching his eyes flutter at the touch, feeling his breath catch, my voice fierce with certainty. "I want all of you, Nolan. Everything you're willing to give me."
"Everything." The word came out rough, broken, his forehead dropping to rest against mine, his green eyes bright with emotion. "I'll give you everything, Aster. My hands, my heart, my whole life. It's all yours."
We lay there in the quiet of the clinic, wrapped up in each other, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear, his scent surrounding me like a promise. The cot was too narrow and the blankets were scratchy and somewhere in the main house, the rest of my pack was probably wondering where I'd gone.
But in that moment, I didn't care about any of it.
"Thank you." I whispered against his chest, feeling sleep starting to pull at me, the tension that had been coiled in my body for days finally unwinding. "For knowing what I needed. For taking care of me."
"Always." His voice was soft, his hand stroking through my hair, his purr a constant gentle vibration, his lips brushing against my forehead. "I'll always take care of you, Aster. That's what I'm here for. That's what pack means."
I fell asleep in his arms, surrounded by eucalyptus and honey, feeling safe and wanted and thoroughly, completely satisfied. When I woke, it was to find Reid standing in the doorway of the back room, his dark eyes soft as they took in the scene — me curled in Nolan's arms, both of us tangled togetheron the too-small cot, the scent of contentment hanging heavy in the air.
"Found her." Reid's voice was quiet, directed over his shoulder at someone I couldn't see, amusement threading through his words, his expression warm.
"Is she okay?" Kol's voice came from behind him, worried and hopeful, footsteps shuffling closer.
"She's perfect." Reid stepped back, pulling the door mostly closed, leaving just a crack, his voice carrying through the gap. "Let them sleep. They both need it."
I heard footsteps retreating, heard Reid's low murmur explaining something, heard Kol's relieved laugh.
Pack,I thought drowsily, snuggling closer to Nolan's warmth, feeling his arms tighten around me even in sleep. This is what pack means.
For once, my feral heart didn't argue.
It just purred.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
ASTER
Morning came soft light coming through the clinic windows. I was still wrapped in Nolan's arms, still surrounded by his scent, still feeling the echoes of last night in every relaxed muscle of my body. He was awake. I could tell by the way his fingers were tracing lazy patterns on my shoulder, the way his purr had shifted from the deep rumble of sleep to something lighter, more conscious.
