It's desperate, her lips crashing against mine with enough force that our teeth click together. Her hands fist in my hair, pulling me closer, and I go willingly. Open my mouth and let her in. Let her take what she needs.
She tastes like salt and vanilla and something underneath that's purely her. My hands slide from her face to her waist, pulling her into my lap. She straddles me without hesitation, her thighs bracketing my hips, and I groan into her mouth.
The sound seems to break something in her. She pulls back just enough to look at me, pupils blown wide, lips already swollen.
"Carlos," she breathes.
I kiss her again. Harder this time. Deeper. My hands roam up her back, feeling the curve of her spine through my henley that she's wearing. She looks perfect in my clothes. Looks like she belongs there.
Her hips rock against mine and I see stars behind my eyelids. Feel the heat of her even through our clothes. My control is hanging by a thread, fraying with every movement she makes.
"Jess," I manage to gasp out. "Your heat. It's coming. We should not..."
"I know." She pulls back just enough to look at me. Her chest is heaving. "But right now I just need this. Just need you. Is that okay?"
How could it not be okay?
I cup the back of her neck and pull her down to me again.
We kiss until my lips are swollen and her hair is a mess. Then, she's grinding against me in a rhythm that's going to drive me insane. My hands have mapped every inch of her back, her sides, the curve of her hips through the soft cotton of my shirt. Suddenly, we're both breathing hard and my control is down to its last frayed thread.
She pulls back finally, forehead resting against mine, chest heaving. Her scent wraps around me.
"Wow," she whispers.
A laugh rumbles out of me. "Wow?"
"I don't have better words." She grins, breathless and beautiful. "My brain stopped working somewhere around the second kiss."
"Good to know I have that effect on you."
"You have a lot of effects on me." Her fingers trace the line of my jaw, the scratch of my afternoon stubble. "You make me feel safe. And seen. And like I'm allowed to want things without apologizing for it."
My throat tightens. "You never have to apologize for wanting things. Not with us."
"I'm still learning that." She settles against my chest, tucking herself under my chin. Her weight is perfect in my lap, solid and real and mine. "But I'm trying."
"That's all any of us can do."
We sit there in her nest, tangled together. The room smells like pack. Al our scents mixed up until I can't tell where one scent ends and another begins. Like home.
My phone buzzes again. Then again. A rapid succession that makes my jaw clench.
I pull it out, keeping one arm wrapped around Jessica's waist.
Nacho: Callum's heading your way. Left the station ten minutes ago. Looked furious.
Sergio: I'm five minutes out. Don't do anything stupid before I get there.
Pedro: Almost home. Keep her safe.
Jessica tenses in my arms. "He's coming here."
"Looks like it." I tuck the phone away and tighten my hold on her. "But you're not facing him alone."
"What if he..." She trails off, unable to finish the thought.
"Then we handle it. Together." I press a kiss to the top of her head. "All of us."
