Exhaling slowly, Ash closed his eyes, feeling delicious tension give way under his steady push. A growled curse left his lips at the heat surrounding his cock inch by exquisite inch. “You’ve just ruined me for life,” he gritted out.
“Same,” Danny gasped. “But could you ruin me a little faster? The slow sinking is killing me.”
Ash’s fingers flexed against his mate’s hip. “Descension into paradise is worth savoring.”
Worth savoring for the rest of eternity. And Danny needed time for his body to adjust at being stretched wide open. His mate was twelve months out of practice, and Ash was twelve seconds from blowing his load.
Slow was giving him a moment to regain control. Shooting off too soon would be an embarrassment he’d rather avoid.
“Ash.” Danny squirmed then clenched his ass.
Hearing his name in that needy tone snapped Ash’s restraint, thrusting with strokes bordering on savage. He trusted Danny to know what he wanted, what he was begging for, without needing checked on. Danny proved he could handle this by slamming backward, the filthiest shit flying from his mouth, which Ash would gladly oblige.
“Taking my fucking cock so beautifully,” Ash growled. “That’s it, baby. Ride the entire length.”
“More,” Danny cried.
Ash fucked him with machine-gun thrusts, the sound of colliding skin filling the room. Before his mind caught up, he blanketed Danny’s back and sank his canines where shoulder met neck, feeling their bond snap into place like the click to a lock in their new home. For half a beat his heart stopped, then restarted with Danny’s echoing beside his. Danny cried out, his hole milking Ash’s cock. Driving his cock deep, Ash came so hard his balls ached.
Canines retracting, Ash licked the wound, a realization dawning on him that made his stomach clench.
He’d just bound Danny with no explanation first.
What in the hell had he just done?
* * * *
Forever. Apparently, that's how long this bond would last.
Danny’s fingers traced absently over the bite mark on his shoulder, still tender and pink. Last night's explanation from Ash had been an avalanche of supernatural revelations—fated mates, eternal bonds, bears who walked as men. After the sex-induced euphoria had faded, reality crashed in hard and fast.
“So basically, I got an invisible wedding ring without actually being proposed to,” he muttered to his cold coffee.
Looking around Ash’s kitchen, everything seemed so normal—wooden cabinets, granite countertops, a ridiculous Star Wars-themed calendar pinned to the fridge. Yet nothing about Danny’s life would ever be normal again. Funny how a space could feel both foreign and familiar at once.
According to Ash, they’d been drawn to each other because they were destined mates. Danny’s instant attraction, the pull he’d felt toward Ash—all of it had been cosmic matchmaking. Not just regular old chemistry but supernatural destiny.
Great. Even his romantic life was out of his control.
Through the window, morning light bathed the backyard in gold, illuminating a bird feeder where tiny finches squabbled over seeds. Danny’s mind drifted to how Ash had thrown his body around his during the crash, taking the full impact without hesitation.
How many people would do that for someone they barely knew?
A coffee mug clinked against the counter, startling Danny from his thoughts. Ash had entered silently, moving with surprising grace for someone his size. Wisps of steam rose from the fresh coffee he poured, the rich aroma cutting through the kitchen's stillness.
After pouring himself a cup, he hesitated then filled another mug and set it beside Danny, replacing his cold coffee.
“Wait.”
Stopping mid-stride, Ash looked back, expression carefully neutral. “Just giving you space to process everything.”
“Could you maybe...” Danny’s fingers tapped against his mug. “Could you maybe stop hiding out in the bedroom like a chicken shit? You gave me the best sex of my life then shoved a ring on my finger when I wasn’t looking.” He smiled sweetly before sipping his coffee. “You don’t get to hide until the coast is clear. You dropped a bomb into my lap, revealed a world I never knew existed, and made me care about you. So sit your gorgeous ass down, because I’m not processing this on my own.”
Where in the hell had that come from?
He’d felt the same feeling as he had when protecting Ash. Like someone else had stepped into his body and taken over.
Eyeing Danny, Ash pulled a chair out and straddled it, resting his forearms over the back. “Not going anywhere, honey bear.”
