My knot gives a desperate, hopeful pulse.One more time. Just one more time.
My mate has mercy on me, giggling against the top of my head as she pushes my hand away and unbuttons my pants herself. My cock springs free in a hot slap, and she sucks in a needy breath.
“Is that for me?” she asks, a smile in her voice that I can’t see because my face is still buried in her glorious chest.
“Only for you,” I grit out, raising my head. “It will only ever be for you.”
I grip her hips, helping her move up my body as she clings to my shoulders for balance. Our gazes are locked as my cock notches at her entrance. I watch, mesmerized, at how her face changes as she sinks down onto me, a slow, agonizing descent that steals the breath from both of us. Surprise, overwhelm, and then a curling pleasure that makes her eyes roll back in her head.
She is so wet, so warm, so incredibly snug. Her inner walls stretch perfectly to accommodate me, or maybe my cock fills her perfectly. Either way, our bodies feel custom-made for each other.
She starts to move in a slow, rocking grind that quickly becomes frantic. Her bouncing breasts are so hypnotic that I can’t look away. I grab her hips, helping her, driving up into her, our movements growing desperate and erratic. The wooden chair screeches against the floor with the force of our movements.
Her whimpers and moans go straight to my knot. It starts to swell, and my balls tighten in anticipation of my release. I’m not sure how much longer I can last if we keep this up.
“Are you close?” I gasp, tears welling in my eyes because I don’t want this to be over and I’m helpless to prevent it. I’m not just giving her a pup right now, I’m giving her my heart, too. And I’m only going to walk away from this with one of those things.
“Yes, so close, just like that,” she pants, her nails digging into the back of my neck. “If you come, I’ll come. Please, I want to feel it. I want to remember.”
Her words take me apart. My knot swells, catching at her entrance with every thrust. I know it’s almost big enough to lock us together. We’ll be stuck together for a little bit longer. The thought sends a surge of pure, possessive triumph through me.
“Going to knot you,” I snarl, my thrusts becoming shallow and purposeful, pushing against her resisting flesh. “Going to tie you to me, mate. One last time. Take my seed. Take all of it.”
I drive up, a final, heroic thrust, and the knot expands fully. She cries out, her body clamping down on mine in a vice-like grip, milking me instantly. The orgasm rips through me, and I howl, my head thrown back as I pump into her, jet after hot jet of my release flooding her depths. It’s a claim, a promise, a desperate goodbye. I feel her own climax ripple around my knot, pulling every last drop from me.
We collapse against each other, panting, shaking, fused together in the revealing morning light. The knot holds us in its intimate, unbreakable lock. My last chance. And I took it. I buried myself so deep inside her that maybe, just maybe, a part of me will stay with her forever. Maybe she won’t be able to let me go.
She slumps against me so her eyes are hidden in my mane, but her breath is hot against the exposed skin of my chest. “Ian…” Her voice cracks.
“I know.” I stroke down her back as she starts to shake, her tears dampening my fur. For some reason, her tears dry mine. I can be strong for her, if that’s what she needs. “It’s okay, baby. We’re going to be okay.”
Chapter 18
Julia
Why does feeling good, feelingwanted, also feel like the world is ending? The painful knot in my chest feels as big as the knot that’s spreading my thighs, holding them open so I can’t squirm away from this. From him, the sweet, furry, earnest guy who doesn’t deserve such a messy, complicated mate.
“I wish I could give you more,” I sniffle, the act of confession easing my guilt a littlebit.
His chest leaps underneath me, but he quickly calms it, his voice a reassuring hum. “You gave me everything you can, and that’s enough. Don’t stress about it. It’s not good for the pups.”
My core clenches at the word, at the reminder that he might have just made me pregnant, and he chuckles when he feels the squeeze. “I knew you’d like that.”
I can’t help smiling through my tears. I poke him in the chest. “Enjoy the feeling while it lasts.”
“Oh, I am.” He wraps two warm, strong arms around me, resting his chin on top of my head. We stay like that for some long, silent, bittersweet minutes, our hearts pressed together but not speaking.
I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what’s next. I’m not ready for whatever it is.
He breaks the silence first. “My parents asked me to invite you to my brother’s howl this coming week. They really want to meet you, if you’re open to that.”
“Howl?” I ask, mystified.
“It’s a pack party to celebrate something,” he clarifies. “In this case, Conall and Meg’s pups. They’re due next month. It’s very casual. Everyone brings food, wishes the couple well, gifts the pups.”
“Is that what the books are for?”
He nods. “You wouldn’t need to bring anything. Pa and Mam just thought it might be a low-pressureway for you to meet everyone, since the focus will be on someone else.”
