“Don’tyouthinkI’vebeen terribly nice?” I ask.
Branson and I have taken time off work, and are at the cabin. It’s the third day of my heat. I can hardly believe how much smoother my descent into full-blown heat has been this time around. Branson was glued to my side for weeks as my heat approached, and at the first spike in my temperature, he drove me up to the cabin, stripped off my clothes, and bundled me into my nest.
He built an even better nest for me this time, with more fairy lights, more pillows, and a special down duvet specifically designed for nesting. I love it. It’s a soft, fluffy cloud that smells like lust, flannel, and muscle.
Mmm.
So good.
Yes. Being mated and going into heat is a completely different experience from what happened the last time.This time, Branson held me as I burned, licking my mark and keeping me close day and night. His hands have been on my body the entire time. On my back, in my hair. It’s helped more than I can possibly say.
Branson’s presence is soothing to me always, and going into heat with him as my mate has meant that his cool, calm energy has flowed through the bond from him to me, taking the edge off the worst of the blaze.
I was a little anxious about going into heat again, but my anxiety has proved to be unfounded. Branson said it’s perfectly normal to be nervous, given how extreme the experience was last time. I remember the vigor of my first heat all too well. The aching hole. The boiling blood. The scorched skin. The emptiness inside me. God, the emptiness.
I remember it all vividly.
It’s been so different this time though.
I’ve been different this time.
Branson still hasn’t answered me. He’s a little exhausted, poor thing. We’ve been fucking like rabbits for days now, and it’s taken a toll on him. He probably didn’t hear me when I spoke, so I tap him gently on the shoulder to rouse him.
“Don’t you think I’ve been absolutely lovely this time? So unmoody and adorable?”
He gives me a strange smile, thin and lacking in teeth, and his eyes skid off mine. “Mm,” he agrees. “So unmoody.”
The bond discharges a quick flash of white, and Branson raises a sheepish shoulder as I jab him in the ribs.
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” I laugh.
He bats my hand away, catching my wrist and pinning it down on the bed near my head. “Youhavebeen lovely, baby,” he clarifies, leaning in to kiss me on the lips. “So lovely. So sexy and warm and delicious…” He kisses me again, on my forehead, and on my cheek, and then on my neck. The kiss on my neck drags out and seems to distract him. “And God, you smell good.” He runs the tip of his nose over my scent gland and inhales deeply. “You smell so good, Lucy.” A low, guttural groan shakes the room. “So good. So,sogood.”
I gurgle helplessly as my alpha lathes flat, broad stripes on my mark with his tongue. The pleasure his touch delivers when he comes into contact with that part of my body is the same as it always is. Complete. Absolute. Mind-bending pleasure with no price to pay.
I love it.
I do.
It’s just that, right now, my temperature is rising. I’m simmering inside, and I’m only getting hotter. There’s afamiliar wave surging, swelling, and gaining ground, singeing my toes and traveling steadily up my legs.
Branson understands what’s happening without a word from me. He moves quickly, soothing me with heavy hands on my chest as the wave builds. He holds me close, licking my mark to take my mind off the deep, empty ache between my legs.
Heat swims in my veins, burning hotter with each second that passes, until at last, I’m curled in on myself, writhing from it, unable to survive another second without having my mate inside me.
“Is it time?” I pant through tightly gritted teeth. “Am I ready for your knot, alpha? Please,please, say I’m ready.”
Branson parts my legs and looks down. Despite how overheated I already am, his glowing gaze blazes a trail down my body that makes my skin break into goosebumps.
My hole quivers hopefully. Hungrily.
He cages my head in his hands and covers my body with his. My knees fall open, his body and mine arranging themselves to fit together organically. Natural and easy. Something that’s happened so many times before it's instinctive more than intentional.
We know each other like this now. My body knows his, and his knows mine. My mind knows him too. It knowshim inside and out. But most of all, my heart knows his. I know that he’s mine. That he was meant for me, and I was meant for him. I know it isn’t dumb luck that brought us together. It wasn’t a storm, and it wasn’t because I’m the world’s biggest mess. It was fate. It was meant to be. Our story was written in the stars long before we were.
Branson strokes a lock of hair out of my face and adjusts his hips so his raging erection lies stretched out next to mine. He leans down and makes my heart race. Despite how many times he’s kissed me, it still happens every time. My heart senses his presence and fights to get out of my chest and closer to him.
His lips brush against mine. A sweet kiss. A sweet kiss. Then one that flips a switch and scorches something deep inside me. In my core, an ember catches, flickering dimly before bursting into flame.
