Matt’s hand slid around to cup her mound, his fingers finding her most sensitive spot with unerring accuracy. He circled it slowly as he established a new rhythm—hard, deep thrusts followed by agonizingly slow withdrawals that made her whimper with need.
“Matt,” she breathed, pushing back against him, wanting more, wanting everything.
His lips traced a path down her spine, each kiss a brand that marked her as his. The dual sensation of his mouth on her backand his fingers between her legs had her trembling, balanced on the knife-edge of release.
“You’re perfect,” he whispered against her skin. “My mate. Mine.”
Those words—possessive yet tender—sent a shiver through her. This wasn’t just sex. This was a claiming, an acknowledgment of the bond that had formed between them from that first moment at the restaurant.
Matt straightened, gripping her hips firmly as he drove into her with long, measured strokes. The controlled power behind each movement spoke of his restraint, of his desire to prolong their pleasure for as long as possible.
Tessa had never felt anything like this. This completeness, as if each thrust connected them more deeply, binding them together in ways that transcended the physical.
His fingers pressed harder against her center, moving in tight circles that matched the rhythm of his thrusts. Pressure built inside her, a gathering storm that threatened to overwhelm her senses.
“Let go for me,” Matt urged, his voice a growl that vibrated through her body.
The command broke something loose inside her. Tessa cried out as her climax crashed over her, more intense than anything she’d experienced before. Her inner walls clamped down on him, pulsing with release.
Matt’s control finally shattered. With a primal groan, he jerked forward, his body tensing as he emptied himself inside her. The sensation of his release triggered another wave of pleasure that left Tessa gasping, her limbs trembling with the force of it.
For several heartbeats, they remained frozen in that position, connected in the most intimate way possible. Then Matt’s arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her back against his chest as he carefully lowered them both to the mattress.
They lay spooned together, Matt’s body curled protectively around hers, his hand splayed possessively over her stomach. The gesture struck Tessa as oddly significant—almost like a blessing, a hope for the future.
A future that might include the family she’d always secretly longed for.
Chapter Twenty – Matt
“It’s a good thing I don’t have a shift at the restaurant today,” Matt said, dropping a kiss on Tessa’s head as she lay in his arms in his bed while the sun rose higher in the sky.
Tessa stretched languidly beside him, her gaze drifting toward the window where sunlight streamed through the curtains. “I can’t remember the last time I stayed in bed so late.”
“Me neither,” Matt said with a contented sigh. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this peaceful, this complete.
It’s because our mate is here,his bear rumbled happily inside him.
“Although I should get back and check on Rachel,” Tessa said, though she made no move to leave the warm cocoon of blankets.
We could keep her here forever,his bear suggested.
“Can I make you breakfast first?” Matt asked, hoping to delay her departure even a little longer.
“I’d like that.” She leaned forward and kissed him softly. “And I’ll do the dishes from last night.”
He chuckled, remembering the abandoned plates still sitting on the table. “So you said you didn’t remember making love in the kitchen, but you do remember we never got around to doing the dishes?”
“I have a selective memory.” She slid out of bed and padded toward his closet. “Can I wear one of your shirts?”
Matt couldn’t help but agree. “No,” he said, tucking his hand behind his head as he admired the curves of her body in the morning light. “I want you to walk around naked. Because, believe me, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
She looked at him over her shoulder, a smile playing on her lips. “You’re biased, since I am your mate.”
He nodded, drinking in the sight of her. “I am biased, but even if I wasn’t...”
His bear purred with satisfaction.She understands what being our mate means.
Matt slid out of bed and went to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She leaned back against him, resting her head on his chest. He couldn’t resist kissing her mouth, his hand cupping her breast.
