And it had been freaking phenomenal.
Who knew she’d love sex so much?
She’d liked it a long time ago, but that enjoyment had soon turned to hatred, and before Murphy, the thought of an all-night sex-fest would have sent her running for the hills. Now she was wondering how quickly they could repeat everything.
As that damned bird began harping on yet again, Nessa rolled onto her side, blindly searching through the sheets for her mate. Only, he wasn’t there.
Nessa opened her eyes, squinting blearily at her empty bed. She sat up, ignoring the pinch of pain in her shoulder as she ran a hand through her messy hair.
“Murphy?”
Another chirp—Nessa craned her head toward her nightstand in confusion.
Her alarm! Shit, she was going to be late for work. It was Monday, which was usually a busy day after being closed all weekend, but she’d just have to open the teahouse a bit later than usual—again. Once she hired someone to step in, sleeping in on occasion wouldn’t be a problem.
Tugging back the comforter, Nessa hopped out of bed, only to wince at the stiffness of her muscles.
Whatever. Last night was totally worth it. Hustling to the bathroom, she turned on the shower before relieving herself. Just as she began washing her hands in the sink, she looked upinto the vanity mirror, staring in wide-eyed fascination at the bite mark on her shoulder.
Leaning in closer, she inspected the already scabbed-over wound. It would scar—oddly enough, she found she was looking forward to that. A mark that claimed her ashis.But how had it already healed so much in just a few hours?
“Has to be a mating thing,” she murmured, barely able to tear her gaze away until she caught sight of several hickeys covering her breasts. She’d expected some bruising on her hips from where he’d gripped her tightly while he’d fucked her, but aside from a few red blotches from where his stubble had scratched across her skin, there was no other evidence to show just how unrestrained he’d been last night.
Stepping into the shower, she cleaned herself off, humming happily when Murphy’s scent remained constant, even after a thorough wash. Once she finished, she got ready for the day before leaving her room in search of her man.
She heard sounds from the kitchen as she rounded the corner, spotting Murphy at the stove making breakfast. He had on a pair of low-slung jeans and nothing else, his chiseled back on display as he flipped a pancake. Several scratch marks trailed from the top of his shoulders downwards, cutting through several old scars.
Nessa gasped. “I can’t believe how much damage my nails did to you!” she exclaimed, the color draining from her cheeks as he turned around. “It looks like a wild animal clawed your back, Murphy. I’m so sorry!”
Moving the pan to a different burner, he turned to face her; the desire reflected in his eyes causing a ball of need to knot low in her belly. If he picked her up, dropped her onto the counter and ravished her right this second, she wouldn’t object, no matter how sore she was. In fact, she almost begged for it.
“Don’t be sorry, Nes. I love them; it means I did my duty as your mate.” Murphy crossed over to her, pulling her in for a light kiss. He backed her up against a countertop, planting both arms on either side of her. “One that I thoroughly enjoyed,” he murmured, taking her mouth once more.
That made two of them.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, reaching behind him and gently trailing her fingers along the marks she’d left behind, afraid that she’d done some serious damage. He’d taken care to not put a single bruise on her, and what had she done in return? Sliced his back up like a maniac.
“No.” Murphy’s lips brushed against hers again. “They’re a nice reminder of how well I pleased you.”
Oh. That was kind of sweet—in a cocky, alpha male kind of way. Which he definitely was. She smirked.
Nessa bit back a whine of protest when Murphy went back to the stove, picking up the spatula.
“How long have you been up?” She grabbed her kettle, taking it to the sink to fill it.
“A few hours. Tank and the others took my SUV back to our territory; they needed to get the keys from me.”
Mortified, Nessa lost her grip on the kettle. It hit the sink with a sharp clang as she whipped around to face him. “Oh, mygod! I forgot they stayed the night. They heard us going at it! They heardmescreaming like a—like a—” She stumbled over her words, unsure of what to say next.
Murphy looked over his shoulder, smirking devilishly. “Like a well-fucked mate?”
“I was going to say ‘like a sex-crazed fiend,’ butyes!” she hissed, slapping her hands over her face in horror.
“It’s okay,” Murphy reassured her, his smirk shifting into a teasing smile. “I’m sure they just tuned us out.”
Her face was on fire as she turned back to the sink, refilling her kettle just to keep her hands busy. “Yeah, well, I doubt they could.” Not when she’d wailed like a cat in heat for half the night.
How embarrassing!
