“Next time,” she whispered as she squeezed him tightly. His inhale cut off on a startled gasp.
He thrust again. The movement was more jerky than smooth, but she loved it all the more for his break in concentration.
And then it was like he couldn’t stop. He drove into her hard and the impact on her clit made her see stars.
Again, he slammed against her. He had his rhythm now, hard and increasingly fast. She matched it, wrapping her legs around his hips. She arched as he impaled her. She threw back her head and rode him as if she were on top. She wasn’t, but he lifted her with every impact and her breath caught every single time.
She gripped his shoulders as he pushed a thumb down between them.
He didn’t need to do it. She was already at the edge. But at his next thrust, the pad of his thumb bore down onto her clit, and she crested right over with a cry. He joined her a split second later, his whole body pulsing into hers.
She felt his release, and she greeted every throb with happiness. As if they really were bonded. As if their children were a foregone conclusion. As if they had a glorious future stretched out before them, and she felt it everywhere. Their shimmering life together, and she embraced it with every part of her. She held it strong to her heart just as she held him when he collapsed on top of her. And she kept her eyes closed so that she could see it all so clearly for a moment longer. So that she felt perfect union with him for a moment longer.
A—
He exhaled close to her ear, his breath hot, nipping her erotically with his teeth.
Moment—
She held him tight, but he eased to the side. He was trying to keep his weight off her. Considerate of him, but she didn’t want to be spared. She wanted to hold him.
Longer…
She felt the magic hovering, just on the edge but not quite locking in. She knew instinctively what it was: a magical bond between shifters that created mated pairs. She’d never heard of it happening between cross-species though, and maybe that was why it didn’t land. Bear and wolf didn’t mix, not even in magic.
Her mouth opened on a frustrated cry. She wanted that connection with him. And when she looked into his eyes, she saw indecision there. Did he feel the same thing, too? Did he know what had almost happened?
Maybe. Because he pressed his lips to her neck. A kiss. A lick. Then he spoke, his words low and barely audible even though his mouth was right next to her ear.
“I had to wait until the edge was off. I had to hold it back until we weren’t so desperate.”
“I’m not—”
“Shhh. Just listen.”
She quieted. Her entire body stilled. She didn’t breathe, and she wasn’t even sure her heart was beating. Every part of her strained to hear him, but he didn’t speak right away. Instead, he pulled back far enough to look into her eyes.
“I feel like you’re my home,” he said. “Like you could be everything to me.” Then he grimaced. “Youareeverything. It’s already happened, Frankie.”
Her eyes widened as he spoke. Her heart lurched inside her chest, and her breath seemed to burn.
“What I’m saying,” he continued, “is that this is more than playing house to me. It could be love. The forever, bonding kind of love.”
Her hands tightened on his shoulders, squeezing just to be sure that he was real. “It didn’t lock in,” she whispered. “Did you feel that? We didn’t—”
“I don’t care about magical bonds, Frankie. It’s you. It’s me. I’m all in.”
Her breath caught. She couldn’t be dreaming this. He was committing to her. A bear promising himself to a wolf. And the magic of that was enough for her.
“Me, too,” she said. “All in.”
She expected his expression to lighten then, to burst into the kind of joy she felt bubbling inside her. And it did, though not nearly as fully as hers. Instead, he drew his body back from her. Not far. He still pressed her down into the mattress. She still felt him thick and alive inside her. But she also sensed him drawing back.
“Frankie,” he whispered.
“Yes?”
“Don’t betray me.” She heard the meaning in his words. They were both an order and a plea. After everything he’d been through, he couldn’t be hurt again. Not by her. Not after he’d just become so vulnerable to her.
