Page 48 of A Hal for my Heart

My stomach chose that second to growl angrily, and I realized how hungry I was. I scrunched up my nose. “Please tell me it’s not more of that ghastly porridge.”

Briar chuckled, the sound like a trickling river. “No, it’s broth today. Chicken broth.”

I licked my lips, my mouth watering. “With real chicken in it?” Dare I hope? It felt like I’d lost function of my teeth since I hadn’t actually chewed anything in days.

“Yes, Hal. Tiny pieces of chicken.”

“Oh, thank the gods. My prayers have been answered.” I sat up against the headboard, and Briar placed a tray across my lap.

“Careful. It’s hot.” He pulled out a napkin, then placed it across my chest.

“I can feed myself, you know?” I grumbled as Briar dipped the spoon into the steaming hot broth. It smelled absolutely divine. Stefano was a genius.

Briar lifted an eyebrow at me. “So?”

“I’m not a baby,” I huffed.

“Then don’t act like one,” he shot back, his eyes beaming with challenge. “Let me take care of you.”

“Alright,” I pouted, then opened my mouth as Briar held out the spoon in front of me.

“Like you always take care of me.”

I hummed with delight at the taste of the salty soup exploding on my tongue. My eyes fluttered closed in true bliss as I swallowed, and warmth filled me from the inside.

“Like proper mates do,” he whispered, his voice brimming with affection and love.

Like proper mates. There was a time when I didn’t believe in things like that. When I didn’t think there was someone out there for me. But he was. He was waiting for me the entire time.

I opened my eyes.

“More?” Briar smiled, dipping the spoon back into the broth.

“Yes, please, my love.” More. More of everything and anything. As long as it was with Briar, my mate, my sweetness, I wanted it all.

Chapter Twenty-One

Briar

Doctor Aron had given Hal the all clear, and it was like the moment the words had left the doctor’s lips, everything else faded away around us. Hal still had to be careful for a few weeks, and no heavy lifting. Doctor Aron’s warnings didn’t seem to matter to Hal, though, since I was swept up in his arms as soon as the good doctor left our bedroom.

My alpha rubbed his nose against my neck, making me shiver in his arms. “I’ve longed for this,” he whispered, placing me down on the bed. I was already leaking slick, my need for my alpha building with every touch. The past two weeks had been utter torture for both of us, and now we could finally be together again in the way we both craved.

“Just be careful,” I begged as I removed my pants.

Hal groaned, throwing his head back, baring his delectable alpha neck. “I don’t ever want to hear those words again, sweetness. I need to take you, and I’m going to fuck you so hard both of us will feel it for days.”

I gasped at his words. Hal was a gentle lover most of the time, at least outside my heat, and seeing this side of him did something to me. Moaning, I nodded in agreement. Yes, I wanted to feel him for days. I needed it. We both did.

My strong alpha tore off his clothes, the sound of fabric tearing filling the room. My hole clenched with anticipation. Soon I would be the one torn apart, and I couldn’t wait. My own clothes soon followed, seams and buttons giving way to Hal’s impatience to be inside me. Our labored breathing mingled until it became one beautiful sound, the need for one another growing like a giant wave, threatening to consume us both entirely. I was so wet for him already, needing my alpha to fill me again and make me whole.

With my back against the mattress, I opened my legs for my alpha, baring my hole to him. He growled as he settled between them, kissing my thighs. I squirmed, my skin so sensitive to his touch and the beard he’d grown while bedridden. “Please,” I begged, grabbing his arms.

Hal ignored my pleas, just leaned over my body and claimed my lips, licking into my mouth as his cock found my hole. He thrust inside in one excruciatingly slow slide, and when I was once again full of my alpha, I sighed with relief. I broke our kiss, needing to breathe. Fuck, it felt amazing!

“Home,” Hal growled. “I’m finally home.” And then he moved. His hands rested on the bed next to my face as he fucked into me, over and over again, my slick easing the way and making everything feel so wonderful. His knot was at the base, teasing my hole with every thrust, a promise of what was to come for my next heat.

“I love you,” I whispered, clinging to him with both hands. The feeling of his muscled arms and how they moved whenever he plunged into me was the hottest thing ever. The raw power my alpha had was arousing and addictive. Hal had never been a weak man, but seeing him claim me like this, using all his strength to bind us together, it was something else entirely.