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“The kitten thing.” She tried to look put-out, but the longer he stared at her, the more he saw the cracks in her armor—until she burst into laughter.

“You don’t really hate it, do you?”

Her gaze moved to the wall. “No,” she mumbled, a pout in her voice.

“What was that?” he teased.

“You heard me.”

“Mm, nope. Sure didn’t.”

She pivoted and smacked his bare arm. “You did too!”

“So you like being called kitten?” The blush that spread across her cheeks made his brows rise. “Do you like it when I call you kitten? Or just the nickname in general?”

Her gaze lowered to her lap, and his heart sped up. She already responded to him in ways he didn’t expect, but now this? Couples gave each other pet names all the time, but kitten hit different from how baby or honey did—and they weren’t even a couple.

It wasn’t a name he’d use in public knowing she enjoyed it instead of humoring it. The shift in her reaction made it feel sexual and almost kinky.

He took a chance, ignoring the warning signal not to tread into those waters. “Do you want me to call you kitten?” He paused, his throat clicking with his hard swallow. “My kitten?”

Her head snapped up at his last question. Her pupils had devoured her irises almost completely.

Holy shit. He swallowed the knot in his throat. Ignoring the way he felt about her wasn’t working anymore.

He wanted her. Needed her.

He didn’t know how he would navigate the divide between their species, but he would do it. Maybe one day she would grow tired of him, and he would never have to deal with it, but that was a future problem. Denying himself what he wanted now wasn’t fair. He wouldn’t do it. Not when he could see she wanted him too.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, leaning in and kissing her jaw, moving to brush his lips across her cheek. “I shouldn’t have denied either of us what we wanted.” His lips hovered over hers. “You do want this, don’t you?” With a vulnerability he felt to his bones, he added, “Me?”

A tear fell. Her whispered confirmation mouthed over his lips was all he needed to know she was his—at least for now.

As he pressed his lips to hers, she whimpered at the touch. He loved the sound of her desperation. A desperation that turned from sound into action when she shifted, her hands moving to his shoulders as she rose to her knees. He twisted to plant both feet on the floor as she threw a leg over his thighs and straddled his lap.

The way heat radiated from her core against the thin fabric of her panties and his boxers made him shudder.

His hand moved to cup the side of her throat, his arm encircling her waist as he claimed her lips again, pulling her flush against him.

She rocked her hips, taking pleasure from the straining erection trapped snugly between them. Moaning when she angled just right, he slid his tongue into her mouth to duel with hers.

Her grip tightened on his bare shoulders, her nails biting into his flesh. “More. I need more,” she breathed against his mouth, breaking the kiss.

Without making her wait, he worked her shirt up and off her body, tossing it to the side and freeing her breasts. His hands slid down her body, mapping the curve of her waist and the shape of her hips until he palmed her backside. Pressing her core to him as he swiveled, he lowered her onto her back, chasing after her with his lips devouring hers.

He rained kisses and bites over her neck, shoulders, and down to her breasts where he found the faintest trace of yellow where the bruising he left her with had all but vanished. That wouldn’t do.

He dragged his tongue across her skin before latching on and pulling the soft flesh into his mouth, causing her to buck her hips. A throaty moan escaped. When he applied slight pressure using his blunt teeth with the suction, she mewled and squirmed beneath him, much like she had done before. A reaction seared deep within his core memories.

Worshiping Charlotte’s body would never get old.

He lifted his head. Satisfaction with his work had a slow grin spreading across his face. “My mark looks good on you, Kitten.”

She whimpered at the name.

He moved down, trailing his tongue lower from between her ribcage all the way down the soft flesh of her stomach until he reached the lacy line of the powder blue panties she wore. His fingers curled under the waistband, working the fabric over her hips and down her legs until he tossed them aside, baring her to him.

Before, he missed the opportunity to savor what she offered him, but he wouldn’t make that mistake again.