His mouth quirked. “Momentous orgasm?”
“That’s all you got from what I just said?”
Holding back a chuckle, Tate kissed her. He could be overbearing without giving it much thought—not to be an asshole, but because it was literally in his nature to dominate and take control. He liked that she had no issues with putting him in his place. “Funny … you like the ‘don’t argue with me’ tone when I’m using it in bed.”
She narrowed her eyes. “No, I really don’t.”
He smiled. “Oh, you really do. I’ll prove it later.” Unable to resist, he dropped his mouth to hers and nipped her lower lip. He’d mark that tonight. He’d leave an imprint of his teeth on it, just as he had on her neck.
He swept his thumb over the brand near her pulse. The bite wasn’t deep, but it wouldn’t heal quickly. She’d wear it for at least a day or two—something that immensely pleased both him and his cat. The feline was currently rubbing up against her, letting out a satisfied, throaty purr.
Tate gave her one last kiss and then carefully pulled his softening cock out of her. He shuffled them both further up the bed, just as he had last time he was here. Laying on his side facing her, he combed his fingers through her damp hair. “I’m pissed at myself for taking so long to consciously sense who you are to me.”
“Most shifters struggle with that. I’m struggling with it. So don’t be mad at yourself.”
“Can’t help it. My cat’s mad at me for it as well.”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “Can you be sure he won’t withdraw from me at some point?”
His cat pulled a cranky face, unhappy that she’d doubt his commitment to her. “Yes, I can. What happened with Ashlynn gave him trust issues. The only woman he felt able to trust after that was his true mate—I see that now. That’s why he pulled back from the others. He was looking for you. You’re the only one he’s willing to commit to. I’m one hundred percent certain he’ll all but cleave himself to you.”
She twisted her mouth. “When you first told me how angry he is with her, I thought he might still care for her; that maybe he’s clinging to his anger over her betrayal to drown out other feelings he … why are you laughing?”
His shoulders shaking, Tate squeezed her neck. “My cat just jerked back in horror. Babe, trust me when I say he feels nothing for her. To my cat, she isn’t worthy of him or me.” Tate’s eyes danced. “He loved watching you play with her at the Tavern.”
Havana sniffed. “She had that coming.”
“Oh, she did.” Tate dragged his hand down her back and palmed her ass, his touch nothing short of possessive. His. She was all his. And he’d very nearly committed to another woman. He silently thanked the universe for ensuring it never came to pass. “I know it has to hurt that I almost imprinted on her. But please don’t see it as I chose her over you. It wasn’t like that.”
“You were choosing an imprint bond over a true-mate bond, I get it. I don’t like that you did it, but I get why. And, given what happened to your mom and how that hurt your dad, I can understand how hard it must have been for you to push past all your hang-ups about true-mate bonds to be here with me right now, so I can’t really be mad at you.”
She was the fucking shit. Seriously. And he’d spend his life making it up to her that he’d almost let his issues keep them apart. He pressed a soft kiss to that mouth he loved. “Thank you for understanding.”
She idly danced her fingers up his chest. “So … you haven’t been spending time with Ashlynn recently?”
Tate could see that she was wary of the answer. It hadn’t occurred to him that she’d worry about such a thing. “Not willingly.”
Her brows dipped. “What does that mean?”
He sighed. “She turned up at my house twice. The first time, she came with dinner and wine. The second time, she came dressed in only a coat and high heels—she flashed me right there on my doorstep. I turned her away both times, obviously.”
Havana gaped. “She honestly turned up mostly naked?”
“Yeah.” Tate tugged her closer and breathed in more of her scent. “Look, I don’t want to talk anymore about her—she’s not important. But I won’t lie to you. I won’t hold back. Not anymore. So if you want to know the rest, I’ll give it to you. But be sure you want to hear it.”
“I want to hear it.”
Yeah, Tate had figured she would. In her shoes, he’d have wanted all the facts just the same. “She seems to have it in her head that we can get back what we had, but I can’t imagine why. I told her to fuck off when she came back to me right after Koby rejected her. She tried to contact me several times while she was away from the pride. I blocked her number, and I blocked her on social media. I returned all her letters—unopened.”