Then he started to move, and the pleasure rose like a wave to overwhelm everything else.
Misty had never had sex like this. They licked at each other, biting and grabbing every part they could reach, grinding into one another with full desperation. Every movement sent a bolt of ecstasy through her, and every breath brought her to a higher level of pleasure.
She wasn’t sure when she started to come, exactly. It was like the throbs of pleasure just increased and increased until they were blinding, until Ty’s body, his breath, was the only thing she could think about, the only thing that existed in the world.
And at some point, Ty kissed her hard and started to shake, and she knew he was coming with her, and they fell together into bliss.
***
When Misty came to, she realized two things.
One, they’d fallen asleep. It was still night outside, but she had no idea how long they’d been out.
The second thing quickly chased any other thoughts from her mind.
When Ty had slid inside her, there’d been a feeling of utter completeness, not just in her body, but in her...heart. Her mind. Her soul. Something.
And even though they weren’t physically joined anymore, that sense of completeness was still there, a warm pulse of certainty and joy inside of her chest. Misty had never felt anything like it, but she knew what it was.
Ty was her mate.
She turned over, carefully in case Ty was still asleep.
But no, his eyes blinked open as she moved, and he met her gaze with the same sense of gravity that she felt in her bones.
“So that’s what it feels like,” he whispered, wondering. “I never thought I’d find out.”
“Me, neither,” said Misty. “I was sure I was—meant to be alone.”
Ty pulled her close, kissing her temple, holding her tight. Misty clutched at him,
feeling like her emotions were all caught in her throat.
The realization that she wasn’t alone, that she was one half of a whole, sat strangely inside her. It felt good, but raw. Like a half-healed wound she hadn’t even realized she had.
They held each other for a long time, just soaking in the knowledge that they’d never be alone again. Misty could feel him breathing against her, and the swell of love in her heart was like nothing she’d ever known.
“I thought I was meant to be—not alone, exactly, but to be helping others,” Ty said finally. “Like my sister and her husband; they have six kids, and I spent years and years being dependable Uncle Ty, always there to babysit or drive someone to practice or take the healthy ones when some of them were sick, that sort of thing. I thought that was my calling. It was part of why I became a social worker, because I liked the idea of that.”
“And now?” Misty asked quietly.
“Now—I’m not sorry I did all that, of course, I’d never undo it. But I never knew that there was so much more for me, even after that was all done.” He pulled back to look at her, a smile breaking through the seriousness, and Misty smiled helplessly back at the sight of it. That bright, sunshiney grin was hers, now, she thought.
And the man attached to it. It seemed like an embarrassment of riches.
“Well, I guess I’m moving to Montana after all,” Ty said, which distracted her from her appreciation.
“Wait, I don’t want to completely destroy your life,” she objected. “I meant it, before. Earlier.” When they’d been talking about him moving here, but it hadn’t seemed quite real. Because it was ridiculous to talk about that with someone you’d only known for one day.
But if they were mates, it all actually made sense. It all was real. She wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.
She wasn’t. This man was real—and his offer was real, too. He wanted to move to her home, to be here with her forever.
But—“We should both make sacrifices,” she made herself say. “It shouldn’t just be you.”
Ty shook his head. “No, Misty, this makes the most sense. And—it won’t be a sacrifice. I told you my boss insisted I take a vacation?”
She nodded.