In the darkness, cuddled together, Tony felt like he could ask, “Was it hard, growing up without siblings? There were days I'd wish for it, when privacy was impossible to get in our little house ...”
Amber was quiet for a moment, and Tony wondered if he'd pushed too far, too fast.
Then she said, “It was a small town, and they really did their best for me. The staff at the church where I was found, Saint Mary's, they still call me their little foundling and send me birthday cards every year on the anniversary of when I was found. And foster care was ... it really wasn't horrible or abusive, like you read about in the news sometimes. But I was a difficult child even before I started turning into a cat when I got mad. I went through a few families.”
Tony held her tighter, nuzzling her neck in wordless comfort.
After a few breaths, she continued. “I finally found someone like me in high school–a bear shifter military brat named Alice who told me there were others like us. We stayed in touch, even after she moved away, and we ended up sharing an apartment in Lakefi
eld after college. She's the one who convinced me to come here. I was ... I was hoping I'd find another Andean mountain cat, like me. Maybe figure out where I came from, why I was abandoned.”
The hopelessness in her voice would have cut Tony to the bone even if he hadn't already loved her. “You don't have to be alone anymore,” he said fiercely. “You can make your own family.”
Amber went rigid in his arms and Tony had a stab of doubt. Was it possible that she didn't consider him her mate, or that she didn't want him for family despite their connection? The idea that she might not feel their bond as deeply as he did made him suddenly, deeply uneasy.
They lay stiffly together, a chorus of frogs and insects loud compared to their silence, until Amber gradually relaxed in his arms. It took Tony a long while to realize that she had fallen asleep, and it took him even longer to fall asleep himself.
***
He woke up tangled in Amber, arms and legs entwined with hers. He'd never slept over with a girlfriend, always preferring to seek his own space, and he was amazed by how natural it felt to come awake next to another person. It was fascinating to feel her breathing change against his chest, to feel her stir along the whole length of him, and come awake in parts; her toes wiggled adorably before the rest of her woke.
“Good morning,” he said in her ear.
There was enough late morning light streaming in through the window to see her clearly. She looked confused at first, then wary, then smiled slowly.
“Good morning,” she replied, almost shyly.
He bent over to kiss her, and she responded hungrily, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close to her. Any doubts that Tony had been left with from the night before were washed away in the wave of passion and the complete rightness that came from being so close to her. She could have no doubts about his interest; his member was rigid between them, and she was rubbing herself against it wantonly.
“We'll miss breakfast,” she teased, drawing away from his kisses.
“I know what I want for breakfast,” he growled back at her.
He slid fingers down into her and found that she was as ready for him as he was for her, wet and slick and warm. He touched her for a long moment, loving the way her breath caught and her body tensed.
“Oh, please, please,” she finally begged, when Tony had teased her to a fine sweat.
He rolled over to straddle and take her, slipping, unresisted, into her folds as she moaned and gave a sweet cry of delight.
If waking to his mate in his arms had felt like delicious rightness, waking to take his mate so intimately seemed like heavenly choruses and perfection. He groaned in need and pleasure, keeping his strokes careful and tender.
She squirmed in blissful torture as he rode her, and cried out in abandon as he brought her to the crests of pleasure, not once, but twice, before he could no longer keep his own release in check, thrusting in increasing need and wildness until he was spent.
“I'm sore,” Amber said, but it was with undeniable satisfaction. She held him tight against her until their breathing had returned to normal.
Tony couldn't help but feel pleased by the statement, and he nibbled her ear in wordless delight.
Chapter Nine
Amber couldn't remember ever feeling so complete.
When she was with Tony, she forgot every insecurity she'd ever felt. He seemed like family, and it was easy to ignore the fact that she'd only just met him. Too easy.
She propped herself up on an elbow when he rolled out of the bed, and watched him go, mesmerized by the gorgeous curve of his ass as he went.
When he was gone, it was easier to remember that this was only a resort fling, that she was only a beach diversion, and he was only a last wild ride before she settled into something ... less.
Things this perfect don't last, she reminded herself. Too many foster families as a child had taught her to mistrust things that seemed so good.