An echo of white-hot pleasure thundered along their bond as she fractured with a scream, her body shaking and tightening, her heels digging into his lower back. Like that, his own blinding release swallowed him whole. He cursed against her neck and then sank his teeth down hard as he fucked his orgasm into her body, his cock pulsing with every harsh blast of come.
Boneless and sated, he fairly collapsed over Blair, struggling to catch his breath. She lay beneath him, her eyes closed, her swollen lips parted, her cheeks flushed.
Releasing her wrists, he pressed soft kisses down one side of her face and then withdrew his softening cock. Curling an arm around her waist, he rolled them both onto their sides. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” she slurred, burrowing into him.
Nuzzling the fresh bite on her neck, Luke coasted his fingertips down her arm. “By the way, you’re forgiven.”
She looked at him, her eyes dazed, her brow furrowed. “For what?”
“Slapping me on the head.”
“You were taking too long to make me come. And you were doing it on purpose. Besides, I didn’t slap you. It was more like a swat. Though you would have deserved worse after the smacks you dished out last night. My poor butt felt like it was on fire.”
Chuckling, he stroked a hand down her back to palm her ass. “You liked it.” Feeling the lingering indentation of his teeth there, he carefully traced the mark with one fingertip. He’d had a whole lot of fun with that luscious ass the night before—bit it, spanked it, fucked it. “You sore?”
“A little.” She gave him a mock glare and poked his chest. “But that doesn’t bother you much, does it?”
He tried stifling a smile but failed. “Do I like that every time you sit down today you’ll remember that I took your ass last night? Yeah. Yeah, I do like it.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you haven’t done it before, but whatever.”
He’d first claimed her ass the night before their mating ceremony six weeks ago—a ceremony that was a little on the tense side, since the entire Sylvan Pack insisted on being present. After the mess with Donal, his pride hadn’t been so comfortable with having them around. And since bush dogs weren’t fans of pallas cats, the whole thing had had the potential to go tits up.
It hadn’t, though.
Everyone had been on their best behavior. And after the drinks began to flow during the after-party, the guests had started to officially relax and were soon mixing just fine.
Luke still wasn’t quite used to her parents being so welcoming toward him—it felt a little odd. His unforgiving cat wasn’t inclined to trust the couple and still didn’t like them, but he didn’t always growl while in their presence anymore. Progress.
Blair shivered a little in his arms as he breezed his fingers over the sensitive spot between her shoulder blades—a spot he often zeroed in on just to get that exact response from her, so he wasn’t surprised that she bit his chest in retaliation. He’d mapped every inch of her body in his mind. He knew every line, curve, freckle, scar, and sensitive zone on her body.
She stretched. “Come on, I need coffee, a shower, and food. And not necessarily in that order.”
“We still on for spending the day together?” he asked as she sat upright. “We need some alone time.”
“I’m up for it, I’m just not so sure it will happen. Whenever we set aside a day for us to have some quality time, it somehow gets hijacked.”
“Not today it won’t.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so.”
“I have to tell you, I am fascinated,” said Bailey, watching as four bush dogs playfully attacked a befuddled grizzly in the complex’s communal backyard a few hours later. “They’re just so small, and yet they’re definitely gonna take him down—something they appear to be dragging out for fun.”
“He really shouldn’t have dared them,” said Blair.
Havana sighed. “He’s a little slow that way.”
It would appear so. Everyone knew that a group of bush dogs could overpower any animal, but the grizzly hadn’t believed it—something he’d expressed to her relatives, who were delighted to have the opportunity to humiliate someone. It always made their day.
Blair didn’t know the grizzly very well, but she did know that he was something of a clown—a very likeable, good-looking clown who surprisingly still made a very valuable enforcer. Uber strong or not, his bear was having no luck shaking off the bush dogs.
She looked at Finley, trying to gauge whether or not the female might feel like jumping to her new boyfriend’s defense, but the woman seemed entertained. She was far less serious these days. There had been no more silliness from her or the rest of the pride about Blair holding the position of Beta female. Finley had officially backed off, and her followers had taken her lead.