She smiled up at him, flattened her palms on his chest, and ran her hands down until her fingers were curled around hislength. “Yes.” She might have tried to say something wittier, but after hunching forward briefly in response to her touch, Rhys scooped her up and moved her to a portion of grass away from their respectively discarded clothing. He laid her down gently, his hands sweeping along her skin, and then he took hold of her knees and spread her legs wide.
Amaia had a moment to wonder if he was just going to go straight for the main event, but then he leaned over her instead and swirled his tongue around a nipple. He caught her other breast in one hand, molding and kneading almost too roughly in contrast to the wet, sensual attention from his mouth. Her head fell back, and she writhed beneath him at the series of sensations. She panted his name as he licked and pinched, her core responding to the attention at her chest.
Rhys lifted off her bosom after a wonderful, agonizing eternity, and his burning stare locked on hers as he moved his hand lower. “I have to take a little taste of you,” he said as his fingers dipped past her folds. He licked his lips as she shuddered. “But remember, you can’t come yet.”
She could barely think, let alone think about his meaning, before Rhys lowered himself enough to bury his face in her heat. The stubble on his jaw added a delightful edge against her highly sensitive skin, and Amaia nearly screamed when his tongue pressed hard over her clit. He didn’t let up. He licked at her intensely, not even coming up for air, and sank two fingers inside her after swirling his tongue around her entrance. Her back bowed, and Amaia swore she saw stars. How was she supposed to not orgasm when he doted on her like this?
The thought was barely through her head before Rhys retreated, extracting his fingers and lifting his head. He ran his tongue along his lips, then popped his fingers into his mouth and licked them clean. “Fucking delicious.”
“Rhys…” She could hardly speak she was so breathless,but her body ached desperately. “Fucking mate me, dammit.”
Rhys snorted and pushed himself higher, teasing her with a wet kiss. “Leave the cursing to me.” He didn’t wait for her to respond before grabbing hold of her thighs and pushing them up and farther apart. She didn’t have a moment to feel awkward or exposed because he was already there, his hard length pressing into her. Stretching her.
Amaia gasped and dug her fingers into his arms as he filled her. Her eyes rolled a little bit back in her head when he finally ground his pelvis against hers. She’d never been so full. Never taken anyone so deeply.
Rhys slumped over her, releasing her legs in order to catch himself with his arms by her shoulders, breathing heavily. “Shit … Amaia.” He dragged his lips toward her ear. “Wrap your arms around me. Hold on good and tight.”
She obliged eagerly, curling her arms around his torso and digging her fingers into the grooves of his muscles. His chest was flat against hers, he was breathing hot on her skin, and everything felt amazing. Beyond amazing. He’d only just started moving inside her and she was already on the brink of oblivion.
He quickly picked up a rhythm that had his cock dragging against the perfect spot inside of her with every thrust. It was all Amaia could do not to black out from the pleasure as she rolled her hips to greet his. His muscles stretched beneath her fingers as he angled his head to tease her skin with his lips once more. Her toes curled as he moved a hand to her ass, altering the angle ever so slightly. He surged into her again, and ecstasy burst through her body in a white-hot wave. Amaia screamed, her grip on him her only anchor in reality. The sound of his guttural roar as his release exploded from him echoed in her ears.
Heat and pleasure washed over her seemingly from every angle. From the inside out and the outside in. It consumed her until she couldn’t breathe, then all at once, it ebbed away. Heatstill churned in her chest, and parts lower, but as she blinked her eyes open, she realized it was something else. Not the remnants of uncontainable passion, but the almost tangible proof of the bond they’d forged with the love in their hearts.
Rhys rolled them over, holding Amaia on his chest, their legs hopelessly tangled. His arms wound around her, holding her tight and close. He breathed hard, and his heart beat rapidly beneath her ear.
Amaia smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest before shimmying up to meet his gaze. “It worked.” And she never would have imagined how happy she was about that, to know that this beast of a man was hers.
He lifted a hand to support the back of her head and drew her in for a long, leisurely kiss. When they broke apart, he grinned at her. “You’re damn right it worked. I’m never letting you go.”
Epilogue
Four Years Later
“Mama! Mama!” Little Tommy, who preferred to think of himself as almost three as opposed to still two, came scampering across the back lawn with a look of utter excitement on his young face as he called to her.
Amaia bent down and scooped him up before he could hurt himself on the steps of the deck. “Are they home?” She asked the question with a laughing smile. In many ways, the four years she’d been mated to the Alpha of the Marlow pack had flown by, but she felt as though she’d learned a lot despite the blur the years had been. She’d learned about her pack, and her specific heritage—so much that it almost felt like she remembered the stories herself. Mostly, she’d discovered the real reason she’d always felt so invisible before. She hadn’t been home. Not that it had all been easy. Adjusting to life among shifters, and convincing the more resistant to accept her as their Luna, had been nearly as challenging as raising a toddler with shifter senses. She dreaded the day of Tommy’s first shift almost as much as she looked forward to it.
“Yeah!” Tommy said. He bobbed his head until the hair he refused to let her cut fell over his face.
Amaia smiled easier and settled him on her lap. “You be a good boy and greet your dad right away, okay? That’ll make him happy.” Their soldiers were close enough now that she could sense him, too, and it was hard to keep herself seated. Even if she was seated on the steps.
Rhys and most of the hunters had been gone for nearly a week, dealing with some wandering shifter who had been threatening their border. He hadn’t wanted to go, but as alpha, it was his responsibility. And for as much as she hated it, she also respected that he still held himself to that duty. She couldn’timagine her mate any other way.
The bushes at the far end of the clearing rustled, and a familiar wolf pushed through, giving his head a single rough shake as he walked. The afternoon sunlight practically sparkled off the darker top of his beautiful fur. He was barely clear of the bush line before more wolves entered the cleared space that served as their yard.
Amaia breathed a sigh of relief. They’d all survived.
Tommy’s squirming redoubled, and he tore himself free remorselessly. He landed on his bare feet and sprinted forward with a gleeful, “Daddy!”
Amaia kept herself in place as she watched her mate shift back to his skin and scoop their boy into his arms, tossing the tiny body into the air and catching him again. Around them, the other wolves continued forward, shifting as they walked. When they were close enough, Amaia stood to do her own part. “Welcome home, everyone,” she said, making sure to meet each gaze.
They all smiled, calmer but no less relieved to be home. “Thank you, Luna,” the forwardmost hunter said.
Soft footfalls settled beside Amaia, and she caught the sight of bundled fabric in her peripheral vision. Her houseguest spoke without prompting. “I’ve gathered all of your clothes,” Sierra said.
As the men came forward to re-dress, she glanced at Amaia. “I can have dinner set up at the hall for everyone.”
“That would be wonderful,” Amaia said. Sierra had been assigned as one of her temporary guards while Rhys was away, and her help had been invaluable. Particularly with Tommy’s hide-and-seek abilities.