Page 40 of Clashing With The Grumpy Wolf

"Yes," he growls, "come for me, Julia. I wantto feel you come around my cock."

My second climax crashes through me, more powerful than the first. As my body pulses around him, Adrian's rhythm falters. With a primal growl, he buries himself deep inside me.

Then something unexpected happens. I feel him expanding inside me, a pressure that should be uncomfortable but instead sends waves of intense pleasure radiating through my core. The sensation triggers a third, mind-blowing orgasm, this one coming from deep inside me, that tears a scream from my throat as Adrian roars his own release.

The unexpected pressure continues as Adrian collapses onto his elbows above me, careful not to crush me with his weight. Our bodies remain intimately joined, his forehead resting against mine as we both struggle to catch our breath.

"What is that?" I manage to ask between gasps, feeling the continued fullness inside me.

Adrian looks slightly embarrassed but too satisfied to be truly apologetic.

"That's my knot. It's a wolf thing, like a seal that keeps us connected so my seed stays inside of you. It'll keep us connected for a little while longer."

"A knot?" I should be freaked out, but honestly, I'm too blissed out to care. “Like a dog?”

"Wolf," he corrects, nipping gently at my earlobe. "And yes. It happens during mating. I should have warned you."

I laugh, the movement causing interesting sensations where we're joined.

"That would have been a fun conversation starter."

Adrian kisses me tenderly, his hands stroking my hair back from my face.

"Are you okay?"

"More than okay," I assure him, amazed by the intensity of what we've shared. "That was incredible."

We lie together, exchanging soft kisses and touches as we wait for his body to release mine. I trace the contours of his face, memorizing every plane and angle.

"So," I say after a few minutes of comfortable silence, "is this going to happen every time?"

Adrian grins, the expression transforming his usually serious face.

"Yes. It happens every time a wolf mates his true mate."

"Good to know." I file that information away for future reference, then pause as I realize I'm already thinking about a future with him. When did that happen?

Eventually, Adrian's knot subsides, and he carefully withdraws from my body. I feel an unexpected sense of loss at the separation, a hollow feeling that makes me wonder if I could ever truly leave him when this is all over.

He pulls me against his chest, his warmth wrapping around me like a living blanket. I rest my head over his heart, listening to its steady rhythm.

"Julia," he says softly, his fingers tracing patterns on my bare shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Whatever happens with the wedding, with the tiara, with everything else… this was real."

I tilt my head up to look at him. "I know."

And I do know. Whatever started as pretense between us has transformed into something genuine, something that scares me as much as it thrills me.

For someone who's built her career on planning every detail, on maintaining perfect control, falling for Adrian Wolfsbane might be the most unplanned, uncontrolled thing I've ever done.

And for once, I don't mind at all.

Chapter 12

Adrian