Page 14 of Marked By The Filthy-Mouthed Grizzly

Erica

Three years later…

“ L eaving so soon?” Aunt Jenny says with a laugh as I pass her in the hall of the hospital.

“Yeah right, so soon,” I laugh. “I just finished a twelve hour shift. My feet are killing me.”

“Go home to your hot hunky husband and demand a foot massage,” she says, sticking her tongue out at me. “And maybe some more.”

“ Jenny ,” I say, feeling my cheeks start to blush as I look around. The hallway is busy and besides some random guy smirking, no one else seemed to hear.

“Working tomorrow?” she asks as she backs away, already in work mode even though she just got here.

“Thursday.”

She turns and gives me a thumbs up. “I’ll see you then!”

I smile as I watch her disappear into the hospital. I’ve grown so close with Jenny over the past three years. After my hunky bear shifter mate, she’s one of my favorite people in the world. It’s nice to know that my dad’s side isn’t completely rotten. There’s at least two of us who are decent.

A lot has changed in the past three years.

I got an Associate Degree in Nursing—Jenny’s suggestion—and I absolutely adore it.

It’s exciting and challenging and I love helping people.

It’s given me confidence and joy and a sense of satisfaction I never had before. I’m so happy I found this profession.

Work has been awesome, but my home life has been even better.

Magnus is amazing, obviously. That filthy mouth and those greedy hands have also filled me with a tremendous amount of joy. I can’t get enough of them. He’s the best mate ever. I can’t believe I even considered leaving this magical place.

And the package that came with him—Victoria, Julian, Lainey, and Adrian.

God, they’re so much fun. I finally have a crew that has my back no matter what.

Sometimes I think this is what my brothers should have been to me.

Oh well, it’s their loss. I don’t shed any more tears for them.

I have my tattoo memory and that’s enough.

These days, the tattoo is less of an honor to their memory and more of a reminder to always do what’s right. To always go to the light and be the best person I can be.

I drive home, tired, but also excited to see my little family. It’s not just Magnus I’m coming home to. We have a little bundle of joy—the cutest baby boy that’s ever existed—named Nathan. Just thinking of him makes me smile uncontrollably.

My heart is racing when I pull into the driveway and get out of the car, excited to see my boys.

Magnus steps onto the porch shirtless and sexy as ever, holding Nathan who’s smiling wide and reaching for me.

“ Hello ,” I say as I race over to the stairs, reaching for him. He squeals as he nearly bends himself in two trying to get out of Magnus’ arms and into mine.

That hug… Mmmmm . It’s so perfect. He just turned one last week but he’s already crawling around like he’s the alpha of the house.

I breathe in the warm baby scent on Nathan’s head as he snuggles into my shoulder, grabbing my necklace and a chunk of my hair. His drooly kisses coat my collarbone.

“Did you miss me today, baby bear?” I whisper as I rub his tiny back. He gives a sleepy hum and pats my shoulder like he’s making sure I’m really here.

Magnus watches us with that look that still melts me—soft and full of awe, like he can’t believe we’re real. Like we’ve stepped out of his dreams and into his real life.

“It kills me when you work those long shifts” he says, kissing the top of my head as he wraps one strong arm around my waist.

I breathe in his rugged scent as I rest my head against his chest. “I do love it though. But I missed you guys.”

He smiles as he clings to me like we might be out here all night. “We missed you too. Someone tried to eat a crayon today.”

Nathan lets out a tiny squeal at the accusation. It’s not out of protest though. He looks pretty darn proud of himself.

It’s late afternoon and we head inside. Magnus has dinner cooking and I play with Nathan on the rug as he finishes up. Nathan does not want to share Sophie the Giraffe.

I love our house. Magnus keeps talking about buying a bigger place on a lake, but I kind of like the snug coziness of our little cabin. This is where he first took me and marked me all those years ago on that magical night.

I touch my neck and moan as I count the minutes until Nathan’s bedtime. I love playing with my little cub, but mama has other needs as well and they’re making themselves known as I watch my handsome mate move around the kitchen with ease.

After a delicious dinner together, we bathe Nathan and put him to bed. He fights sleep, of course, but it’s a losing battle. With his chubby fingers wrapped around mine, he finally lets out one last sigh and drifts off.

I stand there for a moment, watching his little chest rising and falling, before Magnus gently tugs me back into the hallway.

We don’t speak as we make our way to the living room. There’s no need. The air between us is thick with tension, with hunger, with the promise of what’s about to happen. It’s been brewing all night.

I sink into the couch with a sigh, tugging off my socks. Magnus kneels down in front of me, those massive tattooed hands curling around my calves as he pulls them into his lap.

“Let me take care of you,” he says softly, his voice low and reverent.

I close my eyes as his thumbs begin to knead into my aching arches. It’s bliss. He rubs my toes and massages my heels. He’s so good at this…

But then his hands start moving higher—slow and deliberate up my calves, behind my knees, sliding up the inside of my thighs.

I open my eyes and find his burning green gaze locked on me.

“You’re trouble,” I whisper, breath catching.

He leans forward and grips my pants, slowly pulling them down. “I thought you love trouble.”

I do. Especially when it comes in the form of this beautiful, broad-shouldered man who knows exactly how to make me feel like the most desired woman alive.

Everything else fades as he pulls off my pants and drops them onto the floor, his mouth trailing over every inch of skin like a man starved.

He buries his head between my legs and devours me until I’m whimpering into the couch pillow.

This man is not even close to being done.

He picks up my limp body, sits on the couch, and lowers my pulsating pussy onto his big, long cock. It slides in like it’s exactly where it’s meant to be and it feels so good I forget my own damn name.

All I can focus on is the incredible feeling of sliding up and down his hard shaft until he brings me to another earth-shattering orgasm.

A long while later, I’ve collapsed into his big protective arms, completely satisfied. Completely unraveled. Completely his.

And in the warm glow of our quiet living room, with our baby sleeping peacefully down the hall, I fall in love with my mate all over again.