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CHAPTER EIGHT

Victoria

“ S top squirming,” I say as I grab Adrian’s arm and pin it to my chair.

“I’m not squirming,” he says with a heavy breath. “I’m deathly still.”

“You’re squirming,” I say, giving him a mock frown. “Are you afraid of needles or something?”

“No,” he says, but he takes a little too long to answer.

“Are you?”

He rolls his eyes. “Just start the tattoo already.”

I chuckle as I press my tattoo machine to the outline on his forearm. He flinches when the needles hit.

“Are you okay?” I ask, looking up at him.

He nods, but his jaw is all tight and there’s a bead of sweat dripping down his temple. “I want this. Just keep going.”

It’s hilarious to me that this big strong bear shifter who is a tattoo artist no-less and is covered in tattoos, is afraid of needles. It’s kind of cute and it reminds me that this gorgeous man I’ve built up into a god in my mind over the years is only human after all.

We’re putting matching tattoos on each other. How adorable is that?

He did mine first—two paw prints on the back of my hand. One polar bear paw beside a grizzly bear paw.

We already marked each other’s necks a few days ago, but we both wanted something we could look at without a mirror.

His fingers twitch as I trace the claws of the polar bear paw. “Do you want me to hold your hand?” I ask, barely containing my smirk.

He glares down at me. “I will put you over my knee, Vic.”

“Not while I’m holding a tattoo needle, you won’t.”

He lets out a rough breath through his nose, but the corner of his mouth twitches up. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Oh, I am,” I say with a mischievous grin. “Seeing the mighty Adrian Cross sweating under my touch? It’s a gift.”

He huffs, and I glance up just in time to see him staring at me with that look—the one that always short-circuits my brain and makes my panties feel optional. Intense. Focused. Like I’m the only thing he sees.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I murmur, dipping the needle again. “It’s very distracting.”

“Look at you like what?”

“Like you’re two seconds from flipping this chair over and tearing my panties to shreds.”

He grins. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

I have to pull back my hand as my heart starts pounding. “Okay, I need you to stop talking unless you want this bear paw to come out looking like a mutant crab.”

He chuckles low in his chest, but he stays still this time, his gaze never leaving my face as I finish the outline.

He’s my most distracting client yet, but I manage to get the tattoo finished as the sun sets outside. We stayed after work to get this done, so it’s only the two of us here. Just the way I like it.

Once I’m done, I use a clean paper towel and a gentle cleanser to remove any excess ink, blood, and plasma from his skin, carefully wiping it clean.

I check the tattoo one last time for any missed spots, and to make sure I don’t need to do any final touch-ups.

All of the lines and shading are complete, which is a surprise since my client has been utterly distracting with those intense blue eyes and big sexy arms.

“All done,” I say as I sit back and take a breath.

Adrian sits up and flexes his arm as he checks it out. The paw prints are crisp and bold, sitting just below the curve of his elbow. His expression softens, and he brushes his fingers over them like he’s touching something sacred.

“I love it. You did good, Vic. Real good.”

“Another satisfied customer,” I say, grinning.

“Oh no,” he says as he slowly stands up, towering over me. “I’m not satisfied. I’m pretty fucking far from satisfied.”

I suck in a breath, knowing what’s about to happen when I see the fire in those intense blue eyes. We’re alone in the closed shop. There’s no one around for miles. No one to hear me moan.

“What can I do to please you?” I ask in a soft innocent tone. “I always want my customers to be satisfied.”

I run my finger down my lips and into my cleavage like a shameless flirt. “I’ll do anything, Mr. Cross.”

He growls as he watches me bite my bottom lip while I bat my eyelashes at him.

His eyes darken, giving me that possessive look I love so much.

He closes the space between us in two strides and picks me up like I weigh nothing.

I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his body, pressing my throbbing pussy against his hard cock.

My eyelids fall closed and a moan escapes my lips.

He smells so good. He feels incredible. I love being close to this man.

“You know what I want,” he growls as he carries me into the back storage room. “You know what will make me satisfied.”

My back hits the wall and ink bottles clatter onto the ground, falling off the shelves all around us. I don’t care about the mess. I’m too focused on the way Adrian’s needy hands feel on my ass as he pins me against the wall.

“Tell me,” I whisper as I kiss his neck, right on the spot that I marked. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Your soft little pussy wrapped around my cock is a good start,” he says as he grinds his erection against my heat. I moan and whimper as my whole body starts to throb. I’m so glad I wore a skirt today.

“Well, you know what they say,” I whisper between moans. “The customer is always right.”

His mouth crashes onto mine, all tongue and teeth and primal need. I reach down and yank out his belt, desperate to unleash his long hard beast. I get his zipper down in record time, reach into his boxer briefs, and pull out his rock hard cock.

I quickly pull my wet panties to the side and he lowers me onto his dick, my wet lips parting easily for him.

We both cry out as I slide down his cock, taking every thick glorious inch.

“I’ve been wanting to do this all damn day,” he says as he thrusts into me, rocking me against the wall.

More bottles fall as he plunges in deep, making me cry out, making my toes curl.

“It’s torture working next to you. Having to watch that sexy mouth, these jiggling tits, knowing your soft little pussy is right there waiting for me…

Fuck, Vic. A man can only take so much.”

I cling to him as he thrusts in and out with a hard, steady rhythm. It feels so good, I can’t talk. I just hold him and enjoy the ride.

He gets me so wet every time. I make a mess of his perfect cock, but he doesn’t seem to care one bit. He just keeps letting me have it with hard merciless thrusts.

I wrap my arms around him tight and bury my face against the mark on his neck as an intense orgasm comes roaring out of the darkness. It’s a big one. They always are with my mate.

With a cry, it hits, tearing through me in a wave of pleasure. My whole body trembles as the heat takes over, flowing through my arms and legs as my pussy tightens around his thrusting cock.

I feel Adrian’s muscular back tightening as he thrusts up hard, rooting himself deep in my pulsating pussy and releasing a hot load of cum in my cunt.

It’s perfect. It’s magical. I still can’t believe this is all real.

We hold each other tight, the wall the only thing keeping us up, as we catch our breaths, inhaling each other’s scents.

“Satisfied?” I whisper as I run my hand over his muscular back.

“ Very .”

“You’ll come back for more?”

“Every damn day.”

I smile as I lower my feet to the ground. My legs are all shaky. My whole body feels like it’s glowing.

It feels like the perfect moment, until the window shatters.

“What the fuck?” Adrian roars, releasing me as he yanks up his pants. I quickly get dressed and follow him into the front.

Little cubes of glass are spilled all over the floor of the shop and there’s a big gaping hole in the glass wall. But that’s not what has my attention.

Standing in the parking lot is a dozen or so wolf shifters on motorcycles.

Rourke’s Warhounds. I don’t need to read their leather vests to know who we’re dealing with.

“Victoria,” Adrian says, turning to me with concern in his eyes. “Go out the back and phase into your bear. Run into the mountains and keep going as fast as you can.”

“Like hell I will,” I say as my bear growls, getting ready to help defend our mate. She’s pacing around inside, ready for anything. “I’m staying with you.”

He grabs my arm and spins me around as someone outside calls his name. “You need to leave. Now . I’ll hold them back.”

I squeeze my hand into a fist and hold it up, shoving my new tattoo in his face. “You think I got this for fun? No, Adrian. I’m with you to the end.”

He sees the determination in my eyes and his shoulders slump in defeat. “Please, Vic. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

I grit my teeth as I turn to the uninvited dogs in my parking lot. “Then let’s kick some ass.”

My bear hovers close to the surface as I storm outside with Adrian right behind me. He stands beside me as we face the men down. Thirteen of them in total.

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time,” the man beside Knox says.

He looks like a cinderblock with legs—all thick muscle, broad shoulders, a barrel chest, and a wide jaw that looks like it’s been broken on more than one occasion.

He has a scar in his left eyebrow and light gray eyes that are so cold and heinous they give me a shiver. “Where you’ve been hiding?”

“Leave us alone, Mace,” Adrian bellows in a deep warning tone. “Any beef we had is long done.”

“It will be over,” Mace says with a sneer, “when I say it’s over.”

Those creepy gray eyes drift over to me and he grins like he’s just discovered Adrian’s one weakness. “And who is this?”

Adrian snarls as he steps forward, his whole body flexed. I can tell his enraged polar bear is about to burst out as he stares Mace down.

“Don’t you fucking look at her,” he hisses. “She’s mine .”

The situation is dangerous as hell, but it still makes me blush to hear him call me his. With everything going on, I’m still a fool for this man.

Get your head in the game, girl , I remind myself. This is life or death .

And it is. We’re surrounded by thirteen killer shifters who want to settle a score.

We’re outnumbered by double digits, but we have a secret weapon.

Adrian and I are fighting for each other. Our bears will be fighting for their mate.

And a bear fighting for their fated mate will never be outmatched.