Page 22

Chapter Twenty

T he sun, streaming through the crack in the curtains, woke Marric.

His ass ached. He smiled without opening his eyes.

He reached his hand out for Iven and came up empty.

His smiled died but it came back again when he finally cracked his eyes open.

Even half-lidded and still sleepy, he saw Iven sitting at Marric’s desk.

Iven slumped over what appeared to be a stack of papers. It was probably the file for Marric’s case.

Marric watched him for several minutes before he made enough noise to alert Iven to his wakefulness.

As soon as Iven discovered it, he stopped what he was doing and came over to the bed, sitting on the side.

Marric curled around Iven. “Good morning, Sheriff.”

Iven feathered his fingers through Marric’s hair. It was probably a mess. He’d slept deeper than he had in a long time. “Good morning, my little thief.”

Marric chuckled, giving Iven the reaction he wanted. “We have an inside joke now. That makes us official.”

“The mating bond did that. The inside jokes mean we like each other. It’s a huge step in the right direction.”

Marric met his gaze. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw the mating mark on Iven’s neck. “Everyone’s going to know.”

Iven nodded. “You’ll have to walk around with your shirt off for everyone to see your mating mark.”

Marric moved and pushed the covers down, exposing the intertwining vine tattoo on his chest. It was green and vibrant. The circle had formed perfectly. “It’s really pretty.”

“Thank you. Not that I picked the design. They just sort of form. No one really knows why or how.”

Marric shrugged. “The why and how doesn’t matter. It’s a permanent mark that says we belong with each other. Nothing can take it away.”

Iven frowned. “Your father is going to be pissed.”

“My dad can mind his own business and stay out of my love life. You’re mine and I’m not giving you up for him or anyone else.” Marric hugged Iven around the middle again, burying his nose in Iven’s underwear-covered cock.

He still smelled like sex. A small amount of cum clung to him even after cleaning up last night. But they’d made love twice, so it was no wonder.

“We’ll face whatever comes at us together.” Iven ran his hand along Marric’s back and side.

“What were you working on?” Marric didn’t want to change the subject.

But he had made a confession about loving Iven.

Or at least, he sort of did. And he wanted Iven to focus on something else.

Since they hadn’t known each other for more than a few days and most of those Marric had spent bedridden with a fever, he wasn’t sure if Iven would believe him.

The argument that it was too soon was a sound one.

Marric would have a tough time convincing him.

“The case.” Iven trailed his hand down Marric’s side. Marric was still naked underneath the covers, so Iven could touch his bare ass.

Marric moved into his touch, wanting Iven to slip his finger inside.

There was still a little lube and come inside him to slick the way.

And his ass ached so deliciously. It reminded him of every gentle touch and how Iven’s thrusts were always slow and thoughtful until he lost himself in the pleasure.

“If you want to talk about the case, stop doing that to my ass.” Marric didn’t want Iven to stop, but he’d talk if that’s what Iven needed.

Iven stood and pushed the covers off Marric. “I don’t want to pop our little bubble yet.”

Marric lay on his back and pulled his legs back. “Do you mean the bubble with just you and I in it, where we’re fucking each other senseless?”

Iven chuckled. He grabbed the lube before crawling onto the bed. “Yeah, that’s the one I’m talking about.”

“We need to reenforce our bubble with titanium so no one can penetrate it.” Marric moaned when Iven entered him with a lubed finger.

He shut his eyes when the pleasure grew big enough his other senses wouldn’t work.

Everything in his body zeroed in on Iven’s finger, moving in and out of him.

He’d felt nothing like it before, and he didn’t want to feel anything else ever again. Just Iven fucking him all the time.

Iven added another finger in quick succession. He didn’t need to prep Marric much. Marric’s body had adjusted well enough that the prep work was more foreplay and Iven being overly cautious than anything else.

Marric pumped his cock to the rhythm Iven set. But when Iven withdrew and then repositioned himself, Marric had to move his hand or risk trapping it.

“You’re ready for me.” It was the only explanation Iven gave to the abrupt change.

“Very ready, mate.” Marric moaned when Iven entered him. The pace was slow, but Iven bottomed out quicker than he had before.

Iven kissed Marric’s cheek and then the corner of his mouth before settling at his lips. The kiss was far more demanding than the fucking was. Iven invaded his mouth as thoroughly as he invaded his body.

When Iven’s pace increased, so did the heat level. They had to stop kissing or ignite.

Marric’s grip on Iven tightened. He needed something to hold on to, and that was the skin on Iven’s back. If he didn’t, he’d burn up at the next thrust. Each one made him hotter.

When the tingles started at his core, he knew he was close to coming.

“Iven,” Marric breathed. “Harder.”

Instead of slamming into him, Iven adjusted them and managed to get even deeper. How it was possible, Marric didn’t know, but it was what he needed to fall off the edge.

Pleasure slammed into him so hard he forgot how to breathe.

Iven wasn’t very far behind. He moaned and then stilled inside Marric for half a second before his movements grew stunted and then finally stopped.

It took a while for Marric to recover and come to his senses. But when he did, he realized Iven’s hold had tightened and his body was tense.

“What’s wrong?” Marric tried to soothe him by rubbing his back.

“You’re getting a fever.” Iven’s whispered response could have been a glass of ice water dumped on him. It had the same effect.