Page 23 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 23

Halle

T he tension between Tessa and Hester is unmistakable. I understand Tessa is trying to protect me, but I don’t want that. I want to fix Cade. I can feel his pain throbbing through the pack link, and I want to take that from him.

As I grip Hester’s hand, I feel her power pushing between us. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I listen to her soft voice directing me on how to access my magic.

I focus, doing as she commands. I reach inside my mind and push all my energy out of my body and into Cade’s.

With our combined force, it doesn’t feel difficult, and my head doesn’t feel as if it is going to explode with the weight of everything pushing against it. I find the wound, and I slowly knit the skin back together.

After a moment, Hester pulls her magic back, and mine winks out. When I open my eyes and peer down at Cade’s shoulder, his skin is still stained with blood, but I don’t see any injury .

“You good?” Sawyer asks, stepping forward slightly to peer at the wound.

Cade glances down, his fingers trailing over the site where he was shot. “I’m… Great .”

He sits up and opens his arms to me. I go to him without question, needing to touch him, to know that he is okay. Not caring that we are not alone, he wraps himself around me, his strong grip keeping me in place. I breathe him in, feeling as if he’s the one who healed me and not the other way around.

“I want to learn more,” I tell Hester, not letting go of Cade as I do. “I need to know how to do everything.”

She smiles. “You will, in time. But Tessa is right. Your body has been through a lot today. Let me assign you a cabin each so you can get some rest. Tomorrow we can learn.”

I open my mouth to protest, but Tessa speaks first. “This isn’t a sprint, Halle. I’ve been here for two months, and despite training every day, I have barely scratched the surface of what I am capable of doing.”

Squeezing my hand, Cade brings my attention to him. “They’re right. We haven’t eaten or slept properly from the moment we went on the run. You need to rest. And even if you don’t, I sure as fuck do.”

I don’t want to give in and step back, but Cade is right. My body feels exhausted. I’m not entirely sure I have the energy to move, but I also don’t want to show weakness.

I let Jackson pull me up, and Cade follows me to his feet. Hester leads into the kitchen, grabbing a load of keys from a board hanging near the back door .

The back of the house opens out, with cabins spread as far as the eye can see. There is a lake at the bottom, surrounded by grass, sitting against a backdrop of mountains and trees. I can feel the magic thrumming around us, protecting us from outsiders.

As we walk between the cabins, I notice Sawyer becoming agitated. His eyes are darting around, and his head is too. He keeps sucking in air through his nose, and I’m wondering what he’s scenting.

Hunters?

Dalton?

I drop back slightly, grabbing his arm and making him focus on me. “What’s wrong?”

I’ve never seen him look so serious, but as he locks eyes with me, I see fear play within them. “I don’t know. I feel kind of weird. My skin is prickling, and my legs feel weak as fuck.” He glances around, trying to work out what has him so unsettled.

Cade steps up to his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, focus on me.”

Sawyer’s pupils are blown wide, and the way he keeps scrunching his face up tells me he’s suffering, though I can’t tell if he’s in pain or not.

“Chills.” Sawyer shakes himself as if clearing the shivers from his spine. “I feel like I’m coming out of my skin.” My own fear starts to grow. This is not the Sawyer I know.

He suddenly drops, falling forward on his hands and knees on the gravel path. I move to his side before I think about what I’m doing.

Through our pack link, I sense his fear, but something else, something I can’t quite place.

“What’s happening?”

Hester touches his shoulder and then retracts her hand as if he’s burned her. Her eyes snap to the cabin across from us.

“Shit,” she gasps.

“What?” I demand, my fear getting the better of me, but Sawyer’s body twitches, and his back bows, arching like an angry cat. He drags his shirt off as he jerks and cries out. My heart squeezes so tight. I’ve seen him shift before, and there was never pain like this for him, and yet as his bones break and snap, I know this is different. This is happening against Sawyer’s will. His wolf is forcing himself free, and Sawyer is fighting him every step of the way.

I watch, horrified, as his fingers dig into the gravel beneath him, and he rocks back and forth on all fours. “No.” The word is forced out, sounding strangled, but the change keeps happening. “No…” He repeats, and I hear the desperation in his tone.

“Sawyer…” I whisper his name, my eyes nearly as wide as his as I watch his animal take control.

Cade pulls me back, shoving me behind him as his brother shifts into a huge white wolf, the clothes he didn’t manage to remove shredding along the way.

The air feels charged with the small amount of magic used to bring about a shift. I’ve never sensed it before, but this time I do.

I glance at Hester, wondering if she knows what is happening. Her hand is locked around her throat as if she’s choking on the air itself, but she doesn’t move to stop whatever is happening.

I turn my attention back to Sawyer, or Sawyer’s wolf. Cade’s brother is no longer here, and his emotions flare to life through the pack link.

I can’t figure out what he’s trying to tell us, but what comes through the bond is need.

The animal bows low as if stretching the knots out of his body, and no one moves. “Sawyer?” Cade says his name carefully.

The wolf rounds on us, its red eyes locking on me as it snaps its teeth. Cade remains between us, a force field of protection, but I don’t need him to save me. I don’t want him to, either. I trust Sawyer, even if his wolf is looking at me like I’m his next meal.

The door of the cabin opens, and a woman with black hair streaked with white steps out. She looks so similar to Tessa that I almost mistake her for her, but she’s a little older, maybe in her late twenties, or early thirties. She’s pretty, with a full mouth and soft eyes that seem kind.

Sawyer’s wolf swings his head in her direction, and as soon as they lock eyes, I feel a ripple go through the air. I have no idea what it means and glance at Hester for an explanation. She is focused on what is happening in front of us, though.

Sawyer’s wolf whines, a high-pitched whimper, and the woman on the porch widens her eyes in fear. She stumbles back, her spine hitting the wall of the cabin, her hand going to her heart even as she shakes her head.

“No… No… This isn’t happening. ”

She drops to her knees as if her legs have given out, and her body jolts and jerks the same way Sawyer’s did before his shift.

“What’s happening?” I demand, my voice shrill. I’m scared for Sawyer but also for the terrified woman in front of him.

Her back arches, her gaze going to the sky as her wolf swims to the surface. I can sense her magic, meaning she must be tau, but unlike my first shift, her wolf is breaking free. Her clothes tear as her body changes. Skin becomes fur, feet turn into paws, and her face elongates.

Her wolf is smaller than his. She raises her head and looks at Sawyer’s wolf, who moves up the steps, his nose snuffling the side of her neck as if he recognizes her before letting out a high-pitched whine.

She changes back first as if she can’t hold the shift. Sawyer’s wolf seems to fight against returning to his human form, his head swinging back and forth as if he is warring with himself.

Then I sense the magic in the air. It swells around us as both wolves turn human again, completely naked, Sawyer on his haunches.

He stands, unfurling from his crouch, his eyes magnetized to her before backing her up against the wall behind her and seizing her wrists in his hand, pinning them above her head.

“Mine,” Sawyer growls in a voice I have never heard before. The woman shivers and shakes her head.

“No, I can’t do this.”

Sawyer grabs her chin, forcing her eyes to him. I have never seen him so possessive. He is nothing like the Sawyer I have got to know over the past few days. I want him to smile and crack a joke.

But there is no humor in the tight lines of his body as he presses against her. “Mine,” he repeats.

The woman shoves him away, and to my surprise, he goes back a foot. I’m not sure if he allowed her to do that or if she took him by surprise, but she shakes her head. “This is impossible.” Her eyes shift to Hester, and there is panic there. “You told me this couldn’t happen.”

Sawyer steps back into her space, and I move toward them, uncertain if I want to protect her or him. Cade snags my arm, stopping me from intervening.

“You can fight this all you want,” Sawyer’s voice is low and deep as he says these words, “but we both know what we’re feeling. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

Mates.

And with a connection this strong, fated mates.

The woman glances at us and then back to him. “I will never take a mate, and certainly not you.”

With those crushing words, she darts into the cabin, locking the door behind her. I’m not sure a lock would keep Sawyer out if he chose to force his way in, but instead, he sags against the door, placing his fist against the wood and letting out a groan.

Then he turns and makes a beeline for Hester. His expression scares me. What is he going to do to her? Before I respond, Cade steps in front of him, grabbing his brother by the throat. “Calm down.”

Sawyer doesn’t. His eyes shift to Hester. “What did she mean you told her this would never happen?” His mouth pulls into a snarl, and I sense the anger radiating from him. “What did you do to her?”

If Hester is scared of facing down a man his size, she doesn’t show it. She barely flinches at the accusation in his voice. “I did what she asked me to do.”

“Which is what?”

Cade struggles to keep a hold of his brother, and Wyatt and Jackson drift forward, ready to help.

Hester tosses her head, and when she speaks, her lofty tone pisses me off, never mind Sawyer. “That’s her business, and if you want to know, you’ll have to ask her.”

“You bitch,” he snarls, and my eyes go wide.

“Sawyer!” I gasp.

His eyes meet mine, and I see so much rage in them. “She’s done something to her. Something to keep her from me.”

Hester sighs. “I think it’s quite clear whatever I did, didn’t work. She recognized you as her mate. If you want my thoughts, I suggest you give her time and space to come to terms with stumbling over her fated mate like this.”

“There is nothing to come to terms with,” Sawyer says. “She’s mine. Don’t get in the way of that.”

Hester turns her head to the side. “You don’t even know her name.”

“I don’t need her name. I know her and what she is to me.” He turns to Cade, “I’m going for a run.”

He turns and drops to all fours, turning into his wolf. This shift is nothing like the one we just witnessed. It happens quickly and smoothly .

I try to go after Sawyer as his wolf rushes off, disappearing behind the cabins. Cade stops me, turning to Wyatt and Jackson. “Go after him.”

They do as asked, undressing as they go. I watch the ease with which they shift, feeling a little envious that my own wolf was never able to do that.

Cade turns to Hester. “If they are fated mates, nothing you do will keep them apart.”

Hester smiles, but it is not a nice smile. “Roux never wanted to be mated. And that might still be the case, even though her fated mate has appeared. What she decides is between her and him, not us.” She jangles the keys. “Let me show you to your cabin.”

We follow her further down the path, but my gaze goes back to the last place we saw Sawyer’s mate. It will be hard for him to accept she might not want him, and she’s going to find it hard to deny the pull of biology. I have never seen fated mates together before, but I do know about them. They are the stuff of myth and legend. So few find their fated mate that it almost seems criminal that Roux would not want hers. I’m not even sure how she managed to resist him.

Hester leads us to a cabin nearly at the end of the path. There is only one other down this end, and it overlooks the lake.

“Tessa and Abel have that cabin.” She points at that one. “You can have this one.”

The cabin is on the larger side, with windows on either side of the door and set back a little from the path. There is a little porch at the front with two steps leading up to it. Unlike some of the other cabins, there are no personal touches in sight.

I glance at Cade as he takes the key. “Thanks.”

“Um, where am I staying?” I ask hesitantly.

“With me,” Cade says without looking at me.

I’m relieved and also a little happy at this, although if I wasn’t so worried about Sawyer, I would have made a joke about him not being the boss of me. But I don’t like the idea of Sawyer being out there when we are still on the radar of the Order, probably more so after I killed the ones in Spencer.

“We eat at six in the main house,” Hester says. “You’re welcome to join us. You’re all safe here. You don’t have to fear anything.”

“I’m grateful for your hospitality,” Cade says, “but if you do a single thing to harm my brother—”

He lets the threat hang in the air, which suddenly feels stifling.

Hester turns her head to the side as if considering him. “You may be vargr, and everyone else might find you terrifying, but don’t mistake me for someone you can walk all over. I may not be able to become a wolf, but I don’t need that to kick your ass.”

She turns and walks away, heading back up the path toward the house. “Can we try not to piss off the powerful witch?” I ask.

Cade makes a growl low in his throat. “I didn’t expect my brother would find his mate here either, but she needs to step off and let them figure it out.”

“Agreed,” I say. “Do you think Sawyer will be alright? ”

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I’ve never seen Sawyer like that.”

“I’m worried about him.” I glance back in the direction of the woman’s cabin. “What do you think Hester did to her?”

He shifts her shoulders. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it can’t be good. Witches getting involved in wolf business never ends well.”

“She’s also a wolf,” I counter.

“Messing with the natural course of things is never a good idea. You, of all people, should know that. Come on, let’s get inside.”

Slipping his hand into mine, Cade leads me up the gravel toward the front door of our cabin.

This is the first time we have been alone without the guys around, and I feel a little nervous.

I wait as he unlocks the door, shifting on my feet, trying to dispel the anxiety working through me. I try to slide a sneaky look in his direction, wondering what he’s thinking, but Cade looks his usual stoic self.

Twisting the key, he pushes the door open and steps inside. The space is pleasant, almost idyllic. There is a kitchen to the left, small but usable, and on the other side of the front door is a living area with a couch and a coffee table. There is no TV, bookshelves, or anything personal, but I’m already mentally mapping where we can put things to make it feel homier.

I shut that thought down instantly. I have no idea how long we will be here, and if Sawyer can’t sort out his problems with Roux, our stay might be even shorter.

Even if it is so, I allow myself to feel the excitement welling inside my belly. My entire life, I have lived in one small room within the main house of my former pack. This cabin has its own living space and privacy. I can’t stop grinning as I pull out of Cade’s hand to explore the rooms off the main living area.

One is a double bedroom, with a queen bed and a large closet. There are no sheets on the bed, but I find clean linen in the closet.

There is also a smaller bedroom with a single bed pushed against one wall, a freestanding dresser, and a narrow closet big enough for me.

“This my room?” I’m half-joking, but also trying to gauge his thoughts.

“You’ll be in the main bedroom. With me.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I admit.

Cade watches me as I go from room to room, his eyes soft.

The last room is the bathroom. There is a larger-than-average tub near the door and a separate shower cubicle. The double-sink unit has a large mirror over the top and a wall sconce above it.

“You like it?” Cade asks.

I nod as I go to the edge of the couch and throw myself onto it. “What’s not to like? I’ve never had this much space.” I sink back against the cushions, and as my body relaxes, I start to feel exhaustion creep in.

Cade comes to me, crouching in front of me. “You want to sleep?”

I give him a wry smile. “Is that your way of telling me I look like shit?”

I freeze as he reaches out and pushes my hair off my face. What is he doing? It is such a tender gesture that it almost makes me cry. I’ve craved kindness for so long, and it makes me feel more vulnerable than I’ve ever been.

I stare at his blue orbs, sucked in by them. “What are you doing?” I question, my voice low and quiet.

“What would you want me to be doing?” he asks.

I swallow past the lump growing in my throat. I want to be in his arms, I want him to sit next to me, kiss me, and tell me everything will be okay, but even that is beyond Cade’s ability to fix.

I have no doubt the Order will discover what I did and will send more wolves after us. They will never allow me to kill their own the way I did without repercussions.

But right now, the Order, my memories, my aunt’s betrayal, they all fade to nothing. All I can focus on is the man in front of me. He’s still stroking the side of my face, and I’m leaning into him without even knowing. The comfort his touch gives me is indescribable. It is as if everything around me just vanishes, except for him.

I’m sure my breath sounds loud in the silence of the room, but if it does, he doesn’t say. “I was scared back there,” he admits.

“So was I. When you got shot—” I swallow back the bile lining my throat. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

He pulls his shirt collar down, showing me his shoulder. There isn’t a mark on him. “Good as new, thanks to you.”

His fingers trail over my cheeks where blood spilled down my face. I cleaned up as much as I could in the truck, using a bottle of water that Jackson had and some gauze from the first aid kit, but from the look on Cade’s face, he is still seeing those crimson trails on my skin.

“You pushed yourself too far today. I know you want to protect everyone around you, but not at the expense of yourself. I can’t bear to lose you.”

His words choke me. Cade has the power to tear me open and destroy me, and I’m not sure if he realizes that.

His fingers move to the claiming mark on my neck, skimming over it. “This seems fainter.”

I haven’t looked at it, so I don’t know, but I’m relieved to hear it.

“Is it too much to hope that it’ll just be gone in the morning?” I grumble. It has already lasted longer than I expected. Most claiming marks only stay around for a week or so, much like a bruise, if they're not renewed. “He only gave it to me to show others that he had control of me.”

“A real alpha wolf wouldn’t need to assert that.”

He nuzzles his nose against the other side of my neck, and I freeze, not sure what game we’re playing here. The last time he and I were intimate, he left.

He pulls back, and I see the question in his eyes. “I don’t want to get my hopes up if you’re going to walk away again.”

I don’t like the ripple of regret that crosses his face. “I thought I’d made it clear by now that I’m not going anywhere.”

The possessive note to his voice makes heat pool in my belly. Fuck, I want him. I was drawn to him the moment I saw him, but the more time I’ve been away from Dalton, the clearer my thoughts have been. Cade feels like home and safety and love to me. I’ve never had that before. I didn’t know it was even possible to feel this way.

“If you say that, you’d better mean it,” I tell him, my voice raw.

“I mean it, Halle. I wish you’d never mated with that asshole because I want you to be mine. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. That’s why I was in those woods every fucking day, just watching you, protecting you. I didn’t understand it at the time, but you’ve always been mine, whether you were marked by someone else or not.”

The rawness of his admission makes my breath catch in my throat, and suddenly I hate past me for being weak and for doing what was expected. I should have fought harder against something I didn’t want.

“As soon as I’ve rested and replenished my magic, I’m going to ask Hester to help me remove it and the mating bond.”

The flash of need in his eyes tells me my words are what he wants to hear. He leans into my neck, nuzzling his nose along the column of my throat.

“I hate that he is a part of you. He never deserved you, Halle.”

If only it were that simple, but relationships rarely are. Dalton didn’t want an equal; he wanted a name and a legacy. I knew that going into it, but I’d been weak. I was so focused on making my aunt happy that I didn’t stop to consider if it would make me happy.

“I think I drove him to act the way he did,” I say the words quietly, my heart squeezing as I do.

It is not the right thing to say. Cade grabs my chin, forcing my eyes to his. His grip isn’t hard enough to hurt, but certainly enough to get my attention. “No one forced him to hit you, to hurt you, or try to end your life. He did that himself. A true wolf would die before seeing harm come to his mate.”

The vehemence in his voice surprises me. I’m not entirely certain I am blameless for the failure of our mating.

Fiddling with the hem of my shirt, I struggle to keep eye contact with Cade. It’s hard to admit my failings. “I think he knew I never really loved him or wanted him. That kind of rejection isn’t good for a wolf as proud as Dalton.”

All Dalton has is his pride and a big pair of shoes to fill. He can never live up to his father’s strength and reputation. Dalton is, at heart, weak and a coward.

However, considering what I know about Klaus now, I’m thinking Dalton is exactly the son he would have wanted. He was probably angry he didn’t make his first kill as a pup.

“And his hurt pride gave him the right to put those bruises on your throat? To hurt you? He beat you because he’s got that hate within him, just like his father. Klaus couldn’t stand his sister being different. Dalton couldn’t stand you being all that you are, either. Weak wolves produce weak offspring. I don’t want to talk about that asshole, not when I have you here. ”

Tears prick my eyes. “I think my mom would have liked you.”

She definitely would not have liked Dalton.

Cade strokes my face, wiping my tears away as I lean into his touch.

“I’m going to run you a bath, and you can tell me what you’ve remembered about your mom.”

My throat feels tight. The way he’s taking care of me feels so foreign, so strange I don’t know how to handle it. “You… don’t have to do that. I can run my own bath.”

“You’ve been so busy taking care of everyone else that you’ve forgotten about yourself. Tonight, I’m going to look after you.”

He pulls away, and my wolf whimpers at losing him. She wants him to come back as much as I do. I don’t move from the edge of the couch as I watch him walk into the bathroom.

After a couple of seconds, I hear the taps run and the bath filling. I go to one window that looks out over the grounds, and I understand why they call it a sanctuary. Here, for the first time, I feel at peace. I feel like nothing can touch me.

Not Dalton, not hunters.

Nothing.

I am safe.

That understanding makes the adrenaline that has been consuming me from the moment I went on the run leave my body. I lean against the kitchen counter, my legs suddenly feeling like jelly.

And that is where Cade finds me when he steps out of the bathroom. His eyes narrow as he takes me in. “You okay?”

I nod, even though I’m not. Everything suddenly feels like too much, but the one thing I am sure about is that I am meant to be here with him.

“Come here,” Cade gestures to me.

From anyone else, that order would have me bristling. From Cade, I obey.

I cross the room, stopping in front of him and tilting my head back to look into his eyes. Such pretty eyes. Those blue orbs are easy to get lost in, and for a moment, I do.

He brushes my hair off my shoulder, grabbing the hem of my shirt and tugging it up. I lift my arms so it comes over my head easily. When I’m free of it, I watch his expression as he takes in the lacy cups of my bra. His eyes are heated, and he rubs his thumb over his lips as he considers me. “Beautiful.”

My cheeks heat. “So are you,” I tell him. “I mean… you’re just really handsome and I don’t know how to control myself when I’m around you...”

I trail off. Stop talking, Halle.

He doesn’t make fun of my words or belittle them, even though that’s what I’ve been conditioned to expect.

“Beautiful inside and out,” he says. “I want to see the rest of you.”

My eyes widen. “The… rest of me?”

“Unless you’re planning on getting in that tub clothed. ”

I’m not, but I didn’t think I’d stripping with an audience. “You don’t have to help me. I can manage.”

“I know.”

Slowly, he pushes his fingers into the waistband of my pants. I think I stop breathing as he slides them down my legs. My skin pebbles, even though the room is not cold. This might be the single most sensual moment of my life, and all he’s done is take my pants off.

Cade goes down to his haunches and takes my muddy sneakers off, one at a time. Then he peels my socks off before removing my pants from around my ankles.

Wolves are used to nakedness, but I never got used to being naked because I never shifted. As I stand there in my bra and panties, I feel the urge to hide my body from him.

His throat bobs as he takes me in. “Fuck.” He drags his shirt over his head, leaving him bare-chested. It feels as if I have a whole jar of butterflies in my belly. I want to touch him, but he moves first, stepping into my space and dropping his head to the crook of my neck. His breath tickles as he sucks in a noseful of air.

His fingers slide down my belly and to my pussy. I hold my breath, waiting for my wolf to shove him away, to remember we’re mated to another, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t care that we’re with another wolf, not when it’s Cade.

Cade’s fingers slide my panties aside and slip between my folds, skimming over my clit in a way that has me gripping his forearms to steady myself. My breath catches in my throat as he continues to stroke me.

The pressure is delicious, but I need more. I widen my legs, giving him the space to touch me as he wants and let my eyes flutter shut. He pinches my clit hard enough to make my hips jerk.

His mouth hovers inches from mine. “You like that, little wolf?”

I want to correct him, tell him I’m not a wolf, but at this moment, I don’t care what he calls me. His fingers are deep inside me, giving me a feeling of fullness, but I need more.

I want more.

Passion and need throb through me as I skim my fingers over his chest.

“I want you to kiss me,” I tell him. I don’t like how vulnerable it makes me feel, considering the last time we were together like this, but it feels different.

It is different.

I feel more connected to Cade than I ever did to Dalton. I don’t know how to explain it, but Cade feels like mine, and I want to be his.

Emboldened by that thought, I grip his shoulders and reach up to his mouth. He meets me halfway, crashing his lips to mine. The kiss is hard and heavy, filled with a desperation that I didn’t realize either of us was feeling.

He walks me back until my back hits the counter, and then he lifts me onto it.That puts me at a better height to kiss him, but that’s not what Cade has in mind. He stands between my parted thighs and spreads them .

“Take them off,” he gestures to my panties.

I lift my ass off the counter and slide them off my body. I should feel exposed, but I’m too focused on what he’s going to do to me.

Gripping my thighs, Cade drops to his knees in front of me and ducks down. Slowly and purposefully, he flattens his tongue against my pussy. Everything down there tingles and pulses. My breath hitches, sounding strange to my ears.

His tongue swirls around my clit, and my body jerks at the feeling. I’m beyond rational thought as I grip his hair, holding him in place, but I don’t think he plans on going anywhere.

I gasp with each dance around that sensitive bundle of nerves. My chest hurts in this position, but I don’t care. The bite of pain only heightens everything else.

He licks me from top to bottom, making me writhe beneath him. “Cade…”

As he holds me in place with his hands on my thighs, I take everything he’s giving.

A feeling builds deep within me, a delicious throbbing of pleasure growing stronger with every swipe of his tongue. I grip his hair tighter, trying to chase that feeling until it explodes through me.

At least that is how it feels.

Everything pulses and contracts savagely, my body hesitating between wanting more and feeling too much.

I bend over, ignoring the pull on my chest as I suck in a breath. After a final lick of my pussy, Cade straightens, and his lips glisten with my wetness. I don’t know why, but that makes my pussy throb again.

Am I supposed to thank him for licking my pussy?

I’ve never done this before.

I might have been mated to Dalton, but we were never together like that. I probably should have mentioned to Cade before now that I have no idea what I’m doing, but I didn’t expect him to do—that to me.

I give him a sated smile as he slides me off the counter, pressing his mouth to mine. I can taste myself on his lips, and that feels forbidden.

“The bath water’s going to go cold,” he says.

I want to tell him I don't care, but I take his offered hand and follow him into the bathroom.