He raised his thumb, brushing it along the side of her hand. “Don’t be. I couldn’t do it anymore once everything was over. Couldn’t continue that life. I was…well compensated from my work, had more money than I knew what to do with, so I just left, went as far away as I could. Moved around a few times. Didn’t feel right anywhere. And eventually I…I found myself here. Never lived anywhere like this, and I didn’t know if it’d work out, but I saw you and…I knew that I’d find a way. That I had to.”
Gabriela turned her head toward him, catching sight of a flicker of violet in the darkness, but that light vanished in an instant. “I’m glad you did. And that you finally got the courage to ask me out.”
“Me too.”
She laid her head down on the pillow but kept her eyes open. “There’s just one thing bothering me, Mason…”
“What’s that?”
God, she loved how his voice rumbled into her when they were lying together like this.
“You never told me. Chocolate or vanilla Oreos?”
He laughed. “Prefer the peanut butter ones.”
Gabriela chuckled. “Okay. That’s acceptable.”
“You asked about my favorite food, too?”
She closed her eyes, simply taking comfort in his embrace, in his voice, in the rhythmic beating of his heart against her back. “Mmhmm.”
“As of today, sudado de pollo.”
Gabriela couldn’t hold back a grin. “Guess some of your relationship advice books have helped, huh?”
Mason grunted. “You saw those?”
“Mmm… And the romance books.”
“Ah, female”—his hand finally slid down, and his finger brushed along the waistband of her pants—“now those have taught me some things that will make you very happy.”
Her breath hitched as that ache reignited within her core.
So much for the distraction.
“Sleep well, Gabriela,” he purred; she could hear the smirk in his voice. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.
Her one consolation was that he wasn’t unaffected. He’d be suffering right along with her if that giant rod throbbing against her backside was any indication. She gave her ass a little wiggle, making him groan.
“Good night, Mason.”
Thirteen
Awareness slowly returned to Broxen as the fog of sleep dissipated. He was first caressed by a sense of contentment like he’d never felt, a sense of fullness that hummed in his chest and coursed through his languid limbs. Next, he felt the mattress under his back, cradling him with just the right blend of softness and support, and the blanket draped over his body to cocoon him in warmth.
But there was another source of warmth here that was far more satisfying—the female tucked against his side. One of his arms was curled around Gabriela, keeping her firmly in place against him, and one of hers lay on his chest. Her head was resting upon his shoulder, her breath was fanning across his skin, and she had one leg hiked up atop his.
Broxen inhaled, filling his lungs with air perfumed by Gabriela’s sweet scent, and groaned. His tail, still stuck in his pants, twisted against his leg. He loved her scent, loved the feel of her, loved having her here, with him. This was where she belonged.
My mate.
For all the good, there was one source of discomfort that couldn’t be ignored—his cock. It had been erect and aching when he’d climbed into bed with Gabriela last night, and its status hadn’t changed. Clenching his jaw, he grasped the bedding in his free hand, squeezing tight as he struggled to resist the urge to take hold of his shaft.
Gabriela stirred, emitting a soft moan that made his cock twitch, and somehow, harden further. Seed seeped from its tip. Broxen groaned again.
She sighed and stretched, straightening her leg along his, pressing her soft breasts against his side, and smoothing her palm down his chest and over the muscles of his abdomen. Broxen’s breath hitched, and his whole body tensed.
Tilting her head back, she looked up at him with sleepy, half-lidded eyes, and her lips stretched into a smile. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” he rasped through his teeth. He longed for her hand to trek lower, to find the source of his need and tend to it.
But that hand stilled low on his belly just as her fingers grazed the waistband of his sweatpants.
Gabriela gasped and jerked away from him, putting a distance between their bodies that might as well have been a canyon and leaving his side cold. “I’m so sorry!”
Growling, Broxen rolled over, hooked a hand around her hip, and dragged her beneath him. He shifted his body upon her, curling his fingers around the backs of her thighs and drawing her knees up on either side of him. He bent low so his face was inches from hers. His long hair fell around them.
“Never apologize for touching me, female.”
She stared up at him with wide, dark eyes. Her hands lay on the mattress beside her head, fingers slightly bent, and her chest rose and fell with her rapid breaths. Broxen’s gaze settled on her breasts, where her budded nipples were visible through the thin fabric of her shirt, teasing him, tempting him.
Only then did he realize the position they were in—and that his cock was pressed along her slit.
He was poised as though to rut her.
Broxen looked down at where they their most intimate parts were in contact and gritted his teeth. Thin layers of cloth, each a mere fraction of a centimeter thick, were all that separated their bodies. The restraint it took to keep from bucking his hips was immense.
“Mason…”
He took in a deep breath—one that was fragranced with her desire—and dragged his eyes back up to meet hers. There was still surprise in Gabriela’s gaze, but there was fire in it, too. There was yearning.
His jaw tightened further as a new instinct flared within him. He bent down, lowering his face to where her neck and shoulder met, and drew in her scent again. The tip of his nose brushed her soft skin, and she shivered. Broxen’s gums ached, and his fangs itched at their bases, threatening to elongate.
He needed to bite her. He needed to mark her, to make his claim known to all. It was a primal drive, unfamiliar but powerful, something ancient.
Gabriela slid her hands around his sides and undulated her hips, causing herself and Broxen to draw in sharp breaths. She did it again, and again, rocking against his cock.
Pleasure jolted through him, as delightful as it was maddening, building that pressure in him. Though it was almost too much too bear, he couldn’t get enough. He felt her heat, felt her essence dampening the fabric separating their skin, and he craved more. He longed to tear the clothes from their bodies and feel her slick flesh, to plunge into the hot depths beckoning him.
Broxen dropped one of his hands onto the bed beside her head and curled his claws into the mattress. Unable to remain still any longer, he thrust against her, grunting at the pleasure that was spearing his core and racing up his spine. Much more of it, and he’d unravel. Coming undone had never seemed so appealing as it was right now.
Gabriela moaned and arched up against him, her blunt nails digging into his sides. The air grew thick and heady with her scent, clouding his mind with a haze of lust, driving him harder, faster. He used his grip on her to pull her against his every thrust.