Digging her nails into the smooth flesh of his broad shoulders, Devon held tight as he fucked in and out of her body with blatantly possessive thrusts. So many sensations assailed her—the burn of his thickness stretching her, the dig of his fingertips in his hips, the slap of his balls on her ass, the heat of his mouth as it ravished hers with so much greed it stole her breath.
He groaned. “Fuck, kitten, your pussy is strangling my dick.”
Devon bit her lip as he spread her folds with his fingers, exposing her clit to every brutal, branding slam of his cock. She dug her claws harder into his flesh, scratching the hellcat she’d tattooed onto the back of his left shoulder. “Harder, Tanner.”
He gave her what she wanted, grunting and breathing heavily down her ear. Every heavy pound of his cock wound her tighter and tighter, driving her closer and closer to coming … until she was teetering on the knife-edge of what she knew would be a mind-blowing orgasm. She felt his cock throb and swell; knew he was close as well.
“You love me?” he ground out.
“Yes.”
“You belong to me?”
“Yes.”
“Will I ever give you up?”
“No.”
“That’s right. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Need you more than you’ll ever know. And right now, I need you to come for me.” He slipped his thumb between her slit and thumbed her clit hard. “Do it, kitten, milk my cock and … yeah, that’s it.”
Devon’s head flew back as white-hot pleasure blasted through her body, making her muscles spasm, her pussy ripple, and her spine arch like a bow. Tanner cursed into her neck as he slammed harder, faster. His teeth sank into her skin just as his cock roughly sank deep one last time. He exploded with a growl, and she felt jet after jet of hot come splash her quivering walls.
Devon slumped into the mattress, breathing hard, shaking with aftershocks. Damn if the pooch wasn’t good at—
Her brow furrowed as he slid something cold onto her third finger. A little dazed from her orgasm, she blinked at her finger. It wasn’t a ring. It was two. One was a black gold band that had a row of small garnet stones. The other black gold ring was thinner and had an emerald-cut black diamond in the center.
Her heart slammed against her ribs, and she met his eyes. “This is a black diamond.”
His lips twitched. “Well I know that.”
Pulse racing, she could only gawk at him. It was no casual thing for a demon to give their mate a black diamond. It was the ultimate brand of ownership; a symbol of commitment. And since demons didn’t commit easily or lightly, a lot of couples waited a long time before exchanging rings.
It took male hellhounds far longer than other breeds to settle down, if they ever did—it still amazed Devon that he’d taken her as his mate; the last thing she would have expected was for him to give her a black diamond so soon. Especially when “alone” was what he knew best.
She licked her lips. “Tanner—”
“You’re thinking this is too big a step for me; that I haven’t thought this through,” he said, looking more peaceful than she’d ever seen him. “You’re wrong. We haven’t been together long, that’s true. But you’ve been mine since the day we met, kitten, and we both know it. It just took us a while to get where we are now.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I’ve never felt what I feel for you for anyone else, and I know I never could. I love every part of you, inside and out. Every inch of this body, every hair on your head, everything that makes you who you are. You’re irreplaceable for me, and there isn’t a single thing I won’t do to keep you. I’ve told you before; once a male hellhound chooses a mate, it’s permanent. I mean it when I say I will fucking obliterate anyone or anything that tries to come between us.”
Nose prickling, throat thick, Devon bit her lip. “Then I’ll wear these rings with pride.” She hugged him tight, breathing him in, so far gone for him it wasn’t even funny. “Love ya, pooch.”
Looking down into eyes glistening with unshed tears, Tanner felt warmth radiate through him and swell in his chest. Fuck if those simple words didn’t have the power to bring him to his knees, even if he’d heard them before. “Love you right back, kitten.”
“Where’s the male version of the ring? I know they come in a set. And no, I’m not asking you to put it on just because you slipped these on me. I want you to wear it. And I’ll shove it up your nostril if you don’t—it’ll be a tight fit, but I’ll make it work.”
He chuckled. “No need to convince me to wear it.”
“Well, then, what are you waiting for?”
“So impatient.” He plucked a box out of the nightstand draw and pulled out a thick, masculine black gold band that had a single, small garnet stone in the center. He slid it onto his third finger. His chest expanded as he took a deep, satisfied breath. “Happy now?”
“Yep.”
He rolled them onto their sides, keeping her close. “What about your demon?”
“Content. It likes shiny things, and it’s smug that you’ve laid such a massive claim.”
“My demon is rather pleased—it likes seeing those rings on your finger; likes that everyone, including humans, will know you’re taken. And it’s just as pleased that you want me to wear the masculine band.”
“Then all is good in our world.”
“Yep, it is.” Unable to refrain from teasing her, he said, “So, all your dreams have come true. You’re officially my mate, you’re living with me, you’re wearing my rings, I’m wearing yours. Your heart must be close to bursting with the sheer joy of it all.” He almost laughed when her eyes narrowed. “I mean, let’s be honest, it was a case of love at first sight for you, wasn’t it? You’ve adored me for so long, it must be sometimes hard to believe that this is all truly real and that—”
He laughed when she swiped at him, her claws out. “Now, now, kitten, we’ve talked about this—you need to leave those claws sheathed. If you want, we can forget that you’ve been obsessed with me all these years; we can pretend that you didn’t compare other guys to me and find them all lacking so—Fuck, stop going for my eyes!”