Dane was barely containing the beast. Now that he was inside Marley, the shifter was urging him to take her hard and make her theirs. For once, they were on the same page. The way Marley moved with him, the way her fingers caressed every inch of his body, the way her eyes never left his, all of it was too much yet not enough. Never enough. His thoughts echoed hers. Dane could hear Marley in his head, and he knew theirs would be a love for the ages.
“I don’t know how much longer I can hold back, Sweetness.”
“Then don’t. Let go, Dane. Let me see the real you while you mark me.”
Her permission was all it needed for the beast to take over. Dane pistoned into Marley’s heat, thrusting harder each time. Her eyes widened as he released his wings, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and dug in, meeting him thrust for powerful thrust. “Do it, Chief,” she urged, tilting her head to the side.
Dane toyed with her neck, licking the spot and grazing his fangs across her skin. Goosebumps formed across her shoulder. Marley reached behind him, touching the edge of his wings, and Dane lost control. He sank his fangs in deep while coming even deeper inside his mate. Marley screamed out his name when her own orgasm hit, and her pussy tightened around his cock. Dane drank the blood pouring from her neck, lapping it up while his dick pulsed inside her. He thanked the gods he had enough sense to retract his fangs when he felt Marley go still beneath him. Dane panted through the release, not wanting the experience to end. Sated, the beast retreated, leaving Dane in control. He withdrew his wings and reached out to gauge Marley’s mood. His mate was blissful.
“Whoa,” she whispered.
Dane kissed her neck several times, praying he hadn’t hurt her. Biting her during sex had been much more intense than when he bit her at the hospital. She was still running her hands all over his body, and Dane wanted to roll over and purr like a cat. Her touch was something he craved, and she gave it freely. He nuzzled her neck and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Okay? That was spiritual. It was like everything slowed down and sped up at the same time. You were pounding me, which felt amazing by the way, but when you were biting me, it was like time stalled out. I’ll worship at the church of Dane anytime.”
Dane grinned against her neck and nipped her earlobe. “I’m pretty sure I understand. It was that way for me when you touched my wings. That sent me over the edge.”
“Good to know,” she husked.
As badly as he wanted to stay buried inside, Dane eased out so he could roll to his side and stare at Marley. “How much recovery time do you need?” she asked, swirling her fingers around one of his nipples. Dane shivered, and his cock began filling out.
“You keep touching me like that, and not much time at all.” Dane rolled to his back taking Marley with him. She wasn’t heavy, but he liked her weight on top of him. Marley’s eyes were a little glassy, so he asked her, “You sure you’re okay?”
“I am beyond okay. My head no longer hurts. I can hear your thoughts, and I just had an out-of-body experience during the best orgasm of my life. My fiancé is a superhero, and I have this whole new life ahead of me filled with a new family and friends.” Marley straddled his legs and reached between them, taking his erection in hand and directing it to her opening. “Do you mind?” she asked, lowering herself.
“Not at all. I like the view,” Dane said, and he did. His mate was a sight riding his dick with her eyes closed and her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. Marley used the muscles in her thighs to raise and lower her pussy onto his cock, her breasts pointing at him, begging for attention. Dane latched onto both nipples and twisted, eliciting a moan from her throat. After a couple of minutes, Dane sat up and moved Marley’s legs so they were wrapped around his body. He pushed over to the edge of the bed and stood, taking Marley to the wall next to the door. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” he said as he thrust into her body while holding her ass in his hands.
“I’ve never had wall sex, either. I’m finding I rather like it,” Marley grunted between thrusts. It didn’t take long for both of them to reach their climaxes. Instead of pulling out when the last of their pulses subsided, Dane carried Marley into the large bathroom and started the shower.
“I want to get you clean so I can dirty you up again,” he said against her lips while the water heated. They took turns lathering each other, and Dane gently washed Marley’s hair, taking care around the spot where her hair was shaved. He got her dirty up against the tile wall before washing her off again. After drying off, Marley brushed the tangles out of her hair, and they brushed their teeth. Dane had never shared a bathroom with a woman, and the domesticity felt wonderful. Seeing her things on the counter with his was like the final piece of a puzzle coming together.
Dane took Marley back to their bedroom where they put on their pajamas. Dane could have gone all night, but Marley had to be sore, and he wanted to show her the rest of the house.
Dane smiled when Marley pulled out a pair of Batman sleeping pants. “Look, Chief. It was a sign,” she said pointing at the logo. “We were definitely meant to be together.”
“You’re a nut,” he said affectionately.
“Yes, but I’m your nut. You knew how I was before you bit me.”
“I did, and I bit you anyway.”
After showing Marley the remainder of the house, they put away the leftover pizza and washed the dishes before settling on the couch. Dane sat on one end with his feet propped on the coffee table, and Marley settled with her head in his lap. He was looking forward to when the weather cooled off and they could have a fire in the fireplace. Dane loved the smell of wood burning. “Where would you like to go on our honeymoon?” he asked, thinking maybe they could find somewhere up north with a cabin.
“As long as I’m with you, I really don’t have a preference. I’ve never traveled, so I wouldn’t know where to start,” Marley said around a yawn.
“Do you like the beach? Would you want to do a cruise? Or maybe find a cabin in the woods where there was a possibility of snow? I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
Marley didn’t respond, and Dane looked down to find his mate had fallen asleep. Dane brushed her hair back from her face and enjoyed the silence of their new home. He knew it wouldn’t last long before the Clan began visiting, and he was all right with that. Having people care about you was a good thing. Gently, Dane lifted Marley, cradling her to his chest, and took her back upstairs to their bed. He placed her on the side closest to the door while he got a towel out of the bathroom to cover the wet spot. He should have changed the sheets, but he figured they’d just get messed up again when they woke up.
He hadn’t been wrong. Marley woke up, ready to go again, and at some point during the next day, he found his handcuffs. Sex with his mate was an adventure. Each time she wanted to try something new or different, he was right there making sure she got what she wanted, and in turn, she reciprocated.
They finally gave in to the need for sleep, and Dane held Marley close until the early morning hours, thinking of how much his life had changed in the past week and how much it was going to continue to change as they got married and went forward with their lives together. There was no regret present or wondering if they had rushed into being mates. Dane loved everything about Marley, from her witty banter to the way she pouted when she didn’t get her way. He had seen the same face on Grace. Thinking of Marley’s daughter hurt Dane in a way he couldn’t explain. Marley had given her up out of love, but he still wished they could raise her as theirs. If Marley didn’t want to have another child, maybe Dane could talk her into adopting. He fell asleep to thoughts of Marley holding a baby while Dane wrapped them both in his love.
When Dane woke the next morning, he knew right away something was wrong. The love and peace that had been in the room when he fell asleep was gone. In its place was something darker. He opened his eyes to find Marley turned toward him with her fists tucked under her chin. “I remember,” she whispered. She must have been waiting on him to wake up.
Dane turned toward her and held one of her hands. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“You told me what happened, and I knew it was going to be bad, I just didn’t expect to feel that helpless.”
“I’m so sorry,” Dane said again. He had failed her, but he vowed to never fail her again.
“It’s not your fault. You did what you thought was best in the situation. If I had stayed, more people would have been at risk without you going up against the Unholy.”
“I get that, Sweetness, but you are my first priority. As chief of police, I have a responsibility to the people of New Atlanta, but you are my number one priority, and you always will be. I will turn in my badge before I ever let something happen to you again.”
Dane’s phone pinged with an incoming text. He had ignored all other notifications up until that point, but he was Chief, and he could only shirk his duties for so long. When he saw who it was he grinned. He opened his phone and handed it to Marley. “It’s for you,” he informed her.
Marley took his phone and read the message from his father. She looked up at Dane and smiled. “Dad wants to know if he and Caroline can stop by today.”
“That’s up to you. Are you ready for company? You can always ask for an extra day to recuperate.”
“Is that what we’re calling wild monkey sex?”
Dane laughed and pulled Marley down for a kiss. “I don’t care what we call it as long as we keep having it.”
“Do you mind if they stop by?” Marley bit her bottom lip.
“Not at all. I’ll start breakfast if you want to take a shower. If I know my father, he’s sitting with his keys in his hand, ready to walk out the door.”
“Yes,” she said and did a fist pump. “I really like your dad.”
“He took quite a shine to you, too.” Dane kissed her on the nose and rolled out of bed.
“I’m going to change the sheets again before I get in the shower. I’m sure your parents will want to look around, and I’d rather not have them seeing our mating mess.”
“Mating mess?”
“You have to admit the bed is a wreck.”
“That it is. I’ll grab the dirty linens and take them downstairs to put in the washer. At this rate, we’re going to need to stock up.”
After pulling the sheets from the bed, Dane changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before padding downstairs. He tossed the linens in the hamper before he started the coffee and gathered what he needed for pancakes, bacon, and eggs. When he heard the shower turn off, he put the sheets in the washing machine. He had just poured pancake batter onto the griddle when he felt Marley enter the room. He loved how connected they were. He loved everything about his mate. He couldn’t wait to show her every single day how much he appreciated she was his.
“You can start by finding my phone or buying me another one,” she said as she poured coffee into one of the mugs Dane had placed on the counter.
“Say what?”
“You said you want to show me how much you appreciate me, and I need my phone.”
“You heard that?” She had said she could hear his thoughts, but he hadn’t even been directing them at her. He was going to have to be careful around her when he was thinking about a case or something bad that happened at work.
“I heard you loud and clear, Chief. I guess you need to work on blocking me or something. I sure don’t want to know what’s on your mind twenty-four seven.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope. There has to be a little mystery, or else shit’ll get boring. Now, about that phone.”
“Yours is in your purse upstairs. I powered it off when you were in the hospital so the battery wouldn’t die. If you’ll watch the pancakes, I’ll go get it.”
When Dane came back with her purse, she thanked him and pulled the phone out, powered it on, and set it down on the table. She then went around the kitchen opening each cabinet door. “I guess Cammie put the dishes up. They’re arranged just like ours were.”
“You can rearrange things any way you want. I figure we’ll both be cooking, but I’m not picky.”
“Right. And I’m not a slob, either,” she smarted off. “Honestly, I don’t care where anything is except the beer and you. Not necessarily in that order.”
Dane shook his head at his wacky mate. He was picky, but he figured if Marley wanted things a certain way, he could deal with it. Her happiness came before his obsessive tendencies.
Dane heard his father’s car coming down the driveway. “Dad’s here,” he said.
“Oh, good!” Marley took off for the front door and threw it open before Jonas could park. “Uh, Chief? Those people aren’t your parents.”