I walked up the porch steps and held my breath. I was incredibly nervous and felt ridiculous about it. Liam was my mate. This was our house. I had no reason not to waltz right in and be comfortable in my own home. Our home.
I placed my hand on the door knob, taking a deep breath first. Once I was more in control, I turned the handle, but the door didn’t budge. What the fuckery? Our door was never locked.
I tried again, but still nothing. I pounded on the door and heard something drop, followed by multiple cuss words.
“Liam,” I yelled. “What the hell is going on? Open this door before I bust it in!”
His loud footsteps pounded through the house. “You weren’t supposed to be home yet.”
“You’re not supposed to be hiding things from me, so I guess we’re even,” I snapped.
I had foreseen the afternoon going better than this. My walls immediately went up. He was hiding something, which made my blood boil. Now, my poor door was going to pay the price for Liam’s mistakes.
He cracked open the door but stood firmly in place in front of it, so I couldn’t push my way in. I cocked my head at him, glaring.
“Can you give me five more minutes?” he begged.
I shook my head, crossing my arms like a stubborn child. I didn’t like surprises, even ones that made him smile bigger than I’d ever seen before.
His grin broke me, and I threw my hands in the air. “Fine, but only three minutes and then I’m kicking the door in.”
He didn’t even blink before he slammed the door shut in my face. I tried peeking through the windows on the porch to see in, but everything was locked down. It was really annoying.
I counted down the minutes, and when I got down to the ten second mark, I began yelling the numbers, so he had plenty of time to save himself from replacing the front door. I got down to ‘two’ as he pulled the entry open, huffing from his run across the house.
“You’re scary when you don’t get your way.” He bent over at the waist, catching his breath.
“Yeah, well, when your mate goes to bed pissed off at you, then isn’t home when you wake, and when he finally does make it home, he locks you out… I’m sure you can see where my patience ran out. You know, somewhere between what the hell is going on with you and why the shit was the door locked?”
He laughed, shaking his head and further fueling my irritation. I’m not sure which part he thought was funny, because I saw nothing funny about the last twenty-four hours.
He reached a hand out to me. “If you had been home on time yesterday, then you would have known what I had planned, and I wouldn’t have had to go back to the store today or lock you out. Now, you’ve gone and ruined my surprise twice. I should be the one upset with you, but you’re adorable like this and I can’t help but love you even more.”
I glared at him, still ignoring his hand. “Adorable like this? When I’m furious?” He was going to be wishing he had balls of steel in a second.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He laughed before taking two long strides and throwing me over his shoulder. “You’re coming inside before you completely ruin it.”
“Ruin what?” I screeched.
Before responding, he hauled me through the doorway and kicked the door shut behind him.
“Just be quiet for two seconds and see for yourself.” He lowered me back to the ground and turned me around to face the hallway.
Holy-fucking-shit. I was a piss-poor mate. Bottom of the scum bucket.
“I didn’t get to do everything I did last night, but I think it still makes its point.” He smirked.
I glanced from him to the hallway several times, taking it all in. There were tiny twinkling lights strung from the ceiling, cascading down the hall, along with yellow and pink rose petals scattered on the floor. Tiny floating candles in small glass bowls were placed every four-or-so feet, making a trail toward our bedroom.
“What? When? Why?” I stammered, unable to form a coherent thought, but also knowing he’d get the point.
His hand cupped my cheek. “I love you. Even when you’re being stubborn, pissy, and impatient. I knew the day you couldn’t take your eyes off me but refused to fall for my charm that I wouldn’t be able to live without you. You are mine forever and I’m hoping this is enough to make you want to complete the blood bond. Tonight.
“Our lives may never be calm again and when you said you were ready, I knew I just needed to make it happen. I was upset last night, because I spent two hours making everything perfect, then had no idea where you were. I’m sorry for being angry, but I hope this makes up for it.”
I stared, dumbfounded for a few seconds, before jumping into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist. I pressed my lips to his and kissed him as if I would never get the chance again, whispering my gratitude between kisses.
He pulled back, grinning. “If this is what I get for the hallway, I can’t wait to see what you think of the bedroom.”
“Show me,” I demanded.
He carried me down the hall, but before we reached the bedroom, he set me down and covered my eyes.
“I want you to get the full effect when you first see it,” Liam whispered.
My body shivered in response. He was on his game tonight, and I wasn’t sure I’d survive whatever else he had in store for me. I’d yet to say with words how I was feeling, but I had hoped my body was telling him what I couldn’t.
He nudged me forward, and I trusted him to keep me from slamming into the wall. I held my breath in anticipation, but when he removed his hand, I forgot to release it until he whispered in my ear to do so.
The floor was nearly covered in fresh red rose petals, and the bed was sprinkled with pink ones surrounding a bottle of wine and plate of chocolate-dipped fruits. More twinkling lights dangled from the ceiling and the curtains were pulled closed, making it feel like night instead of the middle of the day.
“This is perfect, and I love you for it. Though, I do have to ask… why now?” I asked as I turned to face him.
I was genuinely curious, because it sure as hell seemed like an odd time to me with everything going on within the pack. I wasn’t about to argue with him, but I was curious, nonetheless.
“As I mentioned earlier, there won’t ever be a right time if we keep waiting. I would have preferred last night instead of the middle of the day,” he shrugged, “but that’s okay. Now is going to be just as perfect as long as you don’t want to murder me for being overly sensitive last night and taking out my frustrations on you that my surprise didn’t go as planned.”
I had been equally confused and upset by his previous actions, but it didn’t mean I didn’t still love him and want the blood bond. I knew life wasn’t going to be sunshine and roses for us every day. If I couldn’t take the good with the tolerable, I didn’t deserve him. I knew in my heart Liam was a good man. He’d make mistakes, but he’d also learn from them, just as I knew I would.
“Neither of us is perfect,” I said. “I’m ready for forever if you are.”
His lips curved up into a slow, sexy smile as he swooped me into his arms before walking toward the bed. I used my vantage point to show his neck some love before things got heated. I had always thought the blood bond was archaic, but now that I was moments from sinking my teeth into my mate’s neck, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
My wolf paced frantically inside me, begging to be let out. I half-worried I wouldn’t be able to control the partial shift necessary to complete the blood bond, but as my doubts reached her, she calmed enough to lift my unease.
Liam laid me on the bed, coming down on top of me. He kissed me senseless before abruptly lifting himself up.
I pouted, and he pressed his finger to my lips. “Clothes off first, then more.”
Well, I couldn’t argue with that.
Neither of us waited a second longer. Clothes flew from our bodies in record time. The romantic notions had already been made. He’d made me swoon. I was ready for more now. The time for romancing had passed. Need was taking control of the situation and I had no intention of stopping it.
When not even a stitch lay between us, Liam settled between my legs as I raised myself up to meet him. He pushed into me with no restraint, proving how ready we both were.
His eyes changed to narrowed slits as he called his wolf forward, so I did the same.
Don’t overpower me or I’ll keep you locked up for a month, I threatened.
She growled in reply, but I felt her excitement lessen. I knew better, and if I hadn’t reminded her of the consequences if she forced a shift on me, then our blood bond could have turned into a blood bath.
My canines lengthened as I called my wolf forward just enough. My nails began to form claws, but I reigned the change in before it went any further. I could hear the panting of my wolf as the euphoria of what was about to happen truly set in. If we didn’t fuck this up, I owed her at least a half day in wolf form to do as she pleased.
Liam began to make love to me, bringing my attention to where it needed to be. I wrapped my legs around him, pressing where I wanted to make it quick. For the blood bond to be successful, we both needed to be in climax before biting the other. I had no more desire to wait.
Tremors began to rock my body as Liam’s chin went rigid. He made one last motion, and I screamed out as his teeth sank into my shoulder. I immediately followed his actions, hesitating for only a moment at the thought of drinking his blood before my wolf reminded me of the benefits, taking away the last of my worries.
Emotions slammed into my body I’d never known existed. I was riding a cloud of euphoria as everything came to fruition. I didn’t want to pull back, afraid the feelings would fade, but Liam gently brought me back to reality as I lifted my mouth from his body.
Love. Happiness. Desire. So much of everything, it was almost overwhelming.
He wrapped his arms around me as we came down from the high to a more manageable level. My body shook from the adrenaline, and I couldn’t figure out where I ended and he began. We were now one in every way possible.
He kissed his way from my shoulder to my face, then stared longingly into my eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I’ve ever been in my entire life.” I sighed. “You?”
His grin said all I needed to know.
“I love you more than I thought possible, and now I know without a doubt that you love me just the same.”
I laughed. “You had doubts and still wanted to complete the blood bond?”
He winked. “I had to lock you down somehow before you realized you could do so much better than me. I’m far from perfect, but I couldn’t live without you.”
He was laying on the romance like I’d never seen before. I didn’t understand his doubts, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. Instead, I planned on showing him how much he truly deserved my love over and over again.
The pack would have to wait for the day. Our door remained locked and we cemented our blood bond several times until we both passed out, sated in pleasure.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to return to the real world. It was just as important for Liam and me to be in a strong place emotionally as physically, but I’d have to disappoint him in the morning. I had no intention of revealing our bond to anyone else. At least, not yet.