With Naomi splayed out in front of him, the scent of her lust in the air, Sawyer let his growl echo out into the living room. His cock was already straining against his jeans, but he ignored that, focusing on enjoying having Naomi all to himself again.

Grabbing onto her hips, he pulled her forward on the couch, listening to her breath catch as he did. He took a moment to watch her chest rise and fall, to listen to her heartbeat, locking the moment away in his memory.

Letting his hands slide up the smooth skin of her legs, he spread them open before kissing his way up the insides of her thighs. Every now and again he’d sneak a glance at her face, smiling to himself when he caught her watching him, completely mesmerized.

He kissed around her clit first, applying just the faintest amount of pressure, while his hands on her thighs kept her in place. Naomi squirmed, mewling, her hips jerking every time his lips brushed against her swollen clit.

She was already so wet for him, Sawyer was finding it difficult to hold back. When he finally spread her open with one, long lick, Naomi shuddered, her hands moving to grip his hair.

Teasing her with his tongue, Sawyer built up the pressure, reveling in her sweet taste. When she started bucking against him, he only held on to her tighter, setting a pace he knew would drive her mad.

Circling his tongue around her clit, his fingers digging into her hips, Sawyer buried himself in between Naomi’s thighs, his hunger for her only growing. Her pussy warm and wet against his face, a growl reverberated through Sawyer’s chest as his tongue rubbed against the most sensitive part of her.

Naomi’s fingers twisted in his hair, her nails raking across his scalp as she rolled her hips, grinding against him. Her soft moans were coming more frequently now, and he could hear the blood rushing in her veins.

Using one hand to hold on to her hip, Sawyer used the other to grab her knee and throw Naomi’s leg over his shoulder. She scooted closer to the edge of the couch, her eyes squeezed shut and her head thrown back.

Keeping his tongue on her clit, he slid his free hand down, slowly sliding a finger into Naomi’s wet pussy. Her spine jerked as her thighs tightened around his head, her moans louder now. Carefully, Sawyer added another finger, feeling her tight pussy stretch around him.

Finding a rhythm between his tongue and his fingers, Sawyer listened to Naomi unravel, panting and whining, her fingers clenching in his hair. It was almost as if he could feel her pleasure.

His wolf clawed and roared inside him, eager to claim its mate. Picking up the pace, Sawyer curled his fingers inside her, reaching for that right spot that would make her tumble over the edge.

The room filled with the sound of his fingers slamming inside her warm, tight pussy, as he sucked on her clit, grunting to himself. The air around him thick and heady with their shared passion, only one thought filled Sawyer’s mind.

She’s mine.

Writhing under his touch, Naomi suddenly tensed up, her thighs like a vise around him. Her pussy clenched around his fingers while he kept thrusting them inside her, his tongue pressed against her clit.

Her body jerking, Naomi rode the invisible wave of her orgasm, a breathless scream tearing out of her throat. Gently lapping at her pussy, Sawyer started pulling back as her body relaxed.

Sawyer maneuvered her back onto the couch, making sure she didn’t fall over the edge. She lay there for a good moment, catching her breath, her eyes still shut, and her hair fanned out around her.

It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

* * *

When Naomi emerged in the living room, back from her shower, she was wearing her own clothes again, and Sawyer couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. The possessive part of him loved seeing her in his shirt, and smelling himself on her skin.

Sitting at the kitchen table with a new cup of coffee in front of him, he watched Naomi saunter over, clad in a simple cotton dress that reached well below the knee. It was modest by most standards, but clung to her curves in a way that made him want to undress her all over again.

The sky-blue color of the dress accentuated the brilliant green of her eyes, and Sawyer couldn’t help the wide smile taking over his face when she plopped down opposite him.

“And what are you grinning about?” Naomi smiled, resting an elbow on the table.

“Nothing,” he shrugged. “Just thinking about how I’ll never look at that couch the same way again.”

A blush crept up Naomi’s cheeks as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Ha ha,” she deadpanned, suppressing the smile tugging at the edges of her lips.

Sawyer looked at Naomi, gorgeous as ever, but couldn’t ignore the tired look in her eyes. She was putting up a brave front, but distractions or no distractions, all that was going on had to be weighing on her.

“It will be over soon,” he said, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. “We’ll get rid of the statue, once and for all.”

“I know we will,” Naomi nodded, squeezing his hand. “But we can’t know that will be the end of it. What if Verin finds out we destroyed it? What if he wants revenge?” she asked.

It wasn’t anything Sawyer hadn’t already thought about. Verin didn’t seem like the type of guy to just go ‘oh well, win some, lose some’, when robbed of his big prize. But worrying about what could happen after the full moon came and went wouldn’t do them any good.

They needed to be focused on the task at hand.

“We will cross that bridge when we get to it,” Sawyer replied. “And we’re not alone. If it comes to it, we can ask Dakota and Wes for help, or turn to my old pack in Pinedale. Verin might be a powerful demon, but he’s just one guy. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, I promise.”

Shoulders slumping, Naomi gave him a faint smile.

“I just want Verin to actually pay for what he’s done, you know?” she said. “I know with you and your partner, you said seeing the killer face justice didn’t bring Ted back, but I can’t help but want Verin to suffer. He’s been getting away with this for so long… I can’t stand the idea of him ripping apart any more families.”

Sawyer could more than understand that. Of course knowing a murderer like Verin was walking around, unpunished, did not sit well with him. But more than he wanted to kick the demon’s ass, he wanted to keep Naomi safe.

Something about what she had said, or rather how she had said it, piqued his interest, his cop instincts pushing their way to the surface.

“Like your family was ripped apart?” he gently prodded, still holding her hand in his.

Blinking up at him, Naomi hesitated for a moment before answering. Oddly, her heartbeat sped up, like she was nervous. When she avoided his gaze as she spoke, Sawyer was suddenly sure she was keeping something from him.

“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, if Verin has been collecting things to help him grow in power for a while now, which we have to assume he has, there’s no telling how many people he’s hurt.”

An unsettling suspicion crept into Sawyer’s mind, one that he couldn’t ignore. Naomi had been taking this case extremely personally from the start, which he had attributed to Melanie being her best friend…

But then there was the anger, disdain, fear and something deeper, like a long-seated grief, that dripped from her tone every time the demon was even mentioned. Looking into Naomi’s eyes, a disconcerting thought took over Sawyer’s mind.

Has Naomi been lying to me?