40 – There’s Just One Last Thing…

They’d slept for hours.

And still, all Jaggar could think of was taking his mate again. He nuzzled her neck, then stroked one pretty nipple with his thumb. She groaned in her early drowsiness and arched into him. “Mmmm, yes,” she said.

He growled his approval of her response and moved in closer to her, manhandling her hips until her body was up against his. He grabbed her thigh and pulled that leg up, draping it over him. Leilani’s eyes opened and the silver light spilled out over him. She smiled at him. “Jaggar,” she said.

Then she twisted in his arms, pressing her backside against him. He held tight for a moment. Her hair was covering her neck, so he was ok. She wiggled. He wasn’t ok. He slipped inside her wet heat from behind and she made a noise that split his heart in two. “Yes, Jaggar,” she said. “I-it feels so good.”

“I love you,” he said, the words spilling out of him. He loved her with everything he was, and he had since he’d first seen her. The fact that she let him touch her, that she enjoyed him and accepted him and whispered to him at night, and let him hold her and comfort her… he could not help but spill words of love from his lips. He had no pain in that moment, no sensation of splitting or ripping, only the absolute bliss of being inside his mate.

“Oh,” she said, taking a deep breath. She reached behind her and grabbed at his leg, trying to pull him closer to her. He complied, burying himself deeper inside at the same time. Her touch was soft, not quite as confident as it had been. But then her hand curled into a fist one time, and she reached up to her head, leaning forward, brushing her beautiful dark hair over her shoulder. Baring her neck to him.

His fangs grew in his mouth and he leaned in before he knew what he was doing but then he slammed his mouth shut and gathered himself. Off-fucking-limits. He pulled out of her, flipping her over and bending over her, caressing her body with his fingers until his teeth were normal again. Only then did he nudge her legs apart with his knee. He sank back into her body, thrusting deep, but gentle, so gentle. Don’t hurt her, don’t hurt her. Her little cries told him what she liked the most and he did that until the way she trembled on the bed and grabbed at him and cried out, “yes, oh my goodness, yes,” told him that she was coming and only after she’d done that twice did he let him think about himself.

***

Jaggar opened his eyes. Had they napped? Maybe. He already wanted to take his mate again, but Evie was in his head.

Burton wants to make a special dinner. Any chance you two want to come down? No pressure.

No, was on Jaggar’s mind, but Leilani sat up in bed, a smile on her face. That would be wonderful, she said in ruhi, already a master at it.

He growled into her neck. “You’re ready to see people?”

“Totally,” she said, nodding. “I can’t wait to talk to Eventine, and get to know Harlan and Burton.”

Jaggar nodded at his mate. He would never try to deny her any simple pleasure. “Eventine washed your clothes.” He handed her the clean outfit and pulled on the uniform he’d been wearing.

She got dressed quickly, then touched her hair. “How do I look?” she said.

“Like you went to bed with wet hair and then had sex for twenty-four hours straight.”

“Oh no!” she said, her hand over her mouth. She pulled at her hair, her eyes that strange but beautiful silver he was used to.

He held her shoulders and sat her on the bed. “Wait here.” He found a brush in the bathroom and returned to her.

“What do I do?” he said.

“Oh, I can do it.” She held her hand out. “Give me the brush.”

He held tight to it. “I want to brush your hair, Leilani, if you’ll let me.”

“Ok,” she said softly, and then she showed him how to brush it. She held still while he followed her instructions exactly.

“There,” he finally said, when her hair fell long and straight down her back. “You look beautiful.”

She smiled at him. He took her hand and helped her down the stairs into the kitchen.

But when he saw Harlan and Burton, the beast surged inside him and he snarled, a sick chainsaw-cutting-through-metal sound. He couldn’t help himself. Mine! surged inside him, animal, instinctual, unstoppable.

Harlan shot to his feet, grabbing for Burton. “Oh shit!” he shouted.

Jaggar held on to his human form with his entire grip. He could not shift, could not let the beast out. Take me to church, he chanted, keeping control, barely, his fangs and his claws growing no matter what he did.

“Burton, we have to go check the back forty, roll some pigs, something,” Harlan said, practically hauling the male out the door. As soon as the door to the mudroom closed and they were out of his sight, Jaggar was able to relax slightly. His awareness of the room, outside of those two males that could not be around his unclaimed mate, came back into being. Leilani was next to him, holding tight to him, her trembling and whispering to him. “No Jaggar, no.”

He shook his head, raising a hand to his temple. “I’m ok. I’m sorry.”

Eventine was across the room, leaning against the counter, arms crossed, shaking her head slowly right to left. “Jaggar, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind?”

He shook his head. “Let it go, Evie, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

Her voice filled his head. I can imagine, believe me. You have to get over it.

“Let’s go back upstairs,” Leilani said. He couldn’t protest. He wasn’t ready yet. He’d get ready. He hadn’t realized the impulse would be so strong, so all-encompassing. He hadn’t realized he would not even recognize Harlan and Burton as anything but enemies, the same as he had Mac. But now that he knew, he could figure out how to handle it. That’s what he did, he thought his way around problems. He hadn’t been ready, that was all.

Leilani pulled him back upstairs. She held onto him while she closed and locked the door. He didn’t dare speak, didn’t dare think, until he knew what she was feeling. When she took him right to the bed, he knew she understood him perfectly.

Smart, he thought. The bed was where they’d had the most success so far. If they could find understanding there, it could spread outward toward all these spots that didn’t fill in so easily.

She faced him and undressed slowly, her sightless eyes on him anyway. He went instantly hard, his eyes on her body, his imagination already inside her. She pulled at his shirt. He undressed quickly. She fluttered her hands down his body and when her hands landed on his cock she smiled. She sat down, then spoke up to him. “I’ve been wanting to do this.” She leaned forward and took his cock in her mouth. He moaned, his hips thrusting forward. Had anything ever been so right in his life?

His mate took him in her mouth until he couldn’t take it anymore and he pressed her over the bed, entering her with her name on his lips.

***

Jaggar watched his mate sleep. He ran over their last few days together in his mind, thinking of how he could do for her what she was doing for him. How could he make her whole life up to her?

He thought as his mate slept, generating a list of possible ideas, but swiftly realizing he would need help. He spoke to Evie and Harlan in ruhi. Sorry about earlier. I need something, if you’ll help me. Actually, I need a lot of somethings.

Eventine’s answer came back so quickly he almost imagined they were children again, finishing each other’s sentences in their minds. Anything, Jaggar, just tell me you claimed her.

That was one thing he could not tell her.