Chapter Twenty

Rett

 

I knew Laia's smiles: when she was up to something, or laughing about some secret joke. "What?" I asked between kisses. "Is? So? Funny?"

Her nails lightly ran up and down my back, her bright eyes dancing as she looked up at me and shrugged. “Oh, just recalling this is your bed that I’ve been sleeping in. Alone. Until now.”

“There was no nefarious plan.”

“Mm, yeah, you’re not that smooth,” Laia teased.

I growled and splayed my hands on her back, pushing her closer to me. She arched and gasped as heavy want pressed between her legs, biting her lips. Saying nothing, I gently circled my hips, and Laia fell back into the bed, eyes fluttering shut. Her fingers dug into the ridges of my shoulders, and she made a frustrated sound as I bent my head, kissing the hollow of her neck.

Slowing my movements, then pulling away, I kissed down to her sternum. Her fingers fisted in my hair, tugging me back, but I kept going. Down at her belly button, Laia quivered under my touch, her body writhing a little as she tried to let off the building need.

I flipped her over onto her stomach and kissed her lower back, letting my hands knead her shoulders, then moving down and working her ass in the same fashion. It was slow and methodical, so I could learn every inch of her. Every intake of breath, every moan, every whisper, every cry.

Meanwhile, however, the pressure between my legs raged. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take. As I moved over her, Laia got up on her knees, begging for me.

But I tasted her warmth instead, slow and savoring. With each stroke, she was a bundle of shaking nerves moving closer and closer to climax. Then I moved away, kissing the back of her thighs and letting her cool down.

Laia let out a frustrated sound, and I knew she’d get me back. But that was part of our game.

Finally, the pressure too much to bear, I was up and over her. One hand fisted in her hair, the other on her hips, I thrust in. As with the first time, patience was swallowed up by primal need. The mating urge roared through me, firing up my blood, and I began moving faster.

“Harder, mm, yes,” Laia moaned. “Oh, yes, Rett, yes.”

Her whimpers and cries, rising higher and higher, only fueled the urge more. I groaned as her softness clenched around me, then let out a harsh sound as I came, moments later. Satisfaction throbbed through me. Honestly, I briefly forgot which way was up for a moment.

Spent for the moment, I curled up next to Laia and brushed back the hair from her face, suddenly worried. But she smiled and shook her head.

“I’m better than okay, big guy.” Laia’s lips curved up, and she glanced down, then back up. “You may have had the cure all along.”

Those words had blood rushing south again, but I could wait. I wanted to hold her against me, to ensure she was actually okay, and maybe even hold off until tomorrow.

But Laia slipped out of my grip and straddled me, clearly having other ideas. Her hands smoothed down my stomach as I sat up, enjoying the view. Then she pulled me in for a kiss, and I lost myself in her, tongues crashing and hands roaming. Grabbing her hips, I sat up more and lifted her, positioning her over my length. She cried out in my mouth as she plunged down.

Gasping, we broke apart, and Laia rolled her hips, throwing her head back and crying out my name. Her breasts bounced against me, and she was incoherent.

“Laia,” I huffed into her neck. “Laia.”

Her soft skin, her body tangled up in my arms, her hair falling into her eyes, those quick breaths…I didn’t want to lose one second.

But as the pleasure roiled in my veins, breaking loose and thrashing through my chest before overwhelming me, I had no concept of time.

Only her.

 

When I woke up the next morning, I was already smiling.

Laia was still asleep, tucked against me, her cheek pressing into my shoulder and her exhalations tickling my skin. Red hair spilled across the pillows, and I sighed, glad I’d had the foresight the other day to ask my family not to just barge in anymore. I’d used the whole “Laia is recovering” pretense, but I knew they’d probably seen through it. Not that I cared. Not now.

Laia’s fingers bumped against my bicep and then curled around it, her eyes still closed.

“Morning, firecracker,” I whispered and kissed her forehead. “Sore? Starving?”

Hazel-gold eyes fluttered open. “Yes. And a shower.”

“With me?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, and her eyes fell shut. “In five minutes. Wake me. Carry me. You know.”

I waited about a minute before I sat up and scooped her up. Laia woke immediately as I crashed into the bathroom, which had always seemed so stupidly small. I was glad for running water, but I seriously needed to update this shower.

For now, though, I’d enjoy the tight squeeze. Laia laughed as we shuffled inside, and I placed her down, her ass up against the wall.

She shook her head. “I could have gone second.”

“You think I could’ve waited?”

My hands slipped down her sides, finding curves and hollows, as our bodies melded together under the spray. I think Laia must have turned it on because my hands were full. Our lips seared together, then parted and came back, tongues teasing.

Tilting her head, Laia wrapped her arms around my neck as I held her waist. It was so perfect and far away from the world, almost like we were in the middle of a warm spring in the woods, not the cramped shower of my house.

Or maybe Laia made it magical.

My grip tightened, and I plastered her against me even more tightly, needing her.

Mine, all mine, growled the bear, and Laia half-hummed, half-whimpered as though she’d heard it. I only hoped she was staking her own claim because God knew I'd never let her go.

I lifted her, hands sliding down to hold underneath her thighs, and I parted her legs. I was already hard and ready for her; I probably had been since we’d fallen asleep. Laia let out a soft, sweet gasp as I brushed against her warmth. Slowing down the kisses, I also slowly slid in, and she writhed against me, her heels digging into my back as they hooked together.

“Rett,” she gasped, breaking off, and I gently nipped at her jaw. “Like that, just more. More.”

I squeezed her thighs and spread her a little wider, hitting more deeply. My eyes flicked up as Laia’s head fell back against the wall, and her eyes squeezed shut. Kissing her neck, I hummed in contentment as I filled her completely and stayed like that.

"With you, every moment counts," I murmured. "You deserve every possible pleasure that could be wrung from them."

A heaving gasp escaped her, and she arched. The movement had me pulling back and thrusting back in, finding the slow, sweet rhythm of lovemaking we’d barely scratched the surface of last night. Even the predator in me was content to be indulgent with his mate.

I love you, I love you, I love you, I thought, and held onto her more tightly.

I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it a secret, not when it was blazing inside of my chest and wringing out bliss from our bodies like this.

“Rett, oh,” she whispered. “I…” My heart leaped. “I need you.”

Grinning, I moved a little faster, angling her hips, and Laia’s nails dug in. I knew from the way her face was scrunching up in that adorable way that her pleasure was building fast. I wanted to spin it out as much as I wanted to give it all to her at once.

Holding back, I watched as she cried out. My name echoed through the room as shudder after shudder went through her. At that, I lost it, and sparks of heat shot through me, lighting up every last possible pleasure-ending in my body.

Gasping a little, I put her down and leaned an arm on the shower above her. My lips were against her hair, my hand on her back, and her arms around my stomach.

We stayed like that, and something in my throat burned at the perfection of this moment. The beauty of Laia, the water streaming down, the early morning sunlight filling the room, and the mingling of our breathing. It wasn’t a fantasy—it was so much more fragile and precious than that.

You’d call me a sap for saying that, but you’d get teary-eyed all the same, I thought, as I let my head droop down to her shoulder. But no matter how strong I am, I can’t seem to…

“Rett?” Laia asked, and her lips brushed against my cheek. “What is it?”

I hadn’t allowed myself to think of anything but Laia getting better. That the Coven would have the cure. But the fact remained that there was an Excris brand on her ankle, and though she hadn’t had an attack in weeks, it still put her in danger. A sense of helplessness overtook me, and a shiver went over me. Laia tensed in alarm.

Stop it, I told myself, and I pulled her close, kissing her neck.

Laia had made it clear how strong and capable she was. If anyone could get through this, she could. Treating her like an invalid or fretting over her would only stress her out. I needed to think of her and what she wanted from me.

Or better yet, ask.

Pulling back, I held her face, and her eyes searched mine. “What do you need from me?”

“What do I…?” Her head tilted, and then she swallowed, eyes dropping. “Rett, you’ve given me more than enough.”

“Don’t count on that,” I rumbled and rubbed my thumbs on her cheeks until she looked back up at me. “Ask me. Better yet, tell me. What do you want? What can I do?”

She let out a sigh. “This. This is more than enough.”

“All right,” I said and smiled, letting my hands drop to her shoulders. “That I can do.”

“Can we have one more day?” she blurted out. “Here?”

I sucked in a breath and reached up to tug on my hair. “Laia, I’m not sure…” I trailed off as she gave me a look. “One more day.”

Her fingers slid up my stomach and rested on my pecs, drumming on my collarbone. I lifted an eyebrow as Laia smiled coyly and said, “Now we don’t have to rush.”

“Oh, so this is what this is,” I said and spun her around. Nipping her ear, I whispered, “Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?”

“I—ah,” Laia gasped as one hand found a breast, and the other slid down her stomach. “I know you want to get to—”

I turned her head and cut her off with a kiss. When I broke away, her eyes were bright and happy. “We’ll worry about that tomorrow.”

The rest of the day was an idle and happy expanse of hours. We spent a good majority of it outside, wandering around and exploring the woods around the house. Now that fall was around the corner, everything was taking on an umber tint, but that was also the nice thing about late summer. The day was still long enough to give the impression of cheating time.

When we finally made our way back and sat in the yard, not far from the spot where we’d kissed for the first time, Laia let out a happy sigh and said, “I think this might be my favorite place.”

“It’s pretty great,” I said.

“Company’s not so bad, either,” she said and leaned in, kissing my cheek.

I caught her face as she pulled away, and she smiled as I kissed her. We fell back into the grass, tangled together, and, for a moment, free.