“Take me to bed.” She nipped his earlobe and his hands tightened on her ass cheeks.

His mouth came down over hers and she held tight as he walked her backward toward the stairs. After her brief kiss with Harry, she appreciated her mate even more. He didn’t only kiss with lips. He made love to her with tongue and teeth and his breath. His whole body got involved. From the way he hunched his shoulders and bowed his head, to the way he pressed his whole body to hers and held her close—he surrounded her when he kissed her, tried to become one with her. With every other step, one of his legs stepped between hers, his thigh teasing against her mound.

Her ankle bumped a stack of books and she stumbled.

He steadied her, shifted directions, not lifting his mouth from hers. A few more steps and her hip bumped a chair. She giggled.

Julius lifted his face long enough to grin down at her as he spun her around so he was the one backing up.

When he lowered his face to hers again, she tangled her fingers in his hair around the bandage. He tasted good. Smelled good. Felt good. Gaia, how she ached for him. They stumbled and he fell back onto the first couple of steps. She ended up straddling one of his legs. They both laughed, holding onto each other. “We’re a mess.”

“Nah, just me. I’m distracted, butterfly.” The silly grin he wore made her chest swell.

“Oh?”

“It’s all these clothes.” He gave the skirt a tug and the elastic slid down, allowing her breasts to bounce free. “Better.”

He urged her up until she knelt on the same step he sat on and latched onto one tip.

Her pussy clenched. She gripped his hair in her hands. “I can’t wait.” A shiver stole over her skin and her breath shuddered out of her. “Upstairs.”

He shifted to the other breast.

Desire pooled in her belly. “Jules.” She pushed her weight back, standing, drawing him with her. The tactic got him to his feet. Got his mouth wandering up her chest to her neck. Her ear. He slid his hands under the elastic waist and slid the skirt down her hips. The material pooled at her feet.

He waggled his brows. “Much better.”

She darted around him and ran halfway up the stairs before he caught her around the waist and pressed her to the wall. She wasn’t sure if the cool plaster against her backside made her shiver, or if it was the fully aroused male nipping at her neck.

“You’re overdressed, baby.”

His answer was one long lick up the side of her neck.

Tease. She yanked the hem of his shirt out from his pants and pulled it over his head. He growled when he had to pull away for her to get the shirt off. Then his mouth was on hers again, his tongue sinking deep to mate with hers. He kept pressing against her, making her struggle to undo his belt, his pants. She pushed them down his hips, letting gravity take them the rest of the way. His weight shifted as he stepped himself out of the jeans. “Touch me.” He pressed his forehead to hers and they both watched—him through that damned bandage—as her fingers closed around his cock.

A harsh breath shuddered out of him.

He was all lean, long muscle and taut bronzed skin. His cock was hard and ruddy and so thick her fingers didn’t quite touch. She stroked him, squeezing lightly and twisting her hand over the broad head. His hips jerked forward in response. A little bead of pre-cum leaked from the tip. She slid her thumb over it and started to kneel, wanting to taste him.

He stopped her. “Not today. I won’t last.”

Holding his gaze, knowing he saw her through that damned bandage, she lifted her thumb to her mouth.

His breath caught.

She slid her thumb between her lips, closing her eyes as his taste hit her, musky and male and sexy as hell.

He jerked her into his arms and ran up the remaining stairs as she squealed and laughed. Once in the bedroom, he lay her on the bed, grinning from ear to ear. “You’re mine now. You’ve sealed your fate, butterfly.”

When he started to cover her with his body, she pushed against his chest. Prodded him until he sprawled out on his back. “Maybe you’re mine.” She kissed his muscled belly, nipped the rise of his pec and when she went to kiss him, he sat up.

“Put your arms around me.”

She straddled his hips and wrapped her arms around him until her breasts pressed flush to his chest.

He lay back, pinning her hands between his back and the mattress.

“Hey!”

“Am I hurting you?”

“No.” She tugged, but couldn’t escape. “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“I bet I can convince you. Come here.” He tipped his face up, and for the moment she forgot all about escaping, instead getting lost in his kiss. He raised his knees between hers and spread his legs, forcing hers so wide the kiss of air on her pussy made her shiver.

“Jules—”

His hips lifted and the tip of his cock slid against her slit. Once. Twice. Then caught at the hallow of her entrance. She gasped.

He pressed into her. “Still sore?”

She shook her head. Not sore. Stretched. Full. Achy. Wanting. “More.”

“Slow and easy, butterfly. There’s no reason you need to hurt after.”

True to his word, he eased into her so slow she fought against him, trying to sink down faster.

His hands cupped her ass, holding her still, holding her wide. “Easy, there.”

She nipped his neck. “Faster.” She twisted one of her hands, trying to pull it from beneath him and he pressed back, keeping her right where she was. He was always so impatient, moving, pacing, skipping from one topic to the next, but here in bed, she was the one pushing for more, for faster, for now.

He seemed to think they had all the time in the world. He eased out of her so slow her inner walls tracked every ridge and curve of his cock. Tingles, sharp and shocking, had her clenching around him as he left her. She pressed her face to the crook of his neck. “Ah, Gaia.”

“Relax, butterfly. You’ll like this.” He paused, the head of his cock holding her wide, then leisurely pushed back in. Everything in her tensed as delicious sensations washed over her, lifting gooseflesh over her skin. Her nipples were hard, aching, pressed tight to his chest. He turned his face toward hers. His lips were parted around harsh puffs of air. Even though they were barely moving they were both panting. “Christ, you feel good. Soft and slick.” He bottomed out and paused. “And so damn tight.”

She squeezed her inner muscles.

He moaned. “Ah, God.” He brushed her nose with his. “Hard and fast has its place, but this . . .” He began to ease out of her. “I can feel all the subtle intricacies of your body that I usually miss.”

“Like . . . what?” She couldn’t catch her breath.

“This here.” He paused and pushed back in enough to brush the spot again, making her shiver and clench. “You’re tighter there, more sensitive.” He continued his slow glide out, his cock head brushing the spot again, making her moan. “Or this.” He stopped at her entrance, flexing his hips the slightest bit, once, twice, three times. “You like that. When I’m just pressing inside you.”

“Do it again.” She wet her lips. “All the way in, ’til I’m full to bursting.”

His hips jerked, but he caught himself, inched his way back in.

She squeezed him again. Leaned in and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. “Keep going.”

He kneaded her ass with his big hands as he eased out of her, but he was losing his steady pace. Losing control. She wanted him to.

“I’m so close, baby.” She undulated her body against his. Licked the shell of his ear. “I want your mouth on my breast.”

Those seemed to be the magic words. He lifted enough for her to free her hands and she braced herself so she could arch up. She let out a strangled scream when he latched onto her. The position pressed him deep inside her. She rotated her hips. His fingers gripped her tighter.

The scent of sex filled every breath. “Harder.”

He flipped their positions, bowing his back so he could suckle her breast and thrust hard into her. She locked her ankles around his hips. Gripped his shoulders in her hands, her nails sinking into his skin. Everything seemed to hang from a single thread, all her muscles tensed, and desire coiled tight in her belly. With his next thrust it snapped. “Jules.” Her inner muscles contracted, fluttering in release.

“God, I love that.” He held himself pressed deep inside her, eyes closed and as her body settled, he began to move again. She ran her hands down his chest. Pinched his nipple and smiled when a shudder wracked through him. She did it again. His hips rammed home hard once and he was jetting into her, his lips pulled back from his teeth as his release shook him.

He stretched out over her, bracing his weight on his arms and kissed her cheek. Her chin. Her eye.

She giggled. “Feeling grateful?”

“Sated and happy.”

“Mm.” She hugged him. “Me, too.”

Azazel frowned. That little house hadn’t been there before. It should’ve been. He remembered seeing it before—Rowena’s daughter lived there. Crowley’s mate. He scanned the home and the rooms within and he cursed, long and loud.

Julius Crowley was still alive. Alive and curled up in bed with his mate.

He wouldn’t be for long.