Page 59 of Shiny Things

“You don’t want to know. Just forget it.”

“I can’t. What the hell did he say, Kim?”

“He asked me for a blowjob. Said he heard I was putting out above my station these days. And when I told him no, he said something about how I should be lucky a Montgomery like him would even look my way.”

“He did what?” I roared.

“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. Elias, nothing happened. It was just words.”

“Words that made you cry.”

She shrugged. “It’s been an emotional week.”

I knew what she meant about that, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

“Where do they get off thinking they’re better than you just because you’re a Grimes?”

She laughed. “Oh, you’re serious? Your mother is like the reigning queen of the social classes. How do you not understand this? You and I, we aren’t meant to be together. It’s like Romeo and Juliet. And it doesn’t matter how much we love each other or that we’re true mates. This will never work, because they will ensure it won’t. It’s going to end badly.”

I held her tighter. “You listen to me. I don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks about us. They will learn to keep their damn mouths shut and their opinions to themselves. I have never cared what others thought of me and I’m not about to start now, but I can see it bothers you, so now it’s going to be their problem. No one disrespects my mate. No one makes you cry and gets away with it. No one gets to say anything about us, because what we have is special and untouchable unless we let them. Do you understand me? I am not losing you because some assholes think they’re entitled to an opinion on who I love and choose to spend the rest of my life with.”

I kissed her hard before she could respond. And I needed her with a desperation that terrified me.

“You are mine,” I told her.

Mine,my raven echoed in my mind.

I feared I had scared her, but then she smiled against my lips and her arms left my waist and wrapped around my neck as her hands fisted in my hair.

A frenzy started within me, and my beak began to surface.

She pulled back and looked at me but shook her head. “Not tonight. Not like this. Not when we’re both too emotional to think straight.”

I pulled my raven back and nodded. Then I kissed her again.

She was already naked from her shower, and I couldn’t stop my hands from roaming over her body. She asked me not to permanently mark her tonight, but I would find other ways to leave my mark on her body and soul.

“Mine,” I whispered kissing her cheek.

“Mine.” I lowered my head and captured her breast.

She moaned softly as I lifted her and carefully laid her on the bed. She leaned back on her elbows waiting for me to join her, but instead, I dropped to my knees and spread her legs for full exposure to her.

“Mine,” I hummed appreciatively at my view.

She shivered, and I knew it was from the emotions and not because she was cold.

“Mine,” I growled as I tasted her and began to toy with her.

I was already learning what she liked and what she didn’t. She didn’t have to tell me. I paid attention to everything when it came to Kim. I would happily spend the rest of eternity doing nothing more than pleasing my mate in every way possible.

I didn’t need others, or food, or anything. I could feast on her for the rest of my life and die a happy man.

As she began to climax, I smiled and hummed appreciatively, sending her over the edge as her hands tightened in my hair to hold me exactly where she needed me until she let herself go.

I kissed my way up her body and then pulled her close to hold her through her orgasm.

She expected me to undress and make love to her. There would be time for that later. Right now, I just needed to be close to her, to hold her, and to assure myself and my bird that she was safe and that we were going to be okay.

---