Page 26 of Lion's Little Scamp

He held his breath for the few seconds it took her to take a breath and say, “Yes, Harrigan, I take you as my mate.”

As his hips moved faster and faster and he could tell she was on the brink of her orgasm, he licked the spot where neck curved into shoulder. When she screamed and her body convulsed beneath him, he struck, driving his canines deep.

His release slammed through him. He pushed his cock as deep into her pussy as it would go and came, filling her with his seed as he drank deep, taking her essence into his body and making them one. His life-making fluid for her blood.

They were one.

They were mates.

Forever.

Everything in him locked, keeping them tied together for several long seconds as the threads of heart, mind, body and soul tied together one to the other. Once they were bound and their mating completed, he pulled his teeth from her shoulder and licked his bite mark closed. His cock was buried deep, and he could not make himself pull free, so he slid his arms under her shoulders and logrolled them until she lay sprawled across his body.

Except for her scream of release, Irish remained silent. And now she lay still. Too still.

Tilting her head back so he could see her face, he smiled with satisfaction at her dazed look.

“Wow,” she breathed as she blinked and came back to herself.

“Wow, indeed,” he said with a grin. “Are you okay?”

“That was… um, I’m not sure how to describe it.”

“But it was good, right? Not horrible?” All at once Harrigan wondered if he had done the mating wrong. Was she disappointed?

“I was thinking more along the lines of amazing, tremendous. Wonderful on the scale of a double fudge sundae with extra hot chocolate, double whipped cream, and a dozen cherries,” she said, her smile growing to encompass her entire being.

Her comparison and her stomach choosing that moment to rumble loudly reminded him that he had not yet fed her dinner.

“You need food.”

“Not right now,” she said as she snuggled into his chest. “We have to wait until I can feel my body before we go anywhere and do anything.”

“Okay, we can do that,” Harrigan agreed, still feeling wobbly from the mating himself.

A moment later, she relaxed completely and began to snore softly. Reaching to the side, he pulled the covers up over his mate to keep her from getting chilled.

He remained awake, trying to remember what he had in the kitchen that he could make for them for dinner since he was certain the dining hall was closed for the night.

The rest of her punishment would wait until later.

Chapter Sixteen

Irish woke the next morning with a queasy stomach. She got up and dressed as she normally did, but instead of eating her breakfast down as if it would be her last meal, she picked at it.

She nibbled on a triangle piece of buttered toast as she pushed her scrambled eggs from one side of the plate to the other, hoping Harrigan would not notice.

She should have known better. Harrigan always saw everything.

“You okay, scamp?”

“What? Oh, yes. I’m fine. Just fine,” she said, with an enthusiasm that had Harrigan frowning at her.

That made her stomach clench and swirl even worse.

“Why are you lying to me, little one?” he asked, no anger in his voice, just a curious power that brought tears to her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t eat this morning,” she said sadly. “My tummy feels like worms are crawling around in it.”

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