Page 54 of Hooves & HeartStrings

“Everything is perfect.” My dad stands. “Is my stunning wife inside?”

“Yes.” Marley laughs. “She said something about fixing the garden out front?”

“Ahh.” My dad chuckles. “I better go help her. Be good, you two.”

When my dad leaves, she looks at me. “Why do I have a feeling that's some kind of code to give us time alone?”

I grin, shaking my head. “Knowing Mom, I’m going to say it is. What did you two get up to in there? I thought there was talk of getting your nails done?”

“We talked. And there was. We’re going tomorrow to a salon she frequents." She smiles softly at me. “Can we go somewhere a little more…private? I wanna talk to you.”

“Sure.” She doesn’t look upset or like she’s about to hit me with some devastating news, so I don’t panic as I take her hand and lead her into the pool house.

“This is nice,” she says as she looks around the room. It’s a pretty big space, filled with a pool table, some couches and a fridge. My friends and I would come here sometimes to hang out when we couldn’t go to Sawyer’s.

“Thanks.”

“So,” Marley says, turning to face me. “Here’s the thing. The past few months have been nothing but a rollercoaster of emotions. I’m glad we’re in a good place now, and that's how I want it to stay.”

“Oh, yeah?” I give her a grin.

“Yes.” She nods. “I’m over this push and pull. I love you, Luci. You're my mate and that is the greatest honor. I want to be with you, for good. This thing, me and you, it’s a forever thing.”

My smile slips as I stare at her in shock. “You really mean it? You love me. You want this, us?”

“More than anything else in the world,” she whispers and my heart fucking explodes. “But, I also want to know why you haven’t marked me yet?”

My eyes widen. “You know about that?”

She nods. “I’ve talked about it with your mom a bit, and done some online research.”

“I… I didn’t think you would want that, at least not anytime soon. With us just getting used to the whole mate thing, I didn’t want to freak you out with something so permanent. You will be my mate until the day I die, but with you being human, if I never mark you, you don’t have to worry about the strong feelings of pain that come with being without your mate. I didn’t want to put that on you.”

“Well. Now that I understand all of that and I know what I want, I think it’s time for you to show me how much you love me by making me yours forever,” she teases. “It’s only fair with me getting this and everything.” She pulls up her dress and stares at me.

My brows furrow as I lean in, getting a good look at the black tattoo I’ve never noticed before. “Is that a hoof?” I ask, my voice growing husky.

My girl. My Marley. She got a fucking tattoo for me. Holy shit. That's the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Also, it shows just how obsessed I am with her since we’ve been naked together plenty of times now and I’ve never noticed she got a fucking tattoo for me.

Talk about being blinded by the pussy.

“Yes. I got it when I wasn’t in the best mindset. Maybe a moment of insanity? Or maybe it was just my soul telling me we were meant to be. That you were mine and we were each other’s forever. I want you, Lucius.” Her eyes well with tears. “I want you for the rest of our lives. I want to marry you someday and have your little centaur babies. I want to fall asleep next to you every night and wake up with you every morning. I just want you. Only you. Mark me, Luci, please?”

My nostrils flare, my chest heaves and my cock aches. I’ve never felt so feral in my life as I do right now with the need to mark my mate, to make her mine.

Something inside me snaps and I pounce. Grabbing her by the thighs, I lift her up and slam her against the wall. She gasps in shock, looking at me with wide, excited eyes.

Holding her with one arm against the wall, I pull my shorts down, freeing my cock, dripping with need, and hiking her dress up.

“No panties, mate?” I growl.

“I was hoping our talk would end like this.” She bites her bottom lip.

Not being able to wait another moment, I position my cock at her entrance and push inside quickly. Not far enough to hurt her, since we’ve done this dance enough, but enough that she still cries out.

“Fuuuck!”

I piston in and out of her, grunting as she tightens around me.

---