"You are the only one who has a say, Laverna. No mating bond is permanent until we both agree to it. I knew you would never agree to it, which is why I never bothered trying to tell you about it," Romulus replied with absolute resignation. "I've tried to get you under my protection all these years, not to control you, but protect you. You seem to be very confused about what I mean by surrender too. Surrender isn't giving over who you are or changing who you are. It's a trust in knowing that I will be there for you, always."
Laverna threw her hands up in frustration, splashing water everywhere. "But you have never let me get close enough to trust you at all, Rom!"
"I've never had the courage to," he admitted.
"I can't even... I don't..." Laverna didn't know how to respond to any of that, so she sank under the water. Within seconds, strong hands were gripping her and pulling her out again.
"Are you okay? Fuck, Laverna! I knew you weren't strong enough yet," Romulus said, pushing the wet hair from her face. She went to push him away from her, but her hands landed on his hard chest and seemed to stick there. She really did have a weakness for his chest.
"Stop. I'm not drowning. I dunked myself, you ridiculous man!" she complained.
"Stop scaring me for one damn night, woman. Fuck!" he shot right back. "I thought you were going to die tonight, so just..." Romulus stopped himself, but he looked so wet and ridiculous and pissed off that Laverna couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs locking around his torso.
"You always worry this much?" she asked, and he scowled at her.
"About you? Yes," he grumbled and sank up to his shoulders into the water, so they were face to face. "We can talk about mates and everything else later. I need to know what happened at the park tonight before the wolf claws my skin off."
Laverna was going to need time to process the idea of being Romulus's mate, so she welcomed the subject change. She told him about how she had followed Canidia, what she had said about taking Rome from them, and how Remus had attacked her.
Romulus's eyes were glowing, but he managed to stay silent the whole time before he told her about becoming a part of the city to find her.
Laverna punched him in the shoulder. "Are you fucking insane? You know you can lose yourself as the city and fucking never come out again! Why would you do something so stupid!"
"Because you were hurt and dying, and that's all I cared about!"
Laverna gripped him by the shoulders and tried to shake him. She only managed to shake herself. "I am a goddess. I was hurt, but it would take more than that to kill me. My head was still attached and everything!"
"You think I am capable of thinking that rationally when you are hurt? I never, ever think or act rationally when it comes to you, Laverna," he growled back. His big hand cupped her neck and tilted her head back. "You want to know why I'm so crazy? It's because I'm having to be around you at the moment. I can never think straight or act right when I do. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because it's kind of hot to hear you admit it. Maybe I did hit my head," she said and kissed his outraged mouth.
Romulus's hand tightened on her neck, and he unleashed himself on her. She could do nothing but try and kiss him back as tongue and lips tried to steal the soul from her body. She twisted her fingers into his wet curls and let him take all of her fear and pain from the night from her. She guided his hand between her legs, and he broke the kiss to let out a pained laugh.
"Oh, goddess, your body hasn't healed enough for what I am planning on doing to it," he said, nipping her jaw and down the side of her neck. His fingers stroked over her pussy and made a needy whimper come out of her. "You scared the life from me tonight. I owe you for that." He circled his thumb over her clit, adding more pressure and making her legs tighten around him.
Laverna leaned in to nibble on his ear and the warm space behind it. "You're right. My night has been traumatic, so you owe me orgasms."
"I'm half a mind to edge you for the next year and never make you come as punishment."
Laverna sucked a mark on his neck. "If you do that, I'll never let you sit on my face and fuck my mouth."
"Fuck, Laverna," he groaned. "We have things we need to talk about. Serious things."
"But I don't want to talk about them yet. They can wait until tomorrow," she replied. She wrapped her hand around his hard dick and stroked it.
Romulus's hand tightened a little around her neck and jaw. He rang his thumb over her lips, and she opened her mouth to suck on it as she jerked him again.
"Harder," he growled in command, and she did.
She was rewarded with the thick, long finger he slipped inside of her. She thrust against his hand, matching the rhythm with her strokes.
Romulus rested his forehead against hers. "I'm going fuck this tight little pussy of yours until it knows who it belongs to," he said, his voice coming in pants. "I'm going to make sure it never wants anyone else again."
Laverna's inner walls clamped around his finger. "Give me another. Not enough," she begged, heat building low inside of her. Rom turned her to press her back against the tiled wall of the pool and pushed another finger inside of her. Laverna cried out, unable to stop as he stretched her. His whole expression turned so hot and possessive that she almost came, but she managed to wrangle it back down.
"Don't you dare hold it back on me," he hissed, his thumb doing unholy things to her clit as he thrust and curled his fingers.
Laverna rolled her hips, chasing his hand. "Fuck, Rom."