Page 34 of Make Me

She could have blamed it on the sweet wine that warmed her veins, but the desire to kiss Zack’s lips had her knees weakening. Cody caught her from behind, his strong hands holding her up as his thumbs traced her hips, sending a new stream of heat into her center. She fought the urge to push back against him, but he did it for her, stepping closer and guiding them farther from the bonfire and into the shadows.

With Cody’s broad back blocking them from the others, Zack ran his fingers down her cheek to cup her jaw. “I want to kiss you,” he confessed hoarsely. “May I?”

Bethany closed her eyes, her thoughts swirling. She should say no. The practical thing would be to say no, but she was tired of fighting this. And maybe Holly was right. Maybe she should just enjoy the present. She couldn’t promise them anything else other than that, but she also didn’t want to go another moment without knowing what it felt like. To be kissed and held by her fated mate and the wizard her lioness had chosen.

She nodded, opening her eyes. Soft hands cupped both her cheeks, and Zack’s thumbs stroked along her cheekbones. The flames of the bonfire danced across his face, catching the silver flakes in his eyes and causing them to sparkle. By the Realm, she wanted him to kiss her. He leaned forward, and she let her eyes flutter closed again as he brushed his lips over hers. The first brush of his lips had her lioness purring loudly. She felt Zack smile against her lips before he deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, coaxing her to open for him.

When she didn’t, he took a step forward, pushing her back into Cody’s broad frame. Her head fell back onto Cody’s shoulder with a gasp, and Zack slipped his tongue into her mouth. She growled and kissed him back just as hard, greedy hands clasping at his shoulders. By the Realm, why did she wait so long? Zack was a masterful kisser as he dominated her mouth. Each stroke of his tongue coaxed the heat in her center higher. Cody’s chest rumbled in a purr behind her as his hands tightened around her hips. Zack broke the kiss, trailing his lips down her throat.

A low rumble had her eyes flying open. Her head still rested against Cody’s shoulder, and his eyes were bright gold with his wolf.

“Kiss me,” the words slipped from her lips before she could think too much about them, and Cody’s eyes brightened.

He cupped her throat, his thumb resting under her jaw as he tilted her head towards him. When his lips touched hers, her lioness wanted to roar in victory. She was kissing her mate!

She arched her back, pressing herself into Zack as one of her hands left his shoulder to bury itself in Cody’s curls. Cody growled approvingly as he deepened the kiss, and Bethany’s head swam. Zack kissed her collarbone, nipping softly. The slight bite of pain had Bethany groaning into Cody’s mouth. Everything ached, and she couldn’t get enough of them. The mate bond was finally quiet in her chest. Her nipples felt like sharp points against the silk shirt. She caught one of Zack’s hands and pressed it to her breast. Zack cupped it, his thumb brushing over her nipple in a delicious soft touch that was still not enough.

She tore her mouth away from Cody. “More,” she growled out.

Cody and Zack glanced at each other, and something passed between them. Bethany was about to growl again when Cody lowered his lips to hers again. He brought his other hand up to cup her breast as Zack’s hands traveled down her body. He skimmed her hips, his fingers tracing along the sliver of skin at her stomach before traveling lower.

He ran his hands down her legs before bringing them back up, dipping under her skirt before repeating his path. She growled and tried to break the kiss with Cody to demand Zack touch her, but Cody’s hand tightened on her throat, and he pinched her nipple. Sharp pleasure shot through her, and she sank into his chest. He rumbled underneath her approvingly as Zack’s fingers finally brushed against her center.

Zack hummed approvingly. “You’re so wet for us,” he whispered in her ear.

He nipped her earlobe, and she groaned. She would have thought Cody would be the biter, since he was a shifter, but apparently her nerdy wizard had layers she didn’t know about.

His fingers brushed against her folds, spreading the wetness that was seeping out of her up to her clit. When his thumb circled her clit, her hips bucked between them, and Zack held her hip with his free hand. The two of them worked together to drive her wild. Zack’s fingers danced against her expertly, every brush and touch driving her higher and higher, while Cody’s sharp pinch of her nipples sent bolts of pleasure straight to her core. Cody’s mouth covered hers, capturing the sounds she was making and keeping their moment safe in the shadows.

She was so close, and her body strained to fall over the edge. She picked up her leg and wrapped it around Zack’s hip, pulling him to her. He groaned and nipped at her neck before giving her what she wanted. He slipped two fingers into her, and she gasped at the stretch. He swirled her clit with his thumb as he drove his fingers in and out. Cody pinched her nipple and twisted it between his fingers, and Bethany let out a shuddering cry into his mouth as she broke into a million pieces. Zack softly withdrew his fingers as Bethany practically lay on Cody’s chest, breathless between them. Zack lifted his hand, his fingers still glistening with her wetness. His silver eyes were molten as he licked his fingers. Bethany blushed when he moaned.

“I want a taste,” Cody rasped out, his voice a soft growl in her ears.

Zack held out his fingers to Cody, and Bethany groaned. She didn’t know if she had seen anything hotter than Cody licking her wetness of Zack’s fingers.

“Delicious,” Cody rasped in her ear.

As her brain put itself back together after her orgasm, sounds began filtering through her ears, and she stiffened as she remembered where they were.

“Hey,” Zack said, his voice soft as he stepped closer to her like he sensed she was about to flee. “It’s okay, no one saw. I put up a barrier.”

Bethany looked around. The air was shimmering around them. She hadn’t even noticed Zack do that.

“That was only for us,” Zack said, bringing her attention back to him.

Bethany relaxed slightly, then stiffened again. Had she enjoyed it? Yes. But she had been so lost in it that she hadn’t thought about someone seeing. If someone had seen them, it could have gotten back to the pride and her mother, and there would be consequences for all of them. Even if they hadn’t mated, intermixed species relationships were still subject to the same prejudices.

“Hey, hey.” Zack and Cody pushed closer, and Bethany realized she was whining softly. Zack cupped her face. “I meant what I said. That was only for us. No one else has to know.” His eyes were soft with understanding, but she could see the hurt in them, and Bethany’s lioness whined louder. She didn’t want to hurt them, but there was no way this could end well.

“He’s right,” Cody said even as his chest rumbled in a soft growl, as if he hated the situation they were in. “This can be for just us.”

“My pride…” Bethany tried to explain.

“We know,” Zack said softly. He looked over Cody’s shoulder and cursed softly. “It looks like the light orb ceremony is about to start. We can talk about it later.”

Bethany nodded stiffly and pushed away from Cody. She attempted to straighten her clothes but had a feeling she was wearing a ‘just fucked’ look. She looked at Cody and Zack and nodded. Zack was right. They needed to show up to the light orb ceremony before someone got suspicious. Cody looked like he wanted to say something else, but Zack nudged him and dropped the barrier.

Bethany practically ran towards the bonfire, but she could feel Cody and Zack following behind her. It was like whatever they did tonight had deepened their connection and she could sense them in a new way. Fuck, fuck, fuck. If her mother found out, she would assume Bethany lost control of her cat and couldn’t handle the mate pull. She would subject her to extra ‘training,’ and Bethany could say goodbye to returning to the Academy in the fall.

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