Page 6 of Bound By Roses

“Floor?” My desperation matches hers.

“Stairs.”

Stairs? Before I can ask, she slips down my body, takes my hand, and pulls me to the stairs to her right. She gets on her knees, legs spread slightly, and leans forward, propping herself up on the steps.

From behind, then.

She’d climbed high enough that I can do this with minimal pressure to my leg, though I have to focus on keeping my balance as I drive into her.

We both gasp as I fill her this way for the first time, and then my name is on her lips again. “Quinn.” She’s begging now, and I feel it, too. We both need this to be quick.

I thrust into her. Again and again and again. Our rapid breaths match the same rhythm. I have to bite my lip to keepfrom crying out and I can feel through the bond that she’s biting hers.

I climax first, but it’s enough to send her toppling over the edge mere seconds behind me as the glorious bond between us melds our pleasure into one. I can barely catch my breath before her orgasm rips through me and nearly puts me on my ass.

When the twitching of my cock inside her stills, I slip out and slump next to her on the stairs. Water has pooled, lapping at the step just below where we sit, but neither of us move to shut it off. Instead, I pull her against me and secure her in my arms. If it were an option, I don’t think I’d ever let her go.

“What is happening to us?” Abby asks, breathless. “I wasn’t… I mean, I had no control.”

“It’s the bond. I think it’s safe to say this will happen a lot.” In all honesty, I have no idea, but it feels right.Thisfeels right.

“It wasn’t like this before. I wanted you—needed you—but this…”

“The bond before was never real. This is. We’re starting fresh, which means all the side effects.”

“Like needing to fuck?”

I laugh. “Like needing to fuck.” I’m utterly exhausted, but I reach for the soap and set about washing Abby’s hair. I hope it won’t dry it out too much, but this is the only bottle in here, so I’m hoping it works just as well for hair.

“What else is there?” she asks after a while.

“I’m not really sure. I just know what I’ve read.”

“Which is?”

“I think it’s different for every pair, but we’ll be in each other’s head more. I read mates can sometimes share pain, so if one is injured, the other can split the sensation to make it more bearable. The details on that account were vague, as it was just a brief mention in a journal.”

I lean Abby back so that her hair dips into the pool of water and do my best to rinse it clean. Once I’m satisfied I got all the soap out, I ease her back up and she sets about wringing it out.

“Whose journal?” she asks, and I’m surprised she’s still thinking about it.

“I’m not sure. The entries were signed off as ‘Lia,’ but there was no other mention. Her mate’s name was Zye, but I don’t know who either of them were. The journal didn’t even have dates, though it wasn’t as worn as some of the older ones in Rosewood’s library.”

She watches me for a moment, as if waiting for something. “So, how do we do it?”

“Do what?”

“Share pain.”

My eyes narrow. “We have no reason to ever do that, unlessyou’reinjured.”

She mirrors my expression. “You need to put more stuff on your leg. I can help.”

“I regret telling you about the journal.”

She swats at my arm lightly. “Quinn.”

“Let it go, Stabby.”

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