It burns away into something hotter, heavier.
Something undeniable.
His muzzle presses against my ear, the warmth of his breath spilling over my skin as he growls?—
"Found you, little red."
A shudder rips through me.
My red ribbons.
I picked them.
I tied them, knowing exactly what they meant.
And now?
Now, he’s claiming them.
Claiming me.
I twist in his grip, grab at the thick fur of his chest, dragging his face toward mine.
And then?—
I kiss him.
Hard.
He meets me with a hungry snarl, his arms tightening, his claws digging into my hips as his mouth devours mine, sharp and searing, all teeth and heat.
I want more.
I want all of him.
He rips away from the kiss, panting, his golden eyes burning through me, his restraint hanging by a thread.
“We’ll do this right.”
His voice is raw, thick with a promise.
I barely have time to breathe before he grabs my wrists, pulling the ribbons from his belt?—
And tying them around me.
A slow, deliberate binding, each knot a claim, each pull a promise.
His claws skim down my arms, over my sides, until he spins me, pressing me against a tree, my chest against the bark, his massive body caging me in from behind.
I gasp, his heat swallowing me whole, my ribbons tangled around my wrists—his ribbons now.
A deep rumble vibrates through his chest, reverberating through my spine.
“You smell like mine.”
His hands trail lower, spreading my legs with a deliberate nudge of his knee.
And then?—