Page 113 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

They were now husband and wife.

Astria stared up at him, her breathing ragged. “I cannot wait until we try this on a table.”

Stratton’s laugh filled the room. He thought about withdrawing from her, but he didn’t want to lose the connection. Instead, he went with kissing his wife slowly.

A tiny part of him knew he’d need to explain what had just happened. That they’d officially mated according to the Fae way of doing things. That she was now, for all intents and purposes, his wife. He only hoped Astria would be okay with that since there weren’t any take-backs.

She dragged a foot along his leg, snorting, breaking the kiss. “You’re still in your slacks. Are you in your shoes too?”

He smirked. “I am. Couldn’t wait to be in you.”

She smiled up at him. “When my day started, I didn’t think I’d end up in bed with a cop. I just wanted to get through the day without blowing up a coffee machine.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “While I have your undivided attention and have you pinned to the bed, I have something I need to tell you.”

“There is more? We’ve already established I’ve known you since I was four. And that you’re Shaggy Professor,” she replied, her foot still moving up and down his leg unhurriedly. “What else could there possibly be?”

“What do you know about mates?” he asked.

She tipped her head some. “That my aunt and Drest are mates,” she said. “That it’s something they didn’t get a choice in. That they were made for each other. And that Dave said I was yours.”

“Dave wasn’t wrong,” replied Stratton. “You’re my mate.”

“But how doweknow for sure?” she questioned. “What if he’s wrong?”

Stratton stole a chaste kiss. “Astria, I’m a hundred percent positive he’s right. We’re mates.”

A question formed on her face. “How do you know for sure?”

“The words we said to each other during what just happened,” he said, stealing yet another kiss. “They’re binding words. Fae vows so to speak. We basically acknowledged who we are to each other and then agreed to be bonded for life. Our magiks merged.”

She blinked in surprise, her hands going to his shoulders. “Shut up. We did not just do that, did we?”

“We did,” he answered. “Tell me you’re happy. That you want this too. That you want me, like I want you.”

She said nothing for the longest minute of her life before she laughed and reached around and grabbed his backside. “I married the law. I really didnotsee that coming.”

Stratton grinned and began to move in and out of her again, savoring every second he had with his mate. “Speaking of coming.”

She laughed and then stiffened. “Stratton?”

“Yes?”

“Can you get naked now?”

His smile widened. “Yes, dear.”

ChapterThirty-Seven

Astria

I layin Stratton’s arms on a bed I’d not slept in for eighteen years. My knee was thrown over his thigh and my head was on his shoulder as he lay on his back, staring up at the stars on my ceiling.

“Aren’t you tired?” I asked, sliding my damp hair out from under me. “We’ve had a really long day. Wait, is it tomorrow yet?”

He chuckled. “The sun will be up soon.”

The man had managed to go several rounds without breaking a sweat. I wasn’t sure if I was impressed or worried that I wouldn’t have the stamina to keep up with him for the long haul. I’d attempted to get a small reprieve to basically ice my lady parts and wash monster off me, but he’d joined me in the shower. It had been mind-blowing so I wasn’t about to complain.

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