Page 42 of Rescued

“Holy fuck!” Gabe yells, his voice halfway between shock and laughter. “You shit! How dare you say that and then just…just shift like that!” He’s ranting, but the wide grin on his face tells me everything I need to know. His eyes are bright with something wild and warm, and my chest swells with relief.

Still, I wait. I sit back on my haunches, my gaze locked on him, unblinking. This moment feels too big, too critical to rush. My wolf instincts churn, urging patience while my human heart aches for his answer.

Gabe crosses the room in a few quick strides, then sinks to his knees beside me. I stay perfectly still, letting him come to me, hoping I haven’t overstepped. Then his arms are around my neck, pulling me close. His face presses into the thick fur of my scruff, his breath warm against my skin. The scent of him—man and mate—floods me, and I feel more grounded than I have in days.

“I love you, too, Mika,” he murmurs, his voice muffled against my ear. The words hit me like lightning, electrifying every nerve. My wolf wants to howl again, to claim this moment for the world to hear. Instead, I let the shift take me, faster this time, almost seamless as I transition back to my human form.

I pull him into my lap the second I’m fully human, my hands cupping his face as if to anchor myself to this moment. “You do, do you?” I ask, grinning as my chest feels like it might burst. “I think maybe you should show me, Gabe. You know, since actions speak louder than words.”

He raises a brow, clearly unimpressed with my teasing. Then, with a wicked glint in his eyes, he pinches my ass, hard enough to make me yelp. “Oh, you’ll get plenty of action, Mika.”

I laugh, the sound unrestrained, feeling lighter than I have in weeks. Gabe smirks, clearly pleased with himself, and it’s everything I need to remind me that this is real. This is us. We’re okay.

The laughter fades as I lean in, brushing my lips against his. It’s not the heated, desperate kisses we’ve shared before, but something softer. Deeper. A promise in its own way. Gabe’s hands find my hair, tangling in it as he tilts his head to deepen the kiss. His body presses closer, and the heat between us builds, familiar and electric.

I pull back just enough to rest my forehead against his. “You’re mine, Gabriel,” I whisper, the words slipping out unbidden but utterly true.

“That works both ways, lover,” Gabe says with a teasing grin as he grabs my ankle and gives it a firm tug, pulling me down to the floor on my ass.

“Stay right there, don’t move,” he adds, his voice low and laced with mischief.

I watch him stand and start to strip, every movement slow and deliberate. My cock pulses in anticipation as he teases me with each item of clothing he removes. By the time his shirt—a final barrier between me and that gorgeous body—is off, I can’t help myself. My hand wraps around my shaft, stroking slowly as soft moans slip past my lips. My gaze stays locked on him, burning with hunger I’m not even trying to hide.

Damn, he’s magnificent.

Gabe saunters over, his grin deepening as he sits beside me, hip to hip. His brow arches, a wicked gleam in his eyes, and I feel a shiver of anticipation run through me. Then the realization hits—the position, the angle, what he’s suggesting. My hand stills, and a wave of heat flushes through me, followed quickly by a chill as the idea takes root. Sliding to the floor, I feel my face pale, unsure if I’m ready for what’s coming.

Gabe laughs, a warm, genuine sound that cuts through my sudden tension. “Without the biting, mate! Relax… I won’t bite if you won’t.”

The word mate hits me like a thunderclap. My entire body trembles at the significance of it, the way it settles in the air between us. He said it so casually, but the weight of it makes my chest ache. He’s calling me mate now, not in hesitation or testing the waters. It’s a declaration. The thought overwhelms me, both thrilling and humbling.How did I get so lucky?

Gabe seems to sense it, his grin softening as he slides closer. He shifts down until his hips are level with my shoulders, then lies on his side, pressing his body against mine. His hand trails down my stomach, and I suck in a sharp breath at the warmth of his touch.

His fingers comb through the coarse curls at the base of my cock, tugging firmly, urging me to turn toward him. When I do, he wraps his hand around my shaft, the contact strong and sure. He leans in and takes me into his mouth, his tongue circling the head and teasing the slit.

“Oh, fuck,” I groan, my hand instinctively gripping his hip, pulling him closer.

I don’t think. My mouth moves on autopilot, taking him in, savoring the weight of him on my tongue. I swallow him down to the root, humming at the sheer perfection of it. I let my free hand slides down his back, tracing the curve of his ass before finding its way lower. I press my fingers against his entrance, then retreat briefly as I wet them alongside his cock in my mouth.

When I return, his body relaxes instantly, letting me press inside. His heat surrounds me, clenching and fluttering as I move in rhythm with the bob of my head. Gabe groans around my cock, the vibrations shooting through me, and I know he’s close.

Twisting my wrist, I find that smooth spot inside him, pressing just enough to draw a strangled shout from him. His body tenses, his cock jerking hard against my tongue as he comes. I swallow reflexively, letting him ride the wave of his climax until he collapses, spent.

It takes him a moment to recover, but when he does, I feel his mouth wrap around me again. The heat of it pulls a grunt from my throat, my hips bucking instinctively. He doesn’t relent, taking me deeper, his fingers digging into my hip.

“Shit,” I manage to choke out as the pleasure builds fast and sharp. My body coils tight, trembling on the edge. When he hums around me, it’s over. My orgasm slams into me, leaving me shaking as I spill into his mouth. He swallows me down, every last drop, until I’m nothing but a boneless puddle on the floor.

He flops beside me, his chest heaving as he grins up at the ceiling. “See, Mika? No biting.”

I laugh, low and breathless. “Yeah, no biting, but if it’s always that fucking hot, I don’t think even biting my prick would stop me. Maybe.”

His laugh joins mine, rich and full of the joy I’ve come to crave.

“Well, let’s not test that theory anytime soon, ‘kay?” he says, tapping my hip lightly as we sit up.

We help each other to our feet, gathering our scattered clothes with easy smiles and we make our way outside to relax for a while with drinks gathered from the kitchen enroute.

The moonlight bathes us in silver as Gabe sits across from me on the porch, his hands cradling a steaming mug. He’s looking at me like I hold all the answers, but I’ve never felt more uncertain. The warmth in his green eyes makes something twist in my chest—a yearning I haven’t let myself feel in years.

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