“I could get you off,” Storm offered.

Linus made a face and grumbled more.

In a fit of desperation, Storm blurted, “Will you marry me?”

Linus blinked. “What?”

Storm blushed. “Um. I totally wasn’t supposed to say that yet. I had everything planned out. Like a whole serenading thing under your window, a ten-course dinner, a fake magic carpet ride...”

Linus’ mouth twitched. “Really?”

Storm squirmed. “There may also be, uh, a light show and some fireworks.”

The grouchiness melted off Linus’ face. He leaned into Storm, linking Storm’s fingers with his own swollen ones. “Yes.”

“Yes?” Storm frowned.

Linus huffed. “The answer to your question. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Storm’s heart tried to float and sink at the same time. “But that wasn’t how I wanted to propose!”

Linus’ laugh was the best sound in the world. “The proposal is only part of the whole bonding thing. I would marry you even if you had just brought me to a courthouse and said we’re signing the marriage certificate right now.”

Storm tried to wrap his mind around that. “That’s just... kind of crazy.”

“Well, so is an alpha secretly living in my apartment for four months.”

Storm blushed. “You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”

Linus grinned. “Nope!”

“Let’s not tell any of the kids that.”

Linus’ mouth curved higher. “Kids, huh? Multiple?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never thought of having more. You keep begging me to breed you multiple times.”

His omega lowered his gaze, his cheeks turning pink. So beautiful.

Linus squeezed Storm’s fingers. Then he slipped his hand further up, closing it around Storm’s wrist. “Will you... let me mark you?”

Storm’s heart stopped. Then it began to pound. “Of course. There’s no universe in which I would say no to that.”

Linus’ gaze softened. Storm hardly breathed as Linus brought his wrist to his lips, sniffing out the spot where his scent was strongest. Then he set his teeth against it, and bit down hard.

Pain and pleasure twisted down Storm’s nerves. It felt amazing. Linus was already reaching for Storm’s other wrist, to bite the scent gland there. Then, Linus’ teeth sank into the crook of Storm’s neck.

He was Linus’ bondmate. Linus had been his for a while, but now Storm wasLinus’.

“I feel like the luckiest alpha in the world,” Storm panted, hard in his pants. “No wonder you were so ready to be stuffed when I marked you.”

Linus grinned. “You can come inside me.”

Storm groaned and pushed his pants off, climbing behind Linus to slip inside him.

They rocked together slow and sweet, Storm squeezing Linus’ nipples until they leaked a clear fluid. He wrapped his fist around Linus’ cock and bit lightly on his scent gland, the one at the crook of Linus’ neck. Linus shuddered and came. Storm worked him through a few more orgasms, Linus’ body clenching around him so he throbbed and leaked.

Then Linus brought Storm’s wrist to his lips, biting his scent gland again.