Page 30 of Feral Heart
“I’ve been sure since you manhandled Grant at the checkout.” Jamie bit his lip, watched the way Cesar tracked the movement. “Maybe before that. Maybe since the first time I watched you fondle produce.”
Chapter Nine
Something inside Cesar’s chest unlocked at Jamie’s enthusiastic “Yes!” The sound echoed through the bedroom like a bell, clear and certain. His wolf practically purred with satisfaction, knowing their mate wanted this bond as much as they did.
“Gracias a Dios,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against Jamie’s. The relief flooding through him was almost overwhelming. Jamie’s question about the pack becoming his family had shown he understood exactly what he was agreeing to—not just a relationship but belonging somewhere. And he’d still said yes.
That meant everything.
Jamie’s hands were already reaching for the waistband of Cesar’s boxer briefs, that familiar breathless excitement in his voice. “I've been waiting months for this.”
Cesar laughed, catching those eager fingers before they could strip him completely. “Slow down, colibrí. We've got all night.”
“But I've been waiting months,” Jamie protested, those gray eyes sparkling with mischief. “I have a lot of fantasies to make up for.”
“Tell me about them.” Cesar guided Jamie’s hands to his chest instead, letting him explore the tattoos that covered his arms and torso. “What did you imagine us doing?”
Pink crept up Jamie’s neck, but his touch grew bolder, tracing the inked lines across Cesar’s ribs. “Well, in my grocery store daydreams, we usually started with you kissing me against the freezer section.”
“Cold,” Cesar observed, pressing his lips to Jamie’s temple.
“That’s what made it hot.” Jamie’s fingers found a particularly sensitive spot just below Cesar’s collarbone, making his breath hitch. “Then we’d go back to your place, and you’d cook for me. Which already happened, so we’re ahead of schedule.”
“And after dinner?”
Those exploring hands moved lower, mapping the ridges of muscle across his stomach. “You’d tell me I was beautiful, and I’d probably say something stupid and rambling because that’s what I do when I’m nervous.”
“You’re not stupid.” Cesar caught Jamie’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “And you’re definitely beautiful.”
The flush spread across Jamie’s cheeks, but he didn't look away. “See? Just like my fantasy.”
“What else?” Cesar’s voice had dropped to a growl, his wolf stirring as Jamie’s hands grew more adventurous.
“Then we’d end up in bed, and you’d...” Jamie’s confidence wavered slightly. “Well, you’d want me. Even knowing about Grant, and my brain, and how I talk too much.”
The vulnerability in those words made Cesar’s chest tighten. He cupped Jamie’s face with both hands, thumbs brushing across sharp cheekbones. “Escúchame, mi alma. Everything about you—the talking, the bouncing, even the overthinking—it's all perfect. It's all you.”
Jamie’s breath caught. “Really?”
“Really.” Cesar leaned down to capture his lips, pouring every ounce of sincerity into the kiss. Jamie melted against him, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him closer.
When they broke apart, both breathing heavily, Cesar could see the last of Jamie’s uncertainty fade away. Good. His mate needed to understand exactly how wanted he was.
“Now,” Cesar settled more fully between Jamie’s thighs, reveling in the way his colibri’s eyes darkened. “Let me show you how much better reality is than fantasy.”
He started with Jamie’s mouth, kissing him thoroughly until those soft lips were swollen and pink. Then he moved lower, pressing open-mouthed kisses along his jaw, down the column of his throat. Jamie’s pulse hammered beneath his tongue, rapid and excited.
“Tan dulce,” Cesar murmured against his collarbone, tasting the salt of Jamie’s skin. “Tan perfecto para mí.”
“I love when you speak Spanish,” Jamie gasped, fingers tangling in Cesar’s hair. “Even though I have no idea what you’re saying.”
“I’m saying you taste like heaven,” Cesar translated, moving lower to worship the smooth expanse of Jamie’s chest. “And that you’re perfect for me.”
A soft moan escaped Jamie’s lips as Cesar’s mouth found his nipple, tongue flicking over the sensitive bud. The sound went straight to Cesar’s cock, already hard and aching with need.
“Oh god,” Jamie arched beneath him, fingers tightening in his hair. “That’s—I can't—”
Cesar lavished attention on the peaked flesh, alternating between gentle licks and firmer suction until Jamie was writhing beneath him. Only then did he move to the other side, giving it the same treatment while his hands mapped every inch of exposed skin.
