Page 95 of These Bonds that Unite Us
CHAPTER FORTY
Now Playing: InfraRed- Three Days Grace
Heats have always been physically taxing, but experiencing one with mates has left me with a new level of soreness. Every muscle in my body aches from the several day marathon of sex we just finished.
I carefully stretch beneath the blankets, groaning with the pop of my joints. Maybe I need to start joining Nebula and Titan in their home gym to rebuild my stamina.
“Good morning, babygirl,” Nebula greets me, his voice husky from exhaustion. The blankets shift as he rolls onto his side to look down at me. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” I admit, “but good. Less crazy.”
Color floods my cheeks remembering the clearer snippets of the heat. Who would have guessed my instincts would turn me into a whiny, demanding crybaby during a heat?
“You were amazing,” he whispers, leaning down to brush his lips against mine. It’s still weird, now that I’m back to my senses, to have this level of intimacy with him after everythingbroke between us. A very tiny part of me still fears he will change his mind, but the reassurance flowing down our bond helps to combat those feelings.
His fingers trail down my jaw to where his bite mark sits. The contemplative look in his eyes paired with the insecurity in his bond has me on alert. “I’m sorry. That I didn’t ask you first. And for the way I treated you after learning you were Sarah Montgomery.”
“You’ve already apologized for that. I…” Guess it’s now or never right? “I won’t say I’m over what happened with the chemical rejection and abandonment, but I do forgive you. We all have more to work through, and I would rather take these next steps together.”
The cutest smile stretches across his lips, one of the very boy-next-door-ish ones women swoon over. “Thank you, Omen, for giving us the chance to prove ourselves to you. I promise we’ll never hurt you this severely again. You’re ours, now and forever.”
I shudder as his hand trails down my neck and across my collarbone, dipping between my breasts and over my stomach until he’s cupping my mound. “Are you too sore?”
He slips two fingers inside of me when I shake my head. It stings a little bit, but the pleasure outweighs the hint of pain. His lips press to my neck, sucking the skin between his teeth before he trails kisses to my breasts.
“Please,” I beg. We both need this. A chance to experience each other with forgiveness in our hearts and no heat hormones flooding my body.
Drool pools in my mouth watching the strain of his chest and biceps as he shifts over top of me. This man is a fucking god with his clothes on, without them I fear mere mortals would perish if they ever laid eyes on him.
Probably because I would claw their eyes out, but still.
“You own me, babygirl. Heart, body, and soul. I’ll be your knight in shining armor, the king at your command.” He lines himself up and pushes in slowly. “Yours,” he breathes as he bottoms out. “I’m yours.”
Unlike the frenzy of my heat, he isn’t demanding or punishing as he fucks me. This feels like making love. Slow and sensual. Filled with licking kisses and soft murmurs of adoration. It’s everything, healing the fragments of my battered soul one dragging thrust at a time.
When we reach our peak, it isn’t consuming. Instead, it spreads through us in slow, rolling waves. We’re still panting and breathless, soaked in sweat and slick, but we’re also content. Happy to bask in each other’s presence for a few peaceful moments.
The obnoxious growl of my empty stomach brings our post-bliss cuddles to an end, but I don’t feel bereft the way I do at the end of their concerts. I know this is only the beginning of our love story, the chapters without pain and suffering.
Our happily ever after starts now.
Showered and fed, I track down my phone. The guys told me they’d checked in with everyone as soon as the heat hit so no one would be worried when we went offline for several days, which was so very sweet of them.
I need to check in with everyone myself though, especially since we were left in the wind with no knowledge of what happened regarding Ben’s arrest.
A couple of texts from Bea, mostly snippets of her day or cool things she found while traveling. A few of them are reminders I’m ‘a lucky bitch’. I’ll have to call her to gloat later so she can live vicariously through me.
One text from Donovan asking me to call him when the heat has passed. He also told me to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves. For being an alpha in charge of such an extensive and sometimes dangerous organization, he’s a worrier.
When I see the picture messages from Foster, I burst into tears. Callisto looks up from where he’s writing in the corner of the living room, concern filling his eyes. “Starlight?”
I shake my head, trying to get a grip on my out-of-control emotions. Post-heat hormones make me as dramatic as they do during.
He stands and crosses to me, wrapping his arms around me. “It’s okay to feel overwhelmed right now. I would too if my body was still trying to regulate the mess of hormones you’re dealing with.”
When I’ve pulled myself together, I show him my phone screen. “Hannah went into labor while I was in heat,” I tell him gloomily. I’d already missed Kaitlin’s birth, now I missed the new baby being born too. I’m such a shit sister.
“Hey, I can feel you beating yourself up about this. Hannah understands. She knows you would have been by her side this entire time if you could have.” He holds me tighter, trying to comfort me. It doesn’t do a lot to ease the guilt churning in my stomach. “Why don’t you call her and check in? We can go visit her tomorrow after you’ve rested. Does that sound good?”
