Page 25 of Marked
Pride swells in my chest, my inner wolf fucking preening.Look at us, taking care of our mate.“Of course,” I drawl smoothly, beaming her a grin. “Whatever you need Chey, I’m here.”
She suddenly sits up, carding her fingers through her hair as she glances down at me, brow arched. “How about a kiss?”
I curl up to sit beside her a littletooquickly. “Are you sure?” I question, searching her amber eyes.
She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, nodding. “Yeah, I feel like I just need to rip off the band-aid, ya know?”
I hiss a wince at her wording. “Man, you make it sound like a chore,” I tease.
“Get back on the bike?” she rephrases, cocking her head.
My brows lift, and I resist making a joke about what kind of ride I can offer her, raising a fist to my mouth and clearing my throat instead.
She obviously knows where my mind wandered, huffing a sigh and waving a hand. “Ugh, you know what I mean. Instead of being scared of what’ll happen if we try again, I just need to keep at it, try to work through my issues with being touched.”
“About that,” I murmur, eyeing her. “I’ve been giving it some thought, and I’ve got a proposition for you.”
Chey squints back at me suspiciously. “A proposition?”
I nod, holding my hands out to her, palm up. “Take my hands.”
“Okay…” she replies slowly, reaching out for them. Sparks bloom between our skin on contact, a pleasurable sizzle sinking into my veins.
Mate.
“Maybe it’s not about physical touch, but having control over it,” I suggest. “So, my hands are yours tonight. Put them wherever you want, and I won’t move them unless you do.”
She arches a dubious brow, glancing down at our hands, then back up to my face. “You really think that’s gonna work?”
I shrug a shoulder. “Worth a try, right?”
Chey stares into my eyes, and I can practically see the wheels turning in her brain. I know she’s nervous. I know she’s scared she’ll freak out again. But at some point she’s going to realize that no matter what happens, I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together.
Sliding her hands beneath mine, Cheyenne pulls them toward her body, turning my palms in to rest against her waist. “Like this?” she asks tentatively.
“Exactly,” I nod. “You’re in complete control.”
There’s a spark of realization in her eyes, then her lips curve in a soft smile, relief slackening her features. Slowly, I lean in, stopping just short of pressing my lips against hers so she can bridge the remaining distance.
She does.
The moment her mouth lands on mine, I’m a goner. Every kiss with her feels like the first time, excitement singing through my veins as all my blood rushes south. My fingers flex around her waist, tongue sweeping along the seam of her lips. She parts them to let me in, tilting her head to deepen our kiss with a little moan that sounds like a purr.
Her tongue glides against mine, the intensity quickly ramping up until she’s fisting the front of my shirt and climbing up onto my lap. It takes a great deal of restraint not to move my hands, keeping them firmly planted on her waist where she left them while she shifts to straddle mine, our lips never parting. She winds her arms around my neck, sinking her fingers into my hair as the kiss turns even filthier.
While I’m dominant by nature, my instinct to make sure my mate feels safe and comfortable overrides all else.Do I want to tear her clothes off right now and fuck her senseless?Obviously. But the anticipation that’s been building between us with every kiss has become almost more potent than getting to the act itself, the steady climb making the reward that much sweeter.
Chey unwinds her arms from around my neck, lowering her hands to rest atop of mine at her waist. Slowly, she guides them to slide up her belly, brushing beneath the hem of her t-shirt. Her skin is soft and supple beneath my palms, tingling with pleasurable sparks as she works them up further, over the curve of her full tits. I groan into her mouth as I squeeze them beneath my hands, fingers and thumbs curling in to pinch her hard nipples through her bra. She arches her back, a soft sigh slippingfrom her lips as I play with her tits.I guessed right– they fit perfectly beneath my hands.
I’m not sure whether it’s intentional, but she grinds her core against my thickening cock, and it’s an extreme exercise in restraint to resist pulsing my own hips with her movements. Hell, it might even be bordering on torture. I can feel the heat of her center through the fabric that separates us, my dick straining painfully against my zipper.
Despite my wolf’s instinct to mark our mate right here and now, I keep my hands beneath hers, as promised. I fight the urge to let them wander, knowing deep down that she needs this. She needs to feel like she’s in control. I’ll never strip that away from her without her consent, nor will I allow anyone else to ever again.
“Remember, you can stop me at any time,” I murmur against her lips. “You’re in control, Chey.”
“I know,” she whispers back as she directs my hands to slide down from her breasts to her belly, her breath hitching as my fingertips brush the waistband of her leggings.
I hesitate, even as she nudges me to go further.
