AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I muffled a startled laugh by ducking my head into the pillow, unable to hold Grimm’s intense look much longer.
“Go fuck your beta, pup,” Grimm growled affectionately.
“That’s the plan, Prez,” Silver sang out with a soft click of the door.
The bed dipped as Grimm sat beside me, then nothing.
He didn’t move. I didn’t dare breathe. It seemed we were at an impasse. Though my wolf was desperate to lick her mate all over—a fact that he damned well knew because of this infernal pack bond—the human side of me was much more cautious. Honestly, there’s only so many times a woman can throw herself at a sexy man and not lose something essential. Like her self-respect.
Grimm huffed a laugh. “Are you gonna look at me, little alpha, or hide out in that pillow all night?”
“Hide.”
His hand dropped gently onto my back and slid smoothly along my spine, inching the t-shirt up a notch and leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. “Uh huh. That sounds just like the brave woman I know. Hiding in a pillow from the world.”
“You don’t know me,” I grumbled, poking my tongue out at him.
He moved, lightning fast, and caught my chin before I could duck away. His eyes blazed with his wolf. “But I do know you, Sasha. Shall I tell you about my mate?”
My eyes misted over and the possessive rumble in his voice stroked me to my core.
“My mate is tough and fierce. She doesn’t take shit from anybody. She will charge into battle and take ten years off my life, even when she knows she can’t win, just to protect her people after they’ve been laid down.” He cleared his throat. “And even when her greatest enemy has her by the throat, she’ll keep fighting. Right to the bitter end.”
He swallowed hard, his smile a little lopsided, before he continued. “I’d be a damn fool if I didn’t beg that woman’s forgiveness, don’t you think?” My lip trembled but my wolf rumbled in my chest, urging him on. “You don’t believe me, yet. That I’m all in. And that’s okay, mate. I wouldn’t believe me either. Not with the way I’ve been treating you. All hot and cold. So I’m gonna show you instead. If you’ll let me?”
I whined. Fucking whined. Like a hussy. I wanted him so damn bad I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat.
Grimm lifted my hand to his face. The week-old stubble was shaping up into a full blown beard. It felt decadent against my skin as the bristles scraped and caught, lighting a fire in my belly. He pressed a soft kiss to my palm, sending a shiver all the way down my spine. His gaze was—perhaps, for the first time—warm and completely unguarded as he studied me.
He opened his mouth to say something, and probably ruin our perfect moment with more words.
“Don’t even think about it, Grimm,” I growled. The Chaos singing in my veins took over in a rush. “Just fucking kiss me and make this official. I want my alpha’s scent all over my skin.”
“Gonna worship every inch of you,” he promised. “I hope you’re ready for me, mate. I’m an ‘all in’ kind of guy. Bit of an asshole, too, I’ve been told. Repeatedly. By a brilliant but infuriating woman.”
Kicking off his shoes, he climbed onto the bed and covered me completely. Bathing me in his earthy scent.
I couldn’t help but arch into him, pressing my softness against his hard planes, and winced. All of Doc’s careful stitching had been swallowed by my first awe-inspiring shift and my wolf’s healing had done the rest, yet my gut was still tender. My body remembered the damage that had been done.
As my t-shirt inched further up, revealing the flesh of my belly, my mate’s fingers grazed over the pink, puckered scar left in the battle's wake. The reminder of another terror survived.
No, I shook my head, that wasn’t right.
Our battle with the Bone Crushers had been more than a hardship to endure. It was a victory. Our victory. The moment my people stood up and claimed the space we were due in the world and took to our enemies without pause.
It was also the moment Grimm had vowed to be mine with nothing held back. This scar belonged to us, not Venom. It was ours.
I moaned, arching into this surprisingly erotic touch as he circled that bullet wound with the tip of his finger. An electric charge ran from the wound straight to my clit, dragging a shaky breath from my lips. He smiled, loving what he was doing to me, knowing he held my complete and undivided attention riveted to one rough fingertip.
This is what Grimm could do to me with a single touch. What I knew he would always do to me, no matter what was blowing up in our lives. This man only had to breathe on my neck and my body would bend to his will. One touch and my cells would light up like a storm.
“I was an idiot,” Grimm purred, pulling his shirt over his head one handed and letting it drop to the floor with a soft sigh as it pooled on the tile.
“Yep, total idiot,” I hummed.
Only half listening, I ran my greedy fingers over the newly exposed tattoos on his chest, tracing one down from his heart and along the delicious happy trail which disappeared under the waistband of his pants.
“And I’m gonna fuck up again.” He arched into my touch. “Never been with a woman long. Don’t know what it takes to keep a mate happy. So—” he laughed gruffly, “—yeah. You can pretty much count on that. I’m gonna fuck this up, Sasha. A lot. I’ll probably spend half my time with you groveling.”
