Page 7 of Claimed

“Yes.”

Bain moves his hand to my thigh without breaking contact on my skin, freeing up both mine. Everyone is touching my legs now, and I scoot forward a little on Chase’s lap, wanting to get closer to Maddox.

I feel Chase’s hands slide up underneath the shirt to grip my bare hips. I know he’s just trying to keep skin-on-skin contact so I don’t shift, but it causes a small shudder to go through me. I like it.

I reach my hands toward Maddox, desperate to touch him, and he moves to his knees right in front of me, letting my fingers run along the scruff of his beard. He mimics my position, moving one hand at a time until we’re cupping each other’s faces.

“You’re beautiful,” he tells me, his green eyes scanning my face.

“Am I?” I ask as my brows pinch together.

“Yes,” several of them reply at once.

“I… I haven’t seen myself for a long time.”

“How long?” Bain grunts out from my side.

I glance over my shoulder at him. “You don’t want to know.”

“As long as you’ve been a wolf?” Gage asks. I press my lips together, not wanting to admit it’s been longer.

“Cherry…” Bain says in warning.

“You’ll get mad,” I tell him with a small pout I try to rein in.

I feel his hand squeeze my thigh as he answers, “Yes. But you still need to tell me.”

“We want to ask you some questions,” Maddox says, saving me from answering. “But first, how are you feeling? Are you getting tired?”

I twist my lips to the side as I try to assess myself. “A little tired.”

“Are you in pain anywhere?”

“No pain,” I tell him with a shake of my head as my fingers find their way to his soft, brown hair that he’s wearing down today. We study each other for a moment until I start to lean toward him, but he stops me. “Cherry. About those questions.”

“Can that wait?” I ask as I move my hands to his shoulders. His very firm and strong shoulders. “I’ve been dying to tell you everything, but now that I’m actually sitting here in my human form, all I can think about is if your hugs feel as good in this body.”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as Chase groans and leans his forehead against my back. When Maddox opens his eyes again, he grabs my hands and gently kisses my fingers, then moves them down, placing them on his firm abs.

“Oh,” I say with wide eyes. Unsure where this is going, but now super invested in how good he feels against my fingers.

“Keep your hands on me,” he instructs as he reaches forward and grabs my waist. “Come here, then,” he says as he slowly pulls me from Chase’s lap and into his. I feel the others continue to touch my bare skin as I move my arms up to wrap around his neck, and my knees sit on either side of his thighs. I press my face into his neck and take a deep inhale of his cedar, leather, and ash scent, letting it seep into me and help me relax.

“You smell good,” I whisper.

The others have moved to surround us, their hands on my upper legs, arms, and my back, under the shirt, but Maddox is the focus of my attention right now.

“So do you,” he says against my skin.

I poke my tongue out, desperate to get a little taste, and the delicious saltiness that greets me suddenly has me craving so much more. Something inside urges me forward, and before I realize what I’m doing, my teeth are clamping down on the spot where his shoulder meets his neck.

Someone gasps, and my eyes widen in shock at what I’m doing.

“Did she just bite you?” Chase asks in shock.

I feel a deep rumble coming from Maddox's chest as he holds me tighter. “Are you trying to mark me, little mate?”

Feeling embarrassed and confused, I force my jaw to unclasp and pull back, seeing only the imprint of my teeth on him.