Page 76 of Claimed

“No. I can fight if I need to. I’m definitely not a stranger to it. But Chase… he enjoys it. It gives him a sense of purpose.”

“Fighting?”

“No, protecting. Even from a young age, I could see how important protecting me was to him. Maybe because of the way each of our parents died, or because he was trying to shield me from the backlash of their failures, I’m not sure. Either way, I could see he needed it. So I let him.”

I shrug as I look at her. The way she stares at me, her eyes filled with what I hope is love and adoration, just solidifies what I already know about her. That’s she’s kind and caring and⁠—

“You, Hunter Timberland, are amazing,” she says, cutting off my thoughts as she lifts her head, her lips reaching for mine as her eyes slide shut.

I wrap my arms tightly around her as I close the distance, kissing those gorgeous, pouty lips. She tosses her phone to the floor and moans as I deepen it, sliding my tongue in and reminding her just how amazing I can make her feel. An image flashes in my head of using my tongue to bring pleasure somewhere else, and suddenly I'm wondering if anyone has done that yet.

My hand slides to her hip, squeezing it before moving down her thigh and up the skirt of the light blue dress she chose to wear today. It’s just as perfect on her as the green one that she wore yesterday. I fucking love her in dresses, and realizing the easy access they grant, I’m loving them even more. I’m gonna buy her a dozen more, hoping she wears them every day, giving me little peeks of her glorious ass and easy access to the goods.

My thumb grazes the edge of her panties, and she gasps, letting me deepen the kiss even more. Her legs part and I groan, loving the access she’s willingly giving to me. She might not be ready for another knot, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring her pleasure.

I run my thumb down her slit, over her panties, and feel the dampness through them. “Fuck, baby. You’re drenched already.”

“That’s your fault,” she whispers as her hips buck, trying to find more contact.

I chuckle as I start to kiss down her neck, my thumb finding her clit and rubbing soft circles. “My fault, huh?”

“Yes!” she gasps, her hands clinging to me tightly. “You’re so Goddess-damned perfect, all I have to do is look at you and I’m soaked.”

My hand freezes as I pull back to look at her. “Perfect?”

She nods as her hips buck, trying to get me to keep moving, but I’m still in shock from her words. “Nobody’s ever called me perfect before,” I admit.

Her eyes soften as she cups my face and whispers, “Well, they’re fools. But I’m kinda glad. If another woman called you perfect before I might have to hunt her down and rip out her tongue.”

I choke on my laughter, not expecting such vicious words from my sweet little mate.

Smiling at her, I kiss her gently before pulling back as I admit, “No maiming necessary. There’s never been anyone else.”

“You never had a girlfriend you cared about before?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

I lick my lips before clarifying. “There has never been another girl. Period.”

A small frown furrows her brow. “But you’ve kissed⁠—”

“No.” I shake my head. “You’re my first everything, Cherry.” Her eyes widen as she stares at me in shock. “Does that bother you?” I ask nervously.

“Bother me?” She looks at me now like I’m insane. “Of course not. I’m just a little shocked. I mean, you’re…” she trails off as her eyes trail down my body. “Hot. How is that even possible?”

“I was saving myself for my mate,” I tell her honestly, feeling a little embarrassed that I’m a twenty-eight-year-old virgin. But by the look of wonder on her face, I know all the nights I spent alone, touching myself in the shower were worth it.

Suddenly, she throws her arms around my neck, her mouth right by my ear as she whispers, “I love you, Hunter.”

I inhale sharply, not expecting her to say those words as I hug her back. It takes me all of two seconds to regain my composure before I pull back and cup her face. “And I love you, Cherry Rosewood.” I press my lips to hers in a firm but brief kiss. Then I pull back again as I tell her, “Let me show you how much.”

Quickly, I shuffle us around, lying her on her back in the middle of the couch as I kneel between her legs. She looks at me in curious surprise as I let my hands slide up the outside of her legs, pushing her dress up as I go until her matching blue thong is revealed to me.

I slip my fingers in the edges and slowly slide it down, revealing her wet core to me. Once they are free from her legs, I toss her panties aside and lower myself to my stomach, watching as her eyes widen in surprise.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Do you trust me?” I ask, lifting my chin to look at her.

She nods. “Of course.”