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Chapter Twenty-Two
The silence hung heavy between Espie and Luther as they stepped into her home. Both watched the other, each basking in the warmth of a good date that hadn’t been completely ruined by the drunk like their first one had. But now the tension was back, and Espie almost felt dirty after the way Will and his friend’s eyes had been assaulting her.
“So, what do you say we get cleaned up and de-escalate a little before we figure out what to do for the rest of the night?” Espie suggested.
“Sure,” Luther agreed. “You can even go first if you like.”
He settled on the couch while she leaned against the counter. “Feel free to turn on a show or some music, or whatever you like.”
“I’ll make us a pot of coffee,” he suggested with a smile. “I could use a cup after what we just found out tonight.”
Espie scoffed. “I thought we weren’t going to talk shop. But yeah, go ahead. I won’t be long, alright?” She leaned down and briefly kissed him before she turned on her heel and headed for the bathroom. As she showered, the hot water soothed her frazzled nerves and calmed her inner grizzly. It was strange, since her bear was usually the relaxed one, but right at that moment she was still spoiling for a fight.
After Luther had showered, he donned a borrowed robe and Espie’s too baggy shorts that she usually wore to bed. He looked a bit ridiculous, but Espie thought he looked a whole lot better in that outfit than anything else she’d ever seen him wear. Like a present she couldn’t wait to unwrap, truth be told.
She was settled on the couch, sipping at her coffee, when he came to settle by her side. Espie set her drink on the table, and then curled into his side. She kissed him, slow and deep, threading her fingers through his wavy hair. She nibbled on his lower lip, spurring him to action, smiling at the feel of his hands spreading across her lower back, then slowly cascading down to her hips and over the curve of her backside.
When she pulled away, worried that she might lose herself in him, Espie cupped Luther’s face, stroking a few days’ worth of stubble with her thumbs. “I don’t care what Miguel thinks, I know you’re not a bad guy,” she murmured. When he arched an eyebrow, she giggled. “Okay, so sometimes we get into pissing matches, I admit that much. But that’s not your fault. Sometimes I can be a real asshole.”
“The universe always provides us with the person we need most, Espie,” Luther told her, smiling at the same time. “And I have to admit, I’ve needed your fire in my life for a very long time.”
A gravitational pull melded their lips together. Espie swept her tongue across Luther’s lower lip, noting the way his eyes lit up with a keen interest in taking things further. In another moment, he tugged her onto his lap, and Espie settled there with her head buried under his chin.
Luther hugged her closer and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. He tilted her face up with a finger under her chin, the warmth of his touch flooding through her body. Her eyes widened when he bucked softly against her. His hardness rubbed teasingly against her core, encouraging a rush of pleasure to shoot through her. He took her by the chin again, this time pinching it between his thumb and finger, and dragged her within a breath of his lips.
“I want to know everything there is to know about you, Espie,” he told her, then grinned wickedly. “But right now, I’d just like to know you in a more Biblical sense.”
She giggled as she thrust back against him. “Well, obviously.”
Her inner bear issued a victorious growl as their lips slammed together in a heated kiss, mouths parting almost immediately and tongues swirling over one another like two friends seeing each other for the first time in months: familiar, yet exuberant. Her fingers made quick work of the fluffy belt holding together the robe Luther wore, exposing the hardened body she had longed to touch, to savor, and to kiss once again.
Honestly, it was even better than she’d remembered: solid pecks, with six glorious abs, taut as hell. She exhaled a lusty moan, which made Luther chuckle. As she drew her t-shirt over her head, Luther’s hot mouth dipped down to capture one hard nipple. She bucked against him, writhing back and forth on his lap, his length solid and insistent against her still covered sex.
Espie whimpered when Luther’s teeth scraped her collarbone, suddenly aching for him—more desperate than she had ever been for anyone in all her life. Her blood seemed to boil and bubble under her skin, her body ready to explode if she didn’t do something to quell the burning hunger within: a longing for him, for her true mate—a desire she had pushed off and denied for too long.
With some effort, she and Luther managed to get her out of her shorts. Espie giggled, toppling to one side of the couch and wriggling her hips, before Luther dragged her back up and claimed her mouth with a searing kiss. Desire scorched through her system, leaving her a whimpering, mewling, moaning mess. Luther swallowed her cries and matched them with a growl of his own, bucking up against her, his cock rubbing her aching bud and sending a pulse of pleasure throughout her body.
His length slid in unhindered, her slick channel readily accepting him as Espie’s eyes widened. Once again, she had never felt so whole in her life. As they rocked back and forth, making love slowly but firmly on her living room couch, she accepted once and for all that they were two pieces of one puzzle. Two halves of one whole. No matter their issues, they would find a way to work through them together.
She threaded her fingers through his hair and held tight as their pace quickened, and she muffled her moans against his shoulder, biting down slightly when an orgasm swept across her, seemingly out of nowhere. Every color in the rainbow flashed across her field of view as Luther ground her hips against him, fingertips no doubt leaving marks on her skin—a sign of ownership, companionship, that Espie welcomed willingly.
Spent, she went limp against him, arms wrapped snugly around his neck as he tipped them both back and pounded into her. With a snarl, his teeth on her neck, Luther stiffened and then spasmed, spilling himself into her. His grip on her body didn’t loosen until he stopped trembling, and Espie planted soft kisses across his skin—totally and utterly in love.
As their bodies calmed, the rest of the world trickled back in. The sitcom they’d left on the television was still blaring in the background, with its canned laughter, and the steady hum of the refrigerator seemed louder than usual. But despite all that background noise, Espie was content. They may have bonded the last time Luther had been there, but somehow this time seemed different. It finally felt more like they’d found the understanding that had been eluding them.
Sure, things between them weren’t settled. There were still the accusations of the clan to deal with, and all the troubles with the cougars. But she had a feeling that at least one thing was certain: they worked. They were going to be all right.
