Page 39 of The Bunny Blues

It came across flat, even to myself.

Macarius gave a very dog-like whine. How could he make those sounds in his human form?

“Is there anything we can do?”

“No.” Without realizing it, I’d begun to run my fingers through his hair. “Although it’s odd. I don’t feel as bad when I’m touching you or your brothers. The pain is muffled, and the instincts pushing me to return to my mates are silenced. Do you think it has something to do with the pull I feel toward the three of you?”

Macarius cradled my hips, his face still pressed to my stomach. The intimacy of our positions should have been erotic, but it was strangely comforting. He’d already told me he wanted my body, but instead of getting himself off, he’d been focused on my needs—both the physical and emotional ones.

When he remained silent, I said, “Quin and Coda told me their wolves believe I’m their mate.”

The wolf shifter mumbled curses under his breath. “It’s going to be hard not to kill them if I see them kissing you.”

“That might not be a problem. I told them they can’t mark me, because I don’t want to risk that I won’t be able to claim them back. It would break my heart for them to be left in limbo like my matched did to me.” I traced his face with my finger. “You claimed me before I could warn you. I’m so sorry, Macarius.”

His thumb rubbed gentle circles on my hip. “Do you want me as your mate?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want?—”

“All that matters is what you want.” Macarius placed slow kisses up my stomach toward my breasts. “If the past was no more, would you want to claim me as your mate? Would you want to have my mark?”

“Yes,” I answered with absolute certainty.

Tension drained from Macarius’s muscles, a sign of how worried he’d been about what my answer might be.

“Just because I want you to be my mate, it doesn’t mean that I can.” I clenched the linen blanket in my fist.

“You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen, but you aren’t a siren who lured me into making a decision I didn’t want. I do not regret my bite, and even with what you’ve told me, I would claim you again.” His mouth brushed along the underside of my left breast. “Even if the claim remains one-sided, it’s enough for me to know that you want me as your mate.”

Macarius’s desire for me was strong enough that he was willing to take whatever scraps I could give him, just to be with me. Status and money didn’t even factor into his decision. He didn’t want me to be his maid, personal chef, arm candy, or sex toy to use at his whim.

The predator who could kill without breaking a sweat was offering me his heart.

He wanted to belong to me.

My worry over what might happen in the future bled away. The critical voice in my head that said I wasn’t worthy of being loved vanished, and the cracks in my soul began to heal.

I was done second-guessing myself and beating myself up for the things I couldn’t change. Going forward, I was determined to be the real me—the me who knew her value and fought for what she wanted and deserved.

And what did the new me want to do first? That was simple. I’d already given him a peep show, and now I wanted to go for an Easter egg hunt… in his pants.

If I’d thought my inner bunny was going to be reluctant about getting physical with another man, I would have been wrong. She surged to the surface, not pushing for a shift, but wanting to be as close to his wolf as possible.

His mouth sucked and teased my breasts until my nipples were hardened peaks and I was writhing beneath him.

“Macarius,” I begged, arching my back off the bed and trying to wrap my legs around him to pull him against me.

The frustrating man continued to lavish attention on my breasts. “There is no need to rush. Let me please you.”

I growled in both pleasure and displeasure. “Then will you please take off these pants and let me guide you down my magic rabbit hole?”

Macarius’s laugh was low and caused the lust building in my stomach to coil tighter. “Did you seriously just make a white rabbit joke?”

“Yes.” I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. “Did it work?”

“No.” Macarius trailed kisses between my breasts and up my neck.

Snarling, I bit his shoulder. It wasn’t hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to make my point. I was soaked and my body ached with the need for release. Since it was his fault, he needed to fix it.

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