Page 2 of Caligo

“I mean, I don’t want to act like we are automatic ‘mates,’ together forever, end of, period. I want to treat this like a normal relationship. I don’t want to know more about the whole mate thing until I ask. I want to date at a normal pace. I want you to meet my friends.” I’d have to talk to Mollie first, calm her down. But once we were over that hurdle, hopefully she’d be ecstatic. I had only brought one other guy to meet her before, and that hadn’t lasted too long.

He squeezed my hands. “Okay. We do this your way.”

I expected more of a fight, more indignation. “Really? You don’t mind taking things slow, comparatively speaking?”

“I’m not going to lie, Green, every cell in my damn body wants to claim you as my own. I want you to be mine. I want to fuck you until you see there’s no other way except for us to be together.” His gaze was dark with honesty, and every word sent a shiver down my spine. “But I won’t force it on you. If taking things slow means you aren’t going to go running out the door on me because of this freaky wolf shit, then I can work with that.” He offered me a small smile, and my stomach tightened. This was real. This handsome man thought I was destined to be his partner.Fuck.

“One more thing.” I smiled back, hoping it was charming. I traced my fingers down the tribal tattoos on one arm, feeling the muscles tense under my light touch.

Jasper rolled his eyes, his grin widening. “Of course.”

“What happened to you today?”

He tensed his jaw and averted his gaze. “I didn’t think you were going to let me get away with that one easily.”

“So then you might as well tell me.” I was desperate to know what hurt him. I felt protective, even though it was quite obvious that there was little I would be able to protect him from. Right now, at least. I would make sure that was different next time.

He sighed, sitting back down on the bed and pulling me into his lap. “I tracked whatever is hunting around here to a bit of the forest about fifteen minutes outside of town. His scent led me to a cave, and I trailed him in expecting a fight. What I wasn’t expecting was the cave to have some sort of protection around it.”

He lost me. “Protection?”

Jasper nodded, focused on his story. “I couldn’t see anything in the cave. I couldn’t see what was attacking me, or how to attack back. It was far from a fair fight. I should’ve been better prepared.”

“Don’t you have night vision?” I felt stupid saying it out loud, but Jasper just took it in stride.Right. Werewolf.

“Well, that’s just it.” He sounded as confused as I was. “It was like the cave was designed to take away any advantage I’d have as a wolf.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I traced my hands lightly around the bruises and cuts on his face.

When he looked at me his expression was resolved, gaze hard. “I’m fine. I heal fast, and next time I’ll be ready.” He slid me onto the bed and stood, offering me his hand. “I should take you home. It’s probably not safe for you to stay here tonight.”

I hadn’t yet bothered getting dressed, so I gave him a small smile. “What does safe mean, anyways?” I tugged on his hand, falling back with Jasper on top of me. He propped himself up on his elbows, brushing a stray lock of hair away from my face.

“Hell if I know anymore, baby.”

I bit his bottom lip. “I think I’d rather stay.”

Jasper swirled his fingertips down the soft skin of my neck, pressing his lips against mine as he spoke. “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind then?”

Ripples of pleasure ran across my body as his words reverberated against me. I kissed him deeply in response, and he helped me pull his shirt back over his head. I admired his muscled torso for a moment before Jasper turned his dark gaze onto me. “I think I’m okay with this new plan.” He dipped his head to my breast, sucking and biting my nipple as I arched into his body. I whimpered as he moved his hand lower, searching for the wet heat between my legs. Jasper released my nipple as he looked into my eyes, watching me as he dipped a finger into me, and then another.

I moaned, running my hand down his side until I could reach the edge of his pants. I undid the button on his pants, pushing them down over his hips. I needed to feel him, all of him. The only thing still making any sense in my brain was how good it felt when Jasper touched me, and I needed more of him.

Jasper groaned, and the sound was loud in the small room. “Fuck, you’re so wet.” He curled his fingers, and I cried out.

“Jasper, I need you inside me.”

He rolled off me and kicked his pants off the rest of the way, grabbing a condom from the drawer next to him, before unrolling it down his cock. I clenched my thighs together against the ache there, watching him as he turned back to me with his coal-black gaze.

“This is going to be hard and fast, baby. I don’t want you having second thoughts about how yourmatecan make you feel.”

He kneeled on the bed, pulling me around so I was on my hands and knees in front of him. With one swift move, he thrust himself into me. I gasped as he filled me, making me feel whole once again. Jasper gripped my hips tightly, pulling me back onto his cock as he drove in deeper. His desperate growls mixed with my needy cries as he began to move his hips quicker behind me, his rhythm driving me towards the edge of pleasure.

He kept one bruising hand on my hip, as he drifted the other one underneath me. He feathered his touch over my clit, before putting more pressure there. “Come,” he commanded, and his voice was strained and urgent.

I screamed out his name, not caring who would hear in the hotel, as I shattered around him. A moment later, he cried out my name as I felt him cave to his own release.

Jasper collapsed next to me. “One day. One day you’ll accept what I’ve known all along. Because no one else will ever make you feel as good as I do,” he whispered, peppering my shoulder with light kisses.

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