Page 5 of My Pucking Life

After taking a few moments to prepare for my plan of distraction, I ready myself with a deep breath, hoping I can draw some courage from my wolf.

I finally walk through the door of the still dimly lit bathroom. I expected Roman to still be resting with his head against the back of the tub. Instead, he's staring directly at me as I try my best to sway my hips in a sensual way without looking like a waddling duck. I must be doing it right because his eyes look like they're only a second from falling out of his face, and I think he's drooling.

“I was hoping I could join you,” I whisper because I used all my courage to walk across the bathroom…naked.

He doesn't answer with his words. He growls and leans over the edge of the tub, reaching for me. Once he's grasped my fingers, he pulls me up against the warm basin before hooking one arm under my legs at the knee and the other on my back, keeping me from toppling over.I will never get used to how strong he is,I think as he lifts me into the tub like I weigh nothing at all.

Once he's gently settled me in his lap, resting my back against his torso, he begins massaging my body.

“I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you, remember?” I breathe.

He continues massaging my body, which not only feels amazing but is also setting off every nerve ending in my body at the intimacy of everything.

“But what if me taking care of you calms me and therefore, in turn, takes care of me?” he grumbles against the shell of my ear, causing my toes to curl and my core to throb.

I open my mouth to speak, but now he's scrubbing my scalp with what feels like his claws, and I have to snap it shut to keep myself from moaning.

“Now who's playing dirty?” I barely get out before I'm unable to hold the moan in any longer, as I arch into him, earning me a growl from him. That's all it takes for our calm bath to turn into frenzied touching.

We hurriedly bathe each other, lathering, scrubbing, and massaging each other's bodies. When we're all clean and have washed the day and recent experiences off our skin, I suggest we move this party to our bed.

He gets out of the tub first and shakes off, which results in a small fit of unexpected giggles as I remember that he's a werewolf.And I'm a werewolf. Do things like shaking come naturally or are they learned?I can't help but giggle again at the thoughts that cross my mind.

My thoughts are broken by him lifting me out of the bathwater, desperately clinging to his biceps as they flex beneath my fingers, and there's no way I'm not another kind of wet right now.

He inhales deeply, and I remember that he can smell my arousal, which reminds me that his scent would be stronger as well, I allow myself to concentrate on my wolf and inhale deeply, and I’m immediately overwhelmed with the muskier cherries and leather that I smelled when I went into heat. I was so wrapped up in the moment the other times we were together, I didn't even allow myself to notice the little things. I want to mentally catalog every single moment. Forever.

Being a part of that end-of-life ceremony reminded me that even if we could live an obnoxious number of years, we're not truly immortal. We can be killed, and…I just…there's no way I could live without him now that I have him.

I have this raging need to be near his neck. I rest my hands on his shoulders, pulling on them a little. “Hold me. Please, Roman.”

I didn't need to beg; he was already lifting me into his embrace. As soon as our bodies meet, still slick with bath water, I wriggle and wrap my legs around his waist. He throws his head back on a low, rumbling groan, and I pull myself up to lay my head on top of his shoulder, breathing him in the same way he does me so often.

There's a burning sensation in my gums, and it causes me to whine.

He immediately snaps out of the lust-induced fog and holds my body at arm's length, causing me to whimper. “Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. Not yet.”

I stop and look at him in confusion, urging him to explain himself.

“That need you were feeling was to complete the mating bond; if you had bitten me, we would have needed to complete the ritual to prevent an unintentional rejection,” he explains calmly while he begins to play my body like his own personal instrument again, which delays the gravity of what he just said.

“Wait, what? I would never reject you.” I’m volleying between panic over his statement, and need because of the things he's doing to my body.

He rolls my nipple between his thumb and forefinger and my knees shake without my permission.

“I know you wouldn't Princess, but an incomplete mating bond can cause it to reflect as a rejection. I just want it to be perfect for you, and that's my fault for not explaining that before.” He leans in and begins kissing across the same spot on my shoulder, and I can feel my need for him beginning to collect on my thighs. “But I'm still going to take care of you.”

He says that, but the second the word left his mouth, all of his heat left my body, and he walked into the bedroom without me, leaving me standing there gaping at him, I'm sure.

“I didn't want to carry you again and make it worse. Come here, Leera.” His voice has taken on a firmer tone, and the collection of moisture is now sliding down my legs as I make my way to him.

He's sitting against the headboard again, just watching me try to saunter towards him. He reaches between his legs and maintains a steady grip on his length, occasionally stroking it slowly, his eyes never leaving mine.

When I approach the bed, instead of walking around to the side and joining him, I begin at the end of the bed and crawl to him. Just as I reach him, I intend to reach out and touch him, but he anticipates my move and captures my hand. In a quick series of obnoxiously graceful maneuvers, he has me turned around, on my knees, facing away from him. He leans over me, and I can feel him brush against my sensitive skin, causing me to whimper again, “What do you want?” he asks while he reaches around my body, teasing my nipples.

My back arches, and my head falls back against him. “You, Roman,” I breathe. “I don't want you,” I continue to pant, but his hand stills at my words when I remember I wasn't finished with my sentence. “It’s not a want…I…I need you.”

He releases a ragged sigh of relief, immediately followed by a trail of kisses down my spine, causing me to wriggle in his grasp.

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