Page 25 of Catnip

Mates

In all his naked glory,sporting an erection that should have alarmed her, the heathen carried her all the way back to the room where he’d nursed her the previous night, and dropped her on hisbed.

“Didn’t we clarify that I’m not some goddamned prize, CoveneyWalker?”

“Did we?” he replied, and she had a perfect answer that would have indeed shown him his place, but, as he happened to capture her lips just then, she was too busy panting and melting under him to formulate asound.

Okay, so she moaned, but that didn’tcount.

The man was completely naked and hovering over her on a large bed that smelled like him; Ava’s insides melted, and her hips curved upward, needing to touchhim.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, his knuckles tracing her face, pushing her hair away. He opened his fist and let his hands slide over her bare arms. That was supposed to be innocent, right? So why did it feel like her clit was onfire?

Coveney chuckled. “You really don’t believeit.”

“Aria, my sister, she wasthe…”

“I didn’t know Aria. I just know hundreds of women, and none of them have captivated me nearly as much asyou.”

Bedroom talk was always sweet, she told herself. This was normal. Her heart had no reason to beat at five thousand miles an hour, yet it went and did just thatanyway.

“You know why, Ava? No, I expect youdon’t.”

She didn’t know anything at all right now, given the fact that his hand had reached her waist and he was pushing her borrowed tank top up, one excruciatingly slow second at atime.

For Christ’s sake, she’d had guys go down on her, she shouldn’t be panting like a crazy person because he was touching her damntummy.

Impatient, needing him to give more, she reached between them, grabbed his cock, and started pumpingit.

Coveney groaned, before chuckling. “You want this over with. You want me to shut up and fuck you so we don’t have to talk about this. Funny, Ava. I didn’t take you for acoward.”

“I’ve had the birds and bees conversation with my momma, handsome. I needyou.”

“And I you. I just was going to make it clear that when I stop holding myself back in a minute, I’m going to bite or scratch you.” His head dropped to her neck. He licked it before dropping feather-light kisses on it, as his frame dropped onto hers, his heavy cock grinding against her pants, and she threw her head back. Shit. Her clothes needed togo.

Wait, had he just saidbite?

“Where do eagles mark each other,mate?” he whispered against her ear, and everything around them ceased toexist.

Mate.

Mate.

Mate.

Her animal, who’d remained watchful and careful until now, who hadn’t known what to make of him, cried out inside her.Mate,she said. The eagle felt as stupid as Ava, because they both should have seen it. Now, theydid.

She wasn’t in charge of her change this time; the eagle acted all on her own, morphing her hand, and running her talon from the small of his back to his shoulders, hard, deep, andslow.

Coveney winced, but stayed still until she was done. Then, hechuckled.

“I guess that answers thatquestion.”

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over her, shejust…”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” Then, he said it again. “Mate.”

Fuck. He washers.

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