Page 64 of Hers to Keep

With a disapproving click of his tongue, Dohal grabbed her wrists and pushed them over her head.“You will not deprive yourself while you carry my young.”She squealed in protest, but he was much too strong to resist.

“Impress with me with how hard you make her come or next time I’m letting her toy with you as long as she wants,” Dohal growled to the demon.

Saints, she loved it when he got bossy.It made everything inside her flutter.She struggled against his hold just to feel his grip tighten around her wrists and released her power.

Ashdei pushed her thighs wide and set to work with a zeal that had her on edge in short order.His lips and tongue should come with a godsdamned warning label as deadly weapons, because holy fuck, did he know how to use them.She tried to resist him as long as she could, writhing under him and trying to squirm away until he dug in with his fingers to hold her still.The kiss of pain was delicious.

With a growl of feral need, he bit down on her clit, and she detonated, her thighs and belly clenching with the force of the release.She cried out loudly enough to make the trees above them shake.

He didn’t pause for a moment, even when she was shuddering under him in the throes of her climax, and pressed his fingers into her trembling body as he suckled on her throbbing clit.Still burning with his desire to please her, he built her up to another toe-curling orgasm right on the heels of the first.

Dohal claimed her mouth when she was whimpering helplessly with pleasure, scouring every inch with his tongue, as if he craved the taste of her more than air.He held her jaw and stared into her eyes when he pulled back.“That was lovely.How do you feel?”

Mari paused to consider.She glanced down at where Ashdei had collapsed over her, once again in his human form, with his head on her abdomen.He radiated contentment in a way she’d never felt from him.She ran her fingers through his hair.“Good.Sated.”

“How about you?”Dohal rested a hand on Ashdei’s head in a gesture that was distinctly tender.

“Perfect,” the demon murmured.“But I hope we’re sleeping just like this, because I’m not moving.”

Dohal snorted.“She sleeps however she is comfortable, and you’ll make do.”

Ashdei huffed, much more pleased than annoyed.“Fine.”

“We can stay like this for a while,” Mari said, curling her fingers in her demon’s hair.She was way too comfortable to consider moving at the moment anyway.

Dohal wrapped his arms around her and snuggled closer, his breath warm on her skin.

Chapter 21

Thesuncastwarmgolden light over Mari as it brushed the peaks of the mountains to the west.People from all over the city filled the compound for the first ever Reyes Employee Thanksgiving Picnic.Giselle and Dante had been planning for weeks and had set out an impressive spread that so far had been a big hit.

Basilio would never have considered an event like this in all his long days.And Mari thought that maybe that’s where all his problems had started.He had never considered anyone else or their needs in his calculations.The only occasions that mattered were those that honored and paid homage to him.

When people came up to thank her for something, she carefully redirected them toward Cisco or Rio or Dante, who deserved their praise much more than she did.Yes, she kept the magical lights on, but she was more figurehead than actual manager of anything.She wouldn’t know which way was up on a business ledger and couldn’t have told you a thing about any of their properties beyond the ones she had personally visited.

A small boy with shaggy, dark hair bounded up to her with a handful of haphazard flowers clutched in his hand.He stammered for a few seconds before saying, “Nana said I should bring these to someone after she helped me pick them, and you look the nicest.”

Mari leaned down and reached out a hand for the bundle.“Who’s your Nana?”

The boy turned to point at Giselle with a sheepish smile.

“Oh, you must be Nate.She talks about you all the time.”

He blushed and looked at his toes.

“Well, I thinkyou’rethe nicest person here, Nate.Because you picked these and brought them over here and made me smile.”She held them to her chest and beamed at him.

He made a joyful exclamation and ran off at full speed never looking back, likely to find one of his parents.

Dohal’s hand skated up her back when she straightened.She hadn’t even heard him approach.A few of the nearby people cast curious glances his way, but after the first few minutes they had stopped being filled with tension and worry.

“You felt so pleased that I needed to come over here and see the reason.”

“It’s a beautiful day, and a very handsome gentleman just brought me these.”She flourished the flowers his way.

“If you decide to adopt any more strays, we might need to add a new wing onto the main house.”

She grinned up at him.“That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

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