Page 67 of How to Trust a Hellhound
“Yes. Hellhounds mate for life, and there are some… perks. You’ll live as long as I do, and you won’t need to worry about illness or disease. I should have asked you first, but I claimed you when I bit you. I acted without your permission, and I apologize for that.”
Josh leaned down, and before I knew what he was going to do, he bit into the space between my shoulder and my neck. I gasped, and despite the pain, I felt myself rubbing up against him and growing hard.
He pulled away, looking at me seriously. “There. Now we’re even. I claimed you too, Wilder, and don’t you forget it.”
I tugged him down into my arms and hugged him tightly, tears coming to my eyes. “Thank you, Josh. You are a gift.”
We basked in silence for a few more minutes, and then I heard Josh give a small sigh. He had smelled of happiness and joy, but now there was a slight tinge to it.
“What is it, Mei Ume?” I asked.
“Don’t tell Q,” he mumbled grumpily. “I amnothaving the rent conversation again.”
I couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped me, and then Josh was giggling as well.
We laid together until our stomachs were growling, and then we finally got up, ready to argue over who got to feed who that evening.
Josh was right. I loved taking care of him and seeing to his pleasure, but he was my partner, and he knew sometimes I needed to be taken care of, too. I was blessed to have someone so perfect in my life.
Chapter 23
Josh
Iwoke up to Wilder’s hands running gently up and down my back. When I blinked my eyes open, he smiled and gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead. He’d figured out pretty early that I was a little shy about tongue kissing in the morning. Because, you know, morning breath. Not that Wilder ever seemed to have morning breath, but I was sure I did, and then I would get in my head about it, and it’s hard to enjoy kissing if you’re busy thinking about your breath.
I wondered if after a dozen years I would still care. Even if you lived forever, you still had to worry about morning breath. I chuckled a little to myself at the thought.
“What has you laughing, Mei Ume?” Wilder asked, smiling at me.
“I was just thinking that we have, like, I don’t know how long together, and I wondered if I’ll still be worrying about morning breath in ten or twenty years.”
“I hope not, because I love your breath in the morning. I love all your smells,” Wilder murmured.
I laughed again, because it was such a Wilder thing to say.
Wilder loved me, and we were mated. I still wasn’t sure I had my brain wrapped around that. It seemed too good to be true.
“I love you, Wilder.” It felt good to say it.
He gave me a hug. “I love you, too, Mei Ume. You are my world.”
We lay tangled up together for a few minutes, just enjoying each other, before Wilder gave a sigh, announcing, “Thea is on her way.”
I gave his bare chest a peck and then rolled out of bed. “Let me make you guys breakfast, then. I’ll hop in the shower and then start cooking. And don’t you make food without me,” I ordered him. “I like cooking for you.”
Wilder held up his hands and smiled. He was sitting up in bed, the blankets pooled around his waist. He was so unbelievably sexy, and I had the urge to climb right back into bed and get my hands all over him. He winked at me, like he knew exactly what I was thinking, and I sashayed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.
I don’t think I’d ever sashayed before, but knowing that Wilder was looking at me and appreciating my body gave me that extra swagger.
I hopped into the shower, soaping up and thinking about yesterday. I felt… really good. Yeah, I still had trauma to work through. I might flinch when people got mad or moody. I might sometimes fall back into trying to fix things when nothing was wrong, or I might apologize too much when things weren’t my fault.
But Wildersawme, and he knew I was more than those things. I wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t perfect either. The important thing was that we listened to each other. The fact that Wilder had apologized was kind of amazing, too. I knew I wasn’t the only one in a relationship who could say “I’m sorry,” but I’d kind of forgotten that with Rick.
I rinsed off the soap and turned the shower off, drying myself and then wrapping the towel around my waist to go throw some clothes on. Wilder wasn’t in the bedroom, and I hoped he hadn’t tried starting thecoffee maker.
Wilder and coffee makers did not get along.
I chuckled to myself as I got dressed. I loved that he wasn’t perfect. I loved that he couldn’t seem to work the coffee maker.
