Page 107 of Eight Count Heat
As she sucks in desperate breaths against my chest, I can feel the heat beginning to ebb. Her fever breaks, leaving her skin cool and damp with sweat.
"How do you feel now?" I ask, still breathing heavy, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Sated," she murmurs against my skin with wonder. "Actually sated. I didn't think that was possible."
"It is when you have someone who cares about more than just getting off." I stroke her hair gently. "Someone who wants to take care of you properly."
She looks up at me with soft eyes. "Is that what this was? You taking care of me?"
"Among other things." I cup her face in my hands. "But mostly it was me showing you how much you matter. To me. To all of us."
She blinks, processing my words. "Bo..."
"I know it's complicated," I say quietly. "I know there are seven other guys who care about you just as much. But that doesn't make this less real."
She kisses me then, soft and sweet and full of emotion. "Thank you," she whispers against my lips. "For making me feel like I matter. Like I'm worth protecting."
"You are worth protecting." I brush a strand of hair from her face. "More than you know."
She smiles then, a real smile that transforms her face. I lean down to taste it, to capture this moment before it slips away.
"Get some sleep," I whisper against her lips. "The morning will come soon."
She smiles at me as her head settles against my chest, and she's out within moments. I watch her sleep, her features softer now. Something inside me shifts at the sight.
She's a goddess, an angel.
And, for tonight at least, she's mine.
chapter THIRTY
Reese
Sunlight filters througha gap in the hotel curtains, painting a golden stripe across the rumpled sheets. I drift into consciousness slowly, my body a contradictory landscape of soreness and satisfaction. Every muscle aches in the most delicious way. Between my thighs, I'm tender and swollen, the pleasant aftermath of a night spent being thoroughly claimed without actually being claimed.
Behind me, Bo sleeps deeply, his massive frame curled protectively around mine. One heavy arm drapes over my waist, his large hand splayed possessively across my stomach. His breath comes in slow, steady puffs against the back of my neck, stirring loose strands of hair.
Heat still simmers beneath my skin, but it's banked now—a smoldering ember rather than the raging inferno of last night. The emergency suppressant has long since worn off, but Bo'sAlpha pheromones have provided the temporary relief my body needed. Biology pacified, at least for the moment.
I should move. Should shower off the dried sweat and sticky evidence of our night together. Should start preparing for the journey back to campus.
Instead, I lie perfectly still, soaking in the rare feeling of safety. Of being completely wrapped in Alpha protection without judgment or expectation. Just pure, uncomplicated care.
Except it's not uncomplicated, is it?
My fingers trace lightly over Bo's forearm, feeling the solid strength there, the light dusting of golden hair. This beautiful man spent all night satisfying my heat-driven needs, asking for nothing beyond what I freely gave. He saw me—really saw me—at my most vulnerable and treated me like something precious.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be biological necessity, physical release, nothing more. But somewhere between that first kiss and this quiet morning after, something shifted between us. Something that can't be dismissed as mere designation chemistry.
Bo stirs behind me, his arm tightening around my waist as he surfaces toward consciousness. His body responds automatically to my proximity, hardening against the curve of my ass. A soft rumble vibrates through his chest. Not quite a growl, but something equally primal.
"Morning," he murmurs, voice rough with sleep. His lips find the back of my neck and shoulder, pressing lazy kisses against my skin, his morning stubble scratching me softly.
"Morning." I can't help but smile at the intimacy of the moment. "Sleep well?"
"Eventually." I can hear the smile in his voice. "Someone kept waking me up with rather demanding needs."
Heat floods my cheeks at the memory of the night's later rounds—how I'd straddled him in the darkness, taking what I needed while he watched me with reverent eyes. How he'd finally flipped us over and taken control, his movements sure and deep until we both collapsed in sweaty exhaustion.
