Page 52 of Wolves' Midlife Reunion
Tina shook her head dismissively. “It’s what anyone would’ve done.”
“No, it isn’t. I think you know that.Iknow that.” He put down his glass. “Tina, it’s hard being a single parent for many reasons. I worried about bringing a woman into Sage’s life, but I’ve realized that I only really needed to worry about bringing in the right one.”
Her throat was tight, and her wolf was standing at attention.
Dex took her free hand. “The right one is you, and it always has been. I love you, Tina. I know I haven’t done a very good job of showing it, not at any point, but I’d like to change that. I’m hoping you might forgive me for being an anxious fool.”
She eyed him carefully. He was so handsome, but it wasn’t just his dazzling eyes or the lines of his features that pierced her. It was the fierceness with which he loved. He’d made some mistakes, yes, but it was only because he cared so much. “You want to try again?”
“I really do.” His fingers tightened around hers. “I’ve proven to myself that I can live without you, but I don’t want to.”
It was hard to look at him and find the boy she’d come to know as a teenager. He was different now. Experience had hardened him, but not his heart. She loved him. She’d always loved him, and that love had grown and changed over the years, just as they had. “I don’t want to live without you either, Dex. Not without you or Sage. It’s been hard to come here every week, spend time with the two of you, and pretend that it’s nothing more.”
Dex picked his glass back up and held it in front of him. “To a new future.”
“And a rather bright one,” she added. As they clinked glasses and she took another sip, Tina looked up over the rim. Her stomach was in knots, but ones of anticipation for all that was to come.
He pulled her close and kissed her, his lips tasting sweetly of wine.
Somehow, she managed to put her glass back on the coffee table as she kissed him back. Every muscle in her body relaxed as she pressed her lips against his, falling into the sweet comfort of truly finding her mate. How many times had she left his place, wishing she could kiss him goodbye?
Now she could kiss him whenever she wanted, and she was more than ready to take advantage of that. Her body thrilled as they wrapped their arms around each other, no longer needing to keep a distance between them. She’d only had a few sips of wine, but she was buzzed from having her mate in her arms.
Tina never wanted to let him go again, and she was determined to show him that. She parted her lips as she kissed him, inspiring him to do the same. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, twining it with his, relishing the texture as she claimed him.
Her hands reached up, cupping his jaw and gliding over the planes of his face. She wanted to know the touch of him, the feel of him, to understand the connection between their bodies, no matter if she was using her lips, her hands, or any other part of her.
It was the bond between their souls, however, that truly drove her desire. Tina could sense his wolf, tapping into it almost as easily as she could her own. The beasts were nearly tame after running feral and detached for so long, pining and searching, but never really finding what they were looking for.
It was all there now.
Tina put her leg over Dex, spreading her thighs over his lap as she continued to kiss him. Already, she could feel his hardness stirring against her. She rolled her hips forward and up, gently grinding against him.
Dex moaned into her mouth, a pleasant vibration that took her excitement up another notch, along with the way he slid his hands down her back until he cupped her backside. Hemassaged her curves, encouraging her and the way she moved against him.
Tina came up for a breath. “I love the way you touch me,” she whispered.
“I’m more than happy to oblige.” He kissed the hollow of her collarbone and then trailed his lips downward. Dex pulled the square neck of her knit top down, revealing her bra. He kissed the exposed tops of her breasts and then dipped his tongue down inside the cups.
Heat flooded through her. That sweet tension was beginning to rise inside her, increasing as she continued to rock against the hardness in his jeans. Her fingers were entwined around the back of his neck, stroking the cords of muscle and the freshly cropped hair.
She was just about to take off her shirt when Dex’s arms wrapped tight and hard around her. He surged up from the couch, easily lifting both their weights.
Tina squealed in surprise and pulled her arms around his neck. She enveloped his hips with her legs, although he was holding her up just fine on his own. “Where are we going?” she asked breathlessly.
Dex walked around the couch. “I’m going to bed you properly this time.”
Those words sent another tingling jolt through her body. “Does that mean you couched me last time?” she teased.
He growled as he turned, pressing her up against the wall. Dex held her in place with only the pressure of his hips, leaving his hands free to roam her body. He kissed her hungrily, almost desperately, his stubble leaving her skin raw around her mouth. His hands ran over her thighs and ribs, along her arms and in her hair. “Bed tonight,” he promised as his kisses wandered down her throat. “After that, maybe here, the hallway, the middle of the woods.”
Intrigue swirled inside her. His erection was throbbing against her core, and she could hardly stand the fact that clothes still separated them. “Where else?” she panted, fantasizing about their bodies tumbling together through the leaves.
Dex found the front clasp of her bra and nuzzled her bare breasts. “The shower,” he replied without hesitation. “Hot, steamy, soapy.”
Her breaths were coming more quickly now as she imagined water running down his body, his hands gliding lather over hers. He had her breast in his mouth, and as his tongue rapidly flicked her nipple, she felt an echoing reaction between her legs. “Tell me more,” she gasped. “Where else?”
He pulled back slightly, arching a brow at her. “In the back of your store?” He traced a slow, heated circle around her nipple with his tongue.
