Page 19 of Until Forever Comes
“Did you hear everything, wolf?” he asked. When I didn’t respond, he paused in his task and raised one eyebrow.
I needed him to keep going, so I swallowed thickly and nodded. He kept working on his shirt but his heated gaze didn’t leave mine.
“I hurt those men up there,” he said. “A lot.”
I didn’t say anything, but neither did I turn away from him.
“And Ted’s offer to keep me company?” His shirt now draped completely open, he started working on his jeans. “He was talking about a very specific type of company.”
My lips curled up, exposing my teeth and I grumbled deep in my chest.
“It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d kept that kind of company with him.” I saw a flash of regret in his eyes as he spoke, but he kept right on going. “The same is true for other men. Other women. You need to understand—”
Before he could say another word, I shot off the bed and slammed him against the wall. He gasped in surprise, and I took advantage of the distraction, cupping the back of his head and pulling him down so our mouths could connect. My need for him was frantic, all-consuming, and I knew his was the same because instantly we were kissing, thrusting and twirling our tongues, grasping at skin, pulling on hair. And when we had to move apart, just to take in air, I licked at his jaw, his cheek, his neck, anywhere I could reach, maintaining every connection possible between us as I shoved his clothes out of the way and began working on my own.
“You’re mine,” I said into his mouth as I nibbled on his lips. “Just mine.”
“You don’t understand,” he said, but he didn’t stop kissing me, lapping his tongue at mine. “I can’t—”
But I did understand. And I needed to make sure my mule-headed mate finally got it. We’d managed to get his clothes off completely in all our grappling, and the sight of him in the flesh nearly took my breath away. He was so beautiful. Powerfully built. Mouthwatering. And he was mine.
I panted and moaned and clasped his arms tightly, maneuvering him toward the mattress. He was bigger, stronger, so he could have stopped me if he’d wanted to, but he didn’t, so within seconds I had him prone in front of me. I shrugged out of my shirt, shoved my pants and drawers down, and stepped out of my shoes. Then I lay on top of my mate and tugged on his ear with my teeth.
“Can you feel that, Miguel?” I asked him.
He pushed his bare backside up and ground it against my erection. “It’s pretty hard to miss, wolf. Like I said before, you’ve gotsomedick.”
I blushed, but didn’t let the raw language stop me. “Not that,” I whispered into his ear. “I’m talking about what you can feel in here.” I reached my hand underneath his body and rested my palm over his heart. “You’re my true mate. That means our souls are connected. Right here.”
He shook his head, pressing his face into the sheet. “Vampires don’t have souls. Isn’t that what yourpackteaches?”
For less than a second, I hesitated. I’d always heard exactly that. But…. “No,” I said. “That’s wrong. I can feel the bond. Our souls are connected. Mine and yours. That means you have a soul.”
I would have thought a vampire wouldn’t pay no mind to what shifters thought, but he relaxed beneath me and he sighed softly, telling me different. My chest was flat on his back, my legs draped on top of his, one hand against his heart, the other at his side, and my chin was tucked over his shoulder, my mouth right by his ear.
“Miguel?” I whispered as I rubbed his bare skin.
He grunted.
“I reckon there’re lots of things I done learned that don’t hold water, and I’ll hear you if you care to set me straight. But when I tell you that you’re my home, when I say you’re my true mate, that there ain’t no storytelling.”
Again, he didn’t respond with words, just stayed quiet beneath me. But he moved one hand to my hip and rubbed circles on my skin.
“You keep on talking about other people—that Ted, them other males and females. I suppose you’re trying to scare me off. But there’s no other for me except you, and I aim to keep you to myself, hear? I know I’m smaller and younger, but if I have to die fighting off your other admirers or earning my place by your side….” I sighed, knowing that was exactly what would happen, knowing I could never measure up to all the worldly people Miguel knew, knowing I could never best vampires in a fight. “Well, then, I reckon you’ll know what it meant to have a shifter for a mate. A true mate.”
Chapter 9
“ETHAN?”Miguel said quietly.
I was lying on him, inhaling his scent, kissing the smooth skin behind his ear, loving that he was letting me.
“Yeah?”
“I’m warmer,” he said as he covered my hand with his and pushed it firmly against his chest. “Can you feel that? We’re usually cold. Vampires. Right after we feed, our temperature rises slightly. But it’s never been like this.” He shuddered. “It feels good. I feel good.”
“I feel good too,” I said. “Healthy.” I licked at his neck. He tasted so fine.
“You shouldn’t.” He looked back at me over his shoulder and frowned. “With how much I fed from you—” He shook his head. “That was more than I should have been able to take from half a dozen men without weakening them.” He flipped over, and suddenly, I was on my back with my mate pinning me to the bed as he looked into my eyes. “I never would’ve hurt you, wolf. I didn’t lose control. But you had so much blood. More than any other, human or shifter. Did you know that?” His voice caught and his nostrils flared. “I could hear it, feel it, pulsing strong and hot.”
