Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

CALVIN

I couldn't decide if challenging my goddess was a good thing or not. On the one hand, the sex was out of this world. On the other hand, she took it very seriously, and I wasn't far off the mark when I said I might die from dehydration. I had never come that many times in one night. It was like she had control of my dick and even though I was wiped out, one look from her and I was rising to the occasion again. She had to have her own magic. That was the only thing that could explain this. Could shifters also be witches?

"Ready to say mercy yet?" she purred, licking a stripe up my neck.

"Gorgeous, I'm ready to propose. Seriously, I–" A groan cut me off as she stroked my dick back to life. I knew if I wanted the night to be over, I needed to stop mouthing off, but I wasn't actually joking. If I thought for a second she'd agree to it, I'd tie her down in a heartbeat. Courthouse wedding or three hundred guests, I didn't give a shit. As long as I got to keep her.

"Try again."

Shaking my head, I flexed my wrists. She held them above my head, keeping me pinned and at her mercy, and I freaking loved it.

"I'll never give in. I– Oh my fucking god…" She sank onto my dick again after expertly rolling on a new condom with one hand. I wouldn't be surprised if the box was empty after tonight. This was insane.

"Grab the headboard."

That was an order I was quick to follow. She released my wrists, narrowing her eyes on me. "If you let them go, I'll stop and you'll go to bed with a hard on. Got it?"

"Yes, my goddess."

She still smirked every time I said that, so I wasn't planning on stopping any time soon. Making her smile was life goals. I quickly lost my train of thought when she put her hands on my thighs and rode me like a goddamn bull rider. She wasn't gentle, she didn't go slow, and I was going hoarse from shouting so much. I really hoped the rooms were sound proof because we'd been at this for hours. We only ever stopped long enough for my dick to get back on board before she went after me again. Hopefully, we weren't keeping the whole compound up. Not that I cared enough to stop. I'd just feel guilty in the morning.

Her body tightened, setting me on fire. She was getting close, so damn wet I could feel her last release dripping down my balls. This round was going to be fucking short, and I wasn't even sure I had any cum left, but fuck, it felt good. I knew the second she came, I'd be helpless to do anything but follow her.

"You're amazing. Holy shit. I lo–"

Thank fuck, she came before I could blurt that out. She gasped, spasming around me, and I followed, holding my breath at the intense sensations coursing through me. My poor sex addled brain was so damn worn out, I almost told her I loved her. That was not something you said during sex. Especially not to a woman like Kiara. She wouldn't believe me if I said it in the throes. I needed another way to tell her I was hopelessly devoted to her and when the bad guy was caught, I didn't want to stop what we were doing.

Since she wasn't going to let me go with her back home, I had time to figure out how to tell a woman uninterested in romantic gestures how I felt. It'd be a trial, for sure.

She rolled off me, both of us breathing like we'd run a marathon as we stared up at the ceiling.

"Do… Do you give in…?" she asked between breaths.

I groaned. I couldn't survive another round. "Yeah. I give in. No more challenging the goddess to wear me out. I won't survive."

I barely heard her breathless laugh. My heartbeat was still pounding in my ears, and my mind was mush. In one night, my goddess ruined me for other women. No one else would ever be good enough.

"I get that you're not interested in biting me. I can accept that. But tell me I've got a shot. That's all I want."

She hummed and when I turned my head, I fell harder for her. She rolled onto her belly, her hair messed up and her lips swollen from our frantic kissing the round before. Miles of flawless tan skin stretched out beside me. My heart started racing for an entirely different reason. She was way out of my league, but I'd never forgive myself if I didn't go all out for this woman.

She laced her fingers in mine, a small smile on her face. "You've got a shot. I'm not making any guarantees, or claims, or anything, but–"

We were both too tired to move, so I couldn't kiss her properly. Instead, I pulled our joined hands to my mouth and kissed the back of hers.

"I'm not asking for more. We've got enough shit to deal with right now. I'll wait until you come back."

The bed was empty when I woke up. That wasn't surprising, given the amount of sunlight spilling into the room. I slept in. If anyone judged me for it, they'd get the finger. Try going five rounds in one night with a gorgeous lioness shifter and not need to sleep in the next morning.

Forcing myself upright took work, and when I looked around, I snorted. We made a mess last night. The bedding was strewn on the floor, towels from the shower, used condoms tied off and haphazardly tossed out of the way because we were too busy to throw them out. It was a wild night. I grabbed my glasses from the nightstand and a pair of exercise shorts from the closet before cleaning up a little. No way in hell was I making Kiara do it after last night. Goddesses don't clean up after sex.

I was still out of it when I trudged into the kitchen. The coffee maker was one of those pod ones that made one cup at a time, so I picked out a favorite and plopped it into the machine, staring blearily as my mug filled.

"How long until he realizes we're here?" Jack commented with amusement.

"Pretty sure a bomb could go off and he wouldn't notice," Christian replied.

The only response they'd get was my middle finger. I was too tired to function. I needed caffeine. Stat.

I doctored it up and leaned against the counter, my eyes closed as I took in a few precious sips. I didn't drink coffee every day, I was more into energy drinks, but when I needed it, it always hit the spot right away. I hummed, and if the counter wasn't supporting me, I'd melt into the floor.

"Six. I count six."

"Jack…"

"What? You've never given me that many hickeys."

"I've given you plenty. Stop staring."

"He's half naked in the kitchen. He's basically giving us permission to stare."

"I don't give you permission. Eat your breakfast," Christian growled.

That made me grin. Christian had nothing to worry about. Even if I swung that way, Jack was so in love with him, he melted any time Christian walked in the room. I got the feeling the comments about me were just to rile his mate up.

Jack and Christian were still in their pajamas when I finally opened my eyes and studied them. Usually Christian was in a suit first thing, so it confused me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to wake up my brain enough to figure out what was going on.

"Why is he staring at you?" It was Jack's turn to growl. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm trying to figure out why he isn't in a suit like usual. Calm your tits, man. I literally spent the night wrapped around a goddess. There's not a chance in hell I'm giving that up."

Christian snorted, and Jack outright laughed, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, my bad. Shifters are possessive. You get used to it. Aiden still glares at me when I get too close to Andrew, even though I see the two of them like father figures."

"He's like forty. Young father figure," I commented.

Christian smirked. "Aiden is over two thousand years old, give or take. He stopped counting after a while. And Andrew is thirty-four. He'd be really offended if you said he looked forty."

"I was referring to Aiden. But damn, two thousand? He must've seen some shit."

Christian shrugged. He didn't talk about Aiden's history without Aiden being present. I got the feeling he was really good at keeping secrets.

"To answer your question, I don't work on Saturdays anymore. Weekends are for me and Jack."

My eyebrows shot up. It was Saturday already? That meant I'd been here almost a week already. Damn. Time flies when you're too busy obsessing over a goddess to pay attention. I shrugged it off. It wasn't like I had anywhere better to be. I was still on lockdown.

"Oh, Kiara left this for you. Aiden let Talia use his plane to go find Teddy, so Kiara went with her to the airport." He pushed a half folded note toward me. I could tell he was curious, but not only could Christian keep secrets, he also didn't butt into other people's business. Unlike Jack.

"He wouldn't let me see it. What's it say?" he demanded.

Flipping it over, I scanned the sloppy handwriting, a smile tugging at my mouth. "Man, she writes worse than a doctor." My face fell. "She went back home to find Jasper. She didn't even say goodbye…"

After last night, it stung a little. She told me she was leaving, and what she was doing, but I didn't think it'd be so soon. Or that she wouldn't even say goodbye before she left.

"She also left this," Christian said, sliding a phone across the counter. It was a burner, a crappy little flip phone with only one number in the contacts, but it took away the sting a little. I didn't have to guess whose number that was. Pressing the call button, I put it to my ear, grinning when she spoke.

"Finally awake, huh?"

"Sorry. Someone wore me out last night. I feel like I should be PO'ed that you took off without saying goodbye."

"Yeah, well, it was a kind of last-minute decision. Besides, it's not really goodbye. It's see you later. This won't take long. I never, ever miss my mark."

I believed it. She was the strongest person I knew, and a freaking lioness shared her body. Jasper didn't stand a chance. My stomach tightened uncomfortably.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

She huffed out a laugh. "God, I like you. You never argue with me. I promise I'll be careful. You too, Cal. Stay with Aiden. I want a repeat of last night when I come back."

"Fuck. Give me warning when you're on your way so I can hydrate beforehand."

We teased and joked, but I would be sitting on pins and needles until she got back. There had to be some way I could help her.