CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Casey kept her eye on the ball as a striker for the opposing team positioned herself to take a free kick. With no clouds to ease the brightness of the sun, she found herself constantly squinting to avoid the sharp rays of light. Sweat trickled down her flushed skin and stung the graze on her cheek that was courtesy of an “accidental” foul.

The Washington Weasels—God, Adrian was so right about it being a dumb name—had sure kept the Hounds on their toes. The Weasels were focused and highly skilled, and their teamwork was faultless.

Each team had scored two goals so far, and there were twenty minutes left before the final whistle would blow. Both teams were so desperate to score another goal that they’d been trying a little too hard, which was why they were repeatedly slipping up and committing more fouls than usual. And now the Weasels had been awarded yet another free kick. That wouldn’t have made her so nervous if the free kick wasn’t happening so close to the goal area.

Blowing out a breath, Casey rolled back her shoulders. Adrenaline pumped through her, keeping her sharp even as tiredness began to settle in. They were all tiring, and that lethargy was made worse by the baking heat. The air was so dry and humid that it seemed to saw at her dry throat like sandpaper.

She almost winced as a foot stepped on hers. The line of players that had formed in front of the goal nudged and jostled each other, all jockeying to—depending on which team they were playing for—either block the ball or help it pass and hit the net.

Casey’s eyes narrowed as the striker up ahead of them ran on her toes toward the ball, speeding up as she got closer to it. Then, executing one hell of an impressive kick, she sent the ball sailing through the air toward the net.

Heart beating hard in her chest, Casey jumped to block it. Missed. Shit. But then a hard headbutt from Kristin redirected the ball and sent it hurtling toward another Hound.

Fucking yes! Adrenaline once more spiking through her, Casey sprinted toward the opposition’s goal. Her teammate passed the ball to her without hesitance and, with a clear shot to the net, Casey brought her leg back and volleyed the ball hard … only a second before a foot mercilessly slammed into her outstretched leg. Son of a bitch!

Casey sucked in a breath as white-hot pain streaked up her leg. She felt and heard a nauseating crack, and her stomach rolled. She landed awkwardly on her hurt leg, and a blinding pain exploded in her ankle. Stars burst behind her eyelids, and her knees would have given way from the agony alone if she hadn’t already been sprawled on the turf.

She blinked, trying to clear the spots from her vision. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

She was distantly aware that Kristin and Emma were yelling at one of the Weasels while the other Hounds gathered around Casey protectively. The spectators on her team’s side of the bleachers were booing and roaring angry insults at the offending player. Casey knew Eli would be one of them. She could feel his fury as if it were her own.

“Out of the way!” ordered Donahue as she and Dennis shouldered through the crowd.

“Did I score?” asked Casey, her voice thick with pain.

“Yes—and it was a beautiful shot.” Crouching beside her, Dennis winced as he examined her leg. “That ankle’s broken for sure.”

Donahue cursed. “You’re gonna have to sit the rest of the game out, Frost.”

It was automatic for Casey to try voicing a protest—she did it without thinking.

“Don’t tell me you can still play,” said Donahue. “There’s no way you can hobble around on that field with this injury. Dennis will get you healed, and then you can watch from the bench. I’m sorry, Frost, but that’s the way it has to be.” She turned to the ref, who was gazing down at Casey’s leg. “If you don’t red-card the shit out of this situation, you’re gonna have a riot on your hands.”

His mouth tightened. He spun without a word and stalked away.

Emma appeared. “Fuck, that looks really bad.” She bent over and whispered, “We’ll get the bitch for you, Case, if she’s not sent off the field.”

Gritting her teeth against the agony still racking her, Casey gave her teammate a solemn nod. Dennis soothing energy moved through her, healing the injury, but it didn’t entirely ease the pain. That was the annoying thing about being a mink—for some unknown reason, the pain of their injuries lingered a little after they were healed.

“You played well,” said Dennis as he helped her stand. “At least you have the comfort that you scored.”

Casey only grunted, flexing her ankle, her nostrils flaring at the throbbing ache. Satisfied that she was fine, her teammates gave her nods and pats on the back—all looked hungry for vengeance. And she knew they’d target the bitch who’d hurt Casey if the ref didn’t do something.

Her mink certainly wanted to do something. Hissing and lashing her tail, the animal demanded freedom so that she could hunt down and maul her attacker.

Just then, there was a distinct shift in the spectators. The boos turned to contended cheers, but the other half of the spectators jumped to their feet and yelled their displeasure.

Kristin jogged over to Casey. “The heifer’s been sent off the field, and the ref has awarded us a penalty kick, since the foul happened so close to the goal area.”

Casey’s brows shot up. “Who’s taking the PK?”

“Emma.”

Casey smiled. “Then we have this.” Because no one was better at penalty kicks than Emma.

Kristin nodded, mouth curling. “Yeah, we fucking do.”

Casey did her best not to limp her way off the field, but it was hard. It only pissed her off more that some of the Weasels shot her smug looks. They wouldn’t look so fucking smug when Emma booted the ball into the net—which she damn well would.

As Casey slumped on the bench behind the sidelines, Dennis shoved a water bottle into her hand. “Thanks,” she mumbled. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes as she gulped down the water.

A familiar scent swamped her just as a heavy weight settled beside her on the bench. She looked at Eli in surprise. “How did you get down here?” Not that she wasn’t terribly glad to see him, especially since his very presence distracted her raging mink.

Straddling the bench and bracketing the side of her body with his thighs, he snorted. “Like anyone was going to stop me from getting to you. I needed to check you were okay.”

“I’m fine, just pissed.” But her assurance didn’t lessen the anger she could feel radiating through him.

“Then why were you hobbling off the field, even though you seem to be healed? I can feel an echo of your pain.” His voice sounded faintly accusatory, and she had the feeling that he thought Dennis had deliberately failed to fully heal her.

“It’s a mink-thing. When our injuries are healed, the pain hangs around a little. It’s fading now.”

“Really? I didn’t know that about your kind. Weird.”

Weird, and fucking annoying. As he curled his arm around her, she said, “I’m all sweaty.”

“Don’t care.”

A shadow fell over them, and they looked up to see Preston.

“I wanted to check you were okay,” Preston told her.

“She’s fine,” said Eli, splaying a possessive hand on her thigh.

Casey nudged him. “Look, they’re getting ready for the penalty kick. I’m kind of surprised the ref awarded one.”

Eli’s eyes flared. “The Weasel went for you on purpose. It was a calculated act.”

Preston nodded. “You’re the best player and the best scorer; she knew the loss of you would make a huge difference to your team and to the game itself. You’ll probably have to deal with this type of crap again if you go up against Sherryl’s team.”

“Have you heard from Sherryl?” Eli asked him.

Preston sighed. “No. I thought she might call me and ask me to appeal to have the ban lifted—we were friends for a long time. But she hasn’t bothered.”

“She probably figured it would be a waste of time, given that she almost ruined your relationship with your mate,” Eli mused.

Casey took another swig of water. “How are things with you and Mallory?” she asked Preston.

He rubbed at his nape. “She let me move back into the house. I’m in the guest room, but that’s better than sofa surfing while I wait for her to calm down.”

Casey suspected Mallory was holding onto her anger merely for the sake of it at this point, but she said nothing. She shifted her gaze to Emma, who placed the ball on the grass a short distance from the goal. “Here we go,” said Casey, anticipation buzzing through her.

Emma took five steps back, just as she always did before taking a PK. And then a hush fell over the field. It seemed like minutes later that the ref blew his whistle, and then Emma burst to life. She moved fast, which seemed to take the goalkeeper off-guard. She took a short, straight run and kicked the ball hard and low.

The ball shot through the air like a bullet. The keeper dived, swiping out with an arm to block it. She missed. The ball sank into the net like it was its job.

Beaming from the inside out, Casey jumped to her feet with a loud, war cry. Ignoring the smarting in her ankle, she bounced on her feet like a crazed kangaroo. Emma took off at an elated run, her face glowing. And then the other Hounds were crowding and lifting her.

“We’re winning 4-to-2,” Casey gloated.

“You realize that the Weasels are going to go at your team even more aggressively now, right?” asked Eli once the noise had died down.

Casey parked her butt back on the bench. “Oh, I know.” And she had to admit, it made her nervous.

She braced her elbows on her thighs as she watched the game, silently encouraging and praising her teammates. She also cursed and snarled at the Weasels, who upped their aggression ten-fold, just as Eli had predicted.

She almost charged onto the field twice after the Weasels committed two shitty fouls on Emma, as if they were aiming to punish her for the PK. Only the arm that Eli had wrapped tight around Casey kept her ass on the bench.

He kissed her temple. “I know it’s hard for you to sit back and watch, but you did your bit, baby. You scored two of the four goals. They’ll take care of the rest.”

She had complete confidence in her team. But it still felt wrong to be watching when she could be helping. It was so stomach-twistingly nerve-racking that she almost couldn’t watch at all. She would have bitten her nails if she’d had any.

Her stomach plummeted when one of the Weasels scored—she could sense that it gave the heifers a sort of spiritual lift; gave them hope that they could close the gap and, at the very least, end the game with 4-to-4. And it filled Casey with dread that their hope would pay off.

The Weasels created several opportunities to score, but the Hounds were there every time; intercepting and redirecting the ball. Just as they reached the last minute of the game, two minutes of extra time were added. Great. To be fair to the Weasels, they didn’t resign themselves to a loss. They kept on playing, and they didn’t let up the pressure.

Casey bit hard into her lip as a Weasel intercepted a kick from a Hound, regained possession of the ball, and volleyed it straight at the goal. The Hound’s goalkeeper tried catching it. The ball skimmed over her fingertips … and hit the goal post. Relief poured through Casey as it bounced away from the net. The keeper scooped it up and booted it downfield.

Then the whistle blew.

Casey and Eli shot to their feet, cheering. Donahue and the rest of the staff just about lost their minds, as did the Hounds on the field.

Eli hugged her tight. “Congratulations, baby, you’re through to the final. How does it feel?”

“It feels fucking amazing.” She exchanged hugs and ass-pats with each of her teammates as they filed off the field, beaming in pure delight.

“I told you we’d win this season, Frost,” said Kristin.

Casey smiled. “We haven’t won yet. The bitches of Eastwick won’t make it easy.”

Emma looked at her ankle. “Are you doing okay?”

“Fine,” said Casey, stretching her foot. “The pain’s gone.” She turned to Eli, ready to tell him she needed to go shower. “Why are you frowning at your cell?”

He looked up, his expression unreadable. “Nick just texted me.”

“And?”

Eli cupped her hip. “We have your brother’s location.”

Her mink stiffened. Casey almost jerked in surprise. “Where is he?”

Cradling a cup of tepid, untouched coffee in her hands, Casey could only sit and stare at her brother. He’d lost a lot of weight since she’d last seen him. His dark stubble didn’t help hide his sallow, gaunt face, just as his plain clothes didn’t hide how stick-thin he was. The guy didn’t seem to have even an ounce of muscle on him.

Her mink was saddened by what she saw. Miles had always had a spark. A spark that lit his eyes, energy, and lifeforce. That spark had all but gone.

Casey had honestly never seen a person look so dejected and hopeless. And as she drank in the sight of him, she felt a deep shame. She’d never thought to look for her brother in a place like this, and how shitty of her was that?

Eli squeezed her thigh in comfort. He hadn’t spoken much; seemed content to just observe as she and Miles made what could only be described as awkward small-talk. She just didn’t really know what to say to him, and he seemed to be having that same issue.

She swallowed. “I don’t understand why you didn’t call me.”

Miles looked at the plain white walls of the reception area. “This isn’t the first time I’ve checked into rehab, Case. I always mean to stay. Always. But the process always kicks my ass after a couple of months.” He sniffed. “I never saw the sense in contacting anyone unless I thought I could stick it out.”

“You also didn’t want to see me.”

He grimaced at the soft accusation. “It’s not that. You tell your teammates practically everything. If you knew where I was, Sherryl wouldknow where I was, and she’s the last person I—”

“Sherryl’s not part of my team, Miles. She left the pack over a year ago. Until recently, I hadn’t seen her since then.”

He gaped, blinking hard. “What happened recently?”

“I found Eli. She didn’t take it too well.”

Miles grunted. “She’d rather wallow over the loss of her true mate than heal and be happy. She’s her own worst enemy. I told her that a thousand times.”

“I’d have to agree with you.” But as she suspected that Sherryl wasn’t the safest topic to discuss with him, Casey changed the subject. “How’s your mink doing?” she asked, placing her cup on the table.

“He hates this place. He wants out.”

Which undoubtedly made it even harder for Miles to stay committed to the rehabilitation process. She fisted her hands, hating that there was literally nothing she could do to help her brother. Nothing. He had to help himself. All she could do was support him. “Have you seen or heard from Mom or Emily?”

“Not since before I split from Sherryl. Last time I spoke to Emily on the phone, she told me that she was engaged to Theo Marsden.”

The son of their father’s close friend, Casey remembered. Theo was also a university lecturer and, unlike other lecturers she’d met in the past, unbelievably boring.

“She said the wedding would take place this year,” said Miles. “It’s pure shit to think that my sister could be married by now … and I’ll have missed it. Not that Dad would have let me into the church anyway.” He forced a smile, his eyes darting from her to Eli. “So, where did you meet?”

“We met at The Den, a fight club for shifters,” said Eli.

“I remember you once told me about it,” Miles said to her. “Not surprised you’d gravitate to a place like that.”

She shrugged. “I like to keep my skills sharp. People are always too careful when they spar.”

Eli drummed his fingers on her thigh. “She wiped the floor with a fox, and I knew I had to have her. I followed her outside, and that was when I saw her talking to Ignacio Rodriguez.”

Casey gritted her teeth. She’d told Eli before they entered the rehab center that she wanted to keep the conversation light and easy—no stressful topics, no mention of Ignacio or any of the crap going on in her life. He’d only nodded. She should have known he wouldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“Ignacio?” echoed Miles, straightening in his seat, clearly alarmed. “I told him to stop hounding you, Casey.”

“You can’t be all that surprised that he ignored you,” said Eli, his voice empty of the anger she could sense bubbling inside him. “You knew he’d go to her for the cash if you didn’t pay him—don’t pretend differently.”

“But I did pay him. I even paid the fucking interest he adds on, because I didn’t want him going near Casey again.” Miles looked her up and down. “Did he hurt you?”

She quickly shook her head. “No—”

“He whipped out a blade,” Eli cut in. “Thankfully, she wrestled it from him and put it to his throat.”

Casey rounded on him, eyes wide. “Eli, would you please exercise your right to remain silent? And I mean now.”

Ignoring that, Eli went on, “I paid the debt you owed Ignacio. But I need to be clear on something, Miles: It won’t be something I’ll do again. I made that very clear to him, too. I want him out of Casey’s life, not nipping at her heels every now and then, looking for cash. I don’t think you want that for her either. I know she doesn’t want it for you.”

She hissed out a breath. “Eli.”

“No,” Miles said to her. “He’s right to defend you. Protect you. I’m glad you have that. But I swear to you both, I paid him. There’ve been times when I haven’t, sure, but that was in the past.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I have tried to get clean, Casey. I’ve tried it so many times. But the cleaner I got, the more I could feel the loose connection I had to her.

“It’s not as strong now. Not as intense. And the depression … it doesn’t have that same hold on me that it once did. I wish I could tell you that I’m going to be fine, that I’ll stay clean. I can’t promise you that. I can only promise that I’ll give it my best shot.”

She licked her lips. “That’s all I can ask.”

“This is the best place for you,” Eli told him. “Not just because of your addiction, but because you’ll be in danger out there. Ignacio will be looking for you. So far, he obviously hasn’t thought to look for you at rehab centers. Maybe that will give you added motivation to stay where you are and see this through to the end.”

“I want to see this through,” said Miles. “But I won’t lie to Casey about whether I will. I won’t give her false assurances.”

Eli inclined his head. “If you won’t do it for you, do it for the female that’s somewhere out there, waiting for you to find and claim her.”

Miles’ smile was somewhat bitter and self-depreciating. “My true mate would be better off without a latent, pack-less shifter who comes with my kind of baggage. She’d be ashamed if she could see me now.”

“You’re an unofficial member of the Craven Pack, so you’re not exactly a lone shifter,” Eli pointed out. “Unless you can tell me that you’d turn away from your mate simply because she’s latent, I can’t imagine that she’d do the same to you. As for her being ashamed of you? I doubt she would be, because she’ll understand you in a way that no one else ever can. She’ll never judge or reject you. She’ll accept every part of you—even your flaws and whatever baggage you bring. So do her proud, put her first, and get your shit together for her sake.”

So much for keeping the conversation light and easy, Casey silently grumbled to herself. Miles didn’t respond, but she could see that Eli had given her brother something to think about.

She and Miles talked a little more about normal, everyday things until, finally, the visitation was over. Tears stung her eyes when his arms wrapped around her. She’d missed him so much, and she hated that he was going through this alone. Absolutely fucking hated it. “I’ll come back.”

His arms flexed around her. He slowly let her go before shaking Eli’s hand and saying, “Take care of her.”

Drawing her neatly to his side, Eli nodded. “Look after yourself, Miles. We’ll come see you again soon.”

The minute they were out of the center, Casey tossed a harsh glare at Eli. “You were an asshole in there. The last thing he needs right now in that frame of mind is a lecture.”

Maybe, thought Eli, but … “He needed to know that he had more to lose by leaving than he did by staying. He needed to know that he wouldn’t have you as his safety cushion anymore.” Because Eli wouldn’t fucking tolerate it.

“He needed to know he has my support,” she countered.

“And he does. But part of the rehab process is facing the shit you’ve done. He’s been out of contact with you for a long time, Casey, so he’s never really seen the effect his addiction had on you. Now he knows.”

“Yeah, but now he’ll be worrying about me instead of concentrating on helping himself. He said he paid his most recent debts to Ignacio, which means the fucker was just playing with me for his own amusement and personal gain.”

“Or Miles hasn’t been able to keep track of his debts because he was high as a fucking kite most of the time.” For Eli, that was the likeliest scenario. Another possibility was that Miles was too ashamed to admit to his sister that he’d, basically, fucked her over.

Eli caught her arm as they reached the SUV. “I know you love your brother, I know it’s important to you that he recovers. But you’re important to me. I love you. I want you safe. And, like it or not, Miles is the reason you haven’t been safe in a while. He needed to be faced with that truth. If he’s the good person you say he is, it might motivate him to stick with rehab and get his life together.” Her anger was so fierce that Eli wasn’t prepared for how quickly she just … deflated—shoulders slumping, lips trembling, eyes watering.

She swallowed so hard it was audible. “I never even thought to look for him at a rehab center. Not even once.”

And then Eli realized that most of her anger was directed at herself. Heart squeezing, he pulled her close. “Baby …”

“I gave up on him, Eli. I didn’t know that I had, but—”

Eli squeezed her nape. “Stop. You had no reason to assume he’d try to get clean.”

“But it should have at least occurred to me that just maybe I couldn’t find him because he was trying to get well, not because he was hiding.”

“Why would it have occurred to you? His dealer came to you time after time, expecting you to pay Miles’ debts. By all accounts, it looked like he was so deep in that lifestyle he had no interest in trying to crawl his way out of it.”

Eli thumbed her tears away. “You saw him in there looking all vulnerable and lost and fragile, and now you have this idea in your head that you let him down. You didn’t. You’re the only person who hasn’t. Don’t try to take on the weight of his fuck-ups—it’s stupid and pointless and doesn’t help anyone, especially not him. He has to accept and own his mistakes, Casey, if he’s going to get through this.”

She let out a shaky breath. “You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s just hard to see him that way.”

“I know.” Eli held her tighter, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. “But it’s better than not seeing him at all, right?”

Her tears were killing him. Killing him. He wanted to scoop her up, take her to their lodge, run her a bath, fuck her soft and slow, and then hold her while she slept. Seeing her this way put knots in his gut.

His wolf let out a low whine, nudging her with his head. He wanted to take away the source of her pain, and it angered the beast that he couldn’t.

“I know you planned to go out with your team to celebrate getting through to the semi-finals but let me take you home.” Eli pressed a kiss to her temple and slid his hand up her spine. “Text Emma and tell her about Miles—she’ll understand why you won’t be in the mood for a night out clubbing.”

Casey gave a weak, soft snort. “You’d try to talk me into staying with you even if I wasn’t upset.”

Busted, he thought with a smile. “I don’t like being away from you, true, but I will loathe being away from you while you’re so sad.” He just wanted to fix it. Wanted to comfort and cosset her. “Come on, let me take you home, get you settled, and take care of you. I need it, and so do you.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay.”

The knots in his gut fell away. “Okay. But I have to ask, will there be orgasms involved?”

“Multiple.”

White-hot pleasure spiraled through Casey, stealing the breath from her lungs and making her eyes go blind. Eli’s tongue didn’t let up. It kept on licking and stabbing and swirling as she rode out her orgasm.

Eyes closed, body trembling, heart pounding, Casey melted into the mattress. Contentedly floating on a cloud of bliss as, seemingly in no rush whatsoever, Eli idly kissed and nipped his way up her body. He suckled hard here and there, renewing little marks that were fading. The pads of his fingers traced and stroked her skin, blatantly possessive.

Her eyes snapped open as one hand pinned both her wrists above her head. Eli was draped over her, his eyes hot, his face cold. A shiver raced down her spine. And then her lips parted on a gasp as she felt his thick cock push inside her, stretching the quaking walls of her pussy.

“That’s it, keep your eyes on mine.” In one smooth territorial thrust, Eli drove himself deep. He groaned. “Fuck, you feel good. Wrap your legs around me, Casey. Good girl.”

He eased his hips back and then thrust forward, surging deep. His grip on her wrists flexed as he lazily withdrew again, leaving only the head of his dick inside. Then he slammed home. “Did you know that your pussy strangles my cock whenever I pin you down?” He fucked her slow and hard, ignoring her orders to move faster. “Do you want my come in you, baby?”

“Every last drop.”

His cock throbbed at that answer. “Hmm, you’ll get it. But not in your pussy.” He held his finger to her mouth. “Suck it.”

And then she understood. “Eli—”

“Your ass is the only part of you I haven’t claimed, Casey. I want it. It’s mine.” If Eli thought for a second that she didn’t want this, however, he wouldn’t push it. But he could sense that she was curious, and she’d enjoyed every bit of anal play they’d done so far. “We’ve been readying you for this, we know you can take me—your body was made for me.” He put his finger closer to her mouth. “Now suck it.”

Defiance flashed in her eyes and buzzed down their bond. But then she took a deep breath, and the emotion faded.

He hummed, slamming his cock deep again. “That’s my girl.”

She sucked his finger and swirled her tongue around it, just as she often did to his cock. Which almost made him abandon his current plan and fuck her mouth instead. Almost.

Eli kept on fucking her slow and hard as he gently worked his wet finger into her ass, just as he’d done many times before. Each time he buried his dick in her pussy, he sank his finger into her ass. Only when he sensed sexual frustration hum through her did he add another finger, growling at how hot and tight she was. “Fuck, I can’t wait to get my cock in here.”

“I need you to move faster.”

And he needed her to come, so he gave her what she wanted, his pace feverish as he rammed hard again and again. She went wild beneath him, groaning, bucking her hips, struggling against his tight grip on her wrists. He drove a third finger into her ass, stretching her even more, satisfied when she didn’t wince or flinch.

“I’m not going to take you from behind, Casey. I’m going to take your ass while you’re like this, so I can see your face when you come.” He loved watching that moment when her pleasure took her. Just thinking about it made his balls tighten.

He rode her harder, literally feeling it as she wound tighter and tighter. God, she was so fucking wet and snug it was a strain not to let go of his control and just power into her. Especially when her pussy turned inferno hot and began to tighten around him even more. Yeah, she was close.

“Come for me, Casey.” Knowing what would knock her over the edge, he bit down hard on her neck. She came apart around him with a scream.

Gritting his teeth against the urge to explode right then, Eli withdrew his dick, angled her hips and—while she was still coming hard—replaced his fingers with the head of his cock. “Push out,” he clipped, steadily pushing his way in. Even half out of it, she did as he asked.

Battling the drive to slam deep, he slowly sank inside her ass, loving every fucking second of it. He growled deep in his throat. “Jesus, you’re so tight and hot.” And knowing he’d claimed a part of her that nobody else had ever had only fired his need and made his cock ache like a bitch.

Buried as deep as he could go, Eli flexed his hips. “Ready?”

Casey licked her lips. “Yes. I’m good. You need to move.”

Taking her at her word, Eli smoothly withdrew his cock until only the head was inside her. Then, just as smoothly, he sank back into her ass. The sight alone made his dick throb, and he knew he wouldn’t last long.

Each slow, deep thrust ate at his control until all he could think of doing was hammering into her ass. But he didn’t. He kept his pace slow and his thrusts nice and easy.

“Look at the pretty picture you make beneath me,” he rumbled. “Eyes sex-drunk. Mouth swollen. Nipples tight. Skin flushed. Your ass squeezing my cock as I sink in and out.”

She hissed out a breath. “Harder. I’m not fucking fragile.”

“You sure you can take it?”

Her glazed eyes flared. “I can take it.”

He pumped his hips harder, faster, driving balls-deep with each thrust. He kept a mental eye on her through their bond, making sure she wasn’t feeling any pain. All he could sense was raw hunger and a desperate need to come.

“You have such a tight, perfect little ass. I own it, don’t I?” He slapped said ass hard, and then a fierce orgasm whipped up and consumed her, taking them both by surprise. The pleasure poured into him through their mating bond and dragged him under.

Biting out a harsh curse, he pounded into her as her tight inner muscles squeezed him tight, shooting rope after rope of come inside her, finally claiming her ass as his own. And then, as satisfaction settled deep into his bones, they both collapsed.