CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY

Tate wasn’t sure which of them moved first, but their mouths clashed in a kiss that was hungry and savage. He buried his hands in her hair, keeping her mouth exactly where it was, refusing to release it for even a second.

Shock had slammed into him when their mating bond came to life, but the emotion had been washed away by warm, fuzzy feelings that were quickly overridden by such blinding need he fairly shook with it.

People weren’t exaggerating when they said that the mating urge was overpowering. It was like he was in the grip of a fever. One that heated his blood, made his flesh burn, and tightened his body. Possession coursed through him, hot and intense, demanding he claim this female for his own; demanding he leave an irrevocable brand on her.

Her arousal echoed along their bond, ramping up his own. Their bond. It had finally snapped into place, finally connected them on a metaphysical level. And now he could finally make her his. That thought only made him more desperate to be inside her.

He roughly clawed off her clothes, deliberately scoring the flesh of her chest, back, hips, and thighs. All the while, he kept on eating at her mouth. She tore at his own clothes, ripping them from his body, and he almost groaned in relief as his cock was freed from the confines of his jeans. He was so hard and heavy it actually fucking hurt.

Using his grip on her hair, he yanked her head back and forced her body to arch into his. Ignoring her hiss, he swooped down and latched on to her nipple. He sucked, bit, licked, and plucked at the tight bud with his teeth before moving onto the neglected nipple.

He could smell her need. He knew she was already slick and ready for him. That sent his hunger for her soaring through the roof, making his dick impossibly harder.

He abruptly pulled her upright. “Need to fuck you,” he growled, the words deep and guttural.

His cat urgently pushed him to take her now, to solidify their claim on her—he wouldn’t be satisfied until it was done. Neither would Tate.

Hungry for the taste of her, Tate devoured her mouth again as he began backing her toward the bedroom. Then suddenly she was out of his arms and standing a few feet away, her eyes holding a challenge. Yeah, he should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.

Her heart pounding, Havana raced into the nearest room—the kitchen. Need so raw and carnal beat in her blood, but so did the drive to test him. It felt more intense, more primal … as if the mating urge had somehow magnified it.

A hand gripped her arm and spun her around. Tate slammed her against the fridge, sending the breath gushing out of her lungs.

He crushed her body with his own and snarled. “Mine.” He bit into the crook of her neck. Hard.

Havana shoved and kicked at him, wild and relentless. Her devil urged her on, determined that he prove himself worthy of her surrender. So Havana kept on fighting him, but she might as well have been tickling him for all the good it did.

He paid no attention to her struggles. He just kept her caged there with his body, his cock throbbing against her abdomen, his teeth firmly in her neck, his breath hot on her skin—making it clear who was in charge. Or who he believed was in charge.

She let out an indignant hiss. “Get your teeth out of my skin,” she gritted out.

Instead, he boldly sank them deeper, drawing blood.

She intensified her struggles ten-fold. She cursed him, cursed his cock, cursed his teeth, everything. But he paid no heed to it. Paid no heed to her. “You goddamn—” She stilled with a shocked gasp as one blunt finger plunged deep inside her. “Fuck.”

“Oh, we will,” he said, lapping at the fresh bite. “But not yet.”

She opened her mouth to curse him yet again, but then his hand began to move; the heel of his palm rubbed against her clit with each thrust of his finger. “Oh, God.”

“That’s it, babe, let me have my way with this pussy.”

Oh, it was tempting. Really tempting. Because his hands were freaking magic, and they knew her well. Knew how to make her so frantic and desperate she lost the will to battle him.

Havana gave herself a mental slap when she realized she was trying to ride his hand. She couldn’t give in so easily, no matter how good it felt. Couldn’t. But since he had a finger buried inside her, she also couldn’t exactly scamper.

He put his mouth to her ear. “Can you hear how wet you are? I can. I’m not sure what I love more. That I can hear it, or that I can feel all that slickness around my finger.”

Sensing an opportunity, she lifted a brow and asked, “Don’t you want to taste it?”

He stilled. “Hmm, yes, I do.” He withdrew his finger, brought it to his mouth, and sucked it clean. And she used that moment to escape.

Tate swore as she shoved him backwards and made a run for it. Oh no, he wasn’t having that. He didn’t let the tricky little minx get far—he quickly grabbed her and then roughly bent her over the dining table. “I’m not done playing yet.”

He kept her pinned in place with his hand on her nape, but that didn’t stop his mate from fighting his hold. He skimmed two fingertips between her slick folds. “Now, one of two things can happen. I can finger-fuck you hard and rough, just how you like it. Or I can keep the thrusts real nice and slow. If you want to choose door number one, be. Fucking. Still.”

She hissed long and loud and furious, but she ceased fighting him. It wasn’t a full surrender, though. No, there was still a lot of defiance bunching each muscle of her body. But it was progress.

“Very good,” he said. “Now you get what you want.” He drove two fingers deep into her pussy, and then he did exactly what he’d said he’d do—he took her hard and rough with his fingers, not stopping until she came all over his hand.

He slowly withdrew his fingers and then held them close to her face. “Look how soaking wet you are right now. Hmm, I think you should lick them clean for me.”

She twisted, swiped out, and slashed his chest with her claws deep enough to draw blood. He flinched back in sheer surprise. She took instant advantage of that and fled.

Growling, Tate was hot on her heels as she ran back to the living area. He looped an arm around her waist and hauled her against him. She sank her teeth deep into his arm. He grunted and kept his grip on her tight as he carried her into her bedroom, ignoring her kicks. He tugged on her hair, making her unlock her teeth from his arm with a gasp, and then he threw her on the bed.

She bounced onto her back and readied herself to lunge at him. He didn’t give her the chance. He covered her body with his own, pressing her into the mattress. She curled her limbs around him, but only so she could pound her fists and heels on him.

He snapped his hand around her throat and wedged the head of his cock in her pussy. “I’m going to claim you now. I’m going to make you mine and only mine. You want that, don’t you? Hmm? You want me to claim you. Say it.”

“You want me to claim you,” she parroted.

He bit her jaw for being a smartass. “Last chance, baby. Tell me you want me to claim you or get ready for me to play with this body a while longer—just note that I won’t stop playing until you beg me to take you. You know I mean every word.”

Havana froze because, yeah, she did know that. Just as she knew that he really couldreduce her to begging if he put his mind to it. He never had in the past, because he knew it would take a bite out of her pride, and Tate didn’t get off on that. But he was ruthless enough to do it now if she didn’t finally surrender control.

His brow hiked up. “Well?”

Havana let her muscles relax. “I want you to claim me.” She’d barely gotten out the last word when he slammed home with a growl, making her breath catch in her throat. The feel of his fat, long shaft throbbing inside her, stretching her inner muscles, was exactly what she needed.

Tate briefly closed his eyes, taking a moment to quite simply bask in the fact that he was balls-deep inside his mate. He flexed his hips, sliding his cock even deeper inside all that tight, wet heat. She gasped, tightening her legs around him and digging her fingertips into his back. The prick of her claws made his cock pulse.

Releasing her throat, Tate gave her all of his weight, knowing she could take it. He threaded his fingers through hers and pinned her hands to the bed. He wanted her to feel surrounded by him. Wanted her to feel trapped and helpless beneath him, because a part of her got off on it—something he doubted she’d ever admit out loud.

Tate brushed his lips over hers. “Being in you brings me peace, you know.” He very slowly pulled back until only the head of his dick was inside her. “It also makes me want to fuck you so raw you never forget who you belong to.” He rammed his cock deep. “That would be me.”

Havana clung to his shoulders as he fucked her into the mattress. It wasn’t just rough. It was so brutal and wild it was almost callous, much like the cold expression he wore. But there was no cruelty in the eyes that watched her—they were alive with hunger, possession, and raw adoration. She could feel those emotions humming along their bond.

She could also feel the friction building inside him, and she knew his orgasm was close. Hell, so was hers. The mating urge was riding them both, giving them no reprieve from the drive to take and fuck and come and claim. She knew it wouldn’t ease off until they’d done exactly that.

Havana arched into every savage surge of his hips, moaning each time his cock slammed so damn deep. He was strength and power and danger. Which made him a living, breathing aphrodisiac for her devil.

Havana’s lips parted as he shifted his angle just a little, finding that delightful sweet spot inside her. Then he was hammering into her once more, and the tension inside her built and built, winding her super tight. “I’m close,” she warned him.

“I know,” said Tate, feeling her pussy heat and tighten. His own release was creeping up on him fast, but he didn’t want to come until after she’d claimed him. “Bite me, baby.”

“You first.”

He pressed her hands harder into the mattress. “Do it or I slow down.”

Her nostrils flared. “You are such a goddamn—”

“Do it.” Tate groaned as her teeth sank deep into his throat. He swore, fucking her so hard and fast the headboard slammed against the wall over and over. She sucked and licked the bite before finally releasing him. “My turn,” said Tate. He bit her neck hard, tasting blood.

Her orgasm ricocheted up their bond and shot straight to his cock. Like that, his own release violently tore through him—the pleasure so intense it almost hurt. He exploded inside his mate with a snarl of her name.

Tate managed to catch his weight on his forearms, not wanting to crush her. His lungs burning for air, he carefully rolled them onto their sides and held her trembling body close. As he lay there trying to catch his breath, he marveled over the bond connecting them.

Although a couple might feel the tug of the true-mate bond, its development was usually a gradual thing. It often took certain emotional steps for said bond to fully snap into place. But his connection with Havana hummed between them—strong, vibrant, and true. Even their scents had mixed, declaring to the world that they were mated.

It sometimes happened that a bond instantly became whole. That was usually because the couple didn’t have any emotional hurdles to jump—their issues were already resolved—but a little something stood in the way of the bond. In his and Havana’s case, the bond had simply been waiting for her devil to stop fighting it.

She slid a hand up his chest. “I came so hard I felt it in my gums,” she more or less slurred.

Brimming with masculine satisfaction, Tate gently sank his hand into her hair. He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, feeling more at peace than he’d ever thought it possible to feel. He stared into those beautiful eyes, so fucking glad and proud she was his. He’d almost missed out on this. He’d almost failed to sense who she was to him because of his stupid fucking hang-ups. Thank Christ he’d gotten past that shit.

Tate understood now why his father didn’t wish he could mate again. There was no replacing someone who was written into your soul the way Havana was written into Tate’s. She lived in every part of him—his mind, his soul, his heart, everywhere.

She brushed her finger over the throbbing bite mark on this throat. He liked that she’d left her claiming brand in such a visible place. “Is your cat okay?” she asked. “He’s not freaking out or anything?”

Tate snorted. “He’s curled up in a ball of pure male smugness. What about your devil?”

“Oh, she’s totally content.”

“As are you—I can feel it.” He inhaled deeply. “I like that our scents have finally mixed.” He wanted their combined scent filling his—no, their—house. He glanced around the room. “How long will it take to pack your stuff?”

Her brow furrowed. “You want me to move into your house today?”

“Uh, yeah. I want it to be our home. I want your things to be mixed with mine. I want it to be clear to one and all that we’re now mated. Besides, you’re not a loner anymore. That means you can no longer live in this complex. I’m sorry—it’s against the rules.”

“You don’t sound sorry.”

Because he wasn’t. He rubbed his nose against hers. “Come on, baby, move in with me.”

She sighed. “If I do, you can’t whine if you find Aspen or Bailey hanging out in the living room uninvited. Which you will. Often.”

“They’ll have apartments of their own.”

“Yes, they will. It won’t make a blind bit of difference.”

“I’ll deal with it when and if the time comes. On another note, the pride is going to want to throw a ‘Welcome to the Pride/Congrats on Your Mating’ party.”

“Maybe we could mix it with our mating celebration instead of holding multiple parties.”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

“Where does the pride hold mating celebrations?”

“The Tavern. We often invite the Phoenix and Mercury Pack.”

Havana bit her lip. “Can we hold off on having the mating ceremony until after the Gideon bullshit is over?” She wasn’t surprised when his expression darkened. “I don’t want our minds to be on anything other than the celebration.” She didn’t want to spend the day worrying Gideon would choose then to strike, or that the asshole would do something that would eat into the celebration.

Tate’s frown was thoughtful. “I don’t like the idea of waiting, but it might be the best option. That day will be special for us, and I don’t want him taking up any of your mental space during the celebration.”

“Then we wait.” Doodling a circle on his chest with her fingertip, she said, “I forgot to ask you before, but … why didn’t you tell me that you, Luke, and Alex had some fatal fun with Yasiel?”

“I planned to at some point. But you have enough going on right now that’s messing with your head. I didn’t want to bring him up again and dredge up painful memories for you unless I absolutely had to.”

Her heart squeezed. “Thank you. Not just for what you did, but for caring enough to do it.” Maybe another woman might have been disturbed that he’d killed for her, but Havana was a big believer in vengeance. Yasiel had taken everything from her. There’d been no justice in him walking the Earth.

Tate’s brow creased. “You don’t have to thank me. You’re mine, Havana. This is what it means to be mine. I will protect and spoil and cosset you to the point of making you crazy. I’m also a man who’d never allow a person who hurt you that badly to live. Never.”

“If you tell anyone I’ll deny it, but you make me all tingly when you dish out these darkly overprotective declarations. And I’m all about the tingles.”

His mouth quirked. “Kiss me.”

She did, and he quickly took over and made the kiss his own. Not roughly, but decisively—every lick of his tongue was bold and sure.

He gently nipped her lower lip. “I’m not going to make an easy mate. And being Alpha female won’t be any easier. But I swear I’ll never do anything to make you regret being mine. I’ll never take you for granted. Never let you down again. Never do anything but love the shit out of you.”

Oh, now her throat was aching. “You love me?”

He smiled. “Fuck, yeah. I didn’t think it’d come as a surprise to you.”

She gently dragged her nails down the column of his throat, knowing he liked it. “It’s a good thing you feel that way, because it just so happens that I love you.”

His eyes warmed. “I know. I feel it. And it’s even more of a reason for you to move in with me today.”

“I said I would,” she reminded him.

“Yes, you said it. But I don’t see you packing. Or even looking particularly committed to the idea.”

“Would you feel better if I stood up and started jumping for joy?”

“Yeah, because then I could watch your tits bounce—that’s always fun.” He softly slapped her ass. “Come on, let’s get your stuff packed. I’ll have Luke and Farrell help transport your things to what will from today onwards be our house. We can christen at least two of the rooms tonight.”

“Oh, now that’s a plan I can get behind.”

As the furniture had come with the place and wasn’t hers to take, it really was a simple matter of tossing all her stuff into her suitcase and duffels. But even with help, it took longer than she’d expected. She’d just packed the last duffel when Bailey, Aspen, and Camden returned.

Sensing that Havana and Tate were fully bonded, they all congratulated them. They weren’t surprised to find that Havana was moving out. Bailey, of course, got all dramatic and cried that her and Havana no longer being roommates was an end to an era. But she stopped with a chuckle when Aspen lightly slapped her over the head.

Luke and Farrell arrived only minutes later. The Beta handed over three sets of keys to Tate.

“Keys to your new apartments,” said Tate, handing a set to first Aspen, then to Bailey, and then to Camden. “You’re living in the same building on the same floor.”

The tiger glared at Aspen. “I still say there’s no reason we couldn’t have remained roommates.”

“Color me surprised,” said Aspen, her voice dry.

“Once you’ve packed your things, my enforcers will help you move them,” Tate added.

“Cool.” Bailey smiled at Havana. “You’ll miss living with me. I know you will.”

“Actually, I will,” said Havana. “You might be mostly insane, but you’re endlessly entertaining.”

Grinning, the mamba elbowed Aspen. “You hear that? Endlessly entertaining.”

“She also called you insane,” the bearcat pointed out.

“Mostly insane.”

“Yeah, I left out the ‘mostly,’ because you and I both know you’re fucking certifiable.”

“It’s really not so bad.” Slumping her shoulders, Bailey put on a weepy, devastated face. “Can’t you just love me the way I am, Aspen? Can’t you just accept me, warts and—”

“Stop, stop.”

The mamba just chuckled.

Looking from one female to the other, Havana sighed. “I’m dreading what damage your animals will do to each other when I’m not around to intervene.”

“Don’t worry about us.” Bailey waved a hand at Havana. “Go shack up with your dude. It’s clear he’s eager to get gone from here.”

Tate put a hand on Havana’s back. “I am,” he confirmed. “Ready, babe?”

Havana nodded. “Ready.”

“Then let’s go.”

The next morning, Tate folded his arms as he stared down at the females lounging on his sofa watching TV. “Why are you here? Uninvited? Again?”

Aspen’s brow creased. “We’re Havana’s bodyguards, right? We can’t guard her if we’re not around.”

Bailey nodded. “That would be a struggle, even for us.”

“You only need to guard her when she’s out of the house,” Tate explained.

“Oh,” both females said, but neither moved.

“I’d ask how you got in here,” began Tate, “but you’ll only tell me you slipped in through an unlocked door or open window when I’d know that to be untrue. Do the enforcers guarding the house know you’re here?”

Aspen pursed her lips. “Not that I’m aware.”

Yeah, that was what he’d thought. His cats would be furious when they realized the two females had snuck inside undetected a second time.

“I really like the apartment you assigned me, by the way,” said Bailey. “It’s super swanky.”

“And yet, you’re not in it,” he pointed out.

“Your TV is better.”

“It is better,” Aspen agreed. And then both females went right back to watching it.

Tate sighed. He needed coffee. In the kitchen, he found that there was some in the pot. Well at least the females had the common courtesy to make coffee. Knowing his mate would appear any moment, he poured her a drink and set it on the table. He was just about to fix them both some breakfast when there was a knock at the front door.

Considering how fast news spread around his pride, he knew that all his pride mates would know by now that he was officially mated to Havana. Each member would likely turn up at some point to swear fealty to their new Alpha female. He hadn’t thought people would start pledging their loyalty to her this early in the morning.

Having placed his mug on the counter, Tate walked down the hallway and glanced through the door’s peephole. Ashlynn stood on his porch, her expression sober. He sighed, and his cat bared a fang. She could be here to swear fealty to Havana, sure—she’d have to if she wanted to stay part of the pride. But he’d thought he’d have to push her to do so or even offer her an ultimatum. He definitely hadn’t thought she’d be the first to show.

Distrusting her apparent eagerness, Tate blanked his expression as he opened the door. Her shoulders hunched, Ashlynn tried for a smile. The enforcers who guarded his house were leaning against the porch rails, ready to remove her from the property at Tate’s request. It seemed they didn’t trust her either.

Ashlynn raised her hands in a gesture of peace. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to ask you to have dinner with me or for us to talk. That ship has sailed, I know.”

“Do you?” Tate asked, skeptical.

She swallowed. “Yes.” Her eyes dropped to the claiming mark on his throat, and pain briefly flashed on her face. “It was clear you’d moved on before I even came home. I just hadn’t wanted to see it. You told me over and over that you didn’t want us to try again. I should have listened, should have heeded you. I didn’t. I just kept pushing, and then I got all bitchy when things didn’t go my way.” She licked her lips. “I didn’t behave fairly to you. For that, I’m sorry.”

Tate didn’t say “apology accepted” for the simple reason that he wasn’t yet certain that she meant it.

“I won’t lie and say I’m happy that you and Havana have mated—I’m not quite there yet. But I am glad that you’re happy. You deserve to be.”

“Okay,” he said, because there was a ring of truth in her voice. “But I don’t think you came here just to say that.”

“You’re right, I didn’t. I came to tell you that, well …” She paused and lifted her chin. “I’ve decided to leave the pride. Again. I’ve already packed my things and booked a flight for later today. I don’t feel that I could be happy here.”

The words “Bon Voyage” were on the tip of his tongue. While he wouldn’t wish the dangers of a lone shifter lifestyle on anyone—not even her—he couldn’t say he was disappointed that she planned to leave. Particularly because Havana would feel more comfortable if the woman wasn’t around. Plus, he’d never fully trust Ashlynn to be loyal to him, his mate, or the pride. His cat would be glad to see the back of her.

“I don’t have to warn you that being a loner isn’t easy and comes with a lot of risks—you’ve already lived that lifestyle once,” said Tate. “If you’re fine with taking those risks and this is what you want, fair enough.”

She looked at him, her face lined with sadness. “You really don’t care if I go, do you? Understandable, I guess. I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve accepted that you’ve moved on. Still, it’s hard to know that someone I love—someone who was once open to mating with me—doesn’t care one iota about me now.” She worried her lower lip. “I really did hugely mess up, didn’t I?”

Several times, but Tate saw no point in discussing it.

“I hope one day you’ll stop hating me.”

“I don’t hate you, nor am I holding a grudge. If you hadn’t messed up the way you did, I probably wouldn’t be mated to Havana right now.”

She winced but then nodded. “Right. Good. Still, I’m sorry for everything, Tate. I’d like to apologize to Havana before I leave.”

“I doubt she’ll think it’s necessary.”

“You mean she won’t care if I’m sorry. I’d still like to apologize.”

He was about to repeat that it wasn’t necessary, but then his mate came up behind him and said, “I’ll hear her out.”

Hell, Tate hadn’t even heard Havana descend the stairs, let alone sense her creep close. The woman would keep him on his toes for sure. Although he didn’t like his mate being so close to this woman he didn’t trust, he stepped aside. As Havana sidled up to him, he slid his arm around her waist to cup her hip.

Straightening her shoulders, Ashlynn cleared her throat and forced a smile for Havana. “I’d congratulate you on your mating, but you’d know it to be false, and there’s no sense in insulting your intelligence or mine. Still, I hope you appreciate how lucky you are to have found your mate and claimed him. That doesn’t always work out as it should. Anyway … I came to tell Tate that I’m leaving the pride today. Which I’m sure will come as a relief to you. Before I go, though, I wanted to …” A slyness slid over Ashlynn’s face. “Challenge you. I wanted to challenge you.”