Chapter 16

With her bloodfresh on his lips and her words in his ears, Pierce felt his wolf rallying hard inside him. It'd already been simmering just under his skin, intoxicated by the act of marking his mate. He'd felt the pain inside her as he'd bitten into her flesh. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but he knew this wasn't like any other injury. It was a symbol of her trust in him and her promise to be with him forever.

There was just one part of the ritual left.

Pierce scooped her up and stood, not once letting her feet touch the ground as he carried her to the bedroom. He took his time, knowing now that they weren't working on a deadline. Holly would still be packing up her things and leaving Eugene behind, but she'd be bringing him with her.

He nuzzled her neck as he reached her bed and slowly let go, letting her body slide down against his until she was on her knees on the mattress. He swept her hair back from her shoulders and ran his hands through it. He would get to enjoy those silky locks for the rest of his life. It was hard to imagine, but only because she made him feel so young and vibrant. It might have taken half his life to find her, but being with her was like getting to start life all over again.

He kissed her forehead, his fingers stroking the angle of her jaw and the smoothness of her throat. "I can't believe I almost let you go."

"You're not the only one." She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest, holding him tightly. "I guess our stubborn natures were the first thing we had in common."

Pierce laughed. "I have a feeling we're only going to find more as we go along."

She smoothed her hands down the front of his shirt until she reached the bottom. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Hm. Like long walks on the beach?" he ducked his head as she pulled his shirt over it.

Holly tossed it aside and glided her hands across his bare skin. "Have you ever taken a long walk on the beach?"

"No," he admitted as he started on the buttons of her sleeveless blouse. She'd already left the first few undone, offering him a tantalizing triangle of skin. "I figure I'm about to get plenty of chances, though."

"That's true." Her fingers gripped the top button of his jeans. "What we have in common could also be things we don't like, right?"

Pierce chewed the inside of his lip as he tried to work the tiny pearl button back through the hole. How could a flimsy piece of fabric be so effective at keeping him from his mate? "If I'm with you, there won't be much I don't like."

"No?" Holly grunted as she struggled with his fly. "Not even all these damn buttons we seem to be wearing?"

He laughed and gently batted her hands away from his jeans, parting the rest of his fly easily. "These aren't difficult."

"Neither are these." Holly demonstrated by effortlessly undoing the row of buttons to reveal her white cotton beneath.

It was practical, not the lacey number she'd worn the last time they'd been together, but Pierce liked it just as much. It gently cradled her breasts above her soft stomach, a scene that reminded him of just how lucky of a man he was. "I guess that just means we make a great team."

"Definitely." Holly slid her hands down inside his loosened jeans and over his ass, sliding the denim down as she caressed the outside of his legs. Her fingers skimmed just above his knees before twisting around and roving up the insides of his thighs. She continued upward, skimming her palm over the bulge in his boxers.

She was doing a good job of distracting him from his original mission of worshipping every square inch of her body. He made quick work of her khaki shorts, which forced her to sit on the edge of the bed so he could pull them over her ankles. She started to get back up when he was done, and he used her motion to pick her up and turn her around so that she was once again sitting on his lap. It was the same position they'd had on the couch, but now there was far less between them.

Holly squealed with surprise. "What are we doing?"

"Just getting comfortable." Pierce ran his hands up her back until he could touch her hair. "Work for you?"

Holly wiggled her hips until she descended on his hard shaft, slowly enveloping him in such exquisite pleasure that Pierce had to close his eyes. Her thighs closed around him, her feet pressed against his legs. "God, yes."

He slipped his fingers under the band of her bra and pulled it off. Her generous breasts pressed into him, and he knew he could—and willingly would—lose himself in her.

He grabbed her hips, which had become one of his favorite things to do. Pierce would take any excuse to touch this woman he was fortunate enough to call his mate. He held her against him tightly. "I just want to feel you for a moment, just like this."

Holly rested her forehead against his, her hands rubbing up and down his back. It was utter perfection. Pierce knew they'd find many ways they liked being together. It would adjust as her pregnancy advanced, and no doubt they'd have to adjust again once the little one came along, but he knew they'd always have what they were experiencing right now, a sense of peace and pure happiness as a result of their bond.

Eventually, his hips began to rock. Holly swayed in unison, their bodies reading and feeding off each other. Their union before had been hot and feverish, a demand for flesh. Now, it was deep and slow, a heady sweetness like a sultry summer afternoon. Her body shifted against his, and a gentle moan sounded in her throat as her core began to shiver around him.

His breath quickened. Holly threw her head back, grinding her hips harder against him. Pierce felt his entire existence flooding toward her as the heat rose between them.

She cried out, her rapid pulses bringing him right along with her. He panted as his body took full control and Holly shivered against him. Their true bond was complete.

They moved back onto the pillows and Pierce pulled her close, threading his arm around her shoulders and tucking her up close against his side. Would there ever be anything as glorious as lying next to her, with the length of her naked body against his? He'd happily spend his whole life finding out. "You know, I thought I was satisfied after the last time."

She laughed, a vibration against his chest. "Were you not?"

"Not compared to this." He kissed the top of her head. "Not when I know that I get to keep you afterward."

"Mm, yes." She snuggled deeper in against his side. "Have I told you how sweet you are?"

"Possibly, but I'll let you do it again." He rubbed his fingers along her side, reveling in the curves of her body and knowing that she was only going to get curvier over the next few months. Blood rushed to his groin, but he didn't want to disturb this peaceful, dreamy moment. They'd experienced so much chaos in the short time they'd known each other, and they both deserved a minute to relax. "Are you looking forward to going back home?"

"I think it'll be even more of a home once you're there with me, so yes. Also, my mattress is far more comfortable than this one." She wriggled again.

They could've been lying on a park bench and he would've been happy, just as long as they were together. "I guess you'll have to take off a star when you leave a review, huh?"

"No, I can't complain too much since they let me stay an extra week." Holly pushed herself up on her elbows and rolled over to look at him. "I haven't had a whole lot of time to think about what it'll be like to work with a baby, but I'm grateful that I already have a remote position. It means that I'll be able to have him or her with me most of the time, and we'll just need a sitter when I have to go out for longer trips."

Pierce smiled, pleased to know she was starting to think about how well this could work. It was only yesterday that everything felt impossible. "I'll look later today and see if the fire department out there has any openings."

"Going to go ahead and get started?"

"I'm ready to dive in with both feet. Speaking of, am I going to have to pull you out of the ocean all the time once we're out there? Or do you only like to drown in rivers?"

She playfully smacked his chest before curling up under his arm again and pressing her cheek against him. "You're terrible."

"And just a moment ago, you told me how sweet I was," he reminded her, grinning.

"I guess that means you can be both." Holly laid her hand on his chest and ran her fingers slowly through the fine smattering of hair there. "You sure you're not going to miss living here?"

It was something he'd asked himself the previous night—or rather, in the early hours of the morning—after he'd dropped her off and gone back home. The answer had come to him quickly. "I've never lived anywhere else, but I think it's time I did. I like my job, but it's still just a job. I can get one anywhere. You've seen my apartment; it's nothing special. My family is here, but I can come back and visit. You're what I'd miss the most if I stayed."

"And now I get the sweet version of you again," she mumbled. Her breathing was getting slower, and she leaned more heavily on him.

She had to be exhausted. Now that they were safe and happy together, Pierce felt some of that exhaustion draping over him, too. It'd been a very long night, and he hadn't slept at all. Pierce yawned, though his mind was still working over the logistics of his impending move. "I think the only thing I'll feel sad about leaving behind is my dad. He can take over my apartment, so that's easy enough, but I feel bad for him. He lost the house he'd spent pretty much his entire adult life in. The insurance money will come through, but it won't feel the same."

"He should just come live with us."

Pierce was suddenly awake again. "Do you mean that?"

"Yeah, if you think he'd want to." She rolled again so that she lay on her back. "My house isn't huge, but there's an apartment over the garage. It needs a little fixing up. I was going to rent it out, but I'd never gotten around to getting it all done."

The idea was getting him even more excited about the move. It would be good for Rick to get out of this town full of memories and create some new ones. "I'm sure he wouldn't need to live with us for very long, and then he could find a new place of his own."

When she shook her head, her hair rubbed softly against his skin. "Why? He could just stay there, and then we'd have help with the baby. I think it'd be kind of nice."

"Me, too." Pierce grazed his fingers over her arm as he leaned against the pillow and thought about it. Holly already had family and friends out in Massachusetts. He only had her, but he could have his father, too. "I'll ask him about it today."

She didn't respond.

Pierce waited a moment and then realized she'd fallen asleep. She needed it, and he was content to hold her until she woke up again. Everything else in the world could wait. He craned his neck so he could see her face, soft and gentle as she rested. Would their child look like her, with her wide eyes and slim face? Would its eyes be soft gray like hers or dark blue like his? Would it be a bear or a wolf? He didn't care one way or another, just as long as it was happy and healthy.