24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Z ylus

As we lay tangled together on top of the bedspread, our bodies still joined, I can't help but marvel at the way she fits so perfectly in my arms. Like she was always meant to be here, pressed against my heart.

"That was…" I trail off, struggling to find words to adequately describe the life-altering experience we just shared.

"Incredible?" Misty suggests, lifting her head from my chest to smirk at me. "Earth-shattering? Hallion-shattering? The best you've ever had?"

I laugh, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "All of the above. And then some."

She grins, looking entirely too smug. "It felt mind-blowing to me as well. And, I aim to please."

"Oh, you definitely pleased." I roll us over so she's pinned beneath me, reveling in the little gasp that escapes her kiss-swollen lips. "Repeatedly, if I recall. "

A pretty blush stains her cheeks and I can't resist leaning down to brush all that pretty pink with my lips, then trail my fangs along the delicate line of her jaw. She sighs, tilting her head to give me better access.

"Zylus," she breathes, and the way she says my name, like a prayer and a plea all at once, sets my blood on fire all over again.

"I've wanted this for so long," I murmur against her skin, punctuating each word with a kiss. "Wanted you. Even when you were driving me crazy with your stubbornness and your infuriating taste in bathroom tiles."

That startles a laugh out of her, bright and warm. "Oh, like you were such a peach to deal with? Mister ‘I'm an expert on crown molding and I'll prove it by mansplaining it to you for three hours straight'."

I nip her earlobe in retaliation, delighting in the way she shivers against me. "You love my mansplaining. Admit it."

"I admit nothing," she declares, but the way she's arching into my touch belies her words. "Except maybe that I love you."

Hearing her say it, without prodding or provocation, turns my insides to warm liquid.

Heedless of the twenty-six guests in our house, I almost shout as I express my emotions to her. "I love you, Misty. Sometimes it's so big, so wild, so restless and needy and insistent I don't know what to do with it."

I see how my admission hits her. Her eyes flare wide and she gasps with pleasure at my words. Perhaps she's feeling overwhelmed, because she lightens the mood, sliding her palm down my chest on a quest toward my cock as she says, " I know what to do with all those big… emotions, Zylus."

She removes her hand from me and eases away as my cock reluctantly leaves the warm clutch of her body.

"I have a thought." All the lightness has bled from her tone. She's serious .

"Does it involve another round? Standing up in the shower? On the rug in front of the fire?"

"Later."

She slaps my ass, which causes Vortex to startle. When he sees the hardcore action on the bed has stopped, he launches up and wiggles his way between us.

"Did you happen to notice how well we worked together? We made a thousand decisions, about everything from paint color to kitchen appliances, without bloodshed."

"Yes."

"And we accomplished it without speaking. Just imagine how well we could work together now that we're talking . "

I'm not sure where she's going, but I like her playful tone.

"Mmm."

"So I was thinking… Maybe we could stay in this room together. It's big enough for both of us."

"And Vortex?" I have to lean over the chitza in question to nuzzle Misty's cheek with my nose.

"Yes. The three of us. We could stay here. Run the inn together. Maybe build a little cottage in the backyard. You know, so we could rent out this room."

"Would the little cottage have its own gazebo?"

"Naturally. I don't like to share."

She nips my shoulder. I like her possessiveness. I don't want to share her either. Ever.

"There's nothing more satisfying than a new project." I nudge her with my already-hard cock, causing her eyes to flare wide .

"Really? Three in a row? You're a hidden treasure, you know that?"

"I already found the hidden treasure, Misty. It's you."

Her warm hands cup my cheeks so sweetly my heart clenches. "You really forgive me? For torturing us both for three long months?"

"I think it's time we forgive each other."

"So, the contract? The one that allows for one of us to buy out the other?" she asks.

"Let's replace it with another contract. A mating contract. We'll have joint property. Even Vortex."

I've seen my female in many moods, but I've never seen her face bloom with such a wide smile.

"I need one thing first, Zylus."

Her smile evaporates as she turns serious. "I need to apologize one last time—"

I interrupt her, wanting to tell her I've already forgiven her, but she shushes me.

"One last apology and I have to tell you how much I love you. I've watched you treat everyone you encounter with respect, and never behave badly despite my stubborn behavior and all the stress we were under. You could have been a jerk to me these last three months, but you weren't. I know you better than anyone I've ever met, and I love everything about you."

My chest bursts with heat at her loving words.

Somehow I manage to dislodge the chitza and hear him jump back onto the floor as I cradle my female in my arms.

"I love you, Misty. More even than the Interstellar Inn. All is forgiven. Let's spend a lifetime together. "

The words hang in the air between us, weighted with promise and possibility.

"Do you mean it?" she whispers, hardly daring to breathe. "A lifetime? Even when I'm stubborn and infuriating and driving you crazy with my questionable taste in bathroom tiles?"

I laugh, low and warm, then cup her face with both my hands. " Especially when you're driving me crazy. Misty, don't you know by now? There's nothing in this galaxy or the next that could make me stop loving you. You're it for me. My forever."

A sob catches in her throat as she surges closer, crashing her lips against mine in a kiss that's pure joy, pure devotion. I gather her closer, banding my arms around her tight enough to make it clear I'll never let her go.

"I love you," she gasps out between kisses, "I love you, I love you, I love you."

She rests her forehead against mine as we catch our breath.

"Mate me," I murmur. Can she see my love shining from my eyes? "Be my partner in every way. Build a life with me, Misty. One filled with laughter and adventure and more love than the stars can hold."

"Yes." Her tone is giddy.

Elation fizzes through my veins.

"Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!"

In this moment, the rest of the universe fades away. The inn, the renovations, the challenges we've faced to get here… none of it matters.

All that matters is her and me. Us.

It won't always be easy. We're both too stubborn, too passionate, for that. But I also know, with bone-deep certainty, that there's nothing we can't weather together. No storm we can't outrace, no ghost we can't outsmart .

As long as we have each other, we can face anything.

"We're in for a beautiful, wild, wondrous adventure." She's beaming.

"I can't wait to spend forever with you," I whisper against her lips, sealing the vow with a tender kiss.

"Can you feel it?" she asks. "It's as though this wonderful old inn is in agreement, as if it's hugging us in its warmth. As if she, too, knows that everything is exactly as it's meant to be. That after a lifetime of waiting, of wanting… we're finally home."

"Yes. Home, my mate. We're home."