Digging her fingernails into his shoulders mindlessly and probably drawing blood, she shuddered in his arms, losing the ability to get air into her lungs as pleasure exploded inside her in a never-ending wave.
Bolt stiffened and then slammed into her once, twice, before holding himself inside her and letting go. He groaned as he released, warmth coating her insides as his cock pulsed, sending her pleasure skyrocketing again.
When she finally became aware of her surroundings again, they were in the same position, fine tremors shaking both their frames, their lungs working overtime to draw in oxygen. A light film of sweat coated their bodies, but despite that, Ana would stay exactly as she was, pressed in close to his body and joined in the most intimate way possible, for the rest of forever, if that was an option.
Bolt placed a gentle kiss on her lips and then pressed his forehead to hers. “Before you start overthinking shit, you need to understand something.”
Tensing, she felt her heart stop while she waited, sure he was going to tell her this was a one-time thing and not to get too attached. It was far too late for that, but that was her burden to bear, not his, so she nodded for him to continue.
“This wasn’t casual, Ana. It wasn’t just us having some fun, it wasn’t blowing off steam, it wasn’t killing time until you leave. Whether you realize it or not, we started something serious the moment we met, and I’m not letting you go. Not now, not ever. Whether you realize it or not, that was us beginning our lives together. So don’t start thinking too much and downplaying what we just did, il mio cuore. I know it meant something to you, and this is me letting you know it meant something to me, too.”
Her heart restarted with a painful thump, and for long moments, all she could do was blink. His words slowly washed over her, followed by a gentle wave of peace. She hadn’t realized it, but even after that spectacular orgasm, when her body and brain should have been mush, she still hadn’t released all her tension.
And she realized now that this was why. She’d already been thinking it didn’t mean to him what it meant to her, and now that she had his words, she could let her bones melt into the bed.
Knowing he’d understand that she was on the same page, on the same damned letter, she nodded and simply said, “Okay.”
Bolt ran his fingers through Ana’s long hair, his conscience weighing heavily on him—something he wasn’t used to feeling. He’d told her how he felt, and while he hadn’t actually said he loved her yet—and he fucking did, no doubts on that—he thought his words conveyed his feelings.
But he hadn’t told her what he was yet either, and it wasn’t sitting well with him. She’d deserved to know the whole truth before giving herself to him, but he’d gotten so fucking worked up as he described what her body did to him that in the moment, all he’d cared about was getting inside her.
So find your balls and tell her now, his leopard said. Don’t be a pussy.
Just barely resisting the juvenile response of I know you are but what am I, he mentally flipped his cat off and exhaled slowly while pressing a kiss to his mate’s hair.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he murmured softly, knowing she wasn’t asleep yet.
Stretching against him lazily and making his cock stir with interest, she turned her head pressed her lips to his pec. “Hmmm?”
“It’s… well… see, it’s like this…” Fuck, who was he right now? Why couldn’t he just spit the fucking words out?
Propping herself up on her elbow, she studied him closely before her slight frown unfurled. “It is about this,” she said softly, brushing her hand underneath his eye and then down his chest, “and this?”
“My striking eyes and my amazingly awesome chest? Both are pretty damned impressive.” Dammit, why was he making a joke? Just tell her already, he ordered himself. She even gave him almost the perfect opening.
She smirked. “Your color changing eyes and the growl deep in your chest. Neither of which are quite human.”
His eyebrows rose. Now that was the perfect opening.
“The growl? You noticed that, yeah? And yet, you’re not running.”
“Yes, I noticed, and no I’m not running. I’m snuggling, which is basically the exact opposite of running.”
“And you’re snuggling even though you think I’m not quite human?”
“It appears that way, yes.”
She was such a little smartass once her walls were down. He fucking loved it. “Okay, well, you’d be right, then.”
He deliberately left it at that, wanting more of her sass, and she didn’t disappoint as she rolled her eyes.
“Unlike you, I am a human. Thoroughly and unimpressively so. I don’t have superhuman radar, Bolt. Are you going to tell me what you are?”
“I’m a shifter—”
“A shapeshifter?” she interrupted, a gleam of excitement in her sky-blue eyes. “Like Jacob in Twilight?”
“Jacob in—what?”
“You know, Twilight. The books and movies. Jacob was a wolf shifter. You’re a wolf, too? That’s super hot.”
His head reared back in disgust as his cat hissed inside him. “What? Hell no, I’m not a dog. I’m a leopard. A black leopard, to be exact.”
A look of disappointment crossed her face. “A cat? That’s too bad. Don’t worry, you’re still hot. Maybe not super hot like a wolf, but hot all the same.”
Gaping at her in disbelief as she patted his fucking chest like she pitied him, he stared at her, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. The fuck? He lost hotness points for having a badass predator cat instead of a smelly ass dog?
What the fuck kind of shitty alternate universe had he stumbled into?
He was still trying to figure out how to
