As soon as they gave us permission, I took Kara home. Jury caught a ride back with Mav after bringing me my truck. When we got to her place, I jogged around the truck and picked her up, carrying her straight to the bathroom. The relief of having her in my arms was intense. I squeezed her tight.
She squeaked. “I’m happy to be back with you, too, Rico,” she said with a laugh. “But I can’t breathe.”
After relaxing my hold and setting her down in the bathroom, I ran a shower and we both stood under the spray, still hugging each other close. Eventually, I let her go long enough to gently wash every inch of her body. “Wash it all away,” I said. “Let the water take the grossness of that place with it.”
She held her head back and breathed deep, her breasts rising and falling as her emotions flowed through the bond. She still felt shocked and upset, but it quieted, and a sense of calm came over her.
I quickly washed myself, getting all the blood off my hands and arms, then dried my mate and carried her to bed.
Wrapping myself around her, I snuggled close, both of us completely naked. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I thought I was helping.”
“Why did you leave?” She looked up at me with sorrowful eyes. “I didn’t mean it. I think I was having a panic attack. I didn’t want you to leave.”
“I went to visit some old friends,” I explained. “I took the opportunity to find some old cohorts and use their abilities to get info on Tye. They took it to his parents, but they did it too soon. They were supposed to do it after I got back in town so that if it enraged him, I could protect you. But they took it too soon. That’s why he was angry enough to have you grabbed.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. I realized now that she was clean that a bruise was blossoming on one of them. I rubbed the pad of my thumb over the slight discoloration. “I should’ve killed him.”
“No,” she exclaimed. “You’d be in jail.”
“If Jury hadn’t called the cops already, I could’ve covered it up,” I insisted. “Before I went to my associates for their help, I went to Arizona. I told my grandfather I didn’t want my inheritance. It’s not important to me anymore. I asked for enough money to take some college classes and help bankroll a PI and security firm here in Black Claw.”
She stared at me with wonder on her face and another tear escaped. I wiped it away gently. “What did he say?”
This was the best part. “They were so happy for me that they gave me the full inheritance. They said I’d become the man they’d known I could be all along.” I sighed and told her the rest of it. “I told them the truth about where I went and why. And what I did. They said that considering I set everything up so that the true criminal would take the fall, they could forgive the slip into my old way of life.”
I pursed my lips before telling me the rest. “They also said if I ever did anything like that without consulting them first, I’d find myself out on my ass. I believe Uncle Perry used the expression, ‘up shit creek,’” I said ruefully.
I had no plans of delving back into that life. I knew I’d changed because not a single part of me had enjoyed the heist.
Kara laughed and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “I’ll help them.” Her face went serious before she kissed me again. “Claim me,” she whispered. “If you mean it, and you’re never leaving me again, claim me.”
Valor let out a cross between a growl and a howl, and instantly, my dick hardened. “You’re not up for sex,” I said.
“Does it have to be sex?” she asked.
It does not.
I laughed. “No. No, it doesn’t.” I’d be aching, but that was okay. If it made her feel more secure to have it done that way, I was happy to do it. More than happy. I was ecstatic.
She turned her head and exposed her neck. I had no idea what to do.
Let me.
I relaxed and let Valor take the lead. He used me and settled his teeth on her neck gently. He was silent in my head, so I knew he was explaining things to her.
“Do it,” she whispered.
Even though she was pretty insistent, Valor took the time to get her more in the mood. He used me to kiss her neck, nuzzling and caressing until she pushed back against me with a feeling of urgency coming through the bond. When her senses were loosened and she’d relaxed her body against mine, he bit down, and the world exploded in my mind. My tentative connection with Kara turned vibrant and bright. I knew that she was happy. She felt safe and relieved.
And horny. The bite had caused her core to drench; I could smell it. Without disturbing my teeth, still gripping her neck, she shifted herself so I could slip inside her.
I moaned as she cried out in pleasure when I filled her. Biting harder, I watched the connection in my mind pulse with bright, happy colors. This was the rightest thing in the world. The best decision I’d ever made.
She was mine, and I was hers. And I spent the rest of the night proving it to her, as many times as I could.
23
Kara
I’d had a lot of trauma in my life,
