He could do this forever. And he looked forward to having the rest of their lives together to share moments of bliss like this.
It wasn’t long before he reached between them, finger sliding over her clit even while he pumped into her with quickening motions. And when she came, body writhing and tight sheath clenching around him, Dallas nearly came right there.
Not yet.
When Mel had relaxed again, their bodies still connected at the hips, she looked up at him with a sultry look. “Taking your time, aren’t you? I love it.”
“Want to make the moment memorable with you.”
Her hands were on his arms, pulling him down toward her so they were both horizontal, his face hovering over hers. “Every moment with you is memorable.”
Heart nearly bursting, Dallas claimed her mouth once more in a kiss, holding them together while the last of his inhibitions broke.
The beast inside him surged, and he broke the kiss as he started to thrust quickly into Mel, pushing them both toward the finish. She let out a high-pitched moan, just holding on to him while he moved for both of them.
His entire body was locking up, muscles tightening with built-up arousal that was about to explode at any moment. And even as the sound of Mel’s pleasure filled the air, along with the sound of their bodies colliding, Dallas reached a hand down along her hip to the side of her thigh.
Almost without thinking (thoughts were difficult to muster when mind-blowing pleasure seared his nerve endings), Dallas felt a claw extend from his hand, and it connected along the surface of her skin at the midway point between her knee and hip. With some sort of unknown magic, he traced his talon in a small, horizontal figure eight, all the while keeping his focus on Mel beneath him.
She didn’t even seem to notice as she threw her head back, air caught in her lungs as they reached the peak of pleasure.
His talon retracted, he held himself up with one hand while the other held her hips, and he pushed all the way inside. Sparks of want went down his arms and back, and seeing her right at the edge like this nearly made him come.
But the last thrust was all that was needed for Mel to slip past the edge, and she screamed as she orgasmed, pulling Dallas with her into unimaginable, blinding pleasure.
His cock jerked inside, pulsing with rhythmic waves of pleasure as Mel’s release made his stronger than any he’d ever had before. All he could focus on was holding her, wrapping his arms around her, feeling everything she felt against him while the throbbing inside him slowly abated.
And deep within, his tiger roared in satisfaction now that Mel was fully his mate.
Our mate.
Dallas continued to keep her close, listening to her breathing as it slowed, hearing the beat of her heart as it raced, then evened out.
They both let out a gasp of satisfaction, and Dallas took a moment to just memorize the sight of her beautiful face beneath him.
There would be many, many moments like this in the future. And each one he wanted to remember for the rest of his life.
“Wait, so are we mated now?” Mel asked, looking around. “The air feels different. I… feel different, though it’s hard to say exactly how.”
“Yes, we are. Now you’re stuck with me,” he said with a grin.
“And I couldn’t be more excited about it,” she replied, and he kissed her once more before slowly pulling out to clean up in the bathroom.
When he came back in, she was already looking down at the small mark on her thigh.
“An infinity symbol? That’s so romantic,” she squeaked in surprise. And before he could come back to the bed, she jumped up and into his arms, and her hands ran through his thick hair while he supported her so they were nose to nose.
“The only forever I could imagine wanting was one with you, mate.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
He held her another moment, then took her back to the bed, spooning her closely as the afternoon air began to cool and evening started to fall over Dragonclaw. As they relaxed, he told her more about shifters, about Dragonclaw’s history, and answered all her questions.
Every minute with her was bliss. Every moment beside her a treasure he never thought possible for an outlaw tiger who’d broken the rules just by existing.
In trusting himself and his tiger, and in trusting and loving Mel, he’d found something much better than even freedom or absolution.
Right here, nestled in his arms, he’d found home.
Epilogue
The afternoon sunlight was warm against Mel’s face as she and Dallas came over the last hill overlooking Dragonclaw Ranch.
They paused for a second to enjoy the view.
It was a beautiful Texas day. Puffy white clouds that looked like they could be used as pillows floated lazily in the perfect blue sky.
At that moment, Dallas’s fingers weaved their way through hers, and he brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing it gently.
She turned, admiring him as well as the beautiful orange sapphire inlaid in gold that positively glowed on her finger.
He had just asked her to marry him, and she had said yes.
Goodness, she loved this man.
As they made their way down the gentle decline, she cuddled a little closer to him, and he put one muscular arm around her.
“I’m glad you said yes,” he said.
She laughed. “How could I not? I love you.”
Dallas nodded. “I love you too.”
They were quiet as they made their way down the rest of the hill to Dragonclaw, both enjoying the moment, which was just as blissful as the last little while had been.
It had been a week since everything had happened, and they had barely spent a moment apart since then. Dallas had taken to showing her all of the different
