His nostrils flared again. “I can practically smell your cherry from here. Can’t wait to taste your sweet innocence before I pop it on my cock, make you scream my name as you come, fill you with my seed, and sink my teeth into your shoulder to leave my mating mark on you.”
Just as our conversation was getting interesting, my stomach let out a loud rumble. Keane’s gaze dropped, and he jumped to his feet. “Shit, I should’ve realized you were hungry. I’m fucking up with you again.”
“Not even close. I’m happier sitting here with you than I have been in months.” I shook my head and let out a soft sigh. “Maybe ever, if I’m being honest with myself.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” He brushed a kiss against my forehead. “But you’re hungry, and it’s my privilege as your mate to take care of all your needs, including feeding you.”
The butterflies swirled in my belly again as my gaze darted toward the bathroom. “Could I take a shower while you’re cooking? I feel icky and would love to rinse off.”
“My home is your home now, Laina.” He held out a hand to help me to my feet even though I didn’t need any assistance. Sweeping his arm in a half-circle, he said, “Whatever you want is yours.”
“Thanks,” I whispered before rushing toward the bathroom. I hadn’t been joking about my need for a shower. Between hiking so many miles and spending last night in a cramped tent, I was anything but fresh. And if things with Keane were headed in the direction that I thought they were, being clean would help me feel less self-conscious.
After shutting the door behind me, I stripped out of my clothes and jumped in the shower. The hot water beating down on my sore body felt wonderful, and I ended up staying in there longer than I’d planned. When I finally got out, I felt refreshed and ready to take Keane up on his sensual promise.
The only problem was that I wasn’t looking forward to putting my dirty clothes back on. Lifting a T-shirt off the top of the hamper in the corner of the room, I sniffed to see if it smelled cleaner than what I’d been wearing. The woodsy scent of my mate filled my nostrils, making the choice an easy one. I tugged his shirt over my head, and the material covered me all the way to my knees.
I briefly considered pulling my panties on, but wrinkled my nose when I thought about how hot and sweaty I’d gotten while tramping around in the wilderness. Instead, I tossed them into the hamper along with everything else I had been wearing. When I opened the bathroom door again, the delicious scent of food drifted toward me.
“Lunch is ready,” Keane called, his voice turning raspy at the end when he saw that I was wearing his shirt.
Unless he’d forgotten to mention that he had X-ray vision, he had no idea that I didn’t have any panties on. But I still blushed as though he knew as I walked over and sat in the chair he pulled out for me. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
He set a plate in front of me, piled high with roasted pork tenderloin, fingerling potatoes, cinnamon apples, and asparagus. My stomach reminded me how long it had been since I last ate, and I dug right in, taking a bite of each dish before I said, “This is really good.”
“We lucked out.” He flashed me a grin over his cup of water. “Thora must’ve come over and stocked the fridge for me. It’s perfect timing because there’s a ton of gourmet stuff we can heat whenever we get hungry.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Who’s Thora?”
“Rome’s mate. He’s a member of my pack.” Keane jerked his chin toward his left shoulder. “She’s human but works as a chef for a restaurant owned by the Timber Ridge Pack. They used to split their time fairly evenly between both packs, but this is the first time they’ve been back up here since she had their first baby. Danika is two months old now, so it’s been a while.”
Knowing that the other woman belonged to someone else eased my flash of jealousy. It was totally unwarranted since Keane had just finished telling me that he wouldn’t want anyone other than me, but he seemed pleased that I was territorial over him.
As soon as I finished my last bite, he took the fork from me and set it on my plate. The air around us practically crackled with sexual tension as he lifted me off my chair and stalked toward the bedroom. His self-control had snapped, and my sexy mate was beyond ready to claim me.
6
Keane
I had only found my fated mate about an hour ago, but it felt as though I’d known Laina forever as I set her on my mattress. We still needed to learn the small details about each other’s lives, but I was already starting to fall head over heels in love with her. And it wasn’t just because she was the gorgeous woman fate had paired me with.
Something so gentle and sweet about my mate called to me on a different level. Her soft smiles and pink blushes were so damn cute, and I couldn’t wait to see how far down her body the color went when she was feeling shy.
Seeing her curvy body sprawled on my bed settled my inner beast. “You’re finally right where you belong.”
Her lips curved up, and her pretty hazel eyes were filled with passion. The combination had my cock pressing harder against my zipper. I needed to feel our naked bodies pressed against each other more than I needed my next breath. So I whipped my shirt over my head, flicked open the button of my jeans, yanked the zipper down, and shoved them down my legs. Since I’d gone commando, my dick sprung free, earning me a gasp from my gorgeous mate.
Her eyes were wide as she stared at my hard-on, her lips forming a perfect O. “Whoa.”
I wrapped my fingers around my cock and stroked my fist up and down the shaft while I stared down at her. “Don’t worry, baby. You were made to take me, remember?”
“Yeah, but…that was before I knew how big you were.” Her gaze drifted up to my chest and eventually my face. “Although I guess I should’ve known that you’d be huge all over.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and the color spread down her neck. Crawling onto the mattress, I started to slide the hem of my shirt up her thighs. “As much as I love seeing your sexy body covered by my shirt, I can’t wait to get you naked.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I went commando, too.”