“So, you bit me so you could strengthen our connection,” she summarized, lifting an eyebrow.
“I need you to be safe,” I replied simply. “I’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure you are.”
“But you didn’t finish the bond,” she reminded me unnecessarily, no doubt feeling the heavy bulge nestled against her ass. “You could have,” she continued and I stopped breathing for a second.
“You’re seventeen,” I ground out, mu hands squeezing her thighs.
“Eighteen actually,” she told me pertly. “My birthday was two days ago.”
“That’s still too young,” I informed her and she smiled.
“I agree,” she answered.
“Then why are you telling me this? Do you have any idea of how tempting you are? Of the effort I’m making not to roll you underneath me and finish this?”
“Maybe,” she said and then corrected herself, “Probably not. But you aren’t, and there has to be a reason.”
“It should be your choice. It’ll always be your choice, and it won’t be made in a moment of blind lust,” I promised, my eyes glittering with determination.
“But what about you?”
“What about me?” I asked carefully, keeping my hands on her thighs as I kept her in place.
“You keep biting me and marking me. When is it my turn?”
“You want to bite me?” I asked, startled.
“Why not?” She shrugged, “It felt amazing and it can only make our bond stronger.” Her eyes narrowed. “You bit me but we didn’t have sex so we’re not fully mated, but does this mean we’ll always be connected even if we never complete the bond?”
I was already shaking my head before she could finish the question.
“No, it will wear off. We have to maintain the bond or complete it. If we do nothing and avoid one another, then it will eventually fade.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” She whispered, her voice unusually throaty as she stared at my neck. I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening on her legs as she leaned forward.
“I have no idea how I’ll react,” I warned, my fingers slipping as I debated the soundness of this idea. “I could lose control. Take you.”
“Worth the risk,” she answered and when her lips touched my skin, my entire body went taut. She trailed light kisses along my neck, her tongue flicking out to taste the smooth skin. “I’m curious,” she mentioned, as her tongue explored a dip in my throat.
“About?” I managed, the word strangled.
“You bit me on the neck. Is that a requirement? Is it the location? Or the act?” She questioned, her lips brushing my shoulder as she hovered above me.
“I’m not sure,” I rasped, my chest heaving at the amount of control I was exerting. “You’re welcome to test another location though.”
She smiled as she pressed a kiss firmly against my neck and sat up. I watched her with lidded eyes, fighting the urge to put her under me, knowing she needed to be in control for this.
“It’s about intent,” I murmured. “My initial kiss had more intent than I realized, causing our bond. My bite just now was very intentional,” I rumbled, repositioning her legs so she rested against me fully. She explored my chest, her fingers tracing every bulge and ripple intently.
“Intent,” she repeated, her eyes tracing the path her hands had taken. I kept my hands locked on her thighs as she continued to explore, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. She nipped my ear and I grunted.
“Gonna have to be a little harder than that,” I informed her, my thumb stroking along the hem of her shorts.
“Patience,” she ordered and I groaned. Her lips followed the path her fingers had taken and she giggled as my curly chest hair tickled her nose. “You’re hairy,” she informed me.
“I’m a wolf shifter,” I replied, rocking my hips. “Hairy comes with the territory.” She grinned as a laugh rumbled through me. Her mouth hovered over one particular spot on my chest and I knew she could feel the thud of my heart, the beats faster than normal but steady. Her nose brushed my nipple then her tongue darted out to taste it. My body tensed instantly, the flat brown nipple pebbling, as my control slipped dangerously.
She went back to the spot above my heart and gently kissed it before biting down. Pleasure wiped away any hint of pain her bite may have caused, and my fingers dug into her hips, hard enough to leave bruises. Her thighs squeezed tight around my waist and I knew she felt what I felt.
Mine.
The word reverberated through me, but it didn’t belong to me. It belonged to Jess.
“And you are mine as well,” I declared, the words sending a wave of satisfaction though her that echoed my own.
Chapter Twenty
“I need to go home,” Jess replied, taking her jeans out of the dryer. “I can’t stay here.”
“You’re safe here,” I repeated and she shook her head.